Currently: March 2026

It's the first Wednesday in March and time for Currently. This blog party is hosted by Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa. You can find Amy here.

[saving your life right now]

What is "saving my life right now" are the construction lights we can plug in, especially in our bathroom. We still don't have the lights installed in the bathroom, powder room, kitchen, or most of the basement. I really think it will be one of the last things to get finished.

Another thing is that Rachel's dance is slowing down a bit. She doesn't have rehearsals every Sunday at this point and it's so helpful to have a bit more time together as a family.

And legit -- Dave being willing to dust the piano every day is "saving my life." People keep saying how amazing we're doing with living through our renovation but you all don't see/hear my daily meltdowns over all the dust! I am losing my mind and the fact that Dave is willing to dust the piano every day is so helpful. I don't mind sweeping the floors every day or wiping off the stove and dining room table but the piano is what sends me over the edge!

The piano was dusted 24 hours ago. Seriously.

 

[cleaning/purging]

As for "cleaning" right now we're dusting, sweeping, and wiping things down almost every day. Once we start unpacking I'm guessing we'll be "purging" a bit more. But for now, we're not purging anything. We did a lot of purging back in the fall as we prepared for this reno.

[loving]

I am "loving" the bits of the renovation which have been revealed to us. I am so excited about the back splash in our kitchen and I love my blue cupboards. I am especially "loving" my yellow tulips on our counters. I am also "loving" that our renovation might be done sooner than we thought! Eeeeks! I can't wait!!!

 

Oh, I'm also "loving" having a shower in our house again. It is such a treat to be able to shower whenever we want without having to plan ahead!!!

This was before we added the shower curtain and before the bathroom was painted.

[planning (trip wise)]

We are "planning" easy trips for this year! We were talking about doing a European vacation over March Break but ultimately decided on something simpler. I'm so thankful because this renovation has taken up all our energy and we need to relax on our trips this year. Our March Break trip is something we've never done with the kids before so I'm so curious to see how it works out. Fingers crossed we all love it!

[taking a break from (since it's Spring Break month)]

I'm so happy we're going to be "taking a break from" the cold weather. Our highs are all over freezing for the foreseeable future and I can't wait!!! It's been a long, cold, snowy, winter around here. I'm also looking forward to "taking a break from" shovelling snow! The only precipitation in the seven day forecast is rain and I am so here for it!!! Whoo hoo spring!!!

Well, this ended up being a very renovation focused "currently" but that is an accurate picture of our lives these days. By next month's "currently" I will hopefully be able to focus more on spring and other exciting things will be happening in our lives but for now, we'll keep dusting! Hahaha!

Renovation Report Week 17

This last week our renovation involved a lot more priming, mudding and sanding, and fixing up of small areas. However, there were a few bigger things which happened so I ended up having a lot to share.

Part of the new living room was primed...

...and a door was installed between Sam's room and the basement bathroom, as well as on the other side of our current living room/new guest room.

The outside wall of the powder room was primed, as was the rest of the living room.

The upstairs bathroom got painted!!! It's kind of hard to see the colour because we still only have the construction light but it's Sherwin Williams Olympus White, which is actually a light grey.

We now have fans in the powder room and upstairs bathroom, although they aren't hooked up yet. Yes, our main bathroom never had a fan!

Our new appliances were delivered!!!!!! Remember how I showed you the stove hookup last week. Well, they discovered that they'd never finished the fridge outlet so it's currently plugged in with an extension cord stretching across the kitchen! Hahaha!!!

The dishwasher and microwave also arrived but they won't get hooked up until later this week, I think.

Here's all the paint! It's exciting to have it in our house!

This is where our aprons hung in the hall on the way to the basement. I'd never noticed there was a second wood strip above where the hooks were hung. It was removed and the wall was fixed.

The whole basement was primed -- both our family room and Sam's new room.

In other exciting news of the week, the plastic was taken off our kitchen cupboards and the cardboard was removed from our counters so our kitchen was much more usable this past weekend!!! The painting is mostly done with a few small touch ups. The kitchen is Sherwin Williams Rhinestone -- it's a blue-white.

More touch ups and priming happened in the powder room and the hallway to the basement.

My mug cupboard got painted!!! Rachel thinks it's ridiculous that I'm so excited about this!!!

The vents in Sam's room got primed and they drilled a hole for our drinking water tap.

