This House We Call Home

Life in our Livingroom!

2012-01-23T14:18:00.000-04:00

This is my livingroom where we use and abuse it everyday! It's comfy, messy, and one of my favourite rooms in my house!

working on the tree

this is a camera app from my phone to add that 70's flavour.

love this vintage feel to this photo!

My sweet little ella!

2012-01-23T14:09:00.001-04:00

This is Ella talking about Outflow at her school. Her Vice-Principal made this video to share with the students at her school. She started volunteering with me along with my niece Kristen almost two years ago. She comes with me every month to the one we hold at our local church. I am always amazed by the ease in which she serves people who often look rough because of their sad situations. We get quite a few kids coming to help at Outflow under the watchful eyes of their parents; it is one of the highlights for me!

Container Gardening...

2011-04-13T14:57:00.000-03:00

Well, my uber talented sister along with the ever creative Matthew Mead have created another beautiful magazine all about container gardening. You can find this magazine at newstands everywhere!

Exteriors

2011-04-13T14:26:00.000-03:00

As much as I love my cape cod, I don't love the wide colour lock siding from 1970! We are pondering once again what colour to paint it and or to bite the bullet and go with new siding! I won't be able to afford wooden siding which is what I really want, but I would chose the triple 3 siding which is more traditional than the new cove siding which I personally am not a fan of.

Here are some before and afters and some photos of cape cod colours that I like...

This is our cape cod. Since this picture was taken, we have added new stairs and decks to the front and side entrance.

This photo and the two above is of the same house with before and after pictures.

I like this colour and this is the triple 3 siding I would go with.

This house is almost identical to ours with painted colour lock siding.

I love red!!!! My husband, not so much! I don't like the trim work on this house, but I do love the colour!

I doubt I'll do yellow.

I like this colour, but I think it would date quickly.

Thankful

2011-01-16T01:06:00.001-04:00

Like everyone, I'm sure you wake each morning & have certain rituals to start your day. For me, it is opening the blinds, opening my livingroom curtains, throwing a load of laundry on, filling the cat bowls, patting my cat, usually unloading the dishwasher all before starting breakfast for the kids or my highlight....coffee!

In the evening, I close the curtains & blinds, I check the doors to make sure their locked, I load the dishwasher and try to leave the sink clean, put another load of laundry on and I putter away at the clutter from the day.

Of late, I find myself pausing & truly acknowledging how blessed I am. All over the world people are losing their homes to floods, mudslides, war, earthquakes, mortgage forclosures, job loss, the list goes on.

So in the mundane, give thanks for the small but precious rituals we all repeat on a daily basis in our homes, the homes we are sooo lucky to have!

"Arise, shine." Isaiah 60:1

Drudgery is one of the finest touchstones of character there is. Drudgery is work that is very far removed from anything to do with the ideal - the utterly mean grubby things; and when we come in contact with them we know instantly whether or not we are spiritually real. Read John 13. We see there the Incarnate God doing the most desperate piece of drudgery, washing fishermen's feet, and He says - "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet." It requires the inspiration of God to go through drudgery with the light of God upon it. Some people do a certain thing and the way in which they do it hallows that thing for ever afterwards. It may be the most commonplace thing, but after we have seen them do it, it becomes different. When the Lord does a thing through us, He always transfigures it. Our Lord took on Him our human flesh and transfigured it, and it has become for every saint the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Oswald Chambers ~ My Utmost For His Highest - February 19th

My Pretty Kitchen is being featured on Remodelaholic!!!

2011-01-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

I was really surprised when I received an email tonight that my kitchen was going to be featured on one of my favourite sites Remodelaholic!!! When I was getting the courage up to paint my cupboards I found this blog sooo helpful! So many others have taken the plunge and painted their cupboards. I got a lot of great advice on how to do it properly!

So, thank you for including me on your blog!!!

Wendy

My Oh So Pretty Kitchen

2010-11-04T18:48:00.005-03:00

My goal was for my kitchen to welcome people! I love the colour!

Well, it is Finally done! Or, as done as it is going to be for awhile. There are some finishing touches that I will add over time, but for now my kitchen is done & I'm loving it! I took the time to declutter, delete things I wasn't using and to really organize all the cabinets. You can click on this Link to peek if you want to see some before shots. I will be adding more before shots with information on what I did. If you want to look more closely at the photos just click on them.

Everyday I walk into my kitchen and feel Happy! The colour of my cupboards makes me smile everytime I look at them! I love the wall colour...I was really going for that clean swedish look yet still be cosy! Our house sits on a heavily treed lot and is a challenge to me when it comes to choosing colour! But thankfully, I am happy with the results! The colour is Timothy Straw by Benjamin Moore & I used their Aura Paint with no fumes.

Even on the dullest days in November my kitchen is still cheerful!

For a galley kitchen it is very spacious!

Okay, I realize my fridge looks messy...but beside it to the left is an area for your laptop and more open shelving.

You can't really see it, but we added beadboard as a back splash. Very inexpensive & pretty! I used melamine paint for the beadboard and months later, and many scrubs behind the stove it is still looking new!

I love my beadboard which I know is hard to see. In my next post, I will show more before & after shots.

I love my floating shelves! I bought them at Mardens for $10 each and only had to paint them white. They hold my new everyday dishes perfectly. The white glass cabinet is a work in progress. The inside is mactacked & I need to paint over it. Vintage 1970!

I love my new yellow cabinet that I bought for $5 at a yard sale. It is a hospital bedside table which I painted. The Ikea shelves above I purchased on Kijiji for $20

We added new countertops & the microwave above the stove.

This cupboard is one my brother in-law Paul built for me many years ago. I didn't want to paint it as it had aged to a beautiful honey pine. But it didn't look so good anymore in my new kitchen so I painted it this lovely yellow...which was actually a colour I had chosen for my cupboards but then changed my mind.

This dining set was given to us by my mother inlaw. However, we hope to paint it at some point as the top isn't in such great shape. I had worried it would look to old & dark, but I actually like it! I love my vintage tablecloth. I've had it for years and only bring it out for Thanksgiving. So, I am enjoying using it on this table.

Oh...& a big thank you to my friend Heidi who took the photos for me! She is a great photographer and has a beautiful camera! All my pictures were dull looking with my cheap camera! So Thank you!

Holiday with Matthew Mead

2010-09-15T09:12:00.000-03:00

I can't wait to receive this beautiful magazine that my sister has helped to create! When I stop and think about how someone from our small but beautiful town, has managed to live out a dream of writing and decorating for someone as talented as Matthew Mead well, I think that's kinda cool!

I encourage you to support ...this magazine. Matthew Mead has chosen to publish this magazine with minimal advertising. Instead, focusing on creativity & content! Someone has finally heard the frustration from readers who feel all they end up buying is another magazine loaded with advertisements and minimal content!

You won't be disappointed!

Beautiful Fabric

2010-09-08T22:52:00.001-03:00

Today I was out with my mum and we wandered through our local Fabricville ever hopeful to find something unique and fun! We left disappointed! Then I headed to Calais, Maine for the afternoon with my husband and peeked through the fabric department at the local Marden's. They actually can be a great source for drastically reduced, pretty fabric. I managed to buy my Waverly fabric for my tent trailer last summer for only $1 yard!!!! Anyways, nothing inspiring today!

I love fabrics...I only wish I had a budget for the many amazingly beautiful fabrics available online. I discovered some beautiful fabrics by Heather Bailey at her online store. Her fabrics are inspirational! I realized that I enjoy sewing. So far, I have only been sewing for practical purposes. I have made slipcovers for my camper, curtains, pillow covers, etc...but I'm itching to sew some things for the house that make me smile on a daily basis, not just when we go camping! Can't wait!

Kitchen Reno...Finally! Part 1

2010-09-04T01:14:00.002-03:00

After much feet dragging, excuses, laziness, lack of inspiration, fear of committment, we finally began the long, tedious process of giving our kitchen a lipstick makeover! I could go into all the tedious details involved in prepping & painting old cupboards but I will spare you all the details

Dining area.

I will say this...it is my goal in life to NEVER do this again! I am deeply committed to doing a great job...but wow...it is stressful! I want a kitchen that reflects my tastes, our family lifestyle, my love and need for colour,

yet won't involve expensive, time consuming neutralizing for when we do sell our house someday in the future.

The hideous painted peeling tile...Gone!

Priming the walls.

Then came the patching and sanding of the walls, replacing heaters, electrical plugs and switches, and finally priming and painting the pea green walls! The colour I chose is called New Brunswick Sky! As I write this, I am not 100% passionately in love with the colour...but I do love it! I have learned to wait until the end to see if the ideas bubbling around in my head actually looks as nice as I hope they will be!

The nightmare of finding the right colour!

One thing I did was fill in where the knobs and handles had been with wood filler and sanded them which added extra work but worth it!

A sampling of the old wallpaper. Vintage 1970's

Note to Self....

2010-07-27T20:30:00.000-03:00

Saturday Treasures

2010-07-23T22:44:00.000-03:00

Well, now that summer is in full swing & yard sales beckon each Saturday, I thought I would share some of my more recent treasures!

My beautiful gravy boat!

Russell Wright Vegetable Serving Bowl $3!!

Beautiful buttery yellow Johnson Bros. Gravy Boat $2.

Large wicker tray $2, beautiful large white salad bowl $1 and vintage 1970's wooden serving set 50 cents.

Some beautiful vintage hand towels.

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Trying to decide if I should paint this $5 dresser that I love??

Medicinal Uses of Dandelion

2010-04-09T10:26:00.001-03:00

The humble little Dandelion has remarkable nutritional value, being
very high in vitamins A and C, with more beta carotine than carrots
and more potassium than broccoli or spinach, not to mention healthy
doses of iron and copper for good measure. Medicinally, Dandelions
are considered very safe and effective as a general tonic that helps
strengthen the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, stomach, and
intestines, improving bile flow and reducing inflammation in cases
of hepatitis and cirrhosis. Dandelions also help to dissipate
gallstones and are believed to improve kidney function, thereby
improving overall health and clearing skin problems.

Dandelion tea is the perfect choice for those with the above problems
or those who lead relatively sedentary lifestyles and who experience
discomfort associated with this, such as constipation, digestive
disorders, indigestion, and general sluggishness and fatigue. Just
one cup per day will yield noticeable results within the first few
months. Tea may also be of benefit for many of the problems
associated with diabetes and low blood sugar.

Externally, the white sap from the stems or roots can be applied
directly to ease the pain of sores and bee stings, and is useful in
the elimination of warts, acne, and calluses.

Dandelion coffee is made by grinding roasted roots, and makes a nice
substitute for regular coffee, but without the caffeine. People who can't tolerate much
coffee can drink as much as they please and reap the health benefits
without any side-effects. For the sweets lover, ground root mixed
with warm milk and a little sweetener makes a very tasty and
nutritious creamy beverage with few calories.

Have I Mentioned My Amazing Sister Lately....

2010-02-21T14:03:00.002-04:00

This is a recent article by the Halifax Chronicle Herald about my beautiful, talented sister! Her new magazine Flea Market Style has finally hit the newstands! I encourage you to buy it and support this magazine as it is, as far as I know, the first magazine to truly feature and value bloggers who share their decorating talent which would have otherwise gone unnoticed! Thanks to the wisdom of Mathew Mead the main creator! Enjoy!!!!

New Glasgow blogger lands in New York decorating magazine
Flea Market Style lists MacDonald as Editor at Large
By MONICA GRAHAM
Sun. Feb 21 - 4:52 AM

Linda MacDonald, a former nurse, caught the eye of home designer Matthew Mead when some American publications ran a story on a playhouse she had decorated for her daughter.

Flea Market Style is published by Harris Publications Inc. in New York.

Linda MacDonald’s career as a writer sounds like one of those Hollywood success stories in which a future star is discovered while sorting socks at the automatic laundry.

In MacDonald’s case, American home designer Matthew Mead discovered the New Glasgow woman while she shared her homegrown decorating tips with her sister through an online diary or blog.

"It was just her reading it as far as I knew," MacDonald said.

But one thing led to another until this month when the mother of three school-aged children and former nurse opened the premier issue of Flea Market Style to see her byline on five articles and herself listed as the magazine’s editor-at-large.

MacDonald profiled five decor bloggers for the magazine that was launched by Mead and co-editor Ki Nassauer, and published by Harris Publications Inc. in New York. There’s an article about MacDonald herself, a feature she wrote about a home tour and another feature about an antique shop in Great Village. The fifth article focuses on her daughter’s playhouse, decorated by MacDonald.

The playhouse was what first attracted Mead’s attention, after prominent American newspapers, magazines and home decorating websites featured her blog post about it.

Mead contacted MacDonald and arranged for a photo shoot last summer that coincided with a visit to Great Village. The meeting soon grew into a larger role for MacDonald, as she began blogging about the behind-the-scenes creation of the magazine.

The co-editors recognized that she had a good way of connecting with potential readers through her blog, and saw that the future of publishing relies on reaching out to the online community, MacDonald said.

But she didn’t start out to be a writer. She fell into decorating because it turned out that she was good at it. She and her husband bought and resold homes, which moved quickly after MacDonald redecorated them.

After a real estate agent suggested she go into business staging homes so they would sell faster, MacDonald took a brief course, but she is otherwise self-taught.

She found there was little demand for staging in the New Glasgow area, so she branched into decorating. The work allowed her to meet other people interested in restyling their homes on realistic budgets, and to be at home with her young children.

At her sister’s suggestion, she started the blog (http://restyledhome.blogspot.com) to share her love of what she calls "modern vintage" decorating style. When people other than her sister told her they followed it she put a counter on the site.

Then she watched as the number of visitors increased to 1,000 a month, leading to her gig with Flea Market Style. Readership increased to 1,000 hits a day as visitors began following her posts about the behind-the-scenes creation of the magazine.

"It’s a really innovative way to gain support for the magazine," she said.

