The Roof: Day 1

 Sorry, there was no warning.  This is the first picture because, well, this is the very first thing that happened.  Within about two minutes of setting out to work on the roof, the ladder fell as Al was at the top rung (not operator error, mind you.  Al is very comfortable on a ladder), and he fell with it, landing on top of the ladder, on which he hit his head.  He ultimately went to the ER, got 8 staples in his head...and CAME BACK TO WORK.  Can you say B.A.?!  Alan got MVP and Most Improved.  He stayed until the bitter end.

Once we got that all sorted out, the roofing project really set sail.  We had several guys come out and help who were total champs.  Many hands make light work.  Seriously, it was so huge having such willing friends!!  Annnnd our weather was very cooperative.  It was perfectly warm and beautiful out all day long.  Heaven.

 Auntie Kacey was the woooo-man and watched both Scout and Hadley today.  She's basically the shiz!  She looks pretty good with two babes on her hips, don't you think?  Maybe next round she can have twins, being that she's got the double duty so dialed in:)

 Here's the morning wrecking crew.  Are they a motley crew, or what?

 Kougs brought the girls by to sit in the sun and take in all the action.  Poor Hads got sunscreen in her eyes, and Scouty was having a hard time seeing her mom but not being able to be all up in her bidness.  So, their time was cut short.  But it sure was nice to see them for a bit!

 We were so pleased by how quickly the shingles came off.  After about 9 hours of hard work, it was all done, ready for a game of rooftop bowling.  Big Ry and Dave were kind enough to be a part of the afternoon crew, and were a huge help.  And, like I said, Alan was there till the bitter end.  MVP!

Brett was very encouraged to discover that, while there are definitely sections of boards that need to be replaced, like the picture shows below, the roof is actually in pretty decent shape.  Tomorrow begins the repairs, and hopefully the installation of the fascia boards.  Perhaps, if we're lucky, even the felt will go down.  We shall see!

Raised Garden Beds

Knowing that a new roof was in our future, we decided it was best to hold off on landscaping, er, taming the beast.  So, we have learned to embrace the whole bomb-went-off look of our yard.  BUT we have finally started taking steps toward permanence!  Brett built 6 awesome raised beds that are just begging to be planted with this year's goods.  Brett and I are beginning to get the major itch to get outside and get our hands dirty...oh, and reap the haaaarvest.  I'm beginning to dream of tomatoes.  Is that weird?  And the weeds have grown in so beautifully that it creates a faux lawn look.  It's quite lovely, I tell you!

Kind of like the fun surprise that it is to find the couple bucks that you forgot in your ski pants pocket from last season, thus enabling you to buy that cup of hot chocolate you desperately need, is this spring's surprise of the tulips that I {super haphazardly} planted last fall.  I totally forgot about them, and was so excited upon the reminder that there really is potential for life in our explosion of a yard (Gideon is still getting the memo that he is not welcome to plop down on top of my flowers).  I can hardly wait to get my hands on my dahlia tubers that are due any time (thanks noshblog)!!!

I have a feeling it won't be too long before Scouty's out digging in the dirt with us.  She and Gideon can have a field day burying things, and digging them up...so long as they're not in my flower beds!

The Roof

Alright Ladies & Germs, things are about to crazy up in hurrrrr.  We are finally cleaning up our act, with the hopes of no longer looking like we live in a crack house.  Sorry, rooftop garden, your days are numbered.  One to be exact.  Starting tomorrow bright and early Brett and his wonderful friends will begin the fun task of ripping off the roof that has more wave in it than the Pacific Ocean.  We can hardly imagine what our house will look like with a brand spankin' new roof!  Bring. It.  I just wanted to post pics to remind you of our little pink house (read: dump).  I sense a time is coming near that I will pull in the driveway and, for the first time since owning it, I will not think, "What a freaking DUMP."  Soon, but soon, peeps!  

Brett and I got all agro the other night and ripped off our oppressive back patio structure, with a sledge and bare hands.  BAM.  I honestly can't believe the thing stood for so long, being that some of the main posts flapped in the wind, but that's neither here nor there.  The main point is that we are in the mode of "let's clear this sheeet OUT!"  Like I said at the beginning, we are cleaning up our act.  I have a feeling our neighbors are thinking happy thoughts (especially our neighbors across the street, who live in a Thomas Kinkade house, who also happen to be acknowledged every year by the "Garden of the Month" club...who also have a perfectly centralized view from their bedroom window of our house.  Yes, they are thrilled.).

