Jenna

A Few New Accessories

Published on October 17, 2013October 15, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

One of the few negatives about Alaska life is that you can’t activate a Verizon iPhone while in the state so, while we were traveling across the lower 48 recently, both the hubs and myself got new phones. Our old phones had been in service for several years and were starting have a few issues that were annoying, so it was time to upgrade. While he chose to cross to the dark side and get a new Samsung Galaxy, I just couldn’t unlearn my well-honed iPhone habits – as evidenced by my constant frustration while playing with his phone a few days prior to upgrading mine, so I chose to move up from a 4 to a 5.

Unfortunately, the day we chose to go get my new phone was the day after the new iPhone 5c and 5s came out, so it took a while to get everything transferred over to the new phone. I didn’t have any need of the higher end 5c or 5s features so I went with a regular 5, which I upgraded to the new iOS7 that evening. It took me a while to get used to the new look and feel, but after a few days I was feeling pretty comfortable.

And of course because the 5 is a different size than the 4, I had to buy a new case. Lucky for me, we found an extra batter pack and case in PURPLE, which I’m in love with. I love it even more after my phone fell out of my coat pocket the other day and survived without so much as a scratch on the case!

And to sweeten the deal the retailer offered a $100 gift card if you traded in your old iPhone when purchasing a new one, so of course we took them up on that deal, which made the new phone free! We couldn’t trade in hubby’s old iPhone since he bought a new Samsung, but we sold it on Craigslist with all the accessories for about the same price to a young Army officer in desperate need of a new phone after his broke, so that was a win-win too.

I also picked up a new mustard yellow purse while on our trip. I’d been on the hunt for a yellow purse for a few weeks, having given my old purple purse to my sister, but hadn’t found anything that spoke to me, but when I spotted this beauty in the window I heard heavenly hold music. I spent a little more on it than I typically do for purses, but its leather and should hold up to the on-coming Alaskan winter weather.

The mustard shade seems to coordinate well with whatever I pair it with and is a perfect color for fall. The thing I’m enjoying the most is all the pockets it has. It’s like whoever designed this purse knew exactly what I wanted to keep in it and made a pocket just for those items – including my new purple phone! My sister has already laid claim to it when I’m ready to move on, so I guess I’ve got good taste! 😉

What’s your latest accessory upgrade? Was it something new for fall, or have you already jumped on the holiday bandwagon?

Well Worth the Elbow Grease

Published on October 16, 2013October 14, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

Yesterday I recounted all of the freebies we’ve scored on Craigslist, so I thought I’d give a little progress report on our biggest find – the hot tub. Here’s what it looked like after the hubs gave it a good cleaning and started working on the plumbing.

After he got the guts fixed, he scored a super deal on supposedly ‘oops’ paint at the box store and started updating the exterior as well. Here’s a few shots of the difference.

And here’s the finished product, looking pretty darn good for investing less than $100 when a new tub this large would have run us $10-15,000!

Unfortunately, it’s sitting in the garage unused until we move to the new house since there isn’t an outlet for it at the rental and we learned it’s illegal to have a hot tub in your garage in Anchorage! Who knew?! Ironically the 220 plug at the new house has been the most expensive part of this venture, bringing our total to approximately $450. Now we’ll just have to see what it costs us to run! Wonder if the hubby can rig a generator to a treadmill the dogs run on.. wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone? 🙂

A Few More Freebies

Published on October 15, 2013October 14, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

These old wood framed windows are my latest Craigslist freebie score! I don’t have a specific plan for them just yet, but I’m thinking several might be touched up and enhanced with holiday themed vinyl cutouts!

