It's All in the Details

The past few days have been busy around the farm, with us picking out a paint colour for the powder room, and by us I mean P.  It's called "On the Rocks"; I love the name, but it makes me thirsty.

 So, while P is cutting in the paint in the corners, I am busy rearranging the newly-covered pillows for the livingroom.  I googled an "easy-to-sew" pattern for pillow covers, and whipped up one in red and one in an interesting mix of gold and red and sage green that I found on sale last week.  Now, if you know me, you know that I am hopeless, really, truly hopeless, with a sewing machine, and even the "easy-to-sew" patterns turn into complicated messes with heaps of hanging threads all gooped together in dripping knots.  So, undertaking this project was quite adventurous for me.  And I did it!  The pattern in a fold-over style not unlike Ikea pillow cases.  Easy. 

 And while P is rolling on the first coat, I'm sitting back enjoying my finished masterpieces.  Hmmm.  Perhaps I'll try quilting next.

The Better Way

 Say hi to Andy; he's putting in the main floor bathroom tile baseboard, to match the floor.  Why? Because we're putting up tile on the wall!  Just one wall, as an accent.

 Glossy white subway tiles.  Reminds me of Ossington Station.  In a good way.

 Reach for it!  Soon they'll need a stepladder.

 All done! Scooby inspects their work and gives it two paws up.  Excellent work!  Time for a bevvie.  Or four.

Makeover Day

BEFORE: 

AFTER:

An improvement?  Well, I adore the curly teddy bear look, but his fur gets matted and clumpy and it is uncomfortable for him, then he scratches and leaves little black fuzzy presents all over the floor.  He seems pretty happy with this 'do. I caught him admiring himself if the mirror.

Have An Ice Day

It began with warnings on the radio.  A light drizzly spray came next.  Then, as the sun set, the drizzle transformed to a solid rain.  Finally, the temperature dropped.  Fast. When we woke this morning, it was to a glossy sheen on everything in sight: the porch was like glass, the front sidewalk impassible.  Scooby took an unintentional flying leap off the second step and cautiously crept around until he shot me a terrified look and tried to climb back up to the front door.  No luck! I had to rescue the shivering pup.  No surprise, buses are cancelled and it officially a SNOW DAY!

The Hanging

 Progress in the powder room!  The door that we ordered before Christmas finally came in, so we picked it up and P and J put on their tool belts and hung (hanged?) it.  

 Scooby is perturbed that he can't wander in on whoever is using the facilities at will, like he did with the curtain.  Usually me.  Usually in a compromising position.  Usually when we had company.

Next, we have to prepare the vanity (yes! there will be a vanity!) and the tall towel closet (yes! there's one of those too!).  And by prepare I mean get out the Swedish-English dictionary.  Stay tuned!

The Snow Arriveth!

Long anticipated and long overdue, the snow has finally arrived! Snowshoes work so much better when there's a good layer of the white stuff on the ground.  The only downside is that it gets all clumpy and matted in Scooby's fur, and is so hard to pick out! When he comes inside he looks like the abominable snowman then he chews the wee bits off his legs and paws and leaves small puddles everywhere.

 I love how snow covers the ugly.  It's beautiful.

Here We Grow Again

 The good old back-to-back comparison is a quick way to see how tall the kids are getting. P is counting the months until he's looking up at his eldest son.  It won't be long now.  And J is not far behind!  I fear that I'll be the shortest of the bunch, and ... I am grateful that there will always be Scooby to look down to.

White After Labour Day

This morning dawned foggy and white. Spirits soared when I wondered aloud if buses would be cancelled, but a quick check brought us back to reality. Some routes further south were cancelled but no luck in our area ... 

It was eerie hearing a vehicle coming along the road and not being able to see it until the last minute.  Scooby was going nuts barking at everything.  It looks perfect for a Scooby and Shaggy adventure with the Mystery Machine.

At the Fat Farm , er, Phat Farm

Well, it was a sad parting last week when Daisy left us to go back home. Scooby wandered aimlessly around the house, sighing and looking bereft, and my chair wasn't as warm when I sat down in it.  We visited Daisy yesterday and found out that the Fat Farm was successful!  She's down half a pound.  Half a pound may not sound like much, but considering she weights 10 lbs, that's 1/20 of her body weight.  If I lost 1/20 of my body weight, I'd feel pretty good about myself and likely resemble the person in the mirror (turned sideways, holding belly in).  So I hereby declare the fat farm adventure a success!  In fact, I'm thinking we should market weekends here at Hawthorn Creek Farm as the "Phat Farm" cuz it's so fun, er, Phun, here!  

S'Knowing What's Good For Ya

Snowmageddon?  Not quite, but the buses were cancelled and it was a snow day for the kids.  About 4 or 5 cm of snow fell, which meant that the lane way needed to be plowed. The weatherman is calling for the temperature to drop tonight, and if this slushy snow stays where it is, we could have frozen ruts that make lane an ugly mess for the rest of the winter.

   

 J to the rescue! Donning snow clothes and a warm pair of gloves, he fired up the ATV and plowed that snow out of the way.  It's a heavy snow, wet and messy and perfect for a snowball fight ... I think I'll go surprise J when he's looking the other way!