Congratulations!

Congrats go out to Lauren and Tom who were engaged on December 26, 2009. My baby sister is getting married! I wish you both the Lord's blessings as you move forward in your relationship.

Love your old sister (in-law to be)

I must, i must, i must increase the dust

Aaah, the dawning of another day, the sun peeking through the snow clouds and sparkling down into my pristinely clean domicile, whilst the little play with the dogs... okay, someone's living in a dreamland - the sun was striving to peek through my dusty windows, as i put my work shoes on for another day of renos. It's kinda funny how you start one project - a kitchen renovation (which, by the way for all of those of you who would say "i told you so" to living in dust and chaos is expected and understood!) and you think you are simply putting up new cabinetry. And then well, you need to think about wiring and lighting and where switches go and how do you want your floor tiles fitted and would you like a new fridge and which one is the best and where should the vacuum hole go for central vac, if you even want central vac - which one is good? Aaah, the dazzling array of questions... pick one and answer it for me and i'll love you forever. Seriously, i am enjoying seeing changes coming, anticipating the new kitchen and how much more practical (hopefully) it will be and how much more "me" it will be, which i'm finding out things about myself along the way as well - interesting process - you demolish your house and somehow you start poking around in "unfinished" or "cluttered" rooms in your own mind and soul - trying to do some demolitiont here too and clean things up. Enough philosophizing - here's the pics...

There is now a hole into my stairwell (i've never really sat and pondered my stairwell - but it's probably the largest unobstructed space in the house - kinda unusable and barren and really, really tall! I'm not looking forward to painting it at all - i'm kinda scared actually!) and it is the new home for my pantry - isn't that gonna be nice and handy? I can't wait!
The hole in the wall as seen from the steps - i think it's so nice and light in there - totally changes the look of both the hall and the kitchen - maybe i'll leave it like this - kinda like a balcony for Juliet - just need to find that Romeo yet!
My new best friend - the shop vac... he's such a nice sucker! and such a hard worker - my puns are failing me at present, Carina, so you'll have to fill this in at some point - i feel kinda let down by my powers of creativity! That sucks!

Anyone wanna choose a sink for me?????? I'm a little at a loss as to what to choose! So many choices, i'm kinda bowled over and feeling a little drained (ooh, it's starting to sink in)
Perhaps i'm creative with words, maybe i get it from my mother, who even on the way to church manages to be creative with the snowscraping - keep up the good work, Mom!

smiles

Smiles come from many things... a few minutes to reflect on that... bear with me or skip down to the renos blog, more hands on, heehee!
My new bracelet (love it), my nephews laughter, being part of a loving family, my computer actually turning on in a timely fashion, planning a new kitchen (well, okay, sometimes this makes me frown with too many things to decide but the end product, that's the ticket), watching the kids program at church and loving their seriousness and singing, Leveld Christmas dinner - spareribs and Debbie's potatoes, yumyum, when my hair decides to behave, hearing a friends voice after not seeing them for a long time, Opa and Oma's clock chiming, kniepertjes (?sp), learning new skills, poetry, listening to Bach, anticipation of things to come, my bed at the end of a long day, being off of work for six days in a row, a hug from my parents, a good book, being encouraged in church and reminded of our joy as Christians in Christ!

Blessed Christmas to all!

Blessed Christmas to you all - may you have a lovely day with friends and family! May the God of peace bless and keep you in this season and in the year to come!

And the walls came a'tumbling down!

