We had company....

You will be pleased to know that the DOORS are finally done!!!
One would think that a door just required a few up and down motions
with the roller and that would be that. Not so...the scratches and gouges
have to be filled, then sanded, washed with TSP...and there is not just the
door but the door handle to be removed, the hinges, the door frame to be
painted and sometimes scraped and sanded first. All in all, very tedious
and very time consuming. The patio door off the laundry room proved to be
a real challenge!!! Our house was full of flies!!! It was eleven o'clock at night
and we were HOPING that it would be dry enough to put back on...it was
very HEAVY!!!!! We propped it up on two phone books and wrestled it into
position so we could put the pins in place!!!!!
We did manage to clear the tools off the counter for the weekend. Our good friend of many years Karen Hindle arrived Friday evening from Prince Albert. We celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary enjoying steak at the Pub. On Saturday my cousin Noreen and her husband Barry stayed with us overnight enroute from a visit to Winnipeg . We are so looking forward to our recreation room being finished so we can move in properly. Those boxes are becoming a bit tiresome.
I am becoming very Martha Stewart!!!! I know you are shocked. Our neighbour gave me some little cucumbers and some beets. Karen and I searched the Internet and found a recipe for Beet Pickles in a Bucket. I actually have in my fridge two icecream pails...one with beets and one with bread and butter pickles. I figure they are worth over $10 a piece and that's with donated produce...so the results had better be spectacular!!!!!!

The Leaving of the Woodstove

Last week the Walkers came to remove
the wood stove that they had used for
heating. It was indeed a challenge. They had many hands to lift but it was difficult to fit everyone in the basement stairwell.
It went up one step at a time....very slowly.
Then a fork lift came and delivered it to its
new home.
The basement room looks much bigger now.
We are waiting for the drywaller to mud and
tape the existing drywall and add a few more
sheets...then a t bar ceiling. We are in priority
sequence...so we just have to learn patience.
My kitchen counter has become the tool bench.
We invested in more screwdrivers last week.
We never seemed to have the right one...now that we have 40...it will be finding the needed
tool!!!! My brother had a roll with little compartments for his chisels and wrenches....we are thinking that is a very good idea. If I could only find the sewing machine I would make some!!!!That will be a project for this winter.
Glen would like to get a little trailer that would attach via a hitch to the back of the Taurus for hauling things.
We are still working on doors. The powder room pocket door is patched, drying and then will be sanded. The closet doors are patched and drying.
We went to Holy Trinity in Yorkton on Sunday. They have beautiful stained glass windows.
It is an interesting design. They have a unique drip catcher on their coffee urn made from
an empty plastic pop bottle. I was intrigued. 

The Week of the Doors

This can be called the week of the doors! It started with the bathroom doors which were mahogany but in light of the pristine white look we decided to paint them white as well. We removed them, primed them and gave them a coat of the bathroom and kitchen satin...HOWEVER...it just pealed right off. In consultation with Glen's brother Reg we discovered that it would have been best to have used an oil base paint instead of the latex that we had used for the rest of the bathroom. So Glen scraped off all the paint and started again.
The outer doors at all three entries were in We have discovered some very interesting things
about doors. They are much easier to remove than they are to put back on. At one point I thought beads would be a great alternative to a bathroom door. Metal doors are extremely heavy. If you put vaseline on the pins they slide into the door jams much easier.
The front exterior door was a challenge as it has an insert of gold glass that was puttied into place but not too neatly. So we scraped alot and removed the excess...then opted to paint the door all one colour and it does look great.
Doors are not very exciting picture wise...so I offer pictures of the one room in the house that is relatively tidy...the living room. The furniture does fit. We shall continue with the doors. Locking door knobs are another challenge. We have
definitely learned patience!!!!!

 

The New Improved Bathroom

Remember the butterflies that used to live in the bathroom...they have flown away. Introducing the bathroom with a nautical theme. There is a light in the tub that lights up behind the sailboats that give a very neat effect. The port hole mirror has a pewter sheen and compliments the new brushed pewter taps with the white ceramic handles. The gold linoleum has been replaced with a motley white, pewter grey and slate blue vinyl. And it all started with the acquisition of a tall white toilet!!!!! We are pleased with the results and wanted to show them off!!!!! 

The Best Tap Ever

Over the years I must admit I have done my share of coveting.
One of the things I have always coveted and NEVER had was a sprayer in the kitchen sink. They used to be at the side, black and ugly but SO practical and rectories just didn't have them!!!!!
When Greg was here, he was telling my about
the tap he had purchased and installed as a thank you present for a friend in Calgary. When we were out purchasing supplies we had a gander
at the taps and THIS one happened to be
ON SALE.
It now lives in my kitchen. Greg installed it for
me when he was here. That was a real act of
love as plumbing is his least favorite thing.
I love it. It sprays at the touch of a button and
you can pull it out and whoosh the far corners of
the sink. It works so well with my new
Tupperware Spinner!!!! Glen can't believe that
I can get so excited about a kitchen tap.

