Countdown to Summer.

As promised over the weekend, the garage was shingled and windows were installed.

As I have previously mentioned, I do not roof, however apparently I do windows. Sunday, J and I house wrapped the garage (at least most of it) and installed the 4 windows that have been patiently waiting under the deck for the last 7 months. It also gave us an opportunity to clean up outside and stack a wood pile that has also been patiently waiting to be stacked...for 7 months.

It was so nice to be outside (even if it was only in 2 hour increments while Colin napped) and to get some of these projects done. The garage is definitely usable now and will be even more once the steps are added to the installed landing.


It sure does feel like spring is here and in this house we are hoping that the warmer weather is here for good. Our walks have increased exponentially and both Colin and Jake seem to be loving the fresh air and sunshine.

Yes summer is just around the corner & we are pumped around here. Good thing there are still a few more months to get our beach bodies in check...

High Five to Me.

This weekend, with some help, Jason plans to shingle the garage as well as put the windows in. Hopefully, there might be some extra time to also build and install the landing and stairs from the garage to the house so we can start actually using that entrance. Because the garage was not built until well into winter, it had filled with snow before the walls and roof were constructed. That snow has now turned to ice from months of being stepped on and the warmer/colder/warmer/colder days we have been experiencing. In order for the steps to be put in, the ice needed to be gone so that the whole thing could sit on the actual garage floor. Cue me.

Today I spent a nap and a half chipping, chipping, chipping away at the ice and removing it from the landing area in the garage while Colin slept and Jake whined at the door. I'm not going to lie, my shoulders are presently on fire and my hands are tingling. That being said, I am pretty proud of myself! For one, it was a good workout and for two, I now feel like I have helped, at least a little bit and hopefully made the weekend a little easier on the boys. High five to me!


The tools...

The removed ice/snow...


After finishing and coming inside, I promptly booked a Hammam for next week as a reward. Just kidding, I already had the hammam booked...now I just feel like I deserve it!

The other night after Colin went to bed, Jason and I spent some time outside, cleaning up & talking about what we see for the outside of our house this summer. My main goal is simple...go from living in mud, to living in a somewhat usable outdoor space. Hopefully it will include a back deck, a portion of sod, a fenced-in area for Jake and maybe even some planting!

Victory!

For a refresher as to why this is a BIG deal...read this.

Champs.

Since my career as a basketball player ended, I have had the opportunity to coach a variety of teams. This past year, I helped out with the University of Winnipeg Collegiate girls for the second year in a row. JoAnne, a great friend and past teammate of mine and I started off the season unsure as to where we would end up in March. The team consisted of a mixture of some players back from last season, some Junior Varsity girls from last year, as well as a few brand new girls to the team and school. To start the season off in December of last year, after only 2 practices, we were thrust into our two first games. Let's just say those games are better off forgotten. We were pretty bad & lost both very badly. Nevertheless, we regrouped. The season had its share of ups and as always, its downs as well, however we seemed to peak right at the perfect time.

This past weekend, we competed in the AAA Provincial Championships. We went in #1 and came out #1 - just as we planned. For the second year in a row, JoAnne and I got to be part of team that came together, competed hard and got the job done and we couldn't be happier or more proud of each and every girl.

There is nothing I want more as a coach than for every girl to have a positive experience with basketball and the team. Some may go on to many more years of basketball and competition, while for some, this might be the last time they are part of team. I hope that for both, they remember this experience fondly and will enjoy the experience for years to come.

These 5 girls below are the grade 12 girls that we had on the team. Each one is so very different but all 5 worked extremely hard all year. I am so unbelievably proud of each of them & am so glad they could finish their grade 12 year with a championship.

Great job, girls - you earned it!


The season was somewhat rough on our little man as practices and games stretched him & his waketime often. He was, thankfully, such a trooper and toughed it out. We spent yesterday sleeping & playing, something he (and I) have so desperately missed. Thank you buddy for dealing with the loud gyms, long games and hour after hour in the baby bjorn. You are awesome.

The Professor

This week, Jake turns 4 years old. We are not entirely sure what exact day is his birthday, so instead we just make it a week long celebration. Each one of Jake's birthdays feels like a pretty big accomplishment for us all, mostly because of the 3 brushes with death he has had over the past 4 years. Each one of those times, I was pretty unsure as to whether or not we would make it to another one of his birthdays so we are always extra glad when this time of year roles around and we are still with the pup.


