The Foreman is Down!!

Most of you know this, but Heath had Appendicitis and had an Lap Appendectomy on Monday night. He is doing well - thank goodness! So I am busy nursing him back to health and then doing my regular job of nursing - so this blog will be on a hiatus for a couple of weeks. First because of Heath and then because of Thanksgiving. I'm sure all of you will understand. I had taken a cute picture of him in his hospital gown on my phone - but it will not let me download it to our computer right now.
This is not really Heath's CT Scan... (= I had found some great shots of a "real-life" appendix but I felt it could gross out the non-medical people! So I held back!

You're Not Sorry...

Another week has passed... and we are that much closer to going to Nova Scotia. Sometimes it feels like the time is flying by and sometimes it feels like it is crawling ever so slowly. I'm hoping for more days of the flying... (= What is going on in good ol' New England these days? In 6 days, the American League MVP will be announced and I'm hoping that Dustin Pedroia gets the award that I feel he so richly deserves. I can't help it - he absolutely is my favorite player. He plays with such might - I love watching him swing the bat. He just gives it his all- all the time. For short people everywhere - he is truly an inspiration! Let's just hope K-Rod doesn't steal the MVP away from our 'lil Dusty. Something else that is going on soon is a little holiday called... Thanksgiving! Can't wait for us to be together again (minus a few key people...)! Heath wants you all to come prepared to talk about the cottages! I'm sure we would be anyway... but he might have some extra things to discuss!

Last week's poll was "Shutters or no shutters?" There was a whopping 2 votes on that poll. It was a dead-lock tie between "undecided" and "shutters." I am so shocked that our family who are outspoken regarding our right to vote are not exercising their duty to vote now! I mean, just because it was a national election last week - does not take away from your voting privilege in our weekly polls! But I do not want to hear any excuses. My feelings would best be described by the lyrics to the song "You're Not Sorry" by one of my favorites singers, Taylor Swift. (What is written in quotes is from me)

All this time I was wasting (writing this blog)

Hoping you would come around (and vote)
I've been giving out chances every time
And all you do is let me down
And it's taking me this long
but I figured you out (you don't care anymore)
And you're thinking we'll be fine again
But not this time around

You don't have to call anymore (not that this happens)
I won't pick up the phone (this is what usually happens)
This is the last straw
Don't wanna hurt anymore (because no one votes)
And you can tell me that you're sorry
But I don't believe you
Like I did before
You're not sorry, no no (don't even try)

OK - so I'm exaggerating. I don't actually believe this. But it is just a plug I have to do for my girl, Taylor. She is just a teenager and her talent is incredible. I was brought up to appreciate music - but especially song-writing. Because anyone can sing a song - but to actually write the sings that you sing is rare in the music industry. And if you don't know this about Taylor Swift or guessed yet- she writes all of her songs. Anyways, this is not the point. VOTE, VOTE!!

The poll this week is "Have you decided on the color of your cottage?" I'm not sure Heath and I are 100% positive - but I'm sure there are people out there that know exactly what they want. We are leaning towards Behr's "Woodland Green" semi-transparent stain. It is like a sage green! I can't wait to see it on my cottage siding! I would show you a swatch of the color, but the Behr Exterior section is having technical difficulties at the moment.

Here are the pictures, as promised, of Steve and Kelly's windows. And remember - THEY WERE FREE! We are all just going to have to drool over the pics and wish that we could be so lucky to get free windows. Nice job guys! And thank you for the photos - I know everyone wanted to see your great find. What do all of you think? Do you think Steven and Kelly would miss a couple of them? (= Well, until next week... talk to you soon!






P.S. The recipe this week is from Top Chef Chicago - in honor of the Top Chef Premiere tonight.

Election Schmelection...

Hello again! It is the day after the election in a brand new America. After a historic night, it is hard to put into words what this means for the US. Despite my "no voting" policy, Heath and I actually voted yesterday. It was Heath's first time voting ever - and it was only my second time. New Hampshire was supposed to be a possible "swing state" for McCain - so we tried to do our part for the Republican party. So much for that! Unfortunately, our 2 measley votes did not do squat to prevent Obama's victory. Even though I am definitely not an Obama supporter, I could not help being emotional and touched by the moment when he took the stage with his family for his speech. Knowing that after all this time and prejudices that have taken place - an African-American is now in the highest position of power. I think everyone can apprecite this moment in history. So despite what our poll was a few weeks back about who we wanted for President - next summer when we go back to Novi - our Commander-in-Chief will be Barack Obama. I know at least of 1 person in our "group" that is over the moon about it! (=

The poll last week was "Do you want a regular door or a rustic door?" The rustics won out with 3 votes and the regular door got 1 vote. Because of her comment last week, I'm curious if the regular door voter was Shannon! It seems that she is concerned that wild animals (mostly bears) could break down the wooden door! I guess the rest of us are undaunted... so it looks like Steve and Heath could be busy making doors after all the building is done! Looking forward to that!

