Crashing Bore

Preliminary Green Light for South Side Day Nursery (SSDN) at Jefferson & Russell, St Louis

2011-06-28T10:36:00.001-05:00

We're getting a much needed new building! Excitement is in the air for everyone involved with South Side Day Nursery. As a long time volunteer, I'm thrilled that they are moving even closer to our own neighborhood. There are so many young children that need a helping hand here in the St. Louis Metro area. More news to come.

Hail

2011-05-25T21:53:00.001-05:00

We didnt get the tornadoes that were predicted, but we did have an amazing hailstorm. Most of the stones were the size of golf balls, but several were as big as a tennis balls.

mommy's day

2011-05-08T16:18:00.001-05:00

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what a difference a day makes

2011-05-07T14:17:00.004-05:00

cubby today:
cubby yesterday:
We made it through our first big battle with sickness with lots of cuddling, baths and tylenol. He was attached to me almost all day (quite literally) but is thankfully on the rebound.

farm to family CSA

2011-05-07T13:37:00.008-05:00

We received our first box of goodies from the weekly farm to family CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) we joined for this growing season. We weren't sure what to expect, we choose this one without really having read many reviews. Localharvest.org is a great source for many CSA profiles but there wasn't much to read on this one.

We were thrilled with the selections for this first round. I was convinced we would end up with $30 of asparagus because there's not much in season here in Missouri yet, but was pleasantly surprised by what we found.

The box included:
2 heads of Lettuce from Ivan's Fig Farm
1 package of Microgreens from Suncrest Farms
1 dozen cage-free brown eggs from Good Earth Egg Company
1 package Goatsbeard Farms fresh goat cheese
1 Loaf Honey Wheat bread from Great Harvest
1 honey bear of MO honey from Sam Crowe
1 bottle Hendrickson's salad dressing
We've already sampled most of it, and can I say delicious!? in fact, we used all of the strawberries for shortcake during our weekly family dinner and they were amazing. In hindsight I should have taken pictures using our "real" camera to do the colors justice, but you get the idea.
We had never tried micro greens before, I've been reading up on them and apparently they are just packed with nutrients. We were given broccoli micro greens which had a familiar taste. Oh, the herb goat cheese...we spread some on the honey wheat bread and topped it with micro greens and it was such a tasty treat. The goat cheese is creamy and smooth.

my new trick

2011-04-27T21:47:00.001-05:00

Cub has been pulling himself up using all kinds of furniture, this crib business is new for him. He's so proud!

so true

2011-04-27T21:44:00.001-05:00

visiting with mutti

2011-04-27T13:52:00.003-05:00

We look forward to Mondays because that's the day we host family dinner at our house. Recently, Grammy has been coming over early and spending one on one time with cub. He adores their weekly play dates, as do I. Saying that she's a huge help is an understatement.

easter snapshots

2011-04-27T13:07:00.010-05:00

happy earth day!

2011-04-22T07:17:00.000-05:00

In celebration of Earth Day we just joined the Farm to Family CSA. We'll be eating foods that are in season from local farmers for the next 26 weeks.

babymooners

2011-04-16T22:25:00.010-05:00

Cub has been taking music classes at Babymoon since he was 3 months old, and it has been so cool to see him transition from "watch-er" to "do-er". He really seems to like the Music Rhapsody curriculum and gets all giggly when the puppets come out. Sure, the class involves a few simple instruments like bells and shakers, but the class is really designed just to teach rhythm and there are tons of finger plays. He does a lot of baby watching along the way.

Cub and I typically head in for class each Thursday and then stay and work for a while. Depending on the week, I may help out by writing a newsletter, working on the website, contacting vendors or creating window/store displays. Whatever's on the list. I helped to open Babymoon in 2007 (when I was in career transition mode) and I will always stay involved in some capacity. The business is so unique, it's a combination of retail boutique/parent resource center/new mom support center/childrens music center/birthday party site...the list goes on. Love this place!

au natural

2011-02-16T10:48:00.006-06:00

Now that cub is eating 3 solid meals a day, we decided to go ahead and make our own baby food. Saving money has it's appeal also. I have to rave about mama's little helper though, this new Baby Brezza from Babies R Us makes the process so much easier (and fun). It's a set it and forget it type of situation, just toss the veggies in, set the time, and it steams then purees in one step. It's right sized for small portions too, unlike our larger food processor that had trouble with 1 cup sized meals. So far we've make sweet potatoes, zucchini, string beans, a great big batch of applesauce and of course banana puree. We pick and choose which foods to buy organic versions of by paying attention to the dirty dozen list.

No rejects so far, it took him a couple of days to get into the string beans, cub seems to tolerate most testures. We'll start adding spices and olive oil soon to make things interesting.

We're still hanging in there with theBumGenius cloth diapers, but we should get some major extra credit points during this transition to solids. Yikes!

finishing touches

2011-02-11T22:42:00.000-06:00

kd and I bought our Elfa closet system (35% off!) on Tuesday, so I was extra motivated to get the closet finished.

I didn't feel like learning to finish corners with drywall tape, so I bought the same metal/paper corners I used in the first bathroom.

They made the process go quickly,and by Thursday, I had decided to skip the third coat and go straight to primer. And, on Friday night, the painting was done.

Like the last time I finished drywall, there are plenty of flaws.. but there are certainly fewer this time. It helps keep things in perspective knowing we're about to hide any imperfections behind shelves and clothing rods.

