Office

"How are the cows out again!?!" I loved gazing out the window, watching it snow, rain or whatever. I remember all our old files in the drawer and the books. I also remember when it was the baby room and there was a door between the bathroom and there. I was jealous when I was older that it was so organized, I remember never being able to find a pen when I was a kid! I would die to have an office like that now . . . maybe faster internet though:-)  Ezra

This used to be the baby room for awhile and there was the door that connected to their bathroom and we would always chase eachother around all the time. I got to stay in that room when I broke my ankle and I thought that was pretty cool! Dad paying bills and going through stuff. Cleaning out the office was not a fun project! checking emails and getting out coloring stuff to color.So many good books were in there to read! Tyanna

*I picture Dad sitting on the right chair, paying bills, reading, studying scriptures, going through bank statements etc. Staring out the window, usually seeing some animal that got out... why did the cows ALWAYS get out??? I swear I was the one who spotted it a lot. I loved going through the cupboards that had old pictures, wedding announcements and letters. Game cupboard was in the bottom corner. I remember all the crayon/felt/pencil crayon containers, searching for the ones I wanted to use.  Coloring books, Chatting with friends, left top corner cupboard had a billion different cords, batteries and 'stuff' that no one really knew what to do with.  Hiding underneath the counter tops when playing hide and seek.  Waving to Dad when he was coming in from the barn, or work and yelling out the window to say hi.  Kayla

i guess this was my room for a little bit, not that i remember that but i always wanted it to be my room for some reason before it was an office. The door into mom and dad's bathroom was awesome. getting chased by kayla and tyanna countless times and slamming the doors to try and get away before they pinned me and tortured me. late nights reading and doing homework on the floor and then falling asleep (happened alot in grade 11 and 12). checking email, facebook. Dad doing books when i was younger, last two years home they always did that at the shop. always washing the glass door after the nieces, nephews were over b/c of all the finger prints they left. Seeing the cows out all the time out that window. Janae

 

I loved this as the baby room, it was always so quiet and peaceful. We used to always run around the circle between this and Mom's room, it was quite the runway. I loved looking out the window and seeing the horses and Molly. Mom sitting in there in her curlers and pj.'s. Dad going through bills. The game cupboard so full you couldn't find anything and all the pictures that seem to be everywhere! Teija

Laundry Room

Straining the mile and washing the strainer! How many thousands of times, I hated that job. It always stunk--literally. I remember the old washer and drying and thinking the new ones sounded like an airplane. The old vacuum box with the big long hose. Washing muddy shoes in the sink, washing greasy or barnyard hands, jumping down the laundry chute when we were young or climbing up it. Biggest thing is definitely straining milk and bun dough rising! Ez

Always straining the milk in there and washing that up! Washing muddy boots, soaking really dirty pans in there from dinner. Getting out christmas decorations in far left bottom cupboard was always hard to do cause it was hard to reach in there. playing in the laundry shoot.Giving kids baths in the sink! Putting the vaccume in the closet. Tyanna

Washing old, dirty,muddy shoes in the sink. Doing laundry. Mom kept the big bread pan in the right bottom cupboards. there were also gift bags and a couple shoe boxes down there.The far left bottom cupboards had random Christmas decorations. Middle cuboards were cleaning supplies, and when we milked the cow that's where the milk strainer was. Probably one of my main memories was straining fresh milk, and then having to wash it all up afterwards.... least favorite job EVER. The vacuum was kept in the right closet over there and up above were table cloths, sewing stuff, fabric, pins and needles, glue gun and other odds and ends all neatly organized in containers. The left top cupboards had all kinds of laundry soaps, bug dope, other soaps, light bulbs, the iron, spray bottle, and stuff like that. I looked out this window multiple times to discover 'the cows are out' once again....Would always watch Dad feeding the cows, or unloading wood.Giving the boys baths in the sink. Putting really dirty dishes in the sink to soak. Changing the laundry and organizing laundry piles. Thomas carved our family names and date in the laundry shoot the last time we were there. Kayla

