New Seed Tender

This is the new seed tender made by Crustbuster/Speed King. It will haul seed corn and seed beans from the dealership to the field – up to the equivalent of 100 50 lb. bags at a time. So rather than Tim & Bill having to go get a load of bags and then carry and open each 50 lb. bag one at a time to dump into the planter, this is like hauling it out there in bulk. It uses a belt conveyor that won’t damage the seed to take it from the tender to the planter. My job is going to be going to the seed dealership to get more seed and taking it to them in the field. Should be awfully efficient along with the new last year 24 row planter! :)

No workers at the house today . . .

Bill called earlier to see if I'd like to go out to eat tonight. Always a nice phone call to get!

I'm working on what I'll demo at Diane's scrapbooking workshop tomorrow. Bill was finishing working on the planter this morning and is working on one of the fire trucks this afternoon.

Still in Drywall Limbo

This is Terry spraying all of the walls yesterday to see if more bubbles would appear. They wanted it left humid in the house overnight.

They were here this morning and sanded all of the walls to remove what they sprayed on yesterday. We didn't see any bubbles. Looks like they touched up a couple of places - then left at 11:30 without spraying on the ceiling and wall texture. So . . . looks like the painters won't be starting Mon.

They covered all of the doors & windows before spraying. (next picture)




Yesterday, we ordered some white cabinets for the craft room in the basement. That room will have a pretty color of blue walls with the white cabinets & trim with a countertop called Fallen Leaves. Greg gave us prices from the plumber for faucets. Now to decide on those.

Bill is working on the planter and I'm getting ready for Diane's Stampin' Up! workshop on Sun.

Li'l Stamper

We got to keep Lacey last night while Todd bowled and Diane came to our town for some EMT classes. Lacey really likes to stamp and paint! She made a card for her mom.

Our drywall crew and their boss are working today. They are spraying and we will find out if we have more bubbling problems.

We have a dark day with some rain and even thunder. Some schools are dismissing this morning since this is supposed to be an icy mix and maybe snow on top. Tues. the temp. got up to 53 - it was great. Warm yesterday too. Bill is at an insurance board meeting today.

Drywall Bubbles & Water Softener

This is one of the problem areas in the drywall. It looks like so far they've mostly found bubbles in the master bedroom, back hallway and office. They're supposed to be spraying a light coat of mud over everything tomorrow to see what else might show up. If all goes well, they will fix what they've found, then spray the texture on the ceiling and walls on Fri. and the painters may be able to start Mon.


We sure are hoping for good news.

The water softener was delivered yesterday so Bill is checking it and the plumbing out. Today the outside water spigots were put in.

Right now Bill and Glenn & the boys are at what sounds like a bad fire - machine shed on fire south of our town.

Last Pie!

The drywall guys are here and the plumbers. The plumbers were bringing a water heater today. Bill told them "Uh, we're using the one we have since it's only a year old". Gotta watch 'em!

I made a lemon meringue pie this morning for delivery before lunch. This is my last one!!! I had mentioned before that last year our town had a benefit auction for our neighbor who had breast cancer. I donated a pie a month for a year. Our mayor and her husband paid $165 for the deal. So they've had blueberry pies, pumpkin, cherry, French silk, apple and pecan but their favorite was the lemon meringue so that's what I made them today for their last one. I love to bake but found out with this that I don't like to bake for people that have paid for them - in case they don't turn out right - and you don't know until you cut into them! The good news is that Amy, our neighbor is doing really good! She just had a preventative hysterectomy last Mon. and was in church already yesterday!

Stampin' Up! Workshop

I had a fun workshop in West Bend this morning with 8 attendees! Here they are having fun making a St. Patrick's Day card and a baby gift card. One of the ladies there was expecting her first baby any time! The Hostess received $50 in free product, a Level 1 & 2 Hostess set and a Sale-A-Bration set. She also served lunch for us: tacos, fresh pineapple and strawberries and a yummy dessert!

Bill went to West Bend for parts and then worked on the planter today - something to do inside while it was cold and windy out.

Lacey & Pink

Maybe only Mom & Leanna will be interested in Lacey's newly painted, very bright pink room but here it is! This is the color she picked out. I think she's had her kitchen about a year and it's in the living room.

