{pretty, happy, funny, real} on August 25

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Brought to you by Like Mother, Like Daughter

We are in the midst of dining room renovation, thanks to my Newfie painting team, aka Granny and Aunt Alison! It's been a busy week. More renovation pics to come in a later post. But here is a bit of contentment for this past week.

{pretty}

Cat catching the morning sun

{happy}

All the ladies! Thanks so much to Granny Raymer and Aunt Alison for all their hard work!

{funny}

Arden, armed and dangerous with a paint stir stick! I think she's ready for her own extreme home makeover show :)

{real}

The current state of our dining room. Right now everything is white! It's rather jarring after living in such a dark room for over a year! But so much brighter. The trim has been painted in Mayonnaise (I think only 2/3 coats at this point), and the walls are awaiting plaster repair. There you can see our sample spots of Concord Ivory. The colour looks slightly different to me than what I had painted on a piece of board in last week's post, but different in a good way.

Next step: Me figuring out how to do a skim coat of mud over the really bad patches of wall, then more primer, then the colour! I can't wait till it's done...




~lg

{pretty, happy, funny, real} dining room edition!

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ 

Well, it's been a month since my last {p, h, f, r} post, but I have a very good excuse - family! We've been blessed with lots of family visiting from all over the country, which means we've been very busy going to the beach and stripping wallpaper and shopping and eating and drinking tea and trimming trees and all sorts of wonderful things which are too numerous to name.

But right now, a little snapshot of the things that bring that little sigh of contentment . . . even in the midst of dining room renovation!

{pretty}

Mom and I went fabric shopping and came home with this wonderful fabric for dining room curtains.

Williamsburg India Chintz 1730-1800 by Windham Fabrics

As soon as I saw it I knew it was exactly what I wanted! I love the colours and the bold but pretty pattern. The only challenge I'll have (other than not knowing how to make curtains yet!!) is that there wasn't enough fabric for two full length normal width curtains for each window, and it can't be ordered again since it's archived. But there is enough to make panels for the sides of each window (they won't be as full as a normal curtain), so I'm sure we'll able to come up with something.

{happy}

Do you have a ReStore where you live? It's a place where people bring all manner of household things which are donated or leftover from renovation or construction projects. It's basically a household thrift store. Mom was dying to go, and good thing we did, for we found an amazing thrifty find!

This mirror! For only $5! It just needs a little bit of cleaning up around the frame, mostly bits of tape glue that need to be rubbed off. But isn't that a great deal? I was so happy :)

And over in the kitchen this afternoon, these things made me happy.

Veggies washed and ready for supper

Clean dishes sparkling in the late afternoon sun

Mystery seedlings growing beside the oregano 

All these small things made me smile because they were just part of an ordinary day, but it was an orderly day, and that makes such a difference.

{funny}

Funny happened out on the front porch this week when Arden had her first experience with watermelon!

Pure enjoyment!

Sticky face, sticky baby!

The more mess, the more fun, right?

{real}

Real is uncovering what's behind the wallpaper and figuring out what to do next!

Some of the plaster is in not bad shape, and other walls have big rough patches with wallpaper underneath layers of drywall mud. It really needs a good skim coat over all to smooth it out and strengthen the weak spots.

I also took a deep breath and a little scraper and peeled back the layers of paint on the wainscoting. It came off fairly easily in large chips, and now I'm thinking it might be a good idea to strip it all and start fresh. Time consuming, yes, but there are so many layers of paint (latex on top of oil) that are gooping it up.

The stripped section of wainscoting

So my original quick paint job in the dining room is turning into a much bigger project (twice the time and twice the money, as they say!), but I think it will be worth it when it's all done. It's one of the biggest, most lived-in rooms in the house, and I would like to keep the original farmhouse kitchen look.

Part of the fun is also choosing paint colours, which always seems like a daunting task to me. Because this room gets only a little direct light in the mornings, I want it to have a bright cheery feel, which is why I'm thinking of going with yellow, with cream wainscoting. I also want the room to feel cozy and warm in the winter. Yellow is so tricky . . .

