Change = Chaos

I've always said 'In order to have change, you must first have chaos.' And chaos it is as the house begins its renovation. This is our retirement home so it is the last 'kick at the can' for Bill & I.
It's going to be a large, very thought through renovation & will be my work place for the next 15 years. I'm going to have a stained glass studio above my sewing studio, where I'll teach copper foiling stained glass. It will have the view of Miramichi Bay at one end & the woods at the other. What better way to send your viewing day & I get to work with & see others work with...colour & design!

Let's begin with chaos!

The digging around the house is the prep work for the foundation & basement.

 The 2 car garage will be what you see as you approach the house...visualize, it's coming!

 A new well will be dug & installed as the old one, right now, is in the middle of the garage.

 The woods had birch trees removed to help with the relocation of the potting shed.

 It's a mucky mess right now as we had a thunderstorm roll through last Friday evening.

                                   Oh the view that will be seen once the addition is added!

 The windows will be removed & reinstalled in the new build. The large kitchen 4 panel will be stored for a sunroom on the potting shed...just an idea as that is a 30 yr old window.
The door will be added to my new laundry room.

 Oh what a wet area, even when it's dry, it is still damp in the basement. The new tiling around the addition should help with that.

 The sun porch is staying the same & the old sewing room of mine will now be the dining area with a bay window.

 There is a pump installed in the muddy water, to help keep things dry. I think it must be clogged. :(

                                        The wall will be removed from the kitchen in time.

                    The raised lump in the mud is the exciting well area aka the new garage!

                           Enough muck...let's look at the view from the kitchen bay window. :-)

                                                   Now, the view from the sewing room...

                                                      The view from the exercise room...

 And the view from Bill's office. Oh the chaos to get this view. And it will be worth it!!

 All this was done this week. The contractor says I'll be in the house for Thanksgiving. :-)

                                                      One large old tree stump removed...

                                                         Two large tree stumps removed....

 And the last, third tree stump removed! Thank you Donny MacDonald for fixing the hard spots in my lawn mowing! It's going to be easier now not having to dodge those stumps with the mowers blades!

 This side of the house will remain the same. See that big window? It's the one in the great room.

See what happens to the siding during the winter months!! They state that the window acts as a magnifying glass on the siding during the day & the temps can soar. The early night has very low temps & comes quickly, so quick that the siding doesn't have time in the formed memory to recove to its original shape. This is the second time this has happened! The third install will be a different material creating a different look there, we don't know what yet.

                                                This look will change with the addition.

 I wanted to take as many 'before photos' as possible as this too will never be the same.

 The potting shed has not been rested yet as the house comes to life, so will the proper placement for the shed be seen. So for now it sits on a huge skid! lol

                                         The grass is going to need a mowing this weekend!

                                    The vertical dirt line is my neighbour Dellie's garden.

                             Dellie will have a view of the construction, front row center! lol

 Mucky mess!

                              On a greener note, the Anniversary Garden is coming along nicely!

                                                     The blue muffin bush has returned.

                                               And the bleeding hearts are blooming!

Interior Reno...

 I took a few shots of the inerior. This is the end of the kitchen & the opening is going to be the pantry opening.

                  It's going to be a good size, with a window in it, for natural light.

                                      This is where the basement stairs are & will remain.

 I'm taking this picture standing inside the sun porch. A pair of french doors will be installed to take you into the dining area of the kitchen.

                        I took this picture inside the kitchen, through the small exciting window.

 The sub pump line going to the ditch. A peak at some more of the Anniversary Garden.

This maple tree is my most favourite & hopefully it will survive the digging through some of its roots. A limb was removed for the large equipment needed to dig the foundation out.

Well, thank you for stopping by & viewing the chaos of construction!
Each week I'll show what progress is being made, right up to the finished addition. I've lived through additions being done in the home whilst I lived in it. This is so much easier & only a 7 minute drive from the Carroll Cottage.

Have a great week!

Thought for the week.

In just two days from now, tomorrow will be yesterday!

Rexton & Mr. Boots have been feasting on my spider plant & they've eaten off all the baby spider plants, that once hung off it! Then 'someone' had eaten my ivy & threw it up in front of the washing machine. Enough of the eating of my plants...I have to get some greens, for the cats to safely eat.

I called Lynn for some of her catmint & she generously gave me a large clump of it. And what enjoyment it brought to those cats!

 Rexton had a feast on Lynn's catmint!

                                                               She was smelling...

                                                                        And nibbling...

 She finally had to straddle her cat perch to attend to her needs of this yumminess!

                                                     Then Mr. Boots got in on the action...

                               He's too big to straddle the perch, so he balances himself on the tub chair.

                                                             And what a feast he had!

The next day I was in town with Symone & purchased my herbs for my kitchen herb garden, when I spotted lemon grass. Now doesn't that sound healthy for these plant eating cats?!
I know I enjoy eating Lemon Grass Chicken when I'm out at a restaurant...

I first showed it Rexton, then Mr. Boots got into it & I moved it next to their food. Maybe they will get that cat food & cat plants are to be eaten in that spot. Not from wherever I place house plants!

                                     And what a number these two did on the lemon grass!

 They were very thoughtful to one another eating & reminded me of the spaghetti scene from Walt Disney's,  Lady & the Tramp. lol

 Betwen the two of them they mowed this down like a lawn mower...

                                                  Or a pair of black sheep grazing! lol

 I finally took it away from them & placed it on the counter. Not that that, would stop them from getting on the counter for what they wanted.

I mowed my lawn with the tractor today. It was my first mow without my beloved Boston Terrier Boris Loree. Boris would follow me, nearly  the whole two hours I mowed, he was such a shadow with me. After an hour he would stay on the porch or seek shade under a tree. I sure miss him.
I was visiting my neighbours Dellie & Margie & they too sent me home with oatgrass seed for the cats. Dellie made me up a container & in 10-15 days...voila - catgrass. How healthy does oatgrass sound for them & it's also good for helping with the fur balls. Lucky cats to have such good neighbours!

 Wonderful Surprise!

I was hanging the laundry out the other morning & to my surprise, what did I see?!!

                                                                        Can you see it?!

                                                                Let's take a closer look...










How cool is this?! It's going to be a Fairy's House! Oh what fun I'm going to have creating this wee vignette & it's nestled in the woods too! I will see it everytime I go to hang the laundry out. :-)
What a pleasant find that was & in plain sight too!

We've settled into the cottage for the summer & the construction begins tomorrow on the house. I'll be back in the house, to cook the Thanksgiving turkey. Francis, the contractor says I'll be in by the end of September...I've worked with contractors & this one is one of the best in the area. Thank you to Francis, of Durelle Construction, he did an excellent job on Bill's garage a couple of years back.

Thank you for popping in to see me & the furry kids! Wherever you are, have a great week!

Thought for this week -
Humble & Kind by Tim Mcgraw. Give a listen to that tune & oh how true the words are. I could have wrote it to my kids & it must seem oh so familiar to them as they listen to the words & think of 'home'. I cried the first time I heard it because it made me think of my children.  Such a precious song of family love & values. Always be humble & kind, I'm so proud of the adults that they've become. ;-)