the good kind of exhaustion

Thomas and I were eager to start the weekend on Friday.  We puttered around, checking out the temperature in the house - pretty warm for not being all sealed up yet. 

I just love the pine ceiling we've already got up!

The north half of the ceiling was beckoning for our attention.

I baked a pumpkin pie bar, and Thomas and I made up the futon.  We were biding our time, eagerly awaiting late night visitors.  Not little green men and not Santa Claus this early, though you could have called them that for all the great cheer they brought.  Jennifer and Claire arrived in the dark of a bright full moon after a full week of work and a long trek from Colorado.  They brought treats and laughter and a willing spirit to work on the house with us.

After some late night chatting and a tour of the house in the dark, we all settled down for some much needed rest.  Surprisingly, Tom and I were ready to roll early, so after making some coffee and warming up zucchini bread, we snuck out to get set up.  It wasn't long before the girls were joining us.  All day the three of us girls worked on the ceiling on the north half of the house.  First we finished the bedroom, then the guest bathroom, and finally the master bathroom.  We took a short lunch break, but those two wanted to work and to finish all the rooms.  Thomas checked out early, cleaned up, and started on dinner.  But those two wouldn't let up until the last of the ceiling in the rooms was up and nailed - even though that meant finishing in the dark!

We had an amazing dinner - Chef Tom pulled together what we affectionately call "pupu platter night": spring rolls, crab rangoons, lettuce wraps, and sushi rolls.  He had the fire roaring, and we were nice and cozy for the rest of the evening.  It was a great way to celebrate our accomplishments.

Ever the joker, Claire had us laughing about something.

a shot of the north ceiling these girls worked so hard to put up

Sunday, after another yummy breakfast, we headed back out to put up the last of the ceiling before the peak.  It didn't take long, so we showed them around a bit, including checking out the firehouse and a ride on the pumper.  I could have come up with a million other things to stall them, but alas - they needed to head home.   

Niffer was a force to be reckoned with on the scaffolding.

 I didn't know she could frown, since she's always so jolly.  Probably that board was giving her a hard time, huh??

Dubbed the strongest woman by herself, Claire showed those boards what's what!

Tom took the little down time he could for rest before accompanying me to a fiesta in Cimarron.  Sadly, his energy didn't rally like mine when we heard the music, but sore as he was, he still twirled me around the dance floor a couple times.  With a weekend so great, it is no wonder I've gone to bed at 9:30 pm the past couple nights!