Here are some of the samples we brought home. From left to right (all Benjamin Moore): Concord Ivory (with Mayonnaise underneath), Danse du Soleil, and Golden Honey.

The pictures don't quite represent the colours precisely, but they give an idea. The Golden Honey I think is too yellowy and doesn't look good in the artificial light of the evening (or on grey days). The Danse du Soleil is not bad in the sun, but seems a little too peachy for my liking.

So my current choice is Concord Ivory, which is also a historical colour, which I like the idea of. It has more of a brown undertone to it. I'm scared to death of the room turning out greenish, which is why I think the brown might be on the safer side of things.

Concord Ivory

And now I'm trying to envision what it would look like next to the curtains, as if those were the only colours in the room and not that horrible puke-ish brown that clouds my imagination.

Hmmn, I think that looks rather nice. I'm not sure if the Mayonnaise is too white, or if I should go with something more creamy. I want it to look crisp, but not blindingly white.

Plenty of work ahead, but I am so looking forward to the results!

Any thoughts? Thanks for stopping by :)





~lg

A Reasonably Clean Welcome

This post is brought to you by the ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter! I'm joining the linky party to show before and after pictures of my main entranceway. The idea is to take a look at one's house from the vantage point of a visitor . . . starting with the first impression of the front door, or in my case, the back door.

We purchased our 93 year old house last year, and it's been in a state of constant renovation/remodelling ever since. It's a challenge to keep things looking neat and pretty when we've got projects on the go!

Before:

Here you can see the back entrance to our house, which is also the main entrance.  The porch has actually been pulled away from the house to make room for some grading which needs to be done on this side of the house. The old glass windows leaning against the house are to help keep water out of the basement window wells.

I didn't take a close up, but there were bits of garbage that had been hidden under the porch, rusting ant traps, a hose lying on the ground, plant pots not in use, and a chair that rubs green paint on people when sat upon!

And it's not very welcoming, actually, when you walk onto the deck and then promptly walk off it down onto this old door bridge over the muds and weeds! Unfortunately, there's not a lot I can do about it presently.

Now prepare yourself for some unedited entranceway mess . . .

What a timely post, Auntie Leila! Just the inspiration I needed to tackle this :) Even the cat looks displeased.

Oh, just the average mess of beach stuff, shoes, purses, gloves and things that get dropped on the way in. Made worse by the fact that this is such a long, dark, narrow hallway.

And farther down, a pile of clothes I was sorting to be given away, some baby toys, a new box of diapers, and best of all, the dirty cloth diaper bag hanging, slightly smelly, on the cupboard door!

There's also a shelf right when you come in, which is a handy place for stashing odds and ends, which end up looking cluttered very quickly.

The other thing people see, other than this hallway view, is the (very narrow) entrance to the kitchen on the left, right when you come in.

So any mess in the kitchen is visible right away! And many people don't make the long trek down the hallway, they simply see me (usually in the kitchen) and come in that way. Where they are greeted by garbage and compost and cardboard and a broom and dirty dishes. And that little counter right there is where I stack the dirty dishes.

Not very welcoming, on the whole, at least on this particular day! This entranceway frustrates me because it is so long and narrow and dark, and I don't much care for the colour on the walls, or the wallpaper border, but this area just hasn't been a priority. It's an awkward way to enter the house, and poorly designed, I think. This back way is part of a later addition to the house. I have a lovely large front hall with a grand staircase, but there's no way to get to that part of the house from the road or driveway!

Well, I can't change the paint or the layout today, but I can make it reasonably clean and welcoming!


After:

(The before pictures were taken a couple days ago, and the after ones I took today, a grey rainy day, so the light's not very good.)

I cleaned up the garbage and put things away, took away the flaky chair and swept the deck and the "bridge." It's not perfect, but it's better.

 I also washed the screen door and the green door and all the door windows and the curtain as well!

