Front garden and back yard

My Dad has a beautiful yard.....him and my Mom always did have.  He spends many hours mowing and other than perennials, mostly has baskets and pots now but he has quite a few.  So yard work is not something new to him.  We also had a beautiful yard when we lived in the country in High Prairie.  So we try here as well.  The flood did a lot of damage to the yard but most especially the back.  It's coming, and it will be fine one day but Dad bought a rake thing for the lawn mower and went over the backyard grass trying to get through the mud.  It does look better:

Looks like we have sand back there!!!!!  

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I had bought a bunch of perennials for the front flower bed.  Here's the before:

And here's the after....which looks so much better in person!  I can't wait for the plants to grow and bush out!

I can't wait for both sides to get back to normal........for everything to be normal again!!!!!!

Stuffed!!

Yesterday I received a parcel card in our mailbox.  Our parcels are still going to Okotoks so I ran in this afternoon.  What a nice surprise!!!!!!!!  My dear, sweet friend Peggy, sent me a beautiful finished table runner and a box of mint smoothies!

I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful, thoughtful friend.  My heart is "stuffed" with love.

 Hubby has been doing the electrical work at a new steakhouse building in Longview.  He made reservations for all of us to go to the current location while Dad was here.....tonight.  Oh my goodness....the best!!!!!!!  I had the roast beef...which were like steaks, cooked to medium, placed on a few roasted potatoes, and veggies, jumbo shrimp and hollandaise sauce on top.  Unbelievably delicious!!!!!

I am stuffed with scrumptious food! (Shaylan and I shared cheesecake for dessert!)

A wonderful day....I got all my perennial plants planted in my front flower bed with my Dads help.  I will take a picture tomorrow.  

New door!!

When we were allowed back into our home, we discovered our front door was one of many doors that were broke into by the RCMP apparently looking for people. (we won't even get into that mess!!!)

The door didn't have a window and we had been debating, BF, of getting a screen door so we could get a breeze.  When Dad and I went looking for a door, we came across one with a window that could open.  It isn't fancy, but neither was our old door!  I love the light it gives to that area.  Here's a bad pic from inside:

My Dad is so handy!!  I have two handy men in my life...I am a lucky girl!

Guest Bedroom

Before the flood (B.F) we had ordered a new mattress set for our bed and a new guest bed frame and headboard.  They were to be delivered on Wednesday after the flood (A.F).  Of course we weren't home (hahaha) so other arrangements were made and they were delivered this past Sunday.  Well, the headboard was a dud and wouldn't fit the queen sized bed frame so they will bring us a new one some other day.  The day of the flood, Morgan and I were going to set up for the Vintage with Flair sale in Priddis.  The trailer was loaded with Morgans vintage finds and some painted vintage furniture her mom had done for last years sale that didn't sell.  Long story short....there was a dresser that was an aqua blue that caught my eye when it was still in their garage last winter but I had no place to put it....until now.  The guest room that is no longer a bright green!!!  My initial vision for the room was all neutrals....whites, creams, etc......but when I saw the dresser again, I grabbed a lap quilt that I just recently had quilted by my friend Kim and the aqua was perfect!!!!!  So the vision has changed.  Now the room is FAR from being done and decorated!!!  I needed to make it livable as my dad arrived on Monday and it is the room he is staying in.  I have more projects waiting to be made in the same or similar fabric lines so I could eventually make a bed quilt for that room.  The binding isn't on this quilt yet but it will be soon!  I need to get a bunch of perennials planted that I've bought over the past few days (I got more today from Home Depot!!!) before the binding goes on.  But here is the dresser that started it all:

And here's a shot of the rest of the not-finished-decorating room!

The headboard should blend into the wall color....it's a linen kind of look.  I need wall stuff now too!!!  Fun, fun!!!!!!!!  I'm sure things will change many times before I am satisfied!!!

Farmers Market

Today started out as a cool, cloudy, just plain ugly day but the sun came out and blue skies prevailed. We headed off to the Millarville Farmers Market.  It's a big one and outside so the sunshine was appreciated.  We had got some rain the night before and I think they may have got a bit more.  Anyway, several of the vendors are the same as last year and one lady has some cute pottery.  Last year I admired a berry bowl with painted sunflowers and when I finally decided to get it...several weeks later....it was gone.  She had one there today and it was coming home with me!  I even got a matching serving bowl.

She has a few other flowers she paints and all sorts of things...smaller bowls, larger bowls, butter dishes, trays, spoon rests....and more.  There is another pattern I am admiring which might be nice for "summer" so maybe I will purchase something next time.  

I also bought a bag/huge purse made from a coffee sack.  I haven't taken a picture of it but the lady I bought it from gave me a bunch of rhubarb.