The poll this week is pretty straight-forward. Shutters or no shutters? A pair of regular shutters range from $20-40 at Home Depot. Just so you know what kind of money we are talking about! It is something that we might be able to find at yard sales or on Craig's List. Obviously, there would not be a space problem with the cottage design with one window on the front. But with the two windows... it might be a little tight! If you like the look of the shutters - you might have to go with the one window in the front design. Food for thought...

With shutters...

Or without shutters????

Speaking of Craig's List, I am sure that everyone has been waiting all week for the update on the Conrad's windows! So I misunderstood Kelly with the first bit of information on the windows. Steve got the 10 windows for free!!!! How exciting is that? It is so exciting that the blog will be covering this story for a 3rd week in a row - because the pictures were not available this week. We will just have to keep waiting for those pics!

"Good things come to those who wait"

The Series is Ov-ah!

Hello all! As I am writing this, I am watching Game 5 of the World Series. I had stated that I was not going to watch a second of the Series, but who am I kidding? I am wanting the Rays to lose as bad as I would want the Yankees to lose. And I am not going to watch any baseball for about 5 months, so I have to get my last fix in. There is 1 out in the 9th, with the Phillies winning 4-3. They should have this in the bag with their closer in.

The poll question last week was "How long are you planning to be in Nova Scotia next year?" There were 4 choices - but obviously not nearly enough. The Cases will be there for 4 weeks and Shawn/Camille will be there for about 10 days. Sorry guys that I did not have those as choices! Anyway, 2 weeks was the most popular choice with 3 votes. Longer, of course, is better - but many people have come up for only a few days or a weekend. I know we will take whatever we can when it comes to going to Nova Scotia.

Just a side note... The Phillies just won the World Series! I'm so glad it was them. But all I can say is that we would have smoked them if we had made it!
The new poll this week is "Do you want a regular door or a rustic door?" Meaning, is your door going to be made of metal or made of wood? Don't be worried if you don't know how to make a door... if you want your door to be wood I know that there are a couple of guys that can make this dream come true!

Regular door?

or

Rustic door?

GREAT BIG NEWS OUT OF THE CAPE!!!! Hear ye, Hear ye... Steve has purchased windows from Craig's List for the cottages! There are 10 of them and they are storm windows. Of course, they are not for the taking... they are spoken for. Steve/Kelly and Jen/Rad are all set for next year! This is a big deal and it is such a big deal that this blog will be featuring this story next week also. Pictures will be coming for next week! So stay tuned!

I'm sorry folks, but that is all I've got this week. My allergies are horrible today and I have probably sneezed 50 times over this laptop while trying to write this. I feel like my head is going to explode. So I'm going to try to hit the hay early! Talk to you next week!

The Stork Has Landed...

Hello again from partly gloomy and partly excited New England! A lot has happened in the past week in our sports world since my last post. The Red Sox were down 3 games to 1 - and the pivotal game 5 was the next day. Of course, we know the rest... history was made with an incredible comeback while losing 7-0 in the 7th inning. We made it to game 7 just to choke in the end. I have to admit that I did not expect the Sox to make it very far in the post season this year due to all the injuries... but when they beat the Angels and then made it to game 7... it just seemed so right. But what can you do? They ran into a great pitcher, but it is just hard to come so close! As most of you know, a group of our family members from the South got to go to game 7. A blessing or a curse... ?

The partly-excited part comes from the beating that the Patriots gave the Broncos on Monday night. It was a glorious and a much-needed uplifting after the Red Sox loss the night before. The offense clicked and scored a season-high 41 points - but the defense was a huge story. They forced 5 turnovers and held the Broncos to only 7 points. It was a great showing after the pounding they took from San Diego. Very encouraging, even though the win came with a price in the form of Rodney Harrison for the rest of the season. So as you can see, two of the three loves of my life have me torn in which direction that I am feeling. Either happy because of the Pats or sad because of the Sox.

The poll last week was "While in Nova Scotia next year, who do you want our president to be?" The choices were McCain, Obama, Other, or "I Don't Plan to Vote." The results were predictable with our family Republican ties... McCain won with 4 votes (I'm sure that is the only time we will see that phrase in print), Obama did not receive a single vote, "Other" received 1 vote, and the "I Don't Plan to Vote" was utilized by me. Yes, that is right - for all those who do not know it... ALISON EDWARDS DOES NOT VOTE. I'm not going to go on and on about why I don't... it is what it is.

