progres

remember how the backyard looked two weeks ago?
{here are the photos}


i think we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. hardly seems possible...it's been so long!

i actually have to take a photo this weekend after Kris puts down the rest of the sod. we chose to go without a sidewalk for now. too much time to make the forms and pour concrete. not sure if it is worth our time either. grass is good! i was just so excited to see the growing pile of junk disappear.

we even parked the car on our garage pad one evening! lol!

one of my neighbors got really excited when she saw me snapping photos. she told me that it was too bad i didn't have "before" photos. (apparently she doesn't know me that well...) she thinks that we have a good chance of winning a contest in Canadian Gardening about the best yard improvement. nice compliment. i miss the "green" we used to have in the yard. i will never miss the "shack" we used to call the garage. but hard to believe a building change would be that dramatic. glad she is happy.

our house will celebrate its 60th birthday next year.

anyways...so glad that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger. i'm nearing the end of my contract too. and my workload! i loved the job and wish i could stay on into November...a quieter month! great kids. great and supportive parents. super team. and a good challenge for me right now. at times i'm in disbelief that it was only two months ago i started.

so got to get back to the workload. the pile is getting smaller...wahoo!!

keeping a list and...

working away at checking everything off....


and wondering if it will ever end!!


ever feel that way?

we got a "hunk" of sod delivered early Friday morning. and some contractors down the street caught some thieves trying to pile it into their truck. they managed to get 4 or 5 rolls before they got caught and drove away. this happened during working and daylight hours. on a school day. and we live in front of a school on a busy street. i had heard once that the majority of break and enters into homes occurs during the daytime when most people are at work. apparently this makes us fit into the statistics. great. it was just what we wanted.

so if you have neighbors who own a black truck...and they just put down a few rows of sod...you now know where they got it from.

one more item checked off our list. the concrete driveway was finally poured in the early and freezing cold hours Saturday morning.

it is presently covered in plastic and curing.

we have extra crushed gravel. it is slowly making it's way out to an acreage far, far away. soon we can put up the long awaited fence.

then some of our remnants from the tear down and building can get carted away....and our sod put down in it's place! and we will have a yard just in time for winter.

or spring. depending on how you look at it.

the next major item is getting our garage electricity. woo-hoo! it means lights and a working garage door. maybe we can park the cars in time for snow?

regardless...we are THRILLED that the list of "to dos" is getting shorter.

and for exciting news....

our first born is going to be FOUR years old tomorrow!! where has the time gone?

he has been counting down to this birthday since April. no exaggeration. finally it is his turn for the birthday.

look

at the transformation...


this post will be short and specific. hmmm....we'll see....


the garage is in its final stages. and we can not wait.


here are some photos from the original garage. yup. it has looked like that the entire time we've owned this house. and the fifty years before that!


{i do miss the Siberian Larch}



then we "toredownourgarage" as Aidan rapidly tells everyone we see.
if you are just tuning in: underneath the very solid concrete pad, at the front and centre, was a steep car part. yes a clunker from sixty years ago. very old.

a pile of dirt and gravel. totally bare.

and then lots of sweat, blood, more sweat, and yes a few tears!

our nearly complete project.

{and the black trim is actually the tar paper, but it sure looks sharp in the photo!}

and here are the views that we look at every day.

so it is coming along.

new job. new garage. no holiday time. i've got my fingers crossed that we can get the yard and fence completed before snow. it would be great to be able to enjoy lawn and a safe place to play (no nails, boards, concrete and steel....)before it is too cold to play in the yard.

these days

there is so much to do for fun. we love summer in the city!

today the weather is not so wonderful. a good day to hang out at home. but we're hoping to venture out and check out Fort Edmonton. the train is hit. so is the streetcar. and now they have discovered the penny carnival games. although since when does it cost a "loonie" to play a "penny"game? copper has turned to brass....


here is the evidence from fun from Tuesday. {Monday was a record breaking hot one...we spent it at the spray park....without the camera so that i could cool off too....kids can be a convenient excuse at times!}

lots to do at "the little kahuna" fringe festival. one event was face painting. here are the photos:


Aidan chose the sword. i guess the days of puppy dogs and frogs and little red cars are passing....

