tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21239039444908425992024-02-18T21:51:03.906-05:00Creativity & DomesticityAdventures in craft, kitchen and making a house a homeJodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-71541870077317317592011-01-18T21:41:00.000-05:002011-01-18T21:41:24.788-05:00This might be my favorite cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/6c867000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>For my nephew's 5th birthday party, my sister and I made him a cake. Gavin wanted Cat in the Hat, so we delivered. The cake turned out so great! This was the first cake we've ever decorated with an airbrush set. I felt like I was on Cake Boss. :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-0fIkYasp96UjKpwRm9E8JgfXgWAuVhUdKpLtPJaNHaSzT0gJdYVpnCL5vaLRZBw0dO7EPKmk74iIk3RD5-6cXPh_A3P72qV1k0OPbCLqCmRVQyXC7mxmFinsziIzNz31BUtR3xA2GuU/s1600/Cat+in+the+Hat+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-0fIkYasp96UjKpwRm9E8JgfXgWAuVhUdKpLtPJaNHaSzT0gJdYVpnCL5vaLRZBw0dO7EPKmk74iIk3RD5-6cXPh_A3P72qV1k0OPbCLqCmRVQyXC7mxmFinsziIzNz31BUtR3xA2GuU/s400/Cat+in+the+Hat+Cake.jpg" width="300" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Using the airbrush was easy. The colors went on fairly even and, for the red stripes anyway, spraying the color was more effective than mixing red food coloring into fondant and cutting out the stripes. We used ribbon to "tape off" the stripes and then outlined them with a black food color marker.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Gavin's party was at the Olympic Fun Center in Hermitage, PA. It's similar to a Chuck E. Cheese because it has arcade games and a play area, but it also has a laser tag area, a roller rink and party rooms. The party rooms must have been painted in the late 80s or early 90s because they are all bright yellow, orange and green. It's a little wild as far as decor goes, but the colors made a fun, colorful backdrop for the cake. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/dc532869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/dc532869.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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The cake was very tall. I think it was over two feet high. It was also very heavy. Cake weighs a lot!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/6c867000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/6c867000.jpg" width="297" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">And, what would a birthday party post be without a picture of the birthday boy?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/7f45c0d2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/7f45c0d2.jpg" width="297" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <i>Gavin & Pokey</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Birthday, Buddy!</div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-3409211643303841572011-01-12T10:32:00.000-05:002011-01-12T10:32:18.565-05:00Something to Stare at When Staring at the WallWhile we do have some artwork and prints on the walls, we also haveve a few bare walls throughout our home. Most of our artwork has been obtained from Goodwill stores, yard sales and auctions. We also have a few wedding photos framed and hung in a few different rooms. I have lots more wedding photos I would love to use, but let's face it, we don't need a million photos of us hanging up everywhere.<br />
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I found out on <a href="http://dealnews.com/">Dealnews.com</a> (best site for bargains--check it out!) that <a href="http://www.allposters.com/-st/Clearance-Sale-Posters_c21008_.htm">AllPosters.com</a> is having their semi-anual clearance sale with up to 75% off select items. They have lots of art prints on sale in addition to posters. I'm thinking of ordering a few prints for our various bare spots in our house. Shipping is free with a $14.99 or more purchase, so it's a good deal all around. <br />
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Here are some I'm thinking about:<br />
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This one would look nice in the office or event the bathroom.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitopfzX2c68kc-TBC0Bx_lhMdGAg2wft_hK89pUhRj8ql7WYFiWX0lpEbY6rcAi_4ZtZZaTaxCPXkvpZbQ_21LvtWr34AVXuvxdO6RD2ff44NKvnt37vLymGyh3JkuOoeGojoIekwfFyF5/s1600/wampler-sondra-poppy-iv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitopfzX2c68kc-TBC0Bx_lhMdGAg2wft_hK89pUhRj8ql7WYFiWX0lpEbY6rcAi_4ZtZZaTaxCPXkvpZbQ_21LvtWr34AVXuvxdO6RD2ff44NKvnt37vLymGyh3JkuOoeGojoIekwfFyF5/s320/wampler-sondra-poppy-iv.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Poppy-IV-Posters_i2642728_.htm">B&W Poppy Art Print</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">I think this could work in our living room or maybe even our bedroom.</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2jTgVMhHz7IWLiTdtUl_C-N_sKlNp-xfLHTAvhc9-FpEWWbdF-Xdm2dkcdm8TV6n175h_yaAfaYiiYgMlGN8V9rhHX-_yQJddzwz5XQ_sbjtGp2f-mk1VIcTwu4IwWedxapJ__mc6hKG/s1600/henson-richard-ensemble-i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2jTgVMhHz7IWLiTdtUl_C-N_sKlNp-xfLHTAvhc9-FpEWWbdF-Xdm2dkcdm8TV6n175h_yaAfaYiiYgMlGN8V9rhHX-_yQJddzwz5XQ_sbjtGp2f-mk1VIcTwu4IwWedxapJ__mc6hKG/s320/henson-richard-ensemble-i.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Ensemble-I-Posters_i424135_.htm">Flowers and Vases Print</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This would be a nice image to stare at while I'm crafting in the office.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNZCGeQl_p-PVIw1-2m5Oy9sHwd_waN2uOpHjpb89KZXjONd9V_722_K-E9F0xUn3OPS13qcS3ZQ736-_BkJIGgqNwlrp0hqQlOY-IPHEzHTPd26iZ-mJBEIDA4ArEGfEyZ5f83XaEMMw/s1600/noton-david-durdle-door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNZCGeQl_p-PVIw1-2m5Oy9sHwd_waN2uOpHjpb89KZXjONd9V_722_K-E9F0xUn3OPS13qcS3ZQ736-_BkJIGgqNwlrp0hqQlOY-IPHEzHTPd26iZ-mJBEIDA4ArEGfEyZ5f83XaEMMw/s320/noton-david-durdle-door.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Durdle-Door-Posters_i1682858_.htm">Durdle Door Print</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And, I really think this would work well in our bedroom.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEV0-qe6Se0kCoDL0LwgVynaWn6e0i3F5RtWbtudrZwrblEzOQROGjCOQoCFvxykAgcsz4j52uLKDto5uGTgKCcd8GqfI9paylQXPOyvf6lwVzjj8ibdE4UXo5RED3GQHtdbVRNpH-bvKX/s1600/jonas-brothers-joe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEV0-qe6Se0kCoDL0LwgVynaWn6e0i3F5RtWbtudrZwrblEzOQROGjCOQoCFvxykAgcsz4j52uLKDto5uGTgKCcd8GqfI9paylQXPOyvf6lwVzjj8ibdE4UXo5RED3GQHtdbVRNpH-bvKX/s320/jonas-brothers-joe.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Jonas-Brothers-Joe-Posters_i4323493_.htm">Joe Jonas Print</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">JUST KIDDING!!!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, check out the sale if your looking for some new art. With the low prices, you could pick up some thrift store frames and have some very inexpensive, great-looking art for any room in your house.</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"></div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-30368139608888457192011-01-09T23:39:00.001-05:002011-01-11T10:45:20.276-05:00A special birthday cakeMy husband's birthday is a few days before Christmas. Because of the holidays and the last minute shopping, wrapping and cookie baking, it's the unfortunate truth the his birthday isn't always celebrated to the extent it should be (I'm a bad wife, I know!) I wanted to turn that around this year. He deserved a proper birthday and I was set on delivering.<br />
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For starters, I let him pick the restaurant for a birthday dinner. He chose a high-recommended steak house on Pittsburgh's North Shore, so I made the reservation. Dinner was amazing! We both loved our meals (filet mignon and crab cakes) and the restaurant had a great atmosphere.<br />
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For another part of his birthday celebration, I decided to make him a cake. I always feel bad that I make other people cakes, but have yet to make a fun birthday cake for him. I asked him what he wanted (something simple--white cake, coconut filling, buttercream, no fondant and Pitt) and got to work. Here is the end result:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/fff2e3db.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/fff2e3db.jpg" width="300" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thought the Pitt logo in the school colors would be perfect. He really liked how the cake looked, but I think he liked how it tasted even better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you want to try the coconut cream cheese filling, here's my recipe. This has quickly become a favorite for cakes I'm making for family and friends. It is so good!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><h3><span style="font-size: small;">Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting/Filling</span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="ingredients" style="margin-top: 10px;"><h3><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Ingredients</span></h3><ul><li class="plaincharacterwrap">1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap">1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap">4 cups confectioners' sugar</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap">2 tablespoons heavy cream</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap">1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap">1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap">1 teaspoon vanilla extract </li>
</ul></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><h3><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Directions</span></h3><ol><li><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixer bowl until fluffy. </span></li>
<li><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Add the confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with heavy cream. </span></li>
<li><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Beat in the salt, coconut flavoring and vanilla. </span></li>
<li><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Beating until mixture is smooth. </span></li>
<li><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Add additional confectioners' sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting, or more cream to thin. </span></li>
</ol></div><br />
<div style="border-top: rgb(204,204,204) 1px dotted; margin-top: 20px; width: 300px;"></div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-9159593163338305082011-01-03T23:58:00.000-05:002011-01-03T23:58:02.640-05:00Time to pick up the sticksI know a couple of ladies who will be having babies in the next few months. My go-to gift has become knitted baby blankets. I just bought some yarn and I'm anxious to start on my favorite blanket pattern. The next blanket I'll be making is for a boy. After using a non-traditional tweedy yarn in a taupe color for a recent baby girl blanket, I really think stepping outside of the pastel pink, blues, yellows and greens makes for a unique, heirloom-quality piece. <br />
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The mom-to-be mentioned her nursery theme and said there were different shades of blue in the palette. When I was out shopping at Pat Catan's, I came a cross this yarn in a really mutted shade of blue.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cache.lionbrand.com/stores/eyarn/thumbs/860-108a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.lionbrand.com/stores/eyarn/thumbs/860-108a.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/vannaschoice.html?categoryKey=1694587&start=0&pageLength=15">Vanna's Choice in Dusty Blue by Lion Brand </a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I really like the color and the feel of this yarn. I really think the color will transition well from infant age through the terrible two's and beyond.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, now I just have to locate my #9 circulars and get started. I think her due date is in April, so the shower has to be right around the corner.</div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-21484483281837830852011-01-02T22:36:00.000-05:002011-01-02T22:36:41.991-05:00Upgrade!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Merry Christmas to me! One of my Christmas presents from my husband was a the iPhone 4. I thought I needed to upgrade my 3G, but didn't want to do it around the holidays. Spending the extra money this time of year just didn't make sense. I didn't ask for an upgrade, but Chris is pretty awesome for picking this up for me. He was super sneaky and wrapped it in an alarm clock box, which I also asked for. I was very surprised.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://vis-soft.com/uploads/posts/2010-08/1282554621_1iphone4apps.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://vis-soft.com/uploads/posts/2010-08/1282554621_1iphone4apps.jpeg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I am in love with the retina display, 5-megapixel camera (which should improve some of my on-the-fly shots I take for the blog), and the HD video capabilities. And, Angry Birds is <i>so</i> much better on the iPhone 4!Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-56437642238204434262011-01-01T23:50:00.002-05:002011-01-02T21:25:13.486-05:00A Clean Slate2011. It's really hard to think that 2010 is already over. While the past year brought many wonderful moments, there were also some less-than stellar experiences.<br />
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I may have appeared to be absent from blogging for the last few months, but I remained active in my writing. After some work and health-related issues caused me to feel defeated and withdrawn, and probably slightly depressed, I discovered the beauty of making blog posts "private" from the eyes of the world. In a way, I felt guilty for keeping things to myself. I know there are people, either those who already read or may potentially stumble across this blog, who might relate or be a sounding board for advice and opinions on my struggles, but I also felt that enlisting privacy on my writing gave me a personal therapy release that was more important to my mental well-being.<br />
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I've thought about making those posts public, but ultimately feel that keeping them to myself is what would be best for me. I'm ready to move on from the places my blogging has taken me, so I'm starting 2011 with a clean slate.<br />
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I'm not one to make resolutions with the new year. I like to think of myself as a goal-oriented person. To me, making a resolution is deciding to make a change. When you resolve to do something, you change your direction. When you set a goal, it's deciding to work towards something that will improve your current state. I think the reason most people fail at their resolutions is because it's hard to change and there is a lot of self-pressure, which can make a resolution quickly turn into a negative. The good thing about a goal is that they don't have to be finite--you can work towards a goal throughout your entire life. It doesn't really matter when you meet your goals, just that you see them through. And, when you set a goal for yourself, you give yourself something to look forward to and it gives you hope.<br />