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supercub

2011-02-10T22:52:00.001-06:00

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storytime

2011-02-09T21:22:00.003-06:00

Because he was battling a cold, we skipped our usual Monday storytime at the Buder Library Branch this week and instead visited Carpenter on Wednesday. Although we didn't know it, we happened to arrive during the elementary age storytime hour. Once he heard the rhythmic reading style of this librarian, cub insisted on joining in. She was nice enough to make an exception and let him, no problem. We heard stories relating to African American History Month, including a fun tale about musician John Coltrane from when he was a child.

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guacamole

2011-02-09T21:18:00.001-06:00

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a baby, a cat and leg warmers

2011-02-07T20:12:00.005-06:00

Pictures from one of our many snow days lately where we opted to stay inside and play. I took the opportunity to dress cub in leg warmers since pants weren't necessary. He seemed to enjoy scooting across the floor in them.

hung

2011-01-30T20:48:00.000-06:00

With the duct work connected (thanks tom!), it was finally time to hang drywall on the master closet ceiling. I lured my dad over to visit cub, and had him help hold the sheets up while I fastened them.

It feels great having everything closed up. I can't wait to finish and paint the drywall.. because the Container Store is having a big sale on their Elfa closet system.

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gym class

2011-01-27T00:08:00.001-06:00

Pics taken during our "mom and me sculpt" class. Cub likes to take a break somewhere around the squats portion of the session. We use the kiddos instead of free weights when they feel like cooperating. If he keeps growing so quickly, I'm going build some serious muscle.

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dapper

2011-01-23T14:46:00.001-06:00

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sitting pretty

2011-01-14T23:09:00.001-06:00

Cub's first high chair experience. Success!

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floppy ears

2011-01-09T14:57:00.001-06:00

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unauthorized

2011-01-09T12:35:00.001-06:00

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butterfly house

2011-01-07T20:52:00.007-06:00

luxe 365 project

2011-01-02T21:31:00.003-06:00

Follow me and my teammates as we post a photo a day in 2011. Each week, a different theme. Can you guess which shots are mine?

http://www.luxe365.com/

1.1.11

2011-01-01T19:56:00.002-06:00

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! Here's to many more firsts to come.

Duplos

2010-12-23T15:54:00.000-06:00

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good to the last drop

2010-12-18T19:31:00.002-06:00

Didn't even spill a bite, he's going to be a champion eater, we can already tell.

If given a choice, I like to go for products that are all natural and/or whole grain and/or organic when the price difference is reasonable. I was surprised to find this Gerber organic brown rice cereal at our local Target, I didn't know it was even on the market. Seems to be agreeing with cub's little system very well.

jolly old saint nick

2010-12-13T10:29:00.001-06:00

random acts of kindness

2010-12-12T09:34:00.004-06:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

When Jacob woke up, I took him to the window to see his first snowfall and guess who we saw sweeping our walk/cars...Barb! She didn't expect us to catch her in the act, it was quite hilarious. What an awesome random act of kindness.

one step back..

2010-12-11T17:17:00.001-06:00

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pain pain, go away

2010-12-08T11:37:00.001-06:00

Vaccinations are the pits, but they sure beat whooping cough. At least he got a cool band-aid out of the deal. Other than his initial reaction, cub seemed to shake the pain off surprising well. He's practically smiling in this photo taken minutes after the shots. We could tell he had some pain and soreness later in the day, however, and was given a lot of extra hugs.

At 4 months, cub is now in the 95th percentile in height, and 55th in weight. The doctor said he was impressed by his ability to roll over back to front and front to back, hold his head steady and present a social smile on command. We recognize that he likely won't hit all milestones on time, but mama and papa were proud to hear he's on right track for now.

I really like our pediatrician because he makes a point of dispelling rumors and myths that new parents may be concerned about. And there are a lot of them out there. He's been practicing for 25 years, so it's easy to trust his advice.

greatest generations

2010-12-06T20:36:00.007-06:00

Here's a couple of pictures from Cub's first visit with his Great Grandma and Grandpa's last October. We had 4 generations from the Murray family in one house, it was a wonderful thing.

Since we have 4 Libras in the family, we had a combined birthday celebration while they were here. It was so good to see them, as always.

Champions for Children 2011

2010-12-06T20:01:00.003-06:00

SSDN helps so many impoverished little ones who might otherwise not have the opportunity to get started on the right footing. After spending one day at the facility, meeting the kiddos and talking with the staff, I felt compelled to keep volunteering for them. This is my third year on the chair committee for this event and it's always a blast. Daniel Fells (an SSDN volunteer and Rams Player), along with his wife, will serve as the Honorary Chairs. There will be amazing live and silent auction items up for grabs. Make plans to join us! www.ssdn.org

creches & carols

2010-12-03T20:56:00.000-06:00

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"so much like me"

2010-12-03T12:15:00.001-06:00

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bustin out

2010-11-30T13:10:00.001-06:00

After waiting patiently while kd and I shared a veggie burger at Cyrano's, cub was ready for his meal. But he had a hard time focusing under kd's cover-up, and kept grabbing at the fabric around him.. making it look like he was trying to escape.

