Ok.. The Waiting Is Driving Me Crazy.....

Seems like, as you can see from the picture, we are still snowed out of the cabin.... sigh... We were hoping that we would be able to get up to the cabin this weekend... I contacted our neighbour and asked if their cameras were working, and she sent me these pictures.... Um.. they're working, but no, not going to the cabin yet... (Thanks for the pictures, Kitty... you're a gem...)

I had this idea for a light fixture that I want made for the patio area.  I wanted to have a type of a "bar" outside, with a refrigerator and sodas/water or whatever close by.  But, I want a very specific set of lights overtop of it with the fixture offset..  When I was describing it to Jim, he kind of did that "deer in the headlights" stare at me.  It's the same look I gave him when he's describing some engineering project he's working on... he says that I sometimes "stare at the ceiling"...  I guess, it's not that I'm staring at the ceiling, is that I usually don't have a clue what he's talking about.  So, I describe this project to Jim, and even draw him a picture, and sent him a picture of exactly what I want, and we started gathering materials yesterday and working to figure the project out this morning.   He told me this morning that he's still not quite sure how to put it together since the parts are cast iron, but I told him he's a smart guy and I am sure he'll figure this one out...  He told me I was just trying to butter him up...  not really.. ok.. maybe just a little bit...

So, Saturday morning, bright and early 10:30ish, Jim and I made it over to Metal Mart in Lehi to check out the types of cast iron iron pieces they had premade and to see if there was something there we could use.. this would make it easier for Jim not to have to bend metal etc... just a time saver...  And, I found this piece for the main section - I think it will work perfectly.  Unfortunately, they are all out of stock and are supposed to call me on Monday to let me know when more will be in stock...  grrr... This piece is about 3' wide...

And, here's another piece that we can use.. and of course, they had only one in stock... gonna be calling me back on this piece also... This beauty is about a foot wide..

And, this is a third piece that I could have used - that they are out of stock on...  was kind of annoying..  I have a little bit of time to play with, so, we're playing the waiting game right now...this piece is about 6" wide...

And . . . another rooster for my collection.  I've got quite a few chickens/roosters now, and they are starting to migrate out of the kitchen and into other rooms...  The other rooms are filled with moose.... so, if you close your eyes and kind of squint, you can see how moose and chickens mesh...  uhuh... (I think I can convince myself of just about anything....)

And, I found the two flower boxes - way cute....  Don't know what I'll use them for but they're sure cute. I really liked the French tin on the sides... kinda reminds me of Paris...

Jim found some more flooring for the calico floor we've planned for the great room and kitchen. We have been collecting different colours of flooring for several years now.  I am really stuck on the calico pattern.  We have to be really careful to make sure that all the different colours and types of wood actually fit together.  I've had a sample kicking around the back of my car for several years now, so, we've still in good shape.. and, yes... all this is stacked on my livingroom floor...  along with 8 boxes of regular flooring, an adirondack side table for the deck, and a plethora of other stuff to take next time we take a trip to Alton...

And, we found some wooden floor registers for bathrooms and bedrooms.  The bigger one we'll use at the bay window.  Jim tells me we'll need three more of the bigger size for the great room... I have never seen wooden register covers before, so this was kind of a fun surprise...  

Jim bought this little sign... Not sure exactly where it's going to go beyond the idea of in the kitchen...  But, if Jim's cooking I'll kiss him and if I'm cooking, well . . . dinner is gonna be late!!  Giggle.

I was visiting with a friend (Donna Chung Kay) from Toronto this afternoon... And, she mentioned how cool it was that Jim and I were building this cabin, and how well we work together, and upon thinking over the conversation later, I have come to the conclusion that Jim and I work differently together... we approach situations from completely different angles... and he's got this crazy idea that his way is always right (when I know that I'm 100% right ALL the time....).. Well unless I have no idea what I'm doing.  But, I think we have figured out how to approach ideas in our own way, and make it work...  Jim calls me the project manager, and sometimes he just doesn't want to be managed - sometimes the "Help" is just being stubborn...... giggle...  Jim is very organized and analytical, and I'm a little more (a lot) abstract...  He always said that he wanted a partner that was spontaneous... but, as Jim says, didn't expect spontaneous combustion... Giggle...  I wanted a partner that was smart... but, what I got was a "smart a**"  . . .  It all works out..(He still makes me smile... we keep it interesting.)

We were at a restaurant for dinner last night, and I wear a watch that measures my heart rate... Jim asked me what my heart rate was right at that moment.  I looked at my watch, 70, and he then told me to just watch it... (an experiment).  I watched it for a couple of seconds, and then he said, "Cheri, I love you".... and, my heart rate not just skipped a beat, but automatically increased by 12 beats per minute...  So, in actuality, he not only makes my heart skip a beat, but does something amazing to my heart rate... I just hope it's not a heart attack... Giggle.... Yes, Jim... you still got it...

Until next time, the adventure continues...

Love, Jim and Cheri

...And The New Year Has Begun!!! Welcome 2022!

 Well, the year has started off amazingly here in Provo.. However, Alton, Utah was a little cold and a lot snowy, to the point that we couldn't get up the hill to the cabin because of that stupid snow.  I am truly an awful Canadian because I really hate the snow...  It is evil... The only thing I like about the cold and ice is sitting in the stands, at a hockey arena, watching Coy play, or at least, watching him sit on the boards like a pro!!

And, I ordered this piece before Christmas... it was supposed to be a stocking stuffer for Jim, but it showed up after the fact.  So, he got an after Christmas present.  Jim wasn't sure what it was, but it actually measures the inches of snow...before Christmas...  I thought it was cute.  

