...and so are Reed and Amanda :(
Click to play
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The First Snow...
...has arrived...and with a vengeance!
Nine cm?...or lots of inches! Phones went down, internet disappeared and many without power...and so it begins!
Amanda and I did an emergency run into Sears for a new snowsuit for Reed...as did most of Saint John. So we weren't alone in trying on multiple suits on a squirming 5-year old.
We did luck out in terms of finding 40% off the suit and 30% off the boots, so he's now ready for snowboarding when he gets back to snowy Ontario!
He also paid a visit to Brian the barber for a buzz cut (does it make sense to have a "naked head" when the weather turns cold?!)
and entertainment from St Martin's colourful character and his "pet" monkey!
Another reason to love living in St Martins (con't)...
During the snowstorm on Saturday, Reed, Amanda & I decided to walk to the village (mostly to wear down some "boy enthusiasm") and by the time we reached the Irving (a general goods/meeting place) we realized that Reed's little $2.00 stretchy gloves were not going to be suffice for the rest of his stay. But after asking for kid's mitts and told they didn't have any (just 'bout the only thing they don't have!) we trudged home for lunch and a nap. Later in the afternoon, we got a call from a women Jim met once and whose husband had overheard our request for mitts. She let us know she would leave a pair for Reed down at the Irving for us to pick up! And when we went to get them there were five pairs of beautiful hand knit mitts and a hat!
Amanda and Reed are leaving in a few days, and she has found the time here both long (the travelling from one end of the province to the other) and fun, and they have also fallen in love with out quaint fishing village and it's wonderful residents. But are anxious to get back to their own digs and "stuff"!
As to the house being prepared for winter...it came about a week too early...the hammock (the never sat in one) is still hanging in anticipation out in the trees...the composter is till awaiting assembly...the Christmas lights are still in the box somewhere in the barn...and speaking of the barn, still no room for the car and trailer!
BUT...all floors are laid ...after some experimenting with "leveler" in the TV room, Steve, Rob and Jim were finally satisfied enough to lay the vinyl that matches the kitchen. Now the challenge will be keeping it clean from using the room as an entrance as well.
The kitchen?...nope, no change...IKEA is still working on getting the final 2 cupboards delivered in white and have an estimated time of delivery for Dec 7th which gives us 2 days to install before leaving for Ontario...and the up bath is still only a very lonely toilet!
Three men and E-Z Flow Conference!
Nine cm?...or lots of inches! Phones went down, internet disappeared and many without power...and so it begins!
Amanda and I did an emergency run into Sears for a new snowsuit for Reed...as did most of Saint John. So we weren't alone in trying on multiple suits on a squirming 5-year old.
We did luck out in terms of finding 40% off the suit and 30% off the boots, so he's now ready for snowboarding when he gets back to snowy Ontario!
He also paid a visit to Brian the barber for a buzz cut (does it make sense to have a "naked head" when the weather turns cold?!)
and entertainment from St Martin's colourful character and his "pet" monkey!
Another reason to love living in St Martins (con't)...
During the snowstorm on Saturday, Reed, Amanda & I decided to walk to the village (mostly to wear down some "boy enthusiasm") and by the time we reached the Irving (a general goods/meeting place) we realized that Reed's little $2.00 stretchy gloves were not going to be suffice for the rest of his stay. But after asking for kid's mitts and told they didn't have any (just 'bout the only thing they don't have!) we trudged home for lunch and a nap. Later in the afternoon, we got a call from a women Jim met once and whose husband had overheard our request for mitts. She let us know she would leave a pair for Reed down at the Irving for us to pick up! And when we went to get them there were five pairs of beautiful hand knit mitts and a hat!
Amanda and Reed are leaving in a few days, and she has found the time here both long (the travelling from one end of the province to the other) and fun, and they have also fallen in love with out quaint fishing village and it's wonderful residents. But are anxious to get back to their own digs and "stuff"!
As to the house being prepared for winter...it came about a week too early...the hammock (the never sat in one) is still hanging in anticipation out in the trees...the composter is till awaiting assembly...the Christmas lights are still in the box somewhere in the barn...and speaking of the barn, still no room for the car and trailer!
BUT...all floors are laid ...after some experimenting with "leveler" in the TV room, Steve, Rob and Jim were finally satisfied enough to lay the vinyl that matches the kitchen. Now the challenge will be keeping it clean from using the room as an entrance as well.
The kitchen?...nope, no change...IKEA is still working on getting the final 2 cupboards delivered in white and have an estimated time of delivery for Dec 7th which gives us 2 days to install before leaving for Ontario...and the up bath is still only a very lonely toilet!
