LIFE

Chicken COOP!

2011-09-05T21:16:00.006-08:00

The chickens now have an outdoor coop (and we have the garage back - they were living in a dryer box on it's side in there) They are officially 6 weeks old and plenty hardy enough to venture outside in all weather. The box is closed in for now, but they have access to the yard from the front door which will be closed at night, and will have access to a fenced in run from a back door. And we can maintain and access them from the roof and side door - without having to go into the run. Matt is glad he bought a contractors box of hinges. Gates and doors abound!
We decided to put them under the deck to A. provide a protected, snow free run area that gets great east sun. B. Close to the house and utilities = easy to maintain. No excuses! C. Southern exposure for all.
We'll see how it goes! It's exciting... isn't it?
Good workers.
Nest box access.
Demonstrations.
Adjustments.
Good work.
Access door.
Under the deck! It's pretty heavy but it's got wheels, baby.
Finishing touches...
Jacko and the birds!

Everett and his chicks - 4 weeks

2011-09-05T21:02:00.004-08:00

So here they are again, adorable and awkward all at once. They enjoy the outdoors and they aren't too hard to catch. They stay really close to where you drop them, and for the most part, always stay together. If they get separated, they peep for each other. Brothers? and sisters... awwww.

Everett and his chicks - 2wks

2011-09-05T20:56:00.003-08:00

This was when we let the chicks in the backyard for the first time. I was paranoid that they would be hard to catch, but in retrospect it would have been fun chasing them around a bit. Good for them - they better get used to it... :0

Birthday Party!

2011-08-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

Meeting the chickens..
Boss
Louise
Monique (the Splash Blue)
Buttermilk
and P'cheek

Yellow is my lucky colour...

Cake!

Presents!

Thank you dear friends for coming to our party..
I need pictures of the Sack and Egg-spoon races!

Zoo!

2011-08-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

As part of Everett's Birthday week, we went to the ZOO the day it didn't rain.

New Arrivals and a BIRTHDAY!

2011-08-04T23:40:00.003-08:00

Grandma Jane and Grampa Carl were here to celebrate Everett's birthday week.
Everett is 5. omygoodness.

He asked for chickens for his birthday.
He got 5 'cause he's 5.

(they're 4 Golden Laced plus 1 Splash Blue Red Laced Wyandottes)
names to follow... stay tuned.

brothers.

2011-05-13T08:56:00.001-08:00

p.s. Everett has a twitter account now.
everett_french

Alaska Sea Life Center

2011-05-08T13:25:00.004-08:00

Why I have no pictures of these kids with their Grandparents, I can only hang my head in shame.
Thanks so much for coming Mom and Dad.
We loved our time with you.
We love you.

mish mash

2011-05-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

why...

2011-05-05T06:33:00.004-08:00

there was no blogging or any other activity of any kind... March was hectic.

sticky snow day.

2011-02-28T13:02:00.000-09:00

hooray!

to Whitehorse and back...

2011-02-21T23:34:00.011-09:00

Our drive today was amazing.

Destruction Bay, Kluane Lake, Yukon.
The track is Empty Hearts, from the Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. We're big fans.

Fast Eddy's Restaurant in Tok. Good salad bar.

It takes fourteen hours (average) to drive from Anchorage to Whitehorse. And fourteen hours back. Just in case you were wondering...
I know I know.

Everett on Skiis!!!

2011-02-07T22:15:00.003-09:00

I'm excited. He's pretty fast after one day.

Jack stomps on snowballs.

2011-02-06T22:12:00.001-09:00

What a rascal!

hockey games...

2011-02-05T11:06:00.011-09:00

Matt and Everett go to see the Alaska Aces hockey games often. This was Jack's first game. When Matt carried him in, he felt Jack's body getting excited. He knew.. This is mob mentality! I know what to do! Clap clap rah rah. Dance to the music.

Year in Review 2010

2011-01-24T13:32:00.005-09:00

Well, we had enough for a family holiday newsletter, but it seems we're still having editorial and production difficulties. Rather than wait for those to work out for the 2010 issue, I thought I'd just go ahead and post what we've written here so that at least its on record and perhaps someone else might get to read it.

