TIME OH.... TIME--Where does it go?

At the end of last year, the holidays flew in with a bang and I found myself the most unprepared I've ever been. My step-father had a heart attack right before Christmas and I had to make a mad dash to Northern Arizona to retrieve him along with my mother and get them closer to civilization. He is doing well now and has accepted that they will no longer be able to live in the "boonies". Along with this, my mother in law's health has deteriorated significantly and Jerry and I have had to spend great portions of time with her. While she certainly recognizes us and has Jerry on speed dial (which she uses more than she should), we can not be gone for extended periods of time anymore. We did get away right after Christmas for a quick 7 day cruise, but had to have so many people to help. So as it looks, our travels will be quite limited for quite a while. We have now hired someone to work with her in the mornings Monday through Friday and we are hoping this will help at least some. Between parents, kids, grandkids and oh yeah... the jobs, there is not a ton of time left to spend sewing. I have many unfinished projects just waiting for some attention. So..... I have decided to get with it and get moving to accomplish something in the midst of all the craziness. So keep an eye out, as I'll start posting once again VERY soon! Happy Sewing--Carole

And the room is DONE!

The new Quilting/Craft room has actually been done for a while.  I've been so busy with MANY things that I just have not had the time or energy to post the final picture.  I have had time to spend in this beautiful room and I just love it.  Christina (who sews with me when she can) also loves it and has "staked out" her spot.  She helped me to get organized and move things around.  We sure had our drama getting this room to completion.  Many wonderful friends and family came to the rescue to get the the end.  Can't thank everyone enough for the help....  An experience that we would not want to repeat EVER!  We are off for some much needed vacation to celebrate New Year's on the Sapphire Princess with some friends (Tonya and Jim).  Everyone have a safe and Happy New Year.  Happy Sewing!  Carole

And finally........................

 We are at the final stages to finish my quilting and craft room.  Since firing the contractor, we have made the most progress in just a couple of weeks.  The inside and outside have been painted, the bathroom floor has tile (Thanks Shay Wild for stretching my tile and doing an awesome job), the trims around the outside have been installed with facia and sofett.  Concrete to to put a front patio and walkway all the way to the back of the house and a slab for our storage area has been done.  A new wall for the fence has been put up complete with stucco.  A wonderful experience to deal with TRUE professionals who show up on time or earlier and take TRUE pride in the outcome of their work.  Jim Streety--hats off to you and all your workers for taking such good care of us.  Full recommendation and high compliments in how you do business.  A big THANKYOU! (and a hug later).  Today the floors are being installed (by my wonderful brother in law Christopher) and the electrician (Ernie) is here so everyone cross your fingers because as of today at some point I may actually be able to turn on a light and start moving all my fabric to it's new home!  We will have to finish with some baseboards and touch up paint, but our list is just about complete.  Are we over budget?  Yep, sadly so, but it could have been worse I guess.  If we would not have had to pay for things twice to get the job done, we would have been right on target.  Lessons learned--TONS.  Next pictures will hopefully show me all set up and being productive in the new place.  This headache is just about over!  Happy SEWING!  Carole





Getting ready for concrete



Concrete Poured--Looks Fabulous!

Ready for the wood floors!

YES, WE HAVE DRYWALL!

We have continued with our slow progress to the new sewing room.  What should have been completed by the end of August now has us hoping for the end of October?  We actually got the outside stucco done and are waiting for it to "cure" so that it can be painted.  The plumbing has been moved and the bathroom floor is concreted and ready for tile. Drywall, just about done and then ready to put some texture on it.  If the contractor would actually show up when he says and put in a full day of work, it is possible that we could get this completed. Still plenty to do, and  thanks to my sister's wonderful husband, we actually have a plan B if we have to finish it on our own.  We have had to pay for some supplies twice to keep the job moving and this has not made us happy at all.  We have been assured that the flooring has been paid for and is on order, but something tells me this may not be the truth.  Guess we will find out this week.  We will both be so happy to have this completed!  As the saga continues....  Happy Sewing!  Carole

PROGRESS????????????

