I'm Back!

 
Well, hello world!  It's been a while and since life is slowly but surely getting back to normal (as normal as it can given who is writing!) and things are finally setting down, I thought I'd write some more...

Don't get me wrong, I kept writing postcards all the while, but in the past few weeks, since April actually I've also slowed down my participation in different games, etc. but kept on sending out my "officials".

You'll be happy to read that our renovations came to an end, after 18 long weeks of patience and muchos dineros BUT we are very happy with the end results.  This is now home!  

My office, generally referred to as "the Cave" by the Husband shows that I live there.  Despite very little efforts on my part, to be honest, it's a mess in there but it is MY MESS and I love it!  I can work when I need to, and do my artsy stuff when I want.  

We have, for the very first time, a nice patio set, and the room to actually enjoy it!  Check it out!  It went from this, with two camping folding chairs...  
to this, after delivery of our new patio furniture...  

I've taken out my sewing machine and the left over material I had bought in Hawai'i years ago, and made a few cushions... 

Isn't it inviting, to relax with a cold drink and shoot the shit?  I would think so!  I love it!

One day, as we were heading to DeSerres in Boisbriand for me to look at different supplies for watercolor painting, I found a painted rock on the ground as I got out of the car. It was so pretty.  Don't you think?  

I'd been talking with a friend about doing that for a while, and finding this rock brought that idea forward especially since on the back of it also said: "Keep, Hide or Replace Me. Please publish a picture on Facebook in the group aROCHEmoiunSOURIRE"  I kept it for a while and posted it in the group.  That started a new thing for me... being on the look out for rocks!  I started with an odd shaped one, mid April.

I quickly realized that painting on a rock is not at all like painting on paper, so I got myself some acrylic paint pens.  That makes a big difference in the details.  

I left it in front of a mail box down the street and was happy to see it gone by the time I walked back. 

Then I painted this fish...

which I left on a stop sign post by the grocery store we go to.  Hubby had to go back the next day and told me there was no stone left!

I'm attracted to smaller rocks, but they are harder to paint on and to stick the ID for the group on them is barely possible.  So I 'try' to get bigger rocks... like this one, which I loved how it turned out.  

I had found the perfect spot to hide it, on a trail near home.  

By the time we walked that trail again, the owl had flown away!

The group had a theme for the month: a little house, so I painted this little one and also left it at the stop sign post on our way in the grocery and when we walked back it was no longer there... 

So I've been painting rocks, and hiding them in the area...  Here are some of them...

Was hidden at Première Moisson on chemin Gascon.

  hidden... 


and these two...

and finally this little one, left on steps leading to a trail

At the moment I have a few drying from the varnish coat I gave them and today on my walk to the mailbox I actually picked up two more (blank ones).  I know I'm no artist and I'm enjoying doing this.  It does calm the brain, so that's always a good thing!

While doing all this I also started watching some tutorials and took on watercolor painting.  That is something totally new to me and I'm loving it even if it can be frustrating at times, but I see my evolution... slowly but surely, I think.

Ok this will conclude this post for today, and I'll be seeing you around!

TTFN

Popular Renovations Chronicle _ Year 2023

Over a month since my last post and we even completed yet another orbit of the sun!  Wishing you all a very healthy, peaceful, happy and wealthy new year!  May this New Year, a Rabbit one, be fluffy and cute and with only little turds! 🐇

The main work has been completed, a little before Christmas.  Is it done?  No, there are many (small) issues to be fixed yet.  But the bulk of it all is complete and after cleaning (again!) and putting lots of things away, we can now use our brand new and oh so beautiful kitchen.  The work that was done is beyond our expectations.

This was the kitchen the day we were moving in:

This is the kitchen, post renovations:

Can you see the difference?  Night and day, really!!  We have more cabinets, a bigger island, quartz, and now we can cook and store our shit away!

