Photo Diary

Monday June 11: Gabe and I arrived safely in Manchester Airport at lunchtime in England after an amazingly smooth trip. We were put to the front of queues, blessed with three seats and we slept for most of the flight. So we were very excited and in a great mood when we met Grandpa. After some crafty car packing we were soon speeding along the motorway to see everyone else. It was wonderful to see my parents and siblings. My dad, Gabe and I went for a nice long walk to see some horses at the stable down the road. Here's a wee pic of Auntie Manda showing Gabe how to pose for the camera!

Tuesday June 12: We spent the day hanging out and catching up with my side of the family.
Here's uncle Paul teaching Gabe how to stick his tongue out!

Wednesday June 13: Ryan arrived early Wednesday morning...but our reunion was delayed because Manda had locked Gabe and I in the house when she went out to college! I tried phoning everyone but no-one was able to help so we started getting inventive trying every key I could find then passing them through the letter box for Ryan to have a go too. Eventually I remembered the next door neighbour used to have a spare key so Ryan went across to fetch it and luckily she recognised him and happily handed it over. The conclusion to the story is that I now have my own key that I will keep for my next visit. Gabe was very happy to be rescued by his daddy and Pops' and here's a great pic of him trying on Pop's hat. The other is of him taking his afternoon nap in the comfiest place he could find while Daddy did the same on the other couch. We had a busy day on Wednesday Daddy had a wedding rehearsal to attend in the evening we went back to my parents house.

My old friend Louis was about to arrive after a very very long bus ride from the south. I believe they are dancing to Abba in this picture.

Thursday June 14: We went shopping in the newly renovated Warrington Mall and enjoyed scones with Devonshire clotted cream and Strawberries for lunch. Then Ryan had to organise the Stag do so we did a bit of brainstorming and paid the deposit for the evening. Gabe and I visited with Richard and Lesley and their two munchkins Dylan and Erin. Gabriel had a fantastic time watching Dylan run around and play with his toys. It was great to see Erin too because she is only a couple of months older than Gabe so Lesley and I have been sharing stories by email for a while. We left with a few new toys too for Gabriel that Dylan kindly picked out.

Friday June 15: Ryan spent the morning with Martyn helping him with last minute details for the wedding. Gabriel and I visited Liverpool University with my dad who had to pick up his first year results. He did really well and he beat my score in physics so well done Grandpa! (for those of you who don't know my dad is currently studying the degree I did). It was really cool to go into the uni and speak to my old lecturers and introduce them to Gabe. We also got to meet some of my mum's work mates because we picked her up afterwards.

We celebrated that night by treating ourselves to a take out...hmm love Indian food made in Britain haha! We tried to weasel information about the stag do out of him but it sounds like they had a very well behaved evening with much bowling and joking around involved. Here's a lovely pic of my dad teaching Gabe how o play with his new toy...or maybe it's the other way around?

Saturday June 16: We took a quick trip into the countryside to visit my Grandma who hasn't been very well and was unable to travel down to see us. Gabriel spent the whole time showing off walking around with the foot stools and generally charming everyone!


We got back just in time for the wedding at 2pm and watched as Martyn married Heather...aww! The ceremony was lovely and after the vows Gabe and I went for a look at the gardens because he was mega wriggly. Daddy looked gorgeous in his Tux and he did a great job of his speech too. The reception was great and the food was so tasty, Gabriel really enjoyed it too. He was given a couple of toys to play with which entertained him during the speeches.

	Here's some proof Heather looked absolutely gorgeous and she actually asked to hold Gabriel! We'll convert her to motherhood in no time haha!

I also got evidence of Ryan looking handsome and dancing the night away with Chris. Stephen & Louisa were at the night do too so I caught them on camera too.





Well that's the first week covered so watch this space for the sequel.

