Curb Appeal Improvements

While waiting on various bathroom items to come to completion, it was hard to keep from making some outdoor improvements in the beautiful Winnipeg summer weather! 

New Front Doors

Our old doors were drafty, and left some security to be desired. They had bathroom door knobs, the kind you push in and turn to lock. Not only was this less than the security offered by a dead bolt, it left us locking ourselves out of the house more than we'd like to admit. No keys were needed to lock up, so we'd end up outside with no way back. 

We had planned to get doors from our local Home Depot, and even asked for a quote on installation, after hearing from multiple sources that installing doors yourself isn't as easy as you'd think. The installer ended up calling us back, and promptly informed us that we should order doors from somewhere else that has better quality. Great sales pitch from someone who's contracted to by Home Depot, they should probably check on their installers more often. Anyway, this lead us to get back in touch with our window supplier, who had quoted us a lot more than we were planning, but half the price of the Home Depot install company. 

The new back door in all its beautiful windowed glory. 

The front door doesn't have a window,
but will hopefully be sporting a colorful and welcoming wreath soon enough.

The doors took a few months, but they're in and they're beautiful! Plus they protect us from exterior threats like elements and intruders, which is about as much as you can ask from a door. Success!

We hope to paint them at some point, but just waiting to get a feel for what we'd like best.

New Door Hardware

In preparation for the new doors, we went to select some hardware. Our door supplier suggested Schlage or Weiser, so we stuck to those brands, which can sometimes be nice when there are so many options out there.

We ended up with a sleek and modern set for the front door, and some basic levers on the back. Exactly like you see below. We're super happy with them! 

We also did quite a bit of gardening but we'll have to talk about that another time! Do you think next we should update our banner to reflect the weather outside? Christmas in August anyone?

Would You Tues: Seasonal Clothes

Well, Winnipeg just made the sudden transition to Summer after an epically long Winter. Our closets aren't huge, so we put our Summer clothes in bins when we moved into our bedroom last Fall, making our closet a bit more spacious. We want to know...

Do you store your clothes seasonally?
a) Yes. 
b) No, I have a big enough closet to fit everything.


If you do store your clothes seasonally...
Have you made the switch to Summer clothes yet?
a) Nope, I wasn't sure what this weather was going to throw at us next so I've been holding off.
b) Yep, I switch at the first sign of melting.

As for us, I think I'll switch them this week. It's nice enough that Philip might want to wear some golf shirts to work, and I'm definitely ready for Summer dresses!

Summer Bucket List

The fact that we're anticipating snow here in Winnipeg this weekend has us anxiously awaiting Summer and what is has in store for us. We spent some time this week writing down some fun Summer ideas that we hope to do. There are 50 of them - are there even 50 Summer days here? We'll have to see how far we get. 

Here's a list of 50 fun things to do if you're going to be stay-cationing it this Summer in Winnipeg. My friend Brittany and I sat down and each made a list of 50 - there is a lot of overlap - and I'll share mine here. Warning, this is a long post - but I hope it will inspire you to do some great things this Summer. We would love to spend the summer being tourists in our own city and creating some fun days to spend together.

Summer 2013 Bucket List

1. St. Norbert Farmer's Market (with Brittany)

The market is hosted every Saturday starting June in St. Norbert (south of the city) and they sell farm fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, and flowers. They also have craft stands selling various other wares. We're looking forward to heading there bright and early on a Saturday morning, and then spending the afternoon cooking up a feast that we can share with our Manitoba grown purchases.

2. Gimli

Last year we went to Gimli for the day, and I'd love to do so again this year. My hair dresser is also planning to move out there so I might have to stop in for a new hair-do. It's a great beachy small-town to spend a day in.

3. Outdoor Movie at Assiniboine Park

In the Summer, Assiniboine Park plays popular movies outside. We didn't have a chance to go last year but would love to go this year! 

4. THE ZOO

I'm a zoo freak. I love going to zoos. Nuff said. 

5. Prairie Dog Central

I've never been on a train (aside from the commuter in Chicago), and this makes for a great day trip. I've wanted to go for a few years, and I'm hoping this will be my year. The train takes you to a couple of small Manitoba towns and you can get off to eat lunch/see the sites. 

6. Mennonite Heritage Village

Have to learn my new heritage one of these days. This will not be Philip's favourite thing, but we have to get 'er done. 

7. Strawberry Picking

I've never been strawberry picking, it would make for a good day out in the sun, and some pretty tasty treats later - so this summer strawberry picking it is!

8. Road trip for shopping weekend (Minneapolis or Edmonton or somewhere else driveable)

We've gone to Minneapolis almost every Summer, so we're thinking of switching it up this year with somewhere else within driving distance that provides us with some shopping. 

