The Ox

I was totally looking forward to this Sunday and being able to rest from my labors.  My body is hurting.  Well, Saturday night we knew it was an Ox in the mire type of a situation and that we were going to need to work.  Not what I wanted to do but what we had to do.  We gathered, we worked, and I am about dead.  I know I am not the only one hurting.  Wow. 

I did manage to squeeze in a couple of home teaching visits today.  I know, end of the month, what a slacker.  It has been a busy few weeks that have taken up all my time.  My families were good with it, even okay with me in shorts and a t-shirt.  Jack came with me as my companion.  I am grateful that I was able to get that done.

So anyway, the Ox.  We made some headway.  There were some serious challenges like a major hill in the floor that no of us noticed until we were trying to lay this floor down.  It is actually along a load bearing wall in the basement which basically means the floor is a bit saggy.  It is an old building.  Anyhow, we've got it down and working.  Well, not all of it but a significant amount of the floor is down and that is great.  We've got a bit more to go in the morning but should be able to knock that out in not too much time. 

Grateful for the Elders Quorum presidency who came to lend a hand today along with Jay and Sara, Annie Draper, the folks, Natty Sue Bug and Jack.  Andy was also on site and helped with some entertainment along with Jack.  Dave made it by near then end and gave some much needed energy to the line crew. 

Now, I am off to my actual bed.  I sat down to send out an email to the employees at 10:30.  I woke up at the computer at 3 to get it finished and then I started the blog.  I guess that counts as my Sunday nap... 

Get On The Floor

Doesn't J-Lo sing a song called Get On The Floor?  Maybe that is not the title of the song but a lyric, maybe?  I am out of touch with the J-Lo.  I do know there is a song on Just Dance 4 that Natty and I challenge on, it is by J-Lo and has something to do with "the floor".  And that is all I really have to say about the J-Lo.  This is about installing the floor at the LBH.  It has been a full day.  It has been a day when my focus aimed down.  Had some great help, Jay and Sara, who took over the paint, put in a lot of hours with us today and that was most appreciated.  Jay stuck with the paint and trimmed out the dining area rather well.  A real stud.  After two days of painting I was happy not to have to do it again today.  No, my focus was the floor. 

We had to get the floor cleaned up.  Part of construction involved a lot of trash, a lot of tools, a lot of stuff on the floor.  We had to get things cleaned up and that is where we started.  Then we had a couple of soft spots.  One I cut into and tore it up.  I actually ripped out a section of flooring, to the beams.  There was some rotted wood that was making the floor a bit spongey.  Anyway, got it ripped up and new stuff installed.  It was a fun day.  We actually got to the floor?  Fun times for sure.

The night ended up running late.  We were there until after midnight.  Not the plan but we were making progress on laying down the floor and we stuck with it.  More to do tomorrow.  Not really a Sunday worker but the ox is in the mire or the Ass is in the ditch.  Grateful for whatever help we get on this flooring thing. 

Ruined Shoes

Another day behind the spray gun.  We have a painted store with a little finish painting to do and a pair of ruined shoes.  I would stop and take a picture but I am so tired right now.  Yep, time to sleep... well, time to shower and then sleep - again.

Painted

Any guesses what I did today?   That's right,  I painted.  Came home looking a bit ghostly.   Natty did a double take and started laughing.   Good times and time for me to go cleaned up.

Latest LBH Pic

 

 

This is the latest picture of our renovation efforts at the new location.  It is coming along.  This is the morning after the visit from the Miracle Men that I wrote about last night.  Tonight we were even further along than this... as should be expected after another full day at it.  It is hard to capture all the detail and finer work that is happening.  It has been a fun project for sure. 

 

I spent the day sweeping up, hanging wainscoting, meeting with the chemical guy, picking up supplies and trimming out the wainscoting.  Oh, and scouts.  Anyhow, we are going to be painting tomorrow.  I've still got some stuff to trim out but we are close. 

 

I think my body is ready for a break.  In another few days we will be just about done and then it is time to open, well, first a nap then we open.   

Miracle Men

Let me start off by saying I was completely asleep for yesterdays Mission Jars entry.  I hope it made some sort of sense.  I suppose I could go back and review it but that would take time and I am already starting to nod off.  Long days, non-stop days, they can sometimes take it all out of you.  I am needing to sleep but alas, I have a story to write and I have an online course I need to finish up.  So, at 11:22 PM I have not a lot of time. 

