The Log Splitter

It's been slow around here on the renovating side of things. Branko has been extremely busy at work which has left us with little time to tackle some big jobs we need to get done. We are still expecting about 2 more weeks of work on the dream garage until it will be ready for winter. Meaning we can load it with some belongings without any damage.

On some other exciting news though we picked up a log splitter from my dad. Yes, I know what you are thinking "how is a log splitter exciting" well my friends let me grace you with this picture....

Yes, that above picture is a pile of wood that we have been hoarding. That is 4 dump trucks of wood or 10-15 bush cords. Which ever makes it easier for you to understand the unprecedented amount of wood we need to chop. 

We had to cut down a large amount of trees at the old house to really fix up the landscaping. Then at the new house we had to cut down more trees to make room for the dream garage. Don't worry all you tree huggers, cutting the trees down was a little sad for us as well but it had to be done. Don't forget we are on a tax management forest program to save trees!!

Ok, back to the log splitter. We finally managed to pick it up and bring it home. We tried using it last week but some of the fittings had to be changed so last night we were finally set and ready to go.

Now can I just tell how exciting it is when you realize you just saved $200 in an hour! That is the cost of 1/2 bush cord of chopped wood delivered. 

MORE PURSES, WALLETS, CLOTHES, SHOES.........oh wait Branko reads this.... I totally mean more groceries!!!!! 

Here is the final product ready to be brought to the old house(yes we still have that home) so we have fire wood for the winter.

(that is half a bush cord/$200)

Tell me...Do you have a wood burning fireplace that you use? Do you chop your own wood or do you buy it from somewhere? Would love to hear your thoughts....

Thanksgiving Weekend

We have been blessed with beautiful weather here over the Thanksgiving weekend. It amazes me day in and day out the drive we find to tackle our projects but also incorporate important family time.

This weekend was full of  "Forever Home" projects. We took Friday off and spent the day removing some more of the front deck from the house.

Picture taken Aug 5th, 2012. When we took over this home the windows and doors all had to be upgraded. In the above picture the walk-out basement doors were changed. The upper doors were in the process of being changed from sliders to french doors and new windows. 

Picture taken Oct. 11th, 2013. All of the windows have been replaced making the dining room/bedroom windows much larger for better views. Bushes have all been cut down, siding removed and new plywood put up. Most of the deck removed. 

The plan is for 2 additions at each end of the home, therefore that deck no longer works for the front of the house. A new balcony will be built coming off of the French Doors on the upper floor and a new deck in the back of the house for entertaining purposes. New landscaping will be completed where those bushes once were that will be incorporating large stones and plants. Stone will be added from the lower exterior of the entire house going up to the windows and then siding to the roof.


We also spent a considerable amount of time on the Garage this weekend. We hope we can get the steel roof on within 2 weeks. This will allow us to utilize the garage over the winter. Branko and I together put up 68 sheets of plywood on the walls this weekend.

If you are actually reading this and not just looking at the pictures please please don't think that I am writing this to be a big fat show off....I'm writing this to show every person out there that "when there is a will, there is a way". We could not afford to pay people to build this dream garage/forever home. We knew going into these projects that our very own blood, sweat, and tears would have to be poured into these projects to achieve our dreams. Everyday you just remind yourself to push a little harder, walk a little faster, and dream big about the future.

The plywood above the window was the toughest part, those are 12 ft. ceilings so Branko had to use lots of muscle and a few tricks to get those pieces up. This kid does not get on ladders. 

Next time you start a major project remember that your own capabilities are much more then you could ever imagine.

Don't fret!!!! We had Turkey! 

If I wasn't too busy playing with my niece and filling my face with food I would have taken some pictures of all of the food we ate....ahhhhhhhhhh next year! 

On our drive down to my parents place on Sunday we took the scenic route and came across these entry 

way gates. 

They are made out of wood and not metal! Which we both really LOVE! 

Another close up. 

This is what our entrance looks like now....

I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and same as last year I am again Thankful for our health and our gratitude towards each other.

With that I will leave you with the sunset at the "Forever Home"

10 years

Today I am officially celebrating 10 years at my current job, while this is exciting it is scary at the same time. Is this my ultimate dream job maybe not. It's not to say that I don't enjoy my job, I really do.

BUT

Something happened at work last week that really had me thinking. A co-worker decided to resign from our company after 34 years of service. An email was sent out to the teams advising of her departure and the following day would be her last. She was just 1 year away from retirement and with no reason she decided that she wanted to leave. No fancy retirement party, no penny of the year you started, no letter from the company CEO....nothing. Her closest co-workers scrambled to go out and buy gifts and some food for the next day to ensure she saw how  much she will be missed.

Can you imagine after 34 years coming to one work place day in and day out. All I can hope is that she did not feel alone, that she had nobody to confide her feelings.

This really got me thinking about my dreams and goals. Could I picture myself working for one corporation for that long. What is life like after such a big decision. I have only been here for 10 years and even though that doesn't measure up to anywhere near 34 years I wonder what would it be like not to come to this work place anymore. To see the same faces that you have coffee & lunch breaks, sit in lengthy meetings, go through numerous technology changes, cut backs, weddings, babies, vacations.....you share so much of your life with these people. 

