Clean kitchen

A clean kitchen is a rare occasion.  

It stayed like this just long enough to snap a few pictures and then back to holiday goodies headquarters in preparation for tomorrow's sale!

I love my kitchen!  It's not perfect but it's pretty fine!

The lovely cabinet pulls.

Kitchen still needs wall ovens, back
splash and some painting but those are minor details at this point.

This is the view when we walk in
 from main entrance.

These end cabinets mostly house kid's craft supplies :)

Sink with a built in drainboard?  Yes please!

Love these pendant lights!

Hello there! A kitchen update.

I love cooking, baking and anything related to food preparation.  It is therapeutic and while creating something scrumptious I reflect, contemplate, relax...

Being "kitchen-less" for several months was hard on my mental state.  Sometime in July I realized that I really, really missed the kind of cooking I had become accustomed to.  I had been putting food on our plates and in our bowls but really just doing the bare minimum.  So, every second weekend for three months I loaded the car with ingredients, stopped at the farmer's market and headed to the cabin with the boys for a couple nights.  And, oh boy, did I cook!  I worked in the kitchen for 10+ hours straight while the boys played and taste tested everything and life was good.  

In early July we upgraded from a bar fridge to a proper fridge.  That was nice!  By the end of July our kitchen cabinets were installed and in early August the counter-top was installed.  Our sink was in the laundry room so we did a lot of walking to take care of dishes (no, we didn't use paper plates).  In September, the microwave drawer was put in place.  The kitchen cabinet contractor came back to do the cook top and sink cut outs and finish installing the uppers.  In October Les installed the induction cook top (hallelujah!).  Our first meal was fettuccine Alfredo with steamed broccoli.  The sink and faucet were installed and everything was looking great.  A few pretty things - counter stools and island lights - were added in November.  We haven't installed the dishwasher yet because then we wouldn't have anywhere to put the sauerkraut crocks :).  Next up are the wall ovens and back splash.  

Here are some pictures of the progress.  I will add the "latest" picture in a couple days.  

No perfect place

 

 

Six years ago we lived in a city with a million(ish) other people.  While visiting in May I felt a bit homesick for the amenities and recreation choices but that feeling quickly vanished when it took two hours just to get gas, shop at the drug store and buy wine.  The saying "nice place to visit but wouldn't want to live there" feels so true.

It is my belief there is no perfect place to live, however, I do prefer the country.  After two years, completing standard household errands within a two block radius in less than thirty minutes is still a novelty. The spontaneity people have to gather for a two hour's notice weeknight dinner or afternoon coffee date is refreshing.  While we love going to the city to explore brightly colored and busy playgrounds we equally love playing in mother nature's playground consisting of rock piles, open fields and mud puddles. Listening to frogs croaking, the wind whooshing, ducks quacking and tractors humming is better for my soul (and sleep quality) than listening to dogs yapping, vehicles screeching, bass thumping and late night lawn mowing.  

Now, I must go enjoy the sunset from my porch.  Good Night and Happy Canada Day!

 

Rocks

As of tonight, the boys have their first summer job as rock pickers.  The pay is $0.05 per rock and they will get a $0.01 cent raise for every 500 rocks picked.  They are starting in the field where I am pulling weeds and where Les will put our soccer field.

They began carrying one rock at a time and quickly learnt two rocks at a time was much quicker. Then they ran to and fro.  Oliver realized that the Tonka truck sitting idle by the workshop would be an easier method to transport the rocks to the rock pile.  Lionel verbalized his job for this "great idea" and ran to get his own truck.

Tonight's rock tally
Oliver: 140
Lionel: 150

They are currently discussing their plans to buy new LEGO sets.

Update

It is difficult to notice what we have done because so much needs to be done.  Looking through pictures helps.  We are taking a week long vacation  in Calgary to  be tourists and spend time with family.  At the end of the month let the finishing begin!

The pond (formerly known as the slough).

Living room

Kitchen and dining room a couple months ago.

The dining area and "LEGO" room.

My temporary kitchen and home office.

