What's been going on around here written by Beth on September 6...

                              Just wanted to share "high-lights" of what we've been up to.

Daddy has completely redone our upstairs bathroom over the last few months.  We were given some cabinets, counter top, and a large mirror that PERFECTLY fit in our bathroom.  Daddy lovingly labored many hours for us to get these in shape before tearing the bathroom apart: stripping the finishing, sanding, priming, sanding, painting, sanding, painting again.  While the rest of us were at McPherson Camp, end of July, he took off work and tore apart the bathroom, taking out all the old cabinetry and tile-work, and making a new medicine cabinet between two studs. He also painted the entire room pink and the ceiling white. Of course when you're working on a project, there's lots of trips to the stores and unexpected needs as you go along, but he was courageous and kept on working.  After Jas and I had come home he put up new drywall and did the floor tiling (Jason did get some experience on that too.)  Then cabinets were "put in" (carefully placed, measured, screwed together and to the walls, etc.), and the mirror hung.  Wainscoting went up on three wall areas.  Then he oil painted that, and all the trim, TWICE... after each coat it had to dry a few days.  Then he started in on tiling all the back-splash area, and allowed Em and I to help with all of that-- measuring, cutting, and placing the tile. (That was last Friday, and it was really fun.)  He since grouted all that, did touch up painting, put a shelf up in the inner chamber, and door on the medicine cabinet he had built.  I've probably forgotten a lot of the steps to this huge project, but I just wanted Daddy to know how much we appreciate all his work for us!

Beth cleaning the bathroom, the way it used to be

Rowen had to replace some drywall after removing the tile and moving an electrical outlet.

The stuff piled in boxes from the old cabinets.  On top is the folding door to be reinstalled between the inner and outer chambers of the bathroom.

The old drawers were stored in the girls' room until the go-ahead was given to restock the new drawers.

The beautiful new tile flooring Rowen installed on the diagonal!

The way the wainscoting fit together

How the floor and the wainscoting looked before the white oil paint was put on the wainscoting and doorframe.

Cutting the fancy tile

Installing the tiling.  We had never used the rectangular tile pieces before, (instead of square).

Rowen taught Emily how to run the tile cutter.

She loved getting to help.

Watch out for the fingers!

Beth got to learn how to cut tile too.

The mess along the way

Emily installing some tile.

Rowen and Emily putting the puzzle together.

Rowen and Beth working and reflecting.

Beth is beside herself with joy at being able to help.

This picture is out of order to show before and after on the medicine cabinet formation.

The south side of the bathroom all done.

The new light fixtures and mirror

The north side of the outer chamber all done.  Now Rowen and Jason do not have to bend to see their heads.  That is a big mirror!!  New sink and cabinet.

Notice the personalized family calendar on the wall.  Also, the diaper on the towel bar we use to clean glasses.  The towel bars are all new.

Close up of tile and wainscoting

New bench.  We have always had a place to sit since we got rid of the changing table!  Girls always have to visit while combing their hair.  If you want to sit and read, we have lots of holiness magazines in the basket.

The inner chamber.  We got a new cupboard for above the toilet, and redecorated the walls in there.  The shelf used to be wood colored instead of white.  It wouldn't fit on the far wall anymore because of the new cupboard's doors.  We wanted the extra towel space, and a place to put glasses or clean underwear, so it is moved to this location.

Looking in from the hallway.  The folding door is back on giving the privacy to the inner chamber while the outer chamber can be used for hair combing and teeth brushing.  The curtains are very old, so probably an upgrade is in order in the near future.

Jason and Emily are participating in an Orchestra class every Wednesday at C.H.E.S.S. this semester.  They used to take private cello and violin lessons (respectively), and have played at home a lot, but feel the need to get used to playing with a group.  They are practicing up to play for an English Tea the Johnstown Historical Society is hosting on September 22nd.

Beautiful music on a Sunday morning

Our "music room" living room, with two pianos, an organ, cello, and violin

Emily and her violin

Beth and Jason playing together

Mother finished binding the two new grandson quilts she made for Quil and Micah for Christmas and they are absolutely beautiful.  She learned she loves Lysol bathroom cleaner, when I let her clean the bathrooms yesterday, and she organized and moved-into the refurbished bathroom-- I am so thankful for all her work on that!!!  We had everything spread throughout the upstairs in "orderly" piles: living room, and each bedroom, and she bravely is putting away what needs to be back in the bathroom, and throwing away what needs to be thrown away.  She's a hero... make that heroine. She's supervising Study Hall at C.H.E.S.S. during Jas/Em's class time every week.

A very silly picture of Janet which shows the blessing of abundant hair the Lord has been giving.

I had the delightful experience of getting two wisdom teeth pulled, yanked, pried, carved, cajoled, and plucked from my mouth this week.  We don't want to talk about the day of recovery that followed, but I WILL say that we are very grateful for the Lord's help to me, even though I found out I do have a dry socket which is delaying the healing some. Jason faces the same surgery 9-10-12, with the same-position teeth to be removed.  It makes me hurt to think about it.

Beth resting after her wisdom teeth extraction 9-4-12

Dad's been working/will work a funny schedule for a month, M-W 7a-5p, and Thursdays either that, or 1p-11p.  Today - Thursday - he is having to do the late shift.  He won't always need to do that, but when he does he may have different responsibilities than usual which can include driving four kinds of fork-lifts... he said it's a whole new learning curve.  The plus side to the funny schedule with 10 hr days, is that he gets every Friday off!

Two Fridays ago, Mother, Em, and I (since I'm off work on Fridays) went to eight garage sales and three thrift stores, looking for stuffed lions for our new story/lesson theme at Federal Heights Sunday School.  At the last two thrift stores we found our lions, and rejoiced at the success of our LION HUNT!  We are doing a theme that Mrs. Karen Mills put together, and we bought the lesson plans at McPherson Camp.  It's been good so far, and it's so nice that it has everything we need -- songs, lesson, stories, verses, games, talks with Leo, and lion facts.

Lions at kid's church!!

Did we tell you Emily has been drawing?  You can see a couple of her pictures on her blog.  And of course, she's back to home-school work again, 9th grade this year.

Mother and Jason both had birthdays during that last week of August.  Our nearest cousins, the Mendez girls, and our friends, the Browns joined Jas/Em for ice skating the Friday after his birthday.

All of us at the Farmer's Inn restaurant for Janet's 51st birthday.  Emily is cloned in to this picture. 

Janet and Jason with his 17th birthday dessert, strawberry pretzel salad

The Mendez cousins and the Browns ice skated with Jason and Emily, to celebrate Jason's 17th birthday.

We've been blessed to have enough green beans in our garden this year to can 59 quarts!  We are getting a new furnace installed soon, so Mother and Jason reorganized our shelves/canned goods in the basement this week to accommodation the installation's spacial needs.  We have decided pretty firmly NOT to grow green beans next year.  In our garden, they simply grow too close to the ground, and we each have too many aches and pains for days after picking them.  The one year we grew tall beans was still as difficult, because they bore beans from the ground to above our heads.  Mother and Daddy's bones especially cannot deal with the squatting, kneeling positions.  Besides, our local Hays Market has a tent sale, and we have Farmers' Market every Friday.

Since this post took a few days to complete, it is now 9-10-12, and Jason has braved the wisdom teeth extraction.