tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47022883159315656242024-03-13T13:09:42.654-04:00All Grown UpA blog about our lives in the real worldGreg Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13908870343202230275noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-71644517791920932812014-08-07T12:17:00.001-04:002014-08-07T12:17:59.926-04:00Veggie Garden - Year 3In our three years in our townhouse, we've realized some things....<br />
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<li>Our backyard is really shady</li>
<li>No matter how hard we try to trim the giant trees, the leave still block most of the sun</li>
<li>Tomato plants don't like shade</li>
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You probably sense a common theme, our attempt at gardening in the backyard has yielded sub-par results. This year, we almost didn't plant a vegetable garden since we can get organic veggies at the DeKalb Farmer's Market right down the road and since we've had sub-par results from our own attempts in the backyard. But last minute, we decided to try a few things in the front of our house in pots.<br />
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Our first large {ish} harvest from the garden:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zim1ktNZTcA/U-Ip8j915yI/AAAAAAAAASw/LL58T9nHvro/s1600/WP_20140718_17_18_18_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zim1ktNZTcA/U-Ip8j915yI/AAAAAAAAASw/LL58T9nHvro/s1600/WP_20140718_17_18_18_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cubanelle peppers, Sun gold cherry tomatoes, Regular cherry tomato, and a Green Zebra tomato</td></tr>
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We put together some yummy appetizers when my friend {and MOH} Ana Maria visited a few weeks ago.<br />
That's two different types of crostini: Roasted heirloom tomatoes on goat cheese with a drizzle of honey, and pan fried cubanelle peppers on goat cheese. Both were delicious! When we made the cubannellle toasts again, we drizzled some honey on them too.<br />
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Our second harvest of tomatoes:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XV6pw1BLLN8/U-Ip81a_X0I/AAAAAAAAAS0/KrOAcq0qUwg/s1600/WP_20140731_17_36_24_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XV6pw1BLLN8/U-Ip81a_X0I/AAAAAAAAAS0/KrOAcq0qUwg/s1600/WP_20140731_17_36_24_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Zebra, Sun Golds, Cherry Tomatoes, and our first Black Cherry Tomato and Pink Thai tomato!</td></tr>
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We made yummy flat breads for two nights out of those. Soooo delicious!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FxgwTrw5E_E/U-Ip9Zlct6I/AAAAAAAAAS8/41sXSe-5e5w/s1600/WP_20140731_17_54_25_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FxgwTrw5E_E/U-Ip9Zlct6I/AAAAAAAAAS8/41sXSe-5e5w/s1600/WP_20140731_17_54_25_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasty flatbread with our heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzerella and <br />
homemade french bread with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar</td></tr>
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Soon we'll be harvesting our pimento pepper and trying to make pimento cheese for the first time! We've got a bunch of Cubanelles ready to harvest too, so we'll have to decide what to do with them this time. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05851501042398398178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-58423746154645245512014-07-28T10:22:00.001-04:002014-07-28T10:22:41.517-04:00Meet our new sectional - KarlYep, we went with what seems to be the most popular choice for a well priced sectional among bloggers- the Karlstad sofa and chaise lounge from Ikea!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FtmJNAqbfiQ/U9ZbHvSr7nI/AAAAAAAAAOM/fUXA2-wEse4/s1600/WP_20140727_21_36_33_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FtmJNAqbfiQ/U9ZbHvSr7nI/AAAAAAAAAOM/fUXA2-wEse4/s1600/WP_20140727_21_36_33_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><br /></div>
We've been planning to make this change for quite a while. Our old couches were nice and soft and still in good shape, but just too big for the space. So they'll likely go into storage until my brother graduates college (yay, hand-me-down furniture!).<br />
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We knew one thing going in with Karl was that we hated his legs. The light color just didn't work with the dark fabric (we went with Sivik Dark Grey) and he just felt too short with the 5 7/8" legs. So after a lot of research and seeing various failed methods of changing the legs, we went for it and ordered these 8" legs from Waldell Mfg.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YJ-sijTFiI/U9ZbEwx9kdI/AAAAAAAAANs/_D62n8GvZC0/s1600/WP_20140727_13_11_19_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YJ-sijTFiI/U9ZbEwx9kdI/AAAAAAAAANs/_D62n8GvZC0/s1600/WP_20140727_13_11_19_Pro.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lN4Y_wmE1rA/U9ZbFCQkUCI/AAAAAAAAANo/zt1aDgDN00k/s1600/WP_20140727_13_40_31_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lN4Y_wmE1rA/U9ZbFCQkUCI/AAAAAAAAANo/zt1aDgDN00k/s1600/WP_20140727_13_40_31_Pro.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a> Well they are actually more like 7" legs, and the metal color is silver (unlike their picture that shows gold). But we decided to go for it anyways. I stained them with one coat of Kona stain and sealer, and we decided we were happy with that coat. I didn't bother spending time taping off the metal part since I knew I could scrap off the stain that got on there, but actually we decided it gives it an "antique-y" look similar to what our favorite store, Ballard Designs, does on a lot of furniture. So I'll likely go back and dab more stain on the metal to even it out.<br />
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Then on to assembly.... it took us about 2.5 hours, which includes the leg change, so not too bad. Here's how we made that change. First, we pried off the plastic black piece that goes between the leg and the couch frame to get a sturdy surface to attach the brackets for the legs.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4R1yFJJShdY/U9ZbGRSlWwI/AAAAAAAAANw/Idk3EgOcpwc/s1600/WP_20140727_20_47_07_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4R1yFJJShdY/U9ZbGRSlWwI/AAAAAAAAANw/Idk3EgOcpwc/s1600/WP_20140727_20_47_07_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then we pre-drilled holes for the screws to make sure they went in straight and didn't split any wood.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i-eLv9rqZTc/U9ZbG7n98FI/AAAAAAAAAN8/IhtO8H11K0U/s1600/WP_20140727_20_48_43_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i-eLv9rqZTc/U9ZbG7n98FI/AAAAAAAAAN8/IhtO8H11K0U/s1600/WP_20140727_20_48_43_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then simply screwing in the bracket. We used a combination of the provided screws and a few extra long ones mixed in, in case that gave it a little more bite into the wood.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VzLDd1YXqV8/U9ZbFFmiQcI/AAAAAAAAANk/Gbielveo-DE/s1600/WP_20140727_20_46_59_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VzLDd1YXqV8/U9ZbFFmiQcI/AAAAAAAAANk/Gbielveo-DE/s1600/WP_20140727_20_46_59_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then screw in the legs and repeat for all 8 legs! It's pretty simple after you get the hang of it. The good news is the legs feel very very secure. So we'll be monitoring them to make sure they don't loosen up as the couch gets used. But we're pretty confident at this point!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-85mpp50lFfg/U9ZbGmS38QI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/_b8k8CEyLX4/s1600/WP_20140727_20_47_20_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-85mpp50lFfg/U9ZbGmS38QI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/_b8k8CEyLX4/s1600/WP_20140727_20_47_20_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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We are very happy with the final product, just have to get some more pillows (not all of our old ones worked with the new color scheme), probably a garden stool or other small object to put next to the chaise to hold drinks, and of course a new coffee table!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FtmJNAqbfiQ/U9ZbHvSr7nI/AAAAAAAAAOY/Ig_EjuTiyDU/s1600/WP_20140727_21_36_33_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FtmJNAqbfiQ/U9ZbHvSr7nI/AAAAAAAAAOY/Ig_EjuTiyDU/s1600/WP_20140727_21_36_33_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05851501042398398178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-53776021074044107812014-07-16T14:01:00.001-04:002014-07-16T14:01:56.678-04:00Replica Wedding Cake OrnamentSince our wedding was not long before Christmas, I kept seeing people sharing pictures of Replica Wedding Cake Ornaments and thought it would be really cool to have one! So I looked up the company, and their ornaments were over $200, waayyyy too much for me to spend on an ornament! So I gave up on that idea.....<br />