We had one drywall guy here for maybe 4 hours today. He tells me they will be done by sometime next week but couldn't tell me what day they'll be spraying which they're going to have to do twice. I'm not going to start getting excited again until the painters are about half done and we know the walls are ok.
Bill is hauling corn from the bins to the elevator today. I'm getting ready for a Stampin' Up! workshop at a home in West Bend tomorrow morning. The hostess thinks she has 11 coming. Glenn is putting the new fender on the Pilot for me today.

In Limbo

Yesterday we had 2 guys working on the drywall in the house and today one. They are still working on the seams and edges, etc. But, as far as the bubbling problem . . . we think the plan is to use a new/trial machine to spray a thin coat over everything. This will be enough moisture over it all to tell them if there are too many bubbles to fix without having to tear it off and start over. We haven't heard when this is going to happen. Otherwise, with Bill putting 3 dehumidifiers in there and keeping a heater going (besides the furnace) things have been drying nicely now. We had hoped the painters would be getting started about today . . . At least we now have a roof, siding and furnace and don't have to worry about the weather. Could use some gutters though! Greg says he's concerned about water/rain until they're on.

We had warm & cloudy weather yesterday but lots of wind today and the temp. is going back down.

Bill was working on the planter today checking it out and getting it ready for spring planting. I delivered a stamp order and am getting ready for a Sat. workshop in West Bend. Bill is at a grocery board meeting tonight. Hoping that they hear that business has picked up since the last meeting.

I Hate Flies Almost As Much As Spiders Now!

Nothing much going on with the house - still working on the drywall - so I'm going to complain about the flies - again! Can you believe we still have flies in this house with all of the zero and below zero weather we've had this winter?? Wouldn't you think they would've all been frozen? On sunny days there will be about 3 of them buzzing around about every window. Then at night a couple will buzz around the lamp near your head next to where you're sitting. Then when we get up in the morning 3-6 are laying dead on the floor below each window and in various other places around the house. Or, what really makes me mad is if I go around and vacuum them all up, about an hour later there will be 3-4 dead on the floor that have appeared in that short amount of time. But I am thankful that since I've lived here we've had waaaaaaaay more flies than spiders which is a good thing!!! Bill had me worried about all the spiders he said he had! Flies just make me mad but spiders scare me! The other thing about dead flies - lots of times when you pick up a dead one (with a kleenex!), a leg or two is always left laying there! Ugh. Bill's mom gives me hope - in her "newer"/tighter home she has very few flies!!

We do have a potential problem with the drywall - mostly in the master bedroom. It is bubbling when moisture is put on it, like the drywall mud, and it will do it when painted. Someone from the company that makes it came out today and someone else higher up is coming out tomorrow to decide how bad it is and what they'll do about it. I'm trying not to think about it. We don't want any more delays.

Big Shot Video

I mentioned the Big Shot in last week's stamping post. Stampin' Up! has added a video on how to use the Big Shot along with our new Movers & Shapers Curly Label die to my web site - click on my site above right. Then click on the video arrow on the Featured Project.

This machine is used for both scrapbooking and card making. Scrappers love the Serif Essentials alphabet for page titles. Our new Texturz plates give a subtle dry embossed background - with 6 patterns included in Backgrounds I for $11.95 and 6 with the Texture Plates Kit #4 for $9.95! Great prices for the variety of backgrounds you get! The Texturz Plates are used with the Multipurpose Platform, Impressions Pad and Silicone Rubber.

Sale-A-Bration is in full swing and runs until March 31st. Anyone ordering online through my web site with an order of any size will receive a free Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog (while supplies last)!

Seed Tender

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! After many years of being single on this couples' holiday, it's nice to have Bill to spend it with. We're going out to eat at Unkie's in the town of Thor tonight.

It's a sunny day, the seed tender was out, and I forgot my camera! This is a picture I took of it a couple days ago - on the left. This is at Bill's mom's house.

I just helped Bill move some things around - he needed to get the planter out of the equip. shed which meant moving the semis, the combine and a wagon out first so I was his eyes on the ground to make sure there was clearance on the sides. He moved the planter to Tim's shed and I assume they're going to start getting it ready for spring.

We're locking the new house now after there was a break in at Carquest a couple nights ago. So I got up at 6:15 to unlock it since some of the current workers get here really early, and they had said someone would be working today. No one showed up!

