Wordless Wednesday

Photo a week...

I'll spare you the minute details ..... suffice to say.....we are still at it.











Okay, I won't. I love it when others are going through the reno wars... I actually laugh sometimes .... because I have gone through so much of it and most of it is not fun. So, I may as well let a few others have a good laugh. Oh, sure, the end results are great and I do appreciate how it turns out...but, ohhhh, the agony in between the planning and the completion. In between snarking at each other.... we are painting ..putting on moldings, filling Brad nail holes, sanding, painting, running new wiring .. everybody wonders why we are not finished yet of course.... (probably you too) ... but, it all takes plenty more time than it should. And... with an undercoat of Zinser on all new surfaces..or a light sanding and then Zinser on those previously painted with oil base ..then two coats of colour... ...the days go by in a blur and we still have plenty more to do.




























The past few days we have been at it too many hours each day.... the carpet layers will be here Thursday, Friday and maybe even part of Saturday so we have no choice. They need a couple days... it is more than laying carpet. The first day they will rip out old carpet and underlay... as well as some of the nailing strips along the edges... "float" the old cement in all three rooms ... put down new strips, etc. There are some holes in the cement as well as some ridges that have become apparent in wear patterns in the old carpeting....so this time... it will all be made nice and level ...before the underlay goes down. Woohooo.... carpeting in the exercise room! Yeh...

Yesterday in between running up and down to paint or help carry down extra long baseboards.. I actually managed to bake a Tuscan Peasant Loaf. It's peasant bread. What could be more perfect? A very forgiving recipe and a good thing ... becuz I was up and down when I could make it. Anyway, I bet those poor peasants didn't always have a watch. Matter of fact, I know they didn't. Or... didn't always make it in from the fields or tending sheep or whatever in time to punch it down after only a certain amount of time. It turned out great. Said it the other day and have to say again...that bread makes the absolute best toast... and...the best garlic toast. A lovely crunchy crust... mmmmm. had it with spaghetti last night for a late easy supper. Oh, YUM!

Photo a week...

Overshot the day ..once again....oh, well.... here I am guys.... however, even if I am ready to roll out a pic or two...blogger is not. It flatly refuses and has been doing so for the past hour...so, I'll just show you some words then...and put up a photo later.... kay?

aha...there's one now..... my tomatoes that I grew.... the tastiest I've ever eaten I'm sure. On home made Tuscan bread too Susan... that bread is so good toasted.











Must eat a good brekky... still reno'ing ...... and still enjoying the most gorgeous days 'round these parts ... it's gone up to +24 C already today and it was only supposed to be 21. Mr. BV has gone to the golf course with some guys from the office...a little tourney. He hasn't played all summer... sure hope things go okay...he has a reputation on the golf course... to do with a nasty disposition when his game is not co-operating, and how can it when he hasn't even hit any balls this season? ... Just as well the wives were not invited this year.... or, maybe seeing as it is his first game... perhaps it will be the best. Anyway...he deserves a day off...he has had his nose to the proverbial grindstone since we got back from the Okanagan in August...and now he knows he has to go back to work Oct 5... so we are in go mode. Carpeting is being laid September 30 ... .... so we must be at that stage by then. The office is completely painted and ready...the main tv room is now ready too...we are moving on the exercise room toady..hahaha...yeh...right toady....that would be "today". I am taking off all the light switch plates and plug in covers and taping them off while he is away. Think I'll go later and hit a bucket of balls though...to be really ready for tomorrow. I hope I can get the perfect swing and a great first ball off the first tee...... what a sweet feeling that is.... it doesn't happen often. But, maybe after my lesson and some practice....just maybe.....

Tomorrow...the old guys will be overheated...it's supposed to be a whopping +31 !! Who can believe it is getting to the end of September with this beautiful weather? .. I even went to use up a golf lesson I had hanging around since last year. I'm pretty excited with what I learned too.... I got more out the first 5 minutes with wonderful, patient Ron than I got out of the 3 lessons I had last year with stupid, cocky, young Dave. I have actually been out to hit a few buckets of balls too... with my new toy. Ohhhh....I love that thing! At this point, I wanted to show her photo...but, as I mentioned.... blogger not co-operating..etc...oh, look there she is..... Bertha..... hahahah...












Mr. BV got her for me early in the season..and so far I've only used her a few times... but, look out next year!! I plan on a tune up lesson right out of the chute and then...I'm gonna golf all season !! Won't be any renovating happening next summer .... I can't believe it.... no renovating left to do by then...after all the years of doing bits and pieces here and there and still not being finished. But, by Christmas...it should all be finished. After that; just be touch ups every so often like normal folks do. Oh, boy...what a great gift that will be for the holidays....

well, for now..it is not photo a week...but maybe later....

Madame brought home the bacon...

well, ...some bacon anyway .... ..... of course, not the actual bacon, you understand .... but, at least a sampling of the loot that was distributed to winners and in Madame's case...for honourable mention... .... .. 5 fat quarters and 8 full square meters of Hoffman fabrics ... there are several that I quite like and the others may become giveaways ... more to a quilter's liking perhaps...











it is quite a bit of fabric ....
























she's pondering it ....
















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....... and......I tried this wonderful recipe day before yesterday..... definitely wanted to make sure you checked out my other blog to get it.... you have to make them! I'm serious. That good. I can almost taste them with a bit of maraschino juice added and a couple of bits of cherries in the mix as well as on top for the festive season. It's not too far away to begin the testing........you have to know which will make the cut in the baking department long before you begin ... and it will soon be time to begin the "can-be-frozen-for-up-to-a-month" type. I know it isn't even Hallowe'en yet...but, you know how the downhill slide picks up pace by beginning of November... I'm not waiting... even if we are still painting and fixing...

