Time to catch up

I can't believe there is only two weeks until Christmas. I feel like I missed the fall season somehow...it probably had something to do with the fact I was away in France for most of October so missed Thanksgiving and Halloween...our typical holiday time markers. When I got back, Calgary was fully into the winter and all things Christmas.

Nevertheless, it has been a fairly productive month since returning from the trip. I was able to cross a few things off my house to-do list and other items that crop up.

For starters, I finally chose a paint color for my bathroom. It has been a poo-brown for the last year (color chosen by past owners). I thought I could live with it but no, I am just not that kind of girl. So after 3 weeks of color swatches painted on the wall, I rolled the dice and chose Coventry Grey from Benjamin Moore. Lovely choice (bottom right hand corner of the swatch colors).

Painting a small space with 9 ft ceilings, a claw foot tub and full circle shower curtain rod created some challenges such as where to put the ladder to reach the ceiling.  Tada!

The bathroom mirror also didn't seem to fit but rather than buy a new mirror, I thought I would paint it. I found some "hammered silver" spray paint downstairs (again from the past owners) and did a little DIY on the mirror.

 

Now for the final reveal...

Doesn't the picture below look so wintery and lovely? It's my backyard after a recent snowfall.

It just gets you in the Christmas spirit...and that does require some decorating. But because I will be "home" for Christmas, decorating is minimal.

I didn't want to get a real tree because I will be away. So I reached deep into the "Martha Stewart" within to find a suitable alternative. I remembered that some cut branches from the apple tree and bushes were just "hanging out" in my garage. So I spray painted them white and decorated away. In my mind's eye, it was going to look more polished but I like the homemade look that resulted.

The season also requires some baking so I whipped up some goodies...love these cookies. See the recipe here.

I finally feel quite settled into my little house now. It has been just over a year and no complaints...best purchase ever. And it still feels magical. I will try to be more consistent on the magic house blog and I already have the next post planned...stay tuned for the travel art/collection pictures reveal. 

Techno etc

In recent years, I had a dream of connecting all my electronics and I am one step closer. I purchased Apple TV yesterday (as well as an ipad)...my love for all things Apple continues. But apple TV streams everything on your Itunes and iphone. With a netflix subscription and Itunes there is so much right at your finger tips. It also plays photos, podcasts and music you have on your phone or itunes library. I am truly in love. The only thing it doesn't have is browsing online from your TV screen but I am sure that will come soon!!!

As for other house things, last weekend, I used expanding foam to seal in a few holes in my siding. it looks horrendous but it will stop water leaking and birds nesting behind the siding for the winter. I hope to replace the siding and deck next year (spring). I forgot to take pictures but if I did, it would be pretty hilarious because I didn't know what I was doing. The one thing I did do right was to wear disposable gloves. That foam is viciously sticky. Now, all I need to do is cut the extra foam off now that it has cured so it isn't so obvious. Good thing the holes in the siding are at the back of the house.

My garden is starting to fade into the autumn colors. I am actually looking forward to the fall (and next spring). I now know what is in the garden and how I want to re-arrange and adjust for next year. I can really plan this winter.

I planned to attend a "How to Winter your Fish" seminar at a local fish/pond store last Wednesday but just before I left, I zipped down to switch my laundry loads and my front-loading washing machine had a "ND" error code and was full of water. It would not drain. After googling, I figured out how to open the door and dealt with the small flood because I really wanted to get the clothes out so they didn't sit in water for ages. Now I am waiting for Maytag...this week I hope. Of course, I don't have any proof-of-purchase so not sure if anything will be covered by warranty. Ahhh, the trials of a first-world home owner. I can't really complain. Just another expense to deal with as I am trying to save for my France adventure in a few weeks.

Speaking of France, I can't wait to visit some of the kitchen and home decor stores in Paris. So fun! J. doesn't know he will be shopping there yet but I have a few weeks to work on him :-)

Sorry I don't have pictures for this post but I guess the good news is that I found time to actually post.

