Home Remodeling Bug

Danny and I have had some time to talk as adults recently. Which is great. But it also means we start dreaming together. Which is also great. But it usually ends up in some grand scheme for working on the house. Since our house is about 115 years old there is ALWAYS something to work on. It might be some minor maintenance to keep the house from falling down, or it might be updating something major to bring it into the current century.

We have already done a lot of work, but it has been a while since our last project. What we are dreaming of now is new floors. Ahh…even saying that makes me smile at the thought. The existing hardwood floors are in poor shape. It is one of the first things we noticed when we were looking at the house. At the time we thought maybe we could just refinish them (and we did that in the back room after removing multiple layers of other flooring on top of the hardwood). But the nails are showing through and they are warped, etc. so that our best option is to replace them entirely. We would also replace the subfloors and make sure all the joists are looking good. While we are in there (very dangerous words), we would also move/reroute a lot of the ducting. While we are in there, we would like to move a wall to open up the entryway. While we are in there, we will probably redo the whole kitchen.

Last week we spent some time after the kids went to bed taking measurements of all the rooms to get an idea on square footage for flooring. We also got the layout of the kitchen. Now we are throwing around ideas on where to place everything. We have the ability to move everything, so the options are wide open for changes. It is not wide enough for an island, but we could add a peninsula, take out the small wall into the dining room, move the stove, move the sink, add a window, take out the ‘dummy’ door, replace the cabinets, new countertops. Above all, it would be nice to have a little more counter space, duel wall ovens, and a more cohesive layout.

But at this point it is just dreaming. We’ll have to see what we can actually accomplish in the near future or if it will have to wait for another time. 

this picture of our house is from 2006 when we first bought it. We have already done a lot of work since then. I guess I need an updated picture.

A Weekend Away

Last weekend Danny and I were able to get away. BY OURSELVES. It has been nearly a year since our last time away. It was so restful and healthy for us. 

We went to beautiful Golden, CO. We walked around the small historic area, read books, walked along the river, had a few drinks, had a wonderful dinner, talked as adults without being interrupted, ‘slept-in’ until 7am. Ahh…

It was nice to not have to be responsible for any little people for a few days. It was nice not having to remind my fellow diners to take more bites. It was nice to not have to talk about going to the potty. It was nice to do whatever I wanted.

My wonderful husband!

Great little cafe for breakfast

Original log cabin in the historic park. There was also a barn with chickens and goats, a root cellar, schoolhouse, lots of veggie gardens, etc.

Lady playing clarinet in the park

My sweet husband indulges me be letting me take a million pictures of him

These are from the Golden City Brewery. We did NOT visit Coors

And it was also nice to come home to see my kids. That is to say, on Monday morning I was ready for them, but not on Sunday afternoon when we actually got them back. I think they were happy for a break from each other (they each stayed with a different set of grandparents, to whom we are eternally indebted to). Sunday evening they were bickering with each other non-stop. They might have been a little spoiled from their time away from us. Which is exactly what grandparents are supposed to do! And I will gladly take some spoiled children if it means I also get to have a weekend of being spoiled.

While we were away M&M (aka Sweet Pea) started fully walking. She had been taking a few steps here or there when coaxed, but she was not very interested in walking as a mode of transportation. I guess she just needed some Grandma motivation!

Rooni (aka The Blobster) also had a great time without us. The report is that he was sweet, helpful, and full of energy. That last part sounds about right!

Gage turned 3

April 4, 2012 - Birthday Boy

My little Boy is growing up – we rarely even call him the Blobster any more. It doesn’t seem an appropriate nickname for such a big boy. Mostly we call him Gage-a-rooni; don’t ask me how we came up with that, I’m sure it had something to do with making up a song to make him laugh. I will keep you informed of any new nicknames that come up, which is inevitable.

We had a family party for Gage this year. I wanted to do a vintage rocket theme, but it didn’t turn out as grand as my Pinterest board seemed. (It turns out I’m not Martha Stewart after all) But I had fun getting everything ready to make the day special for my baby (who is no longer a baby, as we have already established). And Gage was so excited, hopping around and asking me all day if he could eat his cake. Birthdays pretty much equate to cake for him. Which I guess never really changes.

My first attempt at making/icing a cake. It looks ok if you don't look too closely. But it was tasty!
Thanks to Michelle for some basic tips. 

