The Holy Land

Start With A Good Foudation

2011-09-20T16:46:00.008-05:00

This was a huge project that we had put off. Digging out the foundation, adding a drainage system sealing the foundation and insulating the outside walls.
We are thankful to the family and friends that helped out.

We never imagined we could complete this huge project in one day, but we did. Big THANKS to our unpaid child laborers!! You were amazing!! : )Our progress has been tremendous this summer. Thanks to our supporters. This has been a crazy project we took on. But it's worth it. We appreciate you all.

Walls & Paint & Barnwood...Oh My !!!

2011-09-14T16:04:00.008-05:00

A lot of progress on the church. Walls are going up.Yes, I've already changed the livingroom color. Wasn't digging the blue, so Honey Caramel it is!! Paint is on

and more barnwood is finding a home. Even that creepy space under the stairs( Harry Potter's bedroom) is looking good.

Third bedroom is almost done.

Still finding time for FUN !! Duck Races are our new favorite thing!

Just got the word yesterday that our guy has the foundation dug out and ready to be sealed. So glad we hired out for that job. Something are better left to the professonals.

It's so nice to hear from you all and those that give me heck for not updating often enough! : ) Who knew this was actually interesting to ya'll!!! Check back soon...OK soonish

What's a Fuse?

2011-07-28T11:30:00.006-05:00

My children learned the phrase "we blew a fuse" early on in this project. But they will never utter those words again. We've finally updated the wiring!! Now progress can continue.

Welcome Back

2011-06-02T10:31:00.003-05:00

Summer 2011 here we go...

First on the list, a big leftover chore from last fall...

Axes, chains, trucks... rugged stuff!!

Success!!!

Please Mother Nature, take it easy on the trees this year.

Looking foward to a great summer!!!

Chainsaw Dani

2010-11-11T12:03:00.003-06:00

This cabin project is great for the kids to learn skills they would never have the opportunity to develope.

Well, the stormy summer was great for teaching the family to use a chainsaw!

The big summer project was to be another bedroom completed, but we spent most of our extra time cutting up trees.

If we have a few more nice weekends, we're hoping to get the wiring done downstairs. If not, I know a pathway with a down tree we can cut up...

Walk This Way

2010-09-10T09:05:00.003-05:00

Adding to our path of stepping stones...

Made these rhurbard leaf stepping stones

Very fun to make

Which Way Do I Go???????

2010-06-23T10:03:00.005-05:00

A sign post has been on our project list for a few years. A beautiful Spring gave us a jump start on our projects. We had so much fun creating each arrow. Now we all now which way to go to find fun!!

We're busy working on the third bedroom. Having so much fun with friends, family and the locals stopping by to check on our progress.
Hope everyone is having a great summer!!!

Stairway

2010-05-25T14:27:00.004-05:00

The stairway leading downstairs needed to be gutted.

It has an odd false ceiling that covers part of the window.

The false ceiling was removed to reveal a ceiling that goes up several more feet.

This area will have bookcases lining the walls.

Beautiful Spring

2010-04-14T12:42:00.006-05:00

The sun is out and we're ready to get back to work on our place.

This is where we wanted to put barn wood and we were lucky enough to find some.

We got to help tear down this 100 year old building.

We have our barn wood!!!!

Thanks Bridget & Dave.

Now back to the church. Enough work, let's play and explore.

It's going to be a fun summer.

Details...Details...

2009-10-10T10:43:00.005-05:00

We are still working on our place.

Walls and rafters are the focus. Removing glue, repairing cracks, sealing concrete, pulling nails, getting in every nook and cranny. The work is slow, but needs to be done.

Work on a third bedroom is next on the list.

Move In Day

2009-08-13T14:32:00.006-05:00

We've completed a "bunk house" downstairs. We're no longer sleeping on airbeds in the middle of construction. We're using the Jack Pines we took down last summer and having them cut into boards to use on the walls.

