Sorry Chris

Wasn't it our mothers who said it wasn't nice to laugh at someone else, or that we shouldn't laugh at someone else's misery? Sorry Chris but I have to put this one up. We knew for weeks now that the couch wasn't going to last with the kids jumping on it, but it had to be you and after a hard day of work and a beer!!!!

Here is whats left of our couch....

Not Without A Few Glitches

Construction wouldn't be construction without a few glitches. The house is progressing nicely, but I think sometimes Chris gets a bit carried away with the power of the bobcat. Or the sun was in his eyes? The picture doesn't do it justice, but Jasmine's reaction was priceless. While Chris ran the bobcat, I had the kids in the garage helping me clean and to keep them safe. I don't think the kids are the ones we have to worry about though. During the latest tear down, Jasmine was in the house and ran out to the garage yelling, "the wall is coming in!!!". Unbelievable...the wall in the kitchen was buckling in. I busted a move and ran outside, waved Chris down, and told him what was happening. I guess the North wall of the old house wasn't moving in the right direction.

The only thing left to say would be, "I am lucky it is only a temporary wall".

Tougher Tony

If Tony's recent antics doesn't shed some light on the tough kid he is, his latest will surely show you. A little recap of his latest stunt would be the wild ride he and Emma had in his stroller, which landed him with a cast on his left arm. We should have known that wasn't going to keep Tony down.

To prove his toughness, after his nap, Tony had a little gift for me...his cast. Yup, the little guy handed me his cast as I went to pick him up out of his pack n play. For some reason he felt like taking it off his arm and I am sure it wasn't without a little pain. The picture below will show you what he thinks of it too.

His cast made for a good toy, but his freedom didn't last long. We went right back to the doctors to have another one put back on. The nurses had a chuckle for Tony. Poor Tony didn't like it too much though, because it took four people to hold him down for the new cast. I think this one will stay on for a few days at least.

Watch It In Action!!!!

Here is the chimney coming down. Pretty impressive except that it went further than expected and landed through the floor boards. That left for a nice bit of clean up but again we were able to count on Ben-O. His bad luck (missing out on going to Miami) is our good fortune and probably good for Chris's back too, they got it cleaned up fairly fast. Well, as far as they could go, before filling up the dumpsters and then they just went ahead and organized the mess for easier pick up. The yard isn't a disaster zone anymore either.

Tear Down Continues!!!!

As you can see the tear down continues here at the Carvelli House, and we have been blessed with beautiful weather. The walls have been crumbling with the help of the bobcat and on Friday, Chris took the first of the walls down. The South wall came down before I had the chance to see it it and this is what was left when I came home.


That didn't stop the construction crew from getting their groove on. Look close enough and see the red neck job of getting the tunes heard.

Lastly here is the view the neighbors get to see every morning on their way out of the cul-de-sac and every evening on their way home. Hopefully they appreciate the work that Chris is doing to improve their view.

Tough Tony

Tearing down the house isn't the only excitement we have around here. By the looks of Tony's face, you can tell he has stolen the show for at least one night. Last night while I was at school (online), Tony and the kids went for their usual walk, which consist of down the cul-de-sac and back. The only difference this time was that they took the dog with them.


Everyone was enjoying the weather, maybe just a bit too much, and Emma got a little too excited. She took the stroller for a ride with Tony in the stroller. I was only aware of the chaos because of Nick's shrill screams coming from outside and then a few moments later Tony's bloody face entering the house. It looked worse for the wear with blood streaming down his face. It took a bit to calm him down, a bath and the loving hugs from mom but he did calm down. Only after that did we notice he had stopped using his left hand/arm.

We watched him for the rest of the night but the next morning he wasn't using the arm yet. So into the doctors he went. Dr. Athman is a sweet doctor and isn't use to kids much so I think her ways don't intimidate Tony because while she did her tests, he didn't let out a peep. It wasn't until another doctor did a follow up did he howl and a few x-rays later they discovered the fracture of the wrist. So our Tony gets to be in the cast for a week or so and then we get to go back for a check up.

It's Coming Down!!!!

Bit by bit this house is coming down.....

I guess I didn't take Chris literally when he said this place was coming down piece by piece, but that is just that. Here is Chris going at the roof of the old place, lets just hope it doesn't rain anytime soon.

Here is the little surprise we got as Chris proceeded to rip up the floor.....hardwood floors. He made this discovery 6 1/2 years too late, but it was interesting to see what was under the icky carpet floor.

Now as I type this update someone and Tim are in the old house pulling out the windows and getting the rest of the materials out of the house that this guy wants so hopefully this weekend walls might come down.

