Peace

This year has been a year of turmoil. . .Dad's health; Mom in assisted living; personal relationships; money; losing Rodeo, my sweet, naughty yellow cat; Sarri & Joel's adoption journey; and many more events. This morning, I was thinking of the song, "He is Our Peace." In the midst of all the things that go on, it is so true. I know that whatever happens, God has promised He will never leave me or forsake me. I took this photo on the first big snow of the year. We got 8" all in one go which is very unusual for our area. I don't know why it is so blue, but its another little miracle. I think we have to keep looking for the things that give us a thankful heart. Sarri, Joel & kids are in Ethiopia for 2 months to add to their family. Baby R is so beautiful. I pray for her little heart. . .that she will know how much she is wanted & loved, not just by her immediate family, but by all the extended family, and many, many friends. I'm thankful for my siblings, and my parents. I feel so blessed to still have them all. I'm thankful for my pets. Reese is so funny. He willing goes to his crate at night, but can't wait to get up in the morning, and snuggle UNDER the covers with me. I'm thankful for Christmas. . .that God sent his Son to earth. I know the story by heart; but am still moved by what a sacrifice of love that was. I'm thankful for prayer. . .even in the darkest moments, I know I can cry out to the One who loves me most. Blessed! That's me!!

May

I thought it was March that was supposed to come in like a lion, and go out like a lamb! Yesterday, it snowed & my car registered 35 degrees as I drove over to the VA in Boise. Dad is back in the hospital. This time they tell us with congestive heart failure instead of pneumonia. I get mixed information from various sources, and that is frustrating. Earlier, we were told that after they had run the cultures that he had the same type of pneumonia that put him in the hospital last month. He was supposed to have surgery on May 20th to remove the tumors in his bladder. He was not strong enough to do that. Supposedly, they will do it in about 3 weeks. Chad has gallbladder surgery this coming Tuesday; Berkley graduates on Thursday, May 27th, then her party is on the 29th. The Oregon crew is arriving on Wednesday. It is a busy time!

Also, Jake is leaving on Tuesday to go to northern Idaho to train for his company, so I will have Lola until Friday or Saturday.

I haven't seen Mom since last week as I have been so busy with Dad. We went to see her last week, and she was feeling better. She keeps begging to get out of there, and its hard on her & hard on us. We try to deflect her, and tell her soon, but she comes right back to it.

On a lighter note, I had dinner with Robin, Randy & Jake last night. The food was mediocre; the chocolate cake wonderful; and the company fun! Also, yesterday, Sarri competed in her first triathalon. She has amazed me her whole life, and she just keeps going!

Forgiveness

If I have hurt or harmed you, knowingly or unknowingly, I ask your forgiveness. If you have hurt me or harmed me, knowingly or unknowingly, I forgive you.

I read this today, and realized that forgiveness is huge. . .as is thankfulness.

Just a more normal day. . .

I wish that I was as Blog savvy as my niece, and many of the fellow bloggers. If I were, there would be colorful, meaningful photos to remind me of this day. Yesterday, my mom & dad came over for an early dinner. This wouldn't be that unusual if my mom was okay and still living at home. I had made spaghetti, and homemade ice cream. My mom was never a big spaghetti person. When she made it, she always used macaroni and her sauce had lots of ketchup! I made small salads to go with the spaghetti. Mom was so glad to be in my home. She is so encouraging these days! She loved everything. She seems to have a harder time following verbal cues. She was focused on the spaghetti, and didn't notice the salad until I cued her that it was there. If I say, "Your fork may work better than your spoon", she has a hard time transitioning. I had told Chad they were coming over, and if he was around, to stop by. He pulled in my driveway, and I told her that he was there. She asked if she knew him. I told her he was her son, and if she didn't recognize him to fake it! She laughed! When he came in, she totally knew who he was, and asked how his new house was. (Chad moved into a new house in town right before Christmas.) Her conversation always goes back to Dad, and when they can live together. He makes her laugh! Dad is such a good storyteller! My sister, Pam, loaned me a book by Lauren Kessler, called Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer's. One of her experts said that Alzheimer's is a detaching disease. The interesting thing about Mom is that she seems to have detached from most people, expect for family. What makes this interesting is that as a child & adult, Mom always seemed to have more time & energy for others than she did for our family. I'm so thankful for this time to be able to enjoy her, and have her be in the moment, and not so frenetic! I know that it sounds odd, but in many way, I love this Mom more than I did the old Mom. I'm so sorry for her & my dad. They truly miss each other, but to me for the most part, its a gift! Having my parent's in my home for a meal together is more normal than visiting them separately. Its more normal than visiting Mom at Streamside, as thankful as we are for it & her caretakers! Mom always made homemade ice cream. There was rarely not homemade ice cream in our freezer, especially since she & Dad retired. I have been making it almost weekly as I perfect some recipes. I served it with little fruit pies. She was so happy, and so was Dad! Ahhh. . .I love them!!