HOME RENOVATIONS ONGOING INFINITY
2010 was a fine year. I think we broke even. We accomplished some work on the house but of course not as much as we hoped we would. In fact, a trusted research team out of Whitehorse developed an uncanny equation to predict the time required for home renovation projects. Take your initial estimate, double the time, and increase the unit. With the substantial completion of our upstairs bathroom proving evidence, the formula seems infallible.
Our Estimate – 2 Weeks Our Reality – 4 Months
Another, albeit much more extensive, renovation underway in Toronto is also testing this theory.

DELTA AIRLINES SUBSIDIZED
We travelled a little bit to visit family; Kansas in April, Ontario in August, and (US) Thanksgiving and St.Louis wedding brought us back to the Midwest in Late November.
We also had visitors here – my parents Ned and Judy arrived in late May for some facetime with the boys. My sister April and her beau Andy stayed for a week in late June. Mary, Tim and Sophie drove over from Whitehorse and whisked me and the boys on a mini beachside vacation in Homer in July. Matt’s parents Carl and Jane were here over Labour Day weekend and found Everett the perfect bike. We're already planning ahead for spring and summer and I’m considering an extra trip out of state this year (it could be you!) so call now to make your travel arrangements.

WALKING EARTHQUAKE
Jacko has been walking since 11 months and has mastered stairs, furniture, the moving of furniture, and is now dabbling in jumping from furniture. His biggest occupation is keeping up with Everett, and his personal interests include balls, hats, shoes, music and food.

SPEEDING BULLET
Everett is growing up so fast. This summer he came very close to swimming independently, and he became an avid bike rider this fall. He’s taking a break from those activities and concentrating on snow-shoveling and sled-riding. He enjoys bouncing around the house, playing trains, baking cookies, and keeping up with Jack.

I NEED MORE JARS!
Living in Alaska, we are sometimes fortunate enough to enjoy wild game in great quantities. So rather than just filling the freezer and making one meal at a time, Matt adapts recipes for the pressure canner and makes many meals at one time. Our favourites include spaghetti sauce, moose chili, moose Stroganoff, and canned salmon. It means that there are no more excuses about what to have for supper. He's also planning on making some guest posts here so watch for those in the near future.

MOM SEEKS CALM
In September I began a year-long yoga teacher training program. I started the program mainly to learn about the therapeutic applications of yoga and learn the history of yoga. Whether or not I end up teaching is beside the point - this is something I have wanted to do for most of my adult life, and I am enjoying it more than I ever imagined. If you want to ask me about it I will gladly share and will probably talk your ear off. I'm also trying to write about it (a little) over on my personal blog, www.playingwithspoons.blogspot.com

That's a little about us in a nutshell. We're healthy, happy and comfortable.
When you put it all in perspective, that is a big deal and I'm so grateful.

what we can't stop watching...

2011-01-11T13:05:00.001-09:00

ok go This too shall pass.

New Years 2011

2011-01-08T11:46:00.000-09:00

Christmas 2010

2011-01-08T11:40:00.001-09:00

yes, and one more.

2010-11-21T21:49:00.002-09:00

tzatziki sauce?

clean that up!

willful and skillful

2010-11-19T21:17:00.006-09:00

We have a couch. We have a chair. We have children who put them together to make a really fun way to climb the chair to get over the couch, over and over and over again. This was Jack's idea because he isn't tall enough to get up on this couch on his own... and he was the first to do it, but Everett quickly took it up like it was his idea.

I love the videos - you can really get a sense of their expression. Better than still photographs.

halloween bee and monkey baby

2010-11-01T08:45:00.004-08:00

Everett has been wearing last year's dinosaur costume all week so Matt had to insist that he wear the Bee costume I made for this year. I love making costumes and it is hard not to care that the intended recipient may or may not wear them.
all right - this is all I can write - the kids are shouting at me.

later edit: So, I also wanted to highlight the annual halloween hike. Here are pictures from Sarah's blog. Thanks again Sarah!

