Before we begin...

July 25, 2012

Wow, had to face unpacking all of the boxes we packed up before we left.  I think there were forty down in the basement another fifteen in Jason's room.  We've spent the last few weeks going through most of them.  It is funny because we got rid of EVERYTHING we wanted to get rid of before we packed up the boxes.  After living in Italy for six months and having very little, I come home and see how very little we need.  As I unpack the boxes, at least half goes into the "Don't Need" pile.  I have been hanging on to most of it for sentimental reasons.  So began the big clearing out.  We ended up having a garage sale and most everything went.  It feels so much lighter now.

Some of the boxes I started to unpack, bur realized I was about to unpack them into a kitchen that was going to be remodeled, which means I would be packing it all back up again.  I just took those boxes right back down to the basement.  Then I realized we were remodeling the basement too, so up to Jason's room they went.  (he has the most room for extra stuff).

We had an office in the basement, and so we got rid of everything in that too.  We ended up cleaning out our file cabinet and shredding stuff with important information on it.  Look how much shredding we did...  

We boxed up all of the things like paint and art supplies and shelves of extra stuff we hang on to.  Finally, the basement has been cleared of all of our STUFF that we just threw down there.  This is what it looks like now, before we begin... This just as you come down to the bottom of the stairs.  That open space off to the left is where I stored all of my food because there is currently no space in my kitchen for food.

Standing on the stairs looking out, you can see the doorway to the office on the right, and the monstrosity of a furnace on the left.

As I turn from the stairs, I can see the door opposite that leads outside to a staircase up to the back deck.  To the left of the door is where we had a wall of shelves that were completely full of our STUFF.

The basement office had a desk, old mac computer, file cabinet, and shelves full of STUFF.  Seems weird it is so empty.  The pipe you see drains from our second floor.  This will end up behind a wall so that I don't have to look at it anymore!

 From the office looking out to the stairs.

Under the stairs we have our extra refrigerator and an enormous electrical panel.

If I walk past the refrigerator and turn around and look at the center of the basement, I see... AAAAAhhhhhhh, What is it???   It is EVERYthing but the kitchen sink...  The chimney runs all the way up through the kitchen (using up valuable space) and up through the second floor as well.  All of our "equipment" is in the center of the room surrounding said chimney;  What a waste of space...  We are going to get rid of the chimney.

Past the chimney is where our old washer/dryer used to be.  It is thankfully on the main floor now so that I don't have to do laundry in the creepy basement.  Those barrels store water... Yep, we have to empty them out so we can remove them from the basement.

Moving around the chimney you can see what we fondly refer to as "The Throne" as it is up on a pedestal and everything.  It is actually a working toilet, so in case of emergencies, (during big parties and such) we have five working toilets on site.

The water softener hugs the other side of the chimney...

Standing at the water barrels looking back at the refrigerator, you can see an opening in the cement.  This leads under our dining room.  This is where we are going to dig out BY HAND (really, using a jackhammer and carrying the dirt out in buckets) a space for an equipment room.  So all of that "equipment" you see in the center of the basement will go hidden away under the dining room.

 Moving upstairs...  This is the view of what we used to call our breakfast room.  It had a tall table and four chairs in it.  The only problem is that it's main function was to gather all of our junk.  We could never really use it for breakfast because the table was always full of our STUFF.  Man, we sure do seem to have a lot of it...

Oops, that view was a bit fuzzy... kind of how I am feeling at the moment.  I left it in because it shows the beautiful arch that I love so much.  Here is a clearer view sans arch...The doorway leads to the living room beyond.  That whole wall with the door in it will be gone leaving it open to the living room which lies mostly to the right.

Everything looks a bit bare because I have taken down all of the decorations because next week the demolition of some of the walls begins...  I left all the STUFF on the counters because that is just how it is at the moment.  There is nowhere near enough counter space now.  Still, it is a cute kitchen. The dining room is through the second arch.