And I don't know what looks better - weeds or bare mud. What do you think? :) It was pouring buckets by the time I thought about weeding, but now that I look at this picture I think I could at least trim back the weeds by the make-shift step.

Even after clearing things out, this space still looks a little cluttered to me, but at least it's neat! And fresh smelling! I also swept the cobwebs from the ceiling :)

Here's that little shelf again. Still needed for sunglasses and keys and wallets for now, but at least there is a little bird on the top shelf smiling down.

Having a reasonably clean kitchen is much nicer! I don't really have another spot for that garbage can, unfortunately. The broom is so handy there... I thought I could leave it there... but maybe I can find a better spot for it. Knowing the kitchen is so visible to all is certainly good incentive for keeping on top of it!

Down the hall, there is a small guest bathroom to the left, which I also cleaned and made fresh for company. Beyond that is the dining room, another work in progress - the wallpaper is coming down, hooray!

And on the right is the living room, also the only babyproof room we have right now, hence the gate.

The hallway really goes right through the centre of the house, with all the rooms opening up off of it. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to make it look bigger and/or brighter? What colour would you choose for the walls?

Well, that was fun! I'm trying to be content with what I have, while dreaming of what we can do differently when we have the means to do it. And in the meantime, keeping it reasonably clean certainly makes a difference!


~lg

{pretty, happy, funny, real} on July 15

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Brought to you by Like Mother, Like Daughter

Another busy week, but I finally got my Royal Visit post up with pics of Will and Kate! Which is why this post is a day late :)

{pretty}

This week's pretty is brought to you by the Northwest Territories. This is the famously delicious cranberry cake and butter sauce which I was able to make with wild NWT cranberries - brought in ice from Fort Smith to Montreal, then stored in Aunt Karen's freezer for a time, then driven in ice to PEI, and waiting in my freezer for a special occasion. We had some special guests last week, so it was time to pull them out! The cake was heavenly - perfectly tart little berries, oozing with pure butter and sugar and cream . . .

... {sigh of utter satisfaction}

{happy}

We have a little adventurer on our hands who loves nothing more than getting down on her hands and knees and exploring.

I wonder what she's after?

{funny}

We went to the beach with some visiting family on Monday. Arden has slowly warmed up to the idea and experience of sand. Now she is eating it by the handful!

She is quite pleased with her little sand beard.

{real}

Besides the sand, Arden also loves to chew on rocks. No matter where we go, if there is a rock in sight, it is soon on its way to her mouth. See where she has already started on this one? If she's too quick for me, she starts chewing on them, and it makes the most dreadful grating noise!!

All part of exploring the world I guess!







~lg

The Royal Visit

On July 3rd and 4th, we became Royal Watchers.*  Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, future King and Queen of Canada, or as we all like to call them, Will and Kate, graced Prince Edward Island with their presence as part of their Canadian tour. And we decided to join in the fun.

The Royal Watchers

This post is not about whether Canada should or should not retain the form of government known as a constitutional monarchy, but I will just say that I have always been a little fascinated with the British monarchy and its history, and by extension, Canadian history. I have fridge magnets of all the kings and queens of England. I have been known (as a child, of course) to dress up as the Queen and practice my royal wave and my "hem hem." I was born on Queen Victoria's birthday and my middle name is Elizabeth. I wouldn't call myself a monarchist, but this is what I think: Great Britain is one of Canada's parent nations, and there's no getting around that. Canada is like the little child that grew up under British rule, and then decided as a teenager to become independent. There was a lot of rebellion (without a large war, thankfully) and finding oneself and throwing off of the old, naturally, as Canada found its own identity as a country. And now I like to think we've grown up a bit, and Mother England is no longer an unreasonable tyrant trying to impose curfews and house rules on us. You know when you become an adult, and all of a sudden you realize you can be friends with your parents? Sure, they're not perfect, and there are some family traits you wish maybe you hadn't inherited, but they are where you came from. They're family. And you can be mature about it and have a good relationship with them. That's my tuppence.

