Nursery Pictures

As promised, here is a little tour of the baby's room. Sorry, no gender spoiler with the colors... 

Standing in the doorway, to the right is the crib, a used-for-one-child unit from in the family.  It's very nice & in great shape.  Beside it you'll see the first of many boxes of diapers... we went out and renewed our long lost Costco membership mainly just for those.

The color on the wall is a mushroom brown - the same one we used in the kitchen.

Looking the other way,  the 'buffet' dresser, painted a chocolate brown - the same color I used for the backs of the steps when we took off the carpet and did the hardwoods.  So both colors we already have in the house and know we liked.  The rocking chair is one that Madeline's grandpa Doug was rocked in as a baby by his mom, Great Grandma Olive.  The afghan on the chair was knitted by my Granny Van Raes.  There is a similar afghan in the crib, knitted by my Grandma Schneider.  Nice to have touches from all of them in this room.

In the corner are the second base for the car seat; one is in my Escape already, and the car seat itself is downstairs with the hospital bag, ready to go.  Beside it is a bath tub and a Snugli.  On this side of the dresser is a diaper genie - one of the few 'must-purchase-before-baby-comes-home' items.

Looking from the window, you can see the closet organizer we got - should help with keeping all the stuff in order.  The green matches the green of the crib sheet set that it's made up with - my favorite set from when M was crib-small.

And the final corner has the 'hutch' bookcase, also painted chocolate brown, and stocked with the few kids books that I saved for this possibility.  The buffet and hutch set I believe was in my Granny's house, and then became my mom & dad's when they got married.  It was painted a lovely late 60's green and stayed that way until just a couple of weeks ago.  It has been in M's room as a dresser and bookcase for years, but with the bookcase on top of the dresser; she had a desk on the other wall.

So there you have it - the grand tour.  The room has a decent blind, but needs curtains.  It also needs some decals or artwork on the walls - it's looking pretty plain now.  Plain but beautiful, and full of potential.  Can't wait till the little one gets here and it becomes a room that belongs to someone with a name and personality.  Any day now.

Photos of the Basement

We had a great Sunday relaxing at home yesterday.  We played dice on the comfy clean new carpet in front of the fireplace...  Nice to break in the basement and have some fun down there.  They even had a good wrestle session.

My new space shares the end with the drums.  Everything is put away (except for a few things on the other side of the basement); it's nice to be able to use it instead of organize it now.

And the view with the fireplace. 

And here's a shot of the new piano, and M doing her daily practicing.  Not as nice looking as a real, large, wooden instrument, but it sounds way better, fits better, and we're pleased with it.  Now we have to find art or something to fill the big wall space above it.

Realized that I didn't have a current belly shot on here, so here you go.  This was taken Dec. 23 - just over 36 weeks.  I'm almost at 39 now, and baby feels like a full grown baby in there.  I'm into the last week of work & everything is coming together there and at home.  Just a few things to pick up and we're set.

Coming soon... nursery photos!

The jar is not half empty... it's all empty.

Bubbles the fish is no more.  It was a sad day when we gathered in the bathroom and M flushed him away.  Early this week he came down from the upstairs room and was looking quite ill.  We blamed it on M forgetting to feed him all week, but food and a clean home didn't help.  We noticed a red lump on his back half that seemed to be weighing him down, and I guess it was terminal.  Sad.  The life expectancy of a betta fish is 2-3 years, and Bubbles made it to just over 3.  He was a 'goodie bag' from a birthday party M went to in grade 4; none of the other girl's fishes lived out the year.

Now the good.  She loves her new room.  Recognize my old studio there?  Nope?  It underwent a pretty major transformation.  She's now using an alarm to get up in the mornings on her own, too.  Lots of new responsibility.

