Just a Few Weeks Away!!!

When I signed into Blogger - the first thing it told me was that my last post was April 15 (coincidentially, Shannon's birthday)!! That was 3 months ago!! I guess my first clue was when I forgot my password to Blogger!! (= So sorry guys, but I absolutely lost all motivation for this. I know that I look forward to the blogs that Corey, Shawn, and Melanie do... so I'm sure you all look forward to this too and I let you down. But I just got tired of not having any information and having to make things up to write about. Well, that is no more!! We are in the home stretch now and there are definitely things to write about.

First of all, Heath has just about finished the supply list for everything that we will need to order for the cabins. We have figured out that there are 6 cabins that are definitely getting built this year. The lucky ones will belong to Corey and Duncan, Shawn and Camille, Devin, Kelly and Steve, Rad and Jen, and Heath and I. In what order will they be built, we will have to see!! First of all, Devin has been boasting that his cabin will be up before any of us even get up there!! Devin, Leigh, and Mia will be getting up to Nova Scotia about Wednesday (the 5th) , so if we do end up ordering the supplies from there ... we can have them delivered by Thursday, the 6th. So Devin can get a head start. Seriously, we will be all working together to get them all up. But I have to say something... last year when we were talking about what order we would put them up, we said that we would have to get the Grodacks and Braces cabins up first because they have the kids. OK, that makes sense when you think about it on one level but not really. I would say that because they have ACTUAL rooms - those of us in tents should definitely be the priority!!!! But that is just my humble opion!! (=

So the next step, after the supply list is for Heath to call Alfred Marchand. He is the supplier that Uncle Charlie talked to last year and who guarenteed to beat any price that we came up with for supplies! Unfortunately, the problem right now is that Heath is away in Oregon all week on business. And when Heath is away on business, he gets up at 6AM and goes to bed at 1AM - usually working through lunch in between. He's hoping to call him this week but I would not be surprised if it does not happen until Monday, when he's home. We'll just have to try to be patient. Definitely not my strong suit. Here's a cartoon about impatience that made me laugh out loud.

I did come into some info that is cottage-related this week. AMAZING!! Kelly and Steve and Jen and Rad are building their cottages down at the Cape in the next couple of weeks!! The plan is that they will have everything built in pieces before hand. Steve is borrowing his father's truck and trailer and will transport all the supplies up to Nova Scotia. Great plan guys - you will have your cottages up in no time!! I expect some pictures please!! So of course this information means that we are ordering supplies for 4 cabins instead of 6.

In other news, Heath has bought a total of 14 windows from the auction that we frequent. The first 12 he got for $40 each. They are brand new, matching windows that are just gorgeous. They have grates on them, they have the screens inside, and they tilt-out for cleaning. They cost between $160-190 each at Lowes and Home Depot. It was quite a deal we got!! Then yesterday, Heath went again to the auction trying to find more windows for Corey and Duncan. He got 2 more for $30 and $15 - very nice, brand-new Stanley windows. So all in all, I think we are in good shape. Here are a couple of pictures of the windows that Heath got in the first round.




Aunt Lori, if you are reading this, and I'm sure you will... I would like you to email me the meal schedule because I hear that we are doing this differently this year. I would like to post it officially on the blog. For all of you that do not know, we will be cooking in pairs. I hear this is because we have too many cooks this year! I do not think that is possible! If we have too many cooks, then just have us cook once instead of having some of us cook twice!!!! We should get in touch with our partners because I like to bring ingredients up because a lot of things are hard to find in Nova Scotia - or just plain too expensive!! Hopefully it won't be anything like the next cartoon...

OK, I need to save some things to talk about at a later time. I'm sitting here, with my puppies at my side, watching the Home Run Derby. I was just thinking, will we be having another Home Run Derby in Novi this year? Probably not, since we will be super busy with our project. But it will be so worth it!! (=

Project Over... Next Stop... Paradise!

The project is over and I am back ... for a limited time only! I can get a post out this week but, unfortunately, the blog will only be back for one week! By next Wednesday, we will be cruising around the warm Caribbean on the way to Grand Cayman! Our ship is the Carnival Triumph and that is our ship in the photo above. I just can not wait and this weekend can not get here soon enough for me! Of course most of you know by now that the project I was working on was a baby quilt for Shawn and Camille. It really came down to the wire and I did not think that I would get it finished - but 1:30 am on Monday morning came and alas it was finished! Sorry that the blog suffered but Camden is way more important! And soon enough Camden and ?Sidney/?Brooke/?Aubrey will be here for all of us to love as much as we love Calleigh. Slight apologies for the next cartoon but it gave me a chuckle...

