New Sink

This has been a busy week. Don't want to get my hopes up too high yet, but we are looking to buy a piece of land about ten miles south of Marquette. If all goes well, we will sign a purchase agreement in the next week or so. Dad has been doing most of the the legwork to make it possible, and it looks like the perfect location to build the dome!

Yesterday I pulled out the old bathroom sink. Not only was it made out of the cheapest materials possible, but it was glued to the brackets and the walls. The walls were on all three sides. Completely unnecessary as just the screws would have been sufficient. Had to rig up a lever to break the bonds and broke the countertop in the process. Not sure anyone would have wanted it anyway, but now it is definitely headed for the dump.

The install so far has gone better than the demolition. The new sink and countertop are in. Looking good so far. Today I will try to connect the plumbing and install the lower frames. Hopefully the problems aren't too big because the hardware store is closed on Sundays...

We got a nice snowfall on Tuesday - gone already, of course.

The old sink.

The new sink.

Winter.

Finally, winter arrived. We have ice on the pond. It is the coldest morning of the season thus far at six below (C). The sun is shining, so it will get above freezing today, but not much. It might even snow a bit this coming week. Sure is nice to see the sun more and more! We are exiting the two months of darkness.

My energy levels are quite low. I guess that is because it is January. Haven't really even had a cold yet this winter that I can remember, so that is really great not to be so sick all the time! Also, I scheduled an appointment to get my eyes measured for laser surgery. It would be great not to deal with contacts and glasses any more. They are really busy though, so it is hard to get a spot. Needs to be planned way in advance.

A few weeks ago we had a 120 euro dimmer switch stop working in the bathroom. So we replaced it. A few days ago the same thing happened in the kitchen, but this was 130 to replace. So we decided to just put a regular switch in. Of course they can't match what we had, so we have to get everything new. We do have a match in the hall, so I brought that one to the kitchen to match everything else and the hall switch will be new.

On Wednesday I submitted my short story to the University of Michigan (Michigan Quarterly Review) to see if they will publish it. Fingers crossed. I also handed in my portfolio for a promotion at work. I am curious to see how they respond as I mentioned that I wouldn't be doing the extra work any more on a volunteer basis. Figured it was reasonable to show them what I could do, and then leave it up to them if they want to pay me for it or not.

This coming week will be about the big install for the new bathroom sink. I have to finish up one hidden part of the frame tomorrow, then I can install it next weekend. That will be a big project. After the frame and sink are installed, I will need to make all seven drawers. Another big project. Hopefully it goes in without any disasters!

We were at an playground last weekend where they have some chickens and turkeys. The girls were watching the birds for a while and then they came running up to me, "Daddy, Daddy, we have a problem! Come look! Someone cut off the birdie's head!"

Open Day

Last year when our school had an open day it was a miserable experience for me. Yesterday things went a lot better. I brought my own food which probably made the biggest difference. The school only provides little snacks even though they advertise a lunch, and they expect you to be there from 9-3. I also knew where to park and what to expect in general. Got to help out a bit with parking too, so there was a bit of variety. Otherwise my job was basically the Walmart greeter. Everyone gets the day off on Monday (except for the people who don't work on Mondays, like me).

It was a really busy week at school with working an extra day and basically finishing up my portfolio to apply for a promotion. I should be able to hand it in next week - just waiting on one last review. I even managed to get the second and last coat of tung oil on the bathroom cabinet. Needs to cure for a couple weeks before the install.

Naomi is starting to feel a bit better about her shoulder. She wants to try driving this morning, so we shall see how that goes. I am more than ready for her to resume her normal responsibilities.

Abigail sleeping like she is ready for a trip.

The Workshop

I have spent a lot of time this week in the shop! Busy with making a cabinet for our bathroom. I finished up with the difficult material - santos mahogany. It is really hard. More that twice that of maple. Been going through a lot of drill bits. So far it is looking really good though!

It has been a less restful holiday that I had anticipated, but definitely a lot more productive. We got a lot of administrative work done and even managed to book a couple houses in France for the May holiday. Looking forward to that already!

The girls had a few friends over this week. One even spent the night! Exciting to do that for the first time. They even got some sleep. The girls are also really looking forward to school starting up again tomorrow. Hopefully we can get them split off into other classes soon. They have been fighting a lot lately, so we think it is time for a bit of separation. For now, it is time to get them in the bath!

I had 'helpers' in the shop.

The sink will set into this countertop.

The frame for the seven drawers.

I made seven handles in two hours - saved 60 euro.