Front-door paint.

Katie and I painted the front door today!

The exterior's not going to be done until next spring (sorry neighbours!), but I've been dying to do something about that ugly door. A bit random when we're in the middle of a huge landscaping project, but Katie decided this morning not to go to gymnastics camp with Fifi and foiled my plans for the day, so I came up with a Plan B that would entertain us while accomplishing something house-wise. It was right up Katie's alley -- she LOVED it!

First we scrubbed. (door before)

... then spackled

...taped

...sanded (wearing safety goggles bought on a Florida beach)

...primed

    ...and finally painted! 

All before we had to go back and pick up Fifi, after which we went for a nice dip in the pool!

I'll post an "after" picture tomorrow once we've done a second coat.

BTW, Katie didn't do it all by herself. I helped. No, really, I did.

Meantime, the sod (or "turf," Trudy) arrived, but more on that later. 

Must sleep!

Back at it! Landscaping

After about . . . oh, a year or so, we're back! Nothing like impending visitors to motivate! (UK relatives due in 5 days!)

So much has happened already, so I'm backtracking here and not sure where to start.

How about a shot of all the machinery in the yard? View from the front window a week ago.

That will have to suffice for now. A lot to do today: we've got to lay a patio (!) and spread a truckload of topsoil in anticipation of sod arrival tomorrow. 

Plus, in anticipation of exterior window-washing guy coming (groupon deal), I'm scraping years of paint build-up off the windows -- with Andrew doing the ladder bits; he was scraping in the dark last night to the sound of "Festival of Light" fireworks!). 

Let me show you this email that gives a sense of how fast things're moving -- we tend to do things in binges.

In a panic the other day, I asked Andrew how we can possibly get it all done by next Friday. Here's the schedule he sent:

How does this sound:

Thursday – finish cleaning /  levelling back yard, dig out patio (it was smaller than we specced), dig out flower beds and tree holes

Friday – turf soil delivered, Fri night spread turf soil

Saturday – spread turf soil, roadbed and sand delivered

Sunday – Top soil delivered – prep patio, lay bedding plant soil, pavers?

Monday – sod delivered – lay sod

Tuesday – plant – front – bushes, shrubs, Flower beds, hedge? 

Wed – plant – back – beds? Trees?

Thurs – lay pavers

[Friday: visitors land]

xo

So let's call this chapter "the 14-day landscaping challenge"! That includes the excavation, which took about a week; our job is to transform the dirt moonscape into something of a garden by Friday.

Here's the back before the soil was removed.

Here's the back being excavated.

We're more or less on schedule, except that we reversed a couple of things: excavation's done (after excavator dug out three bins' worth, Andrew dug out another entire 12-yard bin full BY SHOVEL!), levelling's done, roadbed and sand for patio's laid and compacted, patio stones to be laid today, and turf will be delivered tomorrow! 

Our aim today, too, is to finish in time to give these two little labourers a real summer family day and take them to the pool this afternoon/evening, but that may be overly ambitious. We'll try!

Wish us luck. : )

backsplash!

We used a hand-poured recycled glass tile from California, with a "silk" finish that makes it look like stone (Stone & Pewter Accents). (BTW, we highly recommend the place we bought it, Aeon Stone, where it was almost half the price they were asking at Bullnose, and where they have a great selection. 

Before:

During:

After installation, before grout.

Grout (we used plain white):

Ah, so happy with the results!

In context:

Chandelier!

The chandelier went up in the stairwell last week. It seems to signify something -- seems to anchor or complete things. 

It casts beautiful shadows at night.

At dusk, too, it's lovely with the skylight above. 

(Thanks once again to our friends at Antique Market! Such a great bunch of folks to deal with!)

One of two hallway lights, antiques bought off ebay.

Little chandelier in Fifi's room, with yellow roses (one of a bajillion to choose from that behemoth lighting store in Richmond, Lighting Warehouse.)

Now for something completely different: reflection of under-counter LED strip light in kitchen countertop (the lights are just sort of taped up and dangling there for now until we get a bar top in).

These final bits of lighting really seem to be making this into a real, grown-up house! 

Playhouse!

Remember the playhouse we bought through Craigslist, spent a day disassembling, and then the builders, thinking it was demo debris, threw in the tip the next morning? (Feb. 11th post.)

Remember Granny and Grandpa offered to build a new one? : )

Was it two weeks ago now? They took the 7 am ferry over from Victoria, arriving just after 9, Michael having preassembled the walls and a platform.

"Breaking ground."

Laying Michael's pre-made foundation.

Katie loves building things: she helped Grandpa and Andrew put the many screws in.

Granny and Fifi supervised. (Fifi was not quite herself that day; she complained of a headache and by dinnertime she was laid flat by a nasty flu.)

Roof was on by 11.

All done before noon, ready to be furnished. 

Two proud builders!

Afterwards, Granny took doll measurements for outfits. Very exciting! Fifi loved the charting of the measurements!

Happy days! First visit of the year from the ice-cream truck.

Nothing natural about the colour of these popsicles!

Inside the playhouse.

Grandpa, who's a landscape architect, measured out the yard, front and back, and is drawing up plans for us! So wonderful. Jill, if you're reading this, you'll see Evelyn coming out of your back yard. Yes, I took them on a tour of your beautiful gardens.

Katie put up some tea-towel curtains.

 There's even a sink to bathe the bunny in!

Eventually, the playhouse will be up on a raised deck, with this slide attached.

After lunch, Katie made lemon iced tea ...

 and served it on the front porch.

Relaxing in the early summer weather.

Love this pic. See Fifi reflected in window? 

As Granny and Grandpa drove away, Fifi practiced her post climbing!