On Monday night, we had a baby shower for Shawn and Camille and there was plenty of talk about Nova Scotia and the impending project of the cottages! And according to the countdown, it is 116 days away. Of course I think it is actually a few more days than that... because I think the countdown was for August 1... but we'll go with this one for now!

The poll last week was "Do you have all your money saved up for your cottage?" 2 compadres voted on this poll. One said "No way" and the other said "Getting Close!" Hopefully, all of you non-voters out there are more along the "getting close" line. I'm going to try to start picking up extra shifts at work to help with the cost. We all do what we can to get it done!


This week the poll is "Do you want to go camping on the Cabot Trail this year?" This weekend, Shawn, Camille, Heath, and I were talking about this possibility. We were a little concerned that with all the building we will not have the time to get away... but we have an idea. What if we spend Sabbath on the Cabot Trail? We could go up early on Sabbath morning to get a camp site and then spend the day chilling, exploring, and hiking. We spend the night and get up on Sunday and drive back to the cabins. We would then at least have half of Sunday to get back to business! I am very much for this option because I still have not had the pleasure of camping up on the Cabot Trail and I really would like to. Camping is one of my favorite things to do and Nova Scotia is my favorite place - so it seems like it would be a great combination!

Here are a few more pictures of some 12' x 16' cottages... Let us drool and daydream about what could be!!




The recipe this week is for "Blueberry Pizza." It is not an actual pizza - that would be disgusting! But it is a dessert and it sounds delightful! If someone out there tries it - let me know how it goes!

Well, I'll talk to you all in a couple of weeks. I'm heading to paradise... (=

On a Deadline...

I did not write last week - I am sure some of you noticed. The Copsey family was putting together a cruise for 4/19-26 - very last minute and there was a hundred details to put together. For days at a time, I was going to sleep, going to work, to come home and go right on the computer for price-shopping/bargain-hunting. I am happy to report that we are booked for the Carnival Triumph to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. "We" - includes all the original Copseys, Heath, Leigh, and Mia. There was so much sweat and tears that went into the plans - I could not get a blog out.

Now for my next excuse, I can not get into it right now but I am on a major deadline on a project. I'm not at liberty to talk about it yet - but I'm not sure if I will get it done... so every waking minute has to be spent on it.

I promise I will write soon!

P.S. Maggiano's lived up to the hype and more!

Short and Sweet...

Hello all! I have to admit that I do not have much this week to talk about. Big shocker - I did not get any news from any of you! But there is one thing that I have been looking forward to this week! And that is the Quarterly on Sunday. We will have a great time at the Imax and Maggiano's. I think I am probably the only one in the group that has never been to Maggiano's. We'll see if it lives up to all the hype! But most of all it will be great to see everyone.

The poll last week was "Do you know what meal you will be cooking in Nova Scotia?" There were 2 voters on this poll. One said "yes" and one said "no." Because I said last week that I had figured out my meal - I guess you can figure out who voted "yes!"

The poll this week is "Do you have all your money saved up for your cottage?" This is something that Heath and I have been talking about this week. We are not good at doing an exact budget - we just don't spend money on anything most of the time. But Heath's favorite phrase is "The money needs to come from somewhere." Oh, the fun "discussions" we have over money!

Here are some more pictures of 12 x 16 cottages or sheds...




In the spirit of last week, I want to continue the blueberry recipes. This week is "Blueberry Cream Smoothie." I have not tried it but found it online. It just reminds me of Nova Scotia! I know a lot of our family members are into smoothies - so I thought this one sounded good! Not exactly healthy - but I'm sure it tastes great!

And that is all I got guys! Short and sweet - but better than nothing, right? Till next week...

Drama, Drama ...