Three men and E-Z Flow Conference!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Almost There!...
...and soooo busy! I seem to have been surrounded by paint cans, brushes, rollers and sanders! (I'm finally contributing something!) And with a 5-year old in the house I constantly keep one eye on the clock for departing/arriving yellow buses,
homework (in kindergarten for god's sake!), naps, meals and tree climbing!
We have enjoyed Halloween trick or treat, Guy Fawkes burning and fireworks
playing board games, cards and exploring our area. Everything looks so different when shared throught the eyes of a kid.
And the kitchen! It's here!...well, half of it...2 cabinets were the wrong colour so the stove still stands alone!...But there is a sink (no more washing dishes in the bathtub) and pantry (no more going through Rubbermaid totes trying to find food) and a fridge with a whole door (no more skinny "French doors")...and everything up off the floor...oh yeah! and a new floor!
Before...looking to the east...
...and now
Before...looking toward the hall entrance
...now stands the pantry...with pullouts!
Before...the old sink (and backsplash!)...
... the new farmhouse kitchen sink and butcher block counter
Before...looking into the kitchen...
...still waiting for the 2 other cabinets though!
Before...looking into the TV room (the old summer kitchen)...
...and now looking into the TV room!
Before (even cleaned up!)...
...and after (toward the bathrrom/laundry room)
I am sooooo ready to start some serious cooking!
And more winter preparations...a culvert flushed out by the local fire department to avoid water building up and flowing over the driveway...
and the drive/parking extended right into the new doors into the garage/barn.
We have even started bringing boxes from the barn into the house and it's like early Christmas finding things that have been packed for two years! I suppose if we've gone this long without this stuff...we don't need it, but it is fun to start regrouping and reorganizing!
Oh...and an update of Jack?...he's as cute as a pumpkin!...
homework (in kindergarten for god's sake!), naps, meals and tree climbing!
We have enjoyed Halloween trick or treat, Guy Fawkes burning and fireworks
playing board games, cards and exploring our area. Everything looks so different when shared throught the eyes of a kid.
And the kitchen! It's here!...well, half of it...2 cabinets were the wrong colour so the stove still stands alone!...But there is a sink (no more washing dishes in the bathtub) and pantry (no more going through Rubbermaid totes trying to find food) and a fridge with a whole door (no more skinny "French doors")...and everything up off the floor...oh yeah! and a new floor!
Before...looking to the east...
...and now
Before...looking toward the hall entrance
...now stands the pantry...with pullouts!
Before...the old sink (and backsplash!)...
... the new farmhouse kitchen sink and butcher block counter
Before...looking into the kitchen...
...still waiting for the 2 other cabinets though!
Before...looking into the TV room (the old summer kitchen)...
...and now looking into the TV room!
Before (even cleaned up!)...
...and after (toward the bathrrom/laundry room)
I am sooooo ready to start some serious cooking!
And more winter preparations...a culvert flushed out by the local fire department to avoid water building up and flowing over the driveway...
and the drive/parking extended right into the new doors into the garage/barn.
We have even started bringing boxes from the barn into the house and it's like early Christmas finding things that have been packed for two years! I suppose if we've gone this long without this stuff...we don't need it, but it is fun to start regrouping and reorganizing!
Oh...and an update of Jack?...he's as cute as a pumpkin!...
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Pre-Winter Work...
...and the season is showing all the signs of approaching with increased speed.
The leaves are gone from the trees, leaving only the softwood evergreens and a few remaining golden Tamaracs. (Apparently, years ago, a bright "light" with the Irving Corp. thought the big bucks were in softwood, so the province was sprayed with a chemical to kill off all the hardwood and now, today the majority of the province is green all year round...and as to the price of softwood, we all know how that turned out!)
Another sure sign is the arrival of unwanted house guests...mice! Sometimes in the mornings, it's like playing dogeball while they scurry from the stove to the fridge to the pantry, and right past the sleeping Bijou's nose! Not only are they bold, but cagey - every "humane" trap I have set, they just take the bait and leave a trap for me to activate - empty!
So, poison bait is out in strategic places...and at least one I know of has met its demise.
Apples are bountiful this year, and our trees are no exception. I try to pick up off the "lawn" every day or so to deter the deer from making my back yard their buffet. Instead I drop a wheel barrow load over the ridge and into the bush, saving them the walk all the way up to the trees at the back door!
The barn/garage doors are complete, so we can now tuck the car (and bikes and new trailer) into a shelter when the snow flies...assuming the boxes finally get out of the barn and into the house!
