We made the decision to come up to the cottage and make it our work from home space. We have a stocked fridge and fireworks. The fire is heating the cottage and we’ve got the water turned on. This morning in the city I went for a run outside (no gym!) and it gave me so much joy that almost every person I passed gave a little wave and a smile. We’re all in this together. The cottage isn’t fully winterized so each time we come up for a stretch of time in the winter we have to clean everything, put the water in, turn the fridge back on, and remove the shutters from the window, among other things. It takes about an hour to get the place liveable and then about two more hours to get fully set up. Sean’s workspace is in the living room while I work in the kitchen. It’s nice to have our own spaces to focus on the work we need to get done. We spend almost 2 weeks up here each summer and a week at Christmas so we know how to make it work. We’re not sure how long we’ll be at the cottage with everything going on. Emily is at her mum’s this week and we might have her up here with us next week. I packed all my old drives to sort through, my favourite books, a stockpile of beauty products, and my most cozy outfits. Being here makes it a bit easier to socially distance myself from the news. At home, I had CP24 on non-stop, or the radio, and was constantly scrolling. At the cottage, I find it easier to put my phone down and focus on work, being creative, or making things in the kitchen. I was…

It’s happening! We’re starting renovations on our house and I am so excited. This past summer a good friend reached out to me about her client to see if we had any plans to renovate our bathrooms at home or the cottage. After a few months of talking, making plans, and sign-off, we’re renovating both bathrooms at home with American Standard. I am 100% at the age where things like this give me great joy. I loved picking out fixtures, toilets, sinks, and faucets. For years, Sean and I have been thinking about doing renovations but it can be kinda overwhelming. We’re also planning to paint and make some changes to the kitchen. I’ve been building a Pinterest board with ideas and DIY tips for ages. All the current bathroom fixtures and accessories will be moved to the cottage to update that space and saved for our future shipping container project. During our staycation at Hotel X Toronto, I was admiring the nice toilet in our suite when I noticed the brand, American Standard. This is the Townsend Vormax toilet we are getting! Yes, I ‘m excited about a toilet, this is my life now. For the upstairs full bathroom, we’ve picked out matte black fixtures from the American Standard Studio S Collection. They’re modern and similar to the ones below. I can’t wait to paint, tile, and install everything. I’ve been looking up a nice radiator to keep it warm and found some good heating tips. We’re planning to do most of the work ourselves, both Sean and I are pretty handy. We’re starting with the downstairs bathroom in February and making our way to the second larger bathroom next. If you have any tips or thoughts to share about home renovations, I’m all ears! My goal is to…