Truckin' Right Along...

I know many of you have been eagerly awaiting new pictures of the progress... I have gotten so much done since my last blog post but have had ladders & scaffolding & stuff everywhere! I decided I needed to do some cleaning up first before I took pictures. Well, I was finally able to do that (thank you Ted!) so here you go...

American Clay Earth Plaster

After the drywall was complete instead of just painting the walls, I decided to go with an earth clay plaster as my final finish by a company called "American Clay." I chose this for a number of reasons... I have seen a lot of pictures of homes with the earth clay & it gives the home such a cozy feel and adds a softness to the room. There are great health benefits to the plaster as well! It is a totally natural clay & the pigments used to color the clay are made from minerals in the earth. It is mildew & mold resistant and it helps to balance the humidity & temperature levels in the room. In dry environments the clay releases moisture & in humid environments it absorbs moisture. It is low maintenance and easily fixable if needed. It also absorbs the unhealthy positive ions given off by the electromagnetic radiation of computers & such, and converts them into healthy positive ions. People believe the good feeling you have at the beach is due to the positive ions that are given off in the sand when the ocean washes up on shore. It's the same effect, so it is believed the clay can actually help to increase a feeling of well-being. But besides all that, it looks really cool and of course I LOVE playing in mud, so it is definitely my finish of choice...

My dad & I applying the first coat of earth clay

I actually went to a class to learn how to apply the earth clay & I took my dad and Glean with me to learn as well. We actually put a coat of primer on the wall first with a special sand in it so the clay has something to adhere to. Below we are applying the first coat of clay.

First coat of clay going on

First coat of clay drying

My dad applying the second coat of clay

The second coat of clay went on a bit thicker

Second coat of clay finished & drying

After the second coat of clay was dry, we started the compression coat. For this I used a garden sprayer to spray the walls down with water, then used a plastic trowel to compress the wall. This actually compresses the two coats together for the final finish. It also keeps the wall from shedding. After we finished the earth clay, we got the interior doors put in. I need to figure out what color to stain them! I've added several pictures of the earth clay walls from different angles.

Earth Clay walls complete

Bathroom & closet doors in

Me in the loft

View of the gable wall from the loft

Glean did a great job grouting the tile in the shower 

Tile grouted & ready to be cleaned & sealed

We tiled the stain glass as well

Bathroom wall with stain glass almost finished!

Light shining through

Lance installing my cabinets

Lance Boswell is the owner of Tekton Cabinetry in Georgia. He did a fine job building the cabinets for the kitchen & bath. We decided to go with rustic cherry. I wanted something rustic looking but also elegant. I am very pleased with them. I found these really cool hand forged iron knobs & pulls for the cabinets too which look nice.

Kitchen cabinets in, ready for the countertops

Backside of the kitchen island

That's where the oven/cooktop will go

Sliding door cabinets built into the loft for extra storage

My plan is to put a rolling ladder along that beam

View of the kitchen from the living area

Nice view of the earth clay walls

Another view of the kitchen

Bathroom vanity in

The electrical is also almost completely finished & is coming along nicely. An electrician has come into my life that has a lot of experience with log homes. It's amazing what a difference that makes when having to get creative with the wiring through logs & exposed beams!

Loft lighting in

Recessed lighting in

The next really fun & exciting project that we started & have now finished is the rock work... I was told about a company out of Oneonta Alabama called Lamb Stone. They are the only place in Alabama you can buy REAL rock that has been mined, but cut like veneer so it is lighter & easier to work with. Pretty cool... I decided to go with the cottage mosaic pattern. Each rock weighs roughly 15 pounds.

I sure had fun picking that rock up with the truck & trailer! I got 3 1/2 pallets of rocks at 1200 lbs each + 10 bags of stonemix cement at 75 lbs... All went well, but I did run about 3 red lights hauling it to the cabin because the light kept turning yellow & I was afraid to stop! This was a project completed by me, my brother Jackson, & my concrete guy Billy. It's a good thing he helped, because I was pretty slow being it was my first rock job ever.