Fast forward a couple of months to February.... I saw someone post on a Brides Facebook group that they found a couple of Etsy sellers that make the Wedding Cake Ornaments! So I decided that I would send my picture to her for a quote, and it was super reasonable! At least considering the time put into making one. So I put in my order, and a few months later it arrived! It looks so great! My parents were amazed at the detail when I showed it to them.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CU9zyutvqn0/U8a9b-3yDII/AAAAAAAAAM4/92ffms04euQ/s1600/WP_20140712_19_17_00_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CU9zyutvqn0/U8a9b-3yDII/AAAAAAAAAM4/92ffms04euQ/s1600/WP_20140712_19_17_00_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a side by side of my real cake and the mini ornament:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mpNo5iiKr70/U8a9b58g3dI/AAAAAAAAAM8/oVZnMzkB4Js/s1600/Christa+and+Greg+0224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mpNo5iiKr70/U8a9b58g3dI/AAAAAAAAAM8/oVZnMzkB4Js/s1600/Christa+and+Greg+0224.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xEFk1fK0XQU/U8a9bhQK_xI/AAAAAAAAAM0/eDJxkI5fj3s/s1600/WP_20140712_19_17_20_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xEFk1fK0XQU/U8a9bhQK_xI/AAAAAAAAAM0/eDJxkI5fj3s/s1600/WP_20140712_19_17_20_Pro.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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Pretty good, right? My dad refused to believe that the ornament wasn't just a picture of my real cake! I'm amazed at the amount of detail she puts into each one! But I would highly recommend her shop to anyone looking to get a Replica Cake Ornament: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/jessieraye">https://www.etsy.com/shop/jessieraye</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05851501042398398178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-32503041004265225882014-06-30T12:42:00.001-04:002014-06-30T12:42:04.531-04:00Wedding DIY: BBQ Sauce Favors!For our wedding favors, we wanted to do something fun, something 'us', and something guests wouldn't throw away the next day {i.e. food}. So we immediately thought of doing a canned BBQ sauce after I saw a similar concept on Pinterest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our final product - Sweet & Tangy Version</td></tr>
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So we set off on an adventure to find the perfect barbeque sauce and discovered that we actually wanted to make 2 sauces- the Bride's sauce {sweet & tangy} and the Groom's sauce {mustard based}.<br />
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We found this great recipe for a <a href="http://www.theyummylife.com/recipes/69">14 spice dry rub</a> along with the <a href="http://www.theyummylife.com/bbq_sauce_recipes_sweet_tangy_spicy_smoky">sweet and tangy BBQ</a> sauce over on The Yummy Life. Greg's a fan of the mustard based sauces, so he found this <a href="http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/other-sauce-spread/mustard-bbq-sauce-w-optional-canning-directions.html">one on Just a Pinch</a>. We made a small test batch, and they were both perfect! <br />
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We must of our ingredients from Costco since you could buy in bulk, and then got the spices fresh from the Farmer's Market. We didn't take many pictures during the cooking process, well, because it was really really messy, and cooking that much of anything isn't pretty!<br />
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After a full day of cooking and canning, we got them all laid out on the dining room table, and then waited for the cans to cool so we could see if they were all successfully canned. I think it was 2 that failed, so we put those two them in the fridge for us to enjoy. But hey, 2 out of 140 isn't bad in my opinion.</div>
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We did all of this in June 2013, because we knew the canned BBQ sauce would last for at least a year, so that would give our guests plenty of time to use it, and we didn't want to wait to long and stress ourselves out at the last minute. Though we did wait until September to put together the spice packets that we attached to the BBQ, since we knew that would harden much quicker. <br />
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If you are familiar with canning, you know that the ring on top is really only important during the canning process and you can actually take that off once the jar is successfully canned. So once I was ready to package the BBQ's to give out, I cut out square of fabric to put under the ring for a cute look and tied everything together with a small business card with the name of the sauce and some twine. Just to be extra fancy, the tags match the wedding invitations!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xXpsE8ut4QM/U6mX7ul4hoI/AAAAAAAAAIc/P-rLZMBh1ow/s1600/WP_20131023_007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xXpsE8ut4QM/U6mX7ul4hoI/AAAAAAAAAIc/P-rLZMBh1ow/s1600/WP_20131023_007.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a><br />
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I also made this little chalkboard sign to go with the favors, but I'm guessing the wedding coordinator decided not to put it out, since it's missing from all of the pictures. But oh well.... it all still looked great!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05851501042398398178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-58166831893853827812014-06-25T08:24:00.001-04:002014-06-25T08:24:04.009-04:00Does the ceiling look weird to you?Yeah, not a fun realization..... But that's what happened last week when we hung a picture in the entryway to the basement. I looked up and the ceiling looked like it was wet and sort of bubbly. So naturally, Greg grabbed a step ladder and reached to touch it, and went right through the ceiling.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NnQZ17AvvMg/U6MNo_96ZBI/AAAAAAAAAG0/q3tWN7kBH3U/s1600/WP_20140608_17_37_43_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NnQZ17AvvMg/U6MNo_96ZBI/AAAAAAAAAG0/q3tWN7kBH3U/s1600/WP_20140608_17_37_43_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Since it's directly below the toilet of the half-bath, we knew immediately that we had a problem. So after a moment of freaking out, we called our resident plumbing expert {Greg's dad}. He suggested that we cut into the ceiling and just look and see whats leaking.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C2PZqTUo2fo/U6MNpuhNdUI/AAAAAAAAAG4/I9X23n6EfI4/s1600/WP_20140608_17_49_32_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C2PZqTUo2fo/U6MNpuhNdUI/AAAAAAAAAG4/I9X23n6EfI4/s1600/WP_20140608_17_49_32_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Greg's dad said it would likely be one of two things- 1) the trap is leaking {not good, we would need a plumber} or 2) the toilet seal was leaking {we can fix}. So of course we were hoping for option 2.<br />
It was still really hard to decide what was leaking, so after some Google searching, we decided to put some green dye in the toilet to see if the leak was coming from there.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zVInZ-SL_T8/U6MNrMETgFI/AAAAAAAAAHM/SKJqIH7mIcw/s1600/WP_20140608_18_11_12_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zVInZ-SL_T8/U6MNrMETgFI/AAAAAAAAAHM/SKJqIH7mIcw/s1600/WP_20140608_18_11_12_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Other than an interesting picture, it didn't really help us. But we did eventually decide that the leak was coming from the toilet seal, which meant a simple wax seal replacement, yay! Or so we thought....<br />
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Nope, still leaking. After a bunch of trial and error, we figured out that the previous owners had cut off the old flange when installing tile. Then they put down a cast iron flange extender and a plastic flange extender and a bunch of silicone, with 2 wax seals on top of that. So I guess that was their solution for the leaking toilet, and it lasted about 3 years or so.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zYTyDBAkx3Q/U6lxv2C7fXI/AAAAAAAABSc/zxGukYizSSc/s1600/WP_20140610_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zYTyDBAkx3Q/U6lxv2C7fXI/AAAAAAAABSc/zxGukYizSSc/s1600/WP_20140610_001.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X8amiPgSI6o/U6lx6L1KFTI/AAAAAAAABSk/AWZeznFwfhs/s1600/WP_20140611_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X8amiPgSI6o/U6lx6L1KFTI/AAAAAAAABSk/AWZeznFwfhs/s1600/WP_20140611_001.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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The left picture is showing what we originally thought was a flange connected to the waste pipe, but then we removed it and found it was just a flange extender and there was another cast iron flange extender attached to the subfloor. In the right picture, you can see essentially two pipes inside each other: the inner pipe is the waste pipe, and the other pipe is what I assume was the original flange that was sawed off, likely when they added/replaced tile in this bathroom.<br />
<i>Note: It's good to stuff a towel in the waste pipe to prevent sewer gas from entering your house. Oh, also, sorry for the gross pictures, plumbing isn't pretty....</i><br />