And an update on me...  At 38 weeks & 2 days, it's getting close to baby time.  I've gained 40 pounds!!  I don't think having Christmas right at the end of this pregnancy helped with that.  My feet and legs are swollen, too; I don't remember that from when I had M.  Some nights I'm pretty uncomfortable, some nights I get sore hips, but most are fine & I generally only have to get up once.  Can't complain about that!  I didn't go into work today because I'll be in tomorrow to help take down all the Christmas decorations & will be on my feet for hours; I figured today I'd stay home and alternate getting things done with sitting on the couch with my feet up.  It turned out to be a good productive day.  I went through all the baby stuff in the storage room and pulled out all we have for newborns (crib sheets, towels, onesies...), made the crib, put everything in there from Christmas and other parts of the house where it's been starting to collect (car seat, bathtub, diaper genie...), and it's looking pretty good.  I just need to pull out the old rocking chair from my storage room and then I'll take some photos for you.  And it's the same mushroom brown as our kitchen, with dark chocolate brown furniture, so the colors aren't going to give anything away for you!

I've got my hospital bag half packed, and I've got one full week of work left.  Lots of my duties were passed on this past week, so it's just wrapping up the last stuff that I've got left.  Hope to get it all done before the babe arrives - it would be nice to have a day or two to sit with my feet up and rest before the pain and sleeplessness hits!  Although that's what I'm doing pretty much every night anyway.

I used my new studio space to make some magic bags for an order I got, and also to work on my December album - I think I've added just about everything I'm going to for this year.  I have some scrapbook pages in mind & would like to find time to putter around down there on those.  Realized the other night though that if I'm down there after M's bedtime, it's a little light and noisy for her.  Have to wait till she falls asleep, maybe.  Or maybe she'll just have to get used to it.  :)  Did I mention I got a fireplace??  Sean bought me an awesome one for downstairs - it's going to be a pretty sweet place to hang out.

I think that's all for tonight...  have a good one and I'll be back soon with a report on M's soccer tournament tomorrow, photos of the nursery and of the new piano...  Cheers!

Basement Renos

To make room for the babe, my studio is moving out to the main part of the basement so M can move into that room and then we'll turn her room into the nursery. Here's how it's going so far:

First we packed up everything in the basement...

 

...ripped up the carpet, and the ugly end wall went, too.

Lots of the stuff ended up in my studio.

New carpet, new wall, and new cabinets & countertop!

Then we emptied the studio...

...into the basement that was oh so beautifully empty.

I'm busy finding new places for everything.  Yesterday we bought and hung new cabinets over my desk, and today Sean painted M's room.  It's moving quickly - we're grateful for holidays and feeling like we'll be ready in time. Got a car seat yesterday, too. :)

Saturday at the Shops

The only thing on the agenda today was to buy M a new pair of dress shoes before church tomorrow.

We had a good sleep in, I made homemade corn chowder for lunch, which we had with ciabatta bread and spinach dip, then we hit the shops.  No luck at the first one, but Payless was having a buy one, get one half off, so she ended up with new runners as well as the new dress shoes.  Her runners were trashed, but not as crucial as the dress shoes.  So, mission accomplished, and not too long into the afternoon, either.  Paderno, the kitchen store was in the same building, so we had a look there for dishes to go with our brown set that we can't add to.  They had a very limited selection of those, but lots of other fun stuff.

Since Thyme Maternity was in the same area, we popped in there to see if there were any decent sweaters on the clearance racks (no) and if there were any maternity winter jackets that I liked and were a decent price (no and no).  Home Outfitters was in the same shopping complex as well, so we stopped there too, to check out new shower curtain options and price out curved rods... and walked out with the works, including a new soap dispenser and toothbrush holder.

Then, Sean had an "idea" and we ended up at La Macaron for drinks and treats.  Mmm...  And just down the strip from there was a mother and baby store.  We just looked, but had fun looking!  And no coats there, either - well, there were, and I tried them on, and even liked one, but it was way too pricy.

From there, we popped over to Visions where Sean dealt with some return issues he's been having - they promised to have it all cleared up this week, so that was a good stop.  While they were there, I went next door to Fabricland.  I didn't buy anything, but got some ideas.  Then we all went next door the other way to a carpet place and got some samples and prices for carpet for the basement.  Carpet for the basement was not in the immediate plans, but that may change.  It would be amazing to have the whole basement renewed.

Then we came home.  Sean installed our new shower rod and got the bathroom style cranked up a notch or 4, Madeline chucked her old shoes, and I made banana bread, inspired by the loaf pans at Paderno.  A good outing all around, and some good satisfaction at home because of it.

