Jenn's crafting blog

22 July 2008 @ 06:03 pm

job, stress, and photos

After 4 weeks of work, my new job is going alright. I like my one of my coworkers a lot and my boss is really great. But my other coworker is pretty...well...slow to warm, shall we say. and she seems annoyed that i am there...*sigh....This job attracts a particular type of person, of which I am not...I am trying to be hopeful. ...to put it all kindly.

That, coupled with Josh's attitude while in school...especially near the end of school (stressed, quick to get mad, snippy, and he doesn't sleep well)...has made my last few weeks really...cruddy and stressful for ME. Plus I am home most nights until 9-10pm by myself. Today josh managed to leave the coffee cup on the top of his car and then drive away with it on there, loose both his keys and his co-workers keys, lost his rough draft paper on the computer (got it back), had to go to the dentist for a toothache, and spent a lot of after work time looking for keys and not studying. Poor guy. He is rushing doing everything and this happens at the end of each semester. However, this semester it didn't shock me and I was ready for it. Until josh started school, I had not seen him really stressed at all, even before our wedding. It took 6 years. But he wants to go to school, is really motivated to do really good (all A's so far) and says he enjoys it when you ask him, so thats good. I just wish it were less stressful for him and us...though, the basement room for him to do homework in does help a lot!

Even though the new job and Josh plus house projects have been overwhelming, I don't feel too stressed about it all. I have felt more grounded lately and less anxious about things, maybe just forcing myself to get into the right mental frame of mind has helped. It makes the bad stuff easier to deal with. But I was just really hoping to have a fun job where I liked my coworkers again. Maybe I was just blessed for so many years with good coworkers.

Anyhoo, on another note, i wanted to post some of the cute pics from Josh's trip back to Michigan for his Uncle Rick's memorial.

Alex, Josh, then Aleecia on joshs lap and Amy.
Josh, Amy and Aleecia have these huge smile....and then there is Alex... Is it uncool to smile at 13? I forget? He is very cool though...:) Or Maybe taking after uncle Josh...?
They all sure look cute though and I love how Aleecia is cracking up in this pic!

Marie on the trampoline. Look at those chubby cheeks! SO cute!

Playing Wii. There was a lot of Wii playing over the weekend!

I dont know what is so funny, but something cracked these 2 up. Brian (josh's best man in our wedding) and his daughter Rachel with the long brown hair. And little Aleecia.

Baby playtime!
Miranda and Ela are the mommies. And Maire and Aleecia are the babies. (Not corresponding to the above mother. ) Too cute. I am putting a lot of baby pics on here

Biking to take the ashes to the cemetary. One of those bike's is Uncle Rick's bike. There were not enough bikes for everyone to go, so Josh stayed back (with the kids he said)

Jack (Phil's middle son) Blowing bubbles in the wind, this photo turned out great! I love it!

I love the look of a baby before they are going to cry. Its caught in time perfectly.
These are Phil and Ela's kids. Emma, Jack, and Marie. Josh and I loved to have Emma around when they lived in Colorado, she would be even more fun now, she is a great kid! They had just found out they were pregnant with Jack when they moved away...now there are 3 of them!

As I go through this film of pics, I dont see Peg in any of them, or many adults for that matter. Unless they were holding a kid of course..... Can you tell my husband
1. likes kids 2. loves his nieces and nephews ?? lol

Tags: family, funeral, kids, memorial, michigan, uncle rick

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25 June 2008 @ 07:24 am

Our camping trip to Utah

Since I am now between jobs, I wanted to take a small vacation while I was off for 2 weeks. (I start monday the 30th, aaahh, its coming too fast!!!)
So, we went and camped in Utah. We are attempting to camp in all 50 states and visit all the National Parks (i think there are only around 40 in the Nation).
So far we have camped in; Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah. - 9. not very many it seems. National Parks: Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Tetons, Great Basin, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Arches = 8.

We left very early Thursday morning, getting up around 4ish and getting into the car around 5. It was about a 340 mile drive, and took us less than 6 hours to get there. Here are some of the photos.

We drove the 6 hours from Colorado to Utah, and were really excited to check out Moab, Utah. We arrived at our campground around 11am, and were hungry for some lunch. I cooked hot dogs and made salad in the shade while josh set up the tent. There were lots and lots of little lizards all around, they were pretty fun to watch. Moab is called the "high desert" the altitude is about 4500 feet above sea level. There are lots of cactus (not the tall ones), and desert scrub trees, lots of sand, and heat heat heat!!!

<---- In this photo you can see the LaSalle mountain range in the background! Very beautiful!!!

Above is our KOA campsite. We chose to stay here because they offer showers (and we were camping for 4 days in the heat) and a swimming pool. It was a totally different experience for us, usually we choose to camp as secluded as possible. However, we had a really nice time at the KOA after asking for a site which would have shade. As you can see in the photo above, our picnic table is under the tree in the shade, and that is where we stayed from about 12-5pm during the hottest part of the day. Saturday it reached 101 degrees! yikes! It was super hot!!
The whole day Thursday we hung around the campground, swam in the pool, napped, and checked out the town. We had reservations Friday morning to go River rafting down the Colorado River. We bought a $15 waterproof camera, and all of the pics of the rafting are on that. I hope to get it developed this week sometime, but we have 8 photos left.
The rafting was AWESOME!!! I think I found a new sport! We have never rafted in Colorado, it took us to go to Utah before doing the white water rafting, but it was worth the wait! It was sooo fun! I really enjoyed it, and would have loved to try some bigger waves. I think i might take up kayaking. We plan to take another rafting trip this summer in the Royal Gorge area, or possibly Glenwood Springs.

Here are some photos of us playing mini golf (at the campsite) Friday night, after the brewery. :)
I really like this pic of josh (RT), doesnt he look cute :) Next, he is focusing really hard on beating his wife...and he thought he might do it too...but alas, I won!!!

