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The upside of being on the roof was that it was fairly warm up in the sun. It also was a nice view of the crew working on the neighborhood non-profit houses up the street.
1 year ago
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Saturday Work
When Matt told me that he wanted my help putting shingles on the roof on Saturday, I definitely thought he was crazy. First of all, it took months for him to let me use any tools, and second, I am probably the most clumsy person there is. Not to mention my fear of heights. So, trying to be brave and helpful, I came up on the roof with Matt to put on shingles on Saturday. It was terrifying. I got to the top of the ladder, not even on the roof yet, and was scared. I kept thinking that I was going to fall off any second. But I survived! And even better, I actually helped. We put shingles on the rest of the south side of the roof, including putting on the vents and shingling around them and the plumbing pipes. Matt had to go down into the house a couple times for materials and tools and I told him that if I had to go down the ladder that I wasn't coming back up, so he was up and down a few times. Including when we were done and wanted to take a picture. My camera was in the car and I didn't want to go down there and get it, so we used Matt's phone to get proof that I actually was on the roof.
The upside of being on the roof was that it was fairly warm up in the sun. It also was a nice view of the crew working on the neighborhood non-profit houses up the street.
The upside of being on the roof was that it was fairly warm up in the sun. It also was a nice view of the crew working on the neighborhood non-profit houses up the street.
Weeknight Work
We are getting to the point where there is a lot of little things that we need to do in the house, and now that it has walls and a roof, we are actually able to come over after work and do those projects. It has been really hard because there are a lot of things going on during the week that we miss out on, like Matt hasn't really been able to help with Brad's basketball team. But we are very lucky to be able to build a house and know that when it is finished we will have time to do those things again.
This week, Matt needed my help putting in windows. We had to wait until we had some kind of porch so that we could reach the front window, so as soon as the metal was down, we were able to put them in. The windows on the front of the house have the spacers in them, as well as the front door. This is the most up-to-date picture of the front of the house.
The black stuff around the front window on the porch is an ice/water shield to keep the windows from letting water in. When I took these pictures we had only done this window and the window in the garage, but now all the windows are done.
The porch was poured on Friday. The tiny corner you can see in this picture is all I have seen besides pictures on Matt's phone. The blankets on it are helping the concrete to cure and there is a propane heater underneath that is also helping.
Matt took these pictures with his phone on the day the porch was poured. I guess the design in the concrete is a pretty big deal. I think it looks good in the pictures, but I guess in person it is awesome. I can't wait for the blankets to come off so I can see it for myself.
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We put in the front door on Thursday night, and had to wrap the bottom half so the concrete wouldn't get on it when they poured the porch. Matt also finished sheeting the garage and porch walls so now we are ready for a sheeting inspection.
All the windows and doors! Matt and Todd worked on putting shingles on the roof on Friday while I was at work and they almost finished the back of the house.
West bedroom from the inside
East bedroom from the inside
Front door from the inside
Living room windows from the inside. Matt had a hard time putting these windows in because they are so big. They are 5' by 5' windows and weigh a ton. There was pretty much nothing I could do to help until he had already put it in place, then I would hold it and make sure it didn't fall out. It didn't help that one of these windows is right over the window well for the basement window and Matt had to position his ladder very carefully when we placed that one.
Master bedroom windows from the inside. We will probably put our bed below the picture window (the long, skinny one).
This week, Matt needed my help putting in windows. We had to wait until we had some kind of porch so that we could reach the front window, so as soon as the metal was down, we were able to put them in. The windows on the front of the house have the spacers in them, as well as the front door. This is the most up-to-date picture of the front of the house.
The black stuff around the front window on the porch is an ice/water shield to keep the windows from letting water in. When I took these pictures we had only done this window and the window in the garage, but now all the windows are done.
The porch was poured on Friday. The tiny corner you can see in this picture is all I have seen besides pictures on Matt's phone. The blankets on it are helping the concrete to cure and there is a propane heater underneath that is also helping.