Now we'll heat up some leftovers for supper and have a family movie night watching Star Wars.  Good times.  I hope your Saturday was as satisfying as ours has been!

The Ultimate Feast... Polished Off!

... and now I look like I'm six months pregnant!  Oh, wait, maybe that's because I AM six months pregnant.  Twenty six and a half weeks, to be precise.  I remember the first weeks of being pregnant - how every week seemed like a major milestone; now they run together and I don't remember exactly how far along I am.  We're due January 18, so I'm going to call October 18 six months, November 18 (our 5th anniversary!) seven months, December 18 eight months, and January 18... don't know what I'll call January 18.  Baby's birthday, maybe? That works.

The ultimate feast was at Red Lobster.  We were heading for the Keg when Sean mentioned crab, so we turned the car around and ended up with an ultimate feast for each of us - lobster, snow crab legs and two kinds of shrimp.  Plus Caesar salad and yummy buns to start.  So good.  And I ate so much.  So happy.  The reason, if we need one, was that I wanted to take Sean out to thank him for all the good work and hard work he puts in around the house.  It might get done quicker if he wasn't such a perfectionist, but then he wouldn't get down to the studs and see the bad wiring that needs fixing... I feel safer now!  Notice all the new outlets right at my counter top level... :)  My next job is picking stain and paint colors.

Another reason to treat him to a great dinner was that this week I tried not to shop and just use up stuff in the freezer - it worked great, but there were a few not so inspiring meals in there.  I was ready for something delicious, so I guessed he might feel the same way.  Plus, M is out at the lake for a youth retreat this weekend, so we were child-free and date ready!  (The little one I'm carrying got in the way physically - not much stomach space in there! - but doesn't really cramp our dates just yet.)

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I raked the yard today - half the yard.  I like raking - being outside & doing something physical...  I'm kinda glad it started to rain, though, because it gave me another excuse to go in.  I was at my limit after half the front yard, sad to say.  Can't quite do all that I used to.  Guess M will have to finish the job tomorrow when she gets home.

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Congrats to Jess and Dave on 16 years of marriage - my sister and her husband have a great marriage and a great family and are a fantastic example to all who know them.  Thanks, you guys!!  Love you all.

Thankful for my Handiman!

I put up photos recently of our bathroom reno; on Saturday, the man of the hour put a new back door on the house.  What a hero.  While he was doing that, I finished chopping down my caragana bushes that had grown into unruly trees, hoping that next spring I might get a nice new start to a hedge between us and the house to the west.  We took a little trip to the dump to get rid of the old door, the branches and M's old box spring, and when we got back, Mr. Fixit fixed M's squeaky bed frame, too.

Today we went on a tour of the hardware stores and came home with some subfloor, another box of flooring, an 8 foot length of countertop, two base cabinets and some lighting... all for my NEW STUDIO.  Did I mention that he's a hero?  I would honestly have been content with just my desk and a couple of shelves, but no, I get a 7x8" corner.  The base cabs and my desk are both unfinished, so I'll have to pick a stain color, and a paint for the outside bits, but oh, is it going to be nice.

Drums moved to the corner; my desk will go along that far wall.

Countertop, two cabinets, subfloor... oh, and a pile of magic bags!

 I'll keep the pictures coming as we get to it.  :)

Bathroom Renos

Out with the old - a temporary home in the raspberries.

I love my handiman!

The toilet found a new temporary home in the tub!

Putting in the flooring.

Yay!

And with the new vanity / sink...

and fixtures!

 Now all we have to do is pick out new towel racks & toilet paper holder & put those up.  We also want to pick out a new shower curtain (and maybe get one of those curved rods?) and new towels.  Haven't decided on a color yet, but we could use new ones, and we planned to get some to go with the 'new' bathroom.

This and That

Highlights from the week:

* Book club was here on Thursday.  It was fun to have all the girls together again and make our picks for the next year.  Chocolate Zucchini Cake dominated the snack table.  Baby Anna made her first book club appearance, which was a nice treat.  M got to be down here with us for a while, too, which she loved.

