Well, it's been a long time since I've posted again. A lot has happened since the landscaping has been completed. It hasn't been a fun time, really. I guess that's why I haven't posted in so long. I don't really like talking about things in my life when things aren't going well.
Our dishwasher, new just 3.5 years ago and barely off warranty, developed a BIG leak so we decided that rather than finding a repair person that will touch an LG appliance, we'd replace it. We got a Bosch this time... and a top of the line. We've heard amazing things about the quality of Bosch products.
There were several incidents with personal issues for family members. Two uncles, one on each side of the family, had major health issues that will potentially lead to shortened life span and one of my cousins separated from his wife. Sad times...
Then there was the issue involving my car, Bianca. Since turning 18, Wonder Schmud has seen the value of having a driver's license. He made an attempt in September and then another in early October. Both attempts did not have the desired result. The first seemed to me to be one of those "he's a young male, let's not make him cocky" kind of thing. The second was a strike of bad luck. He was halfway through the exam with no deductions and wasn't quite cautious enough at an intersection. A car coming from the left was hidden by a parked truck and when Wonder Schmud proceeded into the intersection, he was hit. End of test. Beginning of a long convalescence for Bianca. The damage didn't look TOO bad but it was valued at over $7300. It's the kind of news that makes a person thankful for deductible insurance. I was 4 full weeks without my vehicle, creating some various difficulties with getting to and from work and appointments. Thankfully, I have a very good workplace and was allowed to work at the location closer to home for that time frame. In spite of that, I was THRILLED to get my baby back last week.
There have been a few things in the news that I'd have loved to blog about but I just couldn't muster the energy or desire at the time. Depression can be difficult... even when it's simply situational. I'm adjusting to things and as they work themselves out, I'm feeling a little better so I should be back soon. Work will be hectic over the next couple weeks as some people are away but then I'll have a little more time, I think.
Dee..
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
completed landscaping..
Well, the landscaping is completed... for this year. After the fellas from DNJ Landscaping were done, I seeded a few small areas of grass that needed to be done. Some grew pretty well and some, well... not so much. I will overseed in spring anyway. I have also purchased a few planters but nothing to put in them until spring. A lot will happen in spring out there yet.
We have been enjoying the space. Sometimes we sit on the deck in the front and have a cup of tea in the morning. It's starting to get too cool to do that much anymore though, being the end of September. We have also enjoyed a few late night fires on the stone patio. Gotta love those nights! It's so amazing to sit out there and see the stars and trees... :)
I do have a couple photos to share. This is the front where we replaced an old concrete step that was broken with a nice new deck and we also had weeping tile drainage under the new sod. To the left of the deck under the window, I reseeded a patch of grass that has not grown yet in this photo. Ten years ago when we bought... and now:
This is the south side of the house where we used to have a 2ft wide sidewalk and patchy weeds because nothing would really grow well in that spot. We had water issues the past couple years in our basement by the side door so it was important to get the drainage along here. The first photo is from 2006 when we were removing the old fence to be replaced. I couldn't seem to find another with a good view of the side before.
Now there is weeping tile under the slag to the right along the fence and no space alongside the house. Instead the walkway slopes away from the house to channel the water to the weeping tile.
And lastly, there is now a stone patio out back where we used to have juniper bushes (around the bottom of the cedars) and patchy grass and weeds. The dirt areas around the patio have been reseeded and has grown in pretty well now. The area you see in the first photo is the lilac bush beyond the patio in the second photo. I couldn't find a better photo that showed the yard before the fence was replaced but this one is from before we did much work on the yard at all.
There is now some patio furniture and a firepit to enjoy in the evenings when the weather permits. We weren't sure we'd have much chance to enjoy it this year but we have a few times already. :)
Someday I'll post some before and after photos of the main floor of the house... and some other time of the basement, which we are still working on. It's definitely been a work in progress for us! What do you think of the changes?
Dee..
We have been enjoying the space. Sometimes we sit on the deck in the front and have a cup of tea in the morning. It's starting to get too cool to do that much anymore though, being the end of September. We have also enjoyed a few late night fires on the stone patio. Gotta love those nights! It's so amazing to sit out there and see the stars and trees... :)
I do have a couple photos to share. This is the front where we replaced an old concrete step that was broken with a nice new deck and we also had weeping tile drainage under the new sod. To the left of the deck under the window, I reseeded a patch of grass that has not grown yet in this photo. Ten years ago when we bought... and now:
This is the south side of the house where we used to have a 2ft wide sidewalk and patchy weeds because nothing would really grow well in that spot. We had water issues the past couple years in our basement by the side door so it was important to get the drainage along here. The first photo is from 2006 when we were removing the old fence to be replaced. I couldn't seem to find another with a good view of the side before.