While we wait for that, plastic covered insulation will have to do. The projects move along slowly, but we are enjoying every minute. The kids have helped a lot and are learning so much.

Inner walls of the side entryway are complete. We're still trying to think of something interesting for the ceiling. Email me any ideas.

The cousins helped out on the kid's fort. They worked really hard, it's looking great.

Next on the project list...

The creepy cupboard under the stairs

or as we call it,

Harry Potter's Bedroom

Walls & Floors

2009-08-04T18:37:00.005-05:00

I'm learning so much about those aisles of unknowns in Home Depot.

The walls are done and now it's time to stain the concrete floor.

The floor turned out great.

Steps

2009-07-07T10:54:00.011-05:00

We like the exposed wood of the front entrance. Having the walls unfinished leaves us with one problem... these areas next to the steps. The kids "accidentally" drop things down there daily.
No way am I reaching my hand down there. Everything creepy and crawly has to be living down there, I just know it.
My husband saw it as a none issue that didn't need attention, but he knows me to well. It's just easier for him to fix it then listen to me create wild stories about what could be living down there.
A wonderful fix, looks great and blocks off the tunnels to the unknown. Thanks hun...

Railroad Beams

2009-06-15T11:45:00.006-05:00

We first discovered the beams when taking down sheetrock. A pretty cool find!
After months of trying to figure out how to clean the beams I decided to start with the basics...water!

Worked Great!!!

Water and a rag is all it took to reveal the lettering beneath.

SIDE ENTRY

2009-05-20T16:23:00.005-05:00

We started this project last spring...

and at last

We've completed work on the side entrance.

A new roof, replaced rotted wood,a new door and paint.

While we have the paint out,

the front entry gets a fresh coat of paint.

Things are looking good.

We're excited at our progress and look forward to the summer.

YEAH SPRING

2009-04-20T11:21:00.002-05:00

Warm weather is here and we are ready to dive in and get to work on our place.

The pathways we cut last fall were great fun to explore. It's fun to see what Mother Nature was up to over the winter months. This was a big find.

A huge jack pine fell and created a wonderful arch over the entry to a path.

Seems sturdy, so it stays.

It's fun to see our stepping stones peaking out from the last bit of snow.

Inside this will be my summer project... cleaning these railroad bridge beams.

I want to clean them without losing these fantastic painted numbers and lettering. Any ideas?????

Winter

2009-01-26T14:29:00.004-06:00

We are having a very cold winter.

Sadly, - 20 is too cold to work on our church.

BBBBRRRRRRRRRR...
We hope to be back soon.

THANKS to everyone that is still so interested in our place and wondering what we're up too. You are dears!!!!!!

Side Entry

2008-11-22T11:00:00.007-06:00

BUSY

BUSY...

Ripping things apart.

New Roof

Replaced Rotted Wood

New Door

Catch Up

2008-11-09T09:28:00.004-06:00

I am really far behind on my postings.

Pretend it's a month ago...

This is our open field of wild flowers.

It changes so much this time of year.

It's really hard to get work done on the church on these gorgeous days. A book and lawn chair out in the field, that's where we spent our fall.

Soffits DONE !!

2008-09-22T08:47:00.005-05:00

We are so happy to be done with the soffits !!

This was long, slow project and fact that someone stole our scaffolding didn't help our progress. But we are very pleased to have this major project checked off the list.

Cute caterpillar

Have a great week.

West Nile Kyle

2008-09-07T20:38:00.004-05:00

You've heard for years the legend of the mysterious West Nile Kyle.

Some say they've even seen him.

After the expose on the Discovery Channel, tracking West Nile Kyle has become an adventurous quest for many.

Who would have thought that West Nile Kyle could be found in the woods of The Holy Land!

The kids shot this rare footage.

ENJOY

http://www.youtube.com/user/fortsnigley

(west nile kyle:pizza is a personal favorite!!)

What To Do With A Chimney ???

