Painting 101

We are so ready to be finished with the Villa

 that we actually considered paying someone to paint all the trim.

We were not excited to do this job at all...

until the first bid came back!

What! They want how much!?

Laiken and I decided we could do it.

We've painted a lot and feel confident we can do the job.

She filled nail holes and sanded, while I caulked.

Several days later we were ready for the first coat.

We brought in re-inforcements to help.

My good friend Karen and her daughter Alyssa came to help.

Mom was there to help.

We all look like seasoned professionals right?

So, we pressed on all day, applying the first coat.

The next day inspection did not go very well.

Even though I bought new Purdy brushes and expensive paint,

It was too hot when the paint dried,

 you could see all our brush strokes!

I was so dissapointed.

We couldn't continue with the second coat.

Everything had to be sanded down.

I was tired and deflated.

So Arron... the man I love...

 the man I talked out of hireing a painter, stepped in.

With gusto, Arron and Skye sanded all the trim.

They bought an air sprayer, taped everything off,

and painted all the trim and doors.

The Villa was an utter mess for a week.

Several times Arron asked me to "just stay home today"

Needless to say the trim and doors look amazing now!

I feel so bad I didn't just let Arron hire someone so he could

have focused on all the other work that needs to be done.

All I could think about was the money I could save

and the furniture I could buy instead.

I usually know a bargain when I see it, but this time it took

two weeks of work and frustration to see that hireing that painter

would have been a steal.

Laiken The Graduate

Sorry for the absence.

We've been pretty busy.

Two major events have taken place.

 I have a new nephew, Richard, and Laiken graduated.

(neither were a surprise)

I"ll be gentle, and slowly get you up to speed.

 First, Laiken The Graduate.

 

Laiken is an A student.

She was on both the Ski and Golf Teams this year.

She only needed a few classes her Senior year so,

she waltzed into school at the crack of 9 each day.

(She enjoyed it so much she scheduled her college classes accordingly)

Laiken's graduation was a real family event.

She was so excited to have her Uncle Erick and his family there.

Her Grandma Patsy was there.

Our usual gang of Shores and Nelsons.

Our tradition is to make a lot of noise and eat loads of candy

during the ceremony. Here is Skye getting his trumpet ready!

We got some stares...a few nasty ones even.

 Laiken is so glad to be out of High School.

She is looking forward to being a college girl and

living in her own apartment. Her future is bright!

But..for now let's PARTY! (at the Villa of course)

Friends and family drove from near and far bringing gifts.

A new family heirloom was given.

Uncle Quint made his famous Root Beer.

Skye gave the kids rides down to see the goats.

We had lots of food and many hands to help!

Laiken  a.k.a. Voltron

I hope Laiken had a memorable Graduation and Party.

She really is an amazing girl!

We love her so much and are very proud of who she has become.

Arron and I sent her to Calistoga CA. for her

"solo learning vacation"

A culinary school.

When she got back she made us a wonderful meal.

Best money we ever spent!

Love you girl.

No Fear

I have been thinking about Laiken a lot lately.

Maybe it's because she's the next to leave the nest.

What usually comes to mind when I think of her is

how she is so sweet. Laiken is mindful of others and

very generous. She has a big heart and  sees the good in

people. Because of this and her great sense of fun she is

always the life of the party.
(but she'll help clean up after the party too)

The other thing that comes to mind is she has No Fear!

She's not afraid to get her manicured little hands dirty.

She's the first one to jump off a cliff (literally)

She rides big horses and fast bikes like a pro.

She's not afraid to say, "I'm sorry"

Laiken definitely has her own opinions,

and isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in.

I think our children aren't just ours to teach,
but to learn from as well.

I can learn a lot from Laiken's example.

Portland Marathon

Real athletes run others just play games

Laiken and I decided months ago, come hell or high water, we were running in the Portland Marathon.

It was fun, picking out matching outfits, adding logos,
and creating play-lists....

...then the day arrived. And it was in reality hell and high water.