Kiara is actually happy with anything. there were so many choices for her, so we had to choose for her! here is her flower painting.

there is an imagination craft area. lots of recyclables. they both made medals.

a real source of pride for them!

that night i made this yummy BBQ dish. i could eat this every day.

chicken marinated (for only 20 minutes!) in a chili and lime sauce. then put on skewers.

skewer some mango chunks and red pepper.

add honey to some reserved sauce to make a glaze. and brush it on at the end of the cooking.

the kids love it too!

here is the recipe for Grilled Chicken and Mango Kabobs on the Canadian Living website.

and there is still lots of activity on our block.

the water pipes are in the ground. the garage is up and sealed and protected from rain.

but there is a ditch behind our lot.

we had wanted to get a bin in and get rid of our concrete from the sidewalk. and the extra dirt from the garage excavation. but the alley was blocked and not passable for a large truck.
we were thrilled when the company doing the excavating of the road disposed of our concrete too. the only cost was the inconvenience of having no alley. i've noticed one of our neighbors did the same thing with some concrete that has been around forever....and not a pretty site.

i don't mind the ditch right now. we still don't have a fence. the ditch means no traffic to worry about the kids running into. and it also sort of blocked the kids into the yard.

look what showed up.

the gravel is arriving and filling in part of the ditch.

big machines. more excitement.

Aidan is waiting for is "Rolly".

unfortunately Rolly does not build fences. when that dirt is gone, then the fence can go up. when you hear crazed yelling, then you will know it is complete. and the crazed yelling will be my voice. and if you can listen closely you will hear the 'hallelujah' and 'yes' words called out repeatedly.

further proof that i should not be allowed near building sites:

Kristian installed the two windows in the garage. as he proudly showed off his work, i say, "are they inside out?" i guess he agreed, so they got switched. and we formed a pact to not tell his dad.

the siding went up on this last hot saturday. well, most of it. the odd part were the windows. they stuck out a lot. and were difficult for the siding. of course this was not a problem until he got to the top, the drip cap. he was discussing his dilemna with a friend of his brothers' who is a builder.

wouldn't you know it but the windows are in backwards.

Kris has been really good about it all. i may be enlisted to help in removing some siding. or he may do it while i'm sleeping. just to be on the safe side.

sometimes it is just better to stick with what you know. or at least keep your mouth shut!

i've been sent back to the scrap room. awww....such a shame! ha!!

Shel Silverstein has a poem that goes like this:

If you have to dry the dishes

(Such an awful, boring chore)

If you have to dry the dishes

('Stead of going to the store)

If you have to dry the dishes

And you drop one on the floor--

Maybe they won't let you

Dry the dishes anymore.

hmmmmm.......

oh happy day

this pic summarizes the day:



Kris' dad was able to come over for the afternoon. they finished putting all the shingles on the roof. {sort of hard to see....look close...they have the biggest grins on their faces}

this was as close of a shot of the roof i could get. i do not like heights. and they had that ladder....like a ladder. could they not have put it at any kind of angle? i still wouldn't have gotten on the roof...but maybe i could have photographed the shingles. because you would want to see them. no. oh. really? you're right. probably better in person. if you are driving down the back alley? what?! you don't want to hang out for awhile? we only have a portion of our yard as a hazard...

fine. more news...

the garage is now lockable and waterprooof.

can't wait for the siding to go on. white is such an interesting color.....NOT! oh well. it does act as a great light reflector. and with the cloudy days we've been having....not a bad alternative!

i am REALLY hoping our pile of concrete, junk dirt and other junk will be gone in the next week. we're hoping to dispose of it, then get some dirt. and some sod. and somewhere along the way some solid advice on how or even what to do when we go about repairing our lawn situation. that should be fun.

THEN.....the fence will be up. and that will make me happy.

even happier than this!

Kris' mom came along with the dad package today. the kids got a great deal. and so did i!! Kiara tried to escape her nap and get in on the deal....she missed the afternoon "gamma" time, but got plenty on either end of it! Aidan thoroughly wore her out. i think the three of them should sleep quite nicely. oh and i'm sure Kris and his dad will also be joining that group. for the first time i am the one with the energy. and no i did not take any migraine meds!!

i took the kids to a nearby park. it was SO FUN!! this one is quite safe. i used to take Aidan here a lot before Kiara came along. they spent about half an hour running up the stairs and racing down the slides. this was one of those trouble-free trips. it was SO GOOD that i wondered if all the stress and frustrations of the week were just my imagination....yeah, it was that good of a day!

i did get several useable photos. what does this photo remind you of?

the famous Kate Winslet pose from "Titanic"? that's what it reminds me of. i guess you could say that this is the prairie version....

just Aidan having a good time.

ahhhh. great memories.

i just finished this album. you can see all of the pages here. it was a stinkin' amount of work! but the kids love pointing at themselves and the rest of us.

the photos are just of us. taken from this spring. you may just remember seeing some of them here!

so happy it was a good day.

more fun

thinking back to what i did this week.

and what i did not do.

that stinkin' cold took too much time and life from us....i have decided. we're still not totally over it. at least we have our energy and enthusiasm for life back.

