What's Up Wednesday: November 2025

This is the month that our big renovation started! You can go here to read more specifics but I will be referencing it a lot in today's post as it's been a major part of our month.

Answering these questions monthly helps me reflect on the past month and I really appreciate having a record of what we've been up to. The questions come from Shay at Mix and Match Mama and Sheaffer at Sheaffer Told Me Too.

image from here

 

What we're eating this week... I made the first batch of Applesauce Jumbles last week as well as the first batch of Cranberry Tea. These are both recipes I got from fellow bloggers and they have become a huge part of our holiday season. You can find Holly's Applesauce Jumble recipe here and the Cranberry Tea recipe I got from Allena. In fact, I'm drinking a cup of cranberry tea as I get this post ready and I'll be baking another batch of Applesauce Jumbles tonight!

 

Also, in preparation for losing our kitchen in the next month, Dave and I went to Costco and looked at all the prepared foods they offer. I found some cheese, fruit, and nut snacks and asked Dave to buy some a few weeks ago. These have been a really good addition to my lunches lately and I know I will be eating a lot more of them in the next few months.

 

What I'm reminiscing about... From 1997 until 2002 I owned a house with ten other people. We were all post-university and wanted to try living intentionally. We bought a house together and decided to make it a five year project. People came and went but we were still friends after five years of living together. I somehow ended up with the bin of "house papers" and, with permission from the others, I've been going through them and recycling/shredding them. So I've been reminiscing about that time in my life.

 

These are pictures of pictures but they were taken the night we sold the house. With my share of the proceeds I took my dad on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing to Moscow through Mongolia and then we went and visited the area in the Ukraine where his parents were born. (You can read more about that trip here if you're interested.)

 

What I'm loving... I'm loving that, in some ways, November has been slower than October and I've had time to read, get more sleep, and knock a few huge tasks off my "to do" list. Don't get me wrong -- November has also been full, but I appreciate having just a little more time these days. 

 

What we've been up to... We've been up to a lot!

I did another Blossoms 'N Brunch with friends.

 

 

We went to a town near us to check out their "Sparkles" event. We enjoyed fancy hot chocolate, some photo ops, and some sitting by the fire. We ate some really good pizza and made an evening out of it. Rachel commented that it was like a Hallmark movie "but with lineups"! She wasn't wrong :)

 

And renovations have started! The playroom has been taken off, the basement has been gutted, new windows have been put in, and framing has started. In preparation for all of this, we have continued to pack up, sort through things, and move a lot of stuff out of our house. We just have three more rooms to move out of (the kitchen, bathroom, and Rachel's room).

Here's me blogging in the office while laundry dries this past weekend.

What I'm dreading... While I'm excited about the renovations, I'm also dreading not having a kitchen and having to pack up Rachel's room. She'll be moving in with Dave and I so things are going to get... cozy! Hahaha!

What I'm working on... Sorting stuff. Getting rid of stuff. Packing stuff. Moving stuff. Repeat.

What I'm excited about... I get so excited to come home every day and see what progress has been made. It's fun to think that in a few short months our house will look so different!!!

What I'm watching/reading... I started watching Hallmark Christmas movies a few weekends ago. 

I haven't watched any of the new ones yet -- just some old favourites like The Santa Summit and Hannukah on the Rocks. Maybe this weekend I'll watch a new one! 

 

As for reading, I read a lot in November. I read One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter, Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall, and My Friends by Fredrik Backman, among other things.

 

However, the most life changing book I read this month was How To Winter: harness your mindset to thrive on cold, dark, or difficult days by Kari Leibowitz. I want to buy this book, underline it, and re-read it every October as I prepare for winter -- my least favourite season. If you are not a winter person (like me), check out this book. I might actually be looking forward to this winter, after reading this book.

 

What I'm listening to... Construction noises. And, as I mentioned in Monday's post, the lot across the street is being worked on too (and not just 8-4:30 like our renos), so when I'm not hearing construction noises at home, I'm hearing banging across the street. It's a lot.

What I'm wearing... My family decided they're done with matching holiday pjs, so I decided to get a full on fun pair for myself! In the midst of renovation life, I needed something to bring me some holiday joy! 

