Community Ed

 For the past three weeks  I have taken an photography class.  I think that I without taking a photography class I have gotten some decent photos in my collection, but I wanted to get better and have a greater understanding of all the functions on my camera.  So, to take a break from the "Adventures of Caitlyn and Claire" I thought I would just post some pics from tonight's trip to the sculpture garden.  It was a very humid and overcast evening (lots of mesquitos), so the colors are not the most spectacular.  Plus, my camera got stuck for a while in an overexposed state.  Even the instructor couldn't get it to stop overexposing.  I actually kinda liked a couple of those shots, so I gave you a little sneak peak.  These are not my best photos ever, but they are a glimpse into Minneapolis. Enjoy!

Damages

Now I admit I am a wimp, but it runs in the family.  My bathroom is small enough that two people using the caulk gun isn't really effective.  I there for assigned Cait a project to screw together.  Here is a photo of her hand because she kept mentioning how her hands we red from all of the screws she turned.  Now if you look "REALLY, REALLY HARD" you might be able to see it.  Yes, it was more visable 5 minutes after the work and not so much 2 hours later, but someone had to give her a hard time.

Now this might look familiar...there is one I put together in my room.  I just had to take a photo of this so that I could prove I did put my visitor to work.  Now I am trying to figure out the best home for it.  It turns out that most of my shoes end up by the front door, so there has to be a better place than my closet to store my shoes.

Bathroom Indecision

While Caitlyn was here in MN I thought it would be a good idea to give her somewhere to shower.  Even though the bathroom was a sauna (no A/C, no windows, and very humid weather) we decided to jump in and work on getting it all put together.  Here is a photo of the beginning of our work.  This is about all that we got done with the shower that worked well.

 We then assembled the other side wall.  As we worked we were finding that none of the holes in the metal were lining up...ugh.  We continued to work though.  We got the door onto the front and guess what? IT WOULDN'T CLOSE.  I did a lot of work to attempt to make things level in there, but it turns out the job just wasn't level enough.  It got taken apart before I could show pictures of the dysfunctional shower.  So, as I continue to do creative bathing in the bathtub downstairs I am going to be considering if I would like to pay someone to do this job for me and if I will ever get it right on my own.

We did get one successful bathroom job completed.  We got the bathroom sink off.  Once again I can see how crooked the false drawer is on the vanity front.  I am going to have to go back and fix that.

Here is the removed sink.  An update for all of you who have been anxiously awaiting the chosen tile.  I had it all purchase, but I have decided to take it back.  I am paying for a granite counter top, which was picked out while Cait was here.  There will be a tile back-splash though.

All of these changes and some time spent in the paint section of Home Depot and I think that I will be changing the color of the bathroom from "lettuce" to something different.  Don't worry, there will be photos of the changes.  The walls near the shower got all scratched up with the catastrophic shower placement, so I will just take this opportunity to give the bathroom a different look.

Sleeping Safely

I don't claim to be the most safety concerned person in the world, but after purchasing my split box-spring I had serious fears about breaking my bed.  One the box-spring is split into two sections the weight distribution on the bed frame changes.  Therefore, it is recommended that split box-springs go on frames made specifically for them.  Well, I love my bed frame, so I had to come up with a better support system for my mattress.  Cait and I went to Home Depot and got some wood.  I also bought some extra bed legs from Ikea.  This is a picture of the work we did.  The black legs on the wider boards are my new additional support.  Now I sleep easier knowing that if I roll over the bed shouldn't break into two pieces.

Spam and Eggs; Spam, Spam, Spam and Eggs

Many of you have already read Caitlyn's post about visiting me in grand ol' MN, but I had some different photos on my camera that I thought I would share.  On her first full day in Minneapolis it was very humid and raining, so we were not really able to work on my house.  I gave her some options of what to do and the next thing we knew we were headed out into the terrible weather and down to Ausin, MN where the Spam Museum is housed.  I was raining fairly hard, but nothing way out of the ordinary.  The Spam Museum was filled with all kinds of fund stuff.

Now Caitlyn gets to model the activities in the museum because I had the camera.  She was trying to compete with the Hormel factory in canning some Spam.  I can tell you see was annihilated.

Spam worker Caitlyn only packed on can of Spam in the time it took Hormel to pack 215 there in Austin, MN.

Instead of trains a little Spam-go-round.

Anyone for some Spam with cheese?  I think my stomach just churned...but don't worry Dad I almost bought a can for Caitlyn to bring home to you.

We watched the Spam movie while we tried to wait out a downpour of rain.  It was rained so hard that no one was leaving the building.  The museum closed at 5pm, but everyone was remaining there.  Cait and I braved the weather and ran out to my car.

This picture does not give the full story.  You can see my wet arm and drench hair.  It was as if we had showered out there.

The was a car next to us at a stop light.  There were several roads we could not take because cars were covered halfway with water.

I love the above blurred photo though.  I love the rain!  We went and got something to eat and then safely drove back to the Twin Cities.  My mom told me we were supposed to make memories, so MN was doing the best it could.

Good Find

 Today I decided to go and see what was at the local Home Goods.  So, over to the little mall I went.  I was hoping to find some good deals on imperfect items that I could fix up.  I got lucky.  I have been looking for a cupboard or shelves to go in the downstairs bathroom.  This is the black shelf that I found.  I really don't want a black shelf, but I plan to sand, prime it, and paint it the color I want.

This is the little imperfection that I am sure that I can deal with.

Say "Goodbye" to the ugly little glass shelf.  Now yes, I will have to take down the wallpaper and paint the wall first, but when you find a good deal you have to take it.  $18 shelf, which typically costs $60-70.  I plan to place a towel rack underneath the shelf.

Maybe not the worlds greatest buy, but my current spatula has plastic that is hard as a rock.  I was happy with spending $1.99.

Lastly, I found these two frames for $2.99 a piece.  I plan on removing the "Good Times" wood piece and repaint.  I have so many places in my house that will be needing decor.  I am totally excited.

My excitement about decor and projects has stemmed from Pintrest.com.  That website is addicting, but I have found all kinds of cool projects that I hope to use in my little house.  Desks made out of sawhorses and wood, wood panel benches, and all kinds of fun stuff.  Since I have an aversion to the word craft I have decided to call these things projects.  Oh the weird quirks I have!

Red or Yellow?

I am going to paint the inside of my backdoor, which is close to the kitchen.  I really want to paint it a bright color.  I am torn between yellow and red.  I am leaning towards red, but what do you think?


Now, the results of this decision will be seen soon...unlike the bathroom sink.  Ooops!  The color will be on the inside of the door and not the outside...they would both look terrible with the outside.