my magic house

Report from the basement

2012-02-19T13:29:00.000-08:00

As it's the long weekend (yeah, Family day), I thought I would put some time and effort towards the work in the basement. One of the many things I am learning about this project is there are a million little steps that you have to do. For instance, I thought I had sanded all the mud from the hole patches but as I am painting, I stumble across one (or ten) I missed. But despite these "set-backs", progress is being made.

When I first started the project, I made a list of things I needed to do..here is an update:

1) Sand basement hall wall and last layer of mud; then re-sand - DONE
2) Vacuum after sanding- DONE
3) Prep Studio walls (patch and sand) - DONE
4) Fix hole in studio wall with drywall patch (mud, sand, repeat) - DONE
5) Buy better latch for studio window
6) Gyprock by stairs (mud, sand, repeat) - IN PROGRESS - One side at least
7) Pull up carpet (I think they glued the awful carpet down!!) - CANNOT DO :-(
8) Pull up lino - DONE
9) Dust/vacuum Studio - DONE
10) Move stuff to guest bedroom part of studio before prep - DONE
11) Buy baseboard for walls
12) Rent saw to cut baseboards
13) Learn how to do baseboards
14) Sand door/closet trim - DONE
15) Prime trim - DONE
16) Paint trim - IN PROGRESS (first coat done)
17) Prime basement hall& Studio walls - DONE
18) Paint basement hall wall & studio walls (using leftover blue paint from upstairs living room) - DONE
19) Decide floor treatment
20) Do floors
21) Learn how to do flooring
22) Re-paint chimney brick (over awful green paint) - DONE
23) Paint door - DONE
24) Paint closets - IN PROGRESS
25) Paint stairwell - UNSURE WHAT DIRECTION TO GO
26) Finish window casement
27) Buy new handrail & install so it is up to building code
28) Add bookshelves in hallway for built-in effect - TBD
29) Clean window wells - DONE
30) re-arrange furniture
31) Replace burned out light bulb
32) Fix door knob - I would also like to strip the layers of paint. Must research eco-friendly method.
33) Paint over ducts? (Can I do this?)
34) Put a door on the stairwell cubby....or perhaps built-ins because the space is not insulated.

New items include:
35) Spray paint ceiling vent (rather than buying new one) -DONE
36) Cut rotten wood (1' x 1') out from corner of studio
37) Replace wood

Now just a few more images on the slow progress:

And just one other small project, I am doing while the painting bug is in me. I am adding a small piece of gyprock to my bedroom wall (it was missing) where the intake grill goes...and then I am painting the grill as it was pretty rough looking.

Bits and bobs

2012-01-29T12:40:00.000-08:00

I didn't progress very far on the basement this week. It was a long week so I have given myself the grace to chill and rest this weekend. But I did sand the guest room/studio walls, doors and trim. I also added some sheet rock to the wall by the stairs - first time ever. Not sure I did it right but we will see. I also added a small piece of sheet rock on my bedroom wall where a piece has been missing since I moved in. And I need to mud both areas still - perhaps next weekend.

My attempt of sheet rock installation beside the basement stairs

My attempts to pull up the awful carpet were met with resistance because whoever installed the carpet super-glued it down to the plywood subfloor. I don't think that is normal but then again, I have never pulled carpet up before. And I thought the lino was going to be the difficult part.

The carpet may be permanent

In light of this challenge, I am not sure what I will do...may just clean the carpet well and perhaps with painted walls, it won't be too bad.

Today, I am doing lots of organizing...getting paperwork ready for the accountant, sorting through piles of magazines, partially re-organizing my kitchen cupboards. All inspired by Martha Stewart's new publication "Organizing." I am especially exciting about her new partnership with Avery Labels.

I love putting things in their place and finding that perfect container to hold my "treasures." This probably makes my mother laugh now because cleaning and organizing were not my strongest traits as a child. I remember the frequency of requests to tidy my room!