As I drove home with my new treasures, I contemplated all of the things we’ve found for FREE since moving to the mainland and having access to the genius of Craigslist. Let’s recall some of my finds. There was the massive hot tub, the fruitful raspberry plants and wildflowers, a future fire pit drum, next season’s strawberry planter/compost barrel, an interior door that will become a new desk top for my office, NEW Christmas decorations that came with a large heavy-duty wheelbarrow in need of a new tire, 2 chairs for photo props, shutter style bi-fold doors for craft fair booths or photography backdrops, and of course a delivered load of used tires for my rain garden!

As you can tell, I’m a regular in the free section. It’s kinda addicting – I’ve even got my hubby scanning the list pretty often! 🙂 I actually get all warm and tingly reclaiming and reviving something that would have otherwise been added to the landfill. But I’m apparently not the only one, as someone did beat me to the vintage metal lockers I was hoping to snap up for the garage a few weeks ago! It’s amazing what’s offered up – free for the taking if you put in a little effort.

Yet even with all these amazing finds, there are still things I’ve passed up just because it’s just better to wait until we’re in the house and ready for that item or project – like free chickens or an old fridge the hubs can convert into a smoker (luckily not in the same ad!). And the fact that the garage is starting to feel a bit cramped… But, that’s the beauty of the Craigslist free section – there’s always more to choose from! So I’m sure there will be another old fridge available when we’re ready to hunt and in need of a large smoker next year. And I bet there will be an old chest freezer for free or nearly too! As you know, I’ve also found several great deals like this and this on Craigslist that were low-cost albeit not free.

Are you a Craigslist freebie hunter too? What treasures have you found and restored? I want to hear about them!

A Quick Update

Published on October 14, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

First things first, I’m sorry I’ve been MIA recently. It was a SUPER busy at work last week and I had several photo sessions with new clients (that’s a very good thing!) so blogging just fell to the bottom of the list. But, I’m back and I’ll try to make up for lost time with a post each day this week – although don’t hold me to that! 😉

We made our weekly visit to check on the construction progress at the new house on Sunday and didn’t see much visual change, but that doesn’t mean things didn’t happen. The gas line was installed, as evidenced by the gas meter on the side of the garage. That means there is progress still happening while we were sorting out the electrical issue – more on that in a minute.

We also know that R19 insulation was ‘blown’ into the attic, since Matt was there when the contractor arrived earlier this week. Of course I don’t have any pictures of that, but I’m sure the home inspector will confirm it’s all there. As you can see below the metal roof is still not complete, but it is closer than it was last week.

One major thing we noticed is that the debris on the lot has been cleaned up. Remember how there was a huge pile of trash and scrap on this side of the house last week? Well it was moved to the front and apparently burned based on the ashes seen on the right in the picture below. It’s a good thing that Matt pulled out the usable pieces and set them aside in the woods when he was on site earlier this week!! Granted there are still items on the edges of the clearing that will need to be collected and a few items in the burn spot that weren’t completely destroyed that will have to be removed, but overall it’s looking a lot cleaner – which soothes my Type A personality! Although it does make the dirt splatter from the recent rain more obvious… Luckily, I reminded myself that will be eliminated when we landscape next summer.

Most importantly, there were signs of progress on the electrical line being run. The short story is that the seller of the lot did service the lot as he agreed to do, but not in the way that would have been most convenient or cost-effective for us. So it boiled down to our options being 1.) Cut a 15′ wide stretch of trees from the front corner of the lot opposite the driveway to the house for the line to be run, at an additional cost of $3,000 if we cleared the trees ourselves or 2.) Pay an additional $3,500 to have the line run down the road and up the driveway to the house. We chose to maintain the privacy and potential resale value by paying the extra $500 to go the extra distance. Unfortunately, that meant we were over budget and needed to adjust the numbers with our lender. Although I’m not happy with the increased cost, I am pretty proud that the only reason we are over budget is out of our control. Every other selection and decision was made within budget at our original sales price and allowances balancing out. Not many who build a home can say that! Here you can make out the stakes that mark where the line will run up the driveway and to the side of the house.

