PROJECTS

MAY 23, 2011

We finally finished the stairs to the basement.

John and Tonya bought an "Egg Carton" which we promptly filled with twelve "girls"--laying hens. One died the next day, so Tonya disinfected the coop right away. All the other hens have stayed well. I think they get 8 to ten eggs daily--and once or twice have gotten eleven! The roosts, nests, food, and water are "upstairs." They can go down and scratch in the grass. The whole thing is on wheels, so it gets moved every day. This way, the chickens are actually "free range," but also entirely protected.

Frank planted grass to the north and south of the shed. He also planted bushes to the south and around the gas tank. He planted raspberries to the north of the shed. The bushes are to mark the boundary between our lawn and the woods.

Frank took one of the first warm, clear days of the year to finish the roof. (The flashing hadn't been finished.)

He also finished around the garage door.

One day we went to the Pittsburgh Zoo with John, Tonya, and some of her friends. There were seven adults and nine children. That kept four mothers busy! The polar bear was in a playful mood, but the pea hen was camera shy.

Here is a project I started in 2002. We also worked on it in 2008 and in December 2010. We have mostly new plates from the grandchildren, although I kept an older one of Brandon's. They are now displayed over my sink and bar. (I never said that I was fast!) They are pictured here in family groups.

This is a picture that John took lately. We like it. I hope you do too.

GOING TO THE TOP

APRIL 7, 2011

It all started with Frank cutting and sanding boards. Then I went into action with staining and finishing those boards.

The gazebo was completely unfinished. The walls looked like this. The ceiling looked like this.

And the chimney chase looked like this.

First Frank made a door for the chimney chase. Next he attached tongue and groove to the walls. Note the fancy door knob saved from our Cumru house.

And the ceiling. He sanded and I finished the collar tie. He reattached the lights.

I stained and finished the windows. Finally, he put down the floor tile.

Isn't it beautiful?!

LONG OVERDUE

MARCH 25, 2011 I wanted to show you this progress weeks ago. Frank added the fake beams to the great room ceiling. This shows before and after.

He added more lighting over the kitchen bar.

In February Frank and the girls tapped several maple trees that they had tagged before the trees lost their leaves last fall.

After the sap was gathered, we had to boil it down. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. The weather didn't cooperate very well. We needed below freezing nights and warm days to make the sap flow. The temperature was either too warm or too cold. This is the first syrup we made.

Frank built in an entertainment center. He built it by the stub wall at the top of the basement stairs. He built in our speakers at the ends. Beside them are shelves for DVD's.

In the middle are shelves for the components with a drawer at the bottom for CD's and other items.

Here it is all completed.

Next to the entertainment center he built in a boot bench. The second picture shows the bench with the top up to display storage for gloves and the like.

You can approximate the times these projects were done by the dates on the pictures.

CONTINUING OUR WORK

JANUARY 20, 2011

Here are a couple things I failed to show you--Frank's new clock and my butterfly shelf.

We decided to finish the bathroom. This was not hard to do. Frank painted the attic (gazebo) door. We put in the cupboard to the left of the shower.

Our other order of cupboards came--a shelf and valence above the kitchen window, and shelves beside it.

Frank made and installed the coves for the indirect lighting.

Then he started to make the trim. This meant that I was back to staining and finishing. He has now finished the Great Room trim. In the first picture you can see how much difference it makes. Notice the hurricane ties where he had not put the trim yet.

I didn't have a picture of Tonya's family last time. Here is one from their vacation in Florida during December--John, Tonya, Jenna, and Lauren.

BUSY DAYS

JANUARY 4, 2011

We did a little more work on the house. Frank started working on built-in cupboards in the bathroom. He finished one side and has started the other.

Here are a couple clocks that he has in the study. I don't know if you can tell, but one of them goes backwards. The other says "What Ever!" and shows all the numbers at the bottom of the clock--like they've fallen off.

Tonya and I got together and planned menus for several days. Then we went shopping for lots of food. The Texas Kings arrived Christmas Day--Franklyn, Shelly, Brandon, and Ashlyn.

The next afternoon brought the New York Kings--Daron, Denise, Benjamin, and Christopher. Now Brandon didn't feel so outnumbered!

Here are all the grand kids in order from youngest to oldest--5 through 10--Lauren, Christopher, Ashlyn, Jenna, Benjamin, and Brandon.

Here is the crew with Grandmom and Granddad.

And here are our children--Daron, Tonya, and Franklyn.

We had a beautiful snow fall on Christmas Day. The kids had fun. Yes, even Texans enjoy snow!

We all ate and talked and played games and watched movies. We also went out to eat ice cream.

We went to Ohio to see Mom and other relatives. Especially the younger second cousins had fun! They're on a massaging recliner--Lauren, Amara, and Ashlyn.

We had a birthday cake for Lauren (5) and Chris (6), both of whose birthdays are between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Now, everyone has returned home. It's hard to get back to normal life and the tasks at hand.