Aunt Della Jane. . .

Today, we had services for my Aunt Della Jane Taylor. Della Jane passed away a couple of weeks ago in Richland, WA. She moved their about 5 years ago to be closer to her daughter, Julie. Della Jane was striking and had a big personality. To hear her laugh, made you want to start giggling! She also had some personality issues. She was always mad at someone. My mom was 5+ years older than Della Jane. Their relationship was rocky at times; very close at other times. I have great memories of DJ when she was young. She was 20 years older than me. I loved to go to Grandma & Grampa Morris's, because I knew I would see Auntie DJ. She gave me my 4th birthday party in Melba with the Morris cousins. Marian was born 3 days before I turned 4, so Mom took Pam & I to Nampa on the train. Dad & Chad,who was barely 2, met us at the Nampa Depot, and took us out to Melba. After Mom was home from the hospital, Grandma Morris & DJ drove Pam & I home. My folks were living at the Hill Ranch in Hill City. It was night when we got there, Mom was giving Marian a bath in a red plastic tub when we arrived. I was pretty shell shocked by the whole thing. . .being at Grandma's, having a birthday party, and getting a new baby sister. Four month after I turned 4, we returned to Nampa/Melba in January for Aunt DJ's wedding to Keith Taylor. Keith had movie star good looks! His son, David, looks so much like him!

My next memory of DJ was Easter that year. Again, we journeyed from Fairfield/HillCity to Nampa/Melba. Auntie DJ ask me to spend the night with her & Keith. I went! Brave little 4 year old! I remember she asked me who I wanted to carry me upstairs & I wanted her. She was pregnant with Julie at the time. It was an old house & the stairs were steep, but she carried me!

My mom always took great care of herself. She watched her weight to the point of obsession. DJ struggled with her weight too, but most of my life I remember her as being heavy. I am sure looking back that this affected her self esteem. One summer, I went to Europe, when I came back, Uncle Keith gave me a job painting track houses. Julie & I were the trim crew. It helped me to get to know him better & spend time with their kids. Julie was born in 1958; David in l959; & Jeff less than a year later in 1960. Not only was this hard on DJ physically, she had 3 babies to raise! Then when David was 4; Della Jane & Keith adopted Debbie. She was 5 months younger than David. So, they had 4 kids, 22 months apart. Uncle Keith died of prostate cancer in 1977 on Julie & Mike's wedding day. Aunt DJ had 3 teenagers left at home. It was not easy for any of them.

Fast forward to today- DJ died of Alzheimers. My mom has Alzheimers. The Morris clan gathered. It is nice to see my cousins and their kids & grandkids. We took Mom. We weren't planning on it, but Dad & I went to Streamside & got her ready. We told her we were going to church & to a family dinner. She asked me at the dinner if Della Jane had just died. I told her yes, and she replied that she thought so. She told me that Della Jane was not a happy person, and she hoped that she was happy now. Pretty insightful. Mom looked great, and seemed to recognize most of the family. It was a good day, and I think that not only was it good for Mom; I think it was good for the family to see her. She looked beautiful! I love my mama! I took her home to Streamside; she was tired, and I tucked her in for a little nap!

Builder Blog or Travel Blog?

As my house is almost completed. . .just an upstairs bath to change a cabinet in, and a little painting is left, this seems to be turning into my travel blog.

My siblings are some of the hardest working people that I know. My sister, Pam has been a coordinator/acting principal for summer school for the last few years. What this means for her is that she finishes up her teaching year & immediately turns around & begins preparing for summer school. This really limits her vacation time. She ends up getting about 2 weeks off during the summer. This year she called & asked if we could go somewhere. The closer it gets to the time to go, the harder it is to get wonderful timeshare locations. So, I just looked for what was available during the week she had off. We ended up at Whistler, B.C. It was so much fun. We really enjoyed ourselves. We walked everywhere. It is such a great community. The unfortunate part is we ran into traffic on the way up & border problems on the way down. So, what should be a 4 hour drive ended up being a 7 & 6 hour drive. Still, it was so worth it.

