The Pumpkin House

 So after I finished the Chapel I decided to do something a little different. I had a pumpkin I'd bought around Halloween and I cut an opening in it and covered the inside with scrapbook paper, then gave it a wood floor.

I made a fireplace and wired it with some flickering bulbs.

Then I made a little room for the upstairs and extended the front of the pumpkin room with an addition of chipboard and foamcore board.

One layer of the baseboard added to close any gaps between the floor and walls. Then baseboards, crown molding and stairs. I went with Tudor glass windows.

I was able to wire the main room first and then the bedroom. I used jewelry findings as ceiling light fixtures.

I sided the bedroom and the lower level extension with wood siding and while all the glue was drying began to work on the furniture. 

The scale isn't 1:12 and its too big for 1:24 I had to make all of the furniture custom.

I was pretty pleased how it all turned out and it fits nicely into the house.

And after some trim to the rough edges of the walls I added my roof of leaves and wired the light switches into the chimney.

After I take a few measurements I'll probably list the house on my Etsy shop.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  What do you think?

2022 Creatin' Contest Entry

 I'm sure you'll all be pleased to hear that I did finish the build in time to submit my entry.

I can't wait to see what everyone else did and who our winners are.

I finally did something that was in keeping with the season and decorated the chapel with seasonal banners. I also used my little nativity feves in the front of the chapel. 

Here's my little write up for The Chapel of the Sacred Heart:

Our small chapel is suitable for small private services of all types. We're proud to reopen our doors and dedicate this humble space once again.

Please take care going up the steps and into the vestibule. Our Holy Water font is a proud recent addition thanks to your generous donations. You'll find our church bulletins on the corner table nearby. Don't forget to take one and keep up with all the events and news of our parish.

Missalettes are available for our congregation on each pew. Next year we hope to expand our space to allow for kneelers and missal holders. This upgrade was sadly postponed due to some asbestos remediation due to the discovery made during our repair of the leaking Notre Dame inspired stained glass window above the altar.  We give thanks that the Tabernacle and altar were undamaged, though we did need to replace a chair as one of the workmen had a small accident involving a ladder, a bucket of paint and a startlingly loud cellphone ringtone.

But the repairs also allowed for an outlet behind the pulpit. With the electric light Father Richter will be able to read his sermons much more easily and we're grateful for his patience in waiting for this visual aid.

One of our parishioners took time out of her busy schedule to set up our Nativity scene and light the evergreens beside the steps. We thank her for her time and trouble during this hectic season.

Midnight mass will be held at 12:00AM with the choir carols starting at 11:30PM. For further information please call the rectory or consult the church bulletin. 

Please join us this Sunday and all Sundays after. We'll be glad to see you.

The four photos above were what I submitted.

And here are a few more shots.

I will say that I've seen the new kit and I'm excited to see what everyone will do with it.  This is the first year that I haven't had any idea of what to do with it and I'm not finding any inspiration.

My husband says to wait a week and see if anything comes to mind.

 So we'll see. 

Good News, Bad News

 So this will be a pretty picture heavy post as the Good News is that I'm nearly done with the Chapel. 

In chronological order, we took the Building Inspector to the vet because she wasn't as interested in her food, was hiding slightly behind the couch (but not so much that she couldn't see her daddy) and was just a little off.

Tali Zorah Vas'Normandy left us in early September. 

The Bad News is that ever since we got Covid two years ago my husband's respiratory health hasn't been great. He already needs a C-Pap machine and has asthma. He has this lovely thing they call dsyphasia, where he coughs and coughs and then passes out. And a few months ago he got the flu and then it turned into bronchitis, then walking pneumonia. 

This was further complicated by the drugstore not having the prescribed antibiotics.

But he was worried about his job, he works for the city, so he basically bugged his doctor (at the city clinic) until they said he could go back to work.

He was told to report to HR and when he got there they told him he could either be fired or he could resign. Being fired means he's not eligible for rehire and when potential employers call for a reference the city will say that. So he 'resigned'. 

Unfortunately it's not easy to find another job in his field at his age. He's working on it but... yeah. 

But in slightly Better News is that I got my third quarter review (the one that effects raises) and it was above average and my boss made a point of saying he was going to tell his boss how well I was doing. So hopefully a decent raise in the new year.

Also I'm hourly which means I get OT and I've been so busy at work I've gotten quite a bit of it this last week.  I qualify for insurance through my workplace and I was able to adjust my tax contribution and retirement savings so my take home pay is better.

So we're getting by. 

I don't write much (or well) when I'm stressed and I'm feeling a bit stressed so that's fallen a bit by the wayside. 

But the Chapel has progressed nicely. 

Here comes the picture portion of the post.

That's pretty much it. I'm debating putting flowers in the pots and having them to the side of the steps or if I want to wait until Christmas and do a little Nativity scene.