Misc.

This is our church's bus. The boys left this morning with their Ignite youth group for Acquire the Fire in Minneapolis this weekend. They get back Sun.

Cloudy day here but at least all the snow missed us. Des Moines is getting over 5".



This is our old dump truck that has been put to good use for trash lately. Tonight I carried a bunch of foam type insulation and boards up from the basement to the truck while Bill put up more OSB board in the storm room. He's almost done. Our walls are still being worked on - one guy today. They're trying to get things to dry and running fans 24 hours a day.



Remember that pile of 22 pine trees? (Jan. 8th post) This is what's left! Bill was pushing it together and lit it after I left.

I sorted a Stampin' Up! order that came in, delivered to a customer in West Bend this afternoon and caught up on SU! paperwork among other things.

Short Cut

Want to let you know that you can now come to this site by just www.CindyKCreations.com - I've finally registered my domain name - whatever that means!

I think this picture is pretty funny - Glenn's cat, Chris, looking at Lacey. :)

I'm on my way to Ft. Dodge today - again. More shopping - not one of my favorite things to do! Bill is going with his mom to her tax appointment.

2 Kinds of Mud

We had a problem with everybody getting stuck in the mud yesterday so we had 4 loads of rock & clay delivered this morning. Mark spread it around for us with his skid loader.

Also yesterday Bill went to a Pioneer meeting in the afternoon and a fire board meeting last night.

I had a customer over this afternoon to show her how to use the Big Shot that her husband got her for Christmas - and she placed an order.

This picture turned out dark no matter what I did. Click on it and you can see this guy working on stilts! I love watching people walking around on those! Sounds like these guys will be applying mud to the seams? until about Mon. When this part gets done, it's going to get even more exciting because painting will be next and then trim & cabinets!

Bill & Tim went to Maryville, MO today to buy what's going to be my new Spring job - a seed tender! They're saying I'll be pulling this thing with a pickup and going to get it filled with seed and taking it out to them in the field where it'll go from the tender to the planter by auger (I think).

Misc. House Stuff

This past weekend Bill put up this inner seal/paneling type stuff in one of the basement rooms.


Bill covered the register holes with this furnace filter material to help keep chunks of drywall mud and dust out of the heat ducts.





Mark built this 3' closet in the garage. It's going to be for Bill's heavy winter coats and coveralls.

Today Mark was working on the storm shelter which is under our front porch and will be all concrete. Greg thinks the outer walls need insulation.

The Moon

Wow, did anyone else see the moon rising tonight? It was rising as I was on my way home from Pilates. It was full, huge and orange! It was also 47 degrees at 6:30 pm!

We spent the WHOLE afternoon with the tax man. Sure glad that's only once a year!

This is the tub/shower in the guest bathroom. All of the showers have this fake tile look. I like not having any grout to deal with!

The sheetrock guys came to get started today.

Glenn

Just kind of a lazy Sun. It's been sunny, warmer (like 34) and snow and ice is melting. We have a lot of mud around here already. Think I'd rather have snow!

We got our taxes done which always feels like a big accomplishment. I don't like that kind of paperwork! Our appointment is tomorrow.

For those of you that know Glenn but don't get to see him, he has new facial hair lately!

Weekly Stampin' Up! Related Post

I thought I'd talk about one of the newer products we carry now, The Big Shot. The Big Shot is a sturdy manual die cutting machine used to die cut materials for use on crafts, home décor projects, and even clothing. You'll love what the Big Shot machine, a 6-time winner of Creating Keepsakes Reader's Choice Award for best die cutting equipment and dies, can do for you.

Design your own custom pillow appliqués using the Tulipe Bigz die or make custom fabric flowers to embellish a quilt. From sewing to quilting to home décor, the Big Shot is the perfect tool for many types of crafting. The Big Shot works with ALL competitive dies, and the steel rule dies can cut through an impressive list of 50 different materials, including fabric, foil, and chipboard. Whether you want to create a vinyl die cut for your wall or a chipboard cut out for a special project, you can now do it using Stampin' Up! products!

Stampin' Up! is now offering four colors of Décor Elements Sheets (Dark Gray, White, Kraft, and Chocolate) as well as specially-shaped chipboard to fit into your Big Shot without any trimming!

