In The Greenhouse

 I saved some seeds last year and am now just sorting through them.
Got plenty of kale, thats for sure!!

I set out all my trays and got the greenhouse all tidies up.
I could spend hours in there but its still just not quite time yet.

 I set up the rain barrel, but misplaced the screen.
Lets see how much this help the water bill this year.

 And all my precious seeds.
I love sorting and planning and reading and planning and reading and planning!!

 Next step was to fill all those trays.
Now i need to plant and label!!
So excited!

Molly Wanted Out

Our old Great Dane is starting to exhibit strange behaviours.
She has started to have anxiety and we really got to se that when we left her in her cozy garage spot while we ran to town.
She really wanted out!!
Poor girl.
And poor dad who's going to have to do some repairs....eventually.

White Board

I love all the new fancy paints that you can buy, glow in the dark, magnetic, white board.
Perfect for the DIY'er like myself.

I found some at home depot and it was reasonably priced, so I had no excuse to not try it!!

On the side of our pantry we have this large empty space.
Can't quite pin anything to it or hang anything on it, it's in a high traffic area, things would be ruined in a day.

But it wa perfect for this project!!

Late one night when everyone was in bed, and I knew there wouldn't be any "accidents", I painted on 5 coats of the stuff.
With 20 minutes between coats it wasn't really to bad.

I am in love with the results.
A white board, in my kitchen, that serves wonderfully for schooling.
Yikes!!
Pretty exciting stuff!

I think this was a clean, smart idea for our small home.

Sumo Lounges

Have you ever seen these things?!?!
Check them out  http://www.sumolounge.com/
They are the BOMB!!

Big, fluffy, lounging pillow that is the most comfortable thing ever.
We ordered 2 but are still waiting for the other one.

Raven Haven

My office/computer area.

House/Yard

Now the house is all painted and looks so lovely.
I love the colours we chose and how it all worked together.
We just need to finish the deck and the steps and some landscaping and we're pretty much done.

Hubby tore up the yard with an excavator, spending a week digging drainage lines, clearing trees for another orchard and general upkeep.

Waiting for for season to end and we'll have a huge bonfire.

As the sun keeps shining, we keep finding more chores around the yard.
These 8 acres keep us busy.

Oh and the dogs say a quick hello!!

Staining Day

A few weeks back I tackled one of the final steps to complete our renovation.
I stained the deck, then decided I should do the picnic table as well.
Now they'll last for years to come and we can enjoy them even in the winter.

Nightstand Re-do

K wanted, and needed, a night stand for her new room.
Since she has a white theme going on, the table had to be white.
This was actually harder to find than I thought.
Especially under $100.

I ended up taking her to the thrift store.
For $5.99 we found this amazing table, it was brown and ugly, but I could see it's potential.

SO out came the paint box from the shop.
I taught K how to prep (although I ended up prepping it) and together we painted it.
She did most of the work and was so proud of herself.

Now she has her ideal white nightstand, made to perfection.
She is one happy pre-tween.

Bathroom Shelf/Table Re-Do

 I love  decorating with white and silver.
I have seen some incredible mirrored tables and shelves made with white and mirrored or mercury glass.
I figured I could get the look without spending over $200.
I think I accomplished it.

I bought silver, chrome and white spray paints.
I looked everywhere for the mirrored stuff from Krylon but they do not sell in Canada and will not ship it too me.
GRRR!! Very frustrating I must say.

 I found this gem of a tacky piece on craigslist for $10.
Perfect because even if I screw up its not a huge investment.

I started with the glass first.

I sprayed 2 even coats of the chrome paint first.

While it was wet a threw splashes of water onto it and it pulled the paint away.

It worked like a charm.

Once dried it look like real mercury glass should.

Then I painted coat after coat of white to ensure full even coverage.
I'm feeling pretty smart.
Under $40 for a one of a kind retro style piece for my bathroom.

Interior Reno's Almost Complete

After 6 months...yes that long, we are 99% done. (I know some people who've built whole houses in that time.)
It'll never be 100% as there will always be something that'll need finishing.
But at this point we have the rooms and layout completed.
We have gone from 1100 sq feet to over 2300.
Yes it feels like a sprawling rancher now.
I must admit it does take some serious getting used to.

The girls old room has been changed into a den/library.
A whole was cut in the wall to give way to the hallway to the addition.

The hall has 2 bench seats with vinyl covered seating that I made.

This is my sewing/craft centre.

My command centre!!

It has lots of organizing but i'm mostly there.

 We now have our laundry room inside the house instead of in  the garage.

This is a simple luxury for me that has increased my happiness 10 fold.

Down the hall into the master bedroom.

Rounding the corner into my sanctuary.

I am so happy with how this all turned out.

It feels like a hotel suite.

I can hardly believe its all ours.

Ahh!!! then my closet.
I have always wanted a proper walk in closet that will actually have a spot for my things and be organized and efficiently laid out.

Then into the master bath.

Heated granite tile is my favourite part.
Or is the the sinks with the towel racks attached?
Or is it the tub?
I can't decide.
This is my version of peaceful heaven.

Then with the re-arranging of the house we gave way to more space reclaimed in the garage.
We set up a home gym!!

I am almost more excited about this than anything!!

So much to show, but pictures will never due it justice.
You'll have to take my word, it's amazing!!

Smokin' Pillows

 I love Smoking Lily, it's no secret.
But I also love a good deal.
So when I found this fabric in the form of a very expensive ottoman cover I first scoffed at it.
That is till I saw the reduced price tag.
Originally $240 marked down to $35.
Yup It was meant to be mine.

And with less than 2 hours of stitch ripping and resewing I am now the proud new owner of these Smokin' Smoking Lily pillows.
Swoon!!
I can't wait to see them in my new room.

Renovation Update

Walls are painted.
Electrical done.
Flooring going in as I type.
Forms built for the concrete pad for the deck, just need it be a bit warmer, (wrong time of year maybe though).
Half log siding wood lift ordered and to be milled shortly there after.
WOW!!
I can see the end in sight!
I am so excited and still can't believe it really.

Addition/Reno Part #4

 Weeks have flown by and the projects seem to be getting whittled away bit by bit.
The electrical is just about complete and the plumbing is next.
I have a love/hate thing going on with picking the bathroom fixture.
Love the styles/hate the prices!!
But all in all its going well.
By no means was my over ambitious dream of moving by christmas going to become a reality but that really is just fine with me.
Enough to do before Christmas really.

 Our roof is finished and the windows and doors are in .
Starting to look like a real house.

We are pouring the heat to it to dry it out completely before we insulate and drywall.
No small feat with this freezing weather we have, we had our first snow already!!