time for a hair cut

claire had her first hair cut today - at 26 months old, it was getting a little shaggy. ben got his hair cut, too

the state fair is coming!

the fair is getting close. this year's t-shirts have been printed. i will try to get them washed a couple times before we wear them - cold and then hot

a few balloons

this afternoon we went down to Indianola with our friends the Nikkel twins to the balloon festival. if you ever get a chance to go to one, I would recommend it - they are spectacular

kansas city

this past weekend we traveled to Kansas City for a mini-vacation. it was kind-of a last minute deal, so when we gave cousin Jason a call and found out he was heading to Germany http://thebreuers.blogspot.com/, we were a little disappointed but decided to head there anyway. we saw a few of the sites and traveled around town. Ben and Claire had fun at the zoo, we would highly recommend going there

a little cabinet work

i stopped by our cabinet maker this afternoon. he is probably 75% completed with the frames of the kitchen cabinets. set to start on the doors and drawers later this week

aqui, manana

those were the only words I understood last night when I stopped in to check on the progress of the drywalling. a crew of 6-8 guys came in yesterday at about 3:00 and worked until after 9:00 hanging drywall. almost completed, though without electricity (i.e. lights), they couldn't get any more done. they should finish hanging today and get some mud up

eye candy

thought I might post a little something for Grandpa Galen. the owner objected slightly when I wanted to take a picture and he hadn't had a chance to wash it yet, but I wasn't going to be able to come back later - you will have to excuse the spots

Enjoy!

work on the house

not much photo-worthy progress on the house this week. new furnace installed and water and sewer roughed in. HVAC ducting to come shortly. electrical should start early next week, and hopefully drywall near the end of next week or beginning of the next

joel at custom woodworks has started on our cabinets, and has the plywood sides and backs cut. hopefully next week he will have a few frames and cabinets put together for me to see. he has posted our layouts on his website at http://www.customwoodworksonline.com/Kitchens.html if you want to see our kitchen

claire bear

just thought I would post this pic of claire that I shot with the 35mm

at the car show

we went to the BIG carshow in Des Moines on Sunday, Ben had a lot of fun. we made it almost 2 hours before he got bored and started playing more than he was looking at the cars.

and there was a hole

the end of the week showed we had less house than when we started, but that was a good thing. the hole in the kitchen/dining room wall in front of the sink was cut out. it really opens up the kitchen, and adds detail to the flat wall in the dining room

shakerato

Galen and Jeanne found a coffee recipe book called Coffee Cafe by Sherri Johns, and I have tried a few recipes out of it. I may have found a new favorite summer drink

shakerato (SHAKE - erato)

makes one 5 oz drink

1 shot (~1 oz) of espresso
1.5 tbsp sugar syrup or flavored syrup of choice - I use almond
3 large ice cubes

add ice cubes and sugar syrup to cocktail shaker (or improvised shaker with a heavy glass cup and another plastic cup that seals inside) pour espresso over top and let cool for 15 seconds. cover top and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. pour into clear glass and drink immediately

the foam at the top is the amazing part

tear out - tear in

the demolition on the house is nearly complete, and rebuild has begun. the kitchen and bathrooms are down to the bare interior walls and plumbing rough-in is probably 75% complete

the drop ceilings in the main floor have been removed and are ready for electrical rewire

ben absolutely loves going to the house these

days, but we have to plan on extra time for him to drive the tractor