Wainscoting 101

This is definitely a job for an engineer! Ian was doing just fabulous until I came to help... see if you can spot the error in the pictures... ha ha ha, at least it turned out symmetrical and I didn't even notice until Ian measured it and pointed it out.



Here is the lovely paint job done by my Mom and Ian. They did great! (I got the room all prepped and measured and placed the tape along the 'top' of the future wainscoting - not to mention all the trim I painted before it went up on the wall).



The chair rail we put in first. I had the lovely job of patching all the nail holes and painting over them again.





My engineer putting the panels in... before we noticed the error. Ian did such a great job too with getting the trim to stay up with VERY limited studs in the wall (honestly there were hardly any - must be illegal).



More panels going up... late into the night after our pre-natal class and after Ian mowed the lawn. He is so great! He did so much before heading out of town this morning.



The finished wainscoting.... seriously though, such a pain. I was told that "we are NEVER putting up wainscoting again in another room". Good thing I got my dream baby room before that decision was made!



Again I patched all the nail holes and painted the trim again... so tedious but I think it looks fabulous.





All I need to do now is put the baby furniture in and get it all set up. Too bad I have to take the crib apart to get it back in the room. Why do they make them an inch too large to fit through a door? Honestly... babies aren't that wide!

I almost feel like I can relax now.... almost, but there is still the guest room to finish... we need to buy new baseboards and put them in.... along with curtains, finding a bed frame, side tables and perhaps a picture or 2 for the walls. Maybe I should make it my nautical room? I haven't used any of that decor yet....

oh ya, I also need to do ALL my business stuff to prep for the craft fair. I guess relaxing is out of the picture. At least it helps pass the time as this last month is ticking by.

Not going to make it...

Really.... I'm not going to make it 5 more (possibly even 7 more) weeks. I'm so done!

The current state of things!

The baby room has very little in it currently but it is cluttered with boxes and stacks of things that will eventually have a place in the finished room. The plan... paint bottom 4 ft of wall white and put in wainscoting around room, put in crib, dresser (still need), rocking chair and nice big rug that matches baby bedding which I have yet to get. If the dresser thing doesn't work out then a built in closet system will probably be the choice! (man I only have 5 weeks to get this done?)


The other side of the baby room which I am using to iron material for my sisters baby blankets. It is a handy spot to use!


We got an awesome rug for our living room and actually put up some pictures on the walls... starting to feel homey.


My sewing table is still upstairs as I don't like spending hours in the cold dark basement. It will be moved though before baby comes. I am also sure that this space will end up being filled with baby things like swings, toys, rockers, etc.


The first of 2 blankets I am making for my sisters twins! Don't know the gender so stuck with some generic colours!


Our fabulous crib that I love, which currently is residing in our basement until the room is painted.


More baby things strewn around our house!


Our collection of boxes from our recent large purchases (washing machine, crib, stroller, car seat).


Yes the belly at 34 weeks and 5 days


Uncomfortable and ready for baby to come... well not READY cause her room isn't done but I want my body back.

Things are going well though. With school and our small trips over we are just relaxing in Lloydminster and enjoying the summer. No plans to go anywhere else, expect perhaps the occasionally shopping visit in Edmonton! Looking forward to the coming weeks and the arrival of our little girl! Thank you to everyone for the advice and well wishes.

45 days to go!

Crazy how the times flies... and how it doesn't. Things were sure going fast while I was working but now that I am on summer holidays I am watching the clock ticking down and it is taking so much longer.

We had a busy week coming into summer holidays with a family trip down to Cardston for Ian's family sealing. What a wonderful event it was to see my husband sealed to his parents with lots of family and friends present. It was a special moment and I feel very blessed to have been a part of it. We had some family pictures taken by my favourite photographer Rhonda and I can't wait to see what they look like. Ian's mom was thrilled to have professional photo's taken since apparently they have only done this maybe twice in their lifetime. It was about time for a family photo! It was a long drive (and I was so done with being stuck in a car) but it was worth it in every way.

Coming back to Lloyd Ian was sent out of town to work for 4 days so I have been trying to fill my week and keep myself busy. The upcoming projects are definitely the baby room, fixing up the guest room and in general being ready for baby and company come next month. We are putting up wainscoting in the baby room, painting the guest room, we need to build the crib and do everything else involved with preparing for baby. If she came early we would make due I guess as we have borrowed a bassinet and I have some clothes, blankets and diapers. That is all you really need right?!? ;)

In addition to all that, I have to get my business going so that I have most of my craft fair items complete before the baby comes. I admit that I have been procrastinating this as there is SO much to do and I don't really know where to start! I would much rather have fun with baby stuff! It must be the prego brain where you can't focus on anything else.