Aidan has been crawling into our bed during the night. don't hear or feel him come and join us. but wake up to have him right there! i guess we're good company? seems like it is me that has been waking up first and having to carry him back to bed. thursday night - or early friday morning - i could not get back to sleep after carrying the sleeping boy into his own bed. of course i was exhausted by morning. and you can picture me trying to drink my coffee and wake up. and convince myself that it will be a good day....yeah we've all had those!

so friday morning i was on my third cup and still not fully awake. successfully managed to knock my full cup onto my lap...and allowing my laptop to catch some of the spill as well. it was HOT!!! the kids had been playing nicely....until i jumped up and screamed. that stopped play really fast. Aidan took one quick look at me and saw my now coffee coloured nightgown....legs...floor....laptop....and he starts to cry. i believe that i woke up suddenly at this point. can't figure out why.

well. the ol' laptop seems to have survived. i hope that it isn't leading me on. i have my files backed up. just in case.

i think friday was one of those never ending days.

at least it ended much better than it began.

Kris' parents ate supper and watched the kids for us friday night. we have been able to get out once a week for a date night this past month. we still find that we are trying to recover from his previous job. we are just thankful that his current job is much better, and that they understand Kristian is only human and that there are only 24 hours in a day....truly that statement is not an exaggeration as it sounds. if you only knew....

saturday was much better. not that it was difficult to top!


the kids were happy to see grandpa again. funny...Kiara was hoping to see uncle John too. she has already figured out that when there is work to be done he should be around too.

this is one of Aidan's photos. his perspective. the two of them did get the large automatic garage door installed (minus the electricity!) by the end of the day.

this was funny when i came across it. oh Aidan. my budding photographer.

i guess this is how i look in the morning. at least i showered!

last night we had a friend-neighbour party at "the other Aiden's" house. yes we have an Aiden H. and an Aidan O. Aidan also took photos at the party. he was responsible for this photo of Erin's flower. i was impressed. i had just taught him why and when and how to use the macro setting. wish i learned stuff this quick!

and here is little Marcella. her mom is Jenny (on the left). Eliza is on the right. this is where pictures get frustrating. Eliza was making Marcella laugh....you can see that Marcella is watching and ready for the next giggle.

Kiara had a blast! i think this was her third popsicle? oh well. she did have a few chips to eat too.

this is Aiden H. and his daddy, Hamish. he just loves his boys. and all of the kids loved him! he was the official popsicle patrol.

can't see it. but Oliver is eating a popsicle. it looks like Erin is trying to see if he'll share?! and Jen has a hopeful look too. poor kid...having to face such pressure! we also have two Olivers. Oliver H. and Oliver L. Oliver L. is sitting on his daddy's lap. definitely daddy's boy!
there is a negative to Aidan "borrowing" my camera. like you hadn't guessed. i think he has touched my lens. there were a few cute photos but a little blurry. like this one. isn't this adorble of Oliver H. and his mom, Erin?

here is one of the group shots.
and the other side of the deck.

perfect size for hanging out. so fun to just walk over. kids got to play. adults got to enjoy ourselves. it was a win-win.

although i think any playdates will now have to be at Erins.....and i'm only half joking. man it was a kids' paradise!