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So we decided to fix the issue instead of continuing this ridiculous solution. So we bought a 3" diameter Push Tite flange, which easily pushes right down into the waste pipe. Then to raise the height of the flange, we added two 1/4" flange extenders (only because Home Depot didn't have any 1/2" extenders in stock), adding silicone between each extension. We let that dry for 24 hours per the silicone instructions, put the wax seal on, then the toilet and voila! No more leaking toilet!<br />
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Now onto patching that hole in the basement ceiling....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05851501042398398178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-85356602729207097632014-06-23T15:52:00.001-04:002014-06-24T10:03:01.291-04:00The Weekend in FoodWe were in a bit of a culinary mood this weekend and made some tasty meals! Here's our fancy meals from this past weekend:<br />
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Saturday Lunch: Cheese Ravioli with Vodka Sauce, topped with fresh </div>
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grated Parmesan and basil</div>
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Fresh farmer's market ravioli paired with some simple sauce and toppings made for a quick and easy throw together lunch Saturday afternoon. Just for fun, we paired it with a glass of Carmenere red wine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbjvtw1ecag/U6h9zrCVcjI/AAAAAAAAAHg/rOC4q7l0CVM/s1600/WP_20140622_11_39_11_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbjvtw1ecag/U6h9zrCVcjI/AAAAAAAAAHg/rOC4q7l0CVM/s1600/WP_20140622_11_39_11_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Sunday Brunch: Drop Biscuits with Fried Chicken and Chicken Gravy, </div>
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topped with spicy basil and golden thyme</div>
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I had been looking forward to making Sunday brunch since last Wednesday when I saw this recipe on <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/06/how-to-make-quickest-biscuit-egg-sandwiches.html">Serious Eats</a> for drop biscuits with cheesy eggs. Their dish reminded me of a brunch I had recently at No. 246 in Decatur, so we decided to recreate that meal. It turned out absolutely perfect!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NoNKoe5ikzQ/U6h9z8vWeII/AAAAAAAAAHk/ZyUmJGPWUBg/s1600/WP_20140622_20_30_25_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NoNKoe5ikzQ/U6h9z8vWeII/AAAAAAAAAHk/ZyUmJGPWUBg/s1600/WP_20140622_20_30_25_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Sunday Dinner: Rotisserie Cornish Game Hen, Orange Thyme Pan Roasted </div>
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Asparagus and Grilled Corn</div>
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After that hearty brunch, we skipped straight to a late dinner. We love using the rotisserie attachment for our grill and these Cornish Game Hens browned up nicely! We love the orange thyme asparagus from Cooks Illustrated and brushing some of the extra on the corn is delicious too!<br />
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All three meals were fantastic, but everyone's got a favorite, and this time we both agreed..... Sunday Brunch won the weekend food wars!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05851501042398398178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-51456542463242094632014-06-18T13:22:00.003-04:002014-06-19T12:25:58.974-04:00....and we're back!<div class="SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--AjC219StO8/U6Gwl6zAlYI/AAAAAAAABsY/yJqAKVErKkc/s1600/Christa+and+Greg+0449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--AjC219StO8/U6Gwl6zAlYI/AAAAAAAABsY/yJqAKVErKkc/s1600/Christa+and+Greg+0449.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kiss- October 5, 2013 at the Avondale Lake House. Photos compliments of Holly Jones Photo</td></tr>
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<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">So now that our life has {somewhat} settled down, we thought we'd give blogging another shot. Just based on what our current interests are, I'm guessing we'll have some big DIY projects, some minor ones, some cooking, and some posts just about our lives. And probably some catch up posts to capture what we've been up to in the past {almost} 2 years! </span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Here's what has developed into while we were absent:</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Personal Life-</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Get engaged</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Plan a wedding</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Get married</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Get back to home improvement and fun stuff {in progress</span><span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">!</span><span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">}</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gb2d9655PbU/U6GwnEzag0I/AAAAAAAABsg/IcI6wjnHW28/s1600/Christa+and+Greg+0457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gb2d9655PbU/U6GwnEzag0I/AAAAAAAABsg/IcI6wjnHW28/s1600/Christa+and+Greg+0457.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif;">Photo compliments of Holly Jones Photo</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8tB2Rp2gP8/U6GzW3Q7d2I/AAAAAAAABtA/YSCnrRa58nc/s1600/WP_20140601_16_13_20_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8tB2Rp2gP8/U6GzW3Q7d2I/AAAAAAAABtA/YSCnrRa58nc/s1600/WP_20140601_16_13_20_Pro.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a><span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">House {Outside}-</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Get a contractor to build an awning/arbor over our front door</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Get new lighting fixture for front door</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Get a new front door</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">! (& hardware)</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Add flower boxes to the window</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s </span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Pressure wash driveway & stairs</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Repair & repaint metal railings</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<span class="ListGhost SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></li>
<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX211889778" paraeid="{9c469518-e9f2-4ae3-9cc9-379989cd023d}{14}" paraid="1447566056" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Pressure wash & re-stain deck</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX211889778" paraeid="{9c469518-e9f2-4ae3-9cc9-379989cd023d}{18}" paraid="1633290994" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Pressure wash & re-stain fence and bulkhead for garden</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Fix rain barrel</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<span class="ListGhost SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></li>
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<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Clean up & organize lower patio</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX211889778" paraeid="{9c469518-e9f2-4ae3-9cc9-379989cd023d}{33}" paraid="1174620114" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Make the yard prettier (a</span></span><span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">dd slate chips to "</span></span><span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX211889778" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">checkboard</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> pattern" & grow grass on the other half</span></span><span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">)</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<span class="ListGhost SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></li>
<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX211889778" paraeid="{9c469518-e9f2-4ae3-9cc9-379989cd023d}{37}" paraid="1429383984" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Turn old garden beds into a "cutting garden" (since we don't get enough sun for veggies)</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Plant </span></span><span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">herb garden and a few </span></span><span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">cherry tomatoes out front</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Plant tomatoes and other veggies out front</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">House {Inside}-</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<ul class="BulletListStyle1 SCX211889778" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX211889778" paraeid="{9c469518-e9f2-4ae3-9cc9-379989cd023d}{58}" paraid="776092262" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Paint kitchen cabinets (yeah, I know, we </span><span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">still </span><span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">haven't made a final decision there)</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<span class="ListGhost SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></li>