Now there is weeping tile under the slag to the right along the fence and no space alongside the house. Instead the walkway slopes away from the house to channel the water to the weeping tile.
And lastly, there is now a stone patio out back where we used to have juniper bushes (around the bottom of the cedars) and patchy grass and weeds. The dirt areas around the patio have been reseeded and has grown in pretty well now. The area you see in the first photo is the lilac bush beyond the patio in the second photo. I couldn't find a better photo that showed the yard before the fence was replaced but this one is from before we did much work on the yard at all.
There is now some patio furniture and a firepit to enjoy in the evenings when the weather permits. We weren't sure we'd have much chance to enjoy it this year but we have a few times already. :)
Someday I'll post some before and after photos of the main floor of the house... and some other time of the basement, which we are still working on. It's definitely been a work in progress for us! What do you think of the changes?
Dee..
Monday, August 22, 2011
landscaping news..
What a crazy few weeks it's been! Ever since we started looking for a landscaping company to do some work in our yard, things have felt incredibly out of control. It all happened very suddenly. The landscaping, I mean. The day we hired a company, they found they could fit us in right away. They did a GREAT job! (Thanks, DNJ Landscaping!)
Yes, it's done. Well, actually the portion being done by professionals is done. We now have a nice new deck, new sod in front, and an amazing stone patio in the back! It will look incredible when I get the finishing touches completed in the coming weeks. :)
I still have a LOT to do myself but it's much more manageable stuff. For example, I removed some tall grass/weeds outside our back fence and put down some crusher dust where we will put some sidewalk blocks to prevent that kind of growth from happening again. We had the landscapers run the bobcat along there to make it easier for this ol' bod. It sure helped! All we have left there is to haul the blocks out there.
Another thing we need to do is to move that pretty new shed we built and put down some of those sidewalk blocks as a foundation for it and then move the shed back. That's not done yet but I'm hoping it will happen very soon. I also have a few areas that need to have grass seeded back into it. I will do that tomorrow along with the usual laundry and house cleaning I try to get done on my days off. I will enjoy going shopping for planters in the coming weeks to set around my newly beautified yard as well. I should be able to catch some good sales....
I will post some before and after shots soon. I just want to get some of these things done before I post the "after" shots. So, bear with me. I will be back soon... soon as I get these things accomplished. Someone hold back the cold weather in case it takes longer than I imagine, okay? ;)
Dee..
Yes, it's done. Well, actually the portion being done by professionals is done. We now have a nice new deck, new sod in front, and an amazing stone patio in the back! It will look incredible when I get the finishing touches completed in the coming weeks. :)
I still have a LOT to do myself but it's much more manageable stuff. For example, I removed some tall grass/weeds outside our back fence and put down some crusher dust where we will put some sidewalk blocks to prevent that kind of growth from happening again. We had the landscapers run the bobcat along there to make it easier for this ol' bod. It sure helped! All we have left there is to haul the blocks out there.
Another thing we need to do is to move that pretty new shed we built and put down some of those sidewalk blocks as a foundation for it and then move the shed back. That's not done yet but I'm hoping it will happen very soon. I also have a few areas that need to have grass seeded back into it. I will do that tomorrow along with the usual laundry and house cleaning I try to get done on my days off. I will enjoy going shopping for planters in the coming weeks to set around my newly beautified yard as well. I should be able to catch some good sales....
I will post some before and after shots soon. I just want to get some of these things done before I post the "after" shots. So, bear with me. I will be back soon... soon as I get these things accomplished. Someone hold back the cold weather in case it takes longer than I imagine, okay? ;)
Dee..
Monday, August 8, 2011
busy week..
Crazy busy week here!
Last week we called a landscaping company to hire them on Tuesday morning. They said they'd call to let us know about deposit and such. That was good with us. Well, when they called, the message was that they'd had a job where the permit expired and so they could fit us in early if we wanted... and they could start Thursday. Of course, we said YES!!!! They also waived the deposit and would collect it all when the job was done.