Miracle Men.  That is what I am calling them. More commonly known as Kevin Barrett, Andy Aulman, Morgan Elsworth, Jake Whetman, Brent Springall, Ben Jackson and Jay Fontano.  Tonight these brothers of mine from the Elders Quorum came to assist in setting up The Little Brick House.  They came because President Whetman felt inspired to call them to do so.  President Whetman, I believe he lives close to the Spirit and he follows the promptings he receives.  He did not let it go when I semi-brushed him off because of pride.  He didn't let it go and sent a counselor over to check on things.  He didn't let it go and had his other counselor at the ready and talking to me about what they can do.  He didn't let it go and called on skilled brethren in the quorum to come.  And they came without hesitation, without reservation.  Miracle Men. 

I have prayed much that we would be able to get the place ready.  It is an overwhelming task and the Lord sent his Elders Quorum President to help lighten the load.  He sent his Elders Quorum President to call on brethren who were willing and able to assist in our hour of need.  I am humbly grateful for the support of my brethren.  It means a lot to me and has given me a greater appreciation for those who I have the pleasure of serving with in the Priesthood.  Great men, Miracle Men. 

Mission Jars

I collected three large pickle jars from The Little Brick House a while back.  It was during a week that pickles was missed from the food order and we had to pick up some from the Walmart.  Anyhow, Sara had given me some neat stickers that say I Hope They Call Me On a Mission.  The idea behind them is to put the sticker on a jar and start saving for a mission.  I know, this is pretty exciting stuff here.  Anyhow, we labelled the jars and then we put their names on them along with the date.  I gave them each a couple of dollars to get started.  I think they were all excited about it.  After our missionary jar project we read scriptures about the missionary efforts of Ammon and his brethren.  We just happened to be reading at the part where Ammon defends the kings flocks.  The kids loved it.   

Staying Awake

Lots of my time is spent walking in pure exhaustion.  Seems that when I have an opportunity to sit down it is not long before I am asleep.  There are times, and I have shared this in the past, anyway, times that I sit down to read with the boys and spend the entire time as a punching bag for boys who are trying to keep me awake so I can read to them.  It might be a punch to the face or a power-driver to the face (yes, quoting Nacho there).  Jack loves to read the technical books on airplanes.  We are currently reading about World War II airplanes.  He checked all these books out last year too.  Anyway, I get a bit heavy eyed and don't read so well.  It must be quite frustrating for the boys when I struggle to stay awake.  I am thrilled to say this has not been the case as we have read together the book called "There's a boy in the girls bathroom."  I am really enjoying the book and am wide awake whilst reading it to the boys, which they love also. 

Ceilings and Floors

Had to run into the functioning LBH this morning to get things rolling.  That included a trip to the store for some needed items.  After that I headed over to the non functioning LBH for some ceiling work.  Isn't that always just so fun?  I don't mind it at all though my stamp thought didn't work as well as I'd hoped.  Got through it anyway and it will do the trick. 

My wrists and hands are really hurting right now and I think it has to do with scraping the dag gone floors.  Dave had come in later in the day and we both went for it on the floor scrapage.  Oh my goodness that job sucks.  My hands started hurting after just a bit and they are nice and achy now, several hours later. 

This project is a lot of work, a lot of work.  We still have a long way to go.  We will get there.  I am a little off schedule with it as I had hoped to paint today.  It is going to be another day before we are ready to hit that.  I also need to be getting ready to install the floor which I had hoped to start at the beginning of next week.  Perhaps Wednesday or Thursday on that.  That will be okay so long as we get it done quick.  Oh my, there is so much to do, so little time.  Might be skipping some sleep next week.  Yep, next week.  Now I need to go lay down with my throbbing hands and do my best to sleep.

Someone is Stealing

We have a change bag at the LBH where we store a little cash and coin for moments when we need to replenish the cash registers. In the last several months we have had it come up short every now and again. Usually that leads us to find that someone took out a roll of quarters but did not put $10 in to pay for it, leaving the bag short. There have been times when the missing amount is more significant and doesn't get caught on the drawer count and then deposited.  Okay.  When the bag balances out the night before and then comes up $120 short tonight and the drawer shows $.68 positive, well, that is a problem.  This scenario has happened a few time also.  The last time I found it we were $110 off.  I implemented a few things then and that is why I got a phone call tonight.  Now I am implementing another part of the process and this should allow us to pinpoint when the money went missing.  Really what I need is a camera system. 

