What is happening with Gen Y (or just What is going on these days?)

Yesterday I wanted to see Paula Abdul s Straight Up music video.



I love the tap dancing sequence in the intro (always feel like taking tap dance lessons when I see it), the black and white, the words Let Me Tell You, the black people and cello and Paula s wispy hair, I just love this video. I was born in 1981 so I think I have got a healthy dose of the 80s and 90s. So I went on YouTube to look for it but this video (right below) caught my eye and then I got all distracted.



Its a good video, definitely gives me ideas and "glambition" to grow my hair more just to try out the braided top knot bun. What got me intrigued though is the number of views - 478,608! That is a lot which led me to find out more about JuicyStar07 Blair Fowler and her sister Elle Fowler. Just to give an idea of how influential these two beauties are (age 17 and 21 respectively, or there about because that is just what I gather) - 24 hours after they mentioned a certain watch they got (I believe it was a white GUESS watch with some crystal things around the dial) it got sold out in every color and the store website crashed. Which led me thinking about how powerful this next generation is and could be, and of course the impact on my kids and what kinds of things they will grow up to think about or rather get obsessed about. There are so many things to get into because most everything I know are developed so well or already established. It is good and I suppose sometimes overwhelming because you feel like there isn't room to make your way. But we must always remind ourselves to think positively and not dwell on the negative. Negativity could lead to bitterness and envy which really doesn't make sense because if you are so busy being envious and bitter you are not doing what will help you be more happy, which is to really think about what you enjoy doing in life, what are your talents and interest? Believe me, it takes a lot of thinking to try and figure that one out, and when you do you will be too busy doing what really makes you happy to care about anything else. This is my goal to be positive every time I catch myself thinking negatively.

Anyhow, after learning about Elle and Blair Fowler it got me thinking about Tavi Gevinson, who I had mentioned before, and I searched her on YouTube because I haven't done that yet, just Googled her after seeing her picture in Canadian Elle magazine (I mean when I saw her picture it was seriously the first time I had seen a 13 year old in a magazine as some kind of contributor I didn't know who she is at the time). So I found this YouTube video



I think she did a pretty good presentation and I think it must be so fun to have the opportunity (whatever age you are but especially when you are what? only 13? 15? years old) present your ideas to a room full of people - adults! - who are there to listen to you intently. Indeed it is so true about what Tavi said how things are moving so super fast because I am reading this book


and it also says near the end (I am near finishing) how things are moving super fast nowadays and how we human beings need to be more than ever be able to give all that we have got to make our way and contribute in this world to come. I would also like to mention that Hubby and I are at the tail end of lots renting and watching movies from the Christmas + New Year's off work period and we watched Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps and one of the banker characters was saying that the economic crash is like the 1930s except it will happen super fast within a week. Which is a pretty scary thing. But there must be a positive side too right?

So all this led me (a 29 year old mother of two) to want to say on my blog (because blogging is really such an amazing tool for anyone to say anything so possibly anybody can have access to) is that thinking about my kids, and the teenagers of today I can see how probably from centuries old, parents have wondered whatever is in the heads of their kids. It is sort of a mystery and source of anxiety for us parents.

I think this next presentation by Tavi (below) has a whole lot of substance and fills in a lot of questions we parents would like to have answers to.



It is a relief to know that

1. Teenage angst of finding themselves is not a scary thing
2. An idea of what is going on in the teenage world since there is SO much going on these days
3. Young people today have so much access to information and therefore freedom make their dreams a reality and it is not a bad thing
4. (This might not be part of Tavi's presentation but it is my own conclusion) We "older" folks have the same access/ability (refer to #3) although of course we do have less of it in a way because we have more obligations (change our babies diapers etc.) and less energy and time but hey, I mean it is still there for us to take.

In a way this had been sort of my latest obsession, whatever the heck is going on in the world these days, especially in the heads of young people because they are the future right? And I feel I had gathered info here for me to feel OK about it for now until when I need some update again.

Lastly I just want to say to those of us that feel "older" that actually we shouldn't feel that way because life spans are longer and 40 is the new 20 and 50 is the new 30. Believe me The Element book says so too. Happy New Year!

