Hail Storm

Nice little hail storm today. Looks like it just snowed and the plows are out.  

This was taken in the Denver Tech Center where Erica's office is.

The street at the bottom of the picture is flowing like a river.

Mums

Our mums are in full bloom.  We bought and planted them last October and we didn't think they would be so big just a year later.  They must really like it there under the tree.

October 2013.

Fall Color

Chris shot some pics during the trip back home this afternoon.  So pretty.  

With Liberty and Justice for All.

We took in the new Aspen Art Museum while we were in town.  It was privately funded by donors and received a lot of criticism by the town for its modern look.

We liked it.  It's quite small, but will have frequent rotation of works, so it will always be "new".  It is also free to the public.

The mirrored words wrapped around the building was one of the exhibits.

Aspen Ruggerfest

We met our friends Keith and Christina from KC in Aspen for the weekend.  Keith played in Ruggerfest.

Dino-Cutie

CB2 has some cute stuff on clearance right now including Blue the Dinosaur here.  He is protecting the bathroom from his perch on the back of the toilet.  He is a bit more teal in color than the picture shows.

He was $9.99 marked down to $3.99.  He is 4" tall and 6" long.

Also picked up these porcelain ant appetizer plates.  Only $0.99 a piece!

Game Day

I'm in a Fantasy Football League this year with work people.  I know pretty much nothing about football outside of the fact Aaron Rodgers is the QB for Green Bay.  But, I am doing really well so far.  In fact, I am number one in the league.  Granted, we are only in week 2 and there is plenty of time to under perform, but so far my fellow competitors say they are pretty impressed.  It is not all beginners luck either, Chris can attest I have been doing plenty of reading and research.  So far it is paying off and it's pretty fun!

Swaggin'

We have each hit our head on the dining room chandelier countless times over the years.  You see, the light is centered smack dab in the middle of the ceiling.  But our dining room table is off center so we have a clear  path through the dining area between the kitchen and living room.  

Our choices were to move the entire junction box, or swag the light.  We picked the less laborious option: Swaggin'.

It required re-wiring the light so we had the overall wire length we needed, and a new length of chain along with a hook kit, which totaled around $13.

There you have it.  No more annoying head trauma at dinner time.

Smarty Pants

Chris has slowly been transforming the house into a Smart Home.

We are using the Wink Hub and App   We purchased GE Link Lightbulbs and light switches so we can turn our lights throughout the house off and on, on demand or by setting a program from our phones and iPads.  And we can do it from anywhere.

Lights are just the beginning.  You can purchase "smart" sprinkler system controls, garage door openers, thermostats, even piggy banks.

Chris loves his technology, and Erica wasn't so sure about all of this at first, but it is pretty cool stuff.

A Cover Up

The concrete on our front patio and steps needs to be replaced.  Here is a peek at our deteriorating front steps:

We've attempted to patch it with concrete caulk, but it isn't holding up very well.  So, Erica decided some carefully placed pots would help provide cover as well as prevent visitors and the mailman from walking on the area.  The best part, all supplies were on hand, so this little project didn't cost a thing.  

The inspiration for the pots came from the Grandin Road Zoey Planter and this blog post on DIY Geometric Flower Pots.

First, a couple coats of white paint, followed by taping off the designs with painters tape.  Then, two coats of black spray paint that were dried completely before the tape was carefully peeled off.

And finally, they were put into place on the steps.  The little flower is a Teddy Bear Sunflower that we started from seed.  Will probably pick up a little mum for the second pot.

We're not sure when we will tackle the concrete re-do.  It's on the to-do list for now...