~ from my home to yours, living the Working Pantry lifestyle ~ surviving today's economy ~ a can-do spirit and attitude ~

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Our Journey to a Mortgage Free Home ... #16

(You can read previous entries in this series HERE.)

In our last entry I told you we would start on the hearth and that's literally what we did ... start on the hearth ...


Here is how it started, we had to install cement board on the walls and under the foundation for fire protection codes.  Then my husband started laying bricks after he cut the arch ... yes, it's a corner hearth! 



Here we are at the half way point with the flue and attic pipe installed.  Then .... it stayed like this for about 5 years ... yes, I said 5 years!  We did install a small used wood stove to help heat our house in the winter months but other than that this was what it looked like for quite some time.  (We had other projects that were screaming for our attention.  We had deadlines to meet so we didn't have to renew our permits ... which would have cost us more money!)


This is what it looks like today!  I absolutely love it.  My dear husband did all the work himself and he had never laid a brick until this project!  I am so very proud of him!  (Yes, that is an old wash tub holding our wood.)

So, what did we have to do that pulled us away from completing our hearth in a timely manner?  I'll share that with you in the next entry …

Until next time,
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

Items I use in keeping my pantry well-stocked:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

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8 comments:

  1. Gorgeous, he did a super job!
    And, I love the washtub wood bin. Country, and creative!

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  2. When we lived in the country, our wood stove and hearth were almost identical looking to yours. Oklahoma winters can be cold and we were thankful for that wood stove to heat our home.
    The washtub is perfect for holding your wood.
    Your husband is quite a Mason, the brick work looks professional.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Rhonda! There's nothing like the heat for warming your bones like the heat from a wood stove!

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  3. I love the hearth. Your husband did a very nice job on the brick laying. Is your stove big enough that you can put a pot on? We used to have a big pot belly stove when I was growing up and mom kept a big tea kettle on there so we could have hot cocoa when we wanted it in the winter...not to mention keeping moisture in the air. Love it. Paula

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    1. Paula, yes, in fact it could probably hold a couple of pots. That's one of the things we were looking for when we purchased it.

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  4. wait, i thought you only got the house last year? how can the hearth take 5yrs? did i miss something?
    looks great! love wood heaters/stoves, there's just something so homely & cosy about them, warm too!
    thanx for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Selina, We got the house in 2007 and have been slowly working on it 'paying as we go' ever since!!!

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