We are back to the rain and cold ..unfortunately:-) We had an amazing time and while it was hard to come home, we're also glad to be home.. got back really late but we turned into our streeet and could not believe our eyes...our house was all painted and the windows and trim were all so nice and bright.. love it.. we couldn't be happier with the paint job and it was kinda cool to come back to it all nice and done:-)..

Some pictures of our home before and after: Before with the vinyl siding.. looks okay from afar but trust me it wasn't:-)

2 summers later.. new roof , siding, and new paint!!
The back is the best part..so clean and pretty now.

well how fast things change.. hired the roofer after mom did some negotiating:).. told him he was hired yesterday afternoon and they started work today! ugh, I coudnt' sleep all night all worried and thinking what are they going to find under all those old shingles..I'm crazy I know.. it worked out okay because I delayed the painter until this weekend after the roof is done since the scraping of the roof may damage the new paint job so that was good..now they'll come on Sat and clean the house after the roof to get it all ready. Johnny is going to stop by and supervise the work while we're gone.. everything's moving so fast its crazy! Came home today and the roof was all scraped, new tar paper..tomorrow they lay shingles..or I think thats whats happening.

and I got the Nikon D60! its here and how fun!! I dont' know how to use it but its fun to explore with it. I've taken quite a few photos...200 and probably 3 turned out the way I'd like it to..haha.. thank goodness its digital.. be fun to take to Maui...now if I can just wrap up all my todos at work, I'll be good..because I am not checking email or voicemail while I'm gone:-).. can't wait. I've booked us a convertible, a luau, dinner at Mama's, scoped out places to eat and see.. going to try for sunset at Haleakala..

The end is finally in sight!!! and we are happy happy happy.. Hired a painter yesterday thanks to a referral from Anna.. Hope he works out but we are happy to let him paint this house.. ugh. Brian was pretty set on painting it himself on Friday but when he came over Saturday and talked about the powerwashing, then the scraping of paint, the caulking, and then 2 coats..we said, um, yeah we're sold..when can you start..no way we were going to do all that work or have enough summer to finish it.. I think they start work on Wednesday and should be done by Sat which means when we get back from Maui the house will be all painted! woohoo.. now the decision is whether to do a trim color on inside of the windows and to paint the doors. I t hink the answer is yes and we're going with a vintage wine color from Benjamin Moores.. Man their paint is pricey but oh well..how often do you paint your home.. we had to get 10 gals of exterior plus 2 gallons of white trim and nwo another gallon of the red wine..

I also had the roofer stop by and ugh, the quote is coming in about alot more then we expected.. He says our roof is steep which it is but man an extra 2K just for a steep roof? also told us the price of roofing materials went up with the oil and that is unfortunatley true but still.. torn..want to do it this year but man thats a lot of moola too.. guess we spend it this year or its next year .. Boy do we need that vacation..5 more days and we'll be sitting on a beach in 85degree weather in Maui..can't wait!

Is it September already?! Geez.... Just recovering from a long weekend. I didn't do much other then not feel too well but poor Brian:-(.. He tackled the hardest to reach part of our home to replace the siding. The dormer (I think this is what its called) in the back of the house is impossible to get to so I spent the weekend freaking out while Brian did all sorts of weird acrobatics with the ladder to get to it.. Brian threw the extension ladder (with the metal bars) over the roofline to reach it - great idea but just scary looking. .. eek! I couldn't watch but I couldnt' stay in the house either and of course no way was I leaving him at alone with that going on.. ahh....one more weekend and he'll be done.. thank goodness.. Aside from that, we had dinner with J&J at Jak's after John came over and helped out on Sunday.. Monday was labor day and a very last minute BBQ turned out to be pretty nice.. had some of the family over..the weather all weekend was icky.. very cold for this time of the year but gave us a chance to break out the firepit which was great..not sure what it is but an open fire is so relaxing and naturally gets everyone chatting..we also made smores:-) love it. Thanks again to Judy and Dan..

oh and some food photos.. made a blueberry galette with all those berries I picked from the farm.. yummy.. hot out of the oven with some vanilla ice cream. And some of my special bitter melon .. yep bitter melon.. one of those love or hate food items. I happen to love it and so does John so gave him some too.. :-).. Next weekend we are wrapping up the siding, calling the painters cuz poor Brian needs a break, then getting ready for Maui! We leave in 10 days..woohoo..can't wait to get some sun!

firepit in use for the first time..so awesome...

we found shingles under the vinyl..we were hopeful it would be salvageable but no luck :-(
scary.. can't watch..
pretty with the new siding:-)
blueberry galette..ready to go into the oven
Yummy.. looks just like the picture in the recipe..berry juices leaked but aside from that, awesome.. cheated and used a ready made piecrust..didnt' matter, still yummy
ahh.. comfort food..a pot of bitter melon with spareribs.. Mom would be so proud..haha..Brian on the other hand thinks its so weird I eat this stuff.. poo to him!

