My Sister's Dream Home - Week Two

My youngest sister has worked long and hard to qualify as a partner homeowner with Habitat for Humanity. Tami and her three sons have sacrificed, scrimped and saved to earn this opportunity, and they continue to work hard while they look forward to moving day with great anticipation. I have volunteered to help build their home... and to tell you about the HFH process from the perspective of a family member and volunteer. At the risk of infringing on NBC's copyright... These are my stories:

Week Two, Work Day Three:

I arrived at the work site bright and early Friday morning and found that I was the lone female volunteer (save those who brought coffee and breakfast, for which we were all thankful!). I believe most of the guys on site were carpenters by trade (or maybe they just wore their fancy tool belts to look the part).Right out of the gate the carpenter-types headed to the roof to complete the previous week's work on the ceiling joists. My non-carpenter cohorts and I were put to work carrying the roof trusses/rafters to the north and south sides of the house. The carpenters then dragged those boards onto the roof and began installing them.

Once the trusses/rafters were in place, the roof decking needed to be installed. The carpenters hollered out the plank size they required, and we runners relayed their need to our cutters (Mike and Sam) who cut the plywood to size. Then we walked the plywood to the house and handed it up to the carpenters. This was more difficult than it sounds. Houses are tall-ish, and though I'm 5'7", the weight of the plywood, combined with my relative weakness, made hoisting those sheets heavenward a good deal of work. Thankfully the guys up top were understanding. They even cheered my efforts every so often to keep me encouraged!

As soon as the rafters were up another crew of volunteers busied themselves with sheeting the gables and wrapping the exterior walls with Tyvek.

We dodged a few sprinkles throughout the morning, but it really began to fall just as lunch was delivered by the congregants of a local church. As we dined on delicious BBQ pork sandwiches in the rain, lead carpenter Mike commented that "it would sure be nice to black it in today" (meaning apply the felt paper to the roof). After lunch I was asked to begin cleaning up the work site by taking tools and power cords to the trailer. As I did that, several brave men climbed back up on the slippery wet roof and blacked it in!

When I left the site there were just a couple of guys in the house cutting out the thresholds and preparing to install the framing for a few pocket doors. It was a very productive day, even if work was cut a bit short due to rain.

Week Two, Work Day Four:

Work was rained out on day four. Major bummer! Next week we'll pick up where we left off when the rain halted our progress. The schedule calls for installation of front porch beams, drywall catches, soffit nailers, gutter boards, exterior doors and windows, and tub/shower insulation.

I am looking forward to another productive work day! The weather forecast for the weekend calls for still more rain. Say some prayers that we can accomplish our goals through the raindrops.

XO

Jodi

Note: the technical jargon contained in these recaps was provided to me by the build schedule, the carpenters, or my resident architect. I don't know nothin' about buildin' no houses... but I'm learning!

My Sister's Dream Home - Week One

My youngest sister has worked long and hard to qualify as a partner homeowner with Habitat for Humanity. Tami and her three sons have sacrificed, scrimped and saved to earn this opportunity, and they continue to work hard while they look forward to moving day with great anticipation. I have volunteered to help build their home... and to tell you about the HFH process from the perspective of a family member and volunteer. At the risk of infringing on NBC's copyright... These are my stories:

Week One, Day One:

When I arrived on site (late!) folks were already in the crawl space busy leveling out the pea-gravel and preparing to install the floor joists.


After signing in, my sister Jean and I were put to work marking lumber with a template so our lead carpenter, Mike could make his cuts with the circular saw. (We probably should have told Mike that we know how to use the circular saw and could have made those cuts for him... being children of our father, we have unexpectedly handy skills.)


After all the lumber was marked, Jean and I headed into the crawl space to assist in the installation of the floor joists. This work required much bending, crawling and up-righting of oneself. I suspect it is also the cause of the ache which developed in my legs that afternoon. I clearly need to do more squats in my workouts!


Quick like a bunny, the floor joists were in place and the sub floor was going down! These builders don't waste any time... even as the sub floor was being laid, there were crews of volunteers employed all over the site, preparing corners, cripples, headers and studs to be used in the next step of the process.
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That next step was to actually assemble the outer walls of the house! Less than an hour later, those walls were being sheeted with plywood.
AND THEN THE FIRST WALL WAS RAISED! Praises to God, excellent carpenters and devoted volunteers!
Not long after the first wall was raised, we raised the front walls of the house and the frame for the front door. Progress was swift and a great joy to behold! Tami was so emotional about the rapid-fire raising of these walls that she reported a need to vomit. Poor girl was overwhelmed - and though I prayed she wouldn't vomit, I'm sure that that moment was but one of several that will overwhelm her in the coming months.