2008-09-02T09:04:00.003-05:00

We thought we'd splurge and have these custom outside tables made ...

really now, you know I'm kidding!!!

Old chimney pieces

leftover wood from loft project

---------------------------------------------

cool outside tables !!!!!!

Critters

2008-08-19T10:19:00.004-05:00

Pausing from the construction to play...

Looking at our photos we take at the Holy Land, I've noticed we take a lot of pictures of critters. Bugs, frogs and insects have all posed for our snapshots, so today they get their own entry.

WINDOWS !!!

2008-08-11T17:22:00.003-05:00

Major summer project complete.

Somehow between the fishing, boating and tubing we've replaced all the basement windows.

YEAH !!

Good bye old broken windows.

Me taking a picture... my reflection AND you can see across the basement at G'pa working on another window !! Cool Shot !!!

Windows that open !! Fresh air filling the basement. I love it !!

Wild flowers from the meadow, bottle found in woods.

A Tasty Discovery

2008-07-28T22:07:00.004-05:00

We've had some incredible discoveries working on our church, but this may be one of our favorites. THANKS to our brother-in-law John, who pointed out...

WILD BLUEBERRIES !

Our woods are full of them and we have to start picking before the bears come looking for a treat !

Next week blueberry pancakes on the campfire with pure maple syrup.

YUM

Step To It !!

2008-07-22T18:24:00.004-05:00

Thank you to all that added to our stepping stone path so far this year...

Kimber

Dani

and

Kristin

These are fantastic additions to the collection.

Thanks for your works of art !!!

Chim Chiminey

2008-07-17T10:48:00.006-05:00

Chim chiminey Chim chiminey Chim chim cher-ee!

A sweep is as lucky

As lucky can be

Chim chiminey Chim chiminey Chim chim cher-oo!

Good luck will rub off when I shake 'ands with you

Or blow me a kiss

And that's lucky tooNow as the ladder of life

'As been strung

You may think a sweep's

On the bottommost rung

Though I spends me time

In the ashes and smoke

In this 'ole wide world

There's no 'appier bloke

Chim chiminey Chim chiminey Chim chim cher-ee!

A sweep is as lucky

As lucky can be

Chim chiminey Chim chimineyChim chim cher-oo!

Good luck will rub off when I shake 'ands with you

Or blow me a kiss

And that's lucky too

Chim chiminey Chim chiminey Chim chim cher-ee!

When you're with a sweep

You're in glad company

No where is there

A more 'appier crew

Than them wot sings "Chim chim cher-ee Chim cher-oo!"

On the chim chiminey

Chim chim

cher-ee

Chim

cher-oooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! (at the bottom of the chim chiminey...last year's fallen hammer !!)

The Journey

2008-07-14T08:52:00.001-05:00

In the heart of The Holy Land lies Fort Snigley.

Check out what the guys of Fort Snigley are up to.

http://fortsnigley.blogspot.com/

(our son's blog)

101 Unsafe Summer Activities For Kids

2008-07-06T21:02:00.007-05:00

Who knew cutting down dead trees could be so much fun !!??

The kids thought this was so cool.

We asked Jim, a local, who we should hire to take down dead Jack Pines near the road. He immediately volunteered and had a crew ready to help us the following weekend. All the trees fell as they should and I even got to wear an orange vest and stop traffic (not sure if that was legal, but it was fun !) Jim and his sons worked so hard and refused payment, just happy to help. THANKS JIM !!!

The pines were cut in 10 foot logs and after a year will be ready to cut into floor boards we'll use in the church.

(Upon hearing this, my friend said she would be at the river washing her clothes on a rock! )

Check back soon, we have much to post.

More New Friends

2008-07-01T08:58:00.006-05:00

We met a fun group of people who stopped by the Holy Land.

Pastor Earl led the church from 1980-1986.

Earl and his family stopped by their old church and were pleased we're fixing it up.

Earl made the birch cross and was happy to hear we saved it were planning to hang it above our fireplace (scheduled project for 2018 !!)
Earl's daughter had brought him a copy of the Minnesota Churches book for Father's Day.

