tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83842142093712951722024-02-20T11:06:43.795-07:00Life, Times and Thoughts of EvEvelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.comBlogger462125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-22272026829443736912015-03-25T10:34:00.000-06:002015-03-25T10:34:58.016-06:00Still lent, right? I'm still trying to do a bit of organizing, but we've been a little busy around here.
This was a little project that started last summer already when we found a little medicine cabinet at a garage sale. Laura and I had a vision for it, but had to wait for the room to be finished.
Now it is done and the smaller finishing touches can be worked on.
First we painted the old white withEvelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-29067671417605108412015-03-23T22:20:00.002-06:002015-03-23T22:51:40.027-06:00Beth's new roomI haven't done "the big reveal" post for either of the girls' rooms yet. They've been moved in for a couple of months now and they are pretty much done.
This is Beth's room.
Both Laura and Beth have the same beds, and although they really looked
forward to decorating in their own style, they've both chosen to wrap
their headboards in fairy lights.
After Christmas I
managed to snag Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-497426045630381372015-03-02T19:31:00.002-07:002015-03-03T13:04:20.190-07:00Patterns
Alice and I just finished a game of Carcasonne.
I love the little roads, rivers and farms. I think every piece is just slightly different, making it fun to look at the final picture.
Besides the nice landscape that it makes, it's a bonus that it's actually fun to play! It's one of the few games we have that takes very little setup, little strategic Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-23083081134022894372015-02-26T20:11:00.003-07:002015-02-26T20:11:39.709-07:00Latest space-saving jobLenten organization is going well, but it's not daily. Some days I come into the house and barely have time to cook and eat before running out the door again. I've signed on for a little singing gig that lasts for another week. Then I might feel a big more free.
Also some projects take more than a day. This is one of them.
Besides some cleaning, and Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-9959402280420488472015-02-22T14:29:00.000-07:002015-02-22T14:29:00.251-07:00DrawersA much simpler organization project for today. Two drawers of mine - my sock drawer and my scarves.
I'm not showing you my sock drawer. It still isn't pretty, but it isn't overflowing, and every sock has a mate. That's what I was aiming for. And my bedroom garbage pail was full.
I should put some masking tape on each pair of socks. Next year when I will undoubtedlyEvelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-23069707570099672862015-02-21T19:29:00.000-07:002015-02-20T19:29:55.856-07:00One cupboardThis is a terrible cabinet that is always in need or organization. It's full of gluten free flours, and hot beverage things. And the odd bag of candy that falls on me when I try to get the coffee grinder.
Alice has adopted my Lenten goal with me. And she drinks a lot of tea, so she wanted to see this area organized and cleaned out.
This is what it looked like after before and Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-77095401434174077442015-02-21T14:30:00.000-07:002015-02-26T07:50:30.067-07:00Chemicals and guckAgain no before picture. Give me a break. I'm working full time and trying to get a few things done without trying to take artsy photos of everything as I go.
And I couldn't have taken a good photo of this anyway.
Under the sink. Blech! Full of yucky stuff and there was a bag of bags that constantly pushed the cupboard door open. I hate open cupboard doors.
Now:
Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-29896394066596073842015-02-20T19:11:00.001-07:002015-02-20T19:51:25.207-07:00Lenten goalsI don't fast (I should). I don't give up some nasty vice (I should). Instead, I felt challenged by a song I sang twice on Ash Wednesday.
I'm taking it literally instead of the way it was probably intended, but maybe that's the way God is speaking to me.
One line in the song mentioned "clearing the chaos and confusion". In my mind, presumably, to make way for the peace of God.Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-36381519751141630412015-01-05T22:38:00.000-07:002015-01-05T22:38:06.707-07:00Almost there!Spurred on by Laura's birthday and our promise to get her into her own bedroom by then, we worked very hard tonight and are so close!
Come on a tour with me.
This is Laura's bedroom door.
Open the door to see Laura's paintwork.
I love it! And in a rectangular room with little in the way of architectural detail, we did a little something on the ceiling for a bit of interest.Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-74238543149533314632014-12-16T12:25:00.001-07:002014-12-16T12:25:06.306-07:00Bathroom updateIt's crazy how much work this whole basement project is. And it's crazy how much brain space it takes up. I'm checking out the quality and installation of baseboards wherever I go, looking for good/bad drywall installation, noticing tile patterns and flooring. I'd like to turn it off, but I can't.
And everything is harder than it seems. I know how to install light Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-14299075142127118952014-11-08T21:35:00.000-07:002014-11-12T11:36:12.716-07:00Independant livingNot totally. They're not that grown up, but they are looking forward to having their own rooms. Their owns spaces to personalize.
Beth and Laura have been sharing a room for years. Before that, Laura and Alice shared, and before that Beth and Laura again.
Until moving out of their shared room in order for demolition to happen, Laura had never had her own space. Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-10132267633611351292014-11-06T12:45:00.000-07:002014-11-06T12:45:40.896-07:00Halloween 2014No snow! That was the big excitement for me this Halloeen. Often we have deep snow, deep cold and puffy costumes.
Not this year.
Alice went as Alice-Backwards. I loved the idea of that. It looked better during the day when the face on her back was properly tucked in and her backwards shoes hadn't broken off. And her friend went as a phoenix. Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-9439035922607190742014-11-04T20:56:00.001-07:002014-11-04T20:56:55.817-07:00The new bathroomOkay, so it's been a bit of a journey. And now I know why no one blogs about bathroom renos. They are not pretty. It's not like taking pictures of an ugly light fixture and then replacing it with a beautiful chandelier.
