andrus style bbq

A few weekends ago Adam and I decided that it had been way too long since we last enjoyed some good 'ol bbq. We both love ribs, pulled pork, brisket, baked beans, smoked chicken and really anything else that can be smothered in bbq sauce. Sadly, we live in Denver...where bbq has not yet been discovered. Sure, a few spots serve what Denverites would call bbq, but it's not. No my friends, it's not.

Although it's no Memphis, I grew up in Kansas and we do know bbq. Good bbq. Perfectly smoked bbq. Fall off the bone, nice 'n tender, delicious bbq. You get the idea...

Kansas bbq

Anyway, once the craving hit, all Adam and I could think about was a lightly toasted bun, covered in smoked pulled pork with tangy sauce, topped with dill pickles. So with that, off to the store. We bought a pork butt, some fixings for sides and prepared ourselves for a feast that would follow the next day.

Starting at 10am the next morning, the rub went on the pork butt. It then went back in the fridge for 2 hours so that the spices could set. After that, it then went onto a kettle grill with hickory wood chips added every half hour for three hours. Once the smoking was complete, the pork butt went into the oven uncovered for another three hours so the bark could set up - the best part, in my humble opinion.

During this time we also started the baked beans...mama Smith style. Now, my mom is an excellent cook, but baked beans are one of her specialties. The secret? Starting with a can of Bush's Original, she adds extra bacon, worcestershire sauce and brown sugar...ahem, lots of brown sugar. Then, she lets them warm for at least three hours in the oven, stirring every so often until the sauce is nice and thick.

So...once the pork reached 190 degrees in the oven, it was ready to be pulled. We quickly pulled apart the meat, constructed our sandwiches, dished up some pasta salad and baked beans, poured a cold beer and sat down on the porch.

After eight hours of smelling our delicious dinner, we were finally able to enjoy it. And enjoy it, we did!

Do you have any yummy bbq dishes that you'd be willing to share?!

transitioning?

I know my decorating style really well. Okay, let's re-phrase that...I used to know my decorating style really well. I could flip through a magazine and pick out the pages that appealed to me in a matter of minutes.

But as of late, something's been off. Things that typically don't catch my eye have, in fact, been catching my eye. And are you ready for this? Most of these eye-catching items are more contemporary...gasp! My mom just hit the floor; I totally heard it.

It's nothing big - a funky light fixture, a unique chair, a colorful picture. However, knowing my style so well, I just couldn't believe that I was transitioning away from my comfy, cozy mostly classic way of decorating. But then I took a "style quiz" (and quizzes never lie). So would you like to know what it said?

BOHO? As in bohemian? What? You've gotta be kidding me.

Just to be sure I didn't get inaccurately cataloged as boho, I took the quiz two more times...you guessed it. Boho every time.

Out of all the various style types, boho was the last I would have guessed described me.

Okay, maybe Vegas Baby would have been the last.

So I clicked on the link taking me to blogs full of boho-type designers, quickly scanning for any shred of evidence that proved I was indeed still a classic designer. I was sure I'd be appalled by this earthy, carefree style that I had just been labeled.

But then it hit me. All those times that something just felt "off," it was the boho inside me trying to get out. Sometimes it manifested itself in the form of contemporary likings, but more often than not, it was a new found appreciation for bohemian design.

The boho inside me

Now, I still don't think my style is boho...because it isn't. BUT, I am allowing myself to explore this new world of bright colors and carefree design. They'll be subtle touches; a small lamp in the corner of the room, a chair that's a little more funky than usual, a pop of color to spice things up. I would've never expected it. But there it is. My inner boho.

on a perfect night

I have many, many favorite memories with Adam. Some are from vacations we've taken over the past five years, some are cold snowy days spent snowboarding on the mountain, others are memories at our favorite restaurants where we've spent hours dining. But do you wanna know some of my absolute favorite memories?

They're evenings spent here...in our own little backyard.

On perfectly crisp evenings, Adam and I plan our menu, light the lanterns and set our outdoor table. Our little white lights hanging around the perimeter of our pergola are turned on and then Frank Sinatra joins us with romanic blues ballads. All of this creates the prefect ambiance for our evening.