More Friends...

The frogs at the Holy Land are lonely. This little guy hung out for over an hour with Dani, warm and cozy reading a good book with her.

This little guy hung with Evan

Work on the side entry continues.

This trip to the dump led Russ to his first "dumpster diving" score, these boards were found at the dump. Way to go Russ !! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

More soon...

WOW !!

2008-06-17T10:39:00.002-05:00

We discovered that our church is in this book !

Huge two page spread (pages 34-35)

Okay, We'll Wait...

2008-06-03T14:14:00.011-05:00

A birdie and her babies have haulted our soffit/roof/gutter work . Not a problem, we have PLENTY of other projects...

Like ripping apart the side entryway

Our nephew Jacob was the foreman on this project !

Since the church didn't have gutters, the water ran right onto the roof of this side entrance. We've replaced the rotted wood and added a new door. The window above was too close to the roof, so the wood around that was also rotted. We'll look for a smaller window for that space.

All this hard work is making me tired, how about a nap or bike ride ???

Back At It !!

2008-03-26T20:56:00.004-05:00

Okay, here we go.

Spring is on it's way, the snow is melting and we are ready for work.

Russ finished the soffits ! Yeah !! The chimney is coming down.The bricks may become an outside pizza oven. That would be so much fun.

Soon we will start the gutters.

It's so exciting to be back at the church and walk the land.

Loose Ends

2007-12-23T15:29:00.000-06:00

Wow, what a year ! We're really pleased with all we've accomplished our first year. A few too many "20 minute" jobs turned into 3 weekend jobs, but we're moving along at a comfortable pace. Here are a few favorite pictures from the past year. Be sure to check in on us during 2008 to see how things are coming along. Even better, stop by and be sure to bring a hammer.

Happy New Year to all.In the Beginning and Now

Mother Nature's Guitar Hero

"20 Minute" Job Removing Furnace

Loft ProjectOur Friendly Ghost

X Games Belly Flop

She Lived

Big Trees

Big Birds

DaniLand & Fort Snigley

2007-12-14T14:20:00.000-06:00

The kids have been busy creating their own special play areas on our land.

First there was DaniLand

http://mydaniland.blogspot.com/

Followed by Fort Snigley

http://fortsnigley.blogspot.com/

and coming soon... yep ! Evansville

Fall Projects Update

2007-11-06T11:07:00.000-06:00

Wow, time is flying by. November already ???

We finished the loft. This is a terrific place for the kids to hang out.

We love when friends and family stop by to visit.

No one even complains when we put them to work !!

We also enjoy the locals that pop in.

We now know so much about our little church and it's history.

Now that the loft is done our focus is the roof. Our goal is to get the soffits and gutters done before winter.

No I haven't participated in the hanging from the roof work. I stay safely on the ground where I can create. See my lovely ladder coat rack ?

(Home Improvement Tip # 224. If you turn your ladders into coat racks , you don't have to climb them and fall ! Safety first !! )

I got the idea from Anita's blog .http://ein-stueck-garten.blogspot.com/

Her blog is one of my favorites.

I have to say we've played a lot too. With each season we are getting to know our Holy Land and all it has to offer. My next post will be all the fun stuff we've been doing like... X games leaf jumping !!!

Stop again soon.

The Loft Is Coming Along...

2007-09-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, here we go...

we're cutting holes in the walls !!!!

Wahooooo...

A perfect fit.

We are finding great items at the Habitat for Humanity Store called

Habitat Restore

Check the link for a store near you.

http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx

Habitat ReStores sell used and surplus building materials, furniture and household items. Proceeds from ReStores help local construction of Habitat houses within the community. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle !!!!!

We drive right past the Restore on our way to the church, we love it !!

All are finds from Habitat Restore...

I love this kitchen sink/cabinet. I think I'll use it in the bathroom.

This pine cabinet will be in our kitchen.