Toilet

After the grout had dried overnight, I was able to install the toilet in the bathroom yesterday. I wish I could say it was installed for the final time, but we will have to take it out one more time when we drywall the back wall. Consequently, I haven't caulked around the toilet yet.
However, for my first attempt at installing a toilet, it went well and there have been no leaks since. I won't get too confident, as everything else is still falling down around our ears, but I'm sure dad would be proud that his son can fit a toilet all by himself!
The next job is levelling the back wall for the new drywall (which I still have to figure out a way to get it to the house this weekend).

Jobs remaining:

Add straps to level back wall
Add support under bath edge
Reposition shower spout
Drywall side wall and back wall
Sand old walls
Remove old light fixtures
Mud, tape and/or skim all walls
Sand all walls
Paint walls and ceiling (?)
Install bath surround
Install bath/shower fittings
Install sink and mirror
Install new light fixtures
Add trims

Grouting Tiles

We grouted the tiles on Monday night. By "we" I mean Gerry grouted and Perron and I stood talking and watching. Gerry is quite the professional when it comes to tiling! He walked into the bathroom with a bucket of mixed grout and a grout float and no more than a couple of minutes later, I went to see if I could help and half the floor was done!
To perfect his masterpiece, Gerry went back over the grout lines a second time, but all-in-all the process was fast. I had picked Perron and Gerry up at 6pm and within two hours, we had stopped at Copps (another home renovations place that I didn't know existed until yesterday), finished the grouting, enjoyed a cold drink break (and a smoke break for Gerry) and then a stop for coffee at Timmy's on the way home. Not bad, for 2 hours work!
Once again I owe Gerry big-time. I don't suppose he'll read this blog, but he's a great guy and does an awesome tiling job. Thanks mate!
And Perron, who has unofficially taken on the much-needed role of project supervisor for the last few weeks, was full of encouragement once again. He's been keeping me focussed on one job at a time and I think me, Perron and Gerry will go out for steaks some time soon, to round off our tiling adventures!

Disaster - in the form of a missing camera!

I had every intention of blogging with all our pictures from England and the weekend but I have hit a significant hurdle. The camera has gone missing, we had it at church on Sunday to take pictures of Gabe's dedication but we haven't seen it since - uh oh! Wish I'd uploaded those pictures sooner now! Let's hope some kind person handed it in to the church office and that the camera will be winging it's way back to us promptly.

On another note Gabe and I visited a splash pad for a couple of hours this morning. Gabe got thoroughly soaked and is currently taking the longest nap ever right now so he clearly had an amazing time. A couple of people commented on how young he is to be interested in walking, so we enjoyed the fact he's ahead of the game for the first time.

We met Jon & Karla Evans for the first time too so that was cool. Jon worked with Ryan at camp when he went out in 2001 (the year before we both went). They are good friends with some of our other friends too so it's nice to put faces to names and meet their little people taboot.

p.s. is taboot a real word? does anyone know and how do you actually spell that?

There and back again a mother's tale

Our trip home to England was wonderful it started off so well because Gabriel slept the whole way on the plane, we were put to the front of every queue, I was given my food first on the plane (just in case he woke up), and we made good time despite strong headwinds. It was especially good to be back for almost two weeks because I felt I had time for everyone who was available and no-one had to be rushed or missed out.

Gabriel loved all the attention and even learnt a couple of new tricks - he can now do "High fives" if he's in a good mood and has his hands free. He also started to move his feet while standing, rather just staying rooted in one spot, he "walks" to where he wants to go...if you are willing to go there too and hold him up! His legs are still jelly though so there's no hope of letting go yet and he refuses to crawl despite his Grandpa's efforts and perseverance. He adjusted back to Canadian time within 36 hours so I'm really pleased with him. He clearly enjoyed all the love and affection he was shown during his stay with family and I'm a little sad now thinking of all the alone time we'll have again now that we're back on Canadian soil.

The great news is that Gran & Pops and Auntie Grace will be out to visit us in a month and we've got mums and kids camp coming up soon. There is always something to look forward to and I'm so grateful. It's been an emotional roller coaster lately with moving house, visiting the Uk and hearing about people we care about being sick. We're a little tired and worse for wear but we know it's in times like these that we have to hold on all the tighter to what we believe in. I've got loads more to write but I'm probably going to do a photo diary in the next post to make it more interesting.