And now we are ONE.

2010-10-13T20:56:00.004-08:00

Dear child of mine. How will I remember these moments that are so truly yours. This past year has been a joy, seeing you inside you unfold.

Happy birthday to you... happy birthday to YOU.... happy BIRTHday dear JACK-o...
happy birthday to you.

And who can walk and drink and eat all at the same time? This guy.

That walking video.

2010-09-29T22:18:00.006-08:00

Here's that walking video. Well, one of many I've tried to capture.

He's known how to climb things for a while now. Right now he uses his new walking skills to get him from couch to futon to couch. He doesn't fall off things (often) but I am always sure he's going to.

Hence the jerky filming.

Welcome to my world.

Drawing racetracks.

2010-09-29T22:13:00.003-08:00

And the Lego men ooh and ahh.

Peek a Boo

2010-09-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

He's a lot of fun... Stay tuned for a walking video. I'm trying to catch him in action.

Glen Alps mountain side.

2010-09-23T10:13:00.002-08:00

This past Sunday was a beautiful mountain day.

We found some low bush cranberries (lignonberries) and played in the mountain hemlocks.

Visit from Grandma and Grampa

2010-09-07T10:30:00.002-08:00

We went to the Alaska State Fair by train. It was great.

I'm using Flickr to post my photos rather than blog them all. Click on the above image to see more.

Let me know what you think.

jacko.

2010-06-06T19:57:00.004-08:00

so, here he is. in all his crawling, standing up, smiling glory. coming up on 8 months, can you believe it!?

oh and (most of) the bathroom is up and running...

getting out!

2010-06-01T20:24:00.005-08:00

We spent the weekend at a friends cabin up near Talkeetna. It was awesome. The weather was phenomenal. Getting out of the city is what summer is all about. It's so easy to stay home, but so worth it to get out. I am lucky to know these nice nice people. Thank you S.A.Z.L. for sharing your treasure of a place with us.

the snow is nearly gone.

2010-04-30T19:27:00.005-08:00

Spring is coming. The snow melted this past week. The tree buds have doubled in size. We're finding fiddleheads and worms under the leaves. I can hardly wait.

Jack sits up all by himself and is really working on crawling.

Everett and Matt built a birdhouse together. And tonight they worked on the snowbank along the street.

Oh, and we tore out the terrible bathroom.

It's not spring here.

2010-04-16T20:37:00.005-08:00

okay. I know that it's been too long since my last post.
Lately, I'm spending very little time near the computer.
We were preparing for a trip to visit family in Kansas.

Happy Birthday Grandma Jane!

It was great to see the cousins altogether.

We went from that (sunshine and flowers) to this (snowflakes and slush). Sigh.

theories.

2010-03-11T07:49:00.004-09:00

This theory was announced in the car ride home yesterday evening.
So beautiful and inspired. This might have been the 4th time he's told it so it might be a wee bit rehearsed, but honestly, it's all him.
of course there are other theories, such as...
"clouds are a kind of storm" and
"horses are a kind of donkey"...

baby jack. skwish.

2010-03-09T20:31:00.003-09:00

He's just so darn cute!

trains and dogs.

2010-03-08T20:26:00.002-09:00

Iditarod 2010. Model Train display at the depot, dog sled teams taking off from downtown, plus the Fur Rondy carnival.

big ol' baby.

2010-03-04T22:40:00.005-09:00

The snow sculptures were pretty nice (one of the best years yet!) but for Everett the puddles were even better. The big baby was a little scary. The highlight, I think, was the looooong freight train that went right past, so close, sounding it's horn.

new sweater.

2010-02-22T19:19:00.006-09:00

i know i know. another post!

I was posing Jack in his sweet new sweater, hand knit by gr8 Aunt Mary of Whitehorse, but of course Everett must include himself. So, I caught it on video.

sticky snow.