We've been using my Big Shot at my monthly classes and the Top Note die seems to be a favorite. Mom likes the little scalloped envelope that's the perfect size to add to the front of a card with a note tucked inside or use on a scrapbook page. You can see all of the dies we carry for the Big Shot by going to my web site (above right) and clicking on Shop Now.

Screened Porch

They've been working on the garage today and the screened porch. They've put white soffitt material on the ceiling. This first picture is facing north.

The heating guys are working too.


The porch is on the back or east side of our house. When sitting at our table and looking out the kitchen window or when on the porch - this is the view we'll see. (below) You can see the train trestle behind the dirt pile. There are usually cattle in the distance behind us.

It's 39 so far and ice and snow is melting.

Front Shutters!

Hooray, we have shutters on the front windows! We have what they call "cull doors" (I think) for our outer doors so they can be abused. We'll have a burgundy front door with pretty glass put in at the end.



These guys are working on getting the heat throughout the house. The guy on the left (I haven't asked his name yet) loves our setting with the train trestle behind our house!




It's 29 degrees at 6:15 tonight!


They got the garage walls partly covered today.

More Insulation

This is in a trailer outside. This guy is feeding bags of insulation into the yellow thing and it's going through the tube up to the attic where Mark is blowing it about 30" deep I think Bill said.





It was too dark in the attic so this picture didn't turn out very well but if you click on it and make it larger, you can sort of see Mark crouched down..

Grant and a helper are also here working on heat ducts.




This gives you an idea of how the vaulted ceiling looks in the Great Room.

This morning we went to the sheetrock guy's new house in Humboldt to see how the texture on his walls and ceiling looked. He had lots of other new "features" to see along with the faux painting that Angie does. Had lunch at DQ there. For those of you that don't know, my parents built and owned a DQ for 17 years when I was young so we all still LOVE DQ ice cream.

Bill is at a marketing class put on by the Co-op this afternoon. I'm supposed to be working on my stamping paperwork for taxes. Our tax apptmt. is Mon. Farmers have to file their taxes earlier so at least I get this done earlier than I used to!

Had a stamp class last night with 6 ladies here. Good class. Looking forward to the big room in the basement for classes in the new house!

Misc.

It's - 3 here this morning and we're waiting on a delivery of propane - it's pretty low! Bill left early this morning with a bunch of guys to go to the Iowa Farm Power Show in Des Moines. That's good because I'm getting ready for a stamp class here tonight and won't have to stop to make lunch or anything!

The drywall crew got done last night. Kind of funny - Bill was helping them clean up and had gone to dump the dump truck the 2nd time and while he was gone they just left! So no thank you or goodbye by them or us! We finished cleaning up - lots of trash on the floor.

Mark got the siding done yesterday! But the shutters aren't on the big, front windows yet - I'm anxious to see them up!

We're not sure who will show up today - if anyone.

I spent the morning yesterday with our painter, Angie. She took me to 3 homes including her own so I could see different wall & ceiling textures and colors that they use a lot. Also blinds. That was fun! We figured out all the wall colors and blinds. Then I went to the flooring store and chose another hardwood for the entry and some tile to go under our propane stove.

Snowmobile Trails

It's snowing now and the temp. is going below zero tonight so thought I'd post this picture I took a few days ago.

I was driving down the road the other day and saw a tractor with a yellow flashing light on top driving through the ditch pulling something flat. I wondered why he was in the ditch and why he wasn't sinking in the snow! That night I told Bill that I saw something unusual and described it. He said "oh, that's the leveler making the snowmobile trail". You can see the trail in this picture. They have marked any posts or other things sticking up with little caution signs. This goes for miles! It's interesting to me that they go to so much trouble for snowmobilers here! I wish I would've taken a picture of the leveler!

Bathroom & More Shopping

We went to Ft. Dodge yesterday to exchange some light fixtures and get more house stuff. Here Bill is seeing how the water pic shower head he wanted is going to work. Like the color of the bathroom? It matches his coat (right now). This drywall says "moisture resistant" on it.



We tried a pizza place in FD - good, crispy crust! There were lots of stuffed animals on the wall there - a huge moose, lots of pheasants, a turkey & more.

This is the well pressure tank that's now in the utility room. We're so excited to have water pressure when we move!

Time to get ready for church.