Here is a fun shot josh got of me...the camera was under a rock the ball had to go through. In the photo on the right, you can see the sunset behind me. It was finally cool enough to be out from under the shade at 8pm.

Above are pics from our 2nd site and the views we could see. The river in the left photo you can barely see, but it is reallly high and wide right now. One guide said it was higher than she has seen it since 1995. The pic with the 2 chairs was where we could put them so we were out of the sun. There is a Simpsons episode ( i think its the simpsons) where the sun is sooo hot, the charactor puts his toe in the sun from the shade, and immediately it's burnt. Yes, that is how it was here. We huddled in this teeny bit of shade. (i am taking this pic after the sun went behind the canyon, of course)

The next Day, Saturday morning, we packed up early (we had only 2 nights reserved at the KOA, and we were eager to camp somewhere more secluded) and headed into the canyon to find a campsite. The day before we had gone rafting and you take a bus 21 miles up the canyon beside the river to start your adventure. We knew there were campsites up the canyon, and found a few we liked, so that on Saturday we could really get up early to find the best and most shady spot!!! So, by 9am we were in the canyon finding a site. We found a great site right next to the river in the reeds and trees, which we thought would provide us some good afternoon shade. (however, we were wrong, the angle in the canyon was a little off, we did not get much shade, it was terribly hot!!!!)

After we found our campsite, and ate some brunch, we went to find a mountain biking trail to do. Now, Josh is very very good at riding bikes, he is not scaired to hit his head against a rock, and he handles the bike really well. I am not as good, and a bit freaked about mountain biking (remember, uncle tim, when we went in Mass??) After going to the "most popular site in the USA, the famous SlickRock Trail" and then being told it was not for beginners being technically challenging, so we left...Then went to a local bike shop where we asked for a moderate trail, & we were pointed here. The first photo on the right is leaving the parking lot, i really like the red sand. You can see the Lasalle Mountains in the back. The 2nd pic is of a HUGE canyon we came across on our 8 mile loop. It is much bigger than the photo shows, and really really far down. The path you can see is a dried up river bed, not a dirt road. You can see Josh below.
The bottom 2 photos in the above group are one of us riding and in the photo on the right, the slickrock which was so famous in the area. I really enjoyed riding on the slickrock, it made your bike tires grip real well, and was much more different than riding on dirt. Josh would ride down these big steep hills, jumping rocks and going really fast. I, on the other hand, would go down very very slowly, but I could muster my way UP really well! I got up most of the hills without pushing at all, while josh had a harder time with going up (it takes strength, not courage). It was kinda funny to me. Overall, it was a really fun loop. It was lots of up and down, slickrock, and just regular trails. If mountain biking in Colorado were that fun, i just might do it more. But, its more...ride your bike up a huge mountain, then ride down really fast. its not my thing.
After the bike trip, it was about 1pm, getting really hot. Instead of going back to our tent, we went into Moab and opted for lunch in AC and a beer. We stayed there for a while, and got back to our site around 3:30. By then we had to put the chairs in the teeny shade, as shown above, and both of us decided to nap. We had now learned, the key to the summer in Moab, get up early and do your hiking/sports/etc, and then go back and nap anywhere from 12-5, but stay in the shade, then get up in the evening.

Josh sleeping in the tent.

While on the river rafting trip, one of the drivers told us, that when we went to Arches (our Sunday plan was to hike in Arches) we should go during the night, when the moon was still out, and hike the Delicate Arch (the one on the UT license plate) at sunrise. This sounded like a sweet idea to us!!! So, Sunday morning we got up at 3:30am and got into the truck and drove into Arches. It was summer solstice and the moon was out and BRIGHT each night we had camped. However, this night, it was semi cloudy and the moon was not completely full anymore. It was a little harder to see than the night before. We drove through the park at night seeing these massive towering rocks in the moon. We got to the delicate arch still at night, and started up the trail. Never have we done a trail at night before, and it was definately a lot of fun!!! We were all alone out there, and you see a different sort of beauty at night. You also can't see the carins very well (carins = rock piles guiding you where to go on the trail since you are hiking on slickrock there is no dirt trail), sooo, we got lost. We knew we just had to go UP to the top of this mountain, but we came out way far to the right side on the other side of a HUGE canyon. It was just becoming light when we got to this point. WE finally figured out where the delicate arch was at and we hiked toward it. I will say the Delicate Arch was one of the coolest things I have ever seen!!!!! It is perched on the side of a canyon, in this bowl-like-rock. It was really neat, the pics don't do it justice. Here are a few of them.

See what i mean about the bowl. The far side of the arch is a huge canyon. I came out on the other side of it at night while hiking out there.

Here is the nearly full moon above the arch. WOW!!!

<--- I am in this pic under the arch.

A different arch on the sunrise hike. Me! It was a steep climb to get there, but on the slickrock your shoes grip real well. I bet its fun to mountain climb!! The arches at Sunrise.

The petroglyphs on the trail. Estimated time drawn. 1620-1800.

You can see the delicate arch here from far away!

Here is a pretty view as we are nearly back to the car. Lots more people have showed up by this time.

Here are some more stunning pics from Arches National Park.

Looking up at the arch.

I am in the blue, under this big arch.

Devils Fingers.

Jen & josh, devils Fingers.

More cool arches.

At about 11am, we left and drove back to our campsite, at the height of the heat!!! It was terribly hot, and we ate some lunch and huddled in the shade. We had decided we would leave Sunday afternoon to get home 1 day early for Josh to do his homework before class Monday night. So, at about 1pm we left. Though, our day did begin at 3am, i didnt feel too bad about it. We got home at about 6pm, and showered, I was asleep at 7pm.

Well, thats most of the trip., I hope to post a few more pics (of the rafting) at a later time.

Tags: arches, biking, camping, hiking, national park, rafting, river, utah, water

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13 June 2008 @ 10:26 am

Saturns Return

I am watching myself and my friends going through some major changes right now, its all been very shocking, difficult, and a turning point in my and their lives. I thought this was some great info my friend Zee sent me. If you are going through your Saturn Return, you will understand and this will make total sense to me. Funny thing, my parents will be going through their 2nd return soon, I wonder what their effects (affects?) will be: Below is my friend Zee's post to me.

