our little house

It's time to give you a tour of our house... 6 Howley Ave. It's not huge but makes a cozy nest... which is good for nesty types such as myself :)

Bathroom... it actually matches, somewhat- we were proud of ourselves :)

Old fashioned style pedestal sink, hot water radiators. 

Bedroom with knitted blanket from Grandma Vanderwekken, and 'his and hers' closets- haha. There aren't any built in closets since this used to be the living room of the house. Note the fireplace/ headboard...

Our kitchen.... with the shelf Brian built fitting nicely between fridge and stove for pots and pans. Also, I made freshly baked cookies right before I took this, like a good wife ;) 

I love the glass cupboard- and the cozy pine cupboards

Eating/ working area. The brick part is another fireplace. Door goes out to the back porch.

Shelf for recipe books, random papers, magazines, appliances, potatoes...also, note the tomato plants :)

side note- i finally figured out how to make the pics on here bigger- yaaay!

our little house take 2

The laundry room in the basement.. the machines are a bit old but they do the job. The oil tank is through the door on the left.

Brian's workshop/ bike/ storage space. The door goes to the outside.

And now we go up the stairs to the kitchen...

Front hall- its pretty narrow but still great. We share the main front door with the upstairs apartment, then our own front door opens into this hall.

The living room- real fireplace (we are only allowed to use fire logs though), games and other stuff shelf, record player and book shelf. This is attached to the bedroom and the bedroom is attached to the bathroom.

Our comfy couch and coffee table

Snaps

I got an SLR camera... after much deliberation and research (the Nikon D3100 if any of you are into that).

And here are some of the first pics (click on them for a larger view)... I've got a LOT to learn, so excited to get more into this!

Brian in his 'man cave' aka workshop.. working on a desk

Orienteering trick-or-treat meet at Butterpot Provincial Park- Maggie with Brian and Dave in the background

my husband can cook! (and does it often)

October days

Well, it's one of those gray days outside today... the sky is that blank sort of colour as if it has nothing really to say. I am sitting at our kitchen table drinking a coffee. Soon I will be doing little tasky things like sewing on fallen buttons and repotting plants. I am working tonight, so today will be pretty low key. Must try to nap in the afternoon.

that's all for now. I don't really have much to say today. But, it's random picture time...

hurray for road trips to Northern BC-- May 2009

Musical interludes

There are a lot of songs I like. Some that I REALLY like. So I added a playlist... I've seen that other people have these on their blogs. Some of these songs I just think are catchy tunes, others have a lot of meaning for me, others take me back to such specific moments at such memorable times they are comparable to some sort of time machine... music is powerful.

Moments like...

Planning a wedding-- dreaming what it would be like to be a wife. (awesome- blessed beyond words.. challenges and adjustments but above it all- to love and be loved and be LOVED)

Those days back in rainy Vancouver during the winter, when I would wonder where my steadily increasing ties to a man on the other side of the country were leading.

Walking down the aisle as Mr and Mrs Claus.... joyous faces all around.. it was one of those moments you just wish you could play over and over. Those 'out of your head and watching the awesomeness and wondering if this is really happening moments. (it's a BEAUTIFUL DAY!)

Planting trees in the northern forests with a dear friend... belting out songs that resonated with us at that very moment as we adventured, wild and free and strong in the dirt and the bugs and the hardest work.

A slideshow lovingly made by my dear dad, shown at our wedding reception... I somehow managed to stay dry eyed the whole day until that moment... but the culmination of a father's love and hard, dedicated work over many months was so, so meaningful. Watching pictures of my life, of my husband's life- the remarkable similarities before we even knew each other- the passing over from daughter to wife, a big change. But I'll always be your JennyGirl, Dad.

saturdays

I love Saturday mornings. Waking up slowly, no obnoxious alarms. Flyers. Lattes... made by my husband. Fried eggs and toast and apple butter and pure goodness. Sun shining outside and a trip to the farmer's market later. A day off! Mmmmm.

Ambition

Today was my lone day off this week. But I don't mind. It means that I am going to enjoy a three+ day weekend without any guilt whatsoever that I should be working. The joys of scheduling one's one schedule... mmmm.

Today I enjoyed a cup of coffee in my french press. Reading some blogs online. Reading a book. Running in the crisp fall air. Having a friend over for lunch. Slow-cooker roast beef. Fresh rye bread with apple butter. Baking dark-chocolate-speckled (it's different than regular old chocolate chip) cookies. Oatmeal for breakfast with my husband. 'Twas good. And the best way to spend a day off. Even got a bit of journal writing in there.

Today as I was running I was thinking about the benefits of embracing a place for what it is. I have fought hard with St. John's at times. It's not an easy place to live. It's isolated from much of the rest of Canada. It's small, and quirky, and sometimes, a bit 'behind'. People here are fiercely proud of their provincial identity, far more so than their national one. Once a come-from-away, always- I will always be a mainlander. People will always be expecting me to leave here at some point. And the truth is, I most likely will. Brian and I will pack up sometime and move off this rugged rock.

But for now, I can say with a fair degree of confidence that this will be home for at least the next three years. Brian is beginning his doctorate... (that sounds even more impressive than PhD, I think). So we are here for a bit. I want to be supportive of him, following his dream and pursuing excellence in his field- because I know he really has the capacity to do so, and this is the place to do it for now.

I want to become rooted. Settled in this little one-room (almost) apartment. Invested in people here. Cultivating friendships (I've been making a fierce effort to do so and it has already paid off). Fighting the dark nights that sometimes drift over my mind.. you know, those days when you just feel kinda... sad. Finding hobbies and passions. For one, knitting. A friend is dropping off some knitting books tonight- I want to be able to create more than a simple scarf. Photography-- an SLR camera is in the work (oooh, the pics on the blog- I can just see it). Writing- just little things. Baking and cooking and running.

The one I love is home from work. Will write more later...