New Year's Resolution - Update Blog!!!!

Despite some hounding by LD and some friends, I only managed two posts in 2014.  I could lie and claim that we had no projects that were blog worthy, but I won't.  I was just plain lazy when it came to writing.  So my New Year's resolution is to  update this blog a lot more often than I did in 2014, which is not setting the bar too high.  Well here is to hoping that I keep this resolution.

In order to make up for my lack of updates last year I will try and catch you up with some of the highlights from last year.

Our Homeowners Association organized a bidding process for those of us that needed trees trimmed and/or removed.  We took advantage of the lower prices, and had several trees trimmed.  Unfortunately, we also had our silver maple removed from our front yard.  It had just sustained too much damage from previous storms, and it kept loosing major limbs with every storm we had.  We were happy to provide some work for a hard working crew during their off season.

Minor project, but worth mentioning.  Given the lack of contrast between our wall and house numbers, we decided we needed to make our house easier to locate (delivery persons, first time visitors, etc....) So we purchased a stencil from Modern House Numbers, and stenciled our address to the curb. Hopefully it makes it easier for the pizza delivery person to find us now.

LD had been lusting after some wall tiles from Inhabit Living for several years, and in 2014 she finally bit the bullet and placed an order for some of their Tierra Wall flats.  She put a ton of effort into the prep and installation of those tiles.  This project is worth a blog all on its own, so look for one shortly.

Not a house project, but certainly worth mentioning.  I was a frequent stalker of the IKEA construction site.

On September 10, 2014, LD and I joined a few thousand other IKEA fans in celebrating the grand opening.  It was well worth it!

So instead of having to travel 8 hours to get to the IKEA in Minnesota, I only have to travel about 3 minutes.  Walking and/or biking are also an option!

After much discussion between what the bar for Blackdog Bar would look like, it finally became a reality this year.  LD fell in love with a metal counter that she saw during one of the first weekends at the West Bottoms.  Unfortunately that specific piece was too large for our house, but she commissioned one.

There were a couple of bumps along the way, but she was very pleased with the final result.  It really fits the space nicely.  Now I need to take a bartending class!

It got done just before our Halloween Party!

After taking a hiatus in 2013, we were happy to host a Halloween Party in 2014.

Given the Royals success this year, it became a Halloween/Royals Watching Party.

I was torn between rooting for a team I have always liked (Giants), or rooting for the Royals.  I ended up rooting for the home team, and was very happy for the Kansas City Community.

We have finally started work on much needed landscaping in our front and side yards.  The first phase of this project is almost finished, stay tuned for more updates.

We welcomed Spring with a brand new ..........

Fireplace!

Well not brand new, but at least it is now functional.

The previous owner was kind enough to leave us with a fireplace full of ash to clean up, so we figured that he used it pretty regularly.  To be on the safe side, however, we called a local fireplace company to come clean and inspect our fireplace.

We were told that under no circumstances we should use the fireplace for wood or gas fires.  There were several areas within the flume that had missing mortar, which required the chimney to be tuck pointed or lined.  We had a chimney liner at our first house installed, so we figured it would not be a big deal.  We were not prepared for the quote that we received, which was two times what it had cost to install the liner in our first house.

Mid-way through this winter, I finally got tired of not having a functional fireplace and decided to do something about it.  At first we thought about installing a gas burning insert, but that required that our gas line be moved and an electrical outlet be installed at the back of the firebox.

After finding out how much moving the gas line was going to cost, we decided to nix that option.

So we finally decided to get the fireplace lined, install a burner , and purchase some fireglass.  After much research, we decided that an H-shaped burner from Exotic Flames best met our needs.

We purchased fireglass from a vendor on Ebay, and lava rock from a local fireplace store.

We had to wait a while before we received our burner because they were backlogged.  But the wait was worth it!

Things are finally warming up outside and inside!

Until We Meet Again - Boo Boo

It is with great sadness that we said goodbye to Morgan this past Monday.  She brought joy into our lives for 15.5 years.   She was our faithful companion through thick and thin.

