November - Movermber

What was with that anyway? Mustachios all around,  moustaches, you know what I mean....we got in on that action a little, you'll see later.
November.
Another busy month.



Not as crazy busy at the lake, things are going slower now that Dave is working in the city again and we are relying on outside help to get things done. The one thing that Dave didn't want to do was mud and tape and the guy that we hired...AMAZING!











It started to really feel like a livable place! Well almost. A toilet would take it that much further in the right direction.



So our visits out there were less frequent but that was ok. We were pretty busy in the city doing things like....turning 30!



I shouldn't say we, Dave turned 30 seven years ago so obviously it was my turn. That was a blur of a night, ha, ha, just kidding, it was a nice relaxing evening with a few girlfriends. But turning 30, whew, that crept up on me.
 I spent some time thinking about my life's journey to this point.  I do feel 30 when it comes down to what I have been through and how my mind has changed. I still feel like the same giddy and energetic 20 year old that I used to be too though, but with less energy and more wisdom. I still have the same thought patterns, like the same food and struggle with distractions but it is like life has become broader and I am comfortable with who I am.
In my 20's I stopped judging myself by what I though others might think of me and focused on what I thought and what God says.  I learned a lot about sacrifice and forgiveness, both giving and getting. Love and acceptance and humility and humbleness. I learned not to judge others but to observe and make choices for myself based on what I saw and learned through others. Does that make sense?
Just because I may do something differently than the next person doesn't mean either of us is wrong. What is right for me might just be different than what is right for that person and we can love each other anyway and also for those differences.
By no means do I feel like I have it all figured out, goodness no! All of this is still in progress. I still struggle with listening and not talking all the time. My friends are very patient, I admire them. But I do feel like I am always growing and usually in a good way, if I am not feel free to prod me. That is another thing I am working on. Taking criticism or unsolicited advice and not just getting irritated and defensive but actually listening. Still hard.

So 30 is not so bad. I thought I would be different when I look back. I was supposed to be more organized and for some reason I thought I would be taller. I am still short and have clutter issues. But I am happy, life has taken many turns in the last 10 years that I could not have ever anticipated and for the most part they have been good. All growing experiences.
Anyway, there I go yapping away....

Back to November!



I have been really busy painting. I have to get busier too, I am forever behind...I am sorry to those who have ordered and are waiting...it is coming! And a massive thank you to all those who have been buying, it has brought some much needed extra money for us at this stage!
 A good excuse to get some painting done during the day is to host an art class. Not really used as an excuse to paint but an excuse to visit a good friend. The house was clean and the art stuff was out, why not teach the technique I have been working in lately. I could do that more often, I just love to see how others, especially children interpret a medium for themselves!



 Hudsy bear. Charmer and risk taker.



Ethan the comedian. I did not see the humour in the spilled crackers... but apparently that is not what this was about since Hudson had dumped them and ran.



Here is one of the pieces done in November...the rest are here.



Ronin. 3 months old and a smooshy chub-a-muffin! He still doesn't giggle much but does do a lot of chatting and cooing.



Uh, oh. This was just supposed to be November. But the next photo was taken on the last day of the month and I see there are more to come, hmmm.



Grandma came to visit for a few days and helped out with so much. One morning the kids did a matchbook style school project with her and then in the afternoon she took Kait and Ethan on a field trip. Off to downtown they went on a city bus. A new experience and one they are still talking about, it was such a treat!



Now I see we are in December, whoops. Oh well it was just the first.
Out to the lake we went with Daves mom to show her how the place is coming along.



The walls were primed and the ceilings painted.



And this time it is not me that is doing it. It does feel weird to not be the painter but I just cannot get the amount if time needed put aside to to a job like that.



Since doing our first house and tackling that massive paint undertaking we have had a few kids. Somehow I just can't do what I used to do without 500 interruptions so it just wasn't going to happen unless I had a few years to putz away at it.
So we have hired that job out to one of my friends husbands. He is a pro and wow, does beautiful work!
This week he is out with the paint colours that I have chosen and I am so nervous. The colours I chose are cooler than what I usually choose and are beachy themed. The opposite of the warm oranges and yellows that Dave loves. I hope I didn't make a mistake. In my minds eye it will all come together but my eye has been wrong before so here's hoping. That is the weird thing about hiring someone. When I paint I often tweak the paint colour as I go along if I don't quite like the hue. I grab my acrylics and pour in pigment until I get the colour I like. No tweaking this time, no control beyond what I have already done. However I know that the cut in lines will be perfect, that makes me happy!



And then we are on to flooring! It has been chosen, ordered and picked up. Now Dave just needs the time and manpower to get it in.

The kids are getting excited as it is coming together out there. Ethan has been the one that is the least reluctant to move. Once it happens (if it ever does, it feels like it will never happen!) the adjustment will be slow but I think it will be ok. He chose the paint colour for his room and that was big.












Hudson has this habit of laying on the floor if he gets upset or when he falls he will roll around for a while. He likes attention and this is his way of trying to get it.
At the lake house he got the attention. He was covered in drywall dust! Kinda hard to miss that he rolled around on the floor for a few moments in a fit. Not the type of behaviour I would normally photograph, but this time, I just had to, we were all cracking up so bad!





Kait is the one that is excited, she can see the vision for the place and we talk about where stuff will go, I hope the adjustment goes well for her.







Ronin. November the 2nd he started rolling. Two and a half months old and on the move.



And maturing so quickly.




This was our tribute to Movember.



I make one ugly dude!



Howdy!

Handsome, no?
And we are done with November!