Last Saturday was one of these perfect memories that I'll carry with me long after we leave our little home. Homemade pizza cooked on the grill, a bottle of Merlot and Adam - there is no where else I'd rather be!

the hunt for a home

So, we did it...again. We bought a house that needs some serious love. But this time was a little different than our last trip around the house hunting block.

As you might recall, Adam and I had pretty different ideas regarding our first home. He wanted a house with "potential" and I wanted, well...a house that didn't need to have "potential" because it was already charming. I lost that battle. But 30 days after we closed, our little home had finally reached it's full potential and we've been in love ever since.

It's because of this experience that my journey hunting for our new home was much different. I heard myself saying, "if we knock down this wall and extend the kitchen..." There were many times that Adam would just start laughing at me. How far I've come!

So...here she is!

There is a lot of work to do so let's break it down by room:

Den
When you first walk in the front door and turn left, you see the den. Currently there's a built-in on the east wall but that'll be removed and likely replaced by some other built in that will house a TV. The dark wood banister will be reshaped and reworked - still not sure if we'll do white wood or wrought iron. Our plan is that the perimeter of the room will be lined in waist height bookshelves so that the space doubles as a library. New carpet, fresh coat of (light colored) paint and new white trim. Obviously some new curtains are also needed!

Den Inspiration Board:

Dining Room
So rather than going left when you walk in the front door, go right and you'll be in the dining room. The dining room is pretty simple right now so there isn't a ton of work that needs to be done. We'll paint the walls light (potentially gray), lay wood floors, new window coverings, paint trim and hang a new light fixture. The wall on the left (reference image below) is actually floor to ceiling mirrors! I'm in love. I think it'll make the room super unique so I'm anxious to see how it comes together.

Dining Room Inspiration Board:

Family Room
Back to the front door. Now, rather than turning left or right, walk straight ahead. You'll pass the back side of the fireplace as entering the family room. This room will need some work...

First, we want to cut a hole in the big, white, loooong wall because on the other side of that wall is a hallway with four bedrooms. But, there's really no easy way to get to the bedrooms. Hence the hole. We'll hang a sliding farm door so that we can still close off the family from the hallway.

We'll likely paint the fireplace a light color or stone over the brick. Mantel will be white. We'll rip out the media unit next to the fireplace and likely build something back for a TV. Walls in the room will be painted a light gray, trim white and wood floors. Considering french doors to the patio but we'll have to see if they fit into the 'ol budget. Either way, new window treatments are a must!

Family Room Inspiration Board:

Kitchen 
Just off the family room is the kitchen. Now, I know you're wondering why we feel the need to do anything because it's so gorgeous, but I think we can make it feel a little more "us"! Where to start...

So the basic layout of the kitchen is a square. Sink, dishwasher and cabinets make a u-shape and the oven, fridge and additional cabinets are all in one straight line; making the room pretty square-ish. This layout will remain the same, but that's about it.

First, we'll knock out the soffit above the cabinets. We'll then replace all the cabinets with white inset cabinetry that will extent to the ceiling. The bottom cabinets will also be replaced and topped with cambria black granite with an antiqued finish. An antiqued finish is more dull - doesn't have the same shiny seal that most granite finishes have. The backsplash throughout the entire kitchen will be Carrera marble tiles, the trim will be painted white, walls will be a shade of gray and the floors will be wood.

To make this a little easier, let's walk through the above images.

Image 1:
We'll remove the built in oven and microwave. Most of the hanging cabinets will be replaced by a hood and then we'd like to purchase this beaut...

We'll still have a little cabinet space but the idea is that this area will be dedicated to the range and hood. The current fridge/freezer combo will be replaced with, drumroll please...a full size refrigerator! Think we're crazy? We decided that we don't really use our freezer that often so why dedicated so much kitchen space to it? Instead, we'll put the traditional fridge/freezer in our pantry. It'll still be easy to access but this way we'll have more of what we use most...fridge! Here's what we're thinking in terms of refrigerators...

We'll only have one door but the first image shows how it'll be inset.

