Author Archives: deestimes

Year 6, Day 36 “Living the Dream”. Friday, 6/05/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 11 Foundation Block Laying. In the mornings the gound at the build site always has lots of worm poop. This poop is worm castings (or vermicast). In the evening the worms borrow up and poop and then borrow back down. Steve saysContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 36 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying Day 11”

Year 6, Day 35 “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 6/04/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 10 Foundation Block Laying. In the morning the area between the master bedroom suite and the main house foundation was plastered and tarred. Garage corners were started in the afternoon under sunny warm skies. Let’s talk about Mortar. Mortar is a mixtureContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 35 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying Day 10, garage corners started”

Year 6, Day 34 “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 6/03/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 9 Foundation Block Laying. Tranformer and light installed on pole. Garage stairwell block is completed up to 8 courses and plastered. Foundation Block Laying Day nine video: Daily reflection: Here’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4dnQgf0 Cetaphil Skin Activator Hydrating &Continue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 34 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying Day 9”

Year 6, Day 33 “Living the Dream”. Tuesday, 6/02/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 8 Foundation Block Laying. It’s just another another Block laying day. Those L blocks are looking good. We hung another humingbird feeder and we have ten hummingbirds eating at a time. They are flying pigs. They empty the bird feeders everyday. WeContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 33 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying Day 8”

Year 6, Day 32 “Living the Dream”. Monday, 6/01/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 7 Foundation Block Laying. Early rise and out to purchase some L Block. These will be used halfway up the foundation wall that borders the master bedroom suite. That is where the basement and crawl space will meet. We also picked upContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 32 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying Day 7”

Year 6, Day 31 “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 5/31/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 6 Foundation Block Laying. 7 of the 11 corners are completed up to where scaffolding is needed. What is going on here?? Did you know that taking a cruise can give your brain a legitimate boost? Unplugging from everyday stressors, slow travel”Continue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 31 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying Day 6”

Year 6, Day 30 “Living the Dream”. Saturday, 5/30/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 5 Foundation Block Laying. The new cleaning crew. The retired cleaning crew. Foundation Block Laying Day five video: Daily reflection: Here’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4dnQgf0 Cetaphil Skin Activator Hydrating & Firming Body Lotion Fighting that old age skin. UseContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 30 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying Day 5”

Year 6, Day 29 “Living the Dream”. Friday, 5/29/2026, Clifty Hill 3. We forgot we had to be in Lexington this morning. So it was a rush to get out of the house by 7am. It was way to hot to start block laying at 1pm when we got home. So we did chores aroundContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 29 – Clifty Hill 3 – Lexington and Wellington chores”

Year 6, Day 28 “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 5/28/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 4 Foundation block laying. Beautiful sunny day today. The last few days we had over 7 inches of rain. I can literally see the flowers and grass growing. They are so happy that mother nature provided that long refreshing drink and nowContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 28 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying Day Four”

Year 6, Day 27 “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 5/27/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 3 Foundation block laying. Had to knock off a little early due to storms passing through at 2:30pm. The two corners that butt up to the garage and bedroom area lined up perfect. The sixth course should run right into the stepContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 27 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying Day three”

Year 6, Day 26 “Living the Dream”. Tuesday, 5/26/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Another Rain day. No work today. The last few days have been pretty rainy. It is Julianna’s birthday. Time sure flys. This sweetie pie is 15 today. Happy Birthday Julianna. We retired our old Roomba’s and purchased newer models today. They seem toContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 26 – Clifty Hill 3 – Rainy Day no work”

Year 6, Day 25 “Living the Dream”. Monday, 5/25/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Happy Memorial Day! Day 2 foundation block laying. With the rain yesterday and more coming tomorrow. Steve decided to work through our little barbecue. He ate his meal quickly between building corners. I on the other hand spent time with Justin, Bobi, Koral,Continue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 25 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Block Laying day 2”

Year 6, Day 24 “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 5/24/2026, Clifty Hill 3. It is a rainy sunday funday. The Hummingbirds are fully back. You can spend hours watching them. Our hummingbirds are Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris). They are commonly seen in Kentucky from mid-spring through early fall. The males have a red throat and theContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 24 – Clifty Hill 3 – Sunday, a fun rainy day with Hummingbirds”

Year 6, Day 23 “Living the Dream”. Saturday, 5/23/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 1 Laying the block for the foundation.The past two days we have gotten 5 inches of rain. We ended up canceling the open house. We didn’t want people walking through the Wellington with wet/dirty feet. The water has drained from the footing.Continue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 23 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation block laying day 1”

Year 6, Day 22 “Living the Dream”. Friday, 5/22/2026, Clifty Hill 3. It rained alot since yesterday. We have gotten more than three inches so far and it is still rainy. As you can imagine no block work is being done. The birds seem to be loving this rain. They are flocking to the feeder.Continue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 22 – Clifty Hill 3 – Rainy off day”

Year 6, Day 21 “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 5/21/2026, Clifty Hill 3. 7am in the morning Lowe’s calls and says the block order will be arriving in 11 minutes. Oh no. It is raining and it is a soaking cold rain. Lowe’s truck and a subcontracted tractor trailer arrive. Two moffets work to unload theContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 21 – Clifty Hill 3 – Block Delivered, Spencer Kindergarten graduation”