What a scorching hot weekend! but I shouldn't complain. In Edmonds, we were about 10 degrees cooler them mom and dad's in Seattle plus we have all that shade so it wasn't too bad.. This weekend mom , cheng goo and I went blueberry picking in North Bend.. what a blast! who knew it was so much fun..aside from getting slightly turned around plus the heat..next time we will go earlier and on a day where its not going to hit 90 with no wind whatsoever..either way, 1 hour later we each picked about 6lbs of berries.. it was awesome. I probably ate about a pound while picking:-).. the farm is just gorgeous..no bugs, no mud.. trees my height so no bending..and good berries to boot.. we might go again this weekend when its cooler so we can do more picking!

Farm at the base of Mt. Si... berry trees right of the entrance

HUGE berries.. love the hats:-)

Look at what one week of sunshine will do for me veggies!! Sugar peas should be ready to pick by this weekend..same with the tomatoes..exciting...Its such a good feeling to be able to "grow" your dinner! veggies, fruit trees.. love them. I've learned a lot this year and next year I hope the garden will even be better:-).. year 3 and maybe I'll finally have it right.. Oh and the firepit is here!! Its awesome, nicer then the pictures. We love it and goes so well with the yard. Can't wait to fire it up and roast some marshmallows!

pretty firepit.. and big!

sugar peas! These were so easy to grow I think I'll do it again next y ear..
Cherry tomatoes almost ready to pick

Zucchinni!

bush beans
Strawberries! I thought they were done for the season but maybe I will get to one afterall..the last time this plant had a strawberry, the birds or squirrel ate it before i got to it:-(
Pretty hydrangeas..this one is about the size of my head!

Is it really August already? Geez.. summer is flying by..well we are starting on the siding again.. and once again maybe a tad too late but we're hoping for the best so we can wrap it up and get it painted before fall is here. Markane is in town and we did the usual BBQ at our house . it was great..ate so much food and helped Markane celebrate his Bday..I think we have some blackmail worthy photos:-). And this weekend I decided to do the camping thing while Brian does the Uncle Tom's cabin thing.. Yesterday was my American bday.. not one I celebrate..in fact I dont' really like to celebrate my bday at all but Brian was very nice and got me flowers and dinner at Lolas which was "amazing".. best dish I've had in awhile - off their "meze" menu - red wine braised octopus with peas, caramelized onions and crispy pork belly.. sounds weird but OMG.. it came on this bed of lemony creamy white sauce.. I couldn't stop eating it and probably not something Brian would usually eat but he even called it awesome.. we also had skordalia, some trout and lamb.. all really really good..we will be back.. Oh and to top it off we finally got a firepit!! yay, thanks to Dan and Judy:-). We just got an email that this was coming in the mail.. can't wait to use it this summer..Need to stock up on mashmallows and invite Kelley over..haha.. this one is so much nicer then what we've seen in the stores becuase its nice and deep so less embers and you can burn more wood at once.. Yippee!! Oh and we're going to Maui! yes, finally.. booked the trip last week and I can't wait..we're going back to the Maui Prince for 6 nights.. should be fun..just sit back and relax..

The weekend is almost over..so sad..It was very relaxing.. had dimsum Sat then shopping with mom, googooo then dinner at Chef Liaos.. Brian's parents were also in town for about 2 weeks and it was busy as usual. They left on Tuesday..We did a lot of shopping, eating, and worked in the yard. The weather was perfect. We also had a nice 4th celebration at J&Js.. Brian finished building the planter boxes plus the trellises for the clematis. Turned out a lot better then I thought:-)..as usual. Also finished the yearend review stuff at work so just some followups and we're through. This Thursday, I'm headed to Suncadia resort in Cle Elum for a leadership retreat..should be nice. I've never been to Cle Elum. Markane comes into town this Wed and we have a BBQ the following weekend then Uncle Tom's cabin after that.. the Family is going camping but we wont' be going this year so we can go to the cabin.. boohoo.. not enough weekends during the summer.. anyhow, some pictures. I still haven't done anything to the bedroom.. thats next;-) still getting ideas. Now I"m thinking of an upholstered headboard...hmmm some progress on the plants..

boxes with trellises and the clematis

Hanging plant Judy/Dan bought for us

pretty flowers I got at the Edmond's farmers market

sugar snap peas growing finally

Tomatoes!

