man, woman, dog, house

Kitchen Renovation '09

2010-02-14T16:25:00.000-08:00

So our kitchen renovation is finally complete, prepare to be blown away...

This photo was taken before we moved into our house back in 2007. We had done a little painting but this is basically how the kitchen looked until we started this project back in mid-October:

We had to start by removing our counters, about half the original cabinets, the stove and wall oven. After about four attempts, we were able to pack all of the above into our little cars for a trip to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Belgrade.

I started out by laying down the new flooring (directly over the old flooring). It is a modern linoleum product called Marmoleum and it comes in 12" square tiles that simply click together. I finished the installation in just a few hours.

After some painting and minor electrical work we started assembling and installing our new cabinets that we picked up at Ikea during a weekend trip to Salt Lake City.

Our new appliances arrived about the same time we finished installing the cabinets. They are trendy stainless steel and we love them dearly. Once the new refrigerator was in we were able to get rid of the old one via craigslist.

Once we had the bulk of the new work completed we turned our attention to the other side of the kitchen where we kept the original cabinets, put in concrete countertops and a new sink.

New concrete on left, old laminate on the right:

Note: For those of you who don't know, fabricating concrete counters is not fun. The upside though, is that they look fantastic and I spent about $400 on them, which includes all materials, tools and other supplies.

The last major item was to tile the backsplash. We used 1"x2" glass mosaic tile from Oceanside. Installing this tile is pretty tricky but with some patience it went smoothly and looks great.

At this point our work was basically complete. The final piece was to have the original cabinets (that we didn't donate to HFH) professionally refinished. We hired Sean from Deluxe Lustre, he did a great job. We finished things off with new door pulls from Ikea and new hinges from ACE Hardware.

Wallpaper . . . yes, that's right, wallpaper

2009-09-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

We hung wallpaper. That is not something I ever thought we would do, but this stuff was too cool to pass up and totally adds a ton of character to the house. It took some time and teamwork, but we finished it in about one full day (started on a Friday night and woke up Saturday and finished). The paper is from Ferm Living. Enjoy.

Plants

2009-09-04T17:15:00.001-07:00

This year I decided to add some perennials to the small plot against the back of the house. This space has gone through a couple changes since we moved in. First I weeded what was there when we moved in, then I decided to make it a bigger plot and plant some bulbs and now I've added these perennials. Hopefully they will make it through the winter like they should and come back fuller next year.

Veggies

2009-09-04T17:11:00.001-07:00

The pics below are squash, carrots and sugar snap peas from this years veggie garden. I also grew lettuce, but it has all either been eaten or died. I planted a ton of it and we couldn't keep up with eating it all. I've still got another couple squash coming and hopefully some cherry and pear tomatoes. We'll see if the weather can stay nice enough for them to finish ripening on the vine.

Bathroom '09 - Complete

2009-06-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

At long last we have completed our bathroom renovation. This project consumed most of my weekends for the last couple months and we feel pretty good about the results. I have added links to most of the products we used, feel free to post with any questions.

The concrete vanity top turned out great, especially considering it was my first attempt. Check out buddyrhodes.com to find where you can pick up supplies for your own project.

We went with Oceanside Glass Tile for the accent and shower wall tile. The tile comes in 12" x 12" sheets and the mix can be customized using a variety of colors. We added some stone tiles to our mix. Also, the glass tiles are made from up to 80% recycled content, www.glasstile.com

I do not know the manufacturer of the floor tile but it is Italian porcelain, which sounds a lot more expensive than it is (it is actually quite inexpensive and a great product). These specific tiles are 6" x 20" and are finished with Custom Building Products Polyblend Grout in Platinum color. This and the rest of the tile were all from Montana Tile & Stone.

It was not the original intention but I ended up replacing the old shower window. Once we had the old wall opened up it became apparent that there was significant rot in the old wood window so we picked up an Atrium vinyl window for replacement. I am typically not too big on vinyl but for this high moisture area it is appropriate.

