September Update

Ok, I know I've been pretty negligent with this blog, but now there is some exciting news!
The exterior renovations have begun; nay, many of them are already completed!  Check out all the changes below.

First, some new garage doors:

  

Next, some newly painted siding and new shingles on the roof!

 

Next, the removal of the middle pillar on the front porch:

  

Then, the installation of the new front door!

  

This next one is my favourite:  the garden doors in the dining room. The room is flooded with light!

 

Next was the removal of the sliding glass doors in the rec room and installation of a huge window.  A mason will come and do the brick work.  But, how do we get out to the deck to use the clothes line or the barbeque? Don't fret. There's a solution (temporary).

Finally, there are two new windows in the upper bedrooms. They make a big difference in the amount of light upstairs and I love them.

 

 

Also, new replacement windows for the basement windows which will be a lot warmer in the winter.

There's a bit of work to do to finish off the trim, fix some drywall, and paint some left-over bits.  Soon, the final aluminum work will be done, and we can appreciate the before & after comparison.  Whew!  So much work done so well.  I love it.

Hugel Kulture ... continued

The garden is overflowing with vegetables:  green and yellow beans and zucchinis as big as my arm. Because this was the first year for the garden, we were unsure how much produce, if any, we'd be able to eat, and I can't believe how much there is.  The zucchinis are huge! And there's even a little pumpkin that Scooby discovered.  Hugel mission is a success!

What the heck's a Hugel Kulture garden?

Well, you start with a big ditch, then fill it with wood of various sizes: logs and branches and twigs that will decompose at various rates over years, fertilizing the garden from the bottom up!

It took hours of work to cut down or salvage already rotting logs but the weather was absolutely perfect.  The quantity of mosquitoes was frightening, however, and we were forced to increase the pacing of our work.  Which of course, permitted more time for post-gardening beverages.

A Grade 12 Physics Project by One Really Smart Kid

More Snow!

This winter is relentless!  With the ice and snow and snow and more snow, we shoveled off the garage roof and the roof over the porch, hopefully lightening the load before the next storm drops another 15 centimetres.  Sigh.  A beach holiday sound oh so good right now ...

Heavy Medal

At the in-house fencing tournament, J did so well!  Tied for third place and received a BRONZE medal.

So, so proud!

First Tournament

J's first competition was at Brock University and he accomplished, nay exceeded, all his goals.  For this tournament, he wanted to (1) experience competitive foil, and (2) not barf in his helmet.  Two big check marks!  And, he scored a point against the first place guy.  Look at the scoreboard: 14-1.  Super job, big guy!

Chicken Little

My class is reading Chicken Little (in French, of course) and I am so proud of this mural that they painted and the animals they cut out and decorated. Ain't it cute?

Rec Room Floor: Fini!

Ahhh ... it looks lovely, rich, glossy brown, gleaming in the sunlight. Just look at that detailed work!  Well worth the wait of, umm ... seven months ... wow, we started gutting this room in March. 

I can't wait to move in.  Now for the baseboards and trim.  

Simply Floored

Yowza! Take a look at the action in our rec room. J helped screw down the sub-floor which will raise it up so that the hardwood will be level with the tile. Then the real action started! We have hardwood!  It looks amazing and I cannot wait to see the whole thing finished.  To (almost) have the entire main floor finished is making me dizzy with happiness!