The HANDFUL

No Littles this week allowed us to go up North. However, there was a slight delay...when one needs to set their water heater on the patio at 10:30 p.m. chances are it's not your best day. After a load of laundry, I hopped in the shower and that is when there was quite a puddle in our laundry. Stepped in by MiRV. Water was quickly shut off and the assessment was made that the water heater has failed...

A quick phone call the next morning confirmed the unit was still under warranty. Armed with instructions of getting a replacement it's off to the local home improvement store we go. Mission accomplished, new unit installed and working. MiRV got a shower and off North we went. Quite a bold move considering we just installed the new unit. But, thankfully, we had checkers checking in to make sure we weren't leaking. All was/is good PTL. I'm just really thankful it happened before we left. Because finding 40 gallons of water on the floor would not be fun in anyone's book!

In Northern news much visible progress was made as the bathtub was set in place and the toilet was brought in along with the vanity to check spacing/placement. WooHoo this is exciting progress since it is so visible! Got smaller quick with all the hardware though! And some of the workers are nearly unable to move their bodies today. It's all MiRV can do to get out of bed the next morning after helping with this remodel. The drive home will leave him stiff and aching for days.

The plan is to head home tomorrow or Sunday and it appears we will be a plus one. The Bee has already ask if she can come back with us to the Meadow. Of course we said yes! Hard to believe Christmas is just a mere week away. Looking forward to our Christmas Eve tradition of pizza this year. Made possible since as our crew is gathering on Christmas Day for our family celebration this season.

The HANDFUL

We've been busy...especially this week as we joined in on the bathroom renovation with the Northern Crew. Daughter ambitiously started a bathroom reno. What she knew was that she didn't like what was there. Unsure of where to go with updating she just went for a total gut job; as in down to the studs! It's been this way for awhile...and ain't nobody happy about going all the way downstairs for an in the night bathroom run especially me! LOL So we are giving a hand to make progress on getting the job done. To really make a start they needed to remove the VERY heavy bathtub...

It certainly was NOT all work...there was play, too.  And boy is MiRV sold on that hot tub business. Made his aches and pains a bit less and anything that does that is a good thing.

In addition, we got to see some of the Monarch migration. What a super duper treat. We always love it when we are there for that. One year they covered the roadways, this year they rested in the trees at night in the yard. It was so incredible. Other years we have just seen them flying, like hundreds and hundreds of them. 

Look very closely at the trees they are hanging up there.

Stay tuned...more reno updates will come.

The HANDFUL

What a week. We started with an unwelcome guest Sunday a.m. that we did not know about until Mondsay p.m. Security cameras are a plus but they don't do it all. We are still on the lookout for this scumbag...

The newest Tribe member is getting chunky and we love it!

THOSE cheeks! 

And today made everything else seem less...water therapy was a welcome respite from all the life we've been doing lately. We enjoyed several paddles and then had lunch before making a drive ALLLLLLL the way around the lake checking out the day use areas and campgrounds and boatdocks and marinas and picnic areas. Yep, we did them all! A nice day of getting wet, we really need to do this more...

The new pump is great but it is still a workout pumping up both boards!

Such a welcome day on the water...we definitely need to plan to do this more often. Getting wet felt so good even if I didn't intend to fall off the board it happened (my first time falling off BTW) and I was thankful for the cooling off it gave me. 

The HANDFUL

What a jam packed week with the Bee we have had. She's been full of energy and enthusiasm for sure. What I can remember is that we have been to the lake paddle boarding, went fishing, bought fireworks, made banana bread, had a cousin visit, played several hands of UNO and attended a cousin birthday party...that is what I can remember right now!

So the action packed fun filled week is leading into a weekend long 4th of July celebrating. WHOOT, whoot but no booms please she isn't a fan of the loud. Just bring on the poppers, glow sticks and smoke bombs with a few parachutes thrown in for good measure.

I'm worn out but I'm loving it.

