Friday Thoughts

It's been crazy around here the last couple of days, I have so many things on the go and just want to finish up details on a few of them and get them done! I will admit the biggest project was the bathroom and now that I am down to the sealing of the tiles and around the vanity, it was a little overwhelming. I could not have done this without Larry. The next re-do I could probably figure it out.....maybe. So now that I am down to the pretty part I can see the end of the tunnel.

Daniel and I went looking at VW's on Wednesday and I think I've made up my mind. We'll see today.....

Note to self for the next time I give blood.........Do Not , Do Not , try and run the next day. The run  was fine a little tiring but the rest of the day was pretty much a gong show. I ate lots, drank lots, but it did not seem to make me feel myself. I was productive in an odd-ball sort of way.  Today I am good. Thank goodness, things to do, places to go! See you later, have a great weekend.

Weigh In Wednesday

Oh the dreaded Wednesday.....I belong to WW, yes sad to say I had to bite the bullet a few weeks ago and join Weight Watchers. I wasn't totally over weight but just lost my focus about eating. I love to eat and well food just loves to love me. And the result of that was, well, too much of me for my comfort. Anyways, I have lost 5 pounds and I feel so much better for it. My running feels so much better too. Of course renovating my en-suite bathroom has totally helped that along! Who had time to eat!
Gee whizzikers.....who would have thunk it! Well it's down to the fun part of decorating and well ordering the glass door, I did have the fixtures but now I and thinking I want something different, isn't that always the way. I am liking the shiny chrome mixed with the darkness of the cabinet and floor.



I can't wait to have a shower in here. The bathroom is so nice. Can't wait to finish it up and find a few decorative touches.Maybe even a drop cloth valance! Look out Winners and Home Sense!



Wicked Wednesday, still hunting for a car, there are two in the running at the moment, a VW Golf City.....sweet....and a Ford Focus, in white suede, with all the bells and whistles. Ah such a dilemma! Help me make up my mind?

The Eagle has landed

Our son arrived home on Saturday! Looking a little worn out and tired but looking good. Daniel has three weeks leave so he will be around relaxing and see his buddies, and hopefully his sisters. I think just being home and not on a schedule will take about a week for him to actually start to relax. When you are used to being on the go all the time and someone checking on you constantly, it's pretty hard to just "chill". So the first few days he will be bored, just because he has so much time to do nothing. Maybe I can convince him to mow the lawns. Ha!



He is officially a Patricia now. A member of the Princess Patricia Light Infantry. He is in Alpha Company, stationed in Shilo, Manitoba just out of Brandon. Funny that I was born in Winnipeg and he ends up being stationed not far from where we spent a few years.
So while he is home, I will have to try and build him back up after this round of training, he has lost about 10-15 lbs. Geez wish I had that problem! Anyways, looks like a beauty of a day. Have a great one!

Cementing Friends

Friday night Trish invited myself and two friends from work over to her house, so I could show them how to make cement rhubarb leaves. So Kyra and Sandra showed up ready to rumble. Everyone had on their old clothes so as not to ruin their good ones. I had on nice clothes as I already new I wasn't getting dirty! Well after exchanging introductions and a glass of vino, we headed to the garage where we had everything set up. Mixed up a few bags of cement......interesting.....someone not mentioning any names of course was a little aggressive with the stirring and wore a shovel full of cement! Not to worry "easy peasy" to clean up. But none the less very funny!
Amazing how fast you can work when there are a few people. So after a hilarious hour, we completed about a dozen leaves.



These are the crazy girls! And quite proud of the accomplishments.

Of course there was the swearing of secrecy, pinky swears etc. The process of making these is still in my mental locker for future endeavours.

Then is was a lovely evening sitting on the patio nibbling hors d'oeuvres and sipping wine. A beautiful warm evening with new friends and old. Thanks Trish, that was really fun!

Drop Cloths are the Best!

Oh where, oh where, do I begin.........it has been one busy week. The bathroom is coming along very nicely. The tiles are grouted and the vanity is painted, the walls are painted......floors needs doing but not till the painting is finished and the grouting around the sink back splash. Yikes what a performance....oh well its getting there...so the other night I got started on my drop cloth drapes for the family room windows. I know, like I don't have enough things going on! The first one was a wee bit frustrating, but I persevered and did the other two panels last night and quick, quick, and they were done. Once I got a technique down it went really smooth. Trish had made her a few weeks ago and they looked great. Shanty2Chic had made some for the nursery and with a few alterations to the design, I made mine finally, now the Mr. has his curtains to pull.



It would have been nice to have a fabric store to go to for trim but no such luck. I don't mind them plain, there's enough other things going on. With the left over fabric, I think I may cover the throw cushions from the couch.



Our son is coming home this weekend. Yea! He is done Combat School and survived. So he'll be home and about for a few weeks for some home cooked meals and much needed R&R. We knew he would make it through this portion of the training but it is really tough on the guys and out of 40 guys and girls, only 28, I think graduated. So we are very proud of him. Now to put some weight back on and relax. He's not much for baking so I don't think I will knock myself out but I will make a couple of batches of cookies once he is here.

