Apples!

Sit back, and prepare to be transported back...to a wonderful time...a time when life was simple...to late September of 2011.

 Confession...I wrote this post right after we picked the apples. And promptly decided to not download any pictures for...four months! Anyway, rather than re-boot this next fall, and since the weather here is pretty much fall-like instead of winter-white, I thought I'd share it today.

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Just in time, I think, we managed to get the majority of  the apples off the tree.

On Wednesday night, our mothers came over, we grabbed a couple of ladders, some boxes, and got to work, with the anticipation of Chinese take away food to greet us when we were done.

It only took about an hour for three women, one man, and two children to get as many apples as could be reached and that were actually ready to say goodbye to their home. A goodly portion of that time, it was really one man working, while three women stood around talking about buying underwear, and two children chased each other around the yard.

But it was fun. And look at that bounty! And they're real McIntosh apples, not the transparents (or is it translucents?) that a lot of people in the prairies have. Good, tart, firm Macs. Not like the soft, flavourless ones that come from so far away to the grocery store. These will be great for all sorts of baked goods, but they're also just perfect for eating out of hand.

2 bins like this!

I call this one 'Brave Man on Tall Ladder'

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We now have five apple pies, some apple sauce, and dozens of bags of cut-up apples in the freezer. Now that Christmas season is over, it's time to start with the apple desserts again.

I love our apple tree. Next autumn will not come fast enough for me.

Almost Forgot My Password...

So, to continue to keep my head above water, I've just come to realize that there are certain months of the year when blogging is low on my list of priorities. I now know that October and November are in that group. I have one client in particular who demands a lot of attention during those two months, and unless I quit my job, there's just not much I can do about it. But, it's all good. they're a great bunch of guys (and lady), and I would hate to pass them over to another manager.

And so, I have looked up from my computer and seen that winter has arrived. I seem to be further ahead this year though, for the jolly season, as the first of our trees is up (there will be two this year), the lights are hung around the house, and the knitted presents are almost done.

I'm excited about Christmas this year. It's been a couple of years since I've been this excited.

We have a wood burning fireplace in our family room. We bought a lot of wood this fall. I don't think we bought enough. We're still in the passion stage with the fireplace. Almost every night we start a fire right after supper and keep it going until just before bed. I don't know how long it will take to settle into that comfortable long-term relationship sort of love.

My vision for Christmas morning? Gathering around the lit fireplace, the stockings full, the presents under the small tree that will be decorated with all the boys' ornaments, Christmas music on the iTunes. Us in our pyjamas (new ones for the boys, of course), enjoying our small family before heading over to the parents' home. If I could wrestle The Beast into a pair of antlers, I would.

From a totally self absorbed, consumerist point of view, I am excited about this Christmas for one reason: due to the layout of our house, I now have my 'designer-Christmas' area in the living room and dining room, where everything coordinates, and sparkles. I also have the 'fun-Christmas' area in the family room and kitchen, where the decorations are less matchy, and more about heart and memories.

Shallow? Oh well.

Apparently Unpacking is NOT Going Well

I'm supposed to leave for a weekend in the mountains tomorrow afternoon. I'm driving, but once there, I will have a lot of time spent sitting and relaxing, which for me = knitting time! (I may get my brother to drive on the way home!)

But I can't find the socks that I started and wanted to work on, since my shawl is coming to an end. I used them as lightweight filling in one of the moving boxes and have not found them yet. Other projects are too heavy and hot to work on while sitting on the deck in the sun, I'm leaving them for fall.

I was sure I would have come across them by now, as they were in one of the last boxes to be packed. Along with them, is my 'support' bag. The little bag I keep with my needles for weaving in ends, my measuring tape, the pins I use for blocking projects. Without that little bag, I foresee an endless list of UFO's (unfinished objects) in my future.

So, when I get home on Sunday night, I am not allowing myself to open a book and read. Nor will I be allowed to pull out a DVD to watch (Netflix is grounded too). Once the car is unloaded, and the laundry started, unpacking resumes.

The past week I have used many excuses. I'm back at work. I only want to arrange the furniture and unpack once. But, it's time. The floor plans are done. I am fully capable of moving furniture myself. If I have to unload a box in one room and walk things across the house because I'm too weak to move the box, so be it. This needs to get done.

Because, dude, I'm excited about those socks. It's the first time I've used a yarn with a colour pattern that I'm unsure about. It took me a long time to work up the nerve to wind and start knitting with this yarn. And I can't wait to see them when they're done.

New To Us

Here she is...our 41 year old beauty. I just realized this house was built the same year my parents were married (it's their anniversary today).

We had most of the house repainted when we took possession. These pics are pre-painting. The walls are now almost exactly the same colour as the trim. In other words, goodbye mint green and mustard yellow!

Kitchen...redone in the early '90's. It's definitely in great condition, and while it's not our style in terms of decor, it's functional, well laid out, and in great working order.

I have gas!

Dining Room...yay! Finally! 'Nuff said.

 Family Room...a wood burning fireplace, sliding doors to the patio, large enough for the addition of a piano in the future.