Building Mode again

It is spring in the air and Chris has that bug again to get this project rolling. He is already getting the building materials while they are cheaper and stacking them in the garage. It is hard to tell in the picture and in real life too, but supposedly this is all the stuff needed for rebuild of the front house minus the floor and roof trusses.

Then once again Chris has to prove to me that the bobcat was a good investment but shhhh we won't tell him that I actually agree with him on that one too. So since demolition time has started the gutting of the house has been pretty good and now that we have a dumpster the old house is looking emptier and more emptier.

Once the sheet rock has come off, you can tell for sure that there was no existing insulation in the walls and then again we think that maybe they lived in part of the house with just the brick walls too. The living room area, which was part of the original house, the brick is painted. We have a guy coming around the house to pick up the attic insulation so then we can proceed with the tear down.
So that just leaves the kitchen to gut. The cabinets have to come off the walls that we are using in other areas of the house and the removal of the appliances. So if anyone needs an extra stove or dishwasher let us know. Everything is up for grabs in that place.

Jodi Picoult

I have to write this little one up quick since my kids are outside yelling. We are the annoying family you have in the neighborhood that has kids that just yell...well that is us down here. But on Friday night I had the honor of going to see one of my favorite authors talk about her new book on shelves now and other things. Jodi Picoult (pen name) talked about her new book called House Rules, which I have just started but am really getting into it. It is amazing to listen to how an author comes up with their ideas and the research that goes into it. She is great because of the controversial topics she picks and that she already has her 2011 book written too AND her 2012 book idea in the process.

I really enjoyed getting the chance to go this and then meeting her during her signing was really neat to meet her up close. It gives the voices in her novels a whole other dimension once you get to know how they come about too. So I just had to write a little note about that event and that I am looking forward to next year when she comes back, maybe then I will have a book for her to sign.

Rocking Rocco

Here is Nick getting into the action. He had a blast with the hammer and was only mad that he couldn't get the big stuff like his dad.

Demo Has Started

Here is just the beginning of what the demo has been like around here. Chris isn't holding back when it comes to tearing this place down and he is letting Nick get into the action too. The interesting part of this whole operation is that Tony believes he is helping too. He walks behind the boys and pretends to kick holes into the walls that are already there and then smiles at you like he just put the hole there himself.



This first photo shows how the kitchen has already seen some overhaul and the wall between the living space and kitchen has been demolished and the sheet rock is coming down.

This second photo was taken from the living space and you can see right into the kids room. Impressive to see but a little weary to hear them pounding on the walls.

Taking this place down hasn't taken too long and Chris plans to start tossing things out soon. It is hard to imagine with this nice weather we are having that the construction is going to take off fast.

Life Goes On

I guess I had thought that once we got into the addition life would slow down a bit, but I was wrong. Now that Spring is upon us and the weather is getting nicer, Chris is getting more antsy to get the old house down. It is unbelievable how much stuff we still have to move out of the old house. I say we should toss it all, but I think the kids will be mad if I toss all of their stuff.

The evenings are nice when the kids do go to sleep, but I think Nick is kind of lonely when it is time to go to bed. I think all the nights sleeping right next to someone is a hard habit to break. Jasmine on the other hand has gotten over her fears and is loving her room. Now we just have to keep her siblings out of her room.

I think with their four day weekend coming up I am going to take advantage of some extra hands and get this place tidied up. Lets hope it goes well and Chris will be ready with the dumpster this weekend. Then the demo will begin!!!!

First Week Down

We have been in the addition for one week and so far it looks just like that. We still have a whole bunch of crap in the old house. I am really tempted to say throw it away because if we haven't used it yet will we ever? So for this past week I have been trying to put the finishing touches on the kids rooms and I think I have accomplished that yesterday and today Tony and Jayna tore down Jasmine's curtain to her closet. So now I get to go back and put them back up and try to keep them out of her room, before they destroy it.

I realized yesterday that a bigger house means more cleaning!!!! I haven't sat down once I think the days we have been in here and when 8 o'clock rolls around, I am ready for the kids to be in bed. My legs hurt and my feet aren't use to walking on tile all day. Plus tomorrow while I am at school with the bug, Jason (inspector) is coming back to the house to look at the staircase again. Supposedly we didn't get some stuff checked off and the framework to the addition isn't signed off on. Heck...the sheet rock is in the way and Tim is going to have to take that off it needed.

I am glad that I don't have to be here, plus we have all our stuff in now we aren't moving back out so I would like to see the city try and do just that to us. So if possible I am going to get those pictures of the kids room and get them posted here. Bug likes her new sticker I put on her wall reading, "cute as a bug" and Jasmine has, "trouble rides a fast horse" on her wall and Tony got a monster truck sticker on his wall. Oh yeah and the boys bathroom got one too, I will let you read that one for yourself. hehehehehe.