The Saga of Kitchen Renovations

We watch enough home renovation shows that we should have known better. How many times have I laughed at the homeowner on In A Fix who is forced to wear the “It’s all my fault” t-shirt. Where would I buy one of those for Robin??

A couple of weekends ago (just after R’s birthday), Robin and Jay began the process of preparing to refloor the kitchen. As you know, we’ve had beautiful tiles sitting in my living room since the spring. A couple of days prior to this, we removed all the appliances etc from the kitchen. We’ve been without a stove/oven and sink ever since…



They gleefully demolished the base cabinet. The countertop already had to be replaced (previous installers didn’t bother sealing the sink around the counter!) and I’ve always hated the cabinet to begin with. Jay has grand visions of remodelling our home! We tell him he needs to get his own house!! Of course, I was in full agreement and helped him convince Robin that the easiest way to remove the base cabinet so that they can refloor is to demolish it. Otherwise a plumber would be needed, pipes would have been cut, etc.



Darla watches on, wondering what all the ruckus is about.



Robin patches and begins painting the walls.



A couple weeks go by without progress. Note: no sink, no stove! Dishes are being washed in a washbasin in the bathtub. Food must be raw, microwaved or BBQ’d (or take-out). It’s like living in a dorm…



We primed over the leaf stencil. The only leaves in the new kitchen will be potted.



At long last the linoleum and ¼” plywood is removed! This was after 2 weeks of Robin agonizing over the subfloor. Turns out the subfloor is OSB and it is not advisable to tile over OSB for many reasons. We almost reverted to new linoleum or wood-laminate throughout the main floor (damn, so close to getting rid of the carpet!) and said ‘screw it’ to the tiles. Replacing the entire subfloor would have required hiring someone to do it, particularly with a fully-finished basement beneath. In the end, however, we learned of ways in which OSB can be tiled over successfully. It may not be the optimal choice – but we’re not building a floor to last forever. With proper care there shouldn’t be any problems.



Here we are today. Look what we woke to on the day Robin needs to begin working with powertools outside…



At long last, preparation for the tiling has begun. Here is our first panel of cement backerboard. This was as far as they had gotten when I last took photos this afternoon.



Here is a sneak peak at the future. Blue walls (we went with a lighter blue than we’d previously chosen – thank goodness) and a tile.



And here you can see what I’ve been living with for the last several weeks…



“It’s all my fault” – maybe I’ll just paint that onto a t-shirt for Robin.



Good thing I have an office to get away to.



Not even the basement is safe. (I think I need to clean my camera lens!)



To add to the fun, I was a last resort for taking in two kitties whose foster mom is in hospital. They’re upstairs in the spare room, while my kitties are locked in the basement for the duration of the construction. Darla is locked with me in my office for the time being…

Beer-Day Birthday

Robin's birthday celebration was beer-ful.

It all began at the Brick Brewery at noon... [awaiting photo I took with a friend's phone-cam]

Following the Brewery samplings we returned home for the BBQ (with beer).

Robin joyfully filled his beer-steine. Have I mentioned there was a lot of beer involved?

[These are the goofs I am trusting to tile the floors...]

Following an afternoon and evening of fun at the house (including another viweing of SuperTroopers!) we headed out to downtown Kitchener looking for Oktoberfest fun. Turns out, Oktoberfest isn't like festivals in Winnipeg. This was not a street festoval (despite being a lovely long-weekend Saturday night) and downtown was empty. The single downtown Oktoberfest tent was half empty so we decided to save the $6 cover for more beer. We wandered downtown looking for some fun and found ourselves at The Still, our usual hangout for beer and a fitting end to a day that began at The Brewery.

Thus concluded Robin's birthday.

He received many great movies for his birthday too! Yay for more movies to watch. (Except for the Star Wars movies... I don't watch Star Wars movies... but I do play Lego Star Wars video games!)

October Celebrations

Only a few more days until Robin's birthday and then Thanksgiving.
We have few plans. Robin wants to visit the Brick Brewery in town again and we are having his cousins over for Turkey Dinner. (Less the whole Turkey)
However, we just realized that Octoberfest begins this weekend as well, so birthday celebration plans may change - perhaps an upgrade :)

I think I already mentioned that Robin has a great 8-4 M-F shift now.
My fall TA job is (compared with the past few TA jobs) quite simple this term - grade about 50 short reflection papers a week.
Plus, this job pays me monthly. I'll save you the dramatic story of how pissed I am about my summer TA and how they screwed me out of ~$500 this month... (Money I had to give to the government instead, so at least it is retrievable for me next spring. I already sent letters to human resources and the college that hired me about this. I don't expect anything will be rectified.)

Fenwick is officially ours now. She is still in hiding from Darla much of the time, although she has no reason to hide. She'll let me bring her from her 'bed' in the storage area, and will cuddle with us on the couch, with Darla at my feet, but eventually Fenwick runs back to the other side of the basement.

My sister finally sent me photos of her preggo-bump. She looks so cute :) They think I will have a nephew... but in BC the nurses cannot tell you. I made her a wrap for baby carrying.

I have a lot of gifts to start (and finish) making...

But first I have to finish my grant applications...
Right after I make myself some coffee...

OMGs - I almost forgot to post photos. It's been so long since i posted pictures for you.

This was my Japanese Quince in full bloom this summer.
Occassionally these also bear fruit. The conditions must have been right this year.
The fruit look like small ugly apples. Eventually they ripened.
I picked them and plan on making Quince jelly. Quince already have a lot of natural pectin, so all you need to do is boil them, mush 'em up, strain the pulp, boil the juice, and seal it in a jar.
I can do that...
Also doing well this fall are my morning glories. These are my favourite flowers and I was lucky to be gifted with seeds from a friend in the summer. I hadn't thought of planting any because I do not have a trellis for them. The flowers loved their spot on the deck in the sun. Next year I will get a long planter along the deck and would like to attach a trellis atop the railing for added privacy. Now that the tree is gone, the view to the next street is very open.
Indoors plants have also been doing well. Here is the Shamrock(s) a friend gave me in August. Here they are about a month later!
Look how full and blooming! My first indoor plant to bloom with flowers!! (Baby Rubber has grown its "flowers" several times, but they're just pollen covered sticks.)
awww. Look - like Mimi, the Shamrock sleeps.
Goldfish are about to bloom also! Yay!!
Didn't I tell you about the Goldfish plant? Yep, goldfish grow on plants. I'll show you when it has finished growing. There are two other buds. I've been feeding it extra vermicompost fertilizer.
Have you seen the Vermicompost? Well I took a picture the other day.
Freshly fed worms. All the brown is compost - it is like rich brown earth. No, it is not smelly at all. Yes, I need to give them new beddings and remove all that compost... I told you I am a poor vermicompost keeper. But the worms don't seem too upset. Their mini ecostsystem is functioning just fine.
Look how simple the bin is too... Rubbermaid witha few holes in bottom, boot rack beneath it for excess water, and lid (with holes).