Construction Update #7

This should be our final update on the basement before it is finished. Tomorrow our contractor is coming to let the carpet installers in and finish the trim along the floor.

This past weekend we had company and we quickly put them to work. Dad, Josh, and I built shelves in the unfinished portion of our basement. They turned out great and on Sunday Sara and I cleaned and moved boxes and tubs to the new shelves (they are quickly filling up!!).

I also wanted some extra light in that back area that so Dad and Josh ran wiring and installed 3 lights that are on pull cords while I made yet another run to Menards.

View through the other door to the storage area under the steps.

Immediately to the left of under the steps we put this shelving unit to store all of our 'extra' kitchen stuff (you know, all the essentials like an ice cream maker, popcorn popper, carafe, waffle maker, etc.).

Thanks again to all who came and helped this weekend. We really appreciated your help.

FINALLY--Sara's birthday celebration

We were finally able to get away from IWU basketball for a weekend and travel up to Chicago to celebrate a late birthday for Sara. Here are some pics.

We started at the Shedd Aquarium. We were stunned at how many other people had the same idea as us. We waited around an hour in the cold and flurries to see fish swim around. It was worth it though when we were able to use our educator's discount and get in for free ($70 value). We learned that a baby beluga is born gray and fades to white over time. Also, paddlefish are native to the Mississippi...those are some weird looking fish.

Finally, inside the aquarium. After the aquarium we headed across to the Field Museum. We learned a bunch of useless information about Eqypt, gems, and how islands are formed in the Pacific. Educator's discount saved us $60 here. After the museums, we needed to take the edge off with a good brew. The first place we came upon was Rock Bottom Brewery so we stopped in for an appetizer and some beers. We also got to cheer on the Hawks to a win over Purdue.

Finally, the culmination of the night...

Fondue!!!!!!!!!! Who doesn't like dipping things in cheese?

Sara enjoying some cheesy bread.

Justin ready to dig in...

Sara having a good time.

Main course: Shrimp, lobster tail, filet, duck, chicken, and ravioli.

This is either before or after dessert. The food was so good if felt like we needed to be rolled out. It was a good day.

Poll question of the post: How long did Sara's eyes stay open on the drive home???

a. less than 5 min

b. less than 10 min

c. less than 15 min

d. she stayed awake the whole time

Hint: The answer is not "d".

Construction Update #6

More pictures...

We have an 'accent' wall behind where the bar will go. I don't think the pictures do it much justice but it looks good.

The lights have been installed above the bar. Now just need to find/build a bar. Any takers out there?!?!

This picture shows the main color a little better.

Todd's workbench/foosball table/entertainment center.

This picture is of the existing drywall on the way down the stairs. Todd started painting some of it but noticed it had quite a few nicks and dents in it. My contributions to the project were to fill in all the holes and nicks. Tomorrow it needs to be sanded down and another coat applied. Once that's finished we will be able to paint the rest of the stairs so everything is ready for carpet. We're hoping that is completed sometime next week.