Tag Archives: Basement

Family and Friends, Pictures of the Adventure, The Adventure

Ohio Days – Part One

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I don’t think I ever recapped our short but sweet visit with our Ohio kiddos (2 families, and a total of 8 grandkids!). Although we were only there for a long weekend, we managed to cram a lot in.   First the was the completion of the Great Bedroom Shuffle. Or at least our part in it!
The project started last Christmas, as the basement was being rearranged and renovated to include a bedroom and a bathroom in anticipation of the arrival of their new baby in June.
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By the time we left after Christmas, the framing was (almost) complete!
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Then during the winter and early spring (when everyone’s schedule was freed up by the pandemic) Toby continued to work on the egress window and moving the plumbing to facilitate the bathroom.
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Since we also had a rearranged schedule this spring, we were able to get back in late  May and help get the drywall up!
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By the time we left, the drywall was up and ‘mudded’ and ready for paint.
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We left right after little Everly was welcomed into the family, and even with that sweet distraction, the finishing touches continued –
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Finally, just before we arrived at the end of August, the carpeting was installed!!!
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The common room and stairs also a nice makeover!
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I think the carpet was a big hit with everyone!
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Finally after the last bit of window trim was done, the furniture was moved, and the girls got to decorating!
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The bathroom still needs a bit of pizzazz
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but let me tell you, these teenage girls are pretty excited to have their OWN BATHROOM!!
The upstairs bedrooms got shuffled around too, but I totally failed to document that! I can say that everyone was pretty darned pleased with their new ‘digs’!

More about our Ohio days in future posts! Thanks for stopping by! Hope your Sabbath tomorrow is blessed!
Steph

Family and Friends, Pictures of the Adventure, RV Life, The Adventure

Brain Fog, but Heart Full

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I’m suffering from a bit of COVID Confusion these days. From Tennessee to Ohio to Texas, back to Ohio and now in Pennsylvania – what’s open, what’s not, what requires masks, who has one way isles, where can we eat out (Inside? Outside? Takeout only?) and WHEN CAN I GET MY HAIR CUT??? So many questions for my little brain to process.
But while my brain is in over-drive, my heart is very full! Over the last two weeks I’ve been able to see all but one of my grandkids, and even without a pandemic, that doesn’t happen very often. So in brief summary –
The Great Bedroom Shuffle and the Marysville Clan-
Gary made great progress on the drywall in the basement and while they aren’t quite up to the ‘ready to paint’ stage, they are certainly getting close!

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Now that baby sister Everly has arrived
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that basement ‘suite’ has a new sense of urgency! But then again, pretty sure she won’t be needing her own room for a bit! Especially with all those brothers and sisters lining up for their turn to hold her!
I’ m so thankful that we were able to stick around long enough to meet that little one! We are already very much in love!
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Our Gahanna Gang
With all of the quarantine restrictions, we only got to see this sweet family a couple of times (and only saw Ellie on a video chat). But they were precious times nonetheless!
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That little girl is growing up Way Too Fast!

The Waco Cowboys
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My main purpose in making the trip to Waco was to help with the move into their new house outside of town. Since they didn’t have a deadline to be out of their previous house, the move was an ongoing process. Oh, I managed to unpack a couple of boxes and did my share of making sure the new cabinets were ready to be filled, but I think primarily I was there to just be an extra set of hands in an already very busy household! Everyone was super excited about the move and Josiah and Abigail have some big plans for their new homestead. I was just pretty excited to be hanging out with these littles!
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(Abigail worked hard to get that Grams and boys shot –

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I think the only one who was ready with each shot was little Deacon on my lap!)

What a great (even if it was exhausting) family filled couple of weeks! I may still get confused why there are so many PA license plates in the parking lot (oh, right – we’re IN Pennsylvania), but that’s OK.  We’re right where we believe God wants us to be – and for us, that’s the right place to be!

Thanks for sharing in my joy at spending time with the ‘grands’!

Steph

 

 

If you’d like to see additional photos – (’cause you know I took more!) Basement Reno
Ohio Visit
Waco Week

 

Family and Friends, RV Life, The Adventure

The Great Bedroom Shuffle Update

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This basement renovation – finishing off space in the basement for a bedroom, small bath, and closet – started back at Christmas time when we were last here in Ohio.
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With a family of 7, one of the biggest challenges was rearranging all the stuff just to make an empty space! 10 years (and two kiddos) ago, that very space had been made into a big storage room –
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And trust me, it was full!!
Other parts of the basement had been finished off in 2013,
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and has been well used as extra family space.
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(It got ‘all the way’ finished after I and my camera left!)
But to add an official bedroom and bath entailed challenges over and above just figuring out how to rearrange the family ‘stuff’.
Like an egress window.
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It was a big job (especially during a pandemic), but it was in by the time we arrived. Yay, Toby!!
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As you can see, it was no mean feat!
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The other big, needs-to-be-done-before-Pops-arrived, task was moving the plumbing to the correct spot for the bathroom. Thankfully there WAS plumbing already there, but of course, not where it needed it to be.
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Yeah, that was a BIG job!
By the time we arrived last week, all the walls had been constructed, the shower had been roughed in –
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and, the drywall had been loaded into the basement! Pops was all set to go!
With Toby home over the weekend, the ceilings went up and the walls were starting to take shape!
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(for perspective – I’m standing in front of the window, and Gary is standing in the closet.)
Toby always heads to the basement when he gets home from work to lend a hand –
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and sometimes the prospective occupants also show up.
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To help. Right!
Hallway done –
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(bathroom on the left)
The last of the drywall in the bathroom will be installed once it stops raining long enough for the guys to pick up the green board at Lowes-
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So at this point, with the exception of the inside walls of the bathroom, all the drywall is up! The mudding has begun, and you never know, but maybe there will be painting accomplished by the middle of next week! The list is still pretty long to get the area Teenage Girl Ready, but it certainly has been exciting to see all the progress made in less than a week!

With the weekend coming, Toby and Pops should be able to get lots done by working together. But since it’s also one of the last weekends before the baby arrives, I think there will also be some Family Fun time too! And that’s a good thing!

Thanks for coming along on our Renovation Trail!

Steph