Declutter Mode Continues and a Dash of DIY

Another sunny, hoar-frost covered –18°C morning — pretty but crisp enough to keep me indoors finishing the boxing of items that sold. I added a few more listings and bagged up another batch for the food bank. Coffee #2 was just disappearing when I woke S at 9:15 to remind him about church. He dressed, grabbed a coffee and banana, and headed out, dropping the parcels at the gate on his way.

I came across a clever idea: repurpose a spare microwave glass tray as a moisture-proof base inside a plant basket. Since we had one kicking around, I slid it under the rubber plant — perfect fit and no future water stains.

Downstairs, I tested a hemp oil & beeswax salve on the leather couches. Results were… okay. Not amazing. I ended up messaging the company owner for more tips.

While cleaning out the dog & horse cupboard, S returned from church. Expired meds were set aside for proper disposal at the vet, and the rest organized with some added into the  “take it or leave it.” box. Then I tackled the flower vase cubbies, choosing a few to donate to the local flower shop. That led me into the garage to sift through two more boxes of vases. Meanwhile, S sawed up the old teepee wood.

The two garden shelving units came apart next — sorted, reorganized, and I even color-blocked everything because why not? Several more pots went into the flower shop donation box and a few into the giveaway bin.

Next up was a gifted chair with a loose base. I took it apart to re-glue and plan to list it — along with the colorful paper-wrapped jars — for free on Giving Tuesday. B and Cooper popped out for a quick feed before she headed back home. It warmed to –7°C later, but it still felt like a good day for indoor catch-up. S retreated downstairs to watch his Flames.

While clearing the laundry room cupboard, I spotted a wooden turkey cutting board I'd meant to refinish. Off came all the hardware, years of buildup scraped away, and six sanding discs later it finally looked fresh again. After a Dawn scrub, it was left to dry overnight.

Since I’d unearthed a glass vase earlier, I decided it was finally time to try growing an orchid in water. The poor thing has done nothing since being repotted years ago — fingers crossed this revives it.

A chilly day begged for chili, so that became supper. Afterward, I squeezed in a workout while watching Project Bakeover, with Harley enthusiastically (and briefly) attempting to join in. S wrapped up his laptop and tax time, then we settled in for more Mr Mercedes to end the evening.

Deep Freeze, Deep Clean Continues

Holy moly — a sunny but brutal –20°C morning today. At least the sunshine softened the sting a bit. After a couple of coffees, I dove straight into replying to all my free/sale posting messages while S scrolled his socials in bed, as usual.

S moved on to gun cleaning for his morning task. B arrived frustrated from her very uneventful tire appointment — they took her tires off, made her wait a couple hours, then finally admitted they didn’t even have the new tires in stock. She brought me nutmeg and cinnamon, thankfully, because I needed a teaspoon of each for Grama Ball’s crumb cake I was making.

I cleared out and washed under the kitchen sink while S checked the crimped hot water line. Then I tackled the laundry cabinet, purging and organizing yet another round of stuff to give away. B fed her horses in the now balmy –12°C before heading home and dropping two bags of giveaway items at the gate for later pickup.

The afternoon became a full-on cleaning, sorting, purging, and posting spree. Since I bought neem oil to treat the rubber plant, I mixed a batch and tried to spray it on — but of course the particles clogged the fine mister. So I rubbed it on each leaf by hand, front and back, rinsed them, and left them to dry. The plant should be happy, even if the sprayer wasn’t.

By then S was back inside and settled into the TV room after plowing the road. Wanting to soak up the last of the sunshine, I moved to the bed to write today’s blog and watch a bit of Netflix. Sharon texted with sad news that our cousin Guy Wells passed away last month. My heart aches for his young daughter Carlie — sending love her way.

S joined in for evening TV after tending his fire and doing his usual laptop time, and we watched more of our Stephen King series to wrap up the day.

Pantry Purge on a Frosty Day

Brrr… a crisp –11°C and light snowfall made for a chilly start to the day, but the perfect excuse to linger over our morning coffees. After a couple of steaming mugs, I hopped in the shower and got started on indoor tasks.