I came home one day and noticed that our crew had taken all the hooks and nails out of Rachel's wall and patched the holes. I asked one of the crew, "I didn't think that wall was on the list of things to do." They responded, "It wasn't. We just had some extra patch material and knew you wanted to paint that wall so fixed it for you." Our crew is seriously the best! They saved us a bunch of work here and I am so grateful.

 

Learnings from the week:

We were so excited to have our dishwasher delivered. However, it still needs to be hooked up to work! And in case you don't follow me on Instagram, Dave and I have been together since the fall of 2006 and this is the very first time we've ever had a dishwasher in our house! Dave can't wait to use it!!!

We ending up picking whiter colours for paint. I thought we were picking paint chips with colour and the walls would show a little more colour. I still really like how the walls that have been painted so far have turned out but it wasn't what I was anticipating. I also realize that different lighting might help as, thus far, none of the lighting has been installed.

How had I never noticed the extra strip of wood in our basement hallway before?!?! It's wild to me.

Preparing to paint takes much longer than we had imagined. We're eagerly awaiting the next big transformations!

 

So that's what happened last week -- some kitchen reveal, some painting, and more priming. 

Friday Favourite Moments #8 2026 (On A Monday)

I did not get a Friday Favourite Moments post written last week. Thursday night I drove the kids to their activities, Dave and I had a quick supper, and then we showed Tim & Janice around our house so they could see the latest reno updates in person. Wednesday was the day our new appliances arrived (yay!) and we were testing them out. Anyways, here are my favourite moments from this past week.

1) Starbucks orders

Last Friday my principal wanted Starbucks so we placed an order. We decided we're having "office Friday Starbucks" from now until March Break to get us through. It's the small things in life, I'm telling you :)  

2) Baseball is back!!!

After four long months, baseball is back! I watched the entire first game of Spring Training and I was soooo happy! Can't wait for warm summer days (or nights!) at the ball park!!! 

 

3) Supportive friends

We were supposed to go to our friends' for supper on Saturday night but Rachel woke up and was really sick so we cancelled. Our friends brought dinner to us anyways, which was so kind of them. It's such a treat to get home cooked meals during this time. Hopefully next time we'll be able to enjoy our meal and have a visit with them.

4) Olympic Hockey Game 

 

Even though the outcome was not what Canadians wanted, watching the gold medal game for men's hockey was so fun! (Until it wasn't...)

 

5) New appliances!

Our new appliances arrived!!! We Facetimed my parents so they could see us try our new induction stove for the first time. We're eagerly awaiting our dishwasher installation which will hopefully be happening later this week. 

6) We have a doctor!

In July 2024, a week before Dave and I left for Scotland, our doctor's office sent out a message saying they were closing our clinic. We'd had no prior warning and it was so frustrating. For the past year and a half, we have been without a family doctor. However, a couple of months ago, we found a doctor who would take us on (thanks to Dave's parents) and it was at the clinic we were hoping to get in to. We had our official "I'm your doctor" appointments this past week and Dave and I feel such a sense of relief to finally have a family doctor again. While I enjoy our free Canadian healthcare, the waits for family doctors are ridiculous.

7) Kitchen reveal (sort of!)

On Thursday before they left, the workers took all the plastic off the kitchen cupboards and the cardboard off the counters! I LOVE our new kitchen! It is mostly painted now, just waiting on some trim to be painted, and the microwave and dishwasher need to be installed but it's sooooo close to being done. Another favourite moment was showing Tim and Janice the latest on our renovation. They were the third and fourth people to see the uncovered kitchen as the kids had already left for their evening activities when everything was taken off. I love sharing our renovation with our friends!

So those were my favourite moments from this past week. While we're currently under a cold warming (again), most days this week are supposed to be above freezing so I'm sure Friday's post will include a few favourite moments about melting snow! Yay spring!

Monthly Musings: Ways We Make Our Weeks Easier

It's the last Thursday Saturday of the month so it's past time for Monthly Musings which is now hosted by Patty, who blogs at Good, Better, Best. You should join in on this link up because it's super fun!

1) Paper planner, digital calendar, or other option?

I bought a paper planner for a few years, and didn't use it, so in 2026 for the first time, I didn't buy one. Gasp. However, in August 2016 we visited the world's first Target in Minneapolis-St Paul and I bought a reusable monthly calendar. I think it was meant for teachers but we've used it as our family calendar for years. We all count on it and, as we've had nowhere to put it during our reno, our lives have been a little upside down these past few months. I can't wait until we can count on it again.