In case you are wondering, we used a combination of Kohler and American Standard fixtures and accessories, all of which are available at improvementdirect.com at prices that are quite reasonable (even free shipping. We refinished and reused vanity base cabinet, the new white wall cabinet comes from Nameek's and is available online at several outlets, we ordered from irawoods.com

Let the sun shine!

2009-05-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a short break from the bathroom to plant some trees, a couple of planters and some sunflowers. Check it out:

Aspens off the deck

Planters on the deck

Sunflowers in the brick planter

And of course I couldn't resist a pic of the pooch. Bill is loving all the sunny, warm weather we've been having.

Bill, looking quite serious

It's not easy being green . . .

2009-04-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

One can only stare at those swirly green wall tiles for so long. . . we are currently in the middle of our bathroom remodel. Jim began the process at the end of March. It's been a fun time. In between working we celebrated Easter, took a trip to Seattle and enjoyed a lovely Spring snowstorm (or 2) here in MT. It is easier and more fun to SHOW you:

The lovely "green machine" bathroom, prior to demo.

We will be replacing the mirror, but have plans for this one somewhere else in the house.

Goodbye green! Thanks to Josh for helping Jim get the old cast iron tub out and into the backyard.

Happy Easter!

Floor tiles are in place!

Time for some fun in the city!
Jim and Trav

Megan, me and Trav

Back to work
Jim has been busting ass on this bathroom. I've only been helping a little with staining the cabinet and some of the wall tile. He took on the project of pouring a concrete counter top. It turned out SWEET! Fits great and the sink looks fantastic. Love the contrast and the texture of the concrete. We'll be sealing it once it is officially in place.

Oh, I thought it was Spring. Silly me, I live in Montana.
12" of snow, mid-week. If you look close you can see our old toilet hanging out there on the deck.

Yay for new wall tile that is made of ceramic and not plastic! I helped some with hanging the white tile and setting the mosaic tile in place, but 95% of the work has been done by Jim.

Stay tuned for the final product!

Anyone for a game of pool?

2008-12-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

The pool table from Walker arrived safely in our basement in September. Thanks to our friends who were willing to help with the moving process. We had a "Pool Party" in October. It was a joyous get together, complete with babies and a musical jam session. Anyhow, here are some pics of the table in action.

Giardiniera extravaganza

2008-11-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

I was able to harvest carrots and onions to add to the giardiniera. All other vegetables I had to buy. I did eventually get some tomatoes, however, I had to pick most of them when they were still green because it got too cold to leave them on the vine. I finally got a cauliflower sprout after I had stopped watering and was letting the garden just die out for the season. Crazy! I bought those as starter plants in April, and they didn't flower until November. Yikes! Next year I think I will stick with what was successful this year and maybe try a few new items, like squash or cucumbers. Anyhow, back to the giardiniera. It is delicious! It's pretty easy to make, most of the work is just the amount of chopping that needs to be done. I could snack on this stuff all by itself, but it's delicious on salads, sandwiches, burgers or even pasta. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmmm. . . .

Giardiniera: Onions, carrots, green peppers, red peppers, jalapenos, cauliflower, green olives, olive oil, vinegar and Italian spices. Yum!

Salad Success!

2008-09-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

I harvested the lettuce, some carrots and some peas to make a delicious "home grown" salad for lunch last week. I'm waiting on the tomatoes to ripen and to pick the carrots and onions to make some giardiniera. Yay for gardening!

Beautiful Bozeman

2008-08-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

We are in the process of setting up our pool room in the basement and getting ready for our trip back to Michigan and Chicago. I took Bill for a walk tonight and the sky was beautiful. Thought I should share some of the beauty. We live in a pretty special place.

