You Know You're An Adult When...

you are folding laundry when you realize you have folded a towel the wrong way!

you cringe expecting to get thumped on the head or chastised in some way

and

when nothing happens

you giggle a little gleefully

and place said towel on the stack

even though

all of the other towels are folded the way your mum showed you

and your OCD gets really annoyed



I love having my own house

end of short story

Construction and Pictures Thereof

Construction on the deck...

Our house has changed a lot on the outside since we bought it.

My man.

Half finished!

I love our porch.

General Awesomeness

Today I am thankful. There is so much in my life that makes my heart glad. To be honest, I had my "complaining" days lately. During the past week... well, let's just leave it at: I am not a good sick person. :-) However, being a fair-weather person is not something I like to be and when Tuesday rolled around with me feeling like a walking skeleton, I decided to begin a "What I am Thankful For" post; because there are so many reasons to be thankful for in any state of being. This is the completion of that post. It took awhile to evolve. :-)  

I am thankful for God. He is magnificent. He never ends. There is always More of him. He forces me to think for myself and to become a stronger, deeper person. As each day passes, I find myself more entwined with his presence and the excellence of his spirit. In some ways, it is the easiest thing in the world; it also can be incredibly difficult to cast away my fears and embrace Love. But I know that nothing is impossible. There is so much to say about God but I think I will leave it at that.

I am thankful for Jesse. When we first began our relationship, I feared that our love for each other was only a passing fancy. It didn't feel like a passing fancy but how can you know? I learned very quickly that a relationship can only move forward if each has complete faith in the other. Jesse has proven himself in every way possible. He is not perfect but he is perfect for me... and guess what? He says the same about me. Our love grows stronger, deeper, fuller each day. When Jesse asked if we could date, he told me that he felt our meeting and getting to know each other was no accident: we were meant to be together. I believe this with all my heart: God hand-picked us for each other.

I am thankful for our house: it's old; it's meandering; it's home. The kitchen is over a century. Someone who has lived in our neighborhood for 40 years came into the store the other day and I asked him when the renovations took place. He thought for awhile, then he said that they took about 20 - 30 years to complete. I can see why. They are extensive. I love everything about our house... well, minus the leaks in the bedroom and office. Lol. I've been awakened by water dripping on my hand.

I am thankful for my jobs: piano/voice teacher and part-time receptionist at the local Pharmasave. My studio is here at home. I teach 15 students, three days a week. They are the light of my life and the balm of my soul. I love their imperfections, their joys and griefs... I love how each week brings a new challenge in teaching them. I help them and they help me. All of us have become better musicians... not just them. :-) Teaching music and voice has definitely been the most difficult task I have ever undertaken. I think about my students constantly. I plan lessons. I send kids to festival. I advise them to attend The Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party. I study instruction books to see which ones I like or dislike. But it isn't the teaching that is the hardest part. The hardest part is getting to know my students: I care and I get involved. They are all my friends. I respect them and they respect me. It's exhausting but it's the most rewarding, beautiful thing I have ever been involved in. :-)

Pharmasave has been a really great experience. Plus: I have the best bosses, managers and co-workers. Plus: I have learned so much. Downside: standing on concrete for 8 hours a day kills my knees, back, neck, etc, etc. Plus: I really hope to be working there for a few years (or until our kids come along).
 Pharmasave has actually become a second home to me and my coworkers have become second family. They are all like sisters. We vary greatly, we have different problems and we handle our different problems in different ways. But we all have the same goals. I suppose I could admit to Pharmasave being a bit of an exclusive club: if you're really lucky, you get in. ;-) (Actually, if you're a pleasant person who isn't afraid of hard work, we'd probably allow you a membership!)

I am thankful for good health: this morning, I woke up feeling... good. I've been sick for two weeks. Not the kind of sick that has you laying in bed (though there were a few days of that) but the kind of sick that you notice. Lack of energy, headaches, diarrhea, dehydration, etc., etc. The great thing about being sick is how much you enjoy being well afterwards. Lol. Today is one of those days. It's like, "YES! I can teach 7 students today. Bring 'em on!" I am eating healthy and taking walks and drinking lots of water and cranberry juice... ahhh. :-)

Between these things and every small circumstance that makes up my life, I am awesome. God is awesome. The cat is awesome. (Some days.) (I shall write more about him later.)

Life. I shall enjoy it while I have it. :-)

March 30th -- your desk/workspace

Upstairs in our house resides my workspace/office/studio. 

I love my job.

