Life at the Chateau Whitman - A couple of young punks with a blog

We installed carpet.

2011-12-30T07:47:00.001-06:00

We've been busy. I don't know if the Internet can handle this much excitement. Are you ready? We installed carpet in the dining room!

I know, I know. Everyone likes to chew us out for covering our hardwood floors. But hear me out. The original floors were very damaged and unfinished.

Warning: This post contains mostly pics taken with my iPhone. (That is a disclaimer meaning they aren't the highest quality. It's ok. Remember, the best camera is the one that's with you.)

You may recall that we can previously toyed with the idea of refinishing the floors in this room. You also might remember that when we bought the house, this room had old, stained white carpet covering the floors. We pulled up the gross carpet to find the original hardwood floors, but they were definitely showing their wear (see above).

We intended to start from scratch with the whole refinishing process, but we just didn't have the time nor resources to tackle this project. Refinishing is expensive (we would need to rent the sander and buy lots of sand paper to finish this job), messy, and time consuming. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was also nervous that refinishing the floors might be wasted time, money, and effort since our 120 pound dog Murphy is pretty hard on wooden floors. Who's to say the floors wouldn't need work in just a few years of Murphy's destruction?

Also it should be noted that we have wood floors (both hardwood and laminate) throughout most of the main level of our house and the basement). So I honestly don't miss one more room of wood and can appreciate a different material.

Back to the project at hand. Right around Thanksgiving time, we decided to take a look at inexpensive carpet options for our dining room. I knew I wanted a material that was a bit more durable and hard-wearing, definitely not anything shaggy or fluffy. I also love textures (we have quite a new jute rugs scattered throughout the rug). We found some promising options at Menards, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the type of carpet I was seeking was actually very affordable. We strongly considered this one for $1.19 a square foot.

I liked the woven texture and bold jewel-toned colors. But we try not to make impulsive decisions, so we opted to check out Home Depot's selection as well.Home Depot has LOTS of carpet choices that fit our requirements. And they offer small samples that you can take home.

We grabbed several small samples to take home and try. Note: The lighting in those giant warehouse stores can be really misleading. Whenever you are picking out any home materials, whether paint or tile or carpet, I highly recommend you bring home a sample to see how you like it with your own home's lighting.

We both agreed on a clear favorite - one that Rob had picked out. It is called "Progressive Natural." It's not a fluffy carpet material, but it's actually pretty soft to the touch. It seems well made and has a loop pattern. It really reminds me of a natural-textured rug.

In fact, I immediately had to show Rob another blog article I saw a while back in which this pro interior decorator installed sea-grass carpet in her home (click here to read that article at Pure Style Home). I love how natural and earthy it looks:

Photo from Pure Style Home

Now here's the best part. The carpet that we both liked was only 58 cents a square foot. Can you believe that? We were able to buy a piece for our large 19x12 foot dining room for $132. That's much cheaper than a large area rug, and it's also much cheaper than refinishing the wood floors. Since this room had carpet previously, we hoped it would be fairly easy to install since the current trim had a gap which we could slide the new carpet into. Note that we also bought a $67 carpet pad to make it even softer on our feet. And then we picked up some staples for our existing staple gun, a $15 boot kicker, and $12 for tack strips. Total money spent = $226.

Here's the room all emptied out:

And here it is with new carpet!

Closer shots to show the texture:

I love it. We hardly ever used our dining room before, but maybe we will now that it's so comfy on our bare feet.

What's next for this room?

New paint color. We're thinking a light warm gray to brighten things up but still maintain the neutral feel in the room.
Finish the photo wall we talked about here.
Install lighting fixture over the table. Perhaps a rugged looking chandelier?

A room is never really done, is it? Ah well. With the new carpet, this room feels so much more cozy and inviting now.

Dear Ann

2011-12-03T13:44:00.005-06:00

Dear Ann,

Since you've been gone, I've worked hard to continue your mission of adding some color to my (mostly black and gray) wardrobe.

Look here - there's some blues and greens. Purple and coral. There's even some orange in there!

I hope this photo will make your day. :)

What we’re reading and listening to (and other updates)

2011-11-01T17:48:00.013-05:00

I will be honest. I lost my motivation for all of the house projects I wanted to do (referenced in this post). Maybe it’s because the weather changed and it’s been chilly in Minnesota. Maybe it’s because I had a nasty cold for a week (am still recovering). Who knows. But I haven’t had much progress to report.

I did spray paint a few frames for our photo wall. But there are many more I need to spray paint, and it’s been too chilly to get outside and do it. This project may end up being postponed until spring. However, here’s a preview. Rather than going with our standard glossy white spray paint, we decided to shake things up (no pun intended) with something different. We picked up this textured brown spray paint by Rustoleum and tried it out on one of our frames (which used to be plain black).

Photo take in process, outside after one coat of spray painting

I like it a lot. The texture is a nice change, and in person, it has a bit more of a rustic feel (which goes well in our dining room).

Alright now let’s talk about what we’re reading.

I mentioned in my iPhone app post that I am really digging the free Kindle app. Since finding this app, I’ve already finished 5 books. It feels good to be reading for fun again (I hadn’t read much in the last few years, other than blogs and grad school materials). Another blogger, Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers (go check out her blog - it’s one of my absolute favorites), recently started a blogging book club, which sounds like a lot of fun. I am not reading the current book club book, but I did check out a few of her past selections.

Currently reading:

Room by Emma Donoghue

I just downloaded this one today. Here’s the summary via Amazon:

“To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. . . . It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer. Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating--a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child.”

If you’ve already read this one, please don’t spoil it for me! I tend to like books with a little darker subject matter, and this one definitely seems to fit the bill.

I also recently completed the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins (which I also heard about from Julie’s blog).

I had mixed feelings about these books. On one hand, they really did suck me in and hold my attention. I read all 3 books very quickly because it was hard to put them down once I started. And I do tend to like books with these themes (dystopian society, uprising, in the line of 1984 or Brave New World). But on the other hand, the storyline and even the language of the book seemed overly simplified to me. I get it - it was written for mass appeal and so it’s a very easy read. And that’s fine. It’s actually nice at this stage in my life since I read on the bus and only have 20-25 minute blocks of time to read (so it’s nice to find books that you can dive right into rather than wallowing through really slow-paced dense material). However I sometimes felt that the author glossed over certain things that could have been fleshed out more. Sometimes she went for a quick resolution that wasn’t very realistic (example - sometimes a character would suffer severe physical injuries, but a magic potion or medicine would heal them almost immediately). And the relationships in the books were fairly superficial - real life relationships are far more complex and multi-faceted. I don’t really like shortcuts in books or movies, and therefore I’m typically a pretty picky audience member. But again - the books really did suck me in, so I suppose I can’t be too critical. They read like young adult novels, and I think that’s how they were intended to be consumed.

After that, I read Tina Fey’s book Bossypants.

It’s an autobiography of sorts, but not really told in a linear fashion. It’s just stories/anecdotes from her life. It’s written in Tina’s voice, which makes it another light and easy read. And it is very funny at times. I especially loved the parts about Tina’s time working at Saturday Night Live and wish there would have been more on this subject. I’m really interested in hearing how the show operates and what happens behind the scene (who writes the skits and how they decide which actors to use and so on).

I love 30 Rock and that style of humor, so I thought I would love this book. I did enjoy it, but I didn’t love it.I think maybe the reason I don’t love this book is because it slightly changed my perception of what Tina Fey is like as a human being. Sometimes she doesn’t sound like a very nice person. I really don’t mean that to sound harsh, and I realize that not everyone values kindness in the same ways that I do. But it does kind of ruin it for me a little bit. I guess that’s the tricky part about the state of celebrity. You want people to like you but you also want the freedom to be yourself. So kudos to Tina Fey for writing/speaking her mind and being true to what’s important to her. Plus after reading the book and her statements, I highly doubt Tina Fey would give a crap what I think about her as a person.

Finally and most recently, I just finished reading Chuck Klosterman’s Eating the Dinosaur.

This book came out in 2010, but it’s his latest book of essays (he’s done some fiction works that I haven’t read yet). I loved this one. I’ve read all of Klosterman’s non-fiction books, and this is my favorite. I think his writing just gets better and better. If you’re not familiar with him, Klosterman is an author from my home state of North Dakota. He used to write for a newspaper, and then he wrote for a few different magazines over the years (Spin, Esquire, ESPN Page 2). His non-fiction books are typically collections of essays about random things. I fear the word “random” is overused these days, but it’s the best descriptor I can come up with for Klosterman. The subject matter is truly varied. He’s very introspective and thoughtful, and his works are filled with pop culture references and subtle humor. I love it. Sometimes when I read something by Chuck Klosterman, I feel like I’m reading my own thoughts. My brain operates in a very similar fashion. If you’re new to this author and this sounds like something you would like, I recommend starting with Eating the Dinosaur or Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto.

Blogs I’m reading:

Peanut Butter Fingers - Already mentioned above. I love Julie’s blog! She has such a positive attitude, and I like that she posts often and with varied subject matter (common themes are fitness/health, food, and working as a freelance writer).
Redhead in Ruffled Flats - Sarah is a fellow Minneapolis blogger. She’s also a newlywed who recently launched her own photography business, so her blog is a lot of fun.
Francy Pants - My sister-in-law moved to France in September to work as a teaching assistant. You can follow along with her European adventures. We love you, Ann!
Everything else listed in the side bar - Check out the list of blogging friends over at the right side of this page. I wish I could highlight them all here, but I’ve talked about many of them previously (see here and here).

What Rob’s reading:

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - It’s a classic for a reason.
Reddit - He spends a lot of time on this site.
Cracked - Ditto. Great humor site.

Questions for the brave commenters**

What books are you reading at the moment? Any recommendations on what I should read next? If you’ve read any of the books above, do you agree with my reviews? Do you think I’m a big dummyhead who doesn’t know what she’s talking about? Let’s hear it.

**we get a lot of regular traffic but hardly any comments. Why is that?

And finally...

And since we’re talking about what we’re reading, why don’t we also talk about what we’re listening to? In the Whitman household, we like to put on some jams and dance around. If you need some jamming material, here’s some funky classics that you can check out:

Green Superfood

2011-10-08T07:39:00.000-05:00

I like smoothies.

You might already know that. I shared some of my favorite smoothie recipes here. Looking back, these were fairly sugary smoothies. Lately, I've been enjoying almond milk (instead of fruit juice) and frozen bananas instead of berries.

Tangent: Speaking of frozen bananas, if you want to try it yourself, but peel a banana and throw it into a freezer bag. It's ready to pull out and throw into a smoothie at any time. You can slice it first, but I just freeze them in halves. If you leave them in the peel, the peel will turn black but the banana inside should still be good.

Anyway I still throw a cup of spinach in every smoothie I make, and I probably always will. It's a great way to get a dose of the nutrient-heavy green, and you really can't taste it. Plus I find I always have lots of energy after I eat a spinach smoothie.

So I started thinking about other greens that I can throw into my smoothies. I tried broccoli, but the taste didn't disappear completely like it does when I use spinach. I tried kale, which clogged my blender (it's pretty dense stuff). It had a bit more flavor than the spinach, and it's more expensive at my grocery store.

Finally I tried an odd green powder called Amazing Grass Green Superfood, and it quickly won me over. I don't think this should be a replacement for real greens, but it is definitely a great way to sneak in some more nutrients.

It’s a powder with 30 calories per serving. But check out what’s inside:

the green stuff:

wheat grass
barley grass
alfalfa
spirulina
spinach
chlorella
broccoli

antioxidants:

acai
maca
carrot
beet
raspberry
rose hips
pineapple
green tea
acerola cherry

fiber:

flax seed powder
apple pectin fiber

digestive enzyme and active culture/probiotics:
F.O.S. (from chicory root)
L. Acidophilus, Alpha and Beta Amylase,
Protease, Lipase, Lactase, Cellulose

That’s pretty impressive. It even has probiotics. We ordered from Amazon, so it was around $20 for 30 servings, but I’ve also seen it at our local GNC for similar price. They make a few different flavors (chocolate, berry), but we buy the original.

I first tried it in smoothies and liked it, but then I decided I could use it by itself in a quick shake before work. Weekday mornings, I am often running around trying to catch my bus on time, which means I don’t have a lot of time to prepare a balanced breakfast. Or any breakfast. Before discovering the Green Superfood, I often skipped breakfast all-together and just ate a mid-morning snack at work. Not good. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Fortunately it's easy to throw some Green Superfood in a shaker bottle (see photo below) with some almond or coconut milk, and out the door I go.

Anyway I should probably explain why I like this stuff so much (besides the convenience). After just a few days of drinking a Green Superfood shake each morning, I started to notice how energized and focused I felt. I was more productive at work and had more energy throughout the day. I don’t think it’s a coincidence - I think I’m starting my day off right with some great nutrients.

I also had an unexpected side effect. This stuff has, in a way, changed my tastes. I used to crave things like soda and sugary foods. But now I don’t find those things appealing at all. Instead, I actually find myself *craving* vegetables, which is kind of crazy for me. After doing some googling, I found that several other people posted similar reviews. It’s magical! And at roughly 67 cents a day, I’m going to keep buying it and continue drinking it each morning.

I'm glad I tried it, but I have to admit I was hesitant to order without trying it since some reviews mention it doesn’t have a pleasant taste. I actually find it’s not too bad. It has an earthy flavor, sort of reminds me of the taste of green tea extract. And it definitely grows on you. You can mix it with water, throw it into smoothies, or mix it with milk. As mentioned, I like to mix it with coconut milk because I like the flavor combination. Sometimes I use almond milk and throw in some raw cocoa powder to make it more chocolately. I just use the Hershey's stuff:

I should mention, you can also easily mix the green powder in with your regular protein powder, if you're looking to beef it up. It's pretty versatile, and I find it fun to experiment with.

Of course now I'm curious about other green/vegetable powders. So comment below if you have tried any.

Lightening our load

2011-10-06T07:11:00.000-05:00

This is what our dining room book shelf looked like last week:

Pretty crowded. Way more clutter than I like.

It actually doesn't look as badly in the pics as it did in real life. Some of the shelves had 2-3 rows of books squished into a single cubby. Not good.

After spending some time de-cluttering last week, the bookshelf now looks like this:

Ahhhh, much better.

Pay no attention to the boxes on the left hand side. That's a project for another day.

Back to the book shelf. I went through the overflowing collection and decided which books would stay. I really only kept our favorites, ones we hadn't read yet, reference style books, and board games. Look at this impressive pile of books that didn't make the cut. I'd estimate there's at least 75 books in this pile, which will be donated to Good Will.

Goodbye, books. You served us well.

I also cleared out a lot of the non-book items that were on the shelves. I moved some photo frames, wooden bowls, and other decor items into storage. Much cleaner. But this wasn't just a total purge section. I also made room for a few new things. Like this wooden cow sculpture that used to belong to Rob's late grandfather:

We also inherited a cute little wooden hippo, also from Rob's grandpa:

I also went through the keeper book pile and tossed out all the plastic dust covers that came with the books. I personally think the books look better without the covers.

Also note the vintage camera, which I wrote about here.

We've definitely lightened our load, but we've got more work to do (the d-ecluttering/organizing project in the attic bedroom is already underway). I really think de-cluttering is good for your soul.

Related reading:

Review: Easy Canvas Prints

2011-10-05T07:46:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that we added a new advertisement on the sidebar to the left. Easy Canvas Prints contacted us a few months ago, asking if we wanted to do a review of their services in exchange for a link-back. Sounds like a win-win situation to me, so we gladly accepted the offer.

I knew right away I wanted to do a piece with horses. I had been interested in horse art since seeing this blog photo a few months ago:

I love it, but I didn’t think I wanted to do something quite so abstract. I downloaded a free high resolution photo from the Pioneer Woman (she makes several photos available free of charge and in high resolution formats, just as an FYI), and pulled it into Photoshop. I can no longer find the original photo on my computer, and the Pioneer Woman's site has a broken link. So you'll just have to take my word for it - it was a colorful photo, quite different than what I wound up with.

I converted to grayscale using my favorite method. I then added a photo texture (using the method I wrote about here). Ran a few actions to sharpen and add contrast. And I ended up with a gritty looking rustic version of the original photo:

I dig it. I then logged into Easy Canvas Prints to begin the process. I’ve ordered from canvas print companies previously, and didn’t always have the greatest experience. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Easy Canvas Prints interface was super easy to navigate, and the upload and formatting process took just seconds. I was very impressed with the user interface (and as someone who worked many years as a web designer, I am very picky about usable design so this is high praise). Uploading my photo and selected the options I wanted was a breeze. I finished the process and completed my order.

A few short days later (I received the expedited shipping option), my canvas arrived in the mail. Unfortunately the photo had been cropped in a way that cut off one of the horse's heads. This is not at all what I saw in the preview. What a bummer!

To make sure it wasn't a mistake on my part, I went through the upload and preview process again. This time, I took screenshots, which I sent back to Easy Canvas Prints.

I wanted to let them know that the print hadn't turned out the way I'd expected. My contact was very nice and promised to share my experience with the art department and customer service manager. It's been a few weeks, and I have yet to hear back. If I had paid for the print, I would have expected a refund or a corrected version of the canvas. Since it was free to me, I suppose I can't complain.

Overall assessment: If you decide to order from this company, I recommend being very cautious when formatting your photos for print. If at all possible, try to have an inch on each side that could be cropped without totally wrecking the composition of your photo.

That said, the quality of the print, in general, is good. So I will give them credit there.

Overall review: Easy-to-use site, quick shipping, quality materials, but lukewarm results. Good prices for canvas prints, but order with caution.

Disclaimer: I’m not being paid by Easy Canvas Prints to write this review, nor are they a paying sponsor or advertiser with this site. However, they did provide a free canvas print for my evaluation in exchange for a link-back. Everything written here is my honest opinion and review of their service. Let me know if you have any questions!

I like things. Vol. 1: Cheap vanilla candles

2011-10-04T07:04:00.001-05:00

Love it or hate it, Walmart has some good deals.

First, a quick disclaimer. I'm not going to comment on Walmart's behavior as a corporate giant because I think a lot of their competitors are guilty of the same things. And I'm not going to comment on the people who shop at Walmart because I think that's too mean and pretty judgmental.

But I will say that Rob and I like shopping at Target more these days. We've discovered they have better prices in most of the things we buy regularly (kinda surprising) and better grocery selection. I also like Target's clothes and shoes a lot more.

But there are still a few specific items that we travel to Walmart to buy. Here's one of them.

Mainstays Vanilla candle, $5 for 20 oz jar

I'm always burning candles, and so I've tried quite a few over the years. I love these Mainstay vanilla candles, and here's why:

Perfect vanilla scent. You know how some vanilla scented products are too sweet and cloying? Or others are too warm and smell kind of nutty or like syrup? This is just a perfect vanilla cake scent. In fact, I've actually tricked my friends into thinking I'm baking a cake or vanilla cookies! I like to give my loved ones false hope, followed by disappointment. Hehe. Anyway, it's sort of similar to Yankee Candle's Buttercream scent, only better.
The price. $5 for a 20 oz candle! The 20 oz jar candle from Yankee Candle is $26. They also have a smaller 3 oz size for $1, if you'd like to try it first.
It's strong, but not headache inducing. Some candles don't throw their fragrance very far. Others are too strong and give me a headache. This is perfect. It's a strong fragrance. I've also tried the Better Homes & Garden vanilla candle from Walmart. It has a similar scent, but it barely throws any fragrance.
They burn a LONG time. I've had some Slatkins brand candles from Bath & Body Works, and while they are nice, they just seem to burn up too quickly. Especially for the price. These Mainstay candles burn forever. Forever! You definitely get your money's worth.
The jar packaging is nice. I like candles with lids because it's easy to put out the flame without smoking up your house. Also the label peels off easily on these ones, so you are left with a clean, clear jar.

If that's not enough reason to go buy a $5 candle, then I don't know what is.

And while we're on the topic, I just wrote a list of reasons why I love a candle. And took photos. I have truly earned my 'Blog Nerd' badge.

Easy art idea

2011-10-03T08:15:00.001-05:00

I made some quick and easy art work this weekend. I plan to include it on our photo wall. Here it is:

It's just a graphic print with outlines of North Dakota and Minnesota, with hearts on the areas where Rob and I grew up.

It was super easy to make. I saw a similar concept on Etsy. The artist had taken a print of the United States and added hearts over the cities where she'd lived. I wanted to do something similar, but less broad. So I just did a google image search for a high resolution outline map of the United States. Then I crudely cut our our states in Photoshop (I'm from ND, Rob is from MN). I liked that the border for the country was slightly different than the state borders, so I left it. Then I added a few hearts, some text, and voila! Easy art that is cute but meaningful.

