Jul 31, 2016

Dining Room Built Ins [Ikea Bergsbo Doors Hack]

I've been working HARD on the dining room built ins.  I have finally mostly finished!  Here are photos and a brief outline of how I did it all.  (Well, Todd helped on 4 occasions so he gets a little credit. ;)  I did most of this during Lydia's naps and after the girls were in bed.  Or, Todd would take them somewhere so I could have uninterrupted time to work.  It is literally impossible to work on anything and have 2 bodies on top of you needing you at the same time. lol

I love the final result!!

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 I basically copied this from Fixer Upper.  I love that show.
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There is SO MUCH storage in those cabinets.  I don't even know what to put in there!
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 The whole long front room.  The Christmas lights on the ceiling were temporary decor for a wedding shower I hosted.
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Here is the living room before.
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Another "before" view.
And the abbreviated version of how I did it: 

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Step 1: Rip out all molding.
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Step 2: build cabinet boxes out of plywood.  I built them standing up since they were so tall-- I literally could not lay them down because they were butted up against my ceiling.
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This wonderful tool is worth it's weight in gold and made step 2 SO MUCH EASIER!  It's the kreg jig clamp thingy.
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Here are the boxes.  I added a permanent shelf 2/3 of the way up for extra support.  Oh, and the brown buffet is from World Market (but I got it off ksl.com for $100!)
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Step 3: Glue and nail 1/4 inch plywood to backs.  Step 4. build face frame with select pine and attach using pre-drilled holes and kreg jig clamp thingy.
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Step 5: paint white.  I bought the doors but didn't hang them yet. I couldn't use the hinges that came from Ikea because they were the wrong kind.  Step 6: build shelves between cabinets.
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Step 7: stain shelves bown, let them dry, polyurethane shelves.
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Step 8: Glue and nail 1/8 inch plywood to the wall between the brown shelves (I painted them before hand with black chalkboard paint.)  Step 9: install World Market metal orb chandelier
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Step 10: hang doors (I had to buy special 1/4 inch overhang hinges online that literally ripped out chunks of the cabinet doors but I was too exhausted to care!)    Step 11: Decorate!
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Again, above is a before shot:
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And an after shot.
This was a "one step forward, 4 steps backward" kind of project.  I'll give one example, though there are SO MANY THINGS that happened this way...  I had the cabinet's inner shelves cut to size at Home Depot.  When I got home I realized the shelves were just a bit too long.  So I went to cut them down to size with my chop saw... but it only cuts 6 inches deep and the shelves are 14 inches deep.  So I cut anyway, flipped the board, and cut again- which left a 2 inch uncut section in the middle.  I grabbed my jig saw, and while cutting, broke the jig saw blade.  I ran to Home Depot to buy a new blade, but there are 2 shapes of blade and I didn't know which one I needed!  So I bought both, ran home, installed the correct blade, and finally finished cutting the darn shelf.  Then I ran back to Home Depot to return the unused blade.

All for one cut!  Argh, there were so many times while doing this that I questioned my desire to take on projects at all.  Oh well, I really love the final result.  Shout out a thanks to Fixer Upper, www.fourgenerationsoneroof.com, and megandmartinmen.blogspot.com for the inspiration and tips.

TOTAL COST OF THE BUILT-INS WALL: $1086
All lumber, new tools, the buffet, hanging shelves, cabinet lighting (to be installed soon) doors, hinges, paint and trim cost  $1086.
Most everything else I bought highly discounted or second hand.  The rug, accent chairs, dining chairs, dining table, curtains, chandelier, and all decor cost an additional $860.  So the entire living room/ dining room makeover was under 2 grand.

Notch Lake Backpacking 2016

We backpacked to Notch Lake again this Summer.  (We went there a couple years ago when Avery was just toddling around.)  It was beautiful, it was peaceful, it was fantastic to be outdoors with the kids, and it was also a total disaster.  Lydia could not handle being somewhere strange and new and trying to sleep at the same time.  She did pretty well till bedtime and then spent more than half the night wailing, screaming, and running her hands down the sides of the tent with a look of horror on her face.  And since we had hiked in, we couldn't just jump in the car and drive home.  So we lay there and listened to her.  All. Night. Long.

I don't think we will backpack again with her till she's three.

Besides the Lydia factor, we had a great time!

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Sad Lydia
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The dog was so excited during the drive...
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Ready to go! 5 miles (round trip) feels a lot longer with 50 pounds on your back!  Todd carried most of the weight, thank goodness.
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Our great campsite!
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Avery hiked about a third of the way.  She was just delightful the entire time!!
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Lydia got so dirty. 
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 We caught several beautiful trout!
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Avery loved holding the flopping fish and even carried around a fish head to play with.
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The silver lining of being awake all night is that you catch the splendid sunrise.


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Lydia didn't last 10 minutes hiking out before zonking out.


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Tired Todd with the little stinker herself.

White Pine Backpacking 2016

A few girlfriends and I backpacked up to White Pine Lake.  It was beautiful and surprisingly challenging to get there!  The altitude, pitch, and heat during the 11 mile hike (round trip) sucked my energy dry.  I really earned that fantastic view and boy did I enjoy it!


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 Me, Liz, Casey, Ellen, and Megan
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 The final stretch is a much welcome down hill
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We must have burned more calories laughing together than we did hiking to the lake. :)
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Freeze dried food tastes great when starving.
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This is a perfect example of our trip.  Lots of laughter and good company!
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Morning meditation
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Night time kinesthetics
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White Pine, we love you!

Summer 2016

We have been keeping busy all Summer long.  Here are some pics from our wonderful day-to-day lives.  Todd is very involved with the kids and he also finds time to climb, run, drum with his band The Statuettes, resole shoes, and do lots of hangboard workouts in the basement.  I don't have many photos of him since I tend to only take them of the kids!

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Endless fun at Aunt Natalie's pool!
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Just relaxing on top of all the pillows
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We love our cousins!
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The cousins got to sleep in Grandma and Gramp's camper trailer!
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Avery is worn out after all the fun we fit in
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Avery and Jane singing their hearts out together. Too cute.
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Avery riding her bike and the swing at the same time
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I love Ethiopian food!
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We attended a Chocolate Tasting Party at the Williams' house.  WOW!  I can't think of a more delectable event :)
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Avery and the cat hang out under the bed an awful lot together.  The dog tries to join too.
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Dog still hasn't realized that the cat is the queen of the house.
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Shy and I are getting lots of exercise together.  I'm glad I have a running buddy.
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Aunt Natalie is the coolest!
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Moose we saw!
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Silver Lake
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S'mores in the back yard
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For old time's sake.  I used to nap with Avery almost daily when I was pregnant. This is not an announcement.
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Avery's expecting lol
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