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.

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.

Parade

Recently, we went to a parade for the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo. We rode our bikes down and watched horses, horses, and more horses. The Blobster was thrilled!

The Blobster had the best seat in town.

Lucas and Jaime joined us too. It is nice to have extra hands to help with our children. And Lucas' office provided relief from the rain.

Grandma showed up too! The Blobster was spoiled with all the hands to hold him.

Ahh...the Sweet Pea loves her grandma!

And I think she is too cute for words.

Did I mention that we saw some horses??

People Watching

I don’t get much of an opportunity to sit in coffee shops and people watch. Hauling two kids – one of whom likes to run around wildly and say hi to everyone and pull things off shelves – into a relatively quiet shop usually results in nasty looks and raised blood pressure. For me.

But oh, I enjoy being able to sit down with a cup of coffee and have a peaceful moment whenever possible. It’s one of those pleasures that I used to take for granted and is now a great luxury. And people watching while drinking coffee is a natural combination.  It’s almost a requirement.

Yesterday afternoon I had such an opportunity. I put the kids in the stroller and walked downtown to a cute shop for some wrapping paper. The weather has been insanely nice for this time of year. On Monday Danny and I even took advantage of the warm weather and the time change (it still being light at 4pm) to go for a short run. More on that later.

Anyhoo…

After the kids and I finished terrorizing the poor ladies at the shop (my little sweet pea decided to cry the whole time, while the blobster proceeded to use the wrapping paper we were purchasing as a weapon), we headed towards home. However, we didn’t get far before there was a loud request coming from the front of the stroller. “Deat” Toddler translation: let’s Eat. I’m hungry.

Deat. Deat. Deat… yes, it was repeated about 50 times. If you have a toddler you understand.

Soooo, we stopped in at Starbucks because I had a gift certificate and it was the closest “Deating” establishment. While we were in line, the sweet pea miraculously fell asleep and after the blobster got his apple juice he was blissfully content for 10 minutes. So I took those 10 minutes and sat down at a table and drank my sugary caffeine, and watched what was going on around me. An entertaining circus. I think because of the nice weather there were more people out and about than usual. I watched an older couple meeting for coffee after work – they were obviously both professionals, dressed in suits. This may have been a first or second date…they were a bit awkward with each other but too familiar for it to be business. There was a lady in a bright red beret and sweat pants (interesting combo) who stopped to talk to the Greenpeace pushers on the corner. There was a homeless man in a stocking cap, heavy coat, and thick boots who was quickly passed by a young man with no shirt on and running shorts. Another guy came into Starbucks carrying a pizza box and bantered back and forth with his buddy who was making the coffee. He sat down but never ordered anything.

Anyway, there was lots more to see but the rally cry of “Go! Go! Go!” was coming from the stroller. Someone must have finished his juice. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. 

the weather is so nice that the crocus are blooming!