Sunday, March 27, 2011

our house...is a very, very, very fine house...

well, we've done it. we've officially made a big step towards actually becoming adults. we're buying a home. so here are a few photos to show you all what we've got to work with. in the next few months there will be lots (and lots) of painting, decorating, organizing, and just plain getting things figured out in our new place. so let's start with the 'before'.

this is the front of the house (i actually didn't take this one, it's from the listing, but you can see the gorgeous trees in the backyard when they are in full foliage. love them!). it could use a little landscaping love, but we'll get to that this summer.


next we have the view from the front door. this just might be my favorite part of the house. i love all of the light that the windows and doors let in. you can't tell from this photo, but the paint color in this room is a tomato red/orange color. not my favorite for this room, so we'll be working on that first.


this is the view from the far right corner of the living room. you can see the kitchen. that strange wall is where the fridge sits and the mud room/garage door entrance is on the left. (we're up to three paint colors now...keep counting!)


here's another view of the kitchen. the kitchen sink window looks out over the garden area. and yes, we'll be painting the yellow walls too.


here's the mud room. it's got some great shelving and hooks...and yes, our fourth paint color.


next is the upstairs bathroom...and the fifth paint color so far.


and now onto the master bedroom (paint color #6). the bay window looks out over the backyard.


and now the master bath...paint color #7. if you haven't caught on by now, the previous owners loved to paint.


there are two more smaller bedrooms on the main floor...with, you guessed it...two additional paint colors...that takes our total to #9.

okay, now to the downstairs. we LOVE this room as well. it's very spacious and we love the fireplace. the downstairs was finished about 5 years ago, so it feels slightly newer than the upstairs. (and yes, this is a new paint color...#10)


here's the downstairs bath...with two sinks and a jetted tub! technically it's the guest bath, so come on over! and yes, another paint color (#11).

also in the basement are three additional bedrooms, the laundry room, and storage room. another charming feature is the play nook under the stairs. it's super cute. and just in case you were wondering, all three of the bedrooms and laundry have their own paint colors...that takes us to a grand total of...drum roll please...#15! for now we probably won't paint the basement. the colors are fairly nice, so we're not going to create too much more work for ourselves.

here's a quick look at the backyard.  this is a view looking off the deck to the right.

this view is looking towards the back of the house.




and this view is to the right of the previous picture.  there's a garden spot and a small sand box and nice little shed.



i hope you enjoyed the tour! and we look forward to having you all as visitors! (just be sure to bring your paint brush!)

Thursday, March 10, 2011

mighty, mighty vinegar

so two cleaning problems at my house.

#1--nasty, nasty buildup from the dishwasher on my glass drinking glasses. so here in utah they pulled sulfates out of the dishwasher soap...and my glasses have been cloudy and gross ever since. they were getting so bad, our finger prints were showing up in the buildup. GROSS. seriously.



long story short, i did some online research and found that vinegar was the answer. so i filled my sink (just enough to cover my glasses laying down) with hot water and some vinegar, soaked them over night...and wa-lah! sparkly clean!

there are a few small spots that could have easily been removed if i had been ambitious enough to scrub them, but i think i'll just soak them again when they start to cloud up again. (they also do say that a cap-full of vinegar in your dishwasher (after it's started to fill) will help prevent the buildup.)



#2--terrible hard-water stains on my glass shower doors. again...vinegar to the rescue, plus a few other ingredients. the online research results recommended lemon juice (applied with a sponge) for the most of it, and then a paste of vinegar and baking soda for the tough spots (but my whole door qualified as a tough spot if you ask me). then you spray with a mix of water and vinegar. then squeegee or finish with window cleaner.

this wasn't quite as dramatic as a result, but it still worked. i'm planning on doing a second round and hopefully it will all come off.

ah the power of vinegar...

Thursday, January 13, 2011

cna anyone?

just passing this along.

if you or anyone you know is interested in getting their CNA, check this out...and pass it along.

http://www.advantagecna.com/home.html

thanks!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

latest project

just thought i should share my latest project...


oh and i made the quilt too. i think they both turned out pretty great!

Monday, November 15, 2010

burnt sugar almonds

i think i may become my father's favorite daughter...after i make him a batch of these that is!

burnt sugar almonds

eric and i whipped up a batch of these tonight, and not only do they taste fabulous...my house smells a-maz-ing. seriously.

i can safely say that this is not the last batch of these we'll be making this holiday season.

just thought you should know.

Friday, October 8, 2010

still meal planning

the planner in me is loving the meal plans. it makes cooking so so so much more enjoyable.

here are the plans from the past few weeks:

sun - flank steak, garden potatoes, green beans
mon - steak sandwiches
tues - quesadillas
wed - steak sandwiches
thurs - sloppy joes
fri - chicken enchiladas, homemade salsa
sat - out

sun - bruschetta chicken, corn on the cob
mon - breakfast casserole, fruit
tues - hamburgers, corn on the cob
wed - pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob
thurs - grilled pizza
fri - out (girl's weekend)
sat - out (girl's weekend)

sun - pulled pork sandwiches
mon- french toast
tues - black bean quesadillas, chips and salsa
wed - pizza strombolli
thurs - (i honestly can't remember)
fri - at kristyn's
sat - grilled pizza

sun - cereal (just home from st. g)
mon - breakfast burritos
tues - pasta and garlic knots
wed - out
thurs - pulled pork sandwiches
fri - indoor picnic date (turkey sandwiches)
sat - pulled pork sandwiches

sun - lemon oregano chicken, corn on the cob
mon - waffles, fruit
tues - broc/ham pinwheels, corn on the cob
wed - cashew chicken, brown rice, broccoli
thurs - cashew chicken, brown rice, broccoli
fri - ham and potato soup, bread bowls
sat - out

phew...i didn't realize i was so behind.

now here's my plan: keep things recorded, note what works/doesn't work, and then reuse my plans...hopefully improving functionality, variety, and nutritional value. this past week (last listed) was prob the most successful in the variety/functionality category (note common ingredients broc, green onions, ham), but not so much in the nutritional value area (note the syrup, cream cheese, and half&half). so...it's a work in progress...and prob always will be.

i'm also working on a loose 'day of the week' theme: mondays = breakfast, tues = crockpot/sandwich, wed = beans/rice, thurs = pasta, fri = soup/sandwich. we'll see how that goes.

anyways...it's going well, and making my cooking life much more enjoyable.

Friday, September 24, 2010

pillow obsession...the outcome

i finally started working on my pillows...

check it out.


also, these little babies will be hung on the wall. i quite like how they turned out.


that's all.