Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in pocomoonshine17's LiveJournal:

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Monday, January 10th, 2005
7:21 pm	We're back! Finally a chance to catch our breath and get an update to the blog. My work at the town office is interesting, challenging, frustrating, but aren't all jobs like that sometimes? Jean has continued work on the house, painting and unpacking boxes and more painting. I finished the "pantry" in the hallway upstairs, Jean painted and promptly filled it. The family room was painted and the ping pong table has been getting some good use. Jean's room is finally getting some work done on it. The window trim finished and now the floor down. Tonight we hope to get some door trim and mop boards installed. I was, when I first started work, very discouraged because I wasn't getting much of any work done on the house. Tired physically and mentally, I didn't finish many of the projects that needed doing. There were of course the holidays which occupied a lot of our energy, and I thouroughly enjoyed those fun times with family, but the work on the house was not getting done. Now, finally, I have more enthusiasm to work after work and things are looking up in the house building arena. (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 11th, 2004
9:03 pm	"Our new house" critical juncture When Jean and I started planning this house almost a year ago, we had a vision of how we wanted it to function and look. Then the plans became firm and we started building. Some of the original thoughts were deleted, some new ones added but we generally stuck to what we had written down. As we saw the 3D version of our homemade blueprints (actually, white prints) take shape, Jean and I were quite pleased with our work. As a neighbor commented this morning, you should be proud of what we built, and we are. We moved in Monday and while the house is by no means done, it is quite livable and comfortable. The "ambiance" of our new home is pleasing to our senses, everywhere we turn is functional and inviting. Monday I start working outside of the house, a regular job with a paycheck. Jean will continue to work on the house but my contributions will be done after work and weekends. It has been fun updating the blog, I have learned a lot and have appreciated the feedback from you readers. You may find the occational new entry but for all intents and purposes "our new house" blog has drawn to a close. To God be the glory Merry Christmas to all David & Jean (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 8th, 2004
7:49 pm	slow & steady We are doing finishing touches and moving furnishings into the house slow but sure. The living room is done and coat closet is done. Tomorrow bedroom closet and hall then the rest of the interior doors and the upstairs will be ready for the kitchen cabinets. Who knows what the plans are from there. Jean has been making do with the temporary kitchen and dishwashing facilities. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 7th, 2004
12:06 pm	BIG update Since last Friday's update, we have been busy as beavers. The entire upstairs floor was finished Saturday afternoon and I went right to work on the study/office/David's room. After putting on the door and door trim, while Jean was painting furiously, I nailed on the mop board molding. Caulking to fill in the nail holes and we collapsed into the hot tub. Sunday was our day of much deserved rest, a trip to church in the morning and visiting Jan & Paul for supper was the order of the day. Monday morning we took off like rockets, starting right in on the bedroom door and trim. By mid afternoon the room was completed (except for the inside of the closet) so we had a brilliant(?) idea. Why not move our bedroom furniture into the newly finished room! By 6 p.m. we had managed to carry a mattress, box spring, bedstead, two bureaus, clothes, and breakfast from the cottage to the house. After a quick pizza, Jean and I still had not come to our senses and decided to carry all of the office furniture, computer, printer, etc to the house. Granted I was driven by the forecast of snow in the night, which never materialized, but really how much can two bodies take? Sleep came easy and not even the dog awoke this morning until after 7 a.m. The office is pretty well set up and the computer is back on-line. It was really nice to stay in our new comfy house last night. There is still a huge amount of work to do, but we are both really pleased with how things are going. (Comment on this)
Friday, December 3rd, 2004
7:26 pm	floored We are floored, or better yet we are amazed at how much floor we have put down the last two days. It has been exhausting work, but satisfying to see the progress. The living room, dining room, study, hallway and 3/4 of the bedroom are done. Hot tub and bed for us! (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 2nd, 2004
8:49 pm	floor is going down This afternoon Jean and I started laying the wooden floor. We think it is starting to look pretty nice. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 30th, 2004
8:28 pm	more trim - more paint This morning Jean and I flew down to Bar Harbor to see a house being built, in one day. Not really, Dan's new house had arrived on two trailers and was being hoisted into place by a large crane. A very well built house, built inside and then trucked to the site and placed on it's foundation. Dan & Candy will have a very nice new home. This afternoon was the same old drill, more trim - more paint, but it is looking a lot more "finished" (Comment on this)
Monday, November 29th, 2004
9:17 pm	window trim Putting trim on the windows. And saving time for a little ping-pong. (Comment on this)
Saturday, November 27th, 2004