Sure miss my nice red rhubarb from the our old place.  I'm hoping this isn't too sour!  I have about 17 cups!  I'll maybe make a pie when Dad comes.

I also bought some perennial plants from a fellow at the market and we stopped in Black Diamond at the greenhouse and bought some more.  I am going to replant the front flower bed for now.  I need some"pretty"!

We also bought some Ukrainian food to cook so supper tomorrow will be a Ukrainian feast!!  Yummmm!

I think I'm changing my vision for the guest room.  I hope it works!  One day I will post pictures....the bed is to arrive tomorrow.  I might need to make a quilt for the bed but maybe not if my vision works the way I'm envisioning!!  

Ahhhh to sew again!  One day...........some day.

Clean up continues......

So here's a timeframe of what we've been doing:
Thursday we were allowed in to see our home at 4 pm.  We raked the front yard and made a game plan for the next day.
Friday, our amazing crew came and we got the basement cleaned out completely.
Saturday we did some small stuff and stayed overnight.
Sunday, we ripped drywall (bottom 4 feet) out of the garage...after moving all the shelving.  Lawn mowed, flowerbeds raked, hot water tank installed.  Stayed overnight and showered here!
Monday, got groceries, Blair got lawn mower and snow blower running (they were in our shed in water), got a quote on basement windows and door.
We are STILL waiting for the insurance adjuster to come by.  I do have a call into her....here's hoping she checks her messages.  We need answers and to know what the next step is.
In 5 days we've accomplished so much.  Thank God my husband is handy and also knows people...like the plumber.  I did laundry today!
I'll put some after the flood pics and some after the clean up.  All were taken Friday.

Before.....see how close to the ceiling the water got?

After

A couple of piles of our contents:

Clean -up

We were able to go into our house Thursday.  After helping a friends family with their clean-up (and getting 8" of mud out of their basement) then going to other neighborhoods and seeing the mud and mess they had (piles of mud in the yards taken from basements as well as debris) I was expecting the absolute worst in our own basement.  Blair went down first.......he said we were so lucky!!!!  And he was absolutely right!!!!  Maybe an inch of slop on the floor.....now of course all the "stuff" was toast but there was no thick mud on the floor or yard....just some slop.

Our "crew" arrived Friday morning.  Joan Batycki, two of her friends Deb and Peter, Carla, Maddie, Morgan Nesom, Jesse Perry, McKenzie Kenk (Maddies boyfriend),Jiselle, an electrician from Tarpon where Carla works, Shaylan and her boyfriend Justin.  Later on Greg Nesom came for a bit with "Bob" (I think that's what his name was!).  And they worked and got our basement cleaned out and gutted and the debris hauled away!!!!!!  Amazing!!!!!!!!  And I have (had) stuff.....a lot of stuff!!!!!!  Just my cookbooks alone would have filled a large gravel truck.....okay an exaggeration but I had a ton of cookbooks!  I salvaged a few things....and some quilts.  But the rest is gone......and that's okay...........it's stuff.  I can replace what I want but I am hoping it will feel "cleansing" to not have so much "stuff".

Yesterday we (well mostly I) had a bit of a slack day.  I cleared the main floor of stuff we rescued from the basement.....it was strewn all over, as well as Amy's clothes, so now the space is livable.  Once the garage is better and drier some things might be moved out there but for now it's just fine.  Our plumber came yesterday and we may get our hot water tank and boiler next Tuesday or Wednesday!!!!  Hot water again!!!!!!!!  We have power, sewer, gas and TV!!  So we stayed here last night after showering at Shaylan's.  I was awake at 5:30 but had a pretty good sleep.  Hopefully it just gets better...............

The rest of the house seems completely untouched but it is quite humid.  Windows open and fans are going on the main and upper floors and heaters and fans are going in the basement.  Blair put plywood on the window and door so we are enclosed.

So many people are still working on gutting their places.  Blair has done a lot of panel inspections so people can get power.  The neighborhoods look like war zones.  So much debris in piles all over.  But one day it will all look like new again.  Fingers crossed its before the snow flies!

Our lake is getting much lower every day.  In the next day or two I think it will get back to the normal level.  I wonder if they will put the spray on again.........

Today is a sunny calm day.  I can see "my" mountains again!!  We had rain yesterday which washed some mud away but people were hauling stuff out and I'm sure the rain did not make it fun.  Not that it's fun anyway.  Today we are ripping some lower drywall off the garage walls.  The heater is going in there so it's baking everything......it will be dry in no time!

Today I will grab a few groceries.   I told Shaylan I would make stir fry for supper.  And I need coffee creamer!!!!!  LOL. I will post some pictures later.......today will be a busy day.