Countdown to a. . .

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Today's Giggle

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Looking Back

I spent some time looking back today. 

First, I looked back at some of our local snowfall totals for the season. The total I've been posting on the "Snowfall Chart" page this season was taken from a local source, and I had some doubts about the accuracy. During the final days of November and the early days of December, I suspect an addition mistake was made in his seasonal totals, and his total is more than what actually occurred. I have also been following the official Keweenaw County totals done by the Keweenaw County Road Commission. There were several days in November and December when Steve said he was getting a lot of measurable snow at the new house, but the Road Commission didn't record a total. Thus, I suspect their total isn't entirely accurate either, but it's less than what actually occurred. However, since I've used the Keweenaw County measurements as the guide for my Snowfall Chart for the last 3 years, I decided to go ahead and use their totals again. After all, the big "Snow Thermometer" along Hwy. 41 in Keweenaw County uses their totals, so I revised my "Snowfall Chart" page today to reflect the 92" Keweenaw County total instead.

Secondly, I spent some time looking back at the last 30 years and thinking about how different my life has been than I thought it would be. I married my first husband 30 years ago today. At that point, I presumed a long, happy marriage, two kids and grandkids would be in my future. Little did I know that Tom's life would be taken by a drunk driver 4-1/2 years later and I would spend a large part of my adult life as a widow. There was happiness, but there was also sadness and loneliness. Through it all, however, I always felt God's presence and I knew He was guiding my steps along the way, so I was usually content. Then, right when I wasn't expecting it, the Lord brought this wonderful man into my life.

What a blessing Steve has been, and I can't imagine my life without him in it. He makes all my days so pleasant and joyful, and he makes me laugh. What an incredible gift he is, and I thank the Lord for him every day!

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sneak Peek Friday - More T & G

We hope your Christmas was a merry one. We had a nice day in Calumet with my mom and did our very best to overeat. That's required on Christmas, right?!

I have more photos of the tongue and groove for you this week. The tongue and groove has been the major project of the last couple of months, of course. These photos were all taken on December 20th. First, here's a shot of our master bedroom ceiling (smoke detector hanging).

Next is a wall in one of the guest bedrooms.

Another view of one of the guest bedrooms:

Most of the trim was on the loft ceiling when this shot was taken.

This is the center of the loft ceiling - the spot designated for our antique double angle light fixture. 

The last photo shows the trim work on the stairway with the temporary railing.

So, things are coming together. We won't be making our permanent move by New Year's Eve, but we're getting close. 

All is well in the Keweenaw.

We wish you a. . .

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Holy Night

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sneak Peek Friday - Evolution

The evolution of the great room ceiling:

The final two photos were taken last week. Things are progressing, and Steve says we've had some major changes this week!

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells. . .

Busy, Busy, Busy in the Keweenaw! But, all is well!

Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sneak Peek Friday - Great Room Ceiling

We're going back into the great room for another sneak peek at the ceiling. What a long, complicated process it has been! We're so thankful that we hired someone to help us with it, so Steve hasn't had to be the one climbing the scaffolding every day. These photos were taken last Saturday; more progress has been made since then.

The next photo was taken from the loft.

The last photo was taken at the level of the top tier of scaffolding. Steve climbed that yellow ladder to snap it for us. You can see the ceiling fans (without blades - but with a protective layer of sawdust!).

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sneak Peek Friday - More Pine

Time seems to have gotten away from me this week. I almost forgot that it was Friday. Mom and I have been trying to recuperate from all the work associated with moving, and I can't say that I've accomplished a whole lot. We're going to spend the day running errands in Calumet and Houghton today, so I'm posting this rather early. 

We had an electrician here on Wednesday for some work in our Calumet basement. We had a gas dryer and Mom has an electric dryer, so we needed to change the outlet to accommodate that. Plus, when we hastily installed the sump pump during that freaky rapid meltdown our first Spring here, we never installed an outlet nearby. We've had a long orange extension cord running to it. As long as the electrician was here, we had him install an outlet with a separate breaker on the panel box for that. Mom also had a lamp that needed a new switch, and I gave him our antique double angle lamp that we're going to use in our loft. It needed to be rewired. He actually returned both of those items to us this morning already, so we were happy about that. Steve hooked up Mom's washing machine on Sunday, and I attached the dryer vent after the electrician left on Wednesday. It was nice to be able to do laundry again. It's amazing how much can accumulate in just 9 or 10 days.

Now, for today's sneak peek - more pine. Pine in the laundry room and kitchen specifically. Today's photos were all taken back in October. The first one shows the laundry room wall that's directly in front of you when you walk in from the garage. Our washer and dryer will sit against the wall on the right (which was paneled shortly after this photo was taken). 

The laundry room window is between the coat closet and the pantry. Our Amish buggy bench will be below the window - a good place to sit while putting on our boots.

There's a larger coat closet in the foyer, so this closet will probably be used to hold Steve's "work" jackets and boots.

Next is the window above the kitchen sink. You may wonder why some of the tongue and groove pine under the window wasn't staggered. The kitchen cabinets will cover that area, so Steve wisely used up some of his scrap boards there.

You may have also noticed the copper pendant light. It will look like the one in the following photo when it's little cage is attached.

Lastly, here's a shot looking past that same kitchen window and into the dining area. I'm really looking forward to sharing meals with my husband there!

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Thanksgiving Morning

I just want to share one quick photo today, as I have some errands to run. Steve snapped this photo through the patio doors at the new house on Thanksgiving morning.

All is well in the Keweenaw.