I'm not sure where these lights will go, all I know is I love them and they were $3

The perfect loft window !!

We'll be working again this weekend, so check back for the latest.

Enjoy your weekend.

Kel

Fall Projects

2007-09-14T20:04:00.000-05:00

A quick post to show what we've been working on these days. The entryway is our main focus at this time. We put fresh paint on the windows.

These doors had been covered with plywood, these wonderful doors were under that plywood. A fresh coat of paint and the doors look great.

We are building a small loft above the front door.

This window was a resale shop find. Perfect window for the loft.

This is the space where the window will go.

I'll be sure to post the before & after pictures when we are done.

Enjoy your weekend.

Kel

Kid CampSite

2007-08-13T15:36:00.000-05:00

We decided it would be fun to have a kid campsite at the Holy Land.

The kids thought this area would be pefect.

A fallen Jack Pine had to be cut and cleared.

It's branches made perfect mini logs for their wood pile.

We dug a fire pit and lined it with rocks.

It's ready, pitch the tent and grap your favorite chair.

Every campsite needs a hammock !

We also used that pine to make this outside table.

We are now working on bringing in a garage we found. We've never had a building moved, so this will be an interesting process. We'll be sure to post many pictures of that. It will be interesting, that's for sure.

Until then we are enjoying the last few weeks of summer, we hope you are doing the same.

Still Vacationing But....

2007-07-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

We haven't been to the church to work lately, but I do have photos from earlier projects. I'll post them for fun.

Blue highlites are all the rage, at least they are after your little brother stands on a ladder and paints above you...

or when your dog uses a newly painted tool shed as a scratching post !!

Our fire pit area is done. I could spend hours sitting watching the fire. I was doing just that one evening when a deer walked up from behind the wood pile (I was sitting on the left log.) Walked towards me then turned and walked down the path. I was shocked !! And my dog (who barks at falling leaves) didn't even look up at it. I got up and followed the deer down the path. We played "Red Light, Green Light". He would put his head down to eat and I would walk. When he looked up I would freeze. He would just look at me, then calmly wander down the path with me following. At one point I was close enough I could touch him (but I didn't dare.) It was amazing !!! Little side story... 2 days later I was standing on the my deck when a bird landed four inches from me and just stared at me. It sat there forever, I finally reached out my hand and it flew away. My husband and son were out there with me, looking at me in disbelief. I said, "Who am I now, Mother Nature ?" Weird !!

Dead hallow trees make great roasting stick holders !!

It's another beautiful, sunny weekend ! Hope yours is the same. Kel

Tool Shed

2007-06-26T12:42:00.000-05:00

Here we go with before & after of our tool shed.

It was the men's outhouse.

Before

After

We replaced the roof, floor and other rotted boards.We added a few work stations and used many layers of primer and paint. I think it cleaned up pretty well and yes all "outhouse" elements were removed and filled in!

Before
&

After The floor wasn't quite dry, so I couldn't put everything inside yet. I got these barrels at an auction for $4, the small one, a dumpster diving find !!! These will be perfect for our garden tools.

I need to find a few more treasures for the walls, but I'm sure I'll stumble upon something soon.

We thought a wheel barrel would be useful at the church. My husband pointed out a few at Home Depot, but I just couldn't. I told him I would find one at a garage sale and a few days later I found this beauty. It is just what I was looking for. Think of all it's hauled over the years. It also makes a great place to hang out,

or eat a little lunch.

Another project complete ! It feels great. Now I think we'll play for a few weeks instead of work. Hope your July 4th holiday is great fun. Enjoy ! Kel

You Bought the Haunted Church??!!

2007-06-17T14:23:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back two ladies and a little boy came down the gravel road across the street from our church. They stood there looking at us working and I waved. They waited a while and finally crossed the road and walked towards us.

The one woman said,"Did you go inside the church ?"

I replied, "We bought the church, we own it."

"YOU BOUGHT THE HAUNTED CHURCH ???!!!!"