MacDonald is uncertain if more issues of Flea Market Style will be produced, or if it will be a single-issue magazine, but Mead has already asked her to contribute to a Christmas design issue.

She tries to promote the inclusion of Canadian designers and attractions, because so many Canadians read U.S. publications, she said.

She’s grateful for the encouragement from the online decorating community.

"If you felt no one was reading, there wouldn’t be much inspiration to write," MacDonald said.

And she’s still amazed that the blog started as a small experiment and grew into something that she loves to do, and earns her an income as well.

"It blends decorating and writing, and it’s more fun than just choosing paint colours," she said. "I’m actually really enjoying writing, as much or more as decorating."

Monica Graham is a freelance writer living in rural Pictou County.
( mgraham@herald.ca)

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-24T22:20:00.000-04:00

This Christmas went by pretty quickly! It was fun, & these are some of my favourite moments!

Anytime I look out my window & see the stunning colours from this cut glass window gives me a thrill! Snow as a backdrop...perfection!

Ella's grade one school concert!

Jack's school concert!

Baking homemade whipped shortbreads!

Apple cakes & apricot Almond Cheesecake!

letter and snack for Santa!

The kids on Christmas morning. Ignore my unfinished stairs!

The beautiful capecod house my mother made for me to replicate our capecod house. Now to only get my house to look so pretty!

Funny foam whimsy from the kids!

Ella decorating her cookies!

Christmas Eve at Nanny's House

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

My Newly Wallpapered Mudroom Phase 1

2009-12-09T09:42:00.007-04:00

About 2 1/2 years ago, I redid my mudroom to a lovely pumpkin orange with lots of wicker & new slate floors. I loved the mudroom but felt a need for a change as we have been changing the colours in the whole house. I most recently painted the hallway & replaced some doors. So, seeing this, I knew I could not put off any longer my ideas for my mudroom redo!

When we bought this house the mudroom was in dismal shape. You can check here for the story of its first before & after. I chose the pumpkin colour to blend with the earthy colours already in this house when we bought it. Plus, I plan to use my mudroom as the room where I can try out every bold colour I want because it is a small space. So, I knew the pumpkin was a temporary colour...something to enjoy for the short term since I have always loved shades of orange!

So, as we progressed with the rest of the house using lighter, happier colours, I realized I was becoming tired of the pumpkin colour. I loved it, but I had had enough. About a year ago I discovered an amazing wallpaper for the mudroom. I brought home samples & settled on the pattern. However, I then discovered the most beautiful wallpaper which suited my diningroom to perfection. So instead of doing the mudroom, I bought paper for the diningroom. That delayed me doing the mudroom once again. Check here to see my diningroom wallpaper.

So, I had settled on the idea of just painting the mudroom until recently my mother & I were out shopping & she encouraged me to just buy the paper & be happy for it! So twist my rubber arm...& here is the results of a full week of work. I painted, primed, wallpapered, filled holes, and went nearly crazy matching & cutting in and around awkward, not plumb corners & walls! I hope you like it!

Of course, with every new redo, you discover that the items you used to decorate before just don't work anymore. I really loved my wicker purses hanging in my mudroom. I've collected them for about 20 years now & love to show them off. However, the pattern is to busy & it clashes with the wicker handbags. I also had to remove my wicker drawers which I used daily for storage and to hang Maggie's leashes plus extra coats, etc. However, I'm pretty excited with my new to me accessories.

I bought of Kijiji a couple of months ago an Ikea Wooden shelf with drawers which I've been covering with paper plus an Ikea glass sliding door cupboard. I just need to get it up on the wall & repaint it to match the beadboard using my mistint colour in linen.

This photo is from another blog...I'm so sorry...I can't recall where...I can't show mine till it's done so I wanted to show you my inspiration! I paid $10 for my drawer set. Above it will go the glass cabinet painted to match. I may etch the glass....maybe!

I painted the beadboard using a mistint called Linen. It was $40 & I paid $10! Not sure if I am keeping this in the mudroom. But it is practical.

This is the room after, but before decorating! I love my bench! I bought it at the Kingston Market from a guy who makes them here locally. I love to always mix in natural pieces. My slate floor is the kind that is rough cut or hand hewn...not sure of the technical term. But I wanted the real slate because it reminds me of Ireland. I might switch to faux wooden blinds in white.

I love the vibrancy of the wallpaper. I only wish my photos would do the same! This is where my cabinets are going & I plan to hang iron hooks to replace my old wicker drawer unit.

I also painted my door black! Not an easy task in December! I plan to replace the handles when I replace the door.

These are the double doors going into a very large closet! Love them!

For Rememberance Day - The Red and White

2009-11-11T14:39:00.002-04:00

Julian Austin - The Red and White

Julian Austin performed this song for the troops in Afghanistan.

Staircase Makeover

2009-10-26T13:03:00.005-03:00

We just finished painting our hallway and plan to move onto our stairs. Since moving in we have lived with stairs that are pretty beat up. The rails are loose, the stair treads beat up, the runner going up the stairs was stapled on...basically screaming for some attention.

A small view of our stair rail.

So, feeling inspired by how well our hallway turned out we finally have turned our attention to the stairs. Since I last posted, we tore apart the railing, ripped out the runner, removed lots of staples, filled holes in the wood, and I have painted the first coat on the stair trim running up the stairs.

The staircase before...

I have begun to sand the rails & Andy is on board with my idea on how to make our stairs look vintage & pretty. He still isn't sold on the idea...I wish I had a photo to show him what I am thinking of...we shall see if it works out...but I hate spending money on what might be a wasted idea. Oh well, I know where I can reuse it should it look silly.

Railing Removed

Last night at Kents, I snagged a mistint paint for $10 which will look perfect for the stairs! Andy installed my new/old light at the top of our hallway stairs. I am so proud of it! I will post about it seperately because it represents my decorating style & belief that it should be inexpensive & recycled if possible! I'm already panging for yard sales!

The stairs primed & holes filled.

So, we continue to work away on this project. I need this done before Christmas because of my Christmas stockings that my sister in law knitted for us years ago. They are one of my most cherished Christmas possessions! I need my stair rail to hang the stockings! However, I am also working on my mudroom. It is being made over for Christmas too! Nothing like a deadline to get me moving! Merry Christmas Season everyone!

Stepping Up

2009-10-26T10:18:00.006-03:00

We are finally turning our attention to our staircase. I am excited to try out one idea which I haven't seen it anywhere else & I have been searching! It would be nice to see if it has worked somewhere else...but Andy has agreed to give it a try and if we don't like it, we'll redo it with plan B.

Anyways, here are some inspiring stairs that if I had the money...well, ya know!

This amazing tree rail is a custom piece found at Iron Fencing.

Flea Market Style Wants to Know....

2009-10-19T19:51:00.004-03:00

Over at Flea Market Style you can view a bunch of really cool links to favourite vintage finds by other bloggers. I love this because my whole home is virtually decorated with yard sale treasures! I added a link to one of my all time favourite finds here.

Grab a big cup of coffee & enjoy!

Be Happy

2009-10-15T18:28:00.005-03:00

I bought this lovely picture at a yard sale a few summers ago. I loved it because I do a LOT of laundry! I enjoy hanging clothes out on the line, hanging it just so!

There was something so whimsical & free about the mother in the picture. When I was redecorating the bathroom I opened the back to paint the frame. Inside, I found this beautiful inscription. It spoke to me...as I'm sure it would many people. The words are beautiful in their simplicity.

Margot, this is your birthday card.

Have a happy one - look around at the good things.

See the good in the people you know.

Think nice thoughts of the people that you know care.

Be happy in the rain the wind and the snow.

Life is good

Love Ken &??

The Beauty of Wallpaper

2009-09-21T18:10:00.014-03:00

For over a year now, I have been planning some changes to my mudroom. One of those changes that I was most excited about was to add wallpaper above my white beadboard. I wanted to do something different & special. Plus, I have secretly been excited this past year exploring all the possibilities available now in the wallpapering world.

However, as I searched for the perfect paper for my mudroom, I instead discovered the most perfect wallpaper for my diningroom! I ditched the mudroom & started imagining it on my diningroom wall! Wallpaper isn't cheap, but wow, am I ever glad I saved up for the splurge. It added the finishing touch to my diningroom. I think when I finally found my elusive diningroom light within my budget, (uhmmm $10 for an Ikea Pendent Light) the stars aligned & I found the energy & inspiration to finish my diningroom! I can finally proclaim that my diningroom is finished!

This past weekend, I papered the largest wall in my diningroom with the most beautiful light blue wallpaper with big white flowers...think dalias or mums! Everytime I walk by the room I smile & feel so happy that I can finally say that ONE room in my house is actually finished!

My diningroom is so light & airy...I have always loved the clean lines & light airy colours of Swedish style & this room allowed me to nurture this love! However, I can never lay claim to one particular look as I always add my own eclectic touch from my weekly treks thru local yard sales!

I love this room! I do so many things in my diningroom & it is by far the sunniest room in our home. I hope that it a place where friends & family always feel happy & relaxed in! When I think back to how it used to look when we moved in....to its first transformation to now, well...it is like the clouds parted and let the sunshine burst thru!

Oh, & thanks to my friend Heidi for taking the top three photos as my camera does not have a wide angle lens!

Lipstick on the Bathroom / Laundry Room

2009-09-19T18:40:00.006-03:00

As I had mentioned in some earlier posts, we are almost finished our main level bathroom/laundry room. The biggest change being the colour! It is such a pretty, happy colour compared to our old colour the sea of beige! We added shelves, a new heater, new plugs & outlets, a new light fixture and door hardware.

This is a favourite little picture I found at a yard sale that sits on my shelf. On the back is a beautifully written message from a friend that I need to take a picture of.

Another shot of the shelves.

We also added two large shelves over the washer & dryer. This frees up so much space & allows me to show off my vintage jars.

I snagged this glass cupboard at a yard sale for $5! Yep, I was pretty impressed that day as they run about $100 if your lucky!

This is the area by the sink. I love my new mirror that my mother bought for me over a year ago from the Super Store! It was the last one and I think she paid $25! Boy, do I wish I had bought one too because the wall screams out for two mirrors! I also bought a new door knob in the burnished metal & a towel & toilet tissue holder to match.

Light Off....Light On

I realize this isn't the best shot, but I love the way the light sparkles!

We still have to rip out the vanity & counter top. We also plan to lay new tile in the bathroom. I am still waiting on my husband to add in our new lights & box in the old ones. Until then, our bathroom is fresh, clean & pretty!

Diningroom

2009-09-15T19:56:00.004-03:00

I recently snagged this beautiful Ikea Pendant lamp on Kijiji for $10!!! The beautiful vintage phone I found at a recent yard sale. I paid $5 for it & it is selling on ebay.uk for over $200! It is solid brass with a bakelite phone handle. It even has a little swinging handle on the front for carrying it around! All I need to do is get some brasso to shine it up...I love it!

Reflections

2009-08-25T01:05:00.003-03:00

I was going through some old photos tonight and I just had to post these ones of the kids homeschooling in September of 2004. Last year was our first time ever in public school and my oldest is going into grade 12!! Where has the time gone, how I appreicate all the time I have spent with my kids...I love them & think they are pretty amazing!

Vintage Finds...

2009-06-01T17:18:00.003-03:00

These are some of my recent finds from local yard sales. The beautiful box with the children on the front is made in Holland by Mulder Spel. However, I know nothing about it and would love to find out what year it was made, etc.

Inside the box is wooden blocks that you can use to build a house. What is funny about it, is that on the cover the children are playing a game of dice with sticks.

These are beautiuful vintage earrings and a brooch that I found. I have quite a collection of vintage jewellery. I have been collecting it all my life...really!

A beautiful vintage tin. I loved the floral top.

I also found two beautiful pottery bowls and plates. I couldn't pass them by. They are made by a local potter in Fredericton

Working...slowly

2009-02-24T19:47:00.002-04:00

This past winter, we have been working away at little projects around the house (if there is such a thing) and we are slowly seeing the results.

We have almost finished the bathroom/laundry on the main level. We have replaced the flooring in Ella's room and I was challenged to creatively re-decorate her room.

I have also been decluttering and getting rid of lots of stuff! I gave my good friend Martha all of ella's beautiful clothing from baby size onwards, got rid of all my baby stuff, toys galore, books and more books, furniture, linens, knick knacks, etc...I just wanted it gone! I tend to hang onto things because there is memories connected to them...but I'm learning that I can let them go and still have the memory. I am learning to keep only the very best and part with the rest. I love giving things away to a good home...especially to my friends and those in need.

Now all I have to do is take some photos and post them here to prove to my sister that I have done something!

Homemade Easy Bake Oven Mixes

2009-01-15T20:33:00.004-04:00

Ella received an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. Every parent knows how quickly you go through those expensive little packages of cake mix. I found these recipes to make my own easy bake mixes. I will add more recipes as I find them.

Cookie Mix (For Use In Easy Bake Ovens)

1 1/2 c. quick oats
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c. shortening

Mix ingredients in mixing bowl.
Stir until mixture looks like cornmeal.
Spoon about 1/2 cup mixture into 8
small containers or zipper bags.
Seal tightly. Label bags or containers with date.
Store in cool, dry place.
Will keep for 12 weeks.
Each package makes about 9 cookies.

TO USE:
To make raisin chocolate chip cookies:
Use 1 package Cookie Mix. Add 2 teaspoons water,
1 tablespoon raisins and 1 tablespoon
mini chocolate chips.
Mix together.
Drop by teaspoonfulls and flatten each cookie with
the bottom of a buttered drinking glass, dipped in sugar.
Follow directions for Easy Bake Oven.

Lemon,Chocolate Or White Cake Mix
(For Use In Easy Bake Ovens)

1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon flavored drink (such a kool aid)

*For chocolate cake mix, substitute
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa.
*For white cake mix, omit lemon powder/cocoa

1/3 c. shortening

Follow directions for mixing as
in the cookie recipe above.
Spoon about 1/3 cup mixture into
10 small containers or zipper bags.
Label and store in a cool, dry place.
Will keep for 12 weeks.