<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX211889778" paraeid="{9c469518-e9f2-4ae3-9cc9-379989cd023d}{62}" paraid="2118395815" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Demo and redo half bath</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX211889778" paraeid="{9c469518-e9f2-4ae3-9cc9-379989cd023d}{66}" paraid="570534858" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Get new living room furniture (couch, DIY a console?, 2 arm chairs, coffee table)</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Paint walls on main level (& both stairwells)</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Stain stair rails with</span></span><span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> a dark wood stain</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<span class="ListGhost SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></li>
<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX211889778" paraeid="{9c469518-e9f2-4ae3-9cc9-379989cd023d}{81}" paraid="1668736611" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Pick out n</span></span><span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">ew dining room table</span></span><strike><span class="TextRun SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> + 4 chairs + 1 bench {wedding gift from Greg's parents}</span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></strike></div>
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<span class="TextRun Strikethrough SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: line-through;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX211889778" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Wedding picture collage wall</span></span><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Decorate Master Bedroom/DIY some new furniture</span></li>
<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX211889778" style="font-size: 8pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCX211889778" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Basement-<strike> Rearrange</strike>. Create a wine bar. <strike>Make a fly fishing area for Greg. </strike> Decorate with art.</span></li>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C4beqNMhppk/U6GzWifyBSI/AAAAAAAABss/VOQ_nfc1ysI/s1600/WP_20140527_20_48_02_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C4beqNMhppk/U6GzWifyBSI/AAAAAAAABss/VOQ_nfc1ysI/s1600/WP_20140527_20_48_02_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">So with all of that said, we'll be back soon with more fun stuff about what's been happening in our lives, including DIY stuff, cooking, traveling, cats, and whatever else happens to happen!</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-19962236167438531842012-09-12T14:01:00.005-04:002012-09-12T14:01:47.366-04:00Experimenting with Split Chicken BreastsContinuing with my theme of better meal planning and prepping ahead of time. I gave split chicken breasts a shot- for a few reasons<br />
<ol>
<li>Pure curiosity</li>
<li>They were on sale for $0.99/lb</li>
<li>I haven't found boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale in awhile</li>
<li>You can make chicken broth by boiling the bones</li>
</ol>
So I got a bunch and the first batch - a few weeks ago - I just deboned by hand, used the chicken for various recipes and threw the bones in the freezer to make chicken broth later. It was surprisingly easy. Once I got the hang of it, all 6 split breasts went pretty quickly. I found it was easier to just look at the chicken as I was cutting and make it look the way it should. Reading other people's description of what they did, just made it more confusing, so just go with your gut.<br />
<br />
So now, it's time to do some more cooking for this week, so I pulled 2 more packages of split chicken breasts out of the freezer, partially defrosted them by running them under cold water and tossed them in the crock pot. I needed shredded meat for this week, so I decided that by cooking the chicken in the crock pot {with chopped onion, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and water}, I could probably get some chicken broth out of the deal too! <br />
<br />
I let the split breasts go for about 3-4 hours on High before testing them- the meat shredded off perfectly and had a nice taste. The broth tasted pretty good too, but since we figured the longer the better, we left the broth going for about 6 hours total on High. Since I have a small crock pot, I could only do 1 package at a time (2 split breasts), so I did the whole process twice. <br />
<br />
With the meat from the first package (~4.5 cups), I made Buffalo Chicken Taquitos. They are delicious, definitely a go-to meal around here! We had enough for dinner, a snack and lunch, plus about 5 that got tossed into the freezer. I also got about 4 cups of chicken broth after straining off the spices and bones!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DhgrpdCze6s/UFDNXEOqaKI/AAAAAAAABNY/PKatRNK7DMQ/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DhgrpdCze6s/UFDNXEOqaKI/AAAAAAAABNY/PKatRNK7DMQ/s320/IMG_1319.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the homemade chicken broth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So for that one package it cost $2.58, which was about 2.6 lbs (including bones)-- I got more than 2 boneless skinless breasts worth of meat (since you also have 2 tenderloins in there), plus a container's worth of broth (~$2.99). It makes the whole process pretty cost effective since you get chicken and free broth. Especially since I haven't seen boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale under $3.99/lb in some time.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-31179148631445551552012-09-11T10:38:00.001-04:002012-09-11T10:38:03.153-04:00First Attempt at Freezer Cooking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>EDIT: I actually wrote this post a while ago and never posted it. So this was all actually done on August 26th, and since we've eaten all but the Spinach Lasagna Rolls (dinner tonight), French Dip and the Sour Cream Enchiladas. Everything so far has been great! We're starting to plan our next freezer meal adventure now!</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Command Central</td></tr>
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After weeks {okay, fine months...} of saying I was going to try to do better at meal planning and prepping things ahead of time, I dove in this past weekend! Between Pinterest freezer cooking pins and some other recipes I've found over the past few months, I picked out my test recipes. Fortunately, Greg is wonderful and helped out with the shopping and prepping and cooking! Yeah, be jealous :)<br />
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As you can see in the picture above, Lion was being incredibly helpful. I think they enjoy watching while we slave away. Plus, he's not even supposed to be on the table to begin with! <br />
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We picked out 7 recipes {my sources are linked}:<br />
<a href="http://www.dealwisemommy.net/2012/06/dinner-idea-buffalo-chicken-taquitos/" target="_blank">Buffalo Chicken Taquitos</a> -- Dinner Sunday & Lunch Monday (it was absolutely delicious!)<br />
<a href="http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/05/pesto-chicken-stuffed-shells.html" target="_blank">Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells </a>-- Dinner Monday & will there will be lunch leftovers<br />
<a href="http://skinnymom.com/2012/05/11/skinny-sour-cream-enchiladas/" target="_blank">Skinny Sour Cream Enchiladas </a>-- Freeze (one meal with leftovers)<br />
<a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/dads_stuffed_bell_peppers/" target="_blank">Stuffed Bell Peppers</a> -- Freeze (separated into two meals)<br />
<a href="http://joelens.blogspot.com/2011/09/baked-penne-with-sausage-creamy-ricotta.html" target="_blank">Baked Penne with Sausage and Ricotta</a> -- Freeze (one meal with leftovers)<br />
<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/spinach-lasagna-rolls.html" target="_blank">Lasagna Spinach Rolls</a> -- Freeze (one meal with leftovers)<br />
<a href="http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/07/best-ever-beef-dip-sandwiches.html" target="_blank">French Dip Sandwich with Au Jus</a> -- Freeze (one slow cooker meal with leftovers)<br />
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We packed all the shopping, prep and cooking all into one afternoon after church {whew, it was a lot of work!}. We cooked for about 4 hours total! Fortunately, with 2 of us working it wasn't too bad and sometimes Greg did some cleaning while I was still putting things together.<br />
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We started by throwing about 6 chicken breasts into a big pot of water to boil. After about 25 minutes, we had a big bowl of shredded chicken for the 3 chicken recipes. We also had an almost constant pot of water boiling for pasta cooking {we had to do lasagna noodles, penne, and jumbo shells} in the beginning. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boiling Chicken</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of pasta always cooking</td></tr>