I got them from Old Navy this past weekend and the pants are especially fun! They're striped with candy canes, trees, and gingerbread houses on them :)

 

What I'm doing this weekend... I think we're going to start packing up some more things in the kitchen and get more done in Rachel's room. Rachel has a bunch of Nutcracker rehearsals in preparation for her show in a few weeks (including a lot this weekend) so we're chipping away at her room as she has time. I'll probably watch some Hallmark movies. It might be one of our last slow weekends before the holidays hit so I'm going to enjoy it.

What I'm looking forward to next month... Seeing more changes happening with our reno! Finding moments of joy in the midst of upheaval at home. Celebrating the holidays with friends and family.

So that's what's up with us this Wednesday in November. I used to really dread November but now I've just enjoyed savouring its coziness and enforced slowness. How's your November been?

Renovations Week Three

These renovations have both been going faster, and slower, than I had anticipated. Here's what happened this past week.

Although I said in last week's post that framing was complete in the basement, I was wrong. I meant that they had framed along all the outside walls. This week, they built the wall for Sam's room.

And while this isn't our renovation, they are starting to build at the lot across the street where the fire happened two and a half years ago. This construction is involving a lot of trucks and noise and I have to keep telling our neighbours that it is not our reno causing all the chaos. It's been a little frustrating.

This is the space for the furnace room (which will be beside Sam's room) and his shower arrived! Now they just need to install it -- hahahaha!!!

Sam's window got installed! Yay!!!

And our contractor, after a quick discussion with Dave, suggested angling the furnace room wall, and moving Sam's door, to give him a little more space in his room. We liked these suggestions so some work had to be re-done.

 

We all spent some time downstairs, checking out the work one evening and helping Sam think about how to arrange his new space. That was really fun to dream about what it might look like when it's done!

We're getting rid of the window in the downstairs bathroom (which they spray painted black for some reason) and they had to dig up more of the floor to replace a bit more of the pipes. I *think* some plumbing and electrical in the basement is starting this week so that's exciting!

This is the new window in the basement, which had to be moved to the front.

And the window in the bathroom got framed over.

 

So this past week was about more framing and installing windows. This week, they're also going to start framing for the powder room on the main floor so we took more stuff to our storage unit and a few more things to our neighbours this weekend.

This is me moving our office organizer to our neighbours' house.

And this is our new "office space" in our living room corner. I *hope* I kept everything important!!!

And this is me enjoying blogging in the office while I still can! I am also losing my temporary drying laundry space so I'm not sure where that's going to happen these next few months -- maybe our bedroom?!?!

 

What we learned this week:

 

Spray paint really smells. A lot.

 

This reno has really forced us to go through things and get rid of/recycle/decide what's actually important to keep. It's been a good thing but I am looking forward to not having to organize so much -- eventually!

 

It's super handy to have a dumpster in our driveway to throw trash into! I might lobby to keep it once the reno's done!!! Hahaha!!! 

 

So that's where we're at. Like I said, I think next week's update might have a little more excitement in it because there's a rumour that some framing on the new addition might happen... And of course, I'm thrilled about my powder room!

Renovations Week Two

Here's an update on week two of our renovations. It's been a lot of framing in the basement, cutting in of windows, and more supplies arriving.

Last Saturday we had a few gorgeous hours so I convinced Dave it was time to do our final, fall, yard cleanup. We raked leaves, dealt with the extra vines on the house, and cut dead plants down. It only took a little over an hour, and this is what our back yard looked like when we were done. Thankfully, we finished everything because then it snowed. By Tuesday, our back yard looked like this:

 

More supplies coming in! 

On Monday, more supplies were brought into the basement, more trench was dug in the bathroom area, and the window was cut into the front of the basement.

On Tuesday, Tyvek was added, and some framing began.

Wednesday and Thursday brought more Tyvek and more framing in the basement.

Additionally, the window that we're losing in the basement was covered and lots of rocks in pails showed up -- possibly for the window wells but we don't know for sure.

On Friday, Sam's bedroom window was cut out and more framing was completed in the basement.

 

I think this week they might be starting work on building the addition. It's getting a lot more real and it's fun to see each day's progress. I loved coming home on Thursday and Friday and smelling the sawed wood.