Matt took these pictures with his phone on the day the porch was poured. I guess the design in the concrete is a pretty big deal. I think it looks good in the pictures, but I guess in person it is awesome. I can't wait for the blankets to come off so I can see it for myself.
We put in the front door on Thursday night, and had to wrap the bottom half so the concrete wouldn't get on it when they poured the porch. Matt also finished sheeting the garage and porch walls so now we are ready for a sheeting inspection.
All the windows and doors! Matt and Todd worked on putting shingles on the roof on Friday while I was at work and they almost finished the back of the house.
West bedroom from the inside
East bedroom from the inside
Front door from the inside
Living room windows from the inside. Matt had a hard time putting these windows in because they are so big. They are 5' by 5' windows and weigh a ton. There was pretty much nothing I could do to help until he had already put it in place, then I would hold it and make sure it didn't fall out. It didn't help that one of these windows is right over the window well for the basement window and Matt had to position his ladder very carefully when we placed that one.
Master bedroom windows from the inside. We will probably put our bed below the picture window (the long, skinny one).
Blakelee Mae Fischer
I feel like all I have been posting about lately is progress on the house. I told Matt that people must think we don't ever do anything else, to which he said, "That's right. The only stuff we do now is work on the house." So here is my proof that we have ventured out of our house in the last week:
On Friday, January 24, at 8:20 AM (give or take a few minutes) our new niece, Blakelee Mae Fischer, was born to Tim and Kamie and big sister, Reagan. She came in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 19 inches long. Blakelee's name is a special one. Named with her daddy's middle name, Blake, and her Grandpa Hodges' middle name, Lee, and Grandma Fischer's middle name, Mae; all combined into a darling little girl's name. Compared to Reagan's birth, Kamie said this one went way smoother. That night, we took Tim and Kam some dinner and got a chance to see the baby. She is so cute! I think these two make some pretty cute girls.
I like to get the new babies all undone so I can see their cute legs and feet and hands. The upside of unwrapping Blakelee was that she actually woke up for a minute while I was bugging her!
This picture is evidence that Matt came to the hospital to see the baby and family. He hates hospitals. He would so much rather wait a few days and see the baby when they went home, than go see the baby in the hospital. I love to visit the new family in the hospital when I can. I have seen all the Fischer grandchildren on the day they were born, excluding Bradley.
(I think Matt is always a little disappointed when the new babies are too little for him to give any treats to. He says he doesn't need to hold the baby for too long because "they don't really do anything". HAHA!)
From Cassie- To Matt
Cassie sends this picture to me and says, "Matt should do this." How did my sister start finding crazy person things for Matt to do! I am in BIG trouble!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
I go to work, Matt works on the house
So today, while I head off to work for a normal day, Matt gets to go work on the house. Some days I wonder if this would be better than doing my regular job. It is nice not to have to be in control and make all the decisions, and nice to just follow directions. It is REALLY nice to see all the work come together into something that is actually for me. My job does not directly benefit me, mostly the benefits are for my students, as they should be, so it is fun to do something that is just for me and Matt.
While Matt was working today, the concrete guys came over and got the porch ready for concrete... (hopefully tomorrow!)
Matt set most of the exterior doors. Here is the door from the garage to the outside. The style of this door matches the style of the front door. Both are visible from the street so they match each other, but are different from the interior doors and back door.
The door from the garage into the mudroom (all the interior doors will look like this):
Back door. We wanted to have a door that would provide light and sight from the backyard, but didn't want a sliding glass door, and couldn't afford (or find space for) French doors. Maybe in the next house. I am very happy with the style.
Baby steps... baby steps...
While Matt was working today, the concrete guys came over and got the porch ready for concrete... (hopefully tomorrow!)
Matt set most of the exterior doors. Here is the door from the garage to the outside. The style of this door matches the style of the front door. Both are visible from the street so they match each other, but are different from the interior doors and back door.
The door from the garage into the mudroom (all the interior doors will look like this):
Back door. We wanted to have a door that would provide light and sight from the backyard, but didn't want a sliding glass door, and couldn't afford (or find space for) French doors. Maybe in the next house. I am very happy with the style.
