We have a swimming pool....

...in our basement!

Not exactly as planned.
I've never been a huge of fan of home swimming pools, so when I found several inches of water in our basement late last week, I was less than impressed.

It seems that the combination of days and days of unending rain, rotten soffit and fascia and zero drainage was directing a torrent of water directly into one corner of the basement. So, in addition to a million other jobs, Jamie had to dig out the back yard, re-tar the concrete, rip out all the wood that he found damaged from the water and then went back at the crack of dawn this morning to finish things up. Oh, Jamie. I do love you.....





I, on the other hand, went shopping. Sounds glamorous but au contraire, my friends....It was more like the Amazing Race: rushing to Ottawa, fighting my way through Ikea, trying to find the warehouse where they keep everything, pack a truck (6+ months pregnant) secure the over weighted bulging vehicle, get lost, drive 30 minutes in the wrong direction, get stuck in Santa Claus parade traffic and then get home somewhere around 8pm. It was a challenge, but I did it! It's done.

I also managed to pick-up our beautiful eco-friendly floor finish. I love it so much, I cannot wait to see it on the floors. We are using Vermont Natural Coatings, a product I first heard about on Soule Mama. I did my own research and it looks good. Even my dad (PhD environmental engineering, perfectionist, green product cynic) looked at the MSDS sheets scrupulously and agrees: it's a low-VOC, odor free, amazing product!



I called the company to discuss shipping ten gallons of the finish to K-town and they directed me to the only distributor in Ontario....who just happens to be in Ottawa, around the corner from the Ikea. Perfect! The distributor owns a hardwood store and, though he personally loves the product, was having a hard time selling it due to the high price. So, he sold me the rest of his stock at a *great* price and we were both happy! The finish samples he showed me were so incredibly beautiful....a much needed ray of hope in a rough day!!!

PS Did you notice I did some "construction" on the blog?? Thank you Darryl for the wintry artwork updates! I love it!