Here it the other side.  I should have included a picture of the inside of the refrigerator as it is hanging on by a thread...well, the thing is actually completely duct taped together inside, so perhaps "thread" is not the correct word.

This is the view from the dining room.

This may just be the very last time I scrub this floor on my hands and knees.  Hallelujah.

 This is our music room which we are going to make smaller.  The wall that the piano is on will be moved almost three feet to the left of where it is now, making more room in the kitchen.

Then it is on to the living room.  We have been debating about the World Map.  It took us FOREVER to paint it, but I really don't like the colors, so I want it gone.  David wants to keep it.  That is actually a mirror on the right that is reflecting the map, no, we don't have two maps up...

We have to put a new window in here because this one doesn't open, and we want to be able to have fresh air..

This window (on the left) will be removed and a smaller window put next to the fireplace.  The rest of that corner area will be enclosed so that you don't have to look at all of our coats and shoes when you come over to visit...

That big white closet will be removed and there will be a window to to the outside there.  The left part of that wall will be gone and it will all be open to the kitchen.

So, that is the tour of the house as we prepare for the remodel.  Hope you enjoy the journey with us!
~Mary

Homecoming...

July 5, 2012

We woke up early on the fourth and met the taxi (beautiful large transport van) at 5:50 a.m.  Everything was ready, so we basically woke up, got dressed, brushed our teeth and hair, and put the luggage in the van.  It was a really easy drive without traffic at that hour, so we made it in an hour and fifteen minutes from Castleford to Manchester airport.  Our driver was the owner of the business and it was really interesting to hear how he started his business and how he is building it.  He was a really nice guy and we had a very enjoyable ride.  The kids slept too…

Once at the airport, we had our only major hiccup on the entire trip.  It was at the KLM counter in Manchester.  We checked in all of our luggage and they weighed each piece, and they were all under the required 23 kilo.  When we thought we were finished, they then asked us to put our carry-on luggage on the scales.  We were like, WHAT???  None of the ticketing information online says anything about weighing our carry-on.  Naturally we had put all of our heavy, breakable things in the carry-on so we could protect them.  Oh no… they tried to tell us that we could shuffle stuff around and put it in other bags.  The problem was that three of our carry-on bags were overweight, and the one that wasn’t was a keyboard in it’s case with nowhere to put extra weight. 

To make a very long story short, we ended up paying 180 pounds sterling, which is about $265 dollars to get out three carry-on bags checked through.  AND they were packed as carry-on, so not so sure that everything will make it home in tact when it is being thrown around by baggage handlers.  Big time bummer. 

However, we decided that we were NOT going to let this ruin the end of our pretty darned amazing trip.  So, we looked at the positive side of this situation.  We didn’t have to lift those heavy bags up and put them in the overhead on each of the three legs of the flight back to Missoula J  And I have to say, it was really nice not having to do that.

The flights were really easy.  We flew to Amsterdam, then from Amsterdam to Minneapolis where we had a two hour layover.  This was a good thing as it took us quite a long time to clear passport control.  Then we had to get claim our bags, go through customs.  Luckily, that was a snap as the kids found our bags rather quickly and it was really easy to check them back in.

Then it was on to Missoula. Our original flights booked back in August 2011 had us getting in near midnight.  However, the flights were changed many times over the last six months.  The new flights were fantastic as we were arriving at 7:30 p.m. instead.  As we flew into Montana my heart lightened.

We were all really tired as we had been away so long.  I was so tired that I couldn’t even get out of my seat to get the camera out of my bag in the overhead.  It is a shame, because it was utterly spectacular flying in and looking down at the Bob Marshall wilderness, then Flathead lake, and finally the familiar surroundings of Missoula.  It was a crystal clear evening and everything looked so beautiful.  It made me realize just how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful place.

