Grand Baby Update

I wrote in my post yesterday our grand baby (and her Mama) were being transported (by ambulance) to the IWK in Nova Scotia...where she is having heart surgery on Thursday.

They had barely gotten outside the city limits when Annabelle began choking...so much so the EMT were required to pull over and aspirate her very quickly.  The decision was made to turn back...return to our hospital...where she was fully assessed...and they quickly decided the safest plan of action was to have the Life Flight plane fly her and her Mama to the IWK.  (her Dad had left via vehicle...and was there to meet them when they arrived.

One of the amazing EMT snapped a few photos of our girl before she made her way to her flight...

As they were transporting her from the ambulance to the Life Flight plane at our airport...

A quick twenty five minute flight...met by an ambulance at the airport in Halifax...and they arrived safely at the hospital....where Annabelle was assessed and admitted.  She was having difficulty breathing...so oxygen was administered and she was a bit more comfortable.

Uncertain what today will hold for them...heart surgery is still scheduled for Thursday still..praying nothing changes in the meantime.

Daughter spent the night at Ronald McDonald House...an amazing "home away from home" for out of town family with sick children.   Since grand dog Benson is with them...her Dad is staying with family friends...but he & her Mama are at Annabelle's side at every possible moment.

Please keep our dear little one in your thoughts and prayers...

Out & About...And Other Things

I've taken my time going out & about...stores and businesses are open here...and we are opening up to the rest of the Maritimes on July 3rd...the are calling it the "Maritime bubble".   For us...personally...it will make things a bit easier for off Island travel...more on that a bit later...

A bit of retail therapy was required....popped into one of my favourite stores...and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of stock and great decor available...some stores are having to wait until their distributors and suppliers are up and running again...such as Home Sense...quite barren...usually this area is filled with furniture and home decor pieces...

A number of aisles are completely empty and blocked off...

Thankfully, this is all just temporary...and greatly appreciated they are advising shoppers of better days ahead...

The only item that caught my eye was this beautiful cushion...

Michaels, on the other hand...thankfully did not disappoint!  Gorgeous sunflower decor items!!

Okay...so this tray went immediately into my cart...too cute not to love it!!  And as always...had a coupon on my phone...

Hard to believe I left this beauty behind...not for lack of wanting it...but rather...no where to hang it.  But...oh it was difficult to leave her behind...

And this beautiful tray almost made it into my cart...likely when it comes on sale...it may make an appearance again...

Pretty much describes me...had to chuckle at this...

A brief update on the faux cupcakes I ordered...they've never arrived.  The seller refunded me fully...but I was very disappointed as I was looking forward to displaying them in my farmhouse tiered tray.  These were the ones I attempted to purchase...

 Not to be thwarted...I tuned to Esty...and was not disappointed!   I found a seller (and there are many) who makes them...and her reviews are awesome.  I ordered four in the pink...and an additional four in the teal colour...

Do they not look good enough to eat?  Hard to believe they are not real!  Fingers crossed these ones will arrive successfully!

Also an update on the cute table from Wayfair for the front entry.  Arrived safe and sound...and fits the tight area perfectly...

I'm still waiting for the transfers I ordered to finish off the cabinet Mr. Seventies stained and painted...they were due to be delivered last Friday...but there was a "processing" issue...no clue what that means...but Canada Post has their own lingo...fingers crossed they arrive today!!

The weather has been amazing here the past couple of weeks...both our Wigelias are in full bloom...gorgeous soft pink flowers...

And this beautiful deep red one is just coming into bloom...such a gorgeous time of year!

Liesel had her first dip in the pool for this swim season...nothing better than a good towel roll after a cool off...in 30C degree pool water...

This is going to be a trying week for our family...our precious grand baby, with her Mama...are currently making their way via ambulance to the IWK in Halifax (her Daddy is following behind) ....where she is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on July 2nd...to close the hole in her heart.   Please keep our little one in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate these difficult times...

Depending on the duration of her stay and when travel restrictions are lifted.... her Grampie and Mimi may travel to Halifax to be on hand for support.   We love our little girl so...