So the story goes they have been vacationing at the resort down the road for 30 years, since they were kids. The first thing they would do is walk down the road and look at the "Haunted Church". They had told many ghost stories around the campfire to scare each other, so daring each other to go look at the church was a huge deal. ( We had a house like that growing up we called the "Cat Lady House, she ate little kids !!!! )

The woman said this was the first time she ever even crossed the road, but her brother would actually cross the road and one time even touched the front door !!

So we invited her in !!

"No, no, no, I can't believe I even crossed the street."

Well I insisted and the all came in and...

She was crushed !!

"What? This isn't scary at all !! This is really nice in here, it's just a normal building, nothing scary about it. I don't believe it."

I felt bad that I had crushed the childhood stories she had believed all her life, so I told her about the ghosts and that I thought it was really haunted.

She said she would have to bring her brother back. He would NEVER believe she went into the Haunted Church. I told her to stop by anytime and I would be more than happy to jump out with a sheet over my head when she brings her brother !! She said she would !!!

Enjoy your week. Kel

Church birdhouse

(another great auction find)

PICTURES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-06-10T19:40:00.000-05:00

I remembered the camera !!! So here we go with the before & after of the outhouse...

BEFORE

AFTER

The women's outhouse was rebuilt in the 1980's, so it wasn't that bad. Outside it needed a new roof and a few boards replaced, paint and fun cool junk hanging on it.

BEFORE

AFTER

Inside it was mostly dirty from critters living inside. We tore out the carpet and seats .We put down linoleum tiles and added new seats. There's all kinds of little find inside like these really neat lanterns that look like the came from a church. The reading material is a book called "When Nature Calls", a book of outhouses around the world. It's actually really interesting !!

I love this metal sign. It's a reproduction of a store shop sign from Woodstock.

This planter I LOVE !! My girlfriend Karen and I got it at an auction for $3.00 !!!! I love how it is rusty like the women sign. Karen is my good luck charm. I always get great deals when she's along.

What's an outhouse without a little potty humor ? This sign I got off eBay. The posting said,
" Recycled, Not Stolen" I love that. She got it off a junk pile from a park that was being redone. It was on it's way to the dump and she saved it. How can a "No Dumping Allowed" sign go to the dump? It just isn't right. So now we have the No Dumping Allowed sign on an outhouse... come on it's funny !!!!!!!!!!

So there it is our first project officially done !!! TAH DAH !!!

Thanks to everyone that keeps checking back and leaving comments. It's great fun to hear from you. Check back often, I'll be posting a lot in the next few weeks as I gets caught up with my postings. Enjoy your week. Kel

A Beautiful Spring Day

2007-03-28T17:07:00.000-05:00

A warm spring day and a FULL day of work and play.

First a stop at my FAVORITE junk store and a great find. All these old garden tools for $20. I have to have old tools, they are so sturdy and if they do break, just leave them in the gardens as decor.

The last wall comes down !!!

Now the real fun...the ceiling. All the sheet rock has to come down. That's when having a 6'5" husband comes in handy !

Enough work, let's go for a hike.

This little creek runs across the back 5 acres.

We're having fun exploring the land.

We're looking forward to getting to know the land and all it will offer us in each season.

More Ghost Pictures ??

2007-03-16T14:59:00.000-05:00

Okay what is the bright light to the left ?

This is how most pictures are up there, with the spots everywhere. I cropped this one to get in tight on the two spots on the right.

People have told me that it's just energy and it always happens, but I have never had this happen on my camera until we took pictures at the church. I can take 100s of pictures anywhere else and nothing. Everytime I take them at the church, all these "energy" dots.

My youngest son told me the ghosts like the holes in the wall and even posed with them in this picture.

I asked him if it was a man ghost or lady ghost. He said," It's a man, but there are kid ghosts playing on the stairs!" ookayyyy.... I don't know ???!!!