The Pearce Sisters

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Being Young

This month I turned 29 and not long before that I saw a picture of Tavi Gevinson in Elle magazine with "what were you doing when you were 13?". Apparently Tavi writes a fashion blog, gets to sit front row at big name fashion shows, receives free merchandise from fashion companies, and it has been rumored that Galiano snubbed Jeanne Beker but embraced Tavi! Wow which brings me back to my own memory of being 13. I remember looking at older girls (15-16-17 even early 20 yr olds) thinking wow those girls must have it all, the confidence, freedom, adventure! So now that I'm 29 I have to say I'm most definitely 29 and there's no denying because now when look at 15-16-17 even early 20 yr olds I think boy are they YOUNG and precious. I was at a friend's birthday party soon after my own birthday and everyone was talking about how when they were in their early 20s 10pm was the beginning of the night and it was time to party! Now 10pm is mostly definitely bed time. And traveling in your early 20s? Backpacking no problem, now hovering around 30, we don't have the energy to deal with getting lost and such we need the comforts of a 4 star hotel thank you very much. Ha!

Recently Hubby and I were invited to attend a good friend's wedding in Stresa, Italy with a big pre-wedding party in Nigeria where the bride is from and most of her family are. Since my Laura Bush book is still in one of the boxes I got another book from Walmart not knowing what it's about because the cover looks like this

(taken from amazon.ca)

and the excerpt given on the inside cover of the book is even more brief than online and says something along the lines of two women making a life changing decision and then they meet again two years later.

So I've finished reading the book and it's a well written book that definitely caught my attention because of it's writing style. It's about a Nigerian refugee who had a bad encounter with oil gangs in her country. It's quite a coincidence that I would read a novel about Nigeria, so we looked up for warnings against travel to Nigeria on the Canadian government website and sure enough there is a high alert put out just last week against traveling to that country. Surely we don't feel it's a responsible thing to do to take our kids to Nigeria at this time. So now we've decided to go to Italy only and we're looking forward to it immensely. It will our very first time in Europe!

This Saturday we will be hosting a friend and his family at our home for the first time. The previous owner had left us a gazebo still in original packaging and I hope we'll be able to set it up for the occasion and take a picture to post on the blog here. Until then...

Behind

You know that feeling where you look around you and you feel kind of like you've fallen behind everybody else and start to wonder with a little guilt whether you've slacked off a little too much lately. Oddly enough, I've been feeling like that lately for one reason or another but then I remember, hey! I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off all morning DOING stuff. I guess, cleaning after my two babies does not really give much to show at the end of the day because everything actually look a little MORE messier than the start of the day but if I didn't do anything it'd look like Taz Mania came by.

I was checking out The-Brick-House and boy have they made great progress over there. They've even got themselves a pool! What a great idea to use a galanized livestock tank as an above ground pool. We've been tempted to get one at Walmart for the kiddos but this looks way better and perhaps could be used for other things too? I'll have to do some more investigation.


So I really should post more pictures of my house because a lot is done! But there's still a lot more ways to go and I have it all in my head just waiting it to all come together in real life. But I guess one image I can share is yesterday I went to Ikea and got 4 meters of this Majken fabric which I'm planning to make into a shower curtain for the main bath.


And that is all for now.

Move-In Date

We're set to move in this Sunday. Crazy busy mode now. I haven't been able to post much lately especially about the reno progress. I guess that will have to be done after we've moved in and get settled with internet.

The tile guy and I yelled at each other today because I was firm on not accepting the 1/2 inch gap that is between the wall and kitchen countertop right by the sink. Afterwards I felt kind of like crying because men are fighters. I know that and had expected it and had already decided before-hand I would stand my ground. I talked to my contractor afterward and he worked out a solution. To be fair, the tile guy's not that bad. I know real jerks are just jerks but he was actually decent. Minimal swear words were used, of course not from me. The only one I recall was sh**. One thing I learned from working on this is all trades want to be able to come in, do everything at one visit and move on to the next job. They hate to make multiple trips. All trades blame each other if there's any damage. Well, it's not easy making a living. I will have to give a separate post for this incident and tile work in general.

