The New “Normal”, if you will, is a work in progress.  I was left alone (yes, no kids or husband) up on the mountain yesterday and it has given me time to organize, regroup with myself, and eat a few Reese’s eggs without anyone else NEEDING one!  Wonderful.  So I wanted to update.

We cannot thank everyone enough for the prayers, support, funds, clothes, household, and help with laundry.  If it were not for everyone letting us lean on them we wouldn’t be getting through this mess.

The day was filled with cleaning up the “honeymoon cabin” – which hadn’t been touched in over 15 years so Grandpa Albert has a warmer place to sleep than the 1970’s camper.

With this cold front coming I was worried about him.  So after emptying the vacuum three times, powder on the floor (yes baby powder, its all I had today!), bleaching the walls, and shutting off the bathroom area (which is another disaster that can’t be fixed right now).  I think I have it sleepable for him.  Its warm, doesn’t smell too much like mice anymore and the dresser up there is as clean as I can get, even lined it with dryer sheets and newspaper.  It will work for right now.

Before (YUCK)…..I don’t have an after…I’m too tired to climb that hill again but it smells good and is CLEAN!  WHOO HOO!  Someday that pink color will be painted over…someday!  Another 7 inches of snow today (totaling over 18 inches in the last week!), Starting to wonder about our current projects and the future ones, looks like it will be a bit longer until we can start the permanent house.

I also had a chance to organize the Bookshelf/pantry/closet/toy holder/diaper area.  Talk about one room living!  We are so living it!

Here is my finished kitchen!  After a long 15 days we have an oven to cook on!  Well almost, the guys took the kids to Sheridan to pick up one more part.  Tonight I will be a cooking bunkhouse queen….not quite as fun singing the Queen of My Double Wide!

I had a chance to look around our burnt house a little.  The snow has covered up a lot, but I did find a few things that made me smile a little.

 Really, you made it?

  Here is Cody’s Piggy Bank sans $$

Amazing what survives isn’t it?

After we get the garage finished as another living area we will begin cleaning this mess. The plumbers were here trying to get my laundry waterlines into the garage.  Bad news…they are running into 15 inches of frost, and now anther 7 inches of snow after last night…I was praying there wasn’t any frost and we could start a foundation right now!  Wishful thinking.  But we will stay positive and this will give us opportunity to research what we really need/want/can afford in a home!

I do know there is still funding coming into the Kougl Fire Relief fund and the fun at Western Dakota Bank in Timber Lake, SD.  We cannot tell you how much that means to us.  It will take at least 6,000 to get this garage flipped over to a usable space for our family (and that is doing everything but the  rough plumbing ourselves).  Not to mention we still have to build a home when the weather clears up, Pray for my sanity and strength as we move through this!   Someday I cannot wait to pay all this support forward.

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