We all feel good when we are there, so I would think if they were bad ghosts, we would feel it or at least my youngest would. SO ...we are enjoying our church and all it's "energy"!!!

Now if I could teach the ghosts to push a broom !!!!!!

Enjoy your weekend.

When The Walls Come Tumbling Down

2007-03-12T15:13:00.000-05:00

Another day of tearing down walls at the church. We're moving any wall that is blocking the railroad bridge beams. We want those exposed end to end. I think we've done as much as we can without a dumpster. When the snow melts ( 56 degrees today in Minnesota, wahooo !) we'll bring in a dumpster.

I had to save these funky vent pieces. I'll put them in a flower garden and let flowers grow out of them. Can't wait.

We're taking out everything down stairs, even vents. I'm thinking of building a tin man and hiding him in the woods. We'll see how many years it takes the kids to find him.

More ghost pictures to post in the next few days. Stay tuned !!!

Decorating Ideas

2007-03-05T12:28:00.000-06:00

For me the Minnesota winters are a great time to pour over magazines, books and websites, daydreaming of the next garden or project. The church is an empty canvas just waiting for those daydreams. The railroad beams are a treasure and the focus of the project.
Also we are going against all things Minnesota and calling it a "cottage" not a "cabin". This opens up a whole different way of thinking in my mind.
I love my grandma's china she gave me several years ago and it also will be a focus of the cottage. It has always reminded me of a quaint cottage and I love the idea of it's soft, delicate flowers living along side those dark, wood beams.

With those two ideas in place I ran across this floral rug online. (the Company Store 50% off clearance, it has to be a deal or it's hardly any fun!) It finally arrived and... I love it !!!!

The china, floral rug and beams are the center of the project. With all that in mind, we'll see where it takes us and what treasures find their way to us. Can't wait for garage sale season to begin !!!

We are heading to the Holy Land for more demo work on Friday and hopefully an encounter with our ghosts !!!

Check back soon. Kel

What Are You Boys Up Too ?

2007-02-12T17:33:00.000-06:00

The remodeling process is great fun for our boys. We give them hammers and tell them to go tear down the walls. They look at us like we can't be serious. Yes, we said tear down the walls. They love it.

Yes, those are white dots all around the boys. Spirits are still there. I have more ghost pictures and I will post them soon.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your day.

GHOSTS ??!!!

2007-01-24T20:42:00.000-06:00

One thing odd I've noticed about our church is whenever I take pictures there, I often find white dots on the pictures. This time one had a smokey look to the picture, I quickly took more pictures. The smoke was gone, but again white dots.

I've never told anyone about the white dots I've seen in the photos. On the drive home I told the family about the smokey picture and said it was a ghost. My 12 year old son said,"Mom, ghosts don't show up as smoke, they show up as white dots." WHAT ?? I had never said anything about the white dots to anyone. I asked him how he knew that, he said he saw it on the History Channel. Okay, so it is what it is. I will take a different camera next trip to The Holy Land and we'll see if white dots appear. What do people think, any ghost experts out there ?

Discoveries In The Basement

2007-01-24T17:05:00.000-06:00

My father-in-law is a building inspector. We had him check out the church. He said it looked good and was a strong structure. He brought to our attention the beams in the basement. In the furnace room the beams were exposed and he pointed out to us that they were old beams from a railroad bridge. We shined a light on the beams and could see the identification number on the beams. In the main area the beams were covered in sheetrock and trim. We ripped that off and the beams underneath are amazing.

It didn't stop with the beams. My husband went on to tear down the walls !

We also found a hand written note in the basement.

This was fun to find. We'll have to look up Rodney and see if he still lives in the area. He would be 60 years old.

These are our friends that visit whenever we are at The Holy Land. We are always happy to see them.

Girls In Trees

2007-01-24T09:46:00.000-06:00

One thing I'll have to get use to is my dare devil daughter now has huge trees to climb. All I can do is breath deep and hope she doesn't fall.

