Lets not be sensitive people. I've been perfectly civil. I merely strongly questioned Brookes advice. God forbid we actually disagree here in Lollipop Land *rolleyes* Having an opinion, being passionate, and disagreeing is not the same as bickering/being childish or having a bad day. We all have different experiences, and as mentioned come from all over the globe: I have a decade of orchids plus horticulture degree and 7 years professional tropical horticultural experience and a master's degree in biology (not listing my credentials! merely illustrating my experience for the purpose of making this point.), Jane about a decade orchid growing IIRC, I THINK Brooke is at the 7-10 year mark but am not certain, and Arthur has more experience and institutional knowledge than any of us combined. Because of this wide ranging experience we certainly aren't going to always agree. So let's put on our adult pants and not be afraid to actually discuss orchids rather than being hypersensitive if someone disagrees with us. Because I'm certainly not afraid to speak up, and I expect others to step up to me the same way. No one has a monopoly on knowledge and experience, so let's not act like it. This post was edited by terpguy on Sat, Apr 20, 13 at 21:47

Thank you, Funnygirl, Red_lover, Outsideplaying, Daisychain, Annie and Peony for the kind words. Mom went into the hospital last night because she couldn’t breath. I think she was having another anxiety attack as she mentioned that they gave her a shot to calm her down, but I’m not sure because I couldn’t understand her well over the phone. Speaking of bottling up emotions…I’m very worried about my younger sister. She said that mom is just playing up her symptoms for attention. I don’t get that at forty nine she hasn’t let go of any of our shared early family life baggage. She has made it all so much a part of her everyday existence. While I do not agree with opening every single box of past doom to “heal” I think it’s manageable if you realize that you are not at all unique in struggling with past emotions. Past emotions are like little appendages that are always going to be with you. I think of mine as being in one toe (my little toe). That toe will get stubbed occasionally but you must keep moving on. Or, one could look at it like having the antibodies to measles. You will always have those antibodies just like millions of others. Some more than others will need to take steps in not walking around like one has an active case of measles and do what one needs to do to keep a good head. I know this is easier said than done though. My sister keeps everything bottled.

Shades, the timbers for the framing are 2x6 and then some are larger. When they were doing the verticals, they were 2x6 also. I see some 2x4s on the ground waiting to be used, but do not know where they are being used. I believe even the "eyebrow" pieces which will cover the back doors and all the windows in between (using metal roofing on that part) are 2x6 as well. I'll pay closer attention to it when I go out. They are working hard to get it closed up to weather before it rains. I see a stack of plywood for the roof deck, ready to go, but they must get in all the work while they can stand up and move freely up high. When it is closed in, and the windows/doors are installed, they'll open up the interior walls for demolition. The lead carpenter framed in the doorway to take my 83" tall old cypress door, and will add more blocking at the top to handle the heavy hardware for that. I must scrape off the old paint and get the rustic look I want. I mean, it is very old and I want to keep it looking old. I might just oil it, with mineral oil and beeswax. It would be very warm looking. Yesterday I removed all my RevAShelf cabinet inserts that I want to use in the new cabs, cleaned them up, removed all the cab doors, took out a 15" wide cab that I will salvage for the Teahouse. I'll have two now, and put a top on them for fabric cutting and such as that. I'm thinking something must have wheels on it, or I'll be breaking my back when I get an urge to MOVE FURNITURE....which will happen sooner or later, knowing me! Trying to plan ahead, and remove as much unnecessary items now before the crew squeezes us into the living room and sun porch and front bedroom. We'll have to access the small bath with the shower, most things from the bedroom will be moved into the walkin closet and master bath. I'm already doing laundry at the laundromat twice a week. Oh yes, I also removed the door jambs and framing (??) so the fridge can once again be moved further into the house, like maybe the living room where there is a 3-prong plug. DH does not like his routine messed up, but I already have him down to 1 chair--his desk chair on wheels--for dining table as well. Chairs take up so much space. I don't know what we would have done if it were not for the Teahouse being so roomy for storage. It is PACKED FULL, and will only have wiggle room when the flooring begins to be laid. Speaking of flooring, I noticed the old KITCHEN FLOOR has hardwood beneath a 1/4" sheet of plywood and then about 2 layers of linoleum or sheet vinyl, and then DH's sticky back tiles. All that must come up and hopefully it won't damage the original hardwood too much in the process. I tried to take some up yesterday, but it was beyond my ability or my tools were inadequate. "Back in the day" I could have demolished with the best of them though. :) My sleep schedule is greatly disturbed by having to arise soon after daylight. The dogs must be fed and given a run out to the back yard, by way of the front door. Then the crew arrives about 6:30 to maybe 6:45 I barely made it inside before they arrived last two days. It takes me a while to fall asleep, since I am imagining what I must do to keep ahead of the work. It is great to see the building process and finally know the sequence of work. Watching it come together is interesting. Adding the closet in the hall (utility type) will be a godsend for ugly stuff like the vacuum and bulk supplies, as well as a couple of shelves to hold electronics and WIRING for the DVD. router, all sorts of chargers on a shelf. By having the WiFi router in this spot, it's signal should reach the entire house, every room. Valerie, I've stocked up on paper plates. Keeping the soup bowls close to hand though. Perhaps plastic hot/cold cups are something to remember next shopping day. I go out each evening after the crew leaves and use the magnet to pick up nails. And I take pictures then. However, they've worked for almost 3 hours now this morning, trying to cover the roof before rain begins, so the picture below I took from my bedroom window--the one which will come out along with much of that back wall to join the old with the new. And, the contractor says it will be finished near the end of the year. Not too bad, actually. Based on weather of course. We usually have a wet winter, so closing it to the weather is a top priority right now. Then the inside demo can be done without making mud pies.

