A rollin' stone gathers no moss.......

Well I haven't been sitting on my keyster....that's for darn sure! Where the time goes I don't know! But I'm getting older faster than I can shake a can of paint! I've been busy trying out something "new" to me, but apparently its been around the crafting circles for a while now......I live a sheltered life. What can I say! Crayon art! I know eh! So awesome! I am totally enthralled by it...... if I had actual time to do much of it. Can we say now that working..... it is starting to interfere with my creative "mojo"! I was at a stand still for a few days but then I had four days off and started to emerge to my normal being! But then I got the idea that before my "Rene" came to visit I should get a bit more of the trim painted around the house.......oh dear....why do I do this to myself......cause the weather allowed it.... that's why! So quickly here because I don't have much time left.......I need to get dinner ready........oh and I did a baking spree cause the girls are coming home and I was redo-ing my desk counter........silly me!

My version of a Monet!

A couple in the rain in Paris....

Here's my desk .......waiting for the next few steps

Well that's about all besides crocheting a new pairs of slippers for the Hubs and starting a new toque.......painting the trim on the house...life has been pretty crazy lately.....the Hubs is just finishing a major shut-down and in dire need of a few weeks off work! So after tomorrow he is going to be on holidays for a few weeks and that's good cause the girls will be here and there are things that need to be done. No word from number one son.....so I guess he is busy doing some training.....one day soon I hope to hear from him. Getting in a few early morning runs.....Sue has been a good sport and its much nicer first thing in the morning......cooler and refreshing way to start your day! Anyways hope you are all well out there in blogger land. And that you are enjoying your summer! See you soon with more updates on the crafting and the next race! Lake run in a few weeks! Yikes already so soon!

Beautiful Clematis

No idea what it is, but I think it
has beautiful flowers!

There it went again...............

I feel a little like Betty Boop myself......Been terrible busy for the last week and not sure I know whether I am "coming or going".....I will certainly to glad when tomorrow comes and the Hubs is done this night shift business and we can get back to some sense of normalcy.....if there is such a thing.....I've been all over the place this week, busy trying a few new crafts that have been around for a while now but they just hit my radar so you know me I have to give it a try too. Then there was a trip to the city with my mom to visit my aunt and a shopping trip to Michael's, and Costco and Winners etc. One thing I know for sure I am glad it is Friday, just too bad I work tomorrow! Anyways just wanted to check in with you all and say have a great weekend! And I hope you get up to something exciting or just laze around and enjoy some R&R! Ciao for now!

Kitchen Reno Semi-Complete

I think I'm getting too old for this renovation business! I felt like I had been severly beaten after ripping out two layers of linoleum! The first layer came out rather easy, but only because it wasn't glued down. It was a floor that was just meant to be laid over top of an existing floor. Who thinks up these ideas?!? Seriously! What a D.U.M.B. idea! Okay whatever.......I could go on and on about what people think are good ideas! So Murphy's Law took it's part in all of this......cause when I got down to the first layer of lino from 20 years ago.....not pretty! I think I've seen it in another one of our houses.......yuck!.........and wouldn't you know there's always going to be something that kicks you in the butt! Yup! You got it! The sub floor must have gotten wet at sometime or another and rotten! Well if I didn't feel like crying:((((((((...........why can't things just go smoothly? Cause that's not life my dears! But nothing the floors layers couldn't fix, thank goodness! Simply cut out that rotten sub floor and put in a new chunk of wood! Done like dinner!

If you have ever ripped out old lino flooring, you will know that there is a paper backing that when glued to the wooden sub floor, sticks like the dickens! And this is why they like to layer floor on top of floor! No thank you! Seals in rot, smells, and whatever else is under there. I prefer to have a clean slate. Then its just my dirt. I know OCD......but jeepers creepers......If there's going to be dirt, I want it to be just my dirt!

So after a few hours...... the new floor was in and everything put back in its place......I'm tired, I'm hurting, and I don't ever want to have to do this again! Ha ha! Famous last words!!!

I thought at one point it might have been too dark with the dark cabinets but its not, especially with the counter tops being white now. So I'm thinking..... when I get to the top cabinets and make them white the room will be much lighter....but we'll see when I feel that energetic again.......not thinking that is going to happen for awhile. Just going to cruise for a bit and do some smaller projects, and run around town.....well that has been my last few days...... time for this girl to hit the hay......have a wonderful weekend. We have sunshine these days and I am not going to complain about the heat........because I know it will start raining again and then I'll be wishing for sunshine. So I am just thankful for what we have and I'll work with it. Goodnight!