Another busy weekend in the yard.. and it was "scorching" hot! 85 and 90 I believe for the weekend.. that is a little too much but we or I should say Brian managed to stay outside and do quite a bit.. Started off with a trip to Sky Nursery on Saturday for 3 truckloads full of mulch..while we were there we picked up 2 clematis plants and another strawberry plant.. alot of their plants were on sale for 40% off..woohoo..thats unusal for Sky... Sunday, went back to Sky and got John and Jessica a pretty good sized hydrangea for their anniversary since John keeps commenting on how we have too many hydrangeas..hehe.. now he has his own.. Mom came over on Sunday and we went to see John's new retaining wall..looks really good.. so professional!.. We also took a trip to Lowes and got more plants..came home, planted those then Brian built me a flower box.. finally,..putting that tablesaw to good use..lets see, we saved about 20bucks on this 1.. if he builds about 20 more of those we might have broken even on that saw..haha.. j/k.. looks good.. we just need 1 more...and the veggie garden is doing good.. peas are out and the chinese veggies are getting bigger..maybe in a month we'll have homegrown veggies.. if the squirrels dont' get to them first..

Mulch! what a difference it makes and hoping they'll keep the weeds out..for now at least

Boxes in progress..
Tada!

This weekend was all about the garden and yard... I am so sore I had to take painkillers last night after spending all day Saturday outside in the hot sun pulling weeds! and there were a lot of weeds.. we filled 2 yard waste bins..insane!..but man did it need it.. then we went out and had happy hour at Scotts with John and Jessica to wind down the night.. Today it was more of the same. Brian brought home a truck load of soil from John's and put it up on the ledge next to the new fence.. planted a bunch of hostas there.. unlike last year we actually got them in the ground before they died! haha.. also finished up my veggie garden.. its so pretty now.. it was neglected and I wasn't really into it last year but I have to the say the last 2 days have been very rewarding.. and also reconfirmed how out of shape I am:-)..but nevertheless it was great and I am so excited to see the fruits of our labor (literally:-)..hehe..

Brian -finishing up the boxes he built for me inside the garden.. I'm so lucky..he built the entire veggie garden from the fencing to the latching door and of course tilling up all the soil.. its so pretty, gets good sun and hidden behind the garage..
Ta da! all done
strawberry plant.. notice the 1 small white berry which should turn red shortly.. hoping for more
2 cantoulope plants.. we'll see how these go.. needs rich soil and I have no idea if mine is.. :-(
First signs of some baby bok choy I put down last weekend

and of course the obligatory tomatoe plant.. I was told this is a bad year for tomatoes since its been so cold ..we'll see how this one does.

and the finished fence! All stained and some hostas.. you can't see them very well because they're small and we could have probably used some more soil up there but they'll get bigger..

Dinner! I think I might try to start posting pictures of some meals I've been cooking lately..trying out some new recipes - well only the ones that turn out of course:-).. but seriously I've found many food blogs online and they're really fun to read if you like to cook so thought I'd try to keep a little journal as well.. need to do better with the photos but here is what I think is a pretty good interpretation of oyako donburi and some miso soup.. I found the recipe online and modified a bit -but it turned out really good.. almost exactly like we get at the Japanese restaurant:-).. the miso soup was good too..made with real miso - no instant stuff;-)..well other then the dashi...

and what do you do when its really hot out and you're too lazy to cook?? antipasto! some salami, proscuitto, cheeses, bread, olives.. easy and good

and finally pictures of the new fence...

before with the fence posts all set..we can see the parking lot of the office building after Brian tore down the existing bushes... :-( not so good..

"stringers are up

boards going up

almost there.. John came just in time to help set the final boards which needed trimming and cutting

tada!.. done.. just needs stain.. all done within 1 weekend.. pretty darn good for a 90foot fence:-) well definitely better then the 2 to 3 years if we're lucky for a 6ft laurel hedge.. maybe someday but for now we have privacy again..woohoo!