To wrap up, I am wondering if anyone can help me out...I am looking for the correct term for the latch above. Any ideas? I have a few of them and would like to replace them with non-paint coated ones.

Travel wall & demolition time

2012-01-21T15:12:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I promised to show the wall where I have framed and hung my travel pictures, mementos and souvenirs. It is in my sun room...my absolute favorite room. Alas, it is also the only room not heated in the house so I have not used it so much recently due to the ridiculous cold snap we just experienced.

Well, without any further ado...here is the wall:

Now, I know that I should have created paper replicas of the frames and planned it better but I was feeling like a free spirit that day so there are some wonky lines but I justify it by saying it is a wonky space.

My favourite thing is having tea in this room and remembering all the travel adventures. Speaking of travel, I booked another trip to Paris for April. This time with the sisters and mom. My plans for shopping during my last trip were thwarted due to "incompatible" traveling styles.

In other magic house news, I have started my basement "reno's". Here are some before shots:

This is the wonderful current paint on the studio/guest room walls

The stairwell with the horrendous carpet

The basement hallway wall

View from the studio to the stairs

Here is the hole I created by trying to remove an old pipe. It wasn't connected to anything. Just sticking out into the room.

The floors with the lino removed..there were only 6 different lino patterns discovered in the excavation.

The pile of lino...my neighbours must love me.

Safety first! I also wore gloves and a face mask because I think there may be asbestos...eeek!

I realized there are tons of little steps to do just the art studio/guest room and the stairs/hallway. Here is my preliminary list of steps (in no particular order):
1) Sand basement hall wall and last layer of mud; then re-sand - DONE
2) Vacuum after sanding- DONE
3) Prep Studio walls (patch and sand) - IN PROGRESS
4) Fix hole in studio wall with drywall patch (mud, sand, repeat)
5) Buy better latch for studio window
6) Gyprock by stairs (mud, sand, repeat)
7) Pull up carpet (I think they glued the awful carpet down!!)
8) Pull up lino - DONE
9) Dust/vacuum Studio - DONE
10) Move stuff to guest bedroom part of studio before prep - DONE
11) Buy baseboard for walls
12) Rent saw to cut baseboards
13) Learn how to do baseboards
14) Sand door/closet trim
15) Prime trim
16) Paint trim
17) Prime basement hall& Studio walls
18) Paint basement hall wall & studio walls (using leftover blue paint from upstairs living room)
19) Decide floor treatment (I was just going to paint the floors white but there is a section (1 ft x 1 ft) that appears rotten so will need to replace). Maybe I will do black/white checker tiles for a retro look.
20) Do floors
21) Learn how to do flooring
22) Re-paint chimney brick (over awful green paint)
23) Paint door
24) Paint closets
25) Paint stairwell
26) Finish window casement
27) Buy new handrail & install so it is up to building code
28) Add bookshelves in hallway for built-in effect - TBD
29) Clean window wells
30) re-arrange furniture
31) Replace burned out light bulb
32) Fix door knob
33) Paint over vents?? (Can I do this?)
34) Put a door on the stairwell cubby....or perhaps built-ins because the space is not insulated.

I hope to be more active in my blog this year but life seems to keep going at a quick pace...no promises. Sorry

Time to catch up

2011-12-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

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

2011-09-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

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.

quick update

2011-05-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

No pictures this week as the weekend seemed to zip by and honestly, I forgot to take any pictures. Also, a surprise visit with a dear friend shifted house work to another day. I didn't have a chance to do much besides more garden clean up. The front yard is done now.

I planted spinach, peas, onions and carrots. Zucchini goes in after the final frost which will probably be after the May long weekend. The garden is really greening up and this week is supposed to be warm

Small electrical issue...the GFCI outlet in the bathroom has failed. The test and reset buttons seem not to function and since the outlet is connected to the light switch which means no lights in the loo. But before I call an electrician, I want to go buy a new vanity mirror that has a light attached so I can hit two birds with one stone. The electrician can fix the outlet and install the new light.

