So much can happen in a month!! I don't even know if I can remember it all. I will try to recap.

We are loving the house!! Still working on it, bits and pieces still need to be done but it is fabulous.

Having Lee Meg and Tanah and Ty with us is even more fabulous. Tanah is so funny, busy, talkative-- Much different than those boys I raised.

Having Tanah here has an added benefit too! Cheyanne comes to visit, and even has spent the night a couple of nights!! NONNIE HEAVEN! Nonnie Paradise will be when the 3 girls are here, giggeling in bed, and Ty is sneaking around trying to find ways to scare them, and the Mom's and Dad's are not anywhere to be seen!!

We had our appreciation party for all of those that came and helped us build this house. So many came, again we felt so blessed to have friends like these that wanted to come and share with us! We can never do enough for them.

The Rock is on the house!! It took the guys about 1 week-- It looks fabulous.

April disappeared in a afternoon thunderstorm

Bubba left us while rock guys here, and never returned.

Keith got a wild hair and spent some of his shop money on a couple of 4 wheelers

Also Papaw decided that the grandgirls could have kittens. Stipulation they live outside. (Kittens) We Got two, Chey named hers (black one) Sally. And Tan named her Tabby Ruby. A couple of days later we picked up the sib of the tabby and her name is Cutie-- Right now the cage is the safest place for them. (Kittens)

Our septic tank is having issues. We have an anarobic system and it hasn't started sprinkling, so called the people, a few times, first they said not enough water going through-- Then came out to look, we got a hole in one tank. So they are going to patch it, and hopefully get it replaced. Not the end of the world but a bit of peeyew.

Tomorrow we are celebrating the July Kids birthdays, before we go off to Uganda--

Got some cabinets built for one bath

Ordered some for another

Bought some flat screens

Still need to finish the bar

Went to Lubbock for a shopping day

Had a couple of Uganda meetings

Cried some for lost pets

Saw 2 rattle snakes while 4 wheeling

Found out my illness may be weird migraines being triggered by EVERYTHING.

Cleaned out 5th wheel-- trying to sell it.

Saw more rain here than San Antonio did.

Been blessed beyond my imagination or deserving!!!

Easier to build a house than post a slide show!!

Finally it worked!! I hope you enjoy the slide show-- It was not exactly what I had hoped for, something in my homemade one turned up as a copyright issue?? for Photobucket- go figure!

Our rock men are still here, they should finish this weekend.

After placing my rock with the cross for me, they must have been inspired to do more for us. Last night they showed us two rocks they had carved, with crosses on them. We were so touched that they wanted to do something special like that for our home! We are having one placed near the side master door, and the other next to the upstairs office/other room. Again another show of God's hand in this home, we have had so many that have worked for us ,for Him. The kindness shows in these small gestures, all seem to take a part, a pride, a claim to this dwelling. Cipriano and Miguel, our cement guys, came by yesterday- They were both so very happy for us to have come this far, and so very complimentary of our home, you could see the pride in their eyes for having been a part of all of it.

I am so very excited to see what God has in store for us in the future, how he will use us and this home. I pray, and ask you to pray that we are able to honor him with this home, always.

We are not finished yet, more to come.

Time Flies, and it is all fun, even when it is hard work...

Been about 2 months since I have posted. SOOOOO much has happened!

I hope to have a video/slide show added to this thing through photobucket-- I am attempting to make it a beginning to present show-- So it may contain too much mega-whatevers, we will see...

Until the export to the desktop and then the upload to the bucket, I will fill you in on what I can remember happened with Pettyville in the past view weeks.

SOOOOO MUCH! Not in order, but here we go:

Cheyanne had a birthday!! She turned 3. I now have two 3 year old granddaughters, just for a few more weeks.

Evan came home for a week, eye checkup, SSI applications, helped out around the house--He had a long weekend and we thought we would take advantage.