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Then we did some chopping & dicing prep. Onion and garlic were the most commonly called for ingredients, I realized that for the onion and had it all chopped. But for whatever reason, didn't do that with the garlic, so about halfway through, Greg minced a bunch of garlic since I kept asking for them one at a time!<br />
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At this point, it started to become easier to work on one at a time. So one recipe at a time, we started to put things together. We usually worked on one each separately, and sometimes had a third going in the background. The Baked Penne with Sausage and Ricotta had a 30 minute long simmer, so I was glad we started it in the middle, not at the end. The French Dip was super easy, since it was just put stuff into bag and freeze. I did the Taquitos and Sour Cream Enchiladas back-to-back since they are the same concept-<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling for the Sour Cream Enchiladas</td></tr>
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1. Make filling<br />
2. Stuff filling and cheese into taco shell<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xmrkiAfi7Ig/UE9HLK9SjZI/AAAAAAAABMI/SeLnoAdCxCE/s1600/IMG_1259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xmrkiAfi7Ig/UE9HLK9SjZI/AAAAAAAABMI/SeLnoAdCxCE/s320/IMG_1259.JPG" width="320" /></a>3. Roll like burrito & place in pan<br />
4. Add sauce (only for the enchiladas)<br />
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Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the Buffalo Chicken Taquitos.... but we had them for dinner and they were delicious! And contrary to what a lot of people commented on the recipe, mine stayed together really well!<br />
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The lasagn rolls were the most time consuming for me. Well it was either that or they were last and I was exhausted by the time I was doing that, but nevertheless, we finished rolling and placing!<br />
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So overall, I would say it's a success! Next time, I think I would stick with 4 recipes and make double of each {which is what a lot of other bloggers have said}. But now we have a variety in the freezer, so if we continue we should be able to build up a reserve of delicious meals that we can quickly pull out and cook. Which will really help remove that temptation to stop by McDonald's on the way home from work {sorry Dad, but the new Mighty Wings are pretty good!}<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen Stuffed Ball Peppers (2 separate meals)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked Penne with Sausage and Ricotta</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells</td></tr>
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I managed to miss a few meals in the pictures, but trust me, it was a hectic few hours. But we ended up with 7 separate recipes, and got 8 different meals out of it, with tons {and I mean tons} of leftovers!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-82884094065854655822012-08-14T13:51:00.001-04:002012-08-14T13:51:35.360-04:00New Kitty Room<div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uZ0Zs3kXlLo/UCqMGyBV4mI/AAAAAAAABH8/R_dhoLy1GSY/s1600/IMG_1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uZ0Zs3kXlLo/UCqMGyBV4mI/AAAAAAAABH8/R_dhoLy1GSY/s320/IMG_1231.JPG" width="320" /></a>Now that we have a bunch of nice new furniture, eating dinner while staring at {and occasionally smelling} cat food was much less appealing. So we decided to move the kitty feeding area to the basement, into one of our two closets by the garage. But they looked like this....<br />
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Actually, I snapped those after I pulled out a few things...you don't want to see what it looked like before. The one on the left was mostly paper products, and the plastic drawers (which act as our medicine cabinet). The one of the right- well it was a mess. It pretty much had a little of everything in it, including a couple of boxes that we never unpacked. <br />
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So after so reorganizing and removal of stuff that really just needs to be donated, we had this...<br />
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Yes, those are my high school prom dresses... I have no where else to put them, haha. I should probably just find a charity to donate them to. I did manage to get an extra wear out of them by using them for sorority formal dresses (and trading with other people for formal). Anyways...<br />
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So we decided to turn the smaller of the two closets into the kitty room. But being the nice people that we are, we didn't want the kitties to have to eat in the dark, and since they can't use a light switch {at least that we know of... Lion does open cabinets}, we needed a lighting solution. I know, I know... cats have great night vision, but it makes us feel better....<br />
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We found that Leviton motion sensing light switch at Home Depot for about $19. It was super easy to install, and it worked! At least it did for us, not so much for the kitties. They are too low to the ground and it senses 180 degrees horizontally. We thought about turning the whole outlet on it's side {so the switch would sense 180 degree vertically}, but that started to be difficult when the electrical box wouldn't easily come out.<br /><br />
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Throughout all of this, Nutmeg was extremely helpful.... can you tell? Yes, as a matter of fact, those are the instructions that tell you how to install the switch that Nutmeg is attacking...<br />
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So back off to Home Depot to figure out a new solution.... we ended up deciding on these things that you screw into the light bulb socket and then screw the light bulb into. They have lots of varieties, but this one has a motion sensor. It works really well and the kitties are able to activate it! We also picked up the wire hanging shelve at Home Depot for about $10 which has dry food containers and a water jug stored on it. On the actually wire shelve above that, we have kitty toy storage, cat health products (grooming, flea medicine, nail trimmers, etc), and extra dry/wet food storage. We also added that wood shelve from some scrap we had lying around to hold some wet food and their food bowls.<br />
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We still have to pick out a cat door to add so that we can keep the door closed. But overall I'd say this was a success! Our cats might be a little spoiled.... But hey, at least we don't have to look at their food anymore while we eat!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-53734039899081207772012-08-10T11:37:00.001-04:002012-08-10T11:37:32.946-04:00The moment we've all been waiting for....No, not a completed laundry room. We've still gotta pull the washer and dryer back out and put the finishing touches on there. This is our new furniture! Well really it's old furniture, from Greg's parents, but it's new to us! Well at least me, Greg grew up with most of it.<br />
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That's my new mixer stand! It's awesome. I've used it soo much already. It's nice to finally have it down where I can easily get to it. Instead of it's previous resting spot- on top of the refrigerator. How did I get it down you might ask.....</div>
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<i>Christa: </i>Greg... I want to make pizza dough (or insert other dough, dessert, etc).... I can't reach the mixer....</div>
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<i>Greg: </i>Okay... I'll be there in a few minutes.</div>
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<i>....wait approximately 30 seconds..... </i></div>
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<i>Christa: </i>Has it been a few minutes yet?</div>
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<i>...Greg pulls down mixer....</i></div>
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Yeah, you get the picture. Mixer stored high where I can't reach it = unhappy Greg, especially if I'm in a baking mood for a few days in a row.</div>
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Our new hutch! It has 2 shelves that I hadn't put in yet when I took this picture. I haven't decided exactly what we'll store in the open portion of it. But it has 3 drawers below which are great storage! </div>
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Drawer 1- Placemats, finally a place to put these!</div>
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Drawer 2- Tupperware. Now my cabinets under the island can finally be organized!</div>
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Drawer 3- Platters.</div>
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Isn't the stained glass pretty? I may have to find a way to install some lights inside so you can see them. Right now you can only appreciate them when the doors are open. Oh, and of course Nutmeg had to inspect the new furniture. Nosey kitty...<br />