This week, I hope to buy the compost bins and perhaps patio chairs and table...we will see. I can feel spring!

Suddenly it's spring

2011-05-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe.

On Saturday, my dear friend Claire came over and helped Jake and me cut down the garden. Payment of her advice and help will be in harvest goods. I may have been a wee ambitious and cut down more than I should have but oh, well, I am learning.

I forgot to take a before picture on Saturday morning but this will give you an idea of what we had to tackle

There is lots of green stuff already poking through the ground. No idea what it is but I guess time will tell. Lots of bulbs so they may be irises? And Jake found the compost pile from the previous owner in the middle of the raspberry bushes?? We think they just dumped it before they moved...all the more nutritious soil for us. But he did cut some of the bushes back to get to the rich soil. We were not sad though because those pesky raspberry bushes are enemy #1 in my backyard. Random shoots were scattered all over the yard and their roots are vicious. Jake and I dug some trenches and placed boards in them to help stop the spread of the roots at least a bit.

But it felt so good at the end of the weekend to see the fresh "slate". Here are a few shots of the work.

The two piles of waste...one will be for food/kitchen waste and the other for garden waste. Just need to go buy the compost bins now.

We found a random stepping stone on the garden path...interesting!

This will be my vegetable patch if spring and summer ever arrive.

The backyard post work...the bumble bee windmill is from Jake as a joke but I am growing fond of it!

Some flowers growing...no idea what they are

Another plant with promise...identity unknown

Claire created the plot for a vegetable garden so I hope to get the spinach, peas and a few other veggies in the ground soon. Using a seasoned gardener like Claire is so helpful with just practical know-how... so glad she came to help.

Then to top off the day, we invited friends over for the 1st BBQ of the year; still too cool to enjoy it outside but fun nonetheless!

My posse - Claire, Lynn and Punam

I also went to the fish store because the pond was getting murkier with more algae. Here's hoping the products purchased do their magic. Here's the pond in its current state...you can kinda see the orange blurs of the koi. Oh, the trials of a "pet" owner.

You're the inspiration

2011-04-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

This post is a few days late because last week, we headed to the West Coast to visit some family. We spent most of our 5 days on the coast with my sister Wendy. She has this cute character place in Strathcona, a neighbourhood east of downtown Vancouver.

I could write chapters on how Wendy inspires me in so many ways. Every time I am around her, I want to live simply, create beauty and dream of possibilities. But for this blog post, I want to share her decor style. She brings second hand treasures together in simply beautiful ways. I felt like I was staying in a museum or art gallery or photo set. Everywhere I looked, I was inspired.

You should really see her apartment in the late afternoon/evening light. It just glows. Unfortunately, I snapped a few pictures before we left early Tuesday morning so the light is terrible.

Speaking of homes, during a walk along the seawall, we saw floating homes moored in the marina. Now that would be cool. Although I wonder if I have the sea legs for it. Check them out. It was Jake's first trip to Vancouver and the Island. He now wants to move there; if I could live on a floating house I just may do that one day....but that is another post for another blog.

Father knows best...around the magic house

2011-04-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

My dad was here last week and worked on some projects! Thank goodness for dads! There is no way I could re-pay him. He showed me how he did the fixes as well so if I have to do them in the future at least I have some idea on how to tackle them.

So thanks to my dad, here is a rundown of all the small and big things on his fix-it list for the magic house:
1) Ducts: He fixed the detached duct which was wedged way into the support beams. He lifted a couple ducts off of pipes and wires for safety purposes as well. And he spraypainted over some possible asbestos on the ceiling....he is my hero!

Oooh, look! The duct is no longer resting on the wires or the plumbing

Asbestos - now covered and no longer DANGER

2) Doors: He fixed my porch door by screwing the door post in so it wouldn't bow so much and then he planed the side of the door as shown below. He also fixed the door knob so it could turn and latch.

