WORKATION...PART 1

WE'RE BACK!  Yay, we have made it back from our camping trip.  We took a four day weekend to Warsaw, Missouri, home of the Harry S. Truman Dam and reservoir.  Also home to pretty much the biggest lake in Missouri.  Truman Lake which connects to Lake of the Ozarks.  It is a gorgeous lake with blue waters and lots of fun things to do.  Surprisingly enough I did not take any pictures of the main lake.  Shucks, I really wanted you to see it.  I didn't even take any pictures of our campsite...but there really wasn't much to see there.  Just a plain ol' campsite.   I did however take a few pictures from some of our adventures.

Today's adventure is at the Harry S. Truman visitor center.  They have lots of fun things to see and do there.

Let's start with a little history...Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake are man made lakes.  When the digging began an exciting discovery was made...Mastodon bones!  Apparently Missouri was home to Mastodons. Yes that's right, and the diggers found a huge Mastodon burial ground.

Mastodons were elephant like creatures only much larger.  They are most commonly known as the "Woolly Mammoth" and we had them right here in the good ol' US of A.  Right here in Missouri.  SO COOOOLLL!

The visitor center exhibits life size examples of some of the Mastodon bones that were found many years ago when the lake was in the making...like this life size tusk...

It's hard to tell here but this tusk is almost 5 foot long...that's HUGE!! And just take a look at this partial jawbone...It's GINORMOUS!

There was also a piece of a leg bone on display.

This is just a small, very short part of a Mastodon's leg and yet it was huge!  I couldn't imagine meeting one of these guys in real life.  Talk about feeling 2 inches tall, being around one of these guys would totally do that.  Thank goodness they were here before we were.

The upstairs exhibit is where you can get a bird's eye view of the dam and lake in the windowed conservatory...

Sorry I did not get any good shots of the whole conservatory.  It is a round room with windows all around so that you can see the lake and dam from just about every vantage point.  It is completely breathtaking and there is no way a few of my pictures could come close to doing it justice.  It was also a very cloudy day and picture taking was horrible.

This is the dam and power plant.  The dam and power plant provides all the electricity for the entire lake area.  It is huge and provides such a great service.

There is a swimming area just off one side of the dam.  A great place to swim but not on a stormy day for sure.

The visitor center is always such a fun place to visit when we come to Truman Lake and we can never leave without meeting the "Ranger"...

Who says..."Please remember to wear your life jacket"

Well that's it for Part I of my workation.  Part II will come soon and if you are ever in or near Warsaw, Missouri be sure to stop by the Harry S. Truman visitor center because as you will see in Part II, they have more than just a conservatory to visit.  Stay tuned!!!

TRENDS TO AVOID WHEN REMODELING YOUR KITCHEN...

Happy Thursday everyone!  I am really stoked today as this is my last day of work before vacation.  Well, I should call it a workation (new word I just made up).  When a family goes camping it usually involves more work for the mother than if she just stayed home.  I know you all know what I mean!

There is laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and packing EV.ER.Y.THING., including the kitchen sink and that's before you even head out the door.  It's like moving just for a four day trip.  See...WORKATION!!!

Speaking of kitchen sinks though, I spotted an E-article about kitchen remodels this morning that I think you all might be interested in reading.  Well that is if you are planning a little kitchen remodeling in your future.  If you are already in the process of a major kitchen remodel this is a must read!!!  You might find out that some of the "now" things that you are considering for your remodel are not your best choices and why.  The title...

KITCHEN REMODEL?  AVOID THESE 8 TRENDS TO KEEP IT CURRENT LONGER.

Some of the now things YOU SHOULD CONSIDER are:

--Large base kitchen drawers to house small appliances, pots, pans and cleaning supplies.  It keeps them easily accessible.

--Under the counter microwave.  Microwaves mounted above the stove are not easily accessible and cause more burns from spills.

--Stainless steel appliances and sink.  They are timeless and will not become outdated quickly.

--Natural stone countertops such as quartz and granite.  They also are timeless and will not quickly become outdated.

Some of the now things YOU SHOULD AVOID are:

--Large custom built range hoods.