Year 6, Day 20 “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 5/20/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Foundation Day 2. First things first, Always the gym. Love their little jokes!! That bucking bronco John Deere is working today assisting the John Deere Mini Excavator. By the end of the day the stone is placed in the main foundation and theContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 20 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Day 2, Ready for block delivery”

Year 6, Day 19 “Living the Dream”. Tuesday, 5/19/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Foundation Day 1. Setting the Corners. Happy Birthday Joshua. Love you. Corners were marked and nails put in the corners by 9:30am. Yes I did help today!!! The house is all squared up and ready for the corner blocks to be set. TheContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 19 – Clifty Hill 3 – Foundation Day 1, Setting the corners”

Year 6, Day 18 “Living the Dream”. Monday, 5/18/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Home Excavation Day 12, ,Footings Day 4. Justin and Bobi spent last night here. First things first. Happy Happy Birthday to Jenna. Here’s a concrete pour for you. We love you. We are up and out by 6:30am. The first load of concreteContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 18 – Clifty Hill 3 – Home Excavation Day 12, Footings Day 4, Concrete footing pour”

Year 6, Day 17 “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 5/17/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Got the boots so we are ready for the concrete footing pour tomorrow morning. Justin and Bobi took a stroll through the excavation site and found some fossilized brachiopod shells, and Calamites fossils. Kentucky is world-renowned for its fossil-rich sedimentary rock. Fossilized brachiopodsContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 17 – Clifty Hill 3 – Relaxing day before the footing pour”

Year 6, Day 16 “Living the Dream”. Saturday, 5/16/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Home excavation Day 11. Footings Day 3. Justin assisted today. The pier holes are dug, all rebar is in place, forms are built for stepdowns, and piles of stone and dirt moved around for Monday’s concrete delivery trucks. Without Justin assisting, Steve wouldContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 16 – Clifty Hill 3 – Home excavation Day 11 with video, Footings Day 3, ready for concrete”

Year 6, Day 15 “Living the Dream”. Friday, 5/15/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Home excavation Day 10. Footings Day 2. Cut rebar and pounded in ground in trenches. Open house on the Wellington tomorrow from 11am – 1pm. Day 10 home excavation video tour. Daily reflection: Here’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4tWftmp BOSCH GRLContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 15 – Clifty Hill 3 – Home excavation Day 10 with video, Footings Day 2, rebar added”

Year 6, Day 14 “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 5/14/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Home excavation day 9, Footer day 1. Our footers will be twelve inches deep and 24 inches wide. House footings are the lowest part of a foundation. They are extremely important and support the home’s entire weight. Before the machine starts digging lines.Continue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 14 – Clifty Hill 3 – Home excavation Day 9 with video, Footer day 1”

Year 6, Day 13 “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 5/13/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Home excavation day 8. It is a cool breezy day heading to exercise. Grumpy when I start but oh how that physical activity releases those endorphins to improve your mood. Have you noticed that regular consistant movement and stretching besides improving your moodContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 13 – Clifty Hill 3 – Home excavation Day 8 with video, Footing concrete ordered”

Year 6, Day 12 “Living the Dream”. Tuesday, 5/12/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Home excavation day 7. Stone delivered this morning. Excavation done enabling the concrete truck access to pull into the foundation. Farmer behind us has been working on creating round wheat bales. Feed-grade wheat is a palatable, digestible source of nutrients that can beContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 12 – Clifty Hill 3 – Home excavation Day 7 with video, Stone delivered”

Year 6, Day 11 “Living the Dream”. Monday, 5/11/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Home excavation day 6. Tomorrow the entrance into the basement needs to be made wider. The cement truck needs to be able to pull in. This is going to be the corner for the storm shelter area. Day 6 home excavation video tour.Continue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 11 – Clifty Hill 3 – Home excavation Day 6 with video”

Year 6, Day 10 “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 5/10/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Happy Mother’s day to all mothers. But especially to Jenna, Bobi, and Reina. You guys deserve the best Mother’s Day. Love you. Our Mother’s Day consisted of a Lowes trip. Traffic in Somerset was really light, but Lowes parking lot was full. SteveContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 10 – Clifty Hill 3 – Mother’s day and Lowes”

Year 6, Day 9 “Living the Dream”. Saturday, 5/09/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 5 house excavation and Open house for the Wellington from 11am – 1pm. Happy Mother’s day weekend everyone. Feeling loved today. First thing in the morning a delivery of a basket of beautiful flowers, candy, and a balloon arrived. The flower basketContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 9 – Clifty Hill 3 – House Excavation Day 5 with video, Wellington open house”

Year 6, Day 8 “Living the Dream”. Friday, 5/08/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 4 house excavation. After lunch ride back to the house! Leveling the Floor base Ordered #57 gravel for under the basement cement floor. This stone is a clean dust free crushed stone, typically 1/2 to 1 inch in size. Often referred toContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 8 – Clifty Hill 3 – House Excavation Day 4 with video”

Year 6, Day 7 “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 5/07/2026, Clifty Hill 3. Day 3 house excavation. Today’s gas price. A little bit lower than it has been, but look at that diesel. We use a lot of that everyday to run the excavator. Daily reflection: Here’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4tSXWMa ZHRUNS DigitalContinue reading “Living the Dream Year 6 Day 7 – Clifty Hill 3 – House Excavation Day 3 with video”