Is this Much Fun Normal ??

(I tried posting this last night but my pics wouldn't load up from my phone and I was not my patient self given the day was spent in the truck coming home, laundry galore, picking up groceries - you know all the standard home from a vacation kind of stuff to do - so without further a do...)

Since last weekend it has been a blur

A wonderful want to repeat it really really soon kind of blur

I flew out on business a couple days ahead of my sweets&boys

I was asked to redesign an old character home in the heart of The Peg
This street has always been one of my favourites and years ago when my sweets worked close by the area, I would walk down this street a lot and take the boys to the park close by.
I luv'd that every house didn't look the same
They were all of an era passed and they represented every style from the sleek modern homes built during the F.L.Wright era to homes built in the early 1900's that look like New England Cottages Mansions
I have my favorite one... it has heavy wooden door that is round at the top and a turret and coach house - it is lovely

I would definitely say the house I was asked to come out and work on is my second favorite as the people who live inside make this cute muddy yellow house even more inviting

I won't post any pictures this time around as I hope someday soon to post the before and afters - this is a someday project so it could happen this fall or a couple years from now - but to peek your interest here is a CAD detail/sketch that I put together as a starting point (dwg not to scale - but you get the idea)

I am recommending hardi plank shake/siding in Timber bark or Iron Gray w/ 4" white window board and 6" white corner wrap and keystones.  Stacked stone on support pillars with molding details above.  Exposed eave supports w/ exposed cedar gable and deck details that will weather and gray over time

(This home is already beautiful - however the need for symmetry and some needs to update what time and weather have done to the home need to take place - zero maintenance is the goal)

I spent the rest of the trip with my favorite auntie who is only a couple years older than myself and we are known for always going out for sushi, s.bucks, and shopping

We did forever.21 and I am positive we entered into a time warp as we entered the store at 5 and in the change rooms we realized it was 8 - no wonder we were feeling hungry - has anyone else discovered the time wrap that happens in this store?

I had vintage shopping on my list for the weekend and so we checked out a great vintage warehouse

the mint green bakers table would have made a great island with a new stone counter top - great condition too

there was a cabinet that was 10' tall and 5' wide of these storage boxes - great colors - needed a lot of work

really cool claw foot tub (there was another room full of them - I have always dreamed of having one - someday) this one had a wood rim and it was in pretty good shape

handles, pulls, door knobs and hardware galore

tons of vintage light fixtures - the chandeliers on the ceilings were amazing (I almost took one home)

lots of old windows - would have been great doors on a cabinet

sorry bad pic - but do you remember these? I am pretty sure my grandma had all the figures you could get  in her home - in the black and green marbled glass

a great vintage train station bench - would have been cool in my entrance or on my covered front deck - you could also use it along one side of a kitchen table - was in great shape

tons & tons of vintage ceiling tiles - needed a lot of work and very sharp

even some vintage toys - I am of the plastic pink barbie bus era but this would have been cool - my brothers A-team figures would have found this bus much easier on the ego 

What did I want to take home?

this handsome cabinet was $325 and I really tried to mentally fit it into the truck box - but alas I knew the glass doors would likely not make it - it was in perfect condition and could have remained as is or it would have looked great painted out white - I would have kept it in its currently finish

this was the other piece I really wanted to bring home - the tall olive green cabinet - she was $275 and the entire back of the cabinet was mirror - again it would have not survived the trip home

If it had come home with me it would have likely stayed the current color or had been painted white - hopefully I find its clone somewhere closer to home

What did I buy?

I have big plans for these guys - details and after pics to follow soon

 this must be my longest post ever - if you need a refill on your coffee now might be a good time

Behind this door was a morning of relaxation at the spa (top floor of the Fort Gary) - wardrobe consisted on roman bathrobe & sandals only - oooohhhhhhhhh I will definitely be returning

we of course drove by the new Ikea being built that was cool

we zipped down to the Forks - (the little guy was smitten with auntie (we all are smitten with auntie) - holding hands in the back ground)

we did our favorite fergies - the boys remember coming here almost every morning for pancakes at one of the other vendors when we "lived" out here

after lunch we headed back to the house and hopped on the boat and drove back down here via the river - it wouldn't be a proper visit with auntie&uncle without a boat ride on the red&assiniboine

then it happened

auntie & uncle sealed the "they are number one in the boys minds" deal

they took us for supper to the coolest place ever

you order as much food as you want and cook it on these flame grills set into the table

"A" with a plate of bacon prior to cooking it up on the grill - he found his inner bbq chef

It was all you could eat grilling, and that also included all you can eat sushi and shashimi

and at the end of your meal you get to choose your ice cream

I chose coconut (mmmmm the best) and my sweets had the black sesame (he is so adventurous)

we spend sunday with my brother & sister (in laws) and did lunch in the park, played in the park (with black skies looming) and bbq'd at their place

we were also entertained by a music number that all the kids put together for us

(fuzzy pic on purpose)

then we headed home

now most calculate trips in hours - we just gave "A" a giant sucker (thanks auntie & uncle for that) and figured we should be home by the time it is gone

i highly recommend giving a boy major amounts of sugar and telling him to keep still for many many hours - we are amazing parents

two hours in this is what it looked like - and that is where it stayed - we promptly stopped for lunch and to "burn off energy"

thank you family for "housing" us and treating us like royalty - a trip to remember indeed