Master bedroom which desperately needs a couple of tall plants and a roman blind.

Main bath at drywall stage

Main bath in progress

Happy Mother's Day

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day and did something that made your heart dance a little.  Mine was lovely.  The boys and I did a lot of playing and only a little bit of work.  We ate some scrumptious food shared with family and friends.  Check in tomorrow for some "nesting" pictures.

Operation Moving In

We have begun "operation moving in" and it is not as thrilling as I imagined it would be.  It is exhausting, overwhelming and terrifying.  I realize we are fortunate to have a roof over our heads and sleep in warm beds, however, moving into an unfinished house lacking all amenities we are accustomed to is a big test for a person's mental health.  I had to giggle today when one of the children at our Bricks 4 Kidz(r) camp told me that I look really tired and stressed.  I guess it's very obvious what a toll this process is having on me. 


On the weekend we unloaded our trailer of furniture, set up beds, installed a closet organizer, tiled bathroom floor, installed smoke detectors, cleaned windows and moved all the furniture out of our rental.  It felt wonderful to recycle the mattress bags that have been used for four moves!


Our temporary kitchen consists of a crock pot (and for those of you who know me I do not enjoy crock pot cooking), a coffee maker, a dresser for a pantry, a laundry tub sink and a mini bar fridge.  The washer and dryer are not hooked up so I will be frequenting the Laundromat in the city.  There is no hot water and there are no operating sinks (come on plumber...show up and do the job you were supposed to have finished last week!).  The boys and I will sleep at the house on Sunday night for the first time and thankfully the toilet in the basement works (whew!).


It has been raining all day, the wind is about 80 km per hour and it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow.  I imagine I won't be able to park within fifty feet of the house tomorrow due to mucky mud so I will continue doing what I can do! 



Floor

Here are a couple pictures of the completed hardwood floors.  They are perfectly imperfect.

Old School

Last Monday our hardwood floor installer, Joseph, started working.  He finished on Saturday.  Yippee!  Finished product pictures coming tomorrow.


Now, we "just" need water and the house will be habitable.

Getting It Done

Last week the ceiling was painted (so happy we went with flat finish!) and pot lights were installed. The house is tidy as could be in preparation for hardwood flooring installation.  It's hard to believe we will be living there in a few weeks!

Sunday Funday

The weather turned around and the boys did some playing at the farm.

Buying Stuff

I have to admit that it is much more enjoyable flipping through magazines and cruising Pinterest than actually having to make design decisions.  The "dreaming" phase is nonchalant and casual.  The "buying" phase feels like a third job. 

We are starting to purchase bathrooms fixtures, vanities, counter tops, flooring, light fixtures, and appliances as we need them.  Thankfully Les and I are pretty agreeable on style and he has given me the main task of sourcing out these goodies.  When faced with a design dilemma I ask myself "What would Sarah (Richardson) do?".  I can't wait to see how it all comes together!

Here are a few pictures of some recent purchases....

Ensuite vanity

Main bath light fixture

Ensuite wall sconces

Main bath vanity

Starting to Finish...

Main entry door

Kitchen area - looking East. The garbage can will be replaced with an island at some point.

So it's been a while since the last post. I've been getting alot of requests for photos so here are some of the latest.
The walls are framed, the drywall is hung, and mudding & taping has begun!
Main floor electrical is done.
Most of the upstairs plumbing is done, except the some of the water lines and septic. That will come soon.
For the most part things are progressing well. My full time job has really put a damper on the house project though.
Did I mention that we are moving in on April 20th?? Hmmm... I wonder.....well we will see how much is done prior to move in!!!
Thanks to all of our devoted followers, see you soon!
Lester.

Looking East, yup that's the flooring, just waiting for someone to install it! 

This is where the bar would be...if we were to make a bar with a sink and a fridge....

Looking North East - Stairwell and main entry.

Looking West - kitchen area

Hallway looking North... that's the door to the garage. On the right is the door to the
master bed room.

Garage Looking south - that's the entry door into the family mud room! ha-ha.

Garage Looking North