Just Brew It

How do you properly ring in your 30th year of life? By brewing your own beer, of course! We grabbed a gang of friends and reserved a kettle at a local brew-your-own place, and it was such a good time. Really. I don't even like beer and it was fun. Check out the process:

First the Birthday Boy got to choose a recipe from the archives. He landed on a Belgian White Bier, which brings in the flavors of orange and coriander (think Blue Moon if you're a brew-lover). And away we went!

Glucose. Not so appetizing, but necessary.

All kinds of dry flavor ingredients - Others were refrigerated or liquid, like the glucose above.

Measuring and then grinding the grains.

Our friend Adam with one of two drawn ingredient pitchers.

In go the coriander and orange in a separate mesh bag.

Dry ingredients added at specific times.

Once the kettle hit it's alotted time, the pros did something with all these...

...and then the whole shebang went in a keg to ferment. Yum..?

The whole process took 2 hours start to finish, and we go back to bottle and tote it home in two weeks time. There was a pleasant amount of time between each batch of ingredients being dropped into the kettle, allowing our group to chat, taste the brews on tap (including an amazing root beer for me!), and just generally enjoy eachother's company.

And even though I won't be partaking in the results, it was pretty fascinating to see all the ingredients in their various forms knowing what the end result would be. The place we went also offers wine and hard cider brewing, and we had so much fun the chances are good we'll be back! Highly recommend finding something similar in your own neck of the woods next time you want a new, fun experience for you and your pals.


Jump ahead to two weeks later and check out the bottling process here.

Metal Branch Makeover

Remember the faux-metal branch card hanger I made back in December? Well, it's had a little makeover to move from Christmas into more neutral (literally) territory.

After the holidays, it looked a little like this:

And now, thanks to simply swapping out the red velvet ribbon for some jute rope (and lopping off the Christmas greeting portion of a few photos while adding a few more), we've got this:

It looks a little sparse at the moment, but I'm excited to add notes and images as 2013 progresses. It will be so fun to have a kind of Year In Review come next Christmas when I take this year's collection down for the holiday greetings.

Random Round Up: Birthday Boy

We kept the party going all weekend for Nate's big 3-0, and more to come this week and weekend. You only turn 30 once, right? Right.

Thank goodness. We're tired.

Not a real birthday until there's Funfetti in the house.

Celebrating with Nate's fam.

Brew-Your-Own Beer excursion - Coaster tiled bathroom.

Time with extended fam for Nate's Grandma's 91st.

Cutest. Dog. Ever. How I love him.

Scratch and Dent

Do you like a bargain?
Silly question, I know. Who, after all, doesn't like a bargain. Well, I'm here with a little tip so you can track one down...

Much like the scratch and dent area of an appliance store, some clothing stores have a rack for altered or refinished garments. Now sure, this can mean hemmed-way-too-short pants or a sweater unraveling faster than Lindsey Lohan, but it can also mean a great piece of clothing with a hidden flaw or one that's easily fixable.

 I found the altered or refinished rack at my local Nordstrom Rack this weekend (it's not always there) and picked up a 100% cashmere cardigan for under $25 - 75% off the original price tag - because of a very fixable nick in the sleeve. Ten minutes with a needle and thread and it was good as new.

Keep your eyes peeled at outlet-type stores especially, and you may just walk away with a great piece and money in your pocket.

The Big Three-Oh

Happy Birthday to my hubs, best bud, and just generally wonderful guy: Nate!

 

It's the big 3-0 today, and I'm so excited to see what our thirties bring us together. We had a pretty fabulous 29, and it's only getting better.

Thanks for being the most supportive, dorkiest, funniest, young-Val-Kilmer-look-alike-y-est, all 'round best guy I know.

I'm so lucky to share this life with you. You're my favorite. 

Happy birthday, babe - Love you!

Random Round Up: Scores

Hope everyone had a fun Superbowl weekend! We kept it pretty low key this year: Just the two of us and a few house chores and touch-ups for our pre-game. Look out, we're crazy.

Pins in the mouth: Knocked out some alterations and repairs.

Tassels and leopard make for a happier work day.

Our bowl attire: Nate trying to jinx the 9'ers with a Hawks jersey (he says it worked)

Ancient wallet yielded new money: At least 9 years old. Score!

A new dog park opened near us - Tuck was lovin' it.

One Year Later

It's our anniversary!

It won't be a romantic one... although we are very much still in love... Have you guessed it?

It's been one whole year since we officially moved into our first home! Hard to believe. One year and one month ago yesterday (aka: December 31st, 2011) we were handed the keys, and after taking a month to paint, replace countertops, put in appliances, and generally work a second 40 hour/week job each, we were in on February 1st, 2012.

So much has developed and improved since that day, and although you've seen quite a bit of it by following this blog, I hope to post a more thorough then-and-now soon (ahem, when the house is clean). For now, here are two I found on my phone this morning:

Then: White on white on white in the entryway.

Now: Soft gray with pops of white and oranges.

Then: White wall with too many spackled holes to count in the family room.

Now: Soft yellow with a library table scattered with photos and art.

Thanks to everyone who's advised us, sweated with us, and generally kept us sane through this first year of home-ownership. Cheers to whatever comes next!