My brother Jackson posing for the camera

Kitchen island rock finished

I had to add this picture of my thumb, because I'm proud of it... I used to always say that Stewart & I have put blood sweat & tears into this cabin. The truth is it was Stewart's blood, our sweat & my tears that had gone into the cabin. Well now I can officially say that MY blood, sweat, tears, love & toil have gone into this cabin...

Blood, sweat & tears...
(Be careful when dealing with metal lath. It can act like a cheese grater to your fingers)

Rock work on the outside is complete

Close up of the cottage mosaic rock work

Rock wall complete AND the awesome door finished

Another project finally complete is the awesome cypress barbarian door that David Boswell built. What a fine job he did. David came back & we got the hinges painted & the rest of the lock & handle completed. Thank you David!! He's got amazing craftmanship...

David finishing up the details

How about that for a cool entrance door to a log cabin?

Exterior view of the entrance door


 Up next finishing the grout & tile in the shower, concrete countertops, finishing up the plumbing, etc.... Stay tuned!!

The cypress trees for the main house are still in the swamp because it is still too wet to get in & cut them.

Pray for God's perfect timing & provision for these trees to arrive at my land...

On We Go...

Moving poles to get ready for the logs

Spray foam insulation & caulk around the bird blocks

Well, I'm pretty satisfied with everything I have gotten done on the cabin in the last couple of weeks...

I'm shooting to get the cypress logs for the house here in March, so I have been getting ready for that. The logs have not been cut yet and it's been raining a lot lately, so I'm praying it will stop raining enough for them to get in there & cut them down!! I rented a forklift to move the telephone poles around that I will use as sacrificial logs to set the cypress on to keep them off the ground. I've also been looking at the house plans, counting exactly how many logs I will need & trying to figure out what I want to rent to unload those trucks! I'll probably be getting 4 truck loads of logs.

In the meantime, I've had a couple of guys who are going to help me build the house that have come on the scene & they are now helping me finish the garage apartment so when the house logs come, we can get to peeling & get prepared to start building the house. A lot of exciting things happening here!

As far as what we have gotten done in the last couple of weeks, we got all of the bird blocks insulated with spray foam & the edges caulked.

Trimming up the bird blocks    

Then we started adding the trim. I have lots of cypress scraps stored from our original load of logs for the garage that Stewart had cut for trim, so I got them stained & Tom put them up.












We got the windows insulated with spray foam & the trim put on and stained. They are looking really good.

Drywall finished, stain glass in

The drywall is finally finished as well & is ready for the earth plaster finish we are about to apply. A HUGE thanks goes out to David & Karen Boswell, who came & spent the weekend with me finishing up the sanding & final coat of mud. One thing about building this cabin, I have met some really special people that I never would have met if I wasn't pursuing this adventure. The drywall looks great!

We also put the stained glass in the bathroom wall & are in the process of getting the mud finished around it. I think it will be a nice touch.

Close up of stain glass in bathroom wall

Lance Boswell did a fantastic job of scribing the drywall to the Ridge pole support log. Thanks Lance!

Just a few pictures of the drywall completed. It's really starting to feel like a cabin. Won't be long now until it's finished. It's so awesome to see the end in sight!

Check out the tile in the shower. I'm pretty stoked about this. I was thinking it was time to pick out some tile for the shower one day & as I was walking up the driveway I remembered that 4 or 5 years ago Stewart got a big thing of used travertine tile off Craig's List for free. It had been sitting in the woods on the property that whole time. I went over to check it out & I love it! I think it's going to work perfect. One of my guys Glean started setting the tiles & showed me how to do it. It's my first tile job ever! And, I have enough travertine tile sitting in the woods to do several more bathrooms.









I'm loving this tile. It has a nice rustic feel to it. I went to Lowes & got some bronze accent tiles to throw in with it.

Another huge thanks to David & Karen Boswell. David built my awesome entrance door for me out of some cypress I had cut. The door is absolutely amazing & I actually got the idea for the door off the Log Home Builders Association website.

This is me hammering nails in the door stops. I actually have 5 layers of clothes on, as the high that day was 35 degrees. We spent about 12 hours working on the door that day, hanging it, sanding it down to make it fit properly, bolting the hinges in it, then routing out holes for the lock & handle. What a job it was & man does it look amazing!! We actually didn't get it completely finished, so once it is done I will put more pictures of the final product. Very pumped about this door!

