installing crown molding in the kitchen

Yes, you are seeing this right….this is an UPDATE on our kitchen project.  We are still standing firm with the “it’s functional” response when asked where the kitchen project stands, but we are finally getting back into the swing of things to get the “finishing touch” projects done.

That includes installing the crown molding.  We knew going into the project we were going to add this.  It made it a lot easier in the fact that we didn’t have to replace the plaster when we tore down the ceiling AND we knew we wanted to tie in this molding throughout the house {eventually we would like this molding installed in pretty much every room}.  We have already installed it in the guest bedroom when we refinished that room.

{the crown molding installed in the guest bedroom}

{after tearing out the ceiling, we were left with a gap between where the plaster and new ceiling met and the crown molding solved this problem}

We had also planned the crown molding along the tops of the cabinets as we wanted the look where the cabinets met the ceiling.  It also allowed us to have the cabinets be down a bit further because the molding would close this gap {as we didn’t have to have the cabinets literally touching the ceiling}.  To be able to attach the molding, Graham did add a strip of wood along the tops of the cabinets to give him something to nail the molding to appropriately.

The only thing left with the crown molding installation is some touch up paint where the nails are and to fill it a few small gaps {luckily enough our molding is white, so simple white caulk does the trick for any seams and gaps}.

Here is where I am going to get all nostalgic and take a trip down memory lane.

What do you think so far?

Graham and I did work on painting cabinet doors and finishing/touching up the paint on the cabinets this past weekend.  So maybe soon enough I will have an update post that shows the completed cabinets, the backsplash tile, the hardware, etc, etc

{or, maybe the next owners will be kind enough to send us the pictures once they complete this project….sigh}

This weekend, however, will NOT be a project weekend.  We are off for a fun-filled, jam-packed couple of days.  Our god-daughter is turning two, so I will be celebrating at her Minnie Mouse party and Graham will be having a “boys only” weekend while he throws his brother a bachelor party.  Hopefully we can recuperate enough on the drive back Sunday to have enough steam to make it through the week!

And that is what is happening at West Street Story!

||| Jen |||

the top five places to buy k cups

After professing my Keurig brewing system love, I thought I would share with you my “secrets” to finding great deals on k cups.  Like I mentioned in my last post, one of the biggest downfalls {for me} with the Keurig is the cost of the k cups themselves.  Therefore, I am always on the lookout for a good deal on some of my favorite flavors!

Here are my top five k cup retailers:

1.  Amazon

This is the first place I turn when I am out of k cups!  Amazon has the biggest variety and great pricing.  Plus, I am an Amazon “Super Saver”, so I get free shipping on all items eligible for super saver shipping {over the course of a year, the $79 fee to be a Super Saver definitely pays for itself given the amount of shopping I do on Amazon}.

Recently I was gifted some Folgers Vanilla Biscotti k cups…..they have instantly become my new favorite.  The best price, that I could find, of this flavor k cup on Amazon is $0.74 each.

2.  Ebay

Just like Amazon, Ebay gives you a wide variety of k cup choices and great pricing, but what makes it a little less likeable than Amazon is the fact that you have to bid, hope you win, and then wait for your k cups.  I am too impatient for that sometimes!

I was able to find the Folgers Vanilla Biscotti k cups for $0.72 each {including shipping and assuming you win one of the auctions at the opening price}

3.  Keurig.com

When  you sign up for Club Keurig {which is free to do}, you receive a 10-15% discount on k cups on Keurig.com.  You also get to choose a free sample with every six boxes that you purchase.  There is free shipping on orders of $45 or more and you earn points {that you can redeem for a discount on select items} with every purchase.

Assuming you order four boxes of 24 {to get free shipping}, and including the Club Keurig discount, you would pay about $0.62 per cup.

4.  Walgreens

Believe it or not, you can get some pretty good deals on k cups at Walgreens.  Once you use coupons, and factor in any balance rewards, you could pay as little as $0.45 per k cup!  The selection, however, is really limited {the Walgreens I shop at only carries two different Starbucks k cup varieties}.

5.  Fleet Farm

Yes, you read this one correctly.  Like Walgreens, the selection is really limited, but they clearance out k cups WELL before the expiration date, so if you keep your eyes peeled, you can score some really cheap k cups.

And that is what is happening at West Street Story!

|||  Jen  |||

why I like {and don’t like} my Keurig B60 Special Edition Brewer

It dawned on me that I have very strong opinions about the good and the bad aspects of my two Keurig brewers.  Okay, I’ll be honest…I have strong opinions for almost every aspect of my life, but there is not enough blog space in the world to cover it all.

