September/October are my favorite months of the year (closely followed by April / May / June). Spring is nice, it starts to get warmer, and for a while the bugs don't bite, LOL, but fall has lovely weather - not to hot, not yet getting cold, again very few bugs... but oh my, the colors!

I am fortunate enough to have a bank of lilacs directly across the road from my kitchen window in the spring, but in the fall there is a tree right beside them that bursts into brilliant orange so rich and deep its practically indescribable. I know other people get to enjoy both of these bits of nature as they come and go getting their mail (the mailboxes are also directly across from my kitchen window), but I often wonder how many of them actually stop and admire... take a moment to enjoy... the beauty just sitting there. Most of the time I feel like it's my own private view, LOL, and I try to pause and enjoy it at least once every day.

But Sept/Oct are also my busiest months, with shows and meetings and Bill on vacation wanting to get work done around the house... and I must say I am actually quite pleased with what we accomplished in Sept, even if we didn't get everything done we had originally planned to do, LOL, but do we ever?

We didn't get all the work done in the kitchen we had planned on, because (as I mentioned last month) we ended up changing the floor plan - again! So we mainly worked on the laundry room, which I am happy to say is almost done (new ceiling; ceramic tile floor; back door; wiring changes; drywall and paint) ... I got the floor grouting all done in there yesterday, and the first pantry put in today, but Bill ran out of days to finish building the other 2 pantries, so will get them done during his next turn home, or possibly in Nov, as he's not home very long this turn.

I also got a new drier this week, as the bearings were going on my old one... so it really does feel like a whole new room!

The cabinets are all pulled out of the kitchen - again - LOL, and I cleaned the slate floor tiles with this special cleaner this week ... then they had to sit for 48 hours before I could put an enhancer on the tile (which I'm doing as I write). You apply enhancer to an area, let it sit for 10 minutes, buff it off, wait 30 min, apply another layer, wait 10 min, buff it off, move to a new area and start again... so it's taking quite a while to do (and I'm writing this blog in between applications, LOL).

Once all THAT is done, the floor has to sit for 8 hours (no walking on it), then be kept VERY clean for 3 days to really soak in and set the slate. Which means it will be Tuesday before I can add the new grout (with special enhancer in the grout too), and I may apply one more layer of enhancer once the grout is cured, just to make sure it all stays beautiful. I think if we'd known how much work slate tile was, we wouldn't have been quite so taken in by the beauty of it, LOL. Fortunately, once all this part is done it seems fairly easy to maintain - in fact, you're only supposed to clean it every 2-3 MONTHS, with a few drops of mild dish soap dissolved in a few cups of hot water!

And then we can start moving cabinets back in... but not sure how much we'll get done of that before Creativ, which is coming up far quicker than I like, ROFLOL. I may also hold off, and not put in too many cabinets before Bill gets home (next Saturday), as we are shifting the countertop stove unit over a bit from our original changed plan (sigh), which means the plug and light switches have to move (again) - and we forgot to put in a plug for the over-stove fan, so that has to be added as well.

And, as if all that wasn't enough, (sigh), when our DD and I were pulling the cabinets out of the kitchen we realized we also put the ceiling light (which is this long beautiful glass and wood enclosed fluorescent light fixture) about 2" too close to the cabinets on one side of the kitchen (the top cabinets on that side are pulled out farther than on the other side of the room, as they are sitting on top of the built in oven unit). So we ALSO has to move the light over a bit. Always something!

Anyway, I think that's all I have to share this month, (GBG). Most of my time is being taken up with the shows and classes this month, and trying to get some new designs out to be stitched so I have something to release in the new year, LOL. Wish me luck - and HAPPY STITCHING!

Well, here we are almost through another month - and what an eventful one this has been! When I send my newsletter I'll tell you all about the Studio Tour last weekend ... but today I want to let you know what else has been happening around here while Bill was off for the entire month. We love the weather in September, so he tries to book the whole month off whenever possible. Kind of nice to have him home for a change, LOL.

He has been wanting to get some work done on the kitchen for some time now, and finalize our floor plan so we could finally order the countertop. Soooo, we pulled all the cupboards out of the room, so the wiring and insulating on the outside wall could be upgraded. We also wanted to fix the floor, as the grout was not sealed properly, and has discolored and chipping away in several places. Our poor DD spent most of a week sitting on the floor in the kitchen, using a tiny screwdriver and hammer, and this little grout scrapper tool, to remove all the grout from visible areas.

I'm not sure I told you that I took the china cabinet hutch I built, and the kitchen cabinet I want to use for display, and had glass doors put on both units. The second one is finally done, and is actually driving around in the trunk of the car until we have the kitchen put back together, LOL.

