wow

Thats all I can say. Wow. What a week. Longest week of holidays I have ever had. But, very productive. This week has been both a challenge and a reward.

First off, I have to say we have amazing friends and family. We could never have done what we did this past week without them...for sure. (There is one couple that has been there EVERY day....another I know would be here if she could get away again)

By the end of this weekend, we should have the whole upstairs (minus some new drywall) primed and painted. (Ok except for maybe doors and trim....ever so minor).

Auntie Velvis came in for us BIG TIME.....she stood in a line at IKEA for 3 hours and delivered our base cabinets to the house tonight. HUGE....saved me a trip, plus she is going to watch the boys tomorrow and get them to hockey while I am TSP'ing, priming and painting. She also did some laundry for me tonight and she said she would make supper tomorrow. Amazing.

I think next week she will get our upper cabinets and pulls and deliver them to K-town and I will get them from there.

We are hoping the bathroom guy comes in this weekend and gets started (the only thing we have yet to get is a vanity....this too will come.

Tomorrow...our karaoke-happy lake friend is coming to help for the day. It will be great fun. Thanks for all your thoughts and kind words.....like "What the hell were you thinking?"

HAPPY BDAY AUNTIE DALLY!!

Happy birthday to you!! Hope you are having a good one!! Enjoy that nice girls night out...I am soo jealous!!

On the plus note...OUR HOUSE IS OFFICIALLY SOLD!!! YEAH!! Break out the champagne...or in our case A5-35.

Today, we managed to get almost all of the wallpaper down upstairs. (There was a lot of freakin wall paper), about half of the kitchen cupboards went down. The tiles in the tub came off, as well as some of my hedges and some of my trees all went bye bye.

I had some awesome friends come by (again!! thank you thank you) and one of them did some minor electrical for me....so tomorrow I think all three bedrooms should be able to be painted. The ceilings first...with oil based paint over the popcorn.

I have to babysit one tomorrow, so until my recruits get there tomorrow night, could be slow moving day. But tomorrow night and thursday are going to be big big days for me. My bestest buddy...crazy mama is coming up for the night...rock on!!

I am off to pick some colors and get lunches packed!! Take care...

long short day

Yeah!! Got into our new (old) home today at about 1ish.

From 1:30 til now we worked our tails off....sorta.

For the first two hours it was just the two girls. We managed to rip the carpets out of three bedrooms and the main bath. We pulled all the doors and closet doors off and managed to get the wall paper off the main bathroom. Plus, all the lovely curtains and curtain rods came down.

Then, her hubby joined us and he got the panel boards off the main bedroom, and the living room. The remaining carpet got pulled up as well as part of the cabinets went downstairs.

We invited ourselves over to their place for supper (the homeinspector guy was at our other house).....ok we brought over a crockpot of ribs mom...dont get mad!! Then DH joined us along with some friends and currently they are ripping out tile in the bathroom and taking down wall paper in the hallway.

Really productive day/night. I will have pictures tomorrow ...if I remember the camera.

Tomorrow...have to bash heads with the flooring guy, talk to the paint store and start cutting trees down!!! Yay!!

Day 1 went without a hitch. As DH would say....it was meant to be.

maybe, maybe not

Okay...today is possession day. Should be sometime around noonish.

C-man and myself will head over and start the work, until DH gets back from Vermilion.

There could be a lapse in my posts for the next week or so....might be a tad busy.

Also, today is the day our house gets its home inspection. So, keep your collective fingers crossed. We should hear tomorrow if everything is officially sold.

The secret unravelled

Since my earliest memories, I can remember not being able to keep a secret. Nor, did I like others to have secrets from me.

Like at christmas time, I would search the house up and down for presents. Mostly, I would find them in the bottom of moms closet. And I would always make sure they were left the same way as I found them.

Also, I loved the "party line". We could eavesdrop on our neighbors conversations and get all the gossip.

I think we come from a long line of this. My grandma (god rest her soul) was an amazing woman. Loved her to pieces. She used to sit at her kitchen table and look out the window at who was coming and going at school together. She could get that gossip wheel turning. love it!!

Now...the mystery of k-girl has been driving me (and seester Dally) absolutely CRAZY. I think I have asked just about everybody I know (twice) and nobody would reveal the secret. What made it worse, is that my sister Velvis knew. She did not reveal the secret.

Tonight....it was revealed to me. Aaahhhh...sweet satisfaction.

oh yeah...I'm not gonna tell Dally....see if it drives her crazy also!!

ps...Just as a side note...I can now keep secrets. Really. Newfie...if you are reading this IT IS NOT A JOKE....just ask my hubby (aka the vault).

for the love of the game?

The boys have now been playing hockey for 4 and 2 years.

I thought they loved the new friends they were making. Or, maybe it was the excercise they were getting. Or, even better, it was for the love of the sport itself.

But, after all this time, I have figured out what it is that makes the boys get up early, haul their equipment and work hard for an hour at a time.