* Going to Briercrest for the alumni basketball weekend.  I went out Friday night and got to see a few of the girls I played with - I didn't play myself, but kept them company on the bench and we had a good visit staying up late in the hotel after.  When I was pregnant with M, I played the whole time - think the season ended when I was 4 or 5 months.  I figured since I am 5 months now and have not been playing the whole time, it would be smart to sit it out.  I took a drive around town and a walk through all the buildings, checking out all my old routine places - boy, lots of memories.  Lots of people came to mind...  I remember so many of you and all the good times we had.

* Played in a golf tournament yesterday - I'm not sure this was a highlight, really, since I had lots of terrible shots, but the people part was good!  Sean won the longest drive - 350 yards!

* Went to check out the new Lowe's store & came home with a new vanity / sink for our bathroom reno.  Looking forward to redoing that room.

* I won Rider tickets - thanks Conexus Credit Union!  There was a link to enter on the site where I do my online banking, and I won.  Sweet.  They are for the game this Saturday, and I'll be at the Women's Day at church, so Sean and his dad are going to go.  It's Sean's birthday next week, so this can be an extra treat for his bday week.

* I started chopping down my Caragana bushes today - it was nice to spend the time outside, but also so nice to tackle that job.  We've lived here 11 years and I've never done a thing to them (oh, my poor gardening skills...)  They're still leafy up top, but bare and scraggly looking where we have to walk by everyday.  I looked into pruning info this summer, and found that this is the time to do it, so I cut a bunch today and tried not to fill too many dumpsters out back - next week I'll finish them up.

* Mmm - Just pulled some cookies out of the oven.  Gigantic chocolate chip ones.  A treat for our lunches this week.  I made amazingly rich peanut butter brownies for book club, too - so good.  I will keep the recipe for this one, but will wait a good long time before I make them again.  A little too good.  Speaking of yum, we went out to Dessart tonight for ice cream.  :)  On the not sweet side, I'm trying a new crock pot beef stew recipe tomorrow.  I have never found a great one, but I've decided this fall I will hunt till I get one that works for me.

* I spent some time this afternoon down in my studio going through stuff - another bunch of went out to the donate pile.  I am going to have to put some serious thought into what I am doing with all my stuff.  I don't have a crazy amount of scrapbooking or sewing stuff, but it's all in its proper place now, and I am going to have to figure out a new place for it all.  My desk and one bookshelf would fit in the new space, but we may leave that bookcase for M - I think we'll have to start moving it all to see how much storage she needs and what I will need to get for my new spot.

What were some highlights of your week?  What did you make?  Bake?  Who did you see?

Update...

Ten days since I posted last - I realized that yesterday and wondered why, then realized it might have something to do with this time of year...

Let me fill you in on what life is like around here these days:

Madeline started grade 7 (Tues, August 30)

And piano lessons started the same day.

My bump is growing.

Bought my first maternity clothes today.

The neighbor has the new fence finally up!  Not finished yet, but it's progress.

We are going to perinatal classes once a week - some things are good to know, some of it feels like too much information... It is a fun date night, though!

We are on the hunt for a new piano.  Ours is terrible and needs replacing; we do have a free one offered to us that we have to decide about.

We go back to two services at church this week; between that and getting a community newsletter out, I've been putting in longer than average days.  Now that we've got this series up and running, it should go back to normal... Oh, except for the women's conference in two weeks.  :)  It's all good.

M got the teacher she wanted and all her friends are in her class, so she's a happy girl.  We have to decide on swimming lessons and / or indoor soccer and get her registered, then we're in full swing for the year.

We took a little trip to Winnipeg last weekend for the long weekend - that will be another post coming soon with lots of pictures...

Next on the agenda around the house is the bathroom.  We have to take out the toilet to put in the flooring, and the sink is cracked, so we have to replace either that or the whole vanity.  We are also looking to update the medicine cabinet / mirror situation.  There is a Lowe's store opening her right away, so we're in process of looking around at Rona & Home Depot to price out what they've got, then we'll check out the new store when it opens.  Then, let the renos begin!

A Counter for Christmas!