The other room where we had major work done was the main bathroom:

Haven't taken a bath yet in the new tub, but I will say that having a toilet back on the top floor is very, very nice and oh so practical!  Especially in the middle of the night!

Tomorrow some wallpapering is schedule to happen for the entrance and the water room... As for the last issues Dog knows when those will be addressed, I'm not holding my breath on those, but I will withhold final payment. 😉 

I think they were off still last week, so I'm hoping to hear from them this coming week, if not then they will hear from me!  We were supposed to have a man come in during the Holidays to fix part of the flooring in the basement, but he never called or anything.  Either he forgot or just didn't want to come back.  Since it was "extra" I'm not upset as we also needed the time off to crash, clean and unpack (again!) at our pace.  It was nice not to have to get up freakin' early to open the door to workers banging their way through the house.  The day we removed that blue carpet clingy thingy they had put all over the ground floor and stairs felt so darn good.  Even if the (original) floor is damaged (marks, dings, etc. did I mention animals lived here before?!) it was nice to actually walk from one floor to the other without hearing the crunching of little pieces of dirt, wall or whatever else and this even if we'd vacuumed.  I don't think I ever vacuumed in my life as much as I've done in this house so far!  Washing the floors, walls even (that fuckin' dust of demolition, sanding and wood cutting gets on everything and goes everywhere!) and actually having them stay "clean" for more than a weekend has been nice!  

We were/are both tired not to say exhausted from it all.  Managing our stress and life was/is a bit much at times, but we managed to keep it together.  We are thankful for how everything went overall because it wasn't a small job.  We basically had work in every room but one.  We love the designer's vision and how he made everything coherent from his choice of colors and textures.  We like how he respected our style and work with that.  We love the painter's work and how he repainted (the bathroom completely!) and other areas without bitching about it or overcharging us... We were lucky with the amazing contractor we had and his team (plumber and electrician).  Those men and one gal were super nice, efficient and did nice work all the while remaining helpful.

The one woman was the electrician.  That is her on top of the ladder in the stairs while installing the light fixture in the staircase, after one man tipped over and fell (nothing broken, thankfully)...  That gal was fearless. She got shit done.  She managed to pass wires in the basement's ceiling from one corner to the other side of the house without making any new holes!  It may seem like it's not much, but it not only save time from not having to redo gyprock on  the ceiling (then plaster, sanding, etc.), but the amount of dust we were spared from... that was no joke!  For that I'm VERY grateful!

I actually moved back to my office last Tuesday, to Hubby's delight.  We really don't share well! I'm slowly getting settled in my new space.  I'm setup as far as work is concerned, but for my craft I'm still working on it.  All in due time.  No rush, at least not for that!

So there you have it, the latest news on our Popular Renovations Chronicle!  

Take care, stay safe and watch out for morons!

They're everywhere! 

 

 

Day Toomany - Popular Renovations Chronicle

 Twelve days since my last post... time just flies when having fun or not, it keeps on going.  Construction being what it is, whatever traces are left from the pandemic and add to that our impatience to get things done, we find ourselves frustrated, tired and VERY short fused... mostly with each other.  I had been told renovations can be hard on a couple, and I can now confirm that is true.  Granted I start with barely any fuse on a good day, so adding stress and all this shit and well, things do get heated at times.  Moving on.

People have been bugging me (yeah bugging!) about how long it is taking me to unpack, to get things organized and since I don't control much into this whole process except how often I write checks or transfer funds really, it has been taking its toll on me.  Anyone who (has the pleasure to) knows me, knows that I'm organized and like things in their place.  This experience has been anything but...  Yes we have to keep our eyes on the prize.  We will have a beautiful home once it all done, but in the meantime it's a big fuckin' mess, really.

That being said, I do see that things are nice, what is done is beautiful, but with big projects like this we are bound to have things go wrong, like missing pieces, wrong measurements, etc.  Besides the bookcase in the basement and my office, things are not completed.  Here are some pictures to give you an idea...