The poll this week is "How long are you planning to be in Nova Scotia next year?" Either 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or unknown. Personally, I would love to spend the whole summer up there - but it just is not possible. We might need to be up there a little longer than we first expected. Because...
THE STORK BUG HAS BIT OUR FAMILY!!!!!! It is true what I wrote before... a real lot has happened in the past week. And not just in the sports world. Corey and Duncan are expecting baby number 2 and Shawn and Camille are getting ready for their first little one. And if that is not exciting enough, they are probably going to be due about the same EXACT day!!!!! Imagine it now. Last year, think all the fun of having baby Calleigh in Nova Scotia again. Now think about next year, we will have 3 babies up there! Even though, Calleigh will actually be over 2 years old and won't be considered a real baby anymore! This is starting to be a very interesting time in our family and our family continues to grow and grow.

So the moral of this news is that we are going to need the cottages to be built faster than ever! We really came up with this idea just in the nick of time! The Grodacks and the Braces will be in the most desperate need of these cottages first next year. They will have 2 new infants - and I can tell you - everyone sleeping in the main cabin will want them in their cottages as quick as possible! (= So let this news get you pumped up for some major building to be done!

Time Sure Flies...

Hello from gloomy New England! Autumn might be here in all its glory and it is truly beautiful... but the Sox being one loss away from the end of their season just makes things seem dark. Throw in there the beating the Patriots took on Sunday night and you could get down-right depressed! However, there is still a small (but improbable) chance that they could beat all odds again. Maybe this day off will stop the Rays' roll and we might find our mojo again! One can only hope!

The poll last week was "Should our porches be covered or open?" With 5 votes, it was a dead tie between the two choices and one person was undecided. I think that just having a porch at all will be great! But this is something that will be an on-going discussion - probably for next year. We will have our hands full building the cottages - that I doubt we will get to building the porches too! We'll see... maybe our men will work as speed demons - with our help, of course!

The poll this week is an idea from Aunt Lori. Thank you for a suggestion! The question is "While in Nova Scotia next year, who do you want our president to be?" It is getting very close to the end of the constant ads, debates, signs, and phone calls... and the nation will be choosing the next president. So who will be getting your vote? McCain or Obama? Or neither one? It will be interesting to see what comes out of this poll... (=

WHICH ONE WILL YOU CHOOSE??

Kelly and Steve found a great bargain at... yes, you guessed it... another yard sale!!!! They got a refrigerator for their cottage for $15 and it is not a tiny one either! Great find guys! That will be very well utilized! Here are a couple photos of the purchase.



A final thought this week is something very exciting to me! I don't know if you noticed... but take a look at the countdown! IT IS UNDER 300 DAYS UNTIL WE GO BACK TO NOVA SCOTIA! Time is flying by us and next thing we know... we will be back to our beloved Novi! Can't wait!

Fair Odds and Ends...

This week is a challenge for me! I am seriously having a hard time coming up with material ... so I'm feeling like this one might be a bit short. Please help me out next week! Thank you in advance!

The poll last week was "What should Aunt Sherrie make for her meal next year?" The choices were Spaghetti Fest 2009, Lentil patties, or Soup. There was a wonderful, exciting, 6 votes this week! Finally, we have broken the string of only 3 voters! That makes me encouraged - keep voting! Back to the results... And the winner was ... Spaghetti Fest with 3 votes! Lentil patties received 2 votes and only 1 lonely vote for soup! Can't wait for next year for the feast that will be before us!

The poll this week is "Should our porches be covered or open?" I thought of this question while seeing the cottage at the Fryeburg Fair nearly 2 weeks ago. I have to say that the enclosed porch was pretty spectacular, but I know that it will cost more money. Do you guys think that it might be worth it? I will have to get a quote from Heath about what we would be talking about...

Covered?

Or Open?

Continuing with the fair... here is a picture of what Corey says she wants on her porch! I guess that the enclosed porch would be great for a spa because if it rained then you could still use it! Given the fabulous weather we enjoyed this past year - that is definitely something to consider. It was so rainy, cold, and uncomfortable - wouldn't slipping into a hot tub just do the trick?

I could live with this...

Besides the giant donut, soup-in-a-bun, french fries, pizza, and a burrito that I got at the fair...I did manage to buy something for the Edwards' cottage! It was only $5.00 and it was just what I was looking for. I'm not talking about another Red Sox hat - but I did get one of those too! It is just the "country" type of thing that I wanted and not for a bad price, either! Check it out!

Well, that's all I got folks. Tune in next week for hopefully something more substantial! Go Sox!

"Shed Happens..."