How exciting! We started demo on 4/29 and are mostly done. I expected a delay for replacement doors and backsplash install, so aside from that we've been nearly finished for a couple if weeks. My advice for keeping your sanity: - pack well, and only keep a few essentials out to use (be realistic with what you will actually use, the rest will just be clutter) - buy several rolls of nonstick foil. Use in the toaster oven, on the grill, for packet dinners, to line any pans used (easy clean up) etc. For times when you want a double layer, use regular foil outside and nonstick for the inner layer. - pick your battles. Make peace with several things before you start. It will almost certainly take longer than you thought, as long as you are making progress (or can't avoid a delay), just take it in stride. There will be mistakes and setbacks, as long as they are remedied quickly just let it go. Expect to need something cabinetry related replaced, often doors/drawer fronts, and make that part of your mental schedule. It will be a nice surprise if it's all perfect! - make a master list of everything you need to pick out. Identify when in the process they are needed. Pick out anything needed early or with a longer order/lead time first and work your way through the list. The sooner the better, and as mentioned above inspect everything as it arrives. Make sure you know return windows. - if you can't have everything on site at the start, print spec sheets for each major item to have on hand for easy reference. - if something is detailed, complicated, or specific, write it down and/or draw a picture. I had some outlets that were being moved and some electrical stuff added, so I printed elevations of each wall and drew it all in with everything labelled as new, existing, or relocated so there was no question about what switches went where, or where the outlets were. Then all my switches got sticky notes to keep the dimmers straight. Sure my GC chuckled (he knows me well enough to half expect that), but he had those drawings in hand every day, along with my lighting schematic. - post any contact info in plain site, and check in regularly to see if there are any questions or if anything is needed (like once a day on average if you can) - if you are concerned about something, ask. And ask early so any changes can be addressed more easily. Just be nice about it and you shouldn't have any problems. - make sure you know when the crews will arrive so you can be prepared (I generally preferred to be showered and dressed) - plan on people needing to use a working bathroom. It's easier to put down a protective floor covering if needed ahead of work than fume about any damage after the fact. Put out clean, but not fancy towels that workers will be comfortable using (not your nice guest towels). Put out paper towels. Make sure you have plenty of soap on hand. - lock up any valuables you don't need to have on hand, like cash, real jewelry, expensive watches, cameras, etc. Don't forget to lock up controlled substances if prescribed, only keep enough out to get through the week, or less. You will have strangers in the house, and if you misplace something it's easy to accuse someone of taking it and causing tension. People also know you have lots of people around, and may take advantage of that fact to steal something. And the neighbors will get accustomed to seeing assorted people in and out all day and will likely not notice someone extra walking in (hopefully the work crew would notice, but if there are a lot of subs maybe not). - keep your favorite relaxing beverage on hand, partake regularly, but responsibly :-) I hope things go well for you! GW really helped me know what to expect and how to avoid panic. Post if you have questions!