The HANDFUL

We have been visiting daughter and family this week. Lots of work clothes getting dirty as the guys tackle replacing the SunRoom subfloor. The carpet was ripped up before they moved in then the subfloor was removed today. Before replacing that they braced the floor and shored it up a bit before moving on to new insulation. Tomorrow they will be the subfloor back down after a run to the dump. Then it will be all ready for new flooring once their choice is made as to what that will be. Oh what fun! PROGRESS... and maybe a few sore bones.

Oh and someone got a new life jacket so she can go on the SUP with BeBe and LaLa!

The HANDFUL

There is another new water toy in the arsenal...this one is gonna come in handy when we are able to get back out on the water. It will hold both of us AND a granddaughter! Looking forward to putting it in!

#blackfin

Not the best picture to see the board but it's a beaut! Has the optional kayak seat on it. 

After much research and trying to find the best fit (inflatable, compact, not too heavy, not too small, etc, etc) we think we have a winner. Our plan is to try it out on Memorial Day weekend when we have the Bee if not before. It is big enough for all of us so that is a huge plus. We will each have a board now and not have to take turns. Our other board is quite a bit smaller so in all likihood it will be the one I primarily use. We also sprung for an adapter kit that will allow us to use an inflater to get it blown up; though we will still carry the hand pump! Can't wait for the weather to warm up and try this baby out. Meanwhile I'm headed to the sauna to warm up! These last few days have been waaaay too chilly and that sauna has been incredibly awesome!

UnFOURgettably 4 Friday!

It was a whirlwind week with the Girls from the North. We enjoyed every minute. Lots of fun for sure. We were sad to make the trip North today for their return but so thankful for our time together. Lots of cousin playtime, some chores, planting with BeBe, park hopping, giggles, animal spotting (who knew an ostrich and camel would be seen!), scissor practice, laughing, waffles, reading, making things with LaLa, driving Grave Digger, snowflake cutting (this kid loves winter), hummingbird watching, rock painting, coloring and a snow cone run were just a few of our many activities this week!

Stay safe, stay well!

UnFOURgettably 4 Friday!

Soooooo now we aren't only having a battle with bird's nesting, we are also trying to evict flying things from our ceiling fan. It never ends and that is what makes life, I suppose, but seriously, I could never feel the need to battle flying things and be all right! 

There was an upside this week as we took a day trip to the local lake. It was good to get wet. The blow up paddle board is a really fun toy and we both enjoyed paddling around the cove. This may become a weekly thing. It was a chore to pump that baby up and our backs and arms felt the paddling but in a good way. Keeping our bodies steadily moving and not overdoing will pay dividends in the end.

Blowing up the board! So easy...

Really enjoyed our day trip to the lake and maybe we will take ROADA next time as we found out the campgrounds are empty during the week.

UnFOURgettably 4 Friday!

We celebrated this guy's birthday this week. Good thing it was early in the week as one of us has been "down" with the crud. It's not pretty around here and I am so thankful we bought the BIG pack of tissues at the warehouse store cause I may use every single one of them at this rate. He enjoyed lunch out at his favorite hamburger place. Then he was also treated to cereal bars which is another favorite. Glad he is mostly over the crud but not so glad he shared...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MiRV!

We have heat...

We were thrilled to finally see the UPS man show up this morning and once the delivery was made it was out to ROADA to install the new part. MiRV thankfully is VERY talented and was able to make the install with minimal hurdles. Needed a 2mm allen wrench, which we didn't have so I scouted one from my dad but we came up empty. It's a good thing someone got creative because he made a screwdriver attachment head piece work. After that it was pretty smooth sailing and we indeed now have heat. 

Tomorrow is go time. We will head down into TX for a stop at Big Ben National Park; then make our way to Cali for a meet up with the Daughter and family. There will be other stops along the way both coming and going. Since the schedule has changed so much with the heating part delay we have had to adjust several plans. All doable but adjustments were needed. Overjoyed to be heading out and looking forward to the downtime at the beach coming our way with Bee!

Wild & Three Thursday!