Hopefully the actual line will go in this week and progress can resume inside with muding and taping, then finish work! With all the recent delays, we’re now estimating we won’t close and move in until sometime in December. Sigh. I really want to spend Christmas in the new house, but ultimately my goal at this point is to be in the house by the end of the year. Fingers crossed! 🙂

Visible Progress!

Published on October 6, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

We did our weekly visit to check on the construction of the new house today and were happy to see that the roof is almost complete along with the drywall! It looks so different seeing solid walls. Luckily, all of the rooms seemed about the size I anticipated. I know adding drywall can make rooms feel smaller, so if I like the space now I should really love it when it’s finished and painted!

The roof is done on the front except for a small part on the garage and the edge caps.

Inside the main living area from the laundry room door.

Main living area from back side of the kitchen.

Kitchen and dining room from the front entry way.

The corner of the entry way and hallway from the living room. — The junction of the studio, entry way and hallway from the living room.

The hallway from either end.

Guest room #1. — Guest room #1, or “Foster” room.

Master Bathroom corner tub and edge of the shower; the doorway on the left leads to the toilet room.

Hallway bathroom. — Hallway/guest bathroom.

Now we’re just waiting to get the power line figured out with the electric company. There’s been a bit of a snag in deciding where the line will come from and how it will be run, so hopefully that gets resolved this week which will finalize the electrical inspection and allow the crew to get mudding and taping can be done before the cabinets are installed and then flooring. Stay tuned! 🙂

Another Little Update

Published on October 2, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

Here’s a quick update on the house as of last weekend. The electrical is done except for the actual power line from the road to the house, which has to be done by the electric company. The insulation has been installed and sealed with plastic for energy efficiency on all exterior walls. Drywall will begin being installed this week, which will start to give us a sense of the actual space in each room.

Inside — The dining room, kitchen and family room.

The garage, with garage doors installed.

Most importantly, the metal roof was started!! The roofer estimates 10 days to a week to complete due to the special cuts required with the front elevations. He also told us that the roof has a lifetime warranty, but that we may have to replace the rubber washers on the screws after 25 years. Ummm.. ok. So basically, it’s maintenance free and may even outlast us living in the house. We’re very pleased with how the brown color compliments the other house colors. And having seen it, we’re really glad we didn’t choose the copper color instead which would have overpowered the house!

The front side of the house with roof being installed!

Backyard — The back of the roof, not yet started, but the deck and stairs are done.

One other big thing outside is the painting of our front door in the fabulous Mata Hari color I discussed here. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out and can’t wait to start decorating my porch for every holiday!

We’ll make a trip up again this weekend to check on the progress, so stay tuned for more pictures after that!

From Sea to Shining Sea

Published on September 27, 2013September 27, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

As promised, here’s the photos from our trip across country. As a photographer at heart, I naturally started snapping while in the air. The first sights were Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood as my connecting flight took off from Portland, OR.

While in Virginia we were waylaid with the tunnel closures due to terrorist threats and decided to check out the historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Norfolk. There were several revolutionary war tombstones, some that time has since almost over grown and a cannon ball in the side of the church from a British ship! Although the church caretaker informed us that the cannon ball actually bounced off the wall when fired and was later inserted into the wall for historical reenactments. He also said that every so often it falls back out of the wall and they have to plaster it back in! I love getting the inside scoop on cool stories like that!

We were also able to tour the inside of the church where we found impressive stained glass windows, and this amazing hand-carved wood organ!

After leaving VA we drove through West Virginia, where we spotted this rig on the turnpike. I’m fairly certain they were repos, but the fact that they left the car trunk and truck windows open for the haul was astonishing!

We also spotted this cool double bridge amidst the construction (hence the orange in the margin) during one heck of a rain storm in Charleston.

And somewhere in western West Virginia this rig snuck up on us and flew by. I barely had time to collect my senses and grab my camera to get a shot. That eagle statue is actually on a towed trailer which was also decorated. I’ve searched the internet for info on what spurred this strange creation, but wasn’t able to find anything in particular.

