Today is the Second Sunday in Advent, a time to rejoice, to celebrate the birth of Jesus. A second purple candle (which is sometimes called the Bethlehem candle) is lit on the second Sunday of Advent to represent the hope of Christ coming to the world. notredamesisters.org/reflection-for-the-second-sunday-of-adventdecember-10-2023/
Well the construction in our house began. The demo is complete and the base of the floor has been installed. Of course, it would not be a simple project. When the fireplace wall was removed all the insulation was wet and black - not a good sign. It was absolutely disgusting to see. As they removed all the insulation you could see a little bit of daylight between the roof and the chimney. Turns out the flashing was never done right and it had slowly deteriorated and leaked. We had our roof replaced years and years ago. We had the outside of the chimney waterproofed and the inside lined a few years back which is probably what saved us somewhat. We have never seen a drop of water inside the house or impacting the wall. They had a roofer come by late Friday to look at only that part and he returned Saturday to fix that section before the storms come in today. I have to say these two people worked all day. Not only was the flashing wrong, but two pieces of plywood needed to be replaced and part of the fascia board because of rot. We also have two layers of sheathing which is not allowed any longer. I guess I see a roof replacement in our future (hopefully not until spring). I'm waiting for an HOA notice as we did not give them notification we were having work done since it was all supposed to be inside. Hopefully, since the fireplace area inside is still open, we will see no water coming in.
I have to say the crew working are very polite and leave a clean jobsite at the end of every day. They were impressed with how the area was ready for them to begin and how cozy we are in the dining room. They are very good about keeping me informed of progress or issues. Since I've been home during all this, it is interesting to see how they work as a team and listen to them talk. The electrician is due on Tuesday to put in electrical for the new fireplace (keep fingers crossed nothing else needed).
I had a wonderful dinner the other evening with some former colleagues. We got caught up and laughed quite a bit. It's amazing to me how fast time flies when we are together. I think while we are there almost everyone who works in the restaurant comes by to say hello.
l finished writing Xmas cards and 99% are mailed. There is always one I forget along the way. Thank goodness my BFF was able to save my address list. Now to wrap what I have and get a few things in the mail. That might take me a bit longer, but it will get done. I'm determined this year that all presents are delivered before Xmas instead of after like last year.
This past week I finished reading: "THE LAST GIRLS" by Lee Smith - the story of 4 women over several years. I had a hard time with this book and I'm not sure why. It took me all week to read it as I kept putting it down and doing something else. Oh well, they all can't be good.
The daily and wacky holidays for the week...provides something lighthearted to think about (there are always more things about each day that are not listed here, but it's so interesting to google "whats important about ...) :
December 10
Human Rights Day
International Children’s Day – Second Sunday in December
Nobel Prize Day
December 11
National App Day
National Noodle Ring Day
December 12
Gingerbread House Day
National Ding-a-Ling Day
Poinsettia Day
December 13
Ice Cream Day
National Cocoa Day
Violin Day
December 14
International Monkey Day
National Bouillabaisse Day
Roast Chestnuts Day
U.K. National Postal Worker Day
December 15
Bill of Rights Day
National Lemon Cupcake Day
December 16
National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
I am going to leave it here for today. I can't decide if I'll cook something up today or not. Thank goodness for crock pots and air fryers as I do almost anything in a timely fashion. I hope you have a good week. Take care. Chat soon. Marie
"December is a simple wish that brings spectacular moments." — Unknown
"December, being the last month of the year, cannot help but make us think of what is to come." — Fennel Hudson