Watch this space!

Message from Gabriel

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\ oll m,bvc .,,,, C
?/LLLL

Toilet Update (Part 2)

We finally returned the faulty toilet and exchanged the damaged bowl for a new one. I asked about getting a different toilet with a smaller tank, and he said "That depends if any waste has gone through it." Tasha and I hesitated before admitting that we'd been using it, but it was only as we drove away with the replacement that I realized how illogical that was. The only part that had been "contaminated" by waste was the bowl we had just left with them. The rest was clean.
Anyway, I haven't fitted the new toilet, due to some other problems that were awaiting us when we got home from England.
I also bought the wrong grout for the tiles. The gaps in the tiles are 1/8" or less, which requires unsanded grout. I bought sanded grout, which is for gaps of 1/8" - 1/2".
So today demands yet another return to Home Depot! **big sigh** We're home!

Back Home

Just a quick post to let you know that we returned to London safely after a reasonable flight. We had a great time back in England and now we have lots of catching up to so with everyone (and with work and renovations too!).
Tash and Gabe are fast asleep now, and I think I'm going to join them!

Break Time

Progress in the bathroom has been great since Saturday. We now have the drywall hung (by a few screws) in the bath area. This just needs tape and mud when we return.
But the biggest progress happened tonight when Perron and Gerry came over to help tile the bathroom floor. Those two are pure legends! I was able to take a back-seat while they did the tiling, which gave me all the time I needed to pack my bags for my trip home and do some chores around the house.
Sadly, Tasha took the camera with her back to England, so I can't show you the result, but I'm excited about showing you the photos of the tiled floor when I get home.
I'm officially done with the bathroom for a few days now. When we return, we will have to grout and set the toilet before we can even sleep at the house, but I'm hoping God grants me enough energy to do all that on the day we get home.
When we removed the toilet, we discovered a small hole in the porcelain where the bolt for the toilet seat goes. It's quite an unusual leak and was obviously there before we bought the toilet. It seems like it was a hole that was painted over, but that will hopefully work in my favour when I try return it and get a refund!
One problem....Tasha has hidden, lost, eaten or taken away the receipt for the toilet! I had the toilet packed up and ready to take back, but the receipt was nowhere to be found.
Anyway, I nominate Perron and Gerry for sainthood or knighthood or any other hood they want (along with Jeff, Geoff, Dan, Dave, Tasha, Gabe, Ian, Steve, Ian, Dawn, Jenn, Josh, Nathanael, Keith and probably someone else I forgot!). Thanks guys!

To do (when we return):

Return toilet
Buy new toilet
Buy grout
Buy grout float
Grout tiles
Clean tiles
Set toilet
Relax

Toilet Update

Our leaky toilet is really starting to bug me now. It's not leaking from the flange but from the underside of the bowl. In fact, believe it or not, it's running from the hole for the seat bolt on the right-hand side. I can't quite figure out how it can leak from there, but there are no visible cracks, just a small stream of water at the flush and then it stops. I don't know what my "consumer rights" are for a toilet. Can I take it back? (I mean...it's a toilet...that's like returning underwear to a store....but much much worse!) Will they believe it was broken when we bought it? Can we fix it? (Bob, the builder says "Yes we can" but Ryan the amateur renovator says "Eurgh, my head hurts")

Aside from the toilet issue, we have now hung the drywall around the bath/shower. It still needs to be mudded and taped, but it's starting to take shape.

Tasha flew to England tonight. In fact right now, she's probably just over the Atlantic trying to get Gabriel to sleep. I miss them both already and the house is far too quiet. However, I'm taking advantage of their absence, and planning to lay the "EasyMat" in the bathroom after work. It's an underlayment for tiles and requires a roll-on primer, 30 minutes waiting, then measureing (twice) and cutting (once), then peel-and-stick down to the plywood. If that happens quick enough, we'll start tiling the floor. Otherwise we will have to wait until I get home from the UK, as I leave on Tuesday night.