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sweet dreams

2010-11-24T17:24:00.001-06:00

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sleeper hold

2010-11-21T14:08:00.002-06:00

Battling his first cold, cub got some much needed TLC from papa yesterday. So much for napping in his crib.

beary scary

2010-11-17T15:39:00.000-06:00

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nap time

2010-11-16T15:38:00.010-06:00

Being a first time mom and an occupational perfectionist, I have had this goal to get cub into the routine of napping in his crib by four months ever since I read the recommendation in Baby 411. Until this point, we have been sending him off to dreamland in the swing, during car rides or on my shoulder - the places that most soothe him. He's been sleeping through the night since he was 4 weeks old, so it didn't seem like a problem because he's well rested. However, now that we are quickly approaching the 4 month mark, it's probably time to do a little less coddling and a little more training in order to establish better long-term habits. So far he seems to be adapting well, as long as his feet are swaddled of course. I'm sure we'll continue to be flexible, but at least now we know he will do down in his crib without much of a fight.

bottle battle

2010-11-16T14:21:00.009-06:00

You would think that knowing how to drink from a bottle would be intuitive. I guess if you have an alternative the motivation isn't really there. We have been offering cub an occasional bottle since he was just a few weeks old and each time he'd simply chew on it, gag and cough. We tried many, many types of bottles thinking he might just have a preference of shape, material, etc. None of these worked for him.

Today, much to my surprise, he finally did it! He drank an entire bottle. I swapped out the slow flow, silicone nipple that came with this Playtex model for a fast flow, latex one.

Whether it was the type of bottle that made the difference, or whether he decided he was just ready, we'll never know. It's comforting knowing we have a backup plan should the need arise.

royale treatment

2010-11-15T22:11:00.000-06:00

We hadn't been to The Royale since before cub was born, because we were worried about bringing him to such a crowded place where he might disturb people. But tonight our craving for their hummus was simply more powerful than our apprehension.

I'm really glad we decided to go tonight. The owner was there, and spent a few minutes talking with us. He explained that they had recently banned smoking, but hadn't lost business because people like us were bringing their kids now. Moreover, nobody was annoyed by cub's presence.. rather, it seemed like everyone was smiling at him, and leaning into the booth to introduce themselves and ask how old he was. Our fears were shown to be wholly unfounded.

And, the hummus was as delicious as ever.

on a mountain high

2010-11-13T10:01:00.000-06:00

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mini bread pudding

2010-11-09T21:30:00.003-06:00

While scanning channels tonight, I caught my first episode of Chuck's Day Off - an energetic cooking show that showcases pop music like an episode of Smallville. I ended up wanting to try everything Chuck prepared - especially his Chocolate Stout Cake. Unfortunately, I didn't have several of the key ingredients on hand.. so I googled "easy bread pudding" and found a suitable alternative.

I modified the recipe to yield 6 servings, and filled 9 of the 12 spots in our mini desert bar pan. They were finished in 35 minutes, instead of 45.

Even though I forgot to add chocolate chips, the mini bread puddings turned out awesome. The texture was perfect, and the flavor was cinnamony and delicious! I still want try Chuck's exotic version - but I can guarantee I will be making these little guys again and again.

beary friendly

2010-11-09T16:29:00.001-06:00

Our friends bought Cub this bear and the instant he saw it he started chatting it up. It was pretty hilarious.

fancy pants

2010-11-08T22:00:00.000-06:00

We just love these robotronic print diapers by Rumparooz. Most of our BumGenius were gifted to us at baby showers, but these were a special splurge. I think Santa is going to bring us a pair with firetrucks on them.

chalkbored

2010-11-08T15:02:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago out of afternoon boredom (jacob was sleeping...) I painted a chalkboard on the backdoor of the Kitchen, another idea that had been on our list for a while. Joe added some simple white trim to polish it off. It's already led to shenanigans as you can see, but that's part of the fun.

Here's what our kitchen looked like last year. We've made some minor cosmetic changes. We're hoping someday HGTV will come in and just redesign the space for us, although it suits us just fine for now.

mission control

2010-11-04T11:32:00.001-05:00

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"such a little thing"

2010-11-02T11:39:00.004-05:00

Today I fixed our whirlpool bathtub. For almost 8 months, it has refused to turn on. It's crazy to think I wanted to throw the tub off the balcony, when the only thing wrong with it was this tiny fuse.

Let the wild rumpus begin!

2010-10-31T23:09:00.002-05:00

zoo too

2010-10-20T17:38:00.007-05:00

We enjoyed this 75 degree day with a visit to the zoo with a good friend and her son. I caught some fun moments on my camera phone. We had a great time exploring with them, so much that we stayed over 4 hours.

Checking out an Orangutan.

Cub on his first train ride.

Riding on the Zooline.

MoBot

2010-10-19T17:59:00.012-05:00

Fortunately, the weather has been so beautiful lately that we've been able to enjoy the fresh air quite a bit. Today we visited the Missouri Botanical Garden, one of our favorite spots.

Of course, Jacob was asleep for most of the walk. I snapped a photo of him snoozing in the main corridor.

The Garden was serene and quiet, except for the sounds coming from an adorable Brownie Troop running around singing songs and looking for native plants.