Handsome Bill

Pretty sky

Garden of Eaten

2008-08-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

I started some seeds this spring to plant a garden and also bought some starter plants. Here's what I was hoping to get:
Tomatoes
Peppers
Jalapenos
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Lettuce
Sugar Snap Peas
Onions
Carrots
Spinach

I put the starters in the ground in the beginning of June and then IT SNOWED! in JUNE! It appeared that everything survived, thanks in part to the fact that I thought to cover everything. Things got off to a nice start:

Garden Box

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Sugar Snap Peas

I got my tomato starter plants pretty early, so I had fruit really fast. I watched that first tomato grow first while the plants were still inside, and then saw it ripen on the vine to a nice, pretty red. Then, I went to pick it and this is what I found:

What?? My first tomato and the birds got to eat it. I was really bummed. At least there were already 3 or 4 more growing on the vine. Then, this happened:

I wasn't as prepared this time and so there was some damage. I lost some tomatoes and the leaves on the broccoli and cauliflower were demolished. I didn't give up though and kept watering everything. I also bought some mesh to help keep out the birds. Today, it paid off. I harvested my first broccoli!

I'm thinking of making a broccoli salad. How does this one sound:

2 medium size broccoli crowns
1 Clementine (Can substitute tangerine)
2 Tablespoons finely chopped soaked walnuts
2 Tablespoons finely diced sweet or red onion

Dressing:
Juice of 1 medium Naval orange
¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup fresh cilantro
½ tsp orange zest

Can't wait! More to come . . . .

Summer has FINALLY arrived!

2008-06-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Summer took it's sweet ass time this year. We couldn't be more excited that the temperature is finally staying above 35 degrees :) In celebration of summer, Jim decided to build a deck, while I headed back to Michigan for a wedding and family visit. Here are some shots of him hard at work busting it out in less than a week:

And here is the finished deck:

While the deck is pretty sweet, we took it up a notch this weekend with the purchase of an inflatable pool. We enjoyed a couple of pool parties Saturday and Sunday. To all those headed out here this summer, be sure to pack your swim suits!

Reason for upper ass/lower back burn

2008-05-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

As shown in Jim's last post, I suffered some premature sunburn this spring. The cause of this sunburn is shown below. Let's hope the temps continue to rise and rain keeps falling instead of snow so that these blooms don't freeze and die.

To refresh your memory, check out what this looked like about 1 year ago.

This just in...Spring is Here!

2008-05-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

Spring finally came to Bozeman this weekend. Want proof? Just check out Sara's lower back/upper ass sunburn:

Classic, sorry dear.

More Flor

2008-05-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new basement rec room / soon to be pool room.

We ordered more flor carpet tiles about two weeks ago and I finally found the time to put them down on Saturday. Each square in the picture is actually four tiles put together and they have a subtle texture that really 'ties the room together'.

Also, we are set to receive a used pool table that is being salvaged from one of my job sites. My client (who previously owned the table) refused any kind of payment and we are thrilled with his generosity. Big thanks to Walker.

The major task, however, lies ahead. In order to extract the pool table from its current environment

it must be disassembled and driven across town. I'll be enlisting the help of pretty much all my friends in Bozeman as the slate is estimated to weigh in around 570lbs. Ugh. Watch for future posts chronicling my hernia operation.

New Painting

2008-04-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

We received a painting from Jim's Grandma over Christmas. It used to hang in her house, but she did not have room for it after moving into an apartment, so we inherited it. Jim has always loved the painting and I could see why when I saw it for the first time. The color scheme and size work perfectly in our living room. We look forward to enjoying it for many years to come.

30 ain't so bad

2008-03-19T20:21:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday I celebrated my 30th birthday. It started with a cake delivery at my office from my Mom and Dad.
The cake was delicious. Thank you!

When I got home from work, our dining table was lined with gifts. It was pretty awesome!
My parents wrapped 30 individual gifts for me and I got to open them one by one. I LOVE presents!

Next was dinner, prepared by Jim and shared with friends.
Steak and escolar, potatoes, salad, bread, wine . . . delicious!

And to cap off the night, we headed out to the Rockin' R for some karaoke. I rocked out to "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" and "Blame It On Your Heart."

I LOVE Birthdays!

Let there be Period Reproduction Lighting!