Now, just a little paint and all will be good.

He worked on the bathroom door so it would hang straight and latch. This is always good for a bathroom door as before just a light push would open the door. The screws on the hinges were just hanging there so with some fix-it ingenuity, he re-filled the wood and re-screwed the hinges.

Friends, you can now use my bathroom without fear

And he planed a bit off my front door so it would shut better as well. Things in a 99 year old house shift a bit over the years.

3) Drywall: He put up drywall on the basement wall at the bottom of the stairs. It really just finishes it off. He was able to put a couple coats of mud up but I need to finish it. He even took out a couple of inches of insulation as the past owners had crammed too much between the 2x4s on the wall.

He also taped and mudded the nook under the back room that I use for tools.

4) Garden: He trimmed my apple tree. I need to do a bit more but I learned how to do it. And on top of everything, he took me to Home Depot and pointed out some gardening tools that would be helpful.

On April 30, I will tackle the garden. I have planted a few more herbs. i should get some tomatoes and other vegetables to get them started too. Oh spring, please come soon. The snow this weekend has once again deflated all hope.

The Secret (or not-so-secret) Garden

2011-04-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Take thy plastic spade,
It is thy pencil; take thy seeds, thy plants,
They are thy colours.
~William Mason, The English Garden, 1782

Here in Calgary, we just finished the first true week of spring. There is hope in the air and a spring in our step. This morning I spent some time looking at the garden and seeing what I should do with it. First, I looked at my koi pond. This feature is a big unknown to me but I figured out how to get the pump/filter going again. I skimmed the surface for excessive algae and pulled the winterized plants up from the bottom of the pond. It appears all eight of the koi survived winter. I trimmed the plants around the pond so the dead plants won't rot in the water. But the truth is I don't know what I am doing. I hope the pump clears up the water because it is very murky.

the murky water of the koi pond

A mosaic tile under the dead leaves

I see signs of life around the garden. I started poking in the garage/shed at the back of the yard. There is no electricity in the garage so I haven't really had a chance to explore. Maybe next weekend...there are old doors and beautiful windows. It looks like there are rolls of canvas and all sorts of treasures. I can't wait.

Are these strawberry leaves???

I think my compost will go here

A different view of my backyard from the garage

My front yard still needs some melting action

My dear friend Claire and I plan to cut back the garden on the last weekend of April so I may have a better idea about my plant inventory after all that fun. I also signed up for a membership in the Calgary Horticultural Society. I am just waiting for my member card to get some discounts at local greenhouses.

My dad is coming to visit this week. I did give him a list of inside tasks/fixes but it is supposed to be beautiful this week so perhaps a trim of the apple and cherry trees are in order!?!

My next task is to draw my garden plan, buy some patio furniture and create the path through the garden so it is not so muddy. Thank goodness for my star boots in this spring muck.

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.

~W.E. Johns

You're in pictures

2011-04-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

So I finally have put the rest of my picture frames up on the walls (for now). I may add some, move them around etc but for now, I feel even more settled into the house. Here are a few snapshots of the process...

Plus some other spaces I filled with other frames...

In the sunroom, I needed a big print to cover the electrical box...tada!

You may see the very snowy conditions out the window...we receive a mere 15 cm of the white stuff yesterday. But that made it a great day for doing things around the house.

In other news, I am thinking about entering the Apartment Therapy Small Cool 2011 Contest. I just need a good photographer and stage my rooms a bit for the photos.

And my dad is coming to visit next week and has offered to do some handy things around the house. Can't wait! Which reminds me, I need to go order gyprock this week for delivery.

Until another update.

Thrifty-ness

2011-03-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

A mid-week post...
Because I am going away on a mini-vac this weekend, I am posting early. Today I enjoyed a day off full of "Sara-time." It was just what I needed. In preparation for the day, I researched some second-hand stores that I wanted to check out or hadn't visited for awhile...you know, just to see what the prices were and what treasures were to be found.