Image 2:
During the process of hanging new cabinets and laying new countertops we'll take out the stove top (pictured in the lower right corner of the image) and the floating cabinets that are seen above the stove. We're hoping this will open up the room a bit more.

Image 3:
As mentioned, the cabinets and countertops will be replaced. We'll then replace the dishwasher and add an inset speed cook oven (microwave with the capabilities of an oven) in the lower cabinet area. By the way, if you haven't heard of a speed cook oven you should totally check them out! I wasn't a believer until we talked to a dozen people that said they'd never go back after having one. I actually made a poor sales rep bake cookies in one so I could make sure they baked right ;)

Image 4:
Another view that gives a different perspective.

Last but not least, the breakfast nook. This room is right off the kitchen and I simply love how sunny and bright it is (well, not in this picture).

Still not sure if we'll carry the gray walls into the breakfast nook but the trim will be painted white and the floors will also be wood. New chandelier and window coverings to make it feel like home.

The pantry that I mentioned earlier does not actually exist yet. We'll cut a hole in the wall (pictured on the right) in order to build in a large pantry. The garage is on the other side of this room so it'll work out perfect! A pocket door will provide easy access to our cooking needs.

Opposite the windows is a built in desk. We'll rebuild this area to be more hutch-like. Kinda like below...

Kitchen Inspiration Board:

Bedrooms and Bath
As mentioned, on the other side of the family room is a long (bowling alley-like) hallway that has access to all four bedrooms.

For simplicity sake, let's break it down by bedroom...

Office: 
The first bedroom will actually be converted into an office. We'll paint the walls, paint the trim white, lay wood floors, convert the closet into an office storage area (printer, paper, files, etc.) and upgrade the window coverings.

The picture below shows how we'd like to layout the room - one desk running along the back wall and then a desk in the middle of the room with two chairs facing it. We actually have the exact same desk shown in the pic!

Office Inspiration Board:

Guest Bedroom:
So this will be our guest room...

Similar to the office, we'll paint the walls, paint the trim white, lay fresh carpet, replace the closet door, hang new lighting and update the window coverings.

Guest Room Inspiration Board:

Nursery:
Nope, still not pregnant! But considering we're about 11 months away from beginning renovations, we might as well plan, right? Here's what we'll be working with...

You guessed it - we'll paint the walls, paint the white trim, lay fresh carpet, replace the closet door, hang new lighting and update the window coverings.

Nursery Inspiration Board:

Master Bedroom:
I'm pretty excited about the master bedroom. It's a big space so we have a lot of room to work with, which means we'll have a little sitting area in our room. Like our own little oasis! Because we're planning to expand the closet and bath, it was easiest for us to draw the new room layout in illustrator. But first, let's start with some pics of what we're working with...

Like all bedrooms we plan to...paint the walls, paint the trim white, replace the light fixture, replace the carpet but we've decided to keep the window coverings. Just kidding! The biggest change will be the expansion of the closet and bath by getting rid of the vanity area. Here's the plan...

Master Inspiration Board:

Hall Bath & Master Bath
Two of the greatest bathrooms of all time are in this house. Would you like to see?

Bathroom accessible from hall and guest bedroom.

Master bath currently accessible from hall and master bedroom. After renovation, it'll only be accessible from the bedroom. Reference floor plan under master bedroom.

Bath(s) Inspiration Board:

So that's the plan for the main floor. As you can see, we have a ton of work to do, but luckily Adam and I really enjoy this stuff. We were actually just sitting here talking about how funny it will be to read this post when all the renovations are done. How far will the "actual" stray from our inspiration boards?! We'll see once we start work in about 11 months! Until then.

beats

I love music. If I could have a life soundtrack constantly playing in the background of my little world, I would. There are some songs that I feel a special connection to. Some are inspirational, sentimental or defining. Some have nothing to do with the words - it's simply a unique voice that's pure and beautiful. Others are just fun tunes that I enjoy for no reason other than my foot can't help but tap along to the beat.

So with that, let me share some of my recent favorites with you...