Saturn Return is an astrological term. It refers the time when Saturn returns to the position on the day you were born. Basically it takes 29 1/2 years to orbit around the sun. From about the ages of 28-30, 58-60, and 88-90 you experience all these major life
changes. Saturn makes you reevaluate your life.

I typed in Saturn Return in google and here's something I found:
As the Saturn return approaches, often our lives seem to speed up, as if hurrying to clear out old baggage from the past, to lighten the load for the next stage. Important things that either finalize old issues, or prepare the ground for new developments tend to
occur with increasing frequency. For those who are unprepared, this is often a time of severe suffering, as we struggle to understand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that seem to be aimed squarely at our hearts. Indeed, relationships and major life-
decisions are all too often the focal points for this clearing out of karmic baggage.

Something else I found on a different site:
Sometimes we make life choices before we really know who we are. At the Saturn return, some of these choices are revealed to be out of sinq with our true destiny. And it's a big deal, since there may be marriages and whole careers up for review. The U.S. Census
reports a peak of divorces around age 30, when promises made in the blush of youth don't match the core of either person as they approach this turning point. On the other hand, Saturn may bring a fated relationship, that leads to a serious commitment with long-
term potential.

Important things to remember during your Saturn Return are:
1. The Return lasts three years or so from age 28-30. But the effects can be felt as early as 26 and last until 33 or 34.
2. Expect changes, changes, changes.
3. Listen to what Saturn is trying to teach you and apply that knowledge to difficult areas in your life.
4. If you don’t listen to Saturn now, the planet will kick you in the patoot during the next Saturn Return (age 56 or so). How would you like another go-around? I certainly wouldn’t!

Basically you'll began to question everything. Things will feel different to you. Things that used to feel one way will feel completely different. I read that if a relationship can survive a Saturn Return, then it's a relationship that will last. I also read that many
relationships end or begin at this time as well.
For me, everything is changing. I'm having to accept these changes whether I like to or not.

Have you heard about the Mayans prophecy of 2012? They predicted the end of a cycle in 2012. Lots of new age religion suggests a major energy shift. Supposedly our vibrations are increasing with everyone's focus on a better Earth, World Peace, and Green living.
This is what the Mayans say. Increased vibrations lead to an energy shift. An energy shift meaning everyone's thoughts and intentions are on positive and peaceful things. No more war. Supposedly according to some New Age spirituality, we are trying to match up
with people whose vibrations are the similar to our own. I do believe in the energy changing and shifting. And I believe we are effected by this energy change. I believe we are seeking out our partners and community and letting go of those who have taught us
lessons and we learned from them. Now it's time to move on.

Seems like so many people are breaking up. But eventually it's all for the better. Just like your friends, they're looking for ones that match them better (vibrationally).
(I know I sound hippie-dippie, but I keep an open mind always.)

So many of us are going through our Saturn Return right now. It's no coincidence. We're all meant to be here on this Earth at this time. We here to help the Earth. We here to make change happen.
I believe in Peace on Earth.

Tags: astronomy, saturn return, stars

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13 June 2008 @ 10:20 am

LAST DAY!!!

Today is my last day at the hospital. I have lots of mixed emotions, I am happy to be moving onto a more positive work environment, but I am a little sad to leave some of the people here. I feel very content with my decision, NO STRESSSSSSSS, but changing anything makes for a little sadness. I look forward to the new changes, new people, and new phase of my life at the new job!  I have found a new career as a cancer registrar, and Marj, my boss took a real chance hiring someone with no experience to do this job. I was lucky to get the interview, and very glad to get the job, 3.5 years ago :)
I have grown up a lot while being here at St. Anthony's, I can see it in myself and my actions.  Other people say it too, people here at work, i mean.  It has been one of the biggest changes of growth since my move to Colorado. I can feel it in my lifestyle.
The most sadness comes from saying goodbye to Karen, Marj, Dr. richardson, and the rad onc girls. Dr. Richardson was really sweet, and truly wished me the best of luck. He is such a kynd soul.
I now have 2 weeks off from work!!!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAY!!!!!! Anyone want to vacation to Colorado? I am available until the 30th.

Tags: job, new, work

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04 June 2008 @ 06:35 pm

Girls Weekend!

Last week we had our first visitor for the new bedroom and bathroom, our friend Geri who lives in NY. Though, she loves Colorado, and I think (hope:) we will see her back here sometime next year !!!
When Geri comes into town, it makes for an official "girls" weekend. I have always spoke of my knitting group, the girls and I get together every Wed for food, beers, KNITTING, and of course talking talking talking!   But a couple of years ago Megan moved to the springs, and doesnt come much anymore, then shortly after Geri left.   So, getting all the girls together again is quite an occasion!

It was a really great weekend, Geri came late Wednesday night, and I worked a half day Thurs & Friday, and I had Monday off (the benefit of working only 32 hours). Thursday we went out for dinner with Mary, Geri, Josh, and I. We went to Baker Street, one of our favorite restuaurants and sat outside.

Friday the we went to Coors!!!
Megan was late and she had to sneak in. Normally this would mean she had no way to get beer, b/c when they close the doors at 4:30 sharp, you CAN get UP to the bar, but you have no bracelet with your ID checked, and Coors will now not serve you without that bracelet. Fortunately, our friend Mary, who is pregnant, had her bracelet for Megan. Then another girl, upon leaving Coors named Samantha, left us her bracelet, with 2 punches on it. That was nice of you Samantha, thanks! So, Megan, who was late, was able to drink some beers!
Later that evening we went back to my house for "knitters Christmas". We drew names for handmade gifts, and kind of kept pushing Christmas back....until we were all together, which ended up being june. Some of us had forgotten who we drew, so Josh had to coordinate it all, since it was all very secretive.
I will post gifts of my bag from Geri when I have a camera. ITs in josh's car...since we use his work camera...
We all got gifts that really suited each person, it was really great!