One of the things that I have always wanted to do was to do a zipline excursion. I first heard about this when I went to Costa Rica. We decided to do a TreeTrek instead which was an ecological excursion about 200 feet up in the air. You walk between platforms on swinging bridges. It was so interesting & we got to see people who were zipping. I sure hope I get to do it some time!

If you look right in the middle of the picture you can see someone zipping!

There is already much building going on for the 2010 Winter Olympics. They are doing a 600 million dollar road improvement project up to Whistler. Many of the signs are up marking the venues. This is a picture of the bobsledding coarse. It is almost completed.

This is such a great place for families. There is just so much to do. The tiniest little girl was doing this bungy jumping deal. My niece's kids love their trampoline & this would even be a safer extension of that!

They had a climbing wall for kids & those blowup jump houses, as well as an alpine slide. They also had horses that kids could ride.

We got in some reading time & pool time every day. . .with sunscreen, of coarse!

This is like the mascot thing for the Olympics. You see them scattered throughout the area. I forget the native American word for it, but it means "in the image of man."

One of the things we wanted to do was the Peak Adventure. We rode the gondola & the chairlift up the Whistler side of the mountain. The views were incredible! You can see some of the glacial ice in the background. The color of the lakes & streams were amazing. We were told most of the water in the streams were part of the glacier 45 minutes earlier. It gave the water in the streams & lakes amazing color. I know what ice blue is now!

All in all, it was a relaxing trip. I would go to Whistler again in a second!

Yellowstone June 08

Marian and I were able to go to Yellowstone for a couple of nights in June. We haven't had time like that alone together in years. . .very fun! It sure keeps things in perspective when you see God's wonders! I had never been to Yellowstone that time of year. It was teeming with new life, wasn't crowded, and yet there was still snow at the higher elevations. I think Yellowstone encompasses everything in "America the Beautiful." How blessed we are!

Finishing Touches?

Could this project really be close to being finished? The fireplace mantel was installed today. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do to make it look finished. We (Ken & I) decided that we would put a wood skirt up from the floor in the hickory, and then just have a 3" band of tile around the perimeter of the firebox. Someone told me when I built my house the first time that you make a thousand buying decisions when you build. I think when you remodel you must make at least 2000 decisions! I was a bit disappointed with the stain on the fireplace mantel. I thought it need to be a couple of tones darker. We are going to have the painter darken it up a bit! Just fine tuning. . .

I went with the vessel sinks & got the copper faucets on overstock.com. I don't know if you can tell, but the back splash has a lot going on. . .there is ceramic tile, glass tile, copper tile, and stainless steel. Ken did a beautiful job. . .it wasn't easy getting all those little tiles to line up!

This is the accent trim band in the shower. It is stainless steel and copper. The metal is much thinner than the marble, so my thoughtful builder put a lathe? band of wire in under the metal, so that it would be even with the marble and wouldn't collect water. He is thoughtful in his process. I appreciate it!

On Sunday, June 29th, I took my first bath in my new tub. I was starting to think the day would never come!! It was good. I need a shelf for my coffee & books. After all, its Bathtub Ministries!

Another view, it is really beautiful, I think! Carpet went into the bedroom on Friday. The closet package will arrive this week. I ordered it from Costco. I can't wait to move into my room! It still needs fans, and the chandelier hung in the closet. I got a box, and couldn't figure out what it was. When I opened it, it was the chandelier! It wasn't assembled! I don't know how I thought it was going to be shipped, but I didn't think it would be in pieces! Ken says its not a problem. . .I hope he's right!

New views

View of front of house.


View of garage side of house. There will be a little balcony railing under the window. It is yet to be installed. There will be matching metal flower boxes along the front also made of iron.

Something old. . .

I used to like all things old. . .not so much anymore as I learned they are sometimes more difficult to take care of and maintain. There are a few things that are really worth holding onto the old and you can't find new things that compare. One of these areas is in lighting. . .I love antique light fixtures. . .when they are re-wired and work like new!! I was able to buy a couple of these light fixtures on e-bay. These are some of the first things I bought for the house and it is so fun to see them up! They are even more beautiful than I remembered!!


This one is in the master bedroom.



This one is in the master bath area over the copper tub. I had them put a dimmer on it, so that if I want it not so bright!!


The other thing that is not quite the same if its new is stained glass. I bought this stained glass window about 30 years ago. I had Ken put it in when we built the house 13 years ago. Now it is relocated to its new home in my closet. The afternoon sun is amazing coming through the atrium windows & then through the stained glass. So, my advice is choose old things carefully. If you don't, you just end up with a lot of junk!! I know!

Around we go!!

