Work Week 23

This week was a busy week.  We are so close to getting all the houses to slab.  We passed inspection on Monday.  During the week people came out to continue working on the next four houses.  Friday  a crew came out and poured the slabs on lot 14, 15, 16, and 17.  

Leticia and her kids came out Friday night, while Debbie and I were working, to see her foundation.

Saturday morning was very, very cold.  I wore 5 layers of shirts and I still was cold. We did our safety meeting and got to work.  Our goal was to finish the last four houses for footings.  We had to finish the front porches on all the houses, had more rebar, fill in hole, add utilities, add boards to the outside of the footings, clean footings, and finish adding the bolts. 

Sunday was a little warmer, but it was a light rain all day.  The ground got more wet as the day progressed.  We all worked hard trying to get the house done. We were very muddy by the end of the day. 

John, Alfredo, and I came out Monday morning to finish up the last few items, so we could get inspection.

 

Lot 10 my house ready for inspection.

My garage

Here is what we put in all of our footings.  A lot of rebar.

another section of rebar

Front porch with rebar

Another view of my house.

Rebar on the front porch of our craftsman house.

We got all of the houses completed.  We passed inspection.  YEAH!  We are so looking forward to getting done with our foundation work.  I can see the end and I can not wait to lay down the last piece of rebar.

Psalm 23

23 The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and lovingkindness
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.


Prayer Requests

1) a dry weekend so we can pour.
2) Our health and safety.
3) We learn our new jobs quickly and do them accurately.
4) wisdom as we try to balance the house building with our families.
5) The relationships that we are building.

Work Week 22

 We were so thankful for the no rain this weekend.  We worked hard and got a lot accomplished.  We got 4 houses ready for inspection on Monday.  If these houses pass they will be poured this week.  YEAH!  That would mean we only have 4 more to get to slab.  We worked on other 4 houses as well.  We are almost ready to pour the footings.  Hopefully, next weekend we will be able to get those 4 ready for footings.  The plumber came out and moved the plumbing for the sinks to the correct spot.  Here is the week in photos:

plumbing moved on 7  houses.

Maria and Jacob adding stakes for inside forms.

Finishing up the cage rebar in the footings.

Pat, Robert, and Wendy putting int the inside forms on my house.

Patricia and Lupe adding the rebar grid to lot 14.

Working on the rebar on 8.

Finishing the rebar on 7.

John working ton the sand on lot 15.

Alfredo, Lupe, and Patrica working on the grid on lot 15.

Adding the plastic down on Debbie's house (16).

more plastic

Brandon working on Debbie's garage.

David and I working on the grid on lot 14.

lot 15 finished

John working on Debbie's sand.

Debbie's house with sand.

Working on more rebar.

John using the sand compacter on lot 16 garage.

Lot 11 working on the utilities.

Jacob and Robert working on forms on lot 7
 

Maria working on stakes on lot 7 garage (Deena's house)

The view from my lot (garage).

 

Debbie's house ready for inspection.

Robert and Maria's garage with grid done.

Debbie's

Robert and Maria's house done.

Thank you to Leticia's family and Lupe's volunteer that came out to help us this weekend.  We are all energized by having helper come out.   

 

The hardest thing for me about building the house is it can become the focus of my life.  I struggle with keeping the house in perspective.  I know that the focus of my life needs to be on the most important things in my life God, family, and friends.  This house is a beautiful blessing that God has given our family.  This year of building the houses is something that God is using in my life to grow my faith and trust in HIM.  The house can become my overriding thoughts. I am so thankful that God has put Debbie and Deena in this group and my other friends that help me refocus on God. I have so many friends that help me out by watching my kids, making meals for us on the weekends, coming out and helping us, and praying for us. God has blessed us so much. 

 

We are very close to getting all the foundations done.  Our goal is to have the foundations done by the 1st of January.  We will need to put many hours in during the week and weekend to get it done.  I can see the end of foundations.  YEAH!!!

 

I have been reading 1 Peter this week.  This passage stood out to me.  I want to rejoice in every weekend even though there are hard moments and hard work to be done.

 

1 Peter 1:3-9

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ⁸ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

 

 

Prayer Requests:

 

1) safety

2) strength

3) unity

4) patience

5) wisdom

Work Weekend 21

Lot 15 with grid in place for slab.

We meet Saturday.  We had our safety meeting on working with power tools.  It rained all morning and so we only worked until 11 am.  Thank you Nate and Katelyn for coming out and being willing to help us in the rain. Sorry we quit right when you arrived.  We would love to have you back anytime.

lot 14 with the grid started

My lot (10) with inside forms in.

Pat working on my house.

Lot 17 with dirt spread waitng for the next step.

Lupe and Patricia waiting for the rain to stop, so they could cut rebar.

I had mix feeling about having another weekend off.  I want to get the house built and know we need to work every week over 40 hours to get the house done in 12 months. However,  I enjoyed the time I got to spend with my kids and friends.  We got to go to church on Sunday and heard a great message .  We were also able to go to our church's Christmas dinner.  We were so blessed by God.  We are building a home we never would dream we would own.  We are working with our neighbors building friendships and our homes.  We are supported by our family and friends, who help with the house building and watch our children. 

Prayer Request:

1) Endurance- We are 5 months in and need to get to out of the dirt.  We have about 7-9 months to go. 
2) Wisdom for Facio-  We are getting closer to framing the houses.  So we will all be learning new skills
3) Unity and Harmony- We need to work as a team, with everyone putting effort out, for us to complete these houses by mid Summer.
4) Weather- We need dry weather for a few more weeks to get the houses all to slab.

Matthew 6:25-33

The Cure for Anxiety

²⁵ “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? ²⁷ And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸ And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, ²⁹ yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ³¹ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.