Our Christmas tree from Cal-Wood

We cut down our own Christmas tree yesterday at Cal-Wood Education Center, just outside of Jamestown.   Cal-Wood is a non-profit education center on 1,200 acres about 40 minutes from central Boulder whose primary mission is to introduce school children to the outdoors.    Both Cole and Carson had enjoyed two nights at Cal-Wood with their classmates as 5th graders.  On Friday, I learned from a friend that Cal-Wood hosts an annual Christmas tree fundraiser, raising money for their programs by allowing a small number of families to cut down a tree in return for a donation.  I was fortunate enough to get their last reservation.

We pulled into the remote Cal-Wood property at 10am,  received very basic instructions on where to seek a tree and headed out onto a well traveled trail, with crunching snow underfoot and blue skies above.  After about a mile, we found a tree and, using a saw that we found from the tool room in our house, we cut it down with little trouble.  We then carried it back to our car (not without a little trouble) and enjoyed a warm lunch in the Cal-Wood lodge.  Our tree will not be winning any beauty awards, but it comes with a full day of memories and needles so fresh we may keep it until Easter.

The Best Blueberry Muffin Recipe

The boys went to bed hoping for a snow day.  We had many inches of snow over the weekend and, to their great delight,  it was snowing again when we went to bed last night.  It was bitterly cold (4 degrees at 6am) this morning but school was definitely on.  I thought I would soften their disappointment with their favorite blueberry muffins.  They are "Quinn's Blueberry Muffins" because he and his buddy Banyan can eat the whole batch in one sitting.

Quinn's Blueberry Muffins

1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flout

2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease 12-18 muffin tins.  (I always can get 18 muffins out of the recipe).

Stir the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in small bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer until fluffy and light yellow.  Mix in the egg, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla until well combined.  Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix by hand with just enough strokes to combine.  Fold in the blueberries.

Spoon out the batter among the muffin cups.  Bake for 20-23 minutes (longer if using frozen blueberries).   Tops will become light brown.  Remove and cool for 10 minutes.  

Modified from A Real American Breakfast

The best of Before and After home remodel pictures

 I love before and after pictures.  Here are a few of the most dramatic.

before: tv room

after: tv room

before:  kitchen west facing

after: kitchen west facing

before: kitchen south facing

after: kitchen south facing

before:  Grant's office

after:  Grant's office

before:  living room

after: dining/living room

before: living room

after:  living room

before:  master bedroom

after: master bedroom

before:  5th bedroom

After:  master bath

before:  hall bathroom

after:  hall shower

before:  Cole's room

after:  Cole's room

before:  porch

after: front porch

before:  front stairs

before:  front stairs

Upstairs bedrooms and baths at 1109 Pine

master bedroom

Master bedroom

master bedroom

master bathroom

hall bathroom

hall bathroom

Quinn's room

Carson's room

Carson's room and bathroom

Carson's bathroom

Carson's bathroom

Cole's room

The original layout of the upstairs at 1109 Pine included one hall bathroom and 5 bedrooms.  Our remodeling of the upstairs included remodeling the one existing bathroom and adding two additional bathrooms.  The master bathroom was created out of the 5th bedroom upstairs and the bathroom in Carson's room was created from the space created by taking out the back stairs to the downstairs and bumping out part of the wall of his room.    In order to create a clean, consistent look in the three bathrooms, some of the key materials are repeated.  The hall bathroom and guest bathroom (Carson's bathroom) have carrara marble counters and basket weave mosaic marble floors.  The fixtures are chrome and are made by Watermark and the shower and tub shower heads by Hansgrohe.  In the master bathroom, we added a claw foot tub and polished nickel fixtures.  The floor tile is a combination of marble hex tiles and a border of 12"x 24" carrara marble tiles.  In order to keep the master bath and bedroom consistent, the bathroom and the bedroom have the same dark trim.  In addition, the master bedroom walls are a similar grey to the bathroom's carrara marble on the counter and floors.  The overall effect is quiet and calming.  The boys' bedrooms, on the other hand, have a lot more color.