Our Wall-to-Rail is Nearly Done!

My mom hinted (not-so-subtly) that I needed a blog update. She asked for kitten pictures, and I have at least 1,000 new pictures I could share, but I've been meaning to talk about house stuff for quite some time. So I'm going to do house stuff now, and do a kitten update in a few days (I hope).

We're nearly done with the wall-to-rail project. The railing is constructed and in place. There are only minor adjustments remaining, including a little bit of sanding, some painting, and attaching the floorboard trim.

What's interesting is that, as I pass the railing every day, a diverse series of thoughts go through my head. I start by feeling a little annoyed that it looks somewhat home-grown and not perfectly professional (even though it is very nicely done). And because of the way we framed the new railing, you can definitely see where the wall use to be. I worry that people who've never seen my house will walk in, see the railing, and instantly know that it use to be a wall.

BUT THEN I imagine what it use to look like -- the solid wall, blocking the window over the staircase. Sometimes I even go back and look at the pictures of the wall. As soon as I remember what it use to be, I suddenly have a lot of love for what it now is.

In sum: I love the new railing.

Before I reveal the new railing, here's a couple of pictures of what it use look like (when it was just a wall):

And here's one of the construction pictures that I haven't shared yet (I love this one):

Finally, here's the new railing:

Volunteering

I'm writing a brief article for work on volunteering. I decided to open the article with a quote that expresses the greatness of volunteering, rather than me blithering on about its greatness. In the process of searching for a quote, I found a webpage with the very best ones imaginable. I think I know which one I want for the article, but I still feel a need to share a few of the others. I don't know if any of you love quotes as much as I do, but here are a few that touched me:

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
Edmund Everett Hale

Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth.
Mohammed Ali

Never before has man had such a great capacity to control his own environment, to end hunger, poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and human misery. We have the power to make the best generation of mankind in the history of the world.
President John F. Kennedy

I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
Mahatma Gandhi

I was taught that the world had a lot of problems; that I could struggle and change them; that intellectual and material gifts brought the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others less fortunate; and that service is the rent each of us pays for living, the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goals.
Marian Wright Edelman

We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill



In case you love these as much as I do, here's the link to the list I pulled them from.

More About Kittens

I'm at risk of talking too much about the kittens, I know. But I took this cute series of pictures today and I wanted to share.

First, as Nate was "resting his eyes" in his favorite chair, Abby decided to curl up in his lap and sleep....

Nate moved over to the couch to work on his church lesson, and both kittens surrounded him. (Abby is on the left, Jack is on the right.)

While Nate was working, he fell asleep. The following pictures ensued...

Too cute, am I right?!

We Have Kittens!

I pass a store on my commute home every day that has a big banner with the words "We Have Kittens!" I must say, this sign and the store have tormented me for quite some time, as I am an unabashed cat lover. Especially now that we have a house, I find myself thinking that there's no reason we can't add a pet to the family. We certainly have plenty of space. There are time and financial costs, of course, but these are manageable.

So, after months of driving past the sign, I finally decided to stop by last week. Just to check out the place... or so I told myself. But the cats and kittens were all adorable! I felt attached to a certain white, Siamese kitten. His name was Bear.

So I went home and told my Bear all about the little kitten named Bear. I wasn't trying to get anywhere with it - I was just telling N8 about the kitten. To my surprise, however, N8 was agreeable to adding a feline family member!

I went out the very next day to get a litter box and food. Then back to the pet place for Bear...

except that the kitten was already adopted! I could have cried! Despite visiting with the other cats and a trip to the Humane Society, there were no other siamese kittens available, and so I was not content.

Now, before you get to thinking I'm being overly picky, let me explain: N8 has allergies. This has been the big delay in our ability to get a pet. Recent headlines about the Obamas and their dog, however, have shown the world that people with dog allergies have ways around the problem, so I did a little research to see if the same was true for cats. Sure enough, there were some tips on the internet. One was to start with a kitten because they have less fur and the allergic person (N8) is more able to adapt. Siamese also tend to cause allergic people fewer problems. Thus I developed specific parameters for my feline search.