Each person has a different colour to help with a quick visual check.

 

2) Meal planning, meal prep, or wing it?

I started meal planning when Sam was a baby and haven't looked back since. Sometimes we throw the plan out the window and eat out, or have leftovers, but it really is a lifesaver. Again, we all look at the meal plan and know what's on the menu. Before our reno, our meal planning happened on a notepad on the fridge, but since we've started the renovation, we've resorted to a shared "note" in the Notes app on our phones. I think we'll probably go back to paper after the reno as it's easier to look at.

 

Various menu planning pads throughout the years. 

3) Do you choose your outfit the night before?

I don't really. I kind of have an idea of what I want to wear based on the weather, and what's on my "I've worn it once" pile in my closet, but I don't have a firm outfit picked.

4) Tips for managing laundry and ironing?

I manage ironing by not doing it! Hahaha!

In terms of laundry, I'm usually on top of it, but given our reno, everything is up in the air. I try to do laundry on Wednesdays (when I'm home in the evening) and then on the weekends.

5) Grocery shop instore or online?

I've never gotten into the habit of online grocery shopping. The first time I tried it, it just seemed really complicated. Maybe I would be more into online ordering if Dave didn't do the bulk of our weekly shopping!

6) Best tips for getting out the door in the morning without chaos?

Leave before everyone else does! Hahaha! (Aren't my tips so useful?!?!) I have to leave for work around 7:30 and the kids are just waking up then so it helps me get out the door. Plus Dave has a flexible work schedule so he helps with packing lunches. I try to get the kids moving before I have to leave, but really, the bulk of the work is up to Dave after I've left.

7) Share your easiest dinners for crazy weeks.

Our family loves grilled cheese and tacos. We also eat a lot of tuna melts or tuna noodle casserole. Really, meal planning helps with the crazy weeks because we know we'll have very little time to cook, we pick an easy meal, and we divide tasks up ahead of time.

8) Best tips to keep your house organized during the week?

It's so funny answering these questions while most of our house is being renovated. We are the complete opposite of organized right now! Hahahaha!!! We do try to put things away as we use them/as they come into the house so that we don't have a lot of mess, most of the time. I know that I feel more frazzled when our space is chaotic.

9) Share your easiest breakfast.

I'm not a huge breakfast person so I mostly like "grab and go" breakfasts. If I can make muffins, I love having those on hand but otherwise I take a breakfast pita. I toast it in the morning and eat it (cold) sometime between 9:30 and 11, depending on the day. If it's a lazy weekend morning at home, I really like half a bagel toasted with cream cheese.

10) Share your best overall tip not covered yet.

Doing a major home renovation is not a good way to make your week easier! Hahahaha!!! Otherwise, I really think having routines that everyone in the house knows makes it easier to keep things organized. The kids look at the menu plan and the monthly calendar as often as we do, and they are the ones pushing me to complete it when it's not done. That actually makes me really happy because I know they use it too.

Even though we're not at our planning/organizing best right now, I really do love a good routine or tip to make life a little easier. I'm looking forward to reading the other posts in this link up. And I think it's hilarious that I was not organized enough this week to get this posted in a timely fashion, so you know, take my tips with a grain of salt!

What's Up Wednesday: February 2026

Dave and I will be referring to February 2026 as "irritating February." There was nothing huge which happened but it was a month filled with a lot of irritation. Our car was in the shop twice, we dealt with various health issues which sucked up some time, and we had some minor house issues. Again, there was nothing big but it felt like a never ending game of Whack-A-Mole and every day or two, there was something new to address.

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... We are now in week four of not having a kitchen. So we've been eating a lot of take out and simple meals. I'm so sick of fast food and I miss vegetables and fruit. And hearty soups. I really miss hearty soups.

Taco salad is simple to make and we all like it.

  

In other news, our school food bin has had the MadeGood Cheddar Stars and my principal and I are addicted to them! They are so good and I've been enjoying a little bag almost every day, usually with a cup of tea!

 

What I'm reminiscing about... I'm writing some of this post while watching the first Blue Jays Spring Training game of the season. So I'm reminiscing about both last season (when we made it to the World Series) and about when our family got to go to a Spring Training game.

