not exactly a white christmas

This Christmas, we didn't have a white Christmas.  In fact, we played with a whole lot of brown and red dirt!

While we continue to make good progress on both the roof (which is now being shingled) and the wall sheathing and windows (several of which are now installed!), the big project for the last couple of days has been playing in the dirt.

Mom worked hard cleaning up the scrap heap in the front yard.  Now, in two loads to the wood recycling area of the landfill, it's gone.  We have a front yard again!  And, we cleverly buried some broken pieces of concrete and chunks of mortar at the edge of the front deck.  

We finally got to filling in the trenches next to the house foundation.  We're hoping we might be able to use ladders and scaffolding to help install windows and put up siding, so it won't work to have trenches anymore!

While Mom supervised from the driveway, Matt and Dad cut away the little wooden dam that had held dirt from the edge of the house (a legacy from our footing-building days).
Phil and Travis worked hard on the back deck--assembling scaffolding and then putting sheathing up on the wall, so we can get closer to installing those big, big windows.
We started moving dirt to fill in trenches.  Matt used the compactor.  It was heavy.
We shoveled a whole lot of dirt.  One wheelbarrow at a time.
I didn't get any pictures today--it looks a whole lot better!  We made some retaining walls, and moved a bunch more dirt.  It's nice to walk around the house now...

Matt and I are off on a little vacation tomorrow; we look forward to what will happen while we're away.  And, hopefully, to getting the rest of the windows in and the house wrapped before it gets any wetter and wintrier (and, possibly, even "white") up there!