As the years passed the group kept changing, kids grow up and moms move on, until finally all of the original members had moved on. Those of us left behind tried to keep it afloat but eventually we just needed a break. But the break is over and we have been reinvigorated.

This month we studied Eastern Europe, we started as we always have with a map challenge so the kids can show off all the countries they have memorized over the past 3 weeks.

We were the first to arrive so the kids spread out and got to work. Apparently, they wanted to make sure no one was looking at their answers.

Here’s the whole group working hard.

After several different activities (a comparison of population density, an explanation of the European Union, looking over some Euros, a PowerPoint presentation from an older sibling that just returned from overseas and more…) we got on to the fun artsy part of the day. Making Pysanky (Ukrainian) Easter Eggs. We didn’t have time to use a traditional method, instead we used sharpies on blown out eggs.

They turned out great even without using melted wax and dies.

Really if you were to walk in the front door you would end up in the basement.

And it’s very challenging to get in and out of my bedroom. The boys have no problems just walking on the joist’s but if I want to try and get across I just can’t. Even when the plywood is down I have to hold on the something because it feel like I might just fall through.

No worries though Dan didn’t leave everything in this complete state of destruction. He put down plywood and covered up enough of the holes that I can kinda walk around without worrying too much.

We thought about going back to our old stand-by, ice hockey but Thomas just wasn’t that into it and considering how inconvenient the rinks and the times are I wasn’t into forcing the point.

Next he thought he would like to try boxing, he’s actually been wanting to try it for about a year. So when a “Groupon” deal popped up for a boxing ring that was right down the street from our house (that I didn’t even know existed) I couldn’t resist.

Our first time there was completely intimidating! This was a real gym with lots of big guys hitting the heavy bags and boxing in the ring. I thought I had walked into a Rocky movie. One guy came out of the ring with blood running down his face.

Thomas was supposed to start his warm up by jumping rope…If you ever watch a group of homeschoolers try to do jumping jacks you’ll get a good laugh. Some of those things that are so normal for school kids to learn during PE, homeschool kids just don’t do. Turns out jumping rope may be another one of those things. Poor Thomas had no idea how to jump rope. But he kept trying no matter how embarrassing it was.

Finally it was his turn in the ring (not “rink” like I called it on twitter) to practice some boxing skills. He really liked this part, he actually liked everything about it (besides the jumping rope.) On our way home we talked about signing up for a monthly membership where he could come and work out several times a week.

I did talk to the owner of the gym about my concerns of brain damage and the like but he assured me repeatedly that football was much more dangerous. Eventually I had a chance to to tell him that I actually never let my kids play football so that wasn’t really an issue.

We went back for Thomas’ second session, (the deal was for 4 sessions) Thomas started back with the jump roping doing much better this time, then moved through all the stations. On the way home this time he shared that boxing was not for him. He did not want to join the gym after all. But not for any of the reasons you would guess (like being punched) it was because when you  take a boxing stance you hold your fists right under your nose while your hands are wrapped in cloth or these strap like things. Turns out they smell really bad and Thomas just couldn’t stand the smell of them. So no more boxing for him.

He did however go buy a jump rope and he has been doing that daily in the yard.

Next thing he wanted to try is rock climbing. Again its not terribly convenient but it’s very affordable and something he could continue doing as an adult. He has done it in the past so we know he likes it but this time he seemed ambivalent. He enjoyed a bit of the climbing but didn’t even want to stay through the whole session. If he decided to join the club he’ll go 2 days a week for about 1.5 hours each time. I think it’s still on the table but I need to talk to him some more to get his thoughts.

We still have one other sport in the works. He just started Karate at the Tues co-op and so far (its only been 1 week) he really likes it. Maybe we’ll be adding in some more martial arts to his schedule. Or maybe that 1 class for 45 min a week is enough for him.

Beth was excited that she OPENED the show with a look for Joseph Altuzarra and he chose her to accompany him on his walk out on the stage.

He was also the Winner of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Challenge.

Being in the show and having her hair done by world famous hair designer Frederic Fekkai landed Beth her picture in the January issue of Vogue:

Here’s one of the pictures of Beth in Vogue, there is also 1 more small one of her in the Pamela Love look.

And here is the video of the runway show that Beth did in LA. You may see a fleeting image of her right after Pamela Love speaks, then the video ends with the same picture that made it into Vogue.