Evan became a full B, meaning he rides the bus where ever he pleases in San Antonio-- Freaks me a bit. He rode to Lee and Megs house in Converse, it took 3 bus changes and 3 hours, but he made it and LOVED it!

I glazed lots of walls.

Lee and Keith put in granite tops. (Not the bars yet)

I have mopped the floors about 4 x and ran the floor/washer scrubber on it. (I was an indian giver and borrowed the one I gave Ashton to do the job, it worked great so I kept it and bought them a new one)

I wall tiled 1 shower. TRIED to thin set the floor.

We hired someone to tile shower 2 and redo my thin set floor. He did a GREAT job.

My dear Ranger of 16 years died.

We went to San Antonio and helped Lee and Meg move back here.

K &L & B put in doors

Got home equity loan.

Got extention on Sanders estate taxes

Put in bathtub,

I stained doors and frames

I stained a billion of feet of trim

Keith cut trim

Evan and Keith installed some trim

Mothers day- Remembered I did not have one anymore and kids don't need one.

Moved all stuff from storage

Got dining table back finally from refinish shop- it is gorgeous. Needs new seats though AND the leaves. (they gave wrong leaves back,searching for correct ones, grrrrrr)

Furnished house with Lee and Megs stuff

Got new internet provider

Cleaned out trailer

Hired rock people

Rock people putting up lots of rock

Rock people using trailer

Missing a cat, or 2 since arrival of rock guys

Acquired a new cat from an old friend

New cat took to a walk about, really hope he is around somewhere.

Keith fell off ramp moving kids, survived.

Cooked some great meals in MY kitchen

Bought my first headboard and footboard for MY bed. New used, really pretty and really NICE

Took a shower in own shower

Took whirlpool bath, multi x's.

Put together shelves, barely

Shopped at ikea

built ikea sink

built ikea desk

built ikea storage table

bought some gorgeous rugs from great friend

bought cowhide rug for amazing 65$ , thanks Mary Lou for finding it!

became REALLY upset with Keith more than once.

Love him anyway.

Had Brian Ash and girls over for dinner

Mary Lou too

Had dinner for 13, last minute throw together(my favorite kind) Friends and family.

Had MD tell me I am fat-- DUH!!

Had Tanah wake me up in the mornings

Cheyanne spent the night with Tanah and we all had Gluten free donuts and PaPaw milk.

Church, and fellowship

Uganda prep meetings.

Hunted for wayward dog Gauge about 10x

Enjoyed every minute with family here.

washed my clothes in my washer in my utility room in my house

decorated MY house-- Some

wished I could show Mom and Dad

put door knobs on a billion doors.

crashed my mac AGAIN-- NOT suppose to happen.

New operating system

Evans itouch died- NOT suppose to happen--

Apple says issue is it was a NEW product and things like that do happen....

Hopefully did this slide show right!!

Lets see.

Things are Happenin...

Guess what we did? NO! Not THAT!

WE Painted the house all inside. We got us a sprayer and sprayed away-- Keith mostly-- he is not confident in my spraying abilities. But it really does not matter how much you cover, your eyes get it -- We tried goggles but they covered in paint in about 1 minute-- thus the raccoon look.

My boogers did get a bit colored, I kept forgetting my mask. I would take it off to breath or talk, then start spraying then wonder why I was choking to death-- I am still blonde underneath the grey!

The cabinet guys showed up to start the cabinets today: The middle islands will be put in tomorrow.

And I finally got to start glazing the walls. Finally I can actually contribute. Keith has been doing the electric, the painting, the building of... I try to help but I do not think I do that much for him-- But NOW I can do something he can't-- I feel so useful!! And I LOVE doing it.

Keith also put in the living room lights tonight-- We LOVE them!

It is getting so much closer-- We are needing it finished by end april-- I think we will make It!

We just came back from attending Evan's graduation from Culinary School. It turned out to be a much 'bigger' deal than we had thought it was.  A great program!