First I went to Vespuccis...tried on a couple things but no luck. It has tons of designer labels at great prices. It is one of those stores you have to frequently shop to find the treasures.
Then I went to Heirloom Antiques...beautiful things at a good price but nothing caught my fancy.
Then I went to Value Village...the old stand by and I raked in the goodness.

Books, cloth napkins, trays, a bowl and a Liz Claiborne purse (not shown - oops! forgot to add it to the picture set-up)

Finally, I went to Cat's Eye Vintage. This store is so chaotic but I also happen to catch its closing (or moving - not sure) sale - "Stuff a bag for $20" deal. I scored.

And to make the loot even more thrilling, I did not try anything on until I got home. There were no sizes in the clothes except the black blazer so I knew I was taking a chance. The velvet blazers fit perfectly. The vintage dresses just need a bit of alteration...the green one needs a little taken in on the sides and darts in the chest and the blue one needs to be hemmed. All for $20. The black velvet blazer was normally selling for $48. Here is a virtual high-five for that deal.

Oh, and I solved the blackboard paint issue with some ingenuity and conditioned the door so I could write on it. One more thing off my 101 things list!

And to help in my gardening pursuits this year, I found this lovely book at Chapters. I look forward to curling up and reading about the garden while I still wait for the snow to melt.

Learnings

2011-03-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

Quick update on a few projects

1. Programmable thermostat - just "in time" for spring. I probably should have put this in as soon as I moved in but as they say hindsight is 20/20. Here's to saving money next winter.

Now, I can't take all the credit for the installation...Jake and I did this together and I must say we make a good team. I gathered the tools, killed the power and called the help line when necessary (thank you Honeywell customer service) while Jake did the unscrewing, rewiring and attaching.

2) Spring is coming (slowly). It is a bit of a quandary because I need to start planning for my garden except I don't know what is under the snow. But I know that I want to plant herbs so I have started basil and oregano inside.

And while I was in the planting mode, I picked up an aloe vera (always wanted one) and a pretty pink tropical plant. Just a little spring in my house while we wait for the snow to melt.

3) Chalkboard adventures - I always wanted a space for chalkboard doodling in my house. For the past few weeks, I have pondered painting my back door as the chosen space so today I tackled the project.
Problem 1: The paint was the consistency of porridge. No matter how much I stirred, I couldn't get all the chunks out of it. I added water to thin it out (which they suggest if you are painting in hot temperatures - which I was not). That worked somewhat.
Problem 2: I should have sanded first. Silly Sara!

So I am letting it dry. I will sand it down and then re-shake/mix the paint and try again.

Last week I didn't post as I was away for a good portion of the week at the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in Edmonton - truly inspiring. As for next week, I will try to post on the updated picture hanging saga. My pictures are almost all up so stay tuned. But I am being swept away by Jake to an unknown destination next weekend so my post may be a little late.

Be my guest

2011-03-06T18:52:00.000-08:00

So in light of my new bed, I needed to find a space for my old bed. Now I technically have a guest room in my basement although it still needs paint and a 'wee-bit" of finishing. Here are the pics:

The bed

The room

The ad-lib furniture: the work-out bench/chaise & the drawer shelf & door hook

The entrance to the guest room...very colorful - for now

Also, to save money, Jake and I decided to empty his storage unit and store it in my basement and garage. It was a little un-nerving as I think I realized that I really am in a grown-up relationship now...but no blogging about that :-). So on Saturday, we went through our storage stuff and re-organized it too. We have quite the pile for a spring garage sale...I love organizing garage sales so stay tuned on that project.

To accomplish everything on my to-do list, I think I will need about 6 months off from work but with the paycheque still coming into my bank account. Each weekend there are great intentions to paint, fix, etc but the snowshoes are calling or groceries are needed or friends drop by to visit. At this rate, my 101 things will be done in 10001 days.