Deck Staining....Done!!

All the outside painting and staining is finished!!  Huge undertaking...but we had great weather..and the last few days have been very hot and humid....

The interior and exterior pool deck walls received a fresh coat of stain as well!  A number of floor boards on the deck floor required replacing.   During the winter...snow sits for months then melts...and causes some of the boards to rot....even though they are pressure treated for outdoor use.  Our winter climate can be harsh...

With the heat, humidity and water temp of near 30C degrees....we've been enjoying some refreshing dips in the pool.....

One of our peony shrubs in blooming right now...the other two will be close behind.  I snipped a small bouquet for the master bedroom...

And the Iris are stunning in the side lawn garden...I couldn't resist picking a small bouquet of them as well...

And...just to put things into perspective...

Six months from today is Christmas!!!  Have your shopping done yet??

Stroll With Me...

And enjoy a few of the beautiful florals and shrubs blooming around our property...this Bridal Wreath Spirea is simply breath taking.  Not planted in the greatest of locations...but it thrives next to the pool deck...so we leave her be.  We have an identical one in the front gardens....however when a large tree branch split and landed on it during a strong wind storm...it's going to take a year or two for her to come back to her natural beauty.  She is blooming...thankfully survived..but Mr. Seventies was required to cut off many broken arches.  So she is going to need a bit of time to "pretty up".  As will the Burning Bush close by who felt the brunt of the branch as well....

And lupins!!  I love lupins...the vacant field behind our home used to be a sea of lupins...in pink, purple and white shades.  Until the land owner chose to cut everything down and put the land up for sale.  Broke my heart...so we planted a few in our own gardens...

And these beauties we'll call Perennial Bachelor Buttons...or they are in the same family.  These came from Mr. Seventies mother many years ago...and we've split and shared them with neighbours and friends...they spread really well and provide a beautiful burst of colour....

And this snowball bush has been a fighter...we almost gave up and took it out as it was chewed near to death by some form of bugs.  But Mr. Seventies held fast...not being one to use chemicals or insecticides...each spring...he would apply Dormant Oil (a sticky substance that won't allow insect eggs to hatch).  It would need to be sprayed on at the exact right time of budding...no wind or rain in the forecast for it to do it's job.  And it appears the years of attention (and prayer) have paid off.  She has some healthy white pom poms starting to flower.  They start out green..then turn a beautiful white.  Never say never...

My cute little garden sign...at the back walkway...

My Petunia basket sent from my daughter in Nova Scotia for Mother's Day...is blooming beautifully....I set her on the small deck..as it is more shaded.  Petunias cannot tolerate a lot of heat...or that has been our experience...

I gave Mr. Seventies Patriots sign a coat of clear sealant...and he chose to hang it on one of the exterior pool deck walls...and yes...that was the actual temperature when it started to cool off...

And speaking of pool deck walls...staining is almost completed.  We should be able to finish this morning....before it hits 32 C today....the last place you want to be in this heat is on the pool deck.  The heat is unbearable...unless you are in the pool cooling off.  And the water temperature is a balmy 26 degrees....just about perfect for cooling off.  We'll being doing a lot of that today.

Switching gears a bit to fall...I want to share a gorgeous wrap cardigan I ordered from an Etsy seller...I am so in love with the colour....Pumpkin Spice it is called.  And if your an Outlander obsessed fan like me...you will recognize this wrap...

I opted for this gorgeous pin as well...there were a couple of styles available...this is my favourite...

I'm a sweater & cardigan lover...I suspect I will wear this quite a bit on cooler days.  But today is not going to be one of those cooler days...and I'm loving the heat!

Have a great weekend!!  Keep the sunscreen handy!!

Our Little Slice of Heaven

While the weather has co-operated so greatly for us...we've been busy working outside on the two decks...

Mr. Seventies painted the lattice work...and I stained the smaller deck floor, steps and pedway to the pool deck...last evening we spent relaxing and enjoying the beautiful warm temps....can't wait til I can sit here, read a good book & enjoy a cold drink....

