Working Hard in Austin

Paul isn't the only one working hard in Austin now... I have not been forthcoming enough to write in my blog that we are NOW going to move to Austin. We have been spending our weekends helping my grandmother by renovating my late great-grandmother's home and in exchange we will be able to live there while our current home is on the market and until we find our new home. My goal is to be there and be settled in before Preschool starts up for Ashlyn.

My sweet little brothers have seriously shocked me with how helpful they can be! The youngest one has some experience with this sort of work and has essentially been the contractor, with my Dad as the consultant. The other brother has enlisted the help of his girlfriend and they have really been work-horses. Nobody is even making me beg (yet)- the past 2 weekends they have voluntarily sacrificed their entire Saturdays to help us! Both Paul's and my parents have been keeping the kids while we work, which may be the hardest of the jobs. We are so thankful to them all!

On Fridays, prep work included boxing up Mama's belongings so that the family can go through them together at the next gathering. For the actual work on the house, the plan was to start at the top and work our way down: ceilings, then walls, then floors, then the bathrooms and kitchen. Thankfully we have so many helping hands that the phases are overlapping. Labor began with scraping ceilings- MESSY work that Ryan started and he "apprenticed" Paul well enough that he has taken that job over. There is only one room left to scrape, Paul is a pro now! Eric and Ali have been priming all the scraped ceilings and even got so far ahead that they started painting walls. My mom painted an entire room too. Ryan has been doing all sorts of other jobs that I never would have known to do on my own. I think I have been working too although I have not had a project all to myself... I dabble. Well, I do the shopping and some decision-making (bossing) which are some of my favorite things.

I have not been doing tremendously well at taking pictures of our progress, not that this is interesting to anyone other than family... Here is what I do have, they are all from our first work weekend so the rooms look even more different now, and sorry but they are only from one room & the entry. These are for you Sharon:


from the next week after the dust had settled: Notice Benjamin showing off in this picture by putting his foot in his mouth. No, he does not weigh 20lbs yet (so close though!) and that is why he is in the carrier still although I am sure he exceeded the length recommendation long ago. We traditionally use it only as a carseat and don't usually carry him around in it, but in this case we didn't want him getting into anything. It is like a weighted straight jacket of sorts, keeps him out of trouble.

Anyway, the work has been fun to do so far. Paul and I have been enjoying spending time working together and with family. Much has been accomplished, but there is still SO much more work to be done!! We hope it won't take too TOO much longer; we may lose our volunteers if we stretch this out too long or make them work too hard!