Organizing in our basement

Nelson has needed a new desk for a long time, he has been using mine from when I was in grade school. It was really small and just not working for him (white very small desk in middle of the picture below)



Our basement has also been pretty disorganized (pics below-make sure you compare them to the after shots later) and we really wanted to get everything taken care of.




As you walked down the stairs


Looking back at the stairs

So our weekend began. . .
We have spent a while looking for just the right thing for him. We finally found one on line at Target. It was a great deal and free shipping so we were very excited about that. It was supposed to be delivered last Thursday but it was raining that day so they took it back to the UPS distributing center. They were going to redeliver it but not until Monday so we decided to go pick it up. Unfortunately on our way there, we realized we forgot the directions at home. But not to worry, there was a UPS truck on the highway so we figured he was heading that way. So we followed him and low and behold, he led us right to the distributing facility and Nelson's desk! We brought it home and did some assembling (see next set of pictures)





Then we needed a file cabinet type thing for Nelson to put his things in and real computer chair for him to sit in. We checked out chairs and file cabinets at Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Office Max, Office Depot, Ikea (on line), Container Store, Overstock (on line) and figured out that we liked a cabinet and chair at Office Max. So we headed to one Office Max and found the chair on sale but did not find the file cabinet. For some reason (I can't remember now why) we didn't get the chair at that time but later had time to go to the Office Max by us. We found the chair but it wasn't on sale and the file cabinet. They didn't have the file cabinet in stock (except at a store far from us) and they weren't going to give us the sale price of the chair so we left feeling pretty frustrated. We went to the other Office Max close to us and they had the chair there on sale (or so we thought). They did not have the file cabinet. So we took the tag for the register and they said it wasn't on sale. We brought them the sale tag and they said it was a mistake that it was listed on sale but thankfully they owned up to their mistake and gave us the sale price anyway. Now we just needed the file cabinet. It was exactly what Nelson wanted so we decided to make the drive to the little bit further away Office Max to get it. They had it there and we were so releaved! So after we got home, we did some more assembling and some major organizing. Here are some after pictures of the basement:


As you come down the stairs


Looking back at the stairs


Hanging out area


Nelson's new desk and"office area"


New Desk


Whole hanging out area again


Nelson is very excited about his new desk


Looking back from the TV area

So that has been our weekend so far and we feel good about all our accomplishments! Sorry for the world record long post, if you have made it this far, you should be proud!

New Kitchen Window

Well we didn't get new actual window but we did put up a curtain and some decorations around it. Here is a picture but it looks a little yellow in the picture but I think it was just because the flash wouldn't go off since the light was coming into the window. Anyway- here it is!

Homemade Granola Bars

So I stole this recipe from a friend's blog and made some homemade granola bars. I stuck to her recipe for the first batch and we really enjoyed them. Nelson even really liked them but he was hoping for a peanut butter flavor. So I did that for the second batch. I omitted the butter and nuts and added a cup of crunchy peanut butter and didn't add any fruit. So just oatmeal, sweetened condensed milk, flax seed and peanut butter. They are quite tasty! Thanks Emily for the recipe!

Recycling Center

Here in the heart of Kirkwood (a little suburb of St. Louis), we have the recycling center (or the RC as the cool people call it). It is a great spot to take all your recycling. They have a spot for everything. My dad and I would go every weekend during high school. It was great. There is nothing like smashing old beer bottles with your dad on a Saturday morning. So even though our recycling gets picked up at the curb, Nelson and I occassionally take a trip to the RC to do some recycling. It is great. The pic is not the greatest because it was late at night (no James we did not see any homeless people drinking the last little bits of alcohol out of beer bottles) but it gives a little glimpse of the amazing recycling center.

Schlafly's

We went on a private tour of the Schlafly's brewery tonight with some friends. It was really cool to see how the beer is made, especially how it is different than AB. It is much smaller and they brew really different kinds of beer so that was fun. We got to try 6 different kinds of beer. I am not a beer connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination so I am still not sure which ones I liked or not, but here are the ones I remember-pale ale, lager, pilsner, Hefeweizen, Dry-Hopped APA, #15, Raspberry Hefeweizen, India Pale Ale and probably a few others that I don't remember. There were some pretty hilarious signs on one of the machines (pictures of that later). We had to wear huge protective glasses and we got a free pint glass at the end of the tour. It was a great time.


Where they cool the beer


Crazy glasses (since Nelson has his own glasses he didn't have to wear any-not fair)!