Number 75

2011-02-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

So, I bought the bed and in the process graduated from a double(full) to a queen. Also graduating from a coil to a memory foam. Of course a new bed requires new bedding, bed frame, etc....which adds to the cost but the hope is this new bed will help my back which has been giving me lots of problems this winter.

The story of the bed is that we were browsing at the Home & Garden Show on Friday night and stumbled upon Sleep Country. Of course they had their very comfortable mattresses there to try out. This mattress is so comfortable that I had to have it. This mattress did cost more than I had budgeted but I have 60 days to see if it will work. It also will last 20 years versus the normal 10 years. Yes, I am totally justifying and they threw in 2 soy memory foam pillows.

Here's a few snapshots of the bed progress...I had it delivered today. That required an emergency trip to IKEA last night to find a bed frame (thanks to MALM for being a basic bed and fitting into my Yaris with just the help of some twine) I wish I had pictures of the drive home...quite funny. Side note: My Yaris fits a lot of things...last week I fit a Lazy Boy chair into it!

I digress...here are some pictures of the new bed:

On a final note, I found this wine that was made for me...the middle sister. Just wanted to share this find....I totally bought the wine for the name.

ta-da

2011-02-20T14:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, so not so impressive but at least it is a start. And I filled one spot on my picture hanging dilemma. Only 25+ pictures to hang...maybe by spring.

The frame picture was my Christmas present from my ultra-talented sister Wendy...perfect color match to my magic house.

Also, not sure if you have seen Martha Stewart Living March issue...all about gardening and is giving me many ideas about my garden this year...I can't wait for spring this year. Here are a few pictures of the possibilities in the spring...oh, May please hurry up and arrive!

My Koi pond - I hope the fish survived the winter

I hope to extend my patio to make the backyard more livable.


But this is the current state of my garden..snowy and cold.

picture perfect

2011-02-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

Do you ever become paralyzed with picture hanging? I have been in my house for almost four months and I feel unable to hang my pictures up. So instead, I have leaned them, crated them and piled them with the hopes that I will find inspiration and time to hang them.

Tonight, I am staring at blank walls and not sure what pictures need to be hung. So instead, I googled the experts:
Apartment Therapy #1
Martha Stewart
Real Simple
Apartment Therapy #2

As inspired as I am by the experts, I think my problem lies in the area of procrastination and fear of error. Here are my canvases:

By my front door

In the dining room

A wall in the sunroom

A blank wall in the kitchen

The wall going into the basement

Then there are the piles of pictures....

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with a seemingly simple decor decision? I am going to try bite size pieces and commit to hanging pictures by the front door before next post. You can hold me accountable. At that rate, I will have all my pictures hung by next Christmas!

Post-vacation catch-up

2011-02-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

My vacation down in Mexico was a great break from the wintery cold. We stayed in a quaint village called Ajijic situated on the shores of Lake Chapala. It definitely was not resort life but it was beautiful and the Mexican use of color is inspiring. So many design/decor magazines are monochromatic so the brightness of color was beautiful. My photography is not great and I just shot these on my little Olympus pocket camera...but just a snapshot of the vibrance.

Street Scenes

Vibrant pink flowers growing everywhere

Ajijic town plaza

Icon outside the house we stayed at...most homes and streets had saints assigned to them.

Next week, I will get back to the updates on maintaining my house. Two days after returning from vacation, I heard that a house two doors down from me had been broken into during the day. A little unnerving but ultimately, I realize it is just stuff and can be replaced if that happens to me. There is nothing I can do about it so I am not going to worry.

Holidays

2011-01-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

I am having separation anxiety as I am on vacation and had to leave my magic house behind. After leaving the house I wondered if I should have turn down the water heater and did I turn down the thermostat. My brother will pop in and check on the house during the week while I enjoy the sunshine in Mexico. Will fill you more on my adventures in handywoman-ness soon.

In other news, I have renters for my condo so I guess I am officially a propert magnate (is that the right word?)