 

Treed In

The Siberian Elms in front of our house are meant to be a wind break in a field to prevent erosion. We felt very treed in. Can you tell they had alot of rain in
June. Dora lives across the street and
her son Dean is working on our garden
plot. In conversation with him we found
out he owned a chain saw and a hedge
clipper.
It didn't take him long to trim the excess....and Glen had him take out
several trees as they were planted very close together.
Glen's plan is to cut them right back and
then trim them as trees rather than a wild
out of control hedge.
Everyone that drives by now slows down to have a good look.
My thinking is that they are a bit like a too short hair cut...they will grow.
The linoleum was laid in the bathroom today, and the designer Alfred Sung
mirror was hung!!!! It is looking very
spiffy. The tall toilet requires a different size seat....we will have to put that on our list for our next trip to Yorkton.
 

And the Painting Continues

We are gradually acquiring tools of the trade...these are the NEW saw horses holding
up the newly painted door for the bathroom.
Not alot of showering going on there at present.
As we speak Glen is in Yorkton picking up the
linoleum for the bathroom...it is a mottley pattern with a hint of blue and grey and a little bit of mauve as well. I think it will look great...presently we have a very tired gold raised sunflower in there. Anything will
be an improvement.
My chore is to wash the present floor and clean
all the hardware off the doors and cabinets as
they are going to be sprayed pewter to match
the new brushed nickel light fixture. As you
can see the bathroom is very white. It looks
a bit pink in the picture but trust me it is very white. You can see a bit of the gold floor in the photo. The new tall white toilet will
arrive sometime today as well. By the week
end the bathroom will be a fait de complet!!!
I wonder what will be next? 

Happy Birthday to Me....

And I thought retirement would be restful!!! Not so!!!! Our latest project has been the main floor bathroom. Those butterflies have now officially disappeared and the bathroom is a pristine white. We primed with an excellent troubled wall primer and the satin coat is going on really well. We even painted out the dark vanity, moldings and doors. It is ALL white. We pulled out the blue toilet...it is being replaced by a TALL white one and the ceramic vanity top. Glen was brilliant...we siphoned the toilet to drain it. Then did the Brenda trick and put it on a comforter and dragged it forth.
We took out the ceramic top in a similar fashion. We rescued the taps from it and are going to exchange them for the worn out ones in the powder room and get brushed nickel taps for the main bath.
Had several phone calls today and my violet bloomed...the blossoms are white and tipped in a dark purple.
Tonight it was so HOT we decided to go to the PUB for a burger and onion rings...to celebrate I had a vodka cooler. Yes I am really getting wild....well at 57 you need to live recklessly!!!!

The Lily from Saltspring

What a beauty! And she has two friends. Wending our way home from the wedding we made a little diversion to Salt Spring Island via ferry where we
were well received and treated royally by Kim and Janet
Murray. Kim and Glen were classmates and housemates
at Trinity...many years ago. On a shopping expedition to
procur meat for the evening repast...Glen found this
potted lily in the gardening section. We had a little huddle
and decided she could endure the trip back to Saskatchewan. On several occasions we ran the air conditioning just for her comfort. She was just in bud when
Glen purchased her and enroute she bloomed. She is
indeed quite striking and is company for his Grandma's peony which has now made two trips....one from Ontario to
Halifax and then from Halifax to Theodore. As an aside the orange and lemon trees survived their journey AND the
violet that Lorraine gave me for my birthday last year is
going to bloom again for my birthday this year. Ruth Hudson's Christmas cactus loves it in the living room and hasn't looked as healthy in a long time. So the plants are doing well!!!!  

Installation Day

Thanks to Brother Greg our appliances are duly installed.
As always there were definitely some challenges. The microwave/vent fit only by a smidge and some chiselling had to be done to persuade it to go in. We changed the direction of the opening for the wall oven....the instructions said to be undertaken only by a trained technician.....like a directional puzzle. The bonus is that we also have a brand new tap on the kitchen sink that sprays on command. I love it!!!!!
Greg also installed new light fixtures in the
hallway, kitchen and over the table. We were given a stained glass fixture in Prince Rupert and it comes along with us from house to house. I think it likes the Saskatchewan sunshine...lots of prism beams on the wall.
We cooked spare ribs in the new wall oven, made the sauce in the microwave and washed the
dishes in the dishwasher. Everything works well.

 

Good bye Butterflies

The butterflies are no longer living in the bathroom.
In fact there is just one little patch of them left behind
the door.
We found some mottley blue linoleum for the floor and
during our shopping trip to Yorkton got a NEW light
fixture and matching towel bars, toilet paper holder and
even a hook for behind the door.
Paint will be the next step, and then the installation of
the new sink/counter top!!!!! That will indeed be a
challenge. 