After we adopted Baine, we decided that we needed another dog that would keep him company while we were busy with school.  We checked out many litters before we finally checked out Morgan's litter.  On the day that we visited, there were only four puppies left (three females and a male).  When we saw Morgan retrieve a little yellow star and an old aluminum can, we knew that she was the one.

Once we got her home, Baine took to his role as a big brother right away.  It is a good thing, because I had no clue what I was doing.  I checked out books on puppy raising, but they did me no good with Morgan.  She was stubborn, independent, and liked doing things her own way.  It didn't matter to me because I fell for her the first night we brought her home, and I am pretty sure she fell for us right away.

I used to introduce her to our friends as a dog who only had two brain cells, one of which she used for eating and the other one for retrieving.

When it came to food, she was a vacuum cleaner.  Morgan had perfected the begging look, it was hard for me not to slip her food when she looked at me with her big brown eyes.  She had no problem helping herself to unattended food.  One Thanksgiving she managed to steal a pumpkin pie from the kitchen table.  Despite being in the adjoining room, we did not hear a thing.  She also helped herself to a pack of Oreos,  a pack of Hershey Kisses, some chocolate truffles, and multiple all you can eat buffets when we forgot to close the door to the area were we stored her food.  Her age did not stop her one bit, this past December while visiting my mom's house she managed to find a bag of flour.  Here is a video of the aftermath we found when we got back:

She loved retrieving, frisbees were her obsession.  Contrary to her breeding, however, she was not in love with water.  I finally got her to go swimming at 6 months of age, but only because I threw one of her frisbees in the water and she could not stand to be apart from it.  In the winter, she would bring me my hat and gloves whenever she wanted to go outside for a frisbee session.

She was also great with kids and puppies.  We used to call her the puppy coordinator for the Missouri Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team, because puppies were naturally drawn to her.  They learned how to get their "rubble legs" from following her all over the pile.

Morgan loved getting in the car and going out for rides.  She used to be my field companion while I was working on my doctorate.  She loved getting in the truck, and keeping me company as I drove around Boone County looking for Canada Geese.  She would also accompany me as I would go clean out the pens.  One of those times, she came into the pens with a rooster in her mouth.  I released it, which must have really puzzled her.  I guess she thought that I had accidentally let it go, because she brought it to me a second time.

Given her natural hunting ability, I tried teaching her how to track.  She was great at it, but I decided it was not for me.  I also joined the local hunting and retrieving club.  I'll never forget when she passed the SHR test within one month of joining the club.  The club members were very impressed with her natural instincts, and so were we!!!  

Despite her independent streak, she loved spending time with us.  I used to call her the perfect shop dog, because she loved hanging around wherever we were.

She was also our Chief Security Officer, she was very protective of us and our home.  Morgan was also great at diffusing situations with other dogs.

If any other dog tried picking up a fight with one of her sisters, she was quick to step in and let the other dog know that they would have to go through her before they touched one of her sisters.  Dogs quickly backed away.

Contrary to my characterization of her as a dog with only two brain cells, Morgan was a very highly evolved dog.  She was a great friend and companion, pretty much my perfect dog.  She has left a great void in our home,  but we take comfort in knowing that she is once again being looked after by her big brother Baine.  Thanks for sharing your life with us, we were very lucky!

RIP Boo Boo July 23, 1998 - February 03, 2014

Sledge Hammer = Trouble

It has been so long since our last blog post, that I think I have forgotten how to write!  Given that we have not had any major projects, I think we can be excused.  Figured you did not want to hear about my attempts to grow some grass (big fail).

Short of working on Black Dog Bar and remodeling our laundry room, we don't have any major indoor projects to work on (I would love to replace all of our drywall, but LD won't allow me to).  Black Dog Bar and the laundry room remodel have been placed on the back burner until IKEA's grand opening (we want to purchase cabinets from them, and don't want to take the big trek up North).  

So that leaves us with only major outdoor projects:  additional window replacements, siding repair/paining, driveway replacement, and other major landscaping projects.  The problem is that each of those projects are big ticket items, and unfortunately money does not grow on trees.  We are waiting on a window replacement bid, so stay tuned for that.