TO USE:
To 1 package cake mix, add four teaspoons water.
Stir with a fork or spoon until smooth.
Grease and flour a 4 inch miniature cake pan and
bake according to Easy Bake Oven Instructions.

A Poem Tree for Ella's Room....

2009-01-13T12:29:00.005-04:00

We will soon be putting in a new floor in Ella's room and at that time I will be changing her room around and making it more reflective of my little five year old fire cracker of a daughter! I have purchased from Little Bundles Baby Boutique these beautiful wall murals which are removable and reusable. I can't wait! They are whimsical and magical! I will post photos when I'm done...

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:51:00.001-04:00

Can You Sleep While The Wind Blows?

2008-12-25T21:44:00.000-04:00

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast.
He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work
on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across
the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received A steady
stream of refusals.
Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
"Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, Hired him.
The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the
farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.
Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed
next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and
yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming!
Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I
can sleep when the wind blows."
Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on
the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.
To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had
been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were
in the coops, and the doors were barred.
The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.
Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand
meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
Moral of this Story
When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically,
you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your
life?
The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the
farm against the storm.
We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in
scripture and prayer. We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand
to have peace in the middle of storms.
I hope you enjoy your day and you sleep well
even if "The Wind Blows"

I'm now a crockpotter...

2008-09-13T16:46:00.003-03:00

I finally broke down and purchased a slow cooker aka crock pot! It isn't my first one...in fact, I've had two or three over the years that collected dust until I gave them away to some eager friend who mentioned they might like to try one out.

My original dislike for crockpots was mainly due to the fact that everything tasted the same. Meat and veggies all taste identical and I know this will sound even weirder, but the meat tastes meatier...which I don't like!

However, with blogging, I have come across so many yummy sounding recipes and then I recently found a blog dedicated to crockpot cooking called A Year of Crockpotting that finally, I felt inspired to buy one.

The fact that I am working outside the home now and trying to avoid the 5pm "what are we having for dinner" dilemma also factored into it.

I purchased a Bravetti because of the timer and the extra inserts which allows you to cook two items seperately. I will let you know how I make out and what recipes I find success with.

Matthew Mead Halloween Tricks and Treats Magazine

2008-09-09T19:41:00.001-03:00

Just wanted to mention that Mathew Mead's latest holiday magazine Matthew Mead Halloween Tricks and Treats has hit the store shelves! Why you ask...because he dedicated this special issue to my amazingly talented sister at Restyled Home. Also, because these are projects that even I can do...and I really am craft challenged! I can't wait to share some of the projects with my little girl as we need to spend some quality mummy & daughter time! This magazine is perfect for that!

My Lovely, Talented Sister

2008-09-07T13:46:00.005-03:00

My amazingly talented sister began her blog Restyled Home over a year ago thanks to my constant nagging that she needed to start one! I knew how talented she was in home decorating and writing and the time seemed right that the two should meet.

Well, Linda never does anything mediocre...she poured herself into her blog. She discovered how much fun it is to write about something your passionate about and from writing, make friends with so many wonderful people in blog land.

To me, blogs are one of the best ways to discoverer talented people who might never be noticed because of our distant locations and the limited opportunities to share our passion with other people. Well, since Linda started writing, she has created a true following on her blog, become close friends with many wonderful people including Mathew Mead from Country Home magazine. He recently launched his first magazine and dedicated the first issue to my little sister! Cool!

Transition

2008-09-04T10:09:00.006-03:00

Ben, Connor their cousin and Sam!

Wow, after over a year of anticipation we finally reached the day...my kids started public school.

Ben, Ella, Sam & Connor heading for the bus.

Last spring, 2007, I/we realized that it was time for Ben & Sam to go into highschool. It would be the perfect time because Sam would start grade nine and Ben grade eleven. They could support one another during this transition and major change in their life. I also realized that my earlier enthusiasm to have them write SAT's, CAT's, the record keeping all to prove what they had learned, so that they could attend University and or Community College, drained me at the thought. After 11 years of homeschooling my kids were curious to give public school a try and I was tired and had many other responsibilities that were pulling me in many directions.

Ella coming off the bus...she didn't want to get off!

Upon hearing that his brothers were going to public school, Jack my middle son then wanted to go to school too...can you see the snowball effect...however, sending Jack was more complicated because he would be starting middle school..a place I really don't want any of my kids attending.

Luckily, last year when I told my friend Heidi about our pending decision so that maybe she would consider it too for this fall...she did one better, and out of the blue put her kids into a private Catholic school about two weeks later! They chose the school started by my very close friends in the city, which is an amazing school with some very dedicated teachers and parents! Jack's teacher is also the principal of the school and a former homeschooler!!! So, Jack is now attending that school because he can get a drive with Heidi. Otherwise, he would have probably had to continue homeschooling. Jack doesn't start till Monday, so he has had a pretty boring week with just me or his dad. Right now he is reviewing his math from last year and moaning the whole time! I won't miss his poor me attitude when it comes to work!

Three handsome fellas!

Ella my youngest also started kindergarten. Last year at the urging of my mother, she encouraged me to let Ella attend pre-school. Well, we did and she loved it! So much so that she insisted on trying out kindergarten! So, we have attended the first day and so far she loves her teachers, the bus ride and recess! She stated the rest is boring...but I know she will settle in and it helps that a family friend is also the Teacher Assistant which helped me in my own nervousness in letting her go. I am hopeful ella will make some new little friends as our neighbourhood doesn't have little girls her age.

Ella rushing to hug grampy & nanny!

This is a huge change for me...when I knew for sure that Jack would be attending private school, I knew I had to get a part-time job to help pay for it. I truly lucked out and found a job in a local baby boutique that I love! They promote all the philosophies that I embraced...attachement parenting, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, healthy toys, family bed, homemade baby food, and truly cool items that I used to order from catalogues or online. To have all this variety here locally is wonderful and I truly admire the owner who is a really great mother, business woman and a school teacher to boot!

Ella following the principal & learning the morning routine.

So, life isn't slowing down at all...it is getting busier in a new way but I feel great, excited, and ready for change!

Window on a Window

2008-06-02T11:45:00.006-03:00

Well, I'm not sure how others will feel about my latest little garden decorating. I have a nice big garage that also includes two huge ugly windows on the side of my flower beds. Until we actually renovate the outside, the windows are staying. However, since I moved in, I have hated them!

One of the things that came to me when I first moved here, was the idea of hanging an older paned glass window on top of the big windows...in hopes of tricking your eye into seeing something cottagey first before you notice the big ugly windows.

I had two larger old glass paned windows upstairs in the loft of the garage. I had wanted to paint onto the glass to give it some wow...but knowing how busy I get and how I procrastinate, I decided to just go ahead and hang the windows. Well, it wasn't so easy to hang them but I did finally get it done. Here is the end results and hopefully you will like it more than my husband and three sons...thankfully, my smart little girl ella loves it!

Oh, and yes, they are each a different colour which I will be fixing asap! I just wanted to tackle the whole issue of hanging them and having that problem solved. On the next sunny day, I am painting them to match each other! I am leaning towards the green because it matches the door...

before adding window

after adding the two windows

Got the double hammock up...we love our hammock!

More Treasures!

2008-05-19T00:32:00.007-03:00

There wasn't many yard sales this weekend. It was at our last yardsale that we struck gold...we, being my mother and I is my yard sale side-kick! Sometimes she finds something I really, really love...but often we are both pretty content with our purchases. She totally understands my need to keep things moving along...and we bite our tongues when one of us takes to long.

I found this amazing painting done by a local artist! I was thrilled! I have it leaning against my mirror until I get it up on the wall.

This is another painting I purchased at the same sale...I plan to change the frame and hang it during the winter. It is by an artist from Chipman, NB.

This is another picture of my beautiful glass mosaic I found last weekend. I hung my summer curtains and bought new pillows for my couch in the states.

Rooms with the Most Amazing View!

2008-05-14T11:30:00.008-03:00

I found these two amazing cut glass mosaic window frames that fit perfectly with my two large windows. The one below fit perfectly within the frame of this large picture window square...how lucky is that!

Cut glass window that fit perfectly into my window panes. I paid $5.00!!!!

This is the second large window with cut glass that now hangs in my diningroom. This treasure was only $10!!! Some of the panes depict a scene which is really cool!

This is another picture of my beautiful glass mosaic I found last weekend. I hung my summer curtains and bought new pillows for my couch in the states. I am one lucky girl!

DIY-Grow Your Own Potatoes in Small Spaces

2008-04-07T09:52:00.003-03:00

I hope to put in a vegetable garden this year. I have a nice healthy herb garden and only need to expand on it...but my goal for this year is to grow some potatoes, carrots, peas and beans. I would tuck lettuce and a few other small, complimentary veggies alongside them, but I want to keep it managable.

Because our front and back yards are heavily shaded with trees, it creates quite a challenge. I figured I would have to dig up the middle of my back yard as it is the only sunny spot...except, this is where the kids play so I was feeling a bit guilty. So, when I found this article about growing potatoes in plastic bags I was thrilled. It would allow me to take advantage of the narrow sunny spots available in my yard and move them if necessary.

My only concern was the plastic and how heating plastic allows chemicals to leach into soil. I might try to track down burlap bags and if needed, set the burlap bag inside a plastic bag...but maybe I am worrrying about nothing??

Check out the article and attached link as it is very interesting.

Living in the city, it can be hard to find a place in your garden for potatoes. Potatoes, grown conventionally, take up a lot of growing space and are time-intensive when it's time to dig them up. There are benefits to growing your own potatoes though. You have a much wider selection than that which you get in the grocery store. You will also have a ready supply of baby new potatoes, considered an expensive delicacy if you have to purchase them but just another potato in your own garden. There are, however, many different methods to growing potatoes in your small garden that save time, space, and work. I have tried many of these methods but the Garbage Bag method is the easiest and most productive.

To use the Garbage Bag method of growing potatoes, all you need is a sturdy garbage bag, like Glad Force Flex, some compost, shredded leaves and seed potatoes. You can purchase certified seed potatoes from a nursery or use sprouted potatoes from your pantry. Seed potatoes are your best bet as they are certified disease free and come in many varieties and colors, from yellow to pink to purple and blue. Cut larger potatoes into pieces that have two or three eyes each. Let potato pieces sit out to dry overnight.

When you are ready to plant, fill garbage bag four inches deep with compost. Roll down sides of bag until just above the level of the soil. Poke holes with the point of a pair of scissors around the exterior of the bag just below the soil line. Site the bag where it will get at least 6 hours of full sun every day. It can be by a fence, on your balcony, or in a sunny unused area of your yard. Plant three seed potato chunks into the soil and cover shallowly. Water lightly. The black garbage bag will provide extra warmth to the potatoes in the spring and fall and they will grow faster than if they were in the ground.

cont'd here

Springs warmth...

2008-04-06T16:52:00.009-03:00

Today was finally warm, sunny and smelled sweetly of spring! I left church today feeling pretty flat and discouraged. However, ella really wanted to go outside, so together we went outside and started weeding the flower bed. It is a huge double sided bed with little flagstone steps seperating the two sides. One side is still wild and overgrown with grasses, and I am hopeful that this spring I will have more time to focus on my garden and make it something to feel proud of.

We spent the afternoon outside enjoying the warmth, working away without jackets and happy to discover the plants sending out their little fresh spring shoots! Ella's two little friends stopped over to play with her and while they played I enjoyed weeding and puttering. I always feel as though my thoughts become clearer as I pull the weeds! I can often work out things that bother me and put all those weedy thoughts into their rightful place!

So, even though half my yard still has snow...I feel hopeful that spring is here. No more looking back!

Dreaming of Camping...

2008-04-04T21:06:00.005-03:00

Every year we take our kids camping...all six of us, two tents, sleeping bags, and a million other things you need to camp in comfort and style! It takes me a couple of weeks to prepare and pack, then another week to unpack and put away....so we limit our trips to 3-4 per summer season.

We always look forward to the meals and the fun times around the campfire. This year I definitely intend to try my hand at making bannock over the fire! Bannock is delicious made in the oven, and is one of those easy breads you can make in a pinch.

Irish Bannock

But, I do look forward to seeing the kids making bannock on a stick as a treat by the fire at night or in a fry pan or a dutch oven for breakfast with some bacon and eggs and fresh brewed coffee...yum!

Here are some interesting details and recipes for you to enjoy...I apologize, but I do not remember where I found these recipes or I would also include a link. I had it saved in my camping file.

What is Bannock?
Bannock is a bread that you can cook using little more than a fire
and a stick though it can also be baked or fried. Names for bannock
include bushbread, trail bread, grease bread and galette.

Bannocks origins are lost in the mists of time, but some believe
bannock was first made by the Scotts from the same oat flour that
gave their horses great strength and endurance. With stomachs fed
with hearty oat bannock those who became explorers and mountain men
in the new world introduced the bannock recipe to the Native
Americans and other outdoorsmen who lived in the wilderness.

The most simple bannock recipe consists of just flour of
nearly any kind and water. Kneaded into a dough and wrapped around a
green stick, this most basic bannock cooks into a fine tasting bread
that can be eaten alone or used as a basis for a full course meal.

Bannock on a Green Stick

The following recipe provides enough bannock for one day. Stored in a
waterproof bag, it is easy to carry a week or ten day supply.

1-cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk powder

Mix all the ingredients well, making sure the butter is evenly
distributed throughout. Sometimes I will melt the butter before
adding it to the mixture. Then slowly add water while mixing until a
dough ball is formed.

Cooking Bannock...Make the bannock dough into a cigar shape and wrap it
around a green stick. Try to keep the thickness of the dough about ½
inch.

Slowly roast the bannock over a hot fire, rotating occasionally until
it turns a golden brown. You will hear the butter sizzling and your
stomach rumble as the bannock cooks.