Saturday we had a baby shower for Mary. We went to a nice lunch, gave her some great gifts :) A pak and play, which she had on her list, and some other things. I hope she had a nice time! It was such a beautiful day, good friends, good food, scenery.

Megan stayed the whole weekend, so we stayed up and talked Saturday night, Sunday we did a nice long hike.

Girls at Coors. Mary is hiding her cute belly :)
Heather couldnt make it, then got stuck in really bad traffic :(

I just had to add this photo in, how do i always take good photos at Coors. (and nowhere else)

Geri takes really cute pics at coors too!

All the girls at Mary's baby shower.

Geri and Megan at lunch...drinking their beers, with a big smile!

Heather and Mary sitting on the deck at the BridgeWater. Its right on Clear Creek in Golden.

All in all it was a great weekend. It was very hard to go back to work on Tuesday...and say goodbye to Geri.

Tags: baby, beer, fun, girls, shower, weekend

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26 May 2008 @ 08:19 pm

A couple more pics

i LOVE the tile!!!
IT turned out soo nicely!! Thanks again Joe!
Josh did a great job on the grout too!!!

Josh, sealing the toilet for the second time. I hope it works???

Tags: josh, toilet

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26 May 2008 @ 07:38 pm

Some Basement Pics

It seems like forever since we began work on our basement. And it seems like every single thing that we do takes 5 times longer than it should. Like tonight, for instance. The toilet; it was supposed to be "a piece of cake" per Josh...8 hours later...we still have no toilet in. The problem is that the concrete is lower in the area that we are putting the toilet (its a basement, they say, and this is how it is) So we need to get a piece that goes onto the ground, and lifts up toward the toilet. Josh went to home depot 5 times today!!! Back and forth, getting new parts. Then the medicine cabinet and mirror didnt fit, it was too tall for the space between the plugs and vanity light. By 2 inches. I didnt measure it. Duh! So there is no vanity that is "short" enough to fit into that space (ideally the outlet plugs should have gone lower). So we had to buy a beveled mirror and will put it in sideways, so its 24" tall and 36" wide. We will have to get a small wall cabinet to put to the left of the vanity.
The tile did go in this weekend, it looks SOOO nice! I love it!

The bedroom is pretty much finished, (we have no ceiling or perminant carpet) but I like the paint color...it looks dreary in the dark though. I think it needs another light or lamp in there. I plan on buying one tomorrow. Along with bathroom towels and a shower curtain and bath mat. I sure hope we get this done by wednesday evening when we will have company. Our friend Geri is coming to visit (yay) and i want it to be "finished" by then, and feel somewhat comfy for her. For everyone.

As for the ceiling. Josh's friend told him about putting barn siding on the ceiling in the basement. It would be easy, you just screw it into the rafters, we believe it will be up to code, since all it has to be is removable (hence why we cannot drywall) and I personally think it will look really cool!! Thoughts on this??? Resale value might be a problem?? But to me, its way better than having that drop ceiling you see in schools and such....the "nice" drop ceiling is $5 per TILE which is like 2.5 x2.5 feet, so it would cost thousands to do that. The crappy drop ceiling is still $2 per tile, so its still a bunch of money!!!

Here is the toilet giving us problems. I dont know if you can see the bottom, but the attaching piece is pretty low, and its hard to get a seal.

Here is the vanity, minus mirror which doesnt fit..minus sink, which was supposed to get done today, but the 8 hour toilet has taken over our time. The vanity lights look nice! What do you think of the color??

The door (one of the doors) this goes out in the hallway. IT took a long time to put up the doors too, but we are getting better at it, by door #2. WE still have 1 more to hang.
Notice the tile, which was project #1 this weekend. Joe came and helped us with that (THANKS!!!) and it looks SOOO nice!!!!! I love love love the tile, its my favorite part of the bathroom!

Here is the bed in the bedroom. The walls just look white, but they are a honey color. Much more bright in the daytime, or better light. It really is a warm color, but you cant tell here. WE really need a new bedspread and lighter colored furniture, but thats for another time.

Again, looks a little dark and dreary...but its really not :)
The computer desk set up, the $1 TV we got at a garage sale yesterday...didnt know it was black and white, lolo. It will be mounted on the wall eventually.

The $10 very nice dresser bought at a garage sale yesterday (we got a rocking chair too for $10, and a free iron, clothes, and something else...?) it was the perfect nightstand.

I am so soo sad to give away "the chair" it went through college with Uncle Tim and Doug...then went to Doug and Jennifers house, then went to college with me....It was THE ONLY piece of furniture Josh and I moved to colorado with!!! Seriously!!! We had this chair and a kitchen table. We used to sit in it together, for months and months!!! Then it moved to 3 houses with us...finally it sat in our basement for the last year. We got it out yesterday, and i just said "its time" so, with a sad heart, we put a FREE sign on it, and it was taken last night. :( I already miss her...but she still lives on! With someone new!

Tags: basement, bathroom, bedroom, house, paint

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20 May 2008 @ 08:59 pm

since 4/20

Wow, its been since 4/20 that i wrote in this blog. I can say this last month has been very busy, and very very very stressful for me. We have been so busy with the basement, really trying to get it done (or done-ish to be usable) that josh and i have been working all day, every weekend, each night after work, and its starting to wear on us. Its becoming too much! Not only are things busy with the basement, but have also been quite stressful for me at work. I am applying for another job, and the whole interview, second interview, etc etc etc has been quite hectic. If i do get the job, it makes me terrified to think of telling my boss. She will not take it well...at all. I expect yelling. Not fun. I keep taking it one day at a time, i am trying to anyway. I am excited for a positive change, I believe, I will get to work 32 hours, plus more pay, plus 2 days working from home per week. Sounds too good to be true. I hope it works out that way.
But on a positive note, tonight, while taking a walk, we saw the whole fox family in our neighborhood. There is a field about 2 houses down from us, and the foxes live there. Tonight, while walking past the field we saw one fox walking down the road, then it went into the field, and another came to greet it....then 2 babies came running out from behind the fence (this is all very close to a house) we watched them frolic in the field, not 30 yards from us. Then the babies noticed me, and just ran right over to me, I kind of squealed at their cute-ness, and they didnt get much closer after that, but they were within 10 yards from me. Rock was being really good, not whining or taking off after them, though she wanted to, very badly.
It was neat to see them.
Last SAturday, in my insomnia mode, I was awake around 1, and the foxes were howling, they sound like crying babies (the adults even) and now I know why they were so loud, there are at least 4 of them! They were right in our backyard, or the neighbors, i couldn't see them, but I could hear them.,