Studiobuild worked with us a while back on designs for a major frontscape for the house.  Part of the plan involved replacement of our deteriorated planter boxes (well one of them was going to be replaced, the other one was going to be removed and replaced with just a flower bed).  

The planter box that is supposed to be replaced with a flowerbed was the one that was the most deteriorated.  Each time I looked at it, it saddened me to look at it.  I have been wanting to take it out for quite a while, but had not acted on it.

Well yesterday was the day!  I had a little too much fun swinging that sledge hammer (and I am paying for it today).

After a few swings of the sledgehammer, I started getting nervous about how I was going to dispose of all the debris.

LD agreed to go to our local big box store and pick up a Bagster for me.

It is supposed to hold a little over 3 cubic yards, but their website warns not to fill it up with more than 1 cubic yard when you have heavy debris (such as brick).  So I filled it up to the allotted 10 inches in height (for heavy debris).  I am nervous about the driver's measurements not matching mine, so I placed an add on Craigslist for free brick debris to help lighten the load.

I am not completely done, but my arms and the Bagster said I was done.  I still have a few more brick rows to demolish,  and I will have to do some excavation to remove those cinder blocks.  I am liking how the area is looking without the planter box, but LD is missing the planter box and is thinking she would like to have it replaced.  What do you think?  If you agree with LD, do you happen to have any extra cash your are not using?

Now this is a Coffee Table!

Last weekend, I found a coffee table that I would want for the family room!!!  It's an A.M. Stock Grand Server.  

This model was showcased at the 1963 World's Fair in New York City as an example of modern furniture.

The top swivels open, and you'll find a bottle holder, pull it up and lock it into place at table height.  

When you finish entertaining, you unlock the center tray, slide it down and then slide the top closed.

Oh and the "fabric" covering the mid-section was still pretty cool and applicable to today.

This is one of those times where I wish I had mad carpentry skills to build my own.  The two things I did not like about the original Grand Server is that it's laminated and has brass casters, but mostly that it's laminated particle wood.  

If I were to build it, I would:

1.  have a really light/almost white wood for the table tops;

2.  make it larger;

3.  have dark wood for the cocktail tray;
4.  change the mid-section to acrylic plant panels; and

5.  install stainless steel casters.

Hmmm, is this a future project for me?  I'll think about it.  Regardless, this is a great example of form and function.

A Much Needed Facelift!

After 57 years, our house was very much due for a facelift!

2008

Close-up of 2008 version with the vinyl siding!

We hired StudioBuild to help us give our house a facelift.  One of the first things we wanted to address was replacing the vinyl siding that was installed by the previous owner.  LD and I both hated it!  The house still had the original cypress, but we did not know what kind of shape it was in.  If it was bad, we would have to put on new siding.  Jerad convinced us to take part of the vinyl off to see what kind of shape it was in.

Vinyl siding coming off!

They removed the vinyl from the front of the house, and much to our surprise it was in pretty good shape (with a few exceptions).  So we gave them the green light, and in a couple of days they had the rest of the vinyl removed.

Sayonara vinyl!!!

We then had to decide on a house color.  LD wanted to go with a really dark gray more like charcoal.  I was a little apprehensive, so we went through about 9 color samples before finally deciding on one called cracked pepper.

We also took the opportunity to replace all 6 bathroom windows, and a couple of awning windows in the master bedroom.  Once the windows came in, StudioBuild and Fosters, Inc. went to work.

Rod and Charles installing the windows.

New bathroom windows!

They also did a quick job of replacing some of our damaged siding and support around the garage door.

LD spray painted our original mailbox from black to silver, so that the mailman would be able to find it.  We might replace it in the future once we come across the perfect one.

After they caulked, repaired the garage support, installed the siding, it was time to paint!

New windows in the master bedroom and new paint!

Then we finally installed our new house numbers, which we had purchased four years ago, and were waiting for our house makeover.

We love how the house colors turned out, and StudioBuild got it done just in time before the rain, snow and cold weather!!

Woohoo!  Thanks StudioBuild - we can't wait to get the rest of the house done in the future. For now it's just the front siding.

Morgan, Phoenix and Katy wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!