On Thursday, five guys showed up and made amazing progress. Things slowed down a bit after that because they ran into some glitches with figuring out the grade issues we were having. However, after some discussion and decision-making, things are moving forward again. At this point we probably have another 2-3 days left depending on weather and what else is going on for jobs on their end. By the weekend it should be done, for sure.
We made a couple changes to the job through the course of things. First, we added a deck to the front instead of a step. Next, we decided to replace the front lawn with new sod. We can't wait to see it done and to enjoy the fruits of their labour. ;) There will still be a lot of work for me to complete in the back and a little in the front but they will be fun projects, I think.
The other thing going on in the midst of this and work/normal day-to-day activities is that we had visitors from Calgary today to celebrate our children's grads. They used to live here and there was a promise made when they moved that there would be a joint grad celebration for them. We put on a steak luncheon at our house and it went pretty well considering. It tied for the biggest gathering we have held in our little house at a total of 8 people. It was a little hectic but definitely worth it all. :)
Dee..
Last week we called a landscaping company to hire them on Tuesday morning. They said they'd call to let us know about deposit and such. That was good with us. Well, when they called, the message was that they'd had a job where the permit expired and so they could fit us in early if we wanted... and they could start Thursday. Of course, we said YES!!!! They also waived the deposit and would collect it all when the job was done.
On Thursday, five guys showed up and made amazing progress. Things slowed down a bit after that because they ran into some glitches with figuring out the grade issues we were having. However, after some discussion and decision-making, things are moving forward again. At this point we probably have another 2-3 days left depending on weather and what else is going on for jobs on their end. By the weekend it should be done, for sure.
We made a couple changes to the job through the course of things. First, we added a deck to the front instead of a step. Next, we decided to replace the front lawn with new sod. We can't wait to see it done and to enjoy the fruits of their labour. ;) There will still be a lot of work for me to complete in the back and a little in the front but they will be fun projects, I think.
The other thing going on in the midst of this and work/normal day-to-day activities is that we had visitors from Calgary today to celebrate our children's grads. They used to live here and there was a promise made when they moved that there would be a joint grad celebration for them. We put on a steak luncheon at our house and it went pretty well considering. It tied for the biggest gathering we have held in our little house at a total of 8 people. It was a little hectic but definitely worth it all. :)
Dee..
Monday, August 1, 2011
trust..
Trust is a big deal.
I have had problems periodically through my whole life with issues of trust. When I was a child, my mom and I moved a lot and that created a situation where reading people was difficult. I never got to know anyone and I wanted desperately to have friends and people I could trust and rely on. Once we got to a more stable situation in life, I was a preteen. We all know how volatile those years can be. The emotions, especially with girls, are very difficult to manage.
When I got to my teenage years, I still hadn't had the experience to know when someone could be trusted. I went through some really traumatic experiences in those years and made some really horrible decisions because of it.
Moving to a big city after graduation just complicated things for me. Some of the people I chose to spend time with and to be friends with were not good choices. A lot of things changed for me when I met and married Mr.B. He helped me to develop more skills in many areas and to live a better, more confident life.
In spite of how far I've come, it never fails to get me every time when I come up against a situation where I don't know if I can trust someone. In the past year, it has happened many times. I wish it was easier... and I wish I could KNOW if people are telling me the truth and how to fix it - especially people close to me. I know that this is part of the depression I've been feeling off and on of late. It is so frustrating to me.
Dee..
I have had problems periodically through my whole life with issues of trust. When I was a child, my mom and I moved a lot and that created a situation where reading people was difficult. I never got to know anyone and I wanted desperately to have friends and people I could trust and rely on. Once we got to a more stable situation in life, I was a preteen. We all know how volatile those years can be. The emotions, especially with girls, are very difficult to manage.
When I got to my teenage years, I still hadn't had the experience to know when someone could be trusted. I went through some really traumatic experiences in those years and made some really horrible decisions because of it.
Moving to a big city after graduation just complicated things for me. Some of the people I chose to spend time with and to be friends with were not good choices. A lot of things changed for me when I met and married Mr.B. He helped me to develop more skills in many areas and to live a better, more confident life.
In spite of how far I've come, it never fails to get me every time when I come up against a situation where I don't know if I can trust someone. In the past year, it has happened many times. I wish it was easier... and I wish I could KNOW if people are telling me the truth and how to fix it - especially people close to me. I know that this is part of the depression I've been feeling off and on of late. It is so frustrating to me.
Dee..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)