Here's what we've learned about renovations this week:

The dust gets everywhere! I've dusted the piano about three times this week. And everything just has a fine layer. I'm not complaining, by the way; it's just an observation.

Sadly, Rachel was quite sick this week and we've discovered it's harder to be sick. The construction didn't stop, and Rachel was very patient (or asleep) but it was just extra hard. Dave worked at home on Thursday and Friday so she wasn't on her own and he's really looking forward to a quieter office today :)

I find the framing really exciting because it's starting on the building part of the process and that feels so positive to me. So that's where we're at two weeks in.

A Few More Days In One Of My Favourite Cities

I'm finally writing about the last few days of our Europe trip this past summer. I really do blog to preserve our family's memories and these next two days were some of my favourite days of my entire summer!

Is this not the quintessential London photo? A red phone booth and Westminster Abbey in the background. All it needs is a red, double decker, bus!

We spent some time on Saturday morning touring Westminster Abbey. As my dad was having difficulty walking, Rachel and I took turns pushing him around in a wheelchair. I really didn't mind as I've seen Westminster Abbey at least three times before. It was still amazing to visit but I didn't take any pictures this time. Afterwards my dad bought me a beautiful London mug, and Rachel some London magnets for her locker, as a thank you. Every time I drink out of my mug, I remember having so much fun in London with my family!

We left my mom, dad, and Rachel at Westminster Abbey to find their way back to the hotel. Rachel was in charge of getting them back on the tube and did an excellent job!

Sam, Dave, and I headed off in a different direction to watch a preseason friendly (also known as a soccer game)! Sam really wanted to see an actual football match while we were in England and a few weeks before we left, we found one which would work with our timing and location. So we saw Queen Park Rangers play the Brentford Bees. Both QPR and Brentford are playing in the Championship League this season, which is one league below the Premier League.  

We stopped at the QPR store and kitted ourselves out for the match in appropriate gear! And we accidentally ended up with amazing seats. We were midfield and just a few rows back. We had such a great view. 

I loved how the opposing teams fans sang loudly the whole game; I loved watching the guys fixing the field at half time; I just loved the whole atmosphere. Baseball will always have my heart but soccer is pretty fun too!!!

 

After the match we headed back to the hotel, met back up with my parents and Rachel, and headed to another pub for supper.

The next morning my mom, Rachel, and I headed out to explore Tower Bridge. Dave was going to come with us but he wasn't feeling great and decided to conserve his energy.  

Rachel had been looking forward to this moment for three years, ever since our last trip to London when we found out you could walk up Tower Bridge and see life below through the glass floor. 

 

We had a lot of fun learning about Tower Bridge and taking fun pictures on the floor!

The bridge still lifts a few times a week, and while originally 80 people were employed to maintain and operate the bridge, today only 12 people are needed. This was such a cool experience!!!

After Tower Bridge we found a store with the "London, England" sweatshirt Rachel had been dreaming of. And my mom insisted on buying me one too! She thought I should have something to wear from one of my favourite cities. I've worn it so much and remembered our fun day every time.

We spent the morning walking along the banks of the Thames, soaking up the sights and stopping at a few places to check things out. We grabbed a quick lunch and then met up with Dave, my dad, and Sam at The Globe Theatre.

 

We saw The Merry Wives of Windsor. Rachel was bored, Sam actually really liked it, and the rest of us enjoyed it!

After the play, we walked back to The Anchor, an old pub not far from the theatre and on the banks of the Thames. I loved that it was covered in flowers and Dad loved the Sunday roast dinner. This meal was so good!!!

After dinner we walked along the Thames some more to catch the tube back to our hotel. I enjoyed one last Pimms at the hotel bar and Mom decided to join me!

The next day we flew home. I took these pictures as we flew over Greenland. We had such a good view and it was so cool to see!

We ended our trip off in style!

 

This trip was so much fun! It was fun to see what Sam was interested in doing. It was amazing to be in Europe with my parents. There were so many moments from this trip that were just so great.

 

The only problem is that now Rachel wants her turn to plan a trip with Oma & Opa! I really hope she gets the chance because this one was fun!!!