OK... so despite the lack of information from any of you - I am back. I can't stay away forever! I've actually missed writing the blog and I think that is what has led me back. Back into your waiting arms - I hope! (=

Drama, Drama... the cartoon is the best that I could find! It may be shocking but I think that it is a fake gun that he is holding to his head - because he is in drama school after all! This week has had some drama in regards to the date of going to Nova Scotia. There has been emails, phone calls, and Facebook entries that centers around this issue. This is because now we know (for sure) that the teacher-pastor conference is a go. And that retreat is August 2-5. So that puts Uncle Bill, Aunt Sherrie, Uncle Kevin, Shawn, and Jen unable to go until at least Thursday 8/6/09. You might have noticed that I did not put Camille in the mix - since she will be officially retired at that time! (= With Shannon in Chelsea's wedding that is on August 2 - we had originally planned to go up to Nova Scotia right after Chelsea's wedding. However, with the retreat - it does not make sense to go up there to build the cottages with so few people in the beginning. We need to maximize the time we are up there with as many of us as possible - to be as efficient as we can with our building. Let alone, just wanting to be together as much as possible. Well, all of this posed a problem because of stupid nursing. Being a nurse equals needing to ask for your vacation time at least 6 months in advance. I had asked for the first 2 weeks of August off - and Shannon did as well. I thought that I could change my request - but that would force Shannon to do the same - and she would then have to buy 2 different plane tickets. Needless to say, it was not a great situation. But the positive is... that we both changed our requests and mine has already been approved. So the 2nd and 3rd weeks of August it is!!!!! It can not get here soon enough! Soon the calendar will look like this...

A U G U S T 2 0 0 9

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31

The last entry's poll was "Do you think we will have another stimulus check coming to help us pay for our cottages?" I forgot to vote again! Shame on me! There was 1 vote for yes and 1 vote for no. I'm not always current with my politics (as you all know) - so I'm pretty sure the jury is still out on this one. We shall see...

This week's poll is directed toward the ladies... "Look at all the lovely ladies..." (inside joke for us Copseys and Corey & Duncan) Anyway, the question is "Do you know what meal you will be cooking in Nova Scotia?" I could not think of a cottage-related question and it is 12:30 AM - so that might have something to do with it! I usually make a last minute decision for my meal - but I tried a recipe of my mother-in-law's last week and I think it will be perfect. But I can't say what it is yet! I mean, this is such an important, top-secret thing! (=


Here are a few more pictures of 12 x 16 cabins... Enjoy!





The recipe this week is from my new recipe program "Big Oven." Adam gave it to me for Christmas and it is awesome! This recipe is Fresh Blueberry and Lemon Parfait and it is one that I have not tried yet. It would be something perfect to eat in Novi - with all the great blueberries up there! If any of you end up trying it - just let me know how it turns out!


Everyone have a good week - Spring is coming and soon all the snow will melt away! Or for you Floridians... it will be 100 degrees soon! (=

The Gloves Are Coming Off!!

Hello one and all! There is something very special that I have to report... Look at the Countdown Clock. It is reading (at this present moment) 199 days! We are under the 200 day mark until we go back to Nova Scotia! That is truly exciting news! Time is passing by - slowly but surely! We will make it back there before we know it!

The poll last week was "Due to the decling economy, should we desize the cottage to a 12x12?" Once again there were only 3 voters involved in this poll. But it was a unanimous decision! We will not be desizing the cottages! Just to let you know, this question was from Heath... but it was just a joke! He really was not being serious - he is just a big teaser. I think that it was a good question, though, given the times - but I do not want to make our small cottages any smaller.

The poll this week is also based on current events. I know that it is surprising coming from me since I do not watch the news or read the newspaper. But at least there is something called "The Internet!" It does keep you pretty up to date. Anyway, the poll is "Do you think we will have another stimulus check coming to help us pay for our cottages?"



Thank you very much Aunt Melanie for a suggestion for this blog! I will be posting some random pictures of 12 x 16 cottages/sheds/cabins. It is great to get an idea of what the potential is and what our cottages could look like. Here are 3 photos and there will be more to come!






Heath and I have a few colors in mind for our cabin - but our top choice at this time is "Woodleaf Green" exterior semi-transparent wood stain by Behr. It is a tad lighter than sage green. Green is my favorite color and just seems to be the logical choice. Here is a picture of a cabin with almost the right color. Not quite but close enough...



So about the colors and the mind games. Another week has passed and not a soul has contacted me with their color. So forget the mind games. I will just be very clear and give you all an ultimatum. Next week there will not be a blog without 1 person giving me their top color choice. I have tried to be nice and drop hints but NO MORE! You have all brought this on yourselves. The boxing gloves are coming off!