*A Royal Watcher falls somewhere between curious onlooker and paparazzi. Closer to the curious onlooker I'd like to think, though some may beg to differ.

Ok, now that the preamble is over, we can get to the good stuff! I wrote a big long journal type document of our 24 hour adventure, but it is much too long and tedious to post here. I'm keeping it for posterity. But I will give you a few snapshots and descriptions of our Grand Royal Watching Adventure.  Now get your curtseys ready...

Day 1 - Charlottetown Airport & Government House

Our adventure began at the Charlottetown Airport, where Will and Kate were due to arrive at 6:50 pm. We hadn't really planned on going to the airport, but at the last minute we decided to go and see what we could see. When we arrived people were beginning to line the sides of the airport road and the edges of the tarmac. After some quick scouting, we decided to stake out a spot near the media cameras on the far side of the terminal. And lucky for us, it just happened to be the perfect spot! We saw the big military jet land, coming in from our left, and then it turned around and nosed right into our view. The big yellow stairs came out, and then . . .

... down came William and Kate! The pipers were piping and the crowds were cheering and the cameras were snapping and the royals were waving! It was quite a thrilling little moment to see them for the very first time, live and in person.

This little princess seemed quite taken in with all the excitement too.

After the couple were greeted by all the officials, we quickly nabbed a spot right on the curb where the royal  motorcade would soon pass by. In a line of black cars, we knew which one held the Duke and Duchess because it had little flags on the hood. Micah held the camera and I held Arden and we were right there when the car made its way toward us!

Here is the car! And there is Kate!

And THERE is William, looking and waving right at us! I could have reached out and touched the car at this point!

The royal wave!

I must admit to being quite excited at this point. It's one thing to watch a prince grow up on TV and quite another thing to see him smiling and looking right at you. (And more handsome in person, I might add.) It was a wonderful spontaneous sort of moment. We came to the airport with no expectations and got the royal wave from William himself.

After our first sighting, we figured we'd drive downtown on the off chance we might run into them again. We got some Dairy Queen on the way (it was either that or Burger King) and headed to Victoria Park, where we knew they would eventually retire for the night at Government House. Again, we found ourselves in the right place at the right time. Traffic had been stopped and people were lined up along the hedges.

We found a spot right in front of Government House where, if we stood on tiptoes and sort of held onto the hedge, we had a perfect view.


Within  minutes the motorcade arrived and Kate and William stepped out on the front steps. They gave a little wave before disappearing into the house. A chandelier winked out of a window at us from a room to the left, hinting at the hospitality reserved only for royal guests.

We all hung about for a bit, wondering if they might come out again, but even though a small crowd kept chanting "Will and Kate! Will and Kate!" it seemed they had retired for the night. But it was a lovely sort of evening in which to hang about. It was warm, and the harbour glowed in the golden summer light. We took a stroll around the park, peeking over the fence at all the RCMP officers and security cameras stationed around the grounds.

As Will and Kate settled in for the night, someone else was getting a little sleepy too...

The sun set behind Government House, and we made our way back to the car, back to our own house on a hill where the lights were twinkling for us. I'm glad the sun sets for royalty and commoners alike.

Day 2 - Great George Street & Summerside Harbour

We had had so much fun the night before, we decided to make a day of it on Monday. We got up at 6:00 and headed into Charlottetown in the hopes of securing a front row seat near Province House, where the Duke and Duchess were set to arrive at 10:05. When we got downtown at around 7:00, there were already people lined up 3 or 4 deep along the barricades directly outside Province House. After some scouting, we did find a clear spot along the barricades on Great George Street, just up from the Basilica, and just beneath a huge screen that was set up. We also ran into some friends from church who ended up waiting and watching with us, which was a lot of fun. And of course, we had to get our pictures taken with the cut-out version of the couple!

When the couple finally did arrive out of view on the other side of Province House, this is what we saw.