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With my clean slate, I'm going to set some new goals for myself. Because sharing them keeps me accountable, here are my goals (which are not necessarily goals for the year):<br />
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1. Organize. I'm not a terribly unorganized person, but I could use some improvement in this area. Mostly, I would like to organize my craft room/office and our basement. We've done a good job of keeping a clutter-free house with the exception of those two areas.<br />
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2. Start grad school. I've always wanted to get my Master's degree and I think next summer or fall would be the time to get to it. I'm leaning towards taking online courses through the school my husband works for (can you say tuition discount?!?) because I want the flexibility, but I'm also worried that I won't have the discipline. When I start, I'll probably just start out with one class and see how it goes.<br />
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3. Catch up at work. The quick and dirty of my work situation is that the company where I worked since college, all seven years of my professional career, closed it's doors on September 30th. Fortunately, I was able to find a job immediately and was only off work for a week. There are some aspects of my new job that are foreign territory for me, but I am trying to learn as fast as I can. The learning curve, along with the to-do list that was waiting for me at the start, has left me to feel like I'm on the defense with my projects. I want to get to a place where I feel caught up so I can approach my job from more of an offensive perspective. I think I'll be most effective once I get to that place.<br />
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4. Try new recipes. I'm always trying new recipes, so I guess this isn't a new goal. I do, however, want to do a better job of documenting my cooking because I'm always tweaking recipes. I've always wanted to make a personal cookbook through Blurb or MyPublisher, so I'd have all of my favorite recipes all in one place in a nice, bound book with pictures and notes.<br />
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5. Create opportunities to be creative. I need to make more room in my life for my creative outlets. Whether it's knitting, scrapbooking, cake decorating, home decorating, writing, singing, sewing or photography, I want to continue to be creative and improve on my skills. I want to push myself to learn more and to try new things.<br />
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6. Put more into my blog. I'd love to update the content more often. I'd love to maybe start a blog just for all of the things I wrote about on private settings. I'd love to get a blog design makeover. Oh, and I'd love to finish blogging out our wedding--which can happen now that I got the rest of my photos from my photographer when I picked up my album last week. I'd also like to be more interactive on other blogs. I think I follow some great bloggers and I would like to make my presence on their sites a little more known by being a more active commenter.<br />
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7. Read books. I have a lot of books laying around just waiting to be read. I pick most of them up at yard sales and thrift stores, so I get them pretty cheap. Not paying much for them makes me want to buy more and leaves me with no sense of urgency to read them. I got my husband a Kindle for Christmas. He really likes it and, no surprise, I like it, too! I think I want one, but I need to read more to justify it.<br />
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So, that's it. These are the goals I'm putting on my plate, sans deadlines. But, here's hoping at least some of them can be achieved in 2011.Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-91122511079048172342010-07-23T11:16:00.001-04:002010-07-23T17:44:18.865-04:00Cake Makin'The last few months have brought some first, paid cakes for my sister and I. We have been making cakes for a few years now, mostly for our nieces' and nephews' birthdays, family events and church functions. Through a few referrals, we've been approached to make cakes for a baby shower, a wedding and a first birthday party.<br />
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Last weekend, we baked and decorated the wedding cake and it turned out looking great. (I was told it tasted good, too!)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The couple wanted a simple, fondant covered cake with purple ribbons. They wanted it to look similar to the card box they made and they gave use some artificial flowers and petals to use for the display. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/9c2b8b23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/9c2b8b23.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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Their cake topper was simple and elegant and a simple cake design complimented it nicely.<br />
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The baby shower was back in June and, for the cake, we were just told "it's going to be a boy, so put some blue on it." He had some fun with it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/b1accb1f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/b1accb1f.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The giraffe was modeled from fondant mixed with tylose powder. (a hardening agent)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/d944b047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/d944b047.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also made some iPhone app cupcakes for our oldest sister's May birthday. She was attending a meeting for app developers on the day of her birthday and made the request for these. Some of the cupcakes were custom made for apps designed by those in attendance. They were a big hit!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/fcd8bdaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/fcd8bdaf.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">And I made some floral-themed, fondant-covered cupcakes for Mother's Day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/cd2cf0bd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/cd2cf0bd.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/62f8150e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/62f8150e.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm really excited about the recent business. We've been wanting to make a cake business/home bakery official for a while and are in the process of making that happen. I've been thinking of some potential business names and brainstorming some ideas for marketing our services. The pieces are falling into place! :-)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-50871086503427569492010-07-22T11:07:00.001-04:002010-07-22T11:13:20.835-04:00Adventures in GardeningI never really showed an interest in gardening until this year. My parents always had huge gardens and I hated having to help them weed. To me, gardens always meant too much work. When we bought the house, I thought it might be nice to try growing a container garden with a couple tomato plants and a few peppers. I bought some large pots and vegetable-friendly potting soil, then figured I would pick up a few plants the next time I was at Lowe's or Home Depot.<br />
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One Friday, when the Mr. and I were at a large flea and farmer's market in Rogers, Ohio, we purchased a flat of vegetable plants for $12. This was way more plants than what would fit in my containers and pots, but I thought that maybe I could plant a few among the landscaping and see what would happen. We got Roma and Beefsteak tomatoes, red, yellow and green bell peppers, hot banana peppers, red chili peppers, and one each of cucumber and zucchini plants. After thinking it through, and potting a few plants, I asked my dad to use is rototiller to prep a small garden space behind our garage. I had low expectations for our garden since I did nothing to prep the soil, but I figured it would be worth a shot at growing more plants since I'd only be out the $12. I still didn't have enough room to plant everything, but I got a nice mix of vegetables in and they started to grow.<br />
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I picked up a couple of herbs (basil, parsley & mint) and some more pots and we were well on our way to becoming green thumbs.<br />
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Since then, I've seen a lot of growth in my garden. This hasn't been without a few losses. We have squirrels and rabbits that created some damage early on, but things are really starting to produce. I've learned some things along the way and am already thinking about changes I'll make for next year's garden.<br />
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Just yesterday, I noticed that our tomato plants are starting to turn. Check this out!<br />
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This is a Beefsteak.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/da0cbed0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/da0cbed0.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">And we are starting to see some color changes in the Romas.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/8d6d3d1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/8d6d3d1a.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Right now, in all of my bell pepper plants, I have four tiny peppers. There are lots of flowers, so we are expecting a few more.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/719e3c0f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/719e3c0f.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">The banana peppers are really taking off! I have already picked two of them and there are lots more on the way.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/47bd9302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/47bd9302.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">So far, we've only had one zucchini, but I know these plants are big producers. We are expecting lots and lots more!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/49ec638e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/49ec638e.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">And lastly, here are some chili peppers growing nicely in one of my pots. </div><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/ba0083a2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/ba0083a2.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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I don't have pictures of my cucumbers, but they are super small right now (about the size of a pinky finger). The basil and mint is also doing well in the pots. The parsley, sadly, was lost due to bunnies.<br />
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For the garden, I laid some black plastic to eliminate my need for weeding. So far, it has served me well, but I will have to watch my plants closely as we enter into the hotter months to be sure the roots aren't suffering from heat damage. I might try mulch next year.<br />
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It looks like we are going to have lots of ripe, red tomatoes soon and that makes me pretty happy! I figured I'd be lucky to get a few veggies and it looks like I'll be getting a decent amount. I'm also really excited about the hot peppers. I love hot peppers!Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-86532855777853660742010-07-12T14:44:00.000-04:002010-07-12T14:44:09.658-04:00The Big Kitchen Reveal<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm sorry if</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span>I teased you with a <a href="http://creativityanddomesticity.blogspot.com/2010/04/kitchen-sneak-peek.html">sneak peek</a> of our little kitchen and then slacked off with posting some more pictures. The good news is that today is your lucky day! We had an open house with a small group of family and friends on the Fourth of July and I finally got the kitchen/dining room looking presentable and somewhat decorated. So, that means there are some pictures to share with you!<br />
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First up, let's not forget where we've been:<br />
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A kitchen in this bad of shape left little to be desired.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">And paneling so ugly, it had to be removed. Heck, this entire wall needed to go.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/52f10a0a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/52f10a0a.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The tiny dining room seemed so dark and cramped. That paneling wall is what's on the other side of the fridge photo above.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/ff290394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/ff290394.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And carpeting in the kitchen? Very bad. This whole space was very bad. The only answer was to completely gut and start over.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/af5a6725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/af5a6725.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, we got to work. On demolition day (back in August of 2009) we started the transformation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Goodbye paneling wall! That's my dad getting down to business. Notice how bad the floor was under the carpeting. We found a layer of tile under the carpet, which was applied directly on top of our hardwood with some type of tar glue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjQb2t49uE62BL-NYOHY7aggH-GGdCK2erES-OOUFOmY6WmYWBLs0eCtRU3-WbCKKuNktpq4g4IkQSpavK0JrVOL7uMRktsaCl4f-3ln2E4Yd23FO4yp-8jxtv0PRWBMS3JMfaksiRXry/s1600/Picture+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjQb2t49uE62BL-NYOHY7aggH-GGdCK2erES-OOUFOmY6WmYWBLs0eCtRU3-WbCKKuNktpq4g4IkQSpavK0JrVOL7uMRktsaCl4f-3ln2E4Yd23FO4yp-8jxtv0PRWBMS3JMfaksiRXry/s400/Picture+002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The cabinets all came down, along with all the paneling. (Chris' mom got in on the demolition action.) Nice hole in the ceiling, huh? Turns out, the previous owner had some plumbing problems in the upstairs bathroom and whoever she contracted to fix it just hammered a hole in the ceiling to access the pipes. She patched it herself by placing cardboard from a pizza box in the hole and covering it with what we believed to be spray foam. That was a fun discovery. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDUwt3cC9JLDC-FnKEHO1AN4cjyqeRlcIiYTyVRVT4wioie6amOFOzK8lLTUPs3As2b66FUJZjf2R9MX4xvTC8MRsOUyVB7nBFqkKeszt42iS6N7o0kYV2OENyr3IqzIdRlRcpHqZ8iaT/s1600/Picture+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDUwt3cC9JLDC-FnKEHO1AN4cjyqeRlcIiYTyVRVT4wioie6amOFOzK8lLTUPs3As2b66FUJZjf2R9MX4xvTC8MRsOUyVB7nBFqkKeszt42iS6N7o0kYV2OENyr3IqzIdRlRcpHqZ8iaT/s400/Picture+004.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then, with the wall down and the paneling gone, we got to work chiseling the tile off the hardwood. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDUwt3cC9JLDC-FnKEHO1AN4cjyqeRlcIiYTyVRVT4wioie6amOFOzK8lLTUPs3As2b66FUJZjf2R9MX4xvTC8MRsOUyVB7nBFqkKeszt42iS6N7o0kYV2OENyr3IqzIdRlRcpHqZ8iaT/s1600/Picture+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Gn3OGwUChx28R-OURCZHBuL32PdQhbQVTA7zs-dM6IQ4I_l59kHUl1V_ED8pVFVN5l5xc-29T5XeHxX9Ln-BgveLkRfDiCvgh9NyBy_wl0vMmoZbIKpkL-rjWySR-DVTy6_9W0aukGGV/s1600/Picture+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Gn3OGwUChx28R-OURCZHBuL32PdQhbQVTA7zs-dM6IQ4I_l59kHUl1V_ED8pVFVN5l5xc-29T5XeHxX9Ln-BgveLkRfDiCvgh9NyBy_wl0vMmoZbIKpkL-rjWySR-DVTy6_9W0aukGGV/s400/Picture+005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Over the next several months, our kitchen received new drywall on both the walls and the ceiling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/820954d6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/820954d6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My father-in-law installed a bulkhead.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/0af1c58b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/0af1c58b.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then he started to install our cabinets and counter tops.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/d7572a49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/d7572a49.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/e07063d2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/e07063d2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/e07063d2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The floor in the kitchen was tiled and Chris and I sanded and refinished the hardwood in the dining area (and everywhere else in the house!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/d3701686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/d3701686.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I got busy painting the cabinets, which were purchased on eBay. Thanks to Edie at <a href="http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/">Life in Grace</a>, I was inspired by how great painted cabinets can look!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/36ed0322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/36ed0322.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/19b8efd9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/19b8efd9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/19b8efd9.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Things started to fall into place after we painted the rooms, installed subway tile and had appliances delivered.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/4911e33a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/4911e33a.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for hanging with me! Sorry to drag this on, but I thought you might appreciate the next series of pictures more if you saw what all was done to get it looking this way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, here goes! Our ugly little kitchen was transformed into a bright, beautiful space. We still have some more to do, but for now, I am in love!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rCJaEbjGA6rXwc-VQ5gwhyVs7iQoqO4ghwbSJrLwTO31jVXXa2UGXPhXe3Y-oGdOz870ySAk2K3EBPYXSsdR0scKtq6AZkIj31uCcjlhLsSLOkQD3Y-Gspj-FNb2fPVvD7b-B_oWO9Yy/s1600/Picture+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rCJaEbjGA6rXwc-VQ5gwhyVs7iQoqO4ghwbSJrLwTO31jVXXa2UGXPhXe3Y-oGdOz870ySAk2K3EBPYXSsdR0scKtq6AZkIj31uCcjlhLsSLOkQD3Y-Gspj-FNb2fPVvD7b-B_oWO9Yy/s400/Picture+052.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Being that Chris & I are both tall, having a refrigerator with a bottom freezer made a lot of sense. We love it! Having our food at eye level is super convenient. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPh4tBkTPR3Ubiy-Fp132QIVlJ3mOvVWUiOSz8aG8aR-Nx8hHbtpo_jdiC2JR9E0xsoVOcmsmOzk28H4syOG_Mzzz985r2cW5vERIludLqMWI5XFYTcVIcJOYe3yDpWEUltJcgZGbgBi8/s1600/Picture+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPh4tBkTPR3Ubiy-Fp132QIVlJ3mOvVWUiOSz8aG8aR-Nx8hHbtpo_jdiC2JR9E0xsoVOcmsmOzk28H4syOG_Mzzz985r2cW5vERIludLqMWI5XFYTcVIcJOYe3yDpWEUltJcgZGbgBi8/s400/Picture+045.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">The subway tile turned out great! I was a little worried about white tile with white cabinets, but I'm so happy we went this route.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeTadpjPUW5lVXLV2kcGOI1TrvdOBvSsyt1e-y4_Su0DesYCoKCah29nT2udhtU_UTsefc2DHOuIdrvTomcOOrOGs3pRjMmMKsMH4iyb93kntIJ4h5xz24jV42VVYhYFsOnQ7ywCo1WRe/s1600/Picture+044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeTadpjPUW5lVXLV2kcGOI1TrvdOBvSsyt1e-y4_Su0DesYCoKCah29nT2udhtU_UTsefc2DHOuIdrvTomcOOrOGs3pRjMmMKsMH4iyb93kntIJ4h5xz24jV42VVYhYFsOnQ7ywCo1WRe/s400/Picture+044.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a close-up of the tile job. My father-in-law did a great job.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKF8ahsal-gtfwqjw8w9ePuk6vP2sDjP6ynzL50zPMuPblM6AopwmCqNe2rwIdprvM6ggVqbLlx4NZB3tWp-cz_I8O34d-YBwNaSibnAVckGGwL7GFGoyVEiMES4WOtSgtcBxtm8QZiiw/s1600/Picture+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKF8ahsal-gtfwqjw8w9ePuk6vP2sDjP6ynzL50zPMuPblM6AopwmCqNe2rwIdprvM6ggVqbLlx4NZB3tWp-cz_I8O34d-YBwNaSibnAVckGGwL7GFGoyVEiMES4WOtSgtcBxtm8QZiiw/s400/Picture+039.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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With the wall removed between the kitchen and dining room, the space is much more open and bright. I'm a huge fan of the poppy and aqua color combination made popular by Martha Stewart. I really like how the white kitchen really makes the little red and blue accents pop.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ur_psWcI0VNZ2gkpNHz_-BZQLDBcystXIloMUTo3q0VXDe3yEzC7GSXBgR_Shzzk72TbsAMqpmz3-BOOJg21rpZmLZO6wawXwy4_g643i44mqMgAfHCMcmjB710zt4W6gR1jOGn6m2eS/s1600/Picture+081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ur_psWcI0VNZ2gkpNHz_-BZQLDBcystXIloMUTo3q0VXDe3yEzC7GSXBgR_Shzzk72TbsAMqpmz3-BOOJg21rpZmLZO6wawXwy4_g643i44mqMgAfHCMcmjB710zt4W6gR1jOGn6m2eS/s400/Picture+081.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love my little "baking center." The shelf was purchased at Cracker Barrel, of all places. I bought it when we stopped for breakfast on our way to Cleveland to get the eBay cabinets because I loved the color. I'm still debating what to hang on the wall on either side of the shelf. I may try and pick up some red-handled antique kitchen utensils. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXs5_yw3mEgOnff_umF3Qp-7a1XoIryuYwl-lIBr-0fcE1v6gYJg67g8wfFpRV_0tdb8XyKOH-pfrr4VVCL2a6-fvs0DpfYMspMKSfO8wjLV0luYXKequMD32FsYHVPyfOe0wy61BRITEt/s1600/Picture+035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXs5_yw3mEgOnff_umF3Qp-7a1XoIryuYwl-lIBr-0fcE1v6gYJg67g8wfFpRV_0tdb8XyKOH-pfrr4VVCL2a6-fvs0DpfYMspMKSfO8wjLV0luYXKequMD32FsYHVPyfOe0wy61BRITEt/s400/Picture+035.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hang my measuring spoons and baking utensils from the hooks on the sides. My flower sifter is on the top and the mason jars, given to me by my mother, hold our flour, oatmeal and powdered sugar. Cupcake liners and cookie cutters are stashed in the drawer. I keep sprinkles in the jars next to the sugar tin, which was a Hobby Lobby clearance steal at $1.80!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6u_cf_XzwOY0PNQRWn7nqkTiIvSbbD2bKe_BfSqjuJ82tQlUHQyQlfBqyNe74oskd_4Bi7MWFFl6NsQhpxQFd1imYIV81_N05K8BSC7lRW0YGrBuREggZC-8KG3il-bGl16SiTf1HBbs/s1600/Picture+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6u_cf_XzwOY0PNQRWn7nqkTiIvSbbD2bKe_BfSqjuJ82tQlUHQyQlfBqyNe74oskd_4Bi7MWFFl6NsQhpxQFd1imYIV81_N05K8BSC7lRW0YGrBuREggZC-8KG3il-bGl16SiTf1HBbs/s400/Picture+026.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The cupcake print was purchased on sale at Joann's. It came in that frame and I only paid $7.99. I love how the colors coordinate with other decor elements in the room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEjY6bU0j-I1SN97GsizKKr2cmtizZd2oiMh_ASMru2dXu9Whu29ohWjJo3-XRM2bFq1zCqGVQEjuIj94urfLEJkeLQiFDGJQaW6_27pCKMXZvOQFJAJQh4UPvQnkaBX9wFNO7aC9kbWg/s1600/Picture+058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEjY6bU0j-I1SN97GsizKKr2cmtizZd2oiMh_ASMru2dXu9Whu29ohWjJo3-XRM2bFq1zCqGVQEjuIj94urfLEJkeLQiFDGJQaW6_27pCKMXZvOQFJAJQh4UPvQnkaBX9wFNO7aC9kbWg/s400/Picture+058.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our built-in shelf, which was a window at one point long before we owned the house, still needs a little decorative assistance. For now, it displays my serving dishes and a few plants given to me by my sister out our open house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhzmFgz2kzsRS6V-VBfMDlOoCJexl8sFaPq60xk4rVEuXlLM9K9yToiGBfOTZiY7_5G4OLtGM6XeTSUY3w5z983PdlR2d8FntnxtiMvvUay_EJ8fYKaBdLJ-A-N-8FwfjLmmQW6C33yF0/s1600/Picture+059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhzmFgz2kzsRS6V-VBfMDlOoCJexl8sFaPq60xk4rVEuXlLM9K9yToiGBfOTZiY7_5G4OLtGM6XeTSUY3w5z983PdlR2d8FntnxtiMvvUay_EJ8fYKaBdLJ-A-N-8FwfjLmmQW6C33yF0/s400/Picture+059.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Those baskets are great for hiding the little stuff I don't use very often, like our gravy boat, sugar & creamer set and some candles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjYsoLvTKUKsfncR6RXYSI4LYNP1fQRU4xOlCa91YbSu8iC8kS4ImaVPR55ZzTj6dMiPmn1w8CAHV345TZLi86GXjlzOcJSaNGnNOVfB_W5hO7JqjVJ9wsW8nTePwncI8Zy5DMjoMjQcY/s1600/Picture+055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjYsoLvTKUKsfncR6RXYSI4LYNP1fQRU4xOlCa91YbSu8iC8kS4ImaVPR55ZzTj6dMiPmn1w8CAHV345TZLi86GXjlzOcJSaNGnNOVfB_W5hO7JqjVJ9wsW8nTePwncI8Zy5DMjoMjQcY/s400/Picture+055.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">On the opposite side, I have a small shelf and a mirror made from an old window. You can kind of see our dishwasher (black part of the peninsula counter). I was part of the eBay kitchen and we made an offer on it while we were there removing the cabinets. I'm so happy we have a dishwasher! (Who wouldn't be, right?) It seems to blend in well because it's black, but one day I hope to replace it with a stainless model to match the rest of the appliances. For now, it works and doesn't look too bad. That's good enough for me!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5wTwn2fFrwygkYEeMKeTyW0Sj11RFp-kwb8bnRkV9AJTWL6VryNfP3eNBBUOQkiyD2bGJLrjP3-ItX9M6UDmL9bkD2sPE1LfbeYEpnHXXThZ49W1R9UjPpmekYTIpsKhtZ-pptjhC0pJ/s1600/Picture+073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5wTwn2fFrwygkYEeMKeTyW0Sj11RFp-kwb8bnRkV9AJTWL6VryNfP3eNBBUOQkiyD2bGJLrjP3-ItX9M6UDmL9bkD2sPE1LfbeYEpnHXXThZ49W1R9UjPpmekYTIpsKhtZ-pptjhC0pJ/s400/Picture+073.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The mirror was purchased at Goodwill for $5. I bought the shelf at a yard sale for $2 and painted it. It's the perfect size for this space and gives us some much needed storage for glassware and a couple serving pieces. This wall still needs some more decorations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PGsTHMa2fKaHWLos26Wzh6kCUaruuARelN7SQMqalVBSSnG005niD3nZ-8lYEoCz8p3FFWnwQ2FRgCVtv5AsBdvT_WAtkLhH3ocsJDckkLyKVewj_ReOYJ_YjGVzo4bM8l1qTWN7W2A3/s1600/Picture+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PGsTHMa2fKaHWLos26Wzh6kCUaruuARelN7SQMqalVBSSnG005niD3nZ-8lYEoCz8p3FFWnwQ2FRgCVtv5AsBdvT_WAtkLhH3ocsJDckkLyKVewj_ReOYJ_YjGVzo4bM8l1qTWN7W2A3/s400/Picture+060.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just for the fun of it, here is the shelf before I painted it. Paint is like a magic wand.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/63e8efad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/63e8efad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a good shot of our light fixture, with the lights out for a better look. It was purchased at Lowe's and installed by me. Electric work is a little scary, but you can do it! Just be sure to kill the circuit breaker! The artwork in the dining area (can I call it a dining room?) is also from Joann's.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGG9_w3v04dxhLCLjX1rAo38GFgn1BE_C1bU6d1fJ7jAsHzXoaruLvqEI8kMPJBkMrfJcmxdC3mM2N0IoNqUn3FSGC9g9i0RVv7G631vfel7V-zDDxxqRROiC21FyqEzSdUXvYq4lYmR3/s1600/Picture+077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGG9_w3v04dxhLCLjX1rAo38GFgn1BE_C1bU6d1fJ7jAsHzXoaruLvqEI8kMPJBkMrfJcmxdC3mM2N0IoNqUn3FSGC9g9i0RVv7G631vfel7V-zDDxxqRROiC21FyqEzSdUXvYq4lYmR3/s400/Picture+077.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here are our floors! A tremendous amount of hard work was put into these, but it was worth the effort! I'm still amazed by how good the wood looks. I was so discouraged when we saw the tile beneath the carpet. My dad told me the sander would make it better. He was right! The kitchen tile is ceramic and we chose it in a slate color to coordinate with the counters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXVX4SCoJ8zaR30HscImhs7drbAtawR4N4tiSdWQ1eNiE9LPiUhPmNkG4-vP69IuPZrV9vUy5GMuYfJlYYh3RaCxdEqLdGf1nsQ0kA4xPoNBEuzyGXLa1AwiAWMPXyt-JcgiM1TqQYSi1/s1600/Picture+067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXVX4SCoJ8zaR30HscImhs7drbAtawR4N4tiSdWQ1eNiE9LPiUhPmNkG4-vP69IuPZrV9vUy5GMuYfJlYYh3RaCxdEqLdGf1nsQ0kA4xPoNBEuzyGXLa1AwiAWMPXyt-JcgiM1TqQYSi1/s400/Picture+067.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My kitchen makes me so happy! Lots of cakes and cupcakes will be made here! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ki7bYqShaQpu3PVUJTm2Eq1qzV1vXDeTflUKha2I7pziQj4BPpvigwRWyZiIwJzy5VijaDQhCIEaf-HvZmEhuDT93iun-khO49KtHQ4wdrgQ0H75AJCVAAczOaKhgxRda5F0DpNJmKub/s1600/Picture+079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ki7bYqShaQpu3PVUJTm2Eq1qzV1vXDeTflUKha2I7pziQj4BPpvigwRWyZiIwJzy5VijaDQhCIEaf-HvZmEhuDT93iun-khO49KtHQ4wdrgQ0H75AJCVAAczOaKhgxRda5F0DpNJmKub/s400/Picture+079.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We moved into our house in April. I told you I was a big slacker with posting pictures! Although, hanging stuff on the walls was one of the things we didn't do until last week, after deciding to host the open house. I think that after patching so many holes, we were a little hammer shy when it came to putting any new nails in the walls. It's amazing how hanging a framed print or some curtains can really dress up a space and make it look more finished.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Things we still have to do in this space include:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>Find a corner hutch for the dining area</li>
<li>Add some more decorative elements for the walls and shelves</li>
<li>Finish sewing the curtains for both windows. I bought some aqua-ish blue fabric, but ran out of time before the open house.</li>
<li>Purchase new stools and dining chairs. The current stools were picked up by Chris' mom at a rummage sale and the dining table and chairs came from my parents' neighbors. Er, umm...from my parents' neighbors' junk pile on neighborhood clean-up day. Yeah, that's how we roll!</li>
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">And, here's a little breakdown on some of the details:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Cabinets - purchased on eBay (I won the auction by 3 cents!) and painted with Ace Hardware's Cabinet and Trim paint in Contemporary White. (This paint is amazing! Our cabinets have a smooth, brushstroke-free finish.)</li>
<li>Appliances - All from Sears. The fridge is LG and the stove and microwave are Frigidaire Gallery.</li>
<li>Paint - Walls are "Linen" and trim/shelves are "String of Pearls". Both are by Valspar from Lowe's</li>
<li>Subway tile back splash and ceramic floor tile - Home Depot</li>
<li>Light fixtures - Lowe's</li>
</ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Thanks for checking out this extremely long and picture-heavy post! I'm super proud of all the hard work we did and of how we were able to complete the whole project on a limited budget. Our only splurge was the stainless appliances, and I think they were worth it! Of course, we would never have been able to do all of this alone. Our parents, especially Chris' dad, were amazing in helping with everything!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm planning on doing some posts very soon on my little vegetable garden and also on the buffet of mini desserts I put together for the open house. So, stay tuned for yummy treats! And, of course, I'll have to get around to taking some photos of the rest of the house. </div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-79773319902572350932010-05-27T16:30:00.001-04:002010-05-27T16:30:00.721-04:00We celebrated one year!<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Monday was a momentous occasion for us----we celebrated our first wedding anniversary! We've been through a lot in the last year. But no matter what life gave us, we took each challenge as an opportunity to grow together in love and as a couple. We celebrated the day by enjoying a fancy dinner at The Capital Grille in the 'Burgh and then went home to enjoy the top tier of our wedding cake.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">For those of you that don't know, my sister and I made my </span></span><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/03/17/cakexperiment-a-diy-cake-trial/" mce_href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/03/17/cakexperiment-a-diy-cake-trial/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">wedding cake</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. It was a hybrid of real and fake tiers with sheet cakes being served from the kitchen. Our top tier was a decorated cake dummy. In order for us to do the traditional wedding cake sampling on our anniversary, I had to make a replica of our cake as a substitute for the fake one.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here's how it turned out:</span></span><br />
<div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="336" mce_src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/0978f650.jpg" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/0978f650.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Anniversary Cake" width="252" /><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Courtesy of my iPhone---sorry for the poor lighting.</span></span></span></div><img alt="" class="mceWPmore mceItemNoResize" mce_src="http://completelyengaged.wordpress.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" src="http://completelyengaged.wordpress.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: url(http://completelyengaged.wordpress.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/more_bug.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; display: block; height: 12px; margin-top: 15px; width: 479px;" title="More..." /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And, for comparison sake, a shot of the original:</span></span><br />
<div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="202" mce_src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/DeviledEggCake-1.jpg" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/DeviledEggCake-1.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wedding Cake" width="200" /></div><div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At the request of my Mr., the anniversary cake was fondant-covered carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and filling. It was yummy! I tweaked the recipe I've used in the past and swapped out some of the fresh grated carrots for a few jars of carrot baby food. This intensified the flavor and made it very moist. I was really impressed with how it tasted.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I know some couples enjoy eating their frozen tier, but fresh-baked cake is better than frozen any day. Ours was delicious!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here is the recipe, in case any of you are interested:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>CAKE:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 2 tsp. baking soda</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 1/8 tsp. ground allspice</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 1/2 ts salt</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 2 cups sugar</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 1 cup vegetable oil</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 2 lg eggs; at room temperature</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 2 tsp. vanilla extract</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 3 cups grated carrots (swapped with four 4-ounce jars carrot baby food)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> One 8-ounce can crushed pineapple; well drained</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 3/4 cups chopped walnuts (I omit these because I don't like them)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 1/2 cup raisins</span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>FROSTING:</b></span></span><b> </b> </span><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 8 ounces cream cheese; at room temperature</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter; at room temperature</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 1 tbsp. half-and-half or milk</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 1/2 tsp. almond extract</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> 4 cups confectioners' sugar (1 pound)</span></li>
</ul></span></span><b style="color: black; line-height: 15px;"><i style="color: black; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Directions</span></span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br style="color: black; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="color: black; line-height: 15px;" /><b>To make the cake:</b> </span></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, tapping out the excess flour. Sift the flour,baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt together and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at high speed, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the carrot baby food. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, and mix until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the pineapple, chopped walnuts, and raisins. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Bake until the top springs back when pressed lightly in the center, about 1 hour. Cool completely in the pan on a wire cake rack.<br style="color: black; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="color: black; line-height: 15px;" /><b>To make the frosting:</b> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese, butter, half-and-half, and almond and vanilla extracts until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br style="color: black; line-height: 15px;" />Spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Cut into 15 pieces. If desired, garnish each piece of cake with a walnut half.</span></span></span></div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-4815982748543158092010-05-27T10:29:00.000-04:002010-05-27T10:29:56.182-04:00Copy Cat Pizza Hut<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sometimes you can't imitate an original, but sometimes you can---and it turns out tasting very yummy!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The other day, I made copy cat Pizza Hut Pan Pizza and I was thrilled with the results! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/432297bd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/432297bd.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is the recipe I used.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From </span><a href="http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/525/Pizza_Hut_Original_Pan_Pizza41605.shtml"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">cdkitchen</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><h1 class="rectitle fn" style="color: #ff9933; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.2em;"><span class="itemreviewed" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Pizza Hut Original Pan Pizza Recipe</span></span></span></h1><div><span class="itemreviewed" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ready in: </span><span class="totalTime" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="value-title" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="PT60M"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1-2 hrs</span></span></div><div><span class="itemreviewed" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c00000; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serves/Makes: 4</span></span></span></div><div><span class="itemreviewed" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c00000; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </span></span></div><div><span class="itemreviewed" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c00000; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><span class="bold red" style="color: #c00000; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ingredients:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span><span style="font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/3 cup Warm water (105F)<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />1/4 cup Non-fat dry milk<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />1/2 teaspoon Salt<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />4 cups Flour<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />1 tablespoon Sugar<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />1 pk. Dry yeast<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />2 tablespoons Vegetable oil (for dough)<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />9 ounces Vegetable oil (3 oz. per pan)<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Butter flavored Pam</span><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><b><br />
</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="itemreviewed" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c00000; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="itemreviewed" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c00000; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="bold red" style="color: #c00000; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Directions:</span></span></span></div><div class="plain" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in a large (2 qt.) bowl. Add water and stir to mix well. Allow to sit for two minutes. Add oil and stir again. Add flour and stir until dough forms and flour is absorbed. Turn out on to a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Divide dough into three balls. In three 9" cake pans, put 3 Oz. of oil in each making sure it is spread evenly. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9" circle. Place in cake pans. Spray the outer edge of dough with Pam. Cover with a plate. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. </span></div><div style="color: black; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For Each Nine Inch Pizza: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. Preheat oven to 475F </span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. Spoon 1/3 cup sauce on dough and spread to within 1" of edge. </span></span></div></div></div></b></div></span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></b></span></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3. Distribute 1 1/2 Oz. shredded mozzarella cheese on sauce. </span></span></div></div></div></b></div></span></b></div></div></b></div></span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></b></span></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4. Place toppings of your choice in this order: Pepperoni or Ham Vegetables Meats (cooked ground sausage or beef) </span></span></div></div></div></b></div></span></b></div></div></b></div></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></b></span></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5. Top with 3 Oz. mozzarella cheese </span></span></div></div></div></b></div></span></b></div></div></b></div></span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></b></span></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6. Cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown.</span></span></div></div></div></b></div></span></b></div></div></b></div></span></b></div></div></span></b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c00000; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></b></span></b></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div></div></div></b></div></span></b></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c00000; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></b></span></b></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you click on the link above for the recipe, you can get the details on making the sauce. I just used a bottle of store bought. (I am lazy!)</span></span></div></div></div></b></div></span></b></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c00000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="plain" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><div class="plain" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="color: black; display: inline !important; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I swapped some of the flour for whole wheat (about 1.5 cups) to make it a little healthier. I used two 8" cake pans on one 10" pan because that is what I had on hand and I used way less oil to coat them than the recipe calls for. The pizza did take a little bit of a time investment with all the kneading and rising, but it was worth it. We both really enjoyed this recipe!</span></span></div></div></b></div></span></b></span></b></span></span></div><br />
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</div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-32500108201726898532010-04-22T11:43:00.000-04:002010-04-22T11:43:41.194-04:00Kitchen Sneak Peek!It's been a rough few days, so I thought I'd share a little sneak peek of our kitchen. Sharing cheers me up! I have a few more little things to do in here before I take some more pictures. I hope this iPhone photo isn't too dark.<div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/6a725522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/6a725522.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Appliances are </span><a href="http://www.sears.com/shc/s/v_10153_12605_Appliances?sbf=Brand&sbv=Frigidaire%20Gallery"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Frigidaire Gallery from Sears</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cabinets, purchased used from ebay, are painted white with </span><a href="http://www.acehardware.com/paintHub/product.jsp?c=Ace&p=specialty&productId=042"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Ace Hardware's Cabinet, Door and Trim Paint</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Subway tile is from </span><a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Whites/Flooring-Tile-Stone-Tile/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xiyZbbcuZ1z1195rZ1z140hb/R-100209688/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Home Depot</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Everything on the counter is from the </span><a href="http://www1.macys.com/catalog/index.ognc?CategoryID=42159&PageID=181075627820179"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's</span></a></div><div><br />