This is my first try doing a mosaic! I need to get two more pictures and then I will edit it. I'm missing the front and the garage side of the house. At least it gives you and idea about how it is looking! Help Sarri!! How do I make it bigger? Oh, maybe I figured it out!!

All things water. . .

I am a bather. . .and a soaker! I have always enjoyed my morning bath time. While I was looking for a new bathtub to replace my $130 one that I have used for the last 13 years, I came across copper tubs. After much shopping, I decided on the copper one that was lined with tin. It has been in the garage since February. It is finally in the house! The drain was even hooked up after this picture was taken. Unfortunately, the freestanding faucet leaked and now we are waiting for parts. Grrr! Nothing easy! I was worried about it not being comfortable, but Jake climbed in it, and said it was good. I hope he's right!!




These are the body jets in the steam shower. The shower is all done now, except for the waterproof light inside the shower. I can't wait!



The vanity has the vessel type sinks with copper faucets. The backsplash incorporates both copper and stainless in it. Marian's frame shop made me a frame for the mirror that goes up to the ceiling. We are having holes drilled out for the light fixtures, and they will go on top of the mirror. I hope it works!




I have always wanted a hottub. Jake found this one for me on Craig's list. By accident, it just fit into the spot we had for it! Yay!! I absolutely love it!! The stars are so beautiful when its really dark. See my air mattress? When it is hot out, I turn the tub temperature down, and float on the air mattress. Who needs a pool?



Chad's grain looks amazing. I can study it from the hottub! Lovely! The Owyhee mountains are in the background.

A new project?

In November, actually on the day that I lost Checquers, we had obtained a permit for a 12 foot addition to the master bedroom. Later, I decided that it wouldn't be that much more money to extend it by an addtional 4 feet. This allowed me to have a huge walk-in closet. Ken didn't want to start it while the weather was so wet, and end up with a mudhole. Finally, in the middle of March, we were able to dig and got the deck on.




The three windows you see are where the closet is. . .




The new kitchen. . .we turned it and eliminated the wall between the kitchen and the dining room.




Ken built the cutting board for me out of maple. He did an amazing job. It was not an easy task for him as he was building it at a guy's house that wasn't easy to access. I am so thankful that he hung in there and got it done!

The weather was actually good enough this week to finish up the outside paint! I'm so glad its done! It makes me feel like it is really going to be finished sometime soon. . .

Getting close!

This is the redone living room with Jake's new furniture in it. His parents and I bought it from Marian's design company for his birthday.



When Ken originallu built my house in 1995, he had built the mantel out of oak for Bill and Sue Thompson. For some reason, it didn't work in their house, so the three of them gave it to me. I have loved it and wanted to reuse it in the remodel. After we added the rock to the fireplace, we had the mantel painted in my trim color. I was so glad we were able to re-purpose it!

Getting the Gold!!

I have been camping at my house for weeks now. At times, it has been very cold. When I saw the Gale insulation truck pull up with rolls of lovely, gold insulation, it warmed my heart with the anticipation of a body. They worked all day and into the evening, but they got it all done.



Now sheet rcck has started, garage doors will be hung today or Monday. Then they will spray insulation into the spots that they couldn't put insulation bats. I should be snugged up then!! This morning it was 49 in my house with the heat set on 65 degrees. It is hard to heat the outside. I got the electric bill for running the temporary electric furnace, and all I can say about it is "yikes!"

The new bonus room with sheetrock!!


The new furnace and hot water heater. . . it is now working. It was just clogged with drywall dust and dirt.

I have survived 3 weeks without my little Checquers. I miss him every day. Thanks to all of you who wrote notes. I know that he wasn't a person, but he was a big part of my life.


Last year for Christmas, my friend, Desiree, made me this little pillow. It is a reminder to be thankful for the little simple things. . ."from simple things come simple joys."

I'm reminded every day how lucky I am to have heat and hot water. Now, if I could just have my washer and dryer back in my house. . .sigh!!

Supreme Sorrow

Checquers Oliver
June 17, 2003-November 29, 2007

Thursday night, November 29th, I met my friend, Jake, at Costco and then went to his house for dinner. I had left the pets locked inside as it was so cold, and Checquers had been outside until late the night before. When I got home around 9, both cats came running, but no Checquers. I went through the house looking for him as sometimes he will nudge a door shut with his nose and lock himself in a closet or room. I noticed the door to the garage was unlocked, and I knew I had locked it. I called Ken to see if someone had come in while I was gone. He told me the mechanical guy had climbed in a window. Checquers was very protective of our space. I was concerned, as Checquers is so dark and it was a dark night. I went outside and called and called, then got in the car to see if I could find him. He had barely made it to the neighbors and there was his little body beside the road. I called to him, but there was no response. His little body was cold and he wasn't breathing. I am so sad. He was such a dear little companion. I miss him more than I thought possible. I have been reminded the last couple of days of different little things. Robin remembered how in puppy school I had to teach him a trick. I taught him to say prayers by climbing up a 2 step ladder and bowing his head for a treat. Jan, his favorite puppy sitter, loved to take him in the pickup with her, and he was her tug of war buddy.




