Two Years in Tobin Hill!

Andy's new job in Texas did not work out but he had to spend the summer in San Antonio. Bethany visited the first week of SeptemberWe now have a new light fixture and mirror in the downstairs bathroom Andy and Bethany gave Bo a "biscuit joiner" and this frame for the mirror was his first project

Uncle Andy and Aunt Bethany with Katy, Buck, and Lily

Angie, Lindsey, and Andy were at Selvidge Jr. High together in St. Lous. They joined us for dinner and cards with Lindsey's husband, Kenny.

ACU friend Grace, Pat and Grace's friend Brianna

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Lily liked cousin Sharon's soft, sweet voice

Chris and Linda from DallasFinally hauling off the water heaters and scrap metal
We visited the first Starbuck's at Pike Street Market in SeattleCool enough for jackets when we all went for a walk Pat finally got to meet her sister's grandchildren-Baby Owen, little Beau, with nephew Ben and his wife Amalea



This month marks our two year anniversary and you can see the visitors are still coming and the work is still going on. We took a break and went to Washington to visit Pat's family. The cool weather was a welcome relief. (More later-it's after midnight)

Already August!

Katy and Lily host birthday celebration for Pat, Diane, Mary Dean, Dee, and Dani


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Andy removes transom window in den

Bo takes down transom window in Pat's office Pat does Young Lives camp in Williams, ArizonaFourteen teen moms, twelve babies, and six leaders with our supporting castSure was glad we memorized Psalm 121 when I did the ropes course (He will not let my foot slip!)Balcony door with hardware before cleaning
Balcony door gets polyurethane stain

Leo gets invited for coffee on the porch Leo needs coffee to go with his muffin
Circle of love and life-Wilma and Lily Belle. She took care of Buck when Andy was born and was there for us when Jay was born as well.

Andy helps clean windows


Loyd and Bo work on installing the mechanical doorbell Buck and Lily join us to finish the day with "hand and foot"

Coffee on the porch with Mary, Loyd, and Wilma

Summer is baseball season and Lily Belle is a St. Louis Cardinals fan like her dad

FOR THE WEEKS ENDING AUGUST 1, 2008

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Everyone made sure I had a happy birthday July 16. I had lunch with some very special friends and got to have cake and ice cream with Lily! Katy made a delicious Ghiradelli chocolate brownie cake and served it with caramel sauce and ice cream and even had Key Lime pie since I couldn't decide which of those were my favorite. She spoils me. So do my husband and sons. Bo had ordered a bath caddy for our cast iron bathtub and he, Andy, and Bethany had conspired to choose all kinds of bath soaking goodies to stock it with. Birthday week continued with a Friday night visit to The Melting Pot. It was my first time to do fondue and it was fun and very, very good.

2. Doors and windows have made up most of the last month's work around the house. Bo and Andy have continued to work on sanding and staining doors. The prettiest one yet is the door leading out to the upstairs balcony. I think this one took three or four times as long as the others with all the little grooves in the decorative border. But the result was worth it. All the transom windows have been taken down, the glass cleaned and replaced as needed, and the wood part scraped and sanded well enough to stain. It really adds to the beauty of the door to have the window frame stained rather than painted, but it is a lot more work to do that. Andy, Loyd, and Bo also worked hard to clean most of the windows around the house. What a difference! That old wavy glass looks better than ever.

3. I went to Young Lives camp at Lost Canyon Camp in Williams, Arizona for a week. More than 300 teen moms were there from all over the country with their little ones. Volunteer child care workers helped keep the children part of the day while the girls got a chance to have fun and learn about God's love. Getting away to such a beautiful setting and having some one on one opportunities made it possible to have conversations that could never happen in our weekly meetings after school. I appreciate all of those who prayed for me and the girls.

4.Our friends Loyd and Wilma came to visit and help and we were blessed by them as always. Our friendship goes back to 1979 when we moved to Houston when Bo first started with the telelphone company. They have spent about the last 10-12 years with Sojourners, a Christian group that travels in their RV's to help at camps, children's homes, schools, and churches. We are glad they keep us on their list.

