Thursday, April 24, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Update: Dining Room & Yard
My mom picked the exact colors as I did out of a pile of paint chips without prompting, so I think that is a sign. The space under the chair rail in the dining room and the living room will be blue, and the area above the chair rail will be the beigey color. It isn't so bright in person as it appears in these pictures. We are going to give this brand new paint a try, especially since Jack and I spend so much time in these rooms: FreshAire I will let you know if it is any good. It just started being sold April 1.
We have some daffodils about to bloom and some tulips on the way. One lonely hyacinth is already blooming.
Our new dining room curtains - they are semi-sheer and have super subtle stripe effect.
We now have lilacs, that eventually will hide our neighbor's cars. Right now they just look like sticks poking out of the ground though.
We have a trellis which makes our garage look much nicer from the kitchen table. I had just watered them which is why the garage looks like it is of varying colors. It is hard to see as the ground is black but the pots are black at the bottom. We thought having a black/white combination would extend the kitchen colors.
We have some daffodils about to bloom and some tulips on the way. One lonely hyacinth is already blooming.
Our new dining room curtains - they are semi-sheer and have super subtle stripe effect.
We now have lilacs, that eventually will hide our neighbor's cars. Right now they just look like sticks poking out of the ground though.
We have a trellis which makes our garage look much nicer from the kitchen table. I had just watered them which is why the garage looks like it is of varying colors. It is hard to see as the ground is black but the pots are black at the bottom. We thought having a black/white combination would extend the kitchen colors.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Dining Room & Yard
We have been very busy in house land. Our new dining room table, chairs and buffet arrived. It looks great and fits the space perfectly. We also got curtains for the room though they haven't been hung quite yet.
Now we just have to finalize paint colors and get to painting!
Steve has also put in some serious time in the backyard raking some icky dead stuff out and putting down some new seed. I also finally put together a trellis we bought last year to go against the part of the garage that faces our kitchen sliding doors. We will plant some sort of climbing plant.
Wednesday we are having some generous visitors (my mom and stepdad) visiting and they will plant some lilacs so as to block our view of our neighbors garage.
For posterity, we are hoping this is the worst the yard will ever look!
Now we just have to finalize paint colors and get to painting!
Steve has also put in some serious time in the backyard raking some icky dead stuff out and putting down some new seed. I also finally put together a trellis we bought last year to go against the part of the garage that faces our kitchen sliding doors. We will plant some sort of climbing plant.
Wednesday we are having some generous visitors (my mom and stepdad) visiting and they will plant some lilacs so as to block our view of our neighbors garage.
For posterity, we are hoping this is the worst the yard will ever look!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Almost 2 years
from when we signed our Purchase & Sales agreement, we have figured out what to do with our Bedroom and Dining Rooms.
Our new bedroom dressers came on Friday and we finally have our clothes hidden from the world.
We also bought dining room furniture that fits the space and it will be delivered in a about 2 weeks.
We have the table, 4 chairs and buffet pictured below. We also have 2 chairs that are made of the same wood as the table and are upholstered just on the seat. The table also has 2 leaves not pictured. Hopefully now we can have people over to dinner and seat them without being totally squished.
Our new bedroom dressers came on Friday and we finally have our clothes hidden from the world.
We also bought dining room furniture that fits the space and it will be delivered in a about 2 weeks.
We have the table, 4 chairs and buffet pictured below. We also have 2 chairs that are made of the same wood as the table and are upholstered just on the seat. The table also has 2 leaves not pictured. Hopefully now we can have people over to dinner and seat them without being totally squished.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
"Bug"s Bunny
Apparently I have a knack for finding funny vehicles.
I SO wish I could have taken a picture, but yesterday I saw, I swear, a VW Bug with a bunny costume!
It was a white bug, with big - appropriate scale - bunny ears attached to where the roof/side windows meet. It also had a white tail above the license plate. I wouldn't be surprised if I missed whiskers up front while I was trying to figure out the ears!
I really laughed out loud as it was really well done and unexpected.
I SO wish I could have taken a picture, but yesterday I saw, I swear, a VW Bug with a bunny costume!
It was a white bug, with big - appropriate scale - bunny ears attached to where the roof/side windows meet. It also had a white tail above the license plate. I wouldn't be surprised if I missed whiskers up front while I was trying to figure out the ears!
I really laughed out loud as it was really well done and unexpected.
Monday, March 17, 2008
The "Dye" is cast...
Ok, it is really paint...but you get the idea.