But I wanted to share some happy findings. There a a few things during this reno project that were added in last minute that we had not thought of but somehow noticed right before it couldn't be done and went for it. These things make me feel like I'm being taken care of because I would have regretted missing the opportunity to put them in.

I hadn't thought of putting a ceiling fan in the living room at all but recently Design Sponge did a round up of ceiling fans then I saw a beautiful picture of one in the Restoration Hardware catalog and that finally tipped me into the idea. We were at Home Depot and then Rona late tonight getting some last minute things for the house and I mentioned to Hubby about having a ceiling fan in the living room. I would say the ones at Home Depot look slightly better than the ones at Rona but they all look like they come quite far down from the ceiling and our ceiling is not high. Then at Rona at the Grandview location they had some display ones turned on and feeling the breeze in this warm summer night was fantastic - I had to get one. I picked this one:


not only because I quite like the overall look but it doesn't look like it's coming too far from the ceiling. I hope it'll work out, which I'm pretty sure it should. For now, I just feel soooo happy. It's like getting wonderful service at a hotel, except it's amazingly divine because it feels like God is helping me with the plans.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Ice cream made from coconut milk is on sale at Whole Foods for $3.99, $3 off the regular price. Sounds like a good deal so we decided to give it a try. It's pretty good, better than ones made with soy, still very light and not so rich like milk ice cream. See how creamy and fluffy the coconut flavor one is?

We got mint with chocolate flakes too and that was very good with the texture variation from the chocolate crisps. We went back this week and got some more cookie dough and chocolate flavored ones before the sale ends. We highly recommend it to vegans.

If I or anyone I know had ever bought a whole pineapple before I don't remember. Voila our very first!

Spoken from the Heart

My copy of "Spoken from the Heart" by Laura Bush - sorry the cover is already smudged. I got it at Walmart with, if I didn't remember wrong, 30% off. I'm on page 252 now and I'm enjoying it very much. I especially like the beginning where the former First Lady describes her childhood hometown Midland in Texas. It sounds like a charming small town straight out of a movie. Not the physical environs particularly, but the people of her time.


Favorite new word I learned from this book :

gubernatorial
- adjective
of or pertaining to a state governor or the office of state governor

Priming and Paint

Priming was done and painting has started. There will be wainscotting put in in some of the basement walls and I asked if we could save money by just priming and painting the parts that will not be covered by the wainscotting but apparently you have to prime all drywall with sealant primer and never leave it unsealed. I'd been to a number of Benjamin Moore shops to look at colors and educate myself about the different types of paints and finishes and they've all pointed me to their Natura line for zero-VOC. However, when I requested my painter for the Natura zero-VOC line he disapproved. At first all I heard was how hard it's going to be for the paint to cover the walls and other complaints, but then he showed me a can from the Eco-Spec line also by Benjamin Moore that is also zero-VOC that costs almost half the price of the Natura line I realize he's not trying to talk me out of using zero-VOC paint he's really trying to save me money. Well, he benefits too because he explains this way there's room for mark-up from his contractor's rates but in the end we both win because I'm still paying almost 50% less. I wondered why they never mentioned Eco-Spec at the paint stores but then I notice the words "Premium Commerical Coatings" at the top of the can. I suppose it's more for commercial wholesale jobs and not for individual retail. We still needed to use a Natura primer because Eco-Spec doesn't have primers. So ask your painter to get you Eco-Spec and leave the Natura for paint.

I chose Simply White for most of the rooms - all the bathrooms, kitchen, halls, master and upper corner bedrooms, office, back basement bedroom. Doddy's room is Silver Marlin. I'm one of those people who's a bit commitment phobic or just nervous about color. In Vancouver color can look so different on a rainy day compared to a sunny day. I saw Doddy's room after the first coat both when it was sunny and rainy and I'm very happy with it. Especially on that rainy day, it felt warm and cozy. For the mudroom I chose Misted Green and Gray Cashmere from the same chip for the wainscotting. Carolina Gull, from the same chip as well, will be on the exterior WHEN we paint the outside. Classic Gray is in the basement media room. It looks more like a very light beige to me.