Spring Training game in Dunedin, Florida; March 2023

World Series game in Toronto; October 2025

What I'm loving... I am loving our back splash! I picked it, inspired by the tile we'd seen in Portugal, and it is absolutely living up to my hopes. I can't wait to see our whole kitchen as it comes together!!!

 

 

What we've been up to... We've been living in the midst of renovation chaos. So February has been filled with a lot of pivoting and figuring things out.

We did dishes in our laundry sink for a few weeks. Rachel and I even had to wash our hair here once.

I enjoyed my mornings of coffee-hot chocolate, blankets, and twinkle lights.

Janice made us a crocheted snowperson family and I love them! They sit on the shelf by our tulips and, every once in awhile, the kids move them around, which makes me laugh! This is our only house decoration right now.

Flooring was laid for our renovation.

We dealt with minor renovation inconveniences like having to get drinking water from under the cabinet and make coffee and toast outside the powder room...

...and we showered at Tim & Janice's for a few weeks.

We got our shower and our kitchen sink back!!!

Trim and priming started for our renovation. We're getting closer!

 

Despite not having a kitchen, Rachel still baked cookies.

We finally got all the ice and snow cleared off the sidewalk, porch, and driveway. (And as of this writing, it's covered in snow again. sigh.)

 

Rachel also had a couple of dance performances in February so she had extra rehearsals and I spent a few hours volunteering for them.

What I'm dreading... I'm both dreading (and looking forward to) all the work and unpacking and moving we'll have to do when our reno is done. We don't know for sure when it will be complete but we know we want to paint a few rooms (which weren't included in the renovation and it'll be easier to paint them when they're empty). Then we'll move stuff out of our storage units and our neighbours. And then we'll have to unpack everything. So I'm kind of dreading all the work we're going to have to do to get settled again. Thankfully we'll have a few months to sort everything out.

 

What I'm working on... I saw an idea about sorting through your photos daily. So every few days I sort through all the photos I've ever taken on those days. I don't know if this makes sense or not but search the date in your photos (for today I'll search "February 25") and then all the photos I've taken on "February 25" throughout the years pop up. It's been a good way to not feel overwhelmed by all my photos and be able to get rid of them in small doses. Since I have 14,574 photos I've got a bit of work to do :)

What I'm excited about... I'm excited baseball is back! I'm continuing to write this post while watching the second game of Spring Training and I'm just so happy!

 

I'm also still excited to come home every day and see what's been happening in our renovation! And honestly, I'm also excited that we're so close to having it finished (maybe even by the end of March, if not sooner?!?). 

 

What I'm watching/reading... Well, I was watching the Olympics. Canada did okay but I'm sad we didn't win gold in at least one of the hockey games. I've also been watching Spring Training games. It's been a lot of sports watching around here.

Left: First spring training game; Right: cheering on Canada in Olympic hockey

As for reading, I've either been reading books about being cozy in winter or hockey romances! Hahaha! So I've read The Finnish Way by Katja Pantzar and American Cozy by Stephanie Pedersen as well as the Heated Rivalry series by Rachel Reid. I also read a few books in the Maple Hills series by Hannah Grace. It's been an eclectic month of reading, for sure!

What I'm listening to... I'm listening to a tropical music mix. I'm ready for some sun and warmth so listening to this music makes me think I'm at the beach! Hahahahaha!!!

What I'm wearing... I've been wearing a lot of my warmest sweaters trying to ward off the cold. Usually you can't really see what I'm wearing, because if I'm at home, I'm huddled under a blanket. It's been a chilly February and I need some extra warmth.

What I'm doing this weekend... Dave and I are Jr Youth sponsors at church and we are leading an event this weekend. That will probably take up most of my time, even though the event itself is only a couple of hours. I'm also trying to start working with Sam on getting ready to move his room. When the renovation is done, Sam will have a room in the basement so we need to figure out what he's taking with him.

What I'm looking forward to next month... March Break! Opening Day of baseball! Our reno (maybe) being done?!?!?!?! Hopefully some warmer weather... There will be a lot of exciting things happening in March and I'm looking forward to it all.

 

So that's what's been up with us in February -- we've been chugging along through our reno, playing whack-a-mole with life, and hoping for a slightly easier March. I feel a little whiny today but I think I really need some spring so if you have nicer weather today, soak some up for me :)