Joining the A-Team

As we speak I type, I am playing with my new phone :)  Yep, you guessed it...I got myself an iPhone yesterday!  I LOVE IT!!  I've always been an Apple fan, just never had the balls to go there or the dollars really.  Yes, they are money grubbing whores as my Husband says, but you have to admit they are mighty fine whores when it comes to technology. 

I set up my Apple ID and am downloading free apps from the store.  Yes, I will probably spend some dollars on the fun ones, but for right now the free ones are making me cheese from ear to ear. 

I need to look up the 'list' app Joy was telling me about...  You know how cozy me and lists are! :)

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Lost

Oh my gosh...I think I lost 90% of my pictures that were on my old hard drive.  I thought I copied them over to the external hard drive, but there's only six folders there.  I had 50 folders easy.  College.  Summertime. Going out. Weddings.  Everything prior to Jan 2009 essentially was on there and now they are gone.  I'm crying over pictures.  I need a distraction.  I need those pictures back...makes me so upset that I didn't confirm they copied over when I was thinking about it months ago.

Ripped jeans

I'm not going to explain the title of this post, except to say that I joined the gym today!

Here's to getting in shape and feeling fabulous again :)

July 2006 - I actually wore this out to a bar!  Look at those abs and the arms - shows you what year round soccer can do!

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Umm...it's a door

I can cross something off my list :) 

We added a new counter top to the kitchen recently and stuck to our original plan, creating an eat-in nook.  In the making, we had a true workshop in the basement - cutting, sanding and spray painting!

The Husband screwed a 2x4 into the wall to brace the top.  He measured and cut down the door to length, including a notch for the window (fabulous!)  He nailed 2x4s together to make a leg support.  I sanded it down, trying to hide the notches and make the rough surface, not so rough for tiny hands and arms.  We screwed it all together and it was perfect!  (We aren't going to talk about my stubborn miss-hap and how I caused a good chunk of extra work for the Husband.)  We spray painted the top 'Heirloom White' yet ran out of the first can, so had to go to HD to buy more.  Unfortunately you can still see where we ran out after the second can and coat, so eventually I'll roll paint it.  We spray painted the leg a soft green, which isn't as noticeable in needing another coat. 

We've started 'using' it - actually eating lunch there by the window this weekend :)  It was wonderful and will be highly used during the summer months I'm sure!  We need to get chairs that are a slight bit higher than what is there now, the original thought of stools would be too tall for the counter height.  The Husband is going to build a shelf in the opening between the longer cabinets to put my cookbooks, which will add some dimension with color, plus I love books - not picky on what kind.  They are all learning and teaching tools in my mind, so the more the better.

Best part about this counter top.... UMM, IT'S A DOOR!  And it was free - Hahaha!  Yep, it's a leftover closet door from the basement.  We put the door knob hole against the wall, so any appliances that find a home there can still be plugged into the outlet below.  I love it!

Check out the evolution of this wall, here.

 

As seen from the dining room

As seen from the office

In the morning light...

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Cooks Ct Projects

The Husband and I are opposites when it comes to many things.  How we get around most of them, I don't know, but we do and I would like to think it makes us each stronger people.  I'm a list person - love, love, love them - but the Husband not so much :)  We currently have a list labeled 'Cooks Ct Projects' that is on our fridge...it's three lists actually stapled together!  Since this list never feels like it's dwindling, it's causing a bit of a overwhelming feeling in the house from us both.  I've decided to recreate it here, in this space, my space within the internet, to help me keep track and cross things off the 'List' as we go.  In no specific order and of course with items added as we go...

