THE STAIRWAY IS IN!!

The new stairway was in as of 3:00 p.m. yesterday!! Hooray!! That was a great sense of accomplishment for Duane & Carrie. And it changes everything. Whereas the attic was formerly off-limits unless we pulled down some very heavy steps, now we can walk into the guest bedroom and walk right up!

Later in the afternoon Duane, Justin and I went to Watertown to do some major stocking up on supplies at Menards. We bought the supplies for wiring in the outlets, a box where we can later add lines to update the upstairs wiring, lights in the attic, gables, storage area & stairway, a heater, etc. We also got furring strips to build up the rafters to accommodate attic chute vents (basically styrofoam that goes in before the insulation to prevent moisture buildup), 2" x 4"s to put in studs for the walls, etc. Of course, we needed nails, screws, saw blades, etc. We were very thankful for good driving even if there was fog closer to home.

Today Duane & Carrie have already done one wall with the furring strips and were putting studs to the north wall. It is really amazing and encouraging to see progress that makes the attic look more like a room.

We continue to believe God for cool enough temps to keep the precip from being freezing rain. WE DO NOT WANT THAT!!

In case you don't know--I have the best brothers and sister in the world! We're having a good time together. And Duane and Carrie really have quite a sparring time together! He says she got more than enough of the sass in our family!! (I think her teasing makes the tough jobs go easier.) I reminded them during our morning hot cocoa/cookie break that they will now share memories to remind each other of every time they see each other (like how Duane looked bedecked with insulation--even hanging off the end of his nose!).

Until next time--Annette