update in bullet points!

Yep, we haven't posted much about the house reno's, or anything, really.  Too lazy.  Too many changes.
Here's the bullet point update.

* new wood insert fireplace is in and is awesome.
* wood flooring is done minus a few minor touch-ups still needed.
* everyone who's seen it LOVES it (us included!)
* baseboards may get done this weekend (still have to buy them).
* "Indian Summer" slate tile around fireplace and front entrance is done, except sealing and grouting and looks great.
* fake brick has arrived for resurfacing the fireplace and getting delivered today (hopefully) and at that time scheduling the masons to complete it within the next 2 weeks, he thinks.
*we may have to take out the existing brick to get the look we're going for (we want it to come in behind the wood insert instead of placed "around" it).
* hindsight sucks because we wouldn't have had the fireplace installed until the brick resurfacing was done, so I have to find out about taking it out/reinstalling, or whatever needs to be done to get it out of the way for the mason.
* we also would have had the fireplace done before the flooring, but we didn't want to wait any longer.
* we have the cutest daughter.
* MOST of our stuff is unpacked now, and the house is finally in living and presentable condition -- hosting a 40th birthday party for 35 people will do that.
* the main bathroom is next on the list, and then the 3rd bedroom.
* anyone know anyone looking for a walk-in therapeutic tub with jets?  Selling cheap!
* we're keeping the existing kitchen (for the foreseeable future), just paint and minor updates.  Maybe new appliances/hardware some time soon-ish, and possibly a new (cheap) counter/backsplash.
* when the kitchen reno happens (who knows when/if), we're no longer sure about knocking the wall out between it and the dinning room (kind of nice to have it and cooking noise/smells/mess behind closed doors), although I think it would look stunning opened up with an updated kitchen....
* Echo thinks he owns the neighbourhood, and apparently is already famous in the 4 months we've lived here (4 months only?  It feels WAY longer!)  Since the nice weather, we've been pretty good at going for walks, and pretty much everyone we pass, or who is out in the streets or on their property says, "Oh! We heard there was a dane in the neighbourhood!".  I once joked and said, "yeah, we keep him locked up in the basement"... I don't think they got that I was joking. haha.
* SPCA hasn't visited our home yet....
* one lady came running out of her house to meet him.... lol
* apparently he's STILL the biggest dog anyone has ever seen, even at the dog park that we've been going to for the past 4 years. (He's still the most slobbery of any other dog by a LONG SHOT)
* Echo is almost 4 years old (May 9)!
* one of these days we'll get around to posting decent photos of the home reno progress.

That's it for now.  You're all caught up.

Photoshoot with VI!

Not the greatest light but she was looking SOOOOO cute, it had to be done today.
Disclaimer:  Echo is not usually allowed on the carpet, just for a cute photo with Vi.

Our growing Violet!

I can't believe how quickly children change between the ages of 1 and 2.  Violet tries to repeat everything you tell her now.  So cute.  Her Granny (marn's mom) swears she said 'helicopter' last week.  She is saying a lot of crazy words now.  Just last week we noticed she can jump!  I mean, actually get her feet off the ground.  She tried to jump a lot, but would just bend and straighten her legs, now she gets lift-off...with both feet!  I love it!  When she does get lift-off, she usually falls as her body doesn't really know how to handle it, but that is super cute too.
Thinking as the co-ordination increases, we need to start considering a big-girl bed.  She has already demonstrated one crib escape.

Got the "OK"

I had my final dental surgeon appt. the other day, and after yet another x-ray (I've lost count on how many I've had over the past year), I've been given the all clear to go back to my dentist to get fitted for a new crown.  Yay!
I've used up all my flex benefits this year because of the cost of the surgery and implant, so I may wait until July to get it so that I can expense it again.  I might also have some covered from Marn's plan, but we'll have to check that out.
Anyway, it's been just about a year since this thing broke off.  Hard to believe, huh?  We were in BC at the time during march break, and it snapped off the first day there.

The appt. with my dentist are at the end of the month and into April.  So a little while longer yet with my good pal, the denture.

Happy Family Day!

Monday the 15th of Feb was family day here in Ontario.  However, you only get this if you are provincially regulated so Andrew and my brother-in-law Dave are federally regulated so they had to work :(
Candace and I thought it would be a great idea to go tobogganing on the hill behind her house.  It is a small hill which is good because I don't have a helmet for Vi yet.  Here are some photos of the day. Sadie would not give up the front of the toboggan but luckily Vi isn't old enough to care!

A quick update

Just a quick note about Vi (so we remember this 20 years from now...)
Every time Vi sees a man with a white beard (translation: any long beard), she says 'ho ho ho'.  So funny, but also embarrassing . We went to the market a few weeks ago and sat beside a man who had said beard, Vi was ho ho ho-ing the whole time we sat beside him, every time she looked at him.  This past week I was in the kitchen making supper and Vi was in her chair waiting for me to bring it out to her.  I heard her reach for the paper and I also heard a lot of crumpling,etc.  A few minutes later I hear, 'ho ho ho'.  Vi had opened the paper to the obituary section and was 'ho ho ho'-ing at one of the photos of a gentleman with a white beard.  Too funny.