Saturday, February 17, 2007

some days of our lives

Hello! I've been a little slow in getting things up on the Blog lately - hopefully some of you are still out there! We've been doing a lot, but not getting that much done!
Today, for instance, we got up, ate breakfast, sanded the wall we had filled yesterday, then drove out to Greenwood to buy some paint. On the way to Greenwood, we stopped at a little antique store called Bean's. We were looking for an antque wash basin that we can turn into a sink for the bathroom, but we didn't find one.
Then we stopped at Frenchy's, which is a giant clothing store. They buy stuff in lots off freighters and from store outlets and then they throw it all into giant bins and charge almost nothing for it. We've been getting tips that the Frenchy's in Wilmot is the best one, so we had to check it out. They have a TON of great clothing from places like J. Crew and The Gap and Ralph Lauren. A lot of it is either really small or really big, but there is still enough for us to walk out with a lot of stuff. We walked out with nothing today though, as there were a lot of people there, and we didn't feel like taking the time.
Then we drove on to the paint store and bought our paint, the antique store in Greenwood, and the Chinese Buffet. Oh my goodness, the Chinese Buffet was a smorgasbord of disgusting today. The food was not good, the lady sitting immediately beside us reeked of B.O. and kept blowing her nose. The waitress wiped off the table for us, but made us use the cutlery that had been sitting on the dirty table. The table on the other side of us was held together with duct tape. But we still ate the food and paid for it, too.
On the way home we stopped at this consignment place on the highway we've been hearing a lot about. It's in an old barn and it's run by two men who are still holding on to their hippie status. They have the best tunes cranked, and STUFF everywhere!! It was really fun hunting through it all, although we didn't find anything there, either. They also import olives and feta cheese from Greece, and the guy gave us some of each as a Welcome gift. It is DELICIOUS!!! It's the best feta I've ever had. Yum! Our pottery friend Phil told us about them, and they seem like really cool guys. In the summer they make all sorts of preserves and stuff like Cucumber jam, Pear and Ginger jam, and horseradish. So that was really fun.
When we got home, we recoated the walls, sanded all the moldings that we had already stripped, and re-sanded the wall. Almost ready for paint. The living room is going to be an awesome space when we're done. I really like having the yoga classes out of it, because when they're over I can offer everyone tea, and we can all sit and chat and hang out. It's a totally different feel than doing it in the rec centre.
We've been planning out what we want to do in the kitchen and bathroom. It looks like the bathroom may end up being next, as it's starting to get a really musty smell that we can't get rid of. Jai figures it has something to do with the linoleum tub surround. We're thinking the whole thing is going to have to come out, and we will have to start from scratch. But before we go there, we still have to put the finishing touches on the living room and downstairs bathroom.
The other day we baked all sorts of things - breads and montreal-style bagels, and chocolate chip cookies. Most of them turned out great, but the bagels need a little tweaking before they're perfect. Not bad for our first try, though.

What else? We won our curling game last Monday again. That was pretty fun, because again it was one of the teams that beat us in the first round. We sure showed them - they gave up after five ends this time around! The only problem with all this winning is that we end up paying for a lot of drinks!
And the other thing is, we've been spending some more time in the shop. This is Jai's box he just put up for sale on our web-site.

And we've got some other really fun stuff we're working on that isn't quite ready yet. I'll keep you posted!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi guys,
Oh, it has been awhile...... I read the blog every 3-4 days when I need a burst of change from research and writing, or marking and report cards... At this time of year, I'm grinding through the Jan./Feb. blahs..

You two have kept an amazing pace with the house and all the 'doings'. Reading about curling and community and how you are designing your life in your town is really interesting to hear about--full of promise. Things are all good here. Michael is having a GREAT time in his glass blowing and sculpture classes. Brett hanging in this term at U of L with dances-of-travelling bounding around his head before the end of the year. Connor is toying with the idea to try China as a place where manufacturing could happen. The next time I send I'll include his website address. By the way....I love yours!

Must toodle back to research--just enjoyed a chat with your mom/in-law :)

Take care yoo too.... A. Janet (you might get this twice?)

Jai and Lauren Soloy said...

Hello Aunty Janet! Thanks so much for the note! It's great to hear updates about you and the family, you guys always sound like you have such interesting plans. I'd love to check out Connor's web-site, if you send it along. I'm totally jealous of Michael getting to do glass blowing! That sounds awesome! Send along best wishes from us, and try not to get too bogged down in work! Working at the library has made me think that I could never do what you do all day! Talk to you soon ~Love Lauren (& Jai)

Anonymous said...

hi guys! I'm home from rainy Richmond and am happy to report no earthquake - no liquification!! It sounds like you guys gave your immune systems a huge boost by eating your meal - good on you! That baking looks great! Please send me some business cards with your website listed - I want to distribute your cards around town. The New England people were thrilled to have an order all the way from Nova Scotia ... turns out they have family in Antigonish...anyway - cards - we need cards!! Talk to you soon! XOXO Mom/Joc
Jan - how is Abby? Hi to the boys!

Jai and Lauren Soloy said...

Hello! Yup, I know we need cards. We've been looking into it, but we haven't ordered any yet. Hopefully soon! Thanks for getting that paint, I can't wait to get it! Talk to you soon! Love Lauren