Charlie and Chris deserve a ton of credit for the progress since May 5th.  They have successfully replaced and levelled all the rotted beams in the kitchen.  They will add one cross beam to the kitchen to support the flooring and then will be able to repair/install the plumbing and electrical upgrades necessary for the kitchen and mudroom. 

I was amazed to see how effective bleach/water and vinegar/water mixtures were on the upstairs flooring and the bannister.  I learned how necessary knee pads are when scrubbing floors and I also learned it's much easier to break through and remove years of muck if you use steam.....thanks to my mother for loaning us her steam machine!!!

Charlie came face to face with the infamous black snake last week.  The snake was sunning himself on the pile of roof shakes on the front porch of the house.  The snake is roughly six feet long and of course, Charlie let him go as he will help keep the mice down.  This snake was the sole inhabitant of the house between Katheryn's passing and our purchasing of the property so it's only right to keep him on....don't tell my daughters I said that!  :) 

The downstairs bathroom is moving right along.  Charlie determined the boards we purchased from the salvage yard to replace the original flooring in the bathroom were a tiny bit too thick in comparison with the existing flooring.  Before I could call a commercial wood working business, Jim Batchelder came over for a visit and told Charlie about his expertise in restoration and preservation of historic homes.  He offered to bring his planer over and help Charlie plane the boards to match the existing flooring.  By the end of that day, Charlie had the flooring measured and ready for installation.  We should receive the shower we ordered by the end of the week.  Charlie will get the plumbing figured out once the shower is in then the flooring will go down permanently.  We will be able to move in once that bathroom is functional!!!

I decided to plant knock out roses along the front porch of the house.  The Dogwoods and Cherry Trees along the driveway are doing well and the kids are already on me to spruce up the bed at the end of the driveway---I was happy to hear that as they are not all entirely on board with this "adventure".  :)

The inside is ready for painting---we will begin with what is to be Charlie's mom's room.  We will then paint the entrance hall and finally the living room.  The rooms upstairs are not on the priority list as of yet...

The King George Historical Society will hold their annual picnic at Cleydael on the 21st of June and they have invited the King George Chamber of Commerce to join them.  We are looking forward to hosting the event and hope to have the room that served as Dr. Stuart's office decorated with some of the items from that era as well as some items that were previously owned by Katheryn Coombs.  

This week we will order screens for the windows and two fans for the attic windows.  The natural air conditioning in the house is amazing and we intend to use the windows/doors as much as possible!    

Finally----we are happy to report that Peoples Community Bank in Montross has approved our request for a construction loan.  This loan should see us through the remaining repairs/restoration costs---so on with the work!   Joining in on our effort since my last posting is Doug Balmaz, owner of TAYLEX Construction.  We are very fortunate to have Doug and the expertise he brings.    

The last of the spring tour groups visited today and once again, we shared what we know of the history of the house and invited all 50 people in to tour the property.  The excitement of the day did not end with the tour though.  Charlie and Chris jacked up the wall in the kitchen that had the termite damaged beam and replaced the beam with a new one!  It was very exciting (if you're into these kids of things)!  The work on the downstairs bathroom and the kitchen is moving quickly now....we can't wait to move in!