House Flip

Blinds I put up

painted garage floor

one room full of stuff (there was more to come!)

Nice white garage

new toilet

new tile floor in bathroom

bamboo floor (not cleaned yet)

Darian Drive house

I haven't posted much about our house flip. It's kind of hard to explain. When we decided to rent our house, we needed a place to store all our stuff as we live in a condo in Hilton Head that is fully furnished. Therefore, the house purchase was more of a need for storage then anything else. Unfortunately, when we moved all our stuff, we realized we have a lot more stuff then we thought, and there really isn't much room in the house. When we bought the house, we didn't think it would need much fixing up, but if you know us at all, you will understand why the project became alot bigger then we originally planned! We really only had about 2 weeks to get things done and of course, we didn't finish. However, we did do the things necessary to get all of our stuff moved in. We decided to smooth the ceilings which is a very messy process. We hired Bill, a very old guy who knows his drywall. After the ceilings were done, Mike and "The kid" put in the bamboo floors. I painted the nasty paneled walls in the garage with Emily's help (even though she had a cold) and was able to paint the garage floor with the help of a rented kerosene heater to keep it warm. We also had all the walls and trim painted. Mike put in a toilet and light fixture in one of the bathrooms and tiled both bathroom floors, and I put up all the blinds. It is a beginning, but there is much left to do. The fireplace is an issue as it doesn't work and we had to tear all the brick around it down. We also still have to put in a kitchen, add vanities and light fixtures, hang doors, and fix some odds and ends. We are hoping to be able to work on it in May. All in all, I think it will be a lovely little house when it is finished. It is in a nice neighborhood and it is a unique little house with character which I love. The pictures chronicle some of what we have done so far.

Valentine Weekend

Beautiful Tybee Island sunset

Mudbug Sign

Yum?!

God's beauty from the Sea

DeSoto Bed and Breakfast

My wonderful husband surprised me with a weekend away for Valentine's day. He took me to Tybee Island, Georgia. If you have never visited this place and you like beaches this is a must for your to do list. It is a tiny, quirky, little place with deep beaches. We happened to pick the weekend that they were having a Mardi Gras celebration. While we didn't attend the ball, we did witness a mud bug contest. That was interesting. You had to suck the head and tail off a crawfish. It didn't look good and it didn't smell good but there were several who attempted it. We arrived in the pouring rain but we were quite comfortable in our room at the DeSoto Bed and Breakfast. We ate dinner at the Crab Shack which was also a quirky place but a lot of fun. On Saturday we went to a salvage store and found all kinds of old ironwork, wood work, fireplace surrounds, and antiques. It was fun to look around. Mike also went and purchased a netbook - my gift to him - I let him get one! We then walked to the end of Tybee and walked back to eat dinner at "Marlin Monroe". Sunday we spent a beautiful but cold day exploring the lighthouse and museum. Tybee has quite a colorful history. All in all it was a great get away. I love the beach no matter what time of the year. It always seems to cause me to relax and enjoy the beauty of God's creation. Thanks, Mike for making Valentine's Day so special. I love you!

But what about the rum?

Alexandru, Noriko, Urey, and friends

Ryan and Nico having a good time

Josh can't wait to dig in!

Tuesday was homemade dinner and birthday celebration at our IJGA house. We were celebrating Josh Hopwood's birthday which was over Christmas break. He requested codfish cakes and rum cake both of which are Bermudian foods. Well, they both turned out well. The codfish cakes are a mixture of cod fish, potatoes, parsley, and some spices which are then molded into patties and fried. They weren't to bad, but I think we need a little practice. The rum cake was a hit; no leftovers. Apparently it is necessary to buy a special rum only made in Bermuda to make the cake. After much internet searching I found a place and had Mike's sister purchase it for us. I thought it would be difficult to find, but we discovered that it is sold pretty much everywhere. The cake was very easy to make.

Here is the recipe I followed: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Golden-Rum-Cake/Detail.aspx

I highly recommend you try it!

Tribute to Dad

The Schreck Family

Well, it has been quite a week. We went to Dad's memorial service on Sunday. It was full of laughter, tears, and family. Josh and Em were able to fly in and all the grandkids were there except for Jessica and Alli who was unfortunately to sick to fly. We had a family pizza party Saturday night and spent the evening sharing our memories and stories of dad. The service on Sunday was a beautiful memorial of song, scripture, and a tribute of a life well lived. Dad was always prepared and well organized in his life and it was no exception in his death. I asked Mike if dad forgot about anything and if there would be a blessing like they did in the Bible. He said he didn't know. While staying at mom and dad's we learned that dad had left a note on his desk that the family had just found. It said the following:

"To My Grandchildren:

Trust in God and treasure his written word - read it daily - if no more than a chapter of Proverbs a day it will reveal God's likes and dislikes to you.

Work - If you are working for someone you need to give your best effort every day. If you find that you can not do this, find a job where you can. A job that you want to do every day - as for the Lord."

After we read this Mike turned to me with tears in his eyes and said, "That was the blessing". I don't think I can add any more to that.

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

Jae and Josh

Jae turned 16 over Christmas

The strawberry cake seemed to be a success! It was not difficult and it was pretty, as well. I did have some icing leftover. Here are some pictures. My next task is a Bermudian Rum Cake for Josh. He turned 16 over Christmas break, too. Any ideas?