How Lindsay & Ryan Survive A Road Trip…Without Killing Each Other!

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope everyone’s week is going as quickly as mine is. As I have mentioned before, the busy season is over. We are no longer able to harvest sod so the phones have become quiet and things are at a slower pace.

For me, this time of year brings a whole new set of challenges. Tradeshows, seminars and conferences. Throughout the winter, I could be living out of a suitcase one week out of every month. It’s difficult but I enjoy the change of pace. I enjoy the education. Yes, I love to learn. I even love the hotels. I mean, someone cleaning your room every day for you? Sweet!

Sometimes, if the weather is nice, Ryan can travel with me. The latest trip brought us on our first car ride since we got our new car. We were excited to take the 5 hour drive to Toronto and we packed supplies and got ready for the trip.

The first and most important item that I need for a road trip…

 

Coffee!

Seriously, when you leave super early in the morning I can not be a very nice person until I get my caffeine in my system. Ryan get’s his fix another way, PEPSI! On our list from the grocery store…Coffee, Pepsi, water, Gatorade and beef jerky!

The second most important item that gets us through any long distance car ride…

Canadian Trivial Pursuit.

The idea is that there are four categories. Geography, history, art and general. All the answers are Canadian specific. The one who gets 1 point in each category (by answering a question correct) is the winner!

For this specific trip. The current score…Lindsay – 4 and Ryan –2

Yes, we played 6 games involving answering random Canadian trivial questions…

Yes, we are huge dorks!

Another thing that we noticed is a new MUST NEED for us to drive together….

DUAL HEAT CONTROL!

Our new car comes with butt warmers (aka: seat warmers) and with dual heat and air conditioning. Ryan’s side of the car is cold and I still get to be toasty warm.

Lastly, you need a great co-driver.

Take 1.. “Ryan, look at the camera!!”

Take 2…Much better!

Seriously, we have a great system. Ryan hates driving in the big cities. So, he takes the wheel for most of the trip. Once we get into a big highway to do a little Chinese fire drill action and switch places. I just have a little more patience and nerves for the city driving and for traffic.

These specific things get us through any given road trip easily!

What are some of your road trip tricks?

xo

Christmas Party & Happy Birthday Landyn!

 

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful!

My weekend was filled with a couple of special events.

1. It was Mountainview’s annual Christmas party! Always so much fun! It really signals the end of the busy season! Bring on winter! Bring on Christmas!

Like last year, those employees who grow (or for girls wore) a mustache had $25 donated in their name to prostate cancer! Here’s the group this year:

After supper the Mountainview gang surprised the whole family with a 35th anniversary cake! It was such a sweet surprise!

We had a gift exchange, a few plaques to present and then it was time to get the party started! The band that was scheduled to play never showed so the owner opted for karaoke instead!

2. Celebrating the birthday of a special little boy! Landyn (Evan and Josee’s little boy) was born as a preemie last year. He was the tiniest little boy I had even held. I can hardly believe a year has passed already!

From this little baby:  

To this very handsome 1 year old:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANDYN!

How was your weekend?

xo

This Years Inductee’s Onto Lindsay & Ryan’s Christmas Memory Tree

 

Happy Friday everyone! I have to rub it in a little..I’m actually at home right now because I took the day (and Monday) off of work! Woo Hoo! Extra long weekend? I think yes!

I mentioned on Monday, that over the weekend Ryan and I got our “fun” Christmas tree decoration. It’s the tree that holds a special place in our hearts. It might not be the prettiest tree with all matching ornaments. But, it holds a lot of memories for us.

Every time we go on a trip somewhere, we get a Christmas ornament to hang on our tree to remind us of that time. We waited till the end to put up our new ornaments that came into our possession over the last year.

1. As a teenage girl, I had something called a Hope Chest. Every year on birthdays or at Christmas I would receive a gift(s) that would go in my Hope Chest. Things like my fine china, table cloth, napkins, etc. The “rule” is once you had a place of your own, after marriage, you would open your Hope Chest and get all these things for your new place.

I was going through my chest shortly after the wedding and found this handmade (crocheted) ornament from my (great) Aunt Elaine.

My Aunt Elaine has always been like another Grandmother to me. She was very involved in my life. Always there for every holiday! She is a very special woman and I love her so much and I am so thankful to have this special ornament to remind me of her.

2. For this past birthday, I got the best present! One of my longest and closest friends moved home (and her fiancé) from Calgary! Ryan and I are so glad to have them home (and living just down the road!). Before their boxes were even unpacked we were over there for a birthday supper for my 25th. Amanda spoils me and as a birthday gift I received this special ornament for our tree!

It does remind me of our trip out to visit them last September but mostly it makes me thankful to have them back home!

3. Another Christmas ornament from Amanda and Josh from last year! Again, SOO glad to have them home for our weekly supper and game nights!

 

4. This sweet little ornament is a melted snowman that I purchased at the Onslow Elementary School craft sale! It was made by one of my best friends, Josee!

5. In February of last year, Ryan and I ventured to Las Vegas for a trip for work and for fun! And, FUN it was!! We had a blast seeing the Grand Canyon, going to a Garth Brooks Concert and just checking out the strip!