We have painted test squares on our dining room wall and we have painter's tape up to do tests on the living room. After 1.5 years we are finally getting our act in gear to get some more decorating done.
We aren't thrilled with the DR colors, so I think I will be hitting Benjamin Moore again soon for more samples.I have a nifty Benjamim Moore program that lets you paint pictures of your own home with all their colors. It doesn't work perfectly, for example, light colors are always too bright. Then again, colors and lighting are always hard on computers and this is easier (and cheaper) to fool around with than photo shop plus it gives you paint color names. One of the myriad of combinations I have been playing with...
We have painted test squares on our dining room wall and we have painter's tape up to do tests on the living room. After 1.5 years we are finally getting our act in gear to get some more decorating done.
We aren't thrilled with the DR colors, so I think I will be hitting Benjamin Moore again soon for more samples.I have a nifty Benjamim Moore program that lets you paint pictures of your own home with all their colors. It doesn't work perfectly, for example, light colors are always too bright. Then again, colors and lighting are always hard on computers and this is easier (and cheaper) to fool around with than photo shop plus it gives you paint color names. One of the myriad of combinations I have been playing with...
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Who you gonna call?
Ghost Pros!
We followed this van over the causeway to Sanibel. I had no idea such a thing existed.
Check out their What we do page.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Finally...
We soon will have our clothes hidden from visitors. Until now our master bedroom has been seriously in need of 'proper' storage. By proper I mean something that is neither a bookshelf bought at a used bookstore nor not an ancient dresser that used to live in my aunt's garage. We have some wall space issues since we have 2 windows, a radiator and 3 doors in a not huge room. Well, we finally went ahead and ordered a dresser a "sweater chest" and a nightstand. Neither of us are passionately in love with it, but the size was right, the price was right and it came in a cherry finish that approximates our bed color. I am contemplating getting different pulls, they aren't bad but I think we could do better. For some reason the pics from the website won't upload right, so you will have to wait until it is delivered for pictures.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Monday, March 03, 2008
30th Birthday Gift
I haven't decided if Steve should get me this...
or this...
HAHA
They are ridiculous houses being put up on tiny lots on a very main street in FL. There are lots of other big houses on this road, but these will take the cake for sheer size and over-the-top everything (at least in public view).
I actually found the builder's site and you can see what they are meant to look like done.
House 1
House 2
or this...
HAHA
They are ridiculous houses being put up on tiny lots on a very main street in FL. There are lots of other big houses on this road, but these will take the cake for sheer size and over-the-top everything (at least in public view).
I actually found the builder's site and you can see what they are meant to look like done.
House 1
House 2
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Going Postal
I have gone to the post office two times in the last two weeks and boy do I regret it.
Trip #1 - Background: day after a decent-size snow storm - 2 packages to mail - drive downtown to get out of the house and some errands off my list - no parking in front of the post office so I have to walk 1 1/2 blocks from a paid public lot - Jack is in his stroller
I get to the front of the building and the ramp (which I had intended to use) was blocked off at both ends with yellow caution tape. I had no way to get in the front door as there were about 10 steep steps and I had a baby, stroller and 2 mid-size boxes. Somebody helped me carry the stroller up the stairs but I was totally shocked the federal post office wasn't, at this time, handicapped accessible. What on earth was someone on crutches or in a wheelchair supposed to do? I waited about 10 minutes in line and after mailing my packages I asked how I was supposed to get out of there. The clerk said there were icicles near the ramp and so it was closed, I pushed and spoke my mind about how bad it was it wasn't accessible. She brought me to the "superintendent's office." He basically said "well you aren't handicapped" so it isn't an issue. Also, I kid you not, he said "handicapped people do not go out on days like this." WHAT? It was 35 and sunny. He also informed be that the ramp is closed due to the potential of sheets of snow from the roof sliding down and hitting the ramp. Umm, ok, but the stairs are right next to the ramp, does it not effect those people? Is there a way to get the snow off so that isn't a danger? Handicapped people can't go to the post office unless it hasn't snowed recently? He also told me in the future that this wasn't an issue at the other 2 Arlington POs. A lot of good that does me this time. I wrote a letter to my congressperson and the USPS.
Trip #2 - Background: Jack needs a passport - you must appear in person for new passports and both parents need to be there (or have a notarized form saying it is ok from one) - Steve and I head to the Lexington PO that starts doing passports at 9 (rather than 10:30 like Arlington). We have all the forms pre-filled out and our check made out and ready to go.