</div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-62718352739600593572010-04-20T17:26:00.000-04:002010-04-20T17:26:39.837-04:00SetbacksSetbacks suck. And we've had our share of them during operation house rehab. Saturday morning, we were gearing up for a day-long wait for the cable company to FINALLY, between the hours of 8:00 and 4:00, install our cable and internet. (oh, how I've missed you internet!) I really wanted pancakes and I really wanted to make them on our new electric griddle. The griddle was in the basement on the storage shelf, so down the stairs I went.<br />
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The crummy part of this story starts when I tell you I sleepily took that last step down and found my foot in four inches of water. Lucky us. We hit the sewage water line backup lottery two weeks after moving in. What a crappy way to start our Saturday. Thankfully, the backup was in a clean water sewage pipe and did not cause our actually sewage to fill our basement. Just water. Lots and lots of water.<br />
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We were assessing the damage and calling in reinforcements by the time the cable guy showed up. When does a cable guy ever show up at 8:00 am when they give you an eight hour window? Just our luck again, right? He initially said the install would not be a problem. He only had to check the wires in the basement and he was wearing waterproof shoes. Twenty minutes later, he tells us his supervisor recommends he not do the work because of the water. Fair enough, cable guy. But if you wouldn't have arrived on time (as is your reputation) we'd have time to get rid of the water before you got there.<br />
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Anyway, the reinforcements came by way of a well-connected brother-in-law with a drain cleaning snake he borrowed from a plumber he knows. After a few minutes of running the machine, the clog was found (old rag from who knows what decade) and the water receded. <br />
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Our Saturday of painting the hallways and various doors throughout the house turned into a day of sorting through the wet mess that was all the junk in our basement. We were really lucky to have very little damage to the contents of the basement. Most of the items down there were building materials from the remodel just waiting for a dumpster rental. Our washer and dryer are on a higher-sloped part of the floor, so they only got about two inches of water---not enough to do anything because they were sitting on small blocks. We ended up clearing out the entire basement and moving it to the garage. We had been planning to clean all of this eventually, so I guess being forced to do it earlier than planned isn't all that bad. We are hoping to get a dumpster in the next week or two so all of this stuff can be out of our way for good.<br />
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Setbacks still suck, whether they mess you up for a month or for a day, or whether they cost you thousands or nothing. On a scale of one to ten, this one would probably be an eight--minimal damage and cost, but several straight hours of hard work. <br />
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Oh. And I never did get those pancakes.Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-7651864314726564742010-04-15T12:01:00.000-04:002010-04-15T12:01:12.659-04:00FavoritesWe've been busy settling into the house and tackling the remaining improvement projects. While I'm jumping right into the housekeeping and homemaking, there are ten products that I absolutely love and want to share with all of you.<br />
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1. <b>The Sh</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ark </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Euro-Pro-SV800-VX63-Cordless-Handheld-Cleaner/dp/B0028MOZHC"><b>2-in-1 Cordless Stick Vac</b></a><b> and Handheld Vacuum Cleaner</b>. We have hardwood or tile floors throughout the house and have low-pile area and accent rugs here and there. Since we don't have pets or kids, we didn't really see the need for a big, cumbersome vacuum cleaner. I wanted something lightweight, cordless and capable of sucking the dirt off our our floors and the Shark 2-in-1 works perfectly.</span><br />
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I like how I can vacuum the whole house on one charge and how it is great for quick pick-ups here and there. I also like the conversion to a hand-held vacuum. It's not the easiest conversion, but it works fine and does it's job. For the money, this vacuum is so much better than the old broom and dust pan.<br />
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2. <b><a href="http://www.goldcanyon.com/">Gold Canyon Candles</a></b>. A few years ago, my mom, sisters and I went to a candle party where I reluctantly purchased two small candles due to the guilt one gets from attending a home candle party. I was skeptical, but when I received them I was surprised by how clean they burned and how great they smelled. I like them so much that I was hesitant to burn them more for fear of using them completely before I could order more. That same year, I held a candle party of my own right before Christmas and earned about $250 in free products. (It was the demonstrator's best party to date.) Fast forward and now one of <a href="http://www16.mygc.com/jessicaharris">my sisters is a demonstrator</a> and my family has turned into candle snobs. If it's not Gold Canyon, we aren't buying or burning it. They are a better product and better value than Yankee and PartyLite and they come in a wide variety of delicious scents. <br />
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My most recent purchase was <a href="http://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop/Grass-Heritage-Scented-Candle/p/691">Grass</a>. This candle is spring in a jar. It smells so good and so much like a fresh-mowed lawn. Love it!<br />
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The company also sells great candle holders and care products. Their <a href="http://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop/Wick-Trimmer-Candle-Care-Accessory-/p/547">wick trimmer</a> is a must for any candle lover---seriously, go buy one!<br />
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3. <b>Gold Canyon's </b><a href="http://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop/All-Products/pl/241"><b>Homeology Cleaning Products</b></a>. After professing my love for their candles, how could I not profess my love for their line of plant-based cleaning products. My favorite is the <a href="http://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop/Homeology--Lavender-Eucalyptus-Sweet-Orange-Natural-Floor-Cleaner/p/360">floor cleaner </a>because it smells amazing and it makes our hardwood floors look so shiny. I just spray it directly on the floor and then use a Swiffer with a dry cloth to "mop."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/9086/1.ccd/s7diod-isorigin.scene7.com/is/image/GoldCanyon/69321?wid=250&hei=250&fmt=jpeg&qlt=75&op_sharpen=1&resMode=sharp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/9086/1.ccd/s7diod-isorigin.scene7.com/is/image/GoldCanyon/69321?wid=250&hei=250&fmt=jpeg&qlt=75&op_sharpen=1&resMode=sharp" /></a></div><br />
The <a href="http://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop/Homeology--Rosemary-Mint-Natural-All-Purpose-Cleaner/p/363">all purpose</a> and <a href="http://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop/Homeology--Peppermint-Eucalyptus-Natural-Glass-Cleaner/p/362">glass cleaner</a> also have nice fragrances and work wonders. I just purchased the <a href="http://www.goldcanyon.com/Shop/Homeology--Mandarin-Eucalyptus-Clove-All-Natural-Cleanser/p/361">all natural cleanser</a> (it is similar to Comet, but smells way better and is plant based.) The products are a little on the pricey side compared to other cleaning products, but they last a long time and are green. Purchase from my sister's site <a href="http://www16.mygc.com/jessicaharris">here</a>.<br />
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4. <b>Martha Stewart Collection 6-Piece Multi-Colored Melamine Bowl Set<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">. </span></b> Who ever though mixing bowls could be so fun? I received these as a wedding shower gift, but they came from <a href="http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=252333&cm_mmc=GoogleShopping-_-6-_-77-_-MP677">Macy's</a>. I love the colors, the sizes and how easy they are to clean. These bowls make my kitchen happy.<br />
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5. <b>Potato Peeler</b>. I don't know the proper name or brand for this, but I got it as a shower gift from a cousin who works at the Kitchen Collection. I'm not a huge fan of peeling potatoes, but doing the deed with this little guy made it more enjoyable. I mean, how can you not smile a little when you use this little guy to peel the spuds? I even received a matching potato brush--too cute!<br />
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6. <b>Hamilton Beach Smiley Mixing Spoons</b>. Again, got these as a shower gift and they came from the Kitchen Collection. They are literally my happy spoons. (and I refer to them as such.) They are fun, colorful and I like them. That's enough for me!<br />
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7. <a href="http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/product_page.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524479456529&pfx=pfx_shopcompare&cid=shopping3&mr:trackingCode=E7326FB2-76B7-DE11-93DB-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA"><b>Scroll Banana Hanger</b></a>. I purchased this functional and decorative item at Kohl's. The Mr. really wanted one and this one looked pretty, so I bought it. It keeps our bananas fresh and yellow longer. It also helps to keep the bananas in view so we eat them. We can put a big bunch of bananas on this thing and they'll stay good for about a week. Setting them on the counter could never give us the same result.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.kohls.com.edgesuite.net/is/image/kohls/34604?wid=230&hei=230&op_sharpen=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.kohls.com.edgesuite.net/is/image/kohls/34604?wid=230&hei=230&op_sharpen=1" /></a></div><br />
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8. <b>Bounty Quilted Napkins</b>. The Mr. is a paper towel waster. This is a tough habit to break him of because he uses paper towels for everything. I found that buying cheaper paper towels just meant that he would used more than one at a time. I've decided that, despite the price, Bounty paper towels are necessary. While shopping in the paper goods aisle at Giant Eagle the other day, I found Bounty Quilted Napkins on sale, so I picked up two packages. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static3.alice.com/images/products/1262035/300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static3.alice.com/images/products/1262035/300.jpg" /></a></div>These napkins are basically folded paper towels, but they are cheaper per sheet and effective enough for a paper-towel-loving husband to use for little spills without wasting the paper towels. I'm still working on getting him to use dish towels to clean up water splashes and to dry plates and pans, but until then, the napkins are an economical stepping stone.<br />
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9. Plain Jane White Dinner Plates. I don't remember what brand ours our (they were a wedding gift) but they are just your basic rimmed white plates. They are classic and will never go out of style. I love how colorful and appetizing our food looks when we use them and it's an added bonus that they go with everything. I'm looking forward to how they'll adapt to different holiday decor ideas. They provide a clean canvas for tablescapes and dining room decorations. I love them!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cityrentsparty.com/images/classic-white-plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://cityrentsparty.com/images/classic-white-plate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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10. Fire King Jadite Mixing Bowl. I purchased my mixing bowl at a flea market last summer and it is, by far, my most favorite thing in my kitchen. I have always loved Jadite, but never bought any before. When I saw this bowl, I new it had to be mine. Thus, the collection began. One day, I will have cupboards filled with Jadite plates and bowls and will serve dinner on them daily. I would love to have a display of unique kitchen serverware and containers made of Jadite. So far, Etsy and ebay have been my go-to places to search for great additions for my collection. This bowl is my favorite piece so far and I love that I can use it for everyday mixing and serving. (The Mr. likes to use it as a popcorn bowl.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tias.com/stores/grandmasbasement/thumbs/1224sa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.tias.com/stores/grandmasbasement/thumbs/1224sa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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So, now that you've seen my list, what are some of your favorite things to use around the house?<br />
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<i>Full disclosure: I have not been compensated in any way to review or promote the products mentioned above.</i>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-87620397794009898162010-04-08T11:51:00.002-04:002010-04-08T11:58:33.315-04:00Refinishing our floors Pt. 2Yes, I know. This blog has been severely neglected over the last month. But, I do have a VERY good reason. It involves this:<br />
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Yes! We moved in! FINALLY! There is still so much more to do (and still more stuff to pack and move), but the place is livable and we are slowly settling in. <br />
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I want to finish a few things before I take pictures of our kitchen, bedroom, living room, dining area, bathroom and other areas to share with the internets. In the mean time, I figured I could give you a run down of the rest of our floor refinishing project.<br />
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After we <a href="http://creativityanddomesticity.blogspot.com/2010/02/refinishing-our-floors-pt-1-sanding.html">sanded all the floors</a>, we removed all the dust from the rooms. We wiped down the walls, the trim and any nook and cranny where dust might settle. For the floors, we first swept them with a broom, then followed with a shop vac.<br />
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Just to be sure we got everything, we went over the entire floor with a tack cloth. Any dust left behind could end up settling in the poly coat, making the floor feel rough. We wanted to avoid that as much as possible.<br />
