The Hougie Heaven House Raising Crew sat on the porch visiting and relaxing after the delicious meal of ribs and the scrumptious desserts, thanks to Jimmy and Winnie.
Left Photo: Kathy, Jon's sister, is sitting in the background with Tommy and Steve Boettcher, from Florida in front. Kathy and Jade shared the guest room, while Tommy, Steve, and Eric stayed in our little cabin. Tommy enjoyed having her breakfast delivered to the cabin.
Right Photo: Jimmy deserves to relax, after cooking the ribs all day. Bill Vernon our neighbor comes to sit on our porch, whenever possible. Terry and Winn Tae are on the far end. Winn Tae is taking a break, while others are taking care of her twins.
Marcy, our daughter-in-law is watching Nathan's reactions to her holding the twins. Sabrina and Jasmine were born May 21 premature. They have had to struggle, but they are starting to gain weight. Judy Bashline and Ron Kipp took a turn at spoiling the twins.
Left Photo: Darryl Brown and Jackie, from Statesville, NC joined us for the day. Darryl brought his bagpipe to assist with the music, but the music fell through.
Right Photo: Fred and Alice Kimble from the other side of the mountain, could only join us for a short time. Fred was so kind to help with the music for the house raising, but wasn't able to stay long enough to sing as originally planned. Alice took on the whole crew for a meal at her place for the house raising. So, they both contributed to the house raising week in special ways.
I took several photos of the horseshoe games, but none could compare to the one of David, Jon's brother. Everyone enjoyed watching him. David really got into the game with all kind of comments. He is doing real good after having the stroke a couple years ago. We were amazed at how long he would stand to play horseshoes. Jon and I got into the photos with David, Kathy, and Jade on Monday morning, before they left for Minnesota.
The pictures below capture more than the eye can see. Our move to the new house was a move of a lifetime. We went from three rooms to five rooms and a great-room, that includes the kitchen, the sitting area, and the living room with a separate entry . The little cabin is 392 square feet and the new house is 2464 square feet living space. We raised our three children in Florida in a house with 1232 square feet. We went from a shed that housed our freezer, shower, and laundry to a nice big laundry/pantry room with the freezer easy to access and the laundry close enough to hear the dryer buzzer. No more going to the shed rain or shine for showers, or food. We went from cold running water to hot and cold running water, from pull chain lights to switches, from one ceiling fan to five, and from no television reception to satellite. We now have plenty storage space with two nice walk-in closets. Best of all, we no longer have to go to the Taj Mahooter rain, snow, or shine. Our bathrooms are not only large, but very comfortable with flush toilets. Jon's workshop in the basement is cooler, and more spacious than the little workshop. These days people take comfort for granted. I have become more aware and thankful for God's blessings.
We had a total of 35 people here Saturday. Not all of the house raising crew could attend. Frankie is having some medical problems that kept him and Susie from making the trip. Gerry and Bev could not come because she has used up all of her vacation time this year. Keith had gotten a special carpentry job that did not allow her to be here. Linda and Wally have a new job and they could not get time off work. Joe John and Gail could not come because of her broken leg. Joe and Mary were here in May to help and felt they could not make the trip again so soon. Kathy Ater's father passed away recently and she is helping her Mom. Tommie Neiswender had other plans for the weekend. Bruce, the photographer and Lynda, the dessert lady, during the house raising, had family commitments that kept them away.
Everyone that did not attend was greatly missed. I bet their ears were burning.
