Leaps and Bounds peeps. . .

I love me some fall skies...  the colours are beautiful and relaxing here at the cabin... however, I remember as a kid hating the fall because fall in Ontario always seemed to be gray and overcast all the time and I found it depressing.  But, these beautiful colours  are inspiring.

The work continues in the loft.  The sheetrock is going up on the walls so that the ceiling can be completed smoothly at the seam.  I'm learning a whole lot from this process....

And, here's another of the same area but with the bottom piece of sheetrock added.  I'm excited.

And, here's a shot of the ceiling in the loft.  I absolutely love the tongue and groove look of these ceilings... they are a ton of work, but they look beautiful.

This is the loft to the left and above where the sheet rock was installed.  It's kind of a weird little piece, but Jim and Ben installed it with the ceiling tongue and groove..

Jim sent me this picture and I couldn't figure out why... I had to have him explain what the picture was all about.  You see the little triangle... it's now covered in sheetrock...  before it wasn't.  Giggle/

Earlier in the week, Jim tripped and hurt his knee... today, he tripped and skinned his knee.  He called me, showed me the picture, and told me this was the injury of the day.. 

Back to the loft.  Ben put the plastic sheeting over the insulation (to code) so it's now ready for wood.

And, here it is with a little wood applied.  Jim told me that they installed the longest piece of knotty pine ever and it was a little on the difficult side of life.  It was 13' 6" long and a bear to install.  But, they did it, and it looks fabulous.

And, here's another one of those picture that I had to ask about... the sheet rock has been put on the other side of the ceiling.  Giggle...  And, I think there is some insulation in the light fixture... and it's bugging me like crazy...  But, I'm trying to stay quiet about it, or else Jim tells me I'm a little OCD...

And, at the end of the day... the loft ceiling is completed!  It looks magnifique!

Jim sent me these pictures just before he left to come back home to Provo...  More of the sheetrock has been installed giving the whole loft a more finished look....

And, a little more sheetrock covering the loft bathroom walls.....

...and a little more....

And, voila!  It looks amazing.  We agreed that with a little more finish work in the loft and it will be done.... Jim wants to put some storage space on the left side of this room, where the roof slants down... it is space that you can't really do anything else with.... so storage it is.  Then, we are going to call the carpet guy in to finish the loft floor with carpet.  I am totally stoked... 

This summer has gone by quickly, but so much has been accomplished.  The weather is starting to cool down so it makes working a whole lot easier... I am feeling encouraged.

My brother, Eldon, sent me a letter that my mom had written years and years ago describing some highlights and lowlights of her life..  As I read it, I had a different insight into the lives of my parents - she put a lot of detail into some of their adventures - things she had never talked about.  Some things were really funny, others devastating.  But, they endured and made the lives they wanted - full and beautiful.... One of the things she talked about was moving our family into our house in Brampton, in January 1963 - the house was not finished - no plumbing, just one great big room that was our kitchen, livingroom and bedrooms.. for all of us.  Think about it... January in Canada... We had a fireplace downstairs but it was the plumbing issue that was not great... Mom and Dad built 3 houses during their marriage - two in Port Credit, Ontario and one in Brampton.  I was six years old when the last one was built and it was an adventure for me!!  And, I think about this cabin, and all the complaining I have done over the years... and, the patience my sweet husband has had to have putting up with me... Jim's a wonderful, patient husband and a good man... truly good. I appreciate him loving me. I have been truly humbled after reading this 17 pages of history... It's inspired me to make some changes, and I am going to try to make them with dignity and grace... Thank you Eldon, for sharing with me and our brothers.  I hope they are as inspired by mom's writings as I have been.

And, I'll end with another beautiful sunset.. the adventure continues...

Love Jim and Cheri

"Life is the greatest fairy tale of all"