Jigs at Gortz Haus in Grimes Iowa

Gortz Haus Gallery and J.I.G.S.

We all look so serious! From left: Janet Smith, Donna Kafer Lawson,Pat Limburg Rusnak, Rozetta Renner Fiscus.

From left: Mickey Sanders Starr, Jayne Owen Tomes, Patti Miller, Andi Siegenthaler Blume

One busy week...

We started painting last Sunday. That went well. Then on Monday I was supposed to attend Garden Club but passed to get more painting done. That went well. Continued painting on Tuesday and in fact completed painting all the walls. But after three days of concentrated effort in one direction I became behind in everything else. And Wednesday was JIGS. That went well...sort of. But back to getting caught up. I have downloaded pictures I have taken the past couple of weeks so we will get them on here and I will attempt to describe what you are seeing.

Breezeway- after drywall-before paint

 

Main room- after drywall-before paint

door on left is bathroom

Below is main room-before paint

Bathroom

Closet

Bedroom

Bedroom

Door to future 3 season room

Below is front door.

All  views above are before paint...

Exterior of home is 99.9% completed

All views of house below are after paint. When we finished and Butch started putting up the ivory switch plates I stated that I did not know I could have taken a switchplate to match up the paint. It isn't exactly that color but not too far away from it.

A little break here for pictures taken on the bike trail one sunny morning.

I see this one was taken before the paint was completed.

This is kitchen area

Front door

Bedroom

Butch was in a hurry to get started on the electrical. Paint was barely dry

Kitchen area

Bedroom

Bath

Door on left is to the breezeway

Breezeway-looking east- Go back and look at first picture for the before view

Elise!

Saw this on Facebook this morning and had to share!

Her mother Amanda says: Hat day...lucky for you, you missed the drama that came with finding a hat to wear this morning!!!

This was yesterdays, Hair day. I snipped it from Facebook too but not as much drama yesterday. Her hair is crazy every day so I do not know what her mom did to enhance it.

Paint

Started painting Sunday- Took all day but we painted almost all of the ceilings-hate ceilings. Actually I ran out of ceiling paint and we still needed to do the breezeway. Butch spelled me for a bit on the main room and he is more generous with paint than I. Maybe that was the reason but maybe my calculations were off. Who knows. So off to the store first thing Monday -purchased more ceiling paint and finished the ceiling in the breezeway. Friend Colleen has been helping us. Her talent is 'cutting in', the tedious business of going around the edges in a straight line. She is very good at it.  At this writing the cutting in is finished- the bathroom and the breezeway are painted and we have high hopes of finishing today....maybe.
Keri, bless her heart, has been preparing delicious and greatly appreciated meals. It is so wonderful to have a meal all prepared when you are so stiff, sore and tired every movement is an effort. I have not worked this hard since detasseling corn with my sister Jayne when I was in my forties. Really? Maybe I should do it more often than every 20 plus years!
I have the time to write this morning because we skipped our morning walk. We did so because it is COLD. 40 degrees. My muscles are already in a state without adding cold to the mix. My plan was to post a headline that said "Gone Painting" and skip writing and if you see that tomorrow you will know we are not  done.
It is looking good! Pictures soon, I promise!

Gathering up stuff...

Yesterday Butch and I went to Ames first, to pick up the shower. And then we went to Fort Dodge to pick up the flooring and the paint. That pretty well shot the day.
Last Wednesday I was invited to a girls only birthday party. We had a real good time. The boys decided to go on a road trip since they were being excluded and they went to Otho, a tiny town south of Fort Dodge to a restaurant that one of them Jack H. had went to previously and liked. Crammed a bunch into that sentence.  
Their specialty is loaded hashbrowns. They are loaded with onions, green peppers and cheese and they give you enough for several meals!
The point of all this is when we picked up the flooring we stopped their on the way home for lunch...at 2:00 pm...We enjoyed cheeseburgers, no hashbrowns, and they were good as well. So I am giving a plug to the Otho Pub, a tiny town bar with good food.

Today the painting starts. The drywall is dry and looking fantastic. I have photos but need more time to sit in front of my computer when I am not pooped....so that may be awhile.
Till next time...

A different side of Gary

Yes, I have other sons but Gary is the one who sends me things.
From Gary:

My picture (looking kind of goofy in my opinion) made it in the Drexel paper http://www.drexelstar.com/ There are several other articles about the school besides mine. They had almost as many grandparents come to the school for grandparents day as there are kids in the entire school.

PS: To me Gary doesn't look any goofier than the boy carrying the log.Hehe