Happy Thanksgiving!!

This is the time of year that we, as Canadians, recognize the many blessings we have and give thanks for them. For us, it has been a year of thankfulness. More than that even! Each day we find something more to be thankful for. It would be remiss of us to only do this once a year but nonetheless, today we give thanks for the many, many blessings we have. The Lord has blessed us abundantly and beyond anything we could imagine or ask for. Why He has chosen to do this for us, as undeserving as we are, is unfathomable, and yet here we are. And we are so very thankful. It almost doesn't seem like enough of a word.

You didn't really think I would pass by here and NOT take a picture, right?

This is a welcome sight! It means that Grandpa is here!

Grandpa's always have time to listen to the stories of little girls.

Dad came to help us and help us he did!! Here they are getting ready to install the laundry sink.

Unfortunately, one bank of cupboards had to be removed first.

Father and son working together again.

Getting it just right.

It still needs a few modifications but it looks good to me.

This is to be my companion through the next few sanding projects.

What a gorgeous view I have while I work though. 

Joey and Abby braved the rain to help out.

They sorted the scrap lumber from the recycling and picked up garbage. Everyone appreciates a clean work site so thank you for your hard work!!

Phil and Ben discuss a few ideas before Ben gets to work on the railing.

Putting on the bottom rail.

Time for the balusters.

I'm so used to seeing it without railings but it looks great so far!

Ben and Dad have a good system going. Ben cut the balusters to length ...

... and Dad drilled the holes.

Ben gets the rails on...

...and away they go, Dad passing and Ben drilling them on. What great teamwork!

That's a lot of cut offs.

The top rail isn't on yet but it already looks amazing!

Phil and Ben opt for a thoughtful pose. I can usually only tell them apart by their hats!

Even in the rain, the porch lights look so pretty...

... and they allow more work to be done after dark. Yay! Right Ben?
 

Grinding metal always looks so spectacular at night...

... and draws an appreciative audience!

Dad works inside installing cover plates for the electrical outlets and the light switches which is no small feat.

The next day is beautiful and we can go back up to inspect the work.

I just love it!

Outside ...

... and inside and even without the hand rail on, it looks amazing!

Dad installed almost a hundred cover plates! One of the last details in the finishing work.

"Shelves in the closet. Happy thought indeed!"

This one is in the mud room closet and I'm pretty sure it's the one I am the most excited about.

Miles of shelving to organize our outerwear!!! I have goose bumps just thinking about it!

Dad and Phil carry on and prepare the railing for the back entrance stairs.

One side still to go!

While we were out walking, we came across this fellow in the yard. If I had been brave enough, I would have put my hand next to him so you could see how big he was! Pretty much the same size as the palm of my hand! Crazy!!

Ever wonder how much turkey dinner it takes to satisfy hungry teens? Let's just say, more than what's pictured here!

Decisions are hard! Better to try some of each!

We picked this up for free at the dump. I'm not even kidding! So thankful!

Just swinging on a tire tractor swing. An early birthday present from her cousin!

We passed the septic inspection this morning so we were able to cross another item off the ever shrinking list. We are still waiting for the electricians to come back and that will be another huge item off the list. Once the electricians change the pumps over to the new pump house, we will have another inspection and then we can hook the water up. That sounds close doesn't it? With the benefit of the covered porch, we are leaving the siding for now. A lot of the siding, except for the gables, can be done in adverse weather but crazy us, we would prefer to move in while the weather is still decent, so moving in first is the priority. Speaking of moving, we actually threw around a few move in dates today, which was very exciting! There are still things that need to be done and as I've mentioned before, time is short these days. What would take a regular crew a week to do, takes us much, much longer. But how can we not be thankful for how far the Lord has brought us?

This is just under 2 years ago. So, so, so incredibly thankful for the Lord's goodness and graciousness to us. Not just today but every day!!

 The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Psalm 126:3