While in Kentucky we spotted this 9/11 tribute ‘window art’ on a car at the gas station we happened to stop at. I thought it was pretty darn cool.

I snapped this photo somewhere in Kansas after a guy at a rest stop offered $10,000 for the truck. He claimed he’d been following us for about a half hour scoping the truck out and trying to keep up with us! Obviously we declined the offer. There’s much more sentimental value in that hunk of metal than almost any offer could cover.

After that, Kansas was long and flat. Fields, sky and windmills for HUNDREDS of miles!

Along with the occasional batch of sunflowers of course!

I didn’t get any shots of Colorado as we entered, since it was already dark by then, but I did get several shots of the region as we made our way from Denver to Durango. This is the Colorado I remember.

We stopped for gas in one of many small towns we passed through and I spotted these flags on the hillside. It screamed small-town America to me, and I loved it!

While at that stop I saw a pretty Australian Shepard sitting on a truck bed, patiently waiting for her owner to return from inside. I went over to take her picture as she sat, but once she saw me come close she immediately wanted attention and a few pats on the head. I was hooked. Who wouldn’t be with that face? I finally got her to back up enough to get this shot just before her owner returned.

In Durango, we stayed with my husband’s aunt on her ranch, which held a wealth of wonderful photo ops around the rustic barn, nearby river and house which dates back to the 1800s!

Inside, the house was a treasure trove of antiques and historical finds, like this 1950’s stove and fiesta ware!

And I nearly swooned at all this green glass!

We spotted this cool old church in the historic section of Durango, but didn’t have time to explore.

We also saw this cool rig, which I’m sure see’s lots of action come winter!

Back on the road, we headed out of Colorado and into Utah. More fields, sky and miles of very little.

I did enjoy these two Indian statues at a gas station we stopped at. I’m not sure why they were there, but they were pretty large!

Quickly the fields gave way to sagebrush.

Which then led to very colorful mountains in unique formations as we approached Moab.

And then on the side of the road was THIS!

We’d discussed going to see the famous arch in Moab, but I knew it would be a several hour detour to do so and not an entirely fun one with our large rig. So when we spotted this arch literally on the side of the highway I was delighted. Luckily the hubby let me spend 10-15 minutes snapping a few different angles.

And just to give you a little perspective on size, here’s some hikers that were climbing while we were there.

Just down the road from the arch we spotted this little “Hole in the Rock”. It looked like an interesting tourist stop, but we were on a mission to cover miles so I just snapped a quick shot as we went by.

Just past Moab we stopped again for gas at a station right next to THIS! I was literally giddy!

I can’t say what I wouldn’t have given to have a model to use this background!

Just think of the possibilities for themed sessions here!

As I made my way back to the truck I spotted these wig wams. I’m sure they’re not traditional or authentic, but they were still pretty cool.

And as I shot the sights the mob apparently pulled in…We never did figure out who this group really was, but they sure did look suspicious driving all black Lexus and Audi’s individually. Only two cars had a passenger, and everyone in the group was a young male – although they did have different state tags and the drivers were different ethnicities. Whoever they were, they sure got a LOT of attention!

From there it was more desert landscapes. While they hold a beauty all their own they still aren’t my favorite. It just can’t compete with the splendor of the changing seasons.

This rock formation and upside down flag were high above what I think was a coal plant in nowhere Utah. I wondered who had climbed up there to install the flag pole and what their significance was for hanging the flag incorrectly. Perhaps in protest of the coal? Maybe on accident? I’ll never know.

We spotted this train heading into a tunnel below us as we rounded a curve, so the hubby made a pit stop when a large shoulder was available soon after so I could get a better shot.

And I decided to do a close-up of these rail road irons that were sitting where we pulled off.

Several hundred miles later we entered the Columbia Gorge, where we paused along the river briefly.

