Basement Reno

We bought our house in March 2009 knowing that in time we wanted to do some work on our basement. The house is 60+ years old and the basement was unfinished. We have a <1000 square feet house (basement aside) so this is where our laundry is and we had hopes of making it work as an additional living space.

We quickly learned that our unfinished basement leaked. In multiple spots. Every time it rained.

Lame, lame, lame.

We realized that any attempts at making the space pretty and livable was a waste of time, energy and money if we do it prior to a formal waterproofing of the entire room. We tried a short term fix last summer which did not work. We raised the grade on the side of our house. We improved the curbside appeal at least.

We've been getting intermittent leaks since then and recently decided it was time to start getting waterproofing quotes. It has been a very mild winter here, so we did that now instead of waiting until the busy rainy spring season is over.

Yea, this process was going to hurt. A lot. Talk about expensive.

Before calling around, we had to tear out a room that the previous owners put in. It was in one corner, just a bunch of painted 4x4s covering some ancient tile we had to chip up and some wooden slab walls. We did it in a few hours time and cleared it out.

Once we decided on a company, it took about a week of work, communication and many phonecalls before the job was done. This isn't a picture of our basement, just an example of what ours looks like right about now.

We are waiting for the cement to 100% dry before we do anything else, but for now it just feels good to have a lifetime guarantee that our basement will remain DRY. FOREVER. DRY!!!

We don't know exactly what we plan to do yet. Definitely some sort of flooring, whether it be area rugs or a snap and lock tile floor. We have cinderblock walls that are painted white. I don't hate the idea of just re-painting them a more appealing color but we are toying with the idea of dry wall as well.

Time will tell. Our bank account took a hit, so we'll see how things look post tax season (baby credit ftw).

Infant Eating

Just when I get into a routine with Eliana's eating, she goes and grows up some more and I have to change everything!

I would love to know how you guys (calling all momma readers) fit all of a day's needs into a one year old's diet. I'm finding it easier as we go to give her balanced meals, but when do I get all of the recommended whole milk in? If I give her as much milk as I think she needs, when do I give her water? I am out of time!

Here is an example of Eliana's daily intake. I am very open to constructive criticism and/or advice! Even just sharing your child's plans. I am new to this momma business, I'll take anything I can get.

8AM - Breakfast

• 1 sliced banana
• 1 veggie muffin
• A handful of cheerios.
• A few bites of yogurt.
• 4-5 oz whole milk

      OR

• 1/3 cup of sliced berries
• 1 piece of toast
• A handful of cheerios
• 4-5 ounces whole milk

1PM - Lunch

• Some cheddar cheese pieces
• A few bites of yogurt
• A jar of pureed baby food
• A few raisins
• 4-5 ounces whole milk

6PM - Dinner

• Pretty much some of whatever Eric and I having for dinner.
• A handful of cheerios
• 4-5 ounces whole milk

I know it seems like she is cheerio obsessed. The truth of the matter is that when I put her in her highchair in order to prepare her meal, she flips her sh*t until there is something to eat in front of her. I toss some cheerios her way to contain the crazy until her meal is ready for her highness.

So... Tell me what you do! Or ya know, what I'm doing wrong. Not really, but what do you think?

Happy Valentine's Day to all of the 10 Years Later followers!!

I cannot take credit for this picture of my tiniest Valentine. Amy at Pure Amour Photography took her 1 Year photos and posted this little gem today.

Anyone have a hot date planned for tonight?

Pinterest Finds

Like the rest of the nation, I am Pinterest obsessed.

Please enjoy my most recent awesomely pinteresting finds.

I.Love.LEGOS. Eliana might have to own some of these some day soon...

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Peanut Butter Banana French Toast. Nuff said.

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Neutral paint colors. I'll need one of these for a big project soon!

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Veggie Muffins. I made these for Ellie. She loves them!

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Arrow ring. I'm in love.

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I love pretty much everything about this outfit.

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DIY Scrapbook Paper Wall Art. How clever!

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For Sale

Now that Eliana's Birthday Party has come and gone, I have a pile of snowy items and no use for them.

Do you?

1. Two snowflake cutout tins. I believe they were meant to be tealight holders
2. A bagillion sparkly sonwflake ornaments. Mostly purple, some silver and some white
3. White snowflake confetti
4. Snowflake ceramic plates - 5
5. Snowflake ceramic bowls - 5
6. Paper snowflake cups - 24

I got all of this hella cheap. Pay shipping charges and it is yours. Whatever you want!

Email me at 10greatyears@gmail.com if you are interested!

Mac & Cheese Casserole

Y'all know I love me some mac & cheese. I would eat it every day if someone just figured out that calorie situation. My last new recipe attempt was Nacho Mac & Cheese. It was tasty, but not as amazing as I had hoped for.

Today I decided to try a new recipe I found on the coolest place to find recipes these days.

Pinterest, duh! It was originally pinned from Brown Eyed Baker. Find it here!

Pardon the grainy cell pic. I am under the weather and barely had the energy to make it let alone photograph it.

Ingredients:

1 lb Elbow Macaroni

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter

1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Onion Powder

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

5 Cups Milk (whole or 2%) - I used 4 cups skim and 1 cup whole, solely because it was what I had on hand.

4 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese - I had some pepper blend cheese to use up, so I used 1 cup of that and 3 cups of cheddar.

For the Topping:

15 Ritz Crackers, crushed - I only had oyster crackers on hand, so I used those. They worked well!

1 Tablespoon Butter, Melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.

3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, then add the onion powder, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and the mixture begins to boil.

4. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat the pasta.

5. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

6. Mix together the crushed crackers and the melted butter until all of the crumbs are moistened, and then sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture.

7. Bake for 30 minuted, until golden and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

8. Enjoy!

DIY Cupcake Tower

One day a couple of weeks ago when I was perusing one of my known favorite blogs All Things G&D, I stumbled upon a DIY cupcake tower that she made for her daughter's birthday party. I had never come across such a thing and thought it would be perfect for Eliana's birthday party.

Here is the link to Dusty's post. She mentions that she fount it on Annie's Eats; here is that link.

My finished product.

I sort of followed the directions. Only I improvised a lot more. A lot. 

• For the three cardboard cake circles, I actually just found three different sized dishes in my home and traced them onto a flattened cardboard box and cut them out and sanded the edges.
• Instead of using the styrofoam disks for a base, I just set the tower on a couple of smal ceramic dishes so it wasn't sitting right on the counter.
• I did not measure where to hot glue my tin cans. I just guestimated. You would not have known that had I not just told you!
• I had a bit of trouble with the hot glue sticking to the tin. I had to glue a small piece of cardboard to the top of the can and them glue the circle to that so it would stick.

I did the cardboard cutting and sanding one night (the sanding of the edges took a bit longer than expected) and the paper/sticker/ribbon decor the next.

I don't exactly have a plan for it now that it's purpose has been served. I don't have room to store it and there is still food in those cans! Haha. I'll probably just recycle it.