Multi-flour Bannock Recipe
This combination of flours, spices, and dried fruit makes the bannock
a delicious meal of itself and makes me hungry just thinking about
it. It can be cooked over an open fire on a green stick or formed
into a loaf and baked and makes a 3-day supply:

1 Cup Barley flour
1 Cup Wheat flour
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup White Sugar
1/2 to 1 Cup Raisins or other dried fruit
1 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tbsp. Coarse Ground Salt
1 tbsp. Cinnamon
1 tbsp. Cloves
1 tbsp. Nutmeg

Fried Bannock
If you like fried foods then you need to try fried Bannock.

4 cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 can milk, mix with water
1/4 cup margarine/butter
2 eggs
1/4 tbsp salt

Mix all the ingredients so a dough ball is formed. Break off pieces
and flatten into rounds about ½ inch thick. Fry to a golden brown in
the oil of your choice.

Every camping enthusiast should know how to make bannock and
cook it over an open fire. The recipe your great grandfather used has
not changed and it remains an excellent food for the hungry survivor:

2.5 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
One cup cold water
Mix and kneed the bannock ingredients. Then place in a greased pan
over a glowing bed of coals; or better yet cook it on a stick.

Prices going up...way up...

2008-03-13T13:26:00.002-03:00

Okay, I was at the Superstore yesterday and guess how much a 10kg bag of flour is now...(it was $6.99 at Christmas) drumroll please....$13.49!!!!! I managed to buy the last bag of Five Roses 10kg flour at Walmart today for $9.99! I feel like I got a bargain!

In the US, cattle are being sold younger and young for meat because farmers can't afford the grain prices. Right now beef is affordable...they predict that within 9-12 months there will be a beef shortage and those prices will skyrocket...

So, if ever there was a time to make up a little pantry it is now...if you can afford it on grocery day and you see good nourishing food on sale, buy it...because your guaranteed that grocery bills are going up...way up!

For all those homeschooling mamma's...

2008-03-03T19:07:00.005-04:00

I used to have this comic on my fridge when my kids were little...I was uploading photos and came across it...just had to share...

and this one...

Skyrocketing Wheat Prices Hit Home On Arthur Ave.

2008-03-01T00:47:00.007-04:00

100-Pound Bag $19.50 One Week, $47-Plus The Next

Kirstin Cole
BRONX (CBS) ―

We've been facing higher grocery prices and gas prices for months now. But some have been quietly dealing with a wheat crisis that is sending prices skyrocketing 150 percent.

CBS 2 HD has learned why you'll be forking over more for some of your favorite foods.

At Addeo's Bakery in the Arthur Avenue section of the Bronx, you'll always find your favorite bread, biscuits and rolls. But customers lately are swallowing higher prices for their daily staples.

"We were spending $19.50 for 100 pounds. It will go up to $47 and change and there is no end in sight," Laurence Addeo said.

At first Addeo let it slide. But eventually the third generation baker had no choice but to pass those higher prices along to his customers. He's even thinking about shutting the shop one extra day a week. Even worse, he's already heard the dreaded "R" word.

"Ration, ration flour," Addeo said. "So if we got 100 bags in a week, we might only get 70."

It's a perfect storm out of the wheat belt. Farmers planted more corn to sell as bio-fuel grain, which fetches higher prices. But there's been a much higher demand for grain from places like China and India. Meanwhile, other countries have stopped exporting wheat completely. Now, the U.S. is left with a shortage of wheat, causing flour prices to explode.

At Borgatti's they're famous for the ravioli on Arthur Avenue but they're having to learn about trickle down economics with the price of eggs, cheese and wheat all rising dramatically.

Mario Borgatti, 90, opened during the Depression and never saw 40 percent price increases until today. So far, the customers roll with the prices.

"I think they're going to go up wherever you are," one customer said.

But Mario knows eventually the business will suffer.

"Right now, we have to lay off people because we won't be doing the business (if we keep raising the prices)," Borgatti said.

"I hope that we can ride this out, and make our customers understand so we can keep selling bread for another generation."

The price of groceries made its highest year to year jump last year since 1990. And experts don't expect to see a reversal in the trend anytime soon.

http://wcbstv.com/local/wheat.price...r.2.658137.html

A Peek into our previous house

2008-02-27T19:07:00.013-04:00

This is the second home we built by ourselves...a lot of sweat equity went into this house...and we lived there for four years...three more than planned! We built the house planning to live there one year then sell and build again. However, I got pregnant and had a very rough pregnancy and after ella was born, we decided to stay.

Our livingroom

I loved my kitchen!

Family Room Downstairs. You could walk out the patio doors to the backyard.

I loved my hammock. I would swing with Ella and Jack.

Our deck where we ate supper every sunny day!

Wanna take a peek at my bathroom before I transform it????

2008-02-05T19:27:00.006-04:00

Call me crazy...but one thing I appreciate on other people's blogs is real photos...not those perfectly posed, perfectly coiffed rooms that look as though no one lives there...so with that in mind...I have decided to show you my bathroom before I renovate it. It really is a perfectly acceptable bathroom in the scheme of life...I don't plan on spending more than $200 on this room and I hope when I am finished it will look much better.

So, being a nut for honesty, I decided to share my bathroom with you on a typical day. We use this room to do laundry, for the kitty litter, to access my cleaning supplies for the house, for ella to wash her hands fifty million times a day, I put my makeup on here and of course, we use the loo!

Isn't this an awesome shot of my loo..those are my dried hydrangea from my garden. The wall colour is not bad...kind of a coffee cream colour.

These are my white wooden blinds I recently purchased for $5.00!!!! They were a miscut and even though I had to watch and wait, they finally hit a sale price even I never expected! That is my garage in the background.

Okay, I have four kids...doesn't everyone run out of toilet paper...this is being replaced along with the old heater...My sister informed me that the rust is due to pee pee accidents and not condensation as I had always believed...eeew! The rusting came BEFORE we moved in!

Okay, I can't change the tile right now as it runs into the hallway. However, we are painting the vanity a rich chocolate brown and replacing the counter top. Behind the April Cornell fabric is our kitty litter...

I hope to add some moulding around the doors and drawers to give it clean shaker look. Right now the vanity is just a very plain wood.

Okay, why am I showing you this...it is because of the oil leaks we get from our hinges and to point out the lousy paint job done by the last owners...

And they don't even match! We plan to replace the hinges with new dark bronze hinges to match our new door handles.

A shot of your basic door knob...I can't wait to replace them with my rubbed bronze door knobs...they were one of the more expensive items but worth it!

Odd knob number two!

A pile of clean laundry and a shot of my cheap mirror which I will either replace or frame out but going horizontally and centered under the sink.

These lights boxes are a thorn in my side. We have to remove them, gyprock the openings and reposition the light sockets. If possible, we will remove the whole bulk head if we can. That amazing painting of a sunset was painted by my nine year old son Jack!

Another shot of the sink area. I want to position one light socket over the sink. I have new taps to replace the older ones which I bought three years ago when we were planning to build a new house.

We were preparing to paint our ceiling in this shot.

So, there you have it! I could have waited and taken the photos once I had tidied the room and finished painting the ceiling. But, once again, I remembered to take the photos once we got started. I hope my bathroom doesn't offend you all to much!

Rain, rain go away...

2008-02-04T21:02:00.004-04:00

This beautiful painting is by local artist sherri burhoe

This past couple of weeks we discovered that our porch leading out of our basement has sprung a leak! The water gurgles in, fast and furious into our family room through the door. It seems to be coming in where the house foundation and the porch foundation meet...it wasn't poured all at once so there is a definite seperation which has allowed water to leak in. Then we had a record breaking rainfall of 78mm and this added to our mess!

Thankfully, a good friend loaned us a pump (not a sump pump) to remove the water from beneath our sub-floor. We put sandbags around our porch to divert the water, we even made a berm around our sub-floor frame to hold the water in to the one area to allow the pump to suck it away...we have spent many hours with two shop vacs sucking up water and dumping them outside in the pouring rain till the wee hours of the morning. This storm we are experiencing today has been very managable and not as stressful!

Knowing this, we will now have to plan on fixing this asap and this will also include new rain gutter as the rain gutter we have is old, leaks and desperately needs replacing. Part of the problem with the leaking is the fact that the rain gutter leaks in the same spot where the foundation leaks. So, the two are related.

So, I have risen to the challenge of cutting corners and really trying to live our lives more simply...I have always enjoyed decorating my homes on a strict yard sale budget. Our goal of renovating this house reflecting our schedule and budget restraints will be revised once more to fix this issue which takes priority over new siding or new windows.

So, as I sit here on another very windy, wet night...I think of sunny days ahead when we will tackle our porch and rebuild it to be strong and water tight! I am grateful that I have a husband who can do much of the work himself which will save us money and the satisfaction we will get from fixing this very stressful and expensive mess!

Snowy Day...

2008-01-28T16:23:00.000-04:00

It has been a chilly cold day with a mixture of heavy blowing snow and freezing rain. Right now there is a chicken stew bubbling away on the stove. I still have to make up the dumplings to go with it... and it smells amazing!

I had to clean out the woodstove today...I hate doing that....but it is done and I cleaned all around the fireplace. What a mess! But, you can't beat the heat!

I ventured into my basement today. I want to clear it out...I managed to clean out a filing cabinet. I found lots of beautiful notes from my kids when they were little and some cards that I wrote to my kids...it made me miss my boys when they were little. They were so amazing and sweet and fun...they still are, but I miss so many things from that time.

I have a huge collection of vintage Fisher Price toys that I need to part with. We all played with them as kids and I realize now that I will never get around to selling them on ebay. That hurts, cause you never get as much locally for vintage items. But, I need to raise some cash for a few items on my wish list...Plus, I need to organize my kids huge collection of Star Wars!! When I say huge, I mean huge!

Wish me luck!

The Rising Cost of Food

2008-01-27T18:33:00.001-04:00

I don't know if anyone else is noticing the rise in prices at the grocery store. This past year, food items are increasing dramatically. With the rise in oil prices, the increasing demand for grain...especially corn, a possible recession in the horizons, it is time to buckle down and simplify your wants versus needs list...and it can be a painful process for many.

I don't always enjoy grocery shopping but I do enjoy the challenge of using coupons to save money...which on average for us is $15-$20 per grocery order. I have always clipped coupons and I carry my coupon book with me in the van at all times. We also comparison shop and try to buy in bulk items that are a really good deal...especially meat. One thing we do to save money, especially when a good sale falls on a non-pay week is to drop by the grocery store on the very final day of the sale, close to closing time and request rain cheques. This way, we can take advantage of the sale when we can better afford it.

As a family of six, groceries are a major expense!! Milk is a huge expense, almost $7 for 3 litres, so I limit my kids to one glass per day...ouch you say....but trust me, they sneak it when I'm not looking so I do factor that into my cost. I am one of those who does not hold milk in such high esteem as others do and there are many other ways to receive calcium.

My goal is to fine tune my grocery budget even more than we have in the past. I am limiting how much entertaining we do because that has been a huge expense in the past. I plan to retire my hotel standards of what is suitable to serve to guests to a more casual fare such as chili or stews. I hope to tackle our need for meat with every supper. We all enjoy meat and potatoe type meals so my goal is to try new recipes or revisit old ones on a more regular basis such as I did tonight.

Here is what we had tonight for supper tonight:

Baked beans with apple sausages cooked with the beans...it was delicious! $4.00
Corn Bread double batch. $2.00
Pork Tenderloin $4.00 (awesome deal at local grocery store)
Frys $1.50

So, for $11.50 I provided a supper for six people, my husbands work lunch for two days, and lunch for two of my kids. The next time, I will double the batch of beans as this was a new recipe I tried out. I made the frys and tenderloin for my finicky oldest son who dislikes beans and to round out the meal as not everyone loves beans as much as others.

Tomorrow I hope to make a stew which we make at least every two weeks...cooking like this takes extra work compared to convenience foods, but it is worth it both in taste and value.

Merry Christmas Season

2007-12-05T16:49:00.000-04:00

I haven't written in a while...I didn't feel like I had much to share...I was hoping to maybe paint the bathroom before christmas, but that isn't likely to happen. However, I have been busy doing my christmas cleaning and decorating. Then to my joy and amazement, we actually got a beautiful, lush snowfall! Never a person to waste a perfect snowfall, that night we put up our tree...I mean, you can't ignore the backdrop of snowflakes falling while Ken & Dolly play in the background...(I play it to irritate my husband and in honour of my parents!)

The photo above of the beautiful Christmas cape cod house was made by my beautiful mother! She did a replica of my house, but in the colour scheme we might like to put on the house once it is finished...right down to the cranberry red door! It is so pretty and I love it so much because she made it for me! Somehow the gene for creating pretty things skipped me and only rested in my mother and sister....which isn't so bad because they take pity on me and make me pretty things!

My decorating ranges from au natural...which is my favourite, to a touch of tacky glitzy...retro 1970's nostalgia! How's that for a description! I love the memory of my sister Linda and I driving around her hometown admiring people's christmas decorations. She remarked at one house "how could anyone like coloured icicle lights!" I took great joy in responding that I do and that I had them all over my house! I was tired from the sea of white light perfection that was the rage back then, and I craved the tacky, but colourful joy of coloured christmas lights...though I can only handle the small twinkle lights and no blinking lights either...drives me crazy!

The kids and I made our gingerbread houses on December 1st! That is always fun and the house smells delicious! I love getting people to guess whose house is whose...and the houses actually are decorated much like their personalities!

Happy Birthday Linda!!!

2007-11-19T17:21:00.000-04:00

Linda with my mother & my little girl Ella.

This was a few years ago...just after Ella was born...

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister! Without you I'd be lost...your my best friend and the one I trust with all my stuff! Your an amazing wife and mother...you always put your family first...your amazing...so loving and kind....and as a sister and best friend...you can't be beat!