2008-02-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a long day.
Believe it or not, this is the short version:

We got started around 10am by sanding some drywall patching that I had done earlier in the week. Then we painted the Dining Room/Kitchen ceiling with a classy flat white paint. Then it was off to the hardware store for some wiring, etc. Then it was up to the attic for some electrical work. Then it was back down to the Dining Room to punch a new hole in the ceiling and more electrical work.
Time to install our new fixture. The first time we hooked it up, something about my wiring scheme tripped the circuit breaker. Back to the hardware store for moral support and special light bulbs. Upon hooking the fixture up a second time, still no luck. A third trip to the hardware store for a new dimmer switch (we had decided that during the first test the original switch was fried - and we were right). The third attempt at installation with the new switch with the correct bulbs was a success...partially.

The problem now was that the power in our bedroom would only work if the new light fixture was turned on. We uninstalled the fixture and altered the wiring scheme. Finally, full success...at 7pm

Luckily, a friend of ours was a having hat-mandatory party that included a hula hoop, PBR and fancy cheese.

Not only was Sara the only one who could actually rock a hula hoop, she rocked two h-h's at the same time:

So, so proud.

Updates GALORE!

2008-02-18T19:14:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile since we posted last. We've been busy enjoying the snow, celebrating our 1st anniversary and finishing up some projects around the house (of course!). Here are our latest updates/upgrades:

Spice Rack Shelf
Jim constructed this magnetic spice rack to go above our cook top. It is just deep enough to also work as a nice shelf for additional spices, etc. Our previous spice location was the cupboard to the left in this photo. It is incredibly difficult to easily access spices when they are in a cupboard. We purchased a pre-packaged spice "carousel" that contained metal topped spice jars, however they were not steel so Jim hot glued some washers to the insides of the tops of the containers so they will hang. This is a much better solution, and we are also able to hang some often used utensils from the magnetic strip for easy access. Bonus!

Hall Lamp

Jim removed a hall light this past summer when he installed our attic fan. We found that we missed the extra light in the hall, especially in the evenings. So, we decided that replacing what was a ceiling light with a wall light would be pretty easy and would give us the extra light we wanted. We found the fixture through "Rejuvination", a company that specializes in recreations of home fixtures from past decades. This fixture matches the time period when our house was built.

Dining Room

We finally completed the dry wall work that needed to be done around the door. Jim then fabricated some trim so that it would match our existing trim. We also purchased FLOR carpet tiles to create the rug under the dining table. Everything ties together really well. I can't wait for summer so we can open up the door and entertain. The access to the patio will be so much easier than having to go through the garage. We are now anxious for a more eye catching piece of artwork for the north wall. We are also awaiting the arrival of a new light fixture for this room. So, more updates to come!

Snowmobilin'

2008-01-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we took a trip down to West Yellowstone to enjoy a snowmobile tour through the park. It was quite a day.

Here we are preparing for departure on our sweet Arctic Cat! Yeehaw!

Yellowstone is beautiful in the winter as well. It's so quiet and serene.

It wouldn't be Yellowstone without buffalo.

It really wasn't THAT cold :)

If you're not into snowmobiling and would prefer a warmer less active tour of Yellowstone in the winter, they also offer "Snowcoach" tours. There are a couple different variations of the "Snowcoach." This one is one of the originals.

One step further and I would have disappeared completely into the Winter Wonderland. Good thing my jacket was bright orange, just in case I got lost.

Ahh, the glorious moose shot. There isn't really much you can do when you see a moose on the side of the road. Especially when it is around a blind curve and you can't tell if someone is coming up behind you. You get the idea though. Very cool :)

Make it Great in 2008!

2008-01-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

Although we're well into January and the New Year has passed, we thought it would be fun to share some pics from our friends New Years Eve party. It was full of fun and laughter and we had a blast! Cheers!

Laura and I enjoy the festivities.

Our friends Chris and Britta ring in the New Year with me.

Make it great in 2008! Happy New Year!

Living in HD

2008-01-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! There is a lot to update, but wanted to start with the totally awesome new HD set up we received for Christmas. We received the new TV and new speakers from our parents. Jim took down one of the shelves so that it would fit into the built in. The speakers are much smaller and now tucked up high and provide life-like sound. It's a pretty sweet set up. So far we've mostly been watching football (as shown in this photo). The holidays were good, went too fast though. We've got some pics to share from family visits and New Years party . . . . more to come.