Baby steps... baby steps...
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Thanks to a holiday, Matt and I had an extra day to get caught up on house stuff that we would have done had we not spent the afternoon at Instacare on Saturday. After a whole day of work, these are the things we got finished:
1. This was technically done a couple weeks ago, but I hadn't taken any pictures. Matt put the ice/water shield and tar paper on the roof. After his scary moment of almost falling off the roof and dying, Matt was not able to finish getting the roof ready for shingles. Hopefully this weekend we will have some nice weather and Matt can finish the roof.
2. Materials for the porch were delivered. We need the concrete to be poured on the porch so we can finish sheeting the garage wall and then get a sheeting inspection.
3. Exterior doors were delivered! We ran out of time to set the doors, but that will get done this week.
4. I made Matt build me a step to get into the house. It is not permanent, but now I can actually get into the house without ripping my jeans.
5. The plumber finished all the rough plumbing! Here is the connection for the washing machine in the mudroom:
Here is the connection for the refrigerator (bottom left) and kitchen sink (under the window).
6. Matt and I finished all the vault framing. This was more time intensive than I expected. Matt spent most of the day up in the trusses measuring while I used the saw to cut boards. The vault framing is where the sheet rock will get put for the vaulted ceiling and walls. This was another one of those things I did not understand until I saw it happen. Here is the vault framing over the kitchen:
Vault framing in the entry:
Vault framing in the family room:
7. My tubs were delivered and installed! Yay! Here is the plumbing in the guest/kids bathroom. Matt will tile the shower, so there is just a standard tub.
Master bathroom... toilet will be on the far left, corner vanity with two sinks where the hoses are coming out of the floor:
Master bathroom... Extra deep/wide soaker tub and separate shower.
Basement plumbing: This is where the water heater will be:
The white pipe is the connection to the water outside and the hoses are run from the water heater to the rest of the house:
Finally, you can see the plumber's pipes coming through the roof and also where the wind blew the ice/water shield and tar paper off the roof.
Monday was a crazy busy day, but we got a lot done and it was great to see things start coming together! Next up (in any order): Porch cap gets poured, start running electrical, set doors, finish sheeting and get inspection, HVAC get set up...
A Little Trip to Instacare
Matt. He is special. He spent all week telling me not to shoot myself with the nail gun, and then on Saturday, we get halfway through our work and I turn around and he is holding a handful of blood after SHOOTING HIMSELF WITH THE NAIL GUN. I'm not even kidding. He has never done this before, and then it happens after he spent a week telling me not to do the same thing.
He was nailing together the shower wall and the nail hit a knot in the wood and shot out the side, going straight into his hand. The nail went into his hand at an angle, over an inch deep. I wanted to take a picture of him holding the blood in his hand while we drove home to get him cleaned up, but didn't want to make him mad. Later he told me that he wished I would have taken the picture. So we got home, got him all cleaned up, and call the nurses in the family to find out what to do. We decided that he needed to get a tetanus shot and see about stitches. As we are on our way out the door, Matt says, "We have to go back to the house and finish building that wall. I'm not leaving the house until that wall is done." So that's what we did! Like I said, Matt is one crazy man.
After the wall was built, we went to Instacare in Hyde Park and waited FOREVER to get his hand looked at. The nurse who checked him in said she was sad that he had taken the nail out. Maybe not the smartest thing for a nurse to say to someone who is in pain. Anyway, another nurse came in and gave Matt his shot, which he would not let me take a picture of because he is afraid of needles. Seriously. The man whose wife gives herself five shots a month is afraid of needles. Anyway, he did let me take a picture of his very manly Tazmanian Devil bandaid. Does he look tough, or like he is grimacing in pain?
After it was all washed up, the doctor decided against stitches, but did take some xrays to make sure nothing got inside the hole. Everything looked pretty good though.
I am so glad that this was not worse, as it easily could have been. We are very lucky. And here we are, three days later, and Matt is complaining more about pain from his shot than from the nail in his hand. Typical.
