Fort Edmonton....

A few pictures that Mom took during our visit to Fort Edmonton Park on Wednesday....

tired out.........

Jasper is a busy little kitty when he is awake......he LOVES to play with the children...but his favourite game is to chase a screwed up ball of tissue paper...he is amazing at soccer....Mom said we should have called him Beckham! He will kick it to and fro for hours! No wonder he needs a sleep so often!

Grown with love........

I went out and picked some strawberries last night and we found this tiny heart shaped strawberry.......I like to think that Lloyd grew it especially for me......but when I showed it to him he said it looked like a pair of bollocks!

So much for romance!

Off to work with Daddy?

Sam tries on Lloyds workshirt last night :)

Lean on my shoulder.......

Jasper takes a rest on Lloyds shoulder last night :)

Note that Lloyd still refuses to look at the camera ;)

Jennifer!

I'm leaning towards the light cabinets and dark counters too.....I think they will suit the house much better....any pics of your kitchen????? I love your taste in home furnishings - from the pics I've seen at LP....how do you like your floors still? I want to choose something rustic and country-ish but I just don't know what to pick.....I want something that won't show the dust too much and can withstand torture from 5 kids!!!!

Thanks so much for the tip on Todays Parent - I will pick it up today!! We are off to Whyte Ave so I will run into Chapters!

Kathy...

My pantry would be perfect if it weren't for the mice which keep returning!!! Oh the joys of country living.....so the pantry has to be well organized!!!! I'm a bit worried about how the kitchen has been designed well away from the pantry - they suggested turning the pantry into something else (laundry room maybe but we want that on the second floor ideally)

They suggested having a smaller pantry in the kitchen but we wanted the kitchen to start at the pantry doorway.....not sure what to do about that....

We are also worrying about the noise from the basement travelling up the open stairway - we like closing the door on the basement....so I think we will need to rethink the stairs.....

I can't even decide on whether to have white/ buttermilk kitchen cupboards with a dark grey quartz....or whether to go for a darker wood cupboard with a lighter quartz.....

Basically I can't decide much lol!

It would be a shame to lose the pantry though :( it was horrid when we moved in but we pulled out all of the cupboards etc and put up new shelving etc....and our fridge is in there too...and the water filter thingy....in fact so much is in there that the actual kitchen cupboards are empty apart from the kids craft supplies....

Blueprints............

So these are the first drawings from the architect for the new sunroom and kitchen.....and the walkout basement....we have to go over these designs...note changes we want to make...write down our own ideas and then we go back on Monday and go over it with them again.....
Don't forget you can click on each picture to see it larger....

Back from the meeting...

We just got home from the meeting with the architect and builder...and now my head is swimming because they came up with all new ideas for the extension...like spiral stairways from the sunroom into the walkout basement.....and changing the pantry into the laundry room.....knocking different walls down and adding others.....having my table in a completely different location.....

So now we have so much to think about and we have to write all our thoughts down and head back there on Monday evening to meet with them again..then they can draw out new plans for us and we move on to another stage....

I'm exhausted and we haven't even started yet!

Thursdays ramblings....

We have all been busy getting the house clean and tidy......E-Children will be arriving this afternoon with the girls furniture...and then tomorrow morning we have the appraiser coming.....last year the house was valued using a basic valuation - comparing like-sized properties in the area.....but we wanted a more detailed appraisal so they are coming tomorrow.....then once the kitchen is done we will have it appraised again....

Tonight we are going to meet with the architect and builder....our appt last week was postponed as the builders Dad had died. The builder is so nice....so is the architect...can;t wait to see what she has designed for us....it will just be nice to have a kitchen with drawers that don't have the bottoms falling out!!!

The weather is going to be very hot for the next few days.....31c today and 32c for the next few.......they forecast BIG storms by Sunday.....I am so grateful for air conditioning......it is lovely and cool here inside....you forget how horribly hot it is outside! We have Charlies pool filled and the dogs can use it too...the chickens will stay inside today in the cool and shade.....but the door is open for the air to blow through.....

So apart from getting the house clean and tidy we aren't doing much at all today...then Lloyd and I are going to the meeting about the kitchen tonight...thats all for today...but we hada busy day at Fort Edmonton Park yesterday, so its nice to have a day at home.....

I had a lovely letter from my penpal Carla on Tuesday so hopefully I cna find some time to write back to her later today!

The annual Art Walk takes place this weekend on Whyte Ave...so Lloyd and I may take Mom...then on Sunday I am taking just Mom and Olly to the Royal Alberta Museum.......Saturday night Lloyd is taking Laurie and maybe Olly to see the new Transformers movie......

Flowering at last.......

My new Clematis is flowering now...isn't it beautful? And my peony is also flowering again :)

Last nights sunset.....

A few snapshots of last nights sunset for you......

Birthday cake time....

When we got home from dinner on Tuesday night, we had Moms birthday cake...luckily all the children were still awake so they sang and helped Mom blow out the candles....it was a Key Lime Cheesecake that Mom chose from Wow Factor desserts.....

Fresh from the garden...

The strawberries from our garden are just so delicious...so so sweet and tasty...yum....we are all fighting over them as soon as they are red enough to pick!

Pretty kitty......

A few pictures of Jasper taken on Tuesday evening.......he has settled in really well....eating and drinking and using the litter box....sleeping downstairs with Chris at night.....doesn't like to be alone......just wants to be around the children....

My only worry is that Chris and Susie are showing signs of a cold and I am hoping it is not an allergy.....