#105 — Kitchen/Dining: Before/After (and some during!)

Where to even begin with this project? Let's see .... let's start with the general before/after of our dining room. It looks the most different.

First, this is an item I can check off of my bucket list (#105)! We didn't have the floors redone as we initially intended, but the cold, ugly tile is gone. Mission ACCOMPLISHED! :)

 But before I begin - anyone else HATE THE NEW GOOGLE BLOGGER??? This new dashboard/compose/etc is a HUGE inconvenience. Seriosuly. I want the old one back. This new version is awful. It's taken me 15x as long to make this post as it 'normally' would. :( :( :( Makes me want to go check out Wordpress.


You'll notice the carpet has been removed from the dining room and now the flooring is the same from the kitchen into the dining room.

It started with this ... a hole in the wall and a hole in the floor. (see post HERE).

It took me a long time to do ANYTHING with the hole in the wall because I didn't want to sand it down after we mudded it. See how much of a mess it made?

Of course, the mess was awful, but we kept saying to ourselves "it's going to look amazing when it's finished" ... and we think it does.

In addition to making a giant mess of the floor (and every other surface in the area), we took the baseboards off. Those guys were old and we figured if we were getting new floors, might as well put new baseboards in, too.

We next attacked the carpet. We knew there were hardwood floors under it. Our buddy, Mike, came with this magic tool for pulling up carpet tack strips, which made the job SO much easier! Getting all of the flooring up and the baseboards up, too, took about an hour (which shocked us; we thought it'd take longer)

Once again, I HATE THE NEW GOOGLE BLOGGER ... it's so annoying an inconvenient to use!!! I've been working on this post for 45+ minutes now. Seriously - NOT photo friendly. :(

We knew there were nice hardwood floors underneath, and when the carpet came up, they weren't in terrible shape. It's just that we wanted the floors to be the same, and the tile in the kitchen would not have come up easily ... so we had to cover them up!

Erik knows how to work the vacuum. :)

The progress of our dining room floor.

The fellas with the skills that made it happen. Yes, everyone says 'you can do it yourself' but I know better. Our marriage could probably survive many home projects, but I'm not sure that it could survive installing laminate floors when neither of us knew what we were doing.

For example, the pros knew how to wiggle the laminate under the door frames ... something I'd have been clueless about.

Bailey had to go stay at the kennel while the project was going on; she couldn't have handled the excitement and would have been UNDER FOOT. But she likes the before/after. :)

LOVING it!

The trim looks snazzy! Another example of something I don't have the skills to do!

We had to move the dog's food/water b/c she makes a bit of a splashy mess when she drinks. It was starting to warp the boards a bit. But it's near a wall and not *too* noticeable ... besides, now there is some 'damage' to the floor so if/when something happens to it, no need to freak out; it's already been hurt a little bit.


*sigh* this post has taken me SO MUCH longer than usual to write b/c of Google's new format on the back end. It's awful and unless I fan find a way to go back, I'll have to switch to another blog provider. I don't have this kind of time to dedicate to each and every post. What a PITA. Seriously!

If you missed it, there is a bit of a progression for this project.

Post 1: Karen goes insane and tears down a portion of the kitchen wall
Post 2: Uh-oh. What have I done?

Post 3: Finally, some forward progress

Post 4: Vents have been moved!!!

Post 5: Painting complete! :)

Post 5: Carpet is gone

#27 — Join a fantasy team

Ooooooh, this is a doozie. Are you ready for this?

Last week, we were at a friend's house, and Marc brought up a fantasy golf league. Yes, you read that correctly. A fantasy golf league. This isn't one of the formal ones; Erik and Marc made up their own rules.

Did I mention we had a draft? Yes.We.Did.

This is a long-term commitment, but one I can handle. All I had to do was select 5 players and then forget about them for the rest of the year. They'll tell me at the end of 2012 how I did. :) Low maintenance. I'm into that. This is great, especially since there are a bajillion tournaments that are eligible to add points to our score.

Oh, did I mention I don't follow the "sport" of golf in the slightest. This is going to be great. Especially since I was the No. 1 draft picker. :)

Here's my breakdown:


1. Rory McIlroy 2. Phil Mickelson 3. Sang-Moon Bae 4. Bo Van Pelt

Let me break down my choices for you by my extremely scientific method for choosing them.

1. Rory. I totally remember watching him crash and burn one afternoon last year. Which tourney was it? Um .... a big one. Masters, maybe? Heck, Idunno. But evidently the next week he went on to kick it in the next big tourney. Which one? Dunno either. But he's gonna be hot this year. Trust me. ;)

2. Phil. I at least have heard of his name before; he's a bit more household. Experienced. Wife is recovering from breast cancer, which is probably why I remembered his name. I like the story.

3. Bae. I looked at a list of top 100 golfers for 2012 and he was on it. Besides, who doesn't love the name? I'm getting a hard time regarding my choice from the other participants. Erik even says I might be about 10 years ahead of my time in choosing him. But I stand by my boy Bae. The South Korean women dominate, so can you, buddy!