It's slow progress, but better than nothing!

Not more teeth!

Gabriel has been showing obvious signs of separation anxiety, possibly because we just moved house and everything is unfamiliar. Apparently it can happen in kids as young as seven months, so we've been dealing with a few more tears and tantrums than usual! I only have to take two steps away from him and he starts to whine and if I leave the room altogether he wails like I'm never coming back. I've read up about it and have a few tactics to try but the most important thing is to keep leaving and coming back until he realises it's not a permanent thing. It's kind of flattering to think there is a person in the world who loves me so me much he can't bear to be apart from me, but it's also rather frustrating when I'm used to a little more independence.
I was just cleaning Gabriel's teeth this morning when I noticed that two more are breaking through! No wonder he's been so teary I've missed blatant signs of teething because we've been so distracted by moving house...poor kid! So he now has four top teeth and two bottom teeth these ones are coming in fast though so hopefully this bout will be over very soon.
I had to put away his Moses basket yesterday too because he has learned object permanence so when he drops a toy over the side he dives over the edge after it and topples the whole thing over...not a fun game! I'm just praying he's not a complete nightmare on the plane with all this change going on around him. Unfortunately I don't have many recent pics to share because we've been so busy lately most of our pictures have been of renovations and not our little bambino. Here is a couple of funny ones from when he first met Cosmo the dog.

What a week!

Well I have internet access for the first time in a week and a half...it's funny how attached I am to spending time on the internet when just a few years ago I'd rather sit with a good book. We've also been coping without a functioning bathroom for a large portion of the week. Ryan and the boys finished the demolition by friday and started construction on saturday. We currently have a bath, a toilet and a subfloor but no tiles (so no showering) and no sink. The work in there has been pretty tough considering all the layers of madness we found underneath the previous tiles and drywall.
We moved all our stuff to the house on the 31st with the help of a few good friends and the place suddenly looked very small. We didn't realise quite how much stuff we had accumulated in the apartment and how blessed we were there to have tons of storage space. The next couple of days were a blur of unpacking and trips to Home Depot! We crashed at Jenn & Josh's at night for three days until we had the plumber in to fit the toilet here. They were very graceful because we weren't exactly good company after our hectic days work!
Gabriel enjoyed his first night in his own room on Sunday and he only woke once to be fed! Praise the Lord!! He's slept way better in his own room than he ever did in ours and as a result so have I...I could cry I'm so happy to eventually get more than a couple of hours of sleep in a row! God answers prayer that's for sure, we prayed that he would sleep better and he has for the last three nights.
With all this going on I almost forgot to get excited about my trip home in four days - I can't wait to see everyone and have Gabe get to know everyone all over again. Gabe and I are traveling alone on the way but Ryan will be traveling back with us on the 22nd. Hopefully the flights will be smooth and Gabe will sleep peacefully the whole way...haha I wish!
Over and Out!

Toilet Leak

Steve fitted the toilet for us last night on the wooden subloor. It was only a temporary fitting, so we could use the bathroom without having to go visit a friend's house. The new toilet is nice (although the tank is HUGE ...about 13 litres, I think!) and it fits perfectly in the corner. However, after Steve left we noticed that a small amount of water would trickle out from under the toilet when we flushed.

I suspect that it's either because we fitted a steel repair flange over the old flange and/or because the new flange is higher than the subfloor. We were going to lay ceramic tile, so the toilet would have to come up when we got around to that, but now, due to stress and time restrictions, we may opt for vinyl tiles instead. The problem is that this wont add much height to the current subfloor, so we may need to address the leaky toilet issue soon. Fortunately, Steve had already kindly offered to return to help installing the sink and shower finishings, so we'll get things moving soon and call him back.

