Phase 2 - adding on, putting in a front porch and a new roof

September 22nd - started on front porch and addition to the house
September 27th - worked on the front porch frame
September 29th - raining today but it was cooler, David pulled out the concrete slab under the original front porch, finished framing the addition floor and front porch frame, put in half of the addition front wall support, and put down 4 sheets of plywood on the addition floor
October 5th - worked on the addition floor
October 6th - finished the addition floor and began putting on decking
October 7th - worked on the decking and put in the mailbox
October 8th - worked on decking
October 11th - tore off original roof (David on the tractor and Todd, Heath, and Wyatt on the roof)
October 12th - put up beam across the front and back porch that holds up the roof, began putting up scaffolding and frame for the new roof (thanks to the construction crew that worked and knew what they were doing), Allie and David worked on decking and only have one last row of decking left to do on the front porch
October13th - Sara and I went to the last rodeo in Crowley for this year, Wyatt went with Ian and Allie, David, and Jacob are working with the construction crew to finish framing up the roof and framing the back wall for the upstairs bedrooms (also had help today from Todd, Heath, and Nate....had many visitors today to check out the progress and look at the place for the first time including my brother Chris and family
October 14th - Todd, Heath, Nate, Drew, and David finished putting on lats and finished framing the roof and put in frame and wall for sides of new addition for the living room.....(family members came out to watch the progress)
October 15th - Construction crew finished the tin roof
All of the above was done in addition to many doctor visits due to health issues. Sara had a sinus infection and shingles and I had a terrible ear ache. David had a couple of toothaches and injured his back which was a severely inflamed muscle which caused him to be on bed rest for a couple of days and taking it easy for another couple of days. Allie had a virus and blood work done for a cyst behind her ear which turned out not to be a big deal at least for now. Not to mention we still kept up with school, church and planning for the FFA trip to Indianapolis.

 

 

 

Questions and Answers

How's it going? How is homeschooling? Do you miss Crowley? Do you like living in Bayou Jacque?.......... These are questions we are asked most often.

     It's going good. We do miss living in Crowley. The kids really miss the house, barns and everything about where they grew up. However, they are really making an effort to adjust here and they have expressed how they like the new place and I know in time they will grow to love it. We all love the church family here that has so warmly welcomed us. Living next door to Grandma has been a blessing to all of us but especially the kids. Our lives were so busy in Crowley because of our work in the church there and in the teaching profession that we rarely had a chance to come visit let alone spend any extended time with David's family. Before hurricane Rita, the kids and I would go spend time with my family in Creole as often as we could during the summer and during holidays. After Rita things changed and we no longer had the house in Creole to go to so we haven't spent much time with either of our families in the last 7 years. The kids have gotten closer to their family here. We eat Sunday dinner at Grandma's which is accompanied by visiting, drinking coffee, kids playing and a nap if we can or working on the house.
     We do feel a little unsettled still in regards to our living arrangements because we are living in a temporary home that restricts us in many ways. For instance, we do not have the horses or the cows here. The horses are down the road in one direction and the cows are down the road in another direction thanks to the generosity of friends. Also, we don't have much room to roam around outside at this house so we sometimes feel cooped up, especially Wyatt. We go to the land as often as possible.
     Our routines have definitely changed. We are not as structured as we once were. Homeschooling is different for me compared to teaching 3rd grade. Sara, Allie, and Wyatt are very capable of doing lessons on their own with occasional help from me. They like the freedom to set their own schedule, work at their own pace and explore and idea or subject to whatever degree they choose. We try to have bible study every day and only missed a few days here and there. I don't have lesson plans, intervention documentation, tracking charts, duty schedules, deadlines, etc. and I don't miss that one bit!! I do however miss teaching 3rd grade aged children. Each day was unique. I also miss my colleagues and friends whom I think about every day.
     We don't regret our decision to move and I don't regret my decision to resign. Like with everything in life change takes time to adjust to. Some things, however, didn't change. Wyatt and Sara are in the midst of finishing their rodeo season with JDRC which takes place at the Rice Arena and the girls are still involved with FFA through Midland. We will be joining 4H in St Landry parish this week and Sara will get involved with Jr Leaders. Wyatt and Allie have plans to sign up for shooting sports through 4H as well. We plan to continue showing our animals, although this year they may all be showing a beef animal....so no piggies in the barn this year because we have no barn yet!! All in good time since we have the cement slap as the remains of an old pig parlor that we will rebuild one day.
      

