Caution: Construction Zone Ahead

Here are pics of our current house construction. We tore down our rather large but poorly constructed (in wood!!! by the previous owners) family room and are rebuilding it in concrete. We also had a new concrete floor poured as the previous family room was lower than the rest of the house. We also had the floor extended to allow for a screened-in porch adjacent through French doors to the family room. The screened-in porch will have two ceiling fans for those hot, Florida days and evenings and we will put chairs and a table out there to relax and picnic and watch the kids play. H also had another slab poured in the back corner of the yard so that he can build a shed. Until it has a shed, the kids have reappropriated it for their own use as a playhouse. S is a construction guy while D tends their "house."

We have run into quite a few problems during this construction - mainly costs and contractors. (This is where Mrs. Happy Housewife says, "C'est la vie," and tries to remain calm and not worried or anxious.) We are hoping to have the construction done soon so we can move on to our other home improvement projects, including:

• a new roof (current one is 20 years old and leaks)
• ripping out the drop ceiling in the kitchen
• new kitchen cabinets, counters, and sink
• new dishwasher, fridge, stove/oven, and an over-the-stove microwave
• tiling the whole house (better for our allergies and easier to keep clean)
• repainting the outside of the house (no more Pepto-pink! from the previous owners) a nice sand color to match the stone accents on the front of the house
• new windows
• some landscaping in the front yard and a raised veggie bed in the backyard
• the previously-mentioned backyard shed for H
• new closet doors
• new 6 foot side fence and gate to replace the dilapidated and pink! four-footer seen in the pics

You might wonder where the funds are coming from. H has a nice job but not that nice! Six years ago when we were looking to buy our first house (this one), we had the forethought to buy in a semi-rural area we believed would explode in new growth. It did and with the rising housing prices in our area our house appreciated greatly and we ended up with some home improvement mad money. It is truly a blessing from God.

Saving Time When You're a Blog Hog

I have accumulated a lot of blog links and, believe it or not, I try to read all their new posts each day. Clicking on each link took a lot of time so I switched to adding each blog's RSS feed to my Yahoo page. It saved me some time but wasn't as efficient as I'd like. Now I've found Bloglines.

Save Time, Read it Your Way

• View all your subscriptions by clicking on the My Feeds tab
• Modify display preferences in feed Options
• View articles by selecting from the links in your Feeds folder
• Modify individual subscription options using the Edit feature
• Choose a Notifier for Bloglines alerts
• View Bloglines on your mobile device
• Read Bloglines in your favorite language

Since I've started with Bloglines, I've really been saving time reading blogs. That's a good thing because I don't think I could cut back on blog-hogging.

Website Update: The Vintage Homemaker

I have added a linked button for The Vintage Homemaker to the ever-growing sidebar.

Melissa of A Virtuous Woman hosts her own website, The Vintage Homemaker. Her charming website contains her online journal and links to other homemaking websites. It is also sprinkled with vintage photographs, artwork, and quotations. The Vintage Homemaker is a delightful website; I recommend you check it out.

Thanks to Meredith for the link.

Website Update: Our Daily Bread Devotional

I added a linked button for Our Daily Bread devotional to the ever-growing sidebar.

The children and I always enjoy reading the Our Daily Bread devotionals. Each pocket-sized issue has a devotion for each day, which includes a Bible verse, a Bible section to read, a daily Bible reading for those reading the whole Bible in one year, and a short story related to the Bible verse. You can read the devotional online, order a copy, download it to your PDA, or listen on the radio. I keep a copy around the house to read. The devotion's size is convenient for taking with you in your purse or pocket.

Quarantine Update

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and prayers. The children aren't completely well but they are doing pretty good and are helping their mama since nursemaid H went to work this morning. Days like today are when you see the fruit of your child training. Thankfully, I have spent much time teaching my children to be hardworking and self-sufficient. However, it is painfully obvious that they need some more training in getting along with each other. (This is especially true for little Mr. S.)

I am taking all my medicines and am taking it slow. Monday is laundry day and there's a backlog of dirty dishes so that's what I'll be trying to work on today. Also, God in His infinite mercy has given me enough strength to sit at my desk and blog. Thank you, LORD! So that's our work list for today: school, laundry, dishes, blogging. :)