9. Camping

We'd love to spend a weekend camping with our friends. We don't have anything planned yet, but if we don't get out in a tent one weekend we'll certainly be sleeping on the couch in Philip's parents trailer at some point. 

10. Bake a pie

I've never made a pie - gasp! I'm thinking rhubarb.

11. Golfing

Last year I didn't get out golfing at all, but it's a great Summer sport that both of my parents enjoy so it would be nice to give it a go at least once this year.

12. Have Each of our Family's/Friend Groups Out to the House

We're hoping to host our family's and friends this year at some point as not everyone has been out to see our place yet. BBQs will abound. 

13. Portage la Prairie

Another Manitoba town to visit, I don't know if I've been there before. Definitely looking forward to lots of day trips!

14. Go to IMAX

I have very happy memories of going to see Mount Everest in IMAX with my Oma & Opa as a kid, and would love to relive the experience.

15. Rainbow Stage

Every year we go to Rainbow Stage, and this year will be no exception because Mary Poppins is playing! 

16.  Fishing

While it seems boring, I'm willing to give it a go. When we camped as a kid we used raw hot dogs as bait, might have to upgrade to worms.

17. Amusement Park or a Rona Parking Lot Carnival

I'd like to go on a ride this summer. Philip doesn't like amusement parks, but I think I could convince him to at least go on a Ferris Wheel or something at a parking lot carnival. Oo this reminded me that the circus should be on this list somewhere, I haven't been there since I was a kid!

18. Read One Book a Month
We both love to read and don't always have time. If I could read one book every month this Summer I'd be happy. Maybe in a hammock??

19. Go to Library with Philip
Philip doesn't often have time to go to the library because he's at work during the day, but it would be nice to get there together at some point. 

20. Picnic
Who doesn't love eating outdoors once in a while?

21. Do a 1000 piece puzzle
Maybe we'll save this one for when we turn 65. Puzzles can be fun though, and it would be a fun thing to have out throughout the Summer and slowly work away at. 

22. Hike in White Shell
Definitely want to take some time to get outside as much as possible. It's easy to forget that we have this beautiful a  place in our prairie province. 

23. Stella's Patio
Last year I ate on that patio at Stella's for the first time, it would be nice to go again!

24. Gelato & 25. Shopping in Osborne
Paired with number 25, this would be a great day.

26. Folklorama
I haven't been to Folklorama in a few years, but we used to go a lot as kids because of the Holland Pavilian that actually doesn't run anymore.

27. Make a new summer flavour of homemade ice cream
We love making new kinds of ice cream - maybe this year we will make a new kind to top last year's Rhubarb. 

28. Make popsicles
Another great homemade summer treat, I need to buy those popsicle molds and it'll be just like elementary school days. 

29. Grand Beach
I can't remember if we went to Grand Beach last year. This year it's going on the list. 

30. Spend a day in Steinbach
We'll have to pair this with the Mennonite Heritage Village. We recently went to Steinbach for my cousins hockey game, and 2 of my aunts & uncles live there so we'll have to head out for a day to do some visiting and sightseeing an hour from home.

31. Go to Brandon
Brandon is another Manitoba town that I haven't been to in a long time, what's better and more cost effective than being a tourist in your own province?

32. Plant Vegetables
While we plan to get rid of our huge farm-like vegetable garden that we currently have under the snow somewhere, it'd be nice to still plant some vegetables. I'm not sure in what capacity - at some point we plan to do raised beds but I'm not sure if that's on the agenda this year. Either way, maybe raised beds or maybe a container garden.

33. Cross the border for dinner
When I turned 21, we went to Grand Forks just for dinner. It was fun and felt adventurous to tell the border patrol - "We'll be back in a couple of hours, just going out for dinner 4 hours away", I'd like to do it this year again!

34. Watch a movie outside
As a fun date night, it might be fun to take the laptop outdoors next to a campfire and watch a movie.

35. Have a garage sale
Many people know we plan on a garage sale this year, hope it'll be a hit and we'll see lots of you there!

36. Meet our neighbours
We've only met one neighbour. To our credit, we only have one direct neighbour due to the power lines on one side of us and across the street, as well as the park behind, but hopefully this Summer we'll venture over to meet a couple more and be friendly.

37. Sit in our new seats at the Bomber Stadium
We have Bomber season tickets once again this year and I for one am super excited about no more ramp, and no more bench seating. 

38. Get a mani-pedi
My feet need some love. I'm dreadfully bad at painting my own toes.

39. Buy our 2nd anniversary keepsake (or make?)
On our honeymoon we bought a clock at a store in the small town we stayed, then on our first anniversary we were in Chicago and bought a large stone W to hang on the wall in our future frame gallery, this year I was thinking we could make sometihng. This has started our tradition of buying/making something together that will be a keepsake as an anniversary gift to ourselves instead of buying each other gifts, especially since our birthdays are also in Summer. 