Watch for Beth at :58 (I think that’s her) and again at 2:46

We started in the corner that covers the freezer and pantry. Now that we see how much dirt, grime and wood splinters will be falling through into the basement, we know that we’ll have to put up tarps in the kids bedrooms before that section is removed.

Dan is happy that he now has access to our crumbling cement foundation so he can remorter the top of it. He can also get into the nooks and crannies and fix all the cold air leaks. It also gives us an opportunity to get in the unreachable parts of the foundation and vacuum up all the years of dust.

Here is Dan checking for cats in the cold air return before he puts the plywood down. Of course the cats went straight for this new and undiscovered area to play. I was worried one of them would fall down the hole that goes right into the furnace but they managed to avoid that, thank goodness!

Here is our very temporary floor just to prevent anyone from falling through the floor joists. During any free time Dan can conjure this week he will finish pulling up the floor in this section and loosely lay the plywood floor. Once all the floor in the living room is lifted he will level the floor joists by adding wood wherever is needed then he will permanently lay the plywood that will be our new sub-floor. And that will be the floor we have until later in the spring after the framing and drywall is completed. Then we will finally relay the hardwood floor. I’m hoping I get less slivers with the plywood than I do with the rough hardwood.

We replaced the vertical window in the dining room with a higher horizontal window.

We also replaced the sliding glass door upstairs and built a little roof over it.

We also decided that we really need to lift all the hard wood floors and lay a subfloor then relay the hardwood floor. Its just way to noisy in the basement with only having the 1 layer of flooring in-between the 2 levels. One more thing that has to be done before we can drywall.

We missed our deadline of having this phase done by our New Years Eve party, but the longer we live with the construction the more we solidify our ideas of how we want it to turn out. Some of our plans from when we started have changed. Turns out living in a space with no walls is kind of annoying. So we’ll be adding some French doors to divide the living room and dining room. And I’m seriously considering getting rid of the office all together and instead having this room…

It feels so much more relaxing than the clutter of a home office. Even though I’m always drawn to this shabby chic look, Dan and Thomas have pointed out that I would not be able to stand this amount of clutter either. I think I can.

And some are kind of crazy owls… We joke that they are actually Honey Badgers. We are so immature, we just can’t quit watching this YouTube video of the Honey Badger.

The owls have been sent around the country as Xmas gifts, these 2 went to my niece and nephew in Seattle. Isabella requested one made by me with very specific colors, BJ just wanted Dan to make his.

and they’ve been added to a Xmas quilt… I made this quilt for my mom.

Thomas contributed this owl to his G-ma’s quilt

Hmm I wonder who made this “owl”

Even Daniel got into the fun of making owls. Actually a few people that came by our house in Dec. made an owl. My friend Michele, our neighbor Victoria and of course; Daniel, Thomas, Dan and me.

Daniel made his owl tall, skinny and goofy just like him. He also packed it with lots of rice so he could throw it at his girl-friend, watch out Megan!

Dan and I spent every evening for a few weeks working on owls. It was our stress de-compressor through the holidays. It also prevented us from getting anything done on the renovation!

This was my favorite owl, it lasted for 1 whole day before it was given by Beth as a last minute Xmas gift.

First you pick 2 colors that you are going to dip your hot glass mound in. Thomas chose blue and green.

Then you heat it up in the fire, very hot!

Next you blow some air into it while your assistant turns it for you.

Voila the final product.

Thomas was very proud of his creation, and his grandma was very happy to get something besides a clay pot for Xmas. (the glass curly-Q hook still had to be added, so this wasn’t really the completed bulb.)

and the solution was…duh-duh-duh…Foam it Green!

Foam It Green^®

Foam It Green^® is a dense foam seal that significantly reduces heating and cooling costs. Foam It Green^® has a high R-value of 6.7 in just 1 inch. It also improves your home’s durability and creates a healthier indoor environment.

• reduces heating and cooling costs
• reduces construction cost by providing an air insulation and moisture barrier
• eliminates drafts
• improves indoor air quality
• adheres to existing structures
• withstands peak wind loads
• is black mold and pest deterrent
• deadens sound
• adds structural support

But first you have to prep, which means covering up all those new windows we just installed and covering the floor and furniture with plastic. It also meant that our house was going to be very stinky so we planned this for the night the before Thanksgiving so we could go spend the night at my parents house and be gone all the next day.