The task for tonight is to add the drywall behind (above) the bathtub, mud and tape it and then install the surround for the bath. We also need to (politely) complain to Home Depot that there was a part of the shower-set missing when we went through the box. It's the backplate for the tap, so it's pretty much essential. I just hope they believe that it was missing and don't think we are trying to fool them. Tasha wonders if someone had removed it in the store before she bought it. Unlike me, Tasha takes the front box from the shelf, whereas I always reach to the back to make sure I get an "untouched" item!!! I knew there was a good reason for that!

First Night at the House

We spent our first night sleeping at the house, last night. We still have way too much work to do, but it was nice to spend the night in our own house for the first time. Gabriel had his own bedroom for the first time ever and he slept peacefully with only one wake-up at 3am. This is much better than an average night, so we're praising God for that big step. Gabe usually wakes at least 2 times a night and so one wake-up was a great improvement.
It makes me wonder if it was Tasha's snoring that disturbed him in the old place! ;)

Plumber

On Sunday, Steve, the plumber went to work installing the bathroom fixtures, including 3 new valves (2 sink and 1 toilet) along with installing the water lines and waste line for the bath.


The bath is acrylic and is an unusual fit, but it has solid "legs" which seem to support the weight and so we didn't attach a 2x4 at the back edge. It felt very solid even before we added some screws to hold it to the studs. I was very uncomfortable with drilling screws into the bathtub, but I was assured that it wasn't uncommon and that it would give it extra support. The instructions showed the bath held in by nails, using only the head of the nail to "clip" the lip of the bathtub to the stud. However, the instructions were useless as they didn't match the tub and the lip of the bath was horizontal and not vertical (in other words, too wide for any clip!).


The screws held it in place and it looks very solid. I am tempted to add additional bars under the lip at the sides to give it extra support. I'm paranoid like that, but I don't want that bath to move anywhere!


Steve had a little trouble with one of the valves for the sink. That wasn't his fault, but we ran out of copper and so to save having to wait for another night to complete the work, we found a scrap piece of copper pipe in the basement and cleaned that up to use. It took a couple of attempts to get the valve to work, but when it did the work was done and Steve left.

New Subfloor

On Saturday, Perron came over to help with the bathroom. First we went to Home Depot to buy some stuff. The staff there are very friendly, but often their opinions vary on how to do the jobs needed. Anyway, we bought what we needed (including a bath in the hope that we would get that done soon) and headed to the house.
Perron and I worked at laying the 1/2" exterior grade spruce over the old 1 1/4" floorboard planks. The floorboards were thick but not very level and a little bit springy and creaky, so we added a few nails through the old floorboards and into the joists and went around removing or hammering down old nails that were sticking up too far.
Geoff came over to help later in the afternoon and between us, we got the new subfloor cut with the right holes for the water lines, drains, and air vent. It took time and I'm sure I bugged Geoff and Perron with constant reminders to "measure twice and cut once" and to "be careful of the pipes".
We screwed the new subfloor to the old floorboards using 1 1/2" floor screws every 6", and leaving approx 1/4 to 1/2" at the edges of the room and 1/8" between the two sheets of spruce to allow for expansion. We had been told to avoid the joists when screwing the floor down (some people told us to aim for them, but I went with the former advice). As it turns out, the screws would have been too short to reach the joists anyway, so it didn't really matter.
The work was much easier with 2 or 3 people and the help of a useful jigsaw that Perron brought. (I don't yet have my own jigsaw but I'm sure that will go on my wish list for a birthday present!)

Subfloor

After removing the tiles the next step was to remove the wooden subfloor with old vinyl covering over it. This again took hours of work and lots of help from friends. Thanks Dave, Jeff and Keith.

Tiles

The floor tiles came up with a lot of work and sweat. I foolishly spent hours prying tiles up with a small pry bar and then the following day I was advised to buy a bolster to finish the job. The bolster was an amazing success. We left the tiles and bolster in the capable hands of our friend Dan and he lifted the rest of the tile (half the floor) in less than 45 minutes!!! Verdict: Bolster worth the $8 and Dan worth a lot more! Thanks Dan.