Earth Shattering ... Or Not

Hubs worked on Saturday, which meant I had time to tinker and get little odds and ends done at the house.  One being this oh so difficult and time consuming project ... or not.  It was one so simple but always pushed to the back burner until I decided enough was enough.

Ladies and gents, behold some clean and paint free door glass (both horrible and quick iPhoto pics) ...

Before

After

Total Paint Re-do

I have mentioned it before, but I really want to re-paint the entire upstairs.  Not to mention that I will soon have to pick out a paint color for the basement.

After several too many hours spent googling the best greige-y colors out there and painting some samples on our dining room and bedroom walls here is what I have almost picked out.

1. Revere Pewter for the upstairs
2. Edgecomb Gray (a lighter version of Revere Pewter) for the basement

Revere Pewter

{via}

Edgecomb Gray

{via}

Basement Bathroom Inspiration

It is time to start nailing down finishes (I wish literally, but until then I gather inspiration).  I am going for what I like to call a 'modern rustic' theme for the basement.  

Googling that theme surprisingly brought up a plethora of photos I like!  If you want to get an idea of where my head is at, I rated the inspiration photos below by making them different sizes:

Large=Super Like

Medium=Like

Small=That's an idea

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

The Basement Craze

Since returning from our vacation, the past 2 weekends have been spent full force on the basement project.  We finally (I think) have made it to a turning point.  We can feel the progress, smell success, and know we are almost over that last hurdle.  Rough-in is so close to being done and then we are on to finishes!

Lots to catch you up on:

1)  I built that wall, all by myself, yup you heard it!

2)  We insulated the supply ductwork.

3)  Moved the water lines (which were in the middle of the room) over next to the ductwork.

4)  Ran new insulated flex duct for the rooms upstairs.

5)  Installed framing for a bulkhead to cover the return and supply ductwork as well as the water lines.

6)  Removed the metal track at all the door openings (still have to do this at the head of each door, but the bottom required a grinder and takes a little longer).

7)  Demolished part of the wall on the other side of the stair.  We demoed the wall from the metal stud to the left a few weeks earlier.

8)  Finished demoing drywall in the laundry room, installing lights, and building the last wall for the entrance into the laundry room.

A nice little status photo from the corner of the Family Room.  From right to left the rooms are Stair, Laundry Room, Bathroom, and Storage/Brew Room.

 Status photo of Laundry Room assembled back for use.

From right to left, Bathroom and Storage.  You may notice the nice bike rack on the wall to the left.  If we had to play musical chairs with those things one more time while working on the basement ... well, it may be the end of some bikes.  Got it from Home Depot (shocker) - it is made by Husky.

Status photo of Bathroom.

Status photo of Storage/Brew Room.

One end of the Family Room.

And the other end ... looking at our entertainment wall!

Say what!?  Of course, for a movie watching fanatic like myself an Entertainment Wall (in caps, that's right!) was a must.  Blocking and boxes for speakers, HDMI, a wall mount TV ... and whatever we can think of!

Looking at the 'Spare Room' (it isn't a bedroom per the permit).

And a little closer look (the walk-in closet which extends back and under the stairs is behind that piece of furniture.

And as always ... Hey Grouper!  What you up there for ...

Oh, hey there bud.

Almost the Holidays

The holiday season is right around the corner.  I am typically the worst shopper ever ... so last minute and scrambling for ideas.  I say I will work on this each year, but really, I just pretend that time flies super fast and "really, it is Christmas already!".

I also have a terrible time buying for the parents and in-laws.  Hubs and I are super minimalists and are presents are typically practical purchases.  So, for parentals that have nicely appointed homes this can be tough.  I also worry about buying the wrong gift for all the friends out there.

I came across this though, on A Cup of Jo's blog, and can find it a very practical gift for everyone.

Now, who doesn't love a little scratch and sniff book and loads of wine!  You can find it on Amazon if you so incline.

Hardware : Purchased (!!!)

I did it I purchased the hardware I talked about {here}

Compass Knob from Anthropologie

Deluth Bin Pull from Restoration Hardware

I ended up going with the 4"ers for the drawers and 6"ers for the 2 doors and 1 drawer (the other drawer and cabinet automatically get the 3"er).

What I forgot to mention is that the lower doors do in fact get pulls too, and therefore the bin pulls will be hiked up to the top of the drawer/door.  The knobs to bin pull ratio stays balanced that way, plus I like it.  Like my inspiration photos

It was Time for Some Adventure

Hubs and I headed out West ... out to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon ... last week!!  Luckily, the parks re-opened even with the Federal Government closed.  Utah State made that possible ... I like to think just for us ;)

We initially planned to do some hiking, canyoning, mountain biking and whatever else floated our boat.  The plan was to be in Utah till Thursday, and then we weren't sure what we would do till Saturday - just wanted to go with the flow.

Well, it was quite a fan-freakin-tastic vacation!

Zion National Park - these pics are from our hike up to Angel's Landing.  It was an amazing 2.0 mile hike up.  Once you get to the top, there is an area to rest (Scout Lookout) before you start the treacherous 0.5 miles to the tip top of Angel's Landing.  This 0.5 miles basically is holding on to a chain hanging off the side of the mountain.  The last 0.2 miles is a sliver of mountain with a 1400 ft fall on BOTH sides!  We made it about 0.2 miles of this part - there were sooooo many people.  Two way traffic in ONE lane.  You really needed a stop light ha.

Swithbacks up to Angel's Landing

0.2 miles in to the treacherous 0.5 miles to Angel's Landing (it is above-to the right of Hubs' head)

Here is what the last 0.3 miles looks like!

And then there are the fabulous views!

Lots of Panos!

And, finally, the drive through Zion National Park was quite an experience in itself.  It looks like you are on the moon ... with trees!

We did a little canyoning - hiking and rappelling

Then we headed to Bryce Canyon National Park.  Famous for the Hoodoos.

Ended the day with a little campfire cooking

Decided that we might as well head to Sedona, AZ for the last part of our trip.  Crossed the Colorado River and traveled by the Grand Canyon.

First day in Sedona we went on the infamous Pink Jeep Tour

And let Sissy and Tequila take us on a sunset stroll

On our last day, we went on an epic mountain bike ride.  Honestly, the best of the best for mountain biking!

Ate at L'Buerge by Oak Creek (expensive but so worth it) (also Elote ... a southwest mexican is a must to eat at ... get the Elote if you are there and one of their margaritas)

Once we filled up on some great food we headed back to the airport in Las Vegas.  We were able to drive by the Hoover Dam (yes these are drive by photos).  Kinda creepy at night (we were 1 of 2 people), but so worth it, especially when you are an engineer!