Annabelle's Circle -Update

Greetings, friends of Annabelle!

The Linden Home Makeover Weekend is upon us (already!) and we have been eagerly anticipating it. Matt and Holly have been busy "prepping" the house for our arrival, though I keep reminding them we're really just going to make a lot of dust and quite a mess of the place from day one.

First off, I want to mention how impressive the outpouring of support has been. Many of you have given money and committed time (or both!) and it is nothing more than a blessing and an inspiration. Wild thanks go out to all of you! Some of you are coming long distances and some are bringing their youth group and it is really a fantastic gesture of kindness.

A short schedule of events: Everyone is welcome to arrive anytime on Saturday after 9AM. The first day is going to be a lot of greeting and hugs, touring of the property, allocating of materials, and delegating of tasks. There will be a lot of basic hauling, some tree trimming, ditch-digging, and so forth, with some beginning prep work on the house. The plan is to paint the exterior of the house on Monday, so this weekend will be spent scraping, patching, and priming. I'm hoping we can get the drywall and insulation up on that first day, so following days will entail sanding, priming, and painting on the inside. There are all manner of minor projects, plenty to go around, and all manner of "big" projects -also, plenty to go around. If you have a particular fancy for painting, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, tile work, (or anything else) let it be known how long you are going to be available and you will be put to good use.

We have begun picking up some of the materials, and more will be acquired as the week goes on. The following Saturday (May 31st) will be a pick-up and clean day, so plenty of assistance will be needed that weekend, as well. On Sunday, June 1st, Matt and Holly are going to be invited back into their home for a "big reveal" where we will stand with our fingers crossed, hoping they appreciate the effort! We'll expect them back sometime in the afternoon on that Sunday, so come by to check on the handiwork of Annabelle's Circle and pat Matt on the back as we put him to work on the barbeque! If you can't work, for any reason, but would like to see Matt and Holly during this event, the first Saturday or final Sunday will be the best time to stop by. (The Lindens are clearing out of the place for the week.)

We are still raising funds for the project! All dollars that have been collected so far have been pinned to the budget and anything else donated will still be well-utilized for the Linden Family. If you would like to donate construction materials of any sort, you may Email me at "sean4annabelle@mac.com" for the complete purchasing list. Since many people have been so generous to offer "stuff", I will not be buying every item at once, but am parceling it out so we don't double up on supplies. Many people have also offered to bring tools, and though we have a goodly many, I have been encouraging people to bring their own tools for whatever project they feel most comfortable working on. Seriously folks: gardening, digging, plumbing -there is some of everything for everyone!

Here's the address:

The Lindens
2016 Dayton Drive
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
(Click for Mapquest)

Again, feel free to Email me or Marci if you have further questions. We have been very busy at Hawkins Construction this past week, but we're doing our best to coordinate the efforts of everyone so that the maximum benefit can be achieved.

We're looking forward to a productive (and hopefully fun) week!

Sean Hawkins