Wakey!Wakey!  (recently discovered but released in 2010)
favs include: Brooklyn, Light Outside, Dance So Good

Diane Birch  (recently discovered but released in 2010)
favs include: Rewind, Rise Up and Ariel

Imagine Dragons
favs include: the entire EP album Continued Silence

Skylar Grey
favs include: Coming Home, Pt. II, Love the Way You Lie, Pt. III

Edbrooke Collective
favs include: Of How Your Love Endures, Sing to the King, really the entire Rewritten album!

Agnes Obel  (recently discovered but released in 2010)
favs include: Riverside

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals  (recently discovered but released in 2010)
favs include: Goodbye Kiss, Nothing But the Water I

Who are some of your favorite artists?

alaska bound

We've been a little spoiled this year. Not only did we take a fabulous anniversary trip to Hawaii but we also got to go on a family vacation to Alaska - cruise style!

This trip was pretty spectacular for many reasons but mostly because the company was so great. My mom (Roxie), brother (Brian), sister-in-law (Emily) and lifelong family friend (Debbie Miller) set sail for the last great frontier in early August. However, before boarding the ship we got to spend one magnificent sunny day in Seattle.

As you can see, we really enjoyed Seattle. From Pike Place Market to the original Starbucks, we hit the must-see sights before boarding the Westerdam and setting sail for Juneau.

All aboard!

Day at Sea

After a day at sea, we arrived in Juneau. Juneau has such a charming, historic downtown so we spent much of the day exploring by foot. We stopped at the Governor's mansion and then walked through the old streets, passing adorable houses adorn with big, bright, beautiful flowers. We then headed up a trail outside the city to see a big waterfall that was suppose to be pretty magnificent. Once we reached the falls we were high enough to look down into town, and then we saw it...our first bald eagle spotting! So majestic, so beautiful.

Juneau

Later that afternoon we met up with Brian and Emily, who had spent the morning at the Mendenhall Glacier - and from what they said, you shouldn't miss this if ever in Juneau! Their pictures were pretty amazing. We all went to lunch at The Hanger and watched the float planes take off while enjoying seafood and cold Alaskan beer. Perfection!

We spent the next day at Glacier Bay National Park. We didn't actually get off the ship but we had the opportunity to see three massive glaciers from the decks. It was a little rainy so you can see we made good use of the blankets! However, regardless of the weather Glacier Bay was simply breathtaking. The ship slowly moved into the bay and came to a stop. Everything was quiet - so very still. At that point we could hear the glaciers calving. It was like thunder. Big pieces of the ice would break off the glacier and fall into the water. Truly unlike anything I've seen before.

Glacier Bay

The next day we arrived in Sitka. I was pretty excited about Sitka mainly because of the movie The Proposal - great movie, right?! Anyway, much to my disappointment the town in the movie is not actually Sitka. However, all those small islands with big fancy homes on them; that's Sitka. So, so pretty. Adam and I explored Sitka by going to the National Historic Park, complete with totem poles and gorgeous wooded walkways. While making our way through the park, we came to a river where a bald eagle sat on the bank eating his salmon dinner that he caught just minutes before. Unbelievable!

Sitka

Our next stop was in Ketchikan, which turned out to be one of my favorite days. We walked around the historic town as a family and then took a little tram up the mountain for a better view. After wandering around for a few hours Brian, Emily, Adam and I ended up at Annabelle's Famous Keg and Chowder House. Should you ever go to Ketchikan, do. not. miss. this. It was delicious! I can still taste the crab cakes.

Ketchikan

With that, our trip was coming to an end but we had one stop left. Our last port of call was Victoria, British Columbia and it too was a highlight of the trip. We actually docked around 5pm in Victoria so we had the evening to explore the city and eat dinner. We headed down to Victoria's Inner Harbour and ate dinner at a delicious little place that I can't actually remember the name of! Then we walked over to the historic Empress Hotel and explored the resort, including where High Tea is served for guests. It all felt so charming. Victoria will certainly be on our list to visit again.

Victoria

Now...there are so many things I'm missing. The delicious dinners on the ship, the wine parties, Pass the Pig, Deb's birthday celebration, reading in the Crow's Nest, chatting over past memories, remembering dad and enjoying unforgettable times as a family. This trip was so special and we are so thankful for the memories. We love you, family (that includes you, Deb)!!