The guys have been working to prepare the driveway for the cement pours. Autumn is quickly falling upon our town, and it’s important the concrete is done before it gets too cold. Plus, we can’t move into the house unless we have a driveway!
Anna captured this one: we’re not sure exactly what the boys were doing, except Anna saw Joseph hand John first a tape measure, and then a pencil.
Washin’ off those cement boots!
Hmmm. What are they doing in the picture above? Here’s the dilemma – a screeding rebar “pin” was sticking up, and it needed to be pounded down. The first idea for getting it pounded in: stretch a ladder across the entire driveway and send Jesse out with a hammer. Alas, the ladder wasn’t long enough to stretch all the way across.
The next idea was to use the same ladder and have it free-hanging over the middle, anchored and heavily weighted on one side. Unfortunately, it was 14 feet out to the middle. It took quite a bit of work to get the ladder in position and weighted down. Pulling off his boots, Jesse made ready for the job. He carefully crept out toward the end of the ladder. Dad told him to first touch the area where the pin was (to feel exactly where it was), and then he could pound it down with a hammer.
Congratulations, Jesse! You did it!
Two of the guys that were sitting on the end of the ladder.
Joseph and John made a great “finishing” cement team. They worked on grooving the cement, and even did a “broom” finish.
Jesse had all the come alongs lined up so that he could clean them off.
John, yesterday afternoon, as he took a small break from moving gravel.
Joyfully His,
Sarah
Thank you for allowing us the joy of watching as your family builds this house! It’s so awesome to see your family working together and doing this. I can only imagine all the things you are learning along the way! My dh is a job foreman in construction and I KNOW there are details, details, and more details! 🙂 What fun photos of getting Jesse out to the middle, too! TEAMWORK! 🙂 I was also thinking what an amazing testimony it is once again to the world of what it looks like for a family to work together. I was thinking that there are a LOT of people watching you…the employees of the concrete company, for example……your family working together in love to do this is a huge testimony and light to the world! YEAH JESUS! Thanks again for sharing. We’re so excited to see your home coming along just in time for winter!
Blessings,
Debi
You must be so excited to see each step of progress…and what wonderful memories and experience you are all gaining as a family. We love seeing the pictures…they are always a joy to see your family so joyfully serving and working together. You are a blessing and encouragement to so many and what a precious testimony for the Lord. We continue to pray the Lord will bless this building project and that you will soon be able to enjoy the fruits of your hard labor in your new home.
love,
Jaynee
Seeing these pictures made me laugh….I know that hard, hard work is going on….but isn’t it every little boy’s fascination to see roadwork and construction and to work with tools? What a neat thing that these young men are able to live out every young boy’s dream….and with their family and under their father’s leadership. How wonderful! I know this hard work will make you all enjoy the fruit of your labor (the house) even more.
Many Blessings,
Sarah
Does your family have experience with building or are you learning as you go?
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We have always just learned as we go. There are so many “how to” books available for the more difficult areas. There are also a host of people who are willing to give their counsel about how it should be done. We always learn how to do it better next time.
God bless. In Christ Jesus, Steve
Very encouraging to know you learn as you go. After giving up so many worldly things, I realize how LITTLE I know about building things and making them work.
I have so many friends who say they’ll build something for me (because I’m a computer expert and fix their computers 🙂 ) but I keep telling them I need to learn this for myself so I can teach my sons. It’s convicting to see a father lead from the front.
It’s encouraging to know that the father is not necessarily a Jack of all Trades but a man who has the courage to learn and strive in all things to the Glory of God.
My husband and I were talking as we drove. He works as a maintenance electrician at a Christian college in our town and was saying how most of the kids do not have a clue and wouldn’t know which end of the screwdriver to hold. He was serious (not being critical or making fun of). He has seen it all. I told him about you all and how your family knows how to do anything and you do it together. I really appreciated hearing how Jesse hammered down the rebarb on a “diving board” and the surfing incident! We are impressed and want to congratulate you on instilling something in your kids that most are not getting now a-days.