Love, Michelle

Summer is here

 
 
Summer has arrived! Even though it was cloudy and 14C on this particular day, we headed to the beach. While the mamas were covered from head to toe with hats, long sleeves and pants, the kiddos were quick to get in their swimsuits and jump in the water. There were some canoe rides and a yummy BBQ lunch sprinkled in for fun and good excuses to warm up.

As a kid I spent summers at the ocean, but we don't go to the beach much here. The nearest ocean is the chilly and rocky Pacific a few hours away in Alaska. There are a few very lovely (although cold!) lakes nearby. But, to be honest, I've just never spent much time at lakes. Only the rare dip in Stillwater Lake when I was a teen and it was unbearably hot. (Since we moved north my definition of "unbearably hot" has most certainly changed.)

So I am, learning to love lakes. I think it's safe to say Ethan already loves playing at the lake and is very much "at home" in these chilly Yukon waters!

Books of 2010

Despite the crazy ups and downs of our life over the last year, I kept on reading. Mostly at night before bed. Sometimes early on a Saturday morning. Often late at night when I was having trouble sleeping.

My goal last year was to read 12 books and I read 27. This year I hoped to read 24 and fell slightly short at 21. But, as my dear sis says "give yourself a break, please".

One of the best things that came out of this year was a book club I started with some friends. We meet about once a month over dinner and wine and lovely conversation. Some of my favorite times this year has been book club evenings. In particular, last summer when we met to talk about Prodigal Summer was especially memorable.

My favorite books from this year were Fingersmith and Three Day Road. I will add them to my library. Unfortunatly there were, quite frankly, too many crappy books on my nightstand this year. I'm hoping next year I have better luck with book selection.

Wishin' and Hopin'*
A Lion Among Men
The Hour I First Believed*
Nineteen Minutes
Time/Steps
Expecting Adam
Prodigal Summer*
The Happiness Project*
Comfort and Joy (audio)
Firefly Lane (audio)
Bel Canto
Magic Hour (audio)
Winter Garden*
The Alchemist
Fingersmith*
Three Day Road*
Knit Two
Still Alice*
Comfort Food
Things I Learned From Knitting
The Jane Austen Book Club
The Long Walk*
The Time Traveller's Wife
Shanghai Girls

I am getting used to this

 
Just over a week ago, we were living in the cabin and cooking in a toaster oven. Now, we're baking together in a real kitchen. It's not quite our kitchen yet, but it will do for now.

The best part is how happy Ethan is to help. See the flour on his shirt? Oh, love.

I'm hoping to get back here a bit more often. To catch up on the new house, where we are right now, and maybe even to look back on the crazy year in the cabin.

A tour of the house, with words

Our house is at the end of a cul-de-sac, tucked in the woods. The first thing you see when you look at our house is the deck. There is a big covered deck that wraps around two sides of the house. I have to admit that I thought the deck was an inpractical expense. I didn't want it. I thought we could easily do without. Now, of course it's one of my favorite parts of the house. It looks stunning. And it makes a beautiful place to sit when the weather is good. And a perfect refuge when the weather is bad.

When you walk inside you will be greated by a good sized entry right next to a laundry room/pantry/powder room. I wanted a nice, big mudroom. And that is exactly what that space is turning out to be.

On the main floor we have an open kitchen/dining room/living room. There are windows that overlook the southeast. This is the place in the house that gets the best light from morning to night. Aubrey thought a lot about the direction of the house and the light. Also on the main floor is my craft room. With two big windows that overlook the deck on the north side. It feels like it is tucked into the perfect little nook in the house. Plus, I have easy access to the food in the kitchen.

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and a shared family bath. Ethan's room and the guest room are tucked in the gable ends, so they are funny shaped rooms with lots of nooks. These are my favorite rooms in the house. So many spots to put a cozy reading chair. Our bedroom is in the centre. We get that beautiful light from the south.

The basement will be unfinished for now. But there are some rooms down there, too. One is a TV room. The other is a music room for Aubrey. There is a small bathroom and all the utilities including a huge water tank (we opted out of drilling a well, for now). And finally a big storage room with the wood stove. That room has an exterior door. I can see coming in from a ski and hanging all my gear to dry near the stove.

Our house is far from perfect. We've made our share of mistakes. But our house is us. And that's why I love it. Now, when can I move in?

Three blue jugs and a kettle

We have been living without running water for nine months.

When we were making plans to build the cabin we tried to include running water. But our friend who had just spent a year with her family in a cabin without running water said, "You don't need water. It's too expensive and you can live without it". We knew she was right. Adding plumbing, a water tank and extra room for a bathroom would have cost big money. Money that we, quite frankly, didn't have.

So it was decided. Lots of people lived without running water. For generations people have lived in the north without running water. Heck, there are still lots of people NOW in the Yukon who don't have running water. If they could do it, so could we. Plus, I could just wait until November when we move into the house (where we will have running water) to potty train Ethan. Right. I just kept telling myself that.

So we bought two blue jugs, an electric kettle, a few wash basins, and we were all set. One year. No water.