Of course working on the kitchen floor meant we couldn't do any other work in there... but that was OK, as Bill totally changed our concept of what we wanted to do, LOL. He decided he didn't like the big pantry in the kitchen, and wanted a more open concept... so we had the water heater moved back into the laundry room, and figured out how to move the pantry in there (not an easy job when it's so tall, and the room is so short - we had to cut 2" off the kickplate to stand it up in there, ROFLOL). The good news is that I can have THREE pantries (so two more), which means LOTS of storage! Yeah, LOL. But of course it wasn't that simple.

Since we had some time, and were working in there anyway... we decided to install a ceiling light - and gyprock the ceiling too - ... which of course meant wiring and drywall. Since the room was empty for working on those things, we thought we might as well paint and when we found a tile sale, we decided to lay a ceramic tile floor (my first floor!). I have a bit more grouting to fix up in there, and that is pretty much done! Bill is building the other two pantries (we ordered doors to match the first unit), and they are just about done... so by the end of the week/month, the laundryroom s/b pretty much complete! We just heard today that the pantry doors have arrived, so will pick them up when we get the van back from the shop.

There wasn't time to get the tile sealed and grouted before the Studio Tour, so we just pushed the counters back in place, and hid them behind our lovely show racks (GBG). We did get the new sink and taps installed (yes, I know they have to be pulled out to put in the new cabinet and countertop), and we also got a faux-tin ceiling all done, so we're quite chuffed about our progress this month!

However, in the never rains but it poors department... we opened the cargo doors on the side of the van, which have been getting stiff for a couple of months, and something went awry, and now one door won't close. We have been meaning to take it in for a tuneup and to get the door fixed, and just kept putting it off... but since I have a show this weekend, I need it fixed asap, so off to the shop it goes on Thursday, and hopefully they can fix it up.

I'm going to close there - quite a bit done really, when you break it all out, but I'll save the rest until next month... happy stitching!

Well, the big news this month is, of course, our trip to England to visit our youngest DD. Bill had enough points that he saved us a bundle on airfare - in fact, we BOTH got to go first class for half what ONE seat would have cost us in regular seating! I do like first class, just not enough to pay the outrageous prices, LOL. You get to board / exit first, they start serving drinks as soon as you sit down, they give you a blanket and pillow, free ipad and earbuds, they bring a hot towel to wash with before meals, and serve meals on real glass dishes with real utensils (not plastic forks), and they give you this little fabric case, with a toothbrush and toothpaste / one of those eye masks for sleeping / and a pair of really comfy socks that are supposed to be good for your legs when travelling!

So, we got there in style, *GBG*. We travelled overnight, as Bill thinks we will sleep on the plane... but we never do (sigh). We travelled during the day on the way back, and I actually think I like that better, as it makes for a long day, but you're not up for 2 days. Unfortunately, the flight FROM Canada to England (during the day) is really early, so we would have to go to Toronto the night before and stay over, to get there on time.

In spite of England's well-known proclivity for rain, LOL, we only had a slight misting the first day or so, and after that the sun was very co-operative. We knew this visit was going to be all about family, so we didn't plan a lot of activities, but we did manage to get in to the art gallery, with a quick peek into the Natural History Museum, which we love. They had a butterfly house on display, so we spent some time in there, surrounded by colorful butterflies of all shapes and sizes and gorgeous tropical plants. Another day we went with Katie (our DD) and Alaa (her significant other, LOL), to pick up his boys, Talal and Zaid, ages 5 and 3, who spent the rest of our trip with them. While in Rochester (where the boys live) we visited some quaint shops - including a needlework shop and two art stores, a cathedral and castle, so did our playing tourist bit - we even bought the boys toy swords!

Lots of eating out in great restaurants, and Alaa is a chef, so he cooked for us as well - yum! Katie also has a birthday in August, so while her family was all there Alaa threw her a birthday party. Of course mom (me!) had to bake the cake. She decided she wanted a gluten free cake, so that was interesting. Some on-line research turned up a chocolate cake recipe that used black beans in place of flour! It did have SIX eggs in it, so when we doubled it to make a good sized cake, that meant it had a DOZEN eggs... then she decided we needed a second layer, so we actually had to go shopping to get more ingredients, LOL. Was quite rich (with 2 dozen eggs, I guess so), 4 TBSP (yes, that is tablespoons, not teaspoons) of baking powder PER LAYER to make it rise, and honey in place of sugar. But everyone agreed it was quite delicious, and not gooey like gluten free tends to be. The other grandparents hosted the party and even rented a bouncey castle for the kids - though I must say the big kids (including my DD and her friend) spent as much time in it as the little ones did!

