Holly and I can't believe that we are only half-way through vacation. Not that we are complaining, but it is sooo bizarre not to be working.. either at work or on the house. It is hard to shift gears and be happy just laying around.
We've decided not to do the training thing, so we are going to drive all day Sat to get home in time for the 4th of July. The kids love the parade and fireworks.
I am getting some good photos and I'll post an album when I am home.
Broderick is convinced that he can catch a deer and bring it home with him, unfortunately, the deer are so tame, that idea is not far fetched. Bridget is going to near by Pritchard's Island tomorrow to learn about Loggerhead turtles and Broderick is takind a golf clinic... I think we have a budding golfer in our midst!!

We made it in one piece and we're really enjoying the warm weather... Everything is perfect (weather wise). Our condo is getting run-down, we'll have to complain. Looks like nothing has been done to it in many years.

Here is a view out our front window!



It's very weird not having any family around (other then my mother-in-law). Normally, this is an extended family vacation. Taking some used to not doing anything...Hard to just sit still and relax. :)

I have lots more pictures I'll post when I get home.

We had a great first day of vacation! We got on the road shortly after 6 AM. We decided to take our time on the way down and stopped in Metropolis, IL to see the huge superman statue. Pretty neat!










Then, we rolled into Chatanooga around 3 PM, checked into the hotel and then went to Ruby Falls. Finally, back to the hotel for a night of swimming.

We plan to get up early to make it to Fripp Island around the 3 PM check-in time!

Well... the car is 90% packed and we hope to get up and leave by 6 AM.... we'll see if this really happens.

Day 1: Champaign to Chattanooga, TN.
Day 2: Chattanooga, TN to Beaufort, SC!

I'll take pictures and update the BLOG as I can. Unfortunately, the loaner laptop's battery is shot. It was fully charged when I left work. At home, it lasted about 10 minutes before it konked out. Oh well! Not like I am going to sit on the beach working anyway... (although, if it had a wireless connection.... hmmm.... )

Barnhart-Grove Prairie Restoration Project Pictures

I've decided to put up pictures according to what is in them... I think this will make the site more interesting and factual.

I'll probably add a thumbnail in front of each...

Over lunch today, we poured the concrete pad for our patio. The poor cement truck driver pulled in and said, "Where is your crew?"... I looked over at Bridget and Broderick, who I am sure would have loved to jump into the concrete, and said, "Just me. Is that a problem?" :)
Luckily, he really knew what he was doing and was happy to help out... I think it turned out pretty nice. Filled in a lot of holes along the lane as well.
Tonight, I'll douse it with water and cover it with plastic... when we get back from vacation, it should be perfect!

I've been trying to get up early the last couple of mornings to get things done. I had the alarm set for 6 this morning to replace the belt on the van and I just couldn't get out of bed... must be allergies or something.

Concrete is being delivered today at 1:30, so we'll get the patio poured along with some of the porch supports. I hope to fill in holes along the lane as well! It will be nice to have the things smoother... one less thing to worry about!!

Family Calendar

Not pretty, but it works... I hope to put all of our extra stuff there (games, etc). Linked on the side of the page as well.

Not much there yet... until Holly fills it in...

What a nice day! I woke up to some very nice cards that the kids made along with some books that will be wonderful reading on our vacation. Off to church and then spent some time at Aunt Karen's where all the kids made a big poster for all the fathers there (and some who weren't).

Then back home to work on the porch (see a picture!)

While I was working, this little bug that looked almost like a miniture hummingbird stayed around me for a good 20-30 minutes. I got some really nice close ups... here is just one see a picture. I believe this bug is called a sphinx moth... I've seen one before, that was much larger. This one was only about 1/4" long.

Very cool!

What a beautiful day! The weather was just about perfect today,a lthough maybe a little on the chilly side. I got up early (6:30) because Bridget had come to bed and stole my blankets. I decided to go ahead and get up rather then find another blanket to stay warm, so I went up to Lowes and got more wood for the porch.
I started building the west side (the south is already started). Getting a porch in front of the main door is probably more important then an area where people won't go that often. :)
Our hot tub will be delivered when we get back from vacation along with our shower stall, so I need to get that concrete pad done this week to give it plenty of time to cure.
Marcia ended up not coming down with the rest of the family, so we were bummed not to see her. We had a nice fire going though! Cleaned up some of the wood scraps in the shed. :)
I hope to get most of the west floor done tomorrow... we'll see!

