Something new...

While working on this so called painting project we have found things with the house that were never done right to begin with that had to be fixed.  I keep telling the house that it is not at fault because of the stupid builder that put it together.  That is the mild, tame version of what I have been saying.  Details are not needed I'm sure.  Among all the fixes here and there we addressed the issue with the window in our bedroom.  Let's just say that the windows that were put into this house from the beginning were probably the cheapest, crappiest windows ever made and have been the absolute worst I've ever had to deal with.  We have put off getting new windows because we have always been told that it will cost tens of thousands to get new windows and who has that floating around on any given day.  So while debating the issue of our window, we headed off to the nearest Lowes and started asking questions, finding out about all our choices and ended up buying a new window.  Now I'll be up front in saying that our handy dandy friend who is awesome at all this fixer upper stuff helped us out with this new window.  A window that was 1/3 the price of a famous name brand window but made the same exact way by a company in our region.  The guy at Lowes must have thought I was a complete idiot for asking him over and over if that was the correct price on this special order window.  I told him to place the order before he changed his mind in any way.

  Why would I pay for the name brand then?  Crazy!

So this past Sunday it was out with the old and in with the new.  It was so freakin' awesome to get that old thing out that when there was nothing but a big whole in the wall I did a happy dance and a big ole' yell.  If I knew about how much of a difference this new window makes as far as being able to see through it versus trying to look through one big mess of a joke of a window, I would have done this years ago.  My days just start out so much better than before. I am in love with my new window.  I can't help buy smile when I walk in the room now and see everything so clearly and the glass is so shiny and pretty.  It doesn't take much to make my day.  I keep going back and forth about putting the blinds back up because I'm not sure I want all that shiny, clear view blocked in any way, shape or form.

Even in the few days it has been since putting the new window in I just seem to gravitate towards my room and just hang out in there till the sun goes down in the evening.  It's my new favorite room again. This window is going to make it so dang hard to avoid my room now when Fall really starts to hit and the nesting, snuggly feeling grabs hold of me.  It's just one small bit of happiness found among all this hard work during the past month and a half.  And knowing that we are almost finished with this project.

Now I'm just waiting for Spring to get here so that we can start getting all the other windows replaced.  Can you believe that a day will come around here that I won't have to wrap windows ever again?!  Next Fall will be a very happy time for me around here.

~*~

kar

Trailing of the Sheep - day 2

The second day of our trip found us getting up early so we could make it into Ketchum early enough to find a decent parking spot, visit some shops that were open early and find our spot on the side of the street to watch the parade.  There was no big shopping spree happening that day, trust me.  Way too pricey for my wallet.  $300 corduroy pants is a bit ridiculous.  So our spot was staked out and we waited patiently for the parade to start.  It was a late start due to the lack of cooperation from the main attraction participants (sheep).  Apparently they wanted to go one way north of town and their owners wanted them to go a different way and they were having none of that.  But eventually the sheep decided to go along with the plan and the parade started.  We then enjoyed all the groups that represented sheep herding around the world.

There was more of the Boise Basque Dancers.

There were lots of pretty horse teams and sheep wagons.

Peruvian Dancers and Musicians representing Peruvian sheepherders.

The Polish Highlanders of North America.

The Boise Highlanders and Dancers.

And then came the main attraction and the family who owns them.  Over 1500 of them.

Right down the middle of town.  As quick as they could.

They weren't playing around on this day.  Just went about their business, no monkeying around.  No stopping what so ever.  And before you knew it, they were gone.  Seriously, 5 mins.  Some years they will just mosey down the street and take their time.  I think they were probably miffed that they didn't have their way on the North side of town and had enough of it all.  It was pretty awesome to see anyways.

Then we made our way back over to Sun Valley Lodge to mosey around ourselves.  While it was very pretty to see, it was not what I had imagined with all the hype it always gets on TV.  And again way to pricey for anything.  We got to see Bald Mountain (the main ski area) and other scenic things around the lodge.  The scenery is so very pretty around there.  I could walk around all day and look at the scenery.

We eventually found our way down to the Wood River and one of the many trails around it and finished off the day there.  Simply gorgeous!  When the temperature started getting a bit chilly we headed back to our hotel and hunkered down for the night so we could get stared on our short drive home the next morning.

And as with any trip, we were tired but excited about what we saw and explored.  And needed a whole entire day to rest before we got back to our normal routine.  A trip well worth being tired from.

~*~

kar

A break from painting/construction...

 We took a long weekend trip this past weekend.  A much needed break from everything that has been going on around here.  A break from all the work that has turned into more than just a painting project.  A trip that had been planned a couple of months ago for during the time Mom is here visiting.  It was wonderful!

An early morning drive to our destination got everyone excited about the weekend ahead.

Just a few more miles till we got there.  Is it me or does it always seem the last few miles are the hardest to get through when traveling?

The Trailing of the Sheep Festival.

A festival to celebrate the sheep herding heritage in Central Idaho.

A first time event for all of us.

A cool, crisp Fall morning to enjoy all the woolly stuff that surrounded us.  It was absolutely perfect!