Wish us luck!  Gideon's tool belt is strapped on, and he's practicing his ladder climbing right this very minute.  Scout is going to do her part by wearing her Carharrts, and being extra good for her Auntie Kougar.  I'm going to do my best at whatever it is I do.  I'm still figuring that out.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Our favorite breakfast restaurant, Morning Glory, is about one mile from our house.  It is with baited breath that I await the release of the cookbook rumored to soon exist.  Imagine my elation when I discovered a sneak preview of one of the cookbook's recipes: Oatmeal Pancakes with Walnut Butter!  It has become a Saturday morning staple in the Zundel house.  For starters, I love breakfast, and am pretty sure it's my favorite meal of the day (though dessert makes a strong case).  Second, I love pancakes, but sometimes feel a little bad about just eating fluffy flour.  Considering these two things, it is no wonder that I've completely fallen in love with these oatmeal pancakes.  I mean, it's basically like eating a bowl of oatmeal, right?

Morning Glory's Oatmeal Pancakes with Walnut Butter

Pancake Ingredients:
2 1/2 c buttermilk
2 c old-fashioned oatmeal
2 eggs
1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c flour
2 T granulated sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder

Walnut Butter Ingredients:
1/2 c butter
2 t granulated sugar
1T firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c toasted walnuts

To make walnut butter: 
The night before, combine the butter, sugars, and walnuts (I used my food processor).  Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to combine.  Any leftover walnut butter may be frozen.

To make pancakes: 
Combine the oatmeal and buttermilk in a medium bowl.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

While griddle is preheating to medium, add eggs and butter to oatmeal mixture and stir to combine.  In a separate bowl (though I never do this...shhhh), combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Stir the sugars into the flour mixture.  Add to the oatmeal mixture and mix to combine, but do not overmix.  Make sure griddle is not too hot as it takes time for the oatmeal to cook.*  Lightly spray the griddle with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour batter onto the griddle and cook until golden brown on the bottom.  Turn pancakes and cook until done.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Serve with walnut butter, maple syrup (none of the fake stuff, people), and inhale.  Well, try not to inhale, but rather, savor and enjoy...but you'll most likely inhale.

*As I shared with one of my food-loving-friends you have to wield your spatula like you mean it, when it comes to flipping these bad boys.  Because these pancakes are primarily oats they cook differently than your normal flour-based kind.  Just be ready and willing to leave your pansy-ass pancake flipping tendencies behind.

80% of the Work

At the start of this project...umm, in SEPTEMBER...Brett informed me that he could "knock out the shed in a weekend."  Here we are many, many (did I say "many"?) weekends later, and the shed still isn't quite "knocked out."   It is, however, a place in which we can store all Brett's tools and gadgets (I even managed to sneak a couple things in there).  Brett admits that the saying of "80% of the work takes 20% of the time" is very, very true.  Here is 80% of the work.  When the next 20% will be finished, we are unsure.  At some point it will be properly roofed, and the siding will be completed.  We like the look of the reclaimed fence boards, so this is how it shall stay.  Perhaps we will paint the trim, but time will tell.

Being that Brett is a very, very proud resident of the State of Jefferson, I made him a sign for Christmas.  This may not be the sign's permanent home, but for now it is proudly displayed on the exterior of Brett's domain.

It is Finished!

It is with great satisfaction and much excitement that I present the last big inside project (until we demo the whole darn house and start over again, just for fun).  Brett finished the cabinets and drawers to our built-ins!  Yippeeeeeee! This little room has come a long way.  What once was a room that we hardly spent any time in has become our most favorite spot to cozy up.  It has gone from cold and blah to warm and totally inviting.  Getting rid of our painted brick and replacing it with recycled, natural brick was a step in the right direction.  We love all the imperfections, plus it sort of mans the room up a bit for Brett.  Nixing the fireplace and replacing it with a free-standing wood stove has been awesome.
We have absolutely loved how warm it has made our home.   I'm in my element with the fire cranking; meanwhile, Brett sweats to death.

Come on over.  Scout will share her coveted sheepskin spot on the floor in front of the fire.  If you're lucky, she'll even let you play with Bert & Ernie...maybe.

Original (little did we know that hundreds of thousands of bees lurked behind that unsuspecting brick facade)--ick.

Stage 1 (bee breeding ground still in tact)--cluttered much? Yes.

Stage 2 (bees no longer welcome)--getting better, but the bookshelves are messy and incomplete.