He loved to play with Bailey. Jake's dog. They were such buddies. He always did a happy dance before he would lay down to make sure he found the perfect spot. He was such a little guy, but he was loved by so many. He will leave a hole in all of our hearts, but mostly mine. He was my little man in a fur coat.

Thankful!

What a beautiful Thanksgiving morning. It is cold and clear. . .a perfect Idaho morning. The doors have been added to the south side of the house. The light that it lets in is amazing.



The deck has been started with the footings poured and the supports added.



As soon as the deck is complete, the rest of the rock can be finished on the cement block wall. As you can see, the siding is coming along too.



This is the new stairwell that goes from the family room upstairs to the bonus room and the original upstairs. It is in the middle of the house and totally mirrors the original stairwell. The banisters and railings will duplicate the original stairwell.



This shows the new bonus room. It is over 800 square feet. Originally, I wasn't going to finish it, but have decided that it is just easier to complete it now. It will be a fun place for Sarri's kids to play, and for me to do projects out of the way.



I am thankful for Ken Kostelic. Ken has been a friend since the late '70's. He originally built my house. He is honest and makes doing this project fun. I think he is as excited about it as I am! You can see where the old dining room/kitchen wall was. I am thankful they got the drain moved to the opposite wall, so the upstairs bathroom now is working!! Ken is marking where the cabinets and the islands will be in the new kitchen. I ordered my appliances this week. There is so much new technology in cooking that I didn't even know existed! He teases me all the time that I am the gadget queen, and he may be right. Do you think the fact that I wanted a charging station for all my gadgets tipped him off?



My pets have been a bit stressed by this remodel. Checquers has to smell everyone that comes on the job site. He is very picky about who he will let pet him. He is crazy about Ken; however, when Ken finished the upstairs a couple of years ago, he wouldn't have anything to do with him!! I sent him (Chec not Ken!) to my friend's, Jan, for doggy daycare last week. He loves it there and gets to go on long walks and explore their farm. He is always happy and very dirty when he gets home! He slept for 12 hours when he got home, and his groomer said it took her 20 minutes to comb him out! He loves checking out the new space. It makes me nervous when is up in the bonus room. He goes right to the edge and it looks like he is calculating if he could make the jump or not! Yikes!! I am thrilled about the progress on my house and am starting to envision what it will be like when its completed. Hopefully, we will have the plumbing, electrical, and mechanical inspection at the first of next week. I will really be thankful when that happens as it means insulation is next! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Another day, another gable!

I came home from McCall to find the other gables done, but that was also the day that I lost heat and hotwater. It has been a week and 2 days. You don't realize how much you love those two things until you don't have them!! I have taken baths here and there trying not to wear out my welcome at any one place! The advantage to it has been that I get to look over other bathrooms and try the tub for comfort. For those of you who are not aware. . .my bath and bathtub are a huge deal to me! It is my quiet time in the morning where I read and pray for the people I love and other issues. Yesterday, was a huge day...the walls came down opening up the old part to the new part. It really makes it easier to visualize what it will be like when it is finished. Today, Ken finished tearing out my bathroom. I wanted double sinks in the master and he ingeniously figured out how to make that happen. I also want a copper tub, and I think he figured that out too. My stained glass window, which I had purchased 30 years ago, with my friend, Chery Wold, had to come out. We know just the spot to relocate it. We passed the shear inspection yesterday. The rock wall was built to the south of the house and about 1/3 of the rock is on the rest of the house. The pets are very curious to check out the new area. Checquers has been kept very busy barking at all the subs. Today, while I was gone they relocated the relocated kennel, so they could remove the old roof. I think the barking exhaused him as he was asleep by 7.

Gables are completed!

Another view. . .



This new stairwell will join with the original stairs and share a common landing, so that you can go to the bonus room or the upstairs bedrooms from either side of the house.

My bathroom as it appears today. We fixed it so that I could take baths this weekend! I have no guarantees of privacy; however, as you can see!


This is my one working sink and toilet! Again, not a lot of privacy. The wall and door that were there are now open to the hall and the former laundry room.