I'm constantly surprised at the things that now seem like luxuries to me as a parent. For example, I stumbled upon a brand new family restroom and lounge area tucked away in the recently renovated Spink Pavillion and was honestly excited. It's equipped with a changing station and plenty of room to move around with a stroller, two things that make outings much easier. I noticed they had also installed this hydration station to refill water bottles. Bonus!

lounging

2010-10-16T16:02:00.005-05:00

A pic of Cub in his bathrobe, which was a special request.

fireplace

2010-10-16T15:50:00.006-05:00

Our brass fireplace surround in the dining room was in fairly poor condition and didn't match the color scheme of the room, so we had talked about changing it for a while. We really liked this new one from home depot for $234, but since the fireplace is not operational, decided to try this can of rustoleum paint for $5 first. The result? A pretty good solution that only took as long as one of Cub's naps.

Love the way it brought out the previously unnoticed detail work at the top. We're satisfied customers.

under control

2010-10-15T16:32:00.005-05:00

Check out that head control.

Fun to stay at the YMCA

2010-10-14T15:32:00.017-05:00

The YMCA is awesome. We joined this week and signed up for two classes in the next session (stroller fit and mom & me sculpt) that actually incorporate babies into the workouts. Cub will probably get a kick out of being lifted up and down during bicep workouts and twirling around in his stroller to dance music.

Here he is with a bar code sticker from the child watch service that is free for members to use while exercising. To retrieve your little one, a staff member swipes your membership card which is tied to the bar code numbers assigned during check-in, and verifies the match before you can leave. I thought that was a very cool system.

And take a look at the indoor water park! We'll be splashing around soon enough.

lunch at the vine

2010-10-13T15:42:00.001-05:00

We took advantage of the nice weather Wednesday, and ate lunch outside at our local Lebanese restaurant - The Vine.

Sure, their Lebanese food is great.. but what I love most are their French fries. Best in town. Seriously.

a nap in the park

2010-10-12T20:32:00.009-05:00

zoo holiday

2010-10-11T13:53:00.001-05:00

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generation gap

2010-10-09T19:17:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, kd!

2010-10-08T23:05:00.000-05:00

Baby Love

2010-09-23T21:30:00.002-05:00

Cub's First Blog Post

2010-08-10T13:36:00.009-05:00

Cub came out to play on Wednesday, 8.4.10 at 12:42pm. He weighed 8lbs, 13oz and measured 22.

\

Reminiscing

2010-07-19T15:13:00.001-05:00

Just days before our son is due to arrive, I'm spending some time remembering our wedding day. The best day of my life (so far!).

Happy Birthday to my darling husband.

one down, two to go

2010-06-13T17:33:00.005-05:00

Well, I still have to finish some compound miter cuts for the niche, and need to install the top and bottom rows. But, the most complicated wall is on the brink of completion. See what I mean about the valve being off center?

I used my laser level to make sure the tiles were lined up. It has a vacuum seal on the back that allows it to stick to smooth surfaces. Although that is a really cool feature, I worry about what would happen if the batteries ran out while it was up there.

notwithstanding

2010-06-06T23:45:00.000-05:00

To make sure the shower ends up with a pleasing distribution of marble colors and grains, kd and I spread tiles from about 10 cases out on the floor and mixed them up. Keekins let us know that one tile was just fine where it was.

Each tile is 12 inches, and the shower is 47 inches wide - so I had to cut a little bit off of the end tiles. Looking at all the left over strips, I started thinking that I could have made my own random linear mosaics. If I can't think of a place to use these in the house, I'll just freecycle them.

Unfortunately, the shower valve was installed about half an inch off center. When it is all finished, you'll probably think that the tile, and not the valve, is off. If I could do it again, I would have just used the valve as the center point.

It took a long time, but I finished cutting all of the tiles that go around the valve and niche and installed the first 4 rows. Even though I didn't chose the optimal layout, the tile is still looking really good.

"outrageous fortune"

2010-06-02T22:56:00.005-05:00

For our wedding, kd and I were given a Forest Park membership which included a personalized brick paver located at the base of the reflecting pool below the World’s Fair Pavilion. A few weeks ago, we received a letter informing us that the brick had been installed. The weather was really nice today, so we decided to go see our brick.

We had a fun time finding the brick, and walking around the fountain. It is fun to think about bringing our kids here to play on the hill, splash in the fountains, and look for our special memorial.

As we were leaving, we noticed lots of people carrying lawn chairs and coolers - two of our favorite things - towards Art Hill. Google informed us that the Shakespeare Festival had started and that a performance of Hamlet was going to start in about 50 minutes. This gave us just enough time to race home, grab snacks and some blankets, and get back to the natural amphitheater.

The weather was perfect.. just cool enough that it felt nice to drape a light blanket over our legs. My favorite thing about summer is the seemingly endless supply of activities that make being spontaneous so rewarding.

3 day weekend

2010-05-31T23:31:00.000-05:00

Over the holiday break, we were able to cross a few things off kd's list of things to do before the baby comes. For a long time, she has disliked the big window in our front door - worrying that it was too easy to see our valuable cats inside. Rather than hang a miniature curtain, we used some left over spray frosting and stickers to obscure most of the view and make things easier for the pizza guy.

Next, we started tiling the master bathroom backsplash. Although the glue I used for the other bathroom's backsplash is still holding up, I knew from experience that it would be much faster to use thinset mortar this time. I mixed the mortar while kd masked the sinks and faucets.

With the tiles in place, I attached clips to the wall and dropped the mirror into place.

