and a brown bird sang in an apple tree

Working on the house has been slow going! Husband-guy put up the little deck that faces the big trees out back. It’s really beautiful but is currently jammed up with scaffolding. Which means the building wrap will go on soon. Also the last windows went in which you can see in that photo. It’s lovely because there’s no wind inside but oddly, they get fogged up on the outside?!

We had a ’slow’ Christmas. It was lovely. Simple and heart felt. We made popcorn and rosehip garlands, lanterns and branch stars for ornaments. We made butter tarts, shortbread, gingerbread and birdseed cookies for giving and eating. We made nutloaf, stuffing and cranberry sauce, mmmm! I made rabbit stuffies, scarves, a needle book, a bread quilt, penguin slippers, felt pockets, and play blocks from our own maple branches. Out of all this making there was only one re-do. I adore the branch wall hooks that my husband-guy made me - they are so precious to me!

It was just the four of us on Christmas day. We really needed that with all the hubbub of Advent and Christmas eve. Then the day after boxing day we packed up for four days in the ‘big smoke’ to visit and it was such sweet visiting! Though as soon as we docked in Tsawwassen, we knew that we were not ‘home’… that where our house is is home… Gabe is truly home now. That was a such a good, sweet feeling.

Life may speed up a bit now that the days are getting longer plus I’m hoping to train for the Sun Run again… but it is / was a lovely slow, hibernating and rich time. Not every day feels lovely and slow but the sense of it is there and I’m cherishing it.

Cheers.

My dear friend Rocky.  You welcomed us.  You welcomed me.  We hung out together and shared the joys of my kids.  We talked.  We laughed.  We walked.  And you gently taught me the ways of unconditional love.  I didn’t trust it at first because I hadn’t had a friendship so meaningful and fulfilling, and I could hardly believe a soul could be so generous.  Thank you.

I said goodbye today and I don’t want to.  I want to see you drive up and let the dogs out while we frantically get ready for our walk to the beach.    I want to drive over and have lunch with you, just hanging and chatting.   I want to see you with Judy and feel the love, respect and care you have between you.

I will always tell Liam and Rory about their ‘Gabriola Grandpa’, about the bird feeders you filled together and walking with you at the beach.  About carving pumpkins last year.  About Rory bonding with you so readily… Liam in his own way, too.

You’ve walked beside me so many times, I’ll choose to believe that you’re still there.

While I work, husband-guy nourishes and cares for the kids aaand installs my windows! Yippee!

Framing-wise, my breakfast nook is done, da-done, da-done, da-done:)))

Tim and some friends put up the roof joists one day! Tim managed to do some of the strapping but his ‘vacation’ came to an end so here’s Hank’s crew again:)

Eight days of framing and Tim is moving up to the second floor joists!

The roof beam will be lifted into place by a crane arm on a truck, then the second half of the last wall can be lifted into place.

Meanwhile, Liam and Rory are going diaperless in preparation for learning to use the toilet - it’s not always pretty but we’re getting there!

The excitement builds (pardon the pun) with each and every step. Tim is really confident with framing so here we go!!

I should make a note here that I have the lovely job of child-minder / spectator in this whole building project not feeling particularly confident in any building work but am happy and strong enough to assist where needed:)

We just had to pull in the table, so exciting:)

My baby, Aurora, turned three. She’s a sweet, compassionate, loving, and eager little lovely:)

Happy birthday my little girl!

Tim finished all the little details with the foundation (form removal, exterior plumbing and electrical, drain rock, septic hook up, etc) in July in preparation for his ‘vacation’ time in August. The house materials arrived in late July and Tim started building full time on August 1st.

So I’m back-tracking, so sue me:) It has been a very busy summer! So I’ll finish up June and move through to September, although it’s almost October. We had some lovely salads… what a perfect treat - vegetables from our own patch!

After measuring and re-measuring and a few adjustments, Hank’s crew completed our foundation. Tim is not confident with setting up forms so we hired some nice guys and a gal:)

We’ve also constructed a teepee which is lovely for shade that was inspired by the bluebirdbaby blog and sent off a doll for Craft Hope’s project… it’s always nice to be apart of something bigger!

If only I could get my kidlets to sit still for a photo. I’m thinking about making a bottom sheet out of my bird seed bags, they’re woven plastic so I think they’ll do the job nicely.

Cheers.

Liam and Aurora watching the action from our giant pile of dirt… excavated for the foundation.

Thanks for the great shots Rocky - so crisp, and finally photos of me.

My foundation!!

Checking out the cement truck… I got to check out the cab, in Liam’s shy absence.

We’ve been here one year, exactly. Husband guy said that we’ll live in the motorhome for ~3 months while we build. I had my doubts and multiplied his estimate and said that I’m willing to live in the motorhome for 1 year. I was over-shooting so that the house would come in plenty of time, ha ha! Anyway, I’m so excited to have our foundation and the prefab ordered for August. Tim has August off… and we have the second weekend in August set for a ‘barn raising’ to bang up the walls. Then the third weekend is for banging up the siding. All welcome, wink wink:)

It’s so tiny and Tim is so handy that he thinks everything but the plumbing will be easy! I don’t have a head for all the details but Tim has probably built and re-built this house a hundred times over, in his head.

Tomorrow we get to pull the plywood off the foundation walls, my Mom comes next week, Rory’s birthday and then mine - so many reasons to celebrate. Cheers!