Our walkin closet in the entry way, is missing a top on some drawer, no biggy.  Still managed to fill it out and have all our shoes, boots, etc. in one spot and by the front door!

Then on to the kitchen... We had chosen a quartz top which we were told was backordered, soooo we selected another one and it's not coming in before December 16th... so our kitchen, water room and bathroom have no counters... which means no sink nor faucets... The plumber was kind enough to 'lend' us an old sink and faucet on a piece of plywood so that we don't have to use the garage's sink when brushing our teeth or washing our hands or even doing the dishes...

As you can see, I've been unpacking anyway, storing things away and trying to figure out where things will go...  But no counter top means no workspace to prepare food or to stack things on while emptying a box... Fun I tell you!

In our bedroom the walkin is done, but also missing a pole, so still have clothes in Hubby's office, until I can hang the longer garments.

To think that starting on Monday, the painter is coming back to finish painting the basement and all the closets, that I will have to empty, again, I feel like rolling myself into a ball in a corner, suck on my thumb and cry a little... La madame est fatiguée!

At least my office is done, well mostly, the electrician still has to install some lighting underneath the top cabinets, and now I have the pleasure to unpack it all.  Between work and craft, there is a LOT of shit... 

But it will be so pretty and so organized once all set up, can't wait to get back to my crafts!  Work well... it is that, work! ;-)

And lastly our most damaged room, after the kitchen, our bathroom; still bath less and toilet less - but thank Dog we can shower - is in serious need of a complete repaint job...

So after the quartz has been installed (mid-December if everything goes well!), the contractor will come back to install the backsplash in the kitchen, finish up little things here and there, have the plumber come back to install all the sinks, faucets, tub and toilet and the electrician to install lights in the bathroom, kitchen, office and finish up the connection of every electrical outlets now being wires in a hole on different walls... and that does not even include the carpenter's visit to finish what was left unfinished because of missing pieces... or the gal to install the wall paper...  Yep things are progressing nicely!  ...just saying!

Day Fifteen - Popular Renovations Chronicle

A few days went by and things are slowly, but surely, getting more completed.  This morning a cute guy came by to measure everything for the quartz countertops.  If only the men who came in and out of this place lately could be like that one... he was clean, cute, polite and fast!  

Overall I'd say the work is progressing fine.  We are both tired to not have our refuge to ourselves.  Not only do many people come in our bubble but they leave it dirty, and we both hate that.  We are also both tired of having to get up early, as neither one of us are early birds.  It's been rough. I told a friend today that I'm a night owl, and don't do well with early birds, and if this keeps up I will turn into a bird of prey!

At times I feel like telling them to stop with the noise, the banging and all... but I keep reminding myself it's for our comfort in the long run, and it will end.  ...eventually!   Hubby is really not a happy camper, as we are basically camping in our home... He's been cooking using either our slow cooker or our air fryer in the garage.  At first it was on a folding table, but the last few days, it's been on top of our new kitchen sink box... It is getting old really fast...

BUT, I'm happy to say that one thing is completely done!  Check it out:

 Our new bookcase is the basement!  I love it!  I had it made deep to be able to contain all my scrapbooking albums, photo albums, our books, and the bottom section will be for our games and such.  Starting to fill it up as soon as I can find the right boxes!

Now, if you'll excuse me, boxes are calling my name to be unpacked!

Tourlou!

Day Eleven - Popular Renovations Chronicle

I think I'm too tired to do my daily report... things are moving along.  I see the progress and just now I finished vacuuming part of the ground floor because there was just too much saw dust for us at the moment...  This guy is a real fuckin' messy worker... and he's like a virus spreading around the whole freaking house...  I have my doubts he will be all done by end of day tomorrow... but time will tell...

Here is what our kitchen looks like at the moment...

I (I should say we, really!) will have so much storage!!! (doing a butt happy dance in my chair)  and part of my new and improved office... it will give me so much more space to create!