We get there at about 9:15 - the two women in front of us both also have passport issues. They both need to renew expedited. It took at least 25 minutes to get through the first woman!! WHAT? This is not an unusual procedure. She had to, no joke, address the envelope to the state dept and then insisted and putting in their return address for them on her return envelope. Couldn't they have a stamp for this? Pre-filled forms? She also, after it was all closed, realized that the express mail by which she wanted her passport returned required a signature, and she wouldn't be home. So they had to reopen the whole package and write a note.
The next woman was equally inane but luckily (saved us another 20 minutes) another clerk decided he too could do passports. Well turns out, that even though it says a new passport is $82 on the sign and on the website, it is actually $52 to the state dept and $30 to the PO so you can't have one check. Ugh... Admittedly if you read the medium (ok, not quite fine) print on the website this is made clear, but it isn't at the PO where there was a big sign saying "$82" and nothing else. Once we got to a person, we were done in about 5 minutes, for what is a more complex procedure than a renewal as the clerk actually verifies documents and our identities.
There are SO many ways to increase the speed on these transactions it is ridiculous. I guess all my quality improvement exposure at my last job (including on flow) did indeed rub off on me. Of course part of the problem is people can't read and don't do the easy thing. Both women could have renewed their passports with a regular clerk had they just read instructions and paid for 2 express mail envelopes.
Trip #1 - Background: day after a decent-size snow storm - 2 packages to mail - drive downtown to get out of the house and some errands off my list - no parking in front of the post office so I have to walk 1 1/2 blocks from a paid public lot - Jack is in his stroller
I get to the front of the building and the ramp (which I had intended to use) was blocked off at both ends with yellow caution tape. I had no way to get in the front door as there were about 10 steep steps and I had a baby, stroller and 2 mid-size boxes. Somebody helped me carry the stroller up the stairs but I was totally shocked the federal post office wasn't, at this time, handicapped accessible. What on earth was someone on crutches or in a wheelchair supposed to do? I waited about 10 minutes in line and after mailing my packages I asked how I was supposed to get out of there. The clerk said there were icicles near the ramp and so it was closed, I pushed and spoke my mind about how bad it was it wasn't accessible. She brought me to the "superintendent's office." He basically said "well you aren't handicapped" so it isn't an issue. Also, I kid you not, he said "handicapped people do not go out on days like this." WHAT? It was 35 and sunny. He also informed be that the ramp is closed due to the potential of sheets of snow from the roof sliding down and hitting the ramp. Umm, ok, but the stairs are right next to the ramp, does it not effect those people? Is there a way to get the snow off so that isn't a danger? Handicapped people can't go to the post office unless it hasn't snowed recently? He also told me in the future that this wasn't an issue at the other 2 Arlington POs. A lot of good that does me this time. I wrote a letter to my congressperson and the USPS.
Trip #2 - Background: Jack needs a passport - you must appear in person for new passports and both parents need to be there (or have a notarized form saying it is ok from one) - Steve and I head to the Lexington PO that starts doing passports at 9 (rather than 10:30 like Arlington). We have all the forms pre-filled out and our check made out and ready to go.
We get there at about 9:15 - the two women in front of us both also have passport issues. They both need to renew expedited. It took at least 25 minutes to get through the first woman!! WHAT? This is not an unusual procedure. She had to, no joke, address the envelope to the state dept and then insisted and putting in their return address for them on her return envelope. Couldn't they have a stamp for this? Pre-filled forms? She also, after it was all closed, realized that the express mail by which she wanted her passport returned required a signature, and she wouldn't be home. So they had to reopen the whole package and write a note.
The next woman was equally inane but luckily (saved us another 20 minutes) another clerk decided he too could do passports. Well turns out, that even though it says a new passport is $82 on the sign and on the website, it is actually $52 to the state dept and $30 to the PO so you can't have one check. Ugh... Admittedly if you read the medium (ok, not quite fine) print on the website this is made clear, but it isn't at the PO where there was a big sign saying "$82" and nothing else. Once we got to a person, we were done in about 5 minutes, for what is a more complex procedure than a renewal as the clerk actually verifies documents and our identities.
There are SO many ways to increase the speed on these transactions it is ridiculous. I guess all my quality improvement exposure at my last job (including on flow) did indeed rub off on me. Of course part of the problem is people can't read and don't do the easy thing. Both women could have renewed their passports with a regular clerk had they just read instructions and paid for 2 express mail envelopes.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Another easy recipe
Italian Meatloaf
I use whatever bread we have on hand (usually whole wheat) and only use 1-1/2 slices.
