It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

FALL!!! Can there be any better time of the year? Oh, I know, everyone has their favourite. Some like the hot, dry weather of summer. Or maybe spring with all of its freshness and newness of life. Perhaps you prefer ski season and warming up by the fire. That is great for you but for me, fall's got it all!! The rich, majestic colours, the cooler daytime temperatures and brisk, foggy mornings. The wonderful smells of fall. Preserving the harvest, outdoor fires and pumpkin everything!! Also, did I mention the colours?  If you came here just to read about the house, you might want to scroll further down. It would be completely remiss of me to ignore this fabulous season and I don't intend to. For when we are in the throes of deepest, darkest winter, which sadly, will be all too soon, I must have these pictures with which to console myself. A bit dramatic, you might say? When it comes to fall, you can never be too dramatic! But I shall try to be brief (*try* being the operative word).

Nothing says fall like pumpkin displays. I'm pretty sure the markets here try to outdo each other because they all look amazing!

Was I kidding about the colours? Trust me, this picture simply doesn't do it justice!

A stunning transformation right before our eyes! Amazing!

Another market, another beautiful display.

There really isn't a word sufficient to describe this magnificent shade of red which also can not be fully appreciated in this picture.

There is only one thing to be done and that is to get out and appreciate it!

This is a beautiful park any time of the year but there is something about fall that makes it much more beautiful! Just my opinion. 

This is so much more fun than running errands while Hannah and Steve have their piano lessons.

If you are really quiet and careful not to disturb, you just might get to observe the turtles , of which there were many, out sunning themselves.

Simply stunning.

I'm not sure what it's like where you live but here, the flowers are taken very seriously!

You can hardly walk a few feet without bumping into one of these gigantic, gorgeous planters.

I have no idea who maintains them all (probably we do!) but I am so thankful for them!

Pondering life at the water's edge.

Even here, you can't escape the floral pageantry but really, why would you want to?

Fall doesn't just mean beautiful colours and changing landscapes. It also means....

... back to school!

There is something special about new school supplies just waiting for curious minds to utilize.

There are also fall parades to be enjoyed ...

...  and they have the loot to prove it!

Fall can be unpredictable. Somedays are rainy and quite cool...

...while others are still warm enough to enjoy a lunch date on the patio. Sans jackets.

One thing is for sure, I love fall. Have I thoroughly conveyed my feelings on this fascinating season yet? I won't belabour the point any further then. It still amazes me though how something that is dying can be so incredibly beautiful. Anyway, congratulations to you if you have read this far and welcome if you scrolled down and are just joining us now for an update on the house. *smile*

The pump house is mostly finished now. We are waiting for the electricians to come and hook everything up.

Phil cut up these pieces of styrofoam for insulation in the pump house.

Hopefully this will help keep more of the cold out this winter.

I love maple trees and we have always had one in every house we've lived in. Phil bought me this one for my birthday this year. Thank you Phil! Winter isn't the best time for planting trees though so we had to be celebrate a bit early. We won't really focus on landscaping until next year but you know the saying, when is the best time to plant a tree? 25 years ago or today!

It didn't take long after we planted it, for it to start changing colour...

...into a beautiful burnt orange.

Just beautiful! (see what I did there?) 

Something has caught Riley's attention. He'll be off and running in no time.

That time when the ram decided he was done staying in the barn. I see the children tried to fix it but apparently it's going to take a bit more than to contain him. I may have a better idea ...

Speaking of containment, not too much can contain these guys. Certainly not that gate, anyway.

 Moving rocks is hard work but Ben makes it look easy. Well, except for that pained look on his face.

He's done an amazing job of  building the window wells out of rocks from the the blast.

Moving inside, Steve and Joey's room is starting to take shape.

Small hands and arms come in very handy when you drop a very important piece of the toilet fitting, well, down the drain. Have no fear, Joey to the rescue! We were back in business in no time.

Success!! It looks great! (well as great as these things ever look)

We finally installed the faucet in the master bathroom! We (meaning I) liked this one but we could not find the specific one we needed anywhere except an obscure website which we were hesistant to order from. We tried our local hardware stores and even the specialty bathroom stores here in town. Nothing. We tried Home Depot but to no avail. We finally found it at Lowe's but they wouldn't deliver to us, such is the joy of rural living (the closest they would deliver was about 5 hours away, so not super helpful). We were pretty sure that it was not going to happen and we would have to pick something else when Phil found it again on the Rona website. The Rona here in town could, but wouldn't order it for us (long story) and told us to try the other Rona about an hour from us which is where we just happened to be going to the next day. To say we were frustrated is an understatement. We walked into the next Rona (the ONLY one we hadn't tried!) the following day not expecting too much when what do we see? Five of them! On the shelf! You mean we just pay and leave with it? No special order, no extra shipping? It seemed too good to be true but there it is!

Upstairs, main bathroom.

The main floor bathroom toilet is installed with a little reminder that it isn't actually ready to use yet. Just in case anyone "accidentally" forgets.

Here they are! Absolutely, positively, unequivocally and without a doubt, the last of the doors/trim that I agreed to paint. And that wraps up the trim for me! (around the stairs will still need to be done when the stairs are finished.) I can't begin to tell you how relieved I am to be finished! It felt like it took me f.o.r.e.v.e.r to get it done. Maybe because I could only work on it here and there and only under ideal circumstances which didn't always present themselves. Nonetheless, these doors are ready for Matt to take over and I am ready for a break from painting. For now. 

These new to us chairs (there's 2 of them) perfectly match our new to us couches. That cushion actually belongs to the couch. I could not have planned that better. No really, I couldn't have. I don't do so well in the home decorating department, I'm not sure why. I guess I just don't have the decorating gene. When we gave most of our furniture away before we moved into the trailer, I prayed that when it was time, the Lord would help me find suitable furniture and He has most definitely delivered. Well, I had to go pick them up but you know what I mean, right? 

I know what you're thinking. You were looking for the update that said we had moved and we were now enjoying our new house. That I hadn't posted in a while because surely we were busy moving and settling in. Right? I know, me too! That was the post I had hoped to write this month but such is not the case. What is the case is that Phil is currently working on a job site that is a little over an hour away from here and there simply isn't enough time for him to do all the things that need to be done in order for that to happen. So we wait. Which you would think we should be good at by now but I have to confess that waiting for something that you are so close to having is much harder than waiting when you know you are still a couple years away from it. Tempers run a little shorter and we tend to be a bit more, how do you say? Irritable. Even this gorgeous weather isn't always enough to appease us. (*gasp* I know!!)  The only thing that can really appease us is knowing that when the Lord's timing doesn't line up with our own and it's outside of our ability to change it, we need to accept it. With a cheerful heart. There are many cares that tempt us to be anxious. I could elaborate but suffice it to say that we really want to finish the house soon. We really need to finish the house soon. Would you pray with us for that to happen?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:6

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16