Rockets - mini 'pinatas' Gage helped me make them, and had fun pulling the strings to make them explode 

I felt very crafty making the table settings

Random Observations on the Beautiful Sunday

1. It is a Beautiful Day
     I haven't actually been outside, but it looks beautiful from my window
2. Big breakfasts are one of the best changes in our lives since having kids
     Almost everyday we eat a big breakfast now (something other than a bowl of cereal, which was our breakfast pre-kids). The kids don't require it, but now I have more time in the mornings and it means Danny has to eat fewer snacks before lunch
     FYI - today we had scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and tea/juice/milk (depending on the person)
3. I have become a fan of creating an art journal
    Visit my Pinterest board to see some fun examples
4. Watching football is different since having kids
     I used to be able to watch a whole game (or full afternoon of games) uninterrupted. Now I have to help tie shoes, wipe noses, get food for one then the other child, and I can't even hear the tv over the racket.
     One thing has stayed the same: Danny still doesn't like to watch
5. I'm a Broncos fan but it is pretty painful to watch
     Even when they are doing well

Heavenly Day

Oh heavenly day, all the clouds blew away

Got no trouble today with anyone

The smile on your face I live only to see

It's enough for me, baby, it's enough for me

Oh, heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day

Tomorrow may rain with sorrow

Here's a little time we can borrow

Forget all our troubles in these moments so few

All we've got right now, the only thing that

All we really have to do

Is have ourselves a heavenly day

Lay here and watch the trees sway

Oh, can't see no other way, no way, no way

Heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day

No one at my shoulder bringing me fears

Got no clouds up above me bringing me tears

Got nothing to tell you, I've got nothing much to say

Only I'm glad to be here with you

On this heavenly, heavenly, heavenly, heavenly

Heavenly day, all the trouble's gone away

Oh, for a while anyway, for a while anyway

Heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day

Rocky Mountain National Park - anniversary weekend June 2011

Farmers Market

The leaves are turning yellow and we have traded the 90 degree weather for 60 degrees and freak snow flurries. Fall is here and it is my favorite time of year. But there are still a lot of things that I love about summer (that I haven’t blogged about yet).

For the last 2 years I have been going to the local Farmers Market on Monday mornings. I get on my bike, put the kids in the bike trailer and head out. Really it’s only 4 blocks away, but it sounds more romantic if I can say we went on a bike excursion.

There are lots of booths, and it is fun to walk around and see what people are offering. One of our (i.e. the Blobster’s) favorite stops is for kettle corn. The man who makes it is legit – he has the biggest copper kettle I’ve ever seen.

After I bribe my son to be good with kettle corn, I chase after him as I try to make my way to the european artisan bread, and then I tug on him to follow me to get some fruit, and after excusing myself for grabbing my son who is running between people’s legs, we finish up at the veggie stand. It is great to pick out fresh veggies that are locally grown. It is so easy to go overboard and get way too much. (Really… they want me to buy a whole basket of onions?? What would I do with that many onions in a week? My husband doesn’t even like onions. But they are cheap. Humm)

Then once we have all our purchases we head over to the playground so the Blobster can let out some energy. It’s hard work for the boy to listen to mama, and stand in lines, and not touch things.

Then I get to decide what to make with what I bring home. This summer I feel like I made a wide range of dishes with fresh vegetables that I have never tried before and they all turned out really well. The Blobster even ate everything without complaint. I didn’t have a ton of leftover veggies that got thrown out either. So that’s a success, right?

One time this summer we were ‘blessed’ with a huge box of beets. It’s kind-of a long story, but in a round about way we got this box that someone didn’t pick up from their CSA share. I like beets, so I was excited at first, so I made beet puree baby food for the Sweet Pea, a ton of Borscht, beet salad, beet cole slaw, etc.  I started to give beets to my friends, my family, slipping them in people’s pockets if they got too close to me. We still had quite a few beets left when they started going bad and we had to throw some away. I think they were multiplying and having beet babies in the box while we weren’t looking. 

It's my birthday and I can cook if I want to

We celebrated my birthday on Saturday. It was awesome...a bunch of friends came and took over my kitchen, working feverishly on an amazing meal. I sat on the back porch, with those who weren't actively cooking, and drank a beautiful chardonnay. We ate: mini pizzas, shrimp, roasted fig and beet salad, garlic mashed potatos, brussels sprouts (on Sat I learned the correct spelling of that) with bacon, filet mignon, and the biggest crab legs you have ever seen! And to finish it all, we had homemade angelfood cake with strawberries. I'm truly blessed to have such wonderful friends who spent so much time, energy, and money to create the most wonderful birthday meal for me!
And did I get a picture of the fun night to share?? No, no I did not.

Did I mention we had crab legs? They were delicious.


My actual birthday was pretty low-key. It was the most beautiful fall day - clear blue sky and the leaves just starting to think about turning. It is a little warmer than it typically is, but at least it is not snowing yet. I decided I wanted to have a special treat so I drove to Starbucks for a cinnamon-dolce latte. I had to drive to the west side of town because I wanted to go through the drive through - it stinks trying to park and get 2 kids out of the car, stand in line with those kids, just to order a coffee and get back into the car.
I think all stores should have a drive-thru option for parents with small kids.

Then I took the kids to the park since it was so nice outside. It is always fun to watch my kids have fun.

 







I decided that for my birthday dinner I would make homemade ravioli. I really like to cook, so it was fun to work on something new.
I will definitely be making more ravioli in the future. The filling options are endless and I love fresh, homemade pasta.