Well I guess I should get some things done instead of sitting here talking about doing them. No pictures today but there will be some great ones to come!

Fighting for better customer service

On Tuesday June 30th around 1:30 pm our phone and internet service were disconnected. All bills have been paid on time and there was no request for cancellation. We called Telus to let them know of the problem at 5 pm and were told that there was no way it could be fixed before Friday July 3rd, even though we were “top priority” due to both services being unavailable.

My husband and I were both very upset as I am 8 months pregnant and could have the baby at any time. It is of vital importance to have access to a phone to call emergency services. We requested to speak to a manager to see if we could get the problem fixed sooner. We were told a manager would get back to us within 24-48 hours. No one attempted to call us. We called again on Thursday to make sure it was happening and the customer service agent 'accidentally' canceled our Friday appointment to have it repaired and told us we could not get it fixed now until Monday July 6th. Again we requested to speak to a manager and were told that they would get back to us with 24-48 hours. No one attempted to call us again to deal with the situation.

I was told by the repair man that the rules of the CRTC state that a disconnection in service (unrequested) must be fixed within 24 hrs (excluding holidays and weekends of course). He was the one who suggested I file a complaint with the CCTS.

It is understandable that it couldn't be fixed that night as it was already 5 pm and the next day was July 1 Canada Day. There is no reason why it should not have been fixed on Thursday following the holiday. The customer service agents did nothing to assist with fixing the problem, short of stating that a manager would return our call (and never did, twice). They even made it worse by losing the Friday appointment that was booked.

In Lloydminster (on the Alberta side) Telus has a monopoly. There is no other company that provides home telephone service to its residences. I feel that they are not fulfilling their obligations as service providers and that there should be consequences for this.

Our service was repaired this morning Monday July 6th, 7 days after it went out. I was told that the reason why our service wasn’t working was because the box was left open in the main office and it was just disconnected, a problem that took 2 minutes to remedy. When we called in the first time I thought this might be the case as our next door neighbour had just moved in. I assumed they had just turned off the wrong service. I told the customer service agent this (as it may speed up the repair process since it only takes 2 minutes to fix). They denied that this was the problem and that it MUST be something more serious because they couldn’t possibly make a mistake like that.

The only person I encountered who was helpful was the repair technician who advised that I make a complaint with the CCTS. He also gave me the number for the Telus complaint line (which isn't even listed by Telus) whom I called just prior to submitting this complaint. They offered us a month of free service and apologized for the inconvenience but didn't really accept responsibility for their actions and I feel like it would go no further than thinking they had appeased an upset client.

I am not appeased! I am still very upset and would cancel service with this company but have no other option. I hope that by submitting this complaint that Telus may be held accountable for their incompetence and poor customer service.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Jennifer Isackson

Busy Weekend!

This past weekend we were in Edmonton. Partly for our Branch's Youth Temple Trip, partly for shopping and partly for Father's Day.

Saturday morning we spent with the youth in the temple and then at Red Robins (a tradition started last year). It was such a beautiful morning and it was so peaceful to be in the house of the Lord.



We headed out shopping after that where we got our most important baby items - a crib, a car seat and a stroller. I am pretty excited to set them up (and use them) but we couldn't fit it in our car so they remain at my parents house (stroller on order) until the first weekend in July when we can bring them back. I have so many projects to do this summer, the baby room being just one of them, I better get started as soon as school is out!

After our shopping trip my Dad had a work BBQ at our house which involved renting a bouncy house and playing bunnock... what a great game. Thanks Della and Mike for introducing us to it. We may be joining a tournament next year!


My sister Katrina





Sunday was spent celebrating Dad's.... my Father, whom we are already calling Grandpa (though he is adamant that he be called Granddad). I am so grateful for him... he taught me to work hard and always fulfill responsibilities that I have committed to. Also celebrating my dear Ian who is just about to be a Daddy. I think Ian is amazing and will be so great with his little daughter. We are counting down the weeks now with only 8 left to go!



It was wonderful to visit family but nice also to come home where we have been busy finishing school (for me), working and getting ready for our camping trip this weekend. So excited! I think I will survive one night as long as we are close to the bathrooms.



31 Weeks

Baby Blanket

Here is the first baby blanket for our little girl. I loved making it so much that I am sure it won't be the last. It was so easy. This summer I plan to make 2 more for my sister who is having twins. I think I could still manage to be Martha Stewart... it is just the cooking thing I don't like so much.

I know I haven't put up belly pics in a while.... it is still there....and growing. I'm 31 weeks now and will add more after school is done next week. Today we are off to Edmonton to visit with my family. I'm so excited for summer.... holidays, family events, baby coming, craft fair creating and even a little (very little) camping with the branch and with the young women.