I KNOW MY JOB...............AHEM

So we had a basement flood last March 12/2011...the whole basement was gutted. Floors ripped up, lower walls all removed along with the insolation. Everything we had down there, was picked through, photographed, packed up and hauled away by ppl who specialize in doing all that for insurrance etc.
Finally, 3 months later, works begins to rebuild! We are thrilled! I am so excited to decorate it to my tastes. It was nice when we moved in, but the choices made ie; floors etc, were not what I would have chosen. Nor was the gas stove...So now is the time to make some changes....YAY!
The former gas stove is for sale...

We bought an insert gaz fireplace instead, to save alot of room and have a more sleek look....Below is our new fireplace, ready to have the wall built around it...


Now begins my interesting* experience....

Installer & sidekick come a cpl days prior to instalation. He measures out the closest he can put fireplace in the corner then puts a check on the wall....I then tell him, I am getting a mantel (from same store) because we are putting the flat screen above, and it's recommended to have a mantel to cut the heat from going directly to the tv etc...anyway, the mantel choices are 60" or 66" so I want him to measure 60" so I can then order the mantel to fit that. I don't mind coming out a few inches to do that...It will also make for abit more slate on this focal wall of the fireplace.

So he measures out the 60" and puts another check on the wall...photo below. We are all on the same page, he has made his mark, see u in a cpl days ....

Thursday ...I am downstairs talking to the forman/carpenter of the other team who have started working to put my basement back together when the fireplace installer arrives....
He starts to get his stuff together when I ask him..if he remembers our convo from 2 days ago....about measurements etc....when he replies..." I KNOW MY JOB"...as he is walking out to get stuff from the truck. So I safely assume he must....lol
After lot's of noise, inside and out, he seems to be wrapping up when I go downstairs to see the fireplace....Yup, all done, great job...but he is off by atleast 7 inches!...He comes along with is camera to document his installation...when I tell him...."Sir, you were supposed to make it for a 60" wall....He says, "I thought it was closest to the corner?" I reply....that was the 1st measurement...but don't you remember the 2 checks you made on the wall Yourself? The last one is the one we decided on....." I can tell he is frustrated but being as calm as he can, when he says, "Ok, I have to start all over" as he starts walking away....and I say " It's why I asked u in the beginning if u remembered our conversation of 2 days ago and u fired off I KNOW MY JOB...." .....................
He didn't say a word...I think it's because he was trying to keep calm AND knowing HE fucked up...
As he was getting his partner and tools, I spoke to my carpenter..asked if he will be able to cut the mantel to an angle so it will fit flush to the wall and actually fit more to my liking...He confirmed that he could...so when the guy came back, I saved him a cpl hrs of work ...told him I could deal with it...have mantel cut to fit flush...and he replys "Well yeah, it will look much better that way".....I just smiled , but thought....Dude, shut the fuck up...I just saved your ass...ARGHHHH
When Chris went to pick up the Mantel, he told the salesman the whole thing, so they would KNOW... He was sorry that happened and assured us that if I decide to change it , they would go back...I will wait and see if the carpenter can actually cut the mantel, because its partly hollow with metal inside it, and will take some special tools to cut it properly...So fingers crossed....
Just goes to show....u have to keep you eye on the ball even when working with Tradesmen who KNOW THEIR JOBS!!!

MY UNCLE ED

If you have grown up in a small town, like me, you dreamed of bigger and better things. It only dawns on you many yrs later as an adult how lucky you were to have had that experience. I am one such person. Living in a small skiing town in the BC Rockies gave me many memories to draw from....some good, and some bad...I would love to share some of the very good.

Fernie BC was a small town of 6000 people. We moved there when I was 5 yrs old. It also happened to be the town where my god parents lived. Ed and Simone Spence. Simone is my mother’s sister. My aunt & uncle owned “Ed’s Sport Center” the sporting goods store on Fernie’s main street.

The store always fascinated me. It wasn’t a huge store but boy, it was chalked full to the brim! My uncle had all sorts of sport equipment, you name it he had it. Skis & boots, skates & hockey sticks, fishing poles & lures of all colours with hooks that could hurt if u dared to touch them. There was also hunting gear & guns and sportswear of all kinds ...so you can imagine how much fun it would be to go see my aunt and uncle at their store.

As I look back I realize how inconvenient it must have been to have a niece pop in after school as often as I surely did but they never let on. I remember feeling special because I could stand behind the counter (being related to the owners of course). My uncle was always patient and usually had a mischievous smile when he teased me about some of the escapades they brought me on. I have stories....but I digress ...

Uncle Ed was soft spoken. Not quiet really, but certainly not a loud man. He was a great dad who was involved in his son’s sports and supported their teams. He always joked with a straight face. If you didn’t know him, it would probably take you a moment to realize he was kidding. If he teased you, he liked you. Uncle Ed was stern but never mean....I don’t think I ever saw him mad...heard him talk to his sons with a TONE a time or two but they deserved it, they were boys after all....I of course never got the TONE...I was the perfect niece...

So many lives were touched by my uncle’s uncle’s store. When I put a brief message about my uncles passing and the store in Fernie, my heart warmed at some of the comments made. One shared that she got her 1st 10 speed bike at that store, another bought her first skis...A hockey player said he couldn’t even count how many hockey sticks he bought from my uncle or how many times he got his skates sharpened there. Another added that Uncle Ed supported the hockey team that he and my cousin played for together. If you didn’t see my uncle at the front of the store, u knew he was in the back either waxing skis or repairing a bike...or the sparks were flying as he sharpened your skates...I used to love the smell of the tools, wax, grease and oil combined in that back room...I remember it still.

