Welcome to Nathalieland: November 2012

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Snow Pants

Has anyone ever noticed how fun snow pants are? They're big and poofy with suspenders, and best of all, when you walk or run they make a funny swishy sound. Emily has discovered this, so her current favourite dress-up activity is to throw on her snow pants and run around the house.

Of course Jessica joins her big sister in the fun...

And sometimes Emily even invites Mommy to join in. I can't resist -- it's as fun as it looks.

The running usually results in (intentional) falling

Then why not add helmets to complete the look?

I love being silly with these two girls!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Interview with (18-Month-Old) Jessica

Nathalieland: Jessica! You're a year and a half old now! Can you believe it?
Jessica: Absolutely! Feels like I've been here forever.

N: Let's take a quick trip down Memory Lane...
J: Cool.

1 month

3 months

6 months

9 months

12 months

15 months

18 months

N: Now in honour of your special age, and to save myself a bit of time and work, I decided to do a LIVE interview with you. I'm so happy you took the time to sit down and chat with me.
J: Ooh, let's see.

Episode 1: The 18-Month Interview

N: For the record, if I ask you "who's your favourite, Mommy or Daddy?", you say "Daddy". It turns out that you always pick the second choice. Ha!
J: Maybe it's because I don't actually have a favourite. I like to alternate.

N: I noticed you're quite the talker!
J: Yes, I've even started using sentences this month, like "Mommy sit there." and "Woody face go over there." (when I'm working on the "Woody" puzzle).

N: That's great Jessica. Thanks again and have a great month.
J: You too! Bye!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Construction - Week 6

The concrete basement walls are up and we can finally see the house from the street!

Right side

Left side

Watch out Don!

Before...

...After

Looking much better without the big pile of dirt

We gave the cousins their first tour of our lot this week. They especially loved the huge dirt hills in the backyard.

In the basement, looking up to the front of the house

Running down the steep backyard

Welcome!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Building a Home:: Step 13: Selecting Plumbing Fixtures

The task of selecting our plumbing fixtures was neither fun nor easy. It was a big struggle to find items that we liked, that suited our needs, and that were within our price point.

It was especially the case with faucets -- I just couldn't find something that had the look I was going for (vintage, French country, not too ornate) at a reasonable price. Maybe it's because I was dead-set on cross handles (all of the bathroom pictures I cut out from magazines have faucets with cross handles and I just think they're really cute), but couldn't find a wide variety of them. Of course that made me doubt my desire altogether -- maybe there's a reason cross handles are not popular anymore. We also ran into a problem when I found the perfect faucet online, then bought it, only to have the plumbing store tell me that they can't install it in our house because it's not CSA approved. It's not good when you start your plumbing upgrade down $300.

The beautiful faucet that never was

Anyways, the choices have all been made and the deadline has been met. Here are the fixtures we picked for each room:

Powder Room:

Baril Tradition faucet, Kohler Archer Petite vanity, Kohler Memoirs toilet

Ensuite:

Riobel Provence faucet, Kohler Devonshire sinks, Victoria & Albert York tub, Riobel Provence tub faucet, Kohler Memoirs toilet, Riobel Provence shower system (pull up/down showerhead and rain head).

Girls' Bathroom:

Riobel Provence faucet, Kohler 19" sink, Neptune Delight tub with skirt, Toto Drake toilet, Riobel Provence up/down shower head

For the basement bathroom, we chose mostly the same fixtures as the girls' bathroom, but with a standing shower instead of a tub/tiled shower.

Longevity Alliance Shower

Steve and I struggled to find a kitchen faucet that we both agreed on (I was all about looks, he was all about function). In the end I think we picked a good one; the only downside is that it doesn't have a matching secondary faucet for the island sink. We ended up ordering two of the regular-sized version and are hoping that it will look ok!

Kohler Bellera kitchen faucet, stainless steel

C-tech double-bowl stainless steel sink
(and matching single bowl for the island)

I would have loved the look of a cast-iron apron-front sink, but Steve vetoed it.

The highlight of the whole experience was that the girls loved visiting the "bath store" and testing out all the bathtubs and fixtures. The service staff at Plumbing Plus was also very knowledgeable and patient, which was great considering my indecisiveness.