5. Our good friend Mary spent a day here in San Antonio with us before returning home to South Padre Island after a trip to help get ready for son Mark's wedding in Seattle. She stocked up on mosquito repellent to take back since Hurricane Dolly had stirred up the mosquito population. We are glad their home received little damage.

Happy 4th of July from Texas!

I'm working on the blog this morning after a wonderful 4th of July weekend with our dear, dear friends from California! Check later for a full report of the last 3 weeks-Topics include-

1. The Gabes visit for 4th of July weekend

2. Downstairs bedroom prepared-window and trim work

3. Rachel stops by with Asa

4. Lily stays with us at the house for the first time

From Mother's Day to Father's Day

Charlie the carpenter pondering a door frame













The moulding painting table & Finished Computer Room door to outside deck
Guest Bedroom closet door before trim





Guest Bedroom closet door after trim

Computer Room windows also have new trim












Andy and Bethany here on Mother's Day

Lily went shopping with Mom and Aunt Bethany



















The yearbook picture from OSHA Babe's "Grandma Shower" and books for Lily (or are they for Grandma ?????)












Diaper "cake" from Lily's EY shower







Buck is ready to teach Lily the ways of the Force













Lily learning the ways of domino game "42" while wearing her "Itty Bitty Aggie" outfit



















Master Bathroom is taking shape - and has water and the new fan in the Butler's Pantry



Visitors Jackie and Judy were passing through and stopped by

















HIGHLIGHTS from May 16-June 16 - (Hence, "From Mother's Day to Father's Day")

1. The two back rooms are nearing completion. It's hot, hot, hot here in San Antonio but Bo has continued to work hard (with our finish carpenter Charley's help) on adding molding, trim, doors, and baseboard to finish off the two back downstairs rooms. He was able to use much material that was consistent with the character of our 100+ year old house. Bo, along with several neighbors, had deconstructed an old house across the street and was able to salvage over 200 linear feet of longleaf pine trim boards (1 x 10's and 1 x 6's) that otherwise would have been hauled off to the landfill.

Longleaf, smongleaf, strongleaf -- Why don't you just use shortleaf pine? What's the big deal? I'm glad that you asked. Check out the following excerpt from “Architectural Salvage – Ultimate Recycling – Materials fated for landfill get new life” San Antonio Express-News, Sunday, April 27, 2008, --

"Among the most coveted material salvaged from old buildings is the wood. Old-growth wood, so-called because it was taken from trees that had sometimes grown for hundreds of years, is harder, denser, more finely grained and more water-and humidity-resistant than new lumber.

Two of the most sought-after old-growth woods are cypress and longleaf pine. But by the late 1800s and early 1900s, old-growth cypress was gone, milled to build homes and businesses. Today, "sinker cypress," so called because the wood sank to the bottom of rivers, bayous or lakes after it was felled, is being pulled up and sold for use in homes and as furniture.

By about 1930, longleaf pine, common in early 1900s construction in Texas and across the South, had disappeared. Heart pine, which came from the center of the tree, doesn't warp, split or have knots. "It's absolutely nonexistent today," Lindsay said."

These days, you just can't buy the quality material used in these old houses. It makes for a lot of extra steps of cutting, sanding, priming, and painting but what a difference it is making in the finished project.

2. Son Andy and his bride, Bethany, are still in the process of moving to Texas. We took a few days off when Bethany came from Michigan to check out relocation possibilities for her and Andy in Harlingen and Raymondville. While she was here in San Antonio, we had a girls' day out shopping trip with Katy and Lily. I think it was Lily's first time to go to the mall.

Andy left for Georgia on May 31 to begin his scheduled 4 month training but returned this past week with a medical release. He and 7 of his classmates ended up hospitalized after an excessive physical training session. (Excuse me for calling the session "excessive" solely because 8 out of the 19 cadets ended up in the hospital.) He is OK now and back in Texas. When he gets a medical clearance, the wheels of progress will begin cranking again to reschedule another round of training in Georgia. Meanwhile, he and Bethany are trying to determine what impact all of this will have on their plans to move to Texas.