The booth. They can not leave the rink without some kind of treat. Its almost embarrassing seeing them wail on the ground kicking and screaming for _____________ (insert treat here).

Oh, dont get me wrong, I'm sure they love to play. But it is the draw of the booth that keeps them coming back.

And just a side note to that...they say hockey is such an expensive sport to play. But, when you compare it to dance and tae-kwon do its really not that pricey. But that damn booth takes every last penny from our wallets.

TGIF

Weds night, Retzky got a goal in 3 on 3. He plays again on Saturday. I think there are about 2 more sessions left before their seasons starts. They both start their "training camps" on or about the 29th. C-man has been sooo looking forward to it. Both divisions have increased numbers (Initiation almost doubled) which is really good.

Last night we took the boys and the dog on a long country road bike ride. We got to see horses, donkeys, elk and got to burn some energy off the dog. She has been feeling neglected lately with this whole house thing...packing...cleaning...and not a lot of outside time for her.

Speaking of the house thingy...we still have not heard if financing has been approved...and the home inspection is now Monday at 2. This has been the longest wait ever!! All conditions have to be removed on Tuesday and I think we will be waiting until late tuesday to hear. So, Dallys b'day is going to be a good one!!

Today...I am off to work for a few hours while DH and C-man finish off "the dreaded list". Small household chores to be done before the inspection. My dad is coming to do a couple of the other things on the list before they take possession (good to have a couple handy men in your life!!)

So...have a great weekend everybody....we'll keep you posted.

first time out

So, school has been back for two weeks now. I have been babysitting approx 4 days. Had to give my first time outs today.

I babysit only one little guy and really the boys are the best of friends and the worst of friends. 80% of the time (usually at school) they are awesome buds. 20% of the time, they are fighting over who is better, who has more, who is faster...you get the drift. It usually ends up in a war of words....but today it was a punching match. Unfortunately C-man got the best of him and the friend ended up in tears. (unfortunately c-man rarely loses....he is too tough for his size)

So, they both ended up in different rooms for a 5 minute time out (nanny 911 says 1 minute for every year).

Now, they are playing basketball....I'm sure this will end in bloodshed.

hump day

Frost on the vehicles this morning. ugg...winter is around the bend....

This morning, we got our final order in for flooring (nice and cheap...yeah right), went and put in our order for shingles (again...not expensive at all) and got our new box number. I am having a nice feeling of small town already. I tried emailing everyone in my list this morning with my new address...so if you didnt get it let me know.

DH just got called for a quick trip to Vermilion (its always quick with the railway, right?) So, me and the boys (c-man and his twin) are going to head to the park after lunch. Retzky has hockey tonight and I will do some more packing. Still have quite a few things to do before home inspector gets here on monday.

Oh yeah...figured out our budget yesterday...so far only $10,000 over. And we havent even started work yet. nice..

Love to help, eh?

So,,, we will see who really wants to help....I know who you are ....those of you that said yes yes we would love to paint/tear down/cut trees...etc etc...

We will find you.....

Ok so, here is the deal....Sept 24th possession of the project house. I am on holidays that full week. So (with rose colored glasses on) we are hoping to get all the carpet pulled out from upstairs, all the panel board down and all the trees chopped. Then on that weekend, I am going to need to start painting and paint non stop for 3/4 days before the flooring guys come.

They are scheduled to come Oct 3rd and 4th. I guess at this time, I will also need to have the kitchen cupboards gone and the bathroom wallpaper down and out. hmmmm sounding bigger than originally anticipated.

Shingler slated for the 6th.

Then, possession on this place slated for October 13th and we are hoping to have all our stuff moved by the 11th or 12th.

Nice...and easy....

Sunday the 16th..

Well today we signed the counter, counter offer and its sort of official. The house is sold (subject to financing and home inspection) we will know for sure on the 25th (Also Auntie Dallys birthday!!) So, either the wine or the tears will be flowing on that day.

Oh yes,,,just read my horoscope for the day. It went something like "do not sign legal documents today....if you absolutely have to make sure you get independent advice..." really....hmmm....I dont believe in horoscopes, anyway???

Retzky had another 3 on 3 today and it seemed to go well....I was packing every spare minute and tonight, DH left on a train for Vermilion....

Tomorrow...no school ....ALREADY?!...so I am babysitting two in the morning and hopefully get rid of my two for an hour in the afternoon to purchase carpet...fun fun...

Once the kids are in bed I have a bit of work to do, so I wont get fired. Best not get fired just yet.

yahoo

Ok..sorta ....semi....excited. We got an offer today. Pretty good offer...had to do a bit of countering and they have until tomorrow at 10am to yay or nay it.

Already know I wont be sleeping very restful tonight. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

They want possession Oct 13th which would give us three weeks to magically transform our new house (we might need more like three years....but better than nothing!!)

dodged that bullet

Yeah..no snow...that was close. Too close.

