A Fair to Remember!

Ah, the fair. I love it and I look forward to it every year. I really miss the MN State fair- its HUGE and the food selection is well, riDICulous. Its so big that there is a little train/trolley you can take from one side of the grounds to the other. This year we dragged the men along and made them suffer through quilt and 4-H displays. We didn't leave empty handed either. We invested in an awesome, couldn't pass up- deal on a steam mop for the new floors, and a sham-WOW! And I could never forget my caramel apple!

The House!

The kitchen is finished! I tried to post pics last night but Craig made me wait until he edited the ones HE took with his fancy schmancy camera. I'll have to throw in a few that I took too, just to cover all the angles. We did everything ourselves except the tile counter tops and some of the electrical work. We also had a friend help us with the floors. I decided to paint the laundry room at the last minute.

...Yes, duh, thank you Craig. Much thanks to Steve and Linda who put in our pocket door for us- which makes a HUGE difference, and wasn't an easy job to do. If anyone out there needs a pocket door installed, I highly recommend them:) Of course, I could start a whole new blog dedicated to all the things they do for us. -But then all the other Saunders kids would want to move here, and then we'd have to share.

Labor Day Weekend

Saunders, you can ignore this one, as it's all old news. Everyone else- listen up:)
This was my 3rd annual trip to Mammouth Lakes for Labor Day weekend with the Saunders Family. We all love it up there! I'm the only person in the family over the age of 7 that likes to fish, so lucky for me Craig will come along to keep me company. This year was a bust on the fishing front- not even a nibble. I'll have to seriously consider spending the $$ next year for a license to sit there for hours with a line in the water- totally in vain. That's a pricey disappointment/waste of time. We did get to drive up to a beautiful lake though!





Speaking of a pricey disappointment/waste of time, we played golf too! Not one of my better days on the course. Its amazing how much a crappy golf game can really make you hate life. Its always fun riding around in the cart with Craig, though:)

Catch up

Yes, its been forever. I am a blog-failure. It was Linda who reminded me the other day-eyebrows raised- "you better update your blog." Seriously, the tone was like "or you'll be grounded." So I figured It was time to catch up, and remind everyone that we are still alive. Again. There are about 6 or so new posts that I have to add, so keep scrolling.

I Stand Corrected

All of you out there who read Stephanie's post and subsequent comments (including mine) on the Choc cake with peanut butter frosting- I need to readdress the issue. (if you haven't read it- check out "sweet... and a little salty" on Two Little Rascals- blog) Last night I made said cake and corresponding PB frosting and I would like to say that although it was very good, and ridiculously rich, I... well... I guess I have to agree with Kent. (don't hate me, Stephanie.) It was so rich and peanut buttery- you know how it sticks to the roof of your mouth- even a tiny piece is a little... overwhelming. Lemonjello, on the other hand, you can eat like 3 pieces of it and still want more. I had 2 pieces of it just this past friday night!
In conclusion, I liked the cake and frosting- definitely lingered on the beater licking- but if I were stranded on a desert island and could only have choc and peanut butter or lemonjello?... it would have to be the latter.

Thank You.

Remodeling the remodel

Well, this has definitely been a learning experience for me- this whole renovations project. I have learned how to comfortably and assertively navigate my way around Home Depot and Lowes, I have learned how to prime and paint: baseboards, cabinets, doors, trim, etc, I will soon learn how to paint appliances (post to come), and I have mastered the shop vac like its nobody's business. But by far, the most important and valuable lesson is TOOOOO: .... make sure you reeeeeeally like the paint color before you spend 50 bucks on paint and then let your husband paint an entire room and then decide that you really didn't like it afterall but was kinda too afraid to say anything. (Kelly- way worse than killing the stupid grass.)

this was the...um, after- before


And this is the after-after.

If you can't tell, the ceiling is a dark purple too. I really liked the green, just not for my kitchen. After all. ...I guess. And the counter tops are finally done! Its hard to tell from this shot, but we love them! (just don't ask about the grout lines. kind of a sore spot)

So if you're sitting there saying "ooh, I liked the green better!" WELL I DONT WANNA HEAR IT!


Look, the new floors! They're still dirty, though.



TA DAAAAA! Our giant 10 inch deep- sink and equally as huge- 17 inch faucet. We're calling it our 3rd bath and shower. Testing it our this weekend;)

Happy Birthday to me!

My birthday was weeks ago, but Craig took me to this sweet little B&B up in Shaver Lake, so I wanted to share the pics with y'all. I LOOOOVE little getaways and this was one of my best birthday's ever! Thanks, Love! (that's you, Craig)

I loved the little welcome board. We arrived after everyone had already checked in and gone to their rooms, so it was nice to see the welcome waiting for us when we got there. ...A diverse group staying at the Elliot House that night;)



Dinner on the lake. Soooo niiiiice.



You may recognize this pose from other shots- such as- "scenes from a bathroom."

The breakfast of champions.