Demo Time

No riding this weekend and Shawn has made the comment that I'm really productive when I'm not on a horse :0)

Our next project we've agreed will be the living room. We know what color we want to do and the only thing that has been stopping us is my wanting to take down the paneling. We were kind of nervous about what might be behind the paneling, but you'll never know unless you rip it down and while Shawn was grading papers I pulled out my pink toolkit.

I won't hold you in suspense, luckily there was drywall behind the paneling and it is actually in quite good condition and not too bad of a color. The good color mind you is in the middle of the wall the borders are quite awful. The blue green color is actually the original drywall (I think) and we plan on covering that up with crown modeling and trim.

Here's a short picture story of the day:

The true before, before we even moved in. Now we are just doing
the painted paneling which is white in this picture. The other
wall is going to hold off until we remove the oil furnace which
is behind the closet door.

If the paneling doesn't cooperate that's when you
get the power saw out :0) It worked well and scared Shawn.

Not a bad color! It is more yellow/tan in person,
kind of pink in some of the photos.

Who throws their poo?! Well not really, this panel was glued
on because there are no studs in this wall. It will take
some sanding to fix those parts.

All patched and ready for priming. We'll see
how long it will stay like this.

Meet Annie....

You can read all about my adventures with Annie on my other blog, 'Joining the Race.' I've been too nervous to take my big camera out to the barn because of the temperatures, but decided to take (risk) Shawn's little point and shoot. Didn't really expect to get any great shots, but I actually like how this one turned out. I enhanced the blow out that was already happening and bumped up the contrast to really make it pop.

I like how it turned out. How about you? I'm also liking all these little blog kits I keep finding online. Might get to the point that I can just change the blog to suit my mood :0)

Finally....

We made it outdoors. With the cold spell sort of snapped (I think it is supposed to be 40 degrees this week!) we ventured out to do some snowshoeing. Unfortunately we've kind of missed that window. I think there was a very narrow window to do real snowshoeing back in December and we just never made it out.

Well today we headed up to Scotch Creek Wildlife Area. I hoped to glimpse some wildlife, but alas no critters, or at least live ones, a few drops of blood and a pile of fur was really all that was left. It was actually a pretty pleasant morning. About 20 degrees, but no wind. Hopper was excited to explore a new place and was really all over the place. There is a pretty well worn trail up most of the hill so we didn't need to use our snowshoes, but decided to carry them with us anyway. I'd like to find a way to carry them without my hands, but that can come another day. It was really nice to have them when we got up towards the barn as the snow was pretty deep. Hopper was true to his name and hopped through the snow and kept digging in, probably chasing mice under the snow.

The barn was a great photo site. I have seen it from the Conconully highway and had even tried to take a photo of it with no luck. Today though, I had a blast. It has been so long since I have taken the camera out it was really great to get some good shots. Renews my faith in myself.

Just a Peek

Just a Peek
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Scotch Creek Barn

Scotch Creek Barn
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Open Door

Open Door
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Barn Door

Barn Door
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Hopper

Hopper
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

His longest walk yet. We were probably out for about an hour and a half. He really enjoyed smelling everything that was new to him. Hopper has probably memorized all the smells on his daily walk by now. He really liked the deer trails crossing ours.

Before... During... and After

The hopes of snowshoeing this weekend were dashed by images of paint brushes and masking tape dancing through my head. I know not as good as sugar plums, but hey it was a very productive weekend. We have totally revamped our bedroom. Although it is far from finished it is now much easier to see what we hope to do with the room and the list has become considerably shorter.

Before

Okay, suspense aside here is the room before:

Take notice of those stark white walls. They were covered in wallpaper not too long before these photos. I completely forget to take a picture of the little flowers repeating all across two walls, but here is a sampling of it. Lovely eh?


During

We had originally planned on painting the room red, but were still unsure so we got some of the paint pod samples. After the initial four red samples we decided against red. Just wasn't doing it for us. So we picked a few more colors. In all we had nine different colors on the wall. Though I think we have decided from those samples what color to paint the living room and possibly the sun room.


In addition to the multiple colors we also had a few stains on the walls so up went the primer. With the primer up on the walls, but no the corners you could tell the walls were just dingy looking. They weren't white like the photos, but well, you can see the difference in this next photo.