Ok...C-man went to dr yesterday has another ear infection and throat infection. No, they wont take tonsils out yet. Also have to rebook appt as he has unusually large lymph node on one side of his neck and has had for some time...apparently gotta check it out.

Today...we are going to buy our carpet and hardwood. (Possession is changing to the 24th - 90% sure of that)

Also, going to swing by a relatives to pick up some fresh produce...i need a fix...maybe will have my own garden someday?

DH going on the spareboard next week, so he will be off tonight and tomorrow. Having some friends over tonight and hopefully tomorrow will be heading to the city. Kids need some warm stuff and we need to visit family/friends....long overdue.

Stay warm.............

you cant be serious

SNOW? Freakin snow already? Thats the forecast for our area tonight/tomorrow....not ready for the flakes.

So, we had a staff bbq last night (first staff function in a long while) and it turned out great. The weather held out and it was a good time (not a long time...one kid had school). Had at least 3 people said they would like to help with renos (of course, if I supplied beer...which I will). So...we will keep our fingers crossed that they will actually come out and help.

Today...C-man and his partner in crime helped me bake cookies and hopefully in the afternoon we are heading out to another side kicks house to play.

Talk soon.....

Dictee in full swing

Uh-oh mama. (Thats all the french i know..)

We dropped the ball. Did not practise dictee last week and forgot about exam on friday. 8/11 with no studying. Poor little guy blamed it on me....and so it goes...always mama's fault. (Sorry mom)

So the last few nights we have been writing words for test on friday. This teacher seems a lot harder than last year as far as neatness and exact answers. We are in for some fun. 20+ weeks of dictee and me not knowing what I am saying.

Picture day tomorrow...better go scrub behind their ears.

weekend ....

Alright..I have to admit I was overly optimistic about the weekend.

Heading to IKEA..I was going to find a customer service agent right away, buy the cupboards, they were going to be in stock and we were going to take them home. aaahhhh if it were only as easy as I imagined.

They dont do "standard" sizing. Really, why would they...that would make life too simple. So...no cabinets. yet. Checked with the man and he thinks he can make it all work nicey nice. Keep your fingers crossed.

I also envisioned the three girls going absolutely (or just a little) crazy. Going out, spending too much money and feeling a little rough around the edges. But, poor travelling companion got ill. quite ill. Poor girl...hope she is on the mend.

But a big thank you out to grandma and grandpa golfer who made the trek up to look after the boys. They had an absolute blast with them. It was a bit tough with the house showings etc...but they were awesome!! Thank you.

Oh yeah...please dont ask about my beautiful house. It has not yet sold...but it will. NB is just having a bit of a slow down...just not the craziness that the summer had. really.

So...this week...more cleaning...more showings....school...work...etc etc....

will keep you posted...

another day

Hey y'all.....its friday...yeah!!

Another week is winding down...C-man had power skating on wednesday night, and all went well (they work the little farts pretty hard), Retzky had 3on3 last night. He got his first goal and was pretty excited. This was good, considering he has a real defensive tendency and is really not all that aggressive....that, plus he is one of about only 5 novice kids playing with the atom kids....so he was pretty pumped.

DH is on his final day of holidays, pretty sure he is ready to retire and not looking forward to going back to work. He is on a tues-sat shift, so he works one day before taking a couple more off. Easing back into it.

I am OFF TO EDMONTON!!! IKEA HERE WE COME!! And, I am going to be kidless. My good friend and I are taking the old farm truck and headin in to the big city. I am hoping to leave town with a truckload full of cupboards and be back sunday. (hopefully in time for the game).

Take care of yourself and we will talk soon!!!!

karaoke!!!

After a wild night of karaoke (we are gooood...by the way!!) poor DH was hit from out of nowhere. The neighbor boy took lessons from an NFL team and tackled the poor guy in a bendy chair. It really happened in slo-mo. Enough time for our lake buddies, to find my camera, learn how to use the camera and take a few snaps. This was sorta reminiscent of Dominican....as the other chair ended up going that night as well. Sorry Grandma golfer....they will be replaced!!!
Poor guy just needed a chalk line drawn around him!!

sept long pics

We literally tubed until the boat ran out of gas on monday. Beautiful day for it. Then the boys had to paddle her home. Good thing they were close to shore!! (Especially after splitting 1000 logs!!)

very late

Its been a very very long long weekend. So-so weather (except for a beautiful monday). Great friends were up and lots of work was done.

I will post more later in the week....have some pretty funny pics.

Tomorrow DH is off to help my family with harvest. I start my first day babysitting (before and after school on Tues/Thurs and full days weds) one of C-mans buddies.

Also we have the carpet layers coming over to measure the house and a full day of work (sorta).

Then Weds hockey, thursday hockey and friday (hopefully) heading to Edmonton for an Ikea run to check out cabinets...???

DH back to work on Friday....