Light my fire

Prior to the house renos in recent years, we thoroughly enjoyed having a woodstove to take the chill off - especially during the shoulder seasons heading into Spring and Winter, when it would be the difference of avoiding firing up the furnace for a few extra weeks. With the new floorplan, there was simply no spot for it (we though of accomodating it in the basement renos, but that didn't really work, either - and would do nothing for keeping things toasty upstairs).

Plus, we had this great full-masonry don't-build-them-like-that-any-more fireplace that was front and centre in the house, that was never - and I mean never - used. So, we decided to install a wood-burning insert in our fireplace.



Easier said then done:
First - even though the firebox was "square", the arched brick facia precluded fitting in a decently sized insert, as it pinched in too much at the top. The arch would have to go.


Second - building codes have changed since 1974, and making any changes to the fireplace would mean bringing it up to current spec. That meant 18" of non-combustible hearth from the front of the door opening of the wood-burning appliance. In short - we needed a new hearth.


We had a very capable mason come in to do the brick work, and they did a great job. Martin and his brother were the same crew that did the required masonry work during our renovations, and we were lucky to have them accept this small project. Despite running into some difficulties (crumbling old bricks), they delivered exactly what we needed - a squared opening, with a lintel, to the required measurements.





After evaluating inserts from Pacific Energy, Napoleon, Hearthstone, and others, we went with the Jotul C-550 "Rockland" for a few reasons: it is one of the very few "flush" fit models (most protrude onto the hearth a substantial amount), aesthetics (it looks great, with the large arched door and cast surround), size (huge firebox, and overall size sits well in the brick fireplace), and quality.

We purchased the woodstove, and had it installed by a WETT-certified technician, through Embers, out of Perth. They were great to deal with; accomodating of our schedule, and never steered us wrong. Much better service than anything we encountered locally.




Overall, we are pleased - it looks fantastic, and with dry wood, kicks off a lot of heat - enough to get the living area at up to ~23^C even on quite cold Winter days. It easily burns through the night, though we don't typically do that, because with the kids bedroom doors closed, no heat gets into their rooms.

With that project done, we finally topped off the fireplace with crown moulding leftover from the kitchen cabinets. That looks 1 million times better.

Oh Christmas Tree

For inquiring minds - who all thought our new tree was real, and asked if we cut it down out back - here are some specifics about the tree.

Our "old" tree was the FitzGerald (Carp branch) family tree for as long as I can remember, and it was the typical PVC plastic that got crushed into a box a half-size too small for it to really fit in. Once the tree was decorated, it always looked great - but was undeniably "artificial". We wanted something new, and it had better be amazing!

We looked locally last year (over the Boxing Day sales period), and never found anything that we liked. This year, we went online, whittled through a few companies before finding Balsam Hill, out of California. They are fantastic, with rave reviews and extensive placement (i.e. tv shows, movies, etc).

In short, we went with the Norway Spruce, 7.5 feet tall, with Candlelight (white) LEDs. With a free shipping in the United States option, we had it sent to a broker in Ogdensburg, and brought it home ourselves. It arrived in two large heavy cardboard boxes, extremely well packed, with instructions, spare parts, and even a pair of white gloves to ease the fluffing up of the tree.

The pre-lit tree is in 5 sections, plus the tree stand. The bottom 4 rows have branches that are hinged, so they fold up to put the tree away. The tree top has wired branches which easily fold and compress enough to pack. Each section is wired independently, so you just plug one into the next and it all works. There is plenty of length to the end of the cable, which includes a foot switch (we use it on a timer), and there's an outlet at the top if you're inclined to use some special type of top ornament.

It took about 2.5 hours to setup the tree - 90% of that just fluffing it up, bending all the twigs and branches to fill in the depth and breadth of the tree. Next year should be a bit quicker.

It's a beautiful tree, very convincing, and absolutely "fooled" 100% of people who saw it - everything but the smell.

If you're looking - suffer 1 more Christams without it, and wait until Boxing Day to order for the best savings. Order promptly - the various combinations of style, size and lighting sell out quickly!!

Here are some photos of the "nude" tree; you can see the decorated tree in the background of prior posts.

Christmas 2009

We had many Christmas celebrations with family during the month of December - here`s a highlight of them all including dressing up for church; opening presents (Deavan wanted to be one himself!); decorating a new tree (with `new`ornaments); sharing special memories; and of course… waking to see what Santa brought everyone (including our dog, Ruby)!

        

Holiday Cheer!

December is always a busy month! Along with the various Christmas celebrations (stay tuned for those…), there was a visit to see Santa at the mall and another opportunity to see him at the Carp Parade (and FIRE TRUCKS!).  Also, Graeme moves to his crib full time and looks cute all bundled up for winter! 

      

Look who's TWO!

Hard to believe Deavan is two years old already or as he would say it:  DEUX! He and Kate decorated gingerbread men (well, he just ate the candies!); we played some band music; ate some Tractor cake (thanks Ren and Mary Lou); and played with his train set (thanks Jen and Kate).  Even Graeme gets into the fun with his party hat on! Thanks to all for the cards, gifts and best wishes.

 

   

Playtime

Lots on the go with pictures of Deavan using (and probably eating!) playdoh; him (Elmo) at the play place with Anna, Amanda and Adam (or AnnAmandAdam); taking a walk with A. Casey and grandma; and hammering and helping Dad take apart the couch.  Graeme is all smiles on the couch and using his activity mat – look closely as Deavan watches from outside to make sure he's ok – tee hee!

Good times, good times!