--Full wall, under cabinet backsplashes.  You only need a 4-6 inch backsplash.  Anything more is a waste of money and will be out of date within the next few years.

--Appliance garages.  These are already out of date.

--Farmhouse apron sinks.  These are quickly becoming outdated.

--Built in desk area and phone niches.  These are already out of date.

With all that said, kitchen remodels are incredibly expensive so it's important that you make wise decisions as to where and how you spend all that money.  You definitely do not want to be spending money on things that are going to be considered outdated or out of style within a year or two after your remodel.

The above linked article could help you to make the right decisions now so that you end up with a timeless, classic kitchen that is enjoyable and beautiful for years to come.  It's well worth the read!  ENJOY!

Well, I'm outta here.  Getting ready for my workation.  Hope you all have a fantastic and relaxing weekend.  Ciao!!!

SLOWLY, BUT SURELY COMING TOGETHER

Hey, hey, hey...how are ya?   Long time no bloggy.

With the onset of summer we have been super busy which takes away from my blogging time.  Sorry for that, but it's a good busy...we are finally getting some things done.  We put a new roof and built an addition onto the garage this past weekend.  I will share some pics of that with you another day.  We are scheduled to have a new roof put on the house later this month too...can't wait!!  It's going to look great with the new paint job we put on her last fall.   Yes, I know you have not seen that yet.  Be patient I have a few more things to finish before the final reveal.  I think you will be amazed at the transformation.

In other news, I have been working on putting the living room and dining room together after our purchase of red furniture a few months ago.  I'm telling ya, I have had a devil of a time trying to find some of the items I used in my Olioboard design.

I have been scouring the internet, thrift stores and other places looking for just the right stuff.  Most of my hunting trips have been unsuccessful to say the least.  Z Gallerie no longer has the green Mimosa curtains and I could not find any other green curtains similar to them.  Buying enough fabric in the right color and similar design would cost a fortune so...I settled and bought plain green curtains.  Even then I couldn't find anything in the shade of green I was looking for; however, the ones I bought will be good enough and they were inexpensive at $15.00 a panel.  I am planning on hand stenciling the quatrefoil design onto them soon.

In the dining room, we got rid of the Duncan Phyfe style table and chairs (it's for sale at a local consignment shop for anyone in the area whose interested), and brought in a make shift round table until I find the one I want.  We brought up some parsons chairs from the basement that I bought last year at a local thrift store which need to be slipcovered.  I hope to have that done soon too...or at least before the holidays.

The biggest change is over the buffet.  I finally took down the old french provincial style mirror (of which I discovered I have never taken a full picture of.

I really love the look of the three mirrors in my Olioboard design. However those Arteriors Nakita mirrors are $516.00 each.  OUCH!!!

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I knew for sure that I would not be purchasing even one of those...let alone three.  So the search was on to find similar mirrors at a cheaper price.  I scoured the internet for well over a month and found ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!  I even thought about buying three plain ol' mirrors and DIYing some kind of geometric design to them myself...but I couldn't even find plain mirrors in the right size with the right frame.   I was about to give up, throw the design boards away and start over.  REALLY!!!  Then I stopped by Bed, Bath & Beyond online one more time.  Look what they had...

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I just don't know how in the world I missed this the first hundred trips to their online store.  I guess I was too busy looking for the right curtains.   Anyway, this mirror is almost identical to the Arteriors mirror and at a price I could afford....only $29.99 each.  I did the happy dance and then bought three before they sold out or something.  They arrived yesterday...

Ha, don't they look GREAT!!!  I also found the wooden bowl at a price I couldn't refuse...$5.00.  Now I know it's not a "real" vintage dough bowl like the one in my design but it works and it didn't cost upwards of $75.00.  Now I just have to fill it up with shells.

I'm still on the lookout for a matching pair of lamps similar to the ones in my design board that don't cost and arm and a leg.   So far I have had no luck finding just the right thing, but somehow with the find of those gorgeous mirrors and my wooden bowl, I feel my luck is changing!!!  I am so glad things are finally starting to take shape and come together.  With that said, I still have several more things to find and do before I can say this room is done.  Wish me luck!!!