Tags: basement, fox, job, nature

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20 April 2008 @ 10:25 am

Lots of basement work!!!

This weekend I had emailed our friends asking for some help on the basement. We just needed a boost and some extra hands for a few hours to knock out some bigger projects, especially those that I cant help josh with.
We got so much done!!!

The plan was to get the demo of the old green drywall on the stairs done. Russell and Brock made pretty quick work of that. At one point, i looked up the stairs to see Russell, spiderman-ishly climbing up the walls to knock out the green ceiling drywall.
Secondly, we needed to get all the trash cleaned out of the front yard and to the dump. Our friend Joe loaded up the truck and he and Josh took it all to the dump. Mostly wood, some old drywall, doors, and other scraps for $50!! I think dump fees are a bit outrageous...but thats just me....

Also, needed help scraping and sanding the drywall mud, and adding 2nd and 3rd coats in some areas. Heather & Megan took this on, while I mudded, scraped, sanded, and even hung more insulation. lol.

The greenboard needed to be moved from one wall to another wall, so we could mud behind it. Green board is ridiculously heavy, especially in 8ft sheets, its very difficult to lift, and of course, very flimsy. That got done, and we were able to get 2 coats of mud behind it.

They also got 4 pieces of greenboard drywall hung in the bathroom while josh was at the dump. So we just have 1 other wall in the bathroom, and some smaller pieces around the shower, then we can tile. We also still need to finish the stairwell drywall. We need 3rd coats of mud on some spots on the wall, and then we are ready to texturize the walls, prime, then paint. I still have no idea what wall color to do at all??? I am completely unsure of what to do?!?! argh!

So, in about 4-5 hours, we got a lot done. I totally forgot to take pics yesterday...which was something I had really wanted to do....Take some pics of all the people who helped us finish this job. I also forgot on trench digging day too. ggrr!!. I guess the gals were probably happy, Megan and Heather, they had drywall mud in their hair by the end of the day. But it was one thing I wanted to chronicle along this basement journey, the people who helped, and all the work and time which went into creating the basement. It is amazing to see what we have accomplished in such a short amount of time since Shawn was here. Heather at one point said, "remember when this was just a pile of broken concrete"...it feels like we have come along way. I wish I could say the same for the backyard, LOLOL. thats another story.

Here is the stairs drywall demo'd. Remember the ugly, cracked green drywall? That is now gone, thankfully. It was some tough work, the drywall came off in small pieces, glad it got done :)

You can see the exposed brick, and see that Russ got the ceiling done too!! Wish there was a way to leave the exposed brick...it looks sooooo cool....but not so well insulated. Josh can now fix the outside light, then we will re-drywall the stairwell.

How did the hammer get up there? lol.

3 coats of mud, all scraped, sanded, touched up. I will sand a little more, then the living room can be texturized.

Bedroom walls. The west wall has 3 coats, I just need to sand. These walls have 2 coats, need to sand, and add a 3rd coat. Mostly we used this wall for storage while we did the other walls. But, still, lookin pretty good, don't ya think? :)

Greenboard which got hung in the bathroom. There is one more wall which got done also. It is encasing the toilet (between the shower on one side, and the sump box on the other) its a cozy little spot for a toilet. LOL, its really great. I love how the bathroom looks, its pretty roomy, and lets good light in.

I took this picture today, of all the stuff that got cleaned up yesterday. However, this pic is not very convincing of that. It was much worse! Most of this can go out with the garbage on Thursday! Then we will not look like the white trash house on the block.

Today, josh is working on the car, and truck, changing the oil and fixing the car to get ready to sell.
It has been a great weekend here. We took Friday off, were able to ski over the weekend, get lots done on the basement, cars, and enjoying the spring sun here in Colorado!

Tags: basement, friends, house, weekend, work

Current Mood:

grateful

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16 April 2008 @ 06:03 pm

Home Alone

Josh is in class tonight, and I opted out of knitting, for some much needed alone time. Its also snowing like crazy out, and the drivers on the roads are idiots. So, it was probably all for the best. There is already 2 inches of wet, wet, snow out there. I have started a fire. I am starting to wind down from work.
I should go work on the basement, or start a sewing project, but I have been really burnt out lately. I think its work that is really bumming me out...but i have been in a real down mood this week. I dont know whats up. Very woes-me- ish.

We have worked so hard on the basement in the past month. I have mudded so much my hands are in pain! I have blisters! We still have to finish the 3rd coat. and then move things, so we can start the first coat in other areas!!! Josh needs some help with the shower drywall, which is having a major problem in the spout area. We are feeling burnt out. I really wish some of our friends would come to help us...i sent an email asking for help this weekend. Even a few hours, with lots of people will make a big difference. Some have said they would help, but no-one has yet.
We did get Russ and Jeff's much appreciated help on the ditch (scroll down for that post), so i cannot complain, I just think I am burnt out is all.