There is still lots to do, so many little adjustments... before everything is mounted and done... and I'm not even talking about the guys having to return to finish the tiling in the kitchen, re-installing our appliances... and me washing and FINALLY unpacking boxes!  

I'm hoping to be done before Christmas... 😟😫😭

Day Ten - Popular Renovations Chronicle

 Another day completed and things are progressing... It started slow this morning since we were hit with a nice snow storm today.  Supposedly traffic was a nightmare so the worker (and his teenage son) arrived later.  I was a bit taken aback when I saw the "team" especially since I was told they would be done in three days.  When they arrived, Senior walked around with all the plans and told his son to unpack certain things.  He's quite chatty actually, but man, he can rock 'n roll from what I can see at end of their first day.  He works all over the place, spends some time in the kitchen, then goes to the basement to work some, then goes into the bathroom, then into the laundry room, a bit in my office...  it's weird, but things are getting installed, and that's the main thing!

Here's a peek at the bathroom, when he installed some cabinets above the (future) tub...

I have to say that even if he seems to be quite productive, he's not a clean worker...  There is wrapping paper and cardboard all over.  When he was done for the day, he left his tools, on the floor, right where he was, put on his coat and left.  Since he's supposed to be here for three days only,  I'm hoping he will clean up after himself by the time he's done.  Time will tell.  There are (already!) things that need to be corrected, but nothing too major just yet. 

This is it for today's Chronicle.  Stay warm and see you tomorrow!  

Day Nine - Popular Renovations Chronicles

 And so another week started in the Popular Renovations.   Actually, last night we felt an earthquake, a 3.7 magnitude, and in the area of... Terrebonne! 

Talk about some weird luck, if after all the renovations we were to be hit by an earthquake. If you're curious, listen to this seismologist with Natural Resources Canada:
https://omny.fm/shows/cjad-800/did-you-feel-the-earthquake  It was a small one, but we sure heard and felt the house shake!

Today, was delivery of all cabinets, etc.  We went from somewhat livable to this...

This is for the Kitchen... alone...

This is for my office...

this is for the Bathroom...

Can I say claustrophobia wasn't an issue when we started this project, but I might be slowly starting to feel it?  I sure feel "cozy" at the moment... I look around and have no idea who the guys are going to do to install it all when there is barely any room left for them to move...  The two men who delivered it all commented that "normally" they deliver about thirty to forty cabinets.  Today they brought in over sixty-two not counting the planks, etc.  I guess it IS a BIG job!  Crazy and somewhat overwhelming... but I trust things to keep on moving the way they have this far...  Stay tune!

Day Five - Popular Renovations Chronicle

 Another day bites down the dust, in all ways, meanings of this expression... the last day of team A.  Today they completed all ceramic joints (floor and wall), sanded one last time the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and all closets walls.  They are done, for Step One of these Popular Renovations.

The also prep the wall for the cabinets which will be delivered next week.

After they were done with all this, they actually vacuumed everywhere (they had been) and even mopped the floors!  For them to mop the bathroom floor after they were done with the joints I get that, but to mop the closets, etc., wow!  These two are really something else!  When we had talked before they started the actual demolition, the son had said they would have a container delivered here for the week.  At the time I thought there would be debris from the demolition, but since I was trying to sell a lot of the cabinets and other things that were taken out, there would be less.  It made sense if only for the convenience of it, rather than having to deal with garbage bags and their disposal.

That's how much junk came out of our home... unreal!

 
Have a great weekend and enjoy the peace and quiet of your home!  I know I will! 😉

Day Four - Renovations Chronicle

I can't believe how much I appreciate the quietness after the men leave...

This morning I tried to stay in bed when they showed up, but with the racket they were making I just lay in bed and thought.  My little hamster never stops going in this little wheel of mine, lately... I swear, I almost get dizzy from all the thoughts that hit me at times.  Today was a day of sanding some walls and doing the ceramic behind the tub.  They guys weren't too happy having to install in at an angle, but I thought it would be nicer.  

