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Progress

Summer has been a whirlwind of activities for us. Mostly work activities, but still. We’ve spent most of every available day starting new projects, finishing old ones, yard work, garden work, tending our animals, renovations, new school year and little time for extra fun or adventures. Such is the life here occasionally.

The latest project that the littles and I have been working on since mid August is finishing the kitchen floor.

Our foundation is slab-on-grade and the entirety of the main floor is unfinished concrete with the exception of Lil Bit’s room being laminate. Well we did have laminate in the kitchen, but three days after it’s completion we had the chimney fire which ruined the laminate. 🥺 And we have been living with it ever since.

The main kitchen had essentially become a storage space for all our excess: tools, job materials, renovation materials, food storage and junk. Our first order of business was to empty the space out and tear up the ruined laminate. The kiddos were great at this and had it done rather quickly after the arduous task of moving out the stuff which took us a number of weeks.

This kitchen is large, roughly 17′ x 16′ floor space. There’s appliances, including two freezers, that I cannot move out so we had to do the floor in halves. Everything that can’t go outside was shifted to the west side and the eastern half was completely cleared out.

Then the prep work began on the concrete.  Identifying all the cracks that needed repair, we only had two main cracks from all the earthquakes, and a few minor cracks that really didn’t need filled. I fixed those up and began cleaning the slab. Lots of sanding & scrubbing! Unsealed concrete never seems to get fully clean.

Yesterday I began the final scrubbing with the degreaser/cleaner that came with the epoxy paint kit. And two rinses with water and two hours later, the floor was ready for dry time!

Let the fun begin! My helpers were eager to get started. They edged the entire space while I roller, sprinkled and sprayed the finish. Now it’s time to dry. This is the hard part, waiting to use the space that we’ve worked so hard on!!

Day 29, Holiday prep

Today was supposed to be pre-cooking prep and working on kitchen organization. Instead we spent the day rearranging, cleaning and decorating the living room. We made a dent.

Lil Bit did get the cornbread made. Lil Mister was working on prepping his pumpkin, but he gave up so Lil Bit took charge. Thing 1 is working on pie crusts tonight. The rest will be done tomorrow.

Festive window.

Lil Bit was very helpful today. She stayed with me all afternoon and we got it done. So thankful for a helpful child.

#thankful #grateful #blessed

A Little Shaker

Just had a little earthquake. At first I thought it was the naughty (more on that later)dog moving the bed (cause it’s Sabbath and I’m resting in late) but no, she was looking at me like “why is bed moving hooman?”

Feel it? Report it!

It was close tho so it got the pull chains swinging on the ceiling fans. And all the kids out of bed. Lol great alarm clock I guess.

#aklife #earthquake #shakebabyshake

Fly Away Home

 

I’m sitting here looking out my window seat portal at the front of this big jet engine and the tops of fluffy clouds that look like snow. I’ve only got about 40 minutes left in the air and we’ll be touching down at Ted Stevens. It still doesn’t seem possible, my nerves are finally settled after flying with my kids for the first time, I don’t have any apprehension, and I’m anxiously awaiting my soft hotel bed. 😉
My kids are all asleep. Thankfully for this leg of the flight, we were seated forward in the plane and have ample leg-room and aren’t so crowded.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 are seat mates across the aisle from me and Little Bit. She’s sleeping leaning over on the arm rest covered up in her United blanket. The lucky fellow that got seated between us certainly had a work out on this flight. Poor guy.

The plane is loaded, not an empty seat to be found. So many unusual and interesting people on these flights to Alaska.

Even though I can’t see the change in altitude, I can feel it. This is our second major descent in the past half hour. The tops of the clouds are getting closer. And now and then I see a break in the clouds and mountain tops peeking through. Our approach is different from my last trip. Flying over the mountains, simply gorgeous!The pilot says 30 more minutes. 50 degrees with 20 mph southeasterly winds in Anchorage. Some turbulence but not as bad as flying into Denver.
It’s been a great flight!

Alaska welcomes us home!