my magic house: July 2011

Monday, July 11, 2011

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.

Monday, July 4, 2011

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!

101 things in 1001 days for the magic house

Deadline: October 13, 2013

1. Fix siding at the back of the house (partial fix for now...filled the siding holes with foam...preventing mice, birds etc from making my house their home)
2. Tear down the garage
3. Re-build a garage
4. Start a composter in the garden
5. Call gas company & turn off gas line to fireplace (unsafe)
6. Change tub hardware or add vacuum valve
7. Fix toilet running issue
8. Paint basement room
9. Add gyprock to the basement wall at bottom of stairs
10. Add trim to basement walls
11. Tear carpet off basement stairs
12. Paint basement stairs
13. Add handrail to basement stairs
14. Add railing to deck
15. Paint the off white exterior trim to white
16. Clean eaves each year (3 times) - (2011 done)
17. Seal front steps
18. Seal deck
19. Add step-stones through garden (in progress)
20. Extend patio area into garden
21. Add planks to basement floors and paint them
22. Re-string the basement curtains to cover foundation
23. Pull up linoleum in basement room
24. Change mirror to cabinet in bathroom (well, I painted the walls and mirror and it looks better..for now)
25. Add better light in bathroom (see #24)
26. Build cabinet for concrete counters in basement
27. Add tub to laundry room (with the concrete counters)
28. Seal wall in storage cubby-hole & paint walls
29. Add curtain to storage cubby-hole
30. Fix mis-aligned cupboards in kitchen
31. Re-finish bedroom floors
32. Re-finish office floor
33. Hang all pictures
34. Add curtains to front window
35. Make roman blind for tulip window
36. Hem bathroom curtain
37. Sew magnets into shower curtain (bought curtain with magnets)
38. Change thermostat to programmable one
39. Look into bathroom ventilation to see if needs to vent outside
40. String lights on clothes line for patio lights
41. Seal chips in tub
42. Add firepit in backyard (maybe)
43. Fix missing trim for office/bedroom
44. Scrap paint off windows
45. Add base trim to living room/office/bedroom
46. Fix closet doors so they don't fall off the tracks
47. Put office door on barndoor tracks (maybe bedroom door too)
48. Make porch a 3-season living space
49. Tighten all outlet covers
50. Set-up entertainment room in basement(and guest room)
51. Add wider shelves to storage space in basement
52. Figure out a way to level out the laundry room floor so it can look nice and organized
53. Thin out raspberry bushes each spring (3 times)
54. Plant herbs/greens/vegetables in garden (3 times - done 2011 but failed)
55. Find where pests are entering house and fix it (Spring 2011)
56. Add shelf in bathroom
57. Paint bathroom a lighter shade of brown (or other color) - Painted it Coventry Gray
58. Add vent covers to basement ducts
59. Fix duct by furnace
60. Finish maintenance plan/calendar
61. Blog about magic house/home ownership
62. Figure out how the garage opens and if it can be used until I tear it down
63. Sort through things/artifacts in garage
64. Create house savings/budget plan
65. Hold annual garage sale after purge of stuff
66. Paint off-white bedroom door to white
67. Paint inside of the back door to chalkboard
68. Look into attic insulation issues (do I need to change it?)
69. Secure archway at front gate
70. Fix porch door
71. Paint front fence white
72. Build/add built-in bookshelves in basement
73. Replace all the burnt-out light bulbs (on-going). Could be an adventure as each light fixture has different bulbs
74. Figure out better bedding storage solutions
75. Buy a new bed for bedroom
76. Add another rod in closet/organize closet better
77. Add school lockers as shoe solution by back door
78. Look under back deck and see what's there
79. Create house idea board and color scheme
80. Fix rain barrels so they don't leak
81. Extend downpour spout on roof so it reaches the back eaves
82. Fix wiring in office and/or close it in
83. Fix the parging on the exterior of the house
84. Submit photos to Apartment Therapy small spaces
85. Fix door hardware (Bathroom and basement room)
86. Install proper hooks on back of bedroom door
87. Figure out way to clean oven glass
88. Start up fish pond every spring and winterize every fall (3 times - 1 time done - spring/fall 2011) Fish died Winter 2012. May just fill in.
89. Cut down garden every spring (3 times - 2011 don)
90. Reupholster chair found in garage
91. Reupholster green chair
92. Refinish dining room table
93. Organize cubby-hole for tools, etc.
94. Get furnace/ducts cleaned (3 times) 2011 done
95. Vacuum cobwebs in basements twice a year (6 times)
96. Add another electrical outlet in the basement
97. Finish the basement fully (a big dream)
98. Take empty boxes to garage
99. Find comfy chairs for the sun room and make it a more use-able space
100. Price out everything on this list
101. Make another 101 things in 1001 days list for the house as the maintaining will never end.

Note: Blue means the activity is in progress and green means the activity is complete.

My Magic House