I ventured down the little trail there to get this final shot of the dam and locks just up river.

We pulled into Portland a little while later and were then busy with unloading the truck and several appointments for things we can’t get up here in Alaska. Apparently we were so busy that I didn’t take any more pictures! So that’s our trip across the country in a nut-shell. Watch my photography website, Jenna D’ Photography for the portraits I created during sessions for several family members and friends! There’s going to be some great ones! 🙂

My Latest Splurge!

Published on September 24, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

Although we’re still several weeks away from moving into the new house, I’ve been watching several sources for the perfect pieces to complete the look I want for several spaces, including the entry way. I knew I wanted a table that I could decorate with seasonal items, but that also served as storage for my stock decorating materials (candles, cloches, baskets, etc.).

I spotted this beauty at a local antiques store last year while visiting Anchorage, but was aghast at the $1100 price tag! I’d since watched it move around the store with a price drop each time I saw it. The latest was a reduction to $850, which still seemed high to my bargainista conscience. I told myself that if it was still there once we moved in I’d bite the bullet and make the purchase, taking a stab at negotiating a lower price first of course!

Then a few weeks ago I found a new local woman-owned business called Persnickety’s Attic who refinishes found pieces and advertises on Facebook. I’d liked several of her pieces, but hadn’t seen anything that fit exactly what I wanted for the new house. That is until she posted this beauty!

Yup, my dream entry buffet’s long lost twin! And at $575 she practically sang a siren’s song to me! I confirmed the measurements were similar to the first “high-cost” piece and would fit the space, but was then out of town for our recent trip. Luckily, another fan who was interested said it wouldn’t fit the space she wanted it for, so it was still available when I got back. It was very hard to part with a big chunk of money so soon after our trip, but this is the real deal – a solid antique military dresser, which means it will last FOREVER!

Plus it has LOTS of storage for all my decor items, including the tall vases and glass domes that don’t currently fit in the Craigslist dresser we found earlier this summer. With a cabinet this deep on both sides I might even have to add a shelf on one side! I’m already envisioning all my treasures stacked neatly where I can find them at any time!

Unfortunately, there is no room left in the rental for it to be enjoyed, so it will live in the garage next to the hot tub until we move. I’m very tempted to move all my decor items into it just to see how everything fits. Yes, it’s neurotic to do so, but I thrive on being organized and having all my decor stuff together where it will eventually live is music to my ears. Yes – I know I’m crazy like that. 🙂

It’s going to look fantastic in the new entry way which will look almost identical to this, except with our wood style floors throughout and prettier chandelier.

I’m thinking a hand-made driftwood mirror similar to this above it (although turned length-ways) would finish off the look and provide that ever important spot to make sure you don’t look like a hot mess before answering the doorbell.

What do you think? Did I find a perfect look-a-like at a fraction of the cost? Will drift wood compliment the finish or should I do something other than a mirror above? I curious to hear your thoughts!

I’mmm Baaccckkk!

Published on September 22, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

Sorry I’ve been MIA recently. The hubs and I were on a cross-country road trip to pick up my my 1955 F-100 from Virginia! It’s now in my mother-in-law’s garage in Washington until the spring when we’ll head back down south to pick it up and put it on the ferry to Alaska. We had originally planned to complete the whole transport in one trip, but the ferry schedule was not feasible, so we had to come up with a plan B.

We definitely got a lot of attention hauling my ’55. It was pretty common for people to tailgate us, then pass slowly as they checked out the truck and throw us a thumbs up before speeding on down the road. And just about every time we stopped someone asked what year the truck was or what we were doing with it. We even had an offer for $10,000 in a mid-west rest stop! Of course I didn’t accept, since the truck holds more sentimental value of time spent with my dad restoring it from the junk yard mess it was when we first bought it. My husband really enjoyed throwing people for a loop by pointing out that the truck was mine and not his!

