Home at last

It has been a hectic summer! We got back from two weeks in B.C., and left to go camping for a week. It was fun, but a long time to be away from home. We got back and had the hectic rush to get school supplies. Things are continuing to run at a hectic pace until at least Thursday, but maybe not until next week. Trying to keep every on organized, and making sure they have everything is a routine we have fallen out of. I guess we will have to learn that one again. We will also have to get back into proper eating and sleeping routines again. the weight has increased a bit for all of us, except the puss. He just grew like a bad weed. Well, gotta get supper started, and try to get pics on the computer this evening.

Starting again

Well, I know that I have not been keeping this up to date. This is the new green colour of my room. Not one room is done yet, but we are still trying to get ourselves settled. I still have more pictures to take, but slowly we will get the rooms done. I think the living room will be the first one completely done. We finished the floors in the kitchen, dining room and hallway last week end. I am going to work on the living room floor this week. It just leaves one more floor downstairs.

Tough decisions bring unseen blessings

Well, it has sure been interesting the last couple of weeks. We had a tough decision to make a short time back. Our car has been having trouble off and on, which leaves me to drive the van (an old ambulance). It cost me $40-80 a week, just to drive my little boy to school and back. I sat with the hubby, and tried to see how I could make the budget work , so he would not have to change schools until the next year. It just was not possible. We sat with him and explained that he would have to change schools. I think I was more upset than he was. He switched at the beginning of the month, and things have just gone on from there. The new class he is in, is not a split class, and this school has a teacher that just focuses on reading with students who are struggling. She doesn't really have room for him, but there are a lot of students who are away for various reasons. In just a couple of weeks his reading has improved so much, that it is like night and day. He is writing and spelling better already, too. I can not hardly belive the change. If we had stayed in our other home, or let him finish the year there, he might have just continued to struggle. Now he has the opportunity to get the extra support that seems to be needed, when one is almost a year younger than some of his classmates.

Are we done yet?

I promise more picture are coming, but I left the camera at the house. We have been painting like crazy, and just have the hallways, livingroom and den left to paint. The guys aren't quite done working downstairs though, and I don't want to have to repaint everything downstairs again. We still have to lay linoleum in the bathroom, and put it back together, but it is painted. We are almost done the kitchen, but we have to change the plugs on the oven and range. They were origionally hardwired in, but that is against the electrical code. The counter is almost in (still needs a back splash). We then will have to stain and seal the counter top, and it will be done. Well, it still needs a new window, but that will wait till spring. All the little things never seem to end, but we will get there. I will post before and after pictures of each room as they are completely finished. I still have to do all the woodwork, but alot of them are close.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

As if this whole project isn't stressful enough, I broke my glasses on Thursday night. As I took them off, to get in the shower, I felt/heard a click (kinda both). Then the arm fell off in my hand. I called the optometrists office to see if they could order a new arm for me, but they said the model was probably discontinued. I guess they do that every 3 years. I had to go in to get a new eye exam. I got a sample pair of contacts, to see if I can wear them again (and because it was faster than glasses). I stopped wearing contacts a few years ago, because after getting a chemical burn in my eye, I kept getting eye infections. I haven't had one since the switch to glasses, so thought I would give it a try again. It all seems to have cleared up, and the contacts are fine. I have found that mascara gives me allergy type reactions in my eyes though (I learned this at Christmas). It seems to be an ongoing adventure as to what quirks my body develops next. I seem to struggle on occasion with fasting. It makes me light headed some months, and I have to break my fast early. What I thought was a latex allergy, turns out to be an allergy to the powder they line the gloves with. I just remind myself that my patriarchal blessing says my health will be one of my trials.

Another Discovery

We ripped up the old flooring in the halway this weekend too, and found more newspapers. These ones were dated April, 1939. Unfortunately, they all got wet at some point, so they are stuck to the floor. There is no way to save them. I did take some photos though so they won't be completely forgotten.

a lop-sided world

Well, the house adventure continues... We started to put in the cupboards we were given this week end. The challenge that arose was not fully realized until they were all connected. We knew that the floors were uneven, but decided to leave them, as they don't feel too bad. This meant shims to keep them level. The first cupboard starts on the floor, but the get gradually higher as you move along. The cupboards are kinda low, and I am not exactly short, so this is not a big dael. The larger challenge arose when we placed the original counter rop on just to get a real height idea. this brought us to the realization as to just how UNsquare my walls are. There is no way we could even use a little bit of the old counter. STRESS!! We then thought of all the different possible ways of making our own, as it would have to be custom built. For about the same cost of a standard pre-made counter, I will have solid 1 1/4" thick maple counters. Our friend knows a guy who installs hard wood floors in semi trailers. He was able to get us a deal, and get it delivered. We measured and cut it ourselves, and now just need to assemble the pieces. Then the holes for the sink and range can be cut. That just leaves routering the edges for a softer look, and screwing it all down (or up, as it is done frome the bottom). The end of next weekend should see me with an installed kitchen, and running water in both the kitchen and bathroom. We also will be totally ready to paint most of the rooms. I know I said I wanted to be ready for that by the end of this week-end, but the counter top trouble had to sorted out first. That is alright though, because paint goes on sale this Thursday. It just gives me an few more days to finalize colours. Oh yeah, the mud worked on the walls, so I will be ready to paint all the bed rooms, I have a couple of days of sanding though.