March 21st -- living room

We are so in love with our house but the living room is where we hang out the most: inlaid with cedar, skylight, room for lots of movies and tv shows, lots of light...

...and, most importantly, so comfortable. 

March 15th -- wood

Last night, I kept waking up thinking about what picture I was going to take today. There is so much "wood" in and around our home that I didn't know what to choose from. Then, at around 2 am, I had an idea that satisfied me: down the hill in back of our house, there is an outhouse. I couldn't remember if all the paint had fallen off or if it had ever even had paint but I decided to take a peek.

So this morning, I grabbed my camera, slipped on my rubber boots and slogged through the mud, down the hill and...
And, guess what? It is indeed weathered wood. 

Do you remember last fall, right after the wedding, we built an addition onto our house? Well, in order to complete the addition, we had to disconnect the plumbing. That meant that we had to use this little sweetheart quite regularly. 

In the dark. 

(Not always in the dark, of course... but those are the memories that stay close to me.)

:shiver:

March 14th -- something in your front yard

We don't have much of a front yard. Truth be told, we don't have a front yard. 

But we have a trail... and some trees... rocks... and a house residing in the vicinity of the front yard. 

I love our house!

This is simply for art's sake. The dirt, rocks, moss, sticks and trees... beauty. :-)

Christmas House

I like Christmas trees and ours is no exception. It's like bringing flowers into the house, except.. bigger.

 I found these lovely burgundy bulbs at the Pharmasave.

See the pottery tea-set? A wedding gift from a friend. We love it.

Deck the halls with... garlands and bows. :-)

My wonderful husband and our dearly beloved cat. Both vying for attention... and receiving it. :-)

Some of you have requested pictures of the new porch. Well, there it is from the inside. Haven't braved the cold air to take any outside.

I made the most delicious bean and tomatoe soup with sausage in it for supper tonight. We had toasted cheese sandwiches to go along with it. So good. :-)

Of Professional Images, Birthday Cakes and Mosquitoes: Among Other Things

Due to our renovations and the rather busy-ness of our lives, we have not been able to install our washer and dryer in our utility room. So that means we have to run over to my inlaws and wash laundry there. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate their generosity... but I can't wait to be able to wash our laundry here, at our house. Because we are us, we usually wait until we have worn most of our clothing before we decide to do anything about it and this time was no exception. Yesterday morning I had a towering mountain of dirty clothes and towels and such. It took me awhile to maneuver it into my inlaws' house. Of course, when it was all in, down the stairs and sorted appropriately, you can only wash one load at a time. I had some hours to kill.

Taro, one of my students, turned 17 yesterday. He and his brother and sisters are involved in this year's Dickens' play. Since the play date is coming up straight away, we are having regular rehearsals.... one of them that very night. So, I consulted my mother in law and we decided a cake was in order for the evening. I had run out of eggs so I simply brought everything else over to their house and proceeded to make a French Vanilla cake. (Yes, from a cake mix. No, I'm not ashamed. It's good cake. ;-) :-)) Btw, does anyone know how to make a French Vanilla Cake from scratch? Usually white cake is so bland but this particular cake is really amazing.

When I finally got back home, it was 3:30 and my first students were due to arrive very soon. I rushed around the house cleaning up and was just at the tail-end of it when they appeared on my doorstep. I was still in my comfy paint be-spattered bunny hug and they were a few minutes early so after I greeted them, I went and changed quickly. The shirt I chose is one of my favorites: last year's Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party ladies t-shirt with a really clever logo on the front of it. It's green. My favorite color. :-)

Two students and their mother later, I was greeting two more students and running for the washroom for a little moment. That's when I happened to glance in the mirror. Something was wrong. It took me a moment to figure it out.... then, light bulb. I had my shirt on backwards; the clever logo was etched across my back, mocking me. As my oh-so-professional image went down the drain, I couldn't help bursting out laughing. It is always great to get a slap like that and it be that funny. So, I turned my shirt around and ta-da, clever logo was clever once again. But it still amuses me whenever I see it. I wonder what my students thought... and I especially wonder what my student's mother thought. Haha!!

Last night's rehearsal went quite well indeed. It was supposed to be a semi-dress rehearsal but Doug (director) said it was ok if we interrupted it a bit. I didn't know how we were going to present the cake to the birthday boy but when I started gathering in-tell, Michele had a great idea, as usual. She thought we should spring it on him when we were in a scene together. It appealed to my love of awesome surprises so I went around and whispered the plan to everyone else.

