We're getting there...

The drywall is going up- here's a view of our bedroom after the first day. Jay worked really hard to get some insulation in between walls before having the drywall hung. They've been working this weekend to get things put together...

We have a front door now! (Technically, depending on who you ask, it's the 'back' door as the 'front' of our house faces the lake.) Isn't the door & entryway beautiful?
Perhaps we won't have Typar siding forever... perhaps we will. Who really cares at this point-- I just want IN!!!!

The mason who did the pillars at the entryway is also doing a couple of retaining walls for us. i think he does beautiful work.

Scenes from Cabin 1

OK, so as excited as I am to get into our house, it's been really cool to catch glimpses of stuff like this from Cabin 1 (which has a slightly lower and less-obstructed view of the lake). The sunsets have been really amazing lately, and the early morning social activity of the fake owl on the Genoter's float had me laughing out loud several times. He was a very popular owl out there with the lake birds!

Ben's Birthday Party

We had a very nice day for B's birthday party (back in August!). He was loving being the center of attention, and got lots of nice gifts-- thanks to everyone!!! All he said he wanted for his birthday (besides a dump truck) was chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream. Of course, that's what he got. B and his cousins spent some quality time sweeping the barn after the festivities. Ben got a couple of brooms from Grammy Simpson for his birthday (the first thing he picked out at the store), and they were a huge hit. :)

A few pics from inside

It's hard to describe what's happening in these pictures, but we've lost a wall and gained two sets of stairs. The half-wall in the middle of the room is where our bar in the kitchen will be, and sort-of defines the edge of the kitchen. It's a much more open concept, and we have MANY windows for great views of the lake...

5 Islands

We had a great day at 5 Islands yesterday-- it was great to see everyone! Ben loved meeting his cousin Andrew and did some good practicing for being a big brother. Stan taught Ben all about the lobsters, though Ben (luckily) disappeared when it was time to throw them in the pot. Besides the mosquitoes, it was a perfect day & it was really nice to see everyone. See you all again in a few weeks!!!

Chocolate Boy

Happy Face after a Fudgecicle;

Ice Cream with Rainbow Sprinkles at Tubby's;

Chocolate Chip Cookies at Nazinscot Farm w/Daddy....

= Happy Boy!

inside

A view from our new master bedroom window...
The downstairs addition: mudroom/bathroom/closet space.

Some photos inside

These first two pictures are of the master bedroom/bath. The framed in wall will house our (huge, by our standards) master bath-- with 4 windows!!! The large window looking out to the lake from our bedroom is larger now and gives us the best view in the house...
The picture with Jay and Ben shows the downstairs floor, and the bathroom framed in. This is right at the entry/mud room and beyond (towards the lake) will be living room space. The last picture is of our basement!!!! (We have a basement!!!)

Update on Renovation (finally!)

I am now (again) able to get my photos from my camera to my laptop, so here's an update. Things are a-happenin' at the "Crazy House"!! Many of the windows are in. Walls are being framed in; plumbing is going in. Yay!

Ben & Harley on a walk

Harley stayed with us over the weekend & Ben was a big help by holding Harley's leash during the whole walk. He was so proud!

Renovation update

Here's the latest-- sorry it's taken some time to post. I have tons of photos on my camera of the renovation and our concrete countertop class that we took in Vermont. However, I've misplaced my cord that transfers all my photos onto my laptop. So, until that's found I'll post the few I managed to get on my iPhone. That said, here's the project! The foundation is complete, and the timber frame of the addition started going up today (in the rain). You can see how the addition comes towards the driveway some- that will be our (YAY) mudroom/entry area. We're still working on the design/layout of the kitchen, but we have a little time to decide on that (right?) Still not sure of ETA of Jewetts into new home, but am hoping in a few weeks we'll be semi-settled back into Cedar Terrace. Send happy, productive building thoughts towards Winthrop!

The Big Move (one of many)

We're in the barn now, after having moved over the weekend in the rain. :) No running water there, so you can see our 'bathroom'. Luckily Grammie and Grampy live next door and have an extra bathroom that we can (and do) use most of the time.
Ben's bedroom is the tent, which he's still getting used to. He loves to play in there and, as you can probably tell, the whole of the upstairs barn is basically a play room... There's not a lot of storage for our 'stuff', but it's comfortable and a really beautiful place to hang out!

Early Summer Scenes

I know it isn't quite summer yet (is it? ), and I think Jay and Ben could really tell by how COLD the water was when they went in for their first swim last week... Ben wanted to jump into Daddy's arms over and over and over again.

Foundation Walls

I'm not going to pretend like I know exactly what's happening at this point, but I do know that the foundation walls have been poured. Drainage needs to be put in and then the house can be lowered down. Exciting! The rain has only slowed things slightly, but we'll see how that goes this week. Wish for sun (or at least no rain!!)

3 Updates, all at once! (You asked for it Roni! ;p)

And here's the latest on the "Crazy House". Excavation/jacking has been completed (finally!!!), and forms were placed for the footers. The rain, of course, slowed things down a bit, but progress is being made. Once the footers are poured, Matt and crew will start building walls (Yay-- everyone send good building energy this-a way, por favor!)

In other news... Jay interviewed with UNE's Nurse Anesthesia program and was accepted. He's on "alternate status" right now, which means that they may call him to start as early as this Fall if they don't end up with a full class. Otherwise, he'll begin in the fall of 2010. It's an amazingly challenging program, and one that he's very excited for. We're so proud that he's on his way!
I've also had an interview and a new job offer, with the Margaret Murphy Center for Children in Lewiston/Auburn. I'll start my new job in July and am very excited about the change! Updates on that to follow... I have also begun working towards some yoga teaching, and will offer a short Children's Yoga class this summer, which I think will be a lot of fun...
Benjamin is doing very well. He had his first 'graduation' from the Mother Goose program at preschool (daycare), which he'll continue to attend a couple of days/week. He loves his two days there and seems to learn new things every day. We were reading a book about plants the other night and Ben started talking about photosynthesis ("photo-sin-sisis") and chlorophyll! It's amazing how much he learns and grows each day.
It's a busy time with all these changes, so we appreciate the patience with the gaps in updates! Soon, I hope, I'll be back to my regular internet access... ;-p

First Boat rides of the season...

Ben and I were lucky enough to catch a ride with Richy and Barb during some nice weather. In the picture you can see Cabin One behind us, which is where we're staying while the renovations happen (for the next couple of weeks, at least)...

We also went out on the "Party Barge" for our very first ride of the season. Jay took the wheel and Ben got so excited that he just began screaming uncontrollably (wish I knew how to upload video). We all had a really good time- we're lucky to live in such a beautiful place.

Lake Scenes

We finally got some of the garden in a couple of weeks ago (thanks Pay & Rick!)... We've had enough rain lately to keep things well-watered. Hopefully we'll have some decent days to finish more planting!!