Here is a look at the (nearly) finished product. We're using the same tiles as accents in the shower, so I'm going to wait until the shower is ready and grout them at the same time.

While kd was completing a laundry marathon, I finished taping and filling all of the tile board joints.

Then, after spending a few hours thinking through the tile layout together, we are finally ready to start tiling the shower. I'm excited to be so close to finishing this part of the project.

the cover up

2010-05-22T23:18:00.003-05:00

Today I built a little shower niche, and started hanging tile board in the shower. Now that I've started, I can't wait to finish burying all evidence of imperfections beneath sheets of concrete and tile.

My worst fear isn't that the shower will leak into the living room below it. It is that someday this guy is going to open it back up, shake his head and tell the world all the ways that it should have been done.

droid does.. what?

2010-05-09T21:21:00.003-05:00

nevermind how cool the ad campaign is, this is just incredible.

Nursery Update

2010-05-04T18:54:00.010-05:00

Now that the bedding is mostly done, it's time to create some artwork for the walls.

This was, by the way, the first sewing endeavor I've undertaken since Home Ec senior year in High School. It's amazing how much those basic skills (and a good machine) helped to make it a fairly simple project. I have to admit, my craftsmanship could be improved, but I'll get there eventually with practice.

A sneak peek of the nursery as we continue to make progress. We tackled the task of painting the walls last weekend (using no VOC paint, of course). Because we don't have a "real" camera right now, the color isn't showing true to life, it's bolder and has more of a turquoise flair. The pocket door you'll notice on the back wall connects to another spare bedroom.

This painting project really made us excited for baby's arrival, it is so exhilarating to wake up in the morning and see this across the hall.

Billy Bookcase

2010-03-23T12:00:00.007-05:00

We finally have extra kitchen storage!

Check out our new pantry. Originally intended as a closet solution in the 2nd floor guest bath remodel, this works perfectly in our kitchen. It is, of course, from ikea.

the nesting instinct

2010-03-23T11:36:00.009-05:00

Nesting is in full effect, I have started decorating the nursery. This is the color palette and one of the swatches of fabric that will be used in the bedding. Bedding plans include a blanket, crib sheet and bed skirt accented with orange grosgrain ribbon. I'll also make a small pillow for the glider to tie the room together. I am really interested in highlighting the orange and blue combination in particular (walls will be a bright blue, we have a bright orange lamp). There's not really a theme, although the design sketch includes trees and birds so it could be considered "outdoors".

We were happy to find a very gently used white jenny lind crib for a steal from craigslist. We love the antique yet modern style, it's just what we were looking for.

More pictures to follow.

spring in the city

2010-03-19T13:34:00.008-05:00

Instead of going to the student rec center with my team for our lunch workout, I instead headed downtown for a bit to enjoy the weather. Two turns from the office and you're there. I snapped this photo on the way (on a camera phone, not the best quality). Good news is that I've been promoted effective Apr 1st, but that might mean less opportunities for mid-day outings. Knowing the atmosphere @ SLU, I'm guessing that won't be the case.

valentine's romance

2010-02-15T19:43:00.024-06:00

Joe and I decided to celebrate our first Valentine's Day as Mr. and Mrs. with an evening of food and music, two of our favorite things.

After I snagged a discount certificate on restaurant.com, we decided on one of our favorite locally owned dinner spots, Sqwires - which we love not only for the food but also the atmosphere. Restaurant.com is great because not only can you prepay for deeply discounted gift certificates, if you sign up for email alerts every so often they send you a discount code for 80% off. Which in this case meant $25 worth of food for $2!

After dinner, we headed down the street to Powell Hall to watch a performance by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra where we experienced "Valentine's Romance". If you haven't been to Powell Hall, it is gorgeous. Here's a peek at the interior seating areas.
The program included:
TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet Overture-fantasy
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto (Viviane Hagner)
BERLIOZ Love Scene from Romeo et Juliette
RAVEL Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloé

The music was fabulous. We are lucky to have such a treasure just 5 min from our house.

Needless to say we had a memorable evening out on the town.

tunnel vision

2010-02-10T10:35:00.003-06:00

We haven't uploaded camera pictures from our Florida trip just yet, but here's a phone snapshot of one of the resident cats we met while we were there. Rusty was a bit too big for his play tunnel.

Apple Custard Pie

2010-01-24T22:33:00.011-06:00

A few weeks ago, Katy and I made dinner at her mom's house, and I served easy apfelkuchen (cooked apples, baked on crescent roll dough) for desert. A few days later, Jamie raised the bar by making a french apple tart. It was incredible; simply the best apple desert I have ever eaten.

I probably would have become obsessed with learning the recipe, but I had just learned how to make Portuguese Custard Tarts, and couldn't help thinking about combining the two flavors. So, when Cheryle and Tom came over for football and dinner, I seized the opportunity to try my idea.

1 pie shell
4 apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 c. white sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
5 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. milk
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 c. white sugar

Toss apples with sugar and cinnamon, and put in the pie shell. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Beat the flour, sugar and then egg yolks into the milk, and pour over the apples. Bake 30 minutes, or until custard is firm around the outside.

I used Jonathan apples, and loved the flavor and texture. This is how the pie looked when I poured the custard mixture over it.

And, here is a look at the last delicious piece, just an hour later.

