Brian and his crew were just finishing up this afternoon when I got home. I surprised them in the middle of "staging". All I can say is Woohoo!
As a special treat, Brian and Josh made us a little table out of the cedar scraps, topped with some very nice tile. It's very lovely and was totally unexpected. It will provide a convenient spot many glasses of wine, and juice boxes too.
I took this picture of the final product this afternoon, in between storm clouds. This pretty much sums up the week they had to work outside, and our summer in general---cloudy with a hint of sun. But, at least you can see the shadow cast by the cross-pieces on top of the pergola.
The next project is outdoor curtains for the pergola. It just needs to stay sunny long enough for me to figure out where to put them for maximum shade effect.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Day 3 of construction
Looks like we may just have one more day of construction left if the rain holds off tomorrow. We've been lucky so far as it's looked like rain all day the last two days. Yesterday, the rain didn't start until around 4:00, and today it's held off for the day. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Day 2 of construction
The rain held off until about 4:00 today, so they made some great progress on our backyard project. But, wow, is it ever big! I'm not great at seeing a design on paper and then visualizing it in reality. As Brian said when I got home, "We're building a super structure out there."
We're really happen with how it looks so far. And a great side benefit is that my yard and garage smell like a warm cedar chest.
For more pictures, check out the sidebar, or go to the pergola set on Flickr.
We're really happen with how it looks so far. And a great side benefit is that my yard and garage smell like a warm cedar chest.
For more pictures, check out the sidebar, or go to the pergola set on Flickr.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Older cousin
Blake's older than his cousin, Logan, by about a year. He takes this responsibility very seriously. He likes to hold her hand and "show" her stuff, whether she likes it or not.
Logan, Curtis, and Allyson were over for BBQ yesterday, so the kids spent quite a bit of time exploring the weeds/flowers at the back of the house. Whoever said weeds weren't useful?
Logan, Curtis, and Allyson were over for BBQ yesterday, so the kids spent quite a bit of time exploring the weeds/flowers at the back of the house. Whoever said weeds weren't useful?
First day of construction
When I got home from work today, the smell of cedar was permeating our backyard, and Brian (from KW Custom Bath) and his crew had up part of my fence, and the pergola over the hot tub started. It looks awesome!
And, in case you're wondering why we're having KW Custom Bath (a bathroom specialist) do our fence/pergola project:
>Brian's finished two basements, three bathrooms, and a porch for us
>He can build anything
>He always does a great job
I can't wait until our latest project is done!
And, in case you're wondering why we're having KW Custom Bath (a bathroom specialist) do our fence/pergola project:
>Brian's finished two basements, three bathrooms, and a porch for us
>He can build anything
>He always does a great job
I can't wait until our latest project is done!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
All horses, all the time
Faith is at her Grampa and Gramma's farm for 10 days and it's been all horses all the time. Yesterday, she went to a driving clinic with Grampa and Sydney. Sydney helps out Dad with the horses, and Faith loves to hang out with her any time she's at the farm. They left at 8:00 am and returned home at 8:30 pm. To me, this is a lot of horses, but Faith insisted she wasn't even tired at the end of the day. Dad was another story.
During the day, Faith got to do a half hour driving lesson. They needed to but a box on the floor of the carriage to rest her feet on, and Dad was a little worried she might get bounced out as the terrain was a little rough, and she's pretty light compared to most of the drivers. But other than that, she was off. And, she got to ride Sheba (one of Dad's horses) bareback. The kid is going to turn into a horse soon.
I'm not sure who was more thrilled by the whole experience, Faith or my Dad. Either way, we're constantly in awe of her love of horses, and how excited she is to be around them. It's a truly wondrous experience to witness your kid find her passion.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
My exotic lilies (and my new lens)
Warning: If you're not into photography, just skip the next paragraph and enjoy the picture of my lilies.
I finally got a new (better) lens for my camera, and my new lilies were a good choice to do some test shots. It's a Tamron f2.8 28-75mm for my Canon body. I was going for the lower aperture across the whole focal range, without having to go bankrupt buying a Canon lens. So far, the Tamron has been an excellent investment. I even splurged and bought a higher end UV filter and polarizer for the lens. I plan on having the lens for a looooong time, so I figure it's an investment. The lens goes full frame, so whenever I get around to upgrading my camera body, the lens will go along with me. And, if anyone is interested, BJ Photo is where I bought everything. They are super helpful and, frankly, have the best prices around.
