Nannie MacKinnon is Coming!

My cousin, Lianne, is graduating this year! Nannie MacKinnon is coming for the graduation, so she will be here for a couple of days this week. Since Nannie MacKinnon likes to hear about the renovations I do around the house, I decided that now was the time to get a bunch of things finished so she can see them instead of just hearing about them.

I sanded, painted, and reassembled a dresser we found on Spring Clean Up day in our neighbour's garbage.
 I forgot to take a true before picture, but it was all the colour you see on the sides, it had the same coloured plastic knobs, and the two middle drawers stuck out further than the top and bottom ones.

after:

 

the dresser in the (not so pretty) closet:

I painted the bedroom (finally!). It only took me 18 months to decide on a colour! Finally I just decided to use the paint I had in the basement. I have no idea what the colour is called because it started out as a mistinted gray, and I added Vapour Trail (lighter gray) mixed with a black mistint. So, I've decided it's called "Day Gray".

This is a picture of the room before we moved in:

after:

 (there are still about 100 things to do to this room before it's a true after)

Mom made me some curtains which I had planned on putting up in our bedroom, but decided to hang them in other windows when the new bedroom colour didn't really match the curtains. Here they are hanging in the upstairs hallway. I REALLY need to paint the hallway. I do not like the current colour at all! I'm thinking of painting the hallway November Rain by Benjamin Moore, or Tapestry Beige by Benjamin Moore. I have a thing for grey :)

I made curtain tie backs from a door stop, some clay, and some paint. An empty watermelon half ended up being the perfect way to let the clay air dry!

Steve and I made 2 curtain rods in the bedroom using two wooden dowels and 2 sets of toilet paper roll holders! I actually really like how they look!

I mounted a large 24'' x 24'' picture on poster board and hung it in the Living room. This is a picture my cousin Gregory made for us as a wedding present. We really love it and are so excited that it's finally being displayed!

here's a close up of the painting:

I bought an old painting with a nice, but old looking frame and painted the frame gold. I LOVE the gold frame on the gray walls! I really like mixing gold and silver.

before:

after:

I even picked some Lupins to have on my mantle.

Nannie should come visit more often so I can always be this productive!

Photoshopping Fun!

This weekend was Easter. Ashley and Chad and the kids were at Mom and Dad's. I took lots of pictures (about 500!)

Sophie at 19 months

Finn at 7 months

This is what Steve and Chad did for basically 3 days straight!

I decided to take some portraits of Laura and Ashley so I could photoshop them into something extreme :) I think they turned out really well!

Favourite Quote

This quote is one of my most favourites. I first heard it from my Great Uncle Donald MacVicar in March 2011 at my cousin, Cathy Peter's, funeral.

He told me that it was one of his favourite quotes.

I try to remember this and live by it.

Gardening! (Part 2)

I've started my Garden!

I found a quote today that perfectly expresses my feelings of my garden and my plants. It's by Nathaniel Hawthorne and he says: "I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green."

I started some seeds inside so they will be ready in mid-May for planting outside. I planted 6 watermelons, 12 broccoli, 12 Tiny Tim tomatoes, 12 Beefsteak tomatoes, and 12 Early Girl tomatoes.

I will be planting cucumbers in about 3 weeks as well.

I planted the seeds on Friday March 16th. As per the seed packets, I was expecting to see some sprouts within 7 - 10 days. Instead, I saw the first sprouts yesterday!!

Yesterday was the 18th! So in TWO days I had my first broccoli sprouts. Now (the 19th) I have 11 Broccoli sprouts and I can see 2 watermelon sprouts just about to break the surface.

How exciting to put a seed in a bit of dirt, add some water and sun and see a plant grow!

Gardening!

I am SO ready for spring! I can't wait until it's nice enough to plant my garden. Growing tomatoes and lettuce last summer made me "fresh produce obsessed". Fruit and vegetables taste SO much better straight from the garden.

This is my tentative plan for my garden this year. I'm hoping I'll have help from my more experienced gardening mother and grandparents.

I can't wait for spring!!!

Bathroom!

I painted the bathroom!

I bought the paint for the bathroom about 3 months ago (at least), but never got around to actually painting until last night. Mom and Dad came over for Dad's birthday supper (home made seafood chowder. Yum!) While they were here, I was talking to mom about how I have all the supplies for about 5 different projects, but nothing gets done because it's kind of overwhelming to decide what to do first.

Well, after I drove mom home, I decided to just start something. The bathroom seemed the easiest.

Before

After

I really love the difference the colour makes. It went from looking like a teenage boy's bathroom to looking classy!
The bathroom isn't completely finished, but it's probably the closest room in the house to being finished.

I love it!

Merry Christmas!