news! news! news!

Okay, so a lot has been going on, that is why I haven't posted in a long time. Number one news flash: PORTER IS WALKING!!! he started just a few days after he turned 10 months old...We are proud but not too surprised, considering that Jackson walked at 10 1/2 months we knew Porter would want to try to keep up with his brother.

number TWO news flash: JACKSON IS POTTY TRAINED!! yeah!!! he has had two whole days of no accidents (I know it doesn't seem like much, but after days and days and days of accident, two days with none is AWSOME!!)

number THREE news flsh: WE ARE MOVING! we are going to a house just a mile away from where we live now. And we are getting really excited. We took our first few loads of stuff over today, and we officially move in oct 1st!

Pictures to come later!!

THE TRAILER PROJECT

Okay, So, we got this trailer in MAY from Judd's cousin. They live right behind Judd's Dad's house in Rexburg. Her husband hauled the trailer across the fields and the ditch with his escavator. it was pretty cool. So yeah, that is a tarp on top becuase the roof blew off and few months before, and we couldn't reuse it (judd said) bc it leeked, I think he could have just patched it.
When we moved it onto the property we realized we weren't really ready for it. We didn't have the power or water lines. So we spent a week with the power box, judd had to buy parts and put it together on a post and then an electrician had to come out and inspect it. Then we had to dig up the water lines which was a hit and miss. Judd's Dad thought he knew where they were so he just started digging with his skidstir and LUCKILY they found the line the same day. Judd had to buy some more parts to bring the water up and we had to check the water pressure, which was good, and which was LUCKY too.

Judd and his power box.

So we got this trailer to turn it into a commercial kitchen. YUP it's true. We have to do weird things like put a sink in the floor and a drain. We have to finish the walls with a washable paint, or put up plastic. We have to get the whole thing signed off and approved as we go. We want to start catering, and this is the way the city/state says we have to do it.
Okay so the power was suppose to cost us another $300 but when they came to hook it up they said, "oh this power line is twisted and old, and bc it had a transformer on it the city has to replace it for you." and while they were doing it they gave us the power for free. or something, it was LUCKY.

trailer cont.

okay so this is the inside of the trailer when we first got it. Well, Judd had already started ripping stuff off, as you can see the mess on the floor. It smelled like mice, so we had to tear off all those walls and the cabinets. And we had to tear out all the insulation too bc it was basically a big mouse nest...yeah...so these are pictures of one end and then the other end.


and these are pictures of the new insulation, and later you will see pictures of the sheet rock. I put that insulation in by the way!! Judd was doing stuff on the roof while I worked cutting and measuring insulation and instaling it. I had a sore throat for 3 days after from the fiberglass, and I luckily knew to wear long sleeves and gloves so my skin didn't get it too bad...aren't you proud of me?

after the insulation is done, then you have to put up big sheets of plastic, then the sheet rock...I learned so much!

The Roof

First Judd had to measure then build all these tresses for the roof.

Then when he had made enough he nailed them on the trailer(Judd and his Dad on the roof)Okay so when we got to this part we got a notice on the trailer that we had to get a building permit (we were hopeing to skip that part) And they would have to come inspect the trailer and we had to tell them our plans for it and we would have to pay this big fee... SO Judd got me stressed out saying, well they may make us tear the roof off, bc technically we aren't suppose to do ANYTHING until we get our permits...But LUCKILY they were nice and said the roof looked good and to keep going (and really they just wanted their fee) which was almost $300.

and then they laid cross boards to stablize the tresses, and for something to screw the tin onto.

This is a storm that went around the farm. Really. It rained everywhere but where we were working. (I thought that was a blessing) So we had the whole thing with out a roof for 3 or 4 days and it didn't rain once, even though it was in the forecast.

This is the tin they screwed on the roof. next Judd cut all those boards so they were even, and then he covered the end with plywood and then tin to finish it off.(And that is Jackson climbing on the latter.)

Trailer cont.

This is showing the last bit of sheet rock we had to do to cover the insulation

sheet rock is finished!!! But we have to get an inspection, I hope we pass, we haven't even scheduled it yet bc we haven't been here. (Or Judd hasn't been here.) and you can see the windows are in. (Just putting in all the windows took a WHOLE day)AND there used to be a window in that little end, but he put plywood over it and tin, and it saved us spending another $150 on a window! He did such a good job.

The back of the trailer finished

The front of trailer finished!! except for one little window (above the power box.)

detailed picture of the roof. There had to be no loose ends, all the tin had to be tight and sealed. I told judd the roof was good after we had all the plywood on, but he said no he had to cover it with tin to make it look nice. and it does. but it took a lot of extra time. Now all we have left for the outside is a new door. A stairway to get up, the trailer's skirt, and of course, frame in the windows.

So we have been working really hard. We usually get to work only 2 days a week!. Judd has been working with his dad selling pigs, so he is gone 2 or 3 days a week. Then one day is Sunday (no working) and the other 2 days we spend on the trailer. It has taken us 3 1/2 months to get this far and it has been very frustrating for me. I live in a time when you usually can get what you want almost instantly! I have had to be patient. IM NOT GOOD AT THAT. And I feel like we still have SO far to go. which we do. But next summer we will be ready to do the farmers market. And we may get to cater this winter for weddings or business chirstmas parties or other things. It just a matter of getting the word out.

Our key thing is PORK of course! pulled pork, tastey enough to stand on it's own, you don't even need BBQ sauce. We brine and slow cook the pork. It's actually Judd's family tradition, I just came into it. I have NEVER tasted anything like it, except in Hawaii when they do the luau pigs. And just two weeks ago we had somebody tell us it was better than the Polynesian Cultural Center's.? There are several other's doing BBQ pork, and Sam's club has their pulled pork now, which is dang good. But seriously, Judd's family recipe is BETTER!!
So this is why I support his crazy, but good, Idea. I'll keep you posted!

Happenings at the Riley's

So I found Jackson asleep like this. He asked me for the "hoop ball glove" every ball is a hoop ball. Don't ask. But the first ball he learned to say was basket ball and because it goes in the hoop, well there you go...cute huh? I LOVED finding him like this!

This is a new haircut after we went to Canada, so a little old.

Look at my boy Porter, growing up. This started happening about two or three weeks ago. We keep thinking he is going to walk, but nope! he wont take a step, but he loves to stand, he does it all the time!

SO, we read this story and Jackson was flipping out over his indian feather hat and kept flipping the pages back and showing it to me, and I thought...I have some feathers so I might as well....

Life is pretty fun for the most part, I am so sad the summer is going. I can't even think about it or I will cry. seriously.
Oh and scroll down for a crazy story

Happenings at the Riley's

Okay, So Jackson is obsessed with his bike. We go on the side walk almost everyday, sometimes twice! he rides down to the cult de sac, around and over on the other side and them comes all the way back. I have to go with him bc there are like 5 driveways and well he doesn't look for cars...anyway. The point is, there is this BIG hole in the asphalt in one of the parking lots. And so, of course, it fills up with water. from rain, dew, the sprinklers? I just know that there is always water in that hole.

okay, so that's the background. By this dip/hole in the asphalt the sidwalk slopes down then back up, so it's a favorite side route of Jackson's to ride his bike down and up agian. momentom, speed, all things that boys like. Okay so that is how we discovered the hole.

Well sometimes I get distracted. A neighbor comes out and chats with me, or I'm on the phone....anyway I was not paying attention....and well, you can see the pictures.



BOYS WILL BE BOYS! oui!