So, for now, I will stick to sharing my thoughts and {strong} feelings about my Keurigs. 

I have two Keurig machines, one in the work office at my house and one at the studio downtown.  Today, I will be sharing my experiences with the one at my house.

I am fortunate enough to have the Keurig B60 Special Edition brewer in my work space at home.

I have been using this Keurig since November of 2011, so just over a year.  In the morning, my husband and I share a pot of coffee brewed from our traditional coffee pot, but then I use the Keurig as needed. 

Things that I absolutely LOVE about this brewer:

• heats up quickly and brews quickly
• the coffee comes out piping hot
• has a large water reservoir so I am not constantly refilling
• offers three brewing sizes {but the sizes themselves are a dislike noted below}
• includes a timer so that it automatically shuts off after a certain amount of inactivity
• offers the ability to brew just one more cup of coffee when the household pot is out in the morning!
• allows me to have a ton of variety in what you drink for the day {coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and/or iced tea}
• very easy to use

What are some of the things I dislike?

• the brew sizes are small {the “travel mug” size option fills my coffee cup}
• not convenient when brewing cups for a group of people {this is obviously a downfall of all home Keurig brewing systems and not just this one}
• versus brewing a pot of coffee in a traditional coffee pot, the k cups themselves are costly when looked at on a per cup basis

Overall, I give my Keurig B60 special edition brewing system 5 stars {out of 5} in quality, style, and value!  I love this brewer and would hate not having it.

I bought my Keurig at Kohl’s when I had a 30% off coupon, it was on sale, and I earned Kohl’s cash for the purchase!  If you cannot wait for that perfect storm to purchase your Keurig {and you know what I mean by “the perfect storm” if you shop at Kohl’s}, then I would suggest buying it on Amazon {here} as it is the best price I can find elsewhere.

And that is what’s brewing at West Street Story {ha!}

5 reasons {and ways} to eat kale

Recently Graham and I started eating a bit differently.  It was due to the combination of receiving a high cholesterol diagnosis and with starting to try to get pregnant again.  BOTH of our bodies needed a tune-up.  Graham wasn’t about to go on high cholesterol medicine and what I eat is literally the only thing that I can control when it comes to making sure a pregnancy can thrive.

We knew we needed to change the way that we ate, but we weren’t sure what exactly needed to change.  Somehow we stumbled upon a documentary on Netflix {okay, it wasn’t an accident, Netflix conveniently/creepily “suggested” it for us before we even thought about watching a documentary}.  It was called “Hungry for Change”. 

If you do not subscribe to Netflix, you can watch the movie on Amazon!

What we took away from the movie was that what we “need” in every meal can be obtained through plenty of other sources.  For example, our protein doesn’t always have to come from meat.  Protein is found in beans and nuts, for instance.  And by substituting in beans or nuts as a protein source some of the time, it would cut down on the high cholesterol producing fats we consumed.

It also reminded us that eating foods in their most natural, whole state was the best for our bodies.  Even “healthy” processed foods really aren’t that great for you once you start comparing it to the nutrients and benefits of eating a piece of fruit or a vegetable.  Also, if you do not know what an ingredient is that is listed on the box, your body probably doesn’t know how to process it.

Basically, Graham and I have adopted a {mostly} plant-based, whole foods diet.  The reason I say mostly is because we aren’t cutting out meat/animal by-products {cheese, eggs, etc} completely from our diet….instead of saying “we can’t eat meat” we are saying “we are going to try and eat more alternate forms of protein” and try to stick with no-fat dairy products. 

What we are definitely focused on, however, is the whole foods aspect of this change.  Cutting out processed foods is our main goal.

Don’t get me wrong, we still enjoy some of our favorite foods.  We have what we’ve termed “cheat days” where we go out for dinner to one of our local restaurants, or enjoy a dinner with friends, etc., but even when these cheat days come around, we are making healthier choices!

With all of this being said, one of my new favorite foods is kale.  I have always been intrigued with kale, but was always too intimidated to buy it.  Now that we stay on the outer walls of a grocery store {produce and dairy sections} when shopping, I have been buying new things so that we can continue to expand our food base.