4. Bo. Basically, this is a blind date. I picked him off of a list, too. Name sounded good to me.

Last, but the first guy I knew I'd draft:


5. John Daly. Seriously, those of you who know me can't even question this choice. One look at those pants should be all of the reason I need to know he belongs on MY team! :) I think everyone was a bit taken aback by my choice. But know what? If I end up watching much/any golf this year, John will without a doubt provide the entertainment for me. :)

After the first tourney, I'm batting zero. I didn't even have a player in the tourney. :( But my main main, Bae is slated for this weekend, and I have high hopes! (picture this in a Norman Chad voice, ok? it's great).

Erik, however, is off to a more impressive start. Of course, he took the draft very seriously and has selected what everyone else deems as a very respectable lineup of golfers, which is why he's currently in second place.


1. Adam Scott 2. Lee Westwood (I wanted to draft him; darn you, Erik!) 3. Dustin Johnson 4. K.J. Choi (Hey! Erik has a South Korean and nobody is mocking HIM! I guess the decade or so E's player has on mine is the reason?) 5. Ricky Fowler (the kid's got class; I should have looked at him more closely for my team, but I have several young players on there already, gotta get some experience!)

This isn't a fancy league. The winner doesn't get anything, except for out of dinner. The last 2 places have to make/buy dinner, 2nd place is responsible for an evening of adult beverages + snacks; the winner just enjoys it all and doesn't have to prepare/do anything.

This could be a clever ploy by some plotting husbands to interest/involve their wives in golf. If it is, so be it. This should be fairly entertaining. :)

#123 — Install a gate on patio to contain the dog

When we were installing our patio, there wasn't a dog in our future. Sure, Erik wanted to get a dog 'someday,' but we didn't think too much about it. Until we brought Bailey home. And she wouldn't stay in the backyard because that's where my mind WANTED her to stay.

We came up with this elementary solution:


Of course, she eventually figured out how to stick her nose between the side and garage and open the divider. Drat.

During the summer, I like to work in the backyard, but sometimes she'll see a rabbit or someone walking down the street and take off after it/them. And I wont' know until there are shrieks from the front yard. Oops.

We needed a containment solution.

I searched high and low for options that didn't involved digging anything up. Oh, did I mention our opening was about 5 feet wide? Right.

After serious searching and measuring and several trips to return the incorrect posts to the store, we were ready to go.


Thankfully, my dad was willing to come and help.

(Erik is thinking "Am I REALLY missing the Chiefs game? They are beating the Packers right now, and I'm doing a home project.")


We (read: Karen) decided the best solution for our opening was to hang the gate on the existing post. We'd have to put in another post to the right for a latch.


Since we have concrete, and I didn't want to tear anything up, we had to rent a 'hammer drill' and Erik showed it who was boss.


FINISHED!!!!! :) :) :)

Well, not TOTALLY finished. I have yet to attach the latch. But this solution works fairly well for now. When puppy got nutty during Christmas Eve, we were able to put her out back and know she'd stay there. :) When spring rolls around, I can know she'll still be in the backyard with me if I'm gardening -- looking forward to that! :)

#117 — Have photos published on a wedding inspiration blog

Well, in making some recent post about my bucket list, I realized I have some items I have completed, but didn't realize were on the list. So I'm playing a bit of catchup.

Anyone remember THIS blog post?


Well, it was on my list, so I'm officially crossing it off! :)

#73 — Photograph a family for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

This item was originally on my 101 in 1001 list, but it was transferred to my bucket list. I actually have done several over the last several years, but I heard from one of my clients from this year who was willing to share her family's story.


You may read what mom shared with me HERE.

This session was very special because baby was living at birth, and lived for a short while. The priest came in to baptize, and at the same time gave last rights. As a Catholic, it was a beautiful circle of life for this baby, to be welcomed into God's family, and then into his kingdom.

After each and every single one of these sessions, I cry. Usually on the way home. Sometimes while talking with my mother.

As having kids hasn't been the easiest path for us, it has been easy to think "well, at least you can get pregnant and carry a baby for a significant portion of the pregnancy." --- and this session hit me like a ton of bricks. This is not easier. In some ways, I think it is harder for these families. Each situation is its own cross, with a differing set of pains.

Yes, these sessions are difficult to photograph. They're even more difficult for me to edit later. I don't look forward to it/them. Ever. But I know the immense value this has to the families, and that is worth more than any discomfort I might feel.

# 119 — Decide on a color; paint the middle bedroom

Holla!!!!! The middle bedroom has been painted! Yes, I know there's a paint drip in the corner; I still have to paint the trim, so we're in good shape.

Orange, you say?

Yes, ORANGE. It seems fun + energetic ... and I'm digging it. Erik wanted to go more salmon, but once the walls were painted, this was EXACTLY what I envisioned.

