Friday, November 30, 2018

We made a Bed Frame AND a Mattress!

NOTE:  This was originally included in the Thanksgiving post.  All is the same, but I added a follow up video at the end.



Eric and I envisioned purchasing an older small farmhouse.  We did not know if a king size bed would be an option.  We sold our bed frame before we moved into our RV.

We brought our "beds" from the RV into the house....

We constructed a bed frame!

Click here to watch the video.

Click here to watch the video.

Click here to watch the video.

The supports were tricky.  We thought of various ideas.  Ultimately my suggestion was attempted - Eric and Seth constructed a box a little smaller than the platform frame using the 2x8s from the pile we already had for the deck.  

Slats usually go the other way, but we have plenty of supports and the name of the game was minimal waste.  


Eric and I have been in need of a new mattress for a while now.  We have done some research.  He found a natural latex bed, but I am allergic to latex.  
Regular mattresses are a field of chemicals including formaldehyde and fire retardants.
The buckwheat hull mattress option is 100% natural, bug and fire resistant, very breathable, and I'm not allergic to it.
I bought a buckwheat hull pillow to test it out.  LOVE IT!

I thought the mattress was a bit pricey for seemingly simple materials and having to assemble it.  But I soon found that sourcing my own materials was one big headache after another.  AND while pricey, it is less expensive than many other mattresses on the market.

Click here to watch the video.

Click here to watch the video.


I slept on my new mattress the first night and was extremely cold.  The air flow will be great during the hot summer, but I want to be a bit warmer, so I put down a blanket for a little more insulation.
The first night, I was unable to really get nestled into my bed.  I took it apart and loosened the individual pods and now it's great.

Click here to watch the video.


Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Thanksgiving Visitors

Our friends, the Greens, came to visit!  We met them in Kansas City and went to Liberty Jail and learned a little about the History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.



On the way to to Kansas City we stopped at a cheese shop.  Over 275 cheeses!

We also went to COSTCO!  The nearest one is about 4 hours away. 

We had a little time so went to the site of the first bank robbery committed during daylight.
The Jesse James bank robbery of 1866.

This is the original vault.




While the Greens were visiting, we continued our projects.  The dads installed trim! 
We chose 1x4s.  It looks chunky and farmy, and is in keeping with the trim that was in the house down stairs.
(The doors will be painted in the spring.)






Eric and helpers made a couple of benches for our table.


We learned the maximum capacity of our table is 14 people.
We did manage to squish 15 with an extra chair.


Rather than pie, Elanor wanted to make Granny Annie's cheese cake.
The one on the left has store bought eggs.  The one on the right has fresh eggs from our own chickens.  Fresh eggs are vibrant!


We had a bonfire.....
Played games....
And experimented with eggs....
Click here to watch the video.


With 15 people to prepare for the day, it took a while.  We played "3 flies up" while waiting.
Click here to watch the video

We went hiking on our land.  This was my first time to explore on foot.



The Greens are great!  They suggested a tire swing - we have about 40 tires.  Why not?
Click here to watch the video.

Captain Green pushed everyone too!


I didn't get a picture of our Thanksgiving feast, but I took a video of what it was like minutes before we ate.
Click here to watch the video.



The Greens left Friday morning.  Their visit was a treat for us.  We all had a great time!

We usually decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.
I decided to change up our decorations and go with more of a farmhouse feel.


We have 2 trees and lots of space....  The second tree is for the onions.

We do not have a fireplace....  The big open beam is now multi-functional.

Tree skirt = skirt!


We are installing a wood burning stove (ordered it anyway)  So we are preparing for that.  Eric got onto the roof and installed a cap on the chimney.

And while he was up there, he swept the leaves off the porch roof.

Eric also put up Christmas lights across the front of our house.


Friday, November 16, 2018

11th Inning Stretch


We moved here 11 weeks ago.  My goal for moving in has come..... and gone.  We are now mostly working on finishing touches.  Most of the painting is done!  Eric installed our master bedroom flooring.  I am cleaning the cement floor in the living room.  We ordered a sample of flooring for the kitchen dining area.  We bought living room furniture, but we have to wait till the first week in December to receive it.  We are so close, and yet, NOT quite done.


Sunrise from our front porch

Sunrise and snow!




I posted about the onions tearing out a closet and finding a weight bearing wall.  We have been debating about how to handle it.  I really like the open feel with the closet gone, but the beam 2 feet into the space is kind of silly.  I think we might put a counter there and try to leave the beam exposed.   I wanted to leave the stairs open with some "rustic wire," but that was too big of a mess to make look right. We ultimately decided to cover the opening to the stairs landing because we are finally in the process of getting our loan and the opening might be considered a safety hazard. 


I am almost done painting!  (I now get to tape, mud, and paint the "new" drywall by the stairs)



I hope to whitewash the kitchen cabinets and attach the new hardware soon.






I was driving Amelia to Seminary at 6:30 am and we found a car with a tree in the road.  I'm pretty sure the car hit the tree.  They were pulling away right as we approached.  They had moved the trunk away so they could pass, but there was a LOT of debris on the road.  
I immediately jumped out and Amelia followed.  We cleared as much as we could.  The road is windy and 55 mph.  It was a little nerve racking, but we were both really glad that we could get through ourselves AND bless other drivers with safe passage where the tree had fallen.  
Amelia smiles when we pass by the tree, so do I.  
I love the good feelings we can have when we do good things.
FYI:  Amelia and I were talking about NOT being late to Seminary so far this year right before we pulled up to the tree.  She helped with the tree and waited for me to get every last bit.  
She said that if she was late, it would be a pretty good excuse.  
We made it on time though!





Eric went to BARCELONA, SPAIN!
The company (based in Germany) Eric works for gets together 
every 6 months for an "all hands" week.
The Mediterranean Sea




European drinking fountain







Octopus, tongue, and cow balls (bull testicles)!

Eric brought back a magnet for our refrigerator, an apron for me, chocolates, and sweatshirts!


Scott has surpassed Amelia in shoe size and Naomi currently wears the same size shoes as Amelia.



We purchased a 1/2 of a Dexter steer.  
Where's the beef?
In our freezer.

It is hunting season and we can get a few tags for our own land, but I am focused on the house and we need a bigger freezer.  Hunting deer is on the list for next year.



Grady Grader came and plowed our dirt road.


Eric and some onions went exploring on our land.

Seth found a tree just like the one sister Nelson talked about in June.