He was nailing together the shower wall and the nail hit a knot in the wood and shot out the side, going straight into his hand. The nail went into his hand at an angle, over an inch deep. I wanted to take a picture of him holding the blood in his hand while we drove home to get him cleaned up, but didn't want to make him mad. Later he told me that he wished I would have taken the picture. So we got home, got him all cleaned up, and call the nurses in the family to find out what to do. We decided that he needed to get a tetanus shot and see about stitches. As we are on our way out the door, Matt says, "We have to go back to the house and finish building that wall. I'm not leaving the house until that wall is done." So that's what we did! Like I said, Matt is one crazy man.
After the wall was built, we went to Instacare in Hyde Park and waited FOREVER to get his hand looked at. The nurse who checked him in said she was sad that he had taken the nail out. Maybe not the smartest thing for a nurse to say to someone who is in pain. Anyway, another nurse came in and gave Matt his shot, which he would not let me take a picture of because he is afraid of needles. Seriously. The man whose wife gives herself five shots a month is afraid of needles. Anyway, he did let me take a picture of his very manly Tazmanian Devil bandaid. Does he look tough, or like he is grimacing in pain?
After it was all washed up, the doctor decided against stitches, but did take some xrays to make sure nothing got inside the hole. Everything looked pretty good though.
I am so glad that this was not worse, as it easily could have been. We are very lucky. And here we are, three days later, and Matt is complaining more about pain from his shot than from the nail in his hand. Typical.
Nighttime Projects
Matt and I to a point where we are going to our regular jobs during the day, and going to work on the house at night and on weekends. Last week, Matt let me use the jigsaw and the eight-penny nail gun to help him build the stairs. He was very nervous, and watched me very closely. I bet he told me a hundred times not to shoot myself with a nail. Well, I did not shoot myself with a nail and the stairs turned out awesome! We had to get these done so the plumber and HVAC guys could come in and do their stuff.
Matt also worked on getting the hangers all connected to the trusses. This is one of the many ways the trusses get connected to the rest of the house.
Matt also worked on getting the hangers all connected to the trusses. This is one of the many ways the trusses get connected to the rest of the house.
Good Friends
What would I have done in college without my awesome roommates? I probably would never have made it. My life certainly would not have been nearly as fun. I had so many good times, and luckily never any drama. I am even more lucky that my husband is friends with all my roommates' husbands so we can all get together! This year we missed our Christmas get-together due to busy schedules so we all met up for dinner one weekend in January. Everyone is living all over the place now, so it is a pretty lucky weekend when we can all meet! It was so fun to catch up with everyone, especially to catch up on everyone's growing families! Matt and I are the last hold-outs with no kids. I can't believe that we've all grown up!
From left: Matt and I are living in Richmond; Jeana, Marc and baby Aric are living in Eureka; Lindsay, Tom and Olivia are in Roy; Natalie and Zach and baby boy (due in May) are in Cottonwood Heights. Jenni, Jared, Trennon and baby boy (due in March) couldn't make it this year, but we'll definitely see them soon!
I wasn't going to post old college pictures, however I had some good ones and couldn't pass up the opportunity to look through old pictures:
Freshman year (2006-2007) at Merrill Hall:
Lindsay and I shared a room. We lived with Jeana, Jessica, Amanda and Darci. Darci had a different style and we didn't see much of her, unless she was having a Guitar Hero marathon on our TV. We usually remember her by her Egyptian boyfriend. Jess and Amanda knew each other from high school, but the rest of us were strangers, thrown together by chance.
Jess, Tom and I. Lindsay was dating Tom at the time so we saw him a lot. Lindsay's ringtone for Tom was "Barbie Girl." One night, Tom called super late. We were both asleep until we heard "Barbie Girl" blasting from Lindsay's phone. He was calling to find out what to do after his roommate put his hand through the window (the closed window) while playing Halo. Good times.
Linds and I... Lindsay and I both very similar. She actually sent me a little profile of herself before we met and I was thinking, "How did I get roomed with the same person as myself??" She even sent me a picture of herself in her softball jersey. It was freaky.
