I know, I know, I know. I haven't posted in FOREVER! Things have been too busy to think about the blog! Between working on our jobs, working on the house, putting up with heat exhaustion, feeling sick, trying to catch up on sleep, lack of sleep, etc., I haven't thought about the blog in a while.

As you know, we decided to take the brick project on ourselves. It is really going well! After a very bumpy start, we've mastered (or as close to master...) the art of brick laying. I'm so proud of my husband. He amazes me everyday with his handy man talents. We are more than half way through the bricks on the foundation. What an accomplishment! Hopefully we will be finished with this project by next Tuesday. Its gone quicker than expected so we are super excited. I promise I will post pictures soon.

We see the light!

We can see the light at the end of the garage tunnel! One more side to put siding on and some last minute trim pieces and we will be done! Block and brick, here we come! Here are some pictures from yesterday.

So much going on!

We've had a busy 2 weeks around here. Russ has been working hard on finishing the garage siding. It is going slow, but looking really good! We are ready to have it complete so we can start on our block and bricks on the house foundation. I sure hope we can do it!

I haven't been working on the house quite as much as Russ these days! I had a week of bible school last week at church. That took up most of my extra time for a few days. But, it was well worth it. The kids had a blast and I think they learned alot too. Then, mom whisked me away for a weekend getaway to the mountains. Oh it was such a nice trip! We stayed at the Charles Street Garden Suites in Saluda. Some dear friends of mom's own the place. It was such a nice little room, perfect for the two of us. I would suggest it to anyone looking for an affordable place to take a weekend trip. The weather never got above the mid 80's. We slept with the windows open one night and even got chilly at one point during the night! We absolutely love Saluda, NC! Such a wonderful town and so many good memories over the years! After lots of shopping and too much food, it was time to head back to the heat of the lowcountry. I must say, the air is so heavy here! It makes it hard to breath. Thanks, Mom, for such a great weekend! I can't wait to go again!

Pictures of Saluda, NC...

The old train station.

Life is so simple that you can drive your tractor and park on Main St! The man driving this tractor walked into Ward's Grocery for lunch in overalls and a straw hat!

Charles Street Garden Suite

Our picture window overlooking the private gardens.

The entire yard at Charles Street looked like this! Tons of meandering paths to get lost on.

A wooden angel hanging over a water feature.

Mom walking through the gardens.

Update Pictures. FINALLY!

The foundation is finished!!! We will NEVER do that again! It was very hard work and took alot longer than expected. At least we can say that the first major house project is complete! Now, it is back to the garage to finish up while the foundation concrete cures. Last night Russ and his dad got most of the wiring in the garage complete. We have lights! Hopefully they will be able to finish up tonight with the lights and move to the plugs on the walls. After the electrical work is finished, we will work on the siding and trim. That will only take a couple of days. At that point, we will be done with the garage!

In the last couple of weeks we've interviewed several brick masons. They were all about the same cost and all seemed to know what they were talking about. After much deliberation, we've decided to lay the block and brick on our own. We are really trying to cut costs as much as possible so that we don't have to go borrow money at the end to finish up. With that in mind, we did some researching, reading and questioning and we think we can lay brick just like the professionals! It will save us a ton of cash if we do it ourselves! Say a prayer for us! They say laying brick is an art that few can master... Hopefully we'll prove 'em wrong!

We are quickly approaching the stage where MULTIPLE decisions will have to be made. Most will be about the bathrooms and kitchen area. To me, this is the fun part! I'm hoping not to get bogged down in the process. One of the main decisions we have to make is which tubs we want in the bathrooms. We have to have them on the floor before we frame up the walls because they can't fit through the doorways. I thought this would be an easy task... Boy was I wrong! I've been looking for several weeks and can't pick out what I want. I will work on getting some pictures up of some of my favorites. Hopefully our friends and family will comment on what they think looks best.

Here are some pictures from our foundation days. Thank God that its over!

Russ cutting rebar with a metal saw.

Russ bending rebar with some contraption that his dad made!

The sea of rebar and foundation straps...

More rebar and straps.

A closer look at our handy work!

Concrete truck is here!

I thought Russ was going to pass out from this task! That stuff is HEAVY!


Concrete finished! Now it has to rest for a few days.