Back to some stories...

I was so lucky to be their goddaughter. I had the privilege of going along on some of their short trips away. Ok, I had to share them with my cousins, but it wasn’t all bad! You know how boys can be....Anyway...memories were made to NEVER be lived down...when I say Never I mean Never! They are part of my DNA so it’s a good thing they are precious to me.

One time I brought my little bag, bulging with clothes for a 2 day trip. My aunt and uncle couldn’t help but ask what in the world I had brought. Well...clothes I said. So my aunt smilingly said, ‘Let’s have a look”.....She pulled out 1, 2, 3, ....4, 5, 6...becoming incredulous as she counted just the number of TOPS I had for our 2 day trip....7,8,9.....by this time I think she had tears of laugher in her eyes as finally she counted the last 10, 11, 12,.....13! YES...13 TOPS! For a 2 day trip.....All I could say is....I just couldn’t decide!! So I brought them all......(I think I was 11)

First breakfast in a restaurant...the waitress asked me how I wanted my eggs ...I had no idea ...so I just said “Fried”.....Of course my cousins guffawed to no end at that one...

I hold dear my memories with my god parents ...and yes, even my cousins...sure they were boys but they were pretty good to me if I’m to be honest.....just don’t tell them that.

One trip to the states, we stayed in a hotel that had a pool...not only had I never stayed in a hotel before, but omg! A pool!...So of course I am so excited I dive head first in the shallow end, thankfully it’s more of a belly flop because I scraped my chin on the bottom of the pool and came up bleeding.....I still have the scar to prove it. My uncle was right there consoling me with the fact that as soon as I jumped in the pool, all the water jumped out! ...to which I always replied when he teased me...”Oh Uncle Ed!” giggling of course.

I was never to live down that story...even hearing it once more 4 yrs ago when Ed & Simone took a cruise that stopped in Quebec City for a full day. I was thrilled! I hadn’t seen them in far too many yrs to count and this gave us the opportunity to spend a whole day together and for them to meet my husband Chris.....Who was REGAILED with the pool story at the first opportunity of course. I listened with a warm heart in remembrance of good times.

As I reminisce about these precious child hood memories I hold in my heart that they are mine to keep for ever as I say one last time “Oh Uncle Ed.....I will miss you.....

BIG TRANSITIONS for CLEO

Last Sunday, we moved Cleo to her first little appartment. I say little because it is literally a 1 room apt, with a closet/hallway kitchen and bathroom, here we call that a (1 1/2). It's perfect for her needs right now. The great thing about it is , she couldn't be better located! She can walk less then a block to University. The street she is living on is the *HUB* of Montreal...St. Denis is considered THE place..lined with boutiques, bistros and clubs...next to school and hopefully she can get a job close to there also. I am very excited for her...
Needless to say, most places aren't too clean when you move in. It isn't an understatement to say, this place, all be it small, was filthy! I was just itching to roll up my sleeves and put my bucket full of cleaning products to good use!
Before staring, we did some shopping. A new shower curtain, curtain poles, organizing unit above the toilet..her own broom, mop, hanging hooks and assorted storage items to better organize what little space she had.

I think I scrubbed that bathroom for over 2 hours but I have to admit enjoying it lol...Yes ..I know, sounds weird but when u start with something so dirty, it's so rewarding to see what a difference u can make. I swear that bathroom shined when I was done with it! Every tile, grout seam and ceramic around the tub was fresh and clean!! It was so satisfying to hang the shower curtain, place the towels and toiletries in their rightful place, and finish with a nice rug! I had to take a pic lol. Chris was putting the toilet shelf thing together and hanging curtain rods and placing hooks for coats up in the appartment while Cleo was unpacking boxes. So we were all busy making it a home..

Her walls still need stuff on them but the bed and bureau are all set up and most of her things are unpacked. She has a few shelves to be put up above her desk area so I didn't photograph that..but the window below looks out to her school...how cool is that! Once she gets a job close by, she wont even need to get a bus pass, big expense saver!

Many have asked me if it was hard as a mom to see her get her own place. To be perfectly honest, not really. I think my biggest adjustment was when I left her dad 10 yrs ago and we had joint custody. So I got used to having her 1 week on, 1 week off. I became acustomed to her being at her dads more in the last yr also , as the transit system is more efficient where he lives, so when she started college, then university, she would be there more often then here. So as she transitions to her own place...I think it's a big change for her but not so much for her father and I .

That said...I am super excited for her and as a mom, I wanted to make sure I helped with the new place ie; cleaning and helping find a home for her things etc. I'm glad I had been putting things aside for her over the past few yrs, like dishes, towels, kitchen stuff..not to mention raiding my own pantry to fill up her cubboard full of easy, quick foods she can heat up or throw in the microwave lol...

At the end of the very long day, the last thing we did in her appt was wash the floor thoroughly, put down the large rug we brought from home, make her bed and be happy with all we did. I was fidgetting around thinking of what else I could do when Cleo says.."Maman, I can deal with the rest".

I think that is what I needed to hear...to walk away. I knew my job was done when she was ready to see me go...as much for me as for her. If that makes sense lol. I left with a light heart knowing her place was clean and fresh and pretty well set up...It's her adventure to live now..with me peeking in when I can ofcourse....and to drop off some toilet paper and a bag of groceries every now and then lol