Smells like spring

Which means it smells like dog poop in Winnipeg! Spring is absolutely the ugliest season in this city. The snow is in a mass melt that makes everything wet, dirty and stinky; a beautiful bouquet for the eyes and nose.

Yet, I still like this season since it means winter is almost over. Soon, the trees will get leaves and the flowers will start to bloom and this city will show off its true beauty; even if it is for such a short time.

This watercolour painting is titled Poppy Field and was painted for my friend Diana’s little girl Poppy.

From yuck to "ooh pretty"

Here are some pics of my bathroom reno so far. Still have a bit to do, but it's starting to look good.

Lazy blogger? You bet!

Today, I was told by my coworker Anna that I am a lazy blogger. Ok, maybe those weren't her exact words, but that's what I have been. Here's my excuse... I have been super busy!

The last couple of weeks have been crazy. I am currently motoring between my home to check on the bathroom progress and feed super-fat animals; then it's off to my mom's condo on the outside of the city to bunker down for the night. It's been nice staying there, but I'm a little home sick. Oh well, it will all end soon.

And so far, it's all worth it! My bathroom looks crazy as it's not finished yet, but the tile is pretty much in and it's beautiful. It's how I pictured it in my mind, which is always a good sign.

(I have pics of the reno, but I don't have my camera cord on me to upload any. I will try to get some up soon.)

Olympic interruption: We just won Gold and Silver in women's Bobsleigh! Are you freakin kidding me?! WOOT

Yeah, so that's the other thing keeping me busy. The Olympics. I love em. I watch like a nerd for two weeks straight. Summer or Winter; it doesn't matter. But I have a soft spot for the snow sports. I become a crazy nut for it all. This time it's being held in my country and I'm not there in person. WHY DIDN'T I GO??? Silly girl.

Another thing I should mention is that I have Jury Duty tomorrow. Or more accurately, Jury Selection. The nerds at work are calling it vacation. HA, I wish. I have been through this before and it's no holiday. Hopefully, like last time, I will not be selected. I don't want to decide someone's fate, whether it's for a minor or major crime, it's just not something I want to be responsible for.

Take care all and go Canadian athletes and Vancouverites! You are making us proud.

Rub-a-dub-dub no more gross tub

The bathroom reno has begun! The old tub wall is being removed as I write this. I love, love, love watching the destruction of it. I hated that wall. Stupid linoleum tub surround. It was gross.

I'm going to blog the process as it continues. I will try to take some good shots of the old (crap) turning into the new (pretty!).

Of course I'm off to a bad start as I forgot to take "before pictures" again! I really got to get better at this.

A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content

What a Sunday! I have been sanding and painting my hallway all day; just giving it a badly needed refresh really.

My hallway consists of six door frames, four have doors and the other two are entrance ways. I call it the pivot zone as it's only big enough to stand in. You just pivot where you want to go.

Since my home is older, the trim work is extensive. It feels like it takes forever to paint! I started out sanding everything to try and smooth out some areas. After three hours of sanding I think it could have used more. 70 years of bad paint jobs by previous owners have done a number on it. But I do notice a difference, so that's good, yet I still want to even it out more. I'm pretty anal about crap like that. Oh well, next time I guess.

A nice thing I discovered sanding today is that you can sand old hinges and it polishes them up quite nicely. The hinges were pretty tarnished, so I thought I would see what the sander would do to them. Turns out, it polishes them back to the original silver and they are now sparkling! I think I will try to sand down the doorknobs next and see where that leads.

But I'm definitely done for a few days. Holding a sander for so long and then painting with a brush for another four hours has made my wrists ache.

Update: Here is the polished door knob. Kinda turned out gold and silver. Still looks cooler than it did.

Oh sunny day

Brrrrr, it’s been quite cold in the “peg” lately. Bone-chilling cold. This city gets so frigid in the winter that it becomes easier to hibernate at home than venture outside. But today was not that day. It was beautiful. The sun was out, the sky was blue and the snow was sparkling beneath it all.

The best thing about a day like today is the air feels and smells so clean. It’s refreshing and it makes your cheeks nice and rosy. I love that feeling. It felt great to get outside and walk around. I’ve missed doing that lately. Hopefully this weather holds up for a few more days of enjoyment before it drops back down to nasty and hibernation season begins again.

Photo by Khammy Phanthavong.

Oh, I almost forgot...happy new year everyone! May 2010 bring good things.

Rubber duckie, you're the one

It’s been a busy couple of weeks. Work is always crazy in December; this year especially as I’m trying to finish a couple of projects before year-end. Christmas shopping is hectic and all the while I’m trying to organize getting my bathroom updated.

I’m not the best at this reno thing. I don’t really know all that goes into this stuff, so I just have to trust the guys that are doing the work. So far, they have been great. (fingers crossed it continues)

It will be exciting to see the bathroom finished. It’s tiny, so I’m going for brightness. I’m putting white subway tile and glass tile in the tub and octagon tile on the floor. I want it to have a classic old-time look, but with modern touches. That should suit the style of my house.

I picked out the new fixtures last week and I am in love. The sink is a pedestal and has a unique modern look. The faucet (pictured) was not the style I was looking for at first, but the minute I saw it I knew it was the one.

Currently, my bathroom tub is surrounded in linoleum. Yep, that’s right, flooring! It looks nasty. Really, my whole tub is a mess. Only the shower works and the tub itself is in desperate need of resurfacing.

I feel like this is the year of renos. I haven’t had an opportunity since I moved in to do all of these big fixes. Most of my fixes have been small and completed on a tight (really non-existent) budget. It’s been easy to decorate and paint. That’s stuff I can do on my own and don’t need help with. Actually, that’s not entirely true. Much of the decorating and fixes have been done with my mom’s help. She has sewed curtains, recovered furniture, painted walls and even took down kitchen cupboards when I wasn’t looking.

And to be honest, she’s the reason I’m in the “year of renos” too. If it wasn’t for her I would still be shivering in my living room every winter.