Volt the Shoulder Cat

Volt loves to be up on your shoulders. He is getting more affectionate - almost too much. This morning he cuddled in bed and laid under the covers. He also loves to play with moving feet under the sheets.

Lawn Update - Dec. 24th!

So our lawn is looking great - better than ever almost! We mowed today and pulled up some of the vegetable garden. We've had frost nearly every morning but no snow.

Volt

So we have a new addition to our household - a cat named Volt! He is about 1.5 years and is adapting to the construction surroundings. He likes to hang out behind the downstairs toilet but is getting more and more used to Poppy. He has only been in the house for three days and is doing quite well. We'll post better pictures once we get them.

Christmas Tree

We decided to get a tree this year. We weren't going to but when we saw them for $10 we decided to be festive. The tree is a noble fir and is 7 feet, not that you'd know it from looking. Next year we need to go bigger, maybe 9-10 feet will fit the room better.

Boxing in the Beams

We have been working on boxing in the beams in the kitchen and just finished the first one this weekend. The work is started on the second but there is still a long way to go. The first picture is of the drawing of the beam with the trim around it to see what it will look like. We are using MDF around the beam because it is painted and a ways off the floor and wont be seen too close up. We are still waiting to finish the ceiling prior to putting up the crown molding that will ease the beam into the ceiling but you still can get the idea of what it is going to look like.

This picture shows some of the fiberboard blocking that was placed on the dimensional beams to pad them out to the right width and height. The second beam will have the padding on both sides like this one but it will not have the padding on the bottom because it is 1" lower.

Although a 16 foot trim piece would have worked perfectly I decided to use two 8 foot pieces just because it would be easier for just me to put up. A 45 degree scarf joint is in the middle where they meet and should hide it well once it is sanded and painted.


In this picture the boxing around the beam is complete but all of the nail holes have to still be filled and the joint between the two eight foot sections sanded down. You can see the space at the top that will be covered by the crown molding once the ceiling is done getting sanded and painted.