Because all the 'flats' are so tiny in England, there was no room for us at our DD's place (though our oldest DD, who came over with us, stayed with them for an extra week after we left). So, we rented an apartment in an old Victorian house, which was actually quite spacious. Bill and I had an extra-large King - it was massive - and Adriane had a bed tucked in an alcove off the living room. There was a full kitchen (with fridge/stove and dishwasher), and they had laundry facilities on premises as well.

There was a big yard, with a koi pond full of dozens of fat fish, and even a hen-house sized enclosure full of songbirds! At the back of the property was a long building, which housed an indoor pool, bar, pool table, foozball table and seating, where guests could visit or entertain, so we had the kids out on two different days to swim, and we took advantage of the patio and bbq (also on site), to make the men cook and we all sat at the outdoor tables to eat, LOL. Someone in the neighbourhood had a rooster too, which would crow at all hours of the day, except in the morning, ROFLOL. This was just outside London to, in a place called Catford, so was kind of surprising to us.

All too soon it was time to head home. Was sad to say goodbye, but was lovely to see them all, and we'll have to do it again soon. The boys will grow so fast, skype just isn't the same. I had taken a bunch of small toys and chocolate bars with me, LOL, so every day when they saw me there were little gifts - I'm pretty sure they'll remember me/us!

Bill had 2 days to recuperate before he headed back to work, but he's off for the entire month of September, so I'm hoping next month I'll have lots of house news for you *wink*. Till then, keep safe, enjoy our beautiful weather, hug and kiss your friends and family... and of course, happy stitching!

Counting down the days now, until we head across the pond to visit our youngest, who you may remember is living in England. We're quite excited, as we haven't seen her in a couple years, though we Skype regularly. We have two wee step-grandsons over there who have only ever met us via computer, so we're looking forward to that as well.

Dree and I keep putting off working on the front garden, as it has just been so hot here, but we really have to get to it this week, before the weeds take over completely! When I put in the second half of the front garden last year, I put plastic on the ground, around the plantings, and spread white stone on top of the plastic. Hardly any weeds on that side. So you know what that means (sigh), We have to scrape the stone off the old half, pull all the weeds, put plastic down, and re-spread the stone. I bought new stone to add on top as well, as there are some bare patches, and it really DN stay as nice and white over time, as I would like.

Bill is trying to convince us to move our office into the little blue house (the house my parents used to live in behind us), but the heat of summer has made us even more appreciative of the coolness of our split-level offices, and he's having trouble budging us, LOL.

We are hoping to work on the kitchen in September... but there is a very high liklihood that he will be laid off shortly, so we'll have to see. On the one hand, he'll have lots of time, GBG, but on the other hand, money will be a lot tighter, as he probably won't get a job overpaying him as much as this one did! Apparently the recession that hit the rest of the country 5-6 years ago is now trickling down to the Uranium industry, leading to mine closures and massive layoffs over the past few months. So if anyone knows of a job for an SAP specialist, with 10 years experience in maintenance, and a real knack for writing macros, let me know, LOL. OK, enough gloom and doom, he's a hard-working, warm, funny, caring and way smart man, and any company would be lucky to have him - so hopefully one of them will realize it and snap him up quick, ROFLOL.

One of the things we want to try in the kitchen, is a bit more moving around. Right now we have a small 3-drawer island poking in to the room. It's very useful, both as a place to put hot things coming out of the oven, and as depository for all the microwave dishes. But it does make the room seem a bit crowded. SOOOO, lol, we've decided to move the hot water heater (which is hidden beside the frige, in a cupboard) AGAIN.

We're thinking it will fit in the back corner of our walk-in closet, which is just storage of things we never wear right now, GBG. It will be close to the main washroom (upstairs), and right above the kitchen sink (middle floor). It will be quite a ways from the basement bathroom, but we hardly ever use that tub (it's actually full of bolts of stitching fabric right now, LOL), so may take time for hot water to get there. In future another owner could put in one of those mini-hotwater tanks for about $300, to have a separate supply to that room, if they wanted.

This will let us move things around, kind of like this:

Obviously not to scale, LOL. That grey circle is the hot water tank (black circles are the sinks, which are actually square), and the oven-microwave/pantry are a floor to ceiling wall. So on the THEN picture, you can see both those items have been moved against side walls, and the stovetop/island would have be counter height (with one continuous countertop), and open to the dining room...

That's what we're kicking around anyway. We'll see what happens in September! For now, let me say bon voyage, and I'll tell you all about our trip when we get back in August! Happy stitching!!