Most of Saturday was filled with all the sights at the Fiber Festival in Hailey, Id.  The girls learned about shearing.  How to calm the sheep so it doesn't flail around too much for you.  Why the sheep get sheared in the Fall (because of lambing reasons).  And which breeds have the best wool for making the best yarns.  And if the sheep get nicked while being sheared their lanolin is the only thing used in letting the scrap heal.  Who know?!  The girls were even given souvenir bits of wool just for asking questions about everything.  Pretty cool!

There were lots of sheep wagons to check out.  So neat to see that everything one needs to survive an entire season of herding is contained in this one little "home".  Some can get pretty fancy.

I was mesmerized by all the spinners that were at the Festival.  It looked so peaceful and meditative.  After sitting there for nearly a half hour watching, asking questions and being able to get the feel of the wool while spinning, there may be a spinning wheel in my future.  It was one of my highlights of the weekend.

Then there was time taken out from wandering around all the booths and drooling over all the yarn in front of me at every turn.  A lunch break had to be taken.  A lamb burger no less.  It was everyones first taste of lamb and it was awesome.  Definitely won't be the last.  After lunch there was dancing to be seen by the Oinkari Basque Dancers of Boise.  I could have sat for hours watching all the different dance groups.  

Then after seeing all that we could at the Festival in Hailey and then checking in at the hotel, a trip up north was made to see one of our favorite places in this part of the state.

All the Aspen trees were turning their gold color.

Snow on the mountains could be seen ahead of us.  Such a pretty sight.

Scenic overlooks where taken advantage of.  I could never get tired of seeing these gorgeous snow covered mountains.

We finally made it to our destination.

Red Fish Lake. 

It's breath taking up there.  And much nicer when it's not packed to the gills with all of Summer's campers.  Being able to hear the wind going through the trees and hearing the lake lap at the shores is the absolute best thing.  It grabs your soul.  Miss B was so excited to finally get to see it for herself and not just look at it in pictures.  The last in the family to see this amazing area.  She loved every minute of it.

After a while of exploring, looking for rocks and experiencing exactly how cold the lake water really is, we had to leave due to a storm that was coming in and the temperature dropping quickly.

So back through the mountains it was to head for our little hotel to be all cozy and warm for the night and rest up for our next day of adventure in the Hailey/Ketchum, Id area.

More later!

~*~

kar

This week...

-   Days are starting to blur together.  I feel that all the hours of the day are consumed by painting.  I stop myself from complaining about it by reminding myself of all the money we are saving by doing this project ourselves, that it is being done right the first time and that the house looks so much better now.  I get happy about it all then.  Plus I painted the front door in my new awesome color today!  I even called Glenn while he was at work and squealed in his ear that it was done and looking freakin' awesome!  He told me I was touched and even asked if I remember to put plastic under the door so I didn't get paint on the wood floor.  Apparently I have the IQ of an earthworm and might forget things like that.  Just like I forgot to double an important ingredient in the last batch of cookies.

-   Speaking of cookies...  I redeemed myself today with a brand new batch of Chocolate Chip cookies. The flour was the first thing I measured out (doubled) into a bowl and set it to the side so I wouldn't totally screw up another batch.  I have heard many times this evening that these are much better than the parchment paper thin things that were made last week.  I totally agree with everyone.

-   I have found out that some pretty strange conversations tend to come about when one is outside painting with kids.  The things that a 14yr. old and a 9 yr. old can talk about.  I have been shaking my head a lot at all of these strange topics being discussed.  During one discussion I was asked why I only go so far up on the ladder.  I might have said something about getting queasy, etc.  My dear 9yr. old politely told me not to "queas" near her and make sure I make it to the trash can nearby because she was not picking up after me if that happens.  I guess I've been told.  Queas?  I guess it's one of those things you just don't ask about.

-   Skunks are not my favorite thing in life.  I so hate opening the door in the early morning hours just to find that their most awesome of smells is lingering around.  That makes me want to "queas".  Too bad there isn't a skunk free zone that can be enforced around our neighborhood.  That would be so awesome.  We got stuck by one here in town while stopped at a red light and it was killing me.  Glenn told me that is was a "potent skunk" because it had been there for several days, as he has driven by it the past few mornings while going to work and that it was weakening.  Didn't seem weak to me.  Little Miss B was totally not paying attention to the conversation, caught only part of it and then exclaimed "Daddy, why would you punch a skunk?".  Good thing we were stopped at the red light because I would have probably drove off the road I was laughing so hard.  While trying not to "queas".

-   I think Winter is trying to push it's way in and take over for Fall already.  Just dang cold here the past few days.  There is snow on the mountains already and tonight is suppose to be as low as 35!  Seriously!  Where is that happy little medium where no utilities have to be used for at least a month, maybe a teensy more?  It's killing me.  I want my wonderful little Fall.  Mom is coming up for a visit and we had to remind her to leave the flip flops at home and bring warm clothes.  It isn't in the 90's up here like where she is.

-   Now it's back to the regularly scheduled program around here... Painting.  At least it's half done.  But I'm not liking two story homes right now.  Just saying.

~*~

kar