I finally got a new (better) lens for my camera, and my new lilies were a good choice to do some test shots. It's a Tamron f2.8 28-75mm for my Canon body. I was going for the lower aperture across the whole focal range, without having to go bankrupt buying a Canon lens. So far, the Tamron has been an excellent investment. I even splurged and bought a higher end UV filter and polarizer for the lens. I plan on having the lens for a looooong time, so I figure it's an investment. The lens goes full frame, so whenever I get around to upgrading my camera body, the lens will go along with me. And, if anyone is interested, BJ Photo is where I bought everything. They are super helpful and, frankly, have the best prices around.
New fence and pergola - stage 1
Yes! We have post holes, cement and a few posts. Brian and his guys start working on Monday. Woohoo! (And yes, the gazebo from Walmart will be down by then. We've been too busy enjoying the hot tub to worry about it.)
Indoor wildlife
George was watching TV on Sunday evening, after all the kids were in bed, and the house was peaceful. Then, he saw a teeny little mouse run across the floor, underneath the TV stand. EEEEEEK!
We both tried to shoo the little creature out the patio door (well...George shooed, and I stood on the couch). But no luck.
So, the next day we set some traps. After I tried setting the traps a couple of times, and watching them fly across the room, my Dad took over and put them out for us. These were not "humane" traps...just the standard mouse guillotine. Cheap and effective. I'm not really a proponent of letting vermin free. They just breed and then you've got a bigger problem. I want them DEAD.
Well, the cheap wooden mouse trap was very effective. We caught one the first morning. I am a wimp, however, and George got rid of it. Then, this morning, we caught another one! Again, I'm a wimp. I could hardly look at the trap without a serious case of the heebie jeebies.
So, we'll be setting more and hoping we wipe out this problem soon. EEEEK.
We both tried to shoo the little creature out the patio door (well...George shooed, and I stood on the couch). But no luck.
So, the next day we set some traps. After I tried setting the traps a couple of times, and watching them fly across the room, my Dad took over and put them out for us. These were not "humane" traps...just the standard mouse guillotine. Cheap and effective. I'm not really a proponent of letting vermin free. They just breed and then you've got a bigger problem. I want them DEAD.
Well, the cheap wooden mouse trap was very effective. We caught one the first morning. I am a wimp, however, and George got rid of it. Then, this morning, we caught another one! Again, I'm a wimp. I could hardly look at the trap without a serious case of the heebie jeebies.
So, we'll be setting more and hoping we wipe out this problem soon. EEEEK.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Playset antics
While the adults were playing around getting the hot tub installed on the weekend, the kids were playing around on the our swings/climber set. You'll note a few things:
- The bottle of beer...try to follow it.
- The boys are camera showoffs, and Blake likes to call me "Robin" on camera.
- Logan's Mom is the one talking in the background predicting what will happen as Logan goes dow the slide: "Catch her or she's going to land flat on her back." She was right! (See point 1 for the reason.)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Hot tubbing it
This was the weekend we finally got our hot tub. We've been talking about getting one for about five years, and even had a patio area put in for it when we did our driveway after we moved in. Well, nothing like a little procrastination! The first video is the guys bringing in the tub, with help from my brother, George's dad, George, and our friend Rob. I highly recommend having a lot of testosterone around if you ever get one of these delivered...as you can tell from the video, it looks easy and gets harder.
And, this is what it looks like once you actually get in. The kids got to try it out that night for a few minutes and loved it. Next is our fence and pergola, and a nice tax deduction courtesy of our government. Then, we can really enjoy the backyard.
Friday, July 10, 2009
And now for this humerous commercial break
A friend sent this to me awhile ago, and I stumbled across it again recently when Cathy posted about College Humor's Web Side Story video (a spoof on West Side Story). Being a tech writer, this video always makes me laugh. And, if you are willing to lose a few hours of your life, take a look at the other College Humor videos and prepare to laugh.
Font Conference (sorry...I tried to embed it, but it was too wide)
Font Conference (sorry...I tried to embed it, but it was too wide)
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Soft ice cream
Once the summer hits, we like to live on ice cream and freezies. But, we got an even better treat when we visited my parents last week--soft ice cream!
