As we enter the homestretch...

 

As we settle in for the winter here at the Halleaday Inn we are reminded of the tremendous blessings that have transpired over the years And yet so too are we mindful of the responsibilities those blessings bring, the primary one being stewardship.

We're entering the homestretch of this gift with which the Lord has blessed us. And we are indeed thankful for the work that we've already been able to accomplish.

After our respite from this work, with travel, we have started back up. Most recently we have gotten more done on the living and dining room ceilings.

As has been mentioned before we maintained the OSB ceiling sheets to keep with the "cabin" look, painted them an oyster white, and added battens to hide the seems.

We still have some minor  work to do, such as this spot (picture to the left) over the dining room table where I still need to add a plate for the lighting fixture before adding the final batten, but since we were entertaining around the holidays we held off...we'll finish this portion off when we address the other and final trim matters...

Next was the wood stove/fire wall.  I'll save you the pictures and just mention that we first installed the cement board leaving an small 3/4" air cavity behind to help mitigate the temperature between the cinder block exterior wall and the  cement board without the use of insulation.  I'm not sure if a professional contractor would agree with this decision or not, but hey, my house, my way, eh? We then used a sakrete quickset mortar mix with an adhesive additive to further quicken the set and applied a Stonecraft Industries faux stone appropriately named Valley Forge Fieldstone. We couldn't be happier with the outcome.  We installed the stone with a thinner than traditional space between stones out of personal preference.  Again, there are some trim pieces that still need to be applied but given our holiday obligations at home and in the community, this will wait until after the new year.

And finally, the Mrs. has added some seasonal decorations as well as some family-related pictures and other decor on the shelves over the windows and some of the walls.

Other additions have include (slightly apparent in the bottom of the first picture above and to the right) in a dark pumpkin or "peppery" color to match the accent walls in the kitchen and near the back door.

 

Upcoming projects include finishing the framing around the doors, building another 12" planked fir (outhouse) style door...yes, we want a "CAMP" look :), and finishing up the trim work to complete the project...all after the first of the year and hopefully before our departure for Africa (see previous post).  In the meantime we pray you will have a blessed Advent (Dec 1-24) and Christmas (Dec 25 - Jan 6) season.  May the Blessings of the Lord be abundantly evident in all aspects of your lives...

 Soli Deo Gloria!