Month: July 2017

Saturday, July 22, 2017

As everybody probably already knows, it was another hot day. At least in Atlanta it was hot and we had no showers or clouds. It did seem to cool off a little shortly before dark. The forecast is looking better for some cooler days to come. Sure hope they are right.

We left Randy and Debra’s house this morning in route to Senoia, Georgia where Anne’s brother, Jim, lives – about 4 hours. Anne’s sister-in-law, Marguerite, died June 4, 2017 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. Most of the family was together at that point in time but the Celebration of Life service was postponed until today because Anne’s nephew, Joseph is a Marine and was in Okinawa and could not be here until now. We arrived at Jim’s about 1:00 this afternoon and parked FRED in front of his house, but could only connect to a 20amp. We could have run the generator, but since Jim has plenty of bedrooms we decided to stay in the house with him. We didn’t think he really wanted to come home to an empty house after the service.

The service was held at the Veranda, a B&B in historical Senoia. The house was built in 1906 as the Holberg Hotel. There were lovely sitting rooms and a nice large room for the service and the meal that followed. It was a great time to be with family and close friends and offer support to each other as we shared our memories of Marguerite. It was a sad day in some ways, but a good day as well. We all know that Marguerite is waiting for us to join her in heaven one day. Rest In Peace Marguerite. Please continue to pray for Jim as he works through his horrible grief and also pray that God will give us the wisdom and words needed to be there for him.

 

Friday, July 21, 2017

It was sunny and humid when we walked over to the dumpster about 7:00 this morning. Today was a short travel day from Lumberton, NC to Johnston, SC where Max’s brother lives. We pulled out about 8:30 with Anne driving and then switched off at the rest area about half way.

Then Max drove us through a lot of construction, with a stop for fuel and then on to Johnston. Nice uneventful drive. Everything worked as it was suppose and we had no problems. YEA! Debra and Randy were not yet home when we arrived but arrived shortly and we had a nice afternoon visit. Debra showed us some old quilts that she found while helping Juno, Max’s Mom, prepare to move into Aunt Helen’s house. One was made in 1887 and is so amazing. Couldn’t help but think of Cathy and wish we had been able to show it to her. Hope you are enjoying the quilt show this weekend, Cathy.  Since the peach crop is in full production here we went to one of the local packing houses and bought an $18 box of peaches. Then they took us to dinner at a great little restaurant, French Market Grill, where we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and even better conversation. We so enjoy the time we spend with Randy and Debra. We caught up on some family matters, and just enjoyed being together. After dinner Debra and Anne shopped for some new clothes for Aunt Helen. Neither of us are really confident in shopping for someone else, but together we do fairly well. Randy and Max shopped at Office Depot while we shopped for clothes. They bought Randy a new laptop. Congratulations, Randy. Hope you enjoy. (He is currently waiting for Windows 10 to update – this could take a while.) After making our purchases we stopped by Dave and Jennifer’s home. They had been painting this afternoon and wanted us to see what they had done. It was great to see Dave and Jennifer even though it was a short visit. Now we are sleepy and are going to bed. More tomorrow.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Today started sunny and hot and only got hotter. Interestingly, all four weeks we have been in Lumberton, Thursday was the hottest day. That makes it a little hard because we are always the most tired on Thursday. Oh well, we all made it through and everyone stayed well hydrated. And even better we aren’t working tomorrow or Saturday when it will be even hotter.

Suzanne had our devotion today which was based on Proverbs 19:21, Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. She shared a personal story of when was attempting to do something that was good, but at every point a barrier seemed to be up. She decided to abandon her plan and then found that God had a much better plan. We have probably all experienced something similar. Our plans really don’t matter – God’s always knows the big picture and His plan is perfect.

It was then time to get to work. Today Anne, Max and Suzanne were at Mary Elizabeth’s house and Larry, Carol, Ray and Cathy were at Leon’s home. A lot of progress was made at both. The ceilings at Leon’s are ready to stipple. Unfortunately, Lowe’s did not have any stippling brushes. Jeff will try elsewhere. The walls had a little more work today and will need a little sanding Monday and then they are ready for a coat of primer. The cabinets were also installed at Leon’s today.

 

Today we finished the laminate at Mary Elizabeth’s. We finished the dining room – the cedar planks, the chair rail and base all done. We were all so excited. Her home is very close to be complete. There are some transition strips to be installed in some doorways, a little painting, a little base and quarter round in the kitchen and the kick plate under the cabinets. Otherwise the interior of the home is complete. The porch, which will now become a sewing room, is yet to be done but the home is livable now. Mary Elizabeth and Elizabeth are so happy. A sweet story – we were telling Mary Elizabeth about another house we are working on, and how we were trying to help an elderly couple get back into their home. We said that we might be priming some of the walls next week. Mary Elizabeth asked if she might could help with the painting. “I’ve got my home back after thinking I had lost everything. I would really like to help someone else get back into their home.” How precious is that. We are sorry that we could not be here to see Mary Elizabeth’s home completed but we have truly enjoyed our time here and will treasure the friends we have made forever.

 

After work, as is our custom when some one is departing the next day, we all went out to dinner. This time we choose Village Inn-seafood and barbeque. The food was good, but the company ever better. The entire team was present as well as Jeff, Jeff’s pastor and his brother. What a wonderful time we had. We found out today that Lumberton will be a drop-in site and so we hope to return here before the next project in the fall of 2018. Maybe we can return fall of this year. We shall see.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Today was sunny and not as hot as some days, early. We actually had a low last night of 68. We’ll take it. This afternoon was hot but not nearly as hot as tomorrow through Monday will be. 98 predicted high each day with heat index to 110. Hope they are wrong. At least we won’t be working after tomorrow.

Roy and Cathy had devotion today and it was really fitting for a Disaster Rebuild project. After devotion we asked everyone to be flexible today since Jeff called early this morning with some changes in priorities. He needed us to go set a small cabinet in the kitchen of Dora’s house. Jeff also had delivered the lumber for the chair rail and base for Mary Elizabeth’s so we needed to get that installed as well.

We split the team again today between Mary Elizabeth’s and our new job for Leon and Virginia’s. Max, Carol Suzanne and Larry to Mary Elizabeth’s and Anne, Ray and Cathy to Leon and Virginia’s. But first, Anne, Ray and Cathy went to Dora’s to install the cabinet. What should have been a quick easy install took longer than expected and we had to make a Lowe’s run for fasteners. We also needed to make a small piece of chair rail to cover about a 2 inch spot. Anyway after completing that task we got started at Leon and Virginia’s again working on the drywall sanding and mudding. We ladies just love all the drywall dust in our hair. NOT!! At Mary Elizabeth’s, Max, Carol and Suzanne made great progress on the laminate and Larry worked on the cedar trim installation in the dining room. After lunch Anne and Carol switched jobs. We wrote our thoughts and thanks on the floor in front of the kitchen sink today shortly before covering it with the laminate. The folks working at Leon and Virginia’s came back to Mary Elizabeth’s to help us move heavy furniture shortly before finishing our day. With the laminate complete in the dining room we moved the furniture back into place. Mary Elizabeth was so excited to have her china cabinet back in place. She immediately started washing her china and putting it back into the cabinet. The kitchen is about half finished. Some of the rooms we are mudding and sanding are now ready for the ceiling stippling. Great team with lots of work being accomplished. One more day left for us, but the work will continue long after we are gone.