9:01 pm	more progress The final wiring is done !! Hooray, now when you flip a switch or plug into an outlet, there is light or power. No small task wiring a complete house and it didn't go 100% smooth, but it is done. The only "major" problem came when we couldn't find the second hallway light box, the sheet rockers missed cutting that one out. No problem, Jean up in the attic drilling the corners and I cut it out from below. Voila! a light box. Now to wire both lamps between two two-way switches so we could turn the lights on or off from either end of the hall. Oops, only ran one wire between lights, should have run two. Back up in the attic, run another wire, hook it up and job done. Window trim Monday, floor installed upstairs by weekend? The last of the "hired out work" was done this week, anything now is just Jean and I. Can we do it? Yes we can! (Comment on this)
Friday, November 26th, 2004
8:48 pm	update Jean was gone on Wednesday to Rockland to be there for Ella Wirkala's birth. Mom and baby doing fine. While she was gone I finished the entryway floor and trim, the room is finished. Thursday was Thanksgiving day, I got stuffed. Today we were right back at it, Jean painted all day and I did a little painting and lots of electrical work. Peter & Julie stopped by to visit and I put Peter right to work helping me to finish the lights, 10 of them, in the family room ceiling. There was a little incentive, the ping-pong table was all set up, we just needed some light to play! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2004
8:23 pm	light at the end of the tunnel We have both bathrooms up and running, three rooms completed! I did more wiring today, three way switches in the hall, our bedroom, Jean's room, all done. All of the upstairs is wired except for the living/dining/kitchen. Most of the downstairs is wired except for the family room. Jean continues to paint, paint, paint. (John, Jean said for an all expense paid trip to Florida in January or February, she might consider painting your house :) (Comment on this)
Friday, November 19th, 2004
9:11 pm	paint & trim One bathroom ready for plumber, one to go. We have the downstairs bathroom trim, floor, vanity, etc.all in place, the plumber is expected Monday! Tomorrow we expect to finish the second bathroom. Jean has been painting walls. All of the house is primed, the bathrooms, entryway, study, hot tub room are all painted and the kitchen/hallway has been started. I think Jean has "painter's elbow". (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 17th, 2004
9:37 pm	hot tub! Finally we have relief for our tired muscles, the hot tub is in and filled! Curiously, the hot tub room was the first to get painted, a floor, and trim. Somehow, the hot tub was moved in and wired up and filled with water. Gratefully, we now can soak away our troubles in the evening after work. The bathrooms are next. Ceilings and walls have been primed and painted, switches and lights and outlets installed, and the floors have been prepared for the flooring to be installed. Perhaps tomorrow I can get the floors done, tiles downstairs, linoleum upstairs. Pocomoonshine lake had a surface of ice this morning, gone now but it won't be long before we can be skating! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, November 15th, 2004
9:16 pm	more paint Jean went to Bangor today to pick up supplies for the house, she brought home 20 more gallons of paint! Mirrors and shower curtains, light bulbs and towel racks, it takes a LOT of "stuff" to build and furnish a house. The upstairs bathroom now has a coat of paint and I put in the vanity that I had made to see how it looked. We still have a floor to put in and trim to install on the window and door but it is coming right along. The plumber will be here next Monday to install the flush and hook up the vanity and shower so we had better get going and have it ready. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 11th, 2004
9:27 pm	paint and more paint painting and painting, and taking a break (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 9th, 2004
8:16 pm	progressively priming and painting portions of property, priorities prevail More priming today, actually all of the ceilings downstairs are primed and painted. The bathroom and spa room walls have been primed and painted (priorities), and the walls of the family room have been primed. Whew, we are painting fools. Necks, hands, wrists, backs, all need a little TLC tonight. (Comment on this)
Monday, November 8th, 2004
8:23 pm	prime time The mudding is finished !! All sanded and ready for primer. This afternoon Jean and I broke out the painting supplies and five gallon pails of primer/sealer and started putting the paint to the newly sanded walls. We got the downstairs bath and the spa room all primed and have started on the family room. It is exciting to be entering the next phase of our housebuilding project. (Comment on this)
Friday, November 5th, 2004
6:57 pm	more mud Mud is going on, things are getting smoother and neater every day. I don't know how many 5 gallon pails of spackle they have gone through, but they sure know how to put it on. Can you tell it is hunting season in Maine? What a contrast between the walls and the fluorescent. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004
9:42 pm	progress report Karen Scribner and son have been mudding the walls and doing a right fine job of it. After doing some spackling myself and struggling, it is interesting watching someone who knows what they are doing. Looks so easy as they sling the "mud" on the seams and corners, but we know what skill it takes. As there is nothing we can do inside the house, Jean and I have been working outside getting a few things done before the snow flies. I have also been building a bathroom vanity in the shop. (Comment on this)
Saturday, October 30th, 2004
8:35 pm	all done The 180 sheets of sheetrock are all on the walls now, instead of on the floor. Hooray! The mudding begins tomorrow. Jean enjoying the afternoon sun in our living room. (Comment on this)