Another Summer/Fall gone by....and one kid heavier.

Well....we are parents.  Earlier this summer we accepted a package from the Stork labeled 'Annabel'.

 (It was free of charge of course)

Time has been limited on doing much of anything except taking care of child... which has been quite difficult to swallow.  They say your life will never be the same and this is very true.  Understanding what it means is only from actual experience and not just social interaction with one's grandmother. 

It is truly amazing to see how well one can function on 3-4 hours of sleep a day.  I can still make coffee in the morning as long as I can remember not to place the milk in the cabinet instead of the fridge.  I still feed the dog, although...I sometimes feed him the cat's food instead.  He doesn't seem to mind much.

'Boo-Bel'

It is amazing being a parent though.  I can't tell you how much she makes us smile on an hourly basis.

More come in the near future.  Happy Holidays everyone :)



Ernie cools off in Frenchman Bay.



Ernie cools off after a hot 4th of July.





Ernie loves his rock-hopping, even if there in the water.



Fourth of July

Here we are...it is summer already in Maine!!!  Doesn't seem to take long after the snow has disappeared to become hot and filled with tourists. It is has a been a while since I have blogged, so here it is....   The last time you heard from us we were up to our ears in snow and couldn't quite stand the sight of it anymore. 
Well, since then it has not been all that hot of a spring/summer.  We've reached only in the 80's twice and rain has been very plentiful indeed.  So, much so that all of our trees and grasses (not lawn grass) have grown anywhere from 3" to 10" taller than last year at this time.  But with all the rain and cooler temps...Ardrianna and I have been able to finish a MONSTEROUS project!!!


With our new baby on the way, more room was needed.



So...we added a nursery :)





And some owls added to the fine decor.....



The finished product has resulted in a very nice space that we may start our family...complete with hardwood floors that took the most time to get just right.




I can't believe that just a few months ago the upstairs looked like this!!!!



Finished bath with 18x18 tiles and one awesome hot shower.



With only days to go before my daughter arrives into our lives, we have successfully done what some thought an impossible task to undertake with virtually no time to waste. Every weekend, spare moment, and evening went into finishing this house to provide our baby with the best start possible.  We have taken some huge risks in the past and gambled on whether things would work out, and some how they always have.  Thanks for all the support from all our family and friends down South....because in Maine...everyone is south of us. 

 Later Y'all 

When life gives you Lemons....

So, I thought winter was done with us....I have been know to be wrong before.  We received another 7 inches of HEAVY wet snow which, by my calculations, put us over the 100 inch mark for the year!      OVER 8 FEET!!!!



Front Yard with Pond...still Frozen.

It's been such a long and ridiculous winter that even Ernie (aka Nordic Pup.com) was chilly and had to apply extra layers when venturing outside!!  I mean, look at that face, that dog is cold.

Ernie: 'you mean i gotta go out is this weather and go to the bathroom.  What about the one inside? Is it out of order? Can't I go in the litter boxes with the cats?'

 

With baseline temps in the 30's, virtually all of the last six weeks, I decided to create some 'lemonade' upstairs.  I started with a skeleton framework and am SLOWLY created the living space for the entire family.  The project with the most time and labor attached to it is definitely the hardwood floor. 



The project is at about 50% completion.  A few more days of actual hardwood installation and then the sanding, and then the final 3 coats of polyurethane.  Three coats you ask, well, it seals the wood very well and allows anyone with socks on or animals with furry feet to slide across it at high speeds :) 

The bathroom will be next, the baseboard heat elements, trim and then doors!!!!  Almost done.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  Take care and enjoy the heat....if you don't live in Maine.

Later, Gators

SPRING!!!!

Old Man Winter has taken he last breath and is finally letting some warmer temps cruise in.  We topped out at 50 degrees today...the first time since October.  Icebergs are still floating in the pond, but the my yard is now the majority instead of the three-foot snow wall that outlined our walk-way.

OLD MAN WINTER has taken a vacation at the beach until next year and he couldn't have left soon enough.  Even the hardcore snow/cold temp lovers were starting to complain about the length of this winter.

So, until OMW's credit card is maxed-out or he has had too many pina coladas, Ernie and I will enjoy the clear paths to hike on and the green grass to play fetch on.  We'll soak in the sun, frolic through the forest, and eat BBQ until this beach bum returns.

Hope all is well in whatever neck of the woods you are in.

Happy, happy spring everyone!!!

- Shawn and Ernie

Finishing what we started....

With winter still having a firm grasp on Maine, I decide to complete as much construction as possible to the 2nd floor.  It has been a couple years and now, more than ever, we need the room!
The sun comes out to play now and again, but Mr. Gustsalot seems to push me and my trusty hiking buddy, Ernie, back inside to lay in wait until he raises the windchill above 5 degrees. 
However, the pellet stove is kickin' it with the new brand of FireSide pellet (9000 BTU+ output !!!), so I can open the door to the upstairs and work on finishing the baby's room.

As u can see from the photo, a fine stack of unfinished red oak hardwook awaits my knee and nail-gun in the coming weeks. 
This week the sheetrock will be installed, taped and mudded.  Paint will be applied promptly thereafter and then the flooring will wear me down to a skinny man.

And as for Old Man Winter....well...he can be as Wintery as he wants to be.  I mean, he created a luge in my driveway! (The vehicles are huddled together to promote maximum meltage from the sun, which remove about 1 inch of ice....2 to go.  A sand/salt mix was also applied to speed the arctic tundra melt from my front yard.
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods :)

Spring is coming.....eventually!

With the arrival of temps above freezing and no snow in the forecast, one can only think that spring is near.  Or at least dream about it....
Every year at this time, we think 'oh no, I haven't got my seeds in the cold frame yet!'...or...'my winter projects inside the house are not complete' :(
Well, let me tell you this.  It is still freezing outside and it WILL snow again.  Yes, the rollercoaster of temps until late March have begun and the weather will be very pleasant at times and like a Lion at other times until the tourists start rolling back in - Mid April.  Ernie is taking advantage of the empty beaches until then.
But yes, spring is right around the corner... that is until we get past Mud-Season.

Another Day in Paradise

With the increasing daylight, Ernie and I have been taking advantage of enjoying the outdoors. Six feet of snow has already fallen throughout this winter with more on the way.  But spring is...well...hopefully only 6 more LONG weeks away. (at least Phil (groundhog) has predicted).  Mama Mac is doing fine and eating well with the microbaby in mind.  Spring here we come!!!.....hopefully.

Blizzard Feb 2011

Survived another round of snow.  Just over a foot here in BH with another 4 inches expected overnight.
More snow expected on Saturday.  On of the snowiest winters on record for Coastal Maine and still six weeks of colder weather to go.

-creating a loop for dog to walk around the house.

Winter

So...here we go.  My creation of a blog has begun.  Nothing like a blizzard to get me motivated.
Enjoy and share with friends.