2010-02-21T17:37:00.002-09:00

We've had some warm weather :) It's been hanging around +34 F (+1 C) and we've had some fresh snow. That makes for some very VERY fun snow building.

first barber cut and catch-up.

2010-02-05T12:13:00.004-09:00

Matt took Everett for his first professional hair cut at a real barber shop. He was very well behaved. I haven't been taking many pictures because we haven't been getting out of our pajamas much. Or a version of pajamas. However, we are getting outside almost every day, snowpants over jammies. I made an effort and here is Jack dressed up in a pair of vintage overalls sent by Auntie April, while chomping on a teething ring care of Auntie Gracie. And of course Everett (with his new hair cut) holding Jack.

brothers.

2010-01-18T13:38:00.002-09:00

ice sculptures 2010.

2010-01-17T14:37:00.008-09:00

Last week we went downtown to look at the newly carved ice sculptures. Last year we missed them because we waited too long and they all disappeared during a pineapple express that melted almost all the snow the last week of January. This year it was cold and the ice rink was hard and smooth. Everett hasn't done much skating yet but he has no fear of falling... intentionally running just to fall down over and over again, just so he could yell 'ouch!'.

Here's a link if you want to learn more. It even has a video showing the artists doing the carving.

A funny story about New Years Eve. We went downtown to take part in the "Fire and Ice" Celebrations. There were some ice sculptures, fire throwers and jugglers and then of course, fireworks. The evening had its ups and downs, but I think what we'll always want to remember is that Everett renamed us all (we'll often have several different identities in one day) for the next few days; he was Fireworks, I was Ice Sculpture, Jack was Sparkle and Matt was (and he says his all time favourite nickname ever) Downtown.

2009 in review.

2010-01-07T11:02:00.011-09:00

For days now, I've been trying to cleverly summarize our year into a few paragraphs and since I repeatedly lost the battle using pen and paper(surrendering my pen and paper to Everett)I realized that most of the significent things that happened to us are already here on this blog. Between this and playing with spoons, it's a pretty good synopsis of our day to day life. With that said, I looked through our photos and compared them to what was on the blog and there are some glaring omissions. The trip to Ontario for example. I have unpublished, neverbeforeseen pictures of Fiona, Molly and Everett, and Everett's birthday party. Plus the many photos of Jack taken over the last three months. Not that you're that interested, but for arguments sake let's pretend you are. I certainly am and will be forever so hopefully this blog doesn't dissappear.

I've kind of gone overboard with the photos, but really there are just ten contact sheets. Each photo is labeled underneath. If you want any of these images, just email me or comment and I will send you them as soon as possible.

As we finish this year, we continue to be in awe of our parents, and frankly, all parents out there. Raising children could be the most challenging thing we’ve ever done.
This is hard work.
Bring it on 2010.

Santa came...

2009-12-29T10:39:00.004-09:00

We had a quiet family Christmas. Everett was truly in the spirit of (opening) gifts and the magic of St. Nick.

Things I don't want to forget about this Christmas.

Matt was the first one up, with Jack, preparing breakfast and coffee... waiting for Everett and me to wake up.

Everett reciting 'The Night Before Christmas'. "To de top of de porch! To de top of de wall! Now dassaway, dassaway, dassaway all." Which one is Dassaway?

Singing jingle bells over and over and over again.

I'll add more as they come to me.

I've been trying to get out holiday and thank you cards, and it's been excrutiatingly impossible. I have high hopes that this will be the perfect venue to reflect and cross reference events - almost everything that happened this year is in this blog - and maybe produce a card. As for Thank you notes... hold on to your hats, they will trickle in. We're trying for one a day or so. We have a lot to be Thankful for.

more! snow

2009-12-16T14:35:00.002-09:00

SOOOOO much snow. It's amazing. Not too cold, but it's hard to walk in.

Everett scaled a snowbank next to a tree and was able to climb onto it's lower branches. He bumped it while climbing, and a huge dusting of snow fell and fell and fell around him. He didn't like it, but it was amazing to watch.

wish lists...

