Time for the siding....

These loaded out of order, but this week has been an exciting one for us. There is still so much to do, but it is good to be to the point of putting on the exterior siding. My husband made a story pole, a new term for me--it's a long piece of wood with marks for how far apart the boards should be nailed in order to come out right. Then he marked where each board will go on the house. That's how I got to help; I can follow marks already laid out for me.

After envisioning the end result in our minds for so long and seeing our piles of boards waiting, each one we nailed on just seemed so beautiful to me. Our plan is to paint the outside white with a barn red door.

Last year, I'd stopped on the side of the road near here and dug up some jonquil bulbs. We planted them in all our beds, and here is the first bloom. Like so many of pictures of framing phase in the autumn, this picture can be dated by our first bloom of springtime approaching.

Like I said, these are a bit out of order. My dad was able to spend all last Saturday with us helping, and he is excellent help to have around. They got the long pieces of trim on the corners and the trim around the base of the house. These pieces just frame the house so beautifully.

We've still got a long way to go, but each step of progress is one more closer to moving in. Once we get the outside done, it'll be time to head inside and get started on the masonry heater. As for my work, I'm working on biscuit quilts for the bedrooms (the pictures on the pattern below don't do them justice, but it's the best I can find online). I have almost 400 small pillows to make, and I'm 10% there now. I found some very easy to understand directions, and I'm just taking them a step at a time.

I've found a wonderful site with diy furniture plans, ana-white.com . She has just the farmhouse table and benches I want (as well as several other pieces), and I've just about worked up my nerve to commit to making them myself. Actually, my husband has offered his skill and help, and my sister her full but misplaced confidence in my abilities, so I think we can do it. Wouldn't that be cool, to make the kitchen table and have just what I want? Anyway, there's our latest! Hopefully, there will be lots more to post soon!

Today's work...

Here's a picture of where we're at today.
Putting the trim on the side.

Here's the back of the house.

I love how the trim is turning out.

Odds and Ends

Since I haven't updated in a while, these are just more of the progress we've made in the last couple of months, mainly of the interior. Here's my husband framing up one of the upstairs bathrooms' window.

This is looking up through all three levels.

The stairwell.

Kitchen/dining area.

Living room back wall.

We got our door knobs. They're a blackened copper finish. I think they will go really well with the colonial style.

Here is the west side of the house.

Each of these beams represents a whole lot of work and planning and studying.

I can measure our progress by the leaves on the trees. Here is one from when he was just starting to put the first layer on the outside.

What a relief it was to get that roof done!

It was so good to see a wall!

Here's an update on our progress....

The snow has slowed us down some. In the middle of trimming the windows, the second and third big snows of the season hit us.

Here's the practice version of the exterior trim.

This is the living room, front wall.

Dining/kitchen front and side wall. I love the size of my kitchen window.

The two smaller windows will be in a small half bath and the laundry room. This was taken before the doors were framed.

My dad came for several days during his vacation to help. He's a very talented (and hardworking) carpenter. They got the Tyvec finished and the started framing windows.

You have to get up high to work on a tall house.

It looks like its surprised. Here you can see where the windows will be.