 We really had hoped to have the room addition done and behind us before summer was over, but that has not been the case.  We have had very slow progress and it has been disappointing to still be working on this.  While the quality of work being done is fine, it is the timing that has been the most headaches. Contractor's work on a "I will get to it" schedule and the "I will get to it" has not been getting to.  Jerry and I work much differently and are the types to identify what needs to be done and just get it done.  Construction workers can identify the work, but do not prioritize to get it done.  We would make a list and go to Home Depot, get everything needed and then proceed to work.  Contractors make numerous trips to home depot (and spend countless hours) while there and then sometimes do not get back to the job until the next day.  "On my way" means they will be here in 4 to 5 hours and "butt crack of dawn" means sometime after noon.  Frustrating to say the least.  I have heard that this is pretty common and while I am sure there are some that do not work like this, it certainly has not been our luck or experience.  So, now on to the progress since one month ago.....  The break through to the main part of the house and the plumbing is just about done.  We have all doors on  and they actually open, close and lock.  We have sound proofing done and are ready for stucco which is scheduled for tomorrow (crossing our fingers).  The dry wall is will be started this week and then the flooring.  Not sure if it's too much to hope for, but with the exception of outside paint which has to wait for the stucco to cure (almost a month), we should be done in a couple weeks.  We have some things that are being done separately, but we do not expect delays once we are complete.  While we still have a large amount of room on our property with potential of building, I am positive this will be the last thing we would consider.  I know that the end result will be fabulous and I can hardly wait to get in there with all my fabric.  I would not want to have this experience again!  I'll update when and (IF) there is one soon.  Happy Sewing!  Carole

Sewing/Craft Room Electric and Wall Down....

We have not had much visible progress this week with the room addition.  It has been a week of watch and wait while the contractors "adjust" their schedules with other jobs.  We are a small job in comparison to some of the others and we seem to have to wait our turn for them to do the work.  This week they did remove the stucco from the attaching wall and started the process to move the electric from the other side of the house all the way to my sewing room.  Good thing our contractactor is small as he had to crawl through the attic to put a "pull line" through to our existing power supply.  This was done at the peak of the heat of the day, so judging by how sweaty and dirty he looked, my guess it was well over 100 degrees up there.  If it had been me, I would have scheduled this for 5AM, but this did not seem to bother him at all.  We quit trying to figure out some of the things they do.  Behind all the stucco, is insulation and styrofoam to the main house.  I peeked behind to look at some of the termite damage (which is no longer active due to lots of treatments).  I only found one area that was a little chewed up and it was not bad compared to some that we removed from the patio section.  I am constantly on alert for signs of them.  I did give it a good dose of spray for good measure before they cover it all up again.  Electrician is coming today to finish up and then another inspection followed by drywall, doors and stucco.  Will it ever end?  Happy Sewing!  Carole

A Tile Roof..... Just in time for the rain!

Front View

Back View

Yesterday, bright and early, the roofers could be heard hammering and cutting just outside my bedroom as I was getting ready for work.  When I left, they had one lonely row of tiles set upon the roof.  Forcast of a monsoon storm to arrive later in the day, I crossed my fingers in hope the storm would hold off until the workers were done.  As I was leaving the office some 12 hours later, a storm was coming in.  I could smell the rain (mixed with dust in the blowing wind).  When I got home, this is what I saw.  The roof on.... and matching the existing tiles almost perfectly.  Our lighting order did not arrive on schedule so Jerry and I had to do a Home Depot Run to find the rest of the parts and power supplies to be ready for the electrician.  We lucked out and have all but two items that I will have to search for today.  The storm rolled in about 9PM last night.  Lots of rain and wind.  The roof got a work out on it's first day.  Not sure what the plans are for today, but I'll post if anything new.  Happy Sewing.  Carole