Holy shit i'm full

2007-11-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get the feeling like you will never be hungry again? If so, welcome to my Thanksgiving. I don't know exactly how much I ate in terms of poundage but over the course of the day it was probably a good 170-200% my normal intake.

But I did manage to learn few things about cooking this year. I learned that drinking hot cider all day can be hard on your teeth and I learned that brussel sprouts are not as bad as I had thought they were, but still nearly inedible. By far the most useful information, however, came from one of the many online recipe sites:
"Separate the skin over the breast to make little pockets. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter on both sides between the skin and breast meat. This makes for very juicy breast meat":

Everything was so delicious. Thanks to Brian, Britta, Matt and Laura for contributing to a fantastic meal.

New baby, new floors

2007-11-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago my mom came out for a visit and we went on a road trip to Missoula to see my best friend, Julie, and her new baby boy, Ian. While we were gone, Jim went to town on the rest of our flooring. We got back Sunday afternoon and he was only a few feet away from finishing. The floors look fantastic, and Ian is the sweetest baby.

I've known Julie since we were both 5 years old. We met on the bus on the first day of school.

Ian was such a sweetheart. My mom and I fell in love at first site.

I think Ian looks like Julie, but even while we were there he seemed to change and at certain angles you could see his dad, Clayton.

Beautiful floors!!

We also had new window blinds installed this week. They are fantastic! Especially in the front window.

Just in time for winter...

2007-11-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

"At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since". -Salvador Dali

I think about this quote every time my home improvement ideas seem a little too far fetched. Saturday morning was one of those times.

When we moved into our house this spring the first thing that I recognized as needing improvement was the lack of access to our 3/16 of an acre of backyard (we were being forced to go through the garage). So in June, about a month after moving in, Sara and I ordered a new patio door from an acquaintance of mine in the window and door industry. It finally arrived from Germany via Chicago, Denver, Nova Scotia, etc, last week. If I had known there would be an 18 week lead time I probably would have gone domestic. Oh well, it is basically the Audi of patio doors, so the delay is mostly forgotten.

I enlisted the assistance of my friend Josh and we went to work making a huge hole in the back of the house where our lame bay window had been.

Before:

An hour or so later:

We then hit the store for lumber and caulk, made a quick stop at A&W and got back to work installing the door.

With the help of Pat and his multiple trips to his house for tools that I do not own we pressed on, getting the door level & plumb.

And as evening settled on Bozeman and the Wolverines were completing their fourth quarter comeback victory over the Spartans, Bill took his first look out from the house to his yard/toilet. He seems happy.

Bill’s Modeling Debut

2007-10-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today at work we needed a dog model for a project we’re rushing to finish up. The email went out to the office, a few people offered, but we needed a dog fast and a good looking one too. Since I probably live the closest to our office and have the best looking dog in our entire company, I was told to “go get him.” He was a natural as the picture above proves. We have some concerns that he looks so good we may need to ask for some money . . . look for Bill in Murdoch’s advertising and branding in the future.

bride, groom, wedding, awesome

2007-10-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

If you noticed out recent absence from blogging you will (hopefully) be pleased to know that we're ok and we have basically been partying our asses off for the last 2 months and, therefore, unable to post anything coherent. We've had lots of visitors and a few trips squeezed in, the most recent of which was in northern California for the wedding of our beloved friends AV and Sonia (below).

Congrats to the happy couple!
Sara and I were thrilled to be able to take a short vacation and spent our time eating, drinking, dancing, meeting new friends, catching up with old friends, making toasts, sitting in the hottub, playing horseshoes, eating, drinking, and basically smiling nonstop. What a blast!

Sara and Jim, mid-reception

Sara and the bride, looking lovely

Andrew Alt, John Volckens and Jim, post reception

Award Winner pt 2

2007-10-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

This project is a little older but a project that I helped design and build while at Montana State just won an AIA Honor Award. Pretty exciting stuff...

