Fun in the snow!

The new sleds for the Valley House Daycare have come in useful...for wood hauling and for some fun sled rides for Brian and Jenn!  Not much work going on at the house in this very cold weather, the deck building will have to wait until it warms up and Brian is busy getting both the business accounts sorted out for the accountant. 

WE'RE BACK!!!!  Goodness me, how time has flown....but I have been struck by the creative muse this cold January morning, so have taken a few photos and will try and update you.

 my birthday celebration was held at wonderful Luckett Vineyard

some of the helping painters at work this summer

here is the corner of the playroom after mudding, before trim and painting

exposed central beams, looking through to dining room

the completed playroom...a large "boy" is stuck in the play tunnel!!

my newly delivered metal sign, now displayed on front lawn (thanks to Sophie for great design work)

Brian, complete with safety harness, up on scaffolding

after digging a lot of holes, we finally found the septic tanks and had them cleaned out

Since the last post in 2013, I have left the world of classroom teaching, and started my own home-based daycare.  Still teaching, but with a lot more fun, outings, and yes, diapers!  I am licensed through Family Matters and am really enjoying the creativity and joy of working with little ones.  The response has been overwhelming, so we have full enrollment.  Brian is a great business and moral support partner, he has created a wonderful playroom (photos above), helps with practical matters like dishes and cleaning, and does the books.  You can see lots of photos and read about our adventures on our facebook page:  the Valley House Daycare

 Brian was diagnosed with prostate cancer (the only symptom he had was a slightly elevated PSA level  (gentlemen, have the blood test done to check your PSA...it could be a life saver!)  but a new type of biopsy revealed trouble, and he had surgery in Feb. 2014.  The cancer was aggressive, so hormone replacement therapy was necessary, as was 7 weeks of radiotherapy in Halifax.  He's a strong man, and is back to "normal" ; ) now.  We are very grateful.

The house is coming along very well.  The exterior is finished, bar some painting.  That was a huge job, with help from friends with painting, and working on the ground with the saw while Brian fitted the wood siding on the scaffolding.  Inside, the playroom/dining room just need a few finishing touches, the kitchen is done (well, it will be once the dishwasher arrives!), the living just needs a bit more work on walls.  Upstairs, the bedrooms need finishing, and we hope to have the bathrooms in by the end of this year.

To celebrate survival, we are going on a Caribbean cruise this winter, with eldest daughter Emily ( she has her own blog, Tinfoil Tiaras and has co-founded a suiting program for disadvantaged men Suits his Style) and her boyfriend.  Youngest daughter, Stephanie, is loving studying journalism at Kings University in Halifax.

Will try and keep this blog updated more frequently!