Family Update
Sorry for the boring title, but I just don't have any thing exciting to put there.
Our house is coming along really well. Paul was here every day last week including Saturday. I think the mudding and taping is pretty well done. Now he is working on the Race Trak that goes around the ceiling of the front room. I told him Saturday that if I was him I would consider not telling people that he knew how to do that kind of stuff. He had to cut rock 8" wide all the way around the 16 X 33 ceiling and then a layer that was 6" wide all the way around and then a layer that is 4" wide. After he did that he is spraying on a plastic molding so the edges of the layers are rounded. After he gets all of those on he will have to mudd the whole thing smoothe. It is going to look really cool! I can't wait to start painting!!!!
Saturday morning mom and I took a load of garbage to the dump. We had the F250 filled with sheetrock pieces and the trailer filled with insulation remains, siding remains, plastic bags and other stuff. Mom and I unloaded the trailer which was icky because everything was wet and gross and then I unhooked the trailer and we started on the truck. Apparently some guy that worked at the dump felt sorry for us (one pregnant women and an 80 year old) and so he helped us unload the sheetrock. The rest of Saturday was spent (for Chance and I) enjoying Isaac's Birthday Party at Carrie Lake. Thanks Becky for inviting us! David spent the day forming up the pad for the front deck to go back into place. Sunday was church and more work on the deck. We had to get the old sidewalk out in order to form in the new one because the new one goes partly where the old one is now. Poor David, his only help was again, the pregnant women and the 80 year old. But we did it!! With the help of a chain, my husband's back and the F250 we pulled the sidwalk out of the way. Needless to say, after that we were to sweaty and tired to go to the Power Team. Bummer, I really wanted to see them.
Chance and I have been spending the last couple weeks at the beach. I know it sounds rough!!
It has been so hot here and that is the place to be. We meet the girls there and the kids play and we talk.
I had another Dr. appointment last week and again, a boy's heartbeat. Yes I know Becky, but I can hope!!! Baby sounds healthy and I know that it can move. Believe me it is all over the place.
Sheetrock!!!!
Our addition is officially sheetrocked! We hired Adam Hecathorn and his partner Paul (thanks Lisa Barron for the referral). Adam was finishing up a job that he started when we back him up a week so he couldn't come for the hanging of the rock. So Paul and Adam's brother-in-law came on Tuesday morning. By Tuesday at 4:30pm they had all of the ceilings done. They came again Wednesday morning and by Wedensday nite they had everything done. I can't believe how fast it went up. David and I would still be working on the bathroom cutting out around one of the recessed lights! No offence, but I guess having the right tool really makes a difference.
Unfortunately they are Jehova Witnesses and so Paul spent yesterday at today building a JW church in Morris, MN. So they won't be back until Monday to start the mudding and taping. From what I understand that is a long drawn out process. Paul says that depending on the humidity, the first coat could take up to two days to dry. I really dread the sanding. Just putting up the sheetrock made the whole house dusty.
My cousin Robin's husband is a Plumber and they came over last weekend and he took a walk thru the house. When they got to the master bath he asked David where the vents were for the toilet, shower and sinks. OOPS!!! One person can't remember everything! And, the vents have to go up before the sheetrock can go on those walls. So we had to have the Rockers leave two walls in the bath open and David is going to spend the weekend plumbing. Just when he thought he could coast for a few days!! He started last night and proclaimed that it was going to be a piece of cake. I will believe it when it is all done. To many projects have started that way. I am so thankful for a husband that can do all of this stuff!!!
Baby Update
Well, we had our monthly baby check-up yesterday. I always look forward to those.
After the nurse did the dreaded monthly weigh in and took my blood pressure she said, "Why don't you guys go ahead and play around with the heartbeat machine." And she walked out the door. So, I hopped up on the table and David got the little machine. I was amazed but he actually found the heartbeat almost right away!
Dr. Baldwin came in and officially checked the heartbeat and declared that right now it is a boy's heartbeat!!!!!!!! Always nice for me to hear. Other than that things are progressing normally. It seems like we spend most of our appointment talking about kayaking and the Boundry Waters than we do the actual baby. Dr. Baldwin will be going into the BWCA for the 4th of July and then she will also be going in sometime around my due date. Please pray that she is here for the birth!!!