Award Winner

2007-09-27T12:31:00.001-07:00

Our wedding was the best party EVER! We're still talking about it and what a special day it was. For those who may remember our wedding invitations we thought you'd be excited to know we won an American Graphic Design Award for our invitation design and the small booklet that was included in the guest bags at the Radisson. Pretty awesome!

Wood Floors: Part 1

2007-09-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago we started the process of laying hardwood floors. We tackled both bedrooms and part of the hallway. We won't finish the rest until after we receive and put in our patio door. It should be here in a few more weeks. I came to the conclusion that I am NOT a fan of carpet after spending hours pulling up carpet nail strips. They suck! The floors look great. We still need to finish the trim and reattach it, but what a difference already.
Here's the stack of flooring.

Jim started to rip up the carpet in our guest room and we found a very special surprise underneath . . . .

Glitter tile flooring! Wow! It's almost too pretty to cover up again. Just kidding. Pretty sweet, though.

Ahh, the carpet nail strips. They look so easy to just pull right up. Oh, so not the case . . .

The chisel and hammer going to work on those nail strips. Some did come up pretty easily, while others (like this one) disintegrated into split pieces of wood. Not fun.

Next step was laying the tar paper. Not a must, but the manufacturer recommended it for some noise reduction and moisture control. It smelled bad.

Wooo hooo! Look at those floors going down so pretty! The color is really fantastic. There's lots of variation.

Yay! Guest room done (almost, except for the trim). My grandma sent the quilt on the bed. It looks so cozy :) Come visit!

Bill’s (other) Girlfriend

2007-09-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Bill is a playful soul. He loves to make friends. Especially with the ladies. Triga is our friends the Caldwell’s labradoodle. She and Bill could play together for hours. Maybe even days and weeks. They especially enjoy tug-o-war and fetch, although Triga is faster than Bill (we’re working on that).

BBQ Fun

2007-09-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

We received the most fantastic gift from our friends Sarah & Jason—a personal branding iron! We put it to the test a few weeks back and it worked like a charm. Steaks anyone??

New (old) Chairs

2007-08-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

I've had these café chairs for a few years. They were given to me by my aunt and uncle. They used to be in a Barnes and Noble. They're great little chairs, but we wanted to jazz them up a bit. We found this great oil cloth at Reproduction Fabrics downtown. We got a staple gun and went to town. They look great with the table too.

Happy 1/2 Anniversary!

2007-08-19T20:03:00.001-07:00

Friday was our 6 month anniversary and Jim surprised me with these gorgeous flowers at work. Everyone in the office was jealous. They're beautiful, as you can see. We celebrated later that evening by going to see "Superbad". It was hilarious. You must go see it.

Thinking BIG

2007-08-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

We decided to go bigger in the garden patch in the back yard. This meant we had to dig up the grass. It wasn't easy, but Clay helped out when he was in town and we got down to it today and finished it up. Holy smokes I can't wait to plant!!

"Fine" Furnishings

2007-08-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weekends I have built a few pieces of badly needed furniture for the house. I started with a new SportCenter holder (TV stand):

I then moved on to a cocktail and crossword puzzle holder (end table):

My most recent piece is a dining table for the patio. This is the one that has all of us really excited. Since we moved in we have been dining at a 30" square camping table that is extremely wobbly - especially with a 70 pound clutz vizsla hanging out at your feet. I found a great book that details plans for patio furniture and this is my first attempt, I have to say it turned out pretty good. Now I just have to pick the perfect meal for its inauguration.

During all this carpentry mayhem we also found strings of lights to hang above the patio. The ambiance feels almost...no, exactly, like Italy. 95% of my experience with Italy is from watching Godfather II.

I am not sure what is next. Brother Clay is on his way into town tonight, perhaps he will build a chaise lounge or gazebo.