My line goes like this: "Please Mr. Scrooge [insert southern accent], it's Christmas Eve, do you really expect us to go back to those people now and tell them that you are condemning those buildings, that those families are going to have to move, that the neighborhood recreational centre is shutting down and the church is going out of business? I mean... [grabbing Scrooge's wrist and pointing towards Taro] it's his birthday for crying out loud!" Then as everyone came out with the cake we all started singing happy birthday. The look on his face was really surprised. :-) Such fun!

There are certain things I appreciate about winter. One is that it's easier to sit and relax on cold snowy days than to sit and relax on hot sunny days. Because when it's hot and sunny, you feel guilty for wasting it by relaxing. (Of course, I don't think sitting and relaxing is wasting time but sometimes my better, more responsible side gets to me.) Another thing is that snow is so beautiful. There are simply no words for it. :-) And the best thing is that there are no mosquitoes. At least there shouldn't be. So it's not fair that every night before we go to bed, I have to kill at least three mosquitoes. We have no idea where they are coming from. It's cold outside. They should be all dead. Jesse wonders if they were already in the house somehow. Or... my latest theory is that they are coming up from the drains. Regardless, I really wish they would all go back and hibernate... or die. Or something. ::hates mosquitoes::

Well, I have some housework to do and some Christmas decorating to begin. I hope your winter is progressing as well as mine is. I pray for love to reach each heart. Just a little love. I think it would make all the difference in the world. The more I work "in the world" the more I realize that non-acceptance is the most natural, human reaction. People do not love one another. They judge each other. And wow. Did I ever get on that apple box quickly. ;-) I suppose God has been showing me a lot about this lately. Whenever I find someone particularly annoying, my conscience pops up...

Thanks so much for reading. It makes my heart brim with joy. Come to Carlyle and enjoy the Dickens Festival!

May Long Weekend = Downpour

Please pray for my sister Ellie today as she is in surgery. She's had such a rough time the past couple of years... I really hope this solves the problem. No more sleeping with her arm tied down!

It's always exciting, preparing for your very first yard sale! Neither Jesse or I had ever hosted one before. Indeed, we'd never had enough stuff we wanted to rid our lives of to warrant a sale. But we sure do now. :-) Last Friday Jesse and I went through the entire house and decided which things we wanted and which things we did not. It was a huge job. The more nooks and crannies we discovered, the more stuff piled up. Friday was difficult. There were so many nice things in our house and so many nice things that we had gotten else where. Which to keep? To be honest, it was nice to have to choose. Lol! But on the other hand, there were moments when it was so difficult... We ended up hauling three dressers/vanities downstairs, hauling two outside for the sale and keeping one for the master bedroom. They are all antique and beautiful. Some are in better condition than others but they're all amazing! We also took a double bed from upstairs for the sale and brought a single bed upstairs. We're quite pleased with how nice our house looks now. :-)

So, as we were working Friday, Jesse mentioned off hand that this area never has good weather for the May Long Weekend. Sure enough, it alternated between pouring and drizzling all day Saturday. We had a few people in at the sale, but not as many as we would have liked. Over the course of three days (21st, 22nd and 23rd) we sold only a fraction of what we would have liked to. However, we did make a total of $142.70. :-) That we are thankful for!

Well, lesson time is coming right up so I should prepare myself. :-) 

pictures from the inside of our house

Jesse came into PharmaSave today and brought me my camera and toothbrush. It was awesome. :-) So, here are some of the pictures I snapped the other day. I know they're not terribly good but they will give you an idea of what our place looks like. :-) I love our house!

This is where the porch was. You can see the full trashbags. It looked like a trash can or two had exploded under the porch. Perhaps the wind? We even found a rubber boot!

Jesse, his dad and mom loading the trailer with the wood we ripped up from the deck. These were the supporting boards/beams from beneath. Even some of them were really rotten.

The boards that were laying on top of the deck, after we piled them up. They were sopping wet! 

You can see the weeping tile if you look closely. Paul had to dig down a good foot to find it. This is the side of the house that we are going to have to jack up. 

The kitchen. :-) This room needs the most work, as you may be able to see! But we do have a refrigerator, microwave, stove, sink, some cupboards, etc. We will have to sit down with Jesse's dad and plan how we want to renovate. 

I like the stove but I think I'm going to move it. Or have someone else move it. ;-) It's too heavy for me. Anyways. I would like it to be sitting in the corner of the kitchen since it takes up quite a bit of space where it's at right now. 

I always chuckle whenever I look up and see the crazy way they installed the stove pipe. Honestly. 