Next week, I will tackle the flooring. Still haven't figured out storage in the bathroom.....or decided on "to wallpaper, or not to wallpaper?" Time to go horizontal. Have a good night!

It's coming along....slowly

This was near the end of a long day of tiling.....pretty much I did the lower areas and Larry did the higher ones. I think it went quite smoothly, course it would have been a whole different story if not for Larry. My cutting skills with a tile cutter are much to be desired. My theory on cutting tile is take it to a place and have them do it for you! Either I am not doing something right or it's just not my piece of cake.



Now for the grouting......wish me luck!

Jill of all Trades! Well kind of.......

The weekend was spent doing weekly rituals of cleaning house, laundry, baking, oh... and refinishing furniture. I left my renovator hat on the counter on Friday and spent the weekend being a mom. I must really love my kids, I baked cookies for the girls and had to hide them so someone wouldn't eat them all..mmmm....then went out to the Big Box on the hill and picked up a few supplies to continue with the tiling today. Trish and I had a 11km run Sunday morning, a new route that wasn't so bad once we were into it. A nice breeze and not too warm. We've already thought out the route for next weekend. But in the meantime, I decided it was as good a time as any to start stripping the layers of urethane off the antique coffee table that I picked up in Sechelt. Jane will be the lucky recipient of the table once it's done. I think it should be really quite nice.



This is not an easy job, my arms were sore after multiple coats of stripper and scraping, and sanding. Not done yet but getting there. Patience..... A job not to be rushed. Vic the finishing carpenter was a big help to make sure I do it right. Sure is good to know all these talented people.



But Monday it was back to the bathroom and get with the tiling......OMG! An experience in itself, let me tell you. I've tiled before, but little walls and floors, not a shower where it is a confined space and it needs to be precise. Good thing for Larry thou.....now he is a Jack of all Trades! I may have been able to muddle through but I still wouldn't be done. But we are done till the mortar dries and sets, I will finish the clean up tomorrow morning. After I get back from our run to the bridge and back. Then its a trip to the "dentist" ugh........see you later....!

OMG! Best Concert Ever!

Still can't believe Elton John came to Prince George! OMG! There isn't a song that man sings that is not a hit! He was absolutely fantastic. Elton sang and played piano for almost 3 straight hours! Totally unheard of.....What a performance! Unbelievable!

I sooooooo love this piano! What would be so wrong about this beauty sitting in my livingroom? Not a darn thing I tell ya! I need a baby grand. I know I'll play beautifully on it.



There were a few friends around, the neighbors.....



A running friend and hubby.......I think the majority of the 40 to 60 age group was in attendance tonight. What a great time, I am sure was had by all.



I think that Sir Elton John is just incredible.



AaaaaaHhhhhhh......Good night all........

Well it's started....

Beautiful robin's egg blue sink.....gone



Dated robin's egg blue shower.....gone

This has not been a walk in the park...believe me. Anyone who knows anything about renovating knows that if anything can go wrong it will. Just watch Mike Holmes, he sees it all the time. But lucky for me (and for my husband)I have one handy-guy of a friend, Larry is a man of many talents. Plumbing, carpentry, electrical, and a good thing because little did I realize how big of a feat it would be taking out the old shower stall and putting in the new base. Ha! OMG......

So this is day 3 and we have made good progress, well Larry has made good progress and for the next few days I will be on my own......mmmmmmm......funny how that works!

This will be the "new" shower stall. Pretty isn't it? The bright red is a water sealant, horrid! And smelly! Do you see my "niche"pretty snazzee, I would say! Always wanted a "niche". And pretty simple with a little help from a friend.



This is the vanity with sink and new tap....I am contemplating painting the cabinet black, more dramatic since the tiles are quite plain and "boring" so I am told.
Lots of time to decide that thou....right now I need to get started on the tiling.....this should be fun



Tomorrow night we are going to see Elton John! So excited! Got a new outfit! Maybe he'll want Trish and I to do a duet with him? I guess that would be a trio, now wouldn't it? See you later and wish me luck!

Just dreading......renos

Well I've put it off long enough. I am finally going to start the renovation of our en-suite. I've been collecting the materials for over a year. and I think I have just about everything. It's not that I don't like doing them, its the unknown, that you find as you go along.....but I will be positive that within a week it will be done.

We had a beautiful hot weekend. Trish and I ran on Saturday morning, at 6am it was already 16'C. I think when we came back after an hour or so, and 12km, we were probably down a gallon of fluids. Yikes it was warm. But we had a good run and did a lot of sight seeing along the way, checking out cars at Nissan and Kia.



I really want to get a "Soul" they are just so darn cute. But first I will have to test drive one to see how I like it. In the meantime, I will keep looking. But I can totally see me loving this car!


These are the Tiger Lilies before the heat wave.