I find it almost look like a Frost fence! 👀  But I like it! When I told the designer what I thought it reminded of, he was not too impressed... so touchy!

Tomorrow is their last day, they will do all the joints, and finalize everything so that the walls are ready for the cabinet installation. 

Next week,  a new team, the installers, will be coming in.  Hope that goes all as well as Team A did...

Time will tell!

Day Three - Renovations Chronicle

 Today will be a short post, things are still on the right track, running smoothly, which makes us very happy.  It wasn't a quiet day in the house, Hubby escaped again.  The lucky man can go to his employer's office ten minutes from home for some peace and quiet and he can even shower there, which he did today!

I've been thinking how I'm going to manage that tomorrow, as our shower will not be available for a few days...  He offered to take me to his office, but that would be after working hours, I'm thinking...  

Tomorrow the plan is to do the ceramic (on the wall) and finish the kitchen's walls. The guys show up really early, and as most of you who do know me, I'm no early bird.  I've been getting even shorter nights than usual, to the point that this morning, while they were cutting tiles and banging whatever it was, I fell asleep and slept for more than one hour!  I guess it's true that one can sleep through anything when tired enough! ah!

And I did manage to sell and liberate the garage of the old vanity!  Yay me!  Been trying to sell some of the stuff we've been taken off/out.  I wasn't too thrill to just get rid of it all (as strongly suggested by Hubby), so I took pictures and posted some items on MarketFace.  I'm always amazed at what does and does not sell on there...  A lot of people ask questions, but few do follow through.  I'm happy that I've managed to sell a bunch of things, like light fixtures, blinds, furniture, and once I'll be unpacking the many boxes, I'm sure there will be stuff in there it will be time for me to get rid of.  Anyhoo... one thing at the time, and these days it is all about the renovations! 😉

Day Two - Renovations Chronicle

 Another one bites the dust, or in this case, I'm breathing dust!  BUT things are moving along.  

Today was a day for the plumber, the electrician (a woman, thank you very much!) a bit more demolition and some of the drywall has been put up.

They vacuumed the 'site' at the end of their day, empty the garbage and I really like the way they work.  They're a fun and pleasant team, and so far I have nothing negative to say about them.  There's a big container parked in our driveway... unbelievable the amount of crap demolition generates!  And dust!!

Day One - Demolition!

 Today started thirty minutes ahead of the scheduled time, and about twenty minutes ago the workers left...

I'll give them that: they are efficient!  I've asked them to start with the bathroom, since I have a few people interested to buy a few things, so...

As the day went along, the noise level was getting higher, and Hubby left to go to the office - too much noise since he needed to be on a zoom call.  They took a break for lunch and then they attacked the kitchen...

When I came down to see what had been done, I was a little... surprise to say the least.  Father and son team... I must say I'm impressed!

Now let's keeping our fingers crossed that it keeps on going this way!

Oh My!

 Had not realized it had been THAT long since I last posted... I guess that is what happens when life takes over and runs with it all!

Where do I start? Won't/can't recall it all so basically, since my last post, we truly realized that condo life wasn't for us.  Having to deal with (mostly!) morons on a daily base and to "mother" them was really not for us.  Yes we are slow learners, you could say that, since we tried twice, once in a smaller syndicate for eight years and the second time a much bigger one with ninety-four co-owners... 

