Leafs Suck! :)

Oh boy another epic fail at blogging...I can't even seem to get on here once a month to keep you all amused. With that said here's what I have been up to...



Last night I was privileged enough to be invited to a Jets game by my awesome sister Laura. Not only was I thrilled to be going to my very first Jets game but it was going to be an amazing game as they were playing the Toronto Maple Leafs. And boy was it awesome when we beat them 2-1! Woot!

The weather has been so gorgeous that on Sunday we decided to take a hike in the Pembina hills. We spent 2 hours trudging up and down and around on the trails and through the brush. Very tiring but what a nice family outing!











In other news....I've been feverishly working on getting my craft room set up and I am so excited to be able to finally use it! Check it out!

TaDaaaa!

The siding is dark grey with a hint of green...hmmm looks kinda blue in the picture. This is what Ike and I accomplished in two weeks...Just have the back of the house to do now.

We went to Menard's in Grand Forks and bought these retaining wall blocks for super cheap...sure made a wonderful flowerbed in the front of the house and is making another nice one along the side of the garage and around the back!

Here's my young Evans Cherry Tree...It had fruit on it this year already but either the birds ate it or some kids picked them off...I got an owl from my mom so if it was the birds they won't bother it next year!



My concrete countertop was installed today....oh so worth the wait and oh sooooo beautiful! Yep two toned concrete...so amazing what you can do nowadays.

These are our old kitchen cabinets. Ike wanted to use some of them in the garage for storage, so for Father's Day I spray painted them fire engine red and hammered chrome.

And I replaced the old handles with all different tool handles :)

Whoa a Post!

Apparently I am a very boring person as I haven't posted since May and I don't even have anything too exciting to post about! What have I been up to? Work, Work, Work...and when I'm not working I've been working on the house (we've got the insulation and house wrap on...now to find time and not such hot weather to put on the siding!), and harassing my husband for a flower bed! This last weekend I finally wore him down and we went down to Grand Forks for some retaining wall blocks that were on sale! Now for some dirt and plants! I've also planted a young cherry tree...it already had a few fruits on it...so exciting...now if the birds don't eat them all I can try some soon!
And finally as Auntie requested....here's my Hoops Salad recipe (It'll be Jackie's favorite for sure...ha ha ha)
3-4 Peppers (Green/Yellow/Red/Orange), chopped
1 Can Black Beans, drained & rinsed
1 Can Corn, drained
1/4 Onion (White or Purple), finely chopped
1/4-1/2 cup Marble or Tex Mex Cheese, shredded (optional)
1/2 Bag Frito BBQ Hoops
French Dressing
Toss all together and enjoy! (Obviously don't add the hoops until you're ready to serve or they'll be soggy)

WooWoo Getting Closer!

Check out our new favorite room...the living room on the main floor!!!! Ooooh I LOVE it!!!!...Not quite done yet though we still have a portion to drywall and paint on the window wall but it's liveable and waaaaaaaaaaaay better than the basement!

Also noteworthy....a couple of weekends ago my parents came down and helped install our kitchen cabinets! They look gorgeous...we still have to install the mouldings and are meeting with the counter guy tonight....so pictures will be up relatively soon!

Crafty Winters

Here's my sewing project...A 'london shade'! It works perfectly with my kitchen but I have a problem with it wanting to slide "in" on the rod...guess I'll have to find some double sided tape to hold it in place. :) I have some of the cute flowery material left and so for my next project I am going to make one of those picture holder boards (the ones with the criss cross ribbons). I don't know what I'd do with myself during these winter months if I weren't so crafty!

Garage and Stuff

I just realized that I've been talking about building our garage and installing windows and such but I have not shown any proof of such work....Well prepare your eyes for this feast of practical happinesses! :)

If you ignore the snow and the fact that half of our house doesn't have siding...you can see the beauty of it all!

Oh such pretty new windows....I love the decision to go with this style of grill in between the panes.

This pride and joy leads out to the deck from the dining room/kitchen. Take that you doubters who thought I couldn't find a prettier door than the one at the old house!

Matching front door...

And a missing photo from yesterday's entry....Ugly pantry...gone!

What Happened????

Kitchen before....

This was the day we moved in...thus the huge mess...ha mess...

Kitchen now....ahhhh...where did it go?

The pink on the walls, by the way, is actually the insulation inside the walls...we removed 4feet all around to get rid of the gross glass tile backslpash. We also had to peel off a layer of "white" linoleum and then pry up the subfloor it was glued to and then again peel off a layer of "gold" linoleum! Annnd...the best part...I got to swing a hammer and destroy the old gross built in pantry...so much fun!

All of my kitchen?....It went right into this spare bedroom....I hope not for too long! And the old cabinets? We tossed them off the deck into the snow! Haha ugly cupboards!

And here's a taste of the master bedroom just because you've been so patient with me! :)

Soooo much nicer than the basement!

Don't Give Up On Me!