Finished Product (bees have gotten the message that they will get punched in the face if they return)--much, much better.  The cabinet doors and drawers clean up the space considerably.

Kick-ass wood burning stove

Long Overdue

Yikes.  What a slacker I’ve been!  I will spare you the details of the last 5 months, and instead give you a nutshell version.  Suffice it to say life has been fun-filled and action-packed.

As I’ve quickly learned, I am second fiddle now that Scout is in this world.  And for good reason!  She is pretty dang sweet, and worthy of any and all attention Brett and I no longer receive.  What an incredible experience it has been watching Scout grow, and marveling at the personality that is uniquely hers.  She has a very sweet disposition and is quick to offer a genuinely happy smile, especially to those she recognizes.  With strangers she’s a bit coy until she establishes that there won’t be any sudden movements, coughs, sneezes, or otherwise, at which point there’s a greater likelihood her lower lip will stay tucked away.  If her sense of security is breached, however, there will be little warning before her lower lip protrudes forward, accompanied by crocodile tears and borderline wailing.  Once she feels safe and comfortable, however, which really doesn’t take all too long, she is an incredibly happy little human.  Her arms frequently flap in the air out of sheer excitement, accompanied by the stringing together of repetitive “da-da-da’s” and squeals.  Laughs escape her mouth many times a day, which is purely contagious.  She has been full-on belly laughing for several months, and I never grow tired of the sweet sound.

Sleep was once a foreigner in this house, but beginning around Scout’s fourth month, Brett and I began the arduous task of getting Scout on a sleep schedule of sorts.  After a few painstaking days and nights we rediscovered our long lost friend.  Oh, sweet, sweet Slumber, welcome home!!  If any of you out there are interested in a good read for sleep training, I highly recommend Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child.  That revolutionized our world.  Scout now has the gift of sleep down pretty well, for which we are ever grateful!  Scout has her napping skill down so well that while on the beach in Hawaii she was still knocking out 3-hour naps (thank you, little PeaPod).  It. Was. Awesome.

We returned this week from Hawaii, having spent 11 days on the Big Island.  Hawaii is very special to us, as we were engaged there 4 years ago.  Recounting memories, with our baby in tow, made it that much more special. 

We did the Hawaiian extravaganza with Brett’s parents and the Petersons.  Brett, Scout and I arrived a couple days early, though, as a drive to Hilo was very necessary.  It was high time for Scout to meet her great-grandpa!  Our visit was lovely, as always.  It was special seeing the span of generations.  Looking back at the quick photo I snapped I am very touched by the fact that the hands that held my daughter are the same hands that once held both my dad and me.

After our brief visit, we drove back over to the Kona side and met up with the rest of the family.  

Having babies along was definitely a new experience for us, as things moved at a slightly different pace than our trips in prior years.  Fewer hours were spent baking in the sun, for which my skin pays many thanks, activity pretty much ceased after 7pm, and the need for an adventure was minimal to none.  We just enjoyed the warm humid air, while watching our girls discover the lovely tropical land.  Scout seemed pretty keen on the Hawaiian climate, especially the bit about being half-naked most of the time.  

While a bit unsure of the ocean at first, Scout grew to enjoy all it had to offer. 

What she enjoyed most about the beach, however, was the sand.  To play in, you assume?  No, no, to eat, of course!  Who knew sand was such a delicacy?  Scout couldn’t quite get her fill. 

Both Scout and Hadley were well on their way to crawling prior to leaving for Hawaii, but time on the sand turned them into full-fledged crawlers.  I can’t adequately explain how heart-meltingly-cute it was watching our little naked babes, with their chubby little bods, and rolls galore, crawling after one another on the sand.

Hadley is constantly on the move, and she is not afraid to use whatever, or whoever, is in front of her to help her get to where she’s going.  Scout is often the means to Hadley’s end, whether she likes it or not.  Most of the time she doesn’t, at which point she cries for help. Is it bad that much of the time my first response is laughter?  With Hadley practicing her WWF moves on Scout, and Scout reluctantly taking it, it is hard not to laugh.  These two girls have such sweet souls—different personalities, indeed, but equally as sweet.  What a joy it has been watching them go from being little lumps who didn’t even know the other existed, to friends who pull each other’s hair (as pictures may indicate, the suspect and the victim are easily identified), babble and squeal together, share and steal toys from one another, and carefully watch and learn from the other.  I trust that a deep and true friendship and bond is being formed at their core, perhaps more of a sisterhood.