What Mickey's Been Up To

When he's not substitute-teaching at Homer Junior High School,

or tutoring at Homer Library,

Mr. Cressman can be found hard at work in his home!

Surprise!  

I (Sarah) came home from work one day to find my makeshift entryway closet replaced by a real one!  This one actually has a closet rod with plenty of room for coats, and even ample room for boots.  It is now easy to find and access said coats and boots (which could not be said of the makeshift closet).  The only credit I can take for this project is that my makeshift closet annoyed Mick so much that he was extra inspired to finish the real closet!

He had also made and installed wooden pegs for hats -- take off, how convenient!

The square-cut nails holding keys, tactical flashlight, and basket for incoming mail...

...Mickey had blackened in the stove.

Using copper tubing as a bellows.

Many sparks!

On another occasion, Mickey and I went to the library together directly after I got out of work.  I asked him what he had done that day.  (Among other things:) "Oh, and I did a little on the medicine cabinet."

That's what he calls "a little on the medicine cabinet"!

We had bought the mirrors, and Mickey framed them, stained them, and hung them.  Oh, and he carved and stained the light-switch cover.   We think it is the most beautiful bathroom we have ever seen! 

Another day, shortly thereafter, I came home from work to:

The interior shelves of the medicine cabinet -- installed.  We don't even know what to do with all the space we have!  

(Yes, eventually the medicine cabinet will have a back.)

(and yes, that's a working light fixture!)

Speaking of shelves and working light fixtures...

The utility sink got some loving too.  I'm looking forward to my next load of laundry!

And speaking of my next load of laundry...

That might not look like much to you, but to us, it means no more bucket under the drain while doing laundry!

Mickey whipped out these last couple of plumbing jobs while I was making lunch -- no leaks, first try.

And with that (the bathroom vanity sink), the plumbing in the home is complete!

When the weather warmed up a little (but not too much), he butchered our largest, fastest-growing (and noisiest) pig.

Thanks to Mickey's Grandpa Wint for the gambrel!

The picnic table was part of the process too (thanks, Dad and Mom Mingle).

This next project Mickey saved for a Sunday, so I could help. 

Our first interior door! (between the hallway and the basement stairs)

The door was not pre-hung, so Mickey started with the frame.

Then the threshold.

Then the door, ta-da!

I "helped" mostly with holding the door while it was being screwed in, and staining.  Oh, and of course, taking pictures!

Then Mickey got the idea to use the back of the door for something -- no reason to let the space go to waste.  One morning during breakfast, we were debating hanging brooms on the back of the door...but decided there wasn't a very good way to do that.  Off I went to work.

Apparently, while I was at work (it was my half-day too), Mickey figured out a good way to do that, and executed it.

I still can't believe he just whipped it out, start to finish, in a couple of hours!

I was most impressed by the wooden bracket to keep the push-broom in place.

He hung the dust pans nearby, just inside the basement door.  

Now I'm inspired to sweep!