But...best of all, Jr. Sampson was here for three days crack filling and sanding, so on to the painting of the kitchen...before the floor goes down.
The new applainces arrived this week and they now enjoy the daily routine of being shuffled back and forth for access to walls then put in place for meals!
"crack filling" all done...
primed and painted ... there really is some colour there!...and "portable 'ppliances!"
But wait! There's more! The kitchen cabinets from IKEA were finalized Oct 22 with Nov 4th the date I would hear from the transport company for an delivery date. (IKEA figured three weeks)
But...at 0830 on the 31st, the trucker called and said he was loaded and delivering around 1000!!!! And we had just started painting!!!
...And more!!! He was by himself and couldn't unload alone (all 2,000lbs) the 4' X 8' X 4 pallets! ...and just one more thing?...the truck was toooo big and toooo heavy to bring down the drive and to the house!!! So three panic calls to neighbours who willing came with trollies and trailers and muscular arms...we had it all unloaded and stored - you guessed it - in the barn!
This is the first time in 5 months that anything has been done not only on time, but ahead of time! There is just no point in trying to schedule/coordinate this project!
And the 31st? Halloween of course! And when you have a 5-year old in the house...well, it's just about the most exciting time of the year (revving up for Christmas!) We made a haunted house (like a gingerbread one) for his party at school (he goes to kindergarten every morning) and painted his face to look like a skeleton - ever tried to get face paint on a wiggling 5-year old?
He has been fun to have as a guest and says he loves his teacher Miss Brown and riding the bus each day. I like having something other than house reno to focus on!...and someone to play with - picking apples, climbing trees, exploring the bush, evening walks to visit Misty...
...but I do know two things now in my wiser years...have children when you're younger than 50 and four kids is alot!
The leaves are gone from the trees, leaving only the softwood evergreens and a few remaining golden Tamaracs. (Apparently, years ago, a bright "light" with the Irving Corp. thought the big bucks were in softwood, so the province was sprayed with a chemical to kill off all the hardwood and now, today the majority of the province is green all year round...and as to the price of softwood, we all know how that turned out!)
Another sure sign is the arrival of unwanted house guests...mice! Sometimes in the mornings, it's like playing dogeball while they scurry from the stove to the fridge to the pantry, and right past the sleeping Bijou's nose! Not only are they bold, but cagey - every "humane" trap I have set, they just take the bait and leave a trap for me to activate - empty!
So, poison bait is out in strategic places...and at least one I know of has met its demise.
Apples are bountiful this year, and our trees are no exception. I try to pick up off the "lawn" every day or so to deter the deer from making my back yard their buffet. Instead I drop a wheel barrow load over the ridge and into the bush, saving them the walk all the way up to the trees at the back door!
The barn/garage doors are complete, so we can now tuck the car (and bikes and new trailer) into a shelter when the snow flies...assuming the boxes finally get out of the barn and into the house!
But...best of all, Jr. Sampson was here for three days crack filling and sanding, so on to the painting of the kitchen...before the floor goes down.
The new applainces arrived this week and they now enjoy the daily routine of being shuffled back and forth for access to walls then put in place for meals!
"crack filling" all done...
primed and painted ... there really is some colour there!...and "portable 'ppliances!"
But wait! There's more! The kitchen cabinets from IKEA were finalized Oct 22 with Nov 4th the date I would hear from the transport company for an delivery date. (IKEA figured three weeks)
But...at 0830 on the 31st, the trucker called and said he was loaded and delivering around 1000!!!! And we had just started painting!!!
...And more!!! He was by himself and couldn't unload alone (all 2,000lbs) the 4' X 8' X 4 pallets! ...and just one more thing?...the truck was toooo big and toooo heavy to bring down the drive and to the house!!! So three panic calls to neighbours who willing came with trollies and trailers and muscular arms...we had it all unloaded and stored - you guessed it - in the barn!
This is the first time in 5 months that anything has been done not only on time, but ahead of time! There is just no point in trying to schedule/coordinate this project!
And the 31st? Halloween of course! And when you have a 5-year old in the house...well, it's just about the most exciting time of the year (revving up for Christmas!) We made a haunted house (like a gingerbread one) for his party at school (he goes to kindergarten every morning) and painted his face to look like a skeleton - ever tried to get face paint on a wiggling 5-year old?
He has been fun to have as a guest and says he loves his teacher Miss Brown and riding the bus each day. I like having something other than house reno to focus on!...and someone to play with - picking apples, climbing trees, exploring the bush, evening walks to visit Misty...
...but I do know two things now in my wiser years...have children when you're younger than 50 and four kids is alot!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
