A lot of updating!

My computer crashed so it took me some time to get the blog updated. Of course, every time I thought of doing it J would say, "well take some more pictures tomorrow and then do it". The house is going almost too fast to blog. Here they are starting to lift the garage walls.

Done!

Garage door wall is up!

The last garage wall is up!

First floor with garage is done!

Field side of the house with 1st floor done!

Now we start the 2nd story. Watch out for the big hole called our Great Room. Picture desks to the left of the Great Room look down, book shelves along the other 2 walls, along with some White Board areas. We also plan to put in window benches under most windows. Now you have just pictured our homeschooling area! How much do you want to bet, the kids will be sprawled all over the house? Well, we can plan but it is where ever they get the work done, they will go. 

2nd wall on the 2nd story is up!

Now part of our outside Master Bedroom wall!

I just love the beams in our Great Room. 

The last 2 walls are going up the next day. We have a crew of 12 friends and family coming to help. Why? See below. 

Here they are starting to get ready to lift up a 73' wall in ONE piece! 

It was so quick that that my iPad did not boot up in time for a video. 

Bowling anyone! Just sayin' it is big!!

Both story walls are up! Now the roof!

There are our trusses! 

We got some roofing help from a Cub Scout Den Dad. It is nice to work with people you know.

The first words to my hubby when I got to the job site were, "Honey, are we up on our life insurance?" He laughed.

Thank you so much, S.T.! 

The inside of our 2nd story with trusses up! S room is on the left. The Master Bedroom is on the right. The boys room is just behind me. 

If God gives you your perfect Heaven when you die, J will be building God's House in Eternity. He is in his grove doing this for us and for a living.

Look we have our own power pole. Yes that means no more generator, because we have JUICE!

Inside 2nd story with roof up with shingle yet to be done.

Now for the shingles. Color you ask? Green!

Field Side of the house.

Shingles being lifted. 

Driveway side of the house.

As of today, the shingles are done on the front (driveway) side of the house. J and his crew need to do the back side, before it rains in 2 days. He says that is easy. Then there is one more day of putting in the rest of the windows. This phase of the house will be done this weekend (1/12/13) and J can start a paying job next week. We will be working on our house as much as we can. J hopes to have it done by Fall but hopefully by Summer. We started with breaking ground on our house on November 15, 2012. We will finish Phase 1 by January 11, 2013! My hubby is a machine!!!

Building Lego-Style!!!

We took a break today from building pictures of the Funny Farm and went to see some Lego building at Henry Ford Museum. Check out a few shots. This was a lot of fun for the kids and the adults.

Ford Field. GO LIONS!

Frank Lloyd Wright

Falling Waters. I got to tour that years ago.

Really cool Lego Train and village. 

There were 2 locations the kids could try their lego building skills. They also had one K'nex spot too. One of my friends on Facebook, said "He is going to be a builder, just like Daddy!". OR, maybe an Engineer like his 2 Grandpas! This is step one...

OK now we have to move it to the floor. If you can not tell in the pictures, he built it as a circle!

Here Mom thought I was done! NOT!!

Height is never a problem. Give me a chair! 

OK MT we HAVE to go! He did not want anyone to destroy it so he put a sign near by that read "Do Not Disturb. By M. H.

The boys honored Mom and allowed a picture with Santa. Our only one of all the kids with Santa. He told the boys that they were doing good in school, but they need to stop wrestling so much in the house. They need to pick up their toys more. Try better brushing at night and rinse the sink of toothpaste when they are done. Most important of all, "Don't make Mom and Dad tell you to do something more than once. You do it the first time. OK?". This Santa rocked. MT still thinks I some how told him all this. "How when I am always with you?". "Remember, when you went Christmas shopping with your friends? You did it then." I love a mystery.

4th wall and interior walls are going up

Interior walls are going up! The kids had a blast running around trying to figure out what each room was in the house. I can hardly wait until they do that with the bedrooms on the second floor.

The 4th wall was raised as one unit. It took 4 guys and J said a 5th would of been better, but they got it done! Now to finish the interior walls and then the garage walls. Those should go up mostly on Saturday with the last one on Monday!

J is moving fast on the house!

Progress is moving fast at The Funny Farm. This is our chimney wall now up!

Our walkout to the wrap-around porch. I can hardly wait to have a cup of coffee in my hand and look out at our farm animals. 

Three walls are up. This is what I call the best view, so therefore it is the front of the house. J says it is the back. The front is the driveway side. I guess it is because I grew up on a lake. The lake is side is always the front. 

Driveway side. These walls went up without me, because the kids and I had a morning Bible Study and our youngest son (let's call him MT) had an Art Class.

When I showed up with the kids, J and Doug had built the other two walls. I got to help them raise them up. Here is our house today. Don't blink! Tomorrow the last 1st floor wall is going up. Next will be the garage walls and the interior walls. I am not sure how those inside pictures will look. So, bare with me as I post more changes.

Here is our family helping out J with the spreading of gravel in the basement, before the cement floor gets poured.

Of course our little girl had to help, kind of :)

Trust me! There are stones in my shovel. The camera just missed it.

Not fun pouring cement in a basement on a snowy day, but it had to be done!

J was concerned the trucks would not make it up or small hill to the house. You can see why! It was a messy day! At least 5 lbs per boot on J feet at times.

The day our basement walkout walls were raised!

J built the walls and had them ready for our volunteers to start lifting. We are blessed with friends who want to help us build our dream. It is also fun doing it with friends. The kids had a great time playing on at The Funny Farm with the sons of 2 of our friends who came. I am sure they will always remember doing things like this when they look back at the time we spent building.

Wall #1 is going up...

It's up!

Wall #2

A concerned friend tries to make sure J is safe on the ladder.

Wall #3 is raised....

And is UP!

Wall #4 and #5 are up!

Welcome to our basement walkout! 

Support beams in the basement. The scaffolding is where our basement stairs will be located. 

Our future garden gets plowed

We decided to spend this Fall (is it still Fall?) turning our garden over for the first time. Then in the Spring and Fall next year, we will add organic matter and turn some more. By Spring 2014, we will be ready to plant!

OK I know! THAT is a large garden. Take a deep breath, S! You do not need to do this in one year. Take it in stages.

Maybe one day, this can help feed others and/or help them learn to plant their own gardens to feed their own family. I know God has a plan, and He will show it to me when it is time. All things are possible with Him!