Not Much But At Least It Is a New Post

This is a random post so I can feel like something has been happening here.  Cooper on the first day of school.  Yes, he does look like a linebacker.  Look at the size of those feet! 

 This is a picture of the area rug we purchased from Overstock.com for the living room.  I say that proudly because every place else was way overpriced!  The rug is really pretty and soft to walk on.  It really goes well with the overall decor.

 You can see it in use here as well.  Notice Dennis' golf clubs are still in the living room despite not  being able to chip down the hall.  He IS able to partly swing it on the little section of rug between the TV and the coffee table.

 This is the smaller version of the same rug under the dining room table.  We ordered the blinds tonight.  We should have them in about three weeks.

 Here is a picture from Spencer's birthday (9/11).  We lost parental brownie points because we had no candles.  Spencer was quite miffed at us.  So I got the big red candle out but sadly we couldn't find any matches to light it with.  Then Dennis found this lighter, but it was out of fluid (yes, a comedy of errors).  Finally Cooper found this App on his i-pod that was a flame.  So that is his i-pod he is holding there on top of the big red candle simulating that it is lit.  As you can see Spencer even found it funny despite himself.

 A closer up veiw of the carpet.  It should have been closer to the other picture of the carpet but it isn't and I am too lazy to move it. 

And that's about as exciting as it has been around here!

The Transformation

So when Dennis asked me what I wanted for my 50th birthday I couldn't think of anything I wanted or needed.  So I put a few things I wanted done on the house (I guess that counts as something I wanted).  Anyway, one of those things was getting the living room carpet replaced. The carpet has been in the house since we moved in (so 20 years basically).  As you can see below it was a lovely salmon color and in an attempt to add some color to the room we painted the back wall and the trim green.  In this first picture you can see we had already started removing the carpet which covered the living room and dining room.

 This next picture shows what was underneath the carpet.  Hardwood, which we knew but weren't sure what kind of shape it was in.  It was very dirty and had these little black dots all over the place from the carpet pad.  Like something in the pad had melted.  We figured having the floors redone would be really expensive so we were just planning to recarpet.  A friend of mine recommended Gabor who was a big Hungarian guy.  He gave us a bid and it was actually $100 less than new carpet! So we went with the hardwoods much to Spencer's delight as he was pushing that from the start (too much HOME or DIY TV).  Notice the lovely green beam dividing the living room from the dining room--it plays in later.

 This is what the trim around the doors looked like up close.

We knew the beam was fake, but when Dennis cut into it, it was hollow.  I can't even explain how the guy constructed it.  But, it is gone now!

This next picture is just to show what was underneath the trim around the doors, so basically what was underneath the textured walls--old ugly wall paper!  Can you imagine a whole room done in this stuff!  We think it kind of was an oriental theme and the white building is a pagoda.

This is more of the lovely wallpaper.  We are so sad that we couldn't restore it to it's original splendor--NOT!

 This is the wall paper that is in all of the closets in the upstairs, the linen closet, our bedroom and the boys--though I painted over it in the boys room.  Tiki hut?  I don't know, definitely not attractive but I'm sure it went with the oriental stuff that was in the living room/dining room.  Scary? Yes!

 So this is how the floor came out!  Can you believe how different it is?!  You'll notice that the trim is still green.  But the room looks so much more open & airy!

This is what the ceiling has looked like for the 20 years we have lived here.  Lovely, sparkly popcorn--so stylish!  We have always wanted to get rid of it but figured it was full of asbestos and we were stuck with it.  Turns out it wasn't and we weren't.  I scraped off a sample and took it to this place that tests it to see what's in it and there wasn't asbestos!  So off it came and easily, just a little water sprayed on and it scraped right off.

 This is what the ceiling looked like after the popcorn was off and it was repainted.  It also shows the addition of the crown molding.  Isn't it cool!

 This is more of the crown molding.  It isn't completely finished as we still have to fill in the little nail holes and the edges with caulk.

 This is the new door trim.

 More of the new door trim and baseboards.

This is what the crown molding and the new ceiling look like up close.  The wall is a tan color that looked almost white when it was with the green but after the white trim and ceiling were added it really brought out the color on the walls. 

 This is the final look so you can compare it with the original.  In both pictures there are no blinds on the windows but you can definitely see what a big difference the new floor, trim and paint job make to the room.  I am so excited!  Our finishing touches will be area rugs and new blinds.  It turned out to be an awesome birthday present.

Summer Fun

I didn't take as many pictures of our summer trips this year.  Mostly because my camera battery won't stay charged.  It's difficult to find a battery for it now so I guess it must be time for a new one.  Anyway here are a few photos from some summer adventures. 

 This is Tucker learning to kayak in Bill's swimming pool.  It wasn't actually as dark as it seems in this picture.  It WAS evening but not this dark.  Tucker learned out to exit the boat once it is flipped over but not how to flip himself back up while still in the boat.  Though he did try it many times, he always had to exit with the boat turned upside down.  This and a couple other similar pictures of him are the only pictures I got of our rafting trip this year.  :-(

 This is us "sunning" at the beach on our annual Chandler Beach Campout.  Notice the mulitple layers of clothing and the towel substituting for a blanket?  That pretty much sums up the weather.  Well that and the next couple of pictures.