3. We were pleased to have Steven, Michelle, Sean and Maddie to visit over Memorial Day. It was their first time to meet little cousin Lily. Watching them reminds us how quickly these babies turn into toddlers!

4. Granddaughter Lily continues to set much of our agenda.

- Have you ever heard of a "Grandmother Shower?" If not, well now you have. Grandma Patty was showered by a large group of dear friends (mostly from SBC days in Mexico City) during a girlfriend getaway, aka a slumber party for 40 somethings (and up). Many of the girlfriends were in town for the wedding shower of one of the friend's daughter and they surprised GP with gifts for taking care of Lily as she visits This Old House. Lily, along with her Mom, Dad, and GrandDad were part of the surprise. Lily charmed the room magnificently by smiling, looking around, and being passed around without a whimper. We nearly had to set a timer to get some of the ladies to pass her on to the next in line. We are well equipped to babysit now with a pack n'play, booster chair, swing, bathtub, play mat, and wonderful books. Is this baby loved or what??!!

- Lily's Dad's work group also hosted a shower - but this one was for Lily. (Grandma and GrandDad did get to attend and are here to report that Lily once again worked the crowd like a pro. (No, we're not biased.) This baby shower had been scheduled for before her birth but had to be rearranged when Lily's Mom went on doctor mandated bedrest prior to her arrival. Contrary to what has been rumored, accountants can have fun when they get together. I did not hear a single one of them discuss the FASB's. Buck's friends, knowing of his fondness for all things Star Wars, made sure the festivities included momentos from the galaxy, far, far away.

-Many friends have shared our joy in Lily's arrival. In addition to the Grandma shower, and EY"S "Star Wars" shower, we were blessed by a "shower in a box" for when Lily comes to Grandma and GrandDad's house. Pat's Sisterchick friends in California sent a happy assortment of what a grandparent needs. If this little one and her parents are as graciously blessed by Christian friends as we have been, our prayers for her will be richly answered.

- Lily went to Fish Camp for Babies at TAMU, WHOOP, HOWDY!, and 42. If you don't understand this at all, you must not be from around here. We took an overnight trip to College Station, home of Great GrandDad and wife, Virginia, Great "Aunt Beavis", and Texas A&M University. Lily's Mom, Katy, is an A&M alumni and wanted to contine to "train up a child in the way she should go." (You faithful San Jose readers need to ask Chip what "TAMU", "WHOOP", and "HOWDY!" are. But don't call him a "T Sip") While there, we did manage to introduce Lily to "42", a domino game that is a family tradition on the scale of Thanksgiving and Christmas. And "Aunt Beavis" -- that is residue from a name that she gave herself decades ago when Lily's Dad and his rowdy brothers were just pesky, exuberant little boys.

5. A chapter that began more than a year ago came to a close with the installation of the sink and vanity in the master bathroom. Bo finished up the plumbing after the granite was installed and we now can brush our teeth at night in our own bathroom! Those of you who have been with us through this long saga might remember the carpenter who absconded with the sink and our money to build the vanity. We haven't seen him since-even the sheriff was looking, but at least we got the sink back by going to his place of business. It was the very same sink he claimed ended up in pieces on the interstate when he was on his way to our house to install the vanity! I guess that superglue is pretty good stuff. Can't complain too much though, the number of great, caring, and competent people we have met in working on this project make up for the one or two who were not dependable.

5. Another touch in the butler's pantry was completed when we got the fan and light installed. It looks great and feels even better on these hot days.

6. Our friends from St. Louis, Judy and Jackie, were in Texas to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary at South Padre Island and visit son Andrew and his wife Launi here in San Antonio. They encouraged us with praise for the progress they saw since they were here a year ago. It is still good to stop and realize how far we have come. It is also a blessing to spend time with good friends from our time in other places. Y'all come see us now, you hear?!

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