About Me

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I'm a crabby, middle-aged woman who along with her family, is building a cottage at Ingolf, Ontario. The entire reason for having male children is becoming clear to me now. Cheap, forced labour. You want to eat? Sure, just as soon as 3 more sheets of drywall are up... Join me on this odyssey as we build Cabin Five at Ingolf and hopefully live to tell the tale.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Canada Day

Gramma took the kids down to the lake on the last day of school and we followed that evening after work. Since the kids weren't in the van we were able to take a couple sheet of drywall and 10 sheets of beadboard for my beloved screen room.

Surprisingly (to me anyway) they fit in the boat longways and didn't have to hang across over the water. Good to know we can get some more drywall down in the summer as we need at least another 10 sheets according to Dale.

On Tuesday night we spent our last official night in Cabin 1. On Canada Day I cleaned out most of our things from the kitchen, bedroom and other nooks and crannies and we moved it over to the sawdust and drywall-strewn marvel we call Cabin 5. Gah! I can't believe we are going to move in and start sleeping and cooking there. I have no kitchen, running water, sink, etc. but I am determined to make it work.

Dale and I are going back on July 6th for two weeks and bringing down whatever we can carry that I think we need... pots and pans, cutlery, a kettle, etc., plus all the food for a couple of weeks. It's going to be a little awkward but exciting at the same time. I can't wait to spend the first night there with the kids on the air beds.

Onwards and upwards,

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Holy Cats it was Cold!

Dale and Audrey went down to Cabin 5 for the week of May 11 -15th to work. It's embarrassing when your mother-in-law does more work in your cabin than you do, isn't it... But hey, she's handy with insulation.

Dale was able to get a lot more of the drywalling done and when the boys and I came down on Friday the 15th I was surprised at how much 'smaller' the cabin looks with walls. We are beginning to think that we didn't make the living room area large enough, particularly now that the wood stove is jutting out into the room, but I guess we will still have the screen room for 3 seasons to spread out into. Gotta have decent sized bedrooms for all the grandchildren in about 20 years.....

Uncle Earl was busily helping wiring in outlets. Dale says Earl is much faster at it and is grateful for the help.

Friday night was freezing and snowing and we woke up to a very cold cabin 1 and snow all over the ground and trees. It didn't make any difference for working inside cabin 5 though as Dale had the wood stove on and Eddie and Dale and Gramma carried on. I actually did a little work too believe it or not, tuck-taping the screen room and the mudroom and helping with some drywall cutting. I mainly feed the troops now. My time will come with painting and other finishing! I actually am looking forward to painting.

Onwards and upwards,

Monday, May 4, 2009

Cabin 5 is back!
















Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I've been able to update the blog. My old blog over at http://www.freewebs.com/gibson-girl/ is out of room, so I have decided to continue here at Blogger.com.

Well, it's been a long, cold winter. And a lot has happened since I last blogged Thanksgiving weekend of 2008.

Over the winter:

  • Dale had a plumber come out and rough in the kitchen and bathroom plumbing.
  • We bought a woodstove and had it installed and we even used it!
  • We hired some rafter monkeys to drywall the bedroom, hallway and mudroom ceilings and to vapour barrier, tape and blow in loose insulation there and in the vaulted living room ceiling too.
  • We are in the process of having a greywater system installed for the sinks and shower/tub. Composting toilet is still on the horizon.
  • We bought a fridge and stove from Dufresne in Kenora. Hmmmmm... the do not pay for 6 months deadline must be coming up. Gulp.

So as you can imagine we are BROKE! Penniless. Destitute. Well, not totally but you get the general idea. Whose idea was this money pit anyway?

Dale is going out for a week in May to finish the drywalling. The kids and I are going to join him on the long weekend and bring him home. Gramma is going with Dale. It's pretty sad when your mother-in-law has done more work in your cabin than you have. I hang my head in shame.

I am not looking forward to all the drywall taping and mudding to come. I am looking forward to painting though.

Well much more to come!

Onwards and upwards,