Textured ceilings, or How to Get Really Messy Before You Cook for 62

Donna S. writes:

First of all, THANK YOU to those of you who sent cards of encouragement to us. They've been passed out the last two mornings (with more to come, we're told), and there were like getting Christmas presents in January. Bless you all.

Today we were back at Estella's house, which is, incidentally and appropriately, near the corner of 19th and Henderson streets.

But first, some news. Team leaders John and Augusta Evans traveled to Pass Christian today to visit the homeowner that the Chapel Hill crew worked for during their trip last spring. They were gratified to find the home restored and pieces of a shattered life being slowly but surely restored. At our combined devotional session during our red beans and rice dinner tonight, Augusta shared the story of their friend's plight and the happy ending to the story. As she gave first-time Katrina mission trippers a sneak preview as to what they might expect on a future mission, she told them in closing: "One family at a time." And that's so true.

John took some great "after" pictures, so hopefully they can be shared in this space when we figure out how to get them out of his camera and sent to this laptop.

And now, back to the current work. Bud and Augusta leave us tomorrow, so we got our final "marching orders" from our construction guru. He also taught us some new skills and passed along some useful tips, such as the proper way to repair some drywall boo-boos that we inherited from previous crews. He taught us how to texture ceilings and and showed the carpenters-in-training how to straighten a window that had been put in crooked by some unknown carpenters-in-training pre-Henderson Methodists era. That unexpected project took some time, but it made the homeowner very happy that we attempted to make it look better. Bud made it plumb better!

Some helpful tips for the next two teams:

-- Bring warm bedding or PJs just in case your sleeping room at Gateway is in the "unfinished" portion of the upstairs. It's cold in there at night. The daytime high today was only in the low 50s. Be prepared for colder weather ... and by warning you maybe this will cause it to warm up! Think layers: T-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, sweatshirt and a work jacket.

-- In connection with housing, as soon as you get here take charge of claiming rooms for yourself ASAP. It's a little bit of a free for all.

-- Bring three-way adapters or power strips for electrical outlets. Outlets are at a premium at Gateway UMC, and if you have several things to charge not even counting power tools (such as cell phones, camera batteries, walkie talkies laptops, etc. — which is what this blogger is trying to manage) you'll be happy to have the extra slots.

-- You might want to scope out a recipe for large quantity cooking. We cooked for 62 tonight. Check out www.razzledazzle.com for ideas if you don't already have one. On the menu this week: Monday, Taco Salad bar; Tuesday, Red beans and rice; Wednesday, Spaghetti; Thursday, Soup and sandwiches. There's a stockpile of "community" food you can draw from and no doubt the current groups will leave things behind.

-- Tools that are here in the supply room: Paint rollers, paint brushes, many hammers, caulking, caulking adhesive, nails, power brad gun, power miter saw, several electric drills, several extension poles, drywall pads and sandpaper, several wheelbarrows and (in a shed in the parking lot) sheetrock, mudding supplies and paint. There are some battery-powered tools. If you use them, be sure to locate their battery chargers and charge them the night before.

-- Tools belonging to Bud Hill that we're leaving here in the work trailer for you to use: Generator, air compressor with two nail guns, power miter saw, circular saw, four saw horses, ladders (2 foot to 6 foot), 1/2-inch drill, small hammer drill, Milwaukee Sawzall, 18-volt drill/reciprocating saw/circular saw with two batteries, drywall tools, heavy extension cords, four-foot level, framing square and more. We made particular use of the generator (to power circular and mitre saws) and the air compressor to power nail guns.


Gee ... is it 9:30 p.m. already? It's time for bed!