Doing what we gotta do!

The pots, pans, school books, and tupperware are stacked in the girls' room.

The stove and kitchen work table are stored in the boys' room (they had to pull the door off to get the stove in!).


The old floor is being prepped for the new!

On the verge of the arrival of our 13th blessing (due August 22), we found ourselves on the brink of a fork in the road. There was a river to cross, and we had to decide if we would go upstream, downstream or just camp out on the shore. We decided instead to go against the tide and try to keep our heads above water until surf was up. That is, rather than waiting for calmer waters, we inflated our raft, threw out our anchor, set sail into the wind, and hit the rapids.

[Sorry, I'm sure that was hormone-related.]

I don't know how normal people do home improvements, but here at the Klein house, we are so into being efficient, that we plan, change plans, and then dive in and procrastinate for a while. Then, we get back into the plan and scramble. What happens is that in the course of trying to complete something that needs to be done, we think of other things that would be logical to do at the same time. Then we realize we are unable to do those things for various reasons, and then we wait and think about it. Then, sometimes things come up that allow us to to all or part of the things we thought we couldn't do. All of these things involved doing alot of laundry, of course. Some also include acquiring alot of Mountain Dew.

Hence...


The blog reader will likely not notice that the surface on which these cases of diet Mountain Dew are resting is a new laminate floor in our kitchen.

The Lord provided for the purchase of some really good, nearly Klein-proof, flooring, at a really good price...the lowest we'd found.


We had been praying for this material and looking, as it seemed really unwise to put our kitchen faucet in with our floor situation as it had been. Part of the lino had to be pulled in the installation of the new base cabinets, and knowing how things go in a family where nearly everyone helps in the kitchen, it seemed like a recipe for disaster. So we have been washing dishes outside at "Camp Klein" (and have been largely enjoying it, as the summer weather has been really nice.


Anyway, the Lord provided the funding and the right price and materials, and we acquired them last week, but then the fork in the stream, etc. as previously mentioned. Due date approaching, baby could come any time, do we start or wait? We waited and researched the project, had the kids read all we could find, and then we decided to dive in and start!

Our house, as we have mentioned a few times, is a bit small for the family of four. Its also a bit small for the family of fourteen, soon to be fifteen. But on the other side of the coin, it also makes it easier to keep track of everyone...and forces us to learn to work together, share, etc. On the other side of the coin, say the rim, it means that nearly any project requires moving furniture around!

We started the flooring in the kitchen, because that is the entry to the house. This is also the most difficult area, as there are all kinds of irregularities with walls, cabinets, doors, etc. So, this part went very slowly.


Once we get past that cabinet there, we anticipate things going faster....we'll see...

Jobs have been distributed as follows:

Scribing and cutting boards: Zak and Solomon
Locking and tapping boards into place: Ben, Solomon, Hannah
Laying underlayment pad: Sarah and Hannah


Keeping work area for floor team clean and organized: Susanna
Emptying shelves so furniture can be moved: Hannah, Joanna, Rebekah, Susanna, Noah


Handling dishes, meals, household stuff: Bekah, Hannah, Joanna
Moving furniture out of the living room and kitchen: Zak, Ben, Solomon


Coordinating activities for little kids: Abi



Reading the teency fine print instructions on laminate box: Mommy
Taking boys for walks with Mommy: Ben, Hannah, Abi
Freezing zucchini: Noah, Bekah, Joanna, Susanna


Canning salsa: Sarah, Hannah, Bekah, Susanna


Picking veggies: Sammy, Susana, Gideon, Bekah, Joanna


Feeding and watering ducklings: Joanna
Hanging laundry: Sammy, Noah, Gideon, Abi
Photography/Videography: Ben, Abi


Requisitioning Mountain Dew: Solomon
Talking like Slavic immigrants: Zak, Ben, Solomon, Sarah
Making everyone go to bed at night: Daddy

Well, that is just a little update on what is going on here lately. Praising the Lord for all his help, and for ALL our blessings, and lots of things for them to do....