David did a fine job building that door.

Below is the door with the door stops stained. The deadbolt lock is in, but we still need to put the handle on. More pictures to come! Up next, it's finally time for Earth Clay!! I've been looking forward to this for a while. I love to play in mud. It's the final finish for the interior walls. Stay tuned...

Passing the Torch & the Flame Continues

I've been thinking for quite some time about the name of the blog, and have known there would come a day when it would be time to change it, though I didn't know when or what it would be. 

I believe that time has now come...

As I continue forward in life, I am finding there is a process & natural rhythm to things, just as there has been a process to grief. I've learned to lay down parts of my heart that I thought were my future, but instead were for a moment & a part of history. In the unfolding of the rhythm I have gained a strength to be able to accept reality as it is. In accepting this new reality, I've learned to step back & view my life as well as the dreams Stewart & I were pursuing with a new perspective, leading me to ask questions about where to go from here.

I am reminded of one of the first few phone conversations I ever had with Stewart when we first met. We were talking about different dreams & desires we had. I told Stewart I had a desire to build a log cabin. He said, "I do too!" I said, "But I want to build it. With my own two hands. I want to hand peel the logs & everything." He said, "Oh! That would be awesome."

It is a vision God had placed in us both. A vision I believe God wants me to continue to pursue. One that did not die just because Stewart died, but instead continues to live on in me. It's interesting to me that even though Stewart & I were building the log garage that I have been working so hard to finish ever since his death, Stewart had already laid the foundation for the house; the house that hasn't been built yet. Stewart has laid the foundation for the house, just as he helped to lay a foundation in me & as he also laid the foundation for this vision to become reality. I NEVER would have started this project if it hadn't been for Stewart. He had the courage needed to start the project. And now I believe it's my turn to have the courage to finish it.

It's a journey for me through unknown territory. There are risks & many things I will learn along the way. I believe God has spoken to my spirit that this journey of building the log cabin is a picture of learning to walk with Him through the unknowns of this life, while completely trusting in His goodness & His Sovereign plan over it all. It's about learning to let God lead me through the building process, while growing my faith & trust in Him. As I am building this cabin, God is building things in me.

As I pray through the process of walking this out, I am asking God to direct the steps of my path; believing He WILL lead & guide me every step of the way.

"I will instruct you & teach you in the way that you should go, I will counsel you with my eye upon you..."

Psalm 32:8

Even though Stewart is no longer with me to see this adventure through, I will own it & continue walking it out as God leads. Stewart's spirit will forever hold a special place inside my heart, but I will always remember that he was the igniter of this flame...   

Seasons of Pain become our Opportunity…

Seasons…

Seasons come & seasons go. And seasons also return. There are always lessons in every season of life that we face if we are open & aware. And with their return, it’s as if there is an opportunity to put to practice what we have learned. To put to the test the truth we have been given.

Sometimes, a season is composed of the difficulties & the trials of life, when hard things come upon us; pain & lack of comfort, as well as a lack of understanding in the matter. It’s a refining process, a season that purges us by the fire of affliction...

As I enter a returning season, I am reminded of the truth that God has given me on the issue of pain…

Rather than focusing on the discomfort & how to get out of it, instead changing my perspective to view it as an opportunity to go deeper with God. An opportunity to experience things with God that could not be experienced otherwise.

With trials & the pain of life, it opens us up to the depths of our being, revealing parts of our hearts & ourselves that we cannot always see & that may be hard to bear. But if we will yield to the process & let God do what He wants to do, letting pain produce fruit in our lives, it becomes a beautiful opportunity to experience a depth & an intimacy with God, that only comes from trusting God with the pain…

By trusting God, that He is Sovereign & that He has allowed the hard circumstances to enter our lives, we are trusting that there are things He wants to accomplish through it.

