September and into October - continued

Ibby also took a week off in September and we focused our attention on the yard.  Grass seed was spread by the lake side.  And the slope in the front yard was just too steep to hold seed – it just washed away at the first rain.  So we picked up some sod, straight from the farm.  It ended up taking 60 rolls of sod just to do the front yard.  Again, thank goodness for our 2 SUV’s!  I’m sure we’ll have no shocks left by the end of this. 

 

 

Also had to pick up some topsoil, and Ibby worked that in first.  The weather was beautiful and cooperated, then enough rain the weeks following so it looks great now.  We haven’t done the side or back yards yet – that will wait until next spring – but at least from the front we look a lot less like a continuous construction zone.  And there has been a lot less dirt getting dragged into the house. 

 

Some of our neighbours have donated plants, and while I have an idea of how I would like to see the yard it’s not gonna be a ton of flowers.  Remember our goal was maintenance free as much as possible?  Some hostas, brown-eyed Susans, a little walkway, and that’s about it.

Canadian Gothic!

Ibby also shoveled some gravel over to the north side of the house by the propane tanks.  An attempt to keep weeds down on the side of the house we don’t really use.  And we both stacked firewood for the winter.   Have been enjoying fires in the woodstove again!  There will be plenty of time to unpack indoors when the weather turns bad.

 

We hosted a family picnic on Labour Day, and in early October Jaime’s 20^th birthday with his housemates and their families.  The boys had come to watch on demolition day so were excited to see the “new” cottage.  And we also celebrated our first holiday here on Thanksgiving with Maritza & Jaime.  We cleared boxes and actually found the dining room table!  Maritza started school in September and is loving it.  Unfortunately Jaime has taken another turn for the worse, and we’ve been meeting with psychiatrists, the school and his group home organization to support him through this as best as we can.  And hopefully to ultimately find a solution.  More ripped clothes to mend – better get my craft room organized soon!

 

Jaime, Jeremy & Kris kicking back on the deck.

 

Maritza made Spiderman cupcakes

 

August/September Update in Ummm… Late October!

Whew!  Where has the time gone?  Not sure if anyone is still reading this or if you’ve all given up on me.  But I know Mike W still bugs me for updates, so Mike, this one’s for you!  I’ll perhaps split it into a couple of smaller posts.  Problem is, there’s nothing big and dramatic that’s photo-worthy.  Still progress, but boring progress.

August and September saw the basement finished and slowly unpacking.  Of course there was another problem with the kitchen.  This time the pantry was too big to fit into the closet area because of the ductwork.  So they had to manufacture a new one in 2 sections.  But bonus – we got to keep the mistake cabinet.  So that’s staying out by Ibby’s home office for all the miscellaneous office supplies.  We also scored a really wide desk $35 at Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  It’s 70” which is perfect because he needs 2 monitors set up when he works from the cottage.

 Nice work if you can get it!  Notice the little "Stanley Cup" lamp!

Our little basement kitchenette has room for our canning supplies, roasting pans, big bowls & platters, paper plates & picnic supplies.  You know, the bulky stuff you need but don’t use very often.  And the closet area houses beach towels, sunscreen, bug spray and all those outdoor things you want to keep handy.  More shelf liners all around!  Electricians were back, countertop was ordered, picked up and installed, and the plumber returned to install the sink and put the toilet back in.  The countertop is from the Formica FX series that’s a large print laminate made to look like granite.

 The pocket door on the left leads to the toilet.

Just the one sink outside for both the kitchenette and toilet.

 

Stephen just recently finished putting leftover hardwood flooring on the basement stairs, so we’re now proud to report that MOST of the sawing and hammering (and dust!) is gone!  Have just finished painting the baseboards and trim so we can really put our furniture into place down there this weekend.  I still have to stain the stair edges and the handrail needs to go up.  Of course I have a unique decor idea for that – stay tuned!  Let’s just say I found more materials online on Kijiji…  Ibby & Stephen just roll their eyes whenever I come up with a great idea!

I also managed to do a few DIY projects over the last little while.  We painted the old beer fridge black with a can of Tremclad.  Turned out pretty good if I don’t say so myself! 

 

 

Sewed some curtains.  Our leaking ceiling was repaired at the condo, and a little glass partition was removed.  Check out the key holder at the condo!  Stephen made a little MDF box, which I painted and did my very first graphic transfer.  Thanks to the Graphics Fairy for the vintage seagull image!  It’s custom sized to fit right over the old, obsolete answering system.  Figured it was easier to cover it over than rip it out and patch drywall.

 

Before - YUK!

 

After - WOW!

 

And finally, bonus points to anyone who knows what these are!

Careful, you’ll poke your eye out!!!