And so the serious work has begun! Last week we got a big step into the reno process - doing a whole lotta smashing, banging and wrecking. As i sit here in my office, there is a fine haze of white dust over all surfaces - boy, am i ever going to need to do a good house cleaning when all this nonsense is done! Anyone up for a cleaning party? I'll even feed you! But seriously, we got a good ways into the process - job list included:
- ripping all the floor tiles out - Dad, my faithful sidekick, had already gotten started on that a little bit when i was gone to B.C. but we really went to town Thursday evening - we started with a hammer and chisel - i'm learning lots about tools and even physics (levers and fulcrums?) Then Dave came along with his ?chipping gun and boy did the dust and floor tiles start flying then. We were wading through mounds of debris - tiles, subfloor, two layers of linoleum that were buried under the tiles! I guess the former owners just kept piling the layers on and the floor subsequently kept getting higher!
- smashing holes in the very thick plaster walls and ripping them down - what dust! What noise! We wore masks as long as we could but after a while, you couldn't breath with and then you couldn't breath without - so it's a difficult choice... I will confess my boogers have never quite been that colour before!
- ripping all the nails outta the floor - there were lots, just when you thought you had them all, you'd turn around and there would be about twenty more... i got pretty good with the hammer - even if i did whack myself a few times but good! Aaah well, a few grumbles and back to work!

Yes, there is a lotta dust in my house - just showing a small sampling!

Dad in the newly shop-vacced and cleaned up kitchen - it looks so much bigger now and i can't wait to see what it's gonna look like with walls and counter and cupboards - fun times ahead! We still have a bit more demo to do - now the interesting part of trying to "fish" all the wires through and rig the place up safely and efficiently comes into play. And the plumbing - oh joy, oh bliss - we need to rip a bit of the ceiling down in the basement as well - creating havoc in the place that i thought was my "retreat". Aah,well, the show must go on! Come on over and have a peek sometime!

B.C. Travels

Last week my mom and I took a road/air trip out west, to visit family and check up on Grandma. I did take more pictures of Grandma, but they're on my Mom's camera, so when i get those, i'll add them in here... but for now, just a line of snapshots from our weekaway... we enjoyed it a lot, it was great to catch up with family and see a bit of the beauty of our western coast!

Grandma in her apartment, note the plant that trails all the way around the room!

A super cool rampinsteadofastairway leading up to the Golden Ears Bridge...

it was a long way up, run, Mom, run!

Mom hiking up the bridge, it sure was cold and windy,

but there were some neat views of the sunset

and we saw a pair of bald eagles - super cool!

The Golden Gate bridge leading out of Stanley Park, sure is a long one!

The girl in the water? Isn't that a horror film? Would be horrible to me to

have a seagull perched impudently on my head too!

Hmmm... looks like beach attire to me! We bundled up pretty good

because it was a might chilly!

Sun setting at Crescent Beach, it was super quiet here, but for the waterfowl...

and we really enjoyed a few peaceful moments just sitting on the beach!

Dinner with some of the family at my cousin Michelle's place, present are Michelle, her twins, her daughter Kara, her husband Donnie, my mom, Grandma, Aunt Yettie and Uncle Brent.

The view from Ome Cees and Tante Tita's backyard - pretty cool to wake up to that each morning... i was suitably impressed!
The mountains near Harrison Lake, where there were hot springs -
pretty cool, literally and figuratively.

Raising a toast to my Tanan, whose birthday it was when we were there - Hartelijk Gefeliciteerd (spelling may be wrong).

The sun peeking through the clouds at my aunt and uncle's place in Chilliwack,

the mountain on the left is the "sleeping indian"

Walking up to the lookout point over the Hope slide, up in the mountains. We were the only souls around and if there had been a problem, say a bear or coyote attack, our cameras would have been the only evidence, oh, yeah, and i guess our car parked at the bottom of the truck brake check lane... we're smart tourists!

The Hope slide, happened in 1965, and sent millions of tonnes of rock sliding down over the highway and up onto the other side, burying four people and their vehicles! Kinda scary to sit at the bottom of it and wonder what mountain this will happen to next!

Above (since Blogger is being stupid about spacing... grrrr...) are featured Mom, Aunt Yettie , myself and the Cascade Falls in their winter dress!

A view of the mountains from the side of the road on Aunt Yettie's famous road trip - we drove all over the Fraser Valley, this is by Mission i believe.

hmmm... just because, we ate lunch there, i posed with the Sasquatch and

no, we didn't actually see him, not for lack of trying!