I learned last Thursday that the cat store expected new kittens on Friday, so I stopped by Friday. They had not arrived yet but they knew what was coming in: four siamese! I asked them to call me the moment they arrived.

Two hours later, I was back in the cat store, purchasing a pair of siamese kittens, who I've named Abigail and Quinn Jackson...

...or just Abby and Jack.

Abby (who is a little whiter and whose coat is nearly pure) is on the left. Jack (who has some light stripes in his fur) is on the right.

A Post for My Mum

My mom and dad came down last weekend to run an errand, visit with us, and help out around the house a little. My mom took a picture of me replacing a light fixture and not-so-subtly said that I should blog about it. So here's the picture my mum took:

It's a great shot because she got the old chandelier in the picture, as well as the new fixture, so you can see both of them at once! Good choice, mom.

We took out both chandeliers in the kitchen, plus both of the "lanterns" in the hallway. The new light fixtures weren't particularly spendy (about $10 each -- so $40 for all four of them), but they are nice and match well with the fixtures we put up in the bedrooms when we first moved in. Now I've just got to figure out how/where to sell the old chandeliers. Several people have said that they could probably fetch a pretty good price, maybe even more money that we paid for all of the new ones. That would be neat.

Replacing the light fixtures was one of a few projects last weekend. We also continued working on the wall that we took out. N8's parents helped us frame the area about two weekends ago. (That was a big project. I'm very glad it's done!) Now we have to put casings on the new header and support beams.

Can't figure out what I'm trying to say? Here's a picture of the new beams (in place):

You probably can't tell from the picture just how ugly they are, so trust me... they are ugly! That's why we bought wood to put around these beams (to "case" them). Then we can do the drywall (and taping and mudding... and sanding, mudding, sanding more... etc.). It's still a few weeks worth of work to finish this project. Hopefully we can get back to the Nook around mid-July, with enough time to finish it and the front deck (and the front yard) by the end of summer.

Of course, "the end of summer" now means the end of September... obviously! :o)

Update!

It's pathetic how long it's been since I did an update. I mean, it's not like I lack a functioning computer or internet connection at home. The world would probably forgive me if I could claim one of those excuses.

No, I'm afraid it's just good ol' fashion laz.... er.... busyness. Yeah - that's it. I've got too much on my plate to blog as regularly as I a should.

Anyway, I was reminded how long it was today when Craig stopped by to pick up the key to his beach house. Which made me think, "It's been quite awhile since that trip." And thus quite awhile since I've posted anything!

So here I am. I'm... um.... posting. I posted. That was my post. Now back to whatever other time waster I was working on before I wrote this very special update.

At the Beach

We're at the beach!!!

A good friend of ours recently emailed us and asked if we wanted to stay at his BEACH HOUSE for the weekend. After a very careful analysis of the invitation - we spent at least 10 seconds discussing it - we accepted the offer. I mean, what else could we say to our buddy except YES, of course we'll spend the weekend lounging around your huge, beautiful house on the beach (for free). It would have been rude to decline the invitation! :o)

So here we are, lounging around! I'm surfing (the net), and Nate is upstairs somewhere, watching TV. It's kinda cute, really... If we go somewhere and there's TV, Nathan almost automatically plops himself in front of it. Watching TV is a vacation thing for him, since we don't have one at home. As for me... I can hardly live without the internet, so I'm deeply grateful there's a high-speed connection available here!

Not sure what today's plans entail. We arrived mid-day yesterday, unpacked, and then went into town to buy N8 some swim trunks. We continued to lounge when we returned to the house. The only "vigorous" activity yesterday was a walk on the beach! Otherwise it was movies, food, the hot tub, and lazing about.

Now, before you think we're selfish for having this fun all to ourselves, I want to mention that we invited lots of people to come join us! We were bailed on by all four of the couples we invited! Could they see the place now, I think they would re-consider.... but oh well!