Sean brought home the counter top today!  It`s not attached yet, but set in place, and I used it to make Butterscotch Treats and Poppycock.  I imagine it`s a very happy counter top, getting a new family for Christmas, and being welcomed with such yummy love.  It`s a dark grey, so it blends nicely with the black and stainless appliances.

I`ve made the Christmas food list, and tomorrow I`ll be making the potatoes for Christmas day at Carla`s, Christmas afternoon I`ll put together the marshmallow salad for Boxing Day at the Wards, and before church on Sunday I`ll make the apple crisp.  Not too bad.  I already made a batch of poppycock this week to take as gifts for my co-workers - today`s batch is for us.  

After Christmas I`ll post photos of some of the stuff I`ve made as gifts.  Don`t want to spoil any surprises just yet!  One more to make, but it`s to go to Winnipeg, so I`ve got an extra day or two for that. 

I will say, though, that I love vinyl!  A friend saw the parent / child aprons I made last year and asked me to make some for her and her two daughters.  No problem - I whipped those up last weekend for her.  She also has a little boy who needed a holster for his gun... so she brought me some brown vinyl when she came with the apron fabric she had picked out.  I impressed myself with my pattern design skills (must have got that from Mom), and I loved working with the vinyl - it`s smooth like butter.  I`m going to have to get me some of that to play around with.  Watch out - next Christmas just may all be decked out in vinyl.

These three are all the same - reversible with pockets on both sides.  M is my always willing model.

Oh, I do have to tell you that I rocked the serger today.  And by rocked I mean that it had a broken thread which I successfully re-threaded, and then when that bobbin promptly ran out of thread, threaded it again.  And, when another thread broke, I re-threaded that one.  And the end one, when it ran out of thread.  And finally the fourth one, when it wasn`t connecting the way it should.  It didn`t even feel like the machine was my enemy, either - we were strange cohorts, in a joint effort to boost my confidence in my serger rocking abilities.  Hooray for me, and thanks, Singer!

Christmas Cards & Cookies!

Or, What I Made Today.

I picked up supplies for cards on Saturday (thinking the whole time, I should just buy some...) but I'm glad I didn't.  These are coming together quickly, and I'm working on my list of who to send them to as I go.  I started the assembly line yesterday, and today some are ready to go.  The cards are a box of blank reds & greens, and they all look good with the brown and white.  Hooray for homemade!

Madeline's class is having a bake sale tomorrow to raise money for the Humane Society & I sent the form back last week saying yes, we'd send some goodies - and hoping I'd have a stove at least by now! We do have the stove, but still not much prep room, so these are a roll of Pillsbury dough - they'll do!

 

When I wrote last I said all we had left was a coat of color on the walls... Sean did that while I was at the craft sale on Saturday.  He also moved the fridge and stove and table and chairs back into place, so it's looking great!  Yesterday he put up those lights over the table, and right now he's in the kitchen installing the new pot lights in the kitchen.  It's coming!

Now I'm heading back to the studio to make some more cards, or maybe to write in & address some... or maybe I'll just pick up my book and relax...  Thanks for checking in!

If you want a Christmas card, send me an email to followandlead @ gmail . com with your mailing address - even if I don't know you!  Ha - especially if I don't know you! 

Book Club Party & Sad Anniversary

 

Here are my book club friends!  Last night we met & ate & discussed Animal Farm, and had a book exchange.  Good fun - I enjoy these girls.  We`ve got two little readers on the way - the two in the middle of the back row are both due Dec. 17!  Suzanne`s little one is coming a little sooner, though - (s)he`s breech, so she`s got a C scheduled for Tuesday.   