The Greatest Gift

2007-01-23T20:27:00.000-06:00

I have to say my favorite Christmas gift I received this year was from my sister Kyla and niece Kimber. They were visiting from Ohio and took the time to visit The Holy Land. While there I put them to work along with my children and in 2 1/2 hours we cleared a nice wide path from the church out to the open field. It was a lot of work, but we had fun and when it was all done we marvelled at what we had accomplished. Now whenever I walk the path I think of them.

Take a walk along that path.

I have a few more posting before I get to the ghost story, yes ghost story !!!!! Check back soon. Kel

The Outhouse Story Continued...

2007-01-21T21:28:00.000-06:00

We spent the day at the Holy Land and took a lot of pictures. I have so much to tell you all, so check back often. First the outhouse...

Here are the before and after pictures.

This is the candle holder I mention earlier. It provides a little light and looks like it came from a church.

That's about all we can do on the outhouse during the cold winter months. In the spring we will paint the outside. My 6 year old son requested we remove the "Women" sign on the outside. I like the sign, so I told him we'll add a "Men" sign to it. He said that was fine.

So much more to tell, but it will have to wait. Check back soon.

Mom, I gotta go !!

2007-01-08T21:43:00.000-06:00

Our first project comes out of need, the need to use the restroom ! Our church does not have plumbing, so no bathroom. But it has two outhouses out back. The men's is pretty old and home for many critters, so we're focusing our attention on the ladies outhouse. The Ladies outhouse was rebuilt in the late 80's (we found a date written on the wall). We believe the outhouse was home to a squirrel and we hope he finds a better home in the trees because we covered the whole at the top of the door he worked so hard to make. We tore out the carpet, cleaned, removed old seat, put down flooring tiles around the seat area, put in new toilet seats and all necessary items. The reading material for our new restroom I found on Ebay, Nature Calls: The History, Lore, and Charm of Outhouses. Perfect, I love that Ebay !!

One lesson we've learned is outhouse toilet seats are very cold in the winter !! Going with the Holy Land theme, we've name the outhouse...The Holy Crapper

The inside is decorated with a few crosses but my favorite things are the two candle holders. They hold small tea light candles and look like the incense burners at church. They're metal and hang on a chain. They are perfect for adding a little light and look like they came from a church. Next weekend I will take the "after" pictures and post all the pictures of the outhouse. People also wanted more pictures even the close ups, so I'll post some of those now. THANKS for all the interest and support from everyone. You've added an unexpected element to this project that we will treasure.
Someone commented to pay attention to light, shadows, seasons; using those eyes, I see the trees' shadows are so interesting across this picture. I also love the one below of a shadow on concrete. It's fun to look at these pictures and see art; not just a project but something beautiful.

Thank you for that. Enjoy! Give Free Hugs Kel

What's the Story ??

2007-01-05T20:27:00.000-06:00

Our church was built in the 1950's. Three years ago a new larger church was built on land to our west. The church and other land was then purchased by a gentleman and he split the land into three lots and put them on the market in July. We ran across it on the Internet in early October, made an offer and here we are.

We have named it "The Holy Land". We were surprised to find the church's basement was so nice ! I expected it to be scary, wet and stinky. Not at all. It is dry and clean, a very useful space. So we will turn this area into our cabin and leave the main church area open for now.

I'm looking at all my pictures and realize that they're all close ups of lights, windows, doors...reminders to us of what we need to work on, but not very interesting for others. Next time we are up there I will take "normal" pictures.

You Bought What ???

2007-01-05T16:37:00.000-06:00

Yes, we bought a church.
We were not really looking for a church to buy, but these things just happen. We were looking for 10 - 20 acres in a certain area and found just what we were looking for.... 10 acres of beautiful woods, wetlands and a huge meadow of wild flowers !! The church was a bonus. Now we embark on a lifelong project, turning the church into our cabin/studio/retreat/gathering place/tourist information center for all our family and friends. Check back often to see how this project is going. Free Hugs !! Kel