{237th Independence Day for the United States of America - GOD BLESS AMERICA}

Wishing all readers in the United States of America a very happy 4th of July as we celebrate our nation's 237th Independence Day! Sharing some photos with you, taken on the 4th of July of 2012. Our home looks different this year but you will get to see that later. Don't forget to watch the 1940 video below with Kate Smith singing: GOD BLESS AMERICA

Flying the Georgia State flag and the United States flag in front of our home.

Happy 4th of July!

The link below will take you to a video showing the very first public singing of 'GOD BLESS AMERICA'. But before you watch, you should also know the story of the song.

The song was originally written by Irving Berlin in 1918 while he served in the U.S. Army at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York. It was later rewritten in 1938 as a peace song with 'some alterations to reflect the different state of the world' during a time when Nazi Germany was threatening war with Europe.

'God Bless America' was originally introduced and performed live on Armistice Day, November 11, 1938 by Kate Smith on her radio program. It became an immediate hit resulting in popular demand for the sheet music. Afterwards, Berlin established the God Bless America Fund where proceeds from royalties were donated to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America. Read more about it: Kate Smith and her God Bless America, Land That I Love and also about her Awards received as she was honored by every President. Read more here: Kate Smith, just scroll down...

NOW HERE IS HOW 'GOD BLESS AMERICA' SHOULD BE SUNG!

Related links:

{4th of July Speech given by my husband Pieter} | previous post by me
{Happy 236th Birthday USA!} | previous post by me
{The Dutch 1st to Salute to the Flag of The United States in 1776} | previous post by me
{Dutch - American Heritage Day: November 16 since 1991} | previous post by me about official Proclamation by President George Bush

{Saving Energy and Our Attic}

With our low economy, we have to look UP for saving some money! Better insulating our attic as best as we can. That's exactly what we did; investing in the attic, in order to create a more energy efficient home and lowering our Carbon Footprint!

 On Monday, March 18, husband Pieter started with building a floor in our attic. That served two purposes: making it possible to walk on; without falling through the ceilings and also making it more energy efficient. We already did have Eco friendly white cellulose on our attic as an insulation.

Remember that in my post about {Our Hallway} I left the following note under the last photo: Looking up to the ceiling where a foldout staircase leads to the attic.

THAT will be another project...

Okay, here you will see what this was all about.

Behind the light you see the cord for pulling out the fold down staircase that leads up to the attic.

In the hallway you see two sheathing boards, that Pieter had cut in half at Home Depot in order to fit them through the opening, up to the attic.

Two by two, brought in through the front door; the shortest distance from the little trailer, behind our Toyota RAV4.

Wearing gloves, I did hand them up to Pieter, who grabbed them from the attic, reaching down.

Many Sheathing plates we handled...

Lots of dust we 'ate' for weeks!

For those of you, not familiar with the construction way in Georgia, USA as well as in many other states, this is under the roof. A very sturdy construction of solid red cedar beams. 

Pieter designed our home and he instructed the contractor to use more beams than usual, to protect the roof against tornados and hurricanes.

 

They just nailed plaster boards onto these red cedar wood beams and you could not WALK on them; only on the sections where the cedar wood beam is underneath!

So husband Pieter worked for weeks in order to hand cut those sheathing boards. 

Using no nails but screws as to not damage the ceilings and creating lots of dust downstairs...

Many trips up and down the foldout staircase!

Here you also see the outlet and switch that Pieter first installed in order to have working light up there!

Pieter also installed a railing on the pull out staircase!

Pieter did compact and egalize the Eco friendly white cellulose to work it neatly under those sheathing boards.

Literally 'cutting corners'; many corners that is! Using a mask for the bulk of the dust but no matter how, you still 'eat lots of dust'...

Pieter did tighten up all those red cedar beams, many of which were rather loose.

He used screws for doing so.

Heavy duty time for his equipment...

He also had to crawl underneath those air-conditioning ducts... 

Pieter did not go all the way under the shallow part of the roof but he did place an upright plank to keep the insulation material neatly behind.

All the above photos I've taken on March 29, and this one is taken on April 9, when he was about done with this mega job. It took longer than estimated due to so many different corners to be cut out.

This is the short end of the 'T' section, looking towards our front porch.

That pipe is from the ventilation hood above my cooktop in the kitchen...

Now looking the other way of the short end of the 'T' towards our gazebo.

On the sides under the shallow parts of the roof there are the open cellulose insulation material 'beds' with only a plank in front to keep the material from spilling over.

Now we are under the long side of the 'T' section (shape of our home), facing the driveway.

This attic fan, Pieter installed already two years ago in 2011. You can read my previous post below: {Going GREEN with Attic Fan}

Stepping back for a better over view.

Now the attic looks neat and ready even for storage if necessary!

Turning around towards the bay window area (in the back).

It was quite a job to manage working around all those wires that are all over the attic like spaghetti...

