The Edwards Build a House

Score!

All Christmas stuff is finally put away and back in the basement storage.  With two weeks before Valentine's Day left to go -- I'd call that "success".  =)

We've been in the midst of really feeling the brunt of not having any neighbours.  This season of La Nina has brought with it rounds and rounds of alternating weather patterns - each with the windy fronts to kick it off.  The wind is so terrible that it blows into our chimney somehow and takes out the pilot light of our gas fireplace (seriously - BEST decision we could have made there.  I love the nostalgia of a wood fireplace -and the smell- but the convenience is soooooo nice)

But, not to complain, we've actually had very little snow to battle against.

Other little things we are learning about our new area - 

We were very confused about the huge increase in traffic at the nearby Interstate exits at Christmastime.  Surely the newly-opened Cracker Barrel on that corner couldn't be THAT good (could it?)!  We found ourselves in a long line of traffic for our exit on the way home.  And then we noticed all the cars were turning onto a frontage road.  Well, there is only a small one-Stop sign town up that way.  

Finally we put two-and-two together and realized that all the traffic was heading towards an enormous Amazon.com warehouse in the middle of a business park.  Increased traffic for Xmas-mail.  (I love getting my Amazon packages in a day or two!)

And now, traffic is back to normal.  Funny little quirks you come to learn.

Now that Xmas is (officially) over, it's back to focusing on getting the house together and doing some MORE unpacking.  

Here are just a handful of pictures I took before saying adieu to Xmas colour.

This wooden-carved angel below was an important and endearing piece I was lucky to receive.  She comes from my Grandparents' home and held her position above my Grandmother's kitchen for about as long as I can remember.  After their passing, when the Peterson family took on the daunting and unwelcome task of divvying up their possessions, my mom scored her.  I begged to have her, knowing she would be a welcome blessing to this new home.  I think Mom reluctantly relented.  I polished her up and it was one of the first items Mom and I hung up when she was here.

Grandma loved angels and collected many of them.  I hope she fills this house with even a portion of the love and family that she oversaw at Trail's End.