40. Make a mix cd to represent our Summer
Ah the days of the mixed CD, do people still make them or is it all iTunes playlists? Philip and I will definitely conflict on the contents of said CD, but I think it'll make for a good Summer.

41. Take a lot of pictures
At some point we'll probably get a higher quality camera, but for now you'll have to tolerate iPhone 4 photos. I'm always bad at taking pictures, but would love to have lots of photos of family and friends to display around our home.

42. Roast hot dogs on the fire
Confession: I'm really bad at roasting hot dogs - at least without dropping them in the flames. They always fall off the stick! This year I will learn, or Philip will roast them for me.

43. Jiffy Pop!
Need I say more?

44. Carve our names in a tree in our yard
Might be a cool memory to show the kiddos one day, or for when we move on to another house and the next homeowners can see it. 

45. Go to The Melting Pot
I've wanted to go there for a few years (although I've heard mixed reviews), it's a fondue restaurant!

46. Refinish a thrift furniture find
We've been keeping our eyes peeled for a couple of furniture items we have in mind places for. We'll keep you posted!

47. Go for a walk at Kildonan Park
Maybe we can pair this with the trip to Rainbow Stage. Have to get all 50 done some how!

48. Do the Forks River Walk
Apparently we're going to be getting a lot of outdoor exercise this Summer.

49. Have a Movie Classics Marathon
Have to rest from all that walking.

50. Make a Bucket List for next Summer
Comment below or on Facebook if there are things we've missed! What are you looking forward to doing this Summer, in Winnipeg and beyond? 

What We're Looking Forward To

Last week, we asked what you're looking forward to most in 2013. Obviously there's probably some broader answers out there than the poll allowed, so feel free to add those in the comments. 

Here's a glance at what we're looking forward to most over the next 51 weeks or so. 

1. Enjoying a full summer with a backyard.

Last year we moved into the house at the end of August and mostly only had time for yard maintenance and some clean-up at the end of the outdoor season. We're looking forward to getting settled in our back yard, hosting lots of BBQs and bon fires, and starting up some gardening (that might be hopeful...I'm a plant killer). Philip also told me to share that he is looking forward to not wearing long underwear every day and to eating cookie dough ice cream. 

2. Investors Group Field

Our local Canadian Football League team is getting a new home and, by the looks of it, it's going to be night and day from the old one. Watching the Blue Bombers with this view, not having to walk around an endlessly-spiralling ramp  to get to our seats, not having to pee in a trough, and a lot more leg room are just a few of the amenities we're eagerly anticipating come late June (this one came from Philip - don't worry, in Canada women do not pee in a trough). 

Got to admit, I'm most looking forward to no more ramp to walk up, and no more squishy bench. 

3. Celebrating 2 years of marriage.

With marriages falling apart so easily these days, I feel so blessed to have a husband that I love and am looking forward to celebrating our 2 year anniversary. It isn't long, but marriage is hard and so every anniversary is a great time to remind ourselves of that. Last August we went to Chicago to celebrate, so we'll see what we end up doing this year!

4. Heading to Ontario. 

I was born in Ontario, and still have a large number of loved ones there, so we're hoping to get out to Ontario at some point this year for a visit. The planning has just started on that one so we'll have to see how it pans out! 

5. Getting settled in our home.

This continues off of number 2, with the hope that we can start to live more permanently here and be content with the work we've finished. It's not likely that we'll get to finish our kitchen any time soon so we'd like to just get settled in and used to what we have here already. Then we can slowly work away at things as we have the financial means. 

6. The unexpected.

In just 3 short years we've met, dated, become engaged, married, renovated a condo, moved to our house, and a lot of other exciting milestones and events too! We're looking forward to whatever 2013 has in store, because I'm sure that some of it we haven't planned for. 

7. Turning 24 & 28.

Although my husband looks ridiculously youthful, he's on the older end of this one. I'm looking forward to turning 24 and celebrating his 28th birthday. Especially with our new DIY skills, I've already started putting some thought into what kind of project I might be able to whip up for this May. 

8. Having only one wedding to attend (crossing our fingers - sorry to our friends who get a less than pleasant response if they get engaged soon)

Last year we had 5 weddings, the year before 10, and the year before 6. 2013 has only 1, and we could not be happier. We've loved celebrating love for the past few years, but I'm looking forward to just enjoying one wedding this year and celebrating wholeheartedly with really good friends. 

9. Having some free time?

According to our to-do list, we actually have nothing scheduled this Fall, so if things stay that way we'll have some time off. Also hoping for a vacation or two, so that will be wonderful. 

10. Learning more new things. 

It's been very exciting learning how to do some home improvement projects, learning to be better at being married and domesticated. I'm excited to see the things we learn this year, as the past couple of years should have earned us a University degree in new experiences.