This is where our nephew stays when he comes to hang with us, so I wanted it to be vibrant, fun and energetic. All words to describe Theodore. See? We even have a photo of him for the wall! (you can read about the frame project HERE). It's going to be KILLER on the orange walls!


Before anyone completely freaks out and thinks I've gone off of the deep end with my color selection, I want to remind you of what the room looks like (see above). There is nearly a FULL wall of built-ins on one of the long walls (left side of above photo). These built-ins will be painted white. I'm going to paint them with the trim, and they're not done yet, which is why I don't have a photo to share. But with all of the white, it helps to balance the room. Plus, the room is fairly large (about 12x18, I think). Before the addition was put on the back, I guess this room was considered the "master" bedroom. So it can handle the more bold color choice.

I was prepared to put in a chair rail and paint the bottom of the room white if the orange was too strong, but we agree it looks great!


I found these little owls at Bath & Body Works. They're super cute! I know the intention is to put candles in them, but here, they're nesting on the shelf above the desk. See how cute they look with the orange wall?

Garrison Keillor is comin' to town!

I hardly know where to begin the story of my relationship with Garrison Keillor.


Perhaps my first introduction was a quirky composition instructor in college. He had a tape and played several of the Lake Woebegone stories for us.

It was during my college years that I started listening to NPR. I was in a photojournalism class, and the instructor would give us weekly news quizzes. Since I was (admittedly) too lazy to read the paper (terrible for a journalism major, I know!), I listened to NPR to get the general feel of what was happening on the national and international level. I must have eventually run into the show. And loved it. :)

This is a great little story. Erik and I were going to KC. I was going to meet his parents for the first time. BIG deal! Right? It was. Of course, after we'd made our plans and all, I found out Garrison Keillor was doing a show. That night. IN KC. I made the BIGGEST case to Erik about why I should go. He must have thought I was trying to make excuses about not meeting his parents. It honestly wasn't that. I was excited to meet them. But couldn't I meet them AFTER the show? No such luck.

I pouted a little, but we had a lovely dinner and I liked them enough to marry their son.

Maybe it was last year and we were talking about that weekend. Erik said to me 'I didn't realize how much you liked him then; if I did, I would have realized what a big sacrifice it was for you to not go to see him.'

Last night Erik came home from work with a paper in hand. This is a bit unusual, so I knew something good must be in it. AND THERE WAS. Garrison Keillor is coming to town on April 24 (info HERE). :) I'm so excited! It won't be a live show/taped for a show, but I could listen to that man read the phone book.

I'm going to add seeing him in his home theater in Minnesota to my bucket list, but for the time being, I'll settle for him coming to OUR Home Town. :)

#81 — Go to the Salt Mines in Hutch.

Erik's parents were in town for a few days this week, and we decided we'd take a trip to the Salt Mines in Hutchinson. It just so happens that it's an item on my bucket list. :)




We were given hardhats and little breathing things to wear/carry with us. Of course, Erik sports it with pride!


This made me giggle. How many times are we at a place where it's all "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!!!"


And of course my husband decided he wanted to touch it with his tongue. :(


Lots of info to read (snore).


Lots of stuff to see (yay!).


Hey Baby Paul, I didn't get a good pic, but they have vehicles down there that were electric and run on alternative fuels. You'd enjoy it.


There was a train ride, which was pretty great. It's only been running for a few months. Since I've been wanting to go to this for a LONG time, I'm actually glad we waited and had the opportunity to go a bit more into the mine.


This was pretty sweet.


There are some very recognizable movie props down there. :) Plus some of the canisters.




There was another little tram tour called the "dark tour" (I think) .... it was pretty cool, too.


All dark + shadowy.


They let us grab some salt from a rock pile. Can't eat this stuff; it's mostly used for ice melt and the like. I plan to put mine on the ice the next time I make ice cream. :)


There's an awesome wall with lots of quotes about salt. I am a salt kinda girl. I don't much cook with pepper, but gimme salt all day, every day! Of course, I don't often salt when cooking, because not everyone has my tolerance for salt. Plus, growing up, the fellas would dump salt onto everything, even if you'd already salted it. So it seemed a waste to salt things in preparation.


OH. This is awful. My big goofy smile. Just because I'm a dork. It was VERY bright when we exited the tour .... and with a big expanse of concrete to reflect the sun .... I could barely keep my eyes open. :(


I insisted on getting a little rock candy in the gift store. I know there's no salt in the candy or anything, but c'mon. Don't you remember those from being a little kid? (neither does Erik .... he has yet to eat his; if he doesn't hurry up, I might have to help him out!).

#113 — Take a spring/summer trip to the Drive-In. Have an old fashioned good time. :)

HOLLLLLLA!!!!!!


One week ago, this is what we were doing. :)


And this.


And this.

Ahhh, it'd been 12 years since I've been to any Drive In. Much longer for Erik.

The Kanopolis Drive In is about 45 minutes from our house, but worth the trip! :)


Someone getting in the way of the old-school commercials.


Last one.