My poor painter will have to do a third coat because Simply White is a very pure white. It's not as stark as some other whites which have more of a blue tint in it, it still has a tiny tint of pink in it but it's indeed a very very pure white. My painter initially was trying to talk me into using Cloud White or Moonlight White but I find Cloud White too creamy and Moon White a little gray. I took the colors down to the basement on a gloomy gray weathered day to compare and consider his suggestions but Simply White was simply the best. Plus, I'd seen it at Door Sixteen so I was quite sure I wanted Simply White and so far I'm mostly definitely pleased with the results. I would describe it as the rooms look like they've been photoshopped. Very fresh and pure but not stark cold. Everything is in satin finish for the imminent attack of the kids so a lot of the imperfections will show because of the shine. I think the basement ceiling is in egg-shell. My house is a hard job because of all the cheap layers of oil then latex paint on the walls. When paint is peeling you don't scrape it off because it's too much labor, in my situation anyway. Better to seal it and cover with new paint. My painter says he's trying his best. So far I haven't spot any imperfects that bother me, but it doesn't bother me either that he's doing his best.

There's a virtual fan-deck online at Benjamin Moore

Doddy's outfit

There was sunshine in Vancouver although today is a bit grey. Doddy's wearing her sandals. I'm amazed each year when the weather turns beautiful. It's like a whole new world.

And her very cute and patriotic shirt from Superstore.


Boy Superstore has lots of cute stuff now, no longer just a big stretch of flourescent lighted aisles, home of the bright yellow NO NAME brand. They have a wide range of organic and natural selections. I found blood orange soda and carbonated bottled mineral water from Italy and I'm highly suspect that they're from the same place where Whole Foods source their Italian blood orange soda and mineral water too. Superstore's are $2 half the price of Whole Foods at $3.99 and they sure taste the same to me.

Hooked on Houses

I'm hooked on houses. Hope one day I can put this obsession of mine to good use. Hubby forwarded this blog (click logo above) and I can't stop reading it. Love the TV/MOVIE HOUSES feature and the BAD MLS PHOTOS gives a good laugh.

The way we decorate and set up our homes really reflect how we feel and, on the flip side, effects how we see the world. How different would I feel to wake up to and live in another room another place I'd seen on TV or in a magazine. It might have felt too rigid in the past when your neighbors give you a hard time for not keeping up with the care of your front lawn, but Vancouver's hodge-podge of housing styles makes me sad. It is rare to find charming streets in middle class city neighborhoods with houses coherent in style, complementing each other. In new developments across the bridge in Surrey and further out yes (they seem too new and unoriginal to me), but not so much in the metro areas. New Westminster miraculously preserves many heritage houses, I just wish more of it still exist.

Basement Bathroom update

I've realize that at least a few people read my blog and is awaiting for more updates! I have to apologize for not doing so for a long time but I have to blame it on my kids, they do take a lot of my energy.

Here are more updates specifically on the basement bathroom. I didn't realize there's a lot of change since my last post already. It just seems like it's been the way it is now for quite some time. I'm definitely getting a little impatient and can't wait until we can move in. This is going to be a long post which is GOOD because that shows PROGRESS! My numbering continues from last post on the basement bathroom :

3. In the last post I had separate head on shots of the framing of the two walls that meet to encase the basement bathroom. Here is an outside shot from the corner angle of the two walls.

This picture is taken from the same spot but looking down onto the floor drain right beside the wall. It's hard to see the hole because it's filled with some stuffing to keep debris out and surrounded by newly poured concrete. This existing drain serves the mudroom and the hot water tank in case it blows. The building inspector usually requires one closer to the water tank (which in our case is far in the corner near the centre of the basement - it's still in the same room but we've enclosed it into a sort of closet with the furnace) but my contractor convinced the inspector that we don't need a separate one since the floor slopes down to this spot anyway. A new water tank we're putting in will have an eight year warranty. The smaller white drain pipe coming out of the wall is from the central water filter, routed from under the house's main entrance foyer (where the main water supply line is and the actual filter will be set up) up into the basement ceiling into the laundry area down this wall and then sticking out at the bottom of this wall to discharge water into the floor drain. I didn't like that but my contractor convinced me that it'll work out. Fortunately we had an even better solution you will read about below. We are getting our whole house central water filter from Amrak. A glimpse of the neo-angle shower pan in place.