When I was a kid, we'd all go over to The Dairy Freeze (near where my mom grew up) for soft ice cream. It was a half hour drive to heaven. The best was the chocolate dipped ice cream, although I could never quite eat it fast enough to prevent the drips that my dad had to help us "lick down". (I have learned since becoming a parent that this is just a big excuse to get some extra ice cream.)
Well, now my childhood hometown has soft ice cream in the form of a Dairy Freeze knockoff. Why did they have to wait until I moved away? Friday night we headed to "Danielle's" for some burgers and soft ice cream. Sydney (who helps Dad with the horses) was giving carriage rides, with Faith in tow. And the rest of us were there to enjoy eating outside on a warm summer evening and visiting with people.
We bumped into George's Uncle Tommy and Aunt Carol when we pulled up -- small town for you. Then, after burgers, it was time for ice cream -- chocolate/vanilla twist dipped in chocolate anyone? Even the horse, Suzie, got her own vanilla cone after Blake helped her "lick it down". (Check out the side shots from flickr for a picture of this.)
A perfect summer evening!
When I was a kid, we'd all go over to The Dairy Freeze (near where my mom grew up) for soft ice cream. It was a half hour drive to heaven. The best was the chocolate dipped ice cream, although I could never quite eat it fast enough to prevent the drips that my dad had to help us "lick down". (I have learned since becoming a parent that this is just a big excuse to get some extra ice cream.)
Well, now my childhood hometown has soft ice cream in the form of a Dairy Freeze knockoff. Why did they have to wait until I moved away? Friday night we headed to "Danielle's" for some burgers and soft ice cream. Sydney (who helps Dad with the horses) was giving carriage rides, with Faith in tow. And the rest of us were there to enjoy eating outside on a warm summer evening and visiting with people.
We bumped into George's Uncle Tommy and Aunt Carol when we pulled up -- small town for you. Then, after burgers, it was time for ice cream -- chocolate/vanilla twist dipped in chocolate anyone? Even the horse, Suzie, got her own vanilla cone after Blake helped her "lick it down". (Check out the side shots from flickr for a picture of this.)
A perfect summer evening!
Nothing to do with the picture
Does this look like the face of a kid that goes to the potty by saying, "I can do it Mom" and shutting the door in my face? Yes, I have a two and half year old that is not only completely potty trained, but can in fact go to the potty all by himself without spraying my bathroom with pee.
Faith is going to our sitters for the summer, so she informed me today that he goes to the bathroom all by himself every time when he's there! He's a potty prodigy! I'd write a book on this miracle and make millions but it had nothing to do with me.
(The picture is just another excuse to show off cute puppies...which are now all sold to happy new owners.)
Faith is going to our sitters for the summer, so she informed me today that he goes to the bathroom all by himself every time when he's there! He's a potty prodigy! I'd write a book on this miracle and make millions but it had nothing to do with me.
(The picture is just another excuse to show off cute puppies...which are now all sold to happy new owners.)
Monday, July 06, 2009
Puppies!
2009 07 02_2003
Originally uploaded by Robin's Nest3
In this video, Gramma helps Blake pick up some puppies while Lora watches in the background.
My first cousin, Lora
The last couple of weeks has been a whirlwind around the house. The big news was a visit from Lora, my first cousin from Australia. Having her come for a visit is always a big event, and Faith makes it an even bigger one because Lora (and her sister Charlotte) are like the big sisters she doesn't have. In her eight-year-old eyes, hanging out with her teenage cousins is the height of cool.
We got to visit with her twice in the last two weeks--one here and one down at my parents' farm (more to come). My Aunt Margaret and Lora came for a visit to our place two Fridays ago. In honour of the visit, we got to do a couple of firsts.
We got to go antique shopping in the little town next to ours...something I've wanted to do for a couple of years, but have shied away from with a baby/toddler in tow. My credit card/nerves couldn't handle that. But, Lora likes to antique, Faith and Aunt Margaret were up for it, and Blake was at the sitters. So, the elements aligned.