And these are the Tiger Lilies after a few days of sun and heat!



Well you may not hear from me for a few days but you never know.....have a good one!

Summer Time

Well summer arrived this week, and I think it will be around till next week, I like the heat but not stifling hot. It was muggy today, overcast but definitely hot. The tomatoes plants are liking the heat and the flowers are doing fantastic but too much heat will wilt just about everything. The temperature in the greenhouse reached a whopping 112' F. That is way too warm for these plants.....



I don't know what is wrong with this plant but it is the only one that wilts during the day but perks right back up at the end of the day....odd....

Trish and I are going to run in the morning but early cause even at 6 am it is suppose to be 11'C. I don't like the heat on these days, but at least it isn't snowing!

This poor kitty wishes it would cool down just a tad.



Doesn't he look impressed, no worries he always looks this way, that's just his way.
So have a good evening and keep your cool!

On the road to home

I left Sechelt Saturday morning at 7:15 am to catch the 8:30 am ferry to the mainland. I decided to stay an extra day as it isn't often I get time alone with my mom just to wonder about. And wonder we did. It took a little maneuvering to get everything in the truck, but manages just fine. So we docked at 9:10 and proceeded the trek through Vancouver to the Fraser Valley. It seemed to take forever to get out there but realistically it was only an hour. A lot of construction, with the widening of the freeway. A necessity I guess since there are soooo many people moving there. I made a quick stop into the Abbotsford Winners, and Home Sense, it's huge. I really could have spent a looong....time in there but held back and back on the freeway. I was gassing up in Hope so that I could make it through to Williams Lake cause their gas was so darn cheap 97 cents! I think Hope is one of the windiest cities/towns I know of. It is never calm there. So then, it was the push to get home and I knew from there it would be 7 hours and I was right on to the minute.
A beautiful drive through the Canyon, same old picturesque towering mountains of granite but nonetheless, its always an amazing sight. So I took a few shots through the windshield.....



So I tried to get all the tunnels but unfortunately, I missed a few because I really did need to concentrate on driving and not taking photos! Imagine that? And the drivers behind me were really starting to annoy me with there tailgating.....



Hells Gate is still a tourist attraction, but not for the likes of me. Thank you very much, going down the side of a cliff on a cable, course I did go up to the top of Jasper's mountain.....different thou.... no raging river at the bottom. But this.... I would like to try some day before I am too old and afraid the scare may give me a heart attack...



But I think white water rafting down the Thompson River or is it the Fraser River, never sure where it is they meet. But I do think that would be a lot of fun!



This photo is for Lee, our Scottish friend. Remember this? I am sure you have one just like it!
Well, I am back home tomorrow, did some running around today, got a few things to start my next few projects. Trish and I will do a run tomorrow, hopefully nothing is ailing.... Hope you all had a great Canada Day Weekend, and Happy July 4Th!

Ocean Blue

It was a beautiful day today on the Sunshine Coast. Mom and I had an early start today by going out the Willow Creek Nursery. Oh my what a wonderful place, it is owned by two lovely ladies, English I think, oh what beautiful gardens they have. The trees, flowers, perennials, annuals.....what a treat. I think Mom and I spent the better part of an hour or more there. Then we killed some time driving up around the back of Northwest Bay. Some very nice places tucked away on the back road. I found a very cool idea that I am going to make and will have to incorporate into the garden next Spring. I will get it built this summer. So neat. Then we rushed home, water the garden and headed down to the Lighthouse Pub to meet my brother and wife and friends for lunch. Ten of us in total enjoyed a wonderful lunch over looking the Porpoise Bay inlet.



After lunch and good-byes to everyone, Mom and I went into an antique consignment shop and I found a wonderful little coffee table that I had to buy, and will refinish either for myself or if Jane would like it. Then we did a quick jaunt around town, into a few shops but nothing too exciting that I couldn't live without.

Dropped Mom off at home and whipped down to the beach to grab some driftwood. you can never have too much driftwood. Then came home and packed up the car and shuffled things around so that my new "things" would all fit in. Plants, rocks, driftwood, tables, and goodies.....Ahhh it's been a good week. But tomorrow I will be catching the 8:20 ferry and heading back to the mainland and then heading home. So have a great weekend.

Cruising around the Sunshine Coast

Well if you are anything like I am, gardens, crafters and Artisans, are one my to do list. Today being Canada Day and the 10th anniversary of the passing of my dad, Mom and I spent the morning watching the Queen on Parliament Hill and then we took off to the nurseries and stopped along the way at the artisans. I actually met Jan Poynter, she is a beautiful artist and paints amazing garden and florals. I doubt that I could afford her paintings but they are beautiful. She paints the hydro boxes around Gibson's and Sechelt Area with her beautiful flowers and garden themes. I really think Prince George should get with the program.



So that was our excitement for the day, now we are heading out for dinner so will chat with you later. Staying an extra day and visiting with my brother and sister-in-law. Ciao for now.