Enough whining, going to do some more mudding, if my poor hands can take it! lol

Tags: basement, mudding, whining

Current Mood:

sad

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12 April 2008 @ 09:10 am

Long time no post

I have been pretty busy sewing, and avoiding the basement. lol/ Well, not really...we just got a little burnt out. Today, Josh is working overtime, and I am going to finish sewing this dress, then hopefully I will head down to the basement and get some work done. Or, I could make something else. hmm.
Tomorrow, we are going skiing. The last of the season, and the first time this season for me....since the hurting of the back. It's feeling pretty good now, we will see after I ski! ...

WE watched INTO THE WILD last night. HAve you seen that movie? It was really good! I love John Krakhaur, (sp, sorry) and I am sure the book is really good...I did the movie first this time.
HEre is the movie spoiler, so if you dont want to know....dont read the next paragraph an djust scroll down to see the pics :).

~ ***~

I cant believe he ate the wrong plants and died!? Did he REALY eat the wrong plant? or was that speculation? or for real? Man, shitty way to die. I was sad. good movie though!

I put out a new batch of clothes recently. I am particurlarly proud of this WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER skirt.

Lots of work went into this skirt....isnt it beautiful!!

I love the apron top, with the flowers growing up from the bottom. It also has a frayed edge.
The purple dress is smocked on top, very cute, and great for spring! Large lotus flower on the side.
I am taking custom orders for smocked dresses, contact me if your interested!!

Tags: basement, book, hemp, into the wild, movie, nature, no war, peace, skirt

Current Mood:

contemplative

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23 March 2008 @ 06:54 pm

More pics

The guys got a lot done this weekend, and the basement really now looks like a room! they put in a new front basement door, finished nearly all of the drywall, and are hoping to get to some bathroom floor tile if possible. I did all the insulation in the whole house by myself!   We insulated the outer walls, and the interior bedroom, and laundry room walls, for sound. Its quieter even without the walls and just insulation.

Going down the basement stairs, no drywall here yet, but the insulation was all ME ! big task, and itchy too!

Looking toward the bathroom and bedroom. The cutout in the wall will be shelves and storage. Good idea, huh?

\
Josh and Shawn putting in the new front door!

Josh, checking out the doorframe.

This is the east wall.

The new door, my new closet (thanks shawn), and part of the east wall are seen here.

Looks good huh?

Current Mood:

but its going to be monday :(

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22 March 2008 @ 10:18 am

Lots more Progress!

We have the electrical, plumbing, and rough framing done, and inspected! We passed all but the plumbing, which needed showerhead on, and a vent in the vanity. Which are now done, and he will come again, on Monday. The electrical passed us, but asked us to make some changes, adding 12-2 wire from the fuse box into the bathroom, and changing something with the smoke detectors. There might have been a few more things too.
I did all the insulation for the firewall, and am now adding insulation to the exterior walls, and the 1 interior wall which will seperate bedroom from living room (for sound).
Insulation is not fun!
The guys hung drywall last night on 2 walls, and half of another wall. It is looking more like a room down there now :) We cant do the bathroom due to the missed inspection, which sucks, but i think they will get most of the walls drywalled in the next 2 days before Shawn leaves.
Then there is still a lot to do after he goes on Monday, the bathroom will need floor tiles, drywall, toilet, vanity top, sink put in, and i am sure other things.
Then we still need to mud the drywall, and i think we will put the coating of stuff (i dont know what it is) to go over the drywall to make the walls a little textured. Then paint. We dont have enough money for carpet, so we have a ton of office carpet squares free from Joshs work that we will use. They are an ugly maroon color, but new, and free....soo, that will have to do, for now. We also have very little furniture. And lots of tools, which will now have no space at all.
We have spent a lot of money, which freaks me out a bit. We have been saving up for this for a long time, and also got 2 credit cards (home depot card, then found that discover offers 6 mos no interest PLUS 5% cash back on all home improvement items, and 3% on everything else, so we got that one and are using that) So we will have time to pay it all off..but still....freaky!    All in all, its a huge investment which will increase the value of our house, and will give us a better quality of living in our small space. ITs worth it.

This morning we woke up to a very very cold house... i went out to check to see if the thermos was off, it wasnt, it just wasnt going. I asked Josh if they did something to it, the night before.   "oh no" he says. so we figure something is wrong...he goes down there, pulls something out, saying that is the part which is not working. Then Shawn got up, and disagreed with him...they cut the furnace line last night, instead of the phone line, LOLOL, an easy fix, and a "Whew" sigh of relief from me!!!!

Here are some photos.

Bathroom, the tub is in place, and the vanity that i looked ForEver for!

Josh and shawn running from me taking pics, you can see my closet behind them. There HAD to be a closet down here!

You can see my closet now :)
I will most more soon, the drywall is going up, you can really see the changes now !!

Tags: basement, drywall, remodel

Current Mood:

chipper

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16 March 2008 @ 07:05 pm

Bedroom walls!

Standing in the closet entryway (the weird big closet) looking into the bedroom. Its L shaped, yes. There is a god spot for the bed adn dresser and even a yoga stretch mat area. The bathroom is beyond the bedroom. you can see the white tub behind josh.

Here is the doorway INTO the bedroom, right to my right is the stairs. I am at the bottom of the stairs, looking west, into the room.

More is finished as I type this!

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16 March 2008 @ 12:20 pm

WALLS!

Josh and his brother have been working since Saturday morning on the basement. We have some walls in place, along with the bathtub. The Code requires Floating walls, for the shifting that happens to the houses and soil out here.   I took a close-up of the floating walls, so you can see what it is.

The bathtub had to be put in first, some code requirement, so we framed that first, then built the walls around it. The tub has to be something like 12 inches away from an internal wall...weird?! but it works out ok, we can put a little cubby in that space, and it will look ok. The pic makes it look farther than it really is.

Josh is standing where the bedroom will be. You can see they have the west wall all complete, half of the north wall and half of the south wall. They are working around the outer walls first, getting hte frame up. Then electric. Then inspection. Then they will start drywalling.

Here is the "floating wall" which is required by code. So there is 2 inches of wood, supported by a 40-D nail (BIG NAIL) to allow for shifting.   Its way sturdier than it looks, you can push, pull, stand on it, and it doesnt move. Very interesting.