I also want to have a section of our photo/art wall that pays homage to our childhood homes, as well as our first home together. So to start, I took a photo of the house I grew up in and then converted it to a line drawing (I also tweaked the contrast and black levels). See below. I plan to do the same with Rob's childhood home and our Chateau.

I've got a few other ideas up my sleeve for the photo/art wall. Stay tuned for more, as those marketing geniuses always say.

Pinterest inspiration

2011-10-02T09:39:00.000-05:00

I'm finally addressing the big wall in the dining room that so badly needs art work. We're planning on doing a photo wall like this:

From Martha Stewart

I found the image on Pinterest (see my boards here). I like photo walls in general, but I like that this one is less chaotic since the photos are aligned along an imaginary middle line. I dig.

It's going to take us a while though. For one, we don't want to buy any new frames since we have so many. But unfortunately they are not the right color. We will be doing a lot of spray painting. Then we'll have to decide which photos and/or artwork to print for the wall.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some other beautiful spaces that I discovered via Pinterest. Please view my 'Home Inspiration' board for the original sources.

Favorite iPhone apps (part 1) and a few tips I've learned

2011-10-01T13:05:00.000-05:00

Last month, I told you how I finally joined the modern world and purchased my first smart phone. So far, I really like having the functionality at my fingertips, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping a balance between work and personal life. Today I wanted to share some of my favorite (and most used/most useful) iPhone apps, as well as some tips and tricks I’ve learned. Read on.

*Note: Since I have so many photography-related apps, I think it would be more useful to do a review of everything I’ve tried. That way, I can tell you about my favorites but also compare them to other apps that are available. I’ll try to post the photography iPhone apps soon. I’ve tried a lot of ‘em!

Photography app reviews and examples coming soon

First things first, my iPhone 4 came with a few things pre-installed (if that’s the correct word), and so I didn’t need apps for the following:

Alarm clock
Weather
Maps/routing/directions

Aside from those features, here are my most-used apps:

Kindle (free) - Did you know that you can download the free Kindle app for non-Kindle devices? I didn’t, but it’s now my most-used iPhone app. I take the bus to work, and so I really like the convenience of having reading material on my phone. It’s so easy to buy Kindle e-books and send them to your phone. Kindle books are pretty affordable too. The ones I purchased have been between $4 and $10, but I did see that they have a decent collection of $1.99 options. I know a lot of people have gripes about digital form of books, but I personally have no problem with it. It’s convenient, and I like that it minimizes collecting more material items (aka more hard copy books on my already overflowing bookshelf).

Incidentally, the first 3 books I’ve read on the Kindle app were the Hunger Games trilogy. I typically like books with these kinds of themes (dystopian society, rebellion and uprising, etc in the line of 1984, Brave New World, and so on). I was surprised at first to find that these books are such an easy read. I think they are written for young adult readers, and so they are actually sort of light reading despite the dark subject matter. The story is simple to follow, and the language is clean and perhaps even elementary. Surprisingly I found that I liked this, even though it’s not my standard fare. Since I read on the bus for 20-25 minutes at a time, I need books that are easy to get into and can be picked up quickly where I last left off. Do you have any recommendations that fit this criteria? Please comment below.
Google (free) - This app just makes it easier to do a Google search. Normally you’d need to launch the Safari browser, type in the Google URL, and then type in your search key words. This saves time by spitting you out at the key word step.
Wikipedia (free) - Similar to the Google app, this is just a time-saver. When I’m out and about, I usually only do surf the Internet if I need to find an answer or look something up. For example, Rob thought Steve Van Zandt was a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. He’s not. Rob was thinking of the Van Zant brothers. But Rob was right that Steve Van Zandt was a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Instant answers to unimportant trivia questions? This iPhone is worth its weight in gold!
YouTube (free) - Same as above. Just makes it easier to quickly find a YouTube video. The last time I used this, it was to show Rob the music video for Guns’N’Roses’ “November Rain.” Wow, I had forgotten how great that video is! I’m half joking, but you have to watch it. Slash exits a church in the country and rips into a flaming guitar solo out in a field. And his guitar isn’t even plugged in! (Check it out here.)
Pinterest (free) - Are you a Pinterest addict yet? I heard about the site a seemingly long time ago, but I didn’t get into it until recently. Now I’m hooked. Some people don’t understand the appeal, and I can see how it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But I’m a visual person, and I get inspired by seeing collections/groups of things (photos, colors, etc) together. Ummm, I make design boards for fun. See what I mean? Total nerd. So I love how Pinterest makes it super easy to keep and organize visual bookmarks of things you find online. The mobile app is a great time killer. It’s pretty much the same concept as the normal website, but reformatted for mobile device viewing.

Nerd trivia: Did you know that you it’s really easy to format your own website for mobile viewing? You simply make a new CSS stylesheet with a few basic changes. Most designers convert the site content to a single-column format with a very simple bulleted list navigation at the top. Also images that are solely for design purposes (ex: background images) are usually disabled, so you only see images that are intended to be part of the web content. You can also add some tags to make things easier for the user (ex: if your site includes a phone number, you can add a tag so that the phone number becomes a link that can be clicked and called instantly).
Light (free): This is a pretty cool idea. It turns your phone into a flash light. It has a pretty impressive output too.

As you can see, most of those apps are pretty basic. Maybe a little boring, even. But they do add a lot of functionality for my particular phone uses.

Anyway, those are MY favorite iPhone apps, but of course I did some googling in search of other “best of” app lists. I found quite a few suggestions, and I downloaded most of the free ones. I haven’t had a chance to give these an in-depth try-out, but I plan on doing a "part 2" to this article once I try out a few more.

Download apps here

More tips and tricks:

Improve battery life. Turn off GPS/location settings. You will save a lot of battery life this way, and you can still easily turn on GPS settings if you want to use them (like to route directions, for example). Also turn off automatic mail updating. I have my email pushed to my phone, but it only refreshed when I open my email. This really makes a big difference.
Buy additional charging cables off Amazon at discounted rate. I ordered a few of these ones for only $1.07 each, and they work great. The Apple version is $19!
Use wi-fi whenever possible (conserves your monthly data allowance for times when you really need it).
Use a password. I know it’s annoying, but the security is worth the effort. When I decided to send my work email to my phone, I knew I’d need a password, just in case the phone is ever stolen.

Whew. This was a pretty long post, but I hope it was informative and helpful. Remember to comment below and tell me your favorite apps and your favorite books.

Anniversary

2011-09-26T07:55:00.013-05:00

It was three years ago today. I made the best decision of my life and married Rob Whitman.

Inevitably, many people talk about the bride at a wedding. But much of the feedback I heard on my wedding day was about the expression on my new husband's face. People said he was the happiest groom they'd ever seen, and that he couldn't stop smiling. I loved hearing it then, and I love remembering it now.

And I'm pretty sure I was the happiest bride.

I love being married to Rob. Occasionally I write super sappy blog posts about my husband and how I feel about him. But this year, I am having a hard time putting it into words. Life has been amazing since I met him, but somehow it gets better each year. I didn't think we could possibly feel closer and have a deeper connection than we had a year ago, but we do.

Sometimes I try to do something to show how much I care. I made him a cookbook for his birthday:

I dedicated my Master's degree thesis to him:

But somehow it never seems like enough. And I know this blog post won't be enough either. But I'll keep going.

Since I can't find the right words to describe Rob, let's talk about our marriage.

One thing I love about our marriage is that we talk about everything. EVERYTHING. This is especially good because we can easily talk about things that are bothering us or things we might want to make better, without the other person getting defensive or feeling like we're making something into a bigger deal than it should be. I've heard other couples say that they are sometimes afraid to bring up feelings about a small issue because it may seem like they are overreacting or making it into a big deal. But when you talk about everything, nothing is really a big deal. In fact, it makes it pretty easy to conquer any problem, no matter how small or large. Not that we have a lot of problems - I actually think we have an alarmingly small number of problems as a couple, and I think that's a direct result of our open communication.

Sometimes we talk about changes we'd like to make to our lifestyle. Sometimes we talk about things we want to do when we're elderly. Sometimes we talk about our daily observations or what happened at work. Sometimes we talk about how the Counting Crows are underrated. Sometimes we talk about football or P90x. We never seem to run out of things to talk about.

We don't fight about money. We were told this is one of the biggest issues to overcome as a young, married couple. But we set up the fun money budget plan (read details here), and so it's been a total non-issue for us.

We spend a lot of time together. Most people say that couples need autonomy, and each person should maintain their individual independence. And we do. We each have our own hobbies and interests, and we spent time apart or with our friends. But I can honestly say that everything is better with Rob. There's no one I'd rather be with, no matter what I'm doing.

We have been together almost every day since we met, more than five years ago. And it still doesn't feel like enough. When we spend time apart, we miss each other.

We encourage each other to try new things and explore our passions. Rob convinced me to buy a camera, and photography has become my favorite thing to do. I encourage Rob when he plays guitar and writes songs. I help him plan and execute DIY projects. Make things. Fix things... and I tell him how proud I am of the finished product. And he makes me feel like everything I do has value and meaning. There's no place for fear of failure in our marriage.

We make decisions together, always. Whether they are big or small. We always consider the other's opinion (and feelings), and we easily compromise when needed. There's no place for stubbornness, control battles, or egos in our marriage.

When I'm upset, Rob always knows the right thing to say. And sometimes the right thing to say is not saying anything at all. Earlier this year, I received a call that my grandfather had died. I cried and cried and somehow choked out some words about what I was feeling - things I remembered about my grandpa and the kind of man he was. And Rob just hugged me as tightly as he could and let me talk as I sobbed. He didn't say a word. When he finally stopped hugging me and pulled back for a second, I saw that he had tears in his eyes too. I've never seen him cry before, but he nearly broke down when he saw me in pain. I can't believe I am loved that much.

Speaking of love... Sometimes we annoy people with our public displays of affection. I make no apologies.

He doesn't particularly like having his photo taken, but he puts up with it. For me. And maybe for the kisses.

He makes me laugh, constantly. At least once a day, he makes me laugh so hard that I have tears in my eyes. He is the funniest person I know.

I don't know what else to say. I don't know how I got so lucky or why Rob loves me so much. It doesn't quite seem fair. But I do know that I will continue to try and be the best wife I can be, and try to show him how much I appreciate him. Every day. It's the least I can do.

I love you, husband. And I promise I always will. That's all I have to say about that.

More posts about us:

Impulse buy gone wrong

2011-09-20T07:31:00.001-05:00

We should know better than to make an impulse buy like this.

Rob and I were at Target last weekend, when something with a red clearance tag caught our eye. It was a faux leather arm chair recliner with, get this, built-in massagers! Seemed like a great idea to me. And it was marked down to $99. Yes, please.

We've already been talking about possibly getting an arm chair in the dining room, and this had the look we were going for. It is similar to this club chair recliner, which retails for $300.

We brought it home and eagerly opened the box. Disappointment. The box clearly shows a chocolate brown chair, and the description also reads "warm chocolate brown color." But when we opened the box, we saw the fabric was straight-up black. And believe me - we made sure of it. We have both black and brown leather items in our house, so it was easy to compare and see the difference. This chair was NOT brown and therefore didn't match our existing furniture.

So back to the store it went. We didn't even bother to check if it was a mistake or if all of the "warm chocolate brown" chairs are actually black. We decided we really didn't need this wacky massage chair anyway. And incidentally, I can't find this item online anywhere (I wanted to read reviews to make sure the massage motors don't burn out quickly or that there aren't any other known problems to consider).

We usually read reviews and carefully consider every purchase. This time, we let the little red clearance tag sway us from our normal logic.

Lesson learned. No impulse buys.

In other weekend news, I also came down with some type of flu (boo). Hope you're all feeling well and had a better weekend than I did.

Over and out.

Changes to the office/spare bedroom

2011-09-18T18:48:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of the Winchester Mystery House? Rob and I toured it a few years ago when we visited my sister-in-law in California. The house is a tourist attraction with an interesting story. To quote wikipedia, "According to popular belief, [the owner, Sarah Winchester] thought the house was haunted by the ghosts of the people who fell victim to Winchester rifles, and that only continuous construction would appease them." Therefore Sarah kept the house under construction for more than 38 years. She just kept starting new projects. Consequently the house has some goofy features, like staircases that go nowhere, doors that open into walls, and so on.

I'm starting to think our home office/spare bedroom suffers from a similar phenomenon. It seems to constantly undergo changes and redesigns. In the 2+ years we've lived here, this room has had more transformations than any other room in our house.We can't seem to finish this room because we keep changing our mind. Here's an older post that shows many previous renditions of the room, for background.

And here's the most recent change.

We removed our old Ikea Malm bed and replaced it with the Ikea Hemnes daybed/trundle bed.

We scored a great deal on this piece on craigslist (where else?). We'd been planning on buying this bed for a while. We like it because it it has so many functions:

It provides seating in the office. Sometimes we watch movies in this room on the computer (which sits opposite the bed). It's a pretty comfy movie movie zone now.
It can sleep 2 people when we have guests. The bottom drawers pull out, and you then have a king-size bed platform. We still need to get a 2nd twin mattress in order to do this, and the two mattresses would be stacked when the bed is in twin-size mode.
It has built-in storage since the three drawers pull out. I'm currently using them to store our extra bed linens and blankets.
Some day (waaaaay off in the future), when we decide to start a family, it will be a good piece of furniture for a child's room. It even matches a lot of other glossy white furniture pieces we already own.

We also like that it's got a smaller foot print, so the office seems more open now.

Before (old Malm bed):

After (new Hemnes bed):

So much more room!
Note: I took the chair out for the photos because it was in the way.

For now, we picked up a blue patterned twin size sheet at Target and just threw in some pillows that we already had. It looks alright for now, I think.

You might notice the haphazard and unbalanced art work in this room. That's because the art is covering small holes or areas of the wall that need to some putty and plaster. We haven't painted this room yet, so we are just covering the imperfections for now. But we have plans to paint, putty, and I've already started on some new art work.

It's coming together.

More office/spare bedroom plans coming soon.

The best (and easiest) design tip I know

2011-09-15T19:18:00.007-05:00

Today I'm going to share my best and easiest design tip. In fact, you're going to laugh at how easy it is. Ready?

Look at this window. Try to overlook the unfinished and sparse dining room:

It looks like a decently sized window.

But it's actually only this big:

I hung the curtains wide so they actually hang on the sides of the window frame. This tricks the eye into thinking it's a bigger window.

Seriously, this little change can make a big difference.

Here's another example. This is in our spare bedroom. This isn't the best example because the curtains are sheer, and because I usually hang them higher too. I haven't had a chance to move/replace the current curtain holders that came with the house.

Curtains hung normally:

Curtains hung wide:

We even did this upstairs in our attic bedroom.

Why are bigger windows better? Many people prefer large windows in there home because they add more natural light, but I also think they provide more scale and balance to your rooms. Having tiny windows is like having tiny furniture in a large space - it feels awkward and disrupts the balance in the room.

Credit - I first learned of this trick from HGTV's "Design on a Dime." I've also seen the concept on popular blogs like Young House Love.

Give it a try!

On an unrelated note, this is why I love working from home (which I do one day a week): I get to prepare lunch in my own kitchen! I didn't feel like cooking today, so I just whipped up a plate of misc. things we had in the fridge. It was a little weak in the vegetable area, but still very yummy!

Don't critique the photo - it was taken with my phone.

(clockwise from top)
Smoked salmon
Fresh raspberries
Wild game jerky (courtesy of my dad)
Sharp cheddar cheese
Slice of summer sausage
Aged cheese (has some sort of balsamic coating, very good)
Fresh spinach

Question: What is your favorite thing to pack for lunch? I bring my lunch most days, so I am always looking for new ideas. I especially like to hear about leftovers that reheat well. What say you, Internet?

Adventures in clothing alterations

2011-09-13T07:19:00.000-05:00

I have a confession. I’ve never altered a single clothing item. Not even my wedding dress.

Is that unusual? I think I always just assumed you bought clothes that sorta fit, and did the best you could with it. That means shirts are sometimes loose, and pants are sometimes a little too long. It wasn’t until recently that I started to think otherwise. I recently read a blog article where Clinton Kelly from the TV show “What Not To Wear” said that almost everything on the show or worn by celebrities is tailored. Everything. To quote the original blogger, "Jeans, blazers, dresses - everything right down to plain t-shirts and camisoles." He said he recommends buying items that fit your widest part and then altering them to fit you perfectly. What a novel concept! Maybe it’s because I grew up in the great plains of North Dakota and am light years away from being labeled a fashionista, but this concept blew my mind.

This revelation caused me to reevaluate my current wardrobe, and more specifically - my jeans. most of my jeans are a bit too long, so I have to wear them with higher heels or cuff them. But wouldn't it be nice to have jeans that were the proper length for my mid-range heels or even flats?

My friend recommended a good tailor that she found in a nearby suburb. She said the woman has affordable rates and does an awesome job. I'm not sure what it would cost to hem a pair of jeans, but I was strongly considering paying the tailor a visit. I was still a bit nervous. I *like* my jeans, despite them being too long, and I don’t want them to get messed up if the alterations are not what I expected. But I couldn’t shake the idea that it would be REALLY nice to be able to wear flats or tennis shoes too. Everyone who knows me knows that I truly value comfort. But I still wasn’t sold on the idea of trusting someone else with my treasured garments. I’d much rather do it myself, but I just don’t know.

Enter my friend Georgia. Georgia is pretty much a whiz with the sewing machine. She’s made a few cool things (like this and this). So I asked her if she’d be able to help me shorten my jeans. To my delight, she said “of course” and came over.

I have an inexpensive Singer sewing machine that I picked up when we bought our house. I envisioned myself saving bundles of money by sewing our curtains and pillow cases and various other home product. Sadly, I never really learned how to use the machine. Sure, I took home economics class in 8th grade, but that was a long time ago! I just wasn’t confident to tackle this kind of thing on my own. I’m grateful for Georgia’s help in this adventure. And by "help" I mean she pretty much did all the work while I provided moral support and entertainment. She even brought her own sewing machine, and we set up shop in the dining room. Our large dining room table works well for this sort of thing.

There are some good resources online which lay out the process for shortening pants. This one one was particularly useful to us because it shows how to shorten while keeping the original hem (which I think looks better than just folding and sewing a new hem). Basically you pin the jeans where you'd like the new hem to be. Then you measure the distance that you would be shortening the pants. Divide that number in half. Don't include the distance between the edge of the pants and the original hem. Then stitch. Depending on how much you are shortening the pants, you will have an interior flap that you can either cut off, iron flat, or tack a few stitches in to keep the edge from folding up.

This technique worked out well. Here's a before and after photo of one pair of the jeans. The difference may seem subtle from the front...

... but take a look at the side and back. My jeans no longer drag on the floor!

And check out this photo of the newly altered pants. You can't tell that the hem has been altered at all. I'm impressed. Good job, Georgia!

I'm so happy with my jeans now. This experience has opened my mind to the world of clothing alterations. I think I'll be more likely to go to a tailor or try my hand (with Georgia's help) at adjusting future clothing purchases. Maybe I'll even take a hard look at my current wardrobe and see if anything can be improved. It can't hurt, right? Especially since the cost of this upgrade (can I call it an upgrade?) was virtually nothing. We only needed some thread, pins, and our existing sewing machines. Pretty cool.

As always, comments and discussion are welcome. Do you you alter your clothes? Do you have any advice for a newbie like me? Let's hear it!

Caption this photo

2011-09-12T07:57:00.002-05:00

I was taking some pics for a different post when I noticed Murphy laying on the floor near me. He had an odd expression on his face... sort of contemplative and also sort of forlorn. So I turned the camera to face him, and snapped this one. I tried to think of a clever/witty caption for it, but I'm coming up empty handed.

To be honest, I'm just amazed that the photo even worked since it was so dark. I had to notch my shutter speed down to 1/25, which is typically photograph suicide when I'm shooting the Murphy.

f/2
1/25 second
ISO 400
50mm

Hence, I invite you to caption this photo. There's no prize for the best caption (sorry 'bout it), but it will be entertaining (for me). What say you, Internet?

You can click the photo for a larger view

We're back, baby! (Plus some cool free stuff)

2011-09-11T15:50:00.010-05:00

Blog posts have been sparse for the last couple months. To put it simply, we had a lot going on. Because I am a fan of lists (which doesn't really make much sense on paper since right-brain thinkers aren't supposed to be the list-makers), here's a little snapshot of what's been keeping us from blogging. (I say "us" because Rob does post occasionally. I promise.)

We bought a newer car and had some problems with it (it was in the mechanic's shop for a full work week, on two separate occasions). That's stressful.
Even more stressful - we had a sick dog for a while. He had an impacted gland that became infected. Yes, it really is as gross as it sounds.It's pretty heart-breaking to have a sick pet. He had to wear one of those Elizabethan collars for two weeks and was on antibiotics for almost 4 weeks. He's doing a lot better now, thankfully.
I made two trips to North Dakota to visit family. I've discovered that I'm not made for traveling. A few days away from home really wears me out!
I've been preoccupied with work, family, and I found out I'm lactose-intolerant, which explains a lot of recurring illnesses throughout my life. So we've spent some time experimenting and revamping our diet and some lifestyle habits. Good changes, but they do take time.