These two are noticing each other a little more every day and Jake has even started to warm up to Colin. Unfortunately, this new development is coinciding exactly with Colin's grabbing stage, therefore creating a few uncomfortable moments for the pup! We are working on being gentle...something I am sure will be an ongoing subject around here. I love watching Colin watch Jake, especially when he is in his exersaucer or high chair. I can only assume Colin sees Jake as a big, moving toy, however know (hope) that one day they will be great friends.

We love you, puppy!

I guess just like many others, he too is needing glasses in his old age :).

Mover & Shaker

I swear he started on the mat...


By the way, for all of you who haven't heard already, Carl was reunited with his owners only a few hours after we dropped him off at the Humane Society. Carl is actually Bruce and apparently they were quite relieved to find him safe and sound. We kind of miss him around here...good thing I am still vacuuming up his hair as a reminder why we're better off without him!

I will call you Carl.

A few hours before dinner on Friday, we had a surprise visitor on our front porch.

A yellow lab was roaming around the property and finally ended up at our front door. Jason and I checked him for tags, a tattoo, or a microchip - all of which he had none. He was a beautiful dog & was extremely well trained. Knowing first hand what it feels like to be the one scouring the neighborhood for our lost dog (half thinking you will find them on the side of the road), we thought we should at least try to find this pups home. Jason put him in the truck and proceeded to knock on every door within a mile radius of us. Although this was a great way to meet all our neighbors, none claimed him or even said they had ever seen him before.

After dinner at our neighbors, the dog had still not left ours or their deck, so it was official, he was staying at least one night. Wow am I glad this guy found us as the night turned into a freezing cold, extremely windy blizzard. I know dogs are tough, but I was sure glad he was safe and warm with us, rather than outside trying to fend for himself.

Like I said before, this dog was extremely well trained which made me even sadder as anyone who would take the time to train him, must be missing him dearly. He slept on the floor at the foot of our bed all night long as was not a bother in the least. He & Jake had their moments but for the most part tolerated each other just fine.


When morning came and our house was sufficiently FULL of blonde hair, we knew what we had to do. We took the pup to the Humane Society where he will undoubtedly either be reunited with his owners, or adopted to another family. As I dropped him off and handed him over, I have to admit to getting a little emotional. Although he wasn't with us long, I took a real liking to him. This week I will be following up with the Humane Society to see what happened to our friend to make sure that he is still safe & happy.

We will miss you, buddy!

Top Shelf Books

When my first niece was born, my brother coined the phrase "top shelf books". These are the books that are not made of 1" cardboard. The ones that any child under the age of 3 would ruin in about 8 seconds. I knew I wanted a place for these such books in Colin's room, and that is exactly what I have now.

Since Colin is immobile, some of the books are still at a reachable height for a toddler but I'm sure that will change the day he starts to move. I got the bookcase on kijiji for $10 and after a quick coat of paint and the same "Exciting Orange" color I used on his other bookshelves, it looks brand new. I am loving it and glad to have all the stuff it houses off the floor!

Ugly Beautiful Truths

One of my favorite daily blogs, posted yesterday and today about "Beautiful Ugly Truths". Beautiful ugly truths are those things we don't like to admit about ourselves whether it be about our laziness, habits, or shortcomings. She has inspired me to write down a few (and there are many, many more) of my ugly beautiful truths so here goes...

1. I rarely, if ever, wash fruit before eating it. Except for grapes. For some reason, I always wash grapes. I cannot explain it.

2. For the first time in my life, I am having trouble getting back in an exercise routine. I have always been motivated to workout, to be fit and to feel good about myself. Lately, the only motivation I have is to make myself another grilled cheese and it is far too easy to just blame it on the baby and his schedule and winter. I have blamed it to death on those things.

3. I worry a lot about how I will integrate work back into my life in the fall, even though I am only going back into the office part time. Work=stress (that I bring on to myself) for me and the last thing I want to do is to bring that stress home with me on work days. What worries me even more is stressing throughout the days that I am home with Colin and not truly enjoying him and the privileged of being home (even if it isn't every single day).

Feels good to write these things down. Somehow it almost validates them.

Fooled.

A few weeks ago, a few friends and I spent about an hour browsing around at The Old House Revival Company, a local antique shop in the city. It is located just down the street from the University of Winnipeg, and even though I go to the university 5 days a week for basketball, I somehow have never made it in the store. With Colin in tow and Sophie to distract him, we ventured in to see what kind of treasures we could find.