Tags: basement, construction

Current Mood:

bored

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09 March 2008 @ 10:44 am

Lighting!!

We have been buying things needed for the official basement construction in less than 1 week now! Yesterday we went to the discount lighting store that was fabulous! Lights are fun to buy! We got canned lights for the basement ceiling, 18 of them. Its a basement and josh is tall, so we didnt want anything hanging down at his head....and it will give the illusion of height to the room. I am going to spray paint them a copper color on the inside, I saw it on trading spaces (i think) and It will look much more modern than the white! I want the basement to have a warm earthy feel!!
I found a beautiful for over the bathroom sink....I really like the warm tones it projected when it was light up in the store, and it goes with the theme as well...and it was fairly cheap! (marked down from 299 to 78)

Above, is the light for over the bathroom sink. It has 4 bulbs which hang down, you can see one of them sitting on the light itself. Underneath it, is our tile, an earthy light brownish color. I think we will be pairing it with some additional, darker, tile, b/c I think we dont have enough.
Thats ok, I would like to have some darker tile in there.

I was kind of worried that the lighting and warmer colors would be too contrasting to the white sink and toilet with sterling silver fixtures. But i think it looks OK together.

Here is the bathroom sink we got at resource 2000, a house recycling place in Boulder. This skink was $20, fixtures and all. Its perfect too! It also matches the bathroom upstairs (fixtures are the same).

You can see the sink here, matched up with the lighting and tiles, it looks pretty good!

We also happened to come across the habitat for humanity store in the area, and I found this light for $10 bucks! It will go in the basement bedroom. Its pretty nice and keeps with the theme of the basement. It was a really good find!

Here you can see most of the items paired together. You can also see the little white canned light, sitting on the tile. I will be spray painting the inside of the canned light a copper-ish color....so as you look up, into the light, they are not white, but copper. It will look very cool!
Any suggestions on cheap or rather, affordable, "drop" ceilings? That do NOT look crappy. We are thinking wood paneling, framed in squares with a dark wood trim, WAY cheaper than drop ceiling, but still making the space accessible if something leaked, or happened in there.....any other ideas?!?

Josh's bro comes in on Friday, and we are looking forward to this new addition to our house!

Tags: basement, comstruction, lighting

Current Mood:

good

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07 March 2008 @ 04:08 pm

Concerts that I have been to....TO be CONTINUED

I have always wanted to tally up all the concerts and shows I have been to over the years. That way I would have a running tally of how many shows I have been to, and I would like to remember each of them. It's funny when I think of my music evolution over the years, (As I listen to Ekoostik Hookah), and each of those bands hold memories of old friends, different times, etc.
So I am starting a tally, year seen, band, (s) and who I saw the show with.
I know many of you on here, I have been to a show with, so please help me add to my list!

HIGH SCHOOL
1993, Nine Inch Nails, Erin C, Troy, Craig - my first show ever! I begged my mom to let me go, and it was awesome, and I got to crowd surf! WaHoo!
(this is where it starts to get foggy, of the year and order, haha! )
1994? Troy, did we go to any other shows together (before you went to college, and I could drive?)

1995, couldnt drive yet, Smashing Pumpkins & Garbage, I have no memory of this show at all. very weird. who the hell was there?

1996, Verve Pipe, Ryan Jen, Got to eat lasagna and fruit salad with the band!!
1996, Tool, Ryan, Steve,
1996, ?what band? Erin, Megan, ( saw someone in Kzoo, snowing, we stayed in a hotel, erin had a credit card)
1997, Soundgarden, Erin, Rebecca, Megan?
1997, Verve Pipe, Ryan, Jen, Steve,

1996?, Stone Temple Pilots, Erin, Jen, Megan, (vaguely remember this show either, must not have been that great)
1997, Kid Rock & possibly other bands, Ryan, Jen, __others?
1997, Ozzfest, Ryan, Steve, Matt, many others
1997, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Jen, Megan, Erin, yes, I remember this now!

1998, Hole, Erin & Jen (got to go ON STAGE with Courtney LOVE,)

COLLEGE
1999, Tori Amos & Alanis, Sara, Jen, Kate, Derick

1999, Foo Fighters & Chili Peppers, Ryan & Jen
2000, Kid Rock & Limp Biscuit, Derek, Ryan, Jen
2001, Leftover Salmon, Robin, Jen,
2001, Ekoostik Hookah, Jen Josh Brock Erica, really really fun show!!!
2001, String Cheese, Chicago, Jen Josh Erica H, Clint, Christy, Dan Terry, Pope

2002 Spring, Hookahville!, Jen, Brock , Erica, Clint, Christy, Pope
2002 Fall, Hookahville, same crew as above with Josh, Sara, Sean,
2002, Bonnaroo, Jen, Brock, Megan, Pope, Clint Chirsty,

COLORADO
2003, Widespread Panic, Sunday night, by myself :)
2004, Hookah again :), Josh and I
2005, Willie Nelson, Jen Josh
2005, Little Feat & Hot Buttered Rum, Jen Josh
2006, Willie Nelson, Red Rocks, Joe, Jen Josh, Adam
2006, Ekoostic Hookah, Jen Josh
2006, Dixie Chicks, Jen and Laura, they rock!

2007, Blue Turtle Seduction, J & J, Adrian, Erika
2007, Widespread Panic @ Red Rocks, Jen JOsh, Laura, DAvid
2007, Ekoostic Hookah x 3 shows, Jen, Josh, Laura, Mary, David, Jeff,
2007, The Bridge, Jen & Josh

Ok, this is a pretty poor showing for the first time.
But I gotta get back to sewing.........list to be continued

Tags: bands, friends, grunge, jamband, music, red rocks, rock

Current Mood: GLAD ITS FRIDAY!!!

