Handy-Woman?!?!

I have been busy lately. Between work and hockey I stay fairly occupied, but then I added in a few projects....

So, remember the whole Craigslist deal on the table and chairs? Well, I started refinishing the table. Here it is before (well, sort of... I started sanding it and then remembered to take a picture, so I wiped the sawdust off with a damp cloth and this is pretty much how it looked when I got it).

Here is the sanded table (just the top right now, I will work on the base after the top is stained).

And...after the first coat of stain (it was getting a little dark at this point, I started this project at about 5pm someday last week...I'm not done yet, needs at least 2 more coats of stain)





Our neighbor stopped by today while I was putting on a second coat of stain (sorry no pics, it was cold out) and gave good reviews! It is amazing how much better the table looks without the "factory clear-coat" on it! I am very excited to get it done so we can use it, I just need a little warmer and non-windy weather.

So the next project (also not finished) is the dog-run. We had nice weather this weekend and James was working, so I decided to use our Home Depot gift cards to get the stuff to start building the dog-run. I helped a friend move on Saturday and then stopped to pick up the materials from Home Depot. I spent all of Sunday doing this:




See the area to the right of the wood posts? That is the dog run! Yes, our dogs are spoiled. Yes the dog-run is bigger (or as big as) many people's yard; they have 3 full size pine trees in it! We cut the lower branches off of the pine trees so they have more room and shade.

I dug eight post holes (with a manual post-hole digger) and cemented them in. We are going to hang chain link (one of the Craigslist deals) and have wood crossbeams on the top and bottom. You can see some of the upper beams in the pic, I used them for spacing and leveling while the posts where setting. The chain link we got didn't have all of the support poles and they are expensive to buy new; so we are going with wood, which is about one third of the price). I only got half of the area raked out...all the stuff on the left of the posts used to be in the dog run area. Once it's all done, we can keep their toys in the dog-run and clean up the rest of the yard. I was hoping to do some more work on it this evening...but it snowed last night and was cold today, so.....


I built this:

We tore down the wall in our kitchen and built an island last year, but don't have cabinets yet. Well, we have one that my parents had removed from their kitchen, you can see the edge of it on the left. We've had TV trays to the right of the cabinet to try to make the space usable, but it didn't work so well. Since I couldn't (didn't want to freeze my butt off) work on the dog-run I decided to build a shelf under the island so we could store stuff. I added a small shelf at the top to hold foil, plastic bags, etc...

I think this will help until we have time/money to build cabinets for the whole space. I am happy with it :) James just smiles and says "nice" I'm not sure he knows what to do with me sometimes.

Loving Craigslist....

If you have never checked out Craigslist then I highly recommend it!

There are lots of great deals out there....

When we first moved into our house, I found a posting from someone wanting to get rid of some leftover gravel from a landscaping project who was willing to deliver all for free! So we got a small truck-bed full of free gravel. This came in handy when we made some minor landscaping changes.

When we adopted O.C. and Baxter (dogs) we wanted to crate-train them. However the cost of new dog crates is expensive. So we found a small crate (for Baxter) which ended up getting passed on to my brother for their dog and then to another friend for her dog...well worth the $5 we spent. We got a large crate that the boys (that's how we refer to our dogs, our cats are "the girls") now share and we got a fold-up travel crate from someone else. We got all 3 crates for less than the cost of one new one!

Last year we were in need of a cheap (I am talking less than $1000), but fairly reliable second vehicle. This pretty much ruled out dealerships and most newspaper listings. We really wanted a truck, SUV, van or something that could hold more than our little car (we love our little Kia, but it is little). So we took to looking on Craigslist and after checking into a few options, we found a 1994 Oldsmobile Bravada (SUV) in our price range! We actually picked it up on James' birthday! Now, this vehicle has had some minor issues (this was expected) but overall has been great. It easily fits all of our hockey gear and has room for passengers at the same time! We are slowly making improvements on it, but at least it runs...it gets James to and from work, both of us and our gear to hockey and used for random other local trips.

