The cabinets turned out great!!

Our cabinets were ready for pickup this past Sunday. In June we had gone to home depot to look at cabinets. We figured that custom made cabinets would be way to expensive. But when we got the quote from Home Depot we were shocked. There is a family from my mom and dads church who live down the road from mom and dad that do cabinets, so we approached them. For all our kitchen cabinets, three bathroom vanities, a big shelf in the laundry room, and a china cabinet they were the same price as home depot if not cheaper. So we got solid oak cabinets that custom fit our place. The Millers` (our cabinet makers) shop was jammed full with our cabinets.
The Millers` are a Gramps, pop, and kid outfit. Here my dad and one of the boys started hauling the cabinets out.
My dad was being a goof. But here he is putting all the doors inside the cabinets to keep them safe. Thanks mom and dad for helping us load the cabinets.
The crew came up to our place on Monday to install the cabinets. Everything fit pretty good. I have to get down to the house with the camera to get the finished product. I am so pleased with them - the house is starting to look like a house. The flooring gets installed today and tomorrow, so by the 15th we plan to be living in our house.

Caution wet paint!!

Tim & Mom pass the paint around to stir it! This started a 2 1/2 day painting marathon.
It took me three tries to find the right paint color for the kitchen/living room. I had chose the color above and liked it in the kitchen. But then we put it in the bathroom and didn`t like it at all. So....
This was the second option. And I still didn`t like it. So......
Finally, we sent Ruth up to Olds to get a paint chip matched. It turned out great!! I know that this picture really doesn`t show how nice it is but I am really pleased with it. Everybody that comes in, comments on how cozy it makes the room feel. Thanks Ruth!!My sister came up one day to help paint, here she is painting the office.
My mom came up for three days to help me out as well. She was great at cutting corners.
This was my experiment. I really like how the spare room turned out, but Tim really dislikes it. Oh well! I like it and that is what matters, right? My mom is already planning on making a quilt to match the room.

What great friends!

It is funny how you get into the routine of life, and you just forget things. The other day I was sitting down and got thinking about my old roommates from university. I realized that I hadn`t talked to them for a while, let alone see them so we got things organized and had a visit this past Monday. It was such a great time to just catch up with each other. I found out that two of them were pregnant with their second child. It just made me realize how busy Tim and I allowed ourselves to get, and how little time we allowed ourselves to smell the roses. I pray that when this house is finished, we will be able to relax and enjoy life a little more. I just want to thank Melissa, Kristina, and Ellie for being such wonderful friends. I appreciate you all so much, Thanx.

House note: I am off for 12 days now so that we can get the house painted and the floored laid. It is not far from moving in, I can`t wait!!!!!

This picture does not do justice for the new addition to our house. A cattle guard!! This now means that I do not have to open and close the gate any longer. I am so excited. Tim`s grandpa was on Tim`s case to get this done so that I didn`t have to open and close the gate going to work. I am very grateful for him, because now we have a cattle guard.

There was 500, now there are 250

Well on November 1, 2006 we sold the calves. Here some of the herd come up for a innocent drink, not knowing what will be happening in a few hours.
Greg and I were in the truck and Tim was on the quad bringing the cows up from down below. It was quiet interesting, because as you can see we had a bit of snow. Well Greg`s truck was in the shop and Tom has his down in California, so we had no 4X4. We had to load Chevy up with a bunch of bales so we had some weight in the back of the 2 wheel drive - I guess it worked, cuz we didn`t get stuck!!!
These next two pictures are of the herd in the pens. Every year when we wean, I always wish that I had my camera.
We took the calves to High River, using our neighbor's cattle liner. It is kinda exciting, cuz Greg pulled it with the farm`s new toy, which is a semi. I tried getting a picture of it, but it was too dark by the time we loaded the calves; I can`t believe how fast it gets dark now. Anyways at the sale I ran into my great uncle. I haven`t seen him for about a year so it was great to visit with him. He and his sister who are both well into their 80`s calve out 100 head on their own and they had their calves in the sale as well.

I can`t see through the walls!