I use whatever bread we have on hand (usually whole wheat) and only use 1-1/2 slices.
Monday, December 31, 2007
By request...
We served this to our cousins, Nikki, Rob and Robby last week and Nikki liked it enough to ask for the recipe.
grilled chicken with oregano, cinnamon and paprika
served with
tomato and red onion compote
We are just catching up with life having returned for 2 nearly back-to-back trips out of state!
Some interesting things:
1) Steve and I had passports that expired a month or two ago.
Time from day sent to day received: 11 business days
The backlog is truly over! Actually, it may have been as few as 8 since we had our mail held and I am even counting Christmas Eve as a business day since it isn't a federal holiday. Those who haven't seen the new passports are in for a surprise. They are quite flashy, even tacky in my opinion. Each page has images and quotes of/from American icons (statue of liberty, Mt. Rushmore etc.) drawn in a way I would describe as propagandistic, considering they are designed to be seen by foreign officials. There is also an overbearing abundance of eagles. It looks like the same people who designed the intro to the The Colbert Report made it.
2) We discovered our screen door has a storm door. Oops, we should have noticed that in our basement last year. It looks a lot nicer than the green fleece blanket we had hanging over our door last winter. Good thing I took to riding our exercise bike about 2 weeks ago and noticed it. (You can tell how much we used it last winter).
grilled chicken with oregano, cinnamon and paprika
served with
tomato and red onion compote
We are just catching up with life having returned for 2 nearly back-to-back trips out of state!
Some interesting things:
1) Steve and I had passports that expired a month or two ago.
Time from day sent to day received: 11 business days
The backlog is truly over! Actually, it may have been as few as 8 since we had our mail held and I am even counting Christmas Eve as a business day since it isn't a federal holiday. Those who haven't seen the new passports are in for a surprise. They are quite flashy, even tacky in my opinion. Each page has images and quotes of/from American icons (statue of liberty, Mt. Rushmore etc.) drawn in a way I would describe as propagandistic, considering they are designed to be seen by foreign officials. There is also an overbearing abundance of eagles. It looks like the same people who designed the intro to the The Colbert Report made it.
2) We discovered our screen door has a storm door. Oops, we should have noticed that in our basement last year. It looks a lot nicer than the green fleece blanket we had hanging over our door last winter. Good thing I took to riding our exercise bike about 2 weeks ago and noticed it. (You can tell how much we used it last winter).
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Ick!
This is off our normal topic (ok, I guess there is no "normal" topic for this blog), but here it goes.
OK, I am not a germophobe at all and generally am not a fan of news exposes, but this is disgusting.
Just in time for holiday travel :(
Hotel Glasses
OK, I am not a germophobe at all and generally am not a fan of news exposes, but this is disgusting.
Just in time for holiday travel :(
Hotel Glasses
Monday, December 10, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
Yum
Balsamic-Glazed Sirloin Steak
Just tired it for the first time this week, but will definitely make it again. We had it with brown rice (and green beans) to soak up the glaze - great stuff. Oh, and we doubled the sauce like some the commenter mentioned. I am glad we did.
Just tired it for the first time this week, but will definitely make it again. We had it with brown rice (and green beans) to soak up the glaze - great stuff. Oh, and we doubled the sauce like some the commenter mentioned. I am glad we did.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Another Lego Train!
This one is for the little man of the house. It is part of the now discontinued "Lego Baby" line.
We got it free (well we had to pay shipping) for buying enough pampers to redeem points.
We got it free (well we had to pay shipping) for buying enough pampers to redeem points.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
A Christmas Miracle
Ok, I am using that term VERY lightly, but not only did our chimney not cause us any problems with the first fire of the season (YAY), but we finally figured out what our hall light switch does (YAY, YAY).
I swear we have tested every outlet in the living room to see if it is tied to the hall, but apparently we hadn't. So now I can switch off our Christmas houses with the flip of a switch. These houses, save the lego-themed one, date to when I was in middle school/early high school and my mom and I had way too many Christmas decorations. Some, like these, have been handed down to me. Luckily I like these and some are even worth some money now (they are collectible and get "retired" every so often). I have some more playing to do with the "snow" to make it better , but I am guessing next year there will be too much attraction to the high cords so this will be our only chance to use them for awhile and wanted to get them out.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Holiday Project - LEGOS!
We also have a motor and some track. As a kid I always thought it would be cool to have a train go around the tree and now we will have a genuine Lego Christmas train.
How it began...
The end!
The two Steve let me make...
How it began...
The end!
The two Steve let me make...
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