Let the sun shine!

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 . . .

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?

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

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!

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

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

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 . . . .