Well this is the finished product of the outside of the house. I am really pleased with how it looks. When they first started I didn`t think there was enough green on it, but once the garage was finished, it was enough.
Well, this is the current event. - drywalling. It was really weird coming into the house and not being able to see through the walls anymore. It is definitely starting to look more like a house now.
The last picture before the drywall went up. We have definitely learned the definition of patience during this whole process. Trying to get our insulators to actually finish their job was a huge job. They started and had about 2 hours left of work and then they didn`t come back for a week. We actually had to do some of their job so the drywaller wasn`t held up. But they came yesterday and finished their job. Thank goodness.
The sider was just finishing the garage. He had quiet a set up to do the steeple.

It looks somewhat finished.......

Here Tom is loading our big things on the trailer. I didn`t think we had that much stuff but after three trailer fulls and two van fulls we were moved. Mind you the trailer wasn`t loaded tight - that makes me feel better.
This is the living room with the last stuff to go. At one point I couldn`t get to the front door - I had to use the back door to get to the truck.
This is some of the siding. We chose linen(not quiet white) with green trim. The sider is taking his time doing it cuz he is building his own house too.
And this is the start of our road. Earlier this spring we couldn`t drive trucks in here because it was solid mud. Now we have a groveled road. Yahoo!!!! I think this is one of my favorite pictures, just cuz it is proof that we have a road. The next thing now is to get rid of this gate and put a cattle guard in.

We are now homeless!

Well this past weekend we moved out of our house. Sunday morning I had to make pumpkin pie for our thanksgiving dinner, but when I went to roll the pastry out I realized that my rolling pin was packed and sitting in the shop! I had to go up to the farm just to get it, and the pie turned out fine. Our new place isn`t ready to put things into, so our stuff is spread out all over the place. Our desks and big items that mice can`t wreck are in our new garage; our clothes and anything mice can wreck are in Grannies basement; our breakables and things we don`t want a lot of dust on are in Tom and Ruth`s garage; and the rest is in the shop along with the 5th wheel that is currently home to us.

On Wednesday my mom and Ruth came down and helped me clean the house. I am so grateful for their help - it was a huge job. I thought I kept a clean house, but then you move something that hasn`t moved in 3 1/2 years and you realize how dirty things can get. Tim and I walked through the house after to make sure we never left anything and it was really weird to think that we won`t be calling this place home anymore. But I am anxious to move onto the farm and moving out was the next step.

Oh and I have to share this awesome news with everybody. My sister is pregnant and expecting April 20. We are so excited. It will be the first grandbaby on both sides of the family. She gets tired easily when she isn`t pregnant, and now she is getting tired more easily. Please pray for a safe pregnancy and energy for Pam.

P.S. our house is making great progress but I haven`t had time to take pictures because of the move. But there will be a picture update with the next post.

The good, the bad, the worst...

How can one week start out so great and end in such a disaster? This past Tuesday I took my mother-in-law, Ruth, out to Canmore for her birthday. We started the day with a visit to the spa. I have to admit this was the first time for me so I enjoyed my pedicure immensely. We had a nice lunch and poked around furniture shops and various other stores - just enjoying the nice weather. Life was so great I didn`t think it would come crashing down in 2 days.

On Thursday morning my mom called me at work sounding really upset. She said that dad had been combining in the field next to the house until about 11:30-12:00 (the field right next to our weaner barn). By 2:30 am they woke to sirens coming down the laneway. The weaner barn was on fire. For those that don`t know, we had lost a farrowing barn to a fire on the August long weekend. This barn that burned down held all the weaner pigs on the farm. These are the pigs that are just weaned from their moms. There was approximately 2700 piggies in the barn and we were not able to save any. There was one, actually, that escaped and is wandering around the farm now.

My sister and I went down right away to help out. Brian and Dave came down Friday night as soon as school was done. It felt so weird driving down the lane and just see a burnt building. It was really hard to see that barn in particular because we all spent so much time building it and it was my dad`s dream barn. Dad still wasn`t done harvest so a couple of neighbor's that were finished brought their equipment over and we finished harvest Oct 1 at 6:50 pm. Mom didn`t have to worry about cooking because again our neighbor's pitched in and cooked the meals for her. One of the hired hands told dad that all he needs is enough money to put food on the table if dad was in any financial difficulty. God has truly blessed us with great friends, family, and hired hands.

