I guess I need to update more!

Well, Since the last update A LOT has happened, so I guess I'll just have to throw all the updates out there!

Last time we checked in, the house was down to the studs... and while it still is, there has been a lot of progress on some major issues. Unfortunately, despite thinking we were incredibly lucky and didn't have any structural problems, as it goes with old houses, it just took a little more time to uncover something rotting :/

The good news is that while the issue is annoying and time consuming, it wasn't an expensive problem, since Farmer Joe already knew how to jack up a house and replace the rotten floor beams, he and Jake slammed it out in just a couple of weekends!

We also had the unpleasant surprise of finding that while we aren't living on our property yet, a tree outside our back door has become home to a serious bee hive! EEEK! I am terrified of it, but I also don't like the idea of hurting the bees since they are so important. Jake's mom has a client that supposedly is a bee whisperer or something and can convince them to move to a hive that can then be moved away from our property. I hope it works, but for now they are busy busy busy!

Other progress includes the footer completion, which makes the house seem like it's really progressing!

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

It looks great, but the progress would be even faster if only the permit process wasn't such a mess! The ladies in the Greene county permit office have seen Jonah and I more than most of our closest friends, and the process of appeasing the government has plagued us. Did you know you have to have a building permit, an electrical permit, a footer waiver and permit, a beam certification, a plumbing permit, and HVAC permit, and probably more we haven't even heard about now. So far finding someone to certify the oak beams was the hardest to deal with. At one point the permit people said it would be better to cut the existing structure, place smaller pine beams in, and then cover those with the solid oak beams faux style... this is obviously NOT as structurally sound as using the solid beams we had while keeping the existing frame that has held strong for over a hundred years. Thankfully Jake had a friend in the "Timber Frame" historic building guild who could certify that the beam would hold, and everything worked out quite nicely! Here of some pictures of the whole beam process, from pulling them out of the old barn, all the way to getting them installed to support the 2nd floor!

Well, other than that we have been doing smaller jobs around the house as well, including our latest destruction of the old chopped off chimneys that were in each room. Losing those really opened up each room and made a huge difference! A SERIOUSLY big thanks goes out to the always clutch Caleb and Emily who helped tremendiously! :) We also had an adventure buying wire in which the Lowes guys were seriously dumb and unrolled the wire backwards, resulting in both of them huffing and puffing the whole time... it was interesting, and pretty funny, then Jake lugged the huge roll out to the truck. It was incredibly heavy!

That's the latest on the house... hopefully we can be in by next summer!

The Studs in My Life

No, I didn't go see Magic Mike ;)

I DO however have some seriously awesome studs to talk about! Number one of course is my sexy husband who has been working his tail off this summer. Poor guy has been pulling 12 hour days with a 2 hour commute to the job he is working on, then coming home for a few minuets, only to head over to his other job, our house remodel. He has an incredible attitude about it though and keeps counting his blessings that we have our dream house to work on. What a great guy! And one sexy stud... hehe.

The 2nd set of studs are in our house! Yes, that's right! Thanks to a generous house warming gift from my amazing dad that kept jake from weeks of exhausting, dirty, hot, miserable, tedious work. We have the house stripped down to the studs and are ready to begin work on the clean slate!

Ankle deep in plaster crud

The truck filled with all our plaster 

The back porch ripped off

Usually, when you rip out plaster all you end up discovering are all sorts of structural and rot problems, but once again we have been blessed beyond belief! We did discover that there were bees and wasps living in the walls in the past (eek!), so that will have to be sealed up, but that was the biggest concern we could find!

Not only was the house free of additional hidden problems, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the house was built "like the used to build 'em". The outside structure of the house stands on its own with the beams cut and interlocked then secured with wood pegs. This means that all the interior walls are some how not weight bearing. Don't ask me to explain this... but Jake and Foreman Farmer Joe say so! Very cool when trying to rearrange walls!

Now what I am MOST excited about are the beams! I have pinned some amazing pics of kitchens with exposed beams and LOVE the look, but if you have ever looked into big beams, they are insanely expensive, especially if you want rustic looking ones. It's amazing how much people can charge to make things look old. But there is a solution that only Forman Farmer Joe could help out with. How about genuine, old, reclaimed, hand-hewn, oak beams? Yes, please! So, Jake and Joe went to a 100 year old barn on some land he farms to get them, bleached the age off them making them look warm and beautiful, and then began installing them as the new supports for our kitchen! Amazing!!

Finally, the last stud in my life is definitely the cutest! Jonah James!! Little Jonah Bear is growing SO fast and has already filled a huge shopping bag with stuff he is too big for. I am amazed at how much he has changed since he was just a little tiny newborn! Pardon the picture explosion, but that's what the blog is for!

One of his first smiles :) 

His pensive look

Tummy Time

A visit from 2nd cousin Reese! 

Rockin the hoodie

Took this while waiting for 3 hours for the electrical inspector!

Old pic with new instagram filter

Raptor Monkey!

Bailey and Brewster love him

Nap time with his glowy sea horse

Another visit with cousin Reese! 

Pouty Face! Jake said he gets this face from me... 

 He loves to stand up, and melts our hearts with his little giggles and smiles.

First cross country practice with Coach Bartlet's baby Chole! 

Jonah's first football! He loves it! Hiesman 2033!

He also holds toys now, which opens up a whole new set of fun ways for me to play with him.

Our big adventure of the moment was our reentry into to world! I have to admit I am officially in the camp of "that mom" who worries more than most. After our pediatrician told us about how susceptible little Jonah was to all kinds of horrible illness before he got his shots, we agreed with her advice to keep him out of crowded places until his 2 month shots and check up. That meant we stayed away from malls, resturants, and even church. missing out on church was the hardest, especially when the couple of small group events popped up, and Jonah was too fussy to let us attend. But the shots came and went with a little crying and alot of extra sleep, and we are back! I even found an adorable little outfit for Jonah's first Sunday at our church home!

With Caleb!

Pooped from the big day

Jonah's Grandma Lynda "Mims" came to see us too! She was so sweet with little Jonah and he loved her so much! She gently encouraged us to take him out after his bed time to get a dinner together, and it was a success! That night he even slept through the night! Overall it was a great trip and Mims will be missed!



PS - Sorry for the long post! But we finally got our internet fixed and I had to catch up!