Snow Ice Cream

The snow just isn't stopping here in North Texas. Where I happen to live we got over an inch of ice plus 5+ inches of snow on Tuesday. Today we've gotten another few inches. A dear friend sent me a photo of her 21 month old daughter eating some snow ice cream. Of course I had to know how she made it. It's simply snow, milk, sugar and vanilla, and it is so yummy! Growing up we didn't have any traditions like snow ice cream. I did often go out and find icicles and pretend I was eating carrots or make the occasional snow angel.

It's so simple to make. It's 1 part sugar, 2 parts milk, vanilla to taste (a teaspoon to a tablespoon), and snow. Mix the sugar, milk and vanilla to combine, then add to snow. Mix until it reaches a consistency you like.

For example, I used 1/2 c sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 Tbs vanilla and I'd venture to guess 5-6 cups of snow. Keep adding snow or the milk mixture until it reaches a consistency you like. I personally dumped the milk mixture into the snow and I was happy with it.

Thanks, Mendie!!!!

We Have Walls!!!

Before I give an update on the walls, I want to take a moment to thank the Grahams for all they have done for us. It was Quinton who got Tony the new job and gave us the opportunity to finally build a house with our own hands. Quinton and his boys have helped us tremendously with building the house and lending us tools. Diane has been tirelessly taking care of Tony in addition to the rest of her family, doing his laundry, cooking for him, etc., and it is greatly appreciated. I can't thank them enough for all that they have done for us over the years. They have opened their home and their hearts to us, making great sacrifices to be our friends. They've never hesitated to help us even when it would have been easier or understandable not to. Our dreams are coming true because of them. I love them deeply for their selflessness and generous hearts.

While I was up on Friday running around getting our vehicles repaired, I drove past this house that used the same metal sheeting that Tony and I are intending on using. This is my inspiration, it's going to be so cute!

The place we have been buying the insulated panels at has been out of stock recently, so Tony and I decided to first put up OSB for the walls until the panels come in. For a few hundred dollars it'll add another layer of insulation and help protect against drafts that might slip through the insulated panels.

The first board is up!

The first wall! This is the north side wall for the bedroom and closet.

My utility room! I really want sky lights in our next house.

Tony framing in the bathroom window.

Exterior door and utility room. 

Kitchen wall. Right now the plan is to have the sink under the window with countertops and cabinets on the left and a freestanding stove and fridge on the right.

Front of the house that looks over the view to the southeast. The living room is on the left and the bedroom on the right.

My closet. I'm trying to keep things as neat and organized as possible to make the whole process smoother.

Our table!

Exterior wall that faces northwest that  is the bathroom, kitchen and utility room.

After getting the first board up, we realized how difficult it was to hit the studs without them being marked, so I marked them all, but Tony still missed from time to time, and eventually went around and filled every hole with Great Stuff. He also sealed in any gaps he found. This is one of the steps he's taking to this being Super House. If money were no object, he'd insulate the entire house in Great Stuff.

Tony in action with is favorite material.

Some cool stuff I saw while hiking around the property. Fungus and moss. I LOVE watching how nature changes with each season.

And finally, me!

The Roof!

I finally have photos of what Tony accomplished over New Years while I was in Texas. He and Quinton got the roof framed, I'm so excited that our place is really looking like a house now! That is Q's son, Bubba (also named Quinton), in the photo.

Maybe once we have our carpentry skills down we can do an open beam ceiling in our bigger house. I love the angles.

This past weekend while I was in Oklahoma, Quinton and Bubba helped us put the first layer on the roof. Originally we wanted to do jut a layer of insulated panels under the metal sheeting we use as the exterior layer, but the place we buy the panels was out of stock on the size we want, so we decided to do a layer of OSB instead (until the panels come in) and it will give us one more layer of insulation and help protect against potential drafts with the insulated panels. 

End of the Saturday.

Sunday Quinton and Bubba put up the OSB on the other half of the roof while Tony framed in the utility/storage room. 

Quinton and Bubba also covered the roof in tar paper to protect the seams between the OSB from leaks. When I go up the weekend of January 28 we'll put OSB up for the walls. 

OSB Subfloor Layer and Framing the Walls

I've been a little lazy making updates here recently between the holidays and quite frankly the stress and depression catching up with me after. I haven't seen my husband, Tony, since Christmas and I'm going a three week stretch before I'll see him again. Aside from cleaning, decluttering and a few knit and crochet projects, I don't have any activities to keep me distracted and I've kinda let things go the past couple of weeks.

This week I've been reading a book Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern to help motivate me in my decluttering efforts and help with the daunting task of organizing the new house.

Over New Year's weekend, Tony started framing the roof of the house. Money is tight this pay period, so I stayed in Texas so he could have more money for lumber. I don't have any photos of the roof yet, but I do have photos from when I helped lay the OSB (Oriented Strand Board) for the subfloor and when we started framing the walls.

The weekend of December 11 & 12, temperatures did not get above freezing in our part of Oklahoma and we were laying the OSB for the final layer of the subfloor.

We used a general floor adhesive to help bond the insulated panels with the OSB. Then we screwed the OSB to the panels.

We needed to paint the OSB to help protect it from the elements, but since it didn't get above freezing we had a problem with the paint and adhesive both freezing. Here's the paint can with frozen paint. As soon as I poured it from the can it would freeze on the can and on the roller. One can of paint didn't cover very much. 

Here's our lasagna floor. The boxes for the floor joists, the insulated panels and the OSB. 

The subfloor completed. We had a neighbor's son come later in the week and finish painting for us when the weather was warmer. 

I'm having some problems with the formatting, so in the above picture we used 2"x10" boards to help block in the subfloor and support the base of the walls. This is what we started doing the weekend of December 18 & 19.

Below the guys (Tony, his friend Quinton and Quinton's sons Nick and Bubba) are laying out the first wall.

First wall is up. This is a wall for the bathroom and closet.

 Second wall is up. This is for the closet and bedroom.

Second portion of first wall is up. This is for the kitchen and utility room.

View from the top of the hill after the first day of working on the walls. 

The second day we began laying out the wall for the bedroom and living room. 

Living room wall. Tony's step-dad and mom did some renovations to their home a few years ago and kept two 6' windows they gave to us. I think I'm most excited about these windows. 

Bedroom wall. A desk will go under each window and the hole in between is for a through the wall window a/c unit. 

Wall in its entirety. 

 

First interior wall. This is between the closet and bathroom. You also get to see Tony's unique fashion sense. His favorite fluorescent orange t-shirt and a mustard yellow button-up. 

Wall with doors for the bathroom and closet. The closet is on the far end.

My closet. We ended up using a patio paint to seal the OSB. That is the floor we will be living on when we first move in until we can get the main floor laid. At the moment we are considering a slate tile for the bathroom and utility room and wood for the remainder. We're considering bamboo but haven't settled on our final choice yet. 

Interior wall framing in the bathroom and bedroom. This is the final interior wall. The open area will be the kitchen and living room. 

The bedroom.

The full moon as we were leaving Sunday night. This was the night before the lunar eclipse and winter solstice.