6. Last Christmas I got this ornament for Ryan as a gift. For those who know him, you know that he ALWAYS says “peace”.

So, naturally when I saw this customized ornament, I had to get it for him! It will always remind us of the day that he asked me to be his wife.

7. Another engaged ornament that I believe is from Ryan’s Aunt Shirley and cousin Katelyn (I’m sorry if that’s wrong! :S)! I just think the two customized sweaters are the sweetest!

8. Being that Christmas ornaments are so important to me, I had to make sure to get one shortly after the wedding! I searched a long time for one that I loved. When I spotted this one, I knew it was perfect! It was elegant and simple!

It will forever be one of the most precious ornaments on the tree. Representing one of the most important and special days of my life, our wedding day.

9. When opening all of our wedding gifts after our honeymoon, I opened this ornament.

It’s an adorable little church that reminds me of the very church that we got married in. It was from our student minister, Nancy who was there to officiate at our wedding!

10. On our honeymoon I told Ryan that I only wanted one souvenir. I knew it was going to be hard to find a Christmas ornament in May in the Bahamas but after looking in a couple of spots I found a rack of Christmas ornaments in a little convenient store! 

I knew when I saw this ornament that it would make the perfect addition to our tree! The two turtles would make me think of the two of us on our honeymoon and the name of the city that we stayed in. It was a very special week. The first week as husband and wife.

11. Last Christmas, Ryan’s Mom gave me this ornament. She is always the best at picking out really cute ornaments! This sparkly reindeer has made a great addition to our memory tree!

Thanks Bev!! :-)

Wow! There were a lot of new inductee’s on our Christmas tree this year! But, I’m not surprised! It was been a very busy and exciting time in our lives! So many memories have been made in such a short time and I am so glad that we have ornaments to represent the memories and the people that are special to us!

xo

Other Wedding Dances

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! Last week, I left you off with the first dance(s) that I Ryan and I shared as husband and wife. It was a pretty special moment!

After our formal dance was over, there were a few other traditional dances that we wanted to be part of our day.

First, our niece Faith, was a dancing MACHINE! This little girl can totally bust a move!! She loved dancing the night away! I’m sure she crashed that night at home!

A daddy/daughter dance was something that I was excited for all my life. I always had this idea of my dad and I sharing this special dance together. It wouldn’t be our first dance and it certainly won’t be our last, but it was a special dance between a dad and his daughter as a bride.

My parents had no idea what song I had planned for the daddy/daughter dance. In fact, they never really even asked. They just thought that I would do a usual song choice. WRONG! Instead, I picked their first dance song that they used at their wedding. This song has also became a family favorite that we all love to sing together. Dad and I couldn’t help but sing and harmonize together as we danced.

Back Home Again by John Denver

There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin' in
the afternoon is heavy on your shoulders.
There's a truck out on the four lane, a mile or more away
the whinin' of his wheels just makes it colder.

He's an hour away from ridin' on your prayers up in the sky
and ten days on the road are barely gone.
There's a fire softly burning; supper's on the stove
but it's the light in your eyes that makes him warm.

Chorus:
Hey, it's good to be back home again
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend
Yes, 'n, hey it's good to be back home again

Next up, was Ryan’s dance with his mom. Ryan had a harder time picking a song. He knows a lot of music when he hears it. But to pick a song by name is hard for him. So, I made him a list of potential songs that he might like. He listened to every one and decided on….

My Wish by Rascal Flatts

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you 

And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin' ?til you find the window
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

Once all the traditional dances were over it was TIME TO GET THE PARTY STARTED!!!

The music was hopping and everyone was a dancing away! Including myself! I was having the time of my life dancing on the dance floor! One of my most favorite memories!

Happy Wednesday!

xo

It’s Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas

 

Happy Monday everyone! It’s white here. As in, there is snow. The only problem with that: The weatherman never said it was coming. So, when you work in the snow ploughing business, like we do at this little farm, being surprised by snow in the morning is not so fun! There’s a buzz around the office as things get changed from laying sod to taking out the shovels.

It’s this weird transition stage at work. Where you have to go day by day. One day we are still harvesting sod and the next we could be out on the roads removing snow. One person around here is VERY anxious for the snow. Ryan, is an avid snowmobiler and is so looking forward to the season to start. On Friday night, we headed to the local bar, Gavan’s, after work to fill out the paperwork for the snowmobile pass!  

I joined him at the bar and decided to get a drink. It had been a rough Friday afternoon.

We had great plans for Friday night. It was going to be date night. THE PLAN was to stay home, make a new recipe together, decorate the Christmas tree and rent Iron Man.

The only thing that came out of date night successfully, this recipe for homemade Mac and Cheese with bacon and leeks! (YUM!)

Date night was officially a disaster! In fact, we went to bed not even speaking to each other! ha ha! I might have been a little irrational due to a certain monthly visitor.

Actually, that’s just sugar coating it. I WENT EXORSIST/CRAZY LADY on my husbands ass! I was a blubbering mess. Crying about date night being ruined. Ryan was very good about the whole thing and stayed super calm. Which was good since I was the COMPLETE opposite of calm.