Kate in a lovely nautical dress

We woke Arden up from her nap in the stroller just before 10:38, when Will and Kate were greeted by a singing choir and the cheering crowds up and down Great George Street.

Just as William began his speech, drops of rain began to fall, but nothing could dampen the spirits (haha) of the 20,000 or so people gathered.

And now here is where our getting up early paid off. William and Kate got into the landau, accompanied by the mounted police, and began to process down Great George Street, and right in front of us . . .

I lifted Arden up on my shoulders and we waved and shouted as Kate waved and smiled. She is truly gorgeous. Oh wait, Kate, look over here!

Yes, that's better.

They seemed genuinely pleased with all the attention. The carriage ride stopped down at Confederation Landing, where they got out and watched a performance. There were lots of people crowding about trying to get close, but I got up on Micah's shoulders to get a better view.

They walked about for quite awhile afterward, shaking hands and such. Alas, we did not get the opportunity to meet them! We've already decided that next time we will camp out even earlier and guarantee ourselves a handshaking spot!

When they got into their car and drove off for an afternoon at Dalvay-by-the-sea, the rain really began to fall, and we trod back up the street. The crowds began to disperse, but this next sight made me laugh. . .

Yes, that is a reincarnation of Princess Beatrice's wedding hat, made out of what appears to be toilet seats!! Hilarious! Highlight of the day!

Thus ended the official appearance in Charlottetown of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It was fun to be part of the grand crowd, the energetic atmosphere, a little bit of PEI history in the making. It was a once in a lifetime moment to see Will and Kate in their grand carriage, processing before our eyes, part of the perfectly planned celebration in their honour. But for all the grandeur and ceremony, I think I preferred our serendipitous moments stolen the night before, or maybe it was just the thrill of the first sighting.

We had already seen them three times. At the rate we were going, we might as well try for a fourth! After lunch and a nap at home, we headed over to Summerside. Will and Kate were going to arrive by helicopter at the Summerside Harbour and watch a search and rescue demonstration by the Canadian Coast Guard. (William is a search and rescue pilot, after all.)

It was almost raining in Summerside, and we were prepared with rain jackets and umbrellas. It was a carnival atmosphere down at the harbour, with live music and highland dancers and roving bagpipers and people on segways handing out Union Jacks.

We did our part and waved our flags.Then Arden and I tried out the cockpit of a Coast Guard helicopter for fun.

And Arden spent a lot of time on Daddy's shoulders, where I'm sure she got some of the best views.

The Duke and Duchess arrived by Coast Guard helicopter, sending waves of spray over the waiting crowds.

If you look very closely, you can see them off in the distance, walking toward the group of important people assembled. Kate was dressed in skinny jeans and a short trenchcoat, fitting for the mad dash out from under the chopper.

And that's about all we saw of them! Rather disappointing for the crowds, I would think. They made their way onto the ship, and there watched the search and rescue demonstration. We watched too.

It was cool to see the helicopter part of the rescue, and this time we got sprayed with saltwater!

Eventually we made our way over to the road where the motorcade would pass by on the way to the airport. We weren't too worried about getting a spot right on the curb this time, and let the folk of Summerside jostle for the best positions. We couldn't really see the couple when they drove by, but we waved anyway!

You can see us waving in the bottom left corner. And something I never noticed before - a guy dressed up with a sign saying "God Save the Bears." Random! I guess royalty brings out all sorts . . .

And that was the end of our royal watching! We walked back to the car along the boardwalk, stopping for some candy and fudge along the way, with a tired little trooper in tow.

Here she is letting us know that no matter how tired she may seem, she is not yet ready for a nap!

We drove home, satisfied with our adventure in Royal Watching. It had been quite a 24 hours following the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and we were quite glad to get back to our own humble castle at the end of a long day.

I wondered if Will and Kate were looking forward to getting back to their own home too, if Kate makes Will haddock bubbly bake on a rainy evening, if they curl up on the couch and laugh at Beatrice's hat and the silly people who get so excited just to see plain old them.


~lg