Here is Cooper enjoying the surf and no, it is not a badly taken picture.  This is actually what the weather was like--foggy.  And yes, it was pretty much as cold as it actually looks.

 The coldness however did not stop Cooper from spending a few hours body surfing and also using the boogie board--which sadly I did not get a picture.  The boy has no nerve endings I'm convinced.

We did spend quite a bit of time around the fire.  This being late in the day when it was at its warmest.  Dennis is at least sporting his beach sandals. 

Here's Tucker with his cousin Emma (purple jacket) and her friend Cailey who has camped with us every year for probably 5-8 years I think.  It WAS fun despite the bad weather.  It didn't rain, it was just socked in with fog and the temperature only in the 60s but being intrepid Washingtonians that didn't stop us from staying the whole time.  Sadly, the best day of the Friday, Saturday & Sunday we were there was Sunday when we packed up to leave!  Oh well.

We are finishing up the big living room remodel. Next post will be the before & after photos.  Not that I got good before photos and I kind of forgot to get in the middle photos...it will still be a pretty amazing transformation!  Stay tuned.

When Families Gather II

But wait there's more. When Families Gather I was all Spencer's photos. These are my photos of the gathering.  There was lots of crafting by cute "little relatives" (see WFG I for "little relatives" reference)

 There were watermelons to paint as Emily demonstrates.

 Birdhouses to paint and decorate.  As shown by Kaitlyn.

 Kindra & Korbie show that even big kids like to craft.

Everyone loves to craft--even Des!

 Some even cuter "little relatives" and well, Cooper (cute in his own St. Bernard way).

Kindra once again showing off her color combos!

 If you are sensing a trend with the headbands--there was one.  Yes, it was one of the crafting options (even I made one).  I believe that Gordon made his himself.  I know I saw him braiding fabric...

  This is too show that Beckett truly did still love Spencer (see WFG I).  They spent some real quality time at the beach.  Though Spencer did say it was hard to get all that sand off his hairy legs.

I love this exchange between Spencer & Becket!

 Even the "men" participated in the game playing.  This was an all men card game.  I believe there were two that happened.  We refuse to talk about the same card game that involved 10 year old Dillon gleefully beating everyone the first time he played.  :-)

Lincoln contemplating some roasted hotdogs.  This was days before the incident with the swing.  We hope he is not emotionally scarred by his visit with the family and will be back next year!

 This was our home away from home.  It was super to be able to sleep in the cabins and have the lodge to meet late into the evening.  We could make as much noise as we wanted into the night and not get tormented by thousands of bugs.  It was perfect.

 I threw this in just because Spencer deserves it!

More fun in the Sand!

Though not the best picture (Desi would kill me for using the ones of her) this shows the fun tire swing we found at the edge of the lake.  Lacey's husband Mike was really good at launching the kids from high up in the air and into the lake.

It truly was as awesome few days!  (Read on in When Families Gather I)

When Families Gather I

Our Vaden family members recently gathered (okay it was the 4th of July and I am a little slow--but it's still July so that is recent).  We met up at Alturas Lake which nestled in the beautiful Sawtooth Mountain range in Idaho (about 50 miles east of Sun Valley.  We had reserved the Cabin Creek compound which consists of 7 smaller cabins around a larger lodge.  It was a perfect location. In my mind a perfect combination of Redfish Lake and Wildhorse Canyon where we have gathered as a family in the past.  Our family, the Chandlers got there on the evening of the 4th and stayed in the caretakers cabin with Roberta & Celiac.  The next day we moved into our won cabin (Nephi as I recall--yes, the compound is owned by the Mormon church so all the cabins have church related names) and proceeded to have a wonderful time.

We met new family members.  This is my brother-in-law Gordon Olson holding his latest grandbaby who's name just happens to be Vaden!  It is so awesome to be able to gather with family and reconnect.  Since we are up here and they are all (mostly) in Idaho we generally only get to see them about once a year.  So I in particular enjoy getting together.

 This is me proving I still have it at 50!

 Tucker loved all the little 2nd cousins.  He loves little kids anyway and the little relatives in particular.  He made a bond with little TJ when we went out waterskiing.

 Another "little relative" (not sure if they are 2nd cousins, 1st cousins once removed or what to my kids--they are great neices & nephews to me).  This is little Micah who loves being on the boat!

 This cutie-patootie Beckett who came to visit us last summer and loved me.  This summer not so much really.  Though he did have a particular fondness for Spencer!  (Who also loves the "little relatives")

 This proves that I really still do have it--even at 50!  Maybe not the best form, but what can you expect of a person who only waterskis about once a year (maybe)!

 It's not a fluke!

 Dennis still has it too!  So much so he has to prove it by being a ham (nothing unusual there)!

 Lots of games were played in the Lodge.  The favorite of the boys was Jenga and some alternative version they named Super Jenga.

 The last day we took a family photo.  This didn't turn out so bad (and believe me we are not generally a really photogenic crowd--for various reasons).  It's hard to get a good one.

I am truly greatful to my sister Roberta for taking this on and making it happen.  It's harder without mom there to bind us all together, but it so important for us to continue to make the effort.  It is what she would want.  I for one am totally looking forward to next year at the same venue with the same people I love!