For Sale

I had a surprise visit yesterday while I was working at the new location.  Bret Taylor is one of our customers and a realtor in Cedar.  He popped in to let me know that my landlord, Fred, was listing the house and then he told me all the things they would expect from me.  I gave him the skinny on the situation and told him I am not going to be in a position to do anything for him for about 2 weeks.  They want to get inside for pics etc.  My house is not a complete mess but it is not spotless right now and with everything going on that isn't happening right now.  Anyhow, he was quite cool about it all and understood that my life doesn't stop for the house to be shown.  Naturally I will do the best I can do but I don't have the time or energy right now to make it pristine like we used to when showing our homes that we have sold.  Anyway, I came home to a for sale sign in the front yard.  Not my favorite thing to think about.  This has been a great place for us and the thought of moving just isn't all that appealing to me.  Well, I guess I can wait it out and see what happens or I can get proactive and see if what we can find - in our Ward boundaries.     

On to Reconstruction

After 5+ days of deconstruction we moved on to a much funner adventure with reconstruction. Put up a little drywall, framed in a couple of wall sections that got torn up with booth removal, put up some trim in a couple of areas and hung bead board in a section.  I have the table saw and chop saw on site now and worked them out a bit today.  Just a little of that left for tomorrow and then it is time for the walls to be mudded.  I also have to make the stamp for the ceiling texture.  Sweet. 

I took the kids over tonight after scouts and Young Womens.  The boys played with power tools and made interesting... stuff. 

I am completely beat.  A lot happening in life right now.  Gotta hit the sack...  

Carpet Pad

When pulling carpet on Saturday we experienced a bit of a challenge with a carpet pad that had been glued to the floor and then the carpet was glued to it.  That pad did not pull up very well with the carpet and was a nightmare trying to get out.  It still is a nightmare.  As reported yesterday, I scraped popcorn ceilings.  That is a bit of a messy job and it tends to cover the ground pretty well.  It turns out that much of the floor the popcorn ceiling fell on was covered by this stingy pad.  After a night sitting under the popcorn Dave hit it with the scraper and it came up quite a bit easier.  We aren't sure why, it just did.  Pretty cool.  I ended up shoveling excess popcorn ceiling into cans and dumping it over the remaining pad just to try and duplicate it.  Some pulled easy while others were still challenging.  Long way to go but we'll get there.

Popcorn Ceilings

Is there anything quite as fun as scraping popcorn ceilings?  I really don't think there is.  Well, maybe pulling carpet, maybe.  Actually, I have scraped a few popcorn ceilings in my day.  I don't mind it all that much and do prefer a knockdown texture look over the popcorn. 

As you may have guessed I spent the day scraping ceilings.  This ceiling was not picnic.  I have had those that you can get wet and the texture falls off with the slightest scrape of the blade.  This ceiling had been painted, probably a few times.  The water was not really doing the trick as well as it has done in the past.  Regardless, I sprayed and scraped and sprayed and scraped.  There was a lot of ceiling to scrape and I am just about done.  I could smell cigarette smoke in the falling texture so it has been there since the days when smoking in restaurants was a normal thing.  You don't see that much anymore.  At least I don't but then I don't get out much. 

Well, I need to get a stamp prepped and start plastering walls as well.  My goal is to have the dining area painted by Saturday.  There is a lot of prep work needed to make that happen.  We are pushing it and the list of things to do just gets bigger.  Gotta be ready to move on the 28th.  Fun times for The Little Brick House and fun times for me, well my shoulder anyway.  Lovin it.  If you can't move your arm at the end of the day then you really haven't worked.  Sometimes you just have to push yourself and show the popcorn ceiling whose boss...

I did have a thought come to my mind today from F. David Stanley who was a member of the Seventy at the time he said it.  In a conference talk from the Priesthood Session of the April 93 conference Elder Stanley talked about work and said - "Say and sit will never replace diligently do!"  That has ever been a talk that I have loved and a message I believe.  I hope that I can be more dligent in my doing. 

Sunday Simplified

I have probably written before about simplifying Sunday meals.  It is a great idea that I seem to forget.  I have done some easy ones recently - well, easy in concept but turned out being a lot of work and a lot of clean up.  Today however I decided to do a frozen pizza for dinner.  Actually that was just for the kids because I am not eating that right now.  That was truly simple and I don't mind that a bit.  I think last Sunday when all was said and done I spent 4 hours in the kitchen.  Tonight, well, about 40 minutes.  That is prep, cook, eat and clean.  Now I just need to remember to keep Sunday simplified by way of food.  It certainly makes life much easier. 