Beyond moving the truck closer to Alaska the trip was a means to visit family and friends across the country. We spent a few days with my family in Virginia where we watched my nephew play in a few baseball games before heading to Denver to visit our good friends. We got to town just as the biblical rains paused for a day, before resuming the following day increasing the already swollen rivers. Luckily, our friends live in Morrison, in the mountains south of Denver so they didn’t have any major damage like Boulder did.

Our last night in Denver we had dinner with my husband’s cousin and her family – who I did a quick portrait session for (watch for a post about that on my Jenna D’ Photography site!)

After Denver, we headed to Durango, CO where we visited my husband’s aunt’s ranch. I was supposed to do a family session for her daughter’s family but we were unable to coordinate all six kids schedules to allow everyone to participate. So instead, I did a few pictures of the younger kids as they introduced me to the horses and of the two kitties who call the ranch home.

I also took photos of the needlepoint projects his aunt has done to create a portfolio of her work. We were only there for about 18 hours, but it was good to visit and meet more of my hubby’s extended family. From there, we headed to Portland. We learned that the storms had hit Durango just after we left, washing out the road to the ranch we had been at and causing boulders to crash down the mountainside, knocking my husband’s cousin’s truck off the road! Everyone was alright, but it sure was a scary few hours! We spent the last two days of our trip with my mother-in-law just across the river from Portland. Once the truck was settled in her garage, I got in a little antiquing and shopping before meeting up with an old high school friend I hadn’t seen in over a decade for dinner. It was fun to catch up and chat about how we had both changed.

Of course I took LOTS of pictures along the way, which I’ll be editing to share in a post later this week. There’s just too many to sort through tonight. Now that we’re home and unpacked it’s back to work and a normal routine. We checked in on the house right after picking up our fur babies from doggie day camp. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been as much progress as hoped. The exterior was being painted when we arrived, including the front door – only in the wrong color! The foreman arrived while we were there so I pointed that out and reminded him that I’d tried to give him the color I wanted before leaving, but he’d said to hold off. Now that he has the right paint number & name it should be repainted tomorrow. The roofing material is on-site, but has not been installed yet. The electrical has been done, although we’re going to need a diagram to figure out what switch goes to what light before moving in! The local power company still has to run the line to the house to finish the electrical inspection, but the crew should begin insulation on Monday, followed by drywall. They can’t mud and tape until the electrical inspection is complete, so we’ll see if there is a delay there. Here’s the latest picture of the progress.

Stay tuned this week for new posts! I promise I’ll be back to my normal weekly routine now. 🙂

Wash, Dry, Fold, Repeat

Published on September 22, 2013September 30, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

I’m so exited to have a laundry room again in the new house. Our rental did come with a washer and dryer, but they are in the garage, which doesn’t make doing the laundry very convenient.

As I mentioned in a previous post about our appliances, we’ve purchased a brand new LG washer and dryer which will be a huge improvement on the machines we had in military housing and in our current rental. Our landlord actually bought the same model we did for his new home! The new home will also have a sink in the laundry room, making treating all those doggie slobber stains super easy.

In true “type A” style I already have several plans for this space. The first is building a platform like this to eliminate bending to see into the machines, while creating a system for laundry sorting that stays tidy and out of the way since this will be a walkway to our garage.

Since our builder just plumbs for the sink and doesn’t install one, I plan to get this for the nice deep sink and storage underneath.

We will have additional storage with cabinets above the washer & dryer in the same color and style as our kitchen. There won’t be a cabinet above the sink due to the window there, so I want to install a drying rack that will open over the sink. Maybe a DIY like this.

As for decor, I plan to keep it simple with the same funny signs I had in our laundry room in Kodiak. That will give me a color palette of muted red, blue and yellow. I may update that later, but it’s not high on the priority list as there are plenty of other projects that need attention first.

And once all that is in place, it will be a steady routine of wash, dry, fold, repeat! 🙂