Congratulations to Gabe Gibson on the birth of his boy Clayton.

Clayton was born on June 17 at 10:59 AM.
8lb 13 oz and 21 1/2" long.

Congratualations to Yvette on her first Baby!
Personal Page of Anthony and Yvette

I am very excited about my big brother Trent coming down this weekend. While it probably means I won't get as much work done around the house, it is always good to sit and chat with his family. I certainly wish that we could see them more often. :(

Built a section of the porch tonight.. just to see how sturdy it would be. I think it will work uot nicely once the posts are concreted in and such. A lot of building left to do, but it will be nice to walk out the door onto something solid for a change!

Holly got more mudding done on the shop and pantry. We hope to have the 1/2 bath, shop, and pantry ready for paint in the very near future. Then, we can tear out the downstairs bedroom and bathroom (which should be about the last of the tear down)!

theBarnharts Birthday and Anniversary list

I've added Birthday/Anniversary page

The Barnhart's Picture Archive

I am finally getting some pictures online... this is just a start, but for those of you curious about the house remodel, there are some pictures. :)

Barnhart-Grove Prairie Restoration Project

Website for the Prairie Project... still lots of work to be done on the site... but it looks a lot better then it used to.

Shed doors are in! Looks kinda funny having bright white doors with the silver shed, but hopefully we can find time to repaint the shed a nice shade of red. Also, on the North, the door is in, but there is still a 4' section where there is no siding (since I took the door from 20' to 16'). But, it is better then a 10' hole! Now, I just need to find some siding.
Still looking at fridges trying to decide which one best suits our needs. We are having more trouble picking out a fridge then we did the kitchen cabinets!!!
I got up bright at early at 6 AM to finish framing the shed door... I kinda like getting up that early... I got quite a bit done.
Delivery company called today and our kitchen cabinets will be here on Monday... we're not nearly ready for them... :(

11 days to go to vacation!!

For some crazy reason, I woke up about 30 minutes before the alarm this morning, so I took advantage of the situation and went up to Lowes to get enough lumber to do most of the frame of the porch. I got home 15 minutes before the crew arrived to install the shed doors.
Today, they got the South door installed and most of the East door. Unfortunately, it is 11:36 PM and I still have to frame out the North door in the morning. In order to fasten the footer board, I am drilling holes into the concrete floor, which is taking longer then expected. And, to top it all off, the battery for my drill died. So, I'll recharge it tonight and get up at the crack of dawn to get things finished before they arrive at 8 AM.
Bridget and Broderick both had games tonight. Bridget played catcher the last inning and did a really great job. Unfortunately, they lost to Homer. The girls did a bang up job and should have one, but one of the base coaches wasn't paying attention a couple of times and mis-sent girls (including Bridget who tried to run home on a short hit to the pitcher... she got out). So, with 10 girls to bat, we only needed 3 rnus to win and we got 2 to tie (we normally get 6-7 an inning). Very fustrating, but the girls took it well. They had some really nice plays. They tend to throw the ball around too much. Instead of running the ball back to the pitcher, they tend to throw it, which leads to a lot of extra bases... maybe I should suggest to the coach to have them run it in next game (tomorrow night).
Darn busy with these games... very enjoyable to sit and watch, but it means that I am not at home working. :(

Broderick had a t-ball game Saturday morning and he did a great job. They played two innings and at both at-bats, his hits went out of the in-field (very rare in t-ball). We came home and did some work around the house, picked up more house shingles to make room for the concrete patio and got the forms all laid out.
Then, we had a nice couple of hours back at the pool! Gorgeous day for it.

We also stopped by Uncle Daves and talked with them for awhile, I even got to help put on some lawn-mower tires. Not often I am at the right place at the right time to help them out. They've done soo much for us over the last few years that it is nice to repay the favors when possible. :)

Lord, it is hot out! Well... not so much hot, but darn muggy. I guess we need to get the A/c furnance updated soon, I'm not sure we could last out the summer with nothing. :(
Bridget had a softball game tonight, she did a great job, but they lost by one.
I got the digital camera in the mail today and took some incredible pictures with it, including Bridget with her eye's closed as she swung at the ball.
I also took quite a few pictures of the prairie and managed to catch a deer that was bounding away.
I hope to figure out a good way to get these on-line soon to share them with everyone. If anyone knows of a way, let me know!!
Not doing any work tonight... too sticky.