The vacuum was always in the closet to the right, and all cleaning supplies and random things like bug dope and sun screen were in the cupboards to the left. for some reason i think of the guy that used to always come in and fix our wash machine. seems like he was always coming over to fix something. washing muddy shoes in the sink, and seeing the cows out, or dad working in the garden, or on the tractor or some equipment in the yard. straining the milk even though it was kayla or tyanna's job and they made me do it, cause mom said that they were just supposed to tell me it was my job. Janae

It's funny that everyone remembers washing the strainer and hating that job, me too. I can still smell that smell!! Mom always had bun dough rising, the sink was always dirty from someone washing their muddy shoes in it and not rinsing it out. Always so much laundry, I don't know how many hours Mom spent in there. Sorting laundry. Old vacuum box, cleaning out the rainbow vacuum filter in there, yuck!

Boot Room

This is the boot room. Right to the right when you walk in the door.

Well like so many things it never seemed that organized as it did in later years. After seeing one of the Albertson's wearing a coat or hat or sweater I remember proudly hanging it back up :0). When I picture it in my mind I don't picture it like this I picture the old way, hats lining the top including those old wrinkled cowboy hats that never got worn and all the mud and dirt and Mom constantly mopping it up. I love just walking through the door after being away for a long time and looking into the kitchen, the smell of the house and fresh buns. Standing there meant you were finally HOME. Ezra

 

Ya moving all the shoes and mopping then putting them back. The old wheat grinder Mom always grinding wheat back there,and it was always early in the morning seemed like. There were so many coats and hats hanging in there. Tyanna

Before there were cubbies up top there were hooks for hats.... the boys and Dad had a ton of hats.  Cleaning, sweeping, mopping.  Mud and wet (and sometimes manure) from winter boots and shoes, floor never stayed clean for long.  When I was young me tyanna and janae would be in charge of moving all the shoes away from the wall while mom swept and mopped, then we would have to put them all back all nice and organized. It's funny now, but I hated that job.Kayla

moving the shoes so mom could sweep and mop it and then putting them back. all the hats up on the top board. it always looked pretty empty when everyone was gone but me, mom and dad. this floor was always dirty and i had to sweep it all the time!!! (even though it continued to hurt my ears :) Janae

So many hats and coats!! Never stayed clean for long, stepping in water, or snow, or mud. Trying to walk on the rug into the kitchen so I wouldn't have to take my shoes off. The old phone hanging on the wall with the really long cord, talking on it out on the porch so I could hear. Seeing the cord out the door so Dad could talk on it without wearing his greasy clothes in the house. I remember when we would come home from trips and the whole thing would be full of duffel bags and pillows and blankets! I just loved the smell, as soon as you walk in you could smell Mom, homemade buns and home.

Little Bathroom

Cleaning this bathroom a lot but it wasn't bad cause it was so small. I remember when I was little and had a nail and carved some letters or something in the cupboards you could hardly see it and I remember getting into trouble for that. It was always really warm in that bathroom! Tyanna

The old blue counter tops, never having a towel to dry hands, soap smelling so good, dirt on floors from everyone walking in with their dirty shoes on Kayla

Cleaning it and washing the floor on hands and knees cause obviously the mop didn't get it good enough. dad coming in before dinner and washing his hands and the water would be black running off his dirty hands. the blue cupboard with those few chips in it. Janae

I went to the bathroom lots in there. . . not sure what else. Old church news papers . . . good solid toilet.
Ez

We always use to tease Ezra because he would come and "camp" in here after dinner every night! Good way to get out of dishes. The window always being open, it really needed a fan! This was the best bathroom to clean cause it was so small. Blue countertops, floor walls etc. There used to be a picture hanging behind the toilet with a goose on it, I forget what it said, but always thought it was funny. Teija