At the time, I thought I was creating a new recipe, and was a little worried that the apple juices would ruin the custard. But, as it turns out, Google has over 300,000 results for "apple custard pie". Although I was pleased with my recipe, one of Google's related searches caught my eye..

I'm definitely going to make a french apple custard tart, since it really is what I was envisioning from the start. But, I'm keeping my apple custard pie recipe because it is so easy.

the puppy suit

2010-01-23T15:48:00.004-06:00

This made us laugh so hard in the middle of Goodwill that we almost cried - of course we had to buy it. So sweet.

fridays at the office

2010-01-22T16:32:00.011-06:00

There's a certain feeling in the air on Friday afternoons, and it's the same no matter what type of workplace I've been in (small businesses, large corporations, universities). I kind of wish you could bottle it and sell it. There's always so much excitement and anticipation about the thought of 2 days of absolute freedom from the workplace - even though we have a great environment, the best I've seen. It would have been interesting to count how many times today I've heard "well, at least it's friday!".

Soon (6 months and counting) I'll have the best job out there. And I suspect I'll won't be looking at Fridays in quite the same way again.

parmesan chicken

2010-01-21T15:58:00.020-06:00

Recently, I've become increasingly familiar with journalist Mark Bittman's work thanks to my friend Annaliese, and have been following his blog on The New York Times website. Mark writes about recipes, food and cooking, and while he has no formal culinary training, he has a vast knowledge of the food world. Since Joe has the only sweet tooth in our nuclear family, and right now handles most (ok, all) of the baking, I'm working on mastering entrees and side dishes. It's all about teamwork, right?

In my search for a new recipe to try out for our good friends Deb and John last Friday night, Annaliese recommended this recipe/video, which features Jamie Oliver and Mark Bittman making Parmesan Chicken. By the way, I'm a big fan of video recipes (I'm a visual learner), and find them so easy to follow.

It looked so delicious, I decided to give it a try. We had just under 30 minutes to pull the meal together after getting home from work, and with Joe on potato peeling duty, I tackled the preparation and cooking of the chicken. I did substitute mozarella for Parmesan (so maybe I should change the recipe title!), only because we didn't have any on hand and we always have string cheese in stock. I decided to use our griddle rather than a frying pan for efficiency reasons, which was a good move.

I plated the meal similarly to what's shown in the picture, sans lemon (which I skipped due to Joe's preference). We paired the chicken with Yukon gold mashed potatoes and broccoli which all meshed nicely. Deb and John brought over some delicious handmade gelato from the Gelateria on Grand which made for a great ending.

give a day, get a day

2010-01-20T19:30:00.012-06:00

In just 8 short days, we'll be on our way to sunny Florida. The housework (most of which now has been tackled thanks to our families this past weekend - more on that later) will just have to wait. This babymoon trip was inspired in part by Disney's "give a day, get a day" program that involves a free one-day pass to any of their theme parks in exchange for a day of volunteer service. Signing up was easy, once registered, we searched for opportunities in our area, some of which were with SSDN along with many, many others. We decided to try something new, and landed on Project Linus. Project Linus seemed like a great cause that we could participate in long term, especially as I practice my sewing skills. This opportunity required both of us to make 2 no-sew fleece fringed blankets.

Now, there are probably easier methods of approaching this pattern, particularly for cutting the fringe, but good old fashioned scissors seemed the optimal route for us.

Unfortunately I didn't think to snap a photo of the finished project, but they turned out well. Instead of tying the fringe in a knot as in similar blanket patterns, each piece of fringe was to be pulled through a slit to create the tie - adding a special touch.

Our reward notice was sent via email just two days after we turned in our creations.

We'll be visiting with Grandparents, who graciously offered for us to stay with them, and also with an Aunt, Uncle and Cousins (who conveniently live on the same street). Uncle Dan has a fishing boat and he usually take us out for a spin - I see some oceanic fishing in our near future!

plumbing fixtures

2010-01-13T14:14:00.009-06:00

Last night, Katy and I stayed up late putting the vanity together. We decided to use the Godmorgon bathroom cabinet and Braviken sink combination from Ikea. We liked the modern style, and it is one of the few double bowl vanities I could find that fits into a 48 inch space.

This morning, Tony installed the faucets and drains, and hooked up the water supplies. He also connected toilet and bathtub, but we won't get to see the jets in action until the electrician come to finish in a few days.

I'm still having a very hard time choosing a tile for the shower and the vanity's back splash. I would like this one, but there is too much black in it.

Warming up to the idea

2010-01-12T09:48:00.005-06:00

Despite the immense amount of work going on in the master bath space, we're making progress in the kitchen. We do like the warmth that the red accent wall exudes (as opposed to the former "school bus yellow" color). After taping up several paint swatches over the weekend, we decided the new cabinet color will be an earthy brown (don't recall the exact name). The back door will get a nice coat of paint as well, same as the new cream wall color that is on the adjacent wall (not shown). Since my sister Jamie is attending an SSDN Gala committee meeting with me in the City tonight, I plan on persuading her to come over afterward for pizza and painting.

Originally, we were going to buy some butcher block counter tops at Ikea during our last trek to Chicago, but decided to save our pennies for a complete overhaul of the space in a year or so.

everything is clicking

2010-01-10T22:49:00.001-06:00

Katy and I love the click together cork flooring that we used in our first bathroom remodel. Among other benefits, it is soft, warm, easy to install, and isn't destroyed by deflection in your sub-floor. So, I was interested in using another click together floor in the master bathroom. After finding one that Katy and I liked at Lowe's, I went to the manufacturer's website and found a local distributor who could get it to me overnight.

