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

Downstairs Bedroom

Downstairs bedroom.

I only remember it being dark green and Amron always kept it pretty clean. Teija

There never was really a room down there for such a long time! It was Amron's room then and when it got finished. It is sure nice the colors now! Ammon and I also stayed in that room. Tyanna


It used to be a really dark green, love the new colors. Sure brightens it up a lot.  Not a ton of memories of this room growing up. When Thomas and I came home during the summer I was pregnant, this was our room. That's about it. haha.  i just remember always getting it ready and cleaning it for guests to stay in or whenever any of the family came home.  Kayla

I remember it flooding all the time when the sewer or water would back up. I remember framing the room and doing the dry wall. I was always amazed at how Dad knew how to do EVERYTHING. Except I don't think we used a chainsaw that whole project, which may be the only project ever completed without a chainsaw. Dark Green--not a good color.
Ezra

Always cleaning this room for when everyone came home or just for some guest. washing the sheets on the bed and making it and vacuuming the carpet. Sleeping down here cause it was so hot upstairs in the summer some nights. Tyler and I's first Christmas together we got to stay down here Janae

Up the Stairs

I remember running up and down the stairs playing and fighting as well. One time during dinner Ezra was really mouthy at Mom and Dad sent him upstairs to his room, as Ezra was walking he said something under his breath. That was the fastest I think I ever saw anyone go up the stairs, Dad!! Ezra was in for it!! Too funny! Christmas memories were the best for sitting on the stairs and waiting for Mom & Dad. I remember when Brookie was little and us all sitting on the stairs. Amron always had to sleep with the twins on Christmas Eve so we all could be up there. We do the same thing now, everyone has to wait on the stairs before going down to see what Santa brought. I loved seeing the star glow through the window too. Also all of Mom's beautiful decorations. Teija

Many times running up and down those stairs playing and fighting with eachother. I remember one time Kayla,Jacob and I sitting up there in the winter and it was really windy and that huge star we used to have above the Skylight there, we thought it was going to fall through the window.It was scary. All the time leaving laundry on the stairs to take it up later and mom didn't like that! Sitting there every Christmas morning while dad was getting the camera ready. We would wait there until everyone was ready. Kinda crazy how that worked so well Christmas morning.I will never forget that though we would wanna run down there so bad!To see what Santa brought. I remember Dad carrying us up too and remember when we got to big for that. Ezra and Aaron fighting really bad one time when mom and dad were gone and they kept chuking stuff at eachother up and down the stairs, us girls were telling them to stop and they yelled at us so we just hid behind the couch for a long time! Tyanna

Sliding down the stairs. Running up and down the stairs. Every Christmas morning this was our family tradition. All of us kids upstairs would sit and wait on the top steps while we yelled for Mom and Dad. They would always come out of their room in their pajamas, look in the living room and tell us Santa didn't come this year, to which we would respond with whatevers, and rolled eyes. Then Dad would say it was to early and go back to bed. I'm pretty sure he was 50/50 serious and kidding. Then he would get the video camera out and ask us if we thought Santa came and say merry christmas and everything. I remember thinking HOW SLOW they took to do everything. This anticipation was insane. haha... Then Dad would say ok come on down and see if he came... so we would all run down the stairs and flood the living room looking for our presents for Santa. Awesome memories and tradition. Then we would do stockings and presents. When everyone was done, we cleaned up kind of, and made a HUGE breakfast. Then we would usually play with our new stuff and then go ski-dooing the rest of the day...mmmmmm Christmas. Weird memory... but one time I was sitting at the top of the stairs. Teija was getting mad at the boys cause mom and dad were gone and she was babysitting... and she yelled to my brothers 'you guys don't do jack around here!' I thought she was going to go to hell for saying that, and I got scared. hahaha Dad would haul us up there stairs to tuck us in at night. It was so fun. I remember him hauling me, Tyanna and Janae at the same time. One on the shoulders and one in each arm. I remember when I got to big for him to carry me and he would only carry Janae. I had major jealousy issues with that. Funny. Kayla

Sitting on the stairs and eating at family dinners. The family kneeling around the bottom to say prayers. Christmas morning in our new pj's waiting for mom and dad to wake up and teija and amron always taking for ever to get ready. they always had to go to the bathroom and put in their contacts and brush their teeth. i remember always being so annoyed because of that. Then running down to see what santa brought us and see what awesome candy was in our stockings! Putting everything on the stairs when were cleaning so i could take it all up at once but mom always got mad at the huge stack of anything and everything.  Janae

Well I don't remember fighting as much as everyone else does apparently, maybe it is because i still think I am right and self-righteous, but whatever. So I remember when Mom would get sick and she would just sit there and hit the wall. That drove me CRAZY! She would whisper/yell "Boys, Boys, Boys" tap, tap, tap, tap. I also remember the girls sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags. The Christmas decorations that would be on there. I also remember waking up so early to go out to the bush and be ready waiting for somebody to pick me up and I would take a nap on the landing.Christmas was always the best sitting and waiting up there. Ezra

Downstairs Bathroom

Downstairs Bathroom

Not of a lot of memories here. I do remember being jealous that Amron had his own bathroom. Teija

Not a whole lot of memories.I just remember cleaning it a lot. Kayla

Cleaning it a lot and I didn't like too. Living down there the bathroom was colder down there then the rest of the bathrooms in the house. I remember before it was a bathroom and it was open cement and we had milo down there and she had kittens in there under that old red drawer thing that is or was by the stove down there,can't believe mom let them in the house! Then Amron I think had to go out and shoot the runt and we were all really sad. Tyanna

Cleaning it. the worst part was scrubbing the shower. I always remember how i thought that one of the squares looked like a dinosaur. Janae

I went to the bathroom in there. That's always memorable. Ezra