Hmmm... what's that i see in the tree? Four and twenty blackbirds? Nope, it's four (and more) bald eagles resting in a tree by the side of the highway whence i screeched "an eagle" and we quickly stopped the car on the side of the road and marvelled!

Goooood reading before heading off into the woods!

Doesn't bring any sort of paranoia to the mind!

Hiking in the dusky darkness to see a waterfall that's officially closed...

hmmm smart idea, oh thou who do not want to meet a bear...

Aunt Yettie walks softly and carries a BIG stick, she's on bear patrol!
Leaving for home, not our plane, obviously, since that would mean i wasn't on it and then i wouldn't be leaving for home, but you know what i mean!

3:49 am

My patient. I can hear you breathing... there in that room down the hall. Alone in your silence, holding on to life but just barely. A lifetime is contained in you but it seems that time is soon to be at an end for you. Can i help you? Give you some comfort this night. Wipe your brow, ease your pain, hold your hand. Can you hear me? Oh to know your thoughts and be able to help you more fully. We do our best to show you care and respect. And so, i'll come to you again, massage your hands, ease your body into a more comfortable position, sit beside you and watch the clock ticking by...

Renos 101

Before.....
Sarah Richardson, Colin and Justin and Martha Stewart... your newest rival in the home decorating/reno business has just entered the ring. Beware, Mushka renos are on their way! Okay, just kidding, but truly, things are starting to move around the Meadows these last few weeks. I'm been absent from my blog but very present in the Home Depot, Loews, IKEA and Home Sense. I think i might be on the frequent flyer wall at IKEA - three trips in the space of a week qualifies me - each time spent pawing through the as-is section searching for cupboard handles - the Dutchness in me doesn't want to spend top dollar for handles - i'm doing pretty good so far, three packages of handles in three trips - one even for $1.00 - i liked that one muchly well.
I'm nearly on a first-name basis with the girls at Benjamin Moore and Tile-It and they know exactly who i am and what i'm up to now... but i certainly don't mind going there since the sales staff at both places are super nice and helpful... i tend to wander around town with my floor tile sample, my countertop sample and drag them into each successive store asking for advice and help!
Everything was firmed up on Saturday afternoon with Dave K, my contractor and he gave me a long list of work to do - so hence i spent Saturday evening emptying all my kitchen cupboards. Monday i was at work and i was exhausted when i got home, so not much got done... but yesterday, i started early and took all the cupboard doors off, cleaned all the extras out of the kitchen space, ripped a curtain rod off the wall literally (and nearly dislocated my shoulder - maybe i should take out a health insurance policy on myself!) and tried unsuccessfully to remove the metal decorative railings in my dining room - i need more muscle training with the adjustable wrench i suppose.
Anyone up for some bashing and wrecking? I'm home tonight if you're in the mood! Bring your hammer and we'll have a smashing good time!Hmmm... looks like too much fun!
Yep, Lauren, that's a hole - now what? Lauren and I started but got kinda stuck quickly!

Addendum... a few pics to prove we are working! Lauren came over one evening and we did some sisterly bonding over sanding, prepping for painting and trying to get a start on the demo... however, we quickly realized neither were we strong enough - one or two small little dents appeared to taunt us and prove to us that we weren't skilled in this area, nor did we have any clue as to the logical progression of things - i.e. the counter has to come off and the sink has to be disconnected before any lower cabinets can be bashed out - and bashing out sounds good, but it's super difficult since the old fellow who was probably here when they built the place, never did anything by halves... meaning the cabinets are strong enough to go through a world war and still be standing! Aaaah, the joys of an older house?!

oooh... where did November go?