Week One, Day Two:
I was back at the build site (on time!) Saturday morning and eager to see what progress we could accomplish with a new day. The men-folk went straight to work raising the fourth and final outer wall of the house, and then very quickly began assembling and raising the interior walls.

My sisters and I were feeling a bit useless in the wall-construction arena, so we turned our attention to the yard. We whacked down a small (but very dead) tree and worked to remove the various weeds and debris that had collected on the lot.

We had an abundance of volunteers both Friday and Saturday thanks to a couple of churches in the neighborhood. Knowing that my help wouldn't be terribly missed (and still hurting from my crawl space lunges the previous day), I left the work site just after lunch. As I retreated in pain the plan was to begin building the structure of the roof. I know from Tami's reports that some of the roof was completed by day's end. I can't wait to get back to the site on Friday to see it!

I don't know what's next on the list of activities, but I'm looking forward to making still more progress with the build. Say a little prayer that the rain in our weekend forecast won't hinder us too much.

XO
Jodi

Future Family Fun

My family and I will be embarking on a new adventure beginning this Friday, April 16. We will spend many hours from then until mid-June wielding hammers, saws, levels, screwdrivers, paintbrushes, caulk guns and cameras as we work with Habitat for Humanity (Johnson County, IN) to build a home for four of our favorite people.

My sister Tami and her three boys, Arthur (12), Jaylen (10) and Theo (7) have been blessed with the wonderful opportunity to become homeowners through the Habitat for Humanity program. They are incredibly excited, as you can imagine... and the rest of us are chomping at the bit to get this build underway!

Tami has worked to become a qualified candidate with Habitat for several years. She has earned her stripes as a volunteer on other Habitat projects, and has pinched enough pennies to make the downpayment on her very own home. I'm so very proud of her! She and her boys deserve this awesome opportunity so, SO much.

I will be volunteering at my sister's build site as often as I can, and you can bet that I will be writing about the experience here. I have also arranged to share my stories and photos with Rhett (Executive President, HFH of JC). I pray that my words will be entertaining, enlightening and inspirational. But my greatest hope is that through my experience and stories, others will be led to assist Habitat for Humanity in their goal of assiting deserving families in achieving decent, affordable housing.

(To read about my previous HFH adventures, check out these stories I wrote last summer: Weekend Update, and The Answer is YES.)

XO

Jodi

Adventures in Grocery Shopping

I hate grocery shopping, so one of the greatest things about my husband's unemployment is that he is available to take on this task. I haven't let go of the laundry (likely never will), or the dusting (because he's not so thorough). But the grocery shopping? I've always hated that chore, so I'm more than happy to let him take control... mostly.


Bob is better than I am at grocery shopping in at least one way: he cuts, notices expiration dates of, and actually utilizes coupons. I suck at coupon-cutting/keeping/tracking. The only problem I have with Bob's coupon excellence is that he'll often use them for items which we do not need... and occasionally for items we do not consume. In Bob's mind a coupon must be redeemed before its expiration date, even if using the coupon means that we're left with an item we'll never use, or one which will expire long before it can be consumed. In my opinion the "value" of a coupon is lost if a) the item expires before consumed or b) the item will never be consumed.

My second complaint about this new shopping arrangement is that when I'm adding items to our grocery list (and we are primarily "list" shoppers), I must be very, exclusionary specific. For example: I once put "Ranch Dressing" on the list... Bob came home with some generic form of my standard Hidden Valley brand. FAIL!

And when I put "Fat-Free Snack Pack Pudding" on the list, Bob came home with the Sugar-Free variety instead of fat-free. I didn't notice the change until I was eating my lunch at work. BLECH! Sugar-free pudding is awful! I made sure to tell Bob about his pudding mistake... and the he took note. The next time he went shopping, Snack Pack pudding was on sale! Congratulating himself on his sale + coupon score, and remembering I don't like the sugar-free stuff, Bob bought the plain 'ole full-fat, full-sugar variety. FAIL!

(I must give credit where it's due: when I looked into the pantry and reported his error, he bravely returned to the store and exchanged the pudding.) (And I suppose it's only right to acknowledge that I've been the primary household shopper for 18 years, so his quirks/requests are now fully ingrained in my own shopping brain, whereas mine are still new for him.)


Here's hoping he learns his lessons well enough to continue doing the shopping when he finds himself once again employed. (And God knows we're both praying that happens soon!)


XO
Jodi

Blessed

Enjoying some Easter Sunday cuddles with our newest Godson, Avery James.