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We tried a few different brands and really liked the ones made by 3M. We found them at Ace Hardware.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The next step was to cover the floors with a few coats of polyurethane to protect them and give them that purdy, glossy shine. We decided not to stain them because we wanted the look of the natural wood to show as much as possible.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For our floors, we used a water-based poly. We picked water-based over oil-based because we wanted something that was fast-drying and low on odor. Oil-based polys are more durable, but really stink up the place, take longer to fully cure and aren't as easy to clean up.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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We bought this at Home Depot for about $38 a bottle. I think we used four of five bottles to do all of the wood floors in the house. That's six rooms and the stairs. <br />
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The first coat went on quickly. We did it mop-style by using a Water Wiz attached to a pole. We bought those at Home Depot, too.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We applied the poly with the grain and were careful to work our way out of each room by starting in the corner farthest from the door.</div><br />
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The polyurethane looked like watered down Elmer's glue, was a little cloudy during the application and dried clear. We put it in a paint pan to make it easier to load our applicator.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To cover the areas where the applicator wouldn't reach, or to smooth out any drips or poly build up, we used a small paint brush.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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After the first coat completely dried (we let it go overnight), we had to sand the floors again. The reason was that the bare wood expands and the grain rises when it absorbs the polyurethane. The floor was very rough after the first coat and sanding is standard practice. <br />
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We used 220 grit sandpaper and did the work through a combination of hand sanding and using a small palm sander. We sanded lightly along the grain until the result was a smooth finish. <br />
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Then, it was a repeat of the dust removal process. There wasn't much dust to clean up, but we still swept, ran the shop vac and used a tack cloth. Dust is bad!<br />
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As you could assume, we used the same techniques as the first coat when we added two more coats of polyurethane. With the water-based poly, we didn't have to sand between coats as long as we did them within six hours of each other. The floors dried enough to walk on in about an hour, so we jumped right into both coats in one evening.<br />
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The floors had to cure for a few days before we could move in furniture. We probably let them sit for about a week just to give them plenty of time to cure.<br />
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The results are fabulous! I am so tickled pink with how nice our floors turned out! I love them!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Oooooh...shiny!</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's a big change from what they were before.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">T<i>he dining room floor after one pass of the drum sander. The edges hadn't been sanded at this point, but you can see how bad the floors were when we pulled up the carpet.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm really proud of the work we did on the floors, but don't get me wrong---it kicked our butts! Especially the sanding part. That is some hard labor. But, it's so nice to have beautiful hardwood floors throughout our house! I love the warm, welcoming feeling they provide and the small monetary investment of DIY floor refinishing (which for us, it was about $500 in sandpaper, rentals, supplies and materials) was more than worth it. Carpeting or professional refinishing services would never have been as affordable. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Did I mention how much I love the floors?!?!?</div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-55706497534700918752010-03-10T22:31:00.000-05:002010-03-10T22:31:17.330-05:00Shopping for appliancesWe needed a refrigerator. We also needed a microwave/rangehood combo. We really didn't need a new range. We have an older one that was my parents', but (there's always a "but") because I love to bake, I wanted a decent range. We weighed the options and decided to just buy everything new. These are items we will use just about every day, so it's worth it to have new, functional appliances in our kitchen.<br />
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Sears was having a great sale on all appliances for Presidents' Day Weekend, so we went to check it out. When we got there, they didn't have the fridge with bottom-mount freezer that caught our eye online in stock at the store. We browsed the rest of the display models, but nothing quite sparked interest. We headed over to the ranges and saw a few nice ones in our price range. At this point, we were discussing which color to get. We already have a used dishwasher in black and our cabinets will be painted white. We weren't too sure about white appliances and white cabinets, so we ruled that out. The bottom line on choosing between black or stainless was the price. Going with black would have saved us a few hundred dollars. <br />
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Notice how I used "would have"? :-) We splurged a little and went with stainless! Yay! I love the look of it and I think it will look great in our tiny kitchen. Black would have looked OK, too, but we made our decision because over the life of the appliances, spending a few hundred dollars isn't really a big deal and they will look so much nicer!<br />
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So, do you want to see what we picked out?<br />
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<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/kitchen_appliances/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=16132164"><img alt="Kitchen Appliances" border="0" height="400" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFjBvaGRqZFliM3hHcTBZbUpTUXAxWHcAAAACaWQKAWUAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="Kitchen Appliances" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/kitchen_appliances/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=16132164">Kitchen Appliances</a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/">Polyvore.com</a></small></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The refrigerator is by LG and range and microhood are Frigidaire Gallery. All should be delivered shortly!</div><br />
I don't think our black dishwasher will look too bad with the stainless. It's old and, if it craps out on us, we can get a new one in a stainless finish. I'm also looking into swapping out the front panel of the dishwasher with a stainless one or experimenting with some stainless-look appliance paint. <br />
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I'm just really happy to have appliances purchased! The kitchen is coming together! </div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-53054367683107600512010-02-23T11:49:00.001-05:002010-02-23T11:53:12.053-05:00Refinishing our floors Pt. 1: SandingThe flooring in our house is hardwood. The entire floor plan was oak and, aside from a few pesky pet stains, the foundation of the floors was decent. We originally planned to refinish the floors in the living room, dining room and the smallest bedroom because they were the worst. After sanding the living room and dining room, we decided to just do all the floors.<br />
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Sanding is a tough job. We did the downstairs in a weekend and it completely kicked out butts. It's not that it is a difficult job to do, it's just very labor intensive. We were fortunate enough to have use of my dad's floor sander, purchased at an auction for $5.<br />
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Here is the beast in action! This is an older model drum sander, but it works fine. We were able to find the right sandpaper (7" wide) at a local rental store. For our floors, we used the following grits in this order: 20, 36, 80 & 100. They ranged in price from about $1.50 a sheet (100 grit) to about $4 a sheet (20 grit). A 20-grit sheet would pull up the existing finish on about half of a room. We used two or three 36s in each room and only needed one each of the 80s and 100s for a room. The room sizes had a lot to do with how much we used and we had a few new sheets tear or break when we hit a nail or staple we missed during the carpet removal or when we didn't have the paper attached tight enough on the machine. This was frustrating, but I had to keep telling myself that we were saving money by doing this ourselves. Ruining some paper wasn't that big a deal.<br />
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OK. On to the actual sanding part! (put your earplugs in!) We loaded the drum sander with 20-grit paper and, since our old machine was missing the dust collector bag, we attached a shop vac hose to the dust blower with duct tape.<br />
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For most of the floors, Chris worked the sander. He started on one side of the floor and walked the sander up and down one strip at a time, following the direction of the grain of the wood. At the start, he would gently pivot the sander down onto the floor and move forward at a decent pace. Not too slow, but not too fast. The trick is to keep it moving or else you will gouge the wood where you stop, even if it's for a second. For this reason, we would pivot the sander up at the end of a strip before gently putting it back down and pulling it backwards.<br />
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Once one row was sanded, he would go right along side it, slightly overlapping.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/39985c8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/39985c8a.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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After finishing that section of the floor, we turned the machine around to get the other half.<br />
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The first pass with the 20 grit was able to remove most of the old finish, but in some trouble areas, we went over them again.<br />
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We then used a rented edge sander (loaded with 20-grit paper, too) to get the 3"-4" around the perimeter of the room where the drum sander couldn't reach.<br />
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The edge sander is very aggressive. Because it is orbital, the machine pulled to the right. This one had to be moved very quickly to avoid creating swirl marks in the wood and to keep it from taking off too much of the wood at once. <br />
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With the corner round removed, we were able to get all of the exposed wood sanded with the use of the edger. In this photo, Chris is moving it side to side with the grain.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/55c87011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/55c87011.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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The edger was also useful for closets, walkways and other areas where the drum sander couldn't fit.<br />
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Once we finished with edging and sanding the entire floor, we swept up the floor, loaded the sanders with 36-grit paper and repeated the whole process. Then, did the same with 80-grit and 100-grit paper.<br />
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Since the edger couldn't get into the corners, we used a Black & Decker hand sander with a pointed tip to remove the finish and sand them down.<br />
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And, I know what you're thinking: Why is Chris doing all the work? What are you doing, besides taking pictures?<br />
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I was holding the hose! We found it was much easier if someone held onto the power cord and shop vac hose because they kept getting in the way.<br />
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And I did a lot of the edge sanding. I just don't have pictures of that. Chris did let me do the final few passes on the upstairs floors with the drum sander and I have proof:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/bfce1861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/bfce1861.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/fc147222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/fc147222.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, there you have it. My recap/quasi-tutorial on sanding floors. We just started putting the poly coat on, so that will be part 2.</div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-35124486193055735782010-02-02T12:04:00.000-05:002010-02-02T12:04:45.854-05:00Stairway to despair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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We ripped up the carpeting on our steps. I pulled up the carpet on the bottom step on the day we closed just to see if they were nice, but didn't really look close enough to see what was really under there.<br />
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First, I started at the bottom and loosened the carpeting from the tack strips:<br />
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The padding was, for the most part, gone. There was a little bit of cushion on the sides, but the middle part of the step showed the wear.<br />
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Then, we took a hammer and a small pry bar and began pulling up the tack strips. Never in my life have I seen so many nails and staples.<br />
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Once we got all of the carpet up and all of the tack scrips and staples out, we were left with this:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Look closely and you'll see why I'm a little sad that our stairs will be more of a pain in the butt project than expected. Don't see it? Maybe this will help:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/f0801bf9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/f0801bf9.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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At some point, I'm guessing around the same time the house had a coal furnace, there was either a carpet runner or tread protectors on the steps. The wood looks good in the area covered, but the area outside is dirty and black. I tried cleaning them, but it was a lost cause. We are going to have to refinish the steps. Bummer.<br />