Branko and I have some big dreams that include our forever home renovations, kids, vacations and maybe one day owning our own business. We both love the idea of working for ourselves, that kind of independence is freeing. 

After Blogpodium it was clear that most bloggers walked away with that feeling of I can do better, I can succeed at whatever I set my goals towards. Feelings become more vulnerable. Once you become vulnerable you allow yourself to take that leap that you need. You can read about some really great "I can do better for myself" posts over at Alex,  Becky, and Natasha`s posts. Each of these write ups let me know how myself and so many others are not alone in this race...not just in the blogging world but in real life too. 

For now my blog is a hobby, I wrote about it here the dreams I have for this little space but what I really want to focus on is our life dreams. As crazy as it sounds the blog has really made me realize how much more I can do...from renovating to meeting total strangers.


Where do I want to be in the next 10 years.......I am not 100% sure but what I do know is that this blogging atmosphere and the people that I have met have helped me realize your dreams are attainable and I really do feel like if I needed an honest opinion or even a good old laugh I have community of writers to fall back on.



In 10 years I hope I can look back at this and say I took that leap and let myself be vulnerable.

I would love to hear where you hope to be in 10 years.....

. 

Raise the Roof - Dream Garage Update

I won't bore you with details again of the garage. You can read about this here and here where I previously talked about "Dream Garage" plans.

A little reminder of what it will look like once it's all done. 

It's pretty amazing to think that this all came together in under 2 months. We had about 3 weeks of waiting for the trusses to arrive and they were finally delivered last week.

So without further wait here are some updated pictures of the dream garage!

 I had a hard time fitting the entire garage in the picture **hint to family members I would really really like a wide lens for my camera for Christmas/Birthday - the only time I will ever allow you to combine my gift ;) **

 This picture was taken from about 150 ft away and because of the trees I couldn't get a snapshot of the entire garage **wide lens camera hint insert here again**

You are probably wondering..."Hey, how did she get that shot of the ceiling" Well there is a very high hill that needs to be pushed away right beside the garage. This still needs work but allows us to take some cool close ups of the trusses. Take note how you can barely see the end. 

The next phase for "Dream Garage" is to put the plywood up on the walls and order the steel roof which takes 4 days for delivery. We are hoping to have the roof completed by the end of October. 

Keep your eye out for "Dream Garage" updates!! 

Princess Margaret Lottery Home with Brian Gluckstein

When you work on your own home, figuring out every last detail you hope that when somebody walks in they can see your passion for what you've built/ designed. I hope that I evoke that kind of passion Brian Gluckstein has when he gives a description of a home he's designed.

I had the opportunity to attend a small blogger social for a private viewing of the Princess Margaret Lottery Home with Brian Gluckstein. 

“The ultimate entertaining home with traditional and modern elements for glamorous living.” Brian Gluckstein

"Life doesn’t get any better than winning this picture-perfect home nestled in the sophisticated small-town ambience of Oakville, just steps from Lake Ontario. Designer Brian Gluckstein has created a home filled with 7,500 square feet of effortless luxury, perfectly reflecting the refined beauty of its surroundings. There’s something to love around every corner! Everything you’ve ever wanted in a home is waiting for you."

I haven't had many opportunities to be around people with such high importance in the design world so going to meet Brian himself I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew I would be viewing a stunning home but what I wanted was to hear the details of the build down the to nitty gritty and he provided nothing short of that.

Brian was kind; he talked to us about the small details like how the walls were tiled in the main entrance and the work behind it. "Anybody can do this, so simple!" He says.

He discussed the library room and how he had hoped that whoever took over this home would keep it that way but If not how simple it would be to turn it into a bedroom.

He praised Kohler and Miele for there kind donations.

The décor was stunning and mixed with affordable pieces from the Gluckstein line and some antiques.

He was genuinely happy that all of his hard work combined with so many different contractors would go to a great cause.

I had a quick opportunity to Thank him for the tour of the home and after a small chat he gave me some names of shops to visit in West Palm Beach when we visit. (just goes to show how down to earth he was we ended up talking about Classic Cars!)

Thank you Gluckstein Homes and Princess Margaret Home Lotto for giving me this opportunity. 

You can purchase your ticket here to have a chance at many great prizes this year!

Also, my pictures do not do this home justice....check out the amazing pictures on the website under the Oakville Home Gallery.



*Please take important note all of my picture and thoughts were my own I was in no way asked to write about my experience*

BlogPodium 2013

Remember your first day of school, first night out at a big club, first day at a new job, first time meeting......a room full of strangers! I had purchased a BlogPodium ticket quickly after they came out for sale. I was determined not to miss this day of learning and networking. A day to meet so many bloggers that I had been following along for some time now and understand how I can help my little space on the internet grow, be more engaging, and become more open to the opportunities that it can provide. 

Don't get me wrong this blog will always stay true to me and why I am writing it. That is to have a memory of building our "Forever Home". 