Little Miss Potato Head

First up: the pantry overhaul. I emptied the entire thing—tossing expired items, setting aside donations for the food bank, and reorganizing every shelf. Meanwhile, S packed up both new TVs to return. The old TV went back up and, haze on the right side or not, it’s still better than either of the replacements. My organizing streak continued straight into the baking and spice cabinets.

The Flames played mid-day, and during the first intermission S shoveled off the deck now that the snow had finally stopped and a sliver of sun was peeking through. He zipped down to the gate in the Ranger to collect a few more parcels, then took Harley for a quick, brisk walk.

Back inside, he watched his Flames win again while working on removing the hair from his deer horns. I kept on with my cleaning and purging, then moved to posting a few more items for free. Prime ribs went into the Instant Pot for a cozy, delicious supper.

B arrived with Cooper to feed the horses, but he stayed inside after his quick potty break—the cold was too much for him. Once she headed home, we settled in for the evening with Mr. Mercedes.

Foggy Skies, Garage Makeovers, and Yet Another TV Test

The –12° mornings continue, though honestly, it could be worse. I had my coffee while chatting with Kaylin, who’d had a brutal night—poor little Renn was awake from 12:30 until 5:30 a.m. Nathan finally took her downstairs around 3 so Kaylin could get a bit of sleep before work. The new big-girl bed transition is… not going smoothly. Send all the peaceful-sleep vibes their way.

With that update, I got to work publishing a blog post and polishing the table-refinishing tutorial. Sheldon lingered in bed scrolling through his socials until 9:54 a.m.—only after two coffees did he leap out, rush to get dressed, inhale breakfast, and race out the door for early hockey.

The overcast, dreary weather called for a third coffee—for me, an iced one—before diving into vacuuming and tidying. After a sandwich, I went to look for a missing steak knife I suspected was near the garage sink. That tiny task spiraled quickly: I pulled out the washer to vacuum behind it, moved all of B’s feed tubs, lifted the doormat, restacked the cooler, reorganized the beer shelves, and swept everything. The whole time, I kept thinking how I wish we’d painted the garage floor before moving in—but at least we have those glorious big drains.

Harley went outside happily with a massive oxtail despite the –8°C chill. I was still cleaning when S returned around 2 with Cooper. Donnie showed up shortly after, the two of them geared up, and off they went in the Ranger to hunt. S came back not long after with the delivery from the gate: our new TV and a big Black Friday Nespresso haul.

Inside, I continued vacuuming and worked on uploading the table-tutorial video. Mid-afternoon, I took both dogs for a much-needed walk through the brisk, fog-tinged air, then fed them before returning to my tutorial video tasks. I also shared a few clips on Facebook and Instagram—it’s time to get some traction again.

I mixed up the three-ingredient dishwasher detergent with the items that just arrived. I’ll try it on a load tonight. Can it really be this simple?

The unsuccessful hunters arrived back around 4:30 for a quick beer while I posted yesterday’s blog—finally caught up! Then it was an early supper of leftovers and time to test the new TV. And wouldn’t you know it? Despite being almost four times the price, it’s not dramatically clearer. Better sound, yes, but setup was a hassle and the hands-free features weren’t cooperating. We might not keep this one either… The old TV with its darkening side might win by default.

the 3 TV remotes.. the right one which is the $$ one sure is small though :)

As snow started to dust the ground, we crawled into bed to watch Netflix. B arrived after 8 to feed; she and I put flea treatment on the cats before she and Cooper headed home. We wrapped up season one of Mr. Mercedes and started season two—now knowing Stephen King wrote it, which explains a lot.

Snowy Errands, Stubborn Pills, and a Cozy Night In

What began as a bright, sunny –12° morning quickly shifted to overcast skies by mid-morning. After our usual start to the day, S headed out to push snow from the driveway to the gate while I sorted another round of thrift-store donations and published Sunday’s blog post.

We made a late-morning run into town to pick up Harley’s dewormer and flea/tick pill from the vet. On the way, we dropped off the trash, then swung through Walmart for a few things, the liquor store, and finally Origins for lunch—plus a growler filled with their delicious iced tea.