Death By Carpet

Two and a half years was apparently long enough for me to forget just how much I dislike removing carpet.  I guess I should say commercial carpet that is glued down.  The standard residential stuff is not bad at all by comparison.  Anyway, I spent the day removing carpet from the new location.  Pretty much 11 hours of ripping up carpet.  The good news is that it is up for the most part.  There is a small section in the bar area.  Do I call that a bar or a counter?  I don't know.  Anyway, I am about dead. Seriously.  My finger tips feel like they are ready to fall off.  The nails feel like they are going to pull right off.  My shoulder is in serious pain along with my back and it isn't even the next morning yet.  Since there is good news there is also bad news.  There is a layer of padding under the carpet.  It is glued to the wood and the carpet was glued to it.  I would say 70% of that stuff stayed down.  It is not coming up easy and really, I need it to.  We need to be done with floor so we can redo walls, scrape and texture ceiling, paint and then install the new floor.  Well, tomorrow is Sunday and I am looking forward to having a day to recover... or so I hope.  Monday I need to go in strong.  Tomorrow I am bound to be dead.  Death by carpet... who knew? 

Grateful to have the help of Jay, Tara and Jayson tonight.  It was much needed and much appreciated. 

Sawdust Eyes

Cutting out walls with the sawzall today.  It went well.  I got a fair amount of sawdust in me as well.  I am xomplet

Special Ops

I was at the new location this morning moving booths, walls and other junk outside.  A guy walked up to me in the parking lot and asked if he could work for the day.  I wasn't looking for the help and with as tight as funds are right now I was going to turn him down but then I had an impression, a special little reminder of something that I am told in my patriarchal blessing about helping others in need.  I decided to use him for a couple of hours. 

This was actually a great blessing.  We managed to get quite a bit done and I focused on cutting out old booths while he hauled stuff outside.  After a while Dave was able to come over and between the three of us we were able to clear out all of the booths.  These were not run of the mill booths.  No, these were custom built things.  I think the restaurant was built around these things.  There was a lot of banging and cutting to get them out but we managed. 

In that time I was able to talk to this young man a bit.  His name is Ronnie.  Ronnie had a tale about being in Special Ops or Special Forces.  Anyhow, he got out a couple of months ago when he decided he was done.  Ends up he had a dishonorable discharge.  He had quite the story going.  I don't know if any of it was true and judging by his physical appearance and I don't know that it really matters.  What matters is we followed the prompting that was received.  That was our own special op.

12 Years

Today marks the 12th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  It is a moving thing to look at images of that day and to reflect on the emotions experienced as I watched this event happening on television.  It was a sad and somber day in America.  The tragic loss of life and the attacks on our soil were hard to bear.  Through this tragedy there was a unifying of our nation that I had never experienced previously.  It is sad that that unity has been lost to party politics. 

Let the Renovations Begin

I was attempting to upload a few photos and it completely froze up me blogger.  Yes, I just said me and as I typed it I said it in my mind as if I were a pirate.  That puts a smile on me face.  I just did it again.  Okay so anyway, trying to upload photos and it stalled progress.  Since it is late and I am tired I am going to simply write a few things and see if I can upload one or two photos.  We shall see. 

So, what's this all about?  Well, this morning I met my friend Greg over at our new location so we could begin our time lapse photography attempt on the renovations of the new lacation.  He got a few good shots and that is what I wanted to upload here.  Perhaps one or two.  Anyway, it was a good visit and they are some good shots of the place.  Following his departure I got started tearing down wall paper.  Dave showed up and he started doing the same.  Before we knew it we had all the paper down.  I could'nt be happier with the ease at which we were able to make that happen.  I figured that was going to take a good couple of days and we got it done in a couple hours.  There are still a few areas that need a little more attention but for the most part the dark blue wall paper is off the walls and the entire place is much lighter. 

We pulled out a bit of carpet and we bumped around a few of the booths.  I didn't bring all the tools we would need as I didn't expect to need them today but we managed a few fun things.  Anyhow, I went back tonight with the kids and we went all out on some booths.  We also cleaned the former businesses name off the front window.  That was fun.  Had help from Natty and Andy on that one.  Jack managed to find the train he saw when we looked at the place a few weeks ago.  He set it up and played with it a bit tonight.  Very exciting.  Anyhow, it was a good time and felt good to make some progress there today.  Lots to do still.  Looking forward to the before and after shots of what we are able to do. 

We'll attempt a pic or two for your viewing pleasure.  Well, it isn't letting me - still frozen up on what I had attempted to upload earlier.  No worries, eventually we'll have it all on here. 

The Bash at South

Tonight was the back to school bash at South Elementary.   The kids were excited to get there.  It was set up a little different this year which I really didn't mind.  The last few years they had a couple of big water rides and that is all the kids wanted to do along with all the other kids.  That made for a long night of standing in line.  Tonight there were a few inflatables - a slide, a jump house and something else.  The boys did each of them.  I didn't see Jack much, or Natty but Andy and I hung out all night. 