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03 March 2008 @ 07:12 am

Drainage Ditch & the countdown

Josh and I have been extremely busy in the past few weeks, only to get worse in the next few weeks. As many of your know, Josh's brother Shawn who is a contractor, is coming to Colorado March 14th, for 10 days of working to finish our basement.
With the anticipation of him coming, we have been working very hard to buy all necessary items for the basement. The biggest cost is probably the bathroom. We found a sink at Resource 2000, with brand new faucet fixtures which match our upstairs bathroom for only 20$ !!! ITs very nice, and so far, the "best buy" of the basement. We also got a toilet at home depot, and floor tiles on sale too! The floor tiles are a ceramic tile, which is a creamy light goldish color....Warm tones are the theme in the basement, and this will fit in well. We still need lights, a bathtub, and a counter for the sink.
This week we will go to the discount Lighting store we recently just heard of.  We had to watch the entire hour of Fox News, waiting for their promised home remodelers wholesale stores in the Metro area.... (we wrote them all down, at 55 minutes into the hour show, and will be visiting them this week...
Josh put in all new windows in the basement in the past 2 weeks. Each window was taking him about 3-4 hours because the old windows were sealed into the concrete (it was poured into the window frames) so he had to grind down the concrete for each window to get it in straight. The downside to this; we could have gotten taller and wider windows maybe 2-3 inches bigger. Oh well.
He also is in school, dont forget, so has been busy doing homework, projects, and etc...2 more weeks of class takes us to the week Shawn gets here. Josh is going to be BUSY in the next 2 weeks!
He is not alone, I have been taking as many (or more) sewing orders that I can handle in order to offset this basement cost. We have been saving money for 3 years to get this basement done, but I dont want to use all of our savings to do this, and the extra money is helping out a lot!    The countdown is on, less than 2 weeks until Shawn comes, and 4 weeks until we have a BASEMENT!!!!!!!

Here is the Sunday project: The french drainage system:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-french-drain.htm

WE are already getting water in our basement, under the new floor. We knew this was going to be a problem, and when the weather warmed up (this whole week it was above 50 degrees, topping off at 73 degrees on SAturday) So we were finally able to have ground soft enough to dig 1 foot down. Of course yesterday we had a snow storm, getting 8 inches, but that didn't deter the guys too much. Jeff, Russ and Josh were all out there digging, and with the 3 of them, they were able to get it done MUCH faster!!! I am sooooo thankful for their help, it would have taken josh all day to do himself, but with the 3 of them, it really only took about 3 hours! THANKS!   I would look out the window, and each time they would be significantly farther. I tried to dig, and couldnt even get the shovel in very far.
The pics below

The start of the ditch on the West side of the house, which is higher than the east side. There is a perforated pipe in the ditch, so its deeper than it looks!

The length of the trench, which is the length of the house, east/west. The ditch is not complete because we didnt have enough rocks. Josh grossly underestimated how much we needed for the project. Though everything else went really well! Despite the snowstorm.

You can see how the ditch (left side of pic) rounds the tree, and slopes down the side of the house, and is piped out near the road. IT will be covered with rocks, then the dirt will be shoveled back onto the top of it.

Tags: ditch, drain, drainage, french, snow, storm

Current Mood:

busy

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15 February 2008 @ 02:06 am

Valentines Day

Josh and i had a nice Valentines Day today, I made him dinner, and since I dont cook much it was a treat for him, lol. On the menu was filet mignon, asparagus, a crab/avocado appetizer, and parmesean puffs.
The most memorable part of the evening came when I totally messed up the parm puffs. I was worried about the baking anyway.....well, it called for 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 of flour and 1/4 butter. so i did this, and then stir till its solid. stirring and stirring the liquid! would NOT turn solid. I didnt have any idea what the problem was............so then I called my mom, who was stumped and told me to try it over again. Then I called my friend Mary, who was also stumped, but said the same thing. So i did it all again, with the same result. Then I called in josh to check my "work" and see if he can figure it out........guess what the problem was...............?!?! .............
I was using powdered SUGAR instead of flour!!! LOLOLOL..!!!!! I just thought the container was the over-flow flour container........yea, can you tell i dont bake much?!
After that we laughed for a good 10 minutes, until my stomach hurt even,. Then finally got dinner made and on the table, it was very very very good!
What a great memory.

Tags: baking, valentines day

Current Mood:

Awake at 2am, cant sleep

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25 January 2008 @ 04:52 pm

Another Friday....

I really am a workin for the weekend gal, i really think.  Its in my thoughts all the time, not that I dont like my job...I like what i do, but I think the obligation in general always bothers me. Being obligated to work for "da man" or whatever.

Tomorrow we are having a party, our friend Joe is leaving to work in New Zealand (did i spell that right?) ....again...for a few months.   It must be nice to travel like that, but I don't know if I would continually want to be in and out of the country for months at end. I guess you could have 2 lives, and sets of friends...that might be fun.  Joe is a single guy, and its fairly easy for him to leave the country, no pets either. But if you were married, or even had a dog, what would you do? I would hope you could fly your dog with you.   We are also having a party b/c Josh bought a 20 lb turkey, at thanksgiving, cause it was on SALE....20 lbs!!! what are we going to do with a 20 lb turkey?   So we are having a party, thats what!  But, its a good excuse to have people over.
Last night we cleaned up the basement, laid out carpet squares (free un-used carpet from joshs work, its marroon, but will work for now) and set up the basement furniture....Uncle Tim & Dougs yellow-ish chair, our old tables, and camping chairs. ITs like a little room down there!!! We plan on having Josh's brother Shawn come out in March, and he and josh are going to finish the basement in 10 days hopefully. We think it can be done. WE will be buying bathroom stuff, plumbing, 2x4's, drywall, etc...here real soon...it all has to be here before Shawn gets here. We ordered the windows, and they will be in next week. We will put those in soon too.
YAY! WE will have REAL SPACE downstairs REALLLLY SOOON now! I am very glad.

Alrighty, I gotta go clean the guts out of this turkey. I keep procrastinating.

Tags: basement, party, weekend

Current Mood:

chipper

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