It was recently brought to my attention (thanks to AV) that anyone wishing to post a comment here must first open a google account. I am not sure why this was the case, but it is now fixed and any and all of you can comment away. I probably check the blog 25 times a day hoping in vain that someone has posted a comment. Now I know why you have all been so quiet. We cannot wait to hear what more of you have to say!

Bill's Girlfriend

2007-08-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is Bill with his girlfriend, Eva. They are totally in love.

Eva belongs to our friends Josh and Kiza.

We love our Bill

2007-07-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

Bill really knows how to relax, take a load off and beat the heat :)

Airshow extravaganza

2007-07-31T17:28:00.001-07:00

Sorry these pictures kind of suck. We forgot our cameras so I took a few shots with my phone. I know they aren't that spectacular, but the airshow was. We hit the air show this past Saturday and saw some super cool stunt flying, some older planes and the Blue Angels . It was awesome and (I think) worth sitting in the hot sun all day :)

More planting

2007-07-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

We decided some hanging planters would add some interest and color to the front of the house. So I went out and bought some, planted them and hung them from the railing. It's a bit late in the season, but I'm hoping they'll fill in some.

Goodbye Zissou

2007-07-22T14:49:00.001-07:00

I am saddened to report that my beta fish, Zissou Belafonte, passed away this weekend due to the extreme heat we have been experiencing. He just couldn't take it and I was too preoccupied to even think to move him to our basement where it would have been much cooler :( He was a good fish. I had him for 2 years. RIP buddy.

Road trip

2007-07-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, Seattle! We took a road trip to Seattle last weekend. 10 hours of driving and we finally made it. I couldn't wait to see the skyscrapers.

We spent Saturday walking around downtown, guided by our friend Travis. The Seattle Public Library is a new building with some pretty sweet architecture. It was an awesome site.

From inside it was breathtaking.

We lucked out with the weather for the day. It was sunny the entire time.

We couldn't go all day walking in the city without stopping for a refreshing cocktail. We ordered these, not realizing they were served in carafes! Holy smokes!

How could we visit the coast and not have seafood? We stopped for lunch on the pier and ordered a "clam" bake style lunch. We feasted on crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, potatoes and corn. They just dumped it on the table and let us go at it. It was delicious!

Friday night we stayed with our friends the Andersens in Snohomish. It's just outside the city. They met us downtown on Saturday. It was really great to get to see them and spend some time with them.

The Olympic Sculpture Park is a new park in Seattle. We hit it kind of late in the day and were pretty hot and worn out, but there were some very cool sculptures. Check out the Space Needle behind this one.

This is a really sweet metal tree sculpture.

Go TIgers! We hit the Mariners vs. Tigers baseball game Saturday night.

It was a lot of fun to get to a game again. We really miss that in Bozeman.

Unfortunately the Tigers lost when we were there. It was a good game until about the 7th inning. They kicked butt on Sunday though and we caught that game via XM radio on our drive home.

Of course we had a great trip, but you can't argue with the beauty Montana has to offer. It can be pretty spectacular. I took this photo out of the car window. Welcome home :)

IKEA

2007-07-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend in Seattle. Took a road trip and visited IKEA. We made some good purchases. This chair fit perfectly in the living room. It's comfy and just the right size.

We've set up the guest room so it's ready for guests. We got the bedside table lamp at IKEA.

We got two of these filing cabinets and two of the chairs. Jim built the desk in our office. We need a good picture of it to post. It's awesome.

More yard work

2007-07-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

We've been spending most of our time on the yard lately. I finished weeding the garden against the house. We'd like to plant irises in the fall but also think we'll plant some other stuff still this summer. We just have to decide on what. With my new job I get a good discount at Murdoch's so we should be able to find some stuff there.
We've taken down this planter and want to plant a few bushes over what is left. It was quite a job to knock it all down, but think we'll be happier with it this way. We have plans to pour a new concrete patio to cover up the last layer of brick, unless we can bring ourselves to try and pry up that last layer.

Jim found some mesh covering for our patio area so that we have more shade. He figured out a way to attach it using hooks and bungees. It's been awesome to have the extra shade.

