Unpacking Continues

The unpacking continues....this will be Glen's workspace....look familiar. He has theme groupings...a First Nation's wall...a Mary area...churches I have served section....it is coming together.
I spent hours in the downstairs bathroom shower scraping away the old caulking. Emil called it Jennifer's Confessional!!!! However it is looking great as it has brand new silicone and the soap scum and build up are gone. The water softener really helps in that department.
The acid test will be....does it leak!!!! We had to let the silicone set...so stay tuned!!!!! We put in a new light fixture, moved the vanity over so we can get at the side of the shower and turned the mirror on its side. All it needs is a fresh coat of paint!!!!!
We unrolled the rug in the recreation room last night...so it has taken on
a cozy feel. The store room is finally empty so we can begin filling it back up. Glen's cold is much better since his visit to the doctor. It has certainly taken its toll on his energy levels.

 

Check Out the Steps....

I do wish we had a before picture of the steps...the walls were uneven on either side...three different kinds of wood, the steps were raw, rough wood with a smattering of white paint that made them look dirty and grundgy all the time. SO these are a tremendous improvement. Emil drywalled, we put on the primer and Emil walked the tightrope and gave the walls and ceiling two coats of paint. He can do amazing things with a ladder and a plank. We have two handrails stained in golden oak thanks to Glen. Emil has been varnishing them twice a day for the past two days. I painted the steps grey...and Emil installed the runner. It was indeed a team effort and we are so pleased with the results!!!!!We now have a classy entrance into our recreation room.
On Sunday Glen decided we should move the cable outlet from one room to the other....which necessitated drilling a hole and feeding the cable down the wall. My job was to look through the little hole and catch the cord as it came down. Picture me laying on my stomach, small flashlight in hand peering with one eye through a hole....after several unsuccessful attempts Glen decides I should put my finger in the hole...a bit like the boy who put his finger in the dyke. It was sheer fluke but I did find the cable. Then I couldn't get my finger out of the hole without letting go of the cord. My knuckles were skinned BUT I was able to position the cable such that I could grab it with the needle nose pliers. The miracle is that when everything was hooked up....IT WORKED!!!
Glen went to the doctor today as his cold was not getting any better. He has a sinus infection and it has settled in his chest...he is now on antibiotics and has decided to rest and get better.  

Snow Comes to Theodore

The first snow of the season. We were a bit taken by surprise as the forecast had been for snow showers...not staying snow as it were!!!! We will have to go digging in the garage for boots and our warm Nova Scotia Tartan scarves and gloves. We are hoping that the sunshine today might melt it away.
We are making progress!!! On Sunday we started unloading the storeroom downstairs and indeed it is just like Christmas. Glen now gets to carefully unwrap all those items he so meticulously packed SEVERAL months ago. I am in recycling mode gathering up the flying papers and cutting down the boxes. Needless to say most of the pictures are hung!!!! I think we will have to add GALLERY underneath the BURGOMASTER on the side of the house. Chaos reigns!!!!! Unfortunately Glen has managed to come down with a horrific cold.  

It is all Coming Together....

Emil has been working on the Recreation Room all week.
The baseboards are installed and painted. The suspended ceiling gives the room a finished look. As I tap he is installing the overhead lighting. The stairwell is painted and we are going to have a handrail on either side.
The weather has turned quite cool. Today was bright and sunny. The sunshine brightens up the kitchen.
My Dad always enjoyed woodworking projects. He built recreation rooms in all our family homes and finished off one or two in our rectories. This is a clock that he made a few years back. My brother brought it out to us on Thanksgiving weekend. It already looks at home in a corner of the recreation room.
 

Renovations Continue....

Happy Thanksgiving...
Weatherwise we had a mix of rain and sun on the weekend. Glen's knee seems to be growing less painful with each passing day. Saturday it decided to pour forth with rain BUT only after we had planted the nine "red" Lily bulbs that had arrived in the mail. We decided to head for Yorkton and bought a few groceries and checked out Canadian Tire and Timber Mart...where else do we shop these days.
My brother Greg arrived on Sunday morning and we enjoyed a turkey dinner that evening. Greg brought with him my Dad's barbecue that hooks right into the gas line.
Monday Emil came to measure for baseboards
and materials for the suspended ceiling.
Today he began work downstairs installing the
baseboards. So progress is being made!!!!!
 

The Laying of the Lino

We are into Day Three of the linoleum laying marathon. We have learned all sorts of "techie" language that only lino layers use. This is Pearl on her hands and knees sanding the floor. She put down the first coat, sands it and then puts down a second...this is the leveller. By evening we should have lino in the kitchen!!!! My chore was to remove the baseboards and scrape all the guck. The house is in chaos. All the kitchen stuff is piled in the livingroom and bedrooms. There is a little path to the computer desk!
I finally got my cabbage rolls made...I have not made them for many years but it is sort of like riding a bike...it does come back to you. I used to make them alot when we lived in Wadena. One year someone gave us a great quantity of cabbage and told Glen that they could be frozen. He neglected to mention that one should wrap them in plastic wrap or bag them first. So Glen threw them all in the freezer. The outer leaves stuck to the side of the freezer and disintegrated. What a mess come Spring when I decided the freezer had to be cleaned.
The bottom photo is the lino on the roll...in case anyone was curious as to what it looked like.
Glen has been laid low with a gibbled knee. The usual cure is to rest it...so at present the house is such an obstacle course he has no choice. He is literally confined to quarters.