The view from the doorway. The concrete has been poured and the floor is closed up again.


The neo-angle shower pan is in place and the view of the main drain pipe, placed inside the wall, that will carry the sewer from upstairs into the city pipes.


The view from inside corner to outside seeing through to the laundry area. The black pipes are drains, the smaller white ones supply the water. There is actually another big drain pipe with knobs and such that is also moved to hide into the wall on the very right side of this picture.


4. The drywall is put up on the inside of the bathroom. See you can no longer see right through the wall now from the laundry.


This is left of the doorway to the bathroom. The same drain pipe that was moved to be hidden inside the wall. With the drywall up you can see that it is definitely inside the wall now.

Looking in from the doorway. The old window was still there.


Drywall all up. You can now see the rough-ins for the sink and shower. This bathroom is small so the wall that separates it from the hall is moved a few inches to make more room for the shower. A rectangular shower is out of the question due to the lack of space. The neo-angle shower shape didn't appeal to me at first and I had considered the rounded corner ones but my contractor says that they're harder to install and the doors don't give a good seal when closed. At the Andrew Sheret showroom all the showers look amazing no matter which shape, so neo-angle it is. Shower pans are much cheaper than tiled ones. It would have been nice to have tiles for the shower floor but then again I would have to be more diligent on scrubbing it regularly to keep stains from sticking to the grout.


View of the doorway from inside the bathroom.


5. Drywall was put on the other side of the walls. The building inspector pointed out that a backflow preventer for the whole house central water is needed to protect the city pipes. She'd suggested that we need a separate drain under the foyer where the filter will be because that was where the backflow preventer presumably will be. That would have been expensive and a lot of work for the plumber to dig a trench in the ground all the way to that spot. The water guy from Amrak came and took a look then suggested we simply install the backflow preventer to where the drain pipe which is hidden in the wall and have the water pipe come to the it then back to the filter then to the rest of the house. More pipes but much less work. Here is a picture of the backflow prevent. As I'd mentioned above how the filter drain is stick out to the discharge water into the floor drain, now it's routed to drain in this same spot. The drywall has covered it but this opening connects to the drain next to it down below (the one I keep mentioning how it's moved to hide inside the wall).


New window - makes quite a difference doesn't it?

More mudding of drywall and sanding.


View of wall where drain pipe is hidden from inside the bathroom. I'm so happy that I don't have to look at that pipe that was almost of the middle of this bathroom again!


And I guess we're up to date now. Phew that was a whole lot of typing.

Apple Candy

I had my first apple candy. If I had it before I couldn't remember. I was surprised to discover that it was just a caramel covered apple, then I thought 'well, what else could it be?'. Silly me.

Basement Bathroom

0. This is one of the forgotten pictures I neglected to take before the demo... oops. I'll just have to describe it with words : It only had a sink with 60's laminate countertop on some 60's old wood cabinet, a yucky looking toilet with a huge gap from the wall behind it facing out towards the door, the main drain plumbing was encase in the same kind of 60's wood cabinet as the sink away from the wall. All very yucky and brown/orange with linoleum on the floor and wall behind toilet along beside the sink.
1. Stage ONE demo - you can see the main drain (for toilets upstairs) on the left without the cabinets that it was inside of the plumbing parts on the lower right where the sink was.


This is the view from the doorway - sink was on the left toilet was on the right. All that was left was the linoleum floor and wall and a little bit of plumbing.


2. Stage TWO - this is where our main drain for the house happen to be so the whole floor was dug up. New drain pipes are put in. The walls are re-framed, moved over into the hallway a little bit to make room for a neo-angle shower. This s the view from the doorway.