2009-12-06T14:09:00.009-09:00

Hello dear gift givers. Everett has a list and well, I thought I'd share it with everyone so that they know what he's into. I totally have mixed feelings about this, but his list is sweet and it doesn't take a lot to make a kid excited about Christmas. And well, if Everett gets a list, Jack gets one too. You'll find them on the side bar.

Do you have a list? Can we see it?
*Also, if you have chosen something on this list and want me to remove it or make a note, I will.

We're pretty excited about Christmas around here. It's hard to get anything done, but we're trying. Today Matt put up some outdoor lights. Yesterday we made a Gingerbread house (a kit) and some gingerbread cookies (not a kit).

Jack has grown and changed so much. He's still concerned, and cries if he's had to much to nurse...:( but the other day he just started kicking and smiling and cooing and gooing. When he smiles it is just so genuine and direct. I forgot how completely absorbed I become by my baby's smiles. Here he is at 7.5 weeks.

Wintertime.

2009-12-02T11:50:00.002-09:00

In this picture, Jack is 6 weeks old. We go on forest walks altogether. We went down a different path and found this shelter. We collected spruce cones and alder cones.

We've been making lots of snow people in the front yard. These two are Fiona and Molly.

embracing winter.

2009-11-18T15:38:00.002-09:00

I forgot how cold November can be. It's been below zero (farenheit) for the past week and it's tricky to get us all outside for very long. We did enjoy a nice fire in the fireplace outside. And the moose came back and had a nap in our backyard.

first snow

2009-11-10T16:39:00.002-09:00

The first snow came overnight November 9th. It was a big day for our house. I know this because I started a big wall calender with Monday, November 9th as the first day - Christmas is coming so soon. New snow and the first day of swimming lessons! (And first day of no more diapers!?! ) That evening a moose came calling and ate the pumpkin off our front stoop.
On the 10th Jack turned four weeks old.

halloween '09

2009-11-03T15:45:00.004-09:00

Halloween was a big deal.
Thanks to Gramma Jude, we had a cozy warm Buddy the Dinosaur (T-REX) costume to wear to a party and out trick'r treating. Sadly, we didn't break out the Turtle costume for Jack, but we did dress him up in a Pumpkin sleeper wrapped in a ladybug blankie and hat.

Matt does a great job of dressing up the driveway for trick'r treat-er's. He likes it when a house is clearly open for business.

pensive.

2009-10-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

Usually, he is quiet but concerned.

gramma jude

2009-10-17T16:12:00.002-08:00

My mom will be here with me through the week. We are grateful. Thanks Mom for staying longer, and thanks to everyone else for letting me keep her for just a little longer.

Jack.

2009-10-14T21:32:00.003-08:00

So, he's finally here. We call him Jack. He is adored and loved..
8 lbs 9 oz. 20.25" long. Arrived at 1:43 pm October 13th.

Check out this flash back.

grandad.

2009-10-11T16:31:00.004-08:00

My father was here for a week (last week) and while he didn't get to meet a new baby (...still in the oven) he cemented his bond with his grandson and helped with all the that stopped us in our tracks (patio door lock, lawnmower blade, computer chair, range hood cover!, etc.) Thanks for making the trip, Dad. You'll just have to come back to meet this new person.

it's officially fall (and my birthday)

2009-09-22T22:05:00.003-08:00

We haven't had a frost, but the leaves are changing quickly and falling off the trees.

forest walk.

2009-08-27T15:24:00.000-08:00

Toadstool town.

garden pictures.

2009-08-21T10:42:00.006-08:00

I'm really pleased with the garden. It is really productive right now and as always, continues to be a great learning experience. I'm still supplementing every week from the farmer's market, mainly because our lettuce never really seemed to take hold. And I could easily eat every single carrot in our garden in one sitting. Next year I'm doing lots more broccoli in succession, lots more lettuce in succession. No onions, but as many carrots as we can. More dill. More cucumbers in containers. A big pot for zucchini. Less beans. Cilantro in pots. We did the perfect amount of chard, though I might add an additional green like Tatsoi. The radishes were really fun, but I don't really like them so most have them have gone to seed and have sent their pink-veined white flowers tumbling throughout the vegetable beds. The peas are great. The sunflowers are awesome. All the flowers are awesome. They are what make the whole thing really fun for me. I'm crossing my fingers that a moose won't come over the fence.

grandma jane.