There was a suspicion that this fire was arson. It was just too weird that another barn burned down 2 months after the first. But the inspection took place Monday and they determined it was due to a heater that was just turned on the morning of the fire. It doesn`t seem to really fit, cuz the room that the heater was in was at the west end of the barn. When the firemen came, they said that the center had already collapsed and the fire was 20 ft from either end. Dad said that the heaters often run all day long and they have never had problems before. But the good thing is that they aren`t blaming dad for negligence. If they did, dad wouldn`t get paid out to re-build the barn. But as it stands now the insurance will pay for the clean-up and a new barn. Knowing that he can rebuild has taken a huge stress off dad`s shoulders.

If you can just pray for mom and dad. There are still a lot of decisions that need to be made. Just pray that they will know what to do, that God will give them the strength to persevere, and that they will find peace that somebody isn`t lighting these fires. They still haven`t started rebuilding the first barn yet because the insurance company has taken so long to get things closed. I just pray that the paperwork will be done efficiently so that the rebuilding can start. Winter is coming and it is hard to pour cement when it is cold. Dad tends to try and do things on his own and I just pray that if he needs help with anything he will ask us kids and others to help. But most of all that they remember God is walking with them through this valley.

Here Tim and Tom are putting our `man hole` on our septic tank.
The shingles are on and now no water can get in now. Tim helped the roofer the last day he was there and Tim made the comment that he knew the roof was big but not that big!!
I realized in all the pictures I`ve posted there has not been one of the back. So here it is.
The basement and the garage were all poured by wheelbarrel. Thank goodness it wasn`t us doing it.
The guys are moving the tub downstairs. It was kinda a big procedure cuz there aren`t any stairs in yet.
Tim and I have spent the last few days framing the basement. We originally weren`t going to do the basement, but when the electrician and drywaller are going to be here anyways, we figured we would do it.
Now all the windows and doors are in and the house is ready for siding. We are kinda playing the waiting game. The electrician can`t come until the duct work is done, and the siding guy can`t come until the electrician and tinsmith are done. So here it waits.

Well I did it!!

I love sunflowers, and this year we have had the weather cooperate so that we can enjoy the colors into September. Well I have done it!! I had started this year out with a few goals in mind. One was to run in the Vulcan Tinman Triathlon in June. It consisted of swimming 20 lengths (500m), biking 15 km, and running 5 km. I finished this one in the top third of the women running so I was pleased with it. It was a lot of fun training for it and actually doing it. I look forward to doing it again next year - hopefully, getting better times. My other goal was to run in the Terry Fox Run. Well that one just happened on Sunday. I woke up that morning and it was miserably cold and windy. I didn`t really want to run in that weather and on top of it I was just feeling a bit better from having the flu. But then I thought to myself about the reason why I was running; and it wasn`t for myself but for cancer research. People with cancer go through a lot worse situations than that; so I sucked it up and went for the run. By the time the run started the clouds broke and the sunshine came out. During the run I felt a sort of peace that I have never felt before running and I enjoyed my 10 km run immensely. It didn`t feel like I just ran 10 km at all; which made me set new goals for next year. I plan on doing the triathlon again but I want to challenge myself to run a half marathon too!! We`ll see - but I find having goals to achieve gives me motivation.

Another step done

This is how the basement looks now. Tim has figured out a way to heat the house using the in-floor heating in the basement and a wood stove upstairs. Tim and I have laid the wire mesh on the floor now, so it is ready for the concrete. Hopefully the floor will be poured middle of next week sometime.

This is the garage before we pushed it full of dirt. The past few days Tim and I have been putting the vapor barrier(that`s the stuff with the orange things all over it) on around the house so that the water doesn`t get in the basement.

Tim is moving some dirt around. It is really nice to get some of the piles of dirt gone. We had to make a ramp into the garage so that he could back fill it. The actual yard seems soooo much bigger now that the dirt piles are vanishing.

Well the shingles are on. Thank goodness. Now when it rains, the water won`t get into the house. During some of the downpours this summer, we had a nice little kiddy pool in the kitchen floor.