Annnnnd we are in Canada! It's been a lovely trip to see the fall foliage which is stunning in the Lake Superior Provincial Park not to mention the road along the way to get here. The traffic has been light. It's definitely our favorite travel time, before the rush. We didn't get away until late Saturday afternoon and we diverted west a bit to see the Daughter and BEE but we headed on north Sunday afternoon.

We were disappointed to arrive in Grand Portage, MN and find no transportation available to Isle Royale except on weekends as the season is winding down. We had wanted to go on Tuesday. Another time! We have so enjoyed just meandering along with no reservations. We have also enjoyed mornings with both Starbuck's and Tim Horton. Completing the Lake Superior Circle Tour is our mission. Tonight we are actually in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada. We are going to see Downton Abbey. And tonight we will be paying for a spot so we can grab showers and do laundry. Then tomorrow it's on off into Michigan. The weather has been pretty mild, with scattered clouds and a few sprinkles. It's been great!

Before I forget let me tell you about Blueberry Wine. YES, I said blueberry wine and it's definitely yummy. We bought two bottles and I think we should have bought more...anyway if you ever find yourself in Wawa, Ontario, CA I suggest you visit the Algoma Highlands Wild Blueberry Farm and Winery. There Trevor will most likely share some of his story, show you the wine making room then give you a sample of the blueberry wine. He also has strawberry to taste; though not for sale yet, but soon. We loved the blueberry! And if they are picking blueberries be sure to check out the blueberry picking machine, it's pretty cool! Then travel just down the road through his farm to Magpie Falls. It's a bumpy dirt/gravel road but at the end you can boondock and it was very peaceful. BTW they turn the falls off at night. I know, shut up; but it IS true.

Oh, this guy is thrilled due to getting wet!

Stay tuned...this adventures isn't over!

Wild & Three Thursday!

Tuesday, it was Tuesday before we had water again. That whole we will be here hopefully tomorrow thing didn't work out. And, well, you know Monday WAS a holiday, so they showed up around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. We managed being waterless just fine, with grabbing showers at families houses and then wagging some jugs for water to do the necessary things.

You would think the excitement was in having water service restored AND it was but the other excitement was the THREE lines that were cut during the repair. The backhoe had been on sight less then 30 minutes when it was sparks flying and work stoppage. The line locater guy showed back up as well as a lineman for KCPL as well as the owner of the company doing the repair work for us. Yeah, it was exciting. Then KCPL spent their afternoon with us in the hole repairing the cut lines. But hey we DID have water again!

Can't even wait until the repair bill shows up...seriously, should there even have been repairs needed when the house is just 2 years old? I am somewhat happy that we did not go ahead and DIY this fix as the utility lines in the area are ALL OVER the place. It's a mine field literally, hence the THREE cut lines!

But, thankfully, we have water again! 

Wild & Three Thursday!

UGH...it's a water leak AND it's on our side. Ummm, did I mention this home ownership adventure is a thing that drains your wallet, monthly! We normally use between two and three thousand gallons of water a month. Once in a while it we are gone or in the winter we ever get it down to only one thousand gallons. This morning the yard was still extremely wet. We have had a lot of rain, a lot, and our yard doesn't drain all that well even though we have brought in two loads of dirt so it was plausible that the yard would still be spongy. But this was standing water. Yep, leak. County guy came and it appears it's on our side. Callout to the company who did the original work and within 45 minutes they were onsite. That's progress, right? Well, sort of. DigRite was called and they were here within two hours. However, the company that's gonna do the work won't be back until tomorrow...maybe. So we are without water. Oh, sure, we can turn it back on and off to use it but there it gonna be excess water flowing in the yard and an even larger increase in the bill. Fun stuff! And so far we have racked up over 10,000 gallons OVER our normal usage. YIKES!

To be continued...and I really want to do some ranting about how this is a pretty new house (two years ish old) and shouldn't be having some of the issue we have had but I'm gonna refrain. But you know I am thinkin' it!