Lisa and Bethe came out for haircuts last night. Bethe got a perm which I thought looked very nice. It's always good to talk with them.

I got most of the wiring completed last night in the kitchen, so that room just need insulation put up and it will be ready to drywall.

Holly's new hair station was delivered today, so we can use that to get things set in her shop. Hopefully, by the end of next week, that will all be finished.

The door people called today and they will be out Tuesday to start installing the shed doors. They estimate that it will take 2 days. That means that I've got to get hopping to get everything ready (sigh). Shouldn't take me too long to get the doors resized to fit the new ones and it will be a huge relief to have that done.

A few posts back, I mentioned that I had smacked my thumb twice with the hammer putting up siding. Well, I've reached a new level in my skill set today as I managed to hit both my finger and my thumb in one blow! It seriously hurt...

But, on the other hand, I got the siding up on the west wall off of the new family room. At least the first floor. (I can't do much mroe until I build the porch.

Bethe and Lisa are coming out for haircuts tomorrow and I admit I feel sorry for them already. Things are a mess and we have no A/C right now. I am looking forward to seeing them however.

Holly and I enjoyed a nice brisk walk (you have to move fast or else the mosquitos catch up with you) around the prairie. It's nice that the kids are old enough that we can do that without worrying about them. Last year, we probably wouldn't have left them alone.

Not much else to report on I am afraid. I had a nice lunch with Mom today (with the O man). I am definitely concerned about him, somethings just not right with him, but I can't put my finger on it. He really couldn't stop talking, even for a few seconds. Oh well, enough of that mess for tonight.

Hello world!

Pretty good day today, we got lots done. I got the entire South side all covered with house wrap and the bottom porch boards up except for the last 5-6 feet (I ran out of boards).

We also got siding up on the west side of the kitchen and started on the west side of the new family room. It was during this process that I managed to smash my thumb twice with the hammer. You'd think I'd start doing that to myself by now. :)

Holly got the first coat of mud up in the pantry.

Oh! We went to Sidney Dairy Bar for Ice Cream... that's is some good stuff!!!

Almost forgot to mention that Broderick had his first T-ball game last night. In T-ball, they don't keep score, but our team did great. Broderick had 2 good hits (they only play 2 innings). Broderick was so serious.. had his baseball crouch going and everything.

Bridget also had a game vs St Joe. They lost. Her team really wasn't with it. Bridget almost fell asleep on the way there. Still, she had some good hits and did a good job fielding. She could be a really good player if she put some effort into it.

I envision many fun years ahead playing catch with Broderick and Bridget.

We had a busy day today. Got up nice and early and finished building the kids play set. Got done a little before Noon. Holly and I were laughing at the instruction when it estimated 7 hours to build, but it was pretty much right on.

Then, I finished taking down the shingle siding on the South wall. I'll have to put house wrap up tomorrow. I've been wanting to get that done for weeks, but it has been just too windy.

We finished moving plants out of our old flower garden space. It has been so over grown with weeds that we decided to start over. Then, we mowed that area (between the pond and the trailer, just South of the cherry tree).

Holly's cousin Nathan graduated from Judah today and we went to his party, then to Lowes to look at counters and to pick up some misc supplies.

Tomorrow will be another busy day.. I want to get all the shingles picked up (I took them down, didn't clean them up yet), put up the house wrap, build the frame to pour concrete for the hot tub, and maybe replace the window on the North side of the old Living room.

We'll see how much actually gets done!

field identification guide directory birds
Neat guide if you are interested in Illinois Birds

After getting home last night, I looked where the hot tub is going to go and realized that I have some work ahead of me. The tower platform is right where it goes, so I'll have to pour a concrete pad to get everything level.. wow. A lot to do in the next 2 weeks. Why does everything have to happen at once?

Let's see, quick list:
Pour concrete pad for hot tub
Pour concrete for new foot for North Shed door
Frame down North and East shed doors
Finish putting up dry wall in the kitchen in prep for cabinates

And, before I can put up more siding on the West and South, I have to build the porch and deck. It's almost enough to make you scream.

At least I'll have the tub to soak in at night... Curious which one we bought? Look here

Got quite a bit done last night. Drywall is now up in the pantry and I put the first board up for our porch (yeah!). Holly and I broke out a bottle of wine. Didn't come close to finishing it though, but it was nice.

It's fun to see the kitchen area start shaping up.