Summer in the city

Is it really August 14? Just noticed that my last post was over a month ago. It's not that I haven't been doing things around the place and in the garden but there just been camping, festival attending and general summer enjoyment. Here's a smattering of updates from the last 4-5 weeks.

A wicked hail storm pelted my area of the city...my garden is still recovering.

Had to call an arborist because the apple tree is slowly dying

The apple tree has Fire Blight...the arborist cut the dead branches and treated the soil to try to stop the spread but it probably only has a couple years left. The good news is that the apples are still growing. As an aside, I chose the arborist based on the company name - "The Branch Manager". It probably doesn't speak to the quality but it was witty. The tree was treated on the same day as the hail storm so I am not really sure if it was the hail or arbor guys that created havoc in my garden.

Speaking of my garden, I have more raspberries than I know what to do with...friends have been popping over to help with the harvest. There are still so many in the early ripening stage. It's rather incredible. Apparently my friend Claire picked pounds of raspberries and I barely noticed that any were even picked.

Speaking of harvesting, there are a few nanking cherry trees throughout my garden so I am experimenting to see what could be done with them.  For now, I boiled some down into a syrup to add to drinks, salad dressing or for ice cream. Yummo!

Cherries on the tree

Cherries in the colander

Nanking cherry syrup (still need to add the sugar but lovely flavour)

 Speaking of cherries...

Fresh produce is one of my favorite things about summer...visits to Farmers Markets.

We are lucky to have a few great year-round markets like Kingsland FM and Calgary FM. Of course, there are still the seasonal ones like Millarville and I want to check out one close to my house - Sunnyside/Hillhurst. Maybe this Wednesday...

In other produce news, the vegetable garden has been a dismal failure...next year, there will be a fence of sorts around the produce. Have to look into a better solution. Claire suggested the book "Creative Vegetable Gardening". Here is a look at the only peas I could muster (actually there were a total of 5 pods but I ate 2). The carrots are not quite ready but I pulled one to see if it was even growing...There are only about 8 in the garden row. The spinach did not take and the zucchini tops were eaten so they did not grow either. In the onion row, there is about 2 still hanging on.

Like three peas in a pod

A pitiful carrot

I hung some of my herbs (oregano, thyme, mint & parsley) to dry...we will see how those turn out. 

A shot of my hollyhocks

What I thought was an invasion of hollyhocks this spring and summer ended up being an invasive species banned in Alberta. It is called "Himilayan Balsam" and its seeds are wicked and spread easily. I have probably pulled up more than 2000 this year. Here is a shot of my garbage full of them. I've filled more than 4 garbage cans with this weed alone. It is everywhere and can grow up to 8ft tall.

Spending lots of time in the garden!

Now for a few updates around the house:

Last week, I went to a "Swap-a-rama" party which takes place usually once a year. Guests bring things that are nice but just don't go with their home and/or wardrobe anymore. At the get-together, you put all the items in the centre and then everyone takes turns choosing treasure...basically, it is like free shopping. Anything left gets dropped off at a charity. I picked up the mirror below plus a great serving platter and a great tin for planting herbs.

 I also re-arranged my living room to see a different perspective. The jury is still out on this layout.

Still with the rearranging theme, I tidied up my laundry area downstairs. Basically, gave the area a good cleaning and lined up the appliances. Because the floor is cement, it was tricky to find an even place for the washing machine but to fix it, I stuck a lid under the leg and PRESTO! It was fixed.

I took this shot while camping a couple weeks ago. Campfires are so fascinating. However you are choosing to spend your summer, I hope you are all having a wonderful relaxing summer.  

dragonflies and such

Not much is happening on the house and garden front...does this normally happen in the dog days of summer? The fruits of the garden are coming along...loads of raspberries, macintosh apples, strawberries and my tomatoes are growing well. The carrots, zucchini and peas are coming along. The spinach and onions are a sad state of affairs...oh well.

