Slate for the wood burning stove to sit on.

Putting in the stove pipe.

There she is.

Air conditioner and duct work is in.

The Naperville Church my great grandfather made ~ Mike refurbished it.

It's about a hundred years old. I spoke of this church in my previous post. You can see the church on the table behind us in the picture. My little grandma used to always set it up w/ "snow" around it and little Christmas trees. My grandpa and grandma got married in the Naperville church wayyyy back when. She just passed away a couple years ago at the age of 101.

Me when I was 5 yrs old

Matthew's Blog

If you click on Matthew's Blog... This is me ~ the one on the right in the clunky shoes,

my sister Kim in the adorable Mary Jane shoes... (that was a little sore spot back then)

and my sweet little brother Danny back in 1965. Danny joined the Angels in Heaven back in October of 1974.

There is a church in the background, my great grandfather handcrafted ... it is a replica of the beautiful Naperville, Illinois church. Mike actually refurbished it a couple years ago and it's looks awesome. I should find the picture and show you.

Flashback to exactly one year ago

If I am remembering correctly, those beams are about 2000 pounds each.

Yay, new cabin pictures!!!!!!

The covered porch... wah hoo, this looks fabulous. I haven't been up since the end of November.

Brr... it looks quite chilly up there.

The corner of the porch... doesn't that tung 'n groove look awesome? Gosh it's pretty. Tim is amazing.

The air conditioning duct work. Mike and Tim are going tomorrow to get a bunch of plumbing and electrical stuff.... it's really moving along.

This is where the vents will be on the floor. I know this is kind of a boring picture... but ... it's exciting still...LOL

Covered porch

Timmy sent these to me while I was up in Reno.

I'd post more pics, but blogger is taking forever

Here I am at my most favorite place to eat in Sparks, Johns Oyster Bar

Lazyman's Cioppino! Jumbo shrimp, crab meat, baby shrimp and chunks of cod in a tomato base soup.. it is soo good. Comes with loaves of freshly baked bread w/ pats of soft butter!!

Before and after pics

I loved this bed... it had all kinds of drawers and cabinets. I bought this when I was only 22 yrs old. This was the very first thing we ever bought on credit ... and the very last thing we bought on credit besides our home. I was so sad to get rid of it ~but then again, I don't like change ~ that's just me.

This is our new Sleep Number Bed. Let me tell you, it is sooo comfortable!! Now we know what the big deal is. My mom, sister and brother in law all have one. They got us started.

Mike putting up the crown molding. We'll be getting our new white shutters next week.

Mike laying down the maple laminate flooring. He's done our whole house.

Look, no wires! We're so excited. We won this TV at a Christmas party over 2 years ago and we're just now getting around to using it. Didn't Mike do a good job!

Mike and his squad on New Year's Eve

Aren't they so cute! This is Mike's very first squad and he's like a proud papa. LOL

We treated the guys to some yummy Memphis Bar & Grill black eyed peas w/ ham during briefing so that they would have extra good luck for the entire year.

Auld Lang Syne ~ a repost from last year

Do you know more than the first couple sentences of this cool New Years Eve song?

Well, I never did until a guy on the radio asked... so Mike and I looked it up.

Auld Lang Syne ~ "For old time's sake" or "to the good old days" may be modern-day expressions, in common use as a toast, that capture the spirit of "for auld lang syne."

If you want to know the lyrics to the song, check this out ... it's pretty neat. Scroll down a bit on the link for the lyrics.

Now, for the BEST PART!

Auld Lang Syne (Millennium Mix) Video ~ this is soo awesome! Played by Kenny G w/ little soundbites of major news stories/events in the 20th Century. The very end is my favorite part.



HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Happy New Year Black Eyed Peas ~ have good luck the entire year!

Mom went to Memphis Bar and Grill yesterday and bought some of their black eyed peas ... and OMG, were they ever good! I found this recipe on All Recipes.com and it looks awesome as well.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound dry black-eyed peas
2 cups chopped cooked ham
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch garlic powder
2 onions, diced
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole tomatoes

DIRECTIONS
Place black-eyed peas in 8 quart pot. Add enough water to fill pot 3/4 full. Stir in ham and diced onions, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place tomatoes in a blender or food processor, and blend until the tomatoes are liquefied. Add tomatoes to pot. Bring all ingredients to boil. Cover the pot, and simmer on low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the peas are tender.