Paul Gladen was waiting at the airport for us and it was an easy drive home in the sunshine.  I was shocked when we pulled up outside our house.  It was beautiful J  Patricia (who had been staying there) had mowed the grass.  I am a bit anal about my grass as I mow it diagonally different directions each time.  I was expecting the worst possible scenario.  I just couldn’t believe it when I saw that the lawn was cut diagonally…  Not only that, but my flower box out in the front window was blooming with three different types of flowers and it looked gorgeous.  (I had left it with plastic flowers in the winter) I really could not have asked for a nicer homecoming.

Unfortunately we couldn’t find the key to the house, so we were locked out..  Leaving me with the kids and the suitcases on the front steps, David went with Paul to his house to pick up a spare key.  It was really nice relaxing outside the house in perfect weather.  The only downside is that the kids had to go to the bathroom L

They were very happy when Paul and David returned.  We had planned on going out to dinner at Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  However, the nice homecoming only got better.  First of all, the house was spotless.  It seems that whenever I clean the house, there are dust bunnies everywhere within minutes.  How Patricia accomplished this pristine house I will never know.  Seriously, I even searched for dust bunnies and couldn’t find them.  Maybe we should just have her move back in…

The wonders continued.  We walk in and there is a fresh plate of brownies on the table…

Fresh flowers in the kitchen...

Then I opened the refrigerator and there is milk, juice, eggs, and much more. 

 I had to take pictures.  Everything was labeled.  She left pancake mix with instructions.  She left us a breakfast of potatoes, spinach, and a bunch of other things with steak on top.  There was turkey breast for lunch along with bread, sliced cheeses, condiments, and celery and carrot sticks.  Lunch for tomorrow all set!  Finally, there was a plate of Chicken wraps with cucumber sauce for our dinner along with a salad topped with strawberries.  She even had a rhubarb strawberry pie for dessert...

I can’t tell you how nice it was, after finally getting home, to be able to STAY there.  No, we didn’t go out to eat, we had those chicken wraps and they were delicious.

We were all so tired that we decided to go to bed.  It was just getting dark, and the fireworks were just starting, but it didn’t matter.  We all fell fast asleep and didn’t hear anything after that.  So incredibly good to be home…

The next morning we exploded into the house as unpacking began.  It wasn't a pretty sight...  

It was a shame to mess up the perfectly organized space.  Talk about organization, we had a big box with all of our mail sorted and filed alphabetically.  Even the magazines were stacked up alphabetically.  It was amazing.   It took us two hours to go through all of the mail and she had already gotten rid of the junk mail for us.  I can't imagine how long it would have taken without her organizing it all.

How blessed we have been throughout this journey.  We couldn't have asked for a better ending.  Until the next saga begins... (which shouldn't be that long as I might start blogging about our upcoming kitchen remodel)

~Mary

Last Day in England...

July 3, 2012

Our last day in England…  Yesterday we sold the car, so that was a huge relief to have done before we left.  We really didn’t want to have to leave it for Andrew to sell.  So today, we spent our time mostly just making sure each piece of check in luggage was within the weight limit of 23 Kilo each.  We have four carry on bags which  include the three ones on  wheels and the fourth being Danika’s little keyboard.   It took a great deal of shuffling to get everything at a proper weight L

We were all really tired.  In fact, that is why this post shows a lack of photos… I was too tired to carry the camera around.  Danika and Jason’s cousin, Leoni, was laid up with her leg in a cast, so she was nice enough to put a movie on the television and watch it with them while David and I walked into town.  David wanted to go for one last meal of fish and chips. 

It was funny because I don’t like fish, but I wanted to go with him, so Leoni was telling me about these scallops that you can get that are just potatoes fried in the fish batter.  Basically they are a heart attack waiting to happen.  I figured I would try them. 

Well, when we got to the fish shop and I looked at the menu, the scallops were only 28 pence (less than 45 cents).  I figured if they were that cheap, they must be pretty small, so I better order two.  Oh my gosh, when they plopped the first one down, I gasped…  it was enormous…  I wasn’t sure I could eat one, much less two.  It was also dripping with grease.  You have to understand, that by this time, I have gained nearly twenty pounds from when we left in January, and my clothes really don’t fit.  Did that stop me from eating it?  Of course not!  At least we had a twenty minute walk back to the house to use up some of those calories.