Your an amazing writer and decorater and you inspired me so much this past couple of years with your fearlessness in starting your own business and stepping out into new adventures! Sorry I couldn't be with you today, but I'll definitely be there for your 40th birthday bash!

Be sure to drop by her blog to say happy birthday!

My smelly house...

2007-11-05T18:25:00.001-04:00

I just came back into the house and the delicious smells hit me....I have been making homemade chicken noodle soup for Jack's family birthday tomorrow. I just finished baking his chocolate cake and the smell is delicious! We had homemade bread for lunch and that always fills our house with the loveliest aroma.

I have been cooking so much lately...something about the fall and all the holidays gets me into full swing. I feel good when I make a meal that is economical and delicious! Tomorrow I'll make my homemade chili so that there is lots to eat tomorrow.

Festive Fall....

2007-11-01T15:08:00.000-03:00

October is such a great month...I love it because of Thanksgiving and Halloween, the crispness of the air, the blowing leaves and decorating for fall. However, I have to say, I am glad it is all over! I will be putting away the clutter to enjoy a nice bare look before I decorate for Christmas. This morning...November 1st, Ella wakes up and promptly tells me that Christmas is next!! Gotta love the anticipation that kids fill you with!

The night before Halloween I got together with my brother and his family for the first time to carve out pumpkins. I made homemade stew with dumplings, homemade rubhard crumble pie and a apple crumble pie. It was delicious! We had so much fun, and the kids except for one, really enjoyed my stew which had plenty of turnip, parsnips and cabbage mixed in with all the other delicious ingredients! I finished off the night by roasting lots of pumpkin seeds...yum!

I had a big pot of beef stew on the stove and I was preparing two pies.

Earlier in the day, I had to clean out four pumpkins with the help of the kids. How is it that after 15 years of carving pumpkins, I only now discover the little carving sets at the dollar store??? They work great!! I'm going to buy a few extra so that I can use them for squash throughout the year. Patricia my sil, brought quite a few pumpkins and she carved out some beauties! She inspired me to carve one out with lots of stars...and this is my favourite, even though my stars are wonky.

I was dreading cutting the tops off and cleaning out the pumpkins till I discovered the $ store kits for carving pumpkins.

I made up treat bags with the help of Ella for the trick or treaters and Ella enjoyed her first Halloween party at pre-school! She dressed up as a cheerleader and is not shy in showing you how to cheer!

The kids all dressed for Halloween were raring to go...well, maybe not Ben...but he had the excuse of taking his little sister around so he will get some candy without having to dress up beyond wearing an army jacket! We are waiting on some friends and cousins to show up to join us and then they are off!

All in all it was a great October, a great Halloween! The only sad thing was my nephew was insulted by a rude adult about his weight...nothing like making a young kid feel bad about himself in the hopes of guilting a kid out of a bag of candy! My brother and sister in-law were really hurt by this...and Patricia talks about it on her blog which you should check out...you see, her son, my nephew has Aspergers and he hasn't gone trick or treating for years...he was so happy to go with his cousing Jack! Why can't people be more thoughtful in what they say?? That old saying of "stick and stones will break my bones but words can never hurt me"...is a lie! Anyways, I hope that Mathew remembers how much he is loved and how we appreciate his unique take on things!

For the Love of Crows....

2007-10-30T10:07:00.000-03:00

ORIGINAL handcolored WOODCUT

I was just visiting my sisters amazing blog Restyled Home and she was singing the praises of crows once again...so since it is the season, I figured I would feature an artist that I love and admire...my Pastor who is also an artist, David Hayward. He seems to have an appreciation for crows that I just don't share....but I love everything else he paints! If you love crows, or if you love great art, then you are about to discover a wonderful artist!

Winter Redbird

He has an ebay store that you can visit if you like the thrill of an auction or the ease of buy it now. Or, visit his etsy shop where he features large and small pieces and his prices are amazing! His art is featured in local art galleries and it resides in homes around the world. If you buy a piece, you'll discover that his art touches your soul, it speaks to you! So, if your looking for a unique holiday gift for friends and family or some beautiful art to grace your home....then look no further! He also has his blog where he discusses technique, etc...you can check it out here.

Enjoy!

Stormy Sky Crow Calling

Early Winter Leaves Fall

Crows Evening Roost

Taking the Christmas Tree Home

Winter Treeline

Little touches that mean a lot...

2007-10-20T00:00:00.000-03:00

Since we moved into our home almost two years ago, we have kept ourselves busy doing interior renovations and saving up for the biggest job...the outside of the house. Because we have been concentrating on the inside of the house, the only big thing we have done outside is to replace the roof on our huge loft style garage.

The one thing I had planned to do was paint our front door and mudroom door...but with a busy schedule and a bit of a poor attitude thinking it wouldn't make any difference...I never got around to it! Well, I finally opened up the tin of paint I bought prior to moving into the house...it is a butter yellow that was actually meant for a house we had planned to build until we lucked upon this house and our plans changed dramatically!

I can't say I love the colour..I really like it on the front door, but I'm not really fond of it for the mudroom door. I'm conflicted because I hate the mudroom door and I hate my old colour lock siding...I can't wait for it to be gone! I also painted our steps which will be replaced next spring a lovely sagey green, the garage door was painted white and I added handles, and I decorated for the fall with pumpkins, fall flowers and grasses.

Even when I felt my house looked scruffy...I loved pulling into our driveway...now everytime I pull in I love our home even more...I see her now but I also see who she will become...and that is exciting!

The path to my front door.

This is a before photo of the front door almost finished. The wooden screen door is painted a crisp white and the door a butter yellow. I haven't painted the floor yet in this photo.

This is the front entrance finished!

My ugly mudroom entrance before touchups.

After picture...painted the steps, door and trim. Next year we will be replacing the steps with a large deck area so that you can sit outside and enjoy the shade!

My house in the shadow of trees!

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds...Yummy

2007-10-08T13:44:00.000-03:00

Don't throw out the seeds when making Jack-O-Lanterns or cooking fresh pumpkins, or flower arrangements using hollowed out pumpkins. They make great snacks that are rich in fiber as well as vitamins B and E. Kids especially love them. Purists will want only salt as a seasoning, or fussy kids like mine, but if you're feeling adventurous, experiment and have fun with seasoning blends.

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tsp. melted butter or oil (olive oil or vegetable oil work well)
salt to taste
Options To Taste:
garlic powder (my favourite)
cayenne pepper
seasoning salt
Cajun seasoning

Preheat oven to 300° F.

While it's O.K. to leave some strings and pulp on your seeds (it adds flavor), clean off any major chunks. Toss pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the melted butter or oil and seasonings of your choice. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

I like to use parchment paper so that they won't stick to the pan when cooking!

I used a small amount of seeds from a small pumpkin floral arrangement. Even though it only made a small amount, they were gone quickly! That bowl is one of my favourites...a great yard sale find this summer! It was a set of vintage 70's melamine bowls perfect for serving or for little kids!

Giving Thanks....

2007-10-07T22:25:00.000-03:00

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

As another Thanksgiving rolls around I can't help but reflect on this past year...there is always much to be thankful for.

This year I celebrated Thanksgiving dinner with my brother and his family for the first time in years! They just returned from Alberta after many, many years awayThey offered to host our first dinner together and cooked the most amazing turkey to perfection! I helped John with the carving...mainly as a second set of hands only...but it was funny to see my brother in an apron! Ben helped to stir the gravy...and I think to snag some turkey skin.

Patricia my sil had set up two tables to hold everyone...and both tables fitted pretty effortlessly in their beautiful dining space...and they were decorated beautifully! The adult table was festive for the Thanksgiving holiday and the kids table was decorated to celebrate the coming Hallowee'n. I meant to take more pictures, but by the time you get the kids served, then eat...the kids had scattered. Thankfully, Patricia is letting me use many of her photos...you should check out her blog for more beautiful pictures.

The kids table decorated with twinkle lights, bottles of poison and bugs in bottles...yum!

Her diningroom is large with the most amazing view of the lake!

My father and youngest brother.

The cousins!

After washing up the first load of dishes and stacking the dishwasher....thankfully Patricia actually acknowledges that I do know how to load a dishwasher, I took off to hang out at their beautiful dock and soak in the amazing sunset with my nieces Kristen and Meaghan. Myt nieces are pretty amazing...and I loved sitting by the water and just hearing their thoughts...luv them!

Isn't this an amazing view....

Dinner was noisy, it was busy, but it was wonderful! To be with my large family, to celebrate the season together, I can't imagine ever wanting a quiet holiday. I love the chaos, laughter and even the squabbles that pop up between the kids...it was a typical large family gathering!

My contribution to the dinner was a homemade blueberry apple crisp. We picked the apples ourselves this week. The blueberries were local berries frozen from the fall. I also made my delicious candied squash plus honeyed carrots and mashed turnip. I always bake my squash...I don't care for a wet squash. However, that day I was worried because I was running the roads doing errands inbetween and taking my son to boxing.

I made Patricia a very pretty center piece for her table as a hostess gift to say thank you for hosting the dinner! I used a fresh pumpkin, carved it out, then added flowers, fall grasses and maple leaves from my garden...except for the sunflowers...I bought those! I thought it turned out very pretty! Oh, and I plan to roast the pumpkin seeds...yum!

I was lucky enough to snag the turkey carcass (doesn't that sound yummy) and right now it is bubbling away on the stove to be turned into delicious homemade stock for soups. Tomorrow we plan to make another smaller turkey since Andy once again worked thru a large family dinner. After you have turkey...you just can't get enough of it.

Ta da...diningroom after many hours, many cans of paint....

2007-09-25T16:38:00.001-03:00

I won't even bother to put in details about each picture until tomorrow as it takes long enough to just upload the photos....if you want to see what my diningroom looked like before, check here.

I love this vase...purchased at a yard sale!

This dining set was mahogany...i cringe even saying that...but it was in bad shape and I do love the white!

my $20 vintage china cabinet...see the before here.

my beautiful, most favourite abstract painting by David Hayward .

my $1 fabric...it did all eight chairs.

This was the table I set for special company I was having!

Just threw these in. This dresser is in m kitchen. I have had it since I was a kid!

Another memo to me...

2007-09-25T01:06:00.001-03:00

finished painting the dining table today
finished painting the first four chairs
framed the most beautiful abstract painting by the talented David Hayward.
got a second coat of paint on two of the next four chairs...ran out of paint...for umpteenth time!
found a temporary fabric for my dining chairs today...for a dollar!!! Yep a dollar!!!
found a tres cool funky fabric I love, but can't afford yet!
finished covering the seats...and it is now after 1am and I hate my electric stapler...junk!
painted the front steps
painted the mudroom steps
plus general housework, homeschooling, kids & meals...not bad for one day!

Memo to self

2007-09-22T17:36:00.000-03:00

Since we went camping the second week of August, we have all been sick. Four out of six came down with pneumonia and ella my youngest is now miserable with a bad cold, fever, chest infection.

However, within all that I still managed to get a lot done on my todo list. I should also add, my husband has done his fair share too!

Stacked six cords of wood
split cedar for kindling (on going)
painted front door
painted mudroom door
painted trim
painted garage door
painted china cabinet (on going)
painted dining table & eight chairs (on going)
harvested my little garlic patch...big disappointment
cleaned and decluttered house
cleaned and decluttered garage
weeded garden
started decorating for fall
started homeschooling three kids grades 5, 8, 10

Still to do....

Paint steps into house
remove shingles by garage
paint trim above garage & fix rain gutter
take more stuff to value village
fix lights along flower beds going to my mums
finish kids homeschooling schedule

to be continued!

Recycling Woes

2007-09-21T00:51:00.000-03:00

http://www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com/

I have been a faithful recycler for much of my adult life. If I can reuse something I will, I feel good when things find a new and useful purpose. Ten years ago, when our town finally got three very limited recycling bins, I used them...it would be another five years before there was a recycling plan for this area that still falls behind other communities. Our community is not lucky enough to have curbside pick up for recyclables, only compostable waste. Those that do have curbside pick up have no idea how lucky you are!

There is a lot of extra work that comes with recycling. Washing the containers, storing the mountain of plastic, paper, metal and bottles, then transporting them to the local recycling bins.

Then separating it all to the proper containers equals a lot of time and energy!
However, I couldn't imagine not doing it! No more than I could imagine not composting.

My dilemma is the storing of recyclables. I am tired of storing the whole mess, then separating the stuff...hauling it to the van to then sort into the appropriate containers...which are lined up to add on extra time and distance for each container, plus the opening are so small...grrr! I wish there was an easier way. I do have it as streamlined as I can for the space I give it... I just wish I could figure out a neat, easy system for dealing with the clutter.

For a family of six, under the counter bins aren't practical...we use a closet for our recyclables which we try to empty once a week...though that can certainly stretch out. When you see the mountain of stuff that is recyclable and or compostable it really makes you realize how wasteful our society has become. I love the idea of the containers above...I might even be able to find a cheap alternative that will work just as well...

So, though I grumble I couldn't imagine just tossing it all away...I do care about what the future holds for my children when it comes to the environment...we aren't doing much compared to others more dedicated, but we are doing our small part...so anyone with good organizing ideas on how to handle the storage issues...I'd love to hear about them.

Painting Furniture

2007-09-15T10:15:00.000-03:00

I've been going a bit nuts around here since the first whiff of fall hit the air....the fear of missing out on painting outside to avoid fumes has spurred me on. I am almost finished the china cabinet which in turn has pushed me to start painting my diningroom set. After that, I hope to paint my kitchen table and chairs. I have always wanted to paint each chair a different colour and I plan to do it before fall gets any colder!

Here are some photos of some beautiful painted furniture.

This is what I am doing for my diningroom...painting it all white!

I have this colour for my kitchen set..I just am not sure if I still want to do a yellow table.

I plan on painting a beautiful cupboard my brother in-law made me this colour....apple green!