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In an effort to make this a little easier on us, we decided to paint the trim and the stair risers, leaving only the tops left to sand and coat with polyurathene. Here are some inspiration pictures for what I have in mind:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ftstairs.com/wood_stairs_railings/staircase-stair-railings-pages/staircase-railing-pictures/traditional-oak-staircase-railings-pictures-lepper/lepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.ftstairs.com/wood_stairs_railings/staircase-stair-railings-pages/staircase-railing-pictures/traditional-oak-staircase-railings-pictures-lepper/lepper.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.ftstairs.com/wood_stairs_railings/staircase-stair-railings-pages/frame-staircase-hand-railings-pictures.htm?http://www.ftstairs.com/wood_stairs_railings/staircase-stair-railings-pages/staircase-railing-pictures/traditional-oak-staircase-railings-pictures-lepper/traditional-oak-stairs-railings-pictures-lepper.shtml&main">Source</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUiVedD2h0enxOIJK4PeARikgsXyfF4-O9BPReJ4hw6s3NwY0zBsy_gb6BPkHwKRdCRQ-0dDkEW1sPJgakqwVU7mKbr86BZSQPBr3kzDVbEu_5U1XUS94TClCMYCls9GSxZWoJtFOnas/s1600/squeaky-stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUiVedD2h0enxOIJK4PeARikgsXyfF4-O9BPReJ4hw6s3NwY0zBsy_gb6BPkHwKRdCRQ-0dDkEW1sPJgakqwVU7mKbr86BZSQPBr3kzDVbEu_5U1XUS94TClCMYCls9GSxZWoJtFOnas/s320/squeaky-stairs.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://tickingandtoile.blogspot.com/2009/11/its-all-about-stairs.html">Source</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Maybe we'll get funky with it and try one of these ideas:</div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ru8qHvAVhwfxzTAdKbx-ieuFGMpiRt3ZywrSrtDA9umzJn59p_2IjEivdljXjYTEQ6E5FBMT_e4EcSS92MhNWYaZ3QBELQ9XZLOpXnWH7IBdR_VEfw0PVYMcthb031PSF5seRIHi22M/s1600/DSC02962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ru8qHvAVhwfxzTAdKbx-ieuFGMpiRt3ZywrSrtDA9umzJn59p_2IjEivdljXjYTEQ6E5FBMT_e4EcSS92MhNWYaZ3QBELQ9XZLOpXnWH7IBdR_VEfw0PVYMcthb031PSF5seRIHi22M/s320/DSC02962.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://tickingandtoile.blogspot.com/2009/11/its-all-about-stairs.html">Source</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1tYPh1shh-0fwO6g3K_6Doyj5H4BYYWwrUpIJ8mq0y2TyL4jrONxwoCJu9IIfiO3Vn_keVMldxMB4cXlCq7jIWmUArfu_mauEPMFnEoQ5XSK0BcwkIeg6gjQkH_jOL07hnSNR8D6ED4/s1600/Staircase-Candles-Holiday-GTL1206-de.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1tYPh1shh-0fwO6g3K_6Doyj5H4BYYWwrUpIJ8mq0y2TyL4jrONxwoCJu9IIfiO3Vn_keVMldxMB4cXlCq7jIWmUArfu_mauEPMFnEoQ5XSK0BcwkIeg6gjQkH_jOL07hnSNR8D6ED4/s320/Staircase-Candles-Holiday-GTL1206-de.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://tickingandtoile.blogspot.com/2009/11/its-all-about-stairs.html">Source</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.muralsbyelaine.com/stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.muralsbyelaine.com/stairs.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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We'll have to rent a sanding edger to do this right. I don't think it will be too bad, but it's just not a project we thought we were going to have to tackle. C'est la vie!Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-73255328070038602902010-01-11T12:13:00.000-05:002010-01-11T12:13:42.952-05:00Adding some colorWe were at Home Depot when we decided it's time to buy paint for our upstairs. We gathered some paint chips and picked our colors, which all happened to be Glidden paint. We were really happy with how our walls turned out.<div><br />
</div><div>When we needed to pick out colors for our downstairs, we were already needing to go to Lowe's for something else. All of our paint choices ended up being Lowe's colors, or colors available in the Valspar Signature premium paint. We were a little hesitant to spend an extra $5-$10 per gallon, but so far, the paint has been working beautifully. In some cases, we were able to get by with using only one coat, which will save us money in the long run. We kind of prefer the Valspar to the Glidden now, although the Glidden did seem to spread better and go farther.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Picking colors for downstairs was probably easier than upstairs. With shared walls and an desire for more neutral colors, we picked "Linen" for our kitchen/dining room walls.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGGM2_zQa-ggfxKhyphenhyphenxQXyqjYAA6rnrYkvqUhMhAnDtKwqbRWSvKfLcv9qDs0lgSR4fsOfBzwgKAQBY5zxosTb-0rnLUPKfaChIZHN4_jVKspK0kUlCk45Dpty3J0fuV7dMeio2e4ZOyJw/s1600-h/Linen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGGM2_zQa-ggfxKhyphenhyphenxQXyqjYAA6rnrYkvqUhMhAnDtKwqbRWSvKfLcv9qDs0lgSR4fsOfBzwgKAQBY5zxosTb-0rnLUPKfaChIZHN4_jVKspK0kUlCk45Dpty3J0fuV7dMeio2e4ZOyJw/s320/Linen.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Top color is Linen by Eddie Bauer and the bottom color is String of Pearls, a Lowe's Creative Ideas for Colors shade.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">String of Pearls is the color we are painting all of the trim in the downstairs. This color will also be carried up the stairway through the baseboard trim and the hand rail.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the living room, we picked Colonial Beige.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQaqtgocJ3cpwzmNAZO17d_QzZ00GqygZYJhviijB45deHe-u5TXy2nYqT6XV9RLlqFCJXr6vm_eJbBrwheotODvWa-JeQQ51GiqdruW7CPMaK5XF9uaO2cWeCJb7UWCXsFLHEsdnwIiK/s1600-h/Colonial+Beige.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQaqtgocJ3cpwzmNAZO17d_QzZ00GqygZYJhviijB45deHe-u5TXy2nYqT6XV9RLlqFCJXr6vm_eJbBrwheotODvWa-JeQQ51GiqdruW7CPMaK5XF9uaO2cWeCJb7UWCXsFLHEsdnwIiK/s320/Colonial+Beige.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a Waverly signature color. Again, String of Pearls trim color on the bottom.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a little darker than Linen, which is perfect because we wanted a noticeable, but not overwhelming contrast between the two colors. The colors have to coordinate well because the living and dining rooms share a wall. We decided to use Linen on that wall so it would be an accent color in the living room.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the addition entranceway and the walls in the stairway, we wanted a neutral and coordinating color. Waverly's Natural seemed to be a perfect fit.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyv2Y01R492z0C7GFVZx1_D8jE7kRW0PDkRu4AiZ8-cBNl1h1Ly0U_ABaEgUA98k9VNX4Pdd6heqhAxg7Is1IIymPgBUg-9nz0TLxXNP2dGiJ-C7Ge3Jh_y4B_igQQvNDkLv1pdcln2M9L/s1600-h/Natural.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyv2Y01R492z0C7GFVZx1_D8jE7kRW0PDkRu4AiZ8-cBNl1h1Ly0U_ABaEgUA98k9VNX4Pdd6heqhAxg7Is1IIymPgBUg-9nz0TLxXNP2dGiJ-C7Ge3Jh_y4B_igQQvNDkLv1pdcln2M9L/s640/Natural.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div>It's weird how the colors look so identical/monotone online, but the paint chips and actual paint colors look so much different!</div><div><br />
</div><div>For the bedroom in the addition, which will most likely serve more as a living room, we picked a greyish-blue from Lowe's Creative Ideas for Color line. It's called Hot Springs and it is fabulous!</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB7hod7_89U_N7XLZ-nFrIwkzQM61L2ZSZqX_bt8Hu39pNEdvv38jUdWHYagLL3GSS0SNaopDPlyoPZnHieTBxnT763ujUnw2UMnMJKeWtfNTfmBXBJzsm6QVLLmwuNAo_yuT2uhsignC/s1600-h/Hot+Springs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB7hod7_89U_N7XLZ-nFrIwkzQM61L2ZSZqX_bt8Hu39pNEdvv38jUdWHYagLL3GSS0SNaopDPlyoPZnHieTBxnT763ujUnw2UMnMJKeWtfNTfmBXBJzsm6QVLLmwuNAo_yuT2uhsignC/s320/Hot+Springs.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div>It's looking a little green on my computer screen, however.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, with our colors picked and some of them even up on the walls already, We have to start thinking about our decor plans for these rooms. I am so excited over how much like a home this place is shaping up to be!</div><div><br />
</div><div>I always only seem to have my iPhone on me when it's picture time, so I apologize for these. Here are a few shots I took of the Colonial Beige on our living room walls. It looks different in every one, thanks to poor camera quality and weird lighting. The color actually looks more greenish as the daylight goes away. I really like the color next to the String of Pearls trim! </div><div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/14a85fe5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/14a85fe5.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/70e7db9f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/70e7db9f.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/70e78590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/70e78590.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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</div><div>It looks 8,721,624 times better in person. Trust me. :-)</div><div><br />
</div><div>And it looks 9,563,521 times better than the orange and dark grey-blue that were on the walls when we bought the place. (How could it not?!?) Yay for progress!</div><div><br />
</div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-58466464067212234932010-01-07T10:59:00.001-05:002010-01-07T11:15:35.400-05:002010!2009 went by way too fast! Between planning the wedding, getting married, buying the house and spending every weekend since (and most week nights!) working to make it livable, we were so busy that the year couldn't have done anything but fly by. <br />
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So, welcome to 2010 here at Creativity and Domesticity! This year is sure to bring lots of craft and kitchen projects, as well as plenty of home decorating. And a new year means a new (sort of) look for the blog. I know it's only a new header, but it's nice to have something that's a little less generic at the top to jazz up the whole look of this baby.<br />
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Now that it's a new year, and after a Christmas holiday vacation from work (but not a vacation from working on the house, of course), I'm ready to jump right into 2010 and make it a memorable one for the husband and I. We will have our house move-in ready soon! After some significant set-backs with the supports and floors in our addition that had a huge impact on us not being able to have an address change before Christmas, we have made quite a bit of progress in painting the downstairs and getting the floors ready for refinishing. Also, our kitchen cabinets have been installed, the counter top is ordered and the tile floor is going in this week! Yay for kitchen progress!<br />
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I've taken some pictures, but still have a few more to take so I can share our progress with you. In the mean time, I want to show you a picture I came across for cool vintage kitchen storage:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrVZzPlXK7eLaWJ6r7tne3-LS__K-6phuMT5NBF6yzpGg75xUHc2yN4Vz4pldphC_syiETrd9MtRawUjVu_rUsO27alLPOFTxkbZYOytQbxTV1Q9SxS5SadfFqeZaDWnwwUlzo0l-DLXV/s1600-h/Vintage+Kitchen+Storage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrVZzPlXK7eLaWJ6r7tne3-LS__K-6phuMT5NBF6yzpGg75xUHc2yN4Vz4pldphC_syiETrd9MtRawUjVu_rUsO27alLPOFTxkbZYOytQbxTV1Q9SxS5SadfFqeZaDWnwwUlzo0l-DLXV/s400/Vintage+Kitchen+Storage.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.livingetc.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=2699">Source</a></i><br />
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I've quickly become obsessed with this! I love it! I can see the bins filled with flour, sugars, chocolate chips, cupcake liners and other fun baking supplies. And the pull-out spice jars? Don't you think they are just perfect for sprinkles?Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-55934588563645885982009-12-22T15:40:00.003-05:002009-12-22T15:46:11.868-05:00Easy Hostess GiftMy office Christmas party was at my boss' house this year and I didn't want to show up empty handed. I don't like to bring wine since I don't really drink it myself, or know what kinds are good, so I decided to put together a hostess gift that was a little more my style---a cupcake pan candy buffet.<br />
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Here is what you need:<br />
<ul><li>One cupcake/muffin pan (Mine had 12 cups)</li>
<li>Cupcake liners (12)</li>
<li>12 different candy varieties</li>
<li>Shrink wrap bag</li>
<li>Twist tie</li>
<li>Ribbon</li>
<li>Small decoration or Christmas ornament</li>
</ul><br />
1. Place a liner in each of your cupcake pan cups.<br />
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2. Fill each cup just to the top with a different type of candy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/6a992a63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/6a992a63.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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3. Place the pan in a shrink wrap bag and gather it at a side or near the top. Secure with a twist tie.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/0356a997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/0356a997.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. Use a hair dryer or heat gun to shrink the bag loosely around the candy, being careful not to melt any chocolate. This takes away the excess plastic without getting it so close that the bag melts into the candy.<br />
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5. Use ribbon to tie on a bow. Add a Christmas ornament to dress it up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/e5251c54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/e5251c54.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And there you have it! A quick and easy gift any hostess would love to receive!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tips:<br />
</div><ul><li>Check out the bulk candy section of your local grocery store to get just the right amount of candy for each cup without having to buy larger, prepackaged bags. This is also great for buying specific colors. I was able to pick out red, green and white candies from a bin with lots of different colors.</li>
<li>The Christmas candy aisle at Walmart had a great selection of stocking stuffer sized candies in Christmas colors. I was able to pick up a few varieties and they were a decent amount for filling the cups.</li>
<li>I used Christmas colored candies, but this can be altered for other holidays by changing the colors or the contents.</li>
<li>I purchased a nice pan at Target for about $7.00. I figured it was worth it since, if making a gift basket, the price for a basket would be about the same, and I know that the recipient would be able to use the pan confidently for making muffins or cupcakes later on. (or, I didn't want the pan to sell at their next yard sale, if you know what I mean.)</li>
</ul>Here are the candies I used:<br />
<ol><li>Red, white & green Gummy Bears</li>
<li>Red, white & green Sugared Gummy Dots </li>
<li>Hershey Kisses</li>
<li>Red Swedish Fish</li>
<li>Red, white & green Gobstoppers</li>
<li>Mini Peppermint Sticks</li>
<li>White chocolate covered pretzels</li>
<li>Red Starbursts</li>
<li>Red and White Chiclets Gum</li>
<li>Red & green M&M's</li>
<li>Red, white & green Christmas Star Candies</li>
<li>Red & green Mike 'n' Ike's</li>
</ol><div>I think the total cost for putting this together was about $20 - $25 and I had a little bit of candy left over. I'm not sure what a good bottle of wine would cost, but I would guess you'd spend about the same. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really loved how this turned out and it was very well received! What do you usually bring to parties as a hostess gift?<br />
