almost finished

So since the last post we have come close to finishing the fireplace in our now "fun-ish" master bedroom. The reason why this took so long, besides that there are many other projects needing attention, was something rather different.

If you all are familiar with HGTV, you might be aware of the TV series 'Home To Win'. I came across a post about 'Home To Win' on Facebook and it was for an audition for the show.

I checked it out and all anyone had to do was submit a one minute video. So I did! I talked about our house problems, how all we do is renovate, how we don't have enough time to get out of the house with our kids, and that my husband doesn't have a break from work to house work. And what would you know, we got accepted. Accepted for what? The possibility to win a fully renovated house, on the lake side in Cottage Country (Ontario), and fully furnished as well. The winner than could potentially become mortgage free! So awesome! I had to fill out a bunch of their surveys and take a phone call from an associate producer. Week after week they kept letting us know we were moving up the ranks. It was really exciting, but also stressful. If we were to win, what would become of our lives here? It truly was an amazing experience, to know that someone saw potential in us and our family. Guys, we were advocated to the CEO's from Shaw. Only last week, after filling out a criminal background check, and consent forms for being on television, we found out we were not selected for the final 3. But, we DID make it to the last 10 potential candidates out of Canada! Isn't that awesome!

Though we didn't make it, it was a nice break putting everything else on hold. JUST IN CASE.

Now we are back at it!

We picked up a few pallets from Marks work. I wanted some wood above the fireplace, up to the ceiling. But with character!

(The picture on the right was the idea I was heading for)

I'm glad Mark was working on this project, what a pain it was for him to rip all those boards off. By that I mean, I'm glad I didn't have to suffer through it. And than angle grind all the nails off, because we could not pound them through. It did leave the boards with a more rustic look, which was a bonus. After "supervising" Mark while he worked on the planks for a little while, I headed upstairs to finish sanding off the wood filler. Than I taped out the fireplace so I could paint it.

I reassessed my design for above the mantle. I liked the look of the boards pointing up instead of down. And I wanted a clear separation between the boards, so we spaced the diagonal boards with three vertical boards.

Mark got half way through before the day ended, so at night we had this view ...

(Mark liked that he could lay in bed and look at one of his projects)

The next day didn't take as long as the first. All the planks were ready to go. They just needed measured and cut so they could be nailed up.

(Doesn't it look preeettttty!!)

It's so nice to see some things getting finished around here!

Didn't Mark do a great job? He listens to instructions fairly well ;) Now we have to find a fireplace insert. Anyone know where I could find one for a reasonable price??

(Georgia thinks daddy did a great job!)