This is my inspiration photo for my kitchen table and chairs!

Ella's 1st Day...

2007-09-10T19:58:00.000-03:00

Ella started pre-school today...she has been telling me for a long time now that she didn't want to go...then when we went to the open house on Saturday she decided she liked it afterall. So, hoping I was in the clear we prepared to attend our first day! Since she is going to the afternoon classes, she had to much time to think and changed her mind and informed me that she hated it and didn't want to go!

We went anyways...and yes, I was the last mother to leave but I was out of there within 15 minutes. Some kids screamed and cried which kinda freaked ella out. But, my luck changed when a little girl ella invited over to play was named Heidi! Naturally, I played that one up since my best friend is named Heidi and ella loves Heidi! So when I asked Heidi if she would play with ella, suddenly I was allowed to leave to wait outside in the van! Yes, I told her I would sit outside in the van and relax, drink coffee, read magazines and nap while she played inside! Whatever works! (no, i didn't wait outside!)

When I came to pick her up...I arrived 45 minutes early since I never read the parent handbook and had to wait in the van afterall! It turns out, she really enjoyed herself...we both survived being apart and I am really proud of her!

Ella with her princess lunch box

at the sand table

playing dollhouse

dress up corner in the back

ella's birthday

painting

heading into school

1970's Vintage China Cabinet

2007-09-04T20:01:00.000-03:00

I would never have imagined that I would be loving many of the same things I talked my mother into getting rid of! Recently I found this china cupboard on isj and remembered how we had one similar to it...not super great quality but a staple of most households in the 70's!

The lady was selling it for $20, mainly because no one bit at her original price of $40, then it dropped to $30 and when it hit $20, I snapped it up. My husband primed it for me as I was sick with pneumonia. Then I finished it off with a Martha Stewart paint in a beautiful scandanavian blue...I love it!

One of the challenges is the frosted glass doors. I don't care for the pattern and it seems to "granny" like. So, I am playing around with some ideas to replace the glass doors or paint the glass!

I just finished the last coat and I will show the after photos once I bring it inside from the garage!

Preserving Food And Friendship

2007-09-03T19:50:00.001-03:00

I would love to learn how to do this locally. I find myself wishing I knew how to can food at this time of the year. I used to make my own herbed vinegars and oils and felt so good using them!

My Bedroom

2007-08-29T18:03:00.000-03:00

My bedroom is large...and has neat angles and three windows! It also has two closets so I have lots of storage. However, all that we have managed to do so far, is to paint the walls, ceiling and trim...oh and the closet doors until we renovate the room the way we want to.

We plan to add an ensuite bathroom. The area we chose shares the wall with the main bathroom, so it will make plumbing the bathroom relatively easy and fairly inexpensive! All we need to do is add a wall to close in the space, install a pocket door and voila, we have a private space to transform into our own private bathroom! I know how I want my new bathroom to look and I can't wait till we tackle that project! But, it will all tie in together with finishing the renovations on our bedroom, so for now I wait.

I will show you my bedroom as it is today. I wish I had before pictures! My only reason for showing them is to remind you of the power in a paint can! I think we can forget how much paint can transform a room...it is fairly cheap and easy! I painted the ceilings a pretty blue as our house is on a treed lot and my bedroom is on the shady side. The walls are a pretty green...but you can't really tell from the photos, but it does look pretty with the blue. I consider it a quick fix as I had used the wall colour in my last house and it didn't involve much thought! I just needed to remove the blech beige walls that was a favourite of the previous owner. Painting the old mahogany closet doors, trim and windows to white really lightened and brightened the room.

I change my bedding with the seasons...that is my weakness...beautiful bedding! However, I haven't indulged for quite a while! I do love April Cornell linens...which is on my bed right now! Many of her prints are timeless...I have had this duvet cover for almost 10 years!!! Though, I haven't used it in a very long time and when I do, it is only seasonally!

To the right of the bed is the window with my much loved white cupboard. On the left, you can see my wicker chair which you can't actually sit in as the ceiling slopes to low. That is where we plan to build another book shelf so that they flank the window seat.

The cupboard was another yard sale find from years ago!

The cool chair I bought recently at a yard sale for $2! My other Heidi bag!

My husband's grandmother tatted this for me before she passed away. I cherish this!

This photo better shows the angles of the wall.

I love my vintage wicker chair & dresser!

These are more vintage pictures I bought at a yard sale. They are all paintings of Bermuda.

The window seat that we plan to make deeper. The seat has storage and is wonderful for hiding christmas gifts!

We plan to build book cases in under the eaves! For now, the tv and ella's barbie house own this corner!

This is the area that will be turned into our bathroom. It doesn't look large in this picture, but it will hold a toilet, sink & shower!

A small dresser I plan to paint. But for now, it holds my books which will someday be on the bookshelves that need built!

I love the old Limoge jug. The vase normally holds flowers, but ella takes them everytime!

I love this old vintage picture!

My old suitcases that hold more of my books!

Some of my favourite jewellery hanging from my dresser mirror!

Fair Trade Coffee...at an affordable price!

2007-08-28T12:18:00.000-03:00

One of my favourite things in life is my daily cup of coffee! I have loved coffee since I was about age three or four, as a kid in Ireland, when my dad would save me some of his Nescafe instant coffee, (aka Nasty Nestle) made with milk, in his flask from his lunch at work. The flavour is still in my memory and I remember it as delicious!

Thankfully, those days are a happy memory only. For years, I have only ever used fresh beans, freshly ground each morning, using the best beans I could afford. I used to buy from a local coffee roaster here in my area called Java Moose. I love their products but I would at times find the roasting to be inconsistent and at the time, they did not offer Fair Trade.

I then moved onto Just Us Fair Trade Coffee purchased locally at our Superstore, but the price became to prohibitive, approx. $9-$10 per half pound bag. I then would purchase Starbucks version of Fair Trade coffee (approx. $13 per 1 lb bag) and that was great for a long time, though inconvenient as we had to go to Fredericton to buy our coffee, but we tied it in with a visit to my brother and sister in-law or begged them to bring us some when they travelled to Saint John.

Until....eureka, about three years ago we discovered that Costco not only sells Starbucks under their own brand Kirkland, but it is also Fair Trade and it only costs approx. $13 per 2lb bag!

Another one that they offer and also my favourite, is by a Canadian company called William Spartivento Coffee costing approx. $14 for a 2lb bag!

This is the most beautiful, smooth, rich, full bodied coffee that I love! I wish they offered in other locations closer to home, but I am just so happy to drink it!

So, now we trek to Moncton, which is the closest Costco to us and buy a two month supply of coffee which compared to what we were paying saves us half and we enjoy our day trip and we are supporting Fair Trade! Worth the drive!

But, my other amazing discovery is that Irving Convenience Stores offers a Fair Trade Coffee that is truly delicious! Instead of always hitting Tim Horton's for that quick cup of coffee, I will now go the extra distance to buy a cup of coffee there and support their good effort! I also discovered that they sell their cold slushy drinks or iced coffee's in cups that are totally compostable, made out of corn! If you recycle and compost as we do, you will appreciate that! So, for the first time in a very long time, I actually have to acknowledge these good efforts and the fact that their slushies are only a 99 cents!!!!

More on Ella's Room....

2007-08-27T20:52:00.000-03:00

Okay, I'm on a role now...I finally took photos of the other side of Ella's room. If you check here, you can refresh your memory on what the other half of her room looks like. This room is in no way finished! We still have to do the flooring and add new trim throughout and into her closet. But, a lot of work went into painting her walls, windows, trim, closet, furniture and getting the room into the shape it is in now! This was the first room we did that we realized we could transform a room....inexpensively and love the results!

Her beautiful $20 iron bed found at a yard sale!

We love the angled walls which I painted a pretty blue which is also the colour of the ceiling! The blue is more subtle in the daytime, but this shot was taken in the evening with low lighting! I love how her desk is recessed into the window. The table fits snugly under the slope of the roof!

Another shot of her room showing her bedroom door and her angled closet door!

Ella's closet...it has angled ceilings so for her it is a walk-in but for me, I have to watch that I don't hit the light! There is lots of room inside and we put a chalk board on her door!

Some of her princess dresses and her wicker drawers for all her tights and bathing suits.

A favourite pair of slippers, hand knitted in Newfoundland! They sit on a shelf that runs the entire lenght of her closet and wraps around. We put it low for her to easily access.

This is a photo of my belly when I was pregnant with Ella. They used this photo for a midwifery conference. Ella loves seeing this photo!

Not a great shot, but I put the mirror low so that she can see how pretty she looks when she gets dressed! That is one of her favourite dolls!

A wooden cradle that my mother painted for Ella!

Her table and chairs that I painted. I got the wooden ironing board at a yard sale!

I love the vintage picture above the ironing board! I have quite a collection of vintage prints that I wish I could use somewhere! The beautiful purse is hand knitted by my friend Heidi.

I love the wicker chair I got at Winners and the table my mother painted for me!

Another shot of her cradle and her pegasus horse!

Her favourite wooden kitchen that I got such a great deal on! Ella uses real, vintage teapots since I have quite a collection and these ones are pretty sturdy!

Boy's Bedroom....After Photos....

2007-08-27T17:56:00.000-03:00

Okay, I'm done the boy's room...almost! A few minor details like shelves inside the closet and installing their new burnished bronze door handle and hinges, but I can wait! If you read my other posts on this room, you will know that it has been a long process! When you renovate, delays are the norm! You can check out the before pictures here.

When we built our new houses, you go in, and you can pretty much do a room and walk away fairly quickly...but renovating...nothing is simple! In this room, we replaced all the trim, the flooring, closet door, electrical switches, outlets, heater, patched & painted. I won't go into all the petty things that can and do go wrong!

We are all pretty happy with the way it has turned out...we compromised on hardwood floors and settled on laminate. Someday we absolutely will go with hardwood throughout the upper level...but for budget reasons and doggy reasons, this is a great solution! I love the blue paint colour in their room...I have used it before and do not grow tired of it. It changes with the sunlight and the room always looks sunny and fresh!

One thing I am proud of is the price I paid for a lot of items...I bought our closet door for $5 at a yard sale! All the trim and laminate we got on sale, and I will add little comments about prices beside the photos so that you can see how great yard sales can be if you are on a budget!

Okay, we had the bed, but the bedding was only $20 on clearance...that is a complete bed in the bag and it looks great! The metal lamps were $7 at Walmart, the map on the wall $2.50 at the Great Canadian! The shelf above Sam's bed was a yard sale find for $1!

Solid Canadian maple bedside table $10 at Value Village, I painted the drawer fronts only! The lamp was from my favourite american store The Christmas Tree Shop...I think it was $9!

The window shows of a few of our vintage dinky car collections! The blinds are wooden and would retail for approx $70 for this size window but I paid $5 at Kents on clearance because they were cut wrong! They don't quite fit the window, but the yard sale curtains hide that fact!

The solid pine shelf bought at a yard sale for $1 featuring our rock collections and one of Sam's many trophies and one of my favourite dinky cars! Oh, and Sponge Bob...another kid favourite!

This is one of two shelves that I bought at the Christmas Tree Shop for approx. $4 with an original painting by my 10 year old son Jack! One of our bobble heads! We are hockey fans!

Another original artwork by Jack with a Toronto Maple Leaf bobble head on my other wicker shelf!

This is Jack's side of the room! I managed to find a headboard similar to his brothers at a yard sale though it does not have the drawers under the bed like Sam's. I do have wicker baskets under the bed to hold his odds and ends.

Here you can see my $5 closet door and $2 pewter handle. The wire shelving we had and we had to shorten it. I did a different colour on this wall to focus in on the angles! One big reason why I love capecods...they are not your traditional boxy square rooms! You can also see our laminate...when you compare it to the yucky carpet we had before...this is lovely!!!!

This is a shot of my favourite thing...and the photo does not do it justice! This is a woven wool rug that is silky soft and feels so good on bare feet! I found this at a yard sale for $2!!! I actually have to give the credit to my mother...she knew I was on the look out and she spotted it first...I am so grateful! It was spotless and almost seemed brand new!

Okay, this is by the door goint out. I still have to paint the book shelves and add some art to their wall but otherwise it looks better in real life. I wish I had a wide angle lens...someday! The tree hooks is a favourite of mine and the kids hang their towels in their room...otherwise the bathroom is overwhelmed with towels. The shelf beside the door holds Jack's pj's and stuff...I found that at Walmart for $20!

Another shot of their room. I bought them this doodle board and listed their daily duties and weekly duties to help them keep the room clean! They are doing a great job so far. The lamp was a yard sale find for $2...and it is a tri-light!

Almost Finished...

2007-08-05T09:28:00.000-03:00

Well, my boys room that we started way back in early June...is almost done! We worked in between my husband's shift work and a busy summer schedule. What we thought would be quick and easy...wasn't! However, the floor is laid, a new closet door installed, new trim throughout, new electrical outlets, new heater and many little nail holes (some not so small) are filled, patched and painted. I think the reality when you redo an older home is that it will always take longer than you anticipate. We are used to working in new construction conditions, minus flooring, furniture, etc...you go in and you create the room you want without many extra steps in between.

The room isn't a decorating wow by any standards! Especially compared to what I see in blog world. But, I do think it looks really good and the kids like it! I will fine tune the decorating as I go along. I think what you will enjoy about seeing the room is how cheaply we did it, yet I don't think it looks cheap! I really am a yard sale, on sale only shopper and that works great for us!

My other big fear in decorating is ever owning something that I consider more precious than my kids! You know what I mean, the stuff that can't be touched, sat on, set a drink on, etc.. Plus, the pressure to keep things perfect does some weird things to my personality, so I avoid perfection like a disease. I always like a little kitch or "huh"...why did she do that??

So, the room needs only one final coat of paint on the doors and then I am done for now. I still need to paint or remove the dresser and I may repaint the kids bookshelf. But moving hundreds of books doesn't inspire greatness in me, so that will stay as is for now!