Andy had a great time in the Jump House.  He would jump into the corner, fly through the air and crash to the mat.  He had fun with a few other booths.

Natty spent the evening walking around with friends.  She hung out there for a while and the boys and I left to get dinner.

On the way home Jack suddenly layed down in the grass and was checking out his reflection in a car.  It was pretty random and pretty funny. Grateful for these kids that make life so much fun.

Channeling Grandpa Al

I am a do it yourselfer when it comes to a few things.  Perhaps few is an understatement.  When it comes to haircuts I do my best to channel Grandpa Al.

The boys have school pictures tomorrow and were looking a bit shaggy.  I gave it my best shot to trim them up without giving them buzz cuts.  It's not to difficult to give the old buzz cut, not a lot of channeling required there.  I tried to do a fade thing, I need a bit of work on the non buzz thing. 

Jack was freaking out because I use the clippers. His mom cut his hair when he was up in Alaska with sciccors. He decided he was done with clippers and therein was the problem.  I am not done with clippers.  So, after a bit of a meltdown I got him to sit back down and that lead me to channel Grandpa Al and I told Jack about how he was a barber.   Well, it helped Jack relax and we got through it. 

The boys seem to like the cuts.  Hope the pics turn out well. 

On Top of Squaw Cave

The boys and I did a fun little hike today. A year ago we hiked to squaw cave with Jay, Sara and fam.  It was a fun little hike. Today we hiked up in the mountains around the cave and managed to find it by tracking the river bed that flowed in that direction.  There is a pretty good drop off and waterfall into the cave.  Anyway, not too difficult but a bit challenging for the boys. 

The area is one that I have wanted to explore.   That river bed heads back a ways into a box canyon.  I'd like to get back there, the boys, not so much.  Looks like a solo run.  I did see bike tracks in the river bed - that could be fun. 

We did have fun exploring and looking at the effects of water on dirt and rock. It was neat to see layers of earth that were worn there through time. 

Here are a few pics.

Tonight We Dance

After a little family bike ride and play time over at the school Natty challenged me to Just Dance 4.  It has been a while and it was time.  Actually, I could have used a few secret practice sessions because I did not dominate tonight like I have in times past.  There were  a few things that I did dominate in like the VS songs we did.  I think we did 5 of them and I beat her 4 times.  On mash ups, I managed to take her down.  On Istanbul by They Might Be Giants, she didn't stand a chance.  I can't forget my stellar performance on a Jennifer Lopez song that I think is called On The Floor.  Yep, I like that one.  I even pulled off a victory on a Rhianna song and Justin Beiber.  I can't help it, I am a bit competitive with my Just Dancing.  There were a few songs that I could not even come close.  She would take it to me and there was nothing I could do.  We will just have to play again.  Andy came and joined in the fun and mayhem.  Two hours later we had a pretty good workout.  It is a fun family activity and I recommend it. Make it a dance night... 

Amazing Stair Climbing Speed

When I was 7 years old we moved into a house on Glider Lane in Sandy, Utah.  One of our neighbor friends, Phillip Kimball, was over and was sharing with us information about the home that he had learned from the family that lived there prior to our moving in.  Phillip shared with us that there was a green rat that lived in the basement of the home.  In my mind all I could picture was some neon green glowing rat that had free reign of the basement and tormented and who dare lay foot in his territory.  I was deathly afraid. 

After we lived there for a time my parents had a portion of the basement finished and Jim, myself and Pete were moved down into our rooms.  Outside of the door of our room was a hallway to the stairs and an open area along side that hallway that housed the furnace.  On cold nights when that furnace would run the glow of the flames would shine under the door to our room.  I knew there was a glow from the furnace because I had seen it many times but in my young, terrified state I always suspected the green rat was outside my door just waiting to get in and finish me. 

When I would head upstairs I always did so with a feeling that there was something in the basement that would come after me when my back was turned and I was heading up the stairs.  Surely I am not the only one who has freaked himself out over such illusions.  Regardless, when I hit those stairs and began climbing another gear would kick in and I would fly up those stairs, freakeshly fast.  Once at the top the momentum created would carry me a bit further and then I would settle a bit. 

Oh, the power of the green rat myth.  I hated that basement.  I didn't have a problem with any other basement but that one, not my favorite. 