There were other things too, but you get the idea. The thing about this blog is that I always intended it to be a fun, creative outlet, but also a way to share our house (and life) projects with our friends and family (especially those out of state). It's been a public journal of sorts, documenting our first few years of marriage and house ownership. And I love looking back at old posts and remembering details that we'd long since forgotten. I like having a blog, and I like writing in general. But I just haven't felt motivated lately. Sadly, I didn't even feel like taking photos, and my camera sat in its case untouched for the better part of two months. That's very unusual for me.

However, whatever was killing my motivation seems gone now, as I've had many creative bursts and can't wait to share all of it here. To anyone who's stuck around over the last couple dry months, I thank you. Here's a taste of some ideas I've got floating around and intend to share here:

Smarter solutions for home organization
A BIG art project
More spray painting (yay!)
A mini room redesign and plans for a larger design
Canvas art prints
My first experiences with clothing alterations
Some healthy meals that we are enjoying
Plans for upcoming house projects
Photography tutorials? Is anyone interested in this topic?

Anyway, as you can see, I've got a lot of ideas jotted down. I wish I had a whole month off work to get things done! I am feeling energetic too. I signed up for a watercolor class, a couples dance seminar with Rob, and am doing an NFL football picks league.

I am going to wrap this up and go spray paint some picture frames (and I'm not just painting them glossy white, like I usually do). I leave you with some fun things I've found online recently. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do:

Free e-book: 5 ingredient meals from Stonesoup
Music Beta by Google. Upload 20,000 songs and then access your music remotely. Plus get free songs. (I requested an invite and had one by the next day)
Free album: Wugazi. A few local musicians teamed up to make a game-changing remix/mash-up of Fugazi and Wu Tang Clan. You have to hear it to believe it.
Adobe Muse: Design websites without writing code. It's Adobe's latest, and you can download a beta version to try it out. It's a little too basic for me, but I think would be a great resource for anyone new to making websites. The beta version is free until at least 2012 when they release the live product (which will then be available by subscription, $15 a month). I think Adobe is wise to cash in on the software-as-a-service business model. Recurring revenue is the way to go.

Over and out.
-kristi

My first smartphone - background and review

2011-09-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

This is almost embarrassing to admit, but until a couple weeks ago, I never owned a smartphone. Crazy, no? Maybe it’s not crazy for some, but look at my background. I worked in IT and as a web designer for more than 6 years. I currently work at a technology company. I’m a total nerd about computers. Yet I avoided purchasing a smartphone for quite some time.

Keep reading to see why I chose an iPhone.

Part of my hesitation was fueled by money and budget considerations. Smartphones require data plans, and that can easily add $25-30 onto your monthly cell phone bill. You may recall from earlier frugal-living posts that Rob and I have a basic cell phone plan in which we share minutes. So thus far, our monthly bills have been quite low in comparison to others we know. We weren’t sure if it was worth the added cost each month.

But then recently, a family member fell ill, and Rob and I decided to spend some time with family in my home state of North Dakota. The problem is that this situation occurred during a very busy time for me at work. I work on a very small team, and I really didn’t want us to fall behind because I was out of office. Now one huge benefit of my job (that is not lost on me) is that I can do a lot of my work remotely, as long as I have access to the Internet and phone. So I decided to use some PTO time and also work remotely for a few hours here and there in order to stay on top of my workload while I was away. The problem with this is that my parents and grandparents only have dial-up Internet. I can’t access most of my work systems (and definitely can’t remotely connect to my work computer) on a dial-up connection without a lot of frustration and failure. Many websites time out before I can connect to them, and whole thing is an exercise in patience. It’s nearly impossible for me to be productive on a dial-up Internet connection.

There’s the option of wi-fi on my laptop, but North Dakota is different than a metro area like Minneapolis. Minneapolis has city-wide wi-fi or free wi-fi from a variety of businesses, coffee shops, etc. Not the case in ND. This situation finally gave me the push to pull the trigger and get a smartphone so I’d be able to access the Internet whenever I pleased.

To be honest, I had been considering one for the past year, but was nervous about more than just the costs. Smartphones are kind of intimidating. It seems like there’s a lot to learn about each specific model before you can use them with ease, and I am a total newbie, which didn’t help. I started researching to find out which phone would work best for me. I initially decided on the Droid 3. There are many things that sounded great about the Droid. It has a qwerty keyboard, an 8 megapixel camera, and I’d read that it is considered one of the better smartphones for doing business work (email, documents, etc). Also as a former member of a web development team, I liked the Android platform. On paper, the Droid 3 seemed like the perfect phone for me.

But then I tried it out in the store. It was larger than I expected, and I found the user interface to be cumbersome and unintuitive. The 8 megapixel camera was basically useless as the sensor was so tiny that the photos were very grainy and dull. If you are a Droid lover, I don’t mean to criticize the phone and realize it’s probably perfect for many people. But for my needs and what I was looking for, it just wasn’t for me.

Then I tried the iPhone 4 and fell in love. It was sooo easy to use, and the camera (despite only being 5 megapixels) was a million times better than the Droid’s. As you may know, I’m a camera nerd and have 2 DLR cameras, so I don’t expect my cell phone to replace my “real” cameras. But I did want one that was decent enough quality to snap some pics in my day-to-day life. My cell phone provider had a pretty good deal going on, so I went home with an iPhone 4.

My review after the first couple weeks of owning an iPhone? I can’t imagine how I survived so long without it. I love the camera and the fun photography apps. It’s so easy to snap a pic, apply a fun filter, and then email it to friends or post on Facebook.

Some of my photography apps

A few photos taken with the free app Instagram (my current favorite):

Rob cutting my grandma's pasture in North Dakota

A photo of me, snapped by Rob

Out the car window, driving to North Dakota

It was also a very easy phone to learn. I didn’t read a single page in the manual, but I had learned how to do pretty much everything within the first few hours of owning it. It’s *that* intuitive. I’ve never been a big fan of Apple products in general (sour taste after dealing with Mac computers in the computer labs I used to manage), but I have to give them props. They really nailed it on the iPhone interface.

I set up my work email as well as my gmail account to be routed to the phone, and so far, it’s working out great. I did change my settings so that my email accounts won’t update until I manually push them (this saves a great deal of battery life). This makes it easy to keep a work and life balance because I’m not constantly seeing notifications about new emails. But if I WANT to, the option to check work email is there. I enjoy this feature when I’ve got a few minutes to spare and want to get caught up on anything that may have happened after I left work. Very convenient. I also synced my calendars.

I was initially very worried about the lack of a qwerty keyboard since I wanted the ability to read and reply to emails on the fly. I was surprised to find that the touch screen keyboard was actually very easy to use. I was even more surprised to discover that I liked it MORE than the qwerty keyboard type. I guess it’s true that you sometimes don’t know what you like until you try a few to compare.

A throwback to my old Java class.

I’ve downloaded a number of apps and will write a post soon about my favorites/most useful apps. But if you have an iPhone and know of some that are must-haves, please by all means comment below.

So many apps, so little time.

And finally - a word about data plans. I was pretty skeptical about having a limited number of gigs each month, but my cell provider doesn’t offer any unlimited plans. I was surprised to learn that most smartphone users use less than 2 gigs per month (our salesman said 95% of their customers use less than 2, but citation needed if you’re a skeptic like me). I get a LOT of email at work, with sometimes large attachments, and I also wanted to stream music and watch YouTube videos. But the overage charges were not too bad ($10 per gig over), so we decided to start out with the basic 2 gig plan. After a month of owning my phone, I have only used 0.229GB of 2.000GB. Isn’t that crazy?? I’m glad to learn that I won’t need to ration my Internet use.

Tip: If you connect to a wi-fi network, you don’t need to use your data plan. Pretty awesome.

So that's why I chose an iPhone. So far, I couldn't be happier. Again, comments welcome regarding your favorite iPhone apps, tips and tricks, or even just insight as to why you chose another phone (Rob's still on the fence about which phone he would get if he upgraded, so we welcome all opinions and insight).

Outside of my comfort zone

2011-08-21T14:00:00.001-05:00

My sister-in-law Ann recently asked me for some help in re-designing her apartment. Yes please! As you know, I love to nerd out over this kind of thing. But the catch is that Ann has a totally different style than me. I prefer neutral shades and soothing tones. Ann loves color and contrast and drama. So it was a pretty fun project to work on.

Ultimately, Ann decided to wait on purchasing any decor or furniture since she has accepted a teaching position in France. With moving and all, it didn't make much sense. But it will still fun (for both of us) to share links and ideas and plan for future apartments.

Whenever I help anyone with a home design, I ask them to send me some inspiration photos. Just photos of things they like. This helps me figure out the best way to start building a design. Here are some things that Ann sent me.

Ann liked this frame wall (photo is from the SATC movie set):

Photo source

This painted side table from Etsy:

This pretty awesome coffee table, also from Etsy:

The colors and pattern shown here:

Photo source

Patterned chair from Overstock:

This entire room from HGTV:

Another accent chair from Overstock:

This desk from Target:

And a bunch of different art pieces from Etsy (I won't post them all here).

I got to work creating a colorful design that included as many aspects of the above photos as possible. Here's my first stab at it:

I used Ann's existing futon and newly purchased gray Ikea rug (very inexpensive at only $19.99 for a 4x6). I found an accent chair to tie in with the gray rug. I threw in some colorful pillows, a photo/artwork collage (with painted turquoise frames), some painted green side tables, green tile curtains for the kitchen (to tie in with the green in the attached living room), a yellow striped rug to ground the desk area, a candy apple green chair for the desk (retro and cool), some matching turquoise lamps for symmetry, and finally a colorful tea pot (just for fun).

You'll notice I left wall color out of the equation. Since my sister-in-law is a renter, painting the walls is not always an option. Therefore I looked to furniture and accessories to really bring in the pops of color.

Ann thought it was a good start, but wanted even MORE color and contrast. Wow! So back to the old drawing board...

This time, I put a loveseat with neutral couch cover instead of the futon (Ann has an older floral patterned loveseat). I put in a red accent chair and some more colorful pillows. I made the photo collage a little less symmetrical using different sized frames. I added a dramatic damask pattern rug for the kitchen and some painted red stools. And I kept the colorful tea pot, but made it yellow this time instead of turquoise. I think Ann liked this design quite a bit.

Of course this design building was all just for fun anyway since Ann is moving to France, as I mentioned. But it was a pretty interesting exercise for me - designing a room with bright colors rather than just safe neutrals.

Here's some other design boards that I've made for readers and friends.

Bedroom design for Jordana:

Living room for Jessica:

Kitchen design for Jamie:

And probably my favorite design board, a bedroom I designed for another blog's "Mood Board Monday" contest:

By the way, if you're into making collages like this (aka if you're a nerd like me), then you really need to check out Pinterest. I know it's all the rage for bloggers right now, but it's with good reason. For visual people (like yours truly), it's a super easy way to grab/bookmark inspirational things for later. I absolutely love it. You can check out my pinboards here. And if you're already a Pinterest user, please leave a comment below so I can follow you.

Bye for now!

News of the world (or at least, news of OUR world)

2011-07-23T11:22:00.015-05:00

Kayaking

I went kayaking for the first time last weekend! It was quite an adventure.

We drove to a place a few hours away in Wisconsin (near Lake Superior) and did a 10-mile river rapids course. Rob has gone a few times before, so he was a lot more confident than I was (this is probably why he selected their most difficult route, which has level 3 rapids). Once in the kayak, I got off to a somewhat rocky start (pun intended). I ended up tipping myself on some large rocks. If you've never been kayaking, let me tell that it's very scary when you tip and can't get out of your kayak right away. I tipped in pretty shallow water filled with deep rocks, so I couldn't just swing myself back upright; I had to pull the elastic kayak skirt and swim out. Luckily I made it with just a few scratches and some new-found determination to make the rest of the journey without tipping. I'm proud to say I did it, but it was quite a workout. We spent around 4 and a half hours muscling the river. It was one of the most physically intense things I've done in my entire life.

I'm really fortunate that we were able to get some fun pics to document the adventure. We actually decided to take our changes and buy an inexpensive plastic case for our travel camera. You know, this one:

I've shown that camera so many times on the blog. It's because we use it a lot!Despite being a Sony d-slr advocate, I highly recommend Canon's Powershot compact cameras. We're thinking about upgrading since we've had this once since 2007, but it's still going strong. So why not keep using it?

The case we bought was $25, and it's called a DicaPac.

It doesn't fit perfectly, but it works just fine for our purposes. And it truly is water proof (not just water resistant). We figured that out when I tipped, and it was completely submerged for several minutes, hanging from a tie cord from inside the kayak. Note to beginners, always secure all of your things to the kayak in case you do tip. The river current is way too strong to go chasing after your belongings. Trust me.

Anyway here's a few pics from the trip:

A calm section of the river:

Stopping for a break on a sand bar:

Then Rob decided it would be fun to try and film some short videos. Here's one of our favorites. Note how serious I am about keeping my kayak going straight forward (I'm in the red kayak). That's the sure-fire way to avoid tipping! Rob kept getting turned around because he was holding the camera and therefore not paddling or steering. It makes for a pretty funny clip. I apologize in advance for the quality of this video, but you gotta give him a break - he was kayaking at the time. It's entertaining, nonetheless.

Other highlights of the trip:

Having a bear stumble into our campsite at night (no joke!)
100 degree weather
Testing out our new tent
First road trip with our new vehicle

That leads me to my next bit of news:

Big purchase

Rob and I made the 2nd largest purchase of our lives. No. 1 would be the house, obviously, and now we finally sprang for what I'm calling our first "grown up car."

It's a silver 2008 Ford Escape with around 30k miles on it:

I seriously love this thing. Rob had to remind me that it's "just a piece of machinery" because he thought my emotions were too strong for a material object. Ok, ok. Point taken. But this is such an awesome vehicle. We traded in our Nissan Versa (which I really didn't like) and were lucky to get a good trade-in value. Couple that with a great deal on the Escape plus low interest rate on the loan (due to many years of hard work developing good credit), and we came out pretty well in the whole deal.

I love that the car is a smooth ride and isn't gigantic (for an SUV), but it has enough room for all our camping gear as well as our 125-pound dog. It gets decent gas mileage for an SUV, but to be honest, we don't drive very much at all. I take the bus to work, and Rob works less than 10 miles away. So when it came to car shopping, the gas mileage was important, but it's wasn't the highest priority. On the topic of priorities, here were mine:

Must have 4wd (we live in Minnesota, enough said)
Must be large enough to support our outdoor activities, dog, and a possible future family
Must have under 100k miles logged

That's it. I'm not too picky, as you can see. I could care less about bells and whistles or newness or leather seats. In fact, we PREFER cloth seats on account of our dog. Anyway we were able to find something with much lower mileage (but still in our budget) that also has some really nice features. There's a moon roof, a code pad for keyless entry (awesome for when we go canoeing and don't want to carry keys with us), and a direct output for our iPods. I couldn't be happier.

Since this is the most expensive car we've ever owned, I feel a few disclaimers are needed. You may know that we're notoriously frugal when it comes to cars (we've been known to pay cash for older cars we find on Craigslist). In fact, Rob has never visited a mechanic in his life. He does all of the car work himself. Thanks to free resources like the Internet, he's able to troubleshoot and fix most problems. (Knock on wood - I don't want to jinx us.) We also don't buy brand new cars (read why here).

That said, we're super happy with our Escape and can't wait to try it out this winter in the snow and ice.

Since I ride the bus to work, Rob is driving the Escape on a day-to-day basis. Our 2nd vehicle isn't used very much, but it's very handy when we need to haul or move anything big. It's a 1999 Dodge Ram. This is one of those aforementioned Craigslist scores that we paid cash for.

Despite it being 12 years old, it's got under 100,000 miles logged and is still going strong. The only bummer is that it doesn't have air conditioning. I've had to take it a few places in the past week, and temps here have been in the 100s. Ah well. I'm tough (see the kayaking video above for proof). :)

Featured

Finally, in the news of the day, we were recently featured on Apartment Therapy's Re-Nest site, which is very exciting. Apartment Therapy is one of the biggest blogs out there, so I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. You can read about it here, but they did a short article about leaving a note for the next homeowner and used our message behind the medicine cabinet example. We had a big spike in web traffic after that. So if you're a new reader, welcome! If you're an old reader, thanks for sticking around. Blog posts have been a bit sporadic lately, but I think we're getting back into the swing of things.

Hope everyone's having a great summer so far. Talk to you soon.

I hope that someone gets my... message in a bathroom mirror?

2011-07-10T10:49:00.009-05:00

I hope you were singing the Police song "Message in a Bottle" when you read this blog title. Because I sure am singing it as I write this.

Anyway I recently posted about how we finished our mini bathroom renovation (read about it here). I forgot to include one detail, so I thought I'd share it now.

We decided to hide a letter to future owners of this house. Why? No reason other than we think it's a cute thing to do, and we think it would fun if a future owner found it while doing a hardcore renovation (like we just did).

When we pulled the nasty old bathroom mirror and medicine cabinet, we saw the perfect place to hide a note.

Here's Rob nailing it into place:

It's a simple business-sized envelope addressed to "Current Home Owners."

Now it's hidden away under all this:

Since we put in a more modern mirror and cabinet, who knows how long it will be before this bathroom gets torn up again?

You may recall, this isn't the first time that we've left our mark (secretly) during a renovation project. If a future home owner takes down the drywall and insulation in the basement, they will find this:

And in case you're curious, here's what we wrote in the letter.

//////////

Hello current home owners!

We are Rob and Kristi, a couple of first time home owners in our 20s. We bought this house shortly after being married in 2008. We are hiding this note behind the bathroom medicine cabinet in the hopes that a future owner of this home will find it.

We hope that you will love this house as much as we have. We have worked very hard over the last couple years to make this house a personal retreat that brings us joy and comfort whenever we’re at home. You should be happy to know that we’ve given 100% to each project we’ve done here, and that we never took shortcuts or the easy/cheap way out. (Too bad we can’t say the same for the previous owners. They made some questionable “upgrades” that we’ve had to fix. Live and learn.)

Since buying the house, we’ve completely demolished the basement, adding a waterproof sealant, insulation, and drywall to make it into a truly livable space, when before it was just cold concrete blocks in the ground. We also installed laminate wood floors and built a storage room. We have replaced the furnace, water heater, gas range, refrigerator, and dishwasher. We ripped up old carpet to expose the original wood floors, and painted all of the rooms in soothing neutral colors. We’ve fixed leaky pipes and installed a shut-off valve to make your plumbing maintenance easier. We also built the six-foot wooden privacy fence in the back yard to contain our 125 pound lab/rottweiler mix Murphy; hopefully the fence is still standing.

You are finding this note on account of our most recent project - a bathroom renovation. We spent several days scraping through 50+ years of aging painted wallpaper and peeling paint in order to prep the walls for a smooth and satiny fresh coat of paint. We removed all of the old caulk around the tub, sink, and toilet and replaced it with a clean and fresh seal. We also put in a new medicine cabinet and light fixture. Depending on when you read this note, they may look horribly outdated. But we assure you, in 2011, these choices were modern and fresh.

If you ever tear down the walls in the basement, you will find that we painted the words “Chateau Whitman” on the concrete blocks. That’s the affectionate label that we gave this place (Whitman is our last name). We currently have a website, www.chateauwhitman.com, where we document our lives and home renovation projects. If the site still exists, you are welcome to see a piece of the house’s history, as told through our eyes.

We hope this note finds you in happiness and good health. Please enjoy your home. We sure did, when it was ours.

Regards,
Rob and Kristi Whitman
May 28 2011

//////////

Back to the good life

2011-07-02T10:23:00.007-05:00

We've been going camping this year. We weren't able to camp much the last couple summers because I was working full time and going to grad school. That meant my weekends were mostly spent doing homework and attending classes. Pretty lame, if you ask me. So now we're trying to make up for lost time.

Here's some photos from a few June trips.

Note: I'm getting to know my old camera again. There's no way I'd take my nice camera out in the woods. So far, I'm digging the time spent with this old friend.

Bathroom remodel - finished!

2011-06-10T07:28:00.007-05:00

It took me a while to get the post written and photos uploaded, but I can finally report back on the bathroom remodel project.

Three days of work, and five trips to Home Depot later, we are done with the bathroom project! Well, almost done. There's just a couple minor finishing details. Let me try to give you a break down on how the project went. I've got a lot to say, but I won't make you wait for the before and after. Here's a quick preview, with many more pics scattered throughout the rest of the blog post:

We plan on putting some thin molding around the ceiling border to hide the uneven lines.

