Hello Collins

The Original Bathroom It actually doesn't look that bad. We used it for about 9 days after moving in last fall until the toilet/ shower/sink backed up. Clay investigated the plumbing in the crawl space. It was horrendous. He said the pipes were like cardboard and just a mess. And the really wonderful discovery; pinholes throughout all the pipes. He worked avoiding poo for over 2 weeks under the house which already had mud and muck from the September floods. We lived at our friends home for those weeks. Thank you Kalle and Paul. And showered elsewhere like the gym! Or strategically used public bathrooms when grocery shopping! I hope none of you will ever have to live through a plumbing disaster of this magnitude. I laughed nervously and tried to see the good. Like the view from my bathroom-less home. But, I also smelled and was kind of depressed.  The bathroom that never worked. We have another tiny bathroom to use off a room we sleep in. It has a sliding door. I...

Wait for it..... The first Milkbarn bathroom is almost done. It's a very simple farmhouse style. We have to wait another 24 hours for the mirror glue to cure among other things. I'll unveil the quiet masterpiece when it is complete. I said 3/31 right? I might have lied about that. So let's talk about something else like rocks and spring and stilts. And maybe jelly doughnuts. Forget Me Knots I found these simple treasures by the back of the house. It makes me believe the simple farmhouse I want to create will be as sweet as these flowers. Your welcome Eldorado Springs! Our house is looking less haunted by the day. The Wall. Can you operate better than a 4 year old? Chester picked up operating quickly. I'm glad because heavy equipment operators make good money for college. And he has already told me he is going to USC because he says that's where Lucy is going. Did you hear that Dad? The baseball caps worked. Purty Spring is knocking. This bus...

We set a goal for our first room to be done...the bathroom. With four children, this is essential. In fact, I think we could categorize this as an emergency. A Very Big Collins Emergency. That sounds like a TV special no one would watch. There is a formula in the contracting world whether you diy or have it hired out. Just multiply. Multiply any time frame by 3. See!? You said January 31st....oh, what I really meant was March 31st. See?  Everything is awesome!  We have now aligned our reality with our expectations.     Th e true reality is there are days I feel like this. My Milk Barn Abbey moments. I don't want to talk about when we think something will get done. Or daydream about x y and z. In fact, my contractor is very clever in never quite communicating with me when he might be done. Clever Contractor Communication Skills. Silence with a smile. p.s. I cannot figure how to get this sneak peek photo on the right of Clay...