Peaches for everyone

The other day we got rained out so we got in early. I had peaches that needed to be canned and Tim gave me a hand. When he said that he would help me, my mouth fell to the floor. He was really good at it!!! I was surprised. I thought that he would be all thumbs, but he wasn`t. He continues to surprise me. I am so thankful that he helps me around the house as much as he does. It makes the task less daunting when you have help. We canned about 21 jars that night. So the shelves are stocked with peaches, I`ll have to do the pickling this weekend. The freezer is full of vegetables and beef - the beans produced like crazy!! Looks like we are ready for the winter. Winter, what an awful word to use in August.

RBing

On Sunday we went up to Red Deer to go roller blading. Tim has nick named it RBing. Our friend, Lani, said she wanted to show us this one park. So off we go, trusting her directions cuz she used to live in Red Deer. Well after about 33 km we found the place that she wanted to show us. We RB`d around the entire city and down a country road to get there but it was very pretty when we got there. Needless to say we enjoyed a cold blizzard afterwards.

Our Steeple is up

Well, the rain has been unfortunate for haying, but it has been a huge blessing for house building. The thing that has been holding the house back has been finishing the bonus room above the garage and getting the roof up. Here the rafters are being put up.
The next day we got the steeple put up, as Grandpa would say. The roof on the garage has a 12X12 slope which is 45' angle. It was a big day putting the sheeting on, but it is finished now. Sorry, I didn`t have my camera with me to get the finished look.
Greg and Tim work well together, which is a huge blessing. Here they are puting the sheeting on the roof. Because of the slope they had to build ladders (that is what they are siting on) so they didn`t slip off the roof. Tims` family has helped out so much we appreciate them so much.
My job while they were on the roof was the runner - get whatever they wanted so they didn`t have to come off the roof. Here I was just enjoying the view from the roof.

Smoke, 911, and pigs

Tim & I visited my parents this past Sunday and after being there for approximately 20 mins I saw a huge black cloud of smoke. Immediately I called 911 while the rest of the family ran out to the barns. This is what greeted us. One of our farrowing barns was on fire. For those that don`t know pig language, a farrowing barn is where the mama pigs have their babies. The local volunteer fire department got there in about 10 minutes (we live about 10 minutes out of town).
Use your imagination again, I haven`t figured out how to rotate the pictures. Here the firemen went onto the roof of the neighboring barn to make sure it didn`t travel through the roof. There was a lot of damage done to this roof but the structure and the contents weren`t damaged; praise God.
We have 5 farrowing barns attached to each other. So we had to move all the sows and their babies out of the barns that were in the line of the fire. It was surprising how easily they moved for us. You always hear horror stories how animals won`t move when there is a fire, but ours moved very easily. Another thing to praise God for. We made mud puddles around the yard so that they didn`t overheat.
They had trouble getting the fire out of the center of the barn, so Tim and a neighbor used tractors to pull the tin out of the way. They got the fire out right away.
In the end we had the Vulcan fire department, Champion fire department, and Milo fire department at the farm putting it out.

We were not able to save the pigs in the one barn, which is most unfortunate. However, looking in hindsight it could have been a lot worse. The barn that did burn down was the last barn in the row of five. Had it been any other barn there would be most likely be more damage. It happened in the middle of the afternoon rather than in the middle of the night. We were actually home on a Sunday afternoon so it was caught right away. I don`t know why we had the fire but God definitely had a hand in preventing it from being a lot worse.

How can we say there is no God?

Tim is just acting like a goof. He wanted it to look like he was barely hanging on.
We enjoyed a sunny afternoon in the middle of God`s glorious creations. Throughout the hike I kept saying to myself a piece of a worship song `how can we say there is no God? When all around creation calls!` Tim and I often make comments on how lucky we are to live where we do, and that only a short drive away we can enjoy the majestic rocky mountains.
We went hiking with our friends Ryan and Lani and Ryan's` younger brother Travis. Here the boys decided to show their age!!
Our final destination of our hike was Lillian Lake. We couldn`t enjoy the lake very much cuz the thunder started. We got soaked the last 5 minutes of the hike. Oh well, it was fun getting off the farm for a day!!