We set up for the craft sale tonight.  It looks decent - 80 tables and yummy baking...  I`m looking forward to hanging out with Madeline and Carla and Josh and Suzanne tomorrow.  (It`s at WH Ford, 10-4 if you want to come check it out or visit!)  I also wish I was going to be home painting with Sean, but I did get in on some brush action tonight.  We primed the whole kitchen, and painted the kitchen and bathroom ceilings.  All that`s left is the color on the walls.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Today is December 3.  It`s a sad anniversary for us - Neil has been gone 7 years.  Hard to believe.  In so many ways life has moved on, but in so many ways he is still here.  People at the church talk about him, I still see his handwriting in lots of files at work, Madeline is like him in so many ways: she`s got his looks, his musicality, even his teeth!  The dentist said this week that she`ll need braces.  She had the day off today, so we went down to the cemetery.  There was lots of snow, so we shoveled a path and cleared off the stones.  It`s always a reminder, too, of Lucy - she would be 9 now.  I wonder what she`s like.  Something M said right after Neil died was that I was here with her, and Daddy was in Heaven with Lucy.  I don`t know if that just made sense to her, or if it was a comforting thought.  It does take a bit of the edge off, somewhat.  When we saw Carla tonight she asked if we had shoveled - they went out this morning, too, and while they were there Warren and Doug showed up.  M was glad to hear that - she had been asking this morning if I thought anyone else would go.  She likes knowing that other people remember - I think it validates her feelings.

There you go - just some rambling thoughts on day 2555 without him.

Or so I thought.

I thought we were done with the destruction. Apparently a bit of the wall into the living room needed removal, too. Sean is so good at getting things done right.  This first photo shows the end cabinets and sink being taken out, and the second is the new look of the living room.  The other view of the living room looks like a garage sale, with all the stuff we need out of these cupboards out on the coffee table.

I just finished a great book and I just started another great book.  My thoughts on those coming soon!

Ouch...

Madeline's team (South Africa) beat their opponents (Spain) 18-1 this afternoon.  What a blowout.  I was half cheering for the other team... 

On the way home we stopped at Home Depot (surprise!) for more wire, and bought a dishwasher!  It was on for a really good sale price & it will come the same time as our cabinets.  Our sink is gone as of yesterday - with one trip to the dump, we are done with the last of the destruction.  

Off to do some dishes in the bathtub!

Saturday, Sunday, Monday

 

 On Saturday, we helped Sean's parents move into their new place in Balgonie.

(Aaron, Ben, Sheldon, Sean)

 

Sunday Madeline had her second indoor soccer game.

They are South Africa, & tied last week 4-4 and won this week 8-6.

I have a little bit of a hard time not yelling like a coach.

 

Tonight we did a little more demolition.  It looks so much smaller without its skin on!

Cat's Eye, Cabinet Costs & House Found

Just a catch up on life...

Book club tonight - I didn't notice that on the calendar until Monday.  Ordered the book at the library, picked it up Tuesday, and managed to get it done in 2 days - it's a long one, too.  Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye.  Now that I"m done that I can go back to Gone With the Wind.  How come I've never read this before?

I'm doing two craft sales this year.  Carla and Suzanne and I are sharing a table at a sale at Suzanne's work (School Board Office, Thursday, November 18, 4-8 pm).  I also got a table for one at WH Ford School (Saturday, December 4, 10-4).  Come on out if you're close by!  I'll take pictures of my wares and post them for you.

Sean's parents finally found a house!  The got possession yesterday, and we'll be helping them move on Saturday.  It's in Balgonie, so closer than they were, but still not in the city.  It's supposed to be pure 70's inside - can't wait to see it.

And a couple of photos to leave you with (thanks Auntie Joan for the costumes!) and a renos update (I actually wrote it first, but it got demoted to the end so you can skip it if you're not interested.

Madeline wore this to the Harvest Party at church.

 

And we wore them to a costume party at a friend's place.

Our kitchen is still in demolition mode. The main thing initally was that we were going to do the floors, a new countertop and ditch the wallpaper and paint. Minor renos. Sigh. The walls need to be redone because the wallpaper was covering lino which means the whole wall needs to come down. (And we can redo the vapor barrier and wiring, so that's good.) But we're now going up into the ceiling, too - scraping off the stipple and replacing the light fixtures. And cabinets. We moved out the one on the outside wall (and now have to go into the living room for our silverware and pots) to do the wall behind it, and now are pretty convinced that we should just do the cabinets too since everything else is getting done. But man they aren't cheap. Rona has a truckload sale on and we checked that out and they have everything we need except the right size sink base... and that means it won't work. Would have been half price, too. Enough about renos. I'll post more photos as it changes.