Stepping back towards the driveway side and you can see again the opening down with the foldout staircase.

Quite a difference or not?

You see the tile floor in our hallway  down the staircase opening...

There is also a light switch next to the staircase (r) and it is a hotel switch so it turns off automatically.

View from the other side towards the foldout staircase.

Pieter has changed the outlet and switch and installed better permanent light in all areas.

We were so glad to get rid of all the saw dust and I just managed to do a thorough cleaning down stairs, right before we left for our vacation in Curaçao! 

That was mission accomplished; quite a nasty job!

For sure such a floor makes a difference in insulation as well and it certainly will pay off.

Quite an accomplishment for my Pieter, right before his 84th Birthday...

Related link:

{Going GREEN with Attic Fan} | previous post by me

{Our Staircase Area}

This time I want to take you downstairs and show you our staircase area. We do run up and down the stairs several times a day; keeps us healthy I guess! Do you have to climb up and down too?

Maybe you remember that I did point out the first door in our hallway, going to the staircase area. 

Okay, here we opened the door from the hallway to show you...

Railings all along. We did that for my Mom when she stayed for 6 weeks with us in 2005, together with my Dad. She had just had a knee replacement and we wanted to accommodate her as best as possible.

That's the same year we got our Infiniti FX35, so Mom could get in and out of the car effortless.

Turning around, you now look into the hallway and see the shiny tile baseboard.

In the USA, a staircase usually is a very 'lazy' one and by far not as narrow, nor steep as in Europe. 

We also have solid oak planks; Bruce Liberty Plains 5 inch natural white oak here on our treads and risers.

Downstairs are the same white tiles that came home with us in a container from Italy.

 To  the left, near the hallway door...

To the right at the top is a fully beaded South African Zulu Knobkerrie  (weapon...).

Samba Balls from Tijuana, Mexico and some Indonesian art...

Left you see straw art work form Indonesia from brother Martin and we had it framed at Irok gallery.

Our entire home is like a museum in a way!

When my dear Mother-in-law was already in her 80s she did make this petit-point work from their home that got destroyed during the war. Lots of airplanes in the air. Also a doggy; guess that meant it went to heaven.

It was a very old home from the 17th Century but it is lost due to the damage of WWII.

My Mother-in-law also did cross stitch these mushrooms.

It hung at the practical training College for Mushroom Growing, in the Netherlands where my husband was the founder and principal until he became VP Training & Development for Campbell Soup's Mushroom Division in the USA. But Pieter of course would not leave that behind!

Only a very tall person has to bend his head, going down the stairs...

The wall to the left with a special mushroom framing, it is from linen cloth.

At the top is a poster with a poem about a pear tree that did not bear fruit which we got from my brother Martin's wife Betsy.

Below to the left you see the door to the laundry room and the other one goes into the garage.

Here you can better see the solid oak risers and treads...

Those railings helped me a lot early 2010 when I became paralyzed and shortly after.

Pure Irish Linen it says...

Full with tips about mushrooms!

Our Whirlpool Water Cooler/Heater; either way! On top is the Primo interchangeable bottle.

A cat painting done by my sister Diny Van den Munckhof in 2005

A mushroom batik from Bali...

Automatic moving sensor for light on/off.

We had it framed with a pink matting that is used in the pillow's color as well.

Diny did carry this painting over when she and her significant other stayed with us for 4 weeks in October of 2007

We had these cabinets made for storing all kind of baking and kitchen items like my waffle irons, mixing bowls and French Demarle Flexipan silicone molds.

There is also a 30" Miele Convection Food Warming Drawer with dual heating system.

A bargain found on eBay as a display model for half the price; from Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center in Los Angeles, California.

Got this gem in December of 2008 and it helps me for serving dinner for larger groups.

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center Los Angeles, CA

Husband Pieter did build me the outlet for using this and he put tile atop so that way I can place hot bowls on top of it.

That's my foot mirroring in the shiny black glass...

Now looking from the garage door towards the door to the Rose Suite hallway...

To the right the door knob is from our laundry room.

My Dutch rack for holding all my cleaning tools off the floor.

You also can see that husband Pieter did add a tile baseboard here as well.

The framing around the glass panels of the laundry room has yellowed over the years. That door is from 1990 and the one to the garage husband Pieter did build in early 2005 when he placed that wall here, to divide the garage from the staircase area. 

Yes, my worker bee has done it all; a true handy man with golden hands! I am blessed.

Next to the human door to the garage you now also see the cat door...

Only in winter time they come into the house and now they are on the driveway, in the gazebo and in the garden or wood garden.

That was another round of tile baseboard!

I use cotton mats since they're easy to launder and function well.

Related link:

Miele Warmng Drawers | Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center with newer models

{Our Hallway} | previous post by me showing you also tile baseboard

Irok gallery | link to museum quality framing and art gallery