Ben at Christmas in 'Tween Waters, Captiva Island, FL

Ben was brave enough to sit on Santa's lap (I think it was the candy cane bribe) and smiled for the picture even. He loved the 'Tween Waters Express and wished he could get a ride on it (though it didn't move). The lights and decorations at 'Tween Waters were really something else, but photos wouldn't do the scene justice...

On the beach

Mumma getting buried in the sand

Ben getting buried in the sand

7 1/2 months preggers

Jewett Family Christmas

We went to Florida for Christmas this year. Here are two family photos of us at 'Tween Waters on Captiva Island.

Christmas Tree

Ben helping Pops get the tree ready

Gilbert under the tree

Ben and Jay decorating our funny-shaped tree. We love it!

Concrete Countertops

As most of you probably gathered, Jay and I are making our own concrete countertops for our kitchen. We attended a weekend-long workshop at Yestermorrow in Vermont this summer and learned the process. Well, the time has come! I'm tired of washing our dishes in the bathroom sink, and am very much looking forward to a countertop in the kitchen as well as a dishwasher. Last weekend we did our first piece of countertop-- photos to follow.

The prep for the whole process is quite time-consuming. We decided to start with a free-standing piece (a stand-alone countertop that is the espresso/coffee bar). The process: measure cubic inches of the space (we did 1.5" thick countertops), figure out cubic feet, and figure out how much weight (in lbs) the concrete mixture needs to be to adequately fill that space. Once total weight is figured, the total has to be divided into 4 parts: aggregate, sand, concrete (including the weight of the dye-- we used jet black), and water... All those parts need to be weighed out and, once the mold is ready, mixed.

Getting the mold ready was mostly Jay's department, as I'm the calculations guru (apparently). The mold needs to be made on the plexiglass surface, so the whole thing is kind of sandwiched down. The edges of the mold are measured and screwed down into the table to keep the whole thing in place. The table needs to be sturdy enough to hold all of the weight (our first piece was close to 200 lbs, and that's a fairly small piece), and level so that when the piece sets it too is level... The photos help give a better idea. As I mentioned, Jay could give pages of detail about making the mold...

1st pour (part 1)

The mold is on the table & Jay is prepping everything (which is the most time consuming part of the process). Plexiglass is the surface that the mold is placed on, so top of counter will be smooth...

Mixing the concrete:
So, we decided it was worth it to rent a cement mixer for future projects. It was HARD work for Jay and took a lot of the energy that was needed to 'mallet' the table & vibrate the mixture once it was poured. Jay was a machine this day).

1st pour (part 2)

Here is the form with scoopfuls of concrete mixture added. After this, Jay and I (with Ben's help) used rubber mallets to vibrate the table. This causes the mixture to settle in and air bubbles to rise to the top, so the top surface (which is actually the bottom of the mold) is smooth.

The concrete is all poured, with metal supports added half-way through. The bottom surface (which is the top in the photo) has been smoothed and troweled (is that a verb?). Now to sit and set...

Here's the finished piece (minus sealant) in all it's glory. We learned a lot about the process, and are hoping to continue to improve our techniques. You can see the glossy surface of the countertop- that's all due to the vibrating of the mixture and the careful prep of the plexiglass prior to pouring in the concrete. So no, our countertops will not look like a sidewalk. ;-)

Another new kitten

Jay thought that our Ragdoll kitty, Marley, needed a friend so he brought Gilbert home. Gilbert was named by Ben (as was Marley) and is definitely Ben's kitty. Gilbert is ALL kitten and both kitties spend the night in the basement (thank goodness we HAVE a basement now!) so that the rest of us can get some sleep. I really didn't know how much trouble a little couple-pound cat could get into, but it's quite stunning. It's a good thing he's so darn cute.
It was touch and go for the first couple of days as to whether Marley was going to allow the new addition, but the two kitties play hard together and seem to be friends now.