The antique stores ranged from garage sale to don't touch anything ($10,000 antique desk anyone?). My favourite spot was a place called Funky Junk, so you can tell which end of scale I was on. I got a couple of nature prints for the house, Faith got a little ring with an F on it, and I got a nicely rusted flower climber for the garden. Then, we had to stop for a "snack" at an outdoor cafe where we had yummy scones and a cinnamon bun floating in a bed of caramel sauce. (We shared...and Faith and I are planning a return trip with Blake. :)
Our next stop was Stratford for West Side Story. Aunt Margaret kindly treated us to rush tickets (thank you!) and we had some pretty good seats for the afternoon showing. Lora was very familiar with the play (band), as was Aunt Margaret, but I'd never seen it, and this was Faith's first play EVER. (We were going big.) They assured me I would know most of the music, though, but I'm not a musical fan so I was just prepared for a "pleasant" afternoon.
Wow! What a surprise. I knew almost all the music, and the play was fantastic! It wasn't just the music but the staging, dancing, and physicality of the production. The balcony scene was spectacular and the audience broke out in applause for Tony half-way through the scene to say HOLY COW...I can't believe you just did that while SINGING/ACTING/DANCING. Faith's comment was more on point, "How many times did they kiss?!?"
So, yes, I actually liked this musical, as did the rest of our girl-party. I was very happy that Faith enjoyed her first real theatre experience. As she said, "I didn't understand it all, but I liked it!"
So that was the day. When we got home to the boys, we mostly recovered (i.e. napped), and then Faith watched a Family Channel movie with Lora (yes even 19-year-olds...and adults...can enjoy some things produced by Disney). A relaxing ending to a great day.
We got to visit with her twice in the last two weeks--one here and one down at my parents' farm (more to come). My Aunt Margaret and Lora came for a visit to our place two Fridays ago. In honour of the visit, we got to do a couple of firsts.
We got to go antique shopping in the little town next to ours...something I've wanted to do for a couple of years, but have shied away from with a baby/toddler in tow. My credit card/nerves couldn't handle that. But, Lora likes to antique, Faith and Aunt Margaret were up for it, and Blake was at the sitters. So, the elements aligned.
The antique stores ranged from garage sale to don't touch anything ($10,000 antique desk anyone?). My favourite spot was a place called Funky Junk, so you can tell which end of scale I was on. I got a couple of nature prints for the house, Faith got a little ring with an F on it, and I got a nicely rusted flower climber for the garden. Then, we had to stop for a "snack" at an outdoor cafe where we had yummy scones and a cinnamon bun floating in a bed of caramel sauce. (We shared...and Faith and I are planning a return trip with Blake. :)
Our next stop was Stratford for West Side Story. Aunt Margaret kindly treated us to rush tickets (thank you!) and we had some pretty good seats for the afternoon showing. Lora was very familiar with the play (band), as was Aunt Margaret, but I'd never seen it, and this was Faith's first play EVER. (We were going big.) They assured me I would know most of the music, though, but I'm not a musical fan so I was just prepared for a "pleasant" afternoon.
Wow! What a surprise. I knew almost all the music, and the play was fantastic! It wasn't just the music but the staging, dancing, and physicality of the production. The balcony scene was spectacular and the audience broke out in applause for Tony half-way through the scene to say HOLY COW...I can't believe you just did that while SINGING/ACTING/DANCING. Faith's comment was more on point, "How many times did they kiss?!?"
So, yes, I actually liked this musical, as did the rest of our girl-party. I was very happy that Faith enjoyed her first real theatre experience. As she said, "I didn't understand it all, but I liked it!"
So that was the day. When we got home to the boys, we mostly recovered (i.e. napped), and then Faith watched a Family Channel movie with Lora (yes even 19-year-olds...and adults...can enjoy some things produced by Disney). A relaxing ending to a great day.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Happy Canada Day!
In honour of the day, I made some very "red" strawberry-rhubarb crisp today. I totally went local with the ingredients. The rhubarb and strawberries are from a farm market that I pass by each day.
The kids and I also made a double-batch of chocolate chip cookies. And, I made homemade pecan/dark chocolate ice cream. Yum!
Don't worry...we'll all fit into our clothes next week. Most of the baking is headed elsewhere or into the freezer for a bbq we're having.
So have a Happy Canada Day and enjoy whatever you're doing. Me...I'm off to take a nap. Baking is exhausting. :)
The kids and I also made a double-batch of chocolate chip cookies. And, I made homemade pecan/dark chocolate ice cream. Yum!
Don't worry...we'll all fit into our clothes next week. Most of the baking is headed elsewhere or into the freezer for a bbq we're having.
So have a Happy Canada Day and enjoy whatever you're doing. Me...I'm off to take a nap. Baking is exhausting. :)
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