Lindsay, Jess, me and Amanda. Jess and Amanda mellowed Lindsay and I out. We even would go out dancing together. Amanda even got Lindsay crazy enough to dress up goth one night. Wow.
Gymnastics in the kitchen. Typical Tuesday night. Is that ice cream and slurpee cups in the garbage? How did we all stay so skinny?
Sophomore Year (2007-2008) at Pine View Apartment:
This year, we still lived with Lindsay and Jeana, but I shared a room with Natalie, and we met Jenni and Natalie W. (sometimes referred to as "Natalie-brown-hair"). This was the year that everyone really started dating. I have a million funny dating stories from all these girls.
Roommate Date night- Lindsay was soooo busy this year, we barely saw her. This night was crazy. We went shopping, tried on some crazy prom dresses, Natalie L. sprayed some dog perfume on herself, and I taught everyone how amazing I am at singing like Celine Dion.
Natalie and I shared a room this year. This was also the year I got a camera, so I have about a zillion pictures of the two of us making faces like this. We went on a lot of double dates and did almost everything together. Nat had a tiny TV and we would climb in our beds after school and watch The O.C.
This was the year that we met Jenni. We got to know each other so well that Natalie and I were out shopping and saw a Valentine's card that was perfect for Jenni so we bought it for her. Little did we know, her boyfriend bought her the same one! It was funny.
Junior Year (2008-2009) at the house in Hyde Park:
This year Natalie and I moved into a house in Hyde Park and commuted to school. Jenni did a semester in Spain and moved in during the winter. Natalie was writing two missionaries, and her dating life was super crazy, Jenni was soooo busy with school this year, and I was coaching softball and Matt and I were hanging out all the time. It was a crazy year!
Jeana got married first of all of us... she got married on August 15, 2008. (I only remember because I got married exactly one year later)
This was the bridal shower for Lindsay, who got married in May of 2009. We were still living in the house in Hyde Park, so we hosted the shower there.
Lindsay asked me to be one of her bridesmaids when she got married. It was so fun!
It was awesome when everyone was able to come to our wedding in August.
May 2010:
Jenni and Jared got married in Twin Falls, Idaho. Lindsay and Tom carpooled up there with us and we met Jeana and Marc there. We went to dinner after the reception at a pizza place called Gertie's, and the pizza wasn't great, but it was one of the most fun dinners I've ever had.
Summer 2011:
Lindsay was pregnant with Olivia, so I got to throw my first baby shower! Since they had already picked out her name, we had an Olivia-themed baby shower. It was one of the only times everyone was together over the years.
We tried to get everyone together for a Bee's game in Salt Lake, but Lindsay had just had Olivia and they couldn't come. Jared was so excited the whole game. He never took his baseball glove off his hand. Jenni was pregnant at the time and they were excited to have a little boy to play baseball with.
We had a baby shower for Jenni in September 2011. Look how little Olivia was! She was born in July.
2012:
This is from our Christmas party. Jenni and Jared have Tren, who was just over one at the time, Tom and Lindsay had Livi, who was almost 18 months, and Jeana and Marc were pregnant with Aric, who was born in February.
I can't believe how fast time has gone. It feels like yesterday when we were all living together, doing stupid things every day. I love you girls!
From left: Matt and I are living in Richmond; Jeana, Marc and baby Aric are living in Eureka; Lindsay, Tom and Olivia are in Roy; Natalie and Zach and baby boy (due in May) are in Cottonwood Heights. Jenni, Jared, Trennon and baby boy (due in March) couldn't make it this year, but we'll definitely see them soon!
I wasn't going to post old college pictures, however I had some good ones and couldn't pass up the opportunity to look through old pictures:
Freshman year (2006-2007) at Merrill Hall:
Lindsay and I shared a room. We lived with Jeana, Jessica, Amanda and Darci. Darci had a different style and we didn't see much of her, unless she was having a Guitar Hero marathon on our TV. We usually remember her by her Egyptian boyfriend. Jess and Amanda knew each other from high school, but the rest of us were strangers, thrown together by chance.
