Two and a half day studio

Soon to come....white railing around the porch and green shutters for the windows, along with pretty white window boxes

The bathroom door and stairs.  

Kitchenette space

There is even a little landing

The downstairs front

Upstairs back

upstairs front

It's like I'm sitting on the TT front porch again

Studio 22

It only took Troy and the gang 2 1/2 days to build their part of the studio.  I can't believe it's actually sitting where the TT used to be.  The next step is for Chuck to wire it and put the insulation in.  I'm looking forward to the dry way guys coming.  Then it will look more like a real building inside.  The step after that will be mine....painting everything.  It's going to be a job but a fun job, knowing that I will be moving my stuff in that much sooner.  Troy will come back to trim the windows, doors and stairs.  Also the baseboards.  I'm hoping to be moving sometime this Fall.  It's going to be a fun winter...sewing my little heart out.  

Studio Day Two

Putting on the hardy board siding

Upstairs front and back walls going in

All the way from Florida?

Shingles that match the house being delivered

Troy doing the scary job of putting the shingles on

By the end of the second day

Troy's work is almost done

Pretty far from the house

The " gang" was here before 7:00 am this morning and started  putting the hardy board siding on.  It almost looks like the right color to match the house but it needs to be caulked and painted.  The shingles were delivered mid morning and after lunch Troy started nailing them on.  What a scary job that was....being so high up.  I have to say, these guys sure work hard for their money. Chuck says it's been like an" Amish Barn Raising but with nicotine, caffeine and a lot of power tools."   One side of the roof still needs to be shingled, the steps to the porch made  and the steps going upstairs inside, all still need to be done.  Troy said they wouldn't be back tomorrow because he has another job that he has to take care of but will return first thing Thursday morning.  It will be time for Chuck and I to take over our parts to finishing this before I know it.  I already have plans in my head for planting pretty flower beds and window boxes, come next Spring.  It's like having a " play house" like I had when I was little.  My Dad built it and made it to match our house.  Many, many hours were spent in that little play house and I'm sure many, many hours will be spent in my grown up play house too.

Four Years Later...Day One

Chuck had to cut down three trees

All cleared where the TT was

Laying out the block

Fun to see this trailer again

Here comes the truck!

A Studio on a truck

Getting started

First floor

Raising the walls

Building the trusses

Second Floor

Chuck checking out the view

Tar paper on

Adding the porch

Porch Floor

Four years later and Brambly Pines is " jumpin" again. Troy and his gang are here before 7:00 am ready to call out numbers, saw and hammer.    After two years of dreaming of my new studio, it's finally being built. It's going to be two stories and have a front porch.  All of the excitement of building the house, has come back to me.  It's amazing what the guys got done on the first day.  It's no wonder why Troy had our house built in just 3 1/2 months.  Troy was hoping they would finish up his part of it all today, but they might have to come back for a little while tomorrow.  Then, it will be our time to do our part of it all.  Chuck is going to wire and insulate it all.  The dry wall guys will come in and do their part. Chuck will do the plumbing.  Yep, I'm having  a little bathroom in there.   Then it will be my turn....all the painting.  Next Chuck and I will put down the floor and TA DA...I will be moving in.  It won't be over once I move in though because we are turning the bedroom that I'm using for a studio right now, into a pretty guest room.  That means more painting and fun decorating.  Just keep dreaming.....they can come true.

Picking again.

Big bag of purple hull peas

Another batch of tomatoes

It was time to go back out to the farm where we pick our tomatoes.  We had gone through the last batch. When we got there, Larry asked us if we wanted to pick peas.  Of course we did!  He drove us out to the rows of peas and we picked a big bag of them.  So, we came home with a bucket of tomatoes and a bag of peas to shell.  Tomatoes= $5.....Peas= $2.  That evening, we sat and shelled the peas.  I blanched them and we have 3 quart bags of peas in the freezer for this winter.  The fresh tomatoes should last us until it's time to go back out to the farm to pick some more.

Moon Flowers

Back in the Spring, I planted around five" moon flower" seeds.  Two plants came up.  That is more than enough to cover the trellis though.  It takes almost all summer for them to grow and then bloom.  Every evening the buds begin to open and by night fall they bloom with all their glory.  You can still catch them open, early in the morning but once it gets hot, they close up and the same bud will not bloom again.   What is fun, plant some" morning glories" next to your "moon flowers" and then you have flowers opening when the others are closing.  It's not summer without " Moon Flowers".  

Sharing......

We have a bird feeder just a couple feet from the living room window.  It's so fun to be able to watch the birds that close up. Sometimes a little squirrel shows up and gets a meal but this one day, I looked out the window as I was sitting at the computer and at first glance, it looked like there was a squirrel with two tails, sitting in the feeder.  They must have been brother/sister, coming from the same nest to share like that.  Usually squirrels will fight each other over the food.  It's funny to see them chase each other up and around the trees.  We have a lot of entertainment around our house.

Country July 4th

Pretty Alabama sunset

Wonderful cookout

Charlotte, cranking

Owen taking his turn

I know! I know!.....July 4th was a month ago.  Don't ask me what I have been doing....just "stuff".  Living in the country keeps ya busy, which is a good thing.  We did have a nice July 4th.  We were invited over to the BNOE for a cook out.  Charlotte's Mom came down from Nashville for a few days.  It's always good to see her.  After a great dinner on the deck, we brought the 43 year old, hand crank ice cream freezer over and made peach ice cream.  Everyone took their turn cranking.  Carol ( Charlotte's Mom) had never made homemade ice cream before.  It's always fun to make it for someone who hasn't ever done it before.  After the ice cream, we all took our chairs out to the pasture to enjoy all of the different area's fire works.  Another nice July 4th in the country.