"Murphy was an optimist!"
Of Being Dad December 2, 2010 8:20 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Daily Life, Evan, Family, Of Being DadNo one said it would be easy. Being a father is a fantastic thing. One of my best friends once told me, "you’re not a real man until you have children" and I, childless at the time, thought he was being a little to narrow in his definition. I get what he was saying now. I could write a dissertation off his simple statement. However, for the moment, suffice it to say that children grow you as a person. Unfortunately, it seems this growth takes about 20 years which is probably part of why grandparents are so much better with children than parents; aside from the fact that "the kids go home."
Sometimes, your word choices don’t match your actions. You feel stupid as you lose your temper with a child and shout, "quit being so angry!" or something akin to that. But it happens. And you paint yourself into a corner. You start down a path and almost as the words roll off your tongue your argument with/discipline of the child becomes about "how do I back out of this?!" Words can be like knives. Word choices can inflict as much pain and damage as physical abuse. As parents, it is important that we truly think before we speak or act. And perhaps, before giving that child a timeout, we should give ourselves one first. This morning, overtired and with a head cold but without an excuse, I should have given myself a timeout and didn’t.
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Weekend PRoject – Day 19 October 10, 2010 4:08 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being DadCorner molding done. Step 14 of 27 complete on The Little Miss.
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Weekend Project – Day 18 October 4, 2010 8:06 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Evan, Family, Holiday, Noah, Of Being DadThe corner trim work has begun!
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Weekend Project – Day 17 October 3, 2010 10:15 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, Of Being DadTable saws. Very dangerous. Very fun!
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Weekend Project – Day 16 September 27, 2010 1:16 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, Of Being Dad
After many weekends dedicated to work and bad weather, we’ve resumed construction on Amy’s birthday present, the playhouse. Last weekend the overcuts on the roof sheeting were corrected and the roof sheeting completely secured. This weekend, the porch railing was added making Amy very excited as it gave a more finished look to the playhouse. We’ve completed 12 ½ steps out of 27 but at this point each step will have an significant outward impact on the appearance and a feeling of nearness to the end of the project.
Now I just need to buy a table saw.
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They grow up so quickly August 31, 2010 8:30 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Daily Life, Evan, Family, Of Being DadMy youngest has been to kindergarten 2 days this year. They were short days with only the teacher and 2 other students to acclimate Evan to the environment and the routine. On those days, I drove him to school and Cathy picked him up.
Today, Evan went to school full time. He is very excited and insisted on riding the bus with his sister. He was first in line and I missed the picture because I was introducing Evan to the bus driver. Amy, 8 years old, is proud to be taking care of him, holding her head high as she shows him the ropes. This is her realm and she will be his guide. His same aged friend also rode the bus so I know I’m not alone in putting my baby in a big orange box and entrusting his safety to someone I don’t know. We do have a great bus driver! I’m excited for Evan. It’s cool to see him growing up. I just wish it happened a little slower.
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Club House Update July 11, 2010 1:22 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being DadLast weekend, a beautiful 3 day weekend, I had hoped to finish the club house. Instead I was programming. This weekend I thought I would take up some slack. It’s now 1:30 and I’m just getting away from the computers. Here’s hoping I can get those hip rafters on!
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What floor should be inside the clubhouse? June 28, 2010 10:33 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being DadThe kind folks at Woodmanor.net usually leave the inside of their clubhouses the bare plywood. They have seen people put down outdoor carpet, linoleum, and wood flooring. I am inclined to think of the plywood as a subfloor and to install some kind of flooring. If the fllooring ever became damaged, I could easily pull it out and replace it. If the plywood ever became damaged, repair or replacement would be difficult. The people at lumberliquidators.com said their flooring is not rated for outdoor use and did not recommend it for the clubhouse.
What kind of flooring should I use inside the clubhouse? What about on the porch?
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Weekend Project Day 10 – Rafters Secured June 27, 2010 5:01 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being Dad
I’m programming today but gave myself a milestone reward and took some time to secure the rafters on Amy’s clubhouse. There are two hip rafters that will have to be cut and secured before the roofing can be added but now the house can be tarped and the children can play in it until work continues.
Projects like this make me in awe of our pioneering forefathers who had to cut and mill their own wood, make their own nails, and build their own homesteads. What a life that had to be!
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Weekend Project Day 9 – Rafters begun June 24, 2010 9:53 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being Dad
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Weekend Project Day 8 – last wall done June 23, 2010 8:34 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being Dad
The last wall is secured and the sizing and cutting of the rafters have begun. The plans were a little unclear on some of the rafter cuts so I had to do some math and thinking. It’s been a pleasure having my geometry bone tickled. And I’ve regained an appreciation for my tools. The power of a square! (pun totally intended). I am short on a tool. For 16 cuts I really require a band saw so today I hope to impose on a friend for the use of his workshop. This is my favorite movie of the project so far:
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Weekend Project Day 7 – 2 more walls complete June 22, 2010 10:13 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being Dad
I made my first cutting error. A sheet of T111 is 8 feet by 4 feet. I needed one to end up being 72 inches which leaves a 24 inch piece. I had two other pieces that were supposed to be 13 inches and 12½ inches totaling 12.5 inches. I cut those two pieces from the piece of T111 that was supposed to end up being 72 inches. That left me 1.5 inches short. Cost of a new sheet of T111 = $40! For 1½ inches! In the long run, I won’t have to route any of the siding to make it fit so this is probably $40 well spent.
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Weekend Project Day 6 June 20, 2010 9:16 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being DadThis is the second weekend of Amy’s birthday present. Sarah’s birthday is this week. So after making a little progress on a programming project, I allowed myself a milestone break to get the upper half of the second wall in place. My weekend goal had been All walls complete and rafters begun. Once the second wall was in place, we whisked over to the inlaws to celebrate father’s day. Upon return I convinced myself that I should do a 3rd wall before returning to programming (you can program in the dark). The materials for my 4th wall are a full 1½ inches short. How that happened is beyond me. So after the 3rd wall, progress came to a grinding halt. Tomorrow I’ll pickup another sheet of T111 and that will give us enough material to finish the walls in short spurts during the week. Hopefully before the next rains come we can have the rafters in place to support a tarp or perhaps even the roof done.
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Weekend Project Day 5 June 19, 2010 1:23 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being DadIn anticipation of rain by lunch, we tried to get the headers done and some upper walls up.
Headers
Upper Rear Wall
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Weekend Project Day 4 June 19, 2010 1:17 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Birthday, Daily Life, Family, Holiday, House, Of Being DadI came home last night to settle into some programming and realized that the weekend was going to be wet. Wet is good for programming but bad for construction so I traded. Last night, was Day 4 of Amy’s birthday present/weekend project. Half the headers got done.
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