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Even though the bench had been sitting there for 3 or so days at this point, Lion of course had to examine it right in the middle of all of my pictures! It's a bench made from an old horse carriage. It's a nice way to add a little additional seating in the living room. <br />
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The pie safe! Isn't it pretty? The lamp may or may not end up there, we'll see. We have some decorating ahead of it.<br />
It has tons of storage inside too- see?<br />
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And there's still more to come as we move things in from the garage and get them set-up!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-32292713368229482262012-08-06T13:25:00.001-04:002012-08-06T13:25:26.167-04:00Finally! The moudling is done!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wahoo! One {long, drawn-out} project that can finally be marked off the list! If you go back and check out this <a href="http://allgrownup2011.blogspot.com/2012/02/cabinet-takedown.html" target="_blank">post</a>, you'll see what the kitchen used to look like, and what it looks like without those cabinets obstructing the view! We hung the light fixture back in February with the help of Greg's dad. So now we got around to adding the moulding around the edges and painting! It looks so nice now!<br />
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One reason it took so long, was we just didn't have the right tools. So we finally got around to buying an air compressor and brad nail gun. Once we had those, the moulding was up in about 10 minutes! Plus the air compressor will come in handy when we use an air spray gun to paint the cabinets later this year {probably a winter project}.<br />
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So what else is new around here? Well Greg's parents brought us down some awesome furniture from their old house in Rochester. The picture below is just the beginnings of the awesome-ness! It's a mixer stand that Greg's grandmother used to have. We've gotten tons of use out of it already! Stay tuned for lots more picture of the great furniture pieces, and a lot of reorganization since we finally have some extra storage! <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-34589567441809669142012-07-19T20:57:00.002-04:002012-07-19T20:57:45.400-04:00Laundry Room Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We're taking it slow on the laundry room remodel. We don't want to rush and mess anything up, or have it look bad at the end, so step-by-step we are making progress. Plus, I don't always feel like working in a tiny laundry room after a full day at work!<br />
(P.S. sorry for the poor picture quality- for some reason my cell phone focuses, and then unfocuses everything I take a picture)<br />
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We still have to put down the grout sealant to protect it. But that's not until after we clean the 'grout haze' off the top of the tiles. Then put down the threshold transition piece. But seriously, I needed to do laundry! So we put the room back into a usable state. We put up one of the wire shelves and might just leave it at that, we'll see. I think the room color looks awesome with all the white appliance! And a super bonus- we realized that the former owners never pulled off the plastic wrap that protects the surface, so now the washer and dryer are shiny white instead of that yellowed color.Yay!<br />
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Check out our first accessories for the laundry room- a Fire Island light switch panel (free! it was from Greg's room at his parent's house), and a cute wooden lighthouse trashcan ($3.75 at a consignment store nearby!)<br />
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I don't think I've mentioned the light fixture we bought. I think it's going to be super cool and match the lighthouse/ocean themed room perfectly! It almost looks like a ship's lantern! We got it at Restore, and I can't really remember how much we paid, I think around $30. I found something similar online for $130, Restore is awesome! You can't tell in the picture but it has the super cool old school bubbled glass look.<br />
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Stayed tuned for us to (disassemble, tear....) the laundry room again to finish up with the flooring and floor moudling. <i>Hopefully</i> that'll happen this weekend!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-34102354273642802202012-07-09T09:39:00.000-04:002012-07-09T09:39:51.446-04:00Pet CouponingWe've been slacking on the blogging lately, but that'll change as we finish up the laundry room and a couple of small projects over the next few weeks. So I thought I'd share something I've gotten into lately, Couponing!<br />
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It's very addicting. We've been couponing for grocery type stuff for almost a year, give or take a few months when I haven't done much, if any. I go on the blog sites, make my list, and usually save about 30-40% without too much effort. And that's buying stuff we <i>USE</i>, not like the crazy coupon show where they buy 100 of one thing and save like 98%. That's not realistic. You can't eat 100 toothbrushes. Okay, that was all of my gripe for now...<br />
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The point of this post was supposed to be Pet Couponing, so I'll get back to that. I never really thought much about it, other than using the occasional Fancy Feast or Friskies coupon that comes in the circulars. That is until they built a new Petco down the road from us, and I went on a Saturday morning because we were out of food and the kitties were grumpy with just dry food (yeah they are rotten). So I signed up for the Petco card while I was there, and the cashier was telling me all about their coupon policy since the store was practically empty that early. Turns out they accept <i>all</i> competition coupons (I've since found out that Petsmart does too), and conveniently there is a Pet Supermarket right down the street that puts out $2 or $5 store coupons every week! It opened a whole new world of couponing to us! And since Nutmeg has to eat high quality food (or he has poop issues), it's works out awesomely that we can get the high quality food for the same price as or cheaper than the normal Fancy Feast or Friskies.<br />
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So the without coupon total from this transaction would have been $30.43, and we saved $18.25, for a total of $12.18 OOP (Out of Pocket). That's 40% savings! We bought a brush for $6, so take that away and we only paid $6.18 for the food, that's equal to 26 cents a can! For food that is normally 87 cents a can (Nutromax 5oz.).<br />
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So how? Well Petco had a sale, so if you bought more than 10 cans, you got 10% off the food. We had a Pet Supermarket $5 off $25 purchase, so that counted as a store coupon. Plus, we had two $5 Pals Rewards Dollars. Basically like loyalty points, and those are the reason that I now think Petco has better deals than Petsmart.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-26391128981151004452012-06-22T09:41:00.003-04:002012-06-22T09:41:41.941-04:00Help Furkids Win a Car!I just wanted to take a second to write about Furkids, the no-kill animal shelter Greg and I volunteer for. They are in a competition on Facebook to win a car, which would help the organization tremendously! It'll just take a few seconds of your day to help.<br />
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Go to <a href="https://apps.facebook.com/nalleydrivenforacaus/contests/224746/voteable_entries">https://apps.facebook.com/nalleydrivenforacaus/contests/224746/voteable_entries</a><br />
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You'll have to authorize the app (which you can revoke after you vote if you want in your settings). Then vote for Furkids! It would be amazing if you could vote everyday until June 30th! <br />
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Furkids is currently in 2nd place, and we need your help to take 1st! Furkids cares for over 650 animals EVERY DAY! That's a lot of cats and dogs! Greg and I have been volunteering with Furkids for about 2 years, and let me tell you it's truly an amazing organization. They take in as many animals as they can, and they don't turn away from the days old babies and difficult medical cases. My baby Nutmeg, we found on a car outside Petsmart (after someone choose to leave him there instead coming to talk to us about surrendering him) when he was only about 2 weeks old, a Furkids foster took him in and bottle fed him. Trust me when I say Furkids does EVERYTHING in their power to make sure they can save as many animals as possible and another car would help with that!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-70391871016380414692012-06-13T11:06:00.001-04:002012-06-13T11:06:37.129-04:00Garden Tomatoes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was able to pick our first harvest of tomatoes from the garden last night- 2 better boys, and 4 romas. Aren't they pretty? One of the roma variety was close to normal size, but the others were all smaller than expected. So hopefully as the season goes on, they'll get larger in size. I got to cut open the 2 better boys this morning to go in a pasta salad we'll be having for lunch today. So excited to eat them!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-46558889717118657582012-06-07T19:35:00.000-04:002012-06-08T09:01:18.283-04:00Backyard Upgrade: Part 3- The GRASS!!!You got to see our plan, the prepping steps, and now, finally, you can see the grass! Or the beginnings of it anyway. It's been pretty rainy/cloudy here for several days, so hopefully it will clear up so the grass (and the garden) will shoot up!<br />