So the latest deal is from yesterday...

We don't have a table in our dining room right now, partially because the boys' crate is there and partially because we have a table but most of the chairs are broken. So I was looking at Craigslist (I do this periodically, just to see if there is anything that we "need") and saw a posting for a pedestal table w/ leaf and 6 chairs...now this is not uncommon, but you never know what they will look like and often people over-price their stuff. So they included a picture and it looked good enough and the price of $75 was hard to beat. So I emailed right away and got a call back in about 10 minutes with directions. I went to the ice rink to switch cars with James (I had our Kia). I drove to the seller's house and took a look at the dining set... a little used, but in good sturdy condition and I am pretty sure it is solid wood, not veneer! I bought it and brought it home :) Hey, I love a good deal! My short-term plan is to refinish the table and chairs in a darker color (we have leftover stuff from doing our kitchen island) to match our taste, currently the set is a light pine. Ultimately I want to build a taller pedestal (or just add onto the current one, I haven't decided) to make it a counter/pub/bar height table. Then I want to either put new legs on the chairs to make them counter/pub/bar stools or just get new stools.

Those are a few of our deals! If you are in need of something cheaper than new and are okay with used (although there are some new things that people are getting rid of) check it out! It may save you some money, give you a good project and keep stuff out of the landfill.

MMMMM...Doughnuts! Picture!!!

I'll blog something else later...but for now, here is a pic of the doughnuts from the other day!

Have a great Monday!

25 Things

So I did this for Facebook and one of my friend's put her's on her blog, I thought is was a good idea, so here you go. 25 random things that you may or may not know or want to know about me:

1. I love being married! It took us a little over 7 years, but it was worth it!

2. I was born in 29 Palms, CA and have lived in various towns in Minnesota, California, Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado; I even lived in Japan for about six months when Iwas two years old.

3. I am a Marine Corp brat (my dad calls me a Jar-ette, if you don’t get it…ask me sometime). My dad retired from the Marine Corp after 21 years, but “Once a Marine, Always a Marine” I guess that also means "once a Jar-ette, always a Jar-ette"

4. I love to play hockey!

5. I don’t like drama, didn’t like it when I was growing up, in high school, college or now. I think people can be over-sensitive and too easily offended. I’m not overly sensitive or easily offended (really, ask James). Life is a lot more enjoyable when I am who I am and others can take it or leave it and they can be themselves around me.

6. I love our two cats (Jules and Sake) and two dogs (O.C. and Baxter). They all have such interesting personalities and are very, very spoiled!

7. I love to spend time with my husband and am glad that he is not afraid for me to be independent or speak my mind.

8. I love food! I am partial to Asian cuisine, but I also like everything else…except for seafood and mushrooms, oh…liver and lamb are not on my menu either. Otherwise, food is wonderful!

9. I love playing board games and card games! Thankfully James enjoys this as well (not so much cards, but he humors me)!

10. I love coffee (wow, I guess I love a lot of things…darn English language, only having one word for love….read C.S Lewis “The Four Loves” if you don’t understand) oh, yeah…love coffee, I think it courses through my veins. I drink coffee pretty much every day, all day long. I like it straight up black, with sugar, with cream, with cream and sugar, whatever as long as I get my coffee! Yes I am addicted!

11. I love having a house, and living in Loveland! I wish we were able to do more work on our house, but I know we will someday.

12. I think the saying “a Jack of all trades and Master of none” fits me quite well. I know enough about a lot of things just to make me dangerous.

13. I would like to continue learning Russian someday, and maybe another language or two.

14. I want to visit Ireland. I would enjoy seeing England and Scotland as well.

15. I would really like to teach English in China for a year (James wants to also), but know that now is not the right time, and not sure when or if there will be.

16. I would like to go on a mission trip to another country, maybe Africa or South America.

17. I don’t spend a lot of time on my appearance, I can easily get ready in 20 minutes and that includes taking a shower. I usually dress up only when I have to.