It appears that somehow, somewhere along the way, the entire month of November got missed... hmmm... cosmic anomaly, pure forgetfulness or simply just nothing to report... hmmm.... probably some little bits of each reason may have contributed to the lack of updating of this blog, but i'll try to remedy that now...
It's 2am and i'm at work with my charting completed and Christmas carols playing incessantly on the radio and a lack of suitable or desirable snacks at my disposal (2am is horrible for the "munchies") and so to distract myself, here i am, trying to piece together a bit of a tale for November.
Not sure really what all went on, seems like a blur of meetings, shifts and other busyness. The renos on my kitchen are on their way now - i spent the morning unscrewing all the cupboard doors, dropping one on my big toe in the process, causing a little bruise and a little more grumbling and wincing to be sure. I do think it is probably a good idea if someone at least knows that i'm doing crazy things at home that day so that in case i fall off my ladder and break open my head or drop the crowbar onto my foot or let a wall fall on me... at least someone could check on me and make sure i'm still alive and kicking. By the way, if anyone needs some "anger management" therapy - you are most heartily welcome to pop on over and swing a crowbar or hammer to release negative energy! I'd welcome the company to be sure - or if you prefer painting, that project is also on the go in my spare bedroom - i also spent part of the early afternoon in there - taking down the last vestiges of my house's former owners (horrible brown flowered curtains). I couldn't believe the difference in how the room looked after i was done wreaking destruction upon the walls! It was so open and light and even sounded different. Can't wait to get that project on the go either... i might not sleep right away this morning and see what i can get done! Then again, sleep is a lovely lovely thing... except for this arvo when i tried to take a nap before my night shift and was having a good dream, showing my friends around my "new" house - which wasn't really my real house but another house which was mine in my dream - ooops, starting to ramble, sorry, verbal diarrhea! Anyhow, the further i got in this house, the more i didn't recognize it and eventually when my friend asked me to go upstairs, up a creepy dark stairway, i was getting a little anxious. There was a dim light to guide us but as we got to the upstairs attic part, there was a body/person sitting in a chair in the halflight- shocked me silly and i woke up right as i saw it/him.... scary way to wake up to be sure!
Anyhow, enough rambling... pictures to follow - hopefully i'll be able to keep this more up to date with reno progress... maybe even a separate post about that, yep, that would be a good idea... okay, away i go!

Fall beauty

Just thought i'd share a few shots from last week while driving to my parents i was struck by the beauty of the sky and the contrast with the treeline. Since i love trees and skies, it was an irresistible combination just begging to be watched... so my camera and I watched in rapt attention as the Creator painted the skies with colours too beautiful to be seen in a picture and marvelled at His creation power and majesty. Also beautiful was the same scene captured in black and white to show contrasts and shapes - Great are you Lord!

Applesauce

Okay, so it's fall... and the leaves are falling and there is a crisp scent in the air and the harvest is making its way in from the fields and orchards and into our kitchens, to be packed away properly to be enjoyed in the deep cold winter months. So, accordingly, we set to work a few Saturdays ago to preserve one of my favorite fruits and tackled nearly three bushels of ElStar apples - our favorite kind, nice and crispy and flavorful and not mushy (unlike me, heehee). So we started bright and early and peeled and cut and cored and yakked and bantered around until we had an entire counterful of lovely coloured jars ready to be eaten. Yumyum... So come on over for a nice bowl of sauce.

The parents looking slightly guilty or bemused or both...Such an appeeeling pair...
Carina working away in her little corner... aparently (heehee) not getting too far - her bowl's empty... probably cause we just stole her magnum opus!Yep, the poor old antique stove was working overtime - but worked very well - wouldn't want a bigger one at all - would get too tired bringing food from one burner to another - apartment sized stoves are great! Especially ones almost older than i am!
Ummm... we might have made a bit of a mess... oopps!
And the final product - lots of little and big jars of pink (with peels) and yellow (without peels - compote - yummmy) applesauce, all put to bed under clean tea towels cause that's what you do with applesauce jars!

Adoorable....

Just a few pics of my new door and deck - i'm soooo happy with them - it brightens up my dining room so significantly that i can't imagine anymore what it was like without them. Although at first i thought maybe the deck looked like an adult playpen, i've since come around and love the airy feeling that the bars allow. So things are on the move - next stop, tile shop!