Home away from home.

Last Monday morning, we finally got to close on the house sending it to secondary financing.  I guess that means Phase 1 is officially done.  Next step will be to remodel the two original bathrooms.

 

Monday afternoon, Deb had me loaded up in the truck when I got off work and off to Benton we went to buy this.  Our new home away from home/home on wheels.  Our old pop up has served it's purpose and needs someone who enjoys doing handy work a little more than I do.

 

 

Unfortunately, Samantha had to work that day and wasn't able to be in the picture with us.

 

It is a 2017 Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 26RL.  We bought it from RV City in Benton, AR.  We recommend anyone buying an RV to go see them first.  Financing was done through Southern Bancorp.  I can't say enough good about them.  I love my bank!  We called around and their RV loan rates were at least 3% lower than anyone else we spoke with.

 

Here is a quick tour of the inside.

 

We always liked the rear lounge model, but this was the first time we had seen one that wasn't a fifth wheel.  The lord continues to provide what we need and sometimes what we want at just the right time.

 

Swivel rockers and leather sofa at the rear.  The sofa folds out to make a full size bed.

 

 

Kitchen, Dinette, and entertainment center.  The dinette makes down into a full size bed too.

 

 

Shower and sink.

 

 

My favorite feature is the rear lounge.  Deb's favorite feature...... a potty.

 

And finally, the bedroom.  The kids will have to make due sleeping on the couch and dinette, which both make into a bed.  But, hey, one of them is out on her own and the other only has another year of high school, so we think they will survive. 

 

 

And just because I love my truck and enjoy pulling stuff with it, here is the full width travel trailer and pull vehicle shot.  I've got to tweak the weight distribution hitch.  They set it up a little light at the dealership.  Shouldn't be any trouble to add a little more lift to level the truck and trailer better.

 

 



It Isn't a Mega Deck; It's a Mac Deck.

It all started with this.

Just a little small load of lumber.

Let the leveling begin. The use of post piers makes this part MUCH easier than having to dig a hole to bury posts.

Uggsy "The Supervisor". He absolutely loves this window. He sits here a lot during the morning while we are getting ready for work. During this project he decided to supervise from his perch.

My man marking for each pier. He will have to tell you measurements. I only remember those for about 2 seconds flat.

Tea came to help on this day. How many high school girls would take time out of her "get ready for Prom" day to help her boyfriend's parents building a deck? Well this one did! She's a keeper.

The boy worked too. I think I'll keep him for a couple more years.

Finally the piers are set. We also put down weed fabric to help deter weeds from growing under the deck. Teenagers have left us at this point to get all prettied up for the prom.

And pretty they were! Of course the parents had to take some deck building time off to take pictures of this beautiful couple...

  ...and this silly boy.

After photos, Cole, Tea and Cristo (best friend) came back to the house for burgers. They also got in some porch sitting time with the fire table, but I guess ma didn't get a pic of that.

Let day 2 begin!

Because of the existing concrete porch and steps, we had to build 2 separate foundations that are connected with cross braces. 

Later in the afternoon, the boy shows his face. Thanks to Project Prom, he came home with a new hammock! They had a good time in a safe and fun environment.

Mac and I were being very particular with the spacing of the deck boards. It was taking FOREVER!

Then the pro came over and offered some suggestions. So glad he did. The decking went much faster after father's guidance.

Those boys, yep, those up there in those pictures. Yep, those are my boys. They have my heart!

#hesmychipgaines

Weekend #2 Hoping to finish.

I am so proud of that cedar wrapped post! It was my idea. Don't let Mac tell you otherwise.

Cole has gotten very handy with a drill driver. 

Father/Son bonding! They had a great method and the spindles went up quickly.

Finished West View

Finished North View

Finished South View

Somewhere along this side is where we will build the pool deck. And I hope that comes soon. I'm ready for days in the water.

Our sweet Lucy loves the new deck too!

I'm a klutz and a 17 inch step down as too much. Mac built a step as the last step. HA!

We are moving quickly into permanent financing. After all the appraisal and insurance photos are taken, we will hopefully be able to begin on the pool! YAY!!! 

Busy Month

Well, another busy month has snuck by and I have forgotten to update the blog again.

 

We decided to go ahead and replace all the siding on the back of the house because only one or two of the boards hadn't deteriorated from rainwater splashing up from the patio.

 

 

We ended up with a pretty good system.  I would measure, cut, and tack the cedar siding into place.  Then Deb would finish driving all the nails while I moved to the next piece.

 

She went beast mode with her little purple hammer.

 

During a break she wanted me to take a picture of her Lo Cash tank top.

 

I cut the battens and Deb nailed them up.  She'll be a pro carpenter before we are finished with this house!

 

Delilah decided we needed some supervision.

 

Boards and battens up, and nails primed to prevent rust in case of rain.

 

In the middle of all the outside work, we had some pretty big events.  Deb's daddy, David, was inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame.

 

Here he is giving his acceptance speech.

 

 

David, Janis, Nancy, and Deb.

 

A large portion of Deb's family, in-laws and outlaws(yeah, I am the outlaw).

 

David, Janis, and their four favorite girls.

 

And of course, Quincy and I had to take a selfie!

 

You want to talk about a whirlwind of a day.  After getting David inducted, we had to be back in Arkadelphia for the Junior ROTC Military Ball.  Pictures were to be taken around 4 p.m. at The Henderson House.

 

Cole and Tea... these two are so cute together.

 

 

Finally, getting to take Tea for a ride in his truck.

 

Everyone got in on the picture taking.  Some of us act up more than others.

 

My bride in her "reservation" boots.  She sure does make me look good.

 

Last weekend was days of paint for us.  I took Friday afternoon off to do some final trim work and finish washing the exterior of the house.  Saturday Morning, we got started painting.  First we painted the ceiling of the porch.  Deb will have to chime in and tell you what the paint colors are named.

 

 

Here I am learning how to use the paint sprayer.

 

Tea wanted to come help paint.  Who are we to deny free help?

 

Here is a nice contrast shot showing how well the green covered on the first coat.

 

A shot of the picture window with trim painted.

 

West side of house almost trimmed out.

 

 

Front of house from NW corner.

 

SW corner after Deb finished the bedroom window trim on west side.

 

Back of house ready for trim paint.

 

And the front porch.  We decided to leave the porch lumber natural.  We think it really sets the porch apart and highlights it.  We will be treating the wood with a sealant to keep them nice.

 

While we had green paint in the sprayer, we drug it across the yard and painted the well house to match.

 

 

We still have to finish painting and a few knick knacks to finish inside, but Phase 1 of this journey is almost in the books.