Jess, Tom and I. Lindsay was dating Tom at the time so we saw him a lot. Lindsay's ringtone for Tom was "Barbie Girl." One night, Tom called super late. We were both asleep until we heard "Barbie Girl" blasting from Lindsay's phone. He was calling to find out what to do after his roommate put his hand through the window (the closed window) while playing Halo. Good times.
Linds and I... Lindsay and I both very similar. She actually sent me a little profile of herself before we met and I was thinking, "How did I get roomed with the same person as myself??" She even sent me a picture of herself in her softball jersey. It was freaky.
Lindsay, Jess, me and Amanda. Jess and Amanda mellowed Lindsay and I out. We even would go out dancing together. Amanda even got Lindsay crazy enough to dress up goth one night. Wow.
Gymnastics in the kitchen. Typical Tuesday night. Is that ice cream and slurpee cups in the garbage? How did we all stay so skinny?
Sophomore Year (2007-2008) at Pine View Apartment:
This year, we still lived with Lindsay and Jeana, but I shared a room with Natalie, and we met Jenni and Natalie W. (sometimes referred to as "Natalie-brown-hair"). This was the year that everyone really started dating. I have a million funny dating stories from all these girls.
Roommate Date night- Lindsay was soooo busy this year, we barely saw her. This night was crazy. We went shopping, tried on some crazy prom dresses, Natalie L. sprayed some dog perfume on herself, and I taught everyone how amazing I am at singing like Celine Dion.
Natalie and I shared a room this year. This was also the year I got a camera, so I have about a zillion pictures of the two of us making faces like this. We went on a lot of double dates and did almost everything together. Nat had a tiny TV and we would climb in our beds after school and watch The O.C.
This was the year that we met Jenni. We got to know each other so well that Natalie and I were out shopping and saw a Valentine's card that was perfect for Jenni so we bought it for her. Little did we know, her boyfriend bought her the same one! It was funny.
Junior Year (2008-2009) at the house in Hyde Park:
This year Natalie and I moved into a house in Hyde Park and commuted to school. Jenni did a semester in Spain and moved in during the winter. Natalie was writing two missionaries, and her dating life was super crazy, Jenni was soooo busy with school this year, and I was coaching softball and Matt and I were hanging out all the time. It was a crazy year!
Jeana got married first of all of us... she got married on August 15, 2008. (I only remember because I got married exactly one year later)
This was the bridal shower for Lindsay, who got married in May of 2009. We were still living in the house in Hyde Park, so we hosted the shower there.
Lindsay asked me to be one of her bridesmaids when she got married. It was so fun!
It was awesome when everyone was able to come to our wedding in August.
May 2010:
Jenni and Jared got married in Twin Falls, Idaho. Lindsay and Tom carpooled up there with us and we met Jeana and Marc there. We went to dinner after the reception at a pizza place called Gertie's, and the pizza wasn't great, but it was one of the most fun dinners I've ever had.
Nat and Zach got married on June 5, 2010, the same day my dad got married. I was so mad I had to miss their reception that night, but I had to be at my dad's wedding reception.
Lindsay was pregnant with Olivia, so I got to throw my first baby shower! Since they had already picked out her name, we had an Olivia-themed baby shower. It was one of the only times everyone was together over the years.
We tried to get everyone together for a Bee's game in Salt Lake, but Lindsay had just had Olivia and they couldn't come. Jared was so excited the whole game. He never took his baseball glove off his hand. Jenni was pregnant at the time and they were excited to have a little boy to play baseball with.
We had a baby shower for Jenni in September 2011. Look how little Olivia was! She was born in July.
2012:
This is from our Christmas party. Jenni and Jared have Tren, who was just over one at the time, Tom and Lindsay had Livi, who was almost 18 months, and Jeana and Marc were pregnant with Aric, who was born in February.
I can't believe how fast time has gone. It feels like yesterday when we were all living together, doing stupid things every day. I love you girls!
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