Colorado

We spent a whole week in Colorado visiting family on Zach's side.

Hiking on Lily Pad Lake trail

Aspen Trees

S: According to Zach, this pose is supposed to show that we're enjoying nature.

Z: No, no. It means we're dominating nature. It says "Nature, see my risen hand, respect mah authoratay? Now I will trample you as I climb this mountain"

From Left to Right: Jake , Julie, Sarah, and Zach

S: Our last day there, we pigged out on hamburgers and milkshakes.

Z: Jake is my older, thicker-faced, look-alike cousin with great comedic timing and a witty knack for impersonations. He wears winter style baseball caps in the summer because he's old and doesn't know fashion rules. Julie is his wife, who's currently pregnant and has been told by ignorant men to enjoy every minute of it.
We stayed at their house in southeast Denver. I must say my family line produces excellent hosts who go out of their way to make you comfortable, even when 8.5 months pregnant.
At this meal, we ordered what seemed to be a well sized portion of food for our group of four (4 custom burgers, 4 custom shakes, and 2 orders of sweet potato fries). I was the only one who didn't order a shake, but when the waitress came over and alerted me to a half price chocolate banana shake I raised my hand to claim it exuberantly, out of peer pressure. If you look carefully, every one of use ate only half of our food. Half the fries, half a burger, half a shake. The food tasted great, my burger was particular enjoyable with Dijon mustard, Tillamook chedder, sprouts, grilled onions, and red peppers. But none of us could battle the fullness. I felt strangely American and un-American at the same time. Like a gluttonous American tourist in china and like a European not knowing how to feast on the Fourth of July.
The conversation at the meal however produced a brilliant nickname for Sarah. In a round table discussion, a brainstorming session of sorts, we fruitfully coined the alias "JuiceBox." Sarah's petite, she likes juice. Call her Juicebox.

Garage Sale Finds

S: Zach graciously agreed to go to the city wide garage sale with me. We ended up buying a green buffet from Chirp Vintage, which is now being used to store our board games. All of our board games had been packed since we moved last August...we played games several nights in a row after we got the cabinet and were finally able to unpack them!

The buffet was a brighter green when we purchased it, but I darkened it up with a wash of brown paint. True to his nature, Zach worked to make it more functional, and replaced the hinges and worked on the hardware.

We thought this wooden piece was neat, probably belonging to a piece of furniture at some point, but now on our wall.

Stinging Nettles: my fake arch rival

Z: At the beginning of the year, some students of mine began trying to playfully incite competition between me and and one of the English teachers, Mr Nettles. So he and I went along with it and started making snide remarks towards each other. We would see each other in the teachers lounge and find out who had been snubbed lately according to the students. Students would say Mr Nettles gives them better grades, I would say English is just words, not science; and of course its going to be easier because he doesn't teach them anything. I escalated it to school wide drama when I hosted the Mr Manor Mustang Pageant and called him out as my "arch rival" in front of the whole school. He came back with some slam poetry that some students recorded and showed me on their phone. So, I couldn't back down. Below is my reply. Note that I teach at a school with about 10% white students, so this was done with respect to hip hop flo.

Nettles, 

You love writing all your cute little words

But how’s it gonna feel when you get served

That poem you dished out was kinda sweet

But sit down country boy, its time to eat

 

Here’s an assignment, go write a composition

I’m a split you like nuclear fission

If you eva wanna end these disputes

Stop posing like a cowboy in those ugly boots

Hey 1950 called and wants that greasy hair back

I’m gonna slam all over you just like shaq

Your sloppy writing skills just made me react

Mix up my chemicals and you’ll get smacked

Let me spell it out on the periodic table

Wimpunium would by your label

Can you handle the rhymes, I’ll go slow

I’m drowning you in H two Ohhhhh

Your mommy can wipe away that tear

No one messes with her little Shakespeare

There once a boy named Nettles

Every night he wettled his beddle

He dreamed of playing the guitar

Singing at bars, becoming a big star

Then I smoked him like a cigar

 

Even though I might be the slimmest

Now you know not to battle the chemist

 

I guess you should get back to work

Cause we all know the winner is Mr Kirk 

B & B

S: Zach and I spent most of Memorial day weekend in San Antonio. We went to a baby shower for our good friends the Rice's, then stayed the night at the Beauregard House Bed and Breakfast in King William Historic District. We stayed in the Picasso room, which was very nice, but from what we could tell lacked any decor having to do with Picasso.

wildflowers

S: I came home today to find a wildflower bouquet in our kitchen! Zach had noticed the flowers yesterday on his way home from work and stopped today to pick them. Unfortunately, we had swapped cars, and the pocket knife he was planning on using was in his car. Zach, being the dedicated husband that he is, used his teeth to break the stems. If I had been there I would have scolded him for using his teeth as a tool. and I would have also told him about the pocket knife I keep in the glovebox of my car. 

Z:  One of my best worst habits is thinking that my teeth are the greatest tools in the world. I'll never get cavities, but I'm willing to break them one day while biting on some tree branch, nail head or rock.

Master Bedroom

Ok... back to some remodeling highlights.

Before (previous owner's furnishings)

Quite a bit was done in here, but of all the rooms, I think the least amount of work was done in the master bedroom. We removed all the popcorn ceiling, retextured, replaced the blinds, and painted the walls. Nearly all the furniture in this room was passed down to us by family.

After

Where I sit to read and tie my shoes...My grandmother had this chair in the corner of her room next to the window. It's become pretty threadbare in places but I love it just the way it is (especially the green fabric) and am going to hold out as long as possible before reupholstering it.

Plants & Packing Peanuts

S: Styrofoam can be good for nature...sort of. I had three antique food crocks from my mom's side of the family and wanted to use them as planters, but I didn't want to drill holes in the bottom of them for drainage. I had heard you could use styrofoam packing peanuts in potted plants to aide in drainage. I filled the bottom of the containers about 1/4 to 1/3 full with peanuts (making sure I used the non-biodegradable kind). Then I filled the rest up with dirt. The peanuts help prevent the roots from rotting by keeping them out of standing water and they also make the planter much lighter. I did this with some of my indoor plants too. Poor drainage is a huge no-no for potted plants but there are so many fun things to use as planters that don't have holes in the bottom! This way you can cheat a little and still have healthy plants in decorative planters.

This is an old ceramic herb drawer that used to hold chickoree (according to the faded label). Now it's home to one of my house plants!