I'm baking to save my sanity..and sipping wine out on the patio just to celebrate the small jobs we are constantly ticking off the long list.... enjoying some absolutely stunning days of a great late summer. It was +31 C yesterday...whew... hotter than some middle of the summer days.....the house was still up at +24.5 this morning.....

Wordless Wednesday

Photo a week...

Wednesday was golf with my beloved "old guys". Howard, seated...informed me when calling to tell me our tee time..... that I should bring cake. He said it was a certain "old" guy's birthday on Saturday..but, that he didn't want to miss out on cake and maybe if it was after the fact..well, I would think it wasn't worth baking one then. He wanted it to be big enough so a few folks hanging around the course could have a piece too.... pretty cheeky ... but, when you get to be 90 you can be cheeky if you want to. I think you should be able to do any damn thing you please by then! as long as you don't hurt yourself.... ...lol.... or even if you do... what does it matter.. or so Howard says....










his feet were really bothering him this day, but he gamely managed the full nine. At the end he said...well, they don't hurt any more now than they did when I started..but, we all knew he was suffering....











it was a great day. Just the right temperature for whacking the ball around.... a few strange clouds so it didn't get too hot.....











..........still clowning around even if his feet were sore....

oh, and the cake? .... carrot cake with real cream cheese icing... ..his favourite and seeing as it just happens to be mine too, I have a great recipe ...was declared delicious by all who stopped by the table to wish Howard a happy day....... Mr. BV. was lucky there were two slices left from the 9 X 13 cake....

danger !!...

this blog is seriously in danger of becoming a renovation page... so, the "bearister" decided she better post a few pics of days gone by ...to let you know that once upon a time there were things created here that had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with household demolition and refurbishing...























































































....

Photo a week...

We've got a few screws loose... In actuality, some people think we're just totally bonkers.... probably most of our family members and friends. They know the story (or should I say stories..because there are plenty of them..including the horror variety) of our 20+ years of renovating. Every time they see us they ask what we are doing now. Every letter I ever wrote to my Mom had something about house fixing in it...even before I had this particular house. It was apartments..etc..

When we bought this house in the late 80's... (it was all we could afford and was a disaster...but solidly built) we had a loosely woven plan to do some "fixing"... mostly simple things, and it would only have take a few years....but, no.... it has gone on and on...... and.....on..... !! now it has taken on a life of its own. Has become the proverbial MoneyPit. The initial "doing" was hired out...but, that soon became a real problem... so we began to do it ourselves. That has also become a problem.. ..a long running problem, because in between work and living... there just isn't enough time to work many hours on huge projects...like gutting and redoing a bathroom from stud walls and no ceiling to completion (that one took over a year) .... .. then a laundry room.. (took all of this last year) then...well, you see my point.... And... we are driving ourselves crazy. Not far to go now....











4 rooms on the go at the moment....oh, and ... also the kitchen too because I am working on sealing the tiles we just put behind the stove....and now...have discovered an interesting method of doing backsplashes. Not sure yet on the cost..or if it will be "do-able" in our situation...but, it could be. We will get a rough estimate on the materials .. perhaps this coming week and if it happens..... well, it could be an interesting look. Our kitchen at the moment is a bit of a blank palette.... could use a splash of colour... .. this would definitely be all of that.....















......meantime..... I've forgone smoothies ..........
..

a bit breezy...

Actually it was a bit more than breezy. It began as quite a benign day...lovely and sunny... pretty warm really.... but then the wind picked up and pretty soon it was gusting big time. The doors of the garage were banging and shuddering .... sounded like a buffalo was pounding on it ..... we kept gluing, screwing and sanding pieces of struts for the ceiling repair..











Until this.... the neighbour's tree blew over. It was dried out and pretty dead looking to me anyway ... but, still.... .... Luckily, it managed to miss one of their cars by a couple yards. I'm happy it was a SW wind...or it could have taken out a wall of my craft room.

The wind was wild for the rest of the day.... til after dark...when it finally quieted. It was up to 25 C in the house, but I didn't want to open the windows because it was whacking them around even if they were barely ajar. Don't need to replace windows too...on top of all the other stuff we are doing....

Yep, it was a smoothie on yesterday's post. They have become our afternoon snack. Remember smoothies from the olden days? Why did we stop making them anyway? I bet we all still have our original old blenders..unless you used yours to mix up some crafty items. It seems to me there was a paper making rage at one time that wrecked a few old blenders. What a great pick-me-up; an easy way to add extra calcium to my diet (I even buy orange juice with calcium in it now and also use some frozen fat free yogurt which is very tasty). It uses up slightly over ripe bananas...before they become only good for muffins or loaves.. and it ups the fruit quota for the day... and even adds a bit of fiber... because I leave skins on... or add some berries with seeds , etc. They seem the perfect nutritious snack. Not as messy as munching a nectarine or a peach either..... nice and clean in a lovely glass while we take a break and admire the flowers and listen to the burbling little fountain. Then....back to it....














Yesterday's began with pineapple and banana... but, wasn't that flavourful...so I tossed in some frozen mixed berries. It looked like this before I mixed them in... Mom would have called it blood and matter pie...and only the Brits and some Aussies will know what that is.... but, when mixed...it looked beautiful.... and tasted great.

Wordless Wednesday