Onto a sweeter topic...the recipe for this week. I had the priviledge of tasting this incredible creation over Christmas. Amanda, my sister-in-law made it and I got the recipe from her. I really am not one for cakes, pastries, etc.. I am more of a cookie/ice-cream girl - but this cake is to die for. Literally. It is called "Sticky Toffee Pudding" but it is actually cake with a toffee syrup that goes over the top. Just try it sometime and you will not be disappointed.

Speaking of disappointment... I better not be disappointed next week.

The People Have Spoken...

Here I am a week later... I was kind of hoping that I would be writing in 2 weeks... but, alas the people have spoken! (= And I am a blogger of the people! And by "people" I am talking about 3 of you! So it will be cemented as a weekly expose but I need help with this. I don't think the blog "Cousin Cottages" should just be about Alison's life - that kind of defeats the purpose of this site. So I'll be hoping for the information to keep pouring in! I'm sorry for the "now shut up" part of the cartoon - I obviously do not want you to shut up... it's just the only relevant cartoon I could find! (=

For those of you that did not get the subtle hint before ... IF YOU KNOW THE COLOR OF YOUR COTTAGE NOTIFY ME IMMEDIATELY!!!! I would really like to share the colors with everyone - so please call me. As you all know, I might not answer my phone but you can always leave me a message! I think I might need to resort to mind games to get information out of you all! (= OK, I have to share a little secret from my past. To get Shannon to wait on me hand and foot - when she was about 6 or 7... I would make a game out of everything. Our favorite show back in the day was "MacGyver." I liked how he could get out of anything and create weapons out of everyday items (sidenote... I married a MacGyver!!) but Shannon had a major crush on him. So I would always say, "Shannon, I am going to time you to see how long it will take you to get my book upstairs. If you don't make it in under 45 seconds, then the world will explode. We are all depending on you! Just like MacGyver, Shannon!" Oh, it's sad to think of what I did to her - but she was so excited and so into it! I think I might have to put a spin like that on the cottage info. I will have to come up with something good - as we are not kids anymore! )=

Speaking of not being kids anymore, we are all adults living on our own and responsible for our own finances. That brings me to this week's poll question. "Due to the decling economy, should we desize the cottage to a 12 x 12?" If you haven't already figured it out, this question comes from Heath! (big shocker, I know!)Here are some pictures of what Heath and I got for Christmas from my parents. I have not officially decided what our "theme" will be in our cottage - but I know that I want it very rustic/cabin-like - and with many different types of wildlife. Hence the loon rug and the mirror is perfect! See what you think...



Lastly, I will be posting a second "pumpkin recipe." I love this soup from Aunt Melanie so much and I don't know if everyone has it. It was featured at Kelly and Steve's wedding and most recently, at the Progressive Supper during Thanksgiving at the Cape. I made it this week - but I did not taste exactly like her creation. Aunt Melanie please let us know if you have a secret ingredient!

Have a great week guys! Hope to be hearing from you soon!

I'm Back Baby!!!!

Happy New Year to one and all! We are actually in 2009 - so the countdown for "Nova Scotia 2009" seems even closer now! (= I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. We definitely did! It was great to see all of my family and we had a great time together. And I took an extended "holiday" from this blog with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Years. I really did not expect it to be this long... but alas, it was good to take a break! (= It was not because I got a PS3 and Rock Band as some people think! As I have hinted time and time again... the cabin info is harder and harder to come by these days. So it brings me into a segway for the poll this week. "Due to lack of news, does anyone object to this blog becoming a biweekly feature?" Please be honest but I really do need help if this will continue to be a weekly event.

The poll about 6 weeks ago was "Have you decided on the color of your cottage?" 1 poor soul has not made their decision. But 4 of you out there have figured out what color your abode will be. Now we need to share this information! Whoever has their color picked out... please reach me by email, phone, or MySpace and let me know. So we can compare color choices! (=


I'm sure that most of us received something for the cottages at Christmas! So again, I expect some pictures sent my way so that we all can see how we will adorne our cottages! Here are a couple pictures from Shawn and Camille. They got some great stuff - I love the blue, you guys!



Here is the recipe for the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - as promised. Sorry, it is a bit lengthy. OK, well - depending on the results of the poll... I will talk to you in a week or two! (=