Recap 2018 part 3

By October I realized that if I wanted to make a HUGE dent in my Dad's stuff I needed an outlet, somewhere where they would take a large variety of items....

I found those lovely people on Facebook and they have a second hand store in my new neighborhood.

They were a total godsend! and right now my priority is getting rid of stuff and making a bit of money and it makes them happy and I am happy so everybody is happy!

Here are some of the things they took

 So much copper! Yes there is a market for it but people like to pay $1 soon

I was happy to see it go.

 Pewter was my Mom's fave. I kept a couple of pieces

bit I was singing a song when it left....

 More copper....aaarrrggghhh!

 Brass anyone? The glassware I still have and I just might keep

the celery glasses because they make great vases.

 They did not want the duck family at first but they took them!

Woohoo! I could not stand these guys....

I kept an antique Chinese one for Peking duck

 Yes I sold this one but in the classifieds and well below market price.

I am against Pyrex that is so expensive so need to second mortgage your house!

I bought this one in early 2018 for a really good price and I made a profit while

making a husband really happy to find a great gift for his wife for Xmas!

Is that a win win??? YYYEEESSSSSSS!

I French those chairs are called Burgers and I've seen them all my life.

I have a picture of Dad holding me on my first Xmas and he is sitting in one of those.

well they were from the early 1900's and would have benefited from a total makeover.

They were ripped up by claws...kinda scratchy and smelly so out they went....

sigh....

and then I fell in love! Every Thursday night I would check the duplexes for sale....

and it was always the same listings....crappy buildings....weird renos....a new trend is totally opening

the space even the bedroom.....NO just NO!

 I saw it on Friday night, I left a message to the realtor. He called me back on Saturday

On Sunday we visited, we made an offer and it was accepted all in the same weekend!

 I dream of that kitchen at night...heated floors ...what???

It is so square....and plumb and white and shiny.

 I love the floors....

I have a basement, I have a basement lol

that is so exciting to me.....

Thanks for bearing with me! I was sure by January 5th I would've posted my resolutions...

I still haven't been to Vegas!

That is for another day

Be well my friends

2018 recap

2018 was one of the craziest year of my life!

Ups and downs, mostly ups and a lot of things happening at the same time!

January started innocently enough but on the 3rd Dan had a heart attack! Fortunately the superstars at the CHUM (University of Montreal Hospital Center) fixed my SO better than new with stents.

We were scared and an event like surely puts things in perspective!

In March we travelled to Toronto (spending my Dad's frequent flyer miles).

I really liked Toronto, people were so very friendly and the city is super easy to navigate. We like to walk and that is what we did! I recommend visiting the Botanical Gardens, entrance is free and it is fabulous. I saw lemons bigger than my head!

I April we had the kitchen and one bathroom repainted...The both needed a refresh so bad!

In May I spend the last of Dad's frequent flyer miles and we spent a week in Rome. A total dream vacation! I am glad we took a roaming package from the phone company because I used my phone a lot to find places! If you are in the historical center, you can walk pretty much anywhere and see living history!

 This old fountain has always been one of favorites ever since I first saw it 

47 years ago (yikes)

Somethings are just burned in your memory!

                         Another favorite is the Trevi fountain. To think it is the garden of this palace!
                          and if you visit don't forget to throw a Euro in and make a wish!

Just after coming back I had the back stairs grinder and repainted! It makes such a difference and gives another 10 years of life to them .

Just after that I had the basement fixed with membranes and a sump pump and a dehumidifier.

That is a huge difference as well! the humidity has gone down, no more water...woohoo!

That work was long overdue but for some reason Dad did not take care of it....Oh well, now it is done  and I feel I did right by the house. I took care of it....

So this concludes part one of recap 2018! Next part will be purge, purge, purge, falling in love,Vegas
baby and getting ready to move!

Be well my friends!

The Worst!

I am guilty! Guilty of extreme lazyness...

I've let my perrenial borders run amock and my yearly efforts to contain them have not been sufficient.

So this year I AM GOING TO WIN THE WAR!!!

No more lazy butt!!! No more crazy plants that run wild all over!

                                             This is the future site of the veggie garden.
                                              Much smaller and I hope easier to manage!
                 

 Dan washed the deck so we can stain it later this week

 

                                         These are all the wild garlic I dug out. I'm soaking it to remove
                                          all the dirt. I might pickle some...

                                 Garlic buds....they made a nice addition to the veggies for supper
                                 last night.

                                  I was soooo tired, I finished the day like a zombie....

                                  Surprisingly I'm not really sore today!

                                  It is raining this morning, so no guerilla gardening.

                                  Instead on the program this morning, we go in the basement and whip up
                                  a bacth of waterproof ciment.

                                  Then we will be framing some art....

                                  Yes I will blog about it!

                                  Later :)

Cement Basement Stairs

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the stairs leading to the basement were in rough shape....I 'discovered' a hole filled with insulation and wood. That's an opened invitation for assorted critters!