We set out the patio furniture...the deck is small...so not a lot of room for decor pieces...and we've decided to forgo any potted flowers...as they are more bother than they are worth...if we get wind and rain...they have to be protected, moved about and this area is on the north side of the house...where weather can get pretty harsh some times....I keep a tub of patio furniture covers on the deck to use overnight or if we get inclement weather....

The end of an era...we chosen to remove one of the exterior dachshund ramps..in the days when we had three dachshunds...the ramps were a must for herding them in and out of the house.  With just Liesel now...she can be carried down the steps...

Here the ramp had been dismantled from beside the steps...and Mr. Seventies cut & stained lattice to close in the area...and plans to plant a shade loving hosta in the corner spot...then mulch around it.  We still have the ramp off the pool deck for getting Liesel to the back yard...it had already been stained and repaired last week. 

Today...we plan to finish staining the interior pool deck walls in the morning...(as it gets extremely hot by lunch time)....the outside walls have been completed.  And plan to enjoy the pool...temps are to spike in the 30's C range.    Hopefully, Saturday when the temps are cooler...Mr. Seventies plans to replace some floor boards...and we can give the entire deck floor a fresh coat of stain.

Once everything is completed...I will do the grand tour...lots of work to do in the meantime...

Sneak Peek

Mr. Seventies has finished staining and painting my cabinet...and I'm loving it so far.  Just to recap...this is the before....as it was when I purchased it...




Keep in mind...the transfers have not yet arrived...I plan to dress up the doors a bit (they are standing upside down in photo...oops)...and the whole cabinet will get a coat of soft wax and buffed to a hard finish...(might also darken the colour a bit...I'm fine with that...).   Isn't the top amazing??  Mr. Seventies sanded it down (twice..as the first stain colour was not to my liking)...and this is exactly how I pictured it would look in my mind....



My faux lemons arrived...and they look so real sitting in a glass container on my counter...



A dear friend gifted me this adorable cookie jar...how sweet is that?  Since I seldom bake...or have cookies for that matter.. I may use it to store tea bags beside the counter stove top...



The flower gardens are blessing us with some beautiful blooms right now...these ones are called Jacob's Ladder....and they smell heavenly....



Our lilac hedge no longer produces a lot of blooms...but what few it does...I snip a small bouquet...who doesn't love the scent of lilacs?



Today looks like a suitable day to do more staining of the decks...the temps are looking great for this week.  Yesterday it was too cool and windy...while Mr. Seventies is working on the pool deck walls...I will be picking up a couple of gallons of stain for the deck floors and steps.  

Grand baby update - Annabelle was re-admitted to the hospital here...and possibly will be transported back to the IWK.  Needless to say...we are so worried and concerned for our precious girl.  Her parents are holding strong for their little one.  Please keep our little Grumpy Cat in your prayers...

Enjoying Some Days On the Deck

Our weather has been up and down the past few days...up as high as 28 C with a humid of 31 C....to having frost last night!  Mr. Seventies found it necessary to cover a few of his tender plants in the garden...

On the days that have been warm and sunny....Liesel and I have been leisurely hanging out on the deck....I enjoy a Mocha coffee almond beverage on ice...and my face in my Outlander series of books.    If you haven't watched the series....do.  The author of the books , Diana Gabaldon was here...in 2017...hosting a meet and greet, chatting with people and signing books....and I knew nothing of Outlander back then!  I must have been living under a rock! Very disappointed I missed that opportunity....

Since I've been spending so much time outside....a wide brimmed hat was a must...so ordered this one ...ball caps just aren't cutting it...and I really like the chocolate brown colour....

My cousin introduced me to these amazing sandals when I was visiting last year...with stores being closed here...and only a handful of shoe stores available...I ordered these ones...which she highly recommended.  She owns a couple of pairs...in different colours....I chose a brown pair...and cannot wait for them to arrive!  Shout out to Karen for introducing me to the amazing sandals...I love a comfortable, slip on leather sandal!!

Wanda...the pool vacuum has been called into service...and while cleaning up the pool...we noticed the accessories were looking a bit on the "seen better days" side of things.  The bristle brush...was losing bristles in the water...so time for a new pole, leaf catcher & brush.  While I was dropping off a water sample at the pool shop....I picked up a few new accessories....