2009-08-07T13:02:00.002-08:00

the sun shined for you.

2009-08-06T12:57:00.002-08:00

birthday party....

and then the real deal.

family visit.

2009-07-13T09:29:00.001-08:00

Thanks for coming all this way! We had a lot of fun.

In lieu of traveling on Father's Day

2009-06-27T09:41:00.003-08:00

Ontario Trip 2009 was wonderful. I don't know where to begin with the all the photos. Send 'em in everyone.

pulling leaves off trees.

2009-06-03T17:12:00.003-08:00

Mommy Moose feeds Baby Moose just steps from our front door.

master mind.

2009-05-27T15:27:00.004-08:00

Everett playing with pegs. AKA master mind.
I'm just getting him started early. He really likes it. I pulled it out to play with an older child who was visiting and Everett couldn't leave it alone.

little boy growing up.

2009-05-23T20:45:00.001-08:00

I can't believe he'll be three in August.

green floor!

2009-04-16T16:39:00.001-08:00

There it is... and a sneak peak of the cabinet colour.

kitchen Demo...

2009-04-13T15:48:00.012-08:00

So, all the Easter stuff happened a day or so before Easter. We spent Easter morning disassembling our kitchen. I had to scramble to take pictures because I realized it would never be like this again.

Matt pulled out the cabinets as I emptied them...

The kitchen before...

and the kitchen before before... I just went through old posts and remembered the shock and the aftermath.... here are the posts for fast clicking...
1. "new house."
2. the damage done...
3. Demolition phase is over.
4. Progress.

happy easter!

2009-04-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

dyeing the eggs...

2009-04-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

easter egg hunt.

2009-04-12T11:18:00.003-08:00

We went on the most adorable, albeit cold and wet, easter egg hunt organized by some good friends. There were four 6 year olds and four under 3 year olds.

2009-04-08T17:57:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Grandma Jane!

Happy Birthday Fiona!

bookworm.

2009-04-08T17:07:00.001-08:00

at the Palmer Public Library.

still with the cars and trucks.

2009-03-31T09:48:00.002-08:00

Matt loves them just as much. Maybe more. He and Everett have been building a collection of matchbox vehicles from Value Village since January. I love it when they sit down and line them all up perfectly, naming each one and grouping it with vehicles of similar purpose.

everett fix.

2009-03-30T12:36:00.001-08:00

it's been too long. sorry.

snow walk.

2009-02-06T16:23:00.001-09:00

grateful for health, new snow and warm(er) temperatures.

over the holidays...

2009-01-28T14:51:00.005-09:00

I wish I had better shots and more of them.... but here's a sample of what I have from the holidays.

Dear Jane and Carl,
We're thinking of you
Love Oona Matt and Everett.

always with the cars. and the books.

2008-11-30T13:17:00.000-09:00

Everett arranging his cars. sheesh.

outside time.

2008-11-28T08:19:00.000-09:00

this is going to be a great winter. we're getting outside a lot.

say cheese. self portraits.

2008-11-26T14:16:00.001-09:00

Matt is a really really great dad.

forest.

2008-11-24T21:16:00.001-09:00

Everett and I have been enjoying the forest near our house. We take his red sled and I pull him around through the trees. It's good for both of us.

Election Day Haircut.

2008-11-04T21:43:00.005-09:00

Scarecrow before.
Baby April?
Magic clippers.
After.

Some friends asked if McCain/Palin won, would we have kept the mullet?

trick or treat...

2008-10-31T22:46:00.001-08:00

Daddy Worker.

It's time.

2008-10-28T16:24:00.005-08:00

It's time to get this boy a haircut. I've held out as long as I can but my little scarecrow is starting to be described using adjectives like scraggly, or fuzzy, or bird's nest-y.

