Weekly Update: 9.28.24
This week felt like two weeks -- or maybe three. Each day was filled to the brim with productivity, planning, and even a little bit of fun. Our dad and brother Jeremiah were off work this week, so they added manpower to various projects. When we weren't hard at work, we took time to enjoy not only each other but also some local fall festivity.
Last weekend, we enjoyed the opportunity to host Erin's little sister Aimee. We stayed busier than we wanted during Aimee's visit, but we managed to free Erin to spend some quality time with her sister. Erin showed Aimee around the area, touring Springfield and Stockton Lake. The sisters also enjoyed some downtime on the homestead, as Erin and the kids showed Aimee everything from the spring to the garden. We all spent some time together as well, watching an outdoor movie and playing some board games. As so often happens, the visit seemed to go by too fast.
During the early parts of the week, the men stayed busy working on the bunkhouse. Levi and Dad started insulating the floor. Jeremiah finished running our ethernet, installing the CAT-6 in boxes, and connecting everything in a media panel. Once our guest went home, Grace jumped right back into the insulation project as well. By the end of the week, she had finished insulating everything in the lower eight feet of the bunkhouse. Next week, we will insulate the upper wall portions.
While everyone worked, I got caught up on some project research. On Monday, I was getting organized for a supply run to Springfield, where we planned to pick up some of our interior sheathing. As I was checking over pricing, I noticed that Menards' 1x4s had gone way down in price. We had considered using them on our walls, but had decided it would be more cost effective to use plywood siding. After a little figuring, I realized making our own 1x4 shiplap would save us several hundred dollars. While it will be more labor intensive in some ways (running the boards over the table saw to shiplap them), it will be much easier in other ways (we ladies won't have to lift huge panels up with the scaffolding). It was a big decision, but we opted to go with using 1x4s. I made a giant order from Menards. The boards will be arriving in October.
We also decided to throw one more iron in the fire and order our exterior siding. We made this decision for a variety of reasons -- largely because we wanted to have time to prep it before the weather turns colder. We are doing something sort of crazy and unconventional -- using cedar fence pickets to create our own siding. We priced the conventional options at the big box stores, and we just weren't satisfied. After perusing the internet, however, we stumbled onto some intriguing YouTube videos. After pricing fence pickets, we decided to take the plunge. The boards will arrive next week, and we will go to work sealing them while the weather is good. That way, the boards will be ready to hang -- even when it is cold outside. If everything goes well, we will end up with real cedar siding for about half the price of, well -- cedar siding.
On Tuesday, we took a trip to Springfield to pick up a load of supplies -- mainly flooring supplies. A couple weeks ago, we ordered some Armstrong VCT tile from Home Depot. We plan to lay it in the living/dining area, halls, and bathrooms. After some research, we decided to prep our subfloor with some plywood underlayment. We got a good deal on a pneumatic stapler for installing the underlayment. The stapler will also help with our insulation. While we were in town, we picked up some cement board for the base of our woodstove hearth. We only have a few weeks until we may get our first frost, so we want to be ready.
While we were in town, Jeremiah picked up some more lumber for his dog run. He started working on it a couple weeks ago as a side project, with Bonnie-Jean helping now and then. The run is especially for his and Bonnie-Jean's German Shepherds, as they tend to be pretty active and high maintenance. Our older Jack Russells will get to use the run as well, which will be a huge blessing.
On Thursday, we sisters all got around to using our birthday gift certificates at 417 Social Hair Haus. Before we arrived at the salon, we got to talking and realized it had been about five years since any of us had a professional haircut. Despite Bonnie-Jean giving me a couple trims in the last few years, my hair had gotten ridiculously long. Bonnie-Jean and Grace have had DIY haircuts a few times, but they were both feeling the need for some professional care. We booked our group appointment at the Hair Haus back in June (September was the first available group date), but our experience was worth the wait. Rikki Neal did an incredible job with my fine, straight, difficult-to-cut hair. Kristen Claunch updated Bonnie-Jean's look, and Miranda Hoard did Grace's cut and style. When we walked out of the salon, we all felt civilized again for the first time in ages.
Another high point of the week was our trip to the Bois D'Arc Primitive Skills Gathering and Knap-In. We had too much going on to take any classes, but we enjoyed our time wandering through the booths and chatting with the various artisans. Lookout for a full write up of our experience in the next few days!
On one late afternoon this week, we all headed down to the woods with some drinks and board games. It felt good to sit around the table and laugh together, the early fall light filtering through the trees. There has been so much on our minds lately, it was therapeutic to step away from thoughts of hearths and trim and paint to relax together. It reminded us that no matter how much we have to accomplish, progress is always best when seasoned with moments of rest. We have a lot to accomplish in the coming months, but we are determined to enjoy each moment.
