Flooring installed!

The flooring has been installed - woot woot!! This is a view from E1's old bedroom (now our office / homeschool room) into the hallway.

 Here is a view from the hallway into the girls' bedroom.

 Here is the girls' room.

It looks fAnTaStIc!! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Siefker for all your help!!!  This is fabulous!

Chandelier

My Mom bought a chandelier that came out of someone else's house. I wasn't sure this was a good idea. It didn't look very fancy when she opened the box and showed it to me. But, she painted and decorated it and it looks very fancy now! I should have known when I saw crystal beads and pink ribbon that it would turn out perfect for a girl like me (and E2, too). Check out the before and after pictures. I haven't actually seen it in my new room because we are waiting until it is almost finished before I look inside. I want to be wow'd and surprised. Since we are getting carpet soon, it shouldn't be much longer. :) 
Love, E1

Drywall is hung...

The drywall is hung and should be taped and mudded tomorrow -- Woohoo!!

End of the week update

It is the end of a long, long week - oh wait, it was supposed to be a short week, but it has felt sooooo long! It turns out my Mom doesn't think I needed to have a day off of school, so she crammed all the work and fun into the same week. I sure hope this weekend is a little more restful. Anyway, it looks like our new room is coming right along, although not as quickly as I (or Mom) was anticipating. The brick looks great, but it sure took a lot of days of waiting to get the insulation done on the inside. But, we can trust that in all things, God is in control. The inspections passed today and Mom said they will start dry walling on Monday (I guess that is good since I wouldn't want wet walls). So all we have left before the next inpsection is drywall, finish the electric, finish the insulation and prime the walls -- oh and a handrail for down the basement stairs. So maybe by the end of next week we'll be ready for paint? A girl can dream, can't she?

((hugs)) E1

Here is the latest update on the addition. They started putting the bricks on yesterday and they seem to match pretty well, although it is hard to tell with the mortar still being wet. They do look a little redder, where the older bricks are more orange. Oh well. In a couple years, will we really be able to tell? The builder fixed the couple things that were on the rough-in inspection and once the insulation is finished (should be today), we are ready for the 2nd inspection. Then comes drywall, finish electric, painting, flooring and trim -- woohoo!!! We can't wait!

House Update

This is my first night sleeping in the same room as E2. Pray for me. I really want to be quiet so she doesn't wake up, but I rEaLLy want HER to be quiet so that I don't wake up. Not that I need anymore beauty sleep - we all know I'm gorgeous enough already - I just need to rest my brain a lot now that I have school. Rest is just as important for your brain as exercise is for your muscles. Speaking of rest, I'd better get to bed.

Love to all - E1

PS. Here are some updated pictures of the fabulous job that Mr Shepherd and his helpers are doing on the house.

We have walls!

Talk about being able to visualize the new room - we now have walls! Woohoo! I can't wait. Tomorrow - they will start on the roof part (rafters) and Monday (which is my birthday if you didn't already know) they will start roofing it. This is going by much faster than we first imagined. Thank the good Lord for all the blessings we have received! ((hugs)) E1

Coming right along

Wow! You can actually tell that the new room is going to be a new room now - and it looks like it is going to be a HUGE room! Mom also found out today that they are going to come smashing into my current room NEXT WEEK! We better get my stuff moved out as soon as possible. I've seen the look in the builder's eye - he's just itching to come smashing through the wall. We need to be prepared. Mom and Dad let me walk around on the new floor. It was so fun - although they were pretty nervous about me falling into the basement so I didn't get to stay out there very long. I got one question - where's the roof? And what happens if a bird has to go potty when he is flying over? ICK! At least I know one thing - my Mom will be sure to use some bleach and clean up any messes out there. Good ole Mom, the germaphobe. She wouldn't want me to catch histoplasmosis or anything.   :) Love to all - E1

Looking down the basement stairs (well, almost stairs)

Another looksie down the stairs

A look down the front of the house. Eventually, we will have a fancy front porch with rocking chairs and checker boards - so you feel like you're at Cracker Barrell. :) Oh wait, so that Cracker Barrell feels like home.

Me & Daddy - the love of my life. Too bad he's already taken. I'm sure he's a fantastic husband.
I pray that God brings me a husband who is just as great as my Daddy.

Dirt Dirt Everywhere Dirt

Oh you wouldn't believe what our yard looks like. It is a mEsS! I can't believe Mom can even handle it. She gets so upset when I leave a few polly pockets out in my room - and this is a HUGE mess! I mean, I can't even get to my park without first climbing a gigantic tower of dirt. Ok, I could go the long way around it, but that wouldn't be much fun. :)  I think it is supposed to rain later today. Maybe Dad'll want to use the sled and go mud sliding? How fun would tHaT be?!?! Here are a few pictures of what has been done so far. Doesn't look like much, but it won't be long and we'll have a brand new big bedroom and fun basement added onto our house. I can't wait!

This is the first day when they took out the stump - that sure was a nice big shade tree, but it is gone now!

This is at the end of the second day. Dirt everywhere. Dad says the footers are poured, but I didn't see anything that looked like a foot. Just some "concreek" (concrete) that show where the walls for the basement are going to be.