Summer...(Many Hands Make Light(er) Work)

After a good night's rest in our own beds, we were all ready to get busy on the next phase of things!  The next phase was to begin pouring the basement floor!  Hubby and I felt confident in our experience (mostly hubby's as he had once upon a time worked for a concrete company), and decided that we could save some money and do the floors with out the cost of the professionals.  Due to the size of the project, the wet weather we had had and were expecting, and the amount of time it takes, we did the job in two pours. When the time finally came for the concrete to be pumped in, the work was done by hubby and our three boys. It was quite the sight.  I was one proud mama, and wife!

                               Here the boys are just taking a break watching dad trowel the floor.

All my guys hard at work!



                                                    Our oldest son is working the bow float.

  At one point, even our  oldest daughter was able to get in on the action as dad taught her how to use the edging tool. 

For our youngest daughter, when it came to the concrete,  there wasn't a whole lot of work she was able to do.  But she was right there, offering anyone and everyone a cold bottle of water or a snack.  She was also a huge help with meals, dishes, and keeping the dog and kitties busy and out of the way.  It was amazing to watch the whole family working so hard!  Many hands make light(er) work!  That is one of the main lessons in life... work together, help others, and be an encouragement!  What a blessing it was for all of us to come together and get the job done! 

Each of the guys that came from the concrete company were so patient with us, and helped us out so much.  They could see that my hubby was working as hard as three men, and our boys were doing their very best.  But in reality, for them, the pump job took longer than it normally would have.  And their patience and help were such a blessing to us.  The man that came on the second day was so impressed with our boys, and how hard they were working with their dad.  He took his time cleaning out the chutes and spraying off his truck and tools at the end of the day, and he spent time just visiting, and sipping on some ice water. 

My hubby tipped him a few dollars, it really wasn't much in the world of tips, but it was all the cash we had at the time..we wanted him to know how much we appreciated him going out of his way to help.  The guy, with money in hand, then asked us a question..."this money is mine, so I can do with it what I want?".  And we of course replied with smiles and "yes".  He smiled back at us as he handed the money back and told us that it would please him to know that we would take our family out for some icecream as a reward for all the hard work that was done that day.  Again, what a blessing.  The kids were thrilled, and hubby and I sat back and smiled a thankful smile.

The whole way along this journey we have encountered numerous people and moments that have touched our hearts.  I can't say it enough...we are so blessed.