So Saturday we went to Home Depot ( I can't believe they sell the bags 5 cents! I know,I know it's for the enviroment, but all that bag managing is driving me nuts! Really! Ok nuttier than before!) and I picked up a bucket of instant cement, gloves and some tools.



Don't get me wrong, I had never smeared cement on anything....But I didn't want my basement wet and full of unwanted critters. It seemed the only thing to do!



So yesterday afternoon, after racking some leaves and putting them in HUGE paper bags (don't get me started on the whole eco leave disposal! My town won't remove the leaves unless they are in brown paper bags- and only 3 times each fall- and I must keep the bags dry in a garage I don't have, so the bags are outside and it rained last night! ?%$/"!?&*()?%$/"!



I should clarify the basement stairs thing. I can't go in the basement from inside the house, it's an horror movie stairway...outside,dark, with a cover that you have to lift to access the stairs....You know the kind!



So I prepped the area, vaccumed the stairs (shop vac) and proceeded to mix the cement with water. I wanted to make a small batch so I could experiment. I felt so much like procrastinating! I actually heard a small voice in my head that said: Now,now girl! Do the cement now before it snows and the temperature drops too much.



So I started spreading and smearing....It was going ok. And then out of the blue I remembered hearing in a renovation show that doing cement was like frosting a cake! Well that changes everything! It well really well after that! LOL! I did half the job and will continue tomorrow!





I am sooooo proud of myself! WOOOHOOO! The darker area is where the big hole was, not a professional job, but a good do it yourself one

The garbage pile

So this is what the result of the decluter fest 2009 looked like! Actually there was more stuff but a couple of scrap metal guys came by.... Add to that the 2 car loads we brought to the Salvation Army. I can definitely say it was a satisfying declutter.

On saturday morning we went in the basement and cleaned out all the old paint,chemicals,garden products that were suspiciously old...There was a lot! I found some products I don't remember buying...Scary!!!
We filled the car again and brought everything to the municipal garage. It was their annual hazardous household waste collection. t was about time we went! 14 years of old toxic crap in the car...OUT OF THE WAY PEOPLE!!!! LET US THROUGH!

I swear the basement has never been soooo big! And the garden shed too! I was able to fit both bicycles! Cool!

On to another subject! Due to the success of the franchise, the producers of So You Think You Can Dance have really been cramming it down our throats. I watched the summer season, I even tried to follow the canadian version, I know the american version just started a new season, but please stop it I can't deal with it anymore! It's a great show but I need a break!

So I stopped watching the canadian version (I can't handle Jean-Marc Genereux anymore) and didn't even start to watch the american one! How come men's hair dye always looks SUPER fake? And please Jean-Marc lay off the botox! It shows!

Last night was the premiere of Dancing With The Stars (I had taken a break from that as well) and I found it entertaining. Only the men danced. I enjoyed the performances of Aaron Carter,Donny Osmond and Marc Dacascos (the host of Iron Chef America). I felt the judges were too strict with them but that's just me.

Some were painfull to watch...especialy UFC champion Chuck Liddell, it was like Frankenstein dancing....Poor guy

However I didn't get to see their second dance because I had a fever and went to bed, maybe it went better for everybody!

Tonight it's the ladies turn and I can't wait to see Macy Grey dancing. I'm not expecting much because the poor thing doesn't move well, she even had trouble getting down the stairs last night!

Arundel Flea Market

Situated on a street corner the Arundel Flea Market has tons to offer.

It has clean bathrooms (that is definitely a plus!) inside and a restaurant outside. Lots of stuff to see outside too!

I always start the adventure outside then move inside.

This place was really full of treasures! I found this Kitchen Glassware book (4$)that was a hit with both Dan and Dad. We looked at it for hours on end...Who knew that some lemon reamers could sell for 2000$

? Well not us...

I found this super cute nut chopper. Made by Hazel Atlas. It is in great condition without chips or cracks. I'm still on the fence about keeping it!

In the same pic, the 2 pink blobs (that look like, I just realized it, breasts! ) are actually S&P shakers. They are pink lemons...Get your mind out of the gutter people!LOL!
Still on the fence about those too! I'll try to post a better pic so you can see how cute they really are!

Also Dan has a vintage drinking glass addiction....so the Return of the Jedi glass was bought (2$)

This is where last year Dad wanted to buy me a pink fridgie set (complete,mint,no chips) and I refused, I felt it was too much money.

Well I still think about that set! I still think it was WAY too expensive. Needless to say no pink Pyrex was to be seen at that place!
Last but not least....Drumroll please! the Vintage Pink Carry-on Case with vintage stickers! Dan gave me some mad money for my B-Day so I took advantage of it!

As soon as I saw it, I grabbed it with my pudgy little hands and would not let go...at the risk of breaking everything in sight! I just cleaned it and can't wait to go away on a cool weekend and bring it with me!

Now in real life....we started to clean the basement...eurk! Dusty,spidery,generally eek inducing,humid..Anyways we threw out 3 garbage bags, 4 boxes, filled the cars to donate to the Salvation Army and recycled an old car battery....I'm tired now!