By 7:30 I was in bed fast asleep!

The next morning my internal clock had me up at 5. After lying in bed thinking about the night before, I felt horrible. I knew I was being a crazy PMS lady. So, I quietly got up and went downstairs to make some breakfast in bed for Ryan. It was my little way of apologizing for being so nuts the night before.

 

Ryan went to go lay sod later that morning and I joined one of my best friends (since kindergarten) for a very special outing! We were headed to Renfrew to go pick out her wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses for her upcoming July nuptials!

We had a blast! All the girls are awesome and I had such a great time chatting and giggling with them all. By the end of the day the beautiful bride found the most beautiful dress! She is going to be one gorgeous bride in July!

We also found our bridesmaid dresses! 

That night, Ryan and I headed to the city. We had a quick bite to eat at one of our favorite places, Lonestar. I could easily eat my weight in their salsa and chips! Yum!

That evening we headed to Fitzroy Harbor to attend the stag of one of my best friends (and bridesmaids) Rebekka and her fiancé Josh. They are getting married in January and we are SO excited for them!

Wish I had gotten a better picture of Josh in is “special” outfit. 

The hall was packed and everyone was having a blast! One of the games that Ryan and I participated in was a balloon around the ankle game. You had to go to the dance floor and pop other peoples balloons. The last balloon standing won the prize! It was mayhem when playing but SO much fun!  

Sunday morning it was off to church for a special baptism and lunch. Perfect way to start the morning.

I was lacking sleep fro  the night before so after church I went down for a quick nap.

As soon as I woke up, it was off to work around the house getting ready for the upcoming Christmas House Tour! It is one week from today but we are feeling very ready!

One of the tasks that I wanted to complete was picking evergreen from the bush for my clay pots on the porch! It was pretty cold so I broke out the tuque for the first time this year!

Later that night, we put in the famous Wayne Rodstad tape and decorated our Christmas tree. We had a bunch of new ornaments this year that we could to put on the tree for the first time. It was fun reflecting on the past year!

How was your weekend?

xo

Yucky And Gross, Into Something Beautiful? It is Possible! Old Basement Renovation Reveal!

 

Happy Friday everyone! For some reason, I am kind in high spirits. And as much as I am looking forward to the weekend, it’s been a good week and I’m not necessarily happy that it’s over.

I wish I could say that house renovations in our home are over. I’ve come to learn that renovations are really NEVER over. By the time one project is completed you look at a room that you painted over 5 years ago and think that it would be nice to change up the color. *sigh*

As some of you may already be aware, where I live now, was in fact where I was raised as a child. It’s been my home forever. Being that I have so any years experience in this home, there were certain things I was set to change.

One of these things was the laundry room. My parents original design put the laundry room in a space right beside the dining room. I hated this lay out. I always find a laundry room to be someplace that is always dusty and dirty no matter how much to try to keep it clean. And the thought of the zipper rattling in the dryer as we sat at the dining room was not pleasant.

So, I was set to move the laundry room somewhere else. But where? As an old home, there was limited space. Space that wasn’t already taken up by bedrooms or other living spaces.

Then, a thought came to my mind. Do you remember this post where I showed you the basement renovation? This has been a wonderful space. It’s where we do our movie watching and relaxing. It’s my most favorite place to take a nap. What you might not notice in this room in that on the other side of a door, is an old basement. Part of the original foundation of the house that looked like this:

YUCK! To the right you see an old door that was used as a pantry. It is also where an extra fridge and freezer kept food. And as a kid, it was the space that scared me! It was smelly, musty and FILTHY.

But, it was a usable space. A space that was 75% empty! Sure. It was dirty. And the floor was dirt and the ceiling looked like this;

My Dad thought I was crazy. Putting a laundry room in the basement. Having to go down two flights of stairs from the bedrooms to the laundry room. And I understood that. It’s not ideal. But, it was the only usable space and it happened to be the most perfect place for a laundry room.

After measuring the space, I also figured out that not only is this usable space big enough for a laundry room. But it would also hold an extra fridge/freezer and would hold my craft space. Although my craft room I made in one of the spare bedrooms was great, I now wanted that room to actually be a bedroom for guests! Luckily, this renovation would give me enough space for my crafting needs as well!

It was almost a two year process getting this room ready. Between cleaning out as much of the dirt as possible, rewiring all the electrical, moving the furnace, 2 floods, 1 septic pipe rupture (TALK ABOUT FUN! BLAH!), new floors, ceiling, walls, lights, doors and finally esthetics. The room was done! In fact, I hung the last picture this past Sunday. Such a gratifying feeling!

So, without further adieu, here are the before pictures (as well as the two above):

And…drum roll please…..

The after:

Doesn’t even seem like the same space at all, right? This has been by far the most challenging but rewarding renovation. The fact that we were able to take a space that has never been anything except a yucky, unused basement and make it livable is great! We have added extra usable square footage to our home. Extra space that is organized and useful. It’s a room that I now enjoy going into! I am not scared of the “old basement” anymore! We love our new space!

Happy Friday!

xo