MIA! I know.......

I haven't been far from my computer, just collecting ideas and doing a few projects and one thing leads to another and well you know how that happens? OMGoodness! I finished painting my counters and it takes sooooooo long for things to dry and waiting is not my forte! But I wanted to make sure things were good and dry and cured as they say. And really if you want them to stand up any length of time, its best to let the product do its thing.
I followed Freckled Laundry's tutorial (cause I'm not good with tutorials, I skip too many steps!) and a few other girls and how they did theirs, the first step was the Primer.....I used STIX cause it dries in 3 hours and I could do another coat and then I let it cure for 24 hours. Even the primer looked good and so I knew I was going in the right direction.

Almost forgot the "before"



The best primer for this job

The "finished" counters

Now in this photo they look completely white but they aren't. I used a good latex base paint for the main color, and craft paint for the texture colors. The lighting isn't that great, so you can't see the other colors, which are just different shades of white, so they don't look much different but I like the clean look and that's what I was aiming for.
Next on the horizon is the flooring and as I type the guys are "floating" the floor, leveling and smoothing it in preparation for the new lino.......That photo will come tomorrow. So I have been crazy busy, and with working 4 days a week, things aren't getting done. I have a few projects that "HAVE" to get done ASAP. Now with these "painted" coounters, I used a heavy duty polyurethane(waterborne) that dries clear and hard, hard! It's used on gymnasium floors so I am hoping it will stand up for a few years then who knows maybe we will do all the counters but one step at a time girl! Well time for me to get busy with a project that is calling my name. Cia for now! Have a great sunny day!

I'm going to try this........

but wouldn't you know.....I'm already behind! Heather over at "Our Life in a Click" has this theme happening where she gets a list of photos to take for each month. This is the one for July, so I am going to try to do this.........I will post the list on my fridge and check them off as each day goes by. Wish me luck! Maybe you should try it too!

So for the first one I do happen to have a photo of my self....kind of scarey but it is me!

I've been playing around with my hair colour and trying to find a new style.......its ever evolving but that's good I guess. That means I am still above ground! So today I was really busy, not sure how I was suppose to take a photo of busy? But I was cleaning house, doing laundry, making up the guest room, dyeing my hair, with the help of Sue, sewing some new "hot dooey's", those would be the things you use to take hot things out of the oven so you don't scorch your hands! Hot pads, I guess are their real names! Hot dooey's just sound more technical.

Of course the weather is still in the tank.....I know the people in the eastern states and Canada are probably wishing they had some cool, wet weather but frankly I coould handle a few weeks of heat and sun! Pretty soon I will be running in flippers!

I have another project swirling in my head at the moment.......and after watching the transformation of this kitchen, I can't help but tackle this next make-over. Seeing is believing.

Perhaps I won't do mine as busy, more the look of travertine tile I am thinking, the flooring that we picked out has alot of detail but doesn't this look amazing! Painted laminate countertops......I've done this years past and it turned out really well even back then. Nothing ventured, nothing gained is how I see it!

Oh, the things we can think, if we only try! So that's my busy, if you can see the wheels turning in my head, you would see busy! Hope you all had a great long weekend.

Happy Birthday Canada!

One hundred and forty-five years old! Happy Birthday to You! Canada is young by world standards but we are well established in cultural history. Many nationalities make up Canada, many Canadians have come here from various countries all over the world. And there is no place like Whistler, BC to see this first hand. The Hubs and I decided to drive up to Whistler and make a look........I haven't been there for probably 6 years and it is "unbelievable" really! Millions of dollars were spent building houses, and condos, restaurants, hotels, and a highway to make it more accessible for the world stage. The tourists were out in full today. And by the sounds of voices and accents, they weren't from around here.

It was a dismal day around home, so we decided to jump on the afternoon ferry and take a drive. Its not far from us, even shorter if you were a crow and flew it!

This is Big Chief,
a huge rock face in Squamish
a very popular climbing destination

The Tram that takes you to the top of the world and
you can go from Peak to Peak

Today, there was a huge mountain biking
competition

The riders were flying over this jump!

Lots of fun activities for Canada Day!

Walking around on stilts had to be
scarey, as it is all cooble stone roads

The Callahan Valley, quite beautiful
on a sunny day

Returning home leaving the
Coast Mountains behind

So our day was a nice repreive from the rain, and we needed to check out the sights of Whistler for a certain Scottish friend coming to visit, we'll be taking a road trip for sure to show you the sights my friend! Well time to go and relax with a glass of red. A busy day for sure but very enjoyable! Good night!