Just a quick picture to share with you...saw this massive dragonfly on Jake's car wheel on the weekend. Stunning.

summer is here

The view looking up from the boat on the lake

With so much sun recently, we have been busy with summer living.  To celebrate Canada Day, we tried to go camping but all the sites were full by the time we got there. Disappointed, we headed home but I think the weekend turned out better. We went boating at Chain Lakes Provincial Park and antiquing in Nanton. We explored the newest city park and bought a bike for me - my first new bike in years....and 50% off.  It's just a basic bike from Zellers but it will do the trick.

Another view from the boat

The garden continues to grow and is rapidly becoming a jungle but there are pops of colour that daily surprise me. I am attempting to map the front and backyards but it is hard to capture everything. It begins to look all the same. Thank goodness for these massive poppies that are popping up everywhere...red, pink, orange. It is stunning.

Some sparrows took up residence behind my siding. The previous owners did not do a great job with installing the siding (it is on my project list for next year) and as a result the siding has holes in it big enough for a nest. Yesterday, I saw the babies for the first time. Fascinating but this fall, I will be rectifying the situation.

To keep busy and on top of my produce, I have been stewing, crisping and freezing the copious amounts of rhubarb. Yummo! The strawberries and raspberries are coming along as well. Can't wait.

And besides that, I am enjoying bbq recipes, the patio table (with bug spray) and the sunshine. By the way, have you tried grilled corn on the cob??? My new favourite summer side dish! Can't wait for Taber corn.

Hope you are enjoying your summer!

Sparkles and weeds

This weekend was the first time that I thought perhaps home ownership (specially being a gardener) may get the best of me. Yet I will persevere because I don't have another option at this point in time. I still enjoy the dirt and gardening but a couple weeks of rain and no time for the garden is allowing the weeds to win the battle. I spent 4 hours today outside weeding....three garbage bags of weeds!!! Incredible.

But to take my mind off that battle, I am working on small corners of the house...here is some new spaces I have redone or created.

My porch...the chairs will be a bench shortly...I am percolating an idea!

My back sun room with the two chairs I need to recover...some day!

My new (for now) patio table...just need something to eat on outside. Now if I can do anything about the mosquitos, it would be paradise

Necklaces on the back of the bedroom door...perfect location

In other news, an unusual theft happened today between 3 and 6 pm. My blue recycling cart which is always situated by my back gate was stolen. I had dumped a bunch of recyclables in there this afternoon just before 3 pm so I'm not sure what they are going to do with cardboard, papers and plastic containers, etc. The one bright spot is that this morning I decided to fill in my address on the cart. The cart had a spot that says "This cart belongs to this address: " Who knows, my blue cart may find its way back but until then, I will call the city and see if they can deliver another one for me. Oh, the adventurous life I lead!!

Delinquency

I know that my blogging duties have been neglected but the need to focus more important priorities became evident. Surprisingly, blogging is not on the list of my top 10 priorities so it is just a nice-to-do when I have a spare few minutes.

This is just a quick update to state that the garden continues to grow....despite feeling like I may be fighting a losing battle against hollyhocks (gone wild), dandelions and quack grass, I actually harvested the first fruits of my labour - spinach and rhubarb today.

Before I run to enjoy my rhubarb strawberry crumble, I leave you with an inspiring garden belonging to my cousin Jeremy and his wife (and my good friend) Christine in Hamilton, ON. I visited them a few weeks ago. May you be as inspired as I was with their little piece of paradise.

Oh how the garden grows

Here are some shots of the garden...with being away for work and the rain, I really haven't been able to do much. The pond is much clearer though...I can actually see the fish. One compost bin is in place; it is amazing how full it already is.

The hollyhocks are taking over the garden but perhaps it will be delightful...I will just wait and see.

I love the greens...all the different shades of it.

HOLLYHOCKS GALORE

My attempt at a vegetable garden...no signs of life besides hollyhocks everywhere

One of my three cherry trees

Welcome to the garden, CB (Compost bin)

Rhubarb all over...at last count I have 6 plants of it

Some bulb plant...no flowers yet

Fern...ground cover. The fronds are about to unfurl.

I love the wooden rain barrels

Tried my "green thumb at herbs and tomatoes in the planters.

A view of the backyard...its even more green and lush now after the rain. It changes every day.