Pre-weekend work
Last week on Monday, Rob did some preliminary work with taking down the old wall and ceiling texture and 50+ years of old paint. So we made our first trip of many to Home Depot. I tried to keep receipts so I could do an accurate total of how much the project cost us. However I forgot to keep first receipt from that Monday. I can recall a few things we bought, and their rough costs:

Respirator ** ($29)
Orange paint stripper ($10)
Metal scrapers for taking down paint ($7 x 3 = $21)
Grout cleaner/Sunfinic acid ($5)
Grout paint/sealer ($11)

** We decided it was necessary for Rob to wear a respirator when he sanded down the walls since there was no doubt lead-based paint in the older layers, not to mention whatever else might live in old walls. We didn't want to risk it. $29 is a small price to pay.

Thumbs up for safety

Rob worked on some of the paint removal on Monday since he had the day off, and then we let the bathroom sit and wait until the three-day weekend. On Friday, we both worked our normal 9-to-5s. (Note: Does anyone actually work a 9-to5 anymore? Rob works a 6-2 and I work a 7-4 or 7:30-4:30.) Then we came home and went to Home Depot to get the rest of our supplies. Or at least, we tried to get the rest of our supplies. Here's what we bought this time:

1 can white ceiling paint ($23.44)
1 can Behr paint plus primer in Antique Leather ($29.94 - $5 rebate = $24.94)
Two sponges, I think for sanding plaster ($6.94)
10 pack painting tray liners ($4.97)
Plastic paint spout ($0.99) - this was a rip off and did not work. A dollar wasted.
Vanity light fixture ($59.97)
Recessed medicine cabinet ($29.97)

We went home, and Rob started sanding the walls down to try and make them as even as possible. At this point, we realized that the ceiling would never look completely even (oh, the joys of living in an older house), so we decided that we'd do some subtle texture (think "sand" rather than "popcorn") to help disguise the slight unevenness and other imperfections. After Rob finished sanding, we both used the metal scrapers to go around the tile edges and remove paint. The previous owners didn't really believe in taking off tile, so they had a lot of built up paint in various colors along the edges.

Satisfied with our prep work to that point, so went to bed for the night.

Day 1 - Saturday
This weekend project started out feeling a bit daunting. There was just so much to do, and we weren't exactly sure where to start. Rob removed all of the door trim and I took them outside to lightly sand them in prep for painting. All of the trim had some light lacquer on it, so this was a necessary step, and kind of an annoying one, if you ask me. While I sanded, Rob worked on sanding down a few more areas of the walls. He then used our friend Dry Dex Spackling (which saved our kitchen project) to fill in particularly bad areas, cracks, and nail holes. We already had a can of this on hand, but I would guess it cost $6 or $7.

We had to wait for the spackling to dry, so we headed back to Home Depot to get some other things we'd thought of.

Lawn mower (not related to this project of course, but we needed to buy one since our old one broke this week)
Ceiling texture, Behr Sand Finish ($27.84)
3 pack painting drop cloths ($5.28)
Shur-Line paint rollers, 3 pack ($8.87)

We came home, and Rob sanded down the spackle and then we cleaned up the room (vacuumed all the dust, etc) to get started with the paint. I started to paint the ceiling texture while Rob started ripping out the old caulk around the tub, sink, and toilet. I did two coats of the ceiling texture. It went on fairly easily, though I had to go slow and be patient. If you went too fast, it just gobbed up and started to fall off the wall.

While we waited for that to cure, Rob took the old storage shelf down and removed the light fixture and medicine cabinet.

We started plotting our storage solutions for this room and decided we started to doubt our medicine cabinet choice. Since we had more down time while waiting for the ceiling texture to cure, we headed out again.

This time we stopped at Menards first. We really don't like Menards as much as Home Depot. Not surprisingly, they didn't have a medicine cabinet that we liked. But we picked up a couple other things we needed:

Sand paper ($4.97)
Toilet seat ($15.25)
Shower rack ($15.99)

Then we headed back to Home Depot. After closely examining their selection, we decided that we would keep the original medicine cabinet we'd picked out. However we did find a perfect matching cabinet to hang over the toilet. And another thing or two.

Wall cabinet ($59)
Outlet and light switch covers ($0.64)
New wall vent ($7.75)

We headed home and started painting. We got our first coat of wall paint and two coats of ceiling paint up before we decided to stop for the day.

Progress pic:

Day 2 - Sunday
Rob woke up early on Sunday, eager to get back to work. I did not. My mom actually woke me up when she called, so I spent some time chatting with her before we ran out to get coffee. Another slow start for this girl. Rob agreed with me that we should get new towels and bath mats for the bathroom. So we drove over to Kohls and felt old because they were not yet open and we had to wait in our car for a while. Anyway we went with the inexpensive-yet-quality Kohl's brand, which happened to be on sale. The towels were buy 1, get 1 free, so we picked up 8 at $5 each. The rug was more expensive, but we also got one free.

Bath towels: 8 x $5 = $40
Bath rug: 2 x $20 = $40 - $5 Kohl's cash = $35

Anyway we home and did another coat of ceiling paint and finished touching up the paint on the walls and then started painting the white trim. We also took down the ceiling vent cover and spray painted it white. We cleaned up the room again. Then Rob used some harsh tile cleaner on the floor. This is supposed to prepare the floor for the grout paint and sealer. We had to wait for this to dry completely, so you can probably guess where we went. Yep, Home Depot again.

Another 3 pack of paint drop cloths ($5.28)
Vinyl corner molding ($11.85)
Some tool used to measure corners ($4.94)
Wood glue ($4.57)

We headed home, and did some other minor touch-ups on the paint and tile.

More progress pics:

Then we installed the new light fixture, medicine cabinet, and above-toilet cabinet. We painted the window trim, and then did another round of clean up. Rob replaced the vent and outlet covers. By now, it was already evening and we were tired. So we called it a day and ordered Jimmy John's.

Day 3 - Monday
We knew the end was near, so we hopped to it. (Hopped to it? What does that even mean?) Rob started painting the floor tile grout with the one-step paint/sealer we'd picked up. This stuff is magical. I couldn't really help with this part, so I just offered moral support and cleaned up the kitchen and did some laundry. After that, Rob was preparing the tub for the new caulk, and I think he accidentally pulled the soap bar off the wall. These inspired our last and final trip to Home Depot:

Tile repair putty ($6.47)

After we got home, Rob first repaired the soap holder. Then we both started painting and sealing the wall tiles. That part was particularly unpleasant. We did a second coat of paint on the window trim, and then spent around 30 minutes giving the bath tub a good scrubbing.

Progress pic, notice the difference between the unpainted and painted grout:

Finally, Rob was able to line the fixtures with caulk, and we were almost done with the project. We let the caulk dry and then put the trim back on the walls. Another round of clean-up and then I was finally able to bring our stuff back into the room. Rob installed the new toilet cover, and we then stepped back to admire our work.

We chose not to paint the doors since we wanted them to match the doors in the rest of the house.

Although it's a particularly hard room to photograph, you'll just have to take our word that it's like a completely different room. When I showered for the first time since remodeling, I felt like I was staying at a hotel. It really does look that different!

This project was a lot of work, and I'm glad we did a lot of the prep work beforehand or we might not have finished it within our deadline. Definitely needed a three day weekend for this one.

Ok now for the cost breakdown.
Total money spent = $480.92

Whew. We didn't really have a budget going into this, but we thought it would only be a few hundred dollars. I guess it's not bad considering we have a new medicine cabinet, light fixture, wall cabinet, and towels and rug. I read online that typical bathroom remodels cost thousands, so I guess I feel pretty good with our bottom line. In fact, one source said "The average cost of a bathroom remodeling project is $9,712, according to ServiceMagic, although this includes minor and partial bathroom remodels." Now granted, we didn't replace our tile or fixtures, but we did almost everything else. And I'm extremely happy with how things turned out.

So that's how we spent our Memorial Day weekend. I hope some of you were able to get outdoors and do something fun. Bye for now.

It's ah-me... Mario!

2011-05-23T18:15:00.008-05:00

Look at what that wacky husband of mine did today while I was at work:

He fixed the leaky pipe! As you can see from the pic above, he installed a thingamajig on the whatsitcalled. Look, I'm not a scientist. I'm just trying to tell you what he did.

But first, he had to install one these:

It's a compression fitting shut-off valve (also known as a doohicky). This allowed him to fix the leaky pipe without having to have the city turn off the water to the house. What a guy! I was going to Photoshop a photo of Rob's head onto Mario from Mario Brothers' body (you know, because he's a plumber and all), but I'd rather go hunt and gather some supper right now. Maybe next time. At any rate, I'm really proud of Rob and his handy work today with the plumbing situation in the basement.

But wait, there's more. He also started the bathroom project. I helped a little when I got home from work, but most of this was Rob's doing. Because scraping 50 years of paint off bathroom walls and ceilings sounds like a good time, right? Actually, no. No, it's not.

Here's a preview:

Good thing we got a jump start on what was intended to be an "easy weekend project." Wish us luck, people. Over and out.

I'm plotting a Memorial Day weekend project

2011-05-22T18:19:00.022-05:00

This is what I’d like to do.

When we bought the house, we had dreams of doing a complete bathroom remodel. We envisioned a spa-like tranquil sanctuary with natural stone (probably travertine) tiling, crisp white towels, and a relaxing jacuzzi bath. You know, something like this visual:

My original design board, made back in early 2009, looked like this:

Our plans have changed, for a variety of reasons. For one, we only have one bathroom. So doing a serious tear down/remodel would be pretty inconvenient considering I enjoy things like showering. Also our tub area is not quite standard, and so we’d have to knock down a wall and move it over a few inches to fit a jacuzzi bath tub. As much as I love white towels and rugs, I realized they aren’t very practical (especially when you have pets). And finally, because we recently decided it might not be wise to keep putting money into a house that is already declining in value due to the neighboring houses, we decided to scale back and instead do some smart and economical upgrades.

Before I get into the details, here's the bathroom as it looks today. Pretty ugly.

It's even worse up close (keep scrolling for pics).

So. Here’s what’s on the agenda for Memorial Day weekend.

Step 1: Scrape the walls. We need to remove the hideous popcorn texture that covers every surface of this room. I don’t know what the previous owners were thinking. The texture itself is gross, but it’s even worse that it’s peeling very badly. Here's Rob is pointing out some green paint that's popping out from under the current yellow:

And here's one after we scraped a little bit. You can see that the room was also pink at one time.

Step 2: Fill in any rough spots with putty and then paint walls. I’d like to pick a light neutral (probably not surprising given my previous wall color choices). This is my top color choice at the moment. It's Behr Antique Leather, and it's a little more gray in person:

I also like this one. Behr Riviera Beach.

I would like to point out that my sister-in-laws like to tease me about my neutral color choices. One even stated that I hate color. To them, I only have one thing to say for myself: "Don't hate! Appreciate!"

I feel better now. Neutral colors are classic and versatile, after all.

Step 3. Paint trim white. We are going to paint the trim around the window and closet.

Step 4: Clean up the caulking around the tub. It’s nasty! It’s really hard to clean too. I want to tear it out and re-do it. Should be a cheap and easy fix.

Note our wall tiles have some little yellow specks. We don't love them, but we can tolerate them.

Step 5: Clean and seal tile grout. I posted about this a while ago. Our tile grout is very porous. It seems to attract dirt, and it also happens to be really difficult to clean. We’re going to do some heavy cleaning and then seal the grout so that it looks good-as-new.

Step 6: Paint the closet shelves. This is a minor detail, but it will make things look nicer and more cohesive.

The blue papered shelves were done by the previous owners, and we've been too lazy to change it.

Step 7: New light fixture and mirror/medicine cabinet. The current ones are nasty (do you see the theme here?). We didn't even change the bulb that burned out since we knew we'd be replacing the fixture soon.

Incidentally we already found our new medicine cabinet. It's a classic white one that's only $30 at Home Depot. And we like this light fixture, $59 from Home Depot. The chrome matches our existing bathroom hardware. Or this one is also nice for just a little bit more.

Step 8: Replace the rusty vent cover. Words cannot describe how much I hate this thing.

We'll probably also get new outlet covers.

Step 9: New towels and bathroom rug? I put a question mark at the end of that statement because I haven’t cleared this with Rob yet. I think new towels would be the icing on the proverbial cake that is our updated bathroom. I'm dreaming about some gray ones, but we'll see how it works out.

AND so (drumroll please), here's the new and improved bathroom design board:

Pretty good compromise , if you ask me. And I think this is an attainable three-day weekend project, don’t you?

In closing, here’s some beautiful bathrooms. Ours won't look like any of these, but the photos will keep me inspired and motivated. (Pics from a simple Google image search.)

Big decisions - which house improvements are worth the investment

2011-05-17T19:33:00.002-05:00

There are a few foreclosures on our block. Unfortunately they keep dropping in price. This is concerning because it causes the value of our house to go down. I’ve looked at some of the listings for these houses online. Generally they are in worse shape than our house and need a lot more updating . Most of them do not have the addition (which adds a lot of valuable living space). So we’ve got that going for us, but it’s still kind of stressful to think about. We’ve already put a lot of work into this place, and we’ve got many more projects lined up. But we have heard the advice, time and time again, that it doesn’t pay to put large amounts of money into a property that is limited by its surrounding properties. In other words, you don’t want to have the nicest or most expensive house on the block because the other houses will only drag down its value (making your improvements less cost effective and not as worthwhile of an investment).

We have hence decided to table a lot of the renovation plans we currently have on our list. We may change our mind if the housing market turns around a bit, or if some of the houses on our block start selling. But we just don’t think it makes much sense to keep shoveling money into a house that is losing value based on the houses around it. We aren’t looking to move in the near future, but we also know this isn’t our forever home. So we want to make some carefully planned and reasonable improvements, but nothing too extravagant.

With that said, here’s a few of the plans that have been cut:

Jacuzzi tub. We had hoped to knock out our old cast iron tub, move the wall a bit, and install a relaxing jacuzzi tub. This doesn’t seem too practical given our current situation. Cut.
New deck and patio. Again, just not practical. We did add the 6-foot wooden privacy fence last fall, and that should be appealing to future potential buyers. When the day comes that we look at selling, we’ll probably pop a fresh coat of paint on the deck and call it a day. It’s sturdy and fairly spacious, after all, and so it’s fine for now.
Counter tops and kitchen tile. Well, this one hasn’t been officially cut. But for now, we are not looking too far into this project. Many people would argue that counter tops are a good improvement that will definitely add to your home's value. But our laminate counter tops aren't all that old, considering, and they do blend in fairly well. I'm not sure that the price of granite or butcher block for our large center island would result in direct returns on our home. The jury's still out on that one. So for now, we will table (that's a pun) the counter top plans. We did some work in the kitchen last year that really spruced things up (ripped down wall paper, added spackling to repair wall cracks, painted, and got new appliances). So for now, the kitchen is A-OK.
Refinishing the wood floors in the dining room and/or just installing new floors. We’ll probably leave this room as it is for at least the foreseeable future. It would be nice to get some new floors in there, but let’s face the facts. We have a 124 pound dog who likes to hang out in there. A new floor might not look nice and new for too long (we have our share of dog claw scratches already). So if we do decide to sell in the future, we may look at fixing up the dining room floors. Until then, this project is on hold.
New washer and dryer. Unfortunately we can’t justify buying a new set since our old ones are still working. As much as I’d love new high efficiency models, we are going to hold off for now.

BUT there’s still some fun to be had. (Maybe “fun” isn’t the right word, for all of these examples.) Here are the projects we are still planning to do.

Plumbing. Earlier this year, Rob installed a new water heater. He did a great job, but unfortunately exposed some other plumbing issues. We have very old pipes that are past their prime. We’re going to be putting in new pipes (probably Pex). I’m not looking forward to this project. In fact, “dread” is probably a more accurate word. Rob and I ripped down the ceiling earlier this year, so at least there’s easy access for this job.
Basement. We made a lot of progress on the basement remodel last year, but it was paused when we discovered the plumbing problems. We will proceed as planned with most of what’s left -- putting up drywall, tape/mud/paint, electrical wiring and lighting, base boards, builing bookshelves and a workbench.
Bathroom. We aren’t going to do a total bathroom remodel like we once dreamed about. Instead we’ll be doing a modified plan with a few cost-efficient upgrades. There’s more to talk about here, so I’ll save it for a future post.
Some yard work. I really want to rip out the mismatched and awkward shrubs and bushes that line the front of the house. I envision a nice garden with some hostas and tulips to add some curb appeal.

That list seems smart and attainable. For the record, when we do sell our house someday, I’m proud to say that the future owners will be getting a nicely updated abode. They will hopefully appreciate all of these wonderful things we’ve done:

Removed all wall paper and painted. Filled in cracks and holes in the walls.
Added livable space by finishing the basement. Added framing, insulation, laminate wood flooring, and storage. Knocked out a wall to make the space more open and removed fake wood paneling.
Replaced furnace.
Replaced water heater.
New central AC unit. (We actually didn’t do this, but it was done shortly before we moved in. However after we moved in, we were able to get it properly set on a concrete slab so that the unit will last a long time and function most efficiently.
Six foot privacy fence in the back yard.
New kitchen appliances (stove, fridge, dishwasher). We also replaced some old gas parts - the stove hookup and the shut-off valve - to improve things.
Ripped out past-its-prime carpet.
Added custom closets to the master bedroom (though we might take these with us when we leave since they are modular and can be moved - it would depend on whether or not a future buyer would be willing to pay a little extra for them).
We’ll probably leave all of the window treatments and blinds that we bought since some of them are custom sizes.
(Soon) All new plumbing pipes.

That’s a pretty good list, huh?

I do love our house and wouldn’t mind staying at this properly forever, if it was just a little bigger (yard more so than house, to be honest). Anyway we feel good about our decision to postpone some of our original plans and instead tackle some smart projects while continuing to build our savings for the future. Hopefully our loyal readers (or at least Scott, who complains when I don't post enough) won’t mind if this blog takes more of a lifestyle/random happenings focus rather than constant home improvement projects.

Tell me about your planned summer house and whether or not you agree with our list of approved house projects. We appreciate all the insight we can get. Goodbye for now, Internet.

Fill your home with meaningful things

2011-05-01T12:59:00.006-05:00

To be honest, 2011 has been kind of a tough year. We started off the year with plumbing problems (see: new water heater). Then Rob and I were both sick on and off for much of the first two months of the year. Then my 16-year-old cat Milo became ill and had to be put to sleep. We had numerous car troubles, record amounts of snow (read: back aches from shoveling), and our dishwasher broke. And then just a week or two ago, we lost a very important member of my family. I decided this blog is not the right avenue to share the details, but I do appreciate all the thoughtful notes we received. Your kindness is appreciated.

So instead I choose to focus on more positive things. I'm thinking about my home as a personal sanctuary and continuing an ongoing mission to surround myself with meaningful things. While I was in North Dakota recently, I was able to visit with many different family members. And I managed to score some very cool items for our house. Like this:

This is a table cloth from my late great-grandma Lena. She passed away a few years ago at age 101. She was an amazing woman and stayed in her home until her last year of life, living independently and taking care of herself. She crocheted this table cloth for me when I was very young, and my mom saved it for me until now. She made one for my sister too, and my sister purchased an inexpensive shadowbox to hang it on the wall (with the hand written note). I totally copied her and did the same thing. The table cloth is far too cherished to actually use. I’d rather display it.

The note reads, "Dear Kristi. I made this for you when you were only 2 and 1/2 years old. I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it. All my love, Great Grandma Lena."

I found the shadowbox at Michael’s. It was only $15 (they had a 40% off sale going on last weekend). We also picked up a couple smaller ones that match. Not sure exactly what we’ll be putting in them just yet, but it will be nice to have some matching display boxes for other family keepsakes.

We acquired even more meaningful house things while in ND. We drove out to the small town of New Salem to visit my grandpa Art (short for Arthur).

He lives in a nice nursing home, and I was very surprised to learn that he’s recently found a new hobby he’s passionate about: Drawing! He’s drawing like crazy these days. His first drawings were pretty good, but they’re getting even better as he goes along. Maybe I’m a little biased, but I think it’s impressive that a shaky-handed 85-year-old guy in a wheelchair randomly picked up a pencil one day and started producing images like this:

What’s even cooler is that the nursing home has been very supportive of my grandpa’s new hobby. They have framed several pieces, and display them in the lobby and craft/activity areas.

The local newspaper got wind of “Art’s Art” and started publishing a drawing each week. Isn’t that sweet?

I asked if I could have one of the drawings, and my grandpa said I could take as many as I’d like. They’re all wildlife images, and I liked many but I think this prairie dog one is my favorite.