18. I love to read! I love spending a whole day off just reading. Between James and me, I know we have over a thousand books. He reads even faster than I do and we cannot afford to buy new books all of the time, so we both reread books and get some from the library, we also love used book stores.

19. I would love to be organized, I’m just not! Plus I am a pack rat.

20. Someday I would like to finish my college degree, just so I can say I did it.

21. My mom and I disagreed over my clothes in high school, only I was the conservative one.

22. I like change, I think growing up in the military made me that way. So I have the tendency to randomly move furniture around and rearrange things, I think it is just to add some change and newness to life.

23. I like playing sports with guys (instead of girls) they are competitive and play hard, they tend not to hold grudges and are not “catty”, and most of them don’t whine too much..oh yeah remember that "drama" stuff from number 5, they tend not to have that.

24. I am awful at staying in touch with people. So I love Facebook and blogs, they allow me to keep up with all that is going on and share what is happening with me. Two of my sisters-in-law have blogs, so I started one (www.stmlig.blogspot.com), and then my mother-in-law started one as well. It is actually kind of fun, even if only a few people read it.

25. I love pajamas! I am thankful that I get to work at home a lot, because then I can spend the day in PJs.

MMMMM...Doughnuts!

So I found a new addiction to add to my already long, but fairly harmless list...

Chinese Doughnuts!

The first memory I have of them (and I am pretty sure they were not called "Chinese doughnuts") is at the fair in Minnesota. They had a shop just past the entrance/exit area where they would fry these tiny doughnuts, dust them with sugar and serve them to you nice and warm!

Then the other day, I picked up lunch for James at an Asian restaurant near by and I ordered "Chinese Doughnuts" because they sounded good! I could smell them all the way to his work and they had that same delicious sugary smell of the doughnuts from the fair. So when I got to James' work, I gave him his food and opened up the doughnut container and ate one. Mmmmm, so good, just like the fair, but more of an oval shape with no hole in the middle. I have been craving them since that day.

One of my friend's told me that they sell the yummy, tiny doughnuts at the Event Center during the hockey games, and this just increased my desire for them.

So, as usual when I am curious about something, I turned to the Internet. I looked up "Chinese Doughnut recipe" and found several posts.

These doughnuts are one of the easiest things to make:
Go buy some refrigerated biscuit dough (you know the stuff in the tube)
Heat up your deep fryer (or oil in a pan) to about 330 degrees
Open the biscuit dough and cut each biscuit into quarters (that's 4 pieces)
or 8 pieces if you bought the Large biscuits
Carefully drop the biscuit pieces one at a time into the hot oil
I can usually put about 10 pieces in our deep fryer at a time
Let them cook for about a minute, or until light golden brown
Turn over the little biscuit balls so the other side gets cooked, again about a minute
Then pull them out and place on some paper towel to soak up some of the oil
I usually put a second batch into the fryer
Transfer the cooked doughnuts to a big mixing bowel
Sprinkle with about a Tablespoon of granulated sugar
Roll/shake them around so they are evenly coated
Keep repeating until all the little dough-balls are cooked and sugar-coated
Be sure to taste in between each batch :)

These taste Best when fresh and still warm. They are good regardless, but warm is best and they usually don't last long enough to get cold.

If you try them, let me know what you think; or stop by our house and I will make some for you :)

CHL All-Star Banquet

So the CHL 2009 All-Star game is tomorrow night (well technically it is tonight since it is 2 in the morning right now, but I have not gone to bed yet, so I'll still say tomorrow). It is a trial game for the new style of All-Star game, which is really the old style....

The NHL All-Star game used to be a contest between the Stanley cup champions and the rest of the league. It was changed to a contest between the two conferences which is how it is currently run. The CHL had adopted the same format, with the All-Star game being a contest between the Northern and Southern Conferences.