Oh dear....I didn't realize that my last post was in October! Shame on me! I have been VERY busy though and this slow internet is a pain! So...here's a quick catch up and the pictures will follow more than likely after Christmas! :)
1. We finished building our garage (finished meaning usable so as to have snow and frost free vehicles). It is shingled and we froze our butts off installing the doors. Did you know that garage doors don't come pre-assembled...nope...they come with poor directions and millions of hinges and screws and such! We had TWO to assemble.
2. New windows and doors are in and are even prettier than I imagined...Slight disappointment with the doors as I wasn't told that they no longer make steel insulated and was sent fiberglass wrapped wood AND they are primed almond coloured...so now I HAVE to paint them. Sigh...but I am impressed with my glass choice and the beautiful handle sets that I picked out for them.
3. I am sleeping in my bedroom! That's right folks...for the past four months our bedroom was in the basement. We got busy and layed some hardwood! The hallway, master bedroom, and Claudia's room are done!
4. Now to tear apart the kitchen....my new kitchen is still in boxes sitting in my living room! How sad!
5. I am 98% ready for Christmas next week! All gifts are bought....Almost all gifts are wrapped...I have a couple of awkward ones to wrap yet and my gift to Nicole has yet to be completed (Had some technical difficulties...anyone need sewing machine parts?)
I am very sad that I have nowhere to set up our tree or to place decorations! No lights on the outside of our house...Bahhumbug! Hardly feels like Christmas is here...but next year I WILL go ALL out!!! Trust me...I will make up for it!
6. I did my baking a few weeks ago (thank you giant freezer)...Cream cookies, Chocolate Shortbread, Oreo Truffles, Peanut Butter Cups, Cinnamelts, and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. *We've been sampling here and there AND it's all tasty! shhhh...

CANDICE IS FAMOUS FOR...

MAKING HOLES IN HER HOUSE!....

Catch Up!

Seems like I've been procrastinating in the blogging department...so here's a couple of reasons why I'm too tired to blog!

Reason #1 ~ For my birthday we left the country! Yep...I discovered that they just recently opened an IHOP in Grand Forks and I HAD to celebrate my birthday there! Our friends Leah & Richard came along with Ike & myself and Laura. We had a great time eating our Rootie Tootie Fresh & Fruity Pancakes as well as some light shopping! For my birthday Ike bought me these beautiful flowers and I bought myself a sweater and a lovely necklace. Laura bought me some amazing candles from Bath & Body...and Leah had MADE me a gorgeous pottery bowl!

Reason #2 ~ It has been soooooo gorgeous outside....amazingly above temperature for this time of the year which is a HUGE blessing for us trying to get our garage built before the S*** flies! We also have the NICEST neighbours ever! They are all constantly offering us their assistance and tools! Below are pictures of our garage in progress...

Contractors still working on the concrete....Making a mess of my yard...

Ike wanted floor heat installed for when we can afford to buy a heater for it...Which it sounds like he's found a free one....woohoo.

Concrete poured and set...Now to start framing the walls.

It took Ike and I about 3 days of work to get all the walls framed.

Yesterday Ike's friend Dave and our neighbour Mark helped us put up the walls and anchor them in place!

It is starting to look like something!

Ike had to cut and tear off some of the stucco above where the trusses will go so that the flashing will sit flush with the wall and keep all moisture out of the garage....plus it'll be easier to install siding on that side of the house without the stucco. It was pretty hilarious when the boys discovered that it came off even easier by hooking up a strap to the truck and the other end to the wire in the stucco and givin'er. It made quick work of something that could've taken them hours. :) Boys!

New Stuff Is EXCITING!!!

On Friday I ordered our new kitchen cabinets...wooo wooo six weeks away from wonderful chaos! Yes...we did change the style and went with a more workable 'L' shaped kitchen...I got EVERYTHING I wanted this way and less wasted space! Plus my kitchen/Dining area will feel much bigger! The cupboards are basically going to be this colour...Maple in Espresso. I have yet to choose a countertop but I'm thinking something in a lighter colour...and my double sink is a Granite composite in Champagne.

To the right of the fridge is my pantry with pull out drawers and to the left is a broom closet. Of course there's plenty of storage in the cupboards above.

I have many wonderful full extend drawers for all of my stuff. The "cabinet" on the left is a special make just for me! The appliance garage will hide my microwave! The upper cupboard to the left of the stove will have some tray dividers for my cookie sheets and pans. The lower cupboard to the right of the stove is actually a pull out spice rack...and there is a corner cupboard there but no lazy susan cause I hate them! My sink cabinet includes a tilt out tray to hide icky scrubbies. The far right upper cupboard (that you can't really see) is a corner unit with glass door to show off some of my nicer crystal.

Last week my special order chandelier for our bedroom came in and on saturday we went and picked it up...I also splurged and bought a fancy light switch for it! Fancy meaning it's a dimmer switch with a remote!!! The remote is important because then we won't argue over who has to go turn off the lights!

And....(Drumroll................) Yesterday....Ike went and picked up our gorgeous flooring! (Tropical Walnut) It's even better than I thought! I can't wait for it to be installed!!!!

Murderers!!

We are official tree murderers! Yep...show no mercy...hack them down like savage beasts and haul their carcasses away to the compost! I hated those pine trees anyhow and chokecherries have never really been my favorite either. Look how much cleaner it is and how much bigger our yard looks!(You may need to compare pictures with a past blog) All done by hand! Rrraaawrrr! :)

The concrete boys were hard at work prepping the yard for our garage floor. Today the piers were done...hopefully it won't be much longer for the rest of the concrete work!