noTTafarm Design is a Team Effort

Scott may be an experienced architect but he knows his limits . . . so he asked our friend, Amy B., to pitch in on some HVAC and plumbing design for the new addition.  As you loyal blog readers know, Amy and her husband Monte are true friends of noTTafarm and have helped us with such "fun" tasks as demolition and moving.   She is figuring out the heating and cooling loads, and sizing the ductwork . . . real "engineer-y" stuff.  Lucky for us, we trapped her during her maternity leave just as she was getting bored with taking care of a 7-week old baby - so she is willing and able to help.

Scott and I took a field trip to Amy's home so he could talk through a few details.

 Of course, the best part of our trip was getting to see Brenna and Tripp!   Brenna is anxious to come visit noTTafarm again, and bring her baby brother along.

Stay Tuned for More Design Progress!

While You Are Waiting . . .

Believe me.  I understand how bored you are with the blog.  Not much is happening around here so there's not much to blog about!  The great news is that Scott is concentrating on finishing the construction drawings for the new addition.  He is right on track to meet his deadline (imposed by his boss, ME!) of February 29th.  I hope he is willing to share some elevations and floor plans with you soon.  But, in the meantime, I thought it might be fun to share some

Never Before Published Photos of noTTafarm!

August, 2010 Sunset 

It won't be long until we can once again enjoy the beautiful great outdoors!

August, 2010 Building the Fire Ring

Carl rounded up a bunch of concrete blocks and before you knew it our fire pit was born.  We've certainly made great use of it!  We will, however, have to reposition it since our new garage will take over part of this space.

 September, 2010

Our first Labor Day at noTTafarm was special because my folks, Ray and Jolene, and lovely niece Lauren Jo visited from Kearney.  We girls hung out in the beautiful sunshine while Scott and Daddy took down a couple of dead pine trees.

September, 2010 Hammock Time

I miss those hazy days of summer - when I get to sit around in my hammock and watch Scott work in the yard.  Summer of 2011 was too full of gnats to enjoy so perhaps this coming summer will give more opportunities to be comfortably lazy.

 September, 2010 Attic Check

Scott took a peek into the attic...a space he got to know pretty well over the following year.  Lucky for him, the attic has been cleaned out and re-insulated so he shouldn't need to visit again any time soon.

September, 2010 Corn Crib Clean Out

We spent a grimy, humid day in the corn crib, cleaning out debris.

October 2010 Goofing Around

When Scott graded the area around the corn crib, he pushed his 1951 Willys into the yard.  I think it may have been my suggestion for him to pretend to pull it with his teeth.

October 2010 A View from the Roof

Scott went up on the house to clean out the gutters so he took a few photos.  I love this one of the barn and windmill.

March, 2011 Blocking

Scott and Carl figure out some blocking for the bathroom floor from the powder room below.

April, 2011 Reel Mower

Did I ever tell you that Scott dug an old mower out of the grass near the combine?  He towed it and parked it in front of the barn.  What are we supposed to do with this?  He wants to restore it, of course.  My ideas involve the use of a scrap metal guy.

August, 2011 Flowers

Do any of you know what these flowers are?  I have only seen them in bloom at noTTafarm.

Until We Have an Actual Adventure, Stay Tuned!

Snow News is Good News

The big story around Omaha - and actually around this section of the country - was the snow storm that blew in Friday, February 4th.  True to the weatherman's prediction, noTTafarm was treated to an 8-inch blanket of heavy wet snow.  Scott had a great time, of course, plowing the driveway clear with the Ranger.  The only downside was the lack of sunshine; we have endured two days of overcast skies and a bit of fog.  The good news is that Spring is just around the corner!

 The Mini and the Audi were barely distinguishable by noon on Saturday.

 The Ranger did an awesome job (with Scott's help, of course).

 This is a heavy, wet snow; perfect for building a snow fort or for just taking pictures of snow-laden trees.

Scott did about six passes up-and-down the driveway.  No worries about driving the Mini to work on Monday, thanks to the excellent county road crews.

A few inches of snow didn't keep our deer buddies from visiting on Sunday.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Trail Cam Catches "New" Visitors

Time once again for a few photos from the trail camera! Scott recently set it to capture the diners at the food bowl station (under the barbeque grill).  The daily portion of cat food seems to be a hit with more than just cats . . .

 No surprise here . . . raccoons are frequent nighttime visitors!

 Rut row!  It's a skunk! What's the protocol for this?

 Hey!  It's CAT food, dumb dog.  I think this guy lives in the house just north of us; he's come by to say "hi" before.

 Tux is one of the better-fed of the corn crib kitties.

 Morty stopped by for a snack, too.

 And, of course, Bibbers got his share of the Meow Mix.

We're still waiting to see a coyote, a mountain lion, and a bald eagle.  

You'll be the first to know when we do!

Check Back Soon!

The Buck Stops Here, After All!

Plenty of deer greet us every day at noTTafarm.  It's not uncommon to see them having breakfast north of the house, or lining the driveway when we get home after work.  The only thing we've missed seeing is any sort of big-antlered buck.  That is until Sunday morning!

Scott got out of bed just before 8AM and saw this guy on the edge of the pasture south of us.  He had about five or six lady deer with him.

The buck didn't venture into our yard, though his harem did.  He stayed along the fence line and moved west down the hill.

As a reminder to you: hunting is not allowed at noTTafarm. You are more than welcome to come and watch the wildlife but please don't eat it. (Except for snakes; you can do whatever you want to snakes, as long as I don't have to look.)

noTTafarm Cat Tutorial

The first day we visited noTTafarm (way before it was actually "noTTafarm"), we saw the yellow cat in the corn crib that we've all come to know as "Bibbers."  Over the last year or so, we've gotten to know additional neighborhood kitties - especially since Scott puts Meow Mix out every morning (and sometimes at night).

Two of the cats are black and white, and are sometimes difficult to distinguish.  The photos below should help you identify "Tux" and "Churchill" during your next visit.

Tux

Churchill

C'mon Over and Meet the Menagerie!

A Bit Earlier Than Planned

You all know that I'm not in love with the current kitchen but I've been surprised at how functional it actually is. There's plenty of cabinet space and the appliances all work fine.  Well, except for one; the dishwasher inexplicably gave out mid-cycle one evening last week. 

I was all for trying to have it repaired but my unscientific Facebook poll and the insistence of my smart husband convinced me that purchasing a new dishwasher was the right decision.  I was hoping to make it simple by having the Furniture Mart deliver and install the new dishwasher, and haul away the old one.  Scott balked at that idea, however, claiming that he could tote the new dishwasher ("it will only weigh about 20 pounds") and quickly install it ("it will only take me an hour"). 

Let's see how that worked out, shall we?

 One last photo before recycling . . .

Scott used the new dolly he got for Christmas to haul in the 105 pound dishwasher.  Why he didn't remove the bow or gift tag is a question for another day.

Loosening a few bolts, figuring out how to shut-off the water, and finding the right breaker to switch off took more than just a few minutes.

 Leo enjoyed the new dishwasher box!  Too bad Scott is planning on creating a condo for Bibbers . . .

 Halfway done!

 Scott did a "dry run" to make sure everything fit the way it needed to.  Success!

 Leo supervised the final installation.

Three and one-half hours later, Scott showed off his handiwork.  One GE Cafe Dishwasher successfully installed!  Hopefully, within six months, he'll be moving it to the new kitchen.

Good Job, Scotty!