Here are my top five reasons for eating kale:

1.  Kale is packed with vitamins and antioxidants that fight disease and boost the immune system.

2.  Calorie for calorie, kale has more calcium than milk and more iron than beef.

3.  With 5 grams of fiber per cup, kale aids in digestion and can help lower cholesterol.

4.  Kale helps hair grow, by improving circulation in the scalp.

5.  Has 10x more Vitamin C than spinach.

If lists aren’t your thing, maybe this graphic from Nutribullet will convince you to add kale to your diet:

Telling myself to eat more kale was one thing.  Actually eating more kale was another.  Here are five different ways I now eat kale and have easily added this veggie to my diet:

1.  Make kale chips

2.  Throw pieces of kale into soup

3.  Use it instead of a tortilla….wrap your burrito into a kale leaf!

4.  Add a layer of kale to your lasagna or pasta dish {just like you would spinach}

5.  Chop it up into a salad or sauté it with a little olive oil and lemon juice for a side dish

can the year really only be a month old?

January 2013.  This month was filled with such big highs and lows that one would expect to look back on events and believe to be reminiscing about the entire year and not just one singular month!

It all started with some very exciting news….we found out Graham’s brother was engaged to be married! 

Technically speaking, Graham and I found out right before the new year, but the couple was making their way around Wisconsin during Christmas break to be able to tell their loved ones in person {so we couldn’t be too public with enthusiasm until everyone got the good news}.  But get this…they got engaged on Thanksgiving!  I do not know how they were able to keep it a secret all the way until Christmas {because they wanted to tell everyone in person}, but they did it!  And since they didn’t make it “Facebook official” {because, let’s be honest it is not official until it’s Facebook official} until after the first of the year, I am counting it as big 2013 news!

When is the wedding?  It is coming up quick – they are planning a May wedding.  Where is the wedding?  HAWAII…OMG!!!!!!!!!

Yes, that is right folks, we have a trip {almost} planned for Hawaii.  Once the bride and groom pick a waterfall to be married in front of, we will be booking our flights {yes, you read that correctly….WATERFALL…HAWAII….OMG}.  It is going to be a very beautiful wedding.

Some of you may be wondering what Graham and I plan to do with getting pregnant + traveling.

That is a good question.

To be honest, when Adam and Bri told us the news, my immediate response was sheer excitement and a “We are going to Hawaii?!?!” loud shrill in the middle of a restaurant {the waitress asked if she could come along}.  It took me about 30 seconds, however, to realize what this could mean.

However, after talking about it {and it really only took about five minutes to “talk”}, we BOTH plan on going to Hawaii regardless of our pregnancy status.  The only caveat to us trying to get pregnant again, prior to the wedding, was getting my OB’s seal of approval.

That brings me to the next news-worthy day in January.  I went in for an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and everything looked great!  I joked with my OB and said it was the best ultrasound I had ever had {that’s “funny” because I am not actually pregnant, so of course this ultrasound would look normal}.  The ultrasound was just to check on all of the troublesome cysts and to make sure my uterus was fully cleared/looking normal after the ectopic.  I wanted to make sure we knew what we were “dealing” with before getting pregnant again and now we do!

After the ultrasound, I talked to my doctor about traveling to Hawaii.  I was a bit nervous that she would tell me that due to my history, she wouldn’t approve travel for me during a pregnancy.  Nope, not the case!

She said as long as I was in my second trimester {which, if I make it to that point, we will already be looking at a MUCH better outcome} and as long as I had quick access to the hospital/emergency room/surgery wing {ie, we are renting a car}, that I could go ahead and start collecting my resort wear!  The only specific-to-me things I will have to do {because I will be on blood thinners and trying to discourage clots from forming} is to make sure not to sit for longer than an hour and a half to two hours straight.  So, I will have to take “bathroom breaks” on the airplane, but that shouldn’t be a problem even if I wasn’t pregnant!

I also completed my two big bridal shows in January.  Throughout the two weekends, over 6,000 people walked past the Invites by Jen booth.  I got plenty of consultations booked at my new office and am ready to rock-n-roll this year!

So, even though the month was shaping up to be awesome, we ended up getting very sad news.  Graham’s 95-year-old grandmother passed away.  Although Graham and I love to see our family, the ONE time it is not desired is when we travel back to Glenwood for a funeral.

It was special, however, to have most of the entire family together.

{the family photo taken in the St. John’s gym!}

With being on the farm, I did take some time to snap a few pics….most of them were of my sweet nephew, Collin.  Prepare yourself for a Collin photo bomb:

Isn’t he the sweetest?  I am especially looking forward to spending some good cuddle time with him in Hawaii…I promised his mom and dad that I would {very happily} take on the babysitting role if I am pregnant so that they can go enjoy some of the fun Hawaii {not pregnancy friendly} activities!

So, as I wrap up the memories from January 2013, I am certainly looking forward to February {and hoping for some big, exciting news this month as well}…..cross your fingers as we start trying again!