A room done

Ohhhh - the stress this house has caused me!  Sometimes people ask me if I'm glad we did it (that is purchase a very run down 95 year old home) and I really don't know how to respond.  It depends on the day.  Someday's I love it; I love the fact that we're central, I love the character and history, I love our basement suite and the help it is financially, I love seeing the amazing work that Mike can do with his own two hands, I love the work that I'VE been able to do with my own two hands (who knew I'd become so acquainted with power tools!).  Other days I think about ALL the work that's been done and ALL that has yet to be done and I feel utterly overwhelmed.  Ask me in a year and I guess we'll see what my response is then!  As for now projects ARE slowly being completed and I'm excited to say we have FINISHED a room (I use the term "finished" loosely because there are a couple tiny things left to be done :)  Introducing Carter's room!

These first two photo's are of Carter's room partway into the reno.  How we wish we would have taken more before shots!  These pictures really don't do it justice.  The new drywall on the ceiling is due to the fact that half of it was caving in, we didn't remove the flooring - it just wasn't there!, the light fixture consisted of a bulb hanging from a wire, no door, no electrical or light switch covers, missing radiator covers (which meant the radiator fins were filthy and smashed to bits - I spent hours cleaning them and bending them back one by one with pliers!), no baseboards, I could really go on forever with just one room so I'll stop there!

 The above photo's don't really show the GRIME that was present in the home so I had to add this shot of one of the basement rooms prior to starting the reno's.  (Can you believe we bought this home?!)  The previous owners were serious hoarders.  And do you like the artwork on the far wall??  (sorry for the PG-13 rating of it!)

  

Post Reno

There's a couple small things I'd like to change about this room, one being getting rid of the 2nd hand wardrobe in the corner, but alas part of the beauty of old homes is the minimal closet space - so it will stay!  Really though can you believe the transformation!  The door is new (we replaced them throughout the upstairs) and Mike built the moulding around to mimic the original moulding found in the entryway.  I've gone on much too long but I'm just too excited.  It's hard for me to believe sometimes that that scary OLD room is the same one where Carter and I now sit and read books and play!

Introducing

My newest little nephew, Oliver Bowden.  Love him to bits 

 already.

It was time

A while back Mike dropped our cell phone in a Urinal at school ..... Yes, you read that correctly, a URINAL at school.  Fortunately it died (because there was no way I was touching that thing again).  Well since we had gotten the phone on a contract, Mike bought the cheapest replacement phone he could - which we've used for the past 3 years.  The phone worked sometimes, sometimes not, the keypad didn't light up, and it pretty much was a reflection of what is cost.  

Well Mike came home the other day with a new i-phone.  I was little mad until I realized how nice it is to have a cell phone that actually works and one that has a bunch of gizmo's to boot.  The following pictures are taken with our fancy smancy new phone! I stayed with Julie's boys over the weekend as she gave birth to the newest Smith addition (More info and pics to follow on the little one!)  These 3 boys are crazy and have a riot together and I'm sure the new munchkin will fit in perfectly!

Sorry most of these are blurry, they really never stopped moving for long enough to get a decent shot!

Dear Spring....

.... I know a very sweet little boy who is ever so anxious for you to arrive.  Please hurry up.

This and that

Really this post is about nothing at all, I'm actually just avoiding tidying up the house.  But here are some snapshots of our cute little man and the little things we've been up to this past week.

 Story time with Dad

 Watching a little B-ball

 Chillin' like a villian

 At the zoo (pretty sad shot I know but Carter's favourite thing to do is go down the slide headfirst - hence why I only took this one picture and spent the rest of the time trying to stop him from going face first into a pile of slushy ice at the bottom)

 OBSESSED with going outside (spring PLEASE come soon!)

Our future pianist

A little before and after

I feel the need to update but to be honest have been terrible at taking pictures since we've been home from our holiday.  So for the next week I will commit to take more pictures of my cute little man (because really that is what this blog is all about!) but in the meantime I'll share this little diddy of a project.  Currently we have one of those CHEAP ikea table sets, you know the one where you get the table AND all 4 chairs for like $140 or something.  Well it definitely doesn't fill our space nor does it look so pretty since it's been used as a work table in the renovation.  So I bought an old table off Kijiji that I plan on sanding down and painting white.  I was kindly given 4 of these fabulous old chairs from Mike's mom and have been so excited to transform them.  They were in pretty rough shape (that mark on the seat is a big ol' tear) but with a little loving are looking much more to my liking!

 

 BEFORE

AFTER

I had sanded it down in plans of painting it white to match the table but am considering (yes, on your advice Simone) just leaving them in this state.  I need opinions!!??  Obviously seeing the table would help but it is a little too ugly to reveal at this point.  

Aloha!

Here's our fabulous week in Hawaii (sorry for the overload of photo's)!

 Ready to take off

 Carter's first reaction to the sand was pure hatred!  He screamed and screamed.  Thankfully within 10 minutes he was good to go!

 A sorry attempt at a group shot with kids.  So good to see and spend time with Paul and Nancy and their cute little family!

 Carter injested A LOT of sand over the course of the week.

 Carter dead alseep at the end of our hike.  Notice how pitch black it is.  I ended up seperated from the group, had low blood sugar and NO food, had Carter in my arms, in the darkness, in the JUNGLE, and was pretty sure I had turned the wrong way.  Probably one of the scariest experiences of my life!

 Love this shot!