We went to the CHL All-Star game last year (2008) since it was held in Broomfield, CO which is close by. Now, I love hockey, but I have to say the game was just sad. There didn't seem to be any hustle or heart in it. To have the best of the best CHL players on the ice at one time and have that outcome was somewhat depressing....

Anyway, back to this year....

So the Colorado Eagles organization is hosting this year's CHL All-Star game and it is a trial going back to the "Old Time Hockey" when the league plays against the Champions. The Colorado Eagles did not win the Championship last year (they came close though). It should be quite a game tomorrow! I am hoping for a great game that showcases great hockey along with the heart, drive and talent that all of the players bring to the ice!

So tonight, the night before the game, was the CHL All-Star Banquet. We had the opportunity to attend with some friends. There was good food, a hilarious comedian, the Stanley Cup and lots of people who love hockey (including all of the players in tomorrow's game).

Hockey!

Just so you know, I love Hockey!

I enjoy watching it (in person or on TV), but mostly I love to play! Back in college, when we were "just friends," James' roommate convinced him to get inline skates and come play. It didn't take long for them to convince me to do the same. Why I decided this was a good idea I still don't know... I have never been that great on roller skates and the few times I had tried inline skating, I was not much better (in truth, probably a lot worse).

Just in case you don't know much about inline skates, here is a news flash:

Hockey Skates Do NOT Have Brakes! I thought that might help with your understanding of the insanity that is me. It must come down to my weird enjoyment of abnormal sports (for girls that is). I grew up playing football with my brother and his friends, ran track (not too bad, except I'm on the short side and ran hurdles and was learning pole vault...go figure) and did Tae Kwon Do. I participated in a lot of other activities as well, but those give you the basic idea.

So we went to the local sporting goods store and I found a pair of not too expensive hockey skates. I borrowed a stick from James' other roommate (thus the issue of me using a stick that is too long, bad habits are hard to break). We went to the outdoor rink on the CSU campus and started "playing." Well, I can't remember a whole lot of the beginning of my hockey playing, but I was lucky in that I didn't end up with too many injuries and nothing serious. I will say that you learn quick when you get thrown into the fire. I was hooked!!

We played roller hockey at the CSU outdoor rink and even got a team together from our church to play at the local roller hockey rink. That fizzled out, but then we met a few guys out at the CSU rink who asked us if we wanted to join their team. "Sure!" That led to several years of playing roller hockey with many of those original players.

James and I both held the desire to play ice hockey eventually. So, after we got fed up with the atrocious reffing at the rink, we decided to make the switch. We convinced a couple friends to take a Hockey 101 class at the ice rink in the spring (still playing roller hockey) and joined the ice league for the summer session. We managed to get one of the guys who took the 101 class with us to join, in addition to a couple guys from our roller team.

I really liked roller-hockey, but I LOVE Ice-Hockey. We have been playing for a few years now, both the summer and Fall (Fall is really a Fall/Spring league, it's extra long) sessions. We have played up to three leagues/nights at the same time and are currently playing two. It is great!

Our teams are awesome, especially our "C" league team! We have had most of the same guys together for the last few seasons. Everyone seems to enjoy....well....picking on each other. We've had our share of wins and losses and even won a Championship! Mostly it is just a great group of guys (I am the only girl, but am considered just one of the guys).

As much as I enjoy playing with my wonderful husband and our team, I really just love playing. I like that it is competitive, physical and fast! I don't have a great shot or puck-handling skills, but I am fairly fast (still trying to get faster though) and aggressive. I like that you can hit (not punch, they don't allow fighting in our league) other players and that it can be quite a battle to get to or keep the puck. I play defense and it's a great feeling to keep the puck in the zone or get it out of our end, to make a good pass or to steal the puck from an opposing player. I like battling for the puck against the boards and skating as fast as I can to get to the puck first. I definitely get my share of penalties: some I think are good calls, others not so much. I also take a lot of hits: I draw some penalties, but not many; I'm okay with that. I just enjoy the game! It is a blast!

Now if I could just figure out how to get paid to play hockey......I guess I can dream