Jim says we are going to put it out in the jacuzzi area so we can see it clearly from the deck.

As this is our slow time, we are doing more purchasing than building... I went to order the flooring for the main level bedroom.. and they were out of stock.. had to wait a couple of weeks before it came back into stock, but finally got it ordered.  The boxes are supposed to be delivered on Friday...  I love having building materials stored in my livingroom....hmmm... (Eight boxes of flooring showed up... and, oh my, are they heavy.  I went to pick one up, and it didn't work so well...  What was funny, is when I came home from work, all the boxes and one extra package from Target were stacked in front of the door...  had to move things around to get through the door...  giggle)  And, yes... they are all stacked in my livingroom...

And, because the flooring was out of stock (and let me tell you, when it said the flooring was out of stock, I was in a panic... We have half the flooring purchased, and if it was a discontinued product, we would have been stuck with figuring out what to do at this point.... but, that panic was a little premature...), I bought the balusters for the deck.  I've been ordering them, one set at a time for several years now.  We figured we needed 77 sets and at about $100.00 a set, we've been ordering them little by little.  I think we are going to have to step up the pace because the last part of the balcony is going in this spring, and we are going to need them...  We are about half way there right now...

So, we're still making progress... and, we hope to get through the fourway this spring... (We checked with the HVAC guy this week to make sure he was still on the program, and he is recooperating from COVID right now, so that is going to be postponed a little bit... We weren't expecting him for another month or so, so, we've got a little time to play with....)  Can I just say, I hate COVID...  grrrr...

I contacted Jammie, the lady who formats our blog into a book, and she'll be starting to work on the 2021 edition soon, so I am excited and happy for that.  I'll let y'all know when we have an ETA.

As always, the adventure continues..

Love, Jim and Cheri

Let it Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow... and the year ends...

13

°F°C

Precipitation: 1%

Humidity: 55%

Wind: 3 mph

Well, the year comes to an end, and with all the snow and wind and cold, we are totally locked out of even getting to the cabin...  The 13 degree temperature is waaaay too frigid and the 2' of snow on the mountain won't even allow a four wheel drive truck to plow through...  

We were supposed to have the furnace/air conditioner installed this past week, but we are unable to take the sheet metal duct work to the cabin.  We have the skidoos, but that would probably take 20 trips back and forth with a few supplies in each trip.... and, the cold for the contractor would be unbearable...  So, we are watching the weather, and waiting, waiting, waiting...

Christmas has come and gone, and it has been a wonderful and amazing time.  The first step in getting ready for Christmas, at our house, was putting up the Christmas wreaths... (I know this has nothing to do with the cabin, but it made me giggle.) I came home from work, one afternoon, and Jim was putting the wreaths up... with the aid of a hockey stick... He says it's in our Canadian blood... just makes sense to me... Giggle.

AND, the Christmas tree was purchased, and taken off the trailer...(there's a whole story with that comment...) but, we couldn't find the decorations and we did find the lights for the outside of the house, so that was a plus!  Giggle again..

I saw this writing desk and decided that Jim would love it for Christmas.  So, I purchased it, and asked Brianne and Lowell if it could be stored in their garage until Christmas Eve.  They agreed.. Then, I asked if they could help me pick it up.  They also agreed, but, I think they regretted this decision.  We took, the legs off to make it a little lighter, but we figure this piece weighs maybe 350 - 400 pounds...  She's a sturdy girl...And, she's solid.  I couldn't help move it to the bed of the truck, but Brianne and Lowell and Chance all took part and I am sure they thought that maybe a 4th, even a 5th person would have been helpful.  On Christmas Eve, they moved it into their living room, got the legs back on her, and then Jim and I came over... Jim was absolutely taken back and overwhelmed.  I didn't know where he would want to put it in the cabin, but, he says, he feels like it's home is in the loft...  We were going to try and take it home on Christmas Eve, but, Lowell mentioned that there would be absolutely no way the two of us could get it out of the back of the truck with just the two of us...  So, it's temporary home is in Brianne's livingroom... and, one of her cats has taken up residence on the top... so, it's being used.  I don't know the story behind this writing desk, or the age... gonna have to do a little research on this one..  The main thing is:  Jim loves it.

When I drove over to Springville to pick up the writing desk, I knew that I wouldn't be able to fit it in the back of my Kia, so I took Jim's truck.. What I forgot about was the 20 or so stair treads in the back bed.  These stair treads are going to be on the staircase going from the deck down to the patio/jacuzzi area.  And, as you can see, we have a little bit of ice and snow here in Provo!  If you look at the bottom left of the picture, this is the size of each stairstep... It will make going from the deck to the jacuzzi/patio area easier...

Speaking of things I absolutely love, this was one of my Christmas presents... I really have a soft spot for .357's...  I had one like 100 years ago, and now, I have one again.  It's such a sweet gun, I am stoked! (No, I'm not a freak.. just like certain guns...  My ex husband was a police officer, and after taking the police wife's handgun class, I have been hooked on a .357...)

And, Jim always has the week between Christmas and New Year's off from work, and he takes full advantage to dream of new things to put in the cabin......

Our New Year's tradition continued this year with going to dinner and then going to the Kissing Place on Center Street in Provo, and cheering in the New Year in OUR style.  The big metal sign in front of "Big Door" still hasn't been replaced, and I am a little sad, but we have our makeshift sign that works just perfectly.  We had people walking by this year asking us if we were Jim and Cheri... um... ok?  But, it was fun as usual... really cold, but fun...

We have accomplished so much this year in this crazy cabin project... we have completed more projects this past year than any other year, and are looking forward to this next year... With a little luck, we'll be almost finished, if not finished in 2022.

As always, the adventure continues...

Jim and Cheri