Breakfast started off by sitting with Lynne, Andrea, Casey, Robin and Alex. We had some morning chit chat got to know each other a little more. Sarah Richardson was the keynote speaker, she divulged into her personal journey into design and provided some inspiring tips.  Once this was over we headed over to our first session.

Home Depot workshop! We learned how to use some Ryobi tools and how quickly a shelf can be built.  

Andrea and Alex both won a Ryobi nail gun! Here is a blurry but stellar picture of the 2 of them! If you ladies didn't notice you were matching from head to toe including the tools and both of your names start with "A"! 

We headed to our next session which allowed us to learn more about working with Agencies. This session was held by Andrew Kinnear and Jordana Wolch from Environics Communications. Andrew and Jordana had some great tips on the process between agency/company/blogger. I believe it was great for beginner bloggers to give them an idea of how blogs are selected to work with and also to help you learn how you can stand out. Home Depot I'm available if you need me!! We've been to Home Depot probably every Sat. Night from Dec. to July. We even started calling it our date night!

After this lunch was served, we all had a chance to listen to the Key Note panel speak about "Old media, new media, social media". Everybody on the panel had great input but I especially loved hearing Margot speak. Her knowledge on magazine history really had me listening. I still love my print copies! I even made a mad dash as she was trying to leave to introduce myself. Thanks for being so kind! 

I apologize for my lack of  good quality pictures. 

The next session I attended was held by Brittany Stager, Neil Gazmen, and Meredith Heron about growing your business using social media. I have been following Brittany now for some time and had been looking forward to hearing her speak. She is so composed! Neil has such great compassion for his work and I love to see that. It makes we want to shop at West Elm even more so. Neil and Meredith had great input in regards to social media especially when it came to your personal life. 

The last session was held by Karen Bertelsen about The Art of Monetization. Karen really nailed it in this session. She was engaging, fun, and most importantly she was just real. You could sense her honesty when she was speaking and how she just wanted people to grow from the knowledge she could provide. 

The day ended off with some closing remarks and gift give away followed by a nice cocktail hour. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many people and also stepping out of my own comfort zone. 

At the end of the day I may have even been a little overwhelmed with all of the information I took home with me but my over all experience at BlogPodium was absolutely amazing! 

One last thing...we got a swag bag that contained some pretty cool stuff including a can of Para Paint white semi-gloss paint. Along with my piece of fabric from Tonic Living I have a DIY post coming up soon! If you want to see a sneak peak you can check out my Instagram feed here. 

Thank you to Jen and her team for setting up such a fabulous event! Take a moment and check out some amazing pictures here. 

Blogpodium Ready & Gluten Free Expo Review

First things first I must talk about the business cards my sister designed for me!

My sister will be attending Blogpodium as well, she is an up and coming graphic designer and you can check out her website here http://andreazadro.com/.

She has helped me out with pretty much everything on my blog including adding the links for twitter, bloglovin, pinterest, and my email address. I've recently joined Instagram as well I just haven't had a chance to ask her to add it onto the site yet! She has also designed the header of my blog and provided me with any tips on layout

I knew that if I asked her to design my business card she would come up with something good. She provided me a few different layouts and options before I picked the final one. She also used a company close to where she lives and had them printed and ready for me! 

(picture is blurry on purpose! I have to leave some suspense) 

I think they are perfect and fitting to me and my personality! Nothing too crazy, sparkly, or over the top. 

If you are looking for some design ideas or a graphic designer feel free to reach out to my sister you can find her on twitter @andreazadro or on her website http://andreazadro.com/

Now onto the Gluten Free Expo that was held over the weekend. My sister joined me for the day and first stop was Bunner's Bake Shop in the Junction Triangle on Dundas St. Let me tell you Bunner's Cinnamon Buns did not disappoint!!! Best gluten free baking I have tasted by far, I am even thinking about having her go and grab some for Thanksgiving dinner at my parents place.


After this we headed down town to the Gluten Free Expo. My main reason for going was to test out gluten free samples. Gluten free food is expensive and does not always taste the greatest! I have thrown out so much food and it was beginning to upset me that I had to stop buying many products for the fear that it was going to taste bad and end up in the garbage. I also thought that many vendors might have had discount pricing but that wasn't the case. Since I was fully aware of the price range for most foods I knew when and if I was getting a deal. If I knew the price range was the same as in the store I didn't buy because no point in carrying all of that food around!

Sooooo what did I buy....well not much actually but I was excited for some products that were coming out from certain companies that I rely on.

I did buy a box of these....in store they are $7.99 a box and at the expo I picked up 2 boxes for $7.99

Here is what we picked up that vendors were giving away to try...

I may or may not have already eaten a few things that didn't make it for the picture! The cost of the ticket was $12 to get in and with just the box of pasta, free coupon for a box of Erewhon cereal and small pack of pretzels(which are very tasty!) covered the cost of my ticket!

Going forward I will talk about some of my go-to gluten free snacks. I don't usually buy the cookies or granola bars as they are filled with sugar. But there are some pastas, breads, pretzels and cereals that I do enjoy.

Hope everybody had a great weekend and looking forward to seeing everybody at Blogpodium this weekend!!