it's begun.....

it's begun...the garage renovation~ we're renovating it into living space!
here goes!!!


it started a couple of weeks ago when the guys~wayne's brothers~helped him re~shingle the back of the house.
it was in desperate need of repair....when it rained hard, it leaked in jordyn's room!


yay...no more leaks ;)!

when i left the house this morning our garage was still intact....well, it's still intact, just all the drywall is off the walls, ceiling no longer there(means the attic & storage all gone!)

...this is what i came home to today






then levi said "hey mom, you gotta see this"!


"was is that"?
"a wasp nest"!
"get out...no way"!!
"for real...it is"!




this thing was over 4 ft long!


crazy, eh?!?

thanksgiving weekend

welcome friends! maybe you want to get yourself a snack & a cup of jo & settle in....it's a long post...


it was a gorgeous weekend this past thanksgiving....all except monday afternoon~it rained.
here are some of the highlights!
things started when deb & her girls came fri night from chatham. along the way they grabbed sylvia & got here around 8:30~ish.
sat morning was sunny..yay!!!
we're off to the annual thanksgiving art fest in vineland......there's about 150 vendors @ the show.
great place to do some christmas shopping!!
l~r:
dani, jordyn, eryn, leah, hannah & roni





jordyn had her caricature done...

eating lunch on the fly....it was so busy we just found a empty patch of grass, parked it & ate.
it was an artery clogging lunch...fresh~cut fries,butterfly fries, blooming onions & pop.once a year people, once a year. nuff said.



we can't leave the show without candied apples...well the kids can't leave without them.
me....like 'em? not so much ~i just need to come home with a piece of fudge for the hubby...



sunday was another gorgeous day.
after the second service we headed up to the local conservation area for a hike in the bush....







....watch your step!!







on monday after church, we headed up to dad & sylvia's house.
bill & deb & the kids were there(as well as the 2 'boy' friends of leah & hannah)and joining us this year was my uncle john & tante corrie tamminga...so glad they came~we had a great time!

too much food....







dani & nephew sam....


i just love this time of year...autumn.
the crisp air, the sound of leaves crunching under foot & seeing God's goodness & faithfulness all around me in the changing of the seasons!!
i am utterly thankful for:
~my great God & the finished work He has done on the cross for me
~my amazing husband who loves me more than i deserve
~our 5 beautiful gifts from God that He has entrusted to our care
~our whole family...sis, you're amazing & my biggest supporter;)!
~our parents...even though my mom is in glory, i love sylvia with all my heart & i'm glad she makes my dad happy...luv ya dad! wayne's folks will do anything for us.
~our family...some we see on a regular basis & some not too often at all
~our home...it's not always clean, but it's cozy & filled with the ones i love
~friends....God has given me some amazing friends!

well, i could keep going, but this post is epic so, i'll sign off now.

another project done.....yay!

i've had these frames sitting in my closet for years now....no exaggeration my friends!
my plan was to do a photo gallery wall of my family.
i have grand ambitions some times....why do you do this,you ask. well, i ask myself the same question!
the hard part is not hanging the frames, it's filling them!
with going through my mom & dad's old pics and then sorting through the in~law's pics, i've narrowed it down to this
i wanted to have both our families represented, so these are some of the pics i have...

wayne's dad as a boy with his brothers & father(he's in the front row far right)


wayne's mom(the one on the left with her cousin)


my dad(he's the baby with his big brother)



my mom(the one on the right with her sister)

just a note....my dad's brother with him in the picture married my mom's sister with her in the picture~the aunt & uncle my sis & i went to visit in vancouver this summer!
wedding pictures of the parents

the hubby.....aaww

my sis & me

sort of in the centre...our gifts

the completed wall....
this wall representing the generations in our family, shows the goodness of our great God!
when we make the Lord our dwelling place,He will be our refuge for His children in all generations b/c He Himself is eternal & from everlasting He is God.....what a great comfort we have in Him!
Ps. 90:1
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
this is my prayer for our children & their children, that they will find their refuge in Him.

well, i finally finished my 'picture frame' that i had been working on for over a year!
i know, i know, it's been a project that's taken far too long.
but here's the deal...it's been a bit of a waiting game.
let me explain.
every spring~the last sat in may, my hubby & i go to the big antique show @ christie's conservation area...you know the one~it's huge with over 300 vendors!
i.love.going.
there are sooo may amazing pieces there & i love to get inspired by soo many of the vintage wares!




since the show is one day only and these vendors come from as far away as quebec to pennsylvania & new york, they are more than willing to cut you a deal.
in our perusing, we came across this old window, which i immediately loved & knew exactly what i'd do with it.
price tag....$45!
hmmmm.....not happening!
we'll continue on~if it's still there at 5 pm when the show closes, then i'll make an offer(great plan;)!)
sure enough, still there.
i ask the man what his best price would be, seeing that one of the panes was cracked & needed replacing.
$30.
ooooh~still too much.
i ask if he's willing to take $25.
ya, it's the end of the day & he wants to go home.
score!!!

so, my handy hub, replaced the panes that were in rough shape.
i just had to wait for the window putty on the back to dry,give it a sand & a coat of paint...easy,shmeasy!
i did not know it took soooo long for that putty to cure!!
this is where the waiting comes in!
obviously, it's done now(& hanging)....with just a bit of procrastinating on my part;(