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It's starting to fill in, but there's still a lot that hasn't sprouted yet. We'll probably give it another week and then maybe reseed the empty areas. Since it has been kind of rainy, some of the seed probably got washed away. It's a pretty dramatic change from how it looked back in December when we moved in, and we are super happy with it! Now we'll just have to add some garden art in here and there to make it more 'us'.<br />
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You can see where I already got a solar powered kitty to watch over the garden. It was a yard sale find a few weeks ago, I'd seen the same one at Big Lots, but just wouldn't pay $12 for it, but for $2, it was perfect!<br />
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Here's what the backyard used to look like, in various stages of progression. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures of the backyard when we moved in, but just image 2-3 feet of decaying pine straw and leaves, that's basically what it looked like.<br />
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And after adding the tiles and watching the grass grow in!<br />
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It's still got some more growing to do. And probably another round or two of reseeding. But we're excited! You can't see it quite as well in the aerial view as you can when you look at it. That's probably due to my 5 year old camera....Oh and just to throw a note in about our rain barrel- it's awesome, since building it like a month ago, we haven't had to use anything else to water the garden or the grass!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-68536415899946190812012-06-05T19:00:00.000-04:002012-06-06T12:47:37.095-04:00Laundry Room Remodel- The PlanThis all started a few weeks ago when I started reorganizing the laundry room. I decided that if the top shelf was just a few inches higher, I could put laundry baskets on the lower shelves. Three of them to be specific, one for lights, one for darks, and one for linens. So it has all snowballed now into a complete laundry room remodel. Once it's done, it'll be our first finished room in the whole house! So exciting!<br />
This is the before picture (sorry for the poor cell phone quality)-<br />
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It's messy, unorganized, and there isn't room on the shelves to put any laundry baskets, so I just end up putting them on the dryer and then it's in the way.<br />
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And this is my vision so far-<br />
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Presented in the lovely 3D model I whipped together in Google SketchUp. I'm a dork, I love 3D modeling. Gotta use that engineering degree, right? No dimensions yet. That's because we haven't decided on them yet. And lots of blank space on the space, because other than the baskets, I'm not sure what's going to go there yet.<br />
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Most of the differences are subtle. Like the shelves are going to be at different levels, even though they'll be the same wire shelving. I'll be changing the light fixture (it's just a plain 1980's/90's globe light), that's what the yellow cylinder represents. We already chose the wall color, it's close to what's displayed in the 3D, kind of a bluish-minty green. We're going to go with a beach & ocean feel for the laundry room. Most of that will be in the finishing decorating touches. The black rectangles are the laundry baskets I'll use to sort laundry, there's 3 of them, it's kind of hard to differentiate in the model.<br />
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One of the biggest projects we'll be tackling with this is tiling the floor. Right now, it's ugly yellowed vinyl flooring, yuck! After a quick brainstorming session of 'how can we make this better,' we decided that it's just going to be much better to go ahead and tile it. The space is only 3' x 5', so it'll hardly take any tiles, and it's just a square room, so not too much tile cutting to do. Once we rip up the vinyl flooring, we'll have to assess the condition of the plywood sub-floor and see if that needs to be replaced, then add some concrete board, then tile. Simple enough, right?? We'll see...<br />
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I think the room will be so much better, and it will be 'finished', as in we won't mess with it anymore and we can focus elsewhere. Plus, I can pretend that I like laundry, when I'm really just staring at how pretty the room is going to be!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-5217306177449941172012-05-30T10:48:00.001-04:002012-05-30T10:48:18.066-04:00Catnip Kitties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I thought we would share our recent discovery- Lion loves fresh catnip! We bought a little catnip plant that we have on the deck in a pot (since it's an invasive plant otherwise), and for the first time pulled off a few leaves for the cats. They love them! And we managed to catch Lion on video since it was so entertaining. </div>
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Maybe we'll have to find a way to incorporate the fresh leaves in some catnip toys. P.S. the catnip leaves actually smell really good! Like mint, which makes sense since they are a member of the same herb family. Enjoy!</div>
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<span id="goog_1503847933"></span><span id="goog_1503847934"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-91154981561683760772012-05-19T20:51:00.001-04:002012-05-29T10:07:38.723-04:00Veggies- Month 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm a few weeks late posting the 3rd month pictures of the garden, but I'm sure you'll forgive me! The garden is doing great! It could use a little more sun, but not much we can do about that. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The onions are tiny, we actually pulled them up this weekend. They didn't do well.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cucumbers have grown even bigger! They are almost ready for picking.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots more Romas are forming!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The better boy tomato is hiding!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackberries are doing well!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just had to show my little clementine tree :)</td></tr>
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Most of those pictures I took a week or so ago, so I'll add some new ones in another post this week. My second zucchini flower opened this morning (the first one died before getting pollinated...sad), so hopefully this one will fare better! I can tell the tomato plants are going to start going crazy any time now, there are so many flowers on them! No eggplants are growing yet, but there are flowers so hopefully soon. The bell peppers are getting bigger, but no flowers yet. Stay tuned for another garden post. We did a lot to the backyard recently, so I'll have to share that as well!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-59940398483669576832012-05-19T20:49:00.002-04:002012-05-19T20:49:16.802-04:00Backyard Upgrade- Part 2: The Rocks & The Dirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">We shared our plan for the backyard (lower area) in this post. Then we made a 'test patch', kind of a way to see if we would like it and find out how much work it would be, etc. </span></div>
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We decided to go with a checkerboard pattern, but with the grass all the way around the tiles. We used 4 bags of topsoil to level this area, and 6 tiles. So based on that our estimation is around 20 more bags of soil and 24 tiles.<br />
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So we started our 'test patch' probably 2 weekends ago, and didn't do much in between {family in town, life, working, etc}, so it gave us a good chance to watch the seed start to grow in. So obviously we'll need to add more seed to this area, but it's a good start and we are excited to see progress!<br />
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So where did we move the couple of hundred pounds of rock? Or should I say where did Greg move the rock? Well I helped, but only a little, I did other gardening activities. We only have one shovel.... Anyways, we moved them up to the upper area behind the garden. The rock looks so much better there and is nice ground cover for the dirt, hopefully it will also help prevent the kudzu from taking over again.<br />