While David and I were at the appointment Chance stayed home with Grandma. Mom was outside raking and didn't see Chance come in the house. Well, he decided to wash his feet so he climbed up on the counter and put the plug in the sink and washed his feet. When he was done he left the house with the plug still int he sink and the water running full force. By the time my mom came in and found it, there was two inches of water on the bathroom floor and it was running under the carpet in the hallway. Needless to say, by the time I got home she was not too happy. Chance was nowhere to be seen and we all agreed that he probably didn't understand what happened so I didn't scold him. We did ask him about it when he came home and he said that he couldn't get the faucet shut off. We told him from now on he needs to come and get an adult when that happens. It must have sunk in because this morning he came and got me because he had been washing his hands and couldn't shut the faucet off.
As far as the house goes, we are paying for playing. Our Sheetrocker was supposed to start tomorrow and the Insulation Inspector was supposed to come this moring. But, alas, David and I didn't get the work done yesterday. Putting up Vapor Barrier is the most horrible job in the world. So, needless to say, I had to reschedule the Inspector and the Rocker for Monday. I think we can get everything done by Sunday.
Paddling in the BWCA
Boundry Waters Trip
Well, we are home from our annual Boundry Waters Trip. Craig Holgate, David and I took off from Hibbing around 4:00pm on Thursday. We had to make a stop at Peragus in Ely to pick up our Permit and that is always fun. I love that store and wish every time I go in there that I had alot of money to spend. This trip I bought my Fisher map and a water proof case for my GPS. We were warned by the kid that gave us our permit that the mosquitoes were out in full force. This was not wonderful news, but at least we had bug spray.
We got to our campground on Fall Lake at about 6:30pm or so and were really hungry. All of us agreed that if we had known how late we were going to arrive we would have skipped buying groceries for Thursday night and just ate in Ely. However we had hamburgers, corn on the cob and baked beans on the menu. So, we started a fire, cooked the corn and hamburgers and enjoyed a later than normal meal. The rest of the night was spent sitting by the fire waiting for the 4th person in our party our friend Stan from the Itasca Kayakers. Stan arrived around 9:00pm with Dilly Bars (Yeah Stan).
Friday morning dawned sunny and cloudless for which we were very happy considering the forcast was for 60% chance of rain. We ate a breakfast of eggs and sausage, cleaned up, packed up and headed for the Lake One Entry Point. This is the 2nd most popular entry point into the BWCA and there are 18 permits given per day. The entry was busy with canoeists and kayakers loading up there gear. It is alwasy fun to watch what people bring. I am so amazed at what some people try to bring in with them. Sometimes I wonder if they really understand that they are going to have to carry all of that stuff across portages. After doing that a couple of times, you realize there are some things that you can do without for a couple of days!!
On this particular trip we paddled almost 11 miles, 4 portages and 5 lakes to get to our destination of Fire Lake. This lake isn't even in the guide books so we figured it would be really remote. Three days there and we only saw one canoe and they were just in for a day trip of fishing from Hudson Lake. The rest of the time was spent with about a mother otter and her two kits, turtles, and 4 loons that never left very far from our campsite and had a passion for 4:00am. Every morning at that time they would start to yell, wonderful sound, but unbelievably loud!
Friday nite was dinner of Steak on a stick (steak cooked on sticks over the campfire), corn on the cobb and mashed potatoes. The rest of the night was spent sitting by the fire and chatting. I have to say, the mosquitoes were not bad, but the natts were horrible. I don't think there is a place on the back of my neck that hasn't been eaten.
Saturday after a breakfast of Pancakes we headed for Hudson Lake because they heard the fishing there was pretty good. Each year we bring in the Fish Breading for a meal of fish and each year we bring the Fish Breading out. Thank God for backup meals. We paddled the 3.5 miles to the mouth of the River coming out of Insula Lake and then while they fished, I just floated back toward our Lake while reading my book. The wind was blowing in the right direction and it was fun. Saturday nite we had our back up meal of Chicken and Rice. We agreed that we were all thankful for the person that invented foil packages. Last year we tried the hamburger in a foil pack and decided that it tasted and smelled like cat food. This year it was Tyson Chicken in foil packages and that wasn't so bad. Unfortunately Saturday evening it started to rain and pretty much rained most of the night.
Sunday morning dawned cloudy and looking like rain. We packed up everything quickly so we wouldn't have to do it in the rain and started breakfast. Just as soon as we finished breakfast the rain came. We had to paddle the first hour or so and the first 2 portages in the rain. But, after that the clouds broke and the sun came out. I was able to use my GPS and am happy to say that if left alone, I could have found my way out!
Another trip into the Boundry Waters is done and I can't wait to go again. Thanks guys (David, Stan and Craig) for being willing to carry more than you should so that I could make the trip.