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<center><a href="http://asoftplace.net/"><img alt="DIY Day @ ASPTL" border="0" src="http://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee349/GDest07/Kimba/kimbaDIY125.png" title="DIY Day @ ASPTL" /></a></center>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-23697198276347610772009-12-16T15:18:00.000-05:002009-12-16T15:18:13.964-05:00More fun with Polyvore<div style="text-align: left;">I couldn't help myself. Once I started to play around with Polyvore, I just couldn't stop dreaming up inspiration boards for our house. Here is what I envision for the downstairs rooms.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Living Room:<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/linen_living_room/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14281797"><img alt="Linen Living Room" border="0" height="400" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFldFaXNzLW5vM2hHb1p1WERVMEVYcVEAAAACaWQKAWUAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="Linen Living Room" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/linen_living_room/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14281797">Linen Living Room</a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/">Polyvore.com</a></small><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</div></div>I'm thinking neutral, linen-like colors for this room. It will be a serene place where we can relax, read and cuddle up to watch a movie. I am really liking silvery-blue shades and variations of turquoise as accent colors, but I like how easily other colors, like olive green or rich reds could be used to mix it up a bit. <br />
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The Dining Room:<br />
<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/brown_blue_dining_room/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14287390"><img alt="Brown and Blue Dining Room" border="0" height="400" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFnNySnp4ZmZvM2hHLU91QXRQYVNlb3cAAAACaWQKAWUAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="Brown and Blue Dining Room" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/brown_blue_dining_room/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14287390">Brown and Blue Dining Room</a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/">Polyvore.com</a></small><br />
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</div>With the dining room sharing a wall with the living room, I was thinking that I might be best to carry the same color palette into this room, but play up the blue hues more and add some dark brown and pewter accents. I really think this room will need a mirror to help make it seam bigger and I want to get an area rug and long to-the-floor curtains to make the space seem a little more formal. We have an oak table, which I wouldn't mind covering with a coat or two of creamy white paint. We also need to pick up some new chairs, preferably ones that are upholstered.<br />
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The Kitchen::<br />
<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/martha_inspired_kitchen/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14200376"><img alt="Martha Inspired Kitchen" border="0" height="400" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFmNybVRpYy1vM2hHQnh3MHV3NzA3R0EAAAACaWQKAWUAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="Martha Inspired Kitchen" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/martha_inspired_kitchen/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14200376">Retro Inspired Kitchen</a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/">Polyvore.com</a></small><br />
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Of course, I want to have a super retro kitchen, but this just won't work given our house, appliances and, well, reality. Although, I still want to incorporate some retro-inspired item, like the glass jars in the board, some old, red kitchen utensils and some fun dishtowels and accessories. The kitchen shares space (and a walls) with the dining area, so I want it to blend well, but also allow for a little punch of color. And, with white cabinets and a linen-colored wall, the color is going to come through the accessories and some of my kitchen tools.<br />
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I'm sure my ideas will change a few times before we get settled in, but it is way to much fun to create these boards.Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-26511888930425165532009-12-10T18:35:00.017-05:002009-12-10T18:35:00.619-05:00Dreaming of when it's all done<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">We are so close to having our upstairs bedrooms painted and ready for move-in. The downstairs, with the exception of the kitchen, needs a complete paint job and the floors all need to be refinished. It feels so good to see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to completing the bulk of our renovations.<br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I've been thinking up some ideas for the decor in each of the rooms. This is so difficult because we have lots of hand-me-down and flea market furniture to work with when putting together a home environment we love. I'm going to do my best to slip cover, paint and modify where possible to make everything look like it belongs. This is going to be quite the challenge!<br />
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</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">For our Office/Craft room, we already have dark furniture. I would like to pick up a narrow table for use as a crafting/sewing desk and we'll need some book shelves or an armoire for storage. Here is a little inspiration board I put together for the space on Polyvore:<br />
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</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/blue_home_office/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14178993"><img alt="Blue Home Office" border="0" height="400" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFmdqbkQ0czNsM2hHdENUY2F3NzA3R0EAAAACaWQKAWUAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="Blue Home Office" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/blue_home_office/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14178993">Blue Home Office</a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/">Polyvore.com</a></small><br />
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Visualizing some ideas for the room is a big help. I also decided to put together an inspiration board for our bedroom:<br />
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<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/brown_beige_bedroom/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14179830"><img alt="Brown and Beige Bedroom" border="0" height="400" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFlpoNExjOUxsM2hHTG1oVWl3NzA3R0EAAAACaWQKAWUAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="Brown and Beige Bedroom" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/brown_beige_bedroom/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14179830">Brown and Beige Bedroom</a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/">Polyvore.com</a></small><br />
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I worked in a picture of our actual bedding set and ceiling light fixture we purchased. I have a dark brown bird cage/candle holder I can use in this room and I am considering DIYing an upholstered headboard. I just don't know if a tufted or simplistic look like the one in the top left photo.<br />
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And, why not give it a shot for the other bedroom with the soft meadow green walls. I decided to play around with white and linen colors in this board. Here is how it turned out:<br />
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<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/green_linen_shabby_bedroom/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14181231"><img alt="Green and Linen Shabby Bedroom" border="0" height="400" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFkh0Nk11Tm5sM2hHOTlqSXJpMUNoeUEAAAACaWQKAWUAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="Green and Linen Shabby Bedroom" width="400" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><small><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/green_linen_shabby_bedroom/set?.embedder=1073618&.mid=embed&id=14181231">Green and Linen Bedroom</a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/">Polyvore.com</a></small><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">It seems that the more I worked on my Polyvore boards, I think I got better at putting them together. The last one is my favorite! That room might actually be something I could pull off. I'm pretty sure I still have a white down comforter somewhere in size full/queen (perfect!), I could easily whip up some linen accent pillows and sew linen trim onto white sheets, and I could paint one of our dressers in the off-white, linen-like shade. I also think we have an old rustic window in our garage that I could paint, distress and hang on the wall. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Yeah, it was fun dreaming up ideas for these rooms. It will be even more fun when we get to start putting stuff in them!<br />
</div></div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-85064424883620670932009-12-09T16:02:00.002-05:002009-12-09T16:11:11.377-05:00Floor Refinishing -- The Sanding<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">My dad bought a floor sander at an auction for $5 a while back. He used it to sand down some of the floors in their house, and now we are using it on our hardwood. With daily rental for one of these babies running at about $85, we are really saving by using my dad's! And the best part is that we can sand floors when we need/want to and take our time since there's no rush to return. <br />
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I purchased the sandpaper from a local equipment rental company. The heavier grit ran almost $4 a sheet, while the finer grits were between $1-$2.<br />
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Dad brought the machine over to tackle the worst floor---our dining room. If you recall, the floor was carpeted when we bought the house. When we pulled up the carpet, we found a <a href="http://creativityanddomesticity.blogspot.com/2009/08/good-news-and-bad-news.html">tile and tar</a> on top of the hardwood. We chipped it up the best we could, but lots of tar remained. <br />
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After two passes with the heaviest grit, our floor started to look much better!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/42fcfe5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/42fcfe5a.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>My dad showed Chris how to work the equipment. He got the hang of it pretty quickly!</i><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/5cdc1ba1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/5cdc1ba1.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>And here's my dad changing the sandpaper. We went through a few sheets just trying to remove the tar.</i><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/99c6767c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/99c6767c.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Clean up!</i><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/741c8e61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/741c8e61.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The results were amazing!</i><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/ab16d3cf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/ab16d3cf.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, the sander couldn't reach all the way to the edges, so we will have to rent an edge sander. But, wow! Look at the difference! I am impressed with the results! It looks so nice and new where we sanded. We are going to wait until we are finished with all plaster repairs and painting before we stain and varnish the floor. We would also like to sand the floor in the living room, as well, before we do any finishing.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm excited about this! Looks like our hopes of having beautiful hardwood floors is going to become a reality! I can't wait to see how it looks once we stain. <br />
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</div>Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2123903944490842599.post-60511612540147161512009-12-05T08:06:00.004-05:002009-12-05T08:06:00.483-05:00Kitchen progressWhile we've been busy painting the bedrooms upstairs, my father-in-law has been busy with the kitchen improvements. <br />
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To recap, we removed the old metal and birch cabinets, removed a wall, took out a closet in the living room to expand the width of the area, did a complete overhaul of the plumbing and electric and purchased cabinets used on ebay.<br />
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With the plumbing replacement, some of the wall plaster and the entire ceiling in the kitchen had to be torn down. New drywall has been installed there and the patching process has begun. He also built a new wall where we removed the closet. One of the coolest and most unexpected additions to the kitchen has been the bulkhead above where the cabinets will go. He put this in to eliminate an area that would only be good for collecting dust. We won't be able to use any crown molding on top of the cabinets now, but I think the bulkhead will give it a nice, professionally-finished look. And, it will give us a little bit of wall space we can paint for an added pop of color in the room. (I also have visions of getting a wall cling with a cute saying from somewhere like <a href="http://www.uppercaseliving.com/">Uppercase Living</a>---maybe this <a href="http://suew.uppercaseliving.net/DesignItems.m?CategoryId=37&CatalogId=&DesignId=2481&ItemId=&CurrentPage=2">one</a>?)<br />
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Again, crappy iPhone photos, but you can see the 6-inch bulkhead at the top of the wall:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/820954d6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/820954d6.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yeah, the area looks a little scary right now, but the base and wall cabinets, appliances and tiled back splash will cover all of the ugly parts. The ugliness is the result of wood paneling attached with liquid nails.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/0af1c58b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/0af1c58b.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This is the new wall where the closet once was.</i><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/a089bc60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f255/AngelJKL/a089bc60.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, and he even put in a recessed light above the sink and two above where the peninsula will go. (It will separate the kitchen from the dining room and house the dishwasher.)<br />
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We've been patching and sanding for the last few days. Basically, we have to get this prepped, primed and painted before Chris' dad can do anything with the cabinet and appliance installation.<br />
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We still need to buy three more cabinets from Lowe's to match our used set, a fridge, the tile for the back splash and floor, the counters and possibly a new stove.Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045063394951534653noreply@blogger.com1