If it seems that I was totally game for this adventure, let me set you straight. Before cabin life, I took a bath every night. I took a shower every morning. I washed my hands so much they were raw. I did laundry almost daily. I bathed Ethan everyday. We used the dishwasher regularly. I used a new cup with every drink. I'm not proud to say it, but I was not someone who thought too much about conserving water. I used it. I took it for granted. I was terrified to live for a year without running water. Terrified.

By the time we moved into the cabin in November we were almost five months behind schedule. We spent those five months couch surfing in a glorified "we are a family with a toddler" kind of way. We moved three times during those five months - from spare room to spare room.

I remember sleeping that first night in the cabin with an incredible sense of relief. I didn't even give a thought to water. I was just so glad to finally, finally (!) have our own space. I was so grateful that I didn't worry one moment about the challenges that were ahead.

And, I'm proud to say we've made it work. I am not saying that I will not be thrilled to move into the house and have easy access to water again. I'm just saying that I will be forever grateful for the simple act of turning on the tap.

Maybe he doesn't need a nap

Ethan is a night owl. If he gets to bed and asleep by 9 pm we're lucky. Right now, for example, he's busy eating a snack (two PBJ sandwiches and a bowl of strawberries).

I've struggled with trying to get him to go to bed earlier. When he's going to sleep that late, I'm following very soon after which doesn't leave me much time to myself in the evening.

So many people have said "maybe he doesn't need a nap." He'd go to sleep early without a nap, is the theory.

We've tried it and it doesn't seem to make a difference. We end up with a kid that falls asleep at the table during dinner, or is a very grumpy kid to have around.

Today he missed his nap at daycare. They went to the park for the afternoon so of course none of the kids slept. I picked him up around supper and we went off to do some errands.

He fell asleep on the way to the grocery store. I picked him up out of the car and layed him in the cart, and he was still sound asleep. He slept in the cart for the whole time we were in the store.

Maybe soon he'll be ready to give up his nap. But I don't think he is quite ready yet.

Sitting on the deck

These days I spend a lot of time dreaming of sitting on the deck. In this dream the house is finished. We're all settled in. The giant pile of fill on the west side of the house is gone, and in it's place is a nice patch of grass and an beautiful wooden swingset that Aubrey made. I'm in a comfortable chair, having a drink, maybe reading a book.

Right now I often have that dream several times (or more) a day.

For weeks I've been saying that we're on a high. The high side of the sine wave of life and house building, that is. Everything was going pretty great. Of course we've already hit several lows during this crazy project. So I knew when I was feeling happy being on the high side, the low side would certianly come again.

And of course it has. In the form of some serious back pain for Aubrey that's left him bedridden (have I mentioned that he's the one building the house?). And mistakes that need to be fixed. And mistakes that can't be fixed. And trying to figure out plan X, Y and Z.

Tonight we actually joked about looking into another, longer alphabet which would give us more room for new plans.

Which I guess is the bright side. We're still joking. And trying to stay positive. And keeping focused on the (new) goal: get into the house without losing our health.

I know that someday relatively soon that dream I have will become the reality. And I'm very sure that I will never, ever take those moments on the deck for granted. Especially since I'll have a perfect view of the cabin-with-no-running-water from the deck.

What a summer we are having together

 
Dear Ethan,

This summer, Daddy is busy working on the house every spare moment. When he is not at work, he is busy with the house. On the weekends. During the evenings. Every. Spare. Moment.

And the two of us? Well, we are busy making sure everyone is fed. And bathed. And have clean clothes. Without running water at the cabin, this ends up being quite a bit of work. Of course, we have found time to have some great adventures, too. 

No matter what the task is, we're doing it together.

Watching Aubrey finish the house is such an exciting part of this summer. But my very favorite part? Spend all this time together with you. Just the two of us. Trips to the lake. Camping. Walks in the park. Playing outside. Going to the pool. Just the two of us.

What I've realized is that there really is no one else I'd rather spend my time with right now. You are the best company for a mama like me. I know there will be plenty of years later when you'd rather be anywhere than hanging out with your mama. But for now, I'm loving every moment.

Well, almost every moment. We are toilet training now, remember?

Love, Mama

Happy Father's Day, Aubrey

Happy Fathers Day from Michelle Sicotte on Vimeo.

I made this video for Aubrey for Father's Day. I have watched it more times than I can count and get teary every time. I am so lucky to have these two in my life.

Drinks on the deck

 
Sometimes, we have our friends over for drinks on the deck. We don't fuss over details like the fact that we don't have chairs. Or deckboards, for that matter.

The sun on the deck on the west side of the house in the evening is so beautiful that you don't even need those things. A few pieces of plywood are just perfect.

Someday soon this is going to be one of my very favorite spots to sit, I'm sure. Those rough sawn posts are just so beautiful they make me want to jump up and down with glee.

And for the record, Ethan just jumped off his bike before climbing up to sit with the boys. As much as a safety hazard this kid is - I realize the irony in saying that considering where he's sitting in this picture - we don't make him where a helmet all the time :)