XO

Aunt Jo

Patience is a Virtue

If the folks who know me best were to judge me based solely on my level of patience... for the rambunctiousness of children; for awaiting an answer/outcome; for dealing with the "breathers" of the world... I would generally fail the test. Though I have proven myself capable of sometimes saintly-inspired, tongue-biting endurance, I am not a particularly patient person.

My husband, on the other hand, may well be the most patient and tolerant human being on the planet. The proof is in the pudding. He has put up with me for nearly two decades, and I promise you I have not made that easy.

This brings me to my quandary. My husband's patience with our pup has sometimes (based on Bob's typical standard of patience) been short-lived. I can't decide if this lack of patience has surfaced because we have lived so many years without a real "puppy" in our home; or if Bob still harbors some level of impatience based on the bad habits our past pups displayed; or if the sheer size of Bruno translates for Bob into "fully-grown dog", instead of "8-month-old pup".

Bruno has a good deal of energy, though he sleeps most of the day. Now that the weather is nicer I try my best to walk him each evening after work, in hopes of draining a bit of his energy stores. But the minute he barks, Bob barks back! It bugs me no end that Bob's immediate response is to holler, rather than to pick up a toy and play with boy.

Dinner time stresses me out because Bob is so very stern with Bruno when we're sitting down to eat... and the warnings come from Bob before Bruno has really presented the slightest interest in our plates. Our Dalmatian, Malcolm, was always too nosy for his own good and he often stole food or drink from us, and we seemed to be forever correcting him during mealtime. But it's not that way with Bruno! He understands the "leave it" command and pretty quickly finds his way to his pillow, allowing us to dine without canine interruption.

I often find myself reminding Bob that the giant in our midst is still younger than Malcolm was when we adopted him. I know that Bruno is huge, and that most folks don't look at him and think "puppy" anymore, but he IS still a puppy! And like a child who hasn't learned to share his toys, Bruno is still learning the best ways to please his people.

I continue to remind Bob that patience is the key to raising a happy, healthy and well-adjusted dog, but it's Bob who is wearing my patience thin. Which forces me to remind myself that patience is a virtue.

God grant us patience, all three!
XO
Jodi

Walking With Giants

The weather has finally turned spring-like and with it, Bob and I are spending more and more time walking the neighborhood with Bruno. It's not just good exercise for me and Bob, it has also proven helpful in lessening the bark-fests with which we are still occasionally plagued.



Walking the 'hood with a giant dog can be quite comical. We used to get a few comments when we walked Malcolm ("look, a Dalmatian!"), but we get OH so many more comments now. Most of them are entertaining in one fashion or another:

• "Oh, look! It's Markmaduke!" I don't believe I've heard this from a child's mouth, which leads me to believe that adults are pretty easily entertained by Great Dane puppies.


• "If you're not careful he'll be walking you." This one annoys me a tad because I've only heard it when I am out with Bruno on my own... It hasn't been spoken when Bob has joined Bruno and me on our walks. My neighbors don't seem to have faith that I can keep the big boy in check. In reality Bruno is far better behaved (and less pull-ey) when I have his leash than when Bob does. Just sayin'.


• "Is that a Great Dane?" I answer this one gleefully... Yes, he is a Great Dane... and he's a great dog, too!


• "Oohh, how old is he?" Again, I answer this one with bursting pride. He's only 7.5 months old. (And then I silently congratulate myself because he is so well behaved.)


• "Can I pet your dog?" This one comes from the kiddos in the 'hood and though I'm careful about Bruno's mood, I always tell them yes... They can pet Bruno if they aren't too excited and he is able to sit quietly for a minute while they love him.


• "How much does Bruno weigh now?" This is a near-daily question from our elderly neighbor who seems to be perpetually walking his Australian sheep dog, Lilly. I don't know if it's the old man or Lilly who is most concerned about Bruno's size. Lilly and Bruno have met several times, but they aren't the best of friends.


• "He looks bigger today than yesterday!" I get this from Lilly's owner as often as I get it from the more casual observers of our walks. I don't know how to respond... IS Bruno actually bigger from one day to the next? I can't rightly say because I see him every day. Could be he grew another foot... could be he's exactly the same size he was the day before.


• "What a pretty / beautiful / sweet dog!" These are the comments I love the best, and I can do nothing more than agree!

XO

Jodi

PS: A tree-trimmer dude who was visiting the neighborhood last week saw us on our walk and reported seeing an 8-month-old Dane advertised for FREE in a local newspaper. I came home straight-away and searched for the ad, but never found it. I hope that baby found a loving home, but I'm still a tinge sad that we didn't see the ad in time to adopt a new best friend for Bruno.