These were taken on the weekend, just after his nap.
Hardy-har-har.

water play.

2008-10-21T09:27:00.002-08:00

Everett speelt met water.

snow angels.

2008-10-13T21:00:00.003-08:00

p.s. Happy Thanksgiving! (Canada)

snowy walk.

2008-10-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

more snow.

bye bye fall.

2008-10-10T10:07:00.003-08:00

Everett's snow gear from last year still fits!
Our fall was brief and brilliant this year. We had a week of amazing crisp sunny weather and then, this... SNOW. Not a lot of snow but enough to build a snowperson (A little one, which I failed to photograph. The next one WILL be documented).
Right now it is raining. Bye bye snow., for now.

chickadeedee.

2008-10-06T15:02:00.003-08:00

Sweet Everett. Mr. JibberJabber these days. Can't sit still. Must be moving, balancing on one leg or tippy toe.
He is looking out the window at the chickadees and nuthatches eating at one of our new birdfeeders courtesy of the Grandparents French. Yesterday, we had a Stellar Jay scolding us while we were refilling it.
p.s. There are more pictures on playing with spoons.

more grandparent time.

2008-10-05T14:17:00.003-08:00

Grampa Carl and Grandma Jane were in town last week. We had gorgeous weather from the moment the arrived till the day after they left. We went on walks around the new neighborhood and to the zoo, worked on the house and kept after Everett.
photos by Carl

grampa too.

2008-09-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

(Great) Grampa and (Great) Uncle Howard came to visit us on Manitoulin Island at my parents home where we spent a few days as well.

at the cottage.

2008-09-05T15:17:00.007-08:00

Everett and I spent nearly four weeks in Canada, mainly with my family at the cottage. Matt was able to join us for a week at the beginning. We had a wonderful time. Everett grew and grew in so many ways.

Progress.

2008-07-07T22:50:00.003-08:00

Man o man. Where does the time go?
Last week was hectic. We moved into our new house and we are living quite comfortably downstairs only. We joke that we'll have to buy furniture to fill the upstairs once its finished and that we actually have nearly all the space we need downstairs... if only it had a kitchen. Sigh.
Speaking of which, the kitchen is coming along nicely. In fact, everything is coming together. The painting phase is complete... (Sherwin Williams Antique White on the walls and Snowbound on the ceilings in their zero-VOC Harmony Paint). Matt skillfully installed the range hood over the weekend, so we hope to be cooking on our new range by the end of the week.
Our timeline and budget are pretty much on track, though we are finding ways to be flexible and save money - which sometimes eats away at the time.
For example... we're very excited about the salvaged (free) oak cabinets. We currently have 2.5 kitchens worth of 42" wall cabinets that we've picked through for the space under the bar and along the walls. As I sit here, comfortable with my mug of red wine, Matt is upstairs skillfully stripping the varnish off two of the doors and a couple of the cabinet boxes. This choice is definitely adding a whole week of work, but since the floor (CORK!) won't be here for at least another week, and we haven't even made a decision for the base cabinets, it is filling the time and keeping the momentum going.

Happy Father's Day.

2008-06-15T14:52:00.002-08:00

Grandfathers and Great Grandfathers included.
Hilarious video courtesy of Auntie Apple and Auntie Gae Gae.

April and Grace were here last week during all the commotion. We had a wonderful time in Homer, Alaska and I know that Everett adores and misses his Aunties. Me too.

Demolition phase is over.

2008-06-13T22:53:00.005-08:00

Wow. I've lost track of how many days have passed. I'll just do a daily log now.