After letting the floor acclimate to the humidity in the house, we were ready to install it. First, Dan and I rolled out a multipurpose underlayment that provides sound reduction, cushioning and a moisture barier. I really liked the red color, and started thinking about working it into the design somehow down the road.

Then, we spent some time figuring out where to start the first row. Since the dimensions of the room weren't evenly divisible by the width of each piece of flooring, we chose a location that lead to almost equally sized cut pieces all along the perimeter walls.

We clicked the whole pieces together in just a few minutes, and then started the tedious task of cutting pieces to fill in around the edges. Dan made the measuring and cutting look easy, and had some invaluable little tapping blocks that made the job of clicking pieces together infinitely easier.

We are really happy with the way the floor looks, and the texture feels just like real stone. It is much warmer than the tile floor in our kitchen, so I know we made the right choice.. but, I'm just a little disappointed that it isn't as warm as our cork floor.

Pastéis de Nata

2010-01-07T22:15:00.006-06:00

At least 10 years ago, Mom's friend Peggy Yue introduced our family to egg tarts from Wei Hong Bakery. Egg tarts are like little custard pies, and I can't get enough of them. Whenever I'm near the bakery, I buy a few and encourage anybody I meet to try one. Over the years, very few have accepted my offer, and only one person has really liked them. I never could understand.

Today I watched an episode of Passport to Europe, and saw Samantha Brown order what she called a Portuguese egg cake. My interest was piqued because it looked just like my beloved egg tarts - and she really enjoyed it. A little googling revealed the cake's true name, and a recipe.

I've never made custard before, so I was a little apprehensive. But, I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out. I cheated and bought a pie crust, and the rest was so easy I may never go back to Wei Hong.

up, up and inside!

2009-12-26T21:47:00.006-06:00

Katy's dad came over today, and helped us get the tub up to the second story. He brought his heavy duty hoist, which looked like a forklift with a hand crank. The first 5 or 6 feet were easy, but, once it got over 10 feet in the air, I started getting nervous. By the time it reached the balcony, it was swaying a few inches from side to side. David rolled the hoist a few inches closer, and Dan and I pulled pulled the tub onto the balcony.

It was a huge relief to have the tub inside, and on the second story - and there's just no way I could have done it without lots of help. Thanks, Mr. K!

After Katy's dad left, Dan and I went back to working on the drywall. We screwed the last sheet of the day on right over a window, and then Dan cut out a hole for it.. which was much easier than measuring where the opening should be first.

insulation and drywall

2009-12-23T15:23:00.003-06:00

While the electricians were working, I rented a truck at Lowe's and bought 24 sheets of 10 feet long drywall. When I got back, I passed the sheets two at a time up to the balcony, and the electricians pulled them into the house. I could hardly move my arms by the time we finished, but it ended up being significantly less expensive than having it delivered with a boom truck.

The next day, Dan came over and started hanging drywall. Just like the last bathroom, this was my favorite phase of the project. No other step is as easy and rewarding as hanging drywall.

While Dan was working on the drywall, I was weaving insulation through pipes, wires and studs between the ceiling joists. I cursed myself for being impatient and framing the walls and dropped ceiling before adding the insulation.

I used R30 insulation in the ceiling, and R19 in the walls. Most of the house isn't insulated at all, and the master bedroom has R13 in the ceiling. So, now the bathroom is by far the warmest room in the house.

at the game

2009-12-21T10:29:00.002-06:00

In 2009, we attended some pro baseball, football, hockey and even some collegiate basketball games (Go Billikens!). Sadly, no Mizzou football, but this was a rebuilding year due to Chase and Maclin's departures.

This picture was taken during a hockey game in early December. We tried to get a clear shot of the rink, but weren't very successful. You can see some of the delicious chicken wings though!

pocket door

2009-12-16T16:45:00.000-06:00

Today Dan, the carpenter, and I installed the pocket door kit. I found a door in the basement that I can cut to fit in the frame, but I don't want to hang the door until after I have the drywall finished and painted.

A few hours later, Tony the plumber came over to finish roughing in the shower system. He actually made soldering look fun again, despite all the trouble it gave me during the last renovation.

With most of the plumbing complete, it is time to start looking for an electrician.

Rounding the bend

2009-11-21T23:01:00.005-06:00

After they finished Josh and Ryane's basement, I hired Dan the carpenter and Tony the plumber to rough in the master bathroom and closet. Friday was mostly spent discussing design, taking measurements and getting materials from Lowe's.

Tony spent Saturday afternoon piecing together the drain hub for the entire bathroom. I'll have to post more pictures before we close up the floor. It is beautiful work. He used a 3 inch forstner bit to drill a hole in the wall below us, and then fed a 10 foot pipe down into the basement. I was amazed by his accuracy.. there is only one small spot where he broke through the drywall.

Dan finished installing most of the subfloor, and built the wall dividing the bathroom and closet. I really like the metal studs he chose to use. They are light and straight - unlike wood which can be warped any number of ways.