Aidan and Ethan totally loved this racetrack. i never knew car racing could be so funny! they both shared quite well....still amazed....and each had a car. they took turns....again, totally amazing....and were shocked every time the car flew through the loop. i'm not surprised about these two boys specifically getting along...both good kids....but they are still preschoolers....

cute.

they had a rollercoaster track and a train track. i'd never seen anything like it. as you can see the boys loved it.

that is Ben in the background. he has an adorable and infectious laugh.

this is the one laugh i got from Kiara while she was riding it. she had a blast. even without popsicles or chips in her hand!

we may need to contribute to the battery fund......

another one of Aidan's photos. i think the blur here is due to a shaky hand. or a moving subject. i like this simply because it is a photo of Aiden taken by Aidan. did you catch that?!

the only person missing is Connor. crazy. he is so sweet and perfect for photos. i thought i got some of him with Kiara. (Kiara adores him and he is always very kind to her.)

so nice to have neighbors who are fun. and we all have kids the same age. love it!! it is so difficult to get all of us together at once. but we do manage to meet at the park or on the sidewalk. or even plan time to meet!

and maybe i'll take better photos next time. actualy have everyone. get the whole face. have a clean camera....just to name a few!

this is Aidan. watching.

yeah. who would have guessed?!

Kristian is anxious to get the shingles on the garage. and the doors and windows installed. my desire is to have a fence again. i hope that is near the top of the list....

well. i have a little girl who is grumpier than anything and refuses to nap today. and a son who is also tired but insistent on "helping" his daddy. and another trip to Costco needed.

our friend, Ray, is here giving Kris a hand with the shingles. i'm thinking they may be able to finish one side of the roof today. that would be great. Aidan also loves Ray. i can hear him talking to both of the guys like he's one of them....very cute. for awhile.

i wonder if i dare take both of them to Costco? the kids get cookies as a treat. i wish they had something for the adults. can you tell i'm "excited" about just the thought of the shopping trip?

i think i'll make a margarita and think about it some more. and if you're in the neighborhood {wink}....stop by and join me. and bring your kids. just keep them away from the margaritas!

another day

to work on the garage project.

the weather has not been that suitable for outdoor work this week. we were very thankful that the sun was shining today. and for no wind!

one goal was to finish the sheathing of the roof.

by supper there was just a narrow strip along the top of both sides. that is Kris discussing the next step with his dad. at least that is what i think they were talking about. they might have been betting on the weather. who really knows....

the goal was accomplished. i just don't have photos of the completed roof. you'll just have to take my word for it.

the second goal was to replace the shingles (and the door....which we had been given the wrong one!)

no one out there offered their advice on the state of our design. so i guess there really isn't anyone to offend?! haha maybe next time you'll helpl me out. i know the photos were pretty poor....not like there was a huge difference between the colours anyway....

we knew that the mis-matched red shingles were out. the charcoal grey ones were in. that was the only thing we knew for sure when we woke up this morning.

our most favourite of all the colour options was sage. maybe if we really loved it and couldn't live without it...we do like the richer colours. so not our "dream colour". not that the shingles fit that bill either. my gosh! we are nuts. favourite shingle? what have we become?!

anyways. we stuck with white.

boring.

sigh.

one day. when we can pick our dream shingles, siding...or maybe not siding! this really is not our dream house. somewhere on some shore island. or some forest near the rockies.

for now. white works.

so the second goal for the day was to load, exchange, pick up and unload the shingles before the alley was impassable! they started on our alley yesterday. not that Kris couldn't have moved them to the front....but nice to save some work when we could!

or perhaps it is becoming a problem for me. watching Kris exercise his muscles as he lifts and carries heavy items.....guilt is not the word that comes to mind.

okay on to other topics....


Aidan was given a project of his own.

John used his truck to transport the shingles and the door. Kris needed to be there for exchange purposes.

Kiara and i drove in another vehicle to get in line to order the correct shingles and door...maybe save time? we hoped. besides i had other errands to do as well.

Aidan decided to stay back with Grandpa. and so they built a garage for Aidan's stuff. so no cute pictures of the two of them working. maybe that was part of the plan....hmmmm....we had some paint. so Aidan put on the first coat just before supper.

both kids woke up quite cranky today. sure enough they both have colds. tylenol and nasal spray were their bedtime friends. i'm feeling a sore throat coming on too. our summers are too short. colds and other illnesses should be outlawed! i can hear one of my aunts' voice: "we don't have time for this!" not that there ever is a "good" time anyway.....

so i believe that the next step is to add shingles. then the doors. i can't wait until the doors are on! if the kids knew what the doors meant for them....they would be begging daddy, gwampa and unca john to work fast -- and bothering them all a lot less too.

the other step that i can't wait for is getting our fence put back. and then maybe the piles of dirt and debris removed....

i totally forgot to share photos of our daytrip to watch the capital ex parade. another day.

must go. have a date with some tylenol too.