Updates GALORE!

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'

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!

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

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

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

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...

"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.