When I say high water, I mean it never stopped raining.

Our shoes were like little miniature swimming pools for our toes.

Every inch of us was soaked through and through.

It wasn't too bad after we got started, until the wind picked up.

I told Laiken, (somewhere around mile 15)

that I felt like we'd been left stranded by the side of the road- no one would do this on purpose.

Here we are, just slightly wet at 6:30am. Pretty excited to start and get warmed up.

5-4-3-2-1-GO!!

At around 7:15 our wave, got the green light.

You can just see me in the blue, under the green light.

Thousands of people sporting hefty bags were on the move!

Laiken and I last saw Amy at mile 2.

Amy diligently prepared for this race.

(Not to say we didn't train,

we just could have done so much more.)

So it was no surprise to us when she made her move

and left us in the dust.

We often wondered through out the race, "where is she now?"

I know she didn't see us, but one other time that day, but we were cheering her on all the way!

I'm so glad the boys stayed out in the rain all day, looking for us at every turn.

They got some fun photos!

This must have been before the halfway mark, we're still smiling!

It really was a long day for the boys too. They were just as wet and pretty tired too.

Eric was able to see Amy cross the finish almost an hour before us.

Meanwhile, Arron and Lad were cheering Laiken and I on at the hardest part of the run.

The last 6 miles seemed to never end. Each step was painful.

Thank-You for the moral support!

 I always knew we would finish, but a few times I did wonder how.

Turns out, you have to have a good sense of humor, and guts!

I'm glad Laiken and I made a pack to stay together.

26 miles is a long dang way!

Like the guy sitting on the sidewalk said at mile 20,

 "Anyone that has made it this far deserves a round of applause"

We will continue our training and we plan on running another marathon soon.

"Human beings are made up of flesh and blood,

and a miracle fiber called courage"

-George Patton

Da' Coop Part Deux

Well, here it is.

I'd like to say it's completely finished, but... I still need a step built in front of the screen door, a storage box built to go where the chairs are, and I will be painting the trim white. You get the idea though.

 Laiken is showing you the fully painted interior,
the 'au naturale' perch, and how she can match her outfits to suit any occasion.

I guess there's nothing left to do.
It's moving day!

Good thing we had family in town to help.

Zayah and a Rhode Island Red.

Big sister Lili and the Ameraucana.

Adam and a Buff Wyandotte.

Amy and a Barred Rock.

Lad with the Polish Rooster.

While running through the pasture catching chickens,

Adam stumbled upon a secret cache of eggs.

Omlette au fromage anyone?

The chickens seem pretty content in their new home.

They are laying and doing what is expected of them.

I have 9 hens a laying, and they all use the same nesting box!

I guess the other 5 boxes are just for looks.

Owen is counting up the days loot.

I love having the chickens closer to the house. They are always the center of attention.

Lylian didn't want anything to do with them after she saw them going for Lydia's toe nail polish.

But it didn't stop Owen.

Owen likes to stuff them back into their coop through the little door.

The girls are getting all settled in for the night.

 Yeah, I think they like their new home too.

Frugal 'Eggsploits'

Next time someone asks me if I recycle I'm saying Yes.
 I may not fuss with the blue bin and recycle cans or newspaper, but I am recycling a house.

Here is our newly built chicken coop, all made out of reusable materials from the Villa.

First we had to pull nails from the old lumber.

It took a long time to pull all those nails.

After we got the foundation built and level, it went together pretty quickly.

We had just enough metal roofing left over to cover the roof with a nice overhang.

These ole' birds are gonna be sittin' pretty this winter in their fully insulated pad.

I loved the idea of using this screen door. It will provide sunlight and ventilation.

The six squares next to the door are the nesting boxes.

Arron engineered a cool folding door so I can access them from the outside.

Inside view of the nesting boxes.
 (This is where all the magic happens)

 These chicks have it pretty sweet, we even installed
wall-to-wall paneling.

This little door leads to their future run.

Stay tuned for the finishing touches, and moving day!