Dan also had to be prepped in his “haz-mat” style suit with oxygen mask.  I was only here for a few minutes in the beginning to get some pictures, then the boys and I left, leaving Dan to do all the work on his own.

It started out looking like this was going to be a pretty clean process…

But somewhere along the way this happened:

All the places that were covered with plastic fared pretty well, unfortunately, in the office (where Dan was also doing the ceiling) we did not cover anything with plastic. So that room required a bit of scraping to remove the foam from the floor.

But once the clean-up was done this is how it all looked:

We did have a bit of a problem with some of the foam not setting up. It’s a two part foam (so there are 2 tanks with hoses going into 1 gun) when the 2 parts combine a chemical reaction occurs causing the foam the expand and set. If the mixture is not flowing correctly you get a goo that will NEVER set up. The blue stuff that looks like its dripping down the wall is some of that goo. By the end Dan’s goggles were so covered from the over spray he couldn’t tell that the foam was not working correctly. So we have blue goo all around the house that we need to deal with.

The only solution Dan has come up with is to buy another set of the foam and spray on top of the goo hoping that will help it cure. The downside to that is the expense. This stuff is NOT cheap, we bought 2 kits along with the extra supplies that you need and it was $1400. An additional kit will cost us $740 including shipping. Ouch! There were also some areas that didn’t get as thick of a coat as Dan wants so it looks like either way we need more foam.

The upside we’re getting closer to drywall!

First things first, you need to start hammering in new supports several days ahead of time so over the course of a week you can slowly raise the cross beams just enough so you can remove the old header.

Then you set up some type of pulley system so you and your 14 year old son can drop a header that ways several hundred pounds. Finally you start removing the studs that are holding it up. You also instruct said 14yp on the proper way to hold the ropes of the pulley system. Do NOT wrap ropes around any part of your body.

While I am taking pictures the whole time this is going on I am like a mother hen predicting dooms day. I was not comfortable with this at all!

Change of plans, Dan will hold header while Thomas removes a stud, it could start to drop any time now.

The first side has been freed, we’re expecting big things to happen. Surely the header will start to fall, any second now…

Hmm there is nothing holding this up why is it not moving?

OK maybe if we cut some of those nails, things will start to move.

Or if we get a pry bar and start prying the thing apart

Well its moved a little bit but it’s certainly not dropping on its own, who knew?

Switching things up again, Dan will hold it while Thomas pries it apart.

There we go, now it’s starting to drop.

And down she goes, slowly, slowly. No big dramatic drops here. I guess that pulley system did really work.

Man Dan is holding the ropes and the beam all at the same time, maybe I should put the camera down and help.

It really doesn’t look that heavy from this picture (side note when it was finally lying down on the floor, I couldn’t even slide it over an inch.)

Old header down and the new one is going up. Hey who’s holding the ropes? I thought maybe I finally jumped in to help but if I’m holding the ropes how would I be taking the pictures? Hmm not sure, but I did actually help a bit with this part.

And since things never go as easily as they should… We couldn’t quite get that side to lift all the way up, it was getting caught up on a piece of wood.

This process took quite a lot of time and lots of pounding. Both Thomas and Dan used a sledge hammer to try and pound this into place. BTW it is not easy work to pound a sledge hammer; upwards, over your head, over and over again!

Hold it Thomas, don’t let it fall!

Hey, there I am! Back to pounding supports yet again, this time to try and raise the header so it’s level. (At this point Dan started worrying that he was doing some type of irreparable damage to the foundation of the house. When the one person that is confident that what we’re doing is safe and secure, starts to worry, its not a good thing!)

We finally got the header raised and level, then Dan placed several 2X4’s on each side to hold it up and screwed it into place. At which point it occurred to him that it looks crooked,  not perfectly centered. After a quick measuring it was off by 2 inches on one side, so he had to unscrew everything and hit it over a couple inches. This entire project took all day to finish!

But it is finally done, level, centered, and cleaned up with no damage to any other part of the house!

We could NOT have done all this without Thomas’ help! He has been such a huge part of this renovation. I hope he is learning all the skills he’ll need to take care of his own house when he grows up.

Next job, insulating!