So, hopefully within the next day or two I will put photos up of all my deals including prices and you can maybe be inspired by my thriftiness...

Shade Gardening

2007-07-21T02:04:00.000-03:00

My house is tucked into a mini forest in the suburbs...my own private oasis, my little private slice of paradise...with trees all around, towering high above us, maple trees extending their big long branches dripping in full lush green leaves...to dapple the sunlight and protect us from the heat of summer. I have apple trees flanking both sides of my u-shape driveway, I have huge pine trees, cedar trees and the towering (my mind went blank here) trees...

However, with all these great trees comes the challenge to garden. I only have certain areas with full sun... one huge bed along my garage, which is loaded with plants. I have a herb garden, garlic bulbs growing, rose bushes, and loads of perennials. I am working on taming the other side, it is a beast...it really does need to be dug up and replanted but the job will be huge, so I have been holding off till we do some other work around the garage.

I have been busy working on thinning the branches in the trees that seperates my property from my neighbour. I started trimming almost immediately when I moved in just over a year ago. I find it very relaxing to trim the branches and remove dead wood. I want the kids to be able to walk or run through the trees without taking an eye out. Plus, I am hoping to improve my chances for the ferns and the woodland flowers to have more sunlight to grow. I am removing the wild buttercups that have tentacles that stretch for miles, I take great pride in ripping them out! I have also started transplanting shade loving plants to the bed I am creating along the tree line.

I discovered I have lots of beautiful moss covered rocks scattered throughout the woods. I also find them beneath the soil as I plant my new flowers. I also snagged some great deals at my local grocery store. It was closing the garden center for the season. They were giving away the tall grasses for free and you could fill one of those large trays with any amount of plants that you could squeeze in for the grand price of $2.00!!!! My kind of gardening!

I have also enjoyed planting some succulents into my rock borders. I also created some nice, low maintenance containers. I used different succulents then finished it off with moss from the woods which looks so pretty! Once the fall comes, I will plant the succulents into my rocks that border different beds and start fresh with new pots next year.

My house...my plans....subject to change!

2007-07-04T23:39:00.000-03:00

My house as it is...today! (well early spring 2007)

Just thought I would share some of the styles, colours or items that are on my wish list for the renovations on the exterior of my home...hopefully next summer...though a new tent trailer might delay it by another summer! We plan to build a nice sized deck just off the mudroom entrance with wrap around stairs which avoids needing a railing. The front steps will also be replaced with new ones that my husband will build...we hope to do these two projects this summer...though they will not be attached to the house until the siding is completed.

I really want to add the middle gable. It would add so much light into our staircase. Plus, this shows again two windows on each side...far more balanced.

I love the red!!! We also plan to add sidelight windows to the front door.

I have pondered a linen to light yellow colour..but I know I won't go with that. I want something light but earthy to fit into my woodsy landscape.

Colour scheme I am considering...plus that is my siding profile that I must have...no compromises there!

This is a faux stone product that I plan to put on my foundation.

This is how I plan to update the garage.

The red door is one of the front door styles I am considering.

This is a cape cod that is as old as mine but has been updated. I plan to reshingle our roof...purely cosmentic...and I like this colour and style. Plus, I like this colour a lot...but it only comes in the profile shown so it isn't really an option. My dream is wooden siding...but it is more than double the price!

We also plan to "maybe" replace our two picture windows with two individual windows to balance the house on each side. However, I just don't know if I can sacrifice my view...you feel as though you are outside when your sitting inside...I love that! So, this is a big struggle for me.

Not the best photo...but my view takes up the whole wall and looks out on a very private woodsy lot in the middle of suburbia!

I will add more photos as I find them on my computer...I am a sloppy photo person who has no order to her pictures!

Sam & Jack's room continued....

2007-06-27T10:51:00.001-03:00

Okay, so we are still working on their room....my hubbie managed to get the floor down on Saturday and paint the accent wall. We still have lots to do...but hopefully you will get an idea of the room.

The accent wall is still the old colour yellow. The colonial closet door I snagged at a yardsale for $5 and the cool computer chair was $2!

Yes, the dresser is being painted...notice the ugly carpet!

These steel frame shelves were so cheap...only $20 at Cotsco and you can build them in whatever configuration you want. Very heavy duty too!

Just another shot of the old colour.

The bunk beds are going! The Canadian maple bedside table I got at Value Village for $5 and it is retro 70's! I do have to paint the drawer fronts but I will keep the hardware.

So, this shows you the ugly....hopefully the next posts will show a new and improved kids room!

Ella's pretty in pink bedroom...

2007-06-27T10:25:00.000-03:00

Here are a few photos of my little girls room. The room originally was dark and gloomy. This is what I call a make-up renovation. We still have to replace her windows....summer 2008 and add new flooring and trim which will hopefully be this fall. I have reconciled myself to getting laminate for upstairs until we can replace it later with hardwood. I can't live with the old carpet and it kinda freaks me out that it maybe harbouring dust and dirt. We have a woodstove so I prefer surfaces that can be wiped down.

The wooden kitchen set is a favourite!

Her bed I bought at a yardsale for $20!

Gifts from people we love!

Desk & Chair from Value Village for $20!

A closer view of her kitchen! She uses a vintage china teapot!

Lousy photo but it shows her beloved Jasmine lamp.

A couple of photos proving Ella has actually slept in her bed...even if it was just pretend!

I will add more photos later of the other side of her room....the room was messy that day from renovating their brother's room. So, I just moved all the junk around till I couldn't take any more photos. I wish I had a better camera with a wide angle lens...did I mention I hate my camera!

Diningroom again....

2007-06-22T10:59:00.000-03:00

I am finally painting the inside of my diningroom china cupboard! It has only taken me months to get around to it.....I will share the after pictures later...I am also trying to weed out some dishes or glassware....but I find it so hard! As the photos show, I have lots of jugs, dishes, glasses, even a soup toureen...and I love every piece.

I have a temporary book-shelf in the diningroom and the stuff on the top is my maybe pile.....the worst thing is the painful headaches I get when I paint....horrible! So, I have to muster up the enthusiasm to endure another bad headache as I add another coat of paint!

However, it will be nice to get this project done and then finally move onto the dining table...I can't wait to paint it and add new material to the seats...well actually I can wait on the work, but I can't wait to see the end result!

The Boys Room...

2007-06-06T08:36:00.000-03:00

We are planning on redoing our son's room. It is simply...disgusting! It has carpet that has to go and we plan to widen the entrance into the closet to make it more practical for storing clothing and odds and ends. We will replace all the trim and closet door and paint.

Their room is a lovely spacious room that has full sun during the day...that is why you see Finnigan lounging on their armchair. The room holds bunkbeds, a fullsize comfy armchair, a steel shelving rack for their television, music and baskets of junk plus their dresser and a computer desk. All that, and the room is still spacious!

Since our house is a capecod, you get lots of neat angles that can also be tricky. Inside their huge closet, the ceiling slopes...that is why we plan to widen the closet door entrance to take advantage of the wasted space. Andy loves building closet organizers. He has always built really nice custom fit ones in all our homes. Plus, it will be fun to paint the angled wall a nice contrasting colour.

My biggest dilemma is the flooring. I have always preferred hardwood. My second choice is berber then it would be laminate. It isn't that I don't like the look of laminate...I do....it is the feel...I'm weird like that...maybe a bit OCD...but the feel under my foot or the sound that muffles up has always irritated me somewhat.

But, when I compare the cost between hardwood and laminate, (carpeting isn't an option as maggie our dog has accidents) laminate makes sense. Especially right now with Sam and Jack being so rough on their surroundings. You see, we live in our home 24/7....since we homeschool. Sam might be upstairs doing his work or reading, or Jack might drag out his lego or they may have friends over to hang out...and inevitably, drinks are spilled, markers are stained onto the floor or scratches appear from who knows what. Plus, the other big positive to using laminate is the fact that I can replace the carpet in Ella's room which would be wonderful!

We are thinking of putting it in temporarily till they move out...which surprisingly is only five years away or less for my older two....that way when we do sell we will have nice new hardwood floors...I wish I knew what to do. I want to be financially practical and get the most bang for my dollar...but at the same time, I don't want to wish for hardwood everytime I am in their room....

Am I being silly....seeing this photo of Jack fast asleep, half on the bed half off...makes me wish I could just do berber. But, with Maggie it just isn't an option.

Help!!

Yard Sale Delights

2007-05-19T10:51:00.000-03:00

Life is good again....I have managed to go out twice this month to a few yard sales. It is a slow start this year....today it poured rain, it was cold....but we were up and out by 7:30am.

Today I found some nice jewellery that I am most pleased with and some pretty pillows.
Last week I found this most beautiful green tinware baking set. I imagine making rice pudding in it as my Aunty Jean used to bake her rice pudding in these lovely old yellow tinware dishes. I also found a lovely old glass pyrex dish...that I will get a lot of use out of. I want to try to get away from storing all my leftovers in plastic. Having dishes like these means you cook, serve and save all in the same dish.

I also found this lovely old wicker purse..though not at a yard sale. I found it uptown at Roy's Army Surplus. I love his store as he has so many neat things. I used to take Sam my middle son to his store as Sam has a major army memorabilia collecton. It was such a nice surprise to find this wicker bag tucked onto the shelf as I have been collecting them for many years now and they are hard to come by. I love them and I have quite a collection. This is a pretty one...though not overly impressive...but because they are harder to find I couldn't leave it behind...

Already I can't wait for next weekend...

My Dirty Little Secret

2007-05-04T02:06:00.000-03:00

One area that seems to bring lots of quick jokes at my expense is my need for my dishwasher to be loaded in a very specific way! Discovering the secret of loading a dishwasher is only entrusted to certain unique, highly intelligent, fairly organized individuals like myself. I can take a sinkful of dishes and make them fit into an already full dishwasher!

So, when I see a plate on the top rack or a knife facing upwards or a cup in the wrong section...then I have to fix it! Now, I am even so bold to correct Alli and Shane as they attempt to load the dishwasher since I consider them family and not guests...so it is fair game when it comes to my dishwasher! Though correcting them means I am the butt of many jokes...I still can't resist fixing their blatant errors in loading a machine that brings peace and harmony to relationships! My marriage would have been over within two years if we hadn't gotten a dishwasher! This is serious stuff!

It's Spring because I said so....

2007-04-13T00:18:00.000-03:00

At supper tonight Andy informs me that we are about to get a big storm...upto 20cm of snow and high winds. I just felt resentful, wanting spring to burst forth because all of us are so sick of winter. We have a serious case of the winter blues!

So, what do I do to cope with this news....I take it upon myself to go clean my two huge picture windows from the outside. I drag my kitchen chair outside, grab my bounty and windex, balance my chair on my frozen flower beds and climb up and get to work!

I realized how silly I looked, but I wanted to wash away the grime from the winter, the dirty snow balls that the kids throw at my two windows...depending on which room I'm in...they never tire of scaring me!

So, I have to say that I felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that in spite of ole mother winter...this mamma was moving forward ignoring completely the impending storm!

Easter Musings...

2007-04-06T19:19:00.000-03:00

Well, today is Good Friday and it really has been! Last night, Shane & Alli text messaged me that they had booked their tickets to Canada and would arrive in Halifax on April 16th! I'm still smiling as I write this because I'm still a bit in shock and feel like the air is filled with so much promise.

They still have so many more decisions ahead of them...but I admire the guts it takes to make big life changing decisions with no safety nets below them other than their deep faith that guides their path. I have good vibes that New Brunswick will be kind to them and pivotol in shaping their future goals.

Oh, and I noticed from my kitchen window today that my garlic is sprouting...I am so excited! I imagine myself braiding my garlic in the fall and cooking with my own fresh garlic...yumm! So many promises...

I also started prepping our front window today so that I can paint it and get one more thing ticked off my to do list. I felt I had to wait for the cold snap to break because it has been so bitterly cold. I worried that the paint along the glass wouldn't cure properly.

I am working on my easter eggs for the kids. I will fill them with candy and hide them outside in the garden...no matter what the weather! If it snows...which it might...the kids can have fun searching in the snow...or enjoy easter eggs for the next week or so as they reappear amidst the melting snow.

Andy will be at work on Easter which is new for me. It feels strange not having him here...even though he never actually does any of the easter kid stuff, except to steal some of their chocolate, it will feel odd not having him here. Plus, he is the one who would normally cook our big breakfast and help me with the dinner...

I also don't feel up to hosting a big huge family dinner so I am going to make a very small turkey breast and some mashed potatoes for me and the kids. Andy got us the new Charlotte's Web movie and we will watch that after dinner.

Oh, and as I sit here I realized the other job I hope to tackle soon is my glass cupboard in the diningroom. It needs painted and all the bits and pieces of old china, pottery, glasses, etc., needs organized and displayed properly. This will be fun because I am painting it a pretty colour to make it pop.

As you can see, I haven't touched it since we moved in just over a year ago. It is organized chaos and that's about it! I have lots of old vintage china and glassware, a pretty good sized pottery collection that for the most part comes from yard sales over the last 20 years! Why pay retail if you don't have too!

Beautiful Kitchens....

2007-04-02T18:39:00.000-03:00

One area that I look forward to renovating is my kitchen. As it stands, I am actually very happy with my kitchen as the cupboards are really nice and well made. However, as much as I am enjoying my time with natural wood cupboards, I will be ready to go back to cupboards that are painted a nice light, airy colour.

We plan to replace our old tile backsplash with something new and fun. I love the new glass tiles on the market and I would love to use them....but in reality, I will probably try to choose a tile that will stand the test of time and trends, but the other side of me wants to do something wild and fun in my kitchen because I don't plan to move anytime soon!

When I want inspiration, I tend to look at old houses and see what looks good today as much as it did back then. Then try to update it with a fresh approach, with my own take on it.
I don't know what colour we will paint our cabinets or what tile we will pick but we will have fun planning it as it will be a big job...probably the biggest one in this house before we move outside to tackle the exterior.