Left of the doorway, through the wall you can see the drain pipe on the right, it is moved so that it will be hidden in the wall right between the studs.


This is the view from the other side of the wall behind where the sink was.


This was my house's main drain pipe dug out of the ground. Rusted and no good. Reminds me of the movie Titanic. Adios!


They've poured the concrete back for the ground and rough-ins are all in! I'll try to post the pics tomorrow. The light is getting brighter at the end of the tunnel! I'm started to get very anxious to see it all come together.

www.cdn-money.com tracked $20 bill - from 1856 km away

History for: $20 note (series 2004) - Serial# EYR88***29	[ series info ]
Date/Time of Hit Location Time Between Hit Distance Speed Cond Info Username Apr 19, 2010 3:54 PM Burnaby, BC 1292 days, 17 hrs, 55 mins 1,856 km W 0.060 km/h G yes anonymous Oct 4, 2006 9:59 PM Winnipeg, MB -- -- -- F yes samson Totals: 1292 days, 17 hrs, 55 mins 1,856 km

Update without pictures

... b/c I'm too lazy to upload the pictures and sort them and it's getting late and I have to meet with the contractor and electrician tomorrow at he house in the morning which means I have to get up extra early to drop the kids off at the babysitter's. But I decided to put in an entry anyways, besides the fact that I haven't for a long long time.

Kitchen - we wanted to just move the dishwasher to beside the sink but part of the countertop will have to be cut off and refinished which leads to

'we're better off just get new countertops considering the labor that will require to make it look ok'

to

'we're really better off to get new cabinets (at least the lower ones) to have the new countertops on since again it'll take a lot of work cut, secure, refinish, etc. to make it look ok'

to

'we're better off to get new upper cabinets as well since it'll take a lot of work to make it match the lower cabinets'.

So that was how our meeting with the kitchen cabinets' guy went. I don't think we're being upsold. I'm comfortable with our decision. So let's move on.

A change of subject - after reading a bunch of posts on Nie Nie's blog I feel very much inspired to treasure motherhood especially while my kids are still young. I hear a lot of encouraging pronouncements (in many places like the radio, tv...) of how being a mother is the hardest job and an important job and so on but to be truthful deep down I'd always thought when my kids are old enough that is when I will get myself a job and hopefully build a career and then I would show myself to be a respectable and responsible person, that I'd be doing my best to be independent and making more tangible/measurable contribution to the family especially financially. Nie Nie's blog changed my outlook. I feel like I can finally embrace motherhood as my high calling. I've accepted that this is what God's plan for me is and it's just as good as any other of God's plans. I'm not saying that I've decided never to get a job outside of the home, if it happens it happens, I'm saying that my attitude has changed and I'm no longer looking into the future but I'm looking into the now and focusing on making the most of it. My kisses, hugs, and love are worth a lot more than I'd thought. It's the best of me and I want to give the best that I can to my children!

Blogs

I'm a fan of blogs, that's what made me want to start my own. Otherwise, I think I'd feel like a dork writing knowing pretty sure not many people read them (yet! - have to stay positive). I'd discovered two blogs today that made me feel like I'd discovered rare gems, and I believe they are. I don't know how to describe it.

First up is Nie Nie found via Oh Happy Day. Stephanie survives a near fatal plane crash and writes about her recovery. The blog was started before the accident. Her posts are full of humor and yet so touching and real.

A search on Google for 'vintage industrial cabinets' led me to another Vancouver based blog To Be Inspired. I'd thought I'd found my soulmates! Great posts on hunting for vintage and antique pieces by Ryan and Naomi. Doing exactly what I'd love to do if -
1. Hubby was more interested in these ventures
2. We don't have children yet
3. We have more money perhaps?
At least with the house we'll have more space. Hopefully we'll be able to go on similar trips when we settle into our new home. Meanwhile I'll just enjoy the free music on Tune Tuesday's.

Goodbye for now with love and GOD BLESS!

