Another Helper...

For the past year or so, it has become very evident to my Handyman and I that small sedan type cars are not ideal house work/renovation vehicles. Because of this, we have been fortunate enough to borrow, beg and steal trucks and trailers in order to complete the work we have done on our past Campbell St house, and the bit of work we have completed at Clarence Rd.

In order to ensure that we have the ability to purchase and pick-up all the supplies and finishes for our new house, a big wonderful truck was purchased over this past week. Although we won't actually have the truck for a few more weeks, we are both extremely excited to test it out on the St.Clements roads.

Here is a picture of what we can expect, except in fabulous WHITE (so that it goes with the inside of our house :)).


I am probably a little more excited to actually get the truck as it will mark my official break-up with Winnipeg Transit, just in time for the cold weather to set in.

If there is something that my Handyman and I have realized since we got married is that we are definitely a two-car family, and that is a-ok with me!

Unexpected Progress

Because road restrictions are not lifted in the area of St.Clements until June 1st of each year, our road was unexpectedly completed this past weekend. This will allow our house to be started as soon as the weather permits next spring!

My handyman was in his glory driving around on the Bobcat all day...


Here is the mostly finished product...

View of Block 5 from the road...


Our great, great friends and neighbors have made substantial progress and are almost ready to settle in for the winter. The garage is nearing completion, beautiful counter tops are installed, and furniture is finding its place in their spectacular home.

While I was waiting for the Bobcat to be parked for the day, I started to think about all the wonderful family and friends that my handyman and I have been truly blessed with. Everyone has been so unbelievably supportive and helpful throughout our lives, marriage, and multiple moves and we both feel so lucky!! It makes me so happy to imagine each and every person we love enjoying this house and this space with us. This house will be a house of love, of laughter and of all around good fun.

A Mountain View...

I have been hearing some grumbling about my lack of posting lately so I thought I better hop to it and update the blog with something even though not much has been taking place out at Clarence lately.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend we were invited to a lovely dinner out at lot 5. When we purchased our 4.3 acres, we didn't realize that it came with a mountain view!

Just like Banff, right?

Another "exciting" development has been our first house purchase - a tiller. What's a tiller you (and I) might ask?? A tiller is an accessory for the tractor that digs and breaks up the soil so that we can plant grass seed and grow our much anticipated gardens! Here is a picture of the beloved tiller:

We have pretty well finalized our house plans and have started to think about some of those finishing details and have also applied for our first building permit because June is just around the corner (at least we hope it is!).

In other news, our Clarence Road Project has welcomed our newest crew member, a little lady born October 1st, 20o9. She arrived just in time to start helping us out! Her older brother is already all set to help with his own set of tools - we will have to get a pink set for this Sweet Girl.

We have also heard through our lot 5 spies that both lots across the street from us have been sold as well. According to our sources, one of the families who purchased lot 3 have a 5 year old, 3 year old, and another on the way so we are expecting a busy bus stop one day at the end of Clarence Rd - just the way we like it.

Happy Days!!

A road to nowhere is our road home...

Over this past week, the beginnings of our driveway/road started out at Clarence. Although we won't start building the actual house until next Spring, the boys thought getting a jump on this project was worth it.



We enjoyed a beautiful Saturday over the long weekend checking out the road, mapping out of the house and talking about future plans. I don't think we ever enjoy being out there as much as this guy does though - maybe we do have a country dog in the making?

Couldn't love him more...

Recently while reading one of the daily blogs I frequent, I came across a few sentences that sum up exactly how I am feeling. Building this house together is something that is so exciting and the fact that my handyman is giving up 2 entire summers of his life for us, is something I will never stop appreciating. Here goes:

I don't want expensive, I want smart.
I don't want regular - I want spaces with a little bit
of my favorite things.
And that's you.
And then I want a house that
makes life better-
not by being bigger than we are, but by
holding the things that we cherish.
Us,
Light,
Love.

I think this these words will be our theme for the next year.

Clarence Road Project Intro

Since I seem to be the only one at this point NOT to have a blog, I thought it was about time I started documenting what is going on it our lives.

About six months ago, my handyman and I purchased 3.83 acres of land in the East St. Paul/St. Clements area. Taking a drive one day, we noticed a few lots for sale in a beautifully quiet, tree lined area and knew immediately that this space could be the perfect location for us. When we realized that a great, great friend of ours fathers was the realtor selling the properties, the land seemed destined for us! So we were sold and a few short weeks later so was the land...


As it turned out, another pair of great, great friends of ours equally fell in love with the space and purchased their own chunk of land right beside ours! We both could not be happier and are enjoying many dinners, sunsets, and great times in our pieces of paradise. Can't you just picture the house now?



This blog will chronicle the adventure my handyman and I are about to embark on. So far, there has been one house built and ours will soon follow. In the mean time, we will continue to enjoy each and every minute of the plans and choices as we build our dream home.