The pictures here are of my sister's kitchen which is amazingly beautiful and really showcases her talent! Her husband Paul made all the cabinets himself. He has built Linda many pieces of beautiful furniture that I can only dream of...though I have to mention that he has built me some beautiful pieces too... He also built her kitchen island which she had in her last two houses. She loves it so much that it is never included in her house sales....smart girl! The island is reminiscent of ones found in old shops with the lovely aged wooden top.

I can't recall if Linda painted the cupboards herself or if she hired this job out. Another time, I will show the cupboards that my dad built and they painted theirs as well. There isn't a paint stroke to be found as they are both beautifully done.

Her tile is a subway tile with a glass tile border to break it up and add some sparkle! She has open shelving and her lighting is the old fashioned school lights which look so vintage and fun!

These pictures do not do justice to the feeling you get sitting in her kitchen. Even on the dullest day, you would feel like it is a nice sunny, happy day!

Sitting by the fire....

2007-03-26T18:25:00.000-03:00

Okay, I know I am getting silly but I love my fireplace and writing about it is sillier still! It is one of those things that I always wanted in a home and only one other time when we had a rental did we have a working fireplace.

When you are selling your home you never know what one thing will sell your house...create that emotional attachment. For me in this house it was the vintage turn key doorbell and the fireplace.

Since we moved in, I have since repainted the fireplace to a crisp white to help balance the funny green colour I picked for the livingroom walls. Naturally, the first person to damage my nice newly painted fireplace was Andy but that was to be expected as I have a cupboard full of damaged crockery that he has broken over the years....he let a couple of logs roll out onto the tile and they burned a mark into the paint that I had to sand down and repaint. But, since then...no problems!

There is something so cosy about a fire and you can't help but gravitate around it. When we light a fire we tend to all hang out and drink some tea and watch television or talk or blog with my laptop.

Later on we plan to add some more moulding to the fireplace and reface the fireplace with tile. But for now, painting was a quick, fun fix.

Spring is almost here....

2007-03-25T09:28:00.000-03:00

As I am sitting here enjoying my morning coffee in the diningroom, I can't help but feel excited at the promise of spring. I am itching to get outside and check on the garlic I planted last fall....the whole time nervously planting and turning around to make sure a bear wasn't creeping up behind me....but that garlic is symbolic of a long road to finding my home.

Many years ago my husband and I rented an old house with the most spectacular views of Duck Cove Beach. Duck Cove was my stomping ground when I arrived in Canada and I love being next to the sea.

At the time we had been struggling with infertility for seven years and we had been told that there wasn't any hope. So, Andy had almost finished school, we were in debt, and I was miserable because I was trying to come to grips with never experiencing motherhood. I was however busy with my new job as a hotel manager and training new staff and opening new hotels for the company.

When I would get to stressed or frazzled, I would slip home and garden. I might weed a flower bed or plant some seeds....or one of my favourites was attacking the beds that were on the backside of the house overlooking the water. From spring to fall I watched these odd plants growing that were so cool and smelled delicious....I figured they were garlic but I was such a new gardener I couldn't be sure. But, I nurtured them, pulled all the weeds away and watched them grow and produce garlic. I enjoyed this so much that I said to myself at the time that when we found the home we would settle in, I would plant my own garlic and hopefully have it forever.

Well, it only took 14 years and four houses later to know that I am here and settled for a long time. This year I hopefully will harvest my first crop of garlic....If I am really lucky, maybe I can find a sunny spot to try growing roses.

Mudroom....

2007-03-10T15:53:00.000-04:00

This is a photo of our mudroom closet. It is a huge closet with two solid wood colonial doors which is the first thing you see when you come into our mudroom. The closet is spacious and it already had a closet organizer inside though the inside walls needed a lot of work and the wooden shelves needed paintingBefore we began renovating this room there was very old cushion flooring in white of all colours, along with walls that had the most ugly wallpaper. It is a nice spacious mudroom about 8x10.

In this room we did everything half-assed backwards. Rather than stripping the walls and painting them first, we stupidly laid our new slate floors. This happened because my husband offered to lay the slate during the weekend I was going to visit my sister in NS. I didn't hesitate to take him up on his offer. It could be months till he found the motivation to do it again! I did a mental checklist of what could go wrong doing the floor first but my desire to get something, anything done...won!

I chose a less traditional black slate tile which is rough hewn and somewhat imperfect. Part of the reason why I chose a rough hewn tile was due to memories I had as a kid visiting an old abandoned house that had slate roof tiles laying on the ground in amongst the grass. I would drag home the old slate and use it as lap style chalkboards with my sister or friends while we played school! Plus, I wanted a bit of a scullery feel to the mudroom...nothing to fancy or perfect...rough and suitable for a house with three growing, messy boys!

I chose a cocoa brown grout which I love....but that has a story to go with it also. My husband had never laid slate...and in particular one that is imperfect and takes a loving hand and eye to get it right. It was a big job and quite frustrating but all in all I think he did a pretty great job! My only regret, is that we couldn't afford to lay the infloor heating which would have made the floor far more comfortable in the winter as I tend to not heat this room unless it is absolutely freezing! So, the tile is very cold!

My hubby used to much water in the grout and instead of having nice cocoa brown grout I ended up with white. I solved the problem by using tea bags dipped in water to stain the grout and in my humble opinon...it looks marvelous!

Before we could paint the walls we had to remove layers of wallpaper. Well, why not make the job harder. Andy some sort of sharp object to score the paper instead of the proper tool....well, once the paper came off so did some of the gyprock and he had damaged the walls with his heavy duty scoring. So, all that had to be patched and sanded!

We ended up painting the walls twice. The first time it was a lovely green colour which looked really pretty. But, the look was more pottery barn and I felt it was to safe and predictable. What I really want for this house is my own look...I have always had to consider resale and keeping it buyer friendly....so now I want my own somewhat eclectic taste to show through, I can show off all my bits and pieces that I have collected over the years! Most of all....I want people to smile when we open the door. I don't care if it is because they roll their eyes because they hate the colour or because it makes them feel happy! So, I chose a very bright almost tacky orange...and we love it! It is a small room and I will change the colour often I am sure...but for now....we get a kick out of the jolt of colour when you open the door.
In this photo you can see a small sampling of my vintage wicker bag collection. I have collected these for about 20 years now and my favourites are on display here. One isn't a wicker purse but one that my friend knitted and felted and the other favourite is one given to me by my friends Shane & Alli.

The light above is new and it is the rubbed bronze as are the new hinges and door handles. I really love changing out hinges as much as I do door handles. It is a small detail but it is something I notice and appreciate.

This room turned out to be
a lot of work...it took us over a
month to complete this job. But we are really satisfied with the job so far. We do plan to replace the back door with a new one when we can afford it. But first we will replace the steps and build a small deck leading upto the entrance.

Family Room

2007-02-17T10:28:00.000-04:00

When we moved in a year ago, the first job we did was to replace the ceiling in our family-room located in the basement. It is a large spacious room but has a tricky layout because of the woodstove situated smack dab in the middle of the room.

The woodstove sits on a cement slab which would have been poured as part of the basment 36 odd years ago. It was covered in a groovy brown and biege tile that I took great joy in smashing! Then we... or I should say, my brother and husband smashed out the first layer of cement on the fireplace pad. This pad sat about 12" off the ground. We discovered below the ugly but groovy tile a great surprise of beautiful to me (not so much to the men) flagstones. So, they were forced to chip them out and they are now safely located meandering through my flower beds that I am slowly working on....though that is another story for another time.

To my dismay, they announced that demolishing the cement pad by sledge-hammer wasn't feasible (weaklings!!) and we needed to rent a jack-hammer! Needless to say, a year later, it still isn't finished as the motivation was not found during the busy summer months.

However, we did manage to paint the walls a very sunny yellow and we replaced the incredibly horrible drop ceiling with gyprock. We installed pot lights and now the family room is a pretty happy place to be....except for a few minor details....we still have one wall of fake wood panelling to remove and replace with gyprock. It goes up the stairs so my husband is stalling on doing this...it drives me crazy!!! I hate wood panelling and he hates anything tricky and therefore requires much deep thinking and planning and discussion with a million other people to confirm what I already know and have told him!

However, this house is to be our home for a long time and I truly believe it is a life lesson for me to be patient and wait....not my strongest quality! I tend to want to take a task on and fix it! So I, being the dutiful wife will wait on the wood panelling...more so, because I am distracted by other jobs I want done, and it lulls my husband into a false sense of security that I am patient and agree with his wise councel! When I do zone in on this detail once again, I will threaten to prime and paint it, which will probably spur him into action....he hates it if I waste money and get paint on the carpet....LOL...silly man, I do that so he will paint!

Dining Room

2006-12-20T13:07:00.000-04:00

I think that out of all the rooms in this house the diningroom was the one room I truly despised! Why....you might ask....simply put, the colour! Since we are located on a shaded treed lot, I have been challenged to no end on choosing paint colours. Every house I have owned has always been sunny. My colour choices for inside my house has reflected that until now.

My very patient husband has actually been very kind on painting and repainting rooms when I realize that I can't live with the colour. Let me tell you, if you are the type of person who needs light to function to avoid the mid-winter blues, then you will understand my dilemma. I love colour, but within my home I prefer colours that are happy and airy or bold and happy! That way, when we are in the midst of a long winter and February drags on like it owns 50 days instead of 28 and the cold sears your bones you tend to appreciate walls that remind you of cheery summer days rather than your child's last bout with stomach flu.

This diningroom had paint on the walls the colour of newborn breastfed poops...(hey, not so bad because they don't smell!) but none the less, I don't need joyful reminders of those early days with my newborn babies. What stopped me from painting this room was the massive window that takes up the whole wall. It is a wooden window that has been well scratched up over the years and shows the wear from many cats and little boys with dinky cars.

Finally, I challenged myself to break down the work into managable bites. On day one, I taped the window. Then priming came next, then I decided to tear off all the trim because it was garbage, then I painted that window a total of 8 coats with three different paints. I started using what I thought was a very good primer. However, I forgot that wood bleeds and it wasn't really adequate for the job. Then I chose a Zinnser product but didn't care for the low sheen and finally I used another Zinnser product with a high gloss and hard wearing as I have a cat and a toddler.

The change to the room was amazing. What light that came into the room was somewhat absorbed by the wooden window. Now the sunlight bounces off the white trim and the room is so much brighter and cheerier. Then we moved onto the painting the ceiling, walls and replacing all the trim. I painted the glass doors and my husband replaced all the hinges with the dark burnished brass. We didn't replace the door handles as they are vintage glass knobs but I did replace the glass cupboard knobs with burnished bronze knobs.

I still need to paint the diningroom set to a creamy white and paint and decorate the inside of the glass cupboard....but for now, I am very happy!

Oh, and I have to mention some of the bargains in my diningroom. The dining set was free! My friend Martha gave it to me after I helped her with a move. The curtains cost me $30 total. Four sets of white panels at $6 each and the aqua blue florals cost $3 each...I guess no one wanted them! The diningroom light was $20 on a clearance table and the shades were free from my sister. The runner was another $3 and the dresser in the back where I store all my treasured linens and cutlery either passed down or collected at yard sales cost me another $10 at an amazing yard sale! Oh, and you can't see it, but there is a beautiful woven wicker man under the dining set that I also snagged at a yard sale for five bucks! I love a bargain and I believe that a limited budget demands you to be creative.
Anyone can buy a look...copy it verbatim, but the most fun and creativity comes from the challenge of creating a look that is uniquely your own yet fresh and modern.

Overall, the biggest expenses were the paint, the new trim...though even half of it came from a yard sale so it wasn't to bad and replacing all the electrical switches, heater, light dimmer and thermostat was actually the most expensive part...but well worth it!

My vintage glass door knobs!

A little bit about our home....

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On November 16th, 2005 we moved into this wonderful older cape cod. Hard to believe, but a house built in 1970 is almost considered vintage! This house was built by the owners. He was a carpenter and my husband and I have discovered that he didn't cheap out on the wood used to build the house.

Even inside the garage which is seperate from the house, there are huge beams of what looks to be hand hewn timbers. The two big picture windows in the livingroom and diningroom are double glazed glass with absolutely no leaks nor do they frost up.

I don't care for the look of the glass windows from the outside...but if you are sitting in the livingroom or diningroom the view is truly lovely as you can see from the photo I snapped last week through the window. These deer visit me almost daily and wander through the trees then across the road into our neighbours.

Our lot is a beautiful treed lot with lots of privacy that I prefer. It is set back from the street which also allows the kids to have a wonderful hill to slide or snowboard on. My back yard butts onto my mothers yard which was one of the main reasons we bought the house.

The street is a dead end cul-de-sac though we do get some street noise which is another street over. I love the old trees and yet every time we have a wind storm I say some pretty fervent prayers that one of the trees won't come crashing through our roof.

The front yard is in desperate need of landscaping. The grass does not grow because of the pine trees, the huge fir trees and the multitude of other trees...including an apple tree!

The nicest thing I did this year in the garden was plant garlic plants. It has been 14 years in the making...waiting for a house that I would be staying at for longer than a couple of years or so. My husband and I have already renovated one house, then built two new homes ourselves. We always figured we would be able to build three new houses quickly and be mortgage free with the fourth....LOL...what a hoot....not if you have 4 kids and choose to stay at home as I have done.

However, building a new home is truly a wonderful experience and to a large degree I miss not doing it. It is nice when you move in and most things are done...but we are thrilled to be fixing up this lovely home and restoring it to that place that shows we care. I only wish I had more money and time to do it sooner rather than later.

The House We call Home

2006-12-10T13:37:00.000-04:00

This is where I plan to post photos and my struggles to fix up this house. I am starting this blog one year into the process. However, I plan to short write ups of what we have accomplished...more so for myself as I get discouraged because things aren't happening quick enough.