84 sq. ft House

Found via Apartment Therapy's Re-nest. Sometimes I feel like I can live this way too. With two small children though, I think many can attest that could be a bit of a challenge. Perhaps some day... Small spaces are so interesting, cozy yet it gives a sense of efficiency rather than deficiency. Smallworks is working to get Vancouver cities to pass initiatives that will allow home owners to set up small living quarters in their backyard. This is the first example I've seen in person a few years ago at the EPIC sustainability show.

Step One

Step One: install vanity for the sink - check!


If it were that easy... but this is the antique vanity I picked up for $150 including tax at Wholesale Antiques at 4373 Main St. in Vancouver. I met a self-proclaimed junk collector who tells me that he buys junk wholesale and then sells them online. He bought a whole lot of stuff there so that was a good sign.

Doddi's work of Art

Doddi's rendition of "Go Bananas in the Dishwasher" -



Other artwork worth noting - "Play-Do in Mommy's Shampoo".

M-O-L-D

One reason that won us over to pick our general contractor is that he is also a certified mold inspector. Since we've now determined that we have mold in the house we are certainly glad with our choice.

Here is a picture of the outside of one corner of our house. At one time the old gutter drain probably broke off causing water coming down from the roof gutters to splash onto this wall. Upon close inspection you can see that some parts of the stucco is smoother, indicating that repair had been done and done well.


Here a picture of the inside of this corner with the drywall and insulation removed to reveal what's lurking behind. The mold is white and the dark parts are rotted wood. This is medium grade mold.


The laundry room also has mold. This is the wall adjacent to most of the funny plumbing up in the ceiling. In all likelihood, the old pipes busted causing water damage to the wall. This is considered low grade mold.


It is important to have a professional remove mold so the fungal spores are not released into the air. If left untreated the fungus will grow and turn black in color which is high grade mold. Mold can cause serious brain damage and cancer. Not fun at all.


A peek at our tiles. This part was fun. (Click on picture to see close up of textures)

Before Pics Gone Forever

If memory serves me correctly, years ago when the Designer Guys on HGTV was hosted by Steven and Chris they did an episode on a coworker's apartment. The lady's job for the show was to make sure they take all the "before" pictures needed. I thought hm... what an interesting job, I didn't think that such a position exists and what would be an accurate, short but descriptive title? "Before Photographer"?

If I were a "Before Photographer" today I would be fired. Most of the funny looking plumbing at the house is gone, which I think perhaps may be the most amusing part of this house. I will be posting a separate blog about the plumbing, but I will have to draw some diagrams instead to illustrate my point. I had three months, and now they're gone forever - for the better I guess, except for this poor blog. Well, I don't always remember to bring the camera and it doesn't help to have two screaming children waiting for me in the car.

Here are some pics to show the progress from one and half days of demolition.

Front basement room - insulation on the walls on upper half, concrete foundation on lower half. The concrete part was only insulated with thin styrofoam boards.

The basement ceiling was a t-bar ceiling and some odd looking metal sheets. We feared there might be some serious electrical malpractice hidden in there but thankfully we see no scary monsters here. We did discover that one of the beams is broken in two parts. I wonder how much this will cost us to replace as it is a supporting beam that extends out to support the front porch as well.

This wood burner in the basement was not properly install and a major hazard. It was plucked in and surrounded with wall panelling. It needs to be taken directly to the dump so nobody tries to use it.

Our naked bathroom. The toilet will be gone too. More about the toilet in plumbing post. Wow this was fast. And no mold discovered!!! Relief.

Cold War

Doddi and Sonny got the cold first, now I have it too. I've been miserable for the past few days, taking Immunity shots by Happy Planet to boost my immune system so I can take care of the kids. Hubby will be taking a work trip to Edmonton tomorrow evening and returning Sunday evening. An entire weekend all by myself with the kids. So, we loaded up on natural cold medicine for the kids and I. For Hubby we got him oregano oil for prevention, Stinger energy gummy candy, and Bach Rescue Remedy drops for stress management. Sonny was on antibiotics for 10 days so this week I've started giving him Bio K. Ultima (natural electrolyte mix) is on sale at Whole Foods on 8th Ave. (cross street Cambie St.) so I got that too.