I was absolutely exhausted by the time we got back.  I think I just vegged out!  Leoni was so sweet that she French plaited (braided) Danika’s hair like she does for her horse’s mane.  Poor thing, she has a cast on her leg and she still managed to take the time to do it.  Danika sits still much better for her cousin than she does for me J

At 4:30, Peter, David’s dad, came over and it was nice to be able to spend some time with him.  He stayed for dinner and a last goodbye before we leave for the States.  Julie made a fabulous dinner, and then we all went to the pub for some dessert.  We tried sticky toffee pudding, hot fudge cake, and endless ice cream.  I was feeling a bit sick by the time we got back home.  I think I will have gained the rest of the 20 lbs. by the time we get back to Missoula!

Off to bed early as we get up 5:30 a.m. to take a taxi to Manchester airport which is about an hour and a half away.  Night J

~Mary

Remembering Grandma...

July 1, 2012

Today was the day that we spread Grandma Firth’s ashes.  The entire family met up at Granddad Firth’s place.  He lives just across the road from Roundhay Park.  This park is enourmous, and Granddad wanted to put some ashes in a special garden that the two of them used to go to.  It is a beautiful place about a 15 minute walk from Granddad’s place. 

A few people drove and that was nice because Leoni is in her cast, so she didn’t have to do it on crutches.  It was a cold and windy walk over, but once we reached the gardens, the sun came out and it was very peaceful.  It gave all of us time to wander around and think about Grandma Firth.  The flowers were beautiful and they really reminded me of her.  Many of us gathered around a pond with a little waterfall. It was very peaceful…

 

Hilary and Granddad Firth...

These are Joyce’s (Grandma Firth’s) two sisters, Catherine and Beryl…

There were tears…

As well as laughter…

It really is a lovely place for Granddad Firth (as well as anyone who knew Joyce) to return to and have a peaceful place to recall fond memories.

After Granddad put a handful of ashes amongst some purple flowers, we all headed back to his place.  It is a lovely walk through the park.  This was modeled after Monet’s gardens…

Jason with his cousin, James, James’ wife Haley, and Jason’s other cousin, Elizabeth.

The walk back to Peter’s place includes a long walk across Soldier’s field.  Jason is at the very front with his cousins, Danika is at the back with Granddad Firth, David, and Auntie Hilary.  It was amazing that we were the only ones on the entire field…

David was able to get some alone time with his dad…

Back at Granddad’s place, just outside the living room window, we planted a tree in honor of Joyce. This is where Peter spread the rest of her ashes. 

Uncle Andrew and Jason digging the hole…

Danika telling them it needs to be a bit deeper…

They asked David to say a prayer, and it was really nice.  Jason’s eyes watered up as he was saying it.  Then Granddad placed the ashes…

All filled in with memory plaque in place.  It is a magnolia tree.  I couldn’t think of a better tree for Joyce, how lovely…

After this was done, we all went to a local pub called the White House for dinner.  There was only one picture taken there, and that was because David had the camera.  Somehow, Uncle Duncan had given Danika these things called White Bait.  Apparently, she loved them, and wanted me to try them.  Now, I don’t like fish, but I can eat some white fish, you know, the stuff that doesn’t taste fishy.  So, when I was handed this thing to try and told it was fish, but that Danika liked it, I figured it would be okay to try.  The other reason I was willing to try it was because David didn’t say anything to me.  He always tells me that I won’t like something if it has the tiniest inkling of a fishy taste.  So, I popped it in my mouth and this was the result…

Oh my gosh, how could they do that to me?  It tasted disgusting.  It was a whole fish, eyes and all.  I had no idea because it was covered in batter.  David told me later what it was and I could have killed him.

Other than that, it was a lovely dinner except for the fact that I ate too much.  You see, we all had dessert as well.  I kept eating it even though I was completely stuffed.  My stomach hurt all night.  Can’t wait to get back to a normal eating routine…

~Mary