Now we have a set move in date, (Jan. 23)  we have lots of final things to do.  To say nothing of Xmas coming up!

On Nov. 25th my best friend came for dinner!  It’s been far too long since we’ve seen each other & Bill said we should invite her for dinner with both of us, so we did!  Here’s Sandy & the beautiful birthday flowers she brought me (yes, that’s how long it’s been since we were supposed to get together in Aug!)

Also a birthday or 2 in the family to celebrate.

December 1st was cousin Judy Long’s 66th birthday.  When I looked for some old photos, I found her wedding photo with Geoff!  How cute they are!

Also on Dec. 1st, we received some very exciting news from Bill’s side of the family.  Remember those 2 beautiful sisters who were pregnant at the same time & had their babies about a month apart?  The one who was NOT married (Hollin) – Greg (the father) asked her to marry him!  She was thrilled & here is the ring & the happy little baby girl Adelyn.

Then Frannie turned 61 – here she is at Waskesiu for Mom & Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary!  Another cutie!

After being sick for a couple of days, I finally got my lefse made!  A 3 1/2 hour odyssey – too bad Katherine wasn’t here to help (or Mom, though she’s not up to too much rolling these days).

We received a few photos from Blaine with the completed stucco finishes on the outside of the house!

Here are a few shots – first, view from the sidewalk.

And a few more of the other stucco finish – the smooth  cream color.  It’s kind of hard to tell but the 4′ squares of dark grey have a texture running horizontally along each square.  I’ll take a better close-up when we visit soon!

Got it – here it is!

Dec. 15th (Friday) I made shortbread cookies with Mom!  What fun – we’ve never done it together before & we had a great time.  75 pressed shortbread cookies in all.  I pressed & Mom added the little piece of cherry in the middle of each with tweezers.

Dec. 18th – turkey dinner at the Manor with all the family & Mom.

Sorry Inga – my photo of you wasn’t very good.  Will do better at Xmas (I hope).

Sorry Katherine – ACK – the sign!

Omanthi, Ben & Mom.

Brian & David (Chef in the rear & a server).

My honey & me!

Tuesday, Jan. 21st – off to Maple Creek to do some of the final stuff.  When we arrived, the kitchen was put in & the counter-top guy was there measuring.  That will go in the 1st week of January.

Here is my new green kitchen – how gorgeous!  Just like I hoped it would look.  The cabinets go upto the ceiling, topped by a beautiful crown moulding & my “S” handles look wonderful.  The floor is finished also – just love it too, with the wide boards.

Here is our deck with the railings being installed.  Looks good eh?

All of our blinds have been hung.  They are Hunter Douglas with an added black-out layer which can be put down if wanted.  Most are automatic & will be programmed for our iPhones, along with lights & many other things (I think).  Bill is the expert in this area, so hopefully he’ll be able to teach me!

Here is a close-up of the carpet.  Is is NZ wool & so soft on the feet (I think I could lie down on it & sleep!).  With in-floor heating is it very cozy down in the basement (& upstairs of course which also has in-floor heat.

Speaking of the heating, here’s a shot of the ship’s control centre – holy mackerel, eh?  And that’s only 1 wall!

Here is the ceiling in the living room & you can see where the pot lights will go & the AC duct is already installed.  There is 1 in the bedrroom, 1 in Bill’s office, 1 in the dining room & 1 in the bathroom.  We will be cozy in the winter – cool in the summer!

We made a trip out the storage container & the white trailer.  This is Jay & Kelly moving 1 of the pieces into the white truck.  They said they’ll have both fully unloaded into the house by Friday!!!  Yay!

Bill in his new office!

We went out to dinner with Penny & Wilf Tuesday.  Across the street the Xmas lights are in full force in the market square.

We came home Thursday, stopping at IKEA to return some things we want to exchange.  Drove both the car & truck into town.  We’ll take the truck back  to Maple Creek with the exchanged stuff next week, after Xmas.

After we returned, Jay sent us a photo of our new front door minus the correct hardware!  How do ya like it – pretty cool eh?

I will include some family Xmas photos in the next blog.  Want to get my Xmas messages off & have at least this much of an update.  So MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, happy holidays & the very best to everyone in 2017!  The Langs send our love.