Phase 1.....a back porch and demolition

Saturday, September 1st - Put in the support columns and began framing the back porch with much needed help.
Monday, September 3rd - With the help of some friends David finished framing and decking 1/3 of the porch. It gave us a chance to visit as well as work.
Thursday, September 6th (late in the afternoon) - Worked on the porch and decked another 1/3 and worked on the framing of the last 1/3.
Saturday, September 8th - David, Wyatt, and Allie finished decking the back porch while Sara and I went to a rodeo. With help they were also able to put in the four columns for the front porch. However, the front porch and addition is on hold until the demolition and clean up of the cinder block sun room.
Sunday, September 9th - David, Wyatt, and I tore off almost all of the cinder block addition to the house.
Monday, September 10th - David, Allie, Wyatt, and I began cleaning up the cinder block mess and finished tearing down the remaining support to the addition. The mess has to be cleaned before we can continue with the front porch and addition.
Tuesday, September 11th - More cleaning up......
Sunday, September 16th - David and I spent 2 hours and finished cleaning up the cinder block mess!!

Getting Started

Tuesday, August 28th, we got the keys to the house so for supper we had sandwiches at the new place. We were able to take measurements and do some planning and even pulled linoleum from the hard wood floor in one of the bedrooms. Allie began taking down the chain link fence around the house. Then she helped by taking down most of the interior doors that we will refinish and repurpose. After supper Wyatt made his first bonfire by the pond so that we could have smores. It was a beautiful, windy, moonlit night. A first of many that we will try to enjoy to the fullest.
Hurricane Isaac is beginning to show signs of his presence so we may not get much done today.

The next chapter continues

Now the next chapter of fun begins!! On Friday, August 24th we closed the deal and purchased 75 acres of land which includes a house, a couple of ponds, and some woodland down a gravel road. The house is an older house in great condition. However, it is small and we have plans to remodel. We will start with adding a 10 ft porch across the back and front of the house. Along with the porches we plan to extend the front of the house by adding a 14 ft by 50 ft addition. Then we will somehow raise the roof to include a second story on the back half of the house. The existing roof will be replaced with a tin roof and the vinyl siding will be replaced with hardie plank. I forgot to mention that a few walls, doors, windows, and plumbing will need to be moved or altered. Sounds like an easy job!! Right?
Then we will need to build a barn, put up a working pen, fix the pig parlor, dig a well, build a chicken coop, put in a garden, and maybe even another pavilion!!! Wow! We have much to do. I think we will get started this weekend. I am so thankful that I was able to resign and homeschool the children because I am thinking that I'll be quite busy the next few years.

1st Day of School

     Today was our first day of homeschooling and it was a success! We learned some interesting facts about US history. Our science experiments were fun and funny! Wyatt used syrup, water, and cooking oil to learn about density. He ate the oily and syrup covered grape that floated between the layers when his experiment was complete and then let us know using his Bear Grylls accent that the grape was quite awful. (If you know who Bear Grylls is you probably just reread what he said in your best Bear Grylls accent too.) Allie used baking soda in water, a battery and copper wire to discover oxidation. Sara used balloons to prove that air has mass. Wyatt cooked cornbread as an extension of his ELA lesson on the story "Rifles for Watie". He even shared a couple of pieces with Grandma. Allie observed the kittens and puppies to write about animal behaviors to accompany her ELA lesson on the novel "Julie and the Wolves". Sara evaluated and critiqued an editorial and will be learning about various American non-fiction authors. We finished our lessons around 1:30 so there was even time to play on the slip and slide during a rain shower this afternoon.
     According to Wyatt we had a lovely supper of spaghetti and meatballs, broccoli and french bread. We are waiting on Dad to get home and ending the day with a movie.....
     

Closing of one chapter, Beginning of a new one

     As of June 26th we no longer own a house or land in Crowley. It is the closing of one chapter and the beginning of a new one so to speak. We have almost completely packed up 14 wonderful years of accumulated stuff and memories so that we can begin the next chapter in our life. There are a few things left to get from "the man space", from around the farm and the cows need to be moved here.
     We have settled in Sam's house nicely, although sharing one bathroom isn't exactly ideal. I just keep reminding myself that we will have 3 bathrooms when we remodel the house we are trying to buy in Lebeau. Sam's house has such a nice comfy front porch and we have spent several mornings and evenings enjoying the summer before it completely disappears.
     Sioux had 8 puppies the day after we moved here and we adopted a bloodhound named Jethro. Sara and Wyatt have had a chance to ride their horses a couple of times and last Saturday, July 28th I ventured out of my comfort zone and hauled a goose neck trailer for the first time to bring them to Crowley to a rodeo. Many thanks to our friends Todd and Melanie for allowing the horses to be housed in their barn for a couple of weeks. Thanks also to Shane for allowing us the use of a pasture for the horses as of right now.
     We have done lots of visiting in the month that we have lived here in Bayou Jacque. Our children have had an opportunity to spend much needed time with their Grandma. Wyatt has gained a little weight and grown taller and he says it is Grandma's good cooking and I would have to agree. The church community has warmly welcomed us and we have had a chance to renew and rekindle friendships here.
     All of our home school materials have been ordered and we will begin about the time David starts back at Midland. All of us are excited about this new adventure. Our next adventure will start on or before August 15th when we close on the new property and begin the remodeling process.....that will be something to see and hear about.