Back home, S settled in with “big brown” and his laptop, nodding off here and there, while I dove into accounting and published my second blog post of the day. S had ordered a fuel delivery, and impressively, within the hour the UFA truck rolled up,  just before Britt and Cooper arrived.

Sheldon has red necked the ranger even more!

S took off to grab the mail and take a drive looking for deer. Once B and Cooper headed home, I reorganized Harley’s freezer and attempted the dreaded task of giving her that pill. If you’ve ever tried to medicate a dog your own weight—with the jaw strength of a lion—you know the battle. After several failed attempts hiding it in treats, I finally had to push it down her throat. She was deeply offended, retreated to the garage mat, and pouted. I started writing the tutorial for Grama and Papa’s tables while she sulked.

S returned just as I was cooking a hearty garden goulash with our frozen tomatoes, zucchini, onions, and beet leaves. Harley eventually came inside but chose to stay in her kennel all evening. As dinner simmered, I noticed headlights at the gate—another delivery—so S drove out to retrieve it.

With the Flames on (a disappointing game for S), I searched endlessly for new bar stools but everything was either fake leather destined to peel, fabric—not ideal for a kitchen—or uncomfortable seating wood sets. We finally agreed to keep the ones we have.

I wrapped up my workday after sending in my time sheets around 8, just as the Flames lost badly. S joined me afterward, and we cozied up in fresh flannel sheets for three more episodes of Mr. Mercedes—a disturbingly accurate reminder of the strange characters lurking in the world.

Frosty Mornings, a TV Upgrade Fail, and Fog Rolled In

Sunshiney but brrrr at –12°, the kind of cold that makes that first coffee absolutely necessary. After a quick Instagram scroll, I went to post my blog and noticed an email saying the new kitchen TV I ordered had been delivered… last night… at 6 p.m. Somehow both S and B missed it sitting at the gate. S backed the car out, drove down, and grabbed it so it could warm up inside.

I finished up Saturday’s blog and published it while S perused online sales. Harley and I went to the trailer to search for her health records—no luck. Checked the truck, the safe… nothing. And of course, I later found them in the desk drawer right beside me. Typical.

Out in the garage, I unloaded the pieces we picked up Friday. The pink and purple bread box is unfortunately a no-go—the bottom edge is water damaged and the paint job is sloppy. Not worth the effort. I’m getting picky these days. Garage plants were watered, deadheaded, and tucked away. Honestly, a major purge is looming; I still have stacks from Medicine Hat waiting to be sorted.

Look how well the bench Sheldon built and I painted held up outside for the last few years!! The accent chair to the right not so much, the entire base is apart and needs gluing.

will decide on this as well as it is pressboard and dirty lining inside

Lunch was the most delicious tender beef sandwich thanks to the Instant Pot. While S started setting up the new kitchen TV (after it warmed up), I kept listing items to purge and working on blog posts. The air outside suddenly smelled smoky and an odd fog began rolling in.

Harley got a bath, and I changed her bedding after vacuuming her kennel area. Meanwhile, the new TV setup was… disappointing. Tin-can sound, soft edges picture—nothing like our bedroom TV. A chat with the techs confirmed the design flaw: speakers shooting backward (meant for wall mount, not cabinet), and the resolution was sub-par. My mistake ordering a sale model that didn’t meet our viewing expectations. Time for a better one.

I dove into research while S headed out to buy wood rails from a neighbour. Once back he said the foggy roads were crappy. Veggies were prepped for the air fryer, and S had seasoned venison back-strap steaks. He lit the BBQ but with the sharp –8° chill, switched to broiling them inside. They turned out delicious.

After cleanup, I found a top-rated Samsung—S’s favourite brand—so I ordered it while he watched hockey and browsed his laptop. We wrapped up the day with more Mr Mercedes episodes.

Snow Day Tasks & Cozy Evening

Harley wanted out at 6:45 to a snow-covered deck. When I finally woke around 8:30 to make our coffees, the snow was still actively falling and kept up all morning. Winter has arrived. Our first task of the day was packaging up dog meals for Harley after S chopped off the last meat hunks. Everything—rib bones included—was laid out in the deep freezes to harden.