Since it rained here a couple of days...I popped into Michaels and a lot of their home decor was 50% off!  I picked up these candle holders..which I plan to set on my cabinet once Mr. Seventies has it refinished,  (which is looking amazing so far...it's been primed & two coats of paint applied...the top sanded and stained...cannot wait to have it completed-still waiting on the transfers to arrive).  The candles I had on hand...from Wal Mart I think...and yes...that is a fire in the pellet stove..as it was a cool, damp day...

Today forecasts to be another nice one..looks like Liesel & I will be hanging out outside this afternoon!  Our precious "Grumpy Cat" is home from a nine day stay at the IWK...I can't believe how much she has grown.  We look forward to the day her surgery is over...the feeding tube  removed...and hopeful she will be a bit more content.  This has been a very difficult and stressful time for her Mom & Dad...who adore her.  As do her Mimi & Grampie, of course....

Have an awesome day where ever you are today!!

Table Set Complete

As I was heading out the door for an appointment the other day, the Fed Ex truck was pulling up!  The benches I ordered arrived one day early!!  I had the driver set them in the front entry...until Mr. Seventies was able to unbox them later that evening!

I am so pleased with the weight and quality of the benches!  They look and work perfect with the new table...

The sun was beaming through the back door...as you can see in the back ground...

The top of the table has a rough, farmhouse texture and feel to it...and being able to slide the benches underneath has been a space saving venture.  The traffic flow in and around the kitchen is much easier these days...and suits our needs perfectly.  While I loved our previous set...it was just not the right fit for our needs...taking up valuable floor space.

When this 70's split was constructed...there was little thought of design.  We're not sure if the builder ran out of funds to complete the house thoroughly or what was the issue...as the kitchen was not a "workable" space...measuring 22 feet long and only 9 feet wide.  Great space...for a bowling alley!  And to add further insult...there was a short 8 ft piece of cheap plywood cabinets stuck on one wall....while leaving the other walls bare.  No...that would never do!

You can see in the above photo...the pantry is behind the table set.  A great use of space...and just to recap how the rest of the kitchen looks...after spending many hours with the kitchen designer, working with her to gain the maximum use of the footage and space we had...I'm still very happy with our end results...(first photo was taken prior to the new faucet being installed)..

The cabinets are in a U shape form...cabinets, sink, counter space, dishwasher on one side...with the counter range and microwave being housed in the middle....with cabinets and drawers above and below...

Upper and lower cabinets continuing on the left side of the kitchen...with the built in wall oven..and refrigerator (not seen in photo) housed in that area....

The granite countertops and tile backsplash have been more recent upgrades...along with pot lighting, new faucet..and the dishwasher, wall oven & microwave have all been replaced with the ones shown in the photos.  The countertop range and refrigerator are still going strong!!  

While this is still a "one bum" kitchen...it works for us.  Being so narrow....it is difficult for more than one person to be working in the kitchen without getting in each other's way.  But is is 1000 time better than it was when we first purchased the house!  I still love my cabinets....the pulls are simple, polish chrome finish....matching the new faucet...and a great deal at Home Depot!    Even the floor tile..with approximately 200 square feet required....could have easily broken the bank!  But on clearance..it costs us only $200 for the whole kitchen.  Since the kitchen was a total gut job....a new sub floor was installed...then the tile laid prior to the cabinets being installed.  

During the planning stages, we had to make one slight adjustment to come in on budget.  There was a corner cabinet to be installed next to the refrigerator...and since I neither wanted or needed it...it was axed...to keep us on budget.  The only slight modification required and we couldn't be happier.   The kitchen looks as good today...as it did when we first did the remodel 16-17 years ago! (with the updated granite countertop and backsplash in the past couple of years).

Working with an older home...certainly has it's challenges.   Don't even get me started on the lower level...which at one time...was one large, unfinished concrete space!  

We'll save that conversation for another day!  Hope you have an awesome day...it's going to be a beautiful one on our Island today!!