He did a great job with the shading and coloring. I put it in a coordinating (but not matching) frame to hang near the shadowbox with Lena’s table cloth. (Lena was Art’s mom.)

Finally, we recently bought some new pottery for our fireplace mantle. These were made by my brother-in-law's father:

I quite like them. They go nicely with the rustic decor tone we have going on in the living room right now.

I don’t want to have a lot of things. In fact, I tend to lean towards minimalist design. But I do want to surround myself with symbols and reminders and personal mementos. I'm on a mission to fill my home with meaningful things. I encourage you to do the same.

The view from here

2011-04-12T20:48:00.004-05:00

What's this?

This is the view from the airport in Bismarck, North Dakota as I waited for my flight earlier today.

I like this photo because this is what I think of when I think of my home state of North Dakota. Blue skies. Open land. Clean air. No matter how you slice it, I have never been to another airport with a view like this.

Rob and I jumped on a plane Sunday afternoon, last minute, for a family emergency.

No, things are not OK.
But it's going to be alright.

More reflection and thoughts to come. Right now, I'm too tired.

Just Embree

2011-04-03T09:23:00.006-05:00

Playing with some black & white conversions on a Sunday morning.

I believe there's an art to good black & white conversions. If you simply use your photo editing software's "grayscale" or "convert to black and white" function, you're likely going to end up with a muddy gray image lacking in tonality, clarity, and contrast. Like this:

Here's what NOT to do:

In that photo, I did no other editing than selecting Photoshop's Image > Mode > Grayscale. It looks terrible.

There are much better ways to do it. Here's a few.

Super contrast, sharpened, bold b&w:

A somewhat softer version of above:

Faded with a slight brown tint. Sorta vintage:

In the last photo, I used the "Cappuccino" action from Paint the Moon's Coffee House set.

Do you have a favorite black and white Photoshop action, Lightroom preset, or technique? Spill 'em.

Rob's birthday gift

2011-04-02T15:33:00.005-05:00

Rob picked out his own birthday gift this year (a hunting rifle or something like that), but I decided to surprise him with a bonus gift. I made him a cookbook of recipes submitted by people who know him.

I called in a favor to all of Rob's contacts, asking them to contribute. I ended up with a book of around 75 recipes from 30+ contributors (including aunts, cousins, grandparents, coworkers, high school friends, and so on). I have to admit, it was pretty sweet to see the recipes come rolling in from Rob's loved ones. It only took each person a few minutes of effort, but once all of the recipes were compiled, it made a great statement about how many people care about Rob and wanted to help make his birthday special.

I made it clear that the recipes didn't have to be extravagant and didn't have to be invented by the submitter. The only criteria is that each recipe had to be something that Rob's friends and family made and enjoyed themselves.

I wound up with a really nice variety. We had Midwest classics like tater tot hot dish and Sloppy Joes alongside Pho, naan, and ginger steak salad.

I used a combination of my own photography and some images found online. I also sprinkled in some quotes about food and food relating to culture and heritage as well as some images of recipes from friends' cookbooks. Then finally I used Blurb.com to design the book and have it printed. I am really happy with how it came out. I also used Blurb to make our wedding album.

Rob seemed really touched by the idea and by the variety of people who participated. He's looking forward to trying everything in the book.

So to our family and friends who helped out - thank you!

And if you'd like to view the book in its entirety, it's online and available for viewing. Just click here and then click on the photo where it says "Preview Book." I recommend clicking on the little icon to view full screen.

New appliances = big smiles

2011-03-27T16:30:00.009-05:00

[before and after pics below -- you can skip all the rambling if you'd like]

This is exciting. Back in January, our dishwasher broke. That part's not exciting. That part was actually pretty frustrating. You see, having a dishwasher was the highest item on my priority list when we started house shopping in 2008. It may seem silly to some, but it was a big deal to me. I hate doing the dishes. It's probably my least favorite chore. But I don't mind loading the dishwasher. So needless to say, I was very disappointed when it broke.

Last weekend, Rob and I headed over to Home Depot to take advantage of a 10% off Energy Star appliances sale they were having. We found a GE dishwasher that fit our requirements:

It's black.
It has good reviews.
It's Energy-Star rated (saves us money on operating costs plus we'd save that extra 10%).
It was within our budget.

As an added bonus, it has the buttons on top of the door, which looks a little more sleek (if you ask me). Also this handle is not as flimsy, so I won't be able to break it (like I did the last one).

While at Home Depot, we decided to also purchase something that's been on our wish list for a long time. A new gas stove.

That's the exciting part.

Our old stove sucked. Sorry for my poor articulation, but it's true. If we wanted to make pasta, it took more than an hour to heat the water. It didn't cook things evenly. It didn't match any of our other appliances. And I didn't trust it because I often smelled gas when walking by it. Isn't that scary? We even called the gas company to come check it out. They didn't find a leak, but at least others confirmed they smelled gas too. As a side note, it was a monster to clean. I greatly disliked that stove. I'm happy to be rid of it.

Here's the new stove. It was $599 (but we got it for $429, more on this below), and it's sleek and sexy and makes me want to cook lots of things:

The top is supposedly easier to clean with the surface made entirely of cast iron grill plates.

And it has a "turbo boil" mode or something like that (an extra large burner for more direct heat). Home Depot has a nice service where they offer free delivery of new appliances and also pick-up of the old ones. So we didn't have to worry about getting rid of the broken dishwasher and the failing stove. That's pretty convenient.

With reasonable prices such as these, we could have easily paid for these two appliances outright. But instead we decided to use our Home Depot card. We get interest free financing for 6 months, which means we pay less than $100 a month for 6 months for our new stove instead of paying it all at once. Also pretty convenient.

I probably sound like a Home Depot advertisement by now. But I'm just really excited. Other than the furnace and water heater (which we had no choice in replacing), our newest appliance was our old dishwasher, which was from 1995. The rest are even older. So picking out our first BRAND NEW appliances is pretty darn exciting. Best of all, with a recent referral bonus I received from my job, and a small but welcome tax refund, these things are already paid for.

We headed up home from Home Depot with big grins on our faces. But then we got to thinking... the black matching GE fridge that we liked was also on sale and using our 6-month payment plan, it would only be an additional $75 a month (or less, considering the 10% off sale). So we headed back and added that to our order. You may have already noticed it in the pic above.

Since we were selective but didn't go extravagant, we got all of our kitchen appliances for less the price of one stainless steel refrigerator (around $1300 with tax and after discounts). Not too shabby! We also were able to sell our old fridge on craigslist, which brought the price down even more.

But here's how we scored an even better deal on the stove. When we added the fridge to the order, the Home Depot employee told us it would be no problem to add it to the existing delivery order. We scheduled to have the appliances delivered on a day when I'd be working from home. When that day finally arrived, only a fridge and dishwasher showed up. The delivery drivers had no record of us ordering a stove. I assumed it would be coming later that day on a separate order, so I had them haul away the old appliances. We later called the store, and they confirmed that they had made an error and that we would not be receiving the stove until the following week. We were a little annoyed. They had taken the old stove away, and so we were stoveless for an extra week. For our trouble, they decided to give us $50 off the price of the stove. Rob hopped online to find that the stove was also on sale ($60 cheaper) on the Home Depot website. So he negotiated the price down to that level as well, and then we had the 10% sale discount on top of it.

And now, some before and afters.

Here is the kitchen during our house inspection (with the previous owner's decor and belongings):

After we moved in, we tried to make it look a bit more streamlined (read: less cluttered). We got rid of the cart thing near the center island and moved the microwave to the small area of counter on the far right of the photo. We replaced the half curtain with some sleek white blinds. We added storage baskets to the top of the cabinets (tons more storage!), a magnetic knife bar on the wall, some random places to hang post-it notes and so on.

Here's what our kitchen looked like with no appliances. It was at night, so these photos are not great quality.

And here's the kitchen as it looks now. We stripped the wall paper trim, removed a tile backsplash (not pictured), repaired a bunch of areas where the wall was damaged behind the wall paper, and painted:

I think it's looking pretty good. As a reminder, we intend to add a slate backsplash and also get new counter tops and a new stainless steel sink. Slowly but surely, we're making progress.

One more before and after:

Good stuff. Big smiles. I have to go cook lots of things now.

Training an adult dog - what we've learned (part I)

2011-03-13T15:52:00.001-05:00

In early 2009, we adopted an adult dog from a shelter. Like many rescue dogs, he came with some quirks. He'd been kept outdoors, had lived with another dominant dog, and he definitely lacked confidence. One of the first things we did was potty train him, which was pretty easy since we used the crate technique and were super consistent. Then we enrolled in some basic obedience classes (we took our classes from Laura through our local Petsmart). This helped tremendously as it taught Rob and I how to effectively communicate with Murphy, but it also helped him feel more confident. For the non-dog owners out there, training can really do a great deal for a dog's confidence. Murphy likes it when he knows he's understanding us, doing what we want, and of course he loves the rewards.

In obedience class, he learned to sit, lay down, stay, "leave it" (command used to prevent him from grabbing things he shouldn't), and shake. He had a hard time with the lay-down command, but we worked hard at it and now he's a champ. We taught him to play fetch (he did not have the lab retrieving instinct at all). We taught him to sit and wait until we say "OK" when we feed him so that he doesn't knock us over with food-anticipation excitement. We taught him to do a dog high-five where he jumps and touches his nose to our hand when we put it up. He responds well to positive reinforcement and was really pleasant to train, and we were proud of the results.

Except for walking, that is.

Murphy's never been all that good on a leash. He's fantastic off leash. In fact, we have done a lot of this training with him, starting in our front yard (which is unfenced). When we go on longer trips like camping or to the cabin, we don't use a leash at all. If I'm just going to run some errands and want to bring him with, I also don't bring a leash. He always stays within a few feet of us. People are often impressed that he won't leave the yard, even if we're not paying close attention (don't worry - we wouldn't leave him out there unsupervised as we know accidents can happen and we're much too careful for that). But he doesn't run away, even when he's had the chance. He wants to stay near us. He wants to pay attention to us and listen to us. He's a great dog when he's off leash. But as soon as you snap a leash on his collar, it's a whole different story.

He's 115 pounds (probably more since that vet weigh-in was a year ago and he's filled out more) and strong. So when he pulls, he REALLY pulls. And worse, sometimes he's so excited to be out walking that he starts jumping and lunging. And this dog can jump (click here for humorous proof). He just gets out of control. We spent so much time trying to figure out how to effectively train him to walk well, and I think we finally have made some progress. So I'm going to share our journey in case it's helpful to others out there who've adopted an adult dog.

What we tried
Laura gave us a few techniques to teach Murphy how to walk well on a leash. I always suspected that it would have been easier if he had any leash experience when he was younger, but what can you do? The first technique is called "stop and be a tree." Here's how it works. When we're walking Murphy, we stop and freeze in place (mimicking a tree). The idea is that it teaches the dog that he can't pull because it slows him down. If he wants to go in a certain direction, it slows his progress. We tried this over and over and over and over (you get the idea) with Murphy. No luck. Murphy thought it was some type of game, and he LOVED it. When we'd stop, he'd stop too. Then when we started walking again, he would lunge forward with even more force and speed than before. No matter how much we tried this, he just didn't respond to this technique. So we went on to the next one.

(Disclaimer: We understand that consistency is the most important thing when training a dog. I want to reiterate that we spent a considerable amount of time with each technique before giving up. I figured someone might comment on that.)

Another technique Laura told us to try. We call this one "go the opposite direction." Again this uses the theory that the dog is pulling because he's eager to get somewhere. So when he pulls in one direction, you turn around and go the other way. That way you're again leading, and also he doesn't get to go where he wanted to go. This also did not work for us. Murphy loved this game too. Murphy doesn't care so much where he's walking to, he just is excited to be outside and interacting with us. When we'd switch directions on him, he would take off full speed in the new direction, like it was a contest, yanking the leash holder's arm off in the process. No matter how much we tried, he just never got it.

Next we tried the Easy Walk Harness. Our friends Melissa and Nick had great luck with using this on their adult dog. This harness is a little different in that the leash hooks onto the front of the dog's chest. So when he pulls, he ends up turning himself around. At first, I thought this was a miracle product. It actually seemed to work! But soon, Murphy decided that he would deal with this new obstacle by pulling extra hard, like a husky. I have to admit it was kind of comical (though disappointing) to see him arch his back and pull forward with all of his might.

Here's an old photo showing a typical dog walk with the harness. You can see that Murphy was totally disinterested in me and still went as far as he could ahead of me. No loose leash here.

The Easy Walk Harness didn't work for us, and might have even reinforced some bad habits. Back to the old drawing board.

Slowly, over the last couple months, we've finally made real progress with Murphy and walking. What finally worked for us? It was a combination of these three things:

Treats/rewards
Eye contact
Verbal command

It seems like the most simple techniques are the ones that worked the most.

First, when we get the leash out, Murphy gets super excited. So we have to establish right away that he has to listen to us, and that there's incentive for him to do so. We make him sit, lay down, stay, etc. a little bit before we leave the yard or house. We use treats here so that he knows he can be rewarded for good behavior. Our dog is VERY food focused. Next we start walking very slowly... and as soon as he starts to get ahead of us or make the leash tight, we speak a command to get his attention. We decided on the command "no pulling" - not very creative, but it works for us. When we say this, he looks back at us, and we reward him for making eye contact. Then he starts glancing back regularly, to make sure we're still ok with whatever he's doing. This funny little verbal command has worked really well, and it's pretty silly that we didn't focus on it sooner.

He's still not perfect, and he will get excited and pull toward something he really wants to see (like another dog). But all in all, he's made great progress and we anticipate (hope) he is going to only get better. We've also been trying something where we make him sit and look at us while another dog/person passes. If he stays focused on us, he gets a treat. It's not that we want to limit his fun and interaction, but we want him to look to us first for guidance on what he should do.

You can see how Murphy is focusing on Rob, even when Rob has stopped and is waiting for me to take a photo:

He stays in place and watching Rob's face even when Rob drops the leash:

He's not focusing as intently in this shot, but he is standing calmly and patiently until we continue walking. Great progress!

Training an adult dog is an exercise in patience. If you have any other tips or important lessons you've learned, we'd love to hear them.

Part II coming soon - how we've helped Murphy overcome some very strong fears.

----------------------
Photographer's note: Last several images processed with the "Twitterpated" action from Paint the Moon boutique. One of my favorite effects actions.

The day the ceiling came down

2011-03-13T10:18:00.007-05:00

In regards to the post title above, I guess I should mention that we intentionally removed the basement ceiling. But "the day the ceiling came down" sounded a lot more dramatic. Hey, I'm not above sensationalist journalism.

Anyway, let me explain. Ceiling removal was not part of the original basement renovation plan. But back in December when our water heater broke, we discovered some plumbing issues that demanded our concern. I'm sad to admit that we currently have a bucket solution in place (as in, a bucket that catches water from a consistent leak). We have some piping with a certain discoloration, which our plumbing-savvy friend quickly identified as previous leaks. Uh oh. More concerning, we are unable to turn off the main water pipe to our house because the shut-off valve is completely stripped. Bigger uh oh. The obvious issue with this situation -- if we were to have a broken pipe, we wouldn't be able to shut the water off. Our house would flood. Sooooo... the basement renovation project has steered off course.

But you know, we have a few things to be thankful for. For one, our plumbing-savvy friend has agreed to help Rob replace the main pipes in the basement as well as the shut-off valve. This will save us tons of money, assuming we don't run into issues that are outside of their skill set (please cross your fingers for us). And it's nice that we discovered this problem when our basement was already ripped up for renovation (and not after it was all completed). We're well versed in looking at the bright side. We are holding off for nicer weather to embark on this "adventure" as it will require the city to shut the water off at the street level before we can get started. But one thing was for certain - we had to remove the basement ceiling in order to reach the main pipes.

Rob had wanted to take the ceiling down all along. He didn't like the lighting situation, nor did he like the popcorn texture. It was also a lot trickier to correct some electrical problems (and add proper wiring) without being able to drop the lines through the ceiling. Even so, I was opposed to the idea (before I knew it was necessary) because it seemed like a lot of extra work (and mess) and some unplanned expenses.

Luckily, it only took one evening to take down the ceiling. While Rob handled the smashing part, I helped with the clean-up. Here's the resulting garbage, which is stored in the garage. Since we don't have a dumpster, we have to slowly add one or two bags to our regular weekly trash pick-up.

The sad part is that, the basement was looking pretty nice a week ago. Rob hosted a bachelor party for our friend Thor, and we had the basement cleaned up really nicely (two guys even crashed on the couch down there). Here's what the ceiling looks like now:

Kinda nasty and cob-webby, huh?

To recap, here's what we've currently done in the basement:

Tore down old framing and wood paneling. Took a room out to open up the layout.
Washed the concrete block walls and painted with some sort of paint/primer that is supposed to help block moisture out. Two coats.
Filled in some cracks and edges with spray insulation.
Added insulation sheets and build new framing.
Installed laminate wood floors.
Started on the electrical.
New furnace and new water heater (unplanned).

Here are the next steps in finally finishing the basement:

Replace some plumbing pipes and fix the shut-off valve.
Drop electrical lines through the ceiling.
Put up new ceiling and walls (drywall, tape, mud)
Paint the walls and paint the laundry room floor with an epoxy paint.
Hang new light fixtures.
Build a work bench and some storage shelves.

That's not so bad, right? Please just agree with me.

Other than that, we've been keeping very busy the past week or so.

It was Rob's birthday last Tuesday. I came up with a pretty cool gift idea, but we're still waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I'll share it here after Rob sees it. I probably spent around 15-20 hours on it, but I think it's a good gift.
We finally did our taxes. I had been procrastinating doing them because last year was so traumatizing (we had both claimed 1 and expected to break even - not the case!). This year, a few things saved us. We could claim a credit for my grad school costs last year, and we also were able to report our new energy-efficient furnace. On the downside, we had to start repaying our interest-free first time homebuyer loan from 2008. The biggest bummer about this is that we closed on our house in mid December. Had we waited 2 more weeks until 2009, we would have received the other homebuyer loan - the one that doesn't need to be paid back. Of course we didn't know this. No one did at the time. It's still a bummer.
I did some freelance web development work on the Somer Studios invitation site, which I originally designed last year. Check it out if you need some elegant custom invitations. I also did the photography on the front page and banner. (Trivia - I also took the photo in this blog's banner. It's our front steps and yard. It was when we first moved in, and I took it with a point-and-shoot camera. I still like the shot.)
I am doing some volunteering designing for a local church that is in need of an updated web presence. Now that I don't work full time as a web designer, I find these side projects even more enjoyable. Why is it that a hobby or passion inherently seems to lose some desirability when those same acts are relied on to pay the bills? Now that it's pure hobby and "extra spending cash" type stuff, I have some renewed interest.
We've made some good progress in Murphy/dog-training land. This will probably warrant its own future post. I think our dog trainer friend Laura will be proud.

And last but most important - the last few days were some scary ones for my family and especially my sister-in-law and her husband. Jason moved to Japan earlier this year, and so we were all very nervous to hear about the earthquake. Jason is ok, but please keep the people of Japan in your thoughts. Here's a photo I took of Rachel and Jason in early January at their wedding. Thinking of you both! Stay safe!

Notes from the past week:

2011-02-26T13:56:00.008-06:00

Our dishwasher is broken. Does anyone know how to fix it? I believe something shorted out in the control panel when I slammed it shut. I found some diagrams online, but I'm still not entirely sold that we can fix this one ourselves.

Our truck broke again. Then Rob fixed it. It's good to have a handy husband. The end.
We haven't done any work on the house lately. Well, actually Rob hung a different door on the spare bedroom entryway, but it didn't fit quite right. He had to get create with the dremel, but now it looks pretty nice.
We received around 15 inches of snow last weekend. In other words, it's no longer 50 degrees, like in these photos.
Some people ignore signs.

Yes, there are two vehicles out on the ice, not too far from open water. I guess ice fishing is pretty important to some people. For the record, I don't even know if this tiny mid-city lake is stocked.
We are going to see the Pixies in April. Rob's never seen them, but this will be my second time. Read about why I love the Pixies.

Saturday's jam

2011-02-19T21:11:00.004-06:00

I don't know anything about this artist or this song other than I've heard it as bumper music more than once at Minneapolis hip-hop shows. We groove to this sort of thing at the Chateau, regularly. And it sorta goes with the previous post on this blog. Enjoy.

The songs that made you feel cool

2011-02-16T07:30:00.000-06:00

The songs that made you feel cool. You know what kind of songs I'm talking about. When you were in high school driving around with friends (or in my case, junior high age and driving around with my sister, 4 years my senior, long before my friends could drive) and a song would come on the radio that made you want to turn up the volume and roll down your windows. And you just felt cool. Do you have any songs like that? Sadly, I haven't heard music that evokes this feeling in some time.