I feel like I was hauling debris out of that room for a year, so it feels really great to finally be doing something constructive in there.

with regret

2009-11-18T19:46:00.002-06:00

While shopping for fixtures for our new master bathroom last weekend, we came across a striking kitchen inspiration picture. The sheer thought of adding more counter space and updating the look of our own kitchen was enough to entice us to break ground. We're thinking of a color scheme similar to what you'd find in Panera.

Of course, soon after making the first brush stroke, I quickly realized there was no turning back. I have to admit, it's nerve-wracking and exhilarating all at once, but I'm happy to have a pet project.

Is it just me, or does this "before" picture...

...look like it should be the "after"?

Stay tuned...

salvage

2009-11-10T13:24:00.001-06:00

After work, I finished removing the old hardwood floor. I probably got half of the boards up without destroying either the tongue or groove. This was really hard because there were about 10 nails in each tongue that had to be pried out before the groove could be wiggled away from the next board.
During the process, I only slipped once. I caught myself, but half of my weight came down on the old ceiling lathe between the joists. Amazingly, it didn't break.

I lowered each piece of flooring off the balcony, and onto the deck. From there, it was easy to move back inside through the basement door.

I have no idea if I will ever get around to refinishing these and using them to patch floors throughout the house. But, it feels good knowing I have that option.

reduce, reuse, recycle

2009-11-09T18:36:00.001-06:00

While taking a short weekend break from the master bath construction, we were able to finish a much needed facelift in the first floor bathroom. The goal - spend as little money as possible to make an outdated space look crisp and modern.

Months back, we were able to salvage the pedestal sink and toilet that used to be in the 2nd floor bathroom and transfer them right into this space, removing the old fixtures and outdated vanity.

Joe repaired the enormous crack that spanned the entire archway, and the bubbling piece of wall adjacent to it. He was super creative and used that funny spray foam material to seal it up. Some quick skim coats and voila! perfection.

I tried using a gallon of paint we had leftover in the basement that was originally intended for our living room (and was not quite right for that space), to see if it worked here. Luckily, "Castle Path" turned out to be perfect. As for the handles and hinges on the cabinets, we removed the hardware and Joe spray painted them a chrome color. Good as new.

Only one detail left - hanging the picture that we bought with a Kohl's gift card. Based on the results, we think the makeover was time (and very little money) well spent!

halloween

2009-11-01T20:15:00.006-06:00

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Not surprising though, it runs in the family.

Friday we headed over to Chelle and Jeff's house for their annual bash. Theme this year was"monsters". Everyone was dressed to impress as usual, this is by far one of the most creative groups of people we know. Check out these costumes our friend Jessica made for her family.

We opted to go as slightly scarier monsters.

Saturday night we headed over to St. Charles to visit with family and catch some trick-or-treaters. On the way over, we picked up this appetizer book and decided to try out some of the recipes. Being a novice cook, I was pleased with the way they turned out.

While I whipped these up, Joe worked on making one of his ever-popular pies.

cat lamp

2009-10-29T23:57:00.001-05:00

Wecome, Katy!

2009-10-29T11:29:00.001-05:00

It is my pleasure to announce that Katy officially joined team Crashing Bore on September 26, 2009.

levitation fail

2009-08-03T22:55:00.005-05:00

I almost made a big mistake here. Can you see it?

I cut half way through the sole plate before realizing that I was only leaving an inch or two supported by a floor joist. I quickly put up a temporary wall, and removed the entire sole plate. Then, I put a new 2x4 under the studs and screwed it to the 4 joists that it spanned.

Of course, almost immediately after I took down the temporary wall, I started to wish I hadn't left so much of the sole plate extending past the 4th floor joist. The problem is that the jack stud supporting the new header is now putting all of its weight directly on the overhang. To correct this, I plan to replace the plate with a 2x4 that reaches the 5th joist, and then move the jack stud over the joist.

I never get these things right on the first try. Spooky thing is, the new length of the sole plate is going to be within an inch of my SketchUp model from about 9 months ago.

32

2009-07-19T11:53:00.000-05:00

Crashing Bore

Preliminary Green Light for South Side Day Nursery (SSDN) at Jefferson & Russell, St Louis

Hail

mommy's day

what a difference a day makes

farm to family CSA

my new trick

so true

visiting with mutti

easter snapshots

happy earth day!

babymooners

au natural

finishing touches

supercub

storytime

guacamole

a baby, a cat and leg warmers

hung

gym class

dapper

sitting pretty

floppy ears

unauthorized

butterfly house

luxe 365 project

1.1.11

Duplos

good to the last drop

jolly old saint nick

random acts of kindness

one step back..

pain pain, go away

greatest generations

Champions for Children 2011

creches & carols

"so much like me"

bustin out

sweet dreams

sleeper hold

beary scary

nap time

bottle battle

royale treatment

on a mountain high

mini bread pudding

beary friendly

fancy pants

chalkbored

mission control

"such a little thing"

Let the wild rumpus begin!

zoo too

MoBot

lounging

fireplace

under control

Fun to stay at the YMCA

lunch at the vine

a nap in the park

zoo holiday

generation gap

Happy Birthday, kd!

Baby Love

Cub's First Blog Post

Reminiscing

one down, two to go

notwithstanding

"outrageous fortune"

3 day weekend

the cover up

droid does.. what?

Nursery Update

color splash

Billy Bookcase

the nesting instinct

spring in the city

valentine's romance

tunnel vision

Apple Custard Pie