Labor Day Weekend

Last month, over Labor Day weekend, we did some serious supplies procurement for the bungalow. Both Lowe's & Menards had major sales and we made the best of them. Amanda and Eric spent hours figuring out what we needed to purchase to get it updated and livable. Then they spent several more hours comparing prices to get the best deal. We still spent so much money that we ended up getting dedicated CSRs to help us find everything, load things and get our purchases up front to the registers. We bought everything including, literally, the kitchen sink. Both stores ended up providing three people to load our supplies onto the trailer. I think the managers wept with joy when we left.

Of course, at that point in time, we thought we'd be much farther along than we are today, due to Eric's broken ankle. The work required to get moved into the bungalow is much more extensive than what we originally thought.  We have lots of "stuff" but we're kind of short on workers at the moment.

 In this picture are several toilets, sinks & vanities.

And in this picture, about 30 gallons of paint, interior & exterior.

During this down time, we're learning a lot and working on a comprehensive project plan to help us be more realistic about the time/effort that will be needed to get things done. Not to mention how to add in some padding for the unexpected (like broken ankles). I'm used to planning major projects at work. This, however, is project management on steroids. It includes: work on the bungalow, work on Toad Hall, work to get the Beech Grove house ready to sell, and scheduling for the business and how that might impact our "time off".  In the process, we're beginning to try to define what "free" or "down" time really is these days.

Oh, happy Family History Month. I'm trying to figure out all the resources that are available at the IN State Library and IN State Archives. I think that I'd prefer to spend my next vacation at the IN State Library rather than Disney World. Amanda says I'm crazy, but I truly think I'd be happier with the information I'd get at the library than buying a ticket and just wandering around WDW. Not only am I finding out a lot about my ancestors but we are finding some very tantalizing clues about the early history of the house.

More to follow!