After

With a bit of a drum roll may I introduce the after photos:

The final wall color was Twilight Gold. We still have a huge list of to-dos but this is a very strong start and helps us to envision the other tasks. Here's the remaining list:

• Replace windows
• Repaint trim on windows and walls
• Replace closet
• Replace door (custom cut for $90, checked at Home Depot today)
  
• Buy dressers (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30053921) for under windows

Overall I feel pretty good though.

Hope you have enjoyed this episode of Before... During... and After. I'm sure there will be more to come as we hope to do the living room next.

Back in the Saddle...

That's right, I'm riding horses again. I have come upon the opportunity to learn about endurance racing. This is totally new and foreign to me and I'm excited to learn. You can follow my adventures with Annie on my new blog: Joining the Race.

With riding 3-4 times a week I hope to keep pulling the camera out. We've been locked in quite a cold, foggy spell lately. The fog has been here for a week and the forecasts are saying it will stick around for another week. I'm ready for it to go away, feels too much like Western Washington (of course w/o the flooding).

We do have hopes of going snowshoeing this weekend. I've even picked out the place I want to go, Scotch Creek. The plan is to bring the camera and the dog. Hopper should enjoy a good outing and hopefully he won't scare all the animals away. He's so quiet I hope to be able to have a photo shooting companion.

There are also plans in the work for painting the bedroom. Currently there are 9 different colors painted on the wall (don't worry I'll get a picture before the primer goes on). From that 9 I think we have settled on a color for the bedroom, a color for the living room and a color for the sunroom. It's funny, I kept telling myself to concentrate on picking a color for the bedroom and I seem to have done well working on the rest of the house as well.

Wish me luck on a hopefully busy weekend.

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2009! So far we've gotten 3 inches of snow and it is still coming down hard. Here is my promised year in review. I just went off what was on my Flickr account and realized after it was all said and done, I didn't even comment about the house we bought in September. Oh well! Remember I've got a whole lot more photos, just follow the links and enjoy!

January

Confidence
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

We started 2008 off with some adventure. We headed up to Conconully with the Streeters for the Snow Dog Super Mush. The first dog sled races I had been to and it was a lot of fun. I hope to go back this year and see what kind of photos I can get.

February

Bohemian Waxwing
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

We finally ventured up to Tonasket to explore. We got a geocache and I found a great little park with a whole flock of waxwings to take photos of.

March

Chelan Snow
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Snow at Chelan? This is our summer cabin! When we went over to open the cabin this year there was a nice bit of snow and Shawn's folks had an adventure coming of the pass from Western Washington. It quickly melted away, but stayed quite chilly.

April

Double Play
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Baseball season started and Shawn volunteered as a coach for Okanogan. Gave me a chance to practice some action shots and I loved how this one turned out with the ball in focus. Probably one of my favorite "mistake" photos of the year.

May

Spotted Towhee
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

With the water still down when we visited Lake Chelan in May I hunkered down on a log and snapped photos of birds playing in a seasonal stream. It was great practice and has made me appreciate how fun it is to take photos of birds.

June

Wedding
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Probably the highlight of the year, our wedding! We were married June 28 in Pateros, WA. I was lucky enough to have two photographers, Tim Patrick of Okanogan and Stephanie Stremler of Lynden. Here is one of Stephanie's photos.

July

Dawes Glacier
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Our honeymoon to Alaska! Although there are much more picturesque photos of Alaska and the glaciers I figured a photo reminder of our cruise should be one of us. This is when we were at Dawes Glacier. It was a great trip and we really would like to go back and explore Alaska a bit more. It's a different world up there.

August

Father and Son
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

We had some hot weather and luckily spent it at Lake Chelan at our cabin. We even had some friends from Okanogan join us this year and we hope to get even more there this next summer.

The fish didn't start biting until the sun was setting, but Shawn and his dad were still game to catch some.

September

Fur and Feather Auction
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

It was hard to pick just one photo from September as we had the county fair and I had a lot of great photos from it. Our second fair and I entered two photos this year. Maybe next year I can expand that even more. This little guy was waiting to sell his rabbit in the Fur and Feather Auction.

October

Leaping Kitties
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Boy did the leaves fall. We have three huge trees that each have a lot of leaves. Mickey didn't appreciate helping out with the big piles.

November

Hopper
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

We adopted a new family member. Hopper joined us from Wenatchee Humane Society and he has been a great addition and is a great little dog. Calm as can be unless you ask him to get excited and even then that can be a little difficult.