We chose not to be parents because we didn't want the responsibilities which come with having someone to take care of, the having to explain and re-explain and repeat over and over until either the kid gets it or we give up and do it ourselves... we didn't want that part.  Being in a condo association felt like that, explaining, repeating and having to keep cool at others stupidity and none caring attitudes... We tried.  I really did, I even got involved more than I ever thought I would, but it the end, before it got the best of me, I got out.  We talked about it all and came to the conclusion that we needed to start looking for a "stand alone" house.  We would look on Centris, spot a few houses and then do a drive-by to see the neighborhood, etc.  We made two different offers.  The market was (still) crazy.  One of the house we made an offer on had over ninety visits and almost fifty offers, among which ours was flat out refused.  The other house we bet on, our offer was also refused, but a week later we were informed by the agent the credit of the potential buyer had some issues, so we upped our offer and we got it.  The day the agent called Hubby to inform him our offer had been accepted, when he told me, my initial reaction was: "Fuck!"  Yep, you read that right, fuck!  I wasn't happy, excited or whatever else feeling one should feel when they buy a house, but my (sick) brain went directly to:  OK, get packing!  Time to stage the house, get rid of shit, put this place up for sale, what if we don't sell?  Shit!  Can we deal with two mortgages?...  Fucked up brain I tell you!  The thoughts that hit me weren't happy ones, trust me.

The way the Energy works is always surprising and interesting to me.  The day we were leaving to visit the house, I came across this lady walking her dog.  When I saw her, I smiled and kept on walking.  By the time I was making it to the garage's entrance, where Hubby was waiting for me, we had introduced ourselves, and she had told me she was a real estate agent, and she was friend with a couple living in our syndicate.  She lives a street over in the same area.  Since we had to sell our place, we contacted the agent who had sold it to us six years prior, and met with her.  We also decided to give this lady I met a try.  Long story short we went with the lady and her partner since they seemed more "willing" to get us the price Hubby was hoping for.  We got our price, and it sold within a week, one open house only, a few offers so that was nice.

We moved out July 14th to the house we were supposed to have July 1st.  The previous owners were so disorganized, it was unreal! I had thought I would be washing (walls, floors, kitchen) from the 1st to 14th, but we only got the house keys on July 10th!  They were moving out while our new appliances were being delivered!  They left the house in sad shape.  So fucking dirty... I was regretting our move, honestly.  I'm not afraid to work, hard, but I felt discouraged.  This is our first "pre-owned" house. All previous houses were bought on plan, while they were being built, so we always "personalized" stuff along the way, and made it ours.  When we moved in previous houses we had to clean from the construction not from savages who left so many dings in the walls and floor. Hubby left skin from both his knees from cleaning the baseboards, that's how bad it was.  We knew there were a few things we didn't like and would adjust, but once we were in, it turned out to be a different feel...  Neither one of us said anything about how we truly felt at first, but at some point we both came to the conclusion that if we were to stay here we needed to address certain issues right away.

The day we got the call for the real estate agent, I had contacted a friend, who is a house painter, and booked him for two weeks late August.  Good thing I did that.  The paint helped a lot to alleviate the feelings I was having towards the house.  The worst part was, for me,  at that point, the main bathroom:

It changed the feel whole of it, not only the look.  It was still on my "shit list" and would need to be redone, but I least it wasn't as depressing.  Hubby's main concern item on his "shit list" was the kitchen...  I wanted the closets to be redone, to be organized and practical.  We started looking at different organizing companies, draw some ideas.  Skip forward a few weeks, we decided to bite the bullet and have the kitchen redone, the bathroom, my office, and all the closets...👀  Yeah!  We are like that, all or nothing.

The demolition is starting this Monday (finally!), so I've been re-packing boxes, and running out of space as to where to put them...

Like Hubby often says: We have way too much shit for two people!! Today I was emptying the kitchen, all cabinets and pantry.  We have stuff everywhere:  the bathroom stuff is in Hubby's office, as well as lots of my office stuff.  The kitchen's boxes are stacked in the dinning area... our closet barfed out in our bedroom and Hubby's office closet.  I need to empty one more closet, which I will "store" its content in the garage, and tomorrow after running the dishwasher one last time, I will stow away our dishes for a good month.  It will be like camping, washing dishes (if we don't go for plastic!) in the garage sink and cook on the BBQ as much as possible... a fun month ahead!

Stay tune for the Reno Updates!
TTFN