Chapter 37
Over the last couple weeks the men had finished the exterior of the house. The roof was shingled and the windows and doors installed. They just needed to paint and Nathan was working on the railings in his spare time. The interior walls were finished and so were the steps for the staircase. Nathan knew that it wouldn't be long before they could start the interior but decided to start the barn and workshop before the interior. There were so many personal touches he wanted to make himself and he didn't want all the wood shavings inside the house.
After the outhouse was completed, Nathan started framing the workshop. It didn't need to be fancy just functional with a wood stove so he would have heat in the winter. He knew that the project wouldn't take long. He was hoping to have the building done by the end of the week. He knew Bill and Lee had promised to help start the barn that weekend. Nathan had been spending most of his free time at the build site so Elizabeth and the children started having Rosemary drive them out after school.
Rosemary, Elizabeth, and Allie decided to start a garden near the house. Little Jack was content to play in the dirt as they worked the ground, making it suitable for planting vegetables and herbs. Elizabeth thought about getting some fruit trees too but she would have to special order those. The ladies hoped to have the large garden area planted by the weekend. Rosemary convinced Elizabeth that she needed flower beds around the house and they prepared the ground but wouldn't plant until the railings were installed and the house was painted. Elizabeth didn't want the fragile plants trampled.
Rosemary and Elizabeth usually worked about an hour each day before taking the children home to prepare dinner. Nathan would usually arrive home about an hour later, sometimes he would have Bill with him. Elizabeth never minded having Bill there. He was family and she always prepared extra. Her husband had a healthy appetite.
Elizabeth knew the town was helping them make their dream of a home of their own come true and she wanted to thank them. She knew that school would be out for the year in about a month and she usually had an end of the school year party for the kids but maybe this year she would plan something bigger. She remembered the summer kickoff festivities they had when she was a kid. Maybe she could arrange something like that on a smaller scale in Hope Valley. She would contact Julie and see if she would come and help. She missed her little sister; Julie hadn't been to Hope Valley since little Jack's christening.
Elizabeth asked Rosemary if she could use her telephone and made the call home to Hamilton. Julie was surprised but excited to come. Elizabeth had been quiet lately and not sending letters or calling frequently. Julie said that she would take care of everything and have supplies sent from Hamilton. Elizabeth told Julie that there had been lots of changes in Hope Valley in the past few months and had a couple big surprises for her when she arrived. Julie's curiosity was peaked and she couldn't wait to visit.
Elizabeth hadn't told her parents or her sisters about getting remarried. She had hoped to tell them in person. She wanted to take a trip to Hamilton during the summer to pick out a few things for the house and visit her parents. She knew Julie would be surprised but Julie would keep her secret until Elizabeth made the trip or so she hoped. Elizabeth hadn't told Nathan about possible trip yet because she knew he was so focused on the house. She hoped he would be able to take a week or two off for the trip.