Another week has passed - and it has been a fun one! The Fryeburg Fair weekend has come and gone but at least we have some pictures for the memories. A great time was had by all - despite the rainy weather. God held off the downpours for most of the day. The highlights that we did as a group were the pig scramble (of course), watching sheep dog trials, soup-in-a-bun, and seeing a 12' x 16' cottage! It was a true cottage and not just a shed! It had an enclosed porch (with a porch swing), carpeting, finished pine walls, and countertops with cabinets. I have to say that it was quite impressive. It was so impressive to Uncle Bill that he made comments that he would not mind to get a cottage built for himself and Aunt Melanie! See, we will be the envy of the parents- who are living in the "big house!" When you see the pictures, keep in mind that our cottages will have a higher, steeper pitched roof - so our ceilings will be taller. Heath and I took brochures from the company - which is called "Shed Happens, Inc." The website is www.shedhappens.com. I got a kick out of the name - hopefully I am not the only one! The asking price for the fully furnished cottage that was shown at the fair is $15,900. We didn't have the heart to tell the guy that we would be building ours for about $2000. Of course, we will not be starting with all the bells and whistles - but you never know what will happen down the road.







The poll last week was "What do you want for window treatments?" The choices were curtains, blinds, shades, or unknown. For the 3rd week straight, there were 3 votes total! Shades won out with 2 votes to the 1 vote for blinds. Interesting, interesting...

The poll this week should not be a surprise to the faithful reader of this blog. Uncle Kevin had made a comment 2 weeks ago regarding a new poll question. After discussing this with both Uncle Kevin and Aunt Sherrie - it has come down to this. "What should Aunt Sherrie make for her meal next year?" The choices are Spaghetti Fest 2009, lentil patties, or soup. I think any of these choices sound delicious!




Speaking of delicious, I made Aunt Bertha's sugar cookies last week and they are to die for! I have always preferred sugar cookies to ANY TYPE of cookie but I promise that I am not biased. The recipe makes 40 cookies and I admit that I ate probably 30 of the 40. Heath was away on business! They are easy to make and if anyone has a chance to try them - you will not be sorry! I also tried the Warm Chicken Salad - and Heath and I thoroughly enjoyed it - even though it was not as good as Aunt Lori's!

Well, I think I will end here. I have to save some info for next week! And I need to stop and concentrate on the Red Sox game now. It's the 4th inning and they are losing 1-0. I'm feeling like they need my full support and undivided attention! Go Sox!

The Fair is a Comin'

Hello again! This week is very exciting for me and I have been waiting for it to come for the past year! This is because a big group of us will be together this weekend for a good ol' fashioned country fair! The Fryeburg Fair is spectacular in all aspects - but you can always find nice knick-knacks for your home for a bargain. So everyone keep your eyes open for things we can get for our cottages! Can't wait for all of us to get together! I'm sure there will be plenty of talk about the cottages and Nova Scotia in general!

The poll last week was "What type of flooring are you thinking of?" The choices were hardwood flooring, tile, carpet, or plywood. Again, 2 weeks running - there was a huge total of 3 votes! But the only difference this week - is that there was a 3 way tie between hardwood floors, tile, and carpet. No clear favorite - so our cottages will be unique and have different feels! I have been complaining a tad about the participation but I have to admit that I forgot to vote this week! It was probably a good thing because I have no idea how I would have answered!

Continuing with the theme of interior decorating, the new poll this week is "What do you want for window treatments?" I realize that this is quite a "girly" question but you guys are just going to have to deal with it! The choices are curtains, blinds, shades, or unknown. Because of my own ambivalence with last week's question, I felt I had to add the "unknown." Here are some pics for visuals!

Here are some pictures of the dresser and end table that Heath and I plan to bring up to the cottage next year. We bought them when we first got married at the Christmas Tree Shop! They have lasted longer than we originally thought! When we bought our new bedroom set 2 years ago - I painted them to go in our guest room upstairs. Hopefully, we will be redecorating that room soon and should not miss the pieces.



Some news from the Cape: During some incredible yard-saling recently, a great buy was secured. Toni found them and Mimi purchased them. We were in need of curtains in the eating room in the main cabin. Well, the need is no longer a need! Here are the 9 curtains and they were bought for only $10! Some of them need hemming because they are too long - and that is a project that I will finish by next summer. There might be a few curtains left over that may be available for the cottages. First come, first serve!!!!!


As promised, here are the floor plans from the Edwards and Devin. Devin's is quite unique but ours actually was never really finished - but this is what we have so far!

Notice the crib in the Edwards cottage! We are thinking positively!

Do you see the sink in Dev's cottage? That is a whole other discussion!