Small (so I thought) repairs

2011-01-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

I think probably every home owner comes across a problem that seems simple to fix only to discover that the issue may be bigger than it first appears. Case in point: Duct repair.

This is my furnace duct leaning on some wire and piping. It was noted in my home inspection that I should lift the duct up off the wire and pipe to prevent deterioration. Ok, sounds simple. I bought some pipe strapping hold-up thing (yes, that is the technical name).

Of course, then I had to figure out if my toolbox (or Jake's) had the tool to cut the stripping. Guess which one below cut it...

That's right, the only thing that cut the steel was the cutco scissors on the far left. However, as I finished screwing one side of the strapping and was lifting the duct into place, I noticed a slight problem. The duct was very loose and actually not taped or secured to the duct coming out of the furnace. Excuse my photography below but it was only with my flash that I could see what the scope was.

To make matters worse, I am not sure how I can access the ducts to secure them because of the house support beams. Oh well, another problem for another day!

I love my new cordless screwdriver. Thanks to Jake for knowing that a homeowner needs such a tool for successful home maintenance.

So, in the aftermath of my failed duct repair, I needed to find success somewhere before I could call it a day. So using my handy screwdriver, I fixed a light switch cover that insurance says I need to cover. (even though it doesn't turn anything on and is a useless switch)

Ta-da! Yes, I am definitely a certified repair-woman! Ok, one small step for me...at least I felt like I accomplished something. At the rate it takes me to do one tiny repair, I could spend my whole life just fixing stuff around the house. Oh, don't mind the wall around the light switch...that is on the fix-it list.

Speaking of the fix-it list, I decided to make a list of what needs to be done as well as a wish list for the house. In the spirit of list-making, I am borrowing a page from a previous blog life and creating a list called the 101 things in 1001 days for the magic house. Posted on the side of the blog, the list will track all my attempts at improving my magic house.

Introductions

2011-01-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

During my year off from blogging, my life has done a 180. Looking back on 2010, it is probably without a doubt the best year of my life. My life is overflowing with blessings...I have a new job, a new love and a new house. I could blog about all three as there are many things to share and learn about each one but instead, I am going to focus on my magic house.

Back in August, my real estate agent and I headed out to look at some houses on the market. I told her that I was also looking for magic in a house but I was aware that MLS did not list this as a feature. I was going to have to rely on my heart. Well, this trip was supposed to be a browsing session as I wasn't planning to buy until late fall.

However, the magic had other plans. The fourth house on our list had me at its green door. As I walked through the rooms, the house kept saying "Hello Sara, this is your home." Sometimes, when the universe drops your dream house right in front of you, there is no other option than to say, "where do I sign?"

I took possession on October 22 and then Jake and I painted and cleaned to make it ready for moving day. I intended to start blogging about my adventures as soon as I moved in but the days got away on me. So you missed the potential posts about:
- the mice that I found (and removed)
- the paint jobs to cover the bright colors to the "Sara" colors
- all the small jobs that immediately needed to be done (motion sensor light, garage door lock, etc)
- decorating for Christmas

However, there are still lots of things that I need to do with the magic house to keep it up so I am going to blog about my decor changes, design ideas, handywoman jobs and gardening attempt. Budget is going to be a major theme in my postings as I still have my condo (which needs to be rented out) so all my plans will involve ideas on low-cost home ownership, decor and gardening.

Before we go much further, a few more facts about the magic house:
- it is 99 years old (built in 1912)
- it is in good health/shape for its age with no major issues at this time
- the garden is drought resistance with natural plants (and an apple tree, cherry tree and tons of raspberry bushes) and it has a fish pond with koi in it.
- In an "its a small world after all" moment, I found out a friend of mine was really good friends with the previous owners. I was told that a lot of love went into this house...so I assured them that the love continues.

I guess this blog is really about my relationship with this house. I am so in love with it. Come along with me on this journey with me...I am sure it will be a funny one.