Scratch-Coat - YAY!!!

About a month ago, Richie and his hard working crew did the scratch-coat on our house.  (I'm a wee might behind on my blogging!)  The lovely paper and stucco-wire is all covered now, so the wood is protected and it could sit like this forever!  Don't worry, it won't, but it could!!!

It's heavy work - holding the pallet with cement on it in one hand, and smearing it on the wall with the other hand.  You should see Richie's muscles!!!

Rich and Chad up on a gable wall of our workshop.  They would try to work on walls so they weren't in the sun for a few reasons:  it's just too hot in their long pants and sleeves, and the cement dries too quickly before they can get it all even spread and brushed.

This little cutie was going ahead of them and preping the walls by covering smart board and trims with tape - much easier to peel tape off than scrape cement off!

Rich and Chad are down a lift now.  Rob was the cement maker guy and there's Chelle around the front doing her prep work.

Took this shot zoomed in from across the block.  We have two horse fields behind our house between our house and the road.  The two white horses, Omar and Sahara, are in the field that adjoins our backyard.

They've just finished scratching the back wall of the shop (the guys, not the horses!) .

Another day and they're scratching the garage and back of house.  FYI, I do wash his clothes each night so he can wear the same outfit and only ruin one set of clothes - it gets so cementy.

You can't tell, but the front of the garage is done here - it's still wet and dark though so it looks like the black paper.

North wall.  The smart board sure stands out now that the cement has dried.  And the deck plate stands out too.  Our deck will wrap around the corner and will be lovely for those summer evenings.

And the back wall is done.  We still need to dig out the ground around that door so we'll have a basement entrance and can actually install the door.

Isn't this pretty?  I'm not even standing all the way into our northeast corner of the backyard.  I love that tree!  The grassy knoll is a pile of topsoil that will eventually get spread around again.  Our lot is "L" shaped so that backyard is a lot bigger than the front.  Anyone want to come camping?

And this is the front southwest corner view.  The scratch coat is all dried now.  Some of the parts that are scratched will be stone and some will be stucco.

I delight in cement!!!  Odd, yes I know!  And I'm so glad we have a cement mixer!  Imagine how much more work Richie would have to do if he had to make the cement himself - stomping around in a pit of hay and mud and clay, and then trying to spread that goo on the walls.  We've got a lot of cement in our house - footings, foundation, walls, floors, and as of a few days ago, we have a bit of the shop driveway poured and a sidewalk.  So when it rains again, we have a small portion where we can walk and not get muddy.  Of course Richie doesn't make the cement for the big pours - that's what we have cement trucks for!!! 

So yeah, isn't cement delightful?

Jenna's Triathlon

Jenna decided she was going to compete in the school triathlon, and she wasn't going to be part of a team, she was going to do the whole thing herself!!!  She's braver than I am!

Here she is in the pool lobby before the triathlon started.  She's pumped and raring to go!!!  And it looks like she's getting some swimming tips from the mermaid.

There were six true triathletes in grade 4 - three boys and three girls.

The swim is about to begin.  In grade 4 you swim four lengths of the pool.  (Your grade determines how many lengths or laps you do - although grade 1-3 swim width of the pool, not length.)

Those laps were the hardest part - the pool hadn't been open very long so she hadn't had much time to remember if she could swim, or practice.

When she got out of the pool, we had her helmet, towel, shoes and socks strategically placed.  While Jas and I quickly towelled her feet and donned her socks and shoes, she was getting her helmet on.  Carlee was holding the bike and pushed her off once she got on it - such a smooth transition!!!

And there is Jenna doing her four laps of the track on her bike.  Bikers keep to the outside of the track as the runners are on the inside lane.

Once those laps were done, she leapt of her bike and Jas caught it.  As she began running her four laps on the inside track, she took off her helmet and threw it on the grass.

There she is, running strong.  She'd been part of the school walk/run club earlier in the spring so the running part was pretty easy for her.  She also had some friends and sisters running around with her at times for moral support.

And she did it!!!  Here's Jenna at the end of the triathlon - what a gal!!!  She was tired but felt pretty good - and she didn't finish last!!!  It's amazing to watch all these kids try so hard, some even get physically sick.  And everyone cheers for everyone each time they pass.  It always brings a tear to my eye.  It's such a positive event for the children.

Here's something else Jenna did this spring . . .

. . . a report on Elvis Presley.  Everyone had to choose a person and do a poster report and then dress up and present an oral report too.  Obviously Jenna chose Elvis (probably because we were on an Elvis movie watching kick at one time and really enjoyed them!).  She dressed up as Priscilla for her oral report.

The full view.  We should have taken the picture before she took it to school - it came home missing a few pieces - like the "S".  Stuff on the belt is missing too.  She really beaded up his outfit - it was quite dazzling.  His name glittered too.  It turned out really cute, in an Elvis sort of way!!!

Jenna successfully completed her first year of public school and loved it.  She wants to go back again next year - imagine that!  She was the Around the World Champion in Math - she was the only one who could make it all the way around the room without missing a question.

I delight in my number five daughter Jennafer.  She's a beautiful, talented, sweet and innocent girl.  I love to watch her dance around and sing when she doesn't know anyone is watching - she's really good!

I'm so glad that she's part of my eternal family!!!  Love you Jenna-Bear!