This morning at the LBH some customers were in.  They are semi-regulars and as I was helping them check out I mentioned to them that we were moving.  They asked where and I told them.  Turns out they used to own the Cedar Creek Restaraunt that was in that same location.  The wife then says that basement is haunted.  The husband says there were many times when he would step off the last step and that hair on the back of his neck would stand up.  There were also supplies in the dry storage area that would randomly fall off of shelves.  Now, I have been down in that basement a few times.  I have not had any hair-raising experiences but wonder now if I will have that feeling in my head that this place is haunted ?  Well, I don't quite believe in that stuff but do think we could use the idea of a haunted basement to our favor and host a haunted house in the basement... next year. 

Perhaps between now and then I will tackle the stairs up from the basement in record fashion.  Either that or i'll discover some mysterious green rodent and will shatter any previous speed records.

Doing Well

I stopped off in the Smile Room at South Elementary today to talk to Mrs. Coonan for a moment.  Jack was in there when I walked in.  He had his water bottle that he had refilled in his favorite drinking fountain in the school.  He is a lot of fun.  He went back to class and I visited with Sharon for a few minutes.  I shared with her the story of Jack sharing his testimony and she shared with me how well he is doing in class right now of being able to regroup quickly when he is getting agitated and is incorporating a lot of great strategies in the class.  It is always great to hear when your child handles themselves well.  Way to go Jackie Boy.  Keep up the great work. 

Telling the Story

I had an employee come in and interview me today for a research paper she has to complete for a business class.  She wanted to know about how The Little Brick House got started and what it was like to run a small family owned business and a number of other things.  In the middle of our interview I thought it would be good to see her finished paper and possibly post it on our facebook page or website to tell the story of how this all got started.  Perhaps it is something I should simply write myself...

It is a simple story really.  When I got divorced in 2010 my children and I relocated to Cedar City to be near my family for support through a very difficult time.  I was counseled to do so by my Stake President and knew that it was the right thing to do.  That has proved to be the case. 

When we first arrived in Cedar I was continuing to work for the company I worked for in Florida.  I put together commercial and residential proposals for geothermal air conditioning systems.  I would work from home and my mom would come to the house and watch the kids while I worked.  Everyday she would drive by this little brick house on 400 South that was for lease and she decided that she wanted to start an antique business.  Well, it was antiques, oddities, gift baskets and fudge.  We opened the doors in October of 2010. 

That was a fun little house and things started off just fine.  It wasn't pulling in much money everyday but people liked it and it grew in popularity.  A few months later we found ourselves in January and business was at a stand still.  We quickly realized that we needed to do something to bring people into the shop.

Across the street was an old bakery that had been foreclosed on.  Somehow the idea of starting a cafe came about and the next thing we knew we had an offer on the table with the bank and ended up with this building that was in really bad shape.  In March I began working on the building and spent quite some time just degreasing the kitchen area.  It was nasty, no, I mean really nasty.  I had demolished an old hood, cleared out an old donut fryer that was still full of oil and a donut or two, moved out other equipment and then started degreasing.  The fam started calling me Mr. Degreaser.  I went through quite a lot of it.  Amy and Dave would be in there on occasion to help with the cleaning and we had some fun times pressure washing the walls and the ceilings and, wow, it was seriously nasty work. 

Anyway, there were walls to put up, lights to put in, painting to be done, floors to refinish.  It was a major undertaking and after a few months we had the place ready to open.  We moved the antique shop over, added consignment to the operation and opened the cafe.  Things started off slow at first but it didn't take too long to get the word out and to start getting repeat customers.  The food was great, the service great and the price was quite reasonable.   Pretty soon the cafe became the main source of business.  Our small dining area had to be expanded, then it had to be expanded again and then one more time.  The kitchen got small in a hurry but somehow we managed to make it work.  We grew in popularity and lines would go out the door for people wanting to eat a Little Brick House sandwich. 

Last October we found ourselves in a difficult situation with the power company requiring us to upgrade the electrical system.  We had 30 days and then they were going to shut us down.  We did not have the resources to do it or the desire to sink more money into a building that had some major problems with the foundation.  We knew we had to make a move and happened found a competitor was going out of business and was trying to sell off equipment.  We put together a deal to buy that equipment and to take over their space.  And so at the end of November we made the move to where we are now.  It has certainly been an adventure. 

When we look at the challenges of starting  something like this, wow, they are there and there are many of them.  We started this thing we virtually no capital and that has made it a difficult thing to do financially speaking.  For quite some time we have worked for less than minimum wage.  When the resources aren't there we don't get paid.  We quickly realized that we were in business to pay suppliers and employees.  Though we were busy and customers assumed we were rolling in the dough we never really got ahead.  Something would break and we would have to repair it.  There was and is always something.  That just seems to be the way it goes for a small family business. 