• Basement
• Tear down drywall and drop ceiling
• Mitigate mold
• Scrape tile floor
• Grind glue off floor and smooth
• Stain floor
• DryLock/Seal concrete block
• New windows
• New hot water heater
• New AC unit
• Build closet and drywall for HVAC/Utilities
• Build play/craft/guest room and drywall
• Move bathroom to utility sink setup
• French doors in place of garage door

• Attic
• Fix attic fan
• Extend boards for movement

• Garage
• Clean and organize
• New garage door
• Build upper storage over workbench for decorations and other items needed once a year

• Laundry
• Paint
• Move laundry to basement
• Create mudroom space
• Knock down wall to kitchen
• Install sliding glass door to large deck

• Kitchen
• Create countertop with leftover door - DONE Feb2011
• Remove remaining wallpaper and paint
• Fix lazy susan cabinet
• Reface/Paint cabinets
• New appliances
• Reconfigure
• New countertops
• New flooring

• Dining Room
• Move lighting fixture over table or centered in room
• New flooring
• New windows
• Fireplace vent

• Foyer
• Buy and install crown molding and baseboards
• New front and rear entry doors
• New front and rear screen doors

• Living Room
• New flooring
• Paint - DONE Feb2011
• Ceiling fan
• Crown/Baseboards
• Build header between foyer/living room

• Office
• New flooring
• New window
• Build header between living room/office
• Add french doors
• Update to more private door to kitchen

• Hall Bath
• Remove remaining wallpaper
• Mitigate mold (if found)
• Purchase pedestal sink
• Close off true bathroom to vanity sink
• Paint
• New door
• New vanity sink/counter
• Tall storage chest for towels and CVS store
• Possible laundry shoot to basement laundry

• Yellow Room
• Scrape glue off walls
• New door
• Build closet for room into hall bath
• Paint
• New windows

• Guest Room
• Remove wallpaper
• Paint
• New door
• New window
•  Switch closet space with Jay's closet and close off current closet

• Master Bedroom
• Remove wallpaper
• Paint
• New windows
• Increase walk-in closet space for both of us
• Update bathroom

• Whole House
• New roof and gutters
• Better insulation
• Check electrical
• Fully wired internet
• Fully wired Sonos
• Fix driveway
• Fence in backyard
• Build deck off current laundry/kitchen
• Build covered front porch

Same old bowl of soup, just reheated...

It's always the same conversation, about every three months or so, the Husband and I have.  This house easily overwhelms us and is a hard thing to swallow at times.  It's that splinter in your foot that you can't fully get out.  It's the job that you huff and puff about when waking up, wishing you didn't have to go today.  Now don't get me wrong, we love this house but good gracious it needs A LOT of work and there feels like never enough time or money to get it all done.  It's a house that we might have passed on if we had known what to look for when buying it, but we didn't and were thrilled to pieces for it to be ours!  It's our first home together.  It's in the country with a great piece of land.  Lastly, it's has fabulous potential...  Yet just like everything else we need breaks from it and it's 'list'.

I'm going to share our 'Cooks Ct Project' list (because I need them to survive) in another post so I don't have to read this depressing one each time I want to joyously cross something off :)

To leave you all with something wonderfully happy and that makes me smile every time I see his wrinkled face or silly ears, please enjoy...

 Love him to pieces!

PSE9

Photshop.  All the professional photographers have it (or so I think.)  Anyone who is anyone in the photography world deals with photoshop (again, or so I think.)  Well, baby, I got it!  WAHOO!

It is my birthday present from the Husband...  I've talked about wanting it, so I can jazz up some pictures like the best of 'em - bloggers that is.  Now for the reality of it, I don't know a damn thing about it.  Never used it, no idea how it works or what all the little gadgets are.  Not a one.  But I will learn and it will be glorious!  Joy and I are going to conquer Photoshop like we are back in college again.  Well maybe not the same way since now we have responsibilities, unlike in college. :)

So, here goes Test #1 (haven't even read the booklet or tutorials, am just winging it)...

From the 30th... figure I can have some fun with this action shot!

Just opening the picture in PSE, it wants you to put a name to a face and will recognize/organize by person if you want - very cool!

Accented Edges

Just trying to save this picture to upload it, I need to learn about 'version sets'.  I want to create a flame coming off the candles and maybe get rid of the picture in the background, so that isn't a focus.  I tried to create the flame but kept getting some error message because I need to do something else first, but I have no idea how to do any of it...

Tutorials here I come...there is ALOT to learn!