Beer Graveyard


Definitely keep your fingers clear of this machine


Getting ready to to


Everyone is really into the tour


Our free pint glass

Bare Escentuals Makeover

So ever since last summer when I went to New York with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, I was very intrigued by their Bare Escentuals makeup. I didn't know that it was so amazing until I tried Winsor's. I really liked it but it kinda went to the back of my mind-until last night. We were at the mall and we walked past the Bare Escentuals. I think Nelson noticed that I was kinda peering into the windows and he suggested I go in there and check it out. I really am almost out of makeup at home so it was a perfect time. He bravely went in there with me and I decided to get the Bare Escentuals Starter Kit.



A really nice lady showed me how to do the "swirl, tap, buff" steps of the application process and Nelson really noticed a difference in my skin! So I went for it. I really like it a lot and would recommend it. I decided to do one of those funny before and after pictures where the person is crazy in the first picture and normal in the second. I am not sure if the makeup had any difference (I tried to look extra crazy in the first picture) but it was fun doing it!

Finally, my Crocs have arrived

After waiting for a long time for my crocs to come (they should be called turtles not crocs because they took so long to get here-ok that was a little cheesy), they have finally come. Now my feet are happy and not hot when we are working in the yard! Yeah!

My Desk!

I thought it would be interesting to post some pics of where I work everyday considering this is where I spend a good portion of my time. Then, in case anyone was wanting a mental picture of my work, you can now have it. The first picture is when you walk in and the next one is my actual desk!

Angel Food Cake!

Well, I have never made an angel food cake from scratch before but I thought I would give it a try because Nelson loves it and I was in the mood to bake. I referred to my trusty Martha Stewart Baking Handbook for some guidance and it did not let us down. I had no idea that I was going to need 1 3/4 cups egg whites (equivalent of 13 large egg whites) and that I would have to sift the flour and sugar a total of six times but it was well worth it. I also was very stressed out about the peaks of the eggs. I needed first to get soft peaks and later hard peaks but not one mix beyond that. It was very stressful but based on the fact that Nelson just finished his second piece, I think it was a hit. Here it is!

A Day Off!

Nelson and I both took the day off today, and it as been great! We ran some errands (at one place I totally got called a guy!!! The cashier said "I can help you gentlemen over here." I am so confused, I really didn't think I looked like a guy! I even had a pink purse. Oh well) and had lunch and some hanging out time at the Boathouse in Forest Park. I didn't have my camera, but it was absolutely beautiful weather and while we waited for our table, we sat in rocking chairs under an umbrella and looked out onto the lake. It was great. We have decided we need to do this more often!

Crazy Times

My mom's good friend from high school was in town this weekend with her daughter Kelly. I used to babysit for her when they lived in St. Louis and we have seen them a couple of times since they moved. It was good to see them and catch up. We had dinner but we also discovered that it was quite fun to take goofy pictures with the camera. Here are a few!

Kelly is a monkey, Emily an elephant


Just being funny


Regular Pic

A Big Hole in our Yard

So they moved the port-o-porty from our yard but now they dug a big hole in it! So hopefully soon they will fill it back up and give us back some grass. Until then, here is our big hole!

A Tote Bag

***SPOILER ALERT*** Lindsey if you read my blog you can't go any further until you receive your bag in the mail!!  

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Ok with that out of the way, I will explain.  I made my brother-in-law's girlfriend a tote bag for her birthday.  Well, her birthday was a while ago but I made one bag and it was not good so I had to start over.  So, after some crazy times at work, I finally had some time to make the bag again. It was lots of fun and I think it turned out pretty well.  Hopefully she will like it!  Here it is!

Friends Forever

Courtney and I have been friends since before we were born. How is that possible you might ask? Well, our moms were friends and then we were born about six months apart so of course we had to be friends. We never went to school together although we played each other a lot in sports- that was hard, especially in basketball when we had to guard each other. It is really hard to guard your best friend, but we made it through and are still friends now. We don't get to see each other as much as we would like (she is in med school at Mizzou and is just starting her third year) but maybe one day she can be my doctor! How awesome would that be!?! Well all of that to say that we got to hang out last night and had a great time. Thanks Courtney for being so great!

fourth of july cheesecake

After being inspired by Martha to make a fourth of July cheesecake, I decided to go for it. The bbq today was the perfect opportunity for me to make it. Here it is!

happy fourth!

This morning we went to a parade and a bbq with some friends! It was great, here are some pictures to document the morning!