Electricity is dangerous...

..and yet here we are, adding electrical wires. When I say "we", I mean Anthony, and when I say "Anthony", I mean, anyone but me.

Wall without electrical...


Wall WITH electrical...


Those windows again. (Anthony does electrical AND windows AND plumbing).


Under the windows.



Wall electrical where the kitchen will look into the living room.

Windows can be made to go higher, you know.

Here's our house as it originally was. The windows and oldschool awnings.


Here are the new windows installed (the tarpaper will be covered by stucco in a week or so). Notice the relationship between the two sets of windows. The newer are quite a bit higher to accomodate the countertops that will be located in this window area. Yowzer!! We're finishing stuff!


Closer.


Closer.


Up close and personal.


The inside looking out those same windows BEFORE we ripped it all up.


And it's different...


Same area, new look.

Why do we continue to do things that make us crazy?

We went back to the County Office. Read THIS to understand why we aren't filled with joy at this prospect.

You can't make me go back!
But I did. El Jefe and myself entered that building once again.
All I can say is, it don't go as we had hoped, as usual.

Lord, help me to be thankful in all circumstances, even those which would justify my screaming at and/or pummeling another human being.

We're basically back to square one. The first step. The bad beginning.

Our Kitchen

Here's our kitchen for the last month or so.



That's our bathroom, if you didn't know.

Befores and Afters

Well, our house is still being deconstructed. Here are a few progress pictures that remind us that, yes, eventually something DOES get done around here. :)





This is a picture of the wall between the kitchen and the living room. The big rectangular shape that has no studs is going to be knocked out and will eventually become a counter top and view into the living room from the kitchen. Pretty excited about this, just not excited about MAKING the big hole.

The post at the top is basically holding our whole house together. Below this photo is a picture of that post that I affectionately call, Sampson.





Silas just wanted to prove that he knows how to climb a ladder...



Here's looking INTO the kitchen FROM living room...
Most of the space above the sofa will be gone to frame out an opening for the counter top.



Here's looking INTO the living room FROM kitchen...
Most of the space to the right of the beam here is what will be knocked out.

Now I Understand Why Some Government Offices Become Riddled With Bullets

I don't fight. I'm not an angry person. I generally play well with everyone. I got a lot of "S"s and "O"s on my report card. The fact is, that unless my hopes and dreams hadn't been smashed unmercifully into the hard pavement, I wouldn't feel this way.

What would evoke such strong feelings of ill will? The County Building and Safety Office.



Yep. They're not BAD people mind you, just, unorganized.


Let me break it down for you. Friday past I got two fillings at the dentist office and experienced much pain when I was given the gigantic silver needle shot. The County Office was a million times worse.

Basically, one guy in the office has some sort of inter-office vendetta with this other guy (the guy who APPROVED our plans). To get back at said guy this NEWER guy VOIDS the plans. I wish I could describe the conversation adequatley...

NEW GUY to ANOTHER LADY at counter as he's looking at my plans: Can you believe that THAT OTHER GUY approved these plans? Look at this! These plans are horrible.

ME: Uh...I'm right here.

NEW GUY: I can't believe this! (takes out stamp to void my plans)

ME: Please don't void the plans! They were already approved. My wife is having a baby in about 2 months! We're getting ready to start building...please...

NEW GUY: (STAMP!)

ME: Uh...this really sucks.

NEW GUY: You'll need to go to the County Assessors Office and get Form blah blah blah and bring it back and we'll do blah blah blahblah...

ME: NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! (echos in the silent office as several office workers don bullet proof vests).

That was about it. I called my orginal APPROVAL GUY and arranged an appointment for Monday. I think that personal pride at being overidden by NEW GUY will help me get this plan re-approved. I've done a lot of praying. It is now officially out of my hands.

Grant me wisdom to accept the things I cannot change, and power to use my laser eyes to melt the NEXT GUY who tries to stamp my plans "VOID". Amen.

See Jeff. See Jeff Rip. See Jeff Smile.

A few days ago Jeff was ripping holes into our son's room (because we asked him to...that's part of the insanity of this whole home demolition thing...you actually ASK people to put holes in your walls). So anyway, my man Jeff is building this wall, right? He loses his drywall knife. Can't find it. He thinks maybe it got thrown into the pile of garbage.
Here's what happened.

See Jeff. See Jeff ripping up a difficult-to-rip-up board.

See Jeff rip out this board.

What's that?

My drywall knife!! It's a miracle!


Jeff. Note to self: "Don't put tools down while building walls".

I call this one...

...crowbar and tape.



It's a study in repair and destruction.

The View From My Son's Bedroom

From behind the curtain.


The view INTO my son's room from the kitchen.

10 Reason Why You Should Never Cut Holes In Your House

It might look like this...






Or this...



Now you see it...


Now you don't.





A window and some ugly wood paneling.



Paneling gone. 1950s wallpaper intact.



Ok. NINE reasons. But still...it's a start.

Wait. Here's #10...

The leftovers.