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Today, we finished moving the rock and added all of the dirt and leveled it. We were pretty close on our estimation of dirt, it took 18 bags. So the plan for tomorrow is to get the tiles and lay them, and then wait for the grass to grow!<br />
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So with that being said, here are the projects we are in the middle of-<br />
1. Outdoor seating unit<br />
2. Front yard upgrade<br />
3. Back yard upgrade<br />
4. Sewing project that accompanies the seating unit<br />
5. Laundry room organization<br />
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Our goal this weekend is to finish the backyard and get the front yard more finished. The front yard has been kind of done for awhile, we just keep doing small things to it. So I will share soon with what we've done to it, it looks completely different from the original pictures we've shared.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-55183473245959215452012-05-08T13:11:00.002-04:002012-05-08T13:11:29.623-04:00Backyard Upgrade- Part 1: The PlanWe love grass. It's soft, colorful and pretty. Unlike the ground cover in our small backyard, rocks. Now that the raised area of our yard is pretty and nice looking with the vegetable garden, the drab brown rocks down below are even more noticeable. So along with building our outdoor seating unit, we are focusing on fixing up the lower area. We bought some Scott's EZ Seed a few weeks ago half price at Home Depot, it says it'll grow anywhere (even on concrete), so we'll be testing out that claim.<br />
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Our plan is to do a variation of a checkerboard pattern with 1' x 1' yard concrete tiles. Then plant grass in between and around each tile. Before we can do that though, we have to remove all (or at least most) of the rocks in the backyard, put them somewhere, till up the rock hard clay, and probably add in some new topsoil and compost. So that's all for now, just the plan :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-18340978110782821222012-05-07T08:59:00.003-04:002012-05-07T08:59:55.798-04:00DIY Rain Barrel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last weekend we tackled a project we've been wanting to do for awhile- make a rain barrel to collect rain water from the gutter run-off. This is especially good for us since we don't have a hose outlet in the back yard (that's a project for another day!). There's tons of useful information on the internet about making rain barrels, so we went with a simple solution for now. We may add some more modifications to it as time goes on.<br />
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<i>Materials</i><br />
Barrel- we just used a $9 Rubbermaid trashcan<br />
Spigot<br />
Hose washer<br />
'Nut'- I mean something to screw in inside the barrel to hold the spigot in place, we used a female coupler<br />
Bricks (optional) - we wanted it off the ground, so it's raised by a few inches with some landscape bricks we had<br />
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The whole process was pretty simply; first, cut off down spout at desired height. Attach flexible gutter tubing to the downspout, secure to fence (or other object) for more stability. Cut holes in trashcan (or barrel), one for the gutter tubing, and another for the spigot. Slide hose washer onto spigot threading, then into the hole in the rain barrel, then screw the but on from the inside. Put lid on and slide the tubing down into the barrel. Finished!<br />
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Since we got some rain over the weekend, we got to test it out last night! It works really well. We are going to add some caulking to the spigot joint once it dries out to make sure it doesn't start leaking, but so far so good. It works more like a siphon if you attach a short hose to it, not much water pressure of course. But it's good enough to fill up my watering can, which beats walking back and forth from the garage to fill up a bucket with water! Plus this water is free!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4702288315931565624.post-77726107964356242562012-04-23T17:12:00.000-04:002012-05-03T16:00:24.808-04:00Cute & Crazy KittiesI've been trying to snap a lot of random pictures of our cats lately, and since they don't always make it into a post, I thought I'd share a lot of them here!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vZ_GrSZ9xNY/TuTAvkW3jmI/AAAAAAAAANE/O-KZErcl_xs/s1600/Lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vZ_GrSZ9xNY/TuTAvkW3jmI/AAAAAAAAANE/O-KZErcl_xs/s320/Lion.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lion hiding on the top shelf of the closet... no idea how he got there!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-orBQIhce8gw/TuTBSrn_VcI/AAAAAAAAANM/UXJ-p8XyOzg/s1600/IMG_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-orBQIhce8gw/TuTBSrn_VcI/AAAAAAAAANM/UXJ-p8XyOzg/s320/IMG_0645.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutmeg is helping assemble Greg's meat smoker</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E_ylHSeP-Oc/TvEtevBhbNI/AAAAAAAAAVY/eheNrE7mrk8/s1600/IMG_0700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E_ylHSeP-Oc/TvEtevBhbNI/AAAAAAAAAVY/eheNrE7mrk8/s320/IMG_0700.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lion loves tummy rubs!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M7qPwrHl1qY/T5WICEL5o6I/AAAAAAAAAzM/COpa9t7IuUY/s1600/IMAG0191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M7qPwrHl1qY/T5WICEL5o6I/AAAAAAAAAzM/COpa9t7IuUY/s320/IMAG0191.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspecting the cabinets before we hung them in the garage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QWa8JSKSMZw/T5WIC2x0YKI/AAAAAAAAAzU/U5rEo4DilCk/s1600/IMAG0192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QWa8JSKSMZw/T5WIC2x0YKI/AAAAAAAAAzU/U5rEo4DilCk/s320/IMAG0192.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutmeg also needed to inspect the cabinets to make sure Lion did a good job</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--OO8nT6qMyk/Tuaw1V1UJBI/AAAAAAAAAQY/ef_2T0u3RF8/s1600/IMG_0665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--OO8nT6qMyk/Tuaw1V1UJBI/AAAAAAAAAQY/ef_2T0u3RF8/s320/IMG_0665.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutmeg has a weird obsession with the cardboard box of litter, he chews holes in them!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnjFRTdgbUE/T5WLdnV07sI/AAAAAAAAAz4/5x7IBqTWxeQ/s1600/IMAG0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnjFRTdgbUE/T5WLdnV07sI/AAAAAAAAAz4/5x7IBqTWxeQ/s320/IMAG0007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cats and boxes.....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1qpuSKxPBIE/T5WLeaEG66I/AAAAAAAAA0A/YEK0ClHhK-I/s1600/IMAG0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1qpuSKxPBIE/T5WLeaEG66I/AAAAAAAAA0A/YEK0ClHhK-I/s320/IMAG0015.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old picture of Nutmeg- he was 2 weeks old!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zOUuAXJbIL0/T5WLfRrLyhI/AAAAAAAAA0I/9mjFD3BdIdo/s1600/IMAG0055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zOUuAXJbIL0/T5WLfRrLyhI/AAAAAAAAA0I/9mjFD3BdIdo/s320/IMAG0055.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another old picture! He was only mildly destructive...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFJ8jn9Ivpw/T5WLgIHzYBI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/n5h1wrHh_fA/s1600/IMAG0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GFJ8jn9Ivpw/T5WLgIHzYBI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/n5h1wrHh_fA/s320/IMAG0118.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passed out kitten!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pMtWfj0eJ9Y/T5WLg3yktCI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/Psmr-fTCEUI/s1600/IMAG0120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pMtWfj0eJ9Y/T5WLg3yktCI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/Psmr-fTCEUI/s320/IMAG0120.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He likes to drink out of human cups, so I put water in a coffee cup for him. I swear it wasn't coffee!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0aToMDwrmH8/T5WLjPasjvI/AAAAAAAAA0o/Fixt8wZgLu4/s1600/IMAG0215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0aToMDwrmH8/T5WLjPasjvI/AAAAAAAAA0o/Fixt8wZgLu4/s320/IMAG0215.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutmeg hiding in the box, he did this to himself!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So then Lion had to check out the box....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y81iRx_qgeU/T5WLl0jn1jI/AAAAAAAAA1A/D1pxgybt8t0/s1600/IMAG0223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y81iRx_qgeU/T5WLl0jn1jI/AAAAAAAAA1A/D1pxgybt8t0/s320/IMAG0223.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lion sleeping in my travel bag....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VPpUoDd3odE/T5WLmqOkCtI/AAAAAAAAA1I/JByJlwCJSME/s1600/IMAG0230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VPpUoDd3odE/T5WLmqOkCtI/AAAAAAAAA1I/JByJlwCJSME/s320/IMAG0230.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutmeg playing with the piping for my sewing project & inhibiting me from getting a good picture!</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07087620289933587896noreply@blogger.com0