May 27-29. Matt worked hard and pulled all the remaining rock, fake and real, from around the fireplace. We saved some of the nice pieces for path stone.
May 30-31. Final demolition of the fireplace. The freestanding box and flue was removed, leaving the chimney (self-supporting) above the roofline. Since there is no rush to take it down and add extra work by patching the roof, we'll leave it in place and use it for the ductwork of a floating range hood.
June 1-2. Clean up and completion of exterior closet demo.
June 3.Really amazing Feng Shui consultation with great local lady. Deserves an entire post.
June 4-7. Oona in Homer with Everett and Aunty Grace and April. Matt kept at the busy work and scratching his head, started scratching at the ceiling and made the much appreciated (but daunting) decision to scrape off popcorn ceiling.
June 7. Ocean's festival. Golf Tournament.
June 8. Meet and hire electricians. Finalized kitchen layout - which is pretty much exactly the same as it was, but with visibility into the living room.
June 9. Learn about lighting design. Shop around town. Look at gorgeous lighting catalogs. Drew up lighting plan.
June 10. The closet wall at the top of the stairs was picked up and moved 12 inches, opening up the hall while still providing privacy to the bathroom and maintaining a functional closet. They did this with very little drywall damage and no new framing. Well done Jason and Matt. This was a critical step because this wall contained the power for the ceiling and the electricians are coming tomorrow to add overhead lighting in the kitchen and living room.
June 11. Fun and fast electrician team of two guys (brothers?) worked from noon till 8pm installing 12 recessed lights, pre-wiring for range hood and under cabinet (LED) and quick jack pendant sink lighting and several new switches. 500' of 12/2 later...
June 12. Built pony peninsula wall for range and bar top. Brought boiler chase up to code, making it possible to sleep at night. Changed moving day to next weekend. Sigh.
June 13.Selected new appliances - went with stainless Frigidaire range and fridge. Installed drywall inside of chase, installed range hood motor in ceiling. Began the serious undertaking of scraping popcorn ceiling.

the damage done.

2008-05-26T23:19:00.007-08:00

Day 1: Removed all window coverings. Removed closet doors. Removed purple and brown carpets from upstairs living room and bedrooms as well as thirty years of dirt and several hundred (thousand?) carpet pad staples.

Day 2: Began tedious process of securing subfloor with screws and applying spackle to each and every hole in the walls, starting with upstairs bedroom. Removed upstairs bathroom sliding shower door. Evaluated possibility of removing fireplace....

Day 3: Took down all upper cabinets and base cabinets along interior wall. Removed drywall from kitchen side of interior wall. Pried off decorative stone (slate and sandstone) and wood trims from above the fireplace.

Stay tuned.
Matt along with long time friends Chris and Joel have completed so much in so little time. Thanks guys.

"new" house.

2008-05-25T22:37:00.006-08:00

So... some of you may know that we bought a house. Some of you may even know that we are planning some renovations... Many are awaiting photos.
So.
BEFORE PICTURES.
Here it is. pooheadymustardybrown. But, it's not so bad and at the moment it's the least of our concerns.

The best things about this property are the neighbourhood, the huge sunny yard, and the creek that runs next door. We like the house. We're throwing the word potential around a lot. Potential with a capital P.

The upstairs interior...

Let's just say it needs some updating.
I'll save the bathroom for another day.

The downstairs interior.
It has great natural light. Um. I am aware of the panelling.
But, this memory of Everett having a snack with some friends looks v. sweet.

Happy Birthday Grampa!

2008-05-14T16:46:00.004-08:00

or should I say GREAT GRAMPA!

kiss on the cheek.

2008-04-01T14:14:00.002-08:00

Tuesday is (almost always) Zoo day.

helper.

2008-03-14T13:29:00.003-08:00

Somebody is now 19 months and wants to help. Ahem. Well, you can just imagine the fun.

This is going to be a catch up post...

Visiting the greenhouse to be reminded of growing things.

Watching the Iditarod teams run through town.

And making some new friends.

who's a big boy?

2008-02-06T08:30:00.000-09:00

Everett is 18 months. gasp.
He says Car a lot. It sounds more like Caw Caw Caw Caw Caw.

bookworm.

2008-02-01T20:17:00.000-09:00

this kid cannot get enough of his favourite books.

"da!", he says with his eyebrows raised, while pressing a beat-up brown bear, brown bear into your leg.

little buddies.

2008-01-28T22:58:00.000-09:00

We have lots of snow.

We have good friends.