A few minutes in, I spotted these salt & pepper shakers and instantly felt drawn to them. They aren't particularly fancy, or even that interesting but for some reason I liked them. I liked how tall they are as well as the glass pattern. They were $6 which also seemed like a good deal. I was very happy with my new shakers and for the past few weeks have enjoyed seeing them on our kitchen island. Call me crazy (and many (Jason) do!) but I also like the sound the salt makes as it shakes out of the shaker.


Yesterday, while doing my weekly shop at Superstore, Colin & I spotted these...


Yes, you are right, they are pretty much identical. AND, $1.99 for the set.

So much for my original design! I now feel like I have to make up some sort of story as to why the ones I bought are obviously WAY more valuable and cool. I guess there is a reason why one of my favorite places to browse is the home section at Superstore!

Much Better.

Surprisingly enough, getting new, undamaged shelves from ikea was totally painless. I simply called, emailed pictures and presto - one week later 3 new shelves arrived at my doorstop. Besides the slight delay, I can't say enough about how easy it was. We even got to keep the 3 damaged shelves so I am already starting to think about how I can repair/recover them so we can hang them in the basement someday. While the shelves are not complete with the accessories I envision on them quite yet, I am happy with the start I have so far.



The pictures that used to hang in that spot have found a new home in our bedroom as well.


I truly love the shelves. LOVE. My eye (and so I can only assume others too) naturally goes right to them when I walk in our front door. I think it is mostly because of sight line of our house from front to back is so open, but either way, I am so much happier now with that wall space.

There is nothing like completing a project like this to bring out mine and Jason's differences. Since we have worked on our fair share of home renovations together, first at Campbell and now on Clarence, you would think that we (more like, I) would have gotten better at them by now. You would be wrong. Jason is a measure twice, cut once (sometimes measure ten times, cut once) kind of guy and I am a let's get this done as quickly as possible kind of girl. I do realize that his way is MUCH better. Nothing Jason has ever put up in our houses has ever been crooked, fallen down, or not spaced out properly. I recognize that this is because of all the work he puts in planning and measuring BEFORE the drill goes into the wall. Even though I know and recognize this, it somehow drives me crazy. Thank goodness I have a husband who can deal with me and at the end of the day, puts up with my craziness. I know that with every hole I put in our new homes walls, Jason's head is very slowly exploding on the inside, I appreciate so much his willingness to do that for me (and admit how much he actually does like whatever the project is after it is complete!).

He may never forgive me...

...but I just couldn't resist.


Is it just me, or his bum crack ridiculously long??

Half Birthday

Dear Colin,

Today is your half birthday and you are officially 6 months old. I cannot believe that it has already been a full half year since you came barreling into our lives. You have changed so much already, but are also still much the same as you were from day 1. You are still very concerned with where I am during the day and I can constantly feel 2 piercing blue eyes following me around every minute. You are also still not very good at faking your restfulness. If you are tired, you let everyone know, just the same way you did 6 months ago. I could do without the tears, however appreciate that I never have to guess with you. You let me know...very loudly.

This past month however, more than even before, you changed. I have a feeling that I might write that in most letters to you for the next little while as each new day seems to bring on new discoveries and skills. You are officially a roller, a grabber, a passer of objects from hand to hander, a grabber with two hands and a vegetable eating machine. Your exersaucer is your favorite place to be as it has so much to explore, touch and gum. I think the happiest day of your life will be when you can finally reach that pesky penguin with your mouth for the first time.

This month, we have been doing a lot of cheering as you have accomplished some pretty major tasks. I couldn't believe how proud I was when you rolled over by yourself for the first time. I was overjoyed for you and you, could not have looked more happy with yourself. I instantly wanted to call EVERYONE and beam about YOU, however quickly realized that this is a much bigger deal to us than others. I cannot even begin to guess how many more times I will feel that same way watching you grow and develop, accomplishing feat after feat. You are by far my greatest accomplishment and I am and will always be, by far, your greatest fan.

You have a new friend coming into the world any minute/hour/day now and just so you know, if it is a girl, your wife has officially been found. When talking to your future friend/wife's mother about delivering, I commented that even though it hurt like I couldn't believe, I cannot wait to do it again as the joy is far greater than any other I have ever even come close to experiencing in my life. That joy is you and it grows with each passing day that your father and I are lucky enough to share with you.

You are pure joy and my most specialist little man.

Love you,

Mama
xoxo