OH MY!

Well, it is quite the interesting adventure we are having. I was scraping some of the paint in the bedroom, so I could mud the cracks before painting. It is just peeling off in huge chunks. In some places the paint is 1/16" thick, and in other places it is only a couple layers thick. There are some areas that won't peel at all, then when I turn around it loosens and will peel off some more. I think I have gottenall the loose chunks now, but it is all I did ALL day. Tomorrow I am going to try to mud the walls and blend in the parts that don't peel. Maybe I won't be ready by the end of the week to paint that bedroom.

Cool discovery

When we pulled up the old linoleum in one of the bedrooms, we found 12 local news papers, and one Toronto Star from 1947. They were spread out under the floorin, so I took some time to sort them to see what I had (I guess that is the scrapbooker in me). They were all complete issues, and we are giving them to the local historical society. We spent a few hours reading them, and were fascinated by the old adds. There is also burlap under the linoleum in the bathroom. it is kind of neat to see what they did in the past, when decorating. The most common thing seems to be to just add another layer of linoleum. If the piece you have isn't big enough to cover the entire floor, paint the border to match the background.

Here it is!

Well, it looks better outside than in at the moment. The second picture is of the den. It had the plaster ripped off before we looked at it, but it allowed us to see that the main house is of cut stone. The bottom picture is of the living room. We have pulled off all the linoleum tiles, and are in the process of pulling up the ply wood that was under it. Beneath that is another layer of linoleum, a felt backing and finally wide pine plank tongue and groove floors. We are taking it all back to the wood floor, except maybe the bathroom. I am still undecided on that. I finally figured out the layout for my kitchen, so we had to have the electrical moved, and put up dry wall. By the weekend I should have some of the rooms ready to paint. The three bedrooms, the living room, the dining room and the upper and lower hallways. I just have to pick a paint colour for my room. By the end of next weekend, the kitchen will be ready too. That leaves the bathroom, den and family room. All need a fair bit of work, So the bathroom is first. The other two can be completed after we move in if necessary. The yellow colour on the wall is going to be the main colour in the living and dining rooms, with different accent colours for each that will be tied together in the den which will open into both rooms.

ours at last

Well, we got our house on Friday. Everything seemed to happen at the last minute with this house. We got financing an hour before the deadline, the mortgage insurance wasn't sent to the lawyer until after we were there to sign the papers, and the other law office made a mistake so it took until just before closing time for the lawyer to get everything registered. Well, we are in, and on our way to fixing things up so we can move in. I do believe that it pays to be a full tithe payer. There is another couple in our branch who bought a house and got possession the same day. They are gutting their kitchen, and we get all the cupboards and sink. We also get their dishwasher. They have a gas stove, which some friends of ours want (so we get their stove), andthe church is getting a new fridge, so we get the old one if there is not a greater need. It all just seems to be falling into place.

The North Pole

I had a little boy, who had a winter birthday. He wanted to play in the snow, but we had none. I thought and I thought, and got an idea. I covered the furniture with white sheets, and decorated with shiny snowflakes. After making scarves of scrap pieces of fleece (you have to bundle up to play in the snow), we flew to the North Pole to have a snow ball fight. We used white balloons that I had blown up previously. This was the favourite game of the day, and the kids kept coming back to it throughout the party. He had a white cake, upon which Ihad built an igloo and a snowman outof marshmallows. It was a great way to turn six, and was enjoyed greatly by all.

YEAH!!!!!!

I know I am WAY over due to write, but it has been crazy around here. Most of you know we were looking into a house earlier this month. Our offer was accepted, and then the stress of finding financing began. Our Dealine was 11:59 pm yesterday, but really 4:00 pm yesterday as the bank is the seller (apparently they go home then, too). We got the call yesterday at 3:00pm that the broker had found us the money. On January 19, 2007, we will be taking possesion of a 150 year old stone house. The work just begins then, as we have to put a kitchen in before we can live there (it was completely gutted). That is alright though, because Ontario Law requires us to give Two months notice to our Landlord. I will post pictures when I get some.