Rob and I have been listening to Pandora lot lately. It's because we got each other a joint Valentine's Day. These:

Don't be fooled by the Bose name; they were actually a really good deal for quality computer speakers ($69 at Sam's Club).

So anyhow we're listening to music at home constantly now. We like Pandora, which is not new by any means, but in case you are new to it - here's how it works. You pick an artist or genre, and then the website builds a station for you and picks music that you might also like (based on feedback from other listeners). You give each song a thumbs up or a thumbs down, and then it adjusts your station accordingly. So you hopefully hear songs you love mixed in with new things too. I love technology.

So far, we've tried out:

Reggae Radio (awesome, of course,)
Dick Dale Radio (has a sweet '60s surf rock sound)
Queen Radio (great station - what "classic rock" stations should be)

But our favorite so far is the station that popped up when I typed in "Soul Coughing." Oh man, we are feeling nostalgic. Really nostalgic. So many good songs from our youth. I hope you will enjoy this mix as much as we do.

The Butthole Surfers - "Pepper"

The Eels - "Novocaine for the Soul"

Beck - "Girl" ("Loser" would be more in tune with the era, but I like this one better)

Soul Coughing - "Soft Serve"

Weezer - Say It Ain't So

Gorillaz - "Clint Eastwood"

Screaming Trees - "All I Know"

Cake - Love You Madly

Sneaker Pimps - "6 Underground"

I found so many other good ones -- some forgotten gems like Primus and Lo-Fidelity Allstars and Eagle Eye Cherry mixed in with some bands that stuck with me over the years (like Radiohead and the Pixies). I could go on posting embedded videos all day, but this seems like a good place to stop. Well... one more.

Finally - one of the best songs you probably never heard. It was not very popular. Well, it was popular in OUR house. My sister and I liked this album so much that we each bought a copy. Two Fantastic Planets in one household. We loved the sound.

Failure - "Stuck on You" (dedicated to cool older sisters everywhere)

More blog posts about music/music videos:

Great money-saving tip for home owners

2011-02-15T17:47:00.004-06:00

Rob and I did this last year, but we never got around to posting about it. So then when I saw this recent article, I remembered and decided to finally write it here.

Bi-Weekly Payments Can Save Thousands and Shave Years Off Your Mortgage

How it works:
You just divide your regular monthly mortgage payment into two smaller payments (or just pay every two weeks for the whole year). We do one payment at the beginning of the month and one in the middle of the month. You end up saving on interest throughout the course of the year. It may not seem like much, but it really adds up over the course of the mortgage length. Also if you pay every two weeks, you typically end up paying a little extra off the principle (without noticing much) -- 26 payments total in the year rather than 24 (if you were just doing twice a month). So that ends up being an extra payment or more each year, taken right off the principle of your loan. I hope that makes sense. Plus the smaller payments are a lot easier to budget.

There you go. A great money-saving tip for the home owners out there.

If you want to hear something cute...

2011-02-14T07:37:00.004-06:00

Sure, I'm a romantic soul. But I'm not going to go overboard this year, posting super sappy lovey-dovey this or that... like I did last year. So instead I will tell you one simple and sweet anecdote.

Photo edited with "The French Connection" actions from Isabelle Lafrance.

Last November, I started a new job. On my first day, I was very nervous. It's just my personality type. I want to do well at everything I try, and there were still so many unknowns about this new position, new company, new industry, new location, and so on. Hence I was very nervous. My husband works Saturdays, which means his weekend is Sunday and Monday. So on Monday morning, he got up at the same time I did and decided to take the bus with me downtown. He knew that I'd never taken the bus before, was not familiar with the downtown area, and he didn't want me to feel nervous about one more thing if I didn't have to.

So we rode the bus downtown, me in my corporate business clothing and Rob in a hoodie and jeans. He escorted me to my work building, grabbed a coffee at Dunn Brothers, and took the bus back home. And that's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

If you ask me.

Winter walk

2011-02-12T17:23:00.004-06:00

This morning, I went for a walk with this guy:

and this guy:

To our usual place.

In the warmer months, the lake at the end of our block looks like this:

But in February, it looks like this:

Kinda desolate.

But that's ok. With no people at the park, we can drop the leash and let Murphy play. Rob finds a stick.

Tosses it:

And Murphy acts like its his job to bring it back as quickly as possible.

Sometimes Rob takes photos too. Even though it's 20 degrees outside (which feels like a heat wave compared to last week's -10), we still need to bundle up. For me, that means:

Thigh high socks (these ones)
Waterproof Sorel winter boots
Long sleeve thermal underwear shirt
Wool Columbia hoodie
Double-layer Columbia jacket
You know, the other stuff - hat, gloves, pants

I may be bulky, but at least I'm warm. Also check out my wing span:

"The fish was thisssss big!"

I'm so ready for spring. Who's with me?

The end.

------------------------------------------
Photo info
(I'm going to try to include this information when I remember because I know it's helpful for other photo enthusiasts)

Camera: Sony a850
Average settings: f3.5, 1/500, ISO 400 (manual exposure, auto focus)
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8
Processing with: Photoshop CS5 - some regular curves adjustments, contrast, and then an action called "Twitterpated" from Paint the Moon's brand new Blessings collection. These are some of my favorite actions. They aren't free (like most actions I post), but they are so worth the money. Trust me.

Before and after the "Twitterpated" action:

Art scheming

2011-02-12T08:30:00.001-06:00

I just found out that art.com (one of my favorite places to buy prints) now does photo framing and mounting.

Their prices are pretty reasonable, and I've heard good things about the quality. So now I'm scheming about some new art possibilities for the dining room.

I'm thinking of printing some of my outdoor pics and having them mounted on wood. Like this:

I'm thinking about some outdoorsy shots I took last April at Lake Maria with my Sony a500 (which is only around $400 if you are thinking of picking up a D-SLR). Here are the original pics, straight of camera:

Here are the edits I made. I wanted them to look slightly more abstract than a normal photo.

I like the new versions a lot. I was almost ready to order when I saw in the description that the photos are actually printed on wood with black finish. Rob and I have talked about keeping this room in dark brown tones, so now I'm kind of stuck. Has anyone ever had photos printed on wood before? Do you have a reputable printer to recommend? I'm all ears.

I'm not an interior decorator, but I play one on my blog.

2011-01-30T07:56:00.002-06:00

Annji sent us an email asking for some help decorating her bedroom. Since it's a rental, she has to work around the existing wall color, which is a pale green. She said she's willing to replace all of her decor. Her only request was to keep the brown leather sectional if possible since it's comfortable and functional (she mentioned rocking a baby to sleep at night in that chair). No problem, we can work with that. She also said she loves a particular bed from Pottery Barn but does NOT love that Pottery Barn price ($1400 on sale, ouch). Challenge accepted!

Before I go any farther, here are the pics Annji sent me of what the room looks like currently. It's impressively sized with a lovely fireplace and some nice built-in shelves:

Images courtesy of Annji

The first thing I do when I start working on a room design? Find an inspiration pic. Otherwise it's just too overwhelming to even start sorting through the millions of color, texture, and furniture combinations. I looked for an inspiration pic with a similarly colored green wall. Here's what I came up with:

This is from the 2010 HGTV Dream Home. I like that the room looks both stately and serene. I tend to believe that bedrooms should feel like a personal sanctuary, and this room has the perfect combination of comfortable-looking furniture and luxe accessories. The wall color is close to the green we're working with (though i do think Annji's green reads a little on the cooler side in her pics), and there are also some dark wood tones.

I also like this pic, a second inspiration image, because the green walls become another tranquil neutral tone when combined with the right shades.

From there, I came up with two different color schemes. One is directly drawn from the first image above with a muted light green, a tranquil slightly-slate blue, and tan shades:

The idea is to combine the greens with some light blues and tans in order to make the green appear more neutral and cohesive (rather than the accent).

Then just for fun, I added a pale yellow to add a little more color. It's totally up to Annji if she decides she wants more or less color in the room.

Next I started searching for a cheaper version of the Pottery Barn bed:

Image of Hudson bed from Pottery Barn

I didn't find an exact replica, but I did find many great options that are similar in style. Believe it or not, I found many affordable options at Walmart, of all places. Incidentally I recently tried out their free ship-to-store option, and it worked very well.

Complete source list with links below

Time to tackle the other furniture needs. From the pics, I can't tell if they already have two matching nightstands or not, but I always recommend having that symmetry if possible. I think the existing nightstand actually goes nicely with the design, so no need to buy anything new there. I would, however, go with some larger-scale lamps with a little more flair (yeah, I said it). I like these ones from Ikea. They are $59 each, which isn't as cheap as I usually like to be, but they are pretty stylish and timeless (in my opinion). The cool thing about having glass-based lamps is that you can fill the vase parts with random decor items when you want to change your look (like small bulbs or pinecones in the winter, etc).

This is a huge room, and even an impressive bed frame seems to get lost in the big open space. Therefore I'm recommending that they buy a statement rug to define the bed space. Even just having a rug partially under a bed makes the bed appear more grounded (and not just floating in the middle of a giant room). Some people don't see the point of putting a rug on carpet, but I've always done this in my apartments. It has more impact than you might expect. I just picked a couple rugs from Overstock.com for the designs shown here.

Annji mentioned that she already bought some oatmeal colored canvas curtains to replace the red ones in her pics. Based on her description, I think that will work perfectly with this design. She could also do a more tan shade, like in the design board below. The beige curtains shown here are from West Elm and surprisingly quite reasonable in price. If possible, I'd move the curtain rod higher (almost to the ceiling) and hang floor- length curtains. This is my biggest design tip as it makes any room feel bigger and more luxurious. Trust me!

Annji said she wasn't sure what to do with the walls. I usually love photo collections like the one shown in her pic above, but I think she could also do a large mirror in this space. The benefit of the mirror is that it bounces light back into the room, but it also looks simple and streamlined. Since it's such a big room, it can look unbalanced if there are many small items in one area and then sparse areas elsewhere. So instead I'd go for large scale accessories and oversized artwork. I know I often pick things from Ikea, but that's because they have affordable and versatile options. This Jondal mirror is huge and only $49:

Or you could look for a more natural-textured mirror like the one we put in our master bedroom.

For artwork above the bed, I like the idea of doing 3 framed pieces in a row like in our inspiration pic. The important thing here is to go with large white mattes for whatever art pieces they choose. The chunky white mattes keep it from looking cluttered. They're magic, I tell ya. For this design board, I just picked some prints from art.com that I liked. These are by Ray Henderson pieces from art.com, and I would probably recommend ordering them in size 16x20 ($6.98 each). You wouldn't need a white matte for these since the print has its own thick border.

I'd swap out the green matte on the artwork above the fireplace as well. A white matte will make the print pop more and will also tie in with the white trim in the rest of the room. Personally I would move the artwork up off the mantle and instead hang it a few inches above the fireplace. We did this in our living room, and it was amazing how much of a difference it made. Mantles can look clutter-y with only a few items, but moving the artwork up creates a more streamlined focal point for the wall.

It looks like Annji already has some white bedding (my favorite), and what looks like a pale blue bedspread. This can still work with the new design, or she can pick up a tan throw blanket like the one in the inspiration pic. I'd also pick up some throw pillows. Target, Walmart, and Ikea have extremely affordable options.

I like the built-in bookshelves next to the fireplace, but I would do some re-arranging to make things look a bit cleaner. I'd pick up some storage baskets (to house the less neutrally colored books), and stack some books in piles rather than have them all upright, just to mix things up. They can also pick up a piece of pottery, seashell, vase, or a ceramic figurine to make the bookshelf area more eye-catching and appealing. My advice is to find something you love looking at, and put it front and center.

Here's an image that demonstrates what I mean by a more styled bookshelf:

Image source

And remember the brown leather recliner? Definitely throw a pillow and throw blanket (probably in blue) on that chair. It will add a bit more comfort but also pull the recliner into the design scheme more seamlessly. They also might want to play around with furniture placement. See all that space between the end of the bed and the fireplace? I think Annji could totally try moving the recliner to that corner to make a little reading nook/library area. It won't look cluttered if the space is clearly defined. Or they can leave it where it is but add a smaller slipper chair (Target has a lot of nice ones to choose from). Regardless of whether they use one chair or two, I also think Annji needs to pick up a round ottoman. Nothing screams, "Relax! Kick your feet up!" like an ottoman. This cream colored one is from Walmart or CSN stores, and only costs $63.

Enough explanation, here's the design boards I came up with::

Click the image for a larger view

Here's the complete source list:
Jonsbro lamps from Ikea, $59.
Ikea Jondal mirror, $49
Aina cushion cover, $6
West Elm curtains, $15-27
Wool rug from Overstock.com, $176
Cream ottoman, $63
Art prints from art.com, $6-8
Bed from Amazon.com, $489
Walmart bed No. 1, $279
Walmart bed No. 2, $529
Walmart bed No. 3, $379
Target headboard, $169
Target Somerset bed, $469
(I can't find the link for the oriental rug, but I've seen almost identical ones at Home Goods for less than $200.)

Thanks for giving me a fun and inspirational project, Annji! I hope you like the design, and please send "after" photos of whatever you end up doing with this room.

More design boards:

It's been a while since Murphy made an appearance

2011-01-29T18:53:00.004-06:00

When Rob and I started this blog, I used to do something I called "The Daily Murph" which was basically a photo of our lovable beast doing something cute or getting into trouble. Or both. Then when I actually bought a nice camera, he suddenly became the most anti-photo creature in the world. It wasn't that he didn't like the camera. Rather, he liked it too much. I think it might be the auto focus assist light. Whenever I'd take the camera out, he'd immediately start jumping and running around like a maniac. Have you ever tried to photography a running dog? In a house? It's not easy. But I do have a nice collection of blurry blob photos.

Anyway recently we've taken to bribing him with food. Here he is in the new office/spare bedroom, watching Rob eat some soup.

Click the pic for a larger and even cuter view

We're trying to teach him to put his ears forward (as seen here) whenever we say "ears forward!" (We're pretty clever with our commands, huh?) We think it's cute. If you teach a dog a trick, I believe that trick should either be useful (like having him bring you a beer or pop from the fridge) or cute.

These photos are also the first ones I've posted with my new lens. I just picked it up on Thursday. It's a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8. It's a pretty big step for me because I shoot almost exclusively with fixed lenses. So far I'm really liking the convenience of the zoom lens.

The f2.8 lets me get targeted focus shots like this one. Murphy's only 3 years old, but he's already starting to get old-man-dog face.

Clyde still looks young and spry. I like this lens because it's easy to grab a photo of Clyde without getting in his face too much.

Unfortunately I've got a nasty cold and haven't been able to get outside and try this lens in natural light. But so far, I'm pretty impressed. Incidentally I am using flash for these photos. It's just too dark in this back room (with no overheard lighting and one measly table lamp). I've been embracing flash for the last couple weeks, and it's actually pretty empowering to not feel so limited by natural light.

I did NOT use flash on this photo of Embree. (It's nice that all the pets want to hang out with me in the office. Especially when I'm trying out a new lens. So many models at my fingertips.) So the photo colors are a little different. This is at ISO 6400, which is really high for me. (I usually keep it 200-400.) When using a high ISO, it's a little noisy (though I fixed some of that in Lightroom). The eyes are sharp enough, so I live with it.

I have to give a shout-out to the guy at the National Camera store in Maple Grove. He hooked me up with lens filters. I took home around $150 in filters for only $40. And they beat Amazon's price by $25 for the lens. Nice.

More pics with the new lens coming soon, I'm sure.

Home office... now with 200% more cats

2011-01-28T07:38:00.002-06:00

This is pretty exciting. We finally have a true home office! After using our microwave cart as a temporary office for a few months (and many neckaches later), we decided it was finally time to bite the bullet and buy a real desk and chair. I wish we'd done this sooner. Check out my swanky new home office (aka one corner of the spare bedroom):

It's a tough room to photograph. I also tried to get photos without Embree and Clyde, but their catness wouldn't allow it.

Trying to act casual

They invaded my space and refused to leave. Cats do not understand boundaries. And they steal your chair when you aren't looking.

Anyway we went with the Liatorp desk from Ikea.

In case you haven't noticed, we are fans of inexpensive Swedish furniture. Actually, although Ikea doesn't have the greatest reputation in terms of quality, there are some rare gems to be found behind those massive blue walls. For example, our Leksvik bed is solid wood (and only $80 on clearance). It's a nice bed.

The Liatorp desk is not solid wood, but it is solid. And heavy. Just ask any wife who had to help carry it in from the truck. It also has some nice detailing with the paneled doors and finished back (so it doesn't have to be butted up against a wall unless you want it to). It actually reminds me a lot of the Pottery Barn Bedford collection (at about 1/3 of the cost).

Best of all, the sides of the desk provide some nice storage. I can actually fit both of my camera bags and all of my gear in the desk. And the chair is also from Ikea, and was pretty reasonably priced ($59) for all of the back support it provides.

Everything else in the room was already there.

"Oh hi!"

Jute rug: Craiglist find ($25)
Curtains: Target ($5)
Bedding set: free (from my sister)
Lamp: Ikea Basisk ($20)
Large mirrors: Ikea clearance 5 or 6 years ago ($10 each)
Bed: Another Craigslist find from a few years ago, don't remember price

Future plans for this room:

Paint the walls (and spackle over some ugly drywall holes)
Make and hang some new artwork

And that's it.

I love my home office. The end.

Sometimes I get it right

2011-01-27T19:33:00.006-06:00

Last summer, I took some engagement photos for my friends Thor and Allie (you can see them here, if you'd like). Afterward Thor asked me if I wanted an old film camera he had, and I immediately said yes. I think old cameras are cool, and I had actually been looking for one for a while, to use as a decoration on my bookshelf. Thor said he used this camera for a photography class in high school, but now he's gone digital. (Kinda like "Dylan goes electric." Thor goes digital.)

Here's the old camera Thor gave me. We estimate it's from the '60s (after spending about 2 minutes googling it).

Thanks, Thor.

Notice all my geek books on the right-hand side

Then while browsing Pottery Barn's website, I noticed they are selling "found" cameras for $149. They look very similar to the one I have.

Mine had the leather case too, but I took it off.

I think there's a valuable lesson to be learned here. Namely, I can predict home decor trends six months in advance!

... Just kidding. I think I'm far from trendy. But sometimes I get it right.

And my old camera is much cooler than the ones at Pottery Barn. It was free, and it came from a friend. Amen.

Trivia answer and the news of the day

2011-01-23T11:16:00.006-06:00

I have a few unrelated points to touch on today, before I start watching the NFL playoffs and assembling office furniture. But first, here are the responses to the trivia photo round about sitcom dads.

Alan Thicke- Jason Seaver - Growing Pains
Mike Brady- Robert Reed- The Brady Bunch
Archie Bunker- Carrol O'Connor- All in the Family
Danny Tanner - Bob Saget - Full House
Heathcliff Huxtable- Bill Cosby- The Cosby Show
Uncle Phil- James Avery - Fresh Prince
Steven Keaton- Michael Gross- Family Ties
Peter Griffin-Seth McFarland- Family Guy
Carl Winslow- Reginald VelJohnson- Family Matters
Hal (No Last Name for the Character)- Bryan Cranston- Malcom In the Middle

How well did you do? When we hosted trivia, some groups really impressed with the photo round, although one person thought Michael Keaton was Charles Manson. That was kind of funny. There was another eventful occurrence at trivia as well. I had to disqualify some cheaters! We had a group get every single question right, and it seems suspicious. It turns out they had been using their cell phones to look up the answers. They claimed they didn't know that wasn't allowed. Honestly, who doesn't know that? That's trivia 101.

Anyhow here's the rest of the news of the day (and week).

Auto repairs - Here's an anecdote with a happy ending. When driving home from trivia last week, our truck started to lurch and shake. Very unsettling. Then we smelled a terrible burning smell. Then the "check engine" light came on. We got it home (barely), and Rob feared it may be a transmission problem. The transmission is one of the most expensive things that can break on a car, and I doubt it's an easy thing to fix (disclaimer: I'm not a mechanic). Lesson 1 in auto repair - don't panic until you have reason to. If you're not familiar with car repair, there's a little device that you can plug into your vehicle, and it tells you what error triggered the "check engine" light to come on. You can go to a local parts store like Napa or Auto Zone, and they will usually check the code for you free of charge. Our code said something along the lines of "cylinder 8 misfiring." We didn't know what that meant, so we hit the Interwebs. It turns out that we could eliminate certain things right away since only one cylinder was misfiring (other problems can cause ALL cylinders to misfire). The most common culprit for our problem is usually something having to do with the distributor cap and spark plugs and wires. So Rob picked up these parts ($80 for everything) and spent some cold time on Saturday replacing said parts. The truck is now running happily again! It actually drives better than it ever has. The old plugs and wires looked pretty bad, so we're glad we were able to replace them. We plan to do the same in the car once the weather warms up a bit.