S headed to town after a bowl of soup just after 11 for a doctor’s appointment, to drop off his deer head for CWD testing, and then straight to hockey. I posted another blog entry, trying to catch up the four days I’m behind, then dove into Black Friday shopping. I ordered new Crocs for both of us for all our cement-floor chores, and—after more research than seems reasonable—new underwear for myself.

The snow finally eased off, leaving quite a pile behind. I had begun the day researching new “sheet-style” laundry & dishwasher cleaning products, but ended up ordering ingredients to make my own instead. A big coffee order got placed too after S called around 3 to vote on flavours. He was off to coffee with the hockey guys before picking up Cooper.

4 o'clock sunset and right Sheldon took earlier in the day

Renny wearing a tutu over her dress and her Mom's runners :)

Nathan created Skor bar cookies into a muffin filled with Nutella and sea salt sprinkle... how good does that sound?

Perfect segue to say Happy Birthday to Stephanie!

S got home shortly before 5. I had Harley’s dinner ready and fed both her and Cooper. S chatted with a neighbour about buying rails over a cold beer while I wrote today’s log—and finished yesterday’s—at the island with a cold one too. He headed out to roll the first bale of the winter for the ponies while I made supper. We ate once he came in, estimating at least six inches of snow on the level.

photos by Sheldon

After we cleaned up, we watched A Merry Little Ex-Mas, which was cute. B came out later to feed and take Cooper home. We finished the evening with more Mr. Mercedes but couldn’t stay awake through the third episode. Night night.

A House Full of Littles, Butchering Day, and Cozy Family Supper

I was running through my mental to-do list when I heard Renn awake again at 7:45. Just like yesterday, she quietly chatted to herself, perfectly content. I decided to knock a little early, before her pink wake-up light came on. She popped up needing to go potty, and once that was handled, her first question was, “Where’s Aislyn?”—too cute.

We headed upstairs for coffee and breakfast. Renn chose applesauce again, meat cookies (AKA beef jerky) and a bit of banana while Grandpa joined us with his coffee before getting ready for church.

mmmm, meat cookies

smart girl

On the way home from church, S picked up a few groceries. Amanda was dropping off Aislyn and Archer -(who wanted to join in the fun too). They met up in the parking lot after Ada was dropped off at baseball. We all had turkey soup for lunch when they were back—except Renn, who even refused her favourite alphagetti and stuck to snacks instead.

Harley's bed is very popular

The kids had a big day of playtime and even headed out into the overcast 1° weather to look for the barn kitties.

Around 2, Donnie arrived and he and S got started on the deer butchering. Auntie B showed up and joined in on the fun. To give the kids a breather from scooter-car cops and robbers, we put on Boss Baby Christmas.

Brave Cooper getting treats from the littles to shake a paw

cops and robbers is back on

movie time

B joins

few minutes later Cooper joins the gang too

Craig came out after 3 to help with the butchering, and B went up to feed. The three littles bundled up again to search for Mr. J and wander the yard before coming back inside for another movie and—of course—more snacks.

Craig arrived in time for another beer break :)

B pied pipered the horses to the winter pasture gate

Kaylin and Nathan arrived around 4:30, surprising Renn as she watched yet another movie with the gang. Since S was tied up, Britt and her little twin, Aislyn, went out to toss hay piles before the evening snow moved in. I put the prepped veggies on to cook while the chaos continued.

The butchering crew wrapped up shortly after 5. Donnie headed home, and Craig came in for a rum and a visit before taking his kids home too. I pulled the roast out of the oven for S to carve, and oh my goodness—it was delicious.

Dessert was apple crisp for two, and naturally Renn stuck with ice cream. The Boysis family packed up and headed back to the city around 6:30 so they could surprise Renn with her new big-girl bed waiting at home. Britt and Cooper headed out not long after.

S settled in for the Flames game at 8 with his apple crisp and ice cream, and with yet another surprising win under their belt, he was in a great mood. We started a new series, Mr. Mercedes, but didn’t quite make it through the first episode before calling it a night.