December

White Christmas
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

We had a white Christmas and all the family came to us this year. It was great getting to show off the new house. Although Shawn's folks had more snow at their home in western Washington, we've now caught up and it is snowing heavy as of the first of the year.

Winter Birds

A couple of birds to finish out the year. I hope to get a little picture recap of the year posted up here tonight or more likely tomorrow since we are going to go play at the Baum's tonight.



Such pretty blue feathers on the Steller's Jay. I almost bought the
couple we have in the yard some peanuts, but I'm afraid they
would just disappear in the snow.

I'm really intrigued by Flickers. My good friend started
bird watching because of flickers visiting her yard. It really
is amazing how big they are. I hope to keep the pair we have
around our yard and I want to try and create a feeder
for them this summer.

Merry Christmas

White Christmas
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas with their friends and family.

Basketball Time

Winter is here and with it comes hours in the gym watching basketball. Shawn runs the scoreboard and I enjoy tagging along. I help keep track of the fouls, but more so I learn about the game itself. I really wasn't a team player when I was younger and I have to realize that I should have tried more. It always seem like teammates tend to have a good time.

Bench

Bench
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Jump Shot

Jump Shot
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Free Throw

Free Throw
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Jump Ball

Jump Ball
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Free Throw

Free Throw
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Game Ball

Game Ball
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

A few poses...

...from the kitty. While taking the before photos of the bedroom (before I paint it red) Mickey decided to give some cute poses. I couldn't resist and he looks awfully striking with the curtains in the background.

Mickey

Mickey
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Mickey

Mickey
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Giving the look of leave me alone.

Snow and Sports

The snow has returned to Okanogan:

Alas I have no photos. I've been too lazy and cold. Actually it's been snowing and blowing pretty non-stop to the point that I don't really want to take my camera out. I have been reading up on taking photos in cold weather and have learned that the cold will not damage a camera, but the condensation going from a cold to a warm environment is the culprit, along with actual moisture like snow.

Anyway it started snowing Friday morning and as of this morning we have proabably 7 inches, but now the snow is of no concern it is the temperatures. It is in the mid teens now and the wind is suppsoed to pick up where we may have as low as -26 wind chill Monday or Tuesday. Brrrrrr!

Alright, on to the photos:

I may not be the biggest sports fan and I would say wrestling is probably not at the top, but taking photos of the kids wrestling is pretty intense and fun. It is amazing what the camera sees that the human eye misses. I did have someone tell me recently that if you are taking photos and you didn't see something happen, that's good, because it means that you caught the action.

I am also learning how to use my flash. I received a Nikon Speedlight for a wedding present (apparently I'm the important one in the couple hehe) and I have yet to read the manuel to use it properly and learn all the ins and outs. Instead I just sit in the same spot and make little adjustments here and there. So far I think my way of learning is working to an extent. I know I am probably missing something, but the photos didn't turn out too badly.

Wrestling

Wrestling
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

The Count

The Count
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Pin for Okanogan

Pin for Okanogan
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Take Down

Take Down
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Fall Birds

After a slight inconvenience of running over my power cord with the office chair I am now back in business. Can you believe power cords for laptops are $80?! There goes my buying of a Christmas present for myself :0)

Hopper is getting along quite well. I think he enjoys being here minus the scary water jug that bubbles and is sure to attack if he turns his back. We have a few fright issues to work out. He'll be taking the long car ride home with us for Thanksgiving, along with the cat. Mickey and Hopper seem to get along quite well. Hopper is occasionally rough and Mickey likes to run by and "tap" him on the shoulder as he passes.

We're going to look at paint colors today for the front living room. I really like color but it is the classic conundrum of being scared to actually paint. I have the colors picked out, and if they don't look right I can just paint over it. We do have to read up or question people at Home Depot about fixing some of the little issues with the wall, but I'm sure it will turn out great.

While the computer was out of commission I got some very fun shots of birds in the backyard. I hung up feeders and suet in hopes of attracting more, but man those little buggers can eat. I've refilled the feeder three times in a week and they chow down every little bit. I haven't taken a picture of a quail yet, but if I just glance up sometimes I think there is a herd of cats in the yard because they are so big.

Chickadee

Chickadee
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Chickadee A Flutter

Chickadee A Flutter
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Downey Woodpecker

Downey Woodpecker
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos

Fall Feeder

Fall Feeder
Originally uploaded by Kendal Jean Photos