Fed-ex called today and our play set will delivered around noon tomorrow (Friday). The kids will really enjoy having something else to play on while Holly and I are working on the house. They certainly enjoy playing around the pond and playing hide-and-seek in the grass and corn. We are also trying to get things to the point where they can have friends over. So, this is a good step.

We also went by to look at Bathroom stuff and tried to find a shower. We did purchase a hot tub and our kitchen appliances. Everything will be arriving the week before vacation, go figure. The shower we wanted is on back order for 3 months! So, we need to find another source. It's not the complicated or special, so I am surprised that it is hard to find.

Tonight will be spent getting the yard ready for the play set (we need to level the area) as well as the hot tub. I can envision many evenings soaking in that!

Everybody! Everybody!

Funny little link

Backyard Wooden Playsets from Gorilla
This is a playset we just purchased for the yard. (We got it much cheaper then this). Should be nice for the kids to play on this summer.

Theo's website. Uses Mathematica to index and display pictures.

Got the new shed doors ordered today. They will arrive in 10 days or so. We'll probably get them installed the week before vacation. I have to frame down the North door from 20' x 12' to 16' x 12'. Since the door in near the west wall, there wasn't the head room to put in a full size door. Finding metal to match the current siding is going to be a huge pain in the neck! Oh well.. it'll all work out.

Bridget had another softball game last night in Philo against Newman. She did a great job and had a really good hit. Unfortunately, she only played one inning. She's sat out 2 innings (they play 4) every game so far. I think I am going to have to talk to the coach about that. I don't mind her sitting out her turns, but seems like she is on the bench more then the other "newbies". I want to make sure that it isn't a mistake.

Broderick and Austin (whose older sister plays with Bridget) had a great time playing at the park. Of course, Broderick took 3 hot wheels cars with him and came home with 2. We are going to have to figure out a better system.

Loan check arrived today! We can start working on the house in earnest. Unfortunately, our countertops went off sale yesterday. The price (including the sink) went from $5K to $7.5K. Ouch. So, we are going to have to re-evaulate our options. Our cabinates should be arriving in about 3 weeks, now I think.

Didn't do any more work on the house, although I finished mowing the play yard (the push mower ran out of gas and the garden tractor doesn't fit in through the gate).

I am not sure that we are going to get a garden in this year. :(

Champaign County Barns


I thought this was an interesting web site of Barns in our area. :)

While most people were out grilling, drinking, and having all sorts of merriment, we were at home working on the house.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all work and no play. We also joined Windsor Swim Club (and my middle sister Karen did as well yesterday) which will be a lot of fun. I spent many days growing up at Windsor with my best friend Alex. I will be fun for my kids to have those memories as well and having their cousins Jessica and Trevor there will be a definite added bonus.
Back to the topic at hand, I don't really remember what I got done on Friday, but I think I hung more drywall in what will become of Holly's shop. So the East, South, and West walls are hung. That only leaves the North, but we have to figure out where to put lights before I can put up drywall.
On Saturday, the tire people came out and fixed the tire on the 4320. Turns out a nail punctured the tire (big surprise there). Once that got done, I mowed the yard again with the garden tractor and then mowed the paths on the prairie (well.. to the North. Don and I have to work out the paths on the West and South). I also mowed down a lot of grass by the old ball diamond. There was quite a bit of thistle growing.
Oh yeah, we also went swimming on Sat
Sunday was a lazy day. We went to church, Farm and Fleet, and then lunch. Didn't get home until 2:30... sigh.. oh well. I did buy a sprayer that pulls behind the garden tractor. That will be useful in controlling the thistle that is growing. It also has a hand wand.. fun for spraying individual areas.
Holly and the kids went swimming on Sunday while I went to Menards to buy siding. I was hoping to get some put up, but the weather was not cooperative. I also bought a couple of windows to replace the North window in the old living room. Of course, I unloaded them to load the siding and forgot em in the warehouse.
Monday was more promising. I got most of the drywall put up in the pantry and Holly put another coat of mud up in the new bathroom. But, the most exciting part is that we got a 8' windmill at Mendards (remember, I had to go back up to get the windows I left). Almost as exciting is that we got siding put up on the North side of the addition. Makes a HUGE difference. We are anxious to get more done!
Don came out that night to talk more about his contract for optica. I think he appreciated the siding in his own way, of course, he prefered the look of the old redwood siding, but that's OK.