I made my first successful Japanese meal at home today! so proud..hehe.. We had oyako donburi which is chicken and egg over rice with a lot of sweet onions..served with miso soup.. from real miso not that instant stuff:-). I was going to take a picture of it but the camera died. Oh well.. There'll definitely be a next time - made its way into my recipe box:-)
This last memorial day weekend was nice and relaxing. We had 3 days off and did nothing all Saturday, ran errands Sunday including a trip to Ikea for some sheer curtains and some new brackets for the windows. Oh and picked up some Popeye's chicken while we were down south..soo dang good..thank goodness we dont' live closer or we'd be in trouble. Anyhow, I have "plans" to turn the single rods to doubles so we can get a little more privacy

Memorial Day we worked in the yard and got the garden ready..this year we actually added potting soil and some fertilizers to the ground..we'll see if that yields better results.. we found 2 radishes out there from last year..they were literally the size of peas..haha.. hiliarous.. miniatures! then we had a cookout/hotpot at Goo Goos.. I made tiramisu but I didn't taste any since I can't have dairy.. I think I can do better..the ladyfingers weren't soaked enough.. oh well, next time although everyone is requesting cheesecake so maybe I"ll do that again. Brian's parents are coming to town in July so we're excited for that.. and work is busy as usual with review season here.. seems like we're always in review season..hmm.. guess its a good thing..review season means raises:-)..although with such a bad year in terms of the economy we should all feel lucky to even have jobs..so I'm thankful..hehe.. oh and we're moving in January - not homes but offices.. going to lose that beautiful waterfront view from my office.. boohooohooo..enjoy it while I can I guess.. oh and Brian got himself a Sunbeam Alpine..the shell at least..he plans to restore it.. haha.. says it can take years.. maybe by the time we both retire we'll have a nice Alpine to cruise around in;-).. he started a blog for it..link to the right..

Okay so its been decided..no laurel plants..instead...a new 6 foot cedar fence!! Why you say? Well, its the same price as doing the laurels and instant gratification! Brian ripped down the 7 plants that were there today and now we know why they only planted 7.. apparently there are plants on the other side of the fence and where they planted the 7 were where there werent plants if that makes sense.. so he ripped it down while I took a nap and ummm.. there is no more privacy and we can see through the fence..ugh.. so we can wait 4 years for the laurels to grow up and hide it..well I'm exaggerating..maybe 2 to 3.. but me.. no patience..haha.. well that and we're not sure we have very green thumbs.. my guess is out of the 30 laurels we buy and plant.. some..or quite a few will die and that means more money and no privacy..sigh..so cedar fence it is then we'll plant so flowers, etc to give it some green.. and so there you go..we priced out the wood, etc and we're set to do this next weekend.. because this is a brand new fence unlike the last one where we replaced, Brian will have to set in posts with concrete and "stringers".. then the cedar boards..then stain..fun fun..but in 3 weeks we will have privacy and again instead of 2 years.. I like that alot better I think:-).. pictures to come next week... wish us luck...whoever told us home improvement was neverending was right..we're very lucky that Brian can do this stuff..i can't even fathom the thought of paying for labor on all we've done..ugh..

and too funny not to post:-).. Stanley and his turtlehead turning in for the night- its so wrong I know..but it was a turtle at one point.. Stanley decided to rip it apart so I sewed the head together and he loves it..hehe..

k, Jenny says I need to blog more often so here I am...haha.. actually I've been meaning to post but work has been a little hectic.. Anyhow, so we did get some projects done around the house..namely the backsplash. We ended up taking the granite back off afterall becuse it was alot easier then we expected and came off with no issues.. so here are the photos. I love it..looks great, very clean and functional. Since then Brian has tiled my mom's kitchen and John's fireplace.. he's liking the tiling thing I think. Lets see what else has been going on.. not much I guess... like I said work has been busy and I finally filled the role on the team so that was good.. and going well:-). We're also hoping to go clamming next weekend..hoping.. if the weather is good..should be fun. I've never been.. Seattle has had some very odd weather.. see photos below of April snow!.. we got 3 inches and John and Jessica got 7 at their home in Mill Creek! insane. just waiting for the weather to get better so we can finish the siding and also do some landscaping. We've decided to go ahead and plant laurels in the backyard as a hedge.. all 90 feet! yikes..didn't realize that we had that much space .. which means more plants which means more moola..sigh.. never ends..then the roof.. boohoohoo...

Tiling in progress...see where the granite was taken off.. held up by big dabs of silicone
Brian - master subway tiler guy...
tada! not great photos.. I'm challenged..need that new camera..
and the crazy April snowshowers



oh and a picture of Stanley just for fun.. he's patiently waiting for his "B"-"A"-"T"-"H":-)