Incidentally, if you do have a "check engine" light come on, you usually have to manually reset the code in the vehicle for the light to turn off. The guys at the car parts store said they couldn't do this (though I think it really depends on who is working at the time), so Rob and his buddy decided to spend a little cash and buy their own reader device. Now we can always check our own problems, and we can reset the light ourselves. Rob and TJ split the cost, and they bought their at Harbor Freight. It was less than $100. I think it was a smart purchase.
Home office - I spend a lot of weekend time processing and editing photos. I also work from home sometimes. So we're starting to pull together a real home office. Yesterday we picked up a nice desk and chair, and hopefully we'll get it built today. Pictures on the way. Here's a teaser though - check out my fancy new chair! It's called the Verner, and it's from Ikea ($59).
Thank you - Even though this whole blog is about our lives, Rob and I are usually pretty careful about sharing things that we think are too personal. I won't write about my family. I don't write about my job. I don't talk about the town we live in. I usually don't post about our relationship unless I'm feeling overly sappy. So it was a bit out of character when I wrote the long essay about the death of my 16-year-old cat Mil o. But writing it made me feel better, in some odd way. Fifteen people (mostly strangers/people I don't know in real life) left me thoughtful and comforting comments. A few more sent messages. Thank you. It's a 100% human quality to crave personal connections with others, and I found it reassuring that so many of you could relate to the way I was feeling. For all its dangers and perceived negative outcomes, the Internet can be given credit for one very positive thing. It helps brings people together.

Milo, 2007
Ebay justice - Here's another somewhat funny anecdote from the past week. I don't wear a lot of makeup, but I am a huge fan of eyeshadow. Always have been. It's fun to play with. I like the higher-end brands you can buy at Sephora, but they are usually much too expensive for my frugal spending habits. So instead I often will order them online from discount cosmetics stores or ebay. You can easily get things for 25% of the retail cost, sometimes less. Recently I ordered two things I'd been coveting from Sephora from an ebay seller. When I received my items, they didn't seem at all like the ones at the store. I snapped a couple pics and uploaded them to a forum site where beauty product experts quickly told me that they were not real products. The shades were not right, and the packaging had errors. I'd been sold "high end" makeup that was actually fake. Isn't it weird that people do this? It's like the trivia cheaters. I honestly don't know what's wrong with people sometimes. I contacted the ebay seller about it, and he immediately refunded me, no questions asked. Pretty shady seller, huh? So lesson learned - be careful if you buy things from ebay. And incidentally here are two legit and reputable places to buy discount makeup: Beauty Crunch and All Cosmetics Wholesale. Score one for ebay justice!
So many projects, so little time - I need to figure out a way to stretch each day. My evenings and weekends are packed with "to do" items that I want to tackle sooner rather than later. I have a few photo projects I'd like to do, some ideas for new artwork for a few rooms in our house, and I'm itching to get into the spare bedroom (currently morphing into a home office) and paint the walls. I also have a list of things I want to do in the bathroom (scrape wall texture, paint, re-caulk, clean and seal grout, replace mirror). Oh, and I have a growing list of books I'd like to read. Need more time!

Ok, so that's the ongoing texture of the drift. I'll be back soon.

All dressed up

2011-01-22T10:03:00.004-06:00

Here's a photo of Rob and I before my company's holiday party last night.

My husband looks pretty darn handsome.

Dress is from Target (link).
Charcoal boots from DSW (link).

To our readers in Miami:

2011-01-21T06:57:00.004-06:00

Just thought you might like to see this.

Sometimes I honestly wonder why my ancestors decided to settle in the Midwest.

Anyhow our truck is currently not operable and has been out of commission since Wednesday (we've had some bad luck this winter, seriously), so I faced the daunting task of walking the 3/4 mile distance to the bus stop and then waiting 5-20 minutes (depending on how I time it so I don't miss mine). You know I like to cheekily brag about how tough I am (see here, mid page), but I chickened out on this one. I decided I am not interested in exploring the world of frostbite. Not today. So thank you so much to Laura, my friend who is on her way right now (coming out of her way, in fact) to pick me up. I truly sincerely appreciate it. One of my favorite quotations states, "Kindness is never wasted." Just know that your generosity is not lost on me.

Trivia challenge - sitcom dads

2011-01-20T09:11:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Rob and I hosted a trivia competition at the restaurant in my work building. It was quite fun. Since I already spent the time compiling these photos for the picture round, I figured I'd post it here as well. You can play along by writing your answers in the comments. I'll post the answers in a day or two.

The theme is "sitcom dads" and there are three potential points for each photo (character, actor, and TV show). No cheating and using google!

Click photo for a larger view

Photographer at work

2011-01-17T18:06:00.007-06:00

Rob took the first two photos with the back-up camera. It's unusual for me to be on the receiving end of the lens.

Instructing:

Executing:

And here's the shot I was taking.

click for a larger view

Jason and Rachel - I couldn't be happier for you. More photos coming soon to my photography site.

Milo's story

2011-01-16T16:30:00.016-06:00

When I was 12 years old, a sickly scrawny cat found her way into my parents' storage shed and had kittens. This wasn't too unusual because we lived in the country. Feral stray cats came around frequently, and my dad was always instructing us to stay far away so that our yard wouldn't become a wild cat haven. We already had a house cat, and our house had a strict "one cat only" rule. Plus wild cats were somewhat dangerous. Trying to catch one of these wild ones would result in brutal scratches and bites, so my sister and I usually did as we were told. (Truthfully my mom is the one most guilty of breaking the rules.)

However one day in the spring of 1995, I went in the backyard to find a bunch of tiny little kittens frolicking around in front of the storage shed. They saw me and immediately ran back into to their hiding place, except one who came bouncing toward me. He was a little brown tabby with huge ears and eyes, his tiny body about the length of my hand. I scooped him up, and he immediately started to purr. Over the next couple of weeks, I started to spend hours each day outside with this kitten I called Milo (after the movie "Milo and Otis" which was a childhood favorite). His mother was disappearing for longer stretches of time, so many days I would find Milo with his eyes sealed shut from thick runny goop that kittens (and especially wild ones) often have in their first few weeks. Since Milo's mother was not around to clean his eyes, the fluid would sometimes harden and he couldn't open his eyes. No matter - I started cleaning his eyes several times a day, with a soft rag and some warm water. I started to feed him too, along with his siblings (none of whom I was ever able to touch or catch).

When the kittens were maybe two months old, Milo's mother moved them to another location. But Milo stayed. I guess he liked his new home in the yard with affectionate kids and fun cat treats. I begged my parents to let me bring him inside, but they always said no, adhering to the one-cat rule we'd had for most of my life. I was terrified that my much-loved kitten would fall victim to the same fate as many other country/farm cats -- either getting hit by a car, killed by a coyote or dog, or stuck in some sort of animal trap. I recall having a lot of anxiety about Milo and whether or not he was safe at night. So I hatched a new plan, which I proposed to my grandparents. They were open to having cats at their home, and we decided that Milo would go live with them.

Shortly after clearing this plan with my grandparents, something happened. We were at the dinner table eating when we heard growling, snarling, and then a loud painful-sounding yelp. Apparently young Milo had wandered onto the back deck and gone too close to our large dog Brandy's food dish. The dog snapped quickly, and in a flash, Milo was laying on his side. Not moving. Eyes closed. Just like that - my kitten was gone. My dad took me into my room and explained that it was an accident and that he didn't believe Brandy intended to hurt my kitten. He snapped, as dogs sometimes do, and Milo was just too little. My adolescent mind could not comprehend. I sobbed and sobbed and couldn't understand why this had happened. I went outside to say goodbye to my already very loved kitten.

My mom was crouched next to him. She said he was breathing! We couldn't believe it. I gently lifted him up and took him into my room, and my parents didn't oppose since they felt this little kitten was near the end of his life.

I tried to take care of Milo, but I had no idea what to do. I filled a syringe and squirted some water into his mouth so that he'd stay hydrated (it's funny how 12-year-old minds work). I petted him for hours, saying comforting things. At the end of the day, I said goodbye and went to bed.

In the morning, Milo was sitting up and didn't appear to be in pain. He moved around, though somewhat gingerly, and so I fed him some cheese that I found in the kitchen. Years later, we joked about the cheese that saved our cat's life. Over the next few days, he grew stronger and it became clear that he was going to pull through. My parents were amazed that he was still alive and also touched by the time I spent caring for the little cat, and so they decided he could stay in our house after all. We were now a two-cat home, and I couldn't have been happier.

This new pet came with additional responsibility. His first vet bill was $300, which I paid for entirely on my own using money I'd made mowing lawns. For those keeping track at home, $300 is an incredible amount of money for a 12-year-old. I also decided that I'd pay for any other supplies he needed, including a special cat food intended to prevent urinary tract disorders. A friend's cat had died of that condition, and I was petrified that the same thing would happen to Milo. In many ways, having my own cat was a turning point in my life. It's the first time when I can remember putting another thing ahead of myself. I was gentle, patient, and fiercely protective of this kitty. In the summer, I hated leaving him at home so I started taking Milo everywhere with me. I leash-trained him, which was actually pretty easy since I started him off young. He was great in the car, and he often seemed more dog-like than cat-like. He was quiet and happy and just liked to be near me. I took him everywhere I went that summer, and both strangers and friends alike were always surprised when they'd encounter this young girl with a cat on a leash (or in a carrier, depending on the environment). Many people asked if they could have him; some even offered to buy him. I'd always reply sternly that he was not for sale.

The next summer, I decided to enter one-year-old Milo in the county fair's cat competition. This is laughable in hindsight, but I thought it made sense at the time since he was such a lovable guy. Our county fair was mostly farm kids showing cows, horses, goats, and even rabbits. There were usually only a handful of cats, and they were always pure breeds like Himalayan and Siamese. When it was my turn with the judges, I proudly showed them my cat and his leash skills, and also walked them through a picture book I'd made about Milo's life so far. They were impressed that he survived a dog attack at such a young age and also that he'd seemingly been tame from the first time I met him. I returned to the animal arena later to find Milo relaxing in his cage with a large purple "Grand Champion" ribbon on his cage and a "What's the big deal?" expression on his face.

Years went by, and my bond with this plain-looking tabby grew stronger. He slept on my bed every night, and I didn't even care that he hogged the bed, forcing me to sleep with my body contorted in an uncomfortable way so as not to disturb the sleeping kitty. I diligently cared for him. When I turned 18, I decided to move away to attend college. I was very sad to leave my cat (and family), but my university required that all freshmen live in the dorms (which had a strict "no pets" policy). I said a temporary goodbye, fully intending to come back for my cat after my first year of school. But, as they say, things don't always go as planned. When I left for my college, our family dog Brandy started to act differently. He was only 10 years old roughly, but he was a large dog and had slowed down considerably in his last couple years. One night my mom was sitting on our back porch, and Brandy slowly walked over, put his head in her lap, sighed loudly, and died. It was very unexpected. Even worse, our other family cat (Kirby) had reached the end of her life and my parents made the tough situation to put her down after she could no longer move without obvious pain. My poor mother not only had to deal with the recent empty nest resulting after her youngest daughter moved away for college, but she'd also lost her two oldest pets. She bonded a lot with Milo as she adjusted to this new situation and because, well, Milo was just so good at providing comfort.

I was 24 years old by the time I moved into an apartment that allowed cats, and it was clear by then that Milo was not going anywhere. He and my mom were great friends, and he was now 12 years old. He slept on my mom's bed now.

When I was 25, Rob proposed and we started planning our wedding. Shortly after, Milo became sick. My mom took him to the vet, who told her that he had diabetes. This was devastating news, but the vet told us that Milo was otherwise healthy and could still live many years with this condition. It meant that he would need a daily shot of insulin after he ate, and my mom would need to administer it. My mom was terrified. She was so afraid that she'd mess up and accidentally kill our beloved pet (too much insulin, not enough insulin, not enough food beforehand, etc.). But she bravely forced herself through it. Milo never protested when he received his daily shot. He seemed to understand that it was meant to help him. It became a part of their morning routine. Each day, my mom would wake up and feed Milo, give him his shot, and then take him outside on his leash. Our vet volunteered to take care of Milo, and so my parents were able to come to Minnesota for my wedding that September. I saw Milo again that year at Christmas and could not believe how much weight he had lost. I didn't think he had much time left, but he didn't act as though he was in pain or discomfort.

He surprised me. Milo mostly breezed through his first year with diabetes. Then he had a few scary episodes where he would seem dizzy and would walk in circles before falling over. The vet adjusted his insulin, and he always seemed to bounce back, impressing us over and over with his resilience. He passed the two-year mark, still going strong. And then a third year.

Yesterday, my mother called me to tell me that Milo wasn't doing very well. She said he's stopped eating a few days ago. Since he refused to eat, she couldn't give him insulin. He was down in my old room sleeping under the bed. I had the sinking feeling that you get sometimes when you know something is true but don't want to believe it. I told my mom that she should keep him at home as long as he looks comfortable. And then.. when she starts to notice, she should take him in. It's times like these I hate the fact that I live 7 hours away.

This is hard to write. It's hard to describe how much an animal can mean to a person... and a family. I know I will fail terribly if I even attempt to articulate it. All I can say is that I'm going to miss him so very much, and that I'm so grateful he survived that accident when he was a kitten. This cat brought me comfort so many times throughout my life, as I dealt with the sickness and death of my mom's brother, my dad's mother, and my great grandmother. My childhood and transition into young adulthood. So many associations with "home" and growing up. When it seemed everything in life was different, I could come home and find that with Milo, at least one thing never changed. This cat was my constant. I cared for him, and he needed me. I needed him. When I left, he filled that role for my mom.

This is Milo, the cat who captured and held my heart for more than half my life. He died today. And I wish more than anything that I could just see him one last time.

December 2009, at 15 years old

Sunday morning before and after

2011-01-16T09:54:00.003-06:00

I like to edit my sister's photos because she gets awesome wildlife shots on the farm. Here's a Sunday morning before and after.

What I did:

I first warmed it up with a curve adjustment. You can also try Pioneer Woman's "warmer" action from her free action set.
I painted on color pop on the deer. You can do this using a layer adjustment with a dramatic curve adjustment (here's how to do that here). Then apply a layer mask while holding down the alt key. This will make the layer adjustment invisible until you paint it on with a brush.
Next I painted on some faux shallow depth of field. You can do this by using the layer adjustment/masking technique above and running a lens blur filter.
Finally I sharpened it up. Try the free MCP Action for high-definition sharpening.

Before:

After:

More before-and-after editing with my sister Steph's nice animal photography:

Want me to edit one of your photos? Send it to chateauwhitman [at] gmail.com . Note that by submitting a photo, you are giving me permission to use it on this blog.

Doomtree videos

2011-01-15T14:11:00.006-06:00

My friend Scott told me I need to update this blog more because he needs reading material when he's bored. Since I always do my best to aid others in their time-wasting, here are some videos I shot at the Doomtree concert last month. We ventured intrepidly into the beginning of a blizzard (it happened to be the storm that brought us 20+ inches of snow) for the show. I think these videos are pretty entertaining (and contain a lot of previously unreleased songs, which is awesome). But I will admit that they are lower quality since I shot them using my faithful pocket Canon shown here:

You should watch them anyway. Oh, and I have to show you this before I get to the videos. Before the show, I saw the most famous Doomtree MC, Stef Alexander (aka P.O.S.) walking around near the bar at First Ave. Club. I waved him over, and we snapped a quick pic.

I love Minneapolis hip hop.

Enjoy the videos - experience Minneapolis hip hop for yourself.

This is how they started the show. Notice the Christmas tree. It was in mid December.

Unreleased song by Cecil Otter. He was losing his voice, but it's still awesome. Check out the emotion at 2:41.

Sims and POS singing a new song for the first time:

Unreleased song by Sims:

"Purexed" by POS:

Sims - "Keygrip" plus part of a new song. Check out how his friends help him out when he can't hear the beat at the beginning. I love it.

"Rebel Yellow" by Cecil Otter:

POS - "Let it Rattle"

Doomtree - "Traveling Dunk Tank"

Doomtree - "Gander Back" featuring some awesome and funny dancing at the beginning.

POS - "Drumroll"

Ringing in the new year with home organization

2011-01-05T08:01:00.002-06:00

I am a total geek about many things. These activities bring me genuine joy, and I don't know if that is normal. Let's make a list, shall we?

Photo editing and photography
Web scripting
Doing math relating to my daily life (finances, spending, cost-to-value ratios, etc.)
Making lists on blogs
Designing house plans and decor in Photoshop
Organization

The last item, as you can see, is organization. It's a topic that I enjoy covering, but I try not to go overboard with it. However it's the beginning of the new year, and all of the magazines are running their "de-clutter in 2011" and "get organized and tidy for the new year" type articles. I love it.

It's a new year, and I want to organize and de-clutter. The problem is, all of my areas are already pretty good.

My night-stand:

My art supplies, books, etc:

My closet:

I like keeping things neat and tidy, but I've thus far avoided the color-coded closet.

Cleaning closet:

Hall closet:

So now what?

Oh. This is embarrassing. Now you all know my dirty secret. This is what our upstairs attic looks like right now. It's become a catch-all storage area for everything will will eventually live in the basement (furniture, workout equipment, tools/work bench area).

At one time, that room looked like this:

I also think we can do some work here. Our bookshelf runneth over with books and misc. debris.

All of the storage baskets are at full capacity. I like a cleaner bookshelf display.

And... I guess some of the random storage ottomans and trunks scattered throughout the house need some work too.

Hey, I'm not perfect! Organizing these things is on the top of my goals list for this year. Hopefully I will have some before-and-after pics to show you soon. I share these things on the blog because it's a good motivator and keeps me accountable.

In the meantime, here is a re-post from last year. I don't think I've ever re-posted anything prior to this, but I think this is good information. Enjoy!

De-cluttering 101
Originally posted Jan. 27, 2010
-------------------------------

Check this out. This is our donation pile after some ~~spring~~ mid-winter cleaning.

All that stuff* was just sitting in our house taking up space and not being used. It felt really good to pack it all up and donate it to Good Will. I really do believe that having an organized and simplified home contributes to a healthier mindset. Plus it's easier to find stuff and keep track of the things you do have. Having less things means less to clean and keep organized and less to move if you decide to leave your current place. Sometimes you can even sell your unwanted items too. There are a lot of advantages, but sometimes it's hard to know what you should get rid of and what to keep. Here's my general rules for de-cluttering.

* Except the black blanket, which just happened to be sitting in its normal place on the ottoman by the door. Don't worry, Rob's grandma, we would never get rid of that. :)

Keep:

Things you use regularly. Ex: Favorite clothes and shoes, frequently used cooking utensils and appliances, art and craft supplies, etc. These things are usually a no-brainer because you know that you use them a lot.
Seasonal items that you will use again and again. Ex: Christmas decorations, grilling or gardening supplies, winter apparel.
Items with sentimental value or personal meaning. Ex: Carefully chosen family heirlooms, a loved antique item, photos albums, etc.

Donate:

Clothes that you haven't worn in a year, as well as clothes that no longer fit.
Items that you received as gifts but have never used. This is a tough one for most people, and I don't mean to sound cold-hearted. I think it's important to accept gifts graciously and value the care and thoughtfulness of the person who gave it to you. But if it's not anything you would use, then consider the fact that someone else might enjoy it a lot. In a way, you are paying the thoughtfulness forward.
Gadgets and appliances that you no longer use. That Palm Pilot seemed like a good idea at the time, but I bet you haven't turned it on in years. Maybe you've held onto your old 2-3 megapixel camera but now you have a d-SLR. Or how about that Snoopy waffle maker? The food dehydrator? Be realistic. Start using it or get rid of it.
Unused items that you are holding onto because you are afraid you will need them someday. Ask yourself this: If you should need this item again in 1, 5, 10 years, will you be able to re-purchase it without difficulty? I find most of the time, it's not worth holding onto. For example: We have some large luggage pieces that we've never used, so we finally decided to get rid of them. If we should find ourselves in a position where we do need a huge suitcase, I'm sure we'll be able to borrow one.