Rodee-o-dee

2007-07-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

More fun, less work :) We have been working on a few small projects around the house, but for the holiday we hit the rodeo in Livingston with a group of friends. Excuse the quality of the photos as I was using my phone because the camera battery died. I've placed an arrow in one shot so you're sure to see the bucking bronco!! Yeehaw! It was a total blast!

New job

2007-07-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that I accepted a designer position with Murdoch's Ranch & Home Supply in Bozeman. I start on Monday, July 9th. I intended to stay at James Bennett Design through this Friday, but it worked out better for today to be my last day. My bosses (James & Jean) surprised with me this really beautiful vase as a "thank you" and "goodbye" gift. It was so thoughtful of them and I couldn't have asked for better people to work for in the past two years. I've been really blessed thus far in my career to have found jobs that have allowed me to grow professionally and work with some super talented and wonderful people. So, I couldn't wait to find a spot for the vase here at the house. I put it on our "wall of shelves" in the living room, but may find a better place for it down the line. It kind of gets lost with all the books and stuff right now, but I wanted to have it out on display. The artist who created it used to be a baker and baked cakes for the rich and famous until she became allergic to the ingredients in the frosting, so she started making these vases. Her name is Jeanette McCall. Beautiful stuff!

Camping

2007-06-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

It's not all work! We spent last Friday and Saturday nights camping with our friends Josh, Kiza, Kim and Joe, along with Eva, Eddie, Bobby and Bill. We went to the Cliff Lake/Wade Lake area just west of West Yellowstone. It was breathtaking how clear the water was at Cliff Lake. We spent all day Saturday chilling on the beach, canoeing and fishing around the lake and enjoying an impromptu cocktail hour :)

Here we are shortly after cocktail hour commenced.

Jim managed to capture a crawfish. They were all over the rocks in the water right close to the shore.

Bill loved the water once he got warmed up to it. It was a bit chilly at first. We played fetch with him for hours (partly to keep him occupied and away from the kids that were sharing the beach with us). He had a great time though and was totally worn out on Sunday.

One thing we weren't able to get a picture of was a bald eagle that flew over the lake all day. It was the most spectacular and majestic site. I was mesmerized. They are the most beautiful birds.

So, who's coming for a visit??? :)

New Lamp

2007-06-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

Jim found this sweet lamp on Design Within Reach and we just had to have it. He took out the two small wall lamps, filled in the holes and replaced them both with this one totally awesome lamp!

Oops, I was misunderstood, the lamp came from ylighting.com but I think we originally saw it on DWR.

Planting

2007-06-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

I've decided to plant irises in the patch along the house in the back, but apparently I shouldn't plant the bulbs until September. I was a little bummed about not having something to plant, so I decided to beautify a large planter the previous owners left out front and had a some leftover. Apparently my eyes were bigger than the pot :) So far they are still alive.

Yard Work & Dining Room

2007-06-07T21:34:00.002-07:00

We've got a great yard and a gorgeous tree in the back that blooms pretty pink flowers. It was a little overgrown though, so Jim went to town tonight to trim it up a bit. Bill was a really good helper too!

We finished painting the dining room. This photo doesn't really capture the color very well but we're really happy with it. We had our first official dinner in the dining room tonight. It was prepared on our new charcoal grill, a wedding gift.

Settling in

2007-06-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

We thought we needed a family photo after we finally finished moving in and turned in the keys to 120 S. Black. We had some difficulty getting Bill to sit up and look at the camera, as you can see :)

We've still got to finish painting in the dining room, living room and kitchen, but the master bedroom is pretty much finished (just need to touch up around the light switches). Here's an after pic. The color goes well with our new bed linens :)

The previous home owner, Lindy, surprised us with gift cards to Target and Lowes upon our moving in. It was the nicest gesture and came in pretty handy this weekend, as we pickedup some new tools and gardening supplies. Jim spent the day assembling the table saw and I weeded a flower bed (didn't quite finish it all, but made a pretty good dent).

Intro

2007-05-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

If only building a home was as easy as starting a blog. Here goes...more to come...