And the Renos start...maybe?

So the other weekend Shawn went to an Auction and got us some beautiful Bamboo flooring for the house. He got enough to do the Livingroom, Diningroom, den and hall. And the best part it was CHEAP.....under $1000. We paid $1.20/sqrft. It sells in the store for around $3.50/sqrft.
The plan is to start with the Den. Its a smaller area and basicly a box so we think it a better spot to learn how to install it...the wrench in the plain is my Mom & Dad want to come for 3 weeks over Christmas...when we had plained to do the floors so ether we have to work around them or get it done before they get here.
Well ether way I need to start stripping wall paper so we can paint upstairs. and get started on down as well.
We also want to remove the popcorn from the cealings....messy messy...

Weekend and the next 2 weeks...

We had a pretty good weekend. it started early with Shawn getting to come home Thursday evening...not Friday evening as planed. Aparently the Ship was out of eggs, milk and flour by supper time, plus the equipment they where to test that night would not work so they came home early.

Friday and Saturday I worked as per norm with the kids going to Before and After School care at the NAC, on Friday.
Sunday was my Birthday and we went for Breakfast at Jasmines, the food was good but the service was wonky...we got our drinks and order in quick but then Cameron got his food, then Shawn a few mins later. Emily and I got ours when Cameron and Shawn where half done.
We did a Wally World run for stuff for Shawn...and a few home items. And then it was back home for the reat of the day...nothing special. After a pretty good steak supper we finnished packing up Shawn for the Seattle trip, I cut his hair and we left to drop him off at the ship. They where leaving around 6am so to save getting us up at 5am to drive him in he opted to sleep on board.

Its now Monday morn almost afternoon and I'm home with the kids...PD day already.

As i'm writing this I get a call...I sent a Resume into the Base for a Cook job..I have an interview tommorow

Ready to garden..

So I did some shopping on Friday and today and now have a few plants to get in the ground.
Friday I got 23 plants at Canadian Tire for under $45.
Today I got another 12 for another $30

  The Mums...
 

Black eyed Susans, Shasta Dasiy, Cushion Flower, and Potentilla

Black Beauty Elder, Weigela, Euonymous, Flowering Quince, Coleus, and a Monkshood












Jacobs Ladder, Monkshood, Spiraea, Basil, and unknown perennials....

Lost... GIRRRR

So after turning my house upside down and giving it a good shake, I have come to the conclusion I have LOST,  mine and both the kids Birth Cert.... Dont ask me how, but they are no where to be found.

Shawn e-mailed to say if I could get passports then we might be able to take a trip to Seattle on the Ship. They are headed that was in the next few weeks and offered Shawn the chance to bring us on board. So I start filling out the forms and its going great untill I get to the part where it asks for info off the B.C....I open the file box find the right file folder and inside is everything BUT the B.C.s

If we had too I could express the new ones at $10 extra each but with only a few weeks untill the sail I will not be able to get the new ones and Passports done in-time... a "FREE" day sail would end up costing over $300...

Friday Sept. 4

So Friday we went out to Fort Rodd Hill with Lori and her girls to watch the Ship return from the Daysail.

I also found out that only about half the people signed up for the day sail showed up ...the reasion we could not go was that they had 350ppl on the guest list and could not fit anymore safely.

Some Pic's of whats been going on...

Trees Came down, 5 med. size ones from the middle of the back yard.

Before and After

The front now

Missing one huge tree, and the window bars

New safe stairs

Rain Barrol

Summers Over...almost

Shawn is back to work. We dropped him off at the gate on Monday thinking he was doing an overnight, maybe. 15 mins after I get home he calls to say they will be out until Friday, and could I bring him some stuff to get through the week. So its up to me and the kids to get ready to go camping on the long weekend.

So what did we do this Summer....

We went camping in Port Alburni (Sprout Lake).

We built stairs in the back yard, so now we can get down the hill with out sliding on our asses.

We got 2 new duo-flush toilets...love them, 6 or 4l flush...much better then the 13l ones we had.... esp with a septic system.

We got the rain barrow installed and 80% of the rock wall rebuilt

Replaced some of the missing downspouts.

Shawn cut more of the logs from the trees into burnable bits and we got most of it stacked.

Summer is here...

Well Summer is here and we are settling into our house.
The kids had their Beach day/last day of school and Shawn got back from his course in California.

Changing date....

So Shawn found out that we stand a better chance of IRP covering costs if we close on the house before the 21st...to I spent a few hrs on the phone this morn, arranging things so we can close on Friday..a whole week early.
Still planing on moving in on the 28th but will spend some time moving the more fragil items over and can get my plants in the ground a little faster....
So I have spent the afternoon digging everything up..no where near done and running out of transfer pots again. I still need some realy big ones for the larger plants that I will not leave. This is the one (of many) upsides to buying a home close by (not a posting to another place) I can keep my flowers...

More pic's of the house...

The Kitchen...Gas stove yay!


Living room, that gas insert is going to be replaced with nice one that fits, the brick may go too as it is not solid brick.


The front door deck...on what we think of as the Back of the house.


Lower back yard


Upper back yard, door the the workshop and crawlspace.

House Hunting No more...

So we found our Home.

A 3br Red Cedar and stucco house on a great lot. Its on a dead end rd, for now as there is a New housing development going in up the hill but I have enough trees and land that we will not be affected too much. and our street is narrow so I cant see many people wanting to use it when they can drive on a brand new street.

Best part is we are a 5min walk from the lake....

The house was built in the 80's and was owned by an Older couple so it is OUTDATED but that's OK. The only con's are the size of the 3rd Bedroom. its 9x8 so on par with a RHU (PMQ) bedroom....Ds insists its his so we will remind him in 5 yrs when he's bigger that it was his idea to take the smallest room. And that it is electric baseboard heat.

Dh hopes to install infloor heating on the main.

House Hunting

So Dh decided that this was the Year to buy a home in Victoria. Thanks to the down turn in the economy house prices are coming down...boo for sellers but Yeah for buyers. This time last year We could not even think of looking at homes....well we could look but nothing that fit our need and wants was anywhere near our price range.
We have been living in front of the computer on MLS. and there are lots of listings, some look great but when you do a walk through you find scary electrical or 3rd bed rooms that are not really bedrooms.
Add that the kids are in French immersion and that doubles the looking. close to the school are still too pricey and too far and they may not be able to take a bus.
We have put in an offer on a house but where out bid. I am holding my breath cause they have until Friday to lift the conditions, and the house may come back on the market.
I want to get out of Military houseing, not that its a bad house its just not mine.

Why?

Dont realy know why I'm doing this or for how long. I have never been one for writing down what I think or feel. I have always been better at speaking out.