This involves mud. And concrete. And dark, damp places.
Lovely as it was, we had to tear out this:
To reveal some of this:
That Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-68223263991850114192014-10-28T23:58:00.000-06:002014-10-28T23:58:28.536-06:00The Big ProjectI've made reference to our basement renovation a few times.
It's been going on forever, but the more I read about other renovation projects, this isn't actually that bad. However, we're nowhere near done.
I thought I took a bunch of before pictures, but apparently the basement was so ugly I never took the camera down there. I do want to document the process a little bit though.
Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-77135788386193624722014-10-24T13:09:00.000-06:002014-10-24T13:09:00.422-06:00Putzing DayThe days of putzing around the house are what I miss most now that I'm gainfully employed. This is the kind of day I used to love as a stay-at-home mom, especially once all the girls were in school. Admittedly I didn't have a lot of them because I did contract work and then part-time work, and the days with no volunteer activity, field trips, or sick children weren't all that high.
Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-73948897010313298642014-10-22T12:16:00.000-06:002014-10-22T12:16:47.066-06:00Morning inspiration
Forgive the photos, but it's very dark when I get up in the mornings.
And it's very dark when I try to put an outfit together. And my brain is still too foggy at that time to deal well with this:
This is generally what my drawers look like. These are all knits and wrinkle-proof, so I don't usually care how I shove them in there. They start off folded, but then when Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-23995732953358135862014-10-16T12:27:00.000-06:002014-10-16T12:27:43.284-06:00The first impressionI was talking to someone recently about shoes. She was curious how many shoes she owned. The answer? 15 pairs. And she thought that was reasonable for one person.
It probably is. I mean, summer alone means flipflops, runners, black sandals, red sandals, something in brown, something with a heel, something for hiking, something for in the garden. And in the Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-5951505689860739072014-10-07T21:21:00.000-06:002014-10-07T21:21:00.121-06:00A sweet new ride
It came at a cost though. A cost that I wouldn't personally want to pay, but we didn't have any choice in the matter. We really haven't seen the price tag yet, because Alice may be hiding her true feelings, but if it was me, the price would have to be "fear". Even if Alice presumably paid the biggest price, Yvon and I are still left with the fear. Fear of our girls Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-36570035696130037352014-10-04T13:34:00.001-06:002014-11-05T23:01:27.898-07:00String Art
Part of clearing our basement for renovation was to prune our
belongings, and then once pruned, we also had to find places for what we
had left. The stuff we couldn't bear to part with. After boxes and
boxes of books were brought to Goodwill we were still left with a
lot.
Since painting our bedroom, I'd been thinking of using that big blank wall for display purposes. We Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-80499943315538760632014-10-01T18:42:00.002-06:002014-10-01T18:42:35.584-06:00PillsburyThis isn't about refrigerator biscuits or ready-made pizza dough. Don't get me wrong - I love those biscuits, and who doesn't love that chubby while Pillsbury Doughboy?
This is about my favourite cookbook.
While trying to downsize this last year, I got rid of a bunch of cookbooks. So many had one or two recipes that I kept returning to and the rest of the cookbook just Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-7815093287157138232014-09-29T23:10:00.000-06:002014-09-29T23:10:00.193-06:00Cheer in the rain
I was reading another blog where the author quoted a poet who said that "autumn was hard to take straight".
Sunflowers are meant to be enjoyed in the moment, taken straight.
Even in the rain, sunflowers are the more cheerful flowers, aren't they?
The very last of my flowers and the most showy of them all. I'm not looking forward to winter quite yet, but I'm Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-46764007881334211612014-09-27T22:57:00.000-06:002014-09-27T22:57:00.175-06:00ConfessionI have a confession to make. Everytime my in-laws have an event, I feel put-upon. I immediately feel all defensive and my mind starts to think of reasons why I can't attend, plan, help, or even approve the event.
I don't even know why that is, but I think it's because they just do things differently than I grew up with. Why is that wrong? Of course it isn't. Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-63730929378743224312014-09-26T08:55:00.001-06:002014-09-26T08:55:11.786-06:00Pssshhh clickThat was the sound of my favourite shoe.
Pssshhh click
Pssshhh click
Pssshhh click
Pssshhh click
It was like stepping on a teeny tiny whoopie cushion with every left step.
Pssshhh
And then the sound of a tiny nail with the right.
click
Pssshhh click
Pssshhh click
More annoying to me than anyone else, I hope, but I love those shoes. They were comfortable right from the store, as if Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-70551063319553965312014-09-23T13:56:00.000-06:002014-09-23T13:56:00.226-06:00SensesI'm glad I didn't have a phone with me. Or an iPod.
Just a book and my picnic lunch.
I sat and ate my picnic in the park, listening to the leaves fall from the trees. It's quiet and you'd miss the sound if you had anything else to distract you, but they do make soft sounds as they fall.
And obviously they make a sound as the multitude of walkers and joggers crunch down on them, Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384214209371295172.post-42585037675070672922014-09-22T13:48:00.000-06:002014-09-22T13:48:16.996-06:00OrnamentalI thought that ornamental crabapples served no purpose. Besides being ornamental, of course. And in truth, they are only really ornamental in the spring when in full bloom.
I just watched a squirrel for one hour run back and forth between the tree and his stockpile, carrying an apple in his teeth on every second lap.
For a squirrel, it isn't only ornamental. It's winter food.Evelyn in Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16273654056979750579noreply@blogger.com0