Drywalling Weekend

This weekend was spent drywalling walls. The ceiling is all done. First we put up a plastic vapor barrier since we were working on the outside walls.

Then we hung the top sheets. (Not a good idea with previous neck injuries. Holding up the drywall has caused both of us sore necks for a couple days :-().

Right after I took this picture, I started sawing out the cutouts around the windows.
Good arm exercise if you ever want to try it :-).
The bottom sheet was next and more cutting around the windows while Steve was attaching the drywall with 3 1/2" screws. The screws needed to be long to go through 2" of rigid insulation and the 1/2" drywall. We finished the south & west wall.

The woodstove will be in the corner left of the window. We plan on installing a river rock wall behind it. The walls will be knotty pine. We still have the north and east walls in the bedroom

to drywall and also the foyer but then we will be ready to mud & tape. We will also be calling the electrician to come & test all the electrical connections to make sure we didn't put a screw through anything before we mud & tape. It was not a typical installation of drywall due to the wires being covered up with the pink rigid insulation first.
We didn't work all weekend. We took time to go out to eat at the local Mexican restaurant and shopped at the food co-op before leaving.
Tomorrow I have the day off & plan on cleaning house, looking at the seed catalogs for weed barriers and cover crop ideas, and making son Shane dinner. It is supposed to be in the 70's but really windy. I may go up in the attic & get more stuff down to move to the farm too. I always run out of time...

Blue Moon and Happy New Year!

Eli & Lizzie's house through the frosted window pane

Happy New Year everyone! I hope all of those resolutions are taking effect now that it is the 4th day into the month. We had a great weekend at the farm. We arrived at the farm on Thursday afternoon, brought in some wood, got the fire roaring & relaxed for a while.

Shane made us this wood rack for Christmas. It really works great!

Our lives have been very hectic lately so it was much needed. I actually thought the whole weekend would be a relaxing one, but Steve had a different idea.
On New Year's Eve there was a "blue" moon, which is the name for the second full moon in the same month. We decided to celebrate that event by going cross country skiing (Steve) and snowshoeing (me) around the property. It was a clear, beautiful night. The temps were near zero but no wind. This is the first time I've snowshoed. Steve had an old pair from his college days that I used. It was so peaceful. The moon was so bright that the shadows from the tree branches laid on the snow.

That was so much fun, we went again the next night. Not for too long though. The wind started to pick up and it just got too cold. After playing in the snow on Thursday, we played Backgammon, ate snacks & had some wine. We actually made it until midnight! That hasn't happened for a few years. Friday we took it easy, had a nice dinner, then Steve started talkng about drywall. Uh oh...looks like my relaxing weekend was slipping away.
So the next day, he was down at the local hardware store renting a drywall jack. (I had been trying to talk him into having someone else finish all the drywall & taping). So here it is, the drywall jack.

We worked all day & into the night on the ceiling. By 8pm Steve was so tired of putting in the screws above his head, we stopped & decided to finish on Sunday. The radiant floor heat is so nice! It was well worth the time, effort & money we spent for it. We couldn't have worked on the new area without it with the temperature so cold outside.

We did have a few visitors during the day on Saturday which was a welcome break. Eli came over to visit for a while, letting us know that the family is doing great and they are keeping warm. We told him he could have a cabinet that we didn't need so he & a couple of the boys picked it up later & dropped off some fresh baked bread & butter.

Later on, neighbors Jim & Nancy stopped by to catch up. This was our first weekend back at the farm since the first week of December. We were in bed by 9:30 that night!
Sunday morning we awoke to this...

That's 16 degrees with a 29 below wind chill. Brrrr!

Looking into the bedroom area from the living room.

We started working again around 10am. We had a nice lazy breakfast. The ceiling was finished around one. Time for lunch, hot showers, clean up and head home. As hard as we worked this weekend, we also mixed in sleeping in, fun & friends. It was a great weekend!

Peace for all in the New Year

Weather Related Day Off, Progress at the Farm & Baby News

Very fine flakes of snow are falling to the earth this morning. So peaceful looking (if you are sitting at home enjoying it). It is predicted that we will get 4-8 inches in our area of Illinois. Up to twelve inches at the farm. Steve left for work around 6:30 & told me to call him before I drove in to work so he could let me know how the roads are. I called him a few minutes ago & he said it's kind of slick & since it is just starting, I should stay home if I want. I will never say no to that :-). He knows I am freaked out about driving when it is slick out. I just don't like it when other drivers tailgate me if they think I am going too slow. It is our anniversary today, so it is a nice present from him to stay home. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse so I might be home then, too. Not like I don't have anything to do at home. We are getting the townhome ready to put on the market. Last week we painted the master bedroom & I will start on the kitchen this week.  I still have holiday baking to do so I want to get the painting done before that. Then there is the cleaning of closets, general cleaning & sorting & cleaning the garage. I remember when we bought our first house. No one expected a house to look like a model. Now they do. Oh well. I just hope it sells.
Our son Shane came up to the farm this weekend & helped us out so much. Usually it is just Steve & I struggling to lift heavy stuff (actually, I struggle while he doesn't :-). Anyway...the foil backed insulation is up on the basement ceiling to hold in the heat from the radiant floor pex tubing, John from Green Home Solar came over & made the finishing adjustment to the boiler system, the drywall is up that closes off our new living area from the workshop area & cotton blue jean insulation is up on the drywalled wall. We are all set for winter now. Won't have to worry about frozen pipes this winter. Just in time too. The temps are supposed to be near zero at night this week. We will be able to sleep better knowing the barn is all cozy for winter.

Shane & Steve working on the basement insulation

The finished ceiling

Steve & Shane working on the drywall

The new living area is officially walled off

 Blue jean insulation on the workshop side of the wall

                                                Shane trying out the warm floor. It is great!

 

In other news...I am going to have to start lifting weights! Kristin's latest ultrasound shows the baby is around 5 pounds 10 ounces and she has 6 weeks to go. She was only 6 lbs. 2 oz. when she was born. Her husband Tim is a tall guy & most of his family is too. She has shared with us the 3-D ultrasound pictures and it is so amazing! Pictures of the baby sucking her thumb. Considering I didn't even know what sex the kids were going to be, it is really something. Hoping the weather will cooperate at Christimas time so they can make the trip to our house. If not, we will head down to the Peoria area to see them. Steve & I are making a cradle for our new granddaughter & better get busy. Time is flying by. She will be here in no time.