Moving is a loaded word for us these days...no pun intended! First of all, we moved out of our Clay Center home at 602 S. Martin that we had lived in for the last 12 years and 7 months. This was tiring physically and mentally. I am glad that this particular move is behind us. When we moved to 602 S. Martin, Blake had just turned 1 year old, and Samantha was 2 1/2 years old. This is the home that we brought Connor home to after he was born, and is the home that our kids will remember as a large portion of their childhood. We all have lots of fond memories of playing outside: basketball in the driveway; volleyball on the front street (we get very little traffic!), sidewalk chalk on the front driveway; bubbles; slip 'n slide/sprinkler; lemonade stands in the driveway; play set in the back yard with the huge sandbox, all constructed by Phil (we spent hours in this part of the yard!); lakes & dams made in the sandbox; family kickball games in the back yard (Luke & Hannah were special additions to a few of our games, and Bob & Pearl loved to sit out back and watch our craziness!); golf cart rides around the house (someone hit a tree once :)); planting flowers; planting and harvesting our garden; fireworks; sitting around our fire pit (roasting hotdogs & marshmallows), and so many more... Bike rides around town, playing at the city park, visiting the city library, and daily swimming in the summer were some of our favorite pastimes. The inside of our home was also full of memories: baking/decorating sugar cookies, dances in the kitchen, bball in the basement, dress-up and play cooking/restaurant time, foos ball tournaments, board games, Pitch, Euchre, and UNO games around the kitchen table. Our home in Clay Center also allowed us to meet some very special people. Bob and Pearl Anderson lived in the house south of us until they passed away a couple years ago. They became an extra set of grandparents and great-grandparents for our family. They were very sweet people who I loved to visit with. There were a couple of times that our kids went "missing". Once Samantha was napping inside of our home, while we were in the back yard. She woke up and didn't know where we were, so went over to Bob & Pearl's very upset. Another time we couldn't find Connor. He had walked over to Bob & Pearl's and let himself into their house on his own! He knew where their candy dish was! Bob & Pearl loved our kids, and were always very welcoming to our entire family. We will forever be thankful for our time with them. The kids will also miss L.Wayne & Cindy Johnson, who lived across the street from us for the last 10 1/2 years. They spoiled the kids rotten, especially at Christmas time. Because our farmhouse is not ready, we are living temporarily at a different home in Clay Center that is currently for sale by owner. We are very thankful that they are graciously allowing us to stay here as long as we need. We spent our first night here on Saturday, February 18, 2017. The moving process consumed a lot of our time; more than we anticipated. However, the last couple of weeks we have been able to get back to working on our home. Phil has still been mudding and sanding upstairs. Last week he was able to get Connor's bedroom and the bathroom ready for paint! Yesterday he and Samantha primed Connor's room. Phil nearly has Blake's room and the hallway complete as well. Yesterday Phil started mudding Samantha's room, rather than sanding upstairs where Samantha was painting. Last Tuesday I started working on stripping the staircase again. I hadn't touched this since trying in November. At that time, I was left feeling very defeated/frustrated. However, this past week I have figured out a way that is making it go much more quickly. I am no longer using steel wool, and have found that a clean rag is much more effective! Saturday I ran out of my Zisser brand paint stripper (my favorite), so had to use a different kind. It took me a while to figure out the "trick" to making it work best, but I've got it figured out now. As I write this, I have 19 spindles left, plus 9 that need touched up from my first attempt back in November. The stair case goes up the stairs, then winds around the upstairs hallway. I am getting closer, and seeing the bare wood makes it worth it! As soon as Phil gets the upstairs completely ready to be painted, and I get the staircase done, he will be able to focus on the flooring on the main floor. It will certainly be nice to get a toilet in the house! We are so thankful for the following people who assisted us with moving: my brother Russ Kohmetscher, Luke Norquest, Mike Lorenz, and our parents Ron & Carolyn Janda and Wayne & Linda Kohmetscher. We also thank Kelly Ficken for the use of his enclosed trailer. Feb. 28, 2017 Stripping the bottom pole ![]() March 2, 2017 March 3, 2017 March 4, 2017...made it to the top of the staircase! March 5, 2017...made it around the corner upstairs
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AuthorI'm just your ordinary small-town type of gal. My family is my world. Gardening, running, camping, and boating are my hobbies. Teaching youngsters is my career. Archives
July 2017
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