Is it worth it?  Well, absolutely.  For me, financially it is challenging and we don't have a lot of extra money in our home.  What we do have and what this affords me is a certain amount of freedom to be able to be with my kids.  I walk the boys to school every morning.  I am able to attend school functions on occasion.  I can bring them in to work with me when needed and when you're a single dad trying to juggle life with three kids, that helps.  I could not get a job anywhere and have the same flexibility I have right now in critical years for my children.  Would it be nice to be paid a little more?  Absolutely, and that day will come but there are certain things that outweigh the income. 

I have enjoyed working with family.  There are moments when Dave and I are able to chat about things and before you know it we are engaged in a conversation with tears in our eyes.  Working with Amy and the folks has been a great blessing.  I would be lying if I said it was all great all the time.  It isn't.  We have our moments but I think we all understand that those times happen and we press forward quick to forgive and enjoy the time together. 

Then there are the fans, our customers.  What a tremendous blessing to have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people.  To become friends with them, to learn about them and to love them, that is a great blessing in our lives.  I love the people.  I love to see them amazed by the food and the service.  I love to see them come back again and again.  I walk around the grocery store and see people that I know and always find pleasure in saying hello and sometimes sharing a conversation. 

Several years ago I read the book Raving Fans and when we started this thing I wanted to create something where we would gain raving fans of our company.  I think we have been successful in that for the most part.  I know there are those who don't have a great experience.  That stinks, we didn't do our job and so we regroup and try again. 

It is a culture thing that needs to exist within the organization and sometimes it is a challenge to get employees to buy in.    I think that for the most part we have had good employees.  Some better than others.  Our hope is that we have employees who take it seriously and treat it like it was their own. I appreciate the employees we do have.

I don't know how good of a story that is, hopefully it didn't put you to sleep.  It is late however and I think typing it has put me to sleep. 

A day of Labor

I thought I was going to enjoy a day off of work and some fun with the kids.  I had to run in and post a notice on the door about our closing early today and had the crew lined up.  Then I had to make a quick trip to the store for some ketchup.  I thought I was heading there and then heading home.  I picked up a gallon of milk for the fam which I left in the car when I ran in the ketchup.  Something else had come up and so I ended up being in the store for a bit then some friends came in and so I said hello to them.  Then I am in a conversation with some customers that I have come to know well over the last while.  They have a son who is a big fan of the LBH and is serving mission in Uganda.  His dad told me that they managed to connect via email this morning and had a good back and forth.  Turns out he asked his parents to visit the LBH and eat a thunderbird sandwich for him along with a razzleberry pie.  His dad was telling me that he talks about us all the time so I decided we should send him a shirt.  I grabbed one for him and they were very excited.  It will go out in his Christmas package.  Hopefully he makes it to him.  I had a few challenges with packages being opened in route and was never quite sure that everything that was sent actually made it to me.  Anyhow, fun times.  I was hoping to send the tastes so good you won't want to share it with your napkin shirt but only had a fueled by brick house chili shirt in his size.  Anyhow, I was then notified by the kitchen of a few more items they were out of so back to the store I went.  On my return we were very busy and so I stayed and helped get a few things prepped and taken care of.  Then a third trip to the store for salami.  The Wal-Mart trifecta (spelling?) today, gotta love it.  So anyhow, it was now somewhere around 2:30 when I remembered the milk in the car.  What's 3.5 hours in a 95+ degree car?  That was a bummer.  We were still busy and I ended up working through the close.  Not exactly what I had in mind today.  My labor-less labor day didn't quite pan out.  I dumped the milk and returned to the Wal-Mart for the fourth time for more milk and a couple of requests from Natty.  When I got home I got to go to work in the kitchen and cleaning a few dishes I decided to not clean yesterday.  Then dinner and the remaining dishes and then on to FHE, reading with the kids, one more page of homework with Jack, chocolate shakes for the kids for the FHE treat, kids to bed and now I get to fold some laundry.  Aren't days off great?  I am laughing while I am typing this.  It's just the way things go sometimes and that is okay, we survive.  Though we didn't get to have a fun outing we still had fun during the time we had together today.