See that piece of wood hanging off? It's really badly burned. I am so glad the entire place didn't go up whenever that happened. Lol. ;-)

Master bedroom. Nice and big with a lovely closet. I adore those windows!!

Part of the living room and office. It's hard to get a good picture of this so you can see what it looks like..

Part of the living room, plus the staircase. 

One of my favorite parts of the house. I love this railing. Love it. Love it. Love it!!!

One side of the upstairs. Also adore this part of the house. No work needed. It's so beautiful.

Looking down the stairs and towards the skylight. :-)

I hope you can see why I love our house so much. :-) Can't wait to make it our home and live there full time. September is on it's way, thankfully. Hehe. :-)

A Post of Happy Things

Last night, I got back home late and found a picture of two of my friends kissing at their wedding. They had kept it quite secret so I didn't even know they were interested in each other. Furthermore, I definitely did not suspect that Kim was interested in *hugging*, let alone kissing. ;-) (Kim used to be the Queen of the Cootie Mania.) The funny thing was that our mutual friend Ben Palmer had predicted a match between the two about a year before he passed away. I think everyone laughed but wouldn't you know? He was right. And it is so right because they are so perfect for each other.

The weather here has finally warmed up! I am not planning on wearing a coat to work this morning (which means we'll get about 2 inches of rain this evening while I'm walking home) because Spring has arrived. Yesterday evening when Jesse brought me home, it was around 11 and it was still so warm that neither of us were wearing coats. I am loving this weather. :-)

Yesterday, we spent most of the day cleaning up at our house. Paul and Dianne came over and helped us. Together we accomplished a lot. On Friday, Jesse and I tore up the old deck. That took most of the afternoon, after which, we went back to the Twietmeyers and crashed. We were so exhausted. Lol. I think every single bone and muscle in my body ached and I have colorful bruises all over my shins! The old deck was like a death trap. You had to be very careful to walk on the treads, otherwise, you fell through the wood. It was really rotten in spots. Anyways, it was so good to get that out of there. :-)

We piled the wood up on Friday and left it that way. Yesterday, we hauled the piles to the dump and cleaned up the trash that had been under the deck. (We even found a rubber boot...) Then, we unloaded a trailer full of things that Dianne had bought from friend of hers who was moving back to Spain... And we also brought some things from our house out (ugly green chairs, etc) to the trailer for the yard sale we're having next weekend.

Yes, I did take pictures! And left my camera at the Twietmeyers. :-P Sometimes I wonder if my head is screwed on correctly. ;-) (I also left my tooth brush.)

Other than that, I've been busy with working at PharmaSave and teaching. The end of the teaching year is coming up so the students are working hard to perfect their songs. The recital is on the 29th so we have another week. This is a stressful time for me... the teaching is intense and keeps me on my toes. I am torn between my love for teaching and being happy it's almost over with.

Well, I should get my lunch together and prepare for work. Maybe tonight I will be able to begin the next season of the Sarah Jane Adventures....

P.S. Erin S. took these pictures at the bridal shower. Thanks, girls! :-)

I am seated between my two mothers. :-) Heidi to the left (blue) and Dianne to the right (dark hair). 

You can see Lindsey sitting down... purple shirt... 

Brief

I was up at 7:12 this morning, trying to get the house cleaned. Jesse and I are spending this evening and all of tomorrow tearing up the old deck at our new house so I won't be in Carlyle to do my weekly cleaning. :-) I really like being up and working in the morning. It makes my energy level come up and last all day.

Lately I've been pretty busy. As you may have been able to tell! After coming back from Endeavour, I've been working, teaching and doing a multitude of other things that need to be done. One that I am most excited about is that I sent the wedding invitation information off to the person who is designing them. I can't wait to see the finished product. She always amazes me.

Well, work is calling so I'm off! Have a good day, folks!  

Bridal Shower... Married Life Prep... and Lot of Fun Stuff

Back home, enjoying the rain and quiet. The weekend and the days surrounding it were lovely and full of excitement. The party was amazing. Many thanks to my lovely friend, Lindsey who worked so hard to organize everything. My mom and sisters were also amazing... and all the ladies at the church who spent hours of their time cleaning, helping and simply being there.

Has anyone heard of Everyday Style? They used that company for the party (bridal shower). Basically, people would order things off of my wish list (items taken out of the catalogue)... and if the orders were over a certain amount of money, I would also receive many things half priced and some for free. The quality of the dishes and accessories are good. We're quite excited about it all. :-)

We got the keys to our house and looked at it more thoroughly yesterday. Our conclusion? That we got our money's worth. We love our house. :-) :-)