The World’s Longest Yard Sale

 

Mom & Dad's Dishes

 

I’ve been remiss and haven’t posted anything about a trip Thomas and I took with our friends Dave (yes, that Dave), Erin, Collin and Chris.
We went to the Word’s Longest Yard Sale, and it was awesome!
We stayed in Tennessee for the weekend, but it runs from Alabama to Ohio.

Here’s a link to their official site, and I promise I’ll be posting pics of this soon. There are some fun ones. 

Aw heck – i’ll post them now.

 

Mom & Dad’s Dishes

The World’s Cutest Living Room Set

Pretty Fence. Couldn’t help myself

Momma and Baby – looking a little annoyed

Mom Has these Cookie Tins

Dave and the Tiger, umm, Thing (yes – THAT Dave!)

Stone Chimney in Middle of Field

Brazen Grasshopper

The Lamp

More of The Lamp

The Lamp – ooh, ahh

The Importance of Being Hydrated

I really don’t have much of a reason for this post, other than to put up a picture I took a few weeks ago that hasn’t made it into a previous post.

It’s cool. I like it. So you get to see it.

Now.

 

Greg's Water Cooler

Butters Torn Asunder

 

Butters doesn't look like a real house anymore!

It’s been an interesting few weeks. We’ve been working, but it’s the sort of work that just makes you say, “Look. what. we. did.” As in, “Oh shit. Now we’ve done it.”

It’s all for the best, in that we’re getting the big stuff done now, and right, rather than patching things for the time being, but. . .yikes. Thomas and I are both more than a little daunted right now, but there’s a big Butters’-shaped light at the end of the tunnel. It’s just such a long tunnel. . .

So what have we done, you ask?

We ripped out most of the panelling and ceiling downstairs in the kitchen and living room. It was original panelling (from the 1940’s – 1944, to be exact, as you’ll see in a minute) and someone had painted over all of it in the living room to make it look nice and dingy.
Plus, it’s just old and nasty looking, so. . .sheetrock it will be. (I know what it is now, but I’m still not sure if it’s two words or one)
So, we did that two weekends ago, and today we tore out the wall that I was so hoping that we could.

Once we tore off the panelling on that wall, we could see that it had a light on the ceiling (in the middle of the wall), so obviously, it wasn’t there when the house was built. “Load-bearing” “floor joists” “some phrase that I can’t remember now, but indicates that you’d best not mess with this thing” – I’m learning a whole new vocabulary branch. wee.
The our friend Dave (of wood floor fame) took a look at it and reassured us that yes, we could knock it out. (he went to school for architecture and may just be the smartest guy in Georgia (we love you Dave!!!!))

 Tomorrow, while I’m working away at. . .work, Thomas and Dave will be replacing the wires downstairs (“junction boxes” – another new term for me).
Last weekend, I went home for my cousin Nick’s wedding – I’ll have a few pics of that in here once I have them ready to go – I got an upgrade of Aperture yesterday and am still getting the hang of all the changes. 

To set the record straight. Thomas has torn everything out – I’m too much of a wuss. I tried. It didn’t go very well. I AM good at taking out trim, but the walls were tougher than me.
So, I’ve been cleaning everything up – taking piles and piles (and piles) of stuff out to the pile in the back (I said there were lots of piles!) or shoveling smaller debris into our garbage can or those crazy strong (and expensive) contractor trash bags.
Sounds little, but when I started, Thomas had a pile that was up to my chest in the living room – and that was before he started on the kitchen, so you get an idea of my task.

Oh, but I did get to find neat things that had been in the wall. A dogtag from an A positive baptist (we’ll be googling him), an old seal stamp thing, an old pack of Wings cigarettes, and the coolest of all, part of an old Atlanta Journal from April 8, 1944. It’s the sports page and the headline is about the Crackers playing at the Federal Pen with the Fort McPherson folks.
For those of you not reading this in Atlanta, a little backstory.
The Atlanta Crackers were the local baseball team (the legendary Ernie Harwell ((of Detroit Tigers fame)) was their announcer!), and they played at Ponce de Leon park. Umm, Kelli and I work there now! Our Whole Foods Market is on part of the land that once was the park. There are lots of old photographs of the park all over the café, if you come visit (which you should – it’s only the coolest WFM out there)
So there’s that – but there’s also the bit about the McPherson players. Fort McPherson is an army base about three blocks from our house.
Click here for more about Mr. Harwell and the Crackers. 

Enough of the chatting – you’re here for the pictures. I know it. you know it. here you go.

Butters doesn’t look much like a house downstairs right now.

Our Front Door to Be

Some of Our Finds

The Big Pile

The Bigger Pile (it’s bigger still now)

Thomas in the Butters’ Shell

Bigger Hole Where Wall Once Was

Spooky Thomas

Thomas starts on the wall

Look How Much Room!

A “Before” shot of the living room

More of how the living room used to look

This is the wall that is no more!

 

and now I’m going to sleep!

Taking Down a Tree

We have a dead tree in our front yard. It’s more than a little scary, so we thought we could take care of it ourself. Our friend Dave took one down – safely – in his backyard and he was pretty sure he could get ours down too.

Before

Working on Limb One

Safety First (ok, second)

Erin and I held the ladder next

Cleaning Up

Fun with Power Tools

Yeah, we (read: Dave) got two big(ish) limbs down and then realized that it was going to be bad if we continued.

Anyone know any good tree removal folks? Pretty cheap too?!

Moving Thomas into Butters

We moved Thomas into Butters last weekend with the help of our friends Chris, Greg, Jarrett and Dave Easterwood (of sanding fame).
I somehow forgot how much stuff, big stuff, Thomas has! But once I got over my initial shock, and remembered that all of this will be spread amongst two floors it wasn’t quite so bad.
We are in serious need of some slip covers though. The leather couch and chair are pretty heinous, but very comfy (and, well, free. . .).

Hmm, we’ve pushed out part of the porch. It still won’t fit. What next?

Skill Saw to the Rescue

Push Jarrett! Push!

Our First BBQ

Thomas and the Grill that lives in the Bus

The Jart on our Roof – He’s our Hero!!!!

 

So, I haven’t written a post in over a week. Bad, bad Kim. I’ve been sleepy!
We have lots of mosquitos and they like me most of all – apparently I’m sweet. Or whatever it is that mosquitos find tasty. In any event, 30-40 mosquito bites and I’m wonky for days.
Oh, and see that overhang that Greg is measuring with his Gigantor arms? Well, a squirrel leapt from it, scaring the crap out of me, Thomas, Dave and Greg. I screamed my head off and went to run. Didn’t quite make it over the half wall and bit it. Hard.
I thought it took at least 20 seconds for me to fall, but no. Thomas says it looked like a cardboard cutout of me being knocked over – I didn’t even try and break my fall.
So, along with my bites, I have bruises that are pretty darn impressive. Don’t worry – I won’t be posting pictures of them!