Light and Dark

At the end of our testimony meeting today I got up and shared a few thoughts.  After I began sharing a few thoughts the boys followed me up.  As Andy approached the podium he asked me if he could share his testimony.  I said sure.  Anyway, I finished and Jack got up.  He began by saying his testimony was going to be a little different.  Not in those exact terms mind you.  I didn't write down his words but can offer an idea of what he said.  Anyway, after explaining that his message would be different he said he wanted to talk about light and dark.  He went on to mention the light bulb and how the light chases away the dark.  He talked about a room with no windows and how it can be very dark and he is very, very afraid of the dark.  He then got on the subject of the sky and how water molecules give the sky a blue appearance.  He also mentioned lights on trains a few times and got into early trains and how they didn't have light bulbs but they had flames and flames can be dangerous if we are not careful.  He had a lot of thoughts in his head while he was up there and I could tell where he was trying to go with it but he was just struggling to get it out.  Anyhow, he closed after a bit and Andy went up to share his testimony.  He asked for my help and so he shared a brief testimony.  Then we went to primary and remembered that he had a talk.  We wrote a quick talk on serving God with our heart, might, mind and strength.  It was a fine talk.  After church when we were walking to the car Jack told me that in his testimony the point he was trying to make was that Heavenly Father is the light and Satan is the dark.  I love that boy.  In his own way he gets it.  That way may include lights on trains or comparing faith to riding a bike or whatever he has shared in the past.  He gets it, more than I think he does sometimes.  

Speaking of getting it, Natty shared some thoughts on the way home from Church today.  She had learned and felt some things in her Sunday school class today.  Her friend Regan had shared some thoughts about how some people act differently at school then they do at church and asked how someone could call themselves a member of the church and then conduct themselves in a manner that was completely different.  That seems to have struck a cord with Natalie.  She talked to me about some of her struggles last year and being easily influenced by friends.  She talked about making better choices now, standing for truth and wanting to do what is right.  She then said something to me about how she felt like she had to be a different person for her mother than she needed to be for me.  She doesn't like feeling that way.  My comment to her was that the most important thing she could do was to be the person Heavenly Father wants her to be and that if she focuses on that she will be exactly who she should be and that both her mother and I would be happy with that.  Sure makes me grateful to see righteous young men in our ward standing up for what is right and to see the effect their examples have on Natalie.  Grateful to see Natalie recognizing that her choices can lead her towards Heavenly Father and the light, or they can lead her down darker paths.  She has the ability to choose the path she will follow.  My hope is that she will choose to walk in the light as is my hope for each of my children.    

Andyboytano is Seven

Last night we camped.  Sure it was the backyard but we still got to experience the joys of tent slumber or lack thereof.  I was happy when the morning came.
 
With the coming of morning came the celebration of Andy's birth.  Seven years, hard to believe my baby boy is seven. The time goes so fast.  He opened presents first thing this morning, well second thing.  First, in harmony with proper camping etiquette he started the day by rolling out of the tent and peeing on the tree.  So presents, he had patiently waited to open these presents for most of the week so I offered no objection.    He was excited about the few things he received and enjoyed play time with everything throughout the day.  We had a great day.

We have some exciting seven year old objectives now like buckling himself into the car, holding his own tooth brush while brushing his teeth (the dentist told us last year that I should help with this still - does everybody do that?  Natty and Jack have been on there own for a while...), sleeping in his own bed, walking himself into class at school... I am sure there is more.

Oh, the party.  I hadn't planned a party.  We had only planned the campout and didn't discuss anything regarding a friend party.  I got a call from a parent of a classmate yesterday asking about the party.  Andy made his own plans and had invited a few people over.  I tried to convince him that we needed to send out invitations etc. but that was a faulty argument, he had allready invited and was determenined.  So, I asked who he had invited, it was a small list - Jack Taylor, Anna, Annie, and Jake across the street.  We managed to pull it together and even invited a few more cousins and family members.  He was a happy boy. 
 
For the last few weeks I continually heard stories from Andy about Minecraft.  The boy is mildly obsessed.  Well, what better way to celebrate his birthday then with a Minecraft inspired cake?   I had an idea of how to pull it off and went back to my trusty rice crispy treats for crafting... thank you cake boss.  Jack likes to talk about having a block or square ache after playing Minecraft for a while, after crafting and working with tiny squares of rice crispy treats one can easily experience block induced aches.  It really wasn't that bad and went together just fine.  The tree's,  not quite Minecraft worthy but they sufficed.  I could have incorporated some toothpicks to reinforce but we didn't worry about it.  The zombie never made it in, no animals either and though the boys talked about several different types of earth and a mulititude of different colors we stuck with one look, well, two with the ocean.  Next time we'll give ourselves more than 30 minutes to craft the cake and see what kind of craziness we can come up with.  Andy was happy with what we had.