Living Room...OK, living room looking in to front entry. The point is, aren't the glass doors the best? They sealed the deal for me. There's four of them in total.

Outdoors, this brick monstrosity with the chives growing out the top will hopefully be converted to a wood burning oven in the future. A lot of research will have to go into this.

 The raspberries in the foreground, with a nanking cherry peeking out behind. I've already gotten a bit of a crop out the raspberries, and need to start harvesting the cherries. Jelly, here we come!

This is our McIntosh apple tree. It will be interesting to see how big the apples get. Our oldest boy is an apple fiend, and can't wait until the apples are ready to eat.

 And, where the future hammock will go. We're already arguing over whether it should be a Mother's Day or Father's Day present next spring.

I hope to post more pictures as we get rooms set up and decorated. I say decorated, but I mean furniture placed and some things put out. Get ready for barely beige walls!

In the Midst of Chaos

I'm sitting in my kitchen, cooking my last dinner in this house (faux tarragon chicken and orzo with Parmesan and basil). Tomorrow is take-out, as hopefully the kitchen will be packed away. For on Friday morning the movers come to empty the house.

I'm surrounded by chaos. A pile of boxes here, half-packed boxes there, counter tops cluttered and messy. We've been going at it all week. Packing, moving things over, unpacking where we can, given there is no furniture and two painters there.

The new house is looking fantastic. The walls are neutral now, we wanted some time in the space before making major changes. The apple tree is showing a bounty of fruit, the raspberries and nanking cherries have made their appearances. The list of maintenance items that accompanies an older home has been started.

I know that this will be my last evening to relax in a long time. Tomorrow brings the last push for packing, Friday is the move, and then the move-in and personalization begins (I'm already having a panic attack about the considerably less cupboard space in the kitchen).

I've taken so many pictures, but they're still on the camera. Next week brings another week off work to get settled, and relax, and enjoy our new home.

My Irises

I love 'em.

 
See that sign? That's the one outside our house.

About a 16 minute drive away from this sign is a similar one, signalling that new owners will be arriving soon.

We sold our house in about 5 weeks. It took another 3 weeks to find a new home. The one we're hoping will be ours for a long time. The one our boys will grow up in, bring their friends home to, bring their girlfriends home to. The one we want to retire to at the end of the day. The place we will share meals and laughter with family and friends.

The house is a gem. In a 40-year old neighbourhood where a house sells and a garbage bin shows up in the driveway as renovations commence. The current owners have lovingly cared for this house for the past 18 years, but not extensively renovated, it's exactly what we were looking for. Original walls, minor updating, new roof, a blank slate for us to slowly turn into our own. Large yard, fully grown trees, firepit. A gas stove! A dining room! A fourth bedroom! Attached garage!

We now officially have 37 days to get everything ready for the movers. Luckily we have some overlap of possession dates, so there's over a week to finish packing, paint, clean, measure, get everything moved, and clean the old house. Whew.

I am so excited about this new beginning for us, but so apprehensive as well. As much as I feel we've outgrown our current home, I loved how unique I felt it was, and it was our home. Two and a half years after we were married we bought that house. We've lived in it for three quarters of our lives together.

I'm trying not to dwell on what was, but instead focus on what will be. On the change we've consciously chosen and pursued.

One Week...

brought me...

     1 spring snow storm (hello, heavy wet snow)
     2 restaurant dinners with the kids (is McDonald's a restaurant? Really?)
     3 relaxing meals with my brother (It was nice having an adult to cook for)
     4 house showings (at least we had fair warning on all of them)
     5 days of dropping the boys at school AND picking them up (usually a shared task)
     6 hours of working from home with a sick boy
and
     7 nights with a king-size bed all to myself (ahhhh...)

It also brought me...

• The realization I work for some pretty great, understanding guys,
• Almost to tears every time I had to hang up the phone with Hubs,
• A chance to practice my patience, and
• An even greater respect for all those ladies who are raising those great kids all by themselves.

On the Market

The house is on the market!

Thanks to a team of painters and a couple of hardy cleaners, our house now looks all sparkly and new.

Hubs says two weeks. I'm trying not to think about it. Average for our community is 17 days. It seems so whirlwind.

It will seem odd in a way. Both our boys were born while we were here. So many family events have been here. OK, mostly our birthdays, the odd Easter or Thanksgiving. But many, many memories of gatherings with friends and family. And while it will be sad to say goodbye to the home that hosted us all, one of the reasons (I feel) we're moving is so that we can have these gatherings more easily.

I grew up with a dining room. A formal dining room. Oh, they were never fancy, but a place to have a nice dinner (or lunch, or brunch), away from the clutter and mess of the kitchen. Somewhere everyone can relax around a cup of coffee and slice of dessert without worrying about the dishes piling up in the sink.

I miss that in this house. Our kitchen is open to everything but the small room at the front of the house, certainly not large enough for more than four people. I always feel like we're tripping on our preparations when we have people over.

No more! One of my absolute must-haves is a separate dining room. I realize that may be old-fashioned. But, then, I am a little old-fashioned in some ways.