Within the school Evan already attends is the opportunity to take this class. It is offered and taught by the San Antonio Food bank.  As it turns out San Antonio Food Bank partners with many in the community and trains many in the culinary arts.  Also graduating the same day were some men from prison.  They trained at a different time than the Independence School.  The goal of the culinary is to equip these adults with the skills that could really help them get careers.  Evan received a certificate of completion in culinary skills. He also received his own chef coat with his name on it and everything!

The meal was great, pork loin, ettouffe-ish dish, bell peppers stuffed with seasoned hash browns. The salad was spinach and strawberries and pecans, with flakes of red pepper. The dessert was a carrot cake(Keith's is better)with a marmalade tart. 

Evan is doing wonderfully at the school. He has his bus pass, but not complete freedom to go on his own yet.  We are thinking that those at the school are a bit protective of him and do not see his full potential yet.  He does have a way of hiding it well. 

We were talking with him about his driving in San Antonio, which has been the plan since his moving there. The school said it would be ok and they would work it in the plan once he got his job. After driving San Antonio recently we were wondering if it would be a good idea. Evan very maturely thought that it would probably be better to ride the bus, he said "People drive crazy in San Antonio".

He is also already planning his apartment when  he moves back home.  He will live with us a "little bit", till he gets a job and then get an apartment. Then he will need a bed and some dishes and pots and pans. He wanted the Texas dishes Lee had had in his house in Lubbock, but I sold them in a garage sale. So "we will have to find something else".

The big graduation should be about Christmas. Before that happens he will need to get a job in San Antonio then move to the apartments on campus and 'live on his own' for a few months. 

The school is whining right now about the 'economy' and hoping it does not affect the students job opportunities.  Too much faith in the world and not enough in our God. God is going to surprise them all!!

House Progress

The roof is pretty much finished!! A little trimming out and cutting edges and it is. What a process! Between the wind and the running out of materials it was a timely procedure. When we finally got the sponge tape in, to finish the 1/4 of the roof we had DAYS of wind. Then when it was perfect we were not able to wrangle enough people back up to help. Two just cannot do it. Though on Sunday we decided we could figure it out, we HAD to. We asked a few new friends,we had run the others all out of town. Most were not going to be able to make it. Brian said he wanted to help finish it out, that was 3, 4 is better but 3 is better than 2. Just as Brian drove up so did Nathanial, a young man who REALLY could have found better company and activity for his Sunday, putting up a roof for old people from his church could not be at the top of his FUN list. 4 is good! So we started B & K on the roof and N & C (me) on the bottom, putting on tape, removing protective film and loading the 24 ft peice on our loading shoot, the peice bows in the middle if you don't hold it just right. Just 2 peices up a red truck drives up and it is Roy and Faye, our dear friends. They had just said goodbye to their daughter and grandson and decided the day was so gorgeous we MUST be doing something on the house so they drove 30+ miles to come and see what they could help out with. 6 people working on the roof-- It was great, the way Roy and Brian and Keith worked together it was the first time the ground crew could not keep up!! God set up an awsome crew!THE FLOORS ARE FINISHED

You can see the shine! And NO we are not staining them, the color is in the concrete. The neat thing is each room has it's own personality and color! It is great! The floors are exactly what we were going for, we are very pleased, it was worth it.

BUT

I have not even tried to add all my hours together, put I am pretty sure it is up to 1000.

NEVER again! This will not be my business, I will not do this for a living, the machine is for sale!

We are now waiting for the foam insulation people to come in-- Tomorrow was the day, but we got a cold front, RAIN (drops of water from the sky) and 32-40 degrees, so it is freezing.

The guy will probably come Friday.

Things to come:

insulation

finish out plumbing(spouts out)

poly cabinets,1 sand and 1more coat(they came in and are gorgeous)

drywall/texture

doors

master bath stuff

lights in

set up kitchen-cabinets, appliances.

With all this we should be able to move in!