The Welcome Mat is Out

The cats - as if nothing ever happened

Some of these boxes are from the move out of Mexico-1999 .
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View from master bedroom through upstairs hall into den

Balcony porch before and after

Zoysia -before and during-the pallet sure beats the St. Louis sprig by sprig method

Skirting is a big improvement
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Brady gets the tour



Sarah, Pat, Skye, and Scott



HIGHLIGHTS FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2007

The count down for moving in is on and we are keeping long hours getting ready to vacate the apartment and move into the house. A Memorial Day weekend family reunion that's been on the schedule since January has motivated us to get 'er done. With Bo wearing the hats of Zoysia King, tile finisher, floor man's helper, window checker, Home Depot runner, toilet placer, faucet fixer, tax appraisal challenger, and unloader at the storage unit, I am getting my head out of a box to write the blog this week. Thanks to all of you who said you miss it when it's not there on Monday morning!

1. Frank and Lynn have continued to work hard and spent several late nights helping us have the upstairs floors finished for the moving in on Wednesday, the 23rd. (Last night as they were wrapping up about 11 PM and taking a smoke on the front porch, they were joined by a raccoon who helped himself to the left over cat food. Sorry, we don't have pictures yet.) Back to the floors, "gorgeous", "like new", "spectacular" are just a few adjectives we could use to describe the outcome. The long leaf pine is restored to the beauty that God gave it at His creation. Over 90% of boards upstairs are full length, i.e., are a plank that runs the length of the room. That is amazing considering that today's wood floors might have some planks that are a little over 4 feet long.

We ended up with a "bonus room." Bo asked to borrow their edger to help get the balcony floor ready to paint. While he went to get some sanding discs, Frank and Lynn got out with their big machine and did a swipe or two. Who knew we could restore even that rugged, weather beaten wood? With their expertise and a little sealer we will have an amazing place to drink coffee, visit with friends and neighbors, catch a cool breeze, and enjoy Tobin Hill.

2. Francisco and Daniel finished up the exterior painting (we will do the columns and around the door later) and got the skirting up around the house. The cats will have to find a new place to stay out of the rain. I think they already have.....

3. Bo, aka Zoysia King, brought in a pallet of zoysia and got it placed with the help of a hard working young man who "just happened" to show up willing to help with whatever was needed. We are thankful that God has sent us such good people to help get this big job done. It has definitely been part of the adventure to work with conscientious, capable people. We appreciate and admire these new friends. We also appreciate the rain this week! The zoysia needed that!

4. Visitors this week included Brady Watson, our Farmer's Insurance agent. He has been helpful to all our family since we first lived in San Antonio in 2000. On Friday, Sarah gave me a ride home from Bible study and got the tour. Friends of Buck and Katy, Skye and Scott, who we know from Journey Fellowship happened to be in the neighborhood checking out a house for sale next door. They knocked on our door for details and were surprised to be greeted by someone they knew. It was fun to show them all we have been working on. When we get out the "before" pictures and consider how much there was to do when we bought it last September, it really is amazing that we can actually move in this month!

NEXT STEPS:

1. The U-Haul is lined up for Wednesday, the 23rd. Why did I unpack so much when we moved into the apartment?
2. Frank and Lynn will put the final coats on the kitchen, stairs, and upstairs floors.
3. We are getting some duct work done.
4. The zoysia needs to stay watered and there is some landscaping to do to keep water from draining too much around the foundation.
5. Appliances need to be placed in the kitchen and a circuit found for the microwave.
6. Change of address cards sent!!!!!!