Consider donating/selling:

Multiple items. Do you really need two can openers? Or 3 pairs of basketball shoes? Or 20 quilts? Only keep extras if they are truly practical and will be used. Remember, someone else could really use that item that you have stowed away (and probably forgot about).
Books. Do you really need to keep books after you've read them? I usually don't read things more than once. If you do feel the urge to re-read a book, there's always the library. The same goes for DVDs and CDs. I moved all of my CDs to a digital format and backed them up on an external hard drive. Getting rid of our 350-400 CD collection has really freed up a lot of space in our house.
Collections that you don't use or have room to display. Sure your collection of old vinyl records is cool, but are you showing them off on a nice shelf in your living room or instead letting them collect dust in a box in the basement? We sometimes allow ourselves to become attached to material items that really don't mean much. Try and let go of sentimentality and nostalgia and purge some of the belongings that really don't matter in your current everyday life. There's likely someone else out there who will find much more enjoyment in these items that you currently are.
If you have been holding onto some items or collections that once belonged to a family member, consider donating part of the collection and only holding onto a few carefully chosen items that have personal meaning for you. If you have a huge box of something collecting dust in the basement, it's not really honoring your loved one's memory. But if you pick out one or two of your favorite items to display and enjoy, it's a much better use and acknowledgement of a family-owned item. Plus you can offer other pieces in the collection to other family members to share the love and sentimentality.

Toss/recycle:

Check your food cabinets and fridge for expired food items.
Check your medicine cabin for expired medications.
Hair and body products can go bad too. Throw out any products that are more than a year old.
Throw away worn out shoes or clothes. Only donate things in good condition.
Magazines that you've already read.

Please comment if you have any de-cluttering tips that I forgot.

Not sure where to donate? Here's some links for looking up donation outlets in your area:

Goodwill locator
Salvation Army donation information
Purple Heart Pickup Service
Vietnam Veterans of America Household Goods Donations Program

Have something you'd like to sell? Here are some useful links for you:

Cash4Books.net - Sell used books
Gazelle - Sell used electronics
YouRenew - Sell used computers, cameras, cell phones, etc.
Half.com - Sell used books, music, gaming systems, DVDs
Ebay - Auctions
Craigslist - Online, local classifieds (read my tips for craigslisting here)
Sell.com - Online classifieds
OnlineAuction.com - More auctions

I enjoy compiling these types of lists for my own reference, but also to make things more convenient for others. So if you have anything to add to the list, please let me know.

Cheers to a clean and organized 2010.

First house purchase of 2011

2011-01-04T07:55:00.001-06:00

You may recall that we purchased a chocolate brown Milano leather sectional from Macy's Furniture back in July. We also picked up some new accent pillows and a throw to add some much-needed texture and a little splash of color to the room.

Shortly after, we decided to paint the walls with a rich taupey brown shade to make the space feeler warmer and more inviting (you can view that before and after right here).

This room was looking pretty good, and (dare I say?) complete. The only thing missing from our original design board was a storage ottoman, as seen here:

This design board is an example of what Photoshop-addicted bloggers do in their spare time. I may be a nerd, but at least I own it.

Hence Rob and I decided we wanted to use some of our Christmas money to finally pick up an ottoman for our living room. We had been drooling over the matching leather ottoman on the Macy's website for some time. Last weekend, we finally headed over to the store to check it out.

We were disappointed to learn that:

There actually is not a matching ottoman for our couch.
The ottomans pictures on the Macy's websites and ads were not made from the same manufacturer, and were in fact vinyl instead of real leather.
The vinyl ottomans still retailed for $300 (or more) on sale. For vinyl. No thank you.

So we relented to look elsewhere, knowing that we'd have to compromise with an ottoman that was not a perfect match.

We initially considered this brown storage ottoman from Target. We already own the black version, and it doesn't look too bad for fake leather. The brown color was a little too light, however. And it was still $79.99 and kind of small. Back to the old drawing board. I did a quick Google Shopping search to see what else I could find. Jackpot!

This large storage ottoman looks like a really close color match, and it's only $69 on Walmart.com:

I love that it's square, and I also love the great reviews and customer rating.

Even better, there's a matching rectangular version for $79. We'd wanted to get a 2nd ottoman to put under the window next to the TV (for more storage and seating). This is perfect.

And this one has even more stellar reviews.

But here's perhaps the best part. We were able to ship the ottomans to our local store for free. Our new ottoman friends should be here in 7-10 days. We know it's a gamble to order something online without seeing it. But at this price, we figured it was worth a shot. Plus the return policy is pretty nice (we can return it within 90 days).

So we just bought two large storage ottomans for $148 total. Not too shabby. And no, we are not affiliated with Walmart or Walmart.com in any way whatsoever. We just like a good deal.

Your turn:
What was your first house-related purchase for 2011? If you haven't had one yet, what is your planned first purchase? Weigh in below, yo. In the comments. Word.

"Robots. I don't know why the scientists even make them." (a post about buying a computer)

2011-01-01T08:18:00.005-06:00

This blog title is a reference to my favorite SNL skit ever - the commercial for Old Glory robot insurance. You can watch it here (sorry that you have to suffer through a 30 second ad first, but it's worth it).

"And when they grab you with those metal claws, you can't break free. Because they're made of metal. And robots are strong."

Anyhow I often quote that old skit whenever I have a technology-related problem. A couple weeks ago, Rob's Dell XPS laptop finally kicked the bucket. It was 5 or 6 years old, and Rob is kinda tough on computers. I'm used to regularly reinstalling the operating system, and we've done some other maintenance like upgrading the ram. But this time, it was clear that the computer was on its last limb. We had 0 battery life, and we actually had to remove the front keyboard panel if we wanted to watch a Hulu video because otherwise the laptop would overheat. Sometimes you just gotta throw in the towel and buy something new.

But this is a great time to buy a laptop! Why? Because they are cheap! You can get a powerhouse machine for a totally reasonable price ($600ish).

I decided to blog about this because I know a lot of people who have computers and therefore buy computers... but they don't necessarily have a lot of knowledge about what constitutes a "good" computer. It is my goal to help others be informed buyers.

For a long time, a person's perception was dictated by the computer's price. Many assumed that a high price tag meant the machine was top of the line and therefore would last longer and perform better. I strongly disagree with that viewpoint. I think EVERY laptop starts out with a fairly short shelf life unless you are planning to perform the regular maintenance I mentioned (reinstalling the OS, upgrading the ram). So it makes little sense to pay an arm and a leg when you can pretty much guarantee you'll want something new in 3 or 4 years. Instead of buying a $1500 laptop, I say buy a $500-600 laptop and save your money.

Disclaimer/credentials/why listen to me?
I don't claim to know everything there is to know about computers, but I have worked in IT for a long time. At my last job, I was responsible for 13 computer labs at a huge college campus, which translated into a lot of equipment purchases over a 5 year span (lab computers can get a lot of use in general, and sometimes by people who don't care about the equipment... lots of replacements). I've purchased hundreds of computers. I know what equipment puked out right away and what lasted, as well as what was easy to maintain. In addition, I have pretty high personal standards for computers. I have worked as a web designer in varying capacities since 1998, and I also do a lot of high-resolution photo editing. For example: I regularly work on 26 megapixel raw files. I rely on reliable, speedy equipment, and I have somewhat more demanding needs than the average web user. I think I've done a good job at finding awesome computers that do not compromise any of my needs (and actually exceed my expectations), yet they do not break the bank. I want to help you do the same. I'm also friends with a lot of super tech geniuses, and sometimes their knowledge rubs off on me. It's a good situation.

That said, I wanted to share my main criteria for picking out a laptop. It's a pretty short list.

Must have 4 gigs ram and must be DDR3. I won't compromise on this. I run a lot of resource-heavy software like Photoshop and Dreamweaver. Others will appreciate the speed of watching videos or playing casual games (I'm not speaking to hardcore gamers at all with this blog post). I also look at the ram capacity when I buy a laptop. Both of our latest laptop purchases are expandable to 8 gigs of ram, which means we have the option of upgrading in a few years when 4 gigs starts to feel slow. Note that many netbooks (those tiny little computers that only cost a couple hundred bucks) are only expandable to 2 gigs. That pretty much guarantees that you will be complaining about the speed within a year or two of owning it.
Must have an HDMI output. This is a given for us because we don't have cable TV. We watch hulu and Netflix on our TV. Don't spend a lot of money on extra equipment to do this. That stuff is all gimmick. All you need is a computer (and TV) with an HDMI out, and you're good to go.
Must have at least an i3 processor. Even with the heavy computing I do, the i3 is more than fine. Sure an i5 or i7 would be nice, but there's no logical reason why I need a car that fast. I kinda feel that processor technology has peaked for the time being, so an i3 will be just fine for the next 4 or 5 years.
Must be $600 or less. Because with my collection of experiences, this is what I think a laptop is worth right now.

And that's it. That's all I care about.

I used to care about dedicated graphics memory, but that isn't even much of a concern to me now.

Here's what I DON'T care about:

Hard drive size. Why? Because it's 2011, and that means we are all smart enough to back up our data on external drives. Right? Your computer's hard drive shouldn't really matter. Instead invest in a couple good quality external drives, and get in the habit of regularly backing everything up. Listen - your computer hard drive WILL fail at some point, or you WILL need to reinstall your operating system. This is a given. Save yourself the hassle and start saving your data to your two+ external drives.

External hard drive - friend and hero
Brand. Laptops are just components. I don't feel that one brand is better than the others, and in fact they are mostly the same under the hood. Ten years ago, people thought Gateways were the nicest PCs you could buy. Then it was Dell. Now, it just doesn't matter. If you like a particular brand's warranty or customer service, then by all means go for it. Otherwise I am not loyal to any brand (I've owned computers by Compaq, Toshiba, Dell, Gateway, and HP).
Screen/laptop size. Both of our laptops are fairly large at 15-17 inches (which I like for quick image editing and watching movies). But they are each only 4 or 5 pounds. So that means they're as portable as the next laptop, but they're a hell of a lot more functional. Netbooks are nice because they are small and light, but they are not all that useful for anything other than Word processing and web surfing. That's just my opinion. If you simply want portable Internet access, maybe a smart phone or iPod Touch makes more sense for you. Now there are high quality laptops that come in a netbook-size package, but these are extremely pricy. The one I used at my last job was around $1600 and the only advantage it had over my $600 personal laptop is that it was a few inches smaller. That's not enough value to me.
Battery life. I find the measurements to be inaccurate and not-trustworthy. Buy a back-up battery if you are worried about it.
Macs. Sorry, not trying to cause any controversy. After supporting many Macs in the computer labs for the past five years (and using them at work all throughout my undergrad), I don't think they are worth their price tag. Plain and simple. I find PCs easier to fix as well. This is just my personal opinion based on my personal experiences, and I'm not trying to start a debate. :)

So back to my short list of must-haves above, I found several computers that fit this criteria. Here were my two favorites:

Sony - VAIO Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 15.5" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Brown, $599 at Best Buy

It fits all of our needs. And I like Sony.

Or:

Gateway - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Espresso, $549 at Best Buy

We ended up going with the Gateway, not because it's cheaper but because it was in stock at our local store. So far, the laptop has been working beautifully for us.

It's also worth noting that the other laptop we bought back in February is still being sold for the same price that we paid, and it's still getting great reviews. It's laughable but 11 months is a long time in laptop technology. I bought that laptop using my criteria list above. I've been really happy with the computer, and it's somehow managed to hold its value. I can't complain about that.

The other laptop - a smart purchase

Note: Sure, my tech buddies give me a hard time for buying a computer at Best Buy, but I can't really beat the convenience. It's 5 minutes away. I don't have to wait 3-7 days for shipping. So I do my research ahead of time, walk in there with my list, and walk out with a computer in a matter of minutes. Please don't go shopping at Best Buy without doing your research first. Read reviews, look at specs, and so on before you go to the store.

You can also check Newegg, Micro Center, Amazon, Sam's Club, or Costco. If you are a student, check your school discounts. Sam's Club supposedly offers good technical service, but I haven't checked it out myself. I never buy the extended warranty or service plan either. That's mostly because I don't mind trying to fix things myself (and I have a low opinion of the service that these plans provide).

So there you have it - these are my thoughts on laptop purchasing (in a nutshell). I sincerely hope this information is useful to somebody. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Related posts:

Temporary office space (aka working with what you've got and the beginnings of a 2011 wish list)

2010-12-31T09:00:00.002-06:00

Let's drop my usual "less is more" attitude and get materialistic for a few minutes. All things considered, I had a pretty good year in terms of acquiring fun new toys (thanks to fun money, saving and patience, and some help from Rob in regards to an early Christmas gift). Most of these toys relate to my growing hobby and side business of photography.

First, I have a shiny new high-resolution computer monitor, perfect for editing photos.

I have an awesome camera:

I have a legit copy of Adobe Creative Suite 5 Web Premium (purchased for 20% of retail cost thanks to my old University discount).

And I have my own photography website, to keep me busy and inspired.

These things were all new in 2010. Life is good!

Except I forgot to set up a workstation for my fun new toys. Rob and I usually just sit on the couch with our laptops, so we don’t really have a formal desk area.

Backing things up, I will remind you that we do have plans to convert our attic bedroom into an office/studio (read more about those plans here or here). But that area is currently used for storage while our basement is ripped up. So I started debating locations for a temporary home workstation.

The dining room was my first choice since there’s a lot of room (and I used to spend long hours there doing homework and writing my thesis).

Our dining room - back in my thesis-writing days.

But then Rob complained that I was never hanging out in the same room as him. I consider it a good sign that my husband wants to spend *more* time with me, and not the other way around. :)

So I set out to convert a corner of our living room/kitchen into a makeshift office. The challenge? Not buying a thing. Ok, here comes a before and after.

Before: our mail-sorting and paperwork cart:

After: My temporary office:

I’ll admit this isn’t the most ideal set-up, but it will work fine for now. Our mail cart is actually an old microwave stand that my mom gave me when I was in college. It has a little drawer, where a keyboard fits perfectly inside. Another shelf is the perfect place to set the laptop. I use the bottom basket to hold our modem, power cables, and random other techno-cord-garbage (scientific term).

You’re probably wondering where I put the mail and paperwork-related boxes, right? (Just humor me.) In the dining room, I set up a little portable table (we have a couple of these, they were around $10 at Target).

This location actually makes sense since it’s closer to the front door/mailbox. The other boxes found a new home on the bookshelf.

I keep an old 60s camera and an old film camera on display near my photography books.

Note: Eventually we want to buy this buffet to complete the dining room. It matches our table. So the mail/paperwork will easily be contained by this future furniture purchase.

Until then, we'll just enjoy our temporary work place. and improvised mail and paperwork station.

A haiku related to this situation:
Work with what you have
Need home owner improv skills
You know how it goes.

I’d still like to buy a real desk, but this set-up will work for the time being. It’s especially handy to have now that I occasionally work from home. I do long for a real chair though, as 8+ hours on the dining room chair gets pretty uncomfortable. A desk, chair, and buffet are at the top of my 2011 house purchase wish list, and I plan to post the rest of the list later this week. Stay tuned, as those marketing people like to say.

New furnace cost break-down

2010-12-30T08:49:00.004-06:00

If you are a longtime reader of this blog, you might recall that our furnace was red tagged (deemed not safe for use) and shut off last February. We had no choice but to buy a new one.

This is what a red-tagged furnace looks like. You know... in case you were wondering.

We found an affordable option that was also energy-star rated. By the time it was installed (err installed properly, I should say, since it took a few tries), it was mid March and the worst of winter was behind us. So I was eager to see how the new more-efficient furnace would work in the harsh Minnesota winter.

The green giant outdoor thermostat was a nice "extra" included with our home purchase.

So here’s the furnace cost break-down.

The furnace that we purchased ended up costing $3123.96 with all taxes and installation. It would have been a few hundred more, but the installers made some mistakes and had to come out and fix it. We complained (since each mistake left us without heat for a longer period of time), and they refunded us for a few hundred dollars (to cover the installation, mostly).

Since this furnace is energy-star rated, we qualify for the 2010 tax rebate. We will apply for this in February during tax time, but we’re slated to get roughly 30% of the cost back. That’s $937.19 that will go back in our pocket.

That brings the cost of the furnace down to $2186.77.

Since this furnace is more efficient, it should (in theory) save us money each month that we use it. I found this to be true in the summer, when our gas bill was as low as $14.79 (in June). In previous summers, it was at least double that. But I was most interested in seeing how the furnace performed when it was being used every day, all day, as in the winter.

Now a few things to note. Last year we kept our indoor heat set to a frigid 58 degrees. Why’d we do this? Because we’re both tough and cheap! (You can read about my indoor winter survival kit here - it’s a good list.) But even with our heat that low, our heating bill for the last full month with the old furnace was a whopping $186.14. I know that may sound crazy to some of you, but we have an old house with poor insulation. It didn't make sense for us to throw our money away trying to keep this drafty house warm. And of course the furnace was old and not very efficient as well.

This year, I have left the furnace at 62 degrees. It feels like a heat wave in comparison to last year’s 58. I knew that the new furnace was more efficient, so I thought I could get away with a couple extra degrees (and believe me - they help). So now that our furnace was been running all day, every day for a month in the winter, can you guess the amount for our latest gas bill (November)? Are you ready for this? $66.48.

Wow. Our gas bill is ⅓ of the amount it was last winter, and that is more impressive since we’ve had our heat set 4 degrees warmer.

Because I like to do math (no, really, I’m a nerd), I wanted to see how long it will be until the furnace has paid for itself (meaning the money saved on monthly gas bills is higher than the furnace price). So, in this most-non-scientific estimate, I will say that we save the amounts below each month that we run the furnace (based on comparisons between this year and last, averaged out over the months given). Of course we save more money by ratio in the winter months since we do so much more heating. And I do only have partial data for this year, but I will update this post in a few months when I have all the information (and will see how accurate I was with my calculations).

Monthly savings:
Winter month (November, December, January, February) = $115 per month, $460 total
Fall/spring months (March, April, September, October) = $30 per month, $120 total
Summer months (June, July, August, September) = $21 per month, $84 total
Total savings per year (estimated) = $664

Therefore it will take 3.3 years for the furnace to have paid for itself (and for us to really feel the benefits of this purchase). Not bad, eh? And of course, we added some value to our house by updating an important appliance (and one that is safer than our previous one). So that’s good too.

I hope this information is helpful for anyone thinking about replacing their furnace. We didn’t have a choice in the matter, but if you do, it’s worth taking the time to do a cost analysis.

*Note: I’m not sure if the energy savings rebate is still available. I heard it was discontinued, but I also saw information that said it’s valid until the end of the year (2010). So more research is needed.

Two years in the Chateau, and we're doing fine

2010-12-15T08:09:00.001-06:00

Home ownership is like many other aspects of life. By that, I mean that things don’t always go as planned.

And that’s ok.

We received a card in the mail the other day from our realtors. They informed us that it was the two-year anniversary of when we closed on our house. The date almost slipped past us, unnoticed. I appreciated the reminder, but it made me realize how the last two years, though great in their own way, are not exactly what we had in mind when we moved into this place on that cold December afternoon.

Like many first-time homeowners, we had (have) big dreams. House renovation and remodel costs money, but we are good savers. We figured we’d plan, save, and execute. Wrong.

Here are the things we imagined we’d spend our money on during our first two years:

Adding a bathroom (and popping out the roof to add a dormer) in our attic bedroom
Putting in a jacuzzi tub in our main level bathroom
Building a garage

Dream bathroom -- hey, it could happen! Image source

As you probably already know, none of those things happened. The upstairs bathroom idea was tabled (possibly forever) after we realized how expensive it is to add plumbing and a dormer. Without a dormer, we also weren’t sure if we’d have enough room to even add a bathroom without making the area seem cramped and tiny. Similarly, we realized we couldn’t afford a new garage at this time (didn’t realize how expensive it is to pour concrete). The jacuzzi tub is still something we want to do, but it involves a lot of work and probably would require us to re-tile the bathroom since we have to rip out the current tub. It would definitely be time-consuming. So far, we haven’t had the courage to put our only bathroom (and shower) out of commission for the time needed to finish the project.

So what have we spent our money on in the past two years? Well:

Buying a new furnace after ours was red tagged last year
Basement finishing materials (an epic post by Rob if you haven't read it)
Buying a new water heater after ours broke
Buying a snowblower (deemed necessary after our last 20-inch snowfall)
Buying a lawn mower and various other yard or home tools
Buying furniture (beds, couch, dining room table)
Building a wooden fence after our dog started escaping
Buying a different car, an older truck, two sets of tires, and a lot of car maintenance (which Rob did himself, so we only paid for parts)
Adding custom closets (not planned but AWESOME)
Two new laptops after out old ones kicked the bucket
The last bit of grad school after the University cut my scholarship funding
Various other homeowner expenses that we never could have anticipated

With many of these things, we had no choice in our purchase since our existing item broke (and needed replacement). But you know, that’s how the cookie crumbles. I’m still happy and grateful to own a house... (Well.. pay money on a house mortgage, that is. Some day we’ll own it.)

Dear readers of mine, this is a perfect time for you to chime in. What did you dream about when you were signing the papers at your house closing? Did it happen, or did life take an unexpected turn? What were your unplanned purchases during that first year or two? I am genuinely curious whether our situation is A-OK normal or just the outcome of some bad luck. So get yourself down to the comment section and weigh in. Pretty please?