Great Day

Greg arrived this morning!!! First we had coffee and we showed him the house. Then we decided what we needed to accomplish our appointed tasks, had hamburger soup for lunch and headed for Yorkton. We were disappointed as we thought that the microwave/range hood would fit in the available space and it didn't...so we returned it to the Brick. Greg suggested we look around at some other options and in another hardware type place we found a unit that was just a smidge smaller and we are talking a smidge, in white and ON SALE. So with the money we saved we bought a new tap for the sink...a lever, sprayer type. We took advantage of the Suburban's ability to transport large items and bought a new bathroom counter/sink top and a light fixture. All this was accomplished in less than two hours. Greg installed the wall oven...it took a little coaxing but it is GREAT....works too...we tested it out.
The dishwasher was a little more challenging as it required drilling holes and soddering pipe...am so glad I have such a talented brother. In between we took Greg to the Pub for Steak night....its called Barley and Beef...because a beer is part of the package. It is always an interesting meal. The Pub is a happening place on a Friday night.
Tomorrow will be a busy day!!!!!

Appliances Arrive

The phone rang early to say that the appliances were indeed on their way...free delivery from the Brick even though we do live twenty minutes away....however the original time had been afternoon so we were a bit panicked making a path for them to take the old washer dryer and dishwasher away and move the new ones in. Of course there is always a little glitch. The small freezer was not on the truck!!!! Glen phoned the Brick and later in the day one of their salespeople and his wife brought it out for us...and wonders of wonders it fit in the back entry closet!!!!!! We are expecting my brother Greg today who as well as being an instructor in the fire department in Regina is also an electrician. We are going to assist him in the installation. The wall oven didn't quite fit...but with Greg's expertise I am sure it will by the end of the day.
It was a busy day...quick trip to Yorkton to buy groceries and the scraping continued on the butterflies in the bathroom. They are almost all gone!!!! It is a very tedious procedure to be sure!!!!!!

Burgobits

The Focus Changed
Yesterday the garbage man very grudgingly took the ten bags of sodden drywall and one roll of carpet...there will be a similar offering for him next week!!!!!The basement window and casing are painted grey, the glass has been replaced and is in place. An approaching thunderstorm sped up the process. We need the rain...but it was just a sudden burst of moisture. It will secure the area for now but soon we will have to have a new casing and window made as it is verily on its last legs. The storage room is drying with the help of fans and a dehumidifier.
Glen has taken on a new challenge...the upstairs bathroom. The plan is to replace the vinyl in this room BUT that is the last thing you do...SO Glen spent the afternoon and the evening removing wall paper...bright foil butterflies are leaving bit by bit. It is a very tedious task and he is very determined.
Had phone calls from Halifax, Ontario and British Columbia last night...good to talk to everyone.
Today our new appliances are delivered from Yorkton. The delivery fellows are going to do the shifting...for which we are grateful.

Renovations Continue

Show Me Your Etchings!!!! Our storage room is etched!!!We worked hard yesterday scrubbing and rinsing the cement and walls. Glen has become a master etcher. We rinsed and rinsed scrubbing inbetween and gathering up the water with the NEW shop vac. Fans and the dehumidifer are running to dry out the room so that it is paint ready. Every trip to Yorkton we acquire more tools!!!
The basement window is also in need of repair...all these surprises. We painted it last night and today Glen will take it to Yorkton to have the glass replaced.
Garbage day today...boy are they going to be surprised when they see our offering...and we still have more in the garage for next week!!!!!

 

Summer Wedding

During the transition to our new home in Theodore we took time out to be a part of our son's wedding. This meant yet another road trip to Courtenay, British Columbia. In the last month we have been from coast to coast!!!! It was a gathering of our three sons and an opportunity to get to know Chantelle's family. The ceremony was held in a beautiful park. The day was sunny, bright and very hot!!!! Glen performed the marriage ceremony. Chantelle was a radiant bride and Andrew looked very handsome in his tuxedo. Many photos were taken. A reception followed with a delicious buffet and dance.

Demolition Days

The damp basement has required our full attention. Fortunately the carpet was glued only in the doorway and on a seem...so it came up fairly easily. I used my trusty Tupperware scissors...and cut it into five sections for easier removal. Glen worked away at the damp dry wall....once removed we broke it up into small pieces and have partially filled at least 20 garbage bags and lugged them up and out to the garage. The cold room and wood room were another challenge. We took down the partition between the two....more wood to remove...and also a very smelly potato bin...replete with soil and a sprout or two. We pried open the basement window and now a breeze is blowing through. The dehumidifier runs non stop. Needless to say we have been quite tuckered when evening comes.