By trusting God with our trials & hard circumstances, we choose to stand. We choose to believe in the character of God & who He says He is, instead of choosing to believe what we are feeling or even what the world around us may be saying…

As I walk through the journey of my life, I see seasons come & go. And I see the seasons return again… It’s as if the roots of truth that were birthed through the lessons & trials are getting another chance to grow deeper; to go deeper…

God wants our roots to go deep, reaching into the depths of His Love & His purpose in our lives…

I’ve taken notice that it’s not when times are good & comfortable that we grow or gain the most understanding; it’s when times are hard & there is pain. It’s then, when pain becomes our opportunity…

An opportunity to stand firm on what we know to be true of God’s character, no matter what kind of turmoil surrounds us. An opportunity to see what we are really made of & how much we truly believe what God says in His word. An opportunity to let God reach into the deepest corners of our hearts & purge us of anything that doesn’t reflect His image. An opportunity to press into God, going deeper in intimacy with Him, letting Him speak to our hearts & teach us, giving us His perspective on the trials & hard circumstances we are facing…

There is always a choice of how we will let the pains of this life affect us. Will we let them destroy us? Make us bitter? Make us run from it or numb it with denial & earthly pleasures?

Or will we trust God & stand & yield?

Thanking Him that He has a purpose for allowing the pain to touch our life & it is GOOD.

Will we open up & let God take us deeper into our own hearts & let Him touch those places? Will we use the trials we are facing as an opportunity to grow, to change & to heal?

I am challenged by the opportunity to let a returning season take me deeper. I am challenged in the midst of turmoil & pain to stand firm on what God has spoken to my heart, instead of believing the many emotions I may be struggling with.

What does God’s word say? What do I know to be true of my God? What do I really believe about His character?

It’s in the season of trials & pain that we ask these questions; that we go deeper into the core of our faith. That we press into God & gain a deeper intimacy with Him.

So in reality, not only do seasons of pain & hard circumstances become our opportunity, but they also become our blessing…

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the Valley of Weeping,

they make it a place of springs;

the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength..."

Psalm 84: 5-7

Boswell Family Drywall Party!!

And so the drywall begins...

It seems every time I mentioned to someone that I was about to start the drywall, people would say, "oh. I hate drywall."

All the more reason why it is totally awesome that the Boswell Family has come out to help me complete it!! Thank you so much to all of you Boswell's who have bent over backwards to help me with the cabin. We thought it might take 3 days to complete the drywall in the garage, but instead it has taken 3 weekends so far with more to do!!

It doesn't look like much, but cutting around curvy logs has made it a bit more time consuming.Even so, we have had a blast & I have certainly enjoyed the company & the new friendships! This fall weather has been amazing & the cool temps have been perfect for the first ever bonfire that we had!!

This blog entry is comprised of several different weekends of the Boswell's coming out to work on the drywall.

Adam & Zack hanging drywall

Landon, putting insulation in the walls for sound proofing

Adam is cutting out the hole for the stain glass in the bathroom wall

Connor with his oxygen mask on

Adam doing a fine job cutting drywall

Zack smiling big for the camera (I think he likes having his picture taken)

Wayne & Landon, who have both helped me out so much!! Thanks guys!

David spraying foam around the windows & at the base of the gable

Cutting drywall

David & Karen Boswell

David, doing a great job hanging drywall around the Ridgepole

Karen, who is the best "mudder" ever! Thanks Karen for all you have done to help

Landon hanging drywall & Karen sanding the first coat of mud she has applied

A great brotherly photo

Lance cutting drywall

David taping up the logs along the edges.

Part of the reason it has taken so long to do the drywall is because it is being fitted against a curvy log wall. David & Lance did a fine job scribing a pattern from the logs to transpose onto a piece of drywall, then cut it to fit the wall. It's going to look great!

A picture of the drywall coming along & the RPSL log we had to scribe to make it flow together

Landon up high putting a coat of mud in the gable

Me taping up the logs before we mud it with a little mud on my face...

Another thing we are working on is the entry door to the cabin. David built this really cool barbaric door for me out of some left over cypress logs I had cut into boards.

I'm putting a coat of stain on the door.

Lance hanging drywall by the loft. It's coming along!!

Another great brotherly photo (Lance & Landon)

Some of the Boswell boys mudding the entry way up the stairs to the apartment

Me & Lance; of course when you're mudding you gotta put a little mud on your face!

Well we are just one step closer to completion on the drywall. One more coat of mud & we'll be finished with this portion. Stay tuned!!