This is for You, John Young...

Okay, okay... it's not ALL for you, but a little birdie told us you'd want our hot tub up and running for your arrival. That little message was precisely the ignition we needed to light our fire and fix the HT! After our last gathering, our HT was out of commission... with all of our busy work schedules, it was difficult to find the time to fix it. BUT, once we heard JY was going to want some post-ski relaxation, we decided to MAKE TIME.
Please follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to drain and clean your hot tub.
Step One:
Extend hose to it's full length. Turn it on. Place it in the hot tub and at that very moment, turn it off. This will create a siphon. The water will then slowly (v.e.r.y. s.l.o.w.l.y.) dribble back the other way and exit the hose. How did we know this? We can thank two things: Kathryn's memory, and Mr. Kuenzel's Physics lesson in highschool.

Step Two: Wait overnight for hot tub to drain.
Step Three:  Look Good. Now, when we say "look good", we in fact mean "be prepared". It's dark. It's cold. You're going to need layers, you're going to need plastic bags over your feet, you're going to need thinsulate gloves under rubber gloves, and you're going to need proper lighting. Once this is accomplished, you can begin to scoop out the extra pockets of water with an empty pickle jar.

Step Four: Use the broom and dust pan to sweep up whatever whatever filthy water will not be scooped up by the pickle jar.

Step Five: Change your bags. You don't want to track the murky water back in the tub while you scrub it. 

Step Six: Scrub the tub with cleaner AND with special hot tub cleaner. You might have to go around a couple times, really make sure you scrub the jets. They accumulate gook.

Step Seven: Clean out the filter,  add the water, add the chemicals, and wait 24 hours for enjoyment! Hooray, now we can digest our Thanksgiving feast in our clean and operating hot tub.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Stay tuned for a Turkey Day update :)

From full unemployment to...

This time last year we were living in the Poor House and every single one of its residents were unemployed and riding the wave of Denver's job market. Now, I'm proud to report that all the members of the new Chateau Colfax are employed as of this week! Here is to regular paychecks and schedules. Of course, there is one member who is not happy about the change...

Where Have We BEEN!?!

Let's play the matching game.
Kelsey                           Day and Night Yoga Training

Kathryn                        Babysitting/Working

Norah                            Biking to Work/Planning a trip to Mexico


Draw a line from the person to the activity.

Someone...

GOT A JOB!!!!

And it wasn't H....

It's a Hard Knock Life For Us

Cleaning the insides and behind the refrigerators

 













The sink exploded on Kathryn's arm.

Someone decided to iron her bedskirt... Not sure who's daughter she is...

Henry in the new house, Henry in the old house. Lost, dazed, confused...

1 a.m. Ramen Noodle cook-off. You can see we still have quite a bit of unpacking to do...

 It has been a bittersweet week as the residents of the Poor House have packed up their things, made 14 million trips in the 95+ degree heat, and moved on to greener pastures. Effective yesterday at noon, our lease at the PH was terminated. After scrubbing the house for hours on end (hence the Annie blog post title reference), we turned in our keys and are moving forward. The PH will always be in our hearts.
The burning question that all four of our readers (hi Moms and Dads) are dying to know is, will the PH blog remain in tact. The answer, of course, is yes. We apologize for our lack of updating lately, we will try to be better about keeping you informed.
Fox has moved on to live with a friend, the elusive "Greg" has moved somewhere (we're not sure where), and the three Toga ladies have moved in with their friend Cori to a lovely home a little north of their previous residence. They are very excited, as the new home's amenities include a hot tub (!), a big deck, and a fenced yard with a secret garden in front. We aren't really sure what makes us think we can upgrade, since only one of us now has a real job (shout out to Kels, the mouse gynecologist), but something inside told us "wait a minute, grown women in their 20s shouldn't have to use an unfinished bathroom in a basement with only a curtain for a door". A revelation, some might call it.
Our first couple nights in the new home have been full of unpacking, eating ramen noodles and drinking boxed wine, comforting the confused and sheepish Henry, and getting used to the sights and sounds of colorful Colfax avenue. Please stay tuned for a video tour of our new digs.

1940's Ball

Last night, Kathryn, Norah, Katie and Nora (not much variation in the names there) ventured to the Boulder airport to have some good old fashioned fun at a 1940's ball. They had a blast! Everyone was dressed up in 1940's garb, there were planes and old vehicles to take pictures in front of, there was big band swing dancing, and no shortage of veterans. One veteran named Rich took each of us for a spin on the dance floor. Rich had swing moves like no other.

Nora proudly waved her flag all night long

Camping, Winery and Friends

The last few weekends Kels, Nor and Kat have been camping. The pictures below are from our trip to Fruita aka "Fr-utah" where we went camping 2 miles from the Utah border in the desert. On this trip we took a trip to Palisade to go to Carlson Winery, Palisade Brewery, and the Peach St. Distillery. We had a great time spending time together and getting to enjoy the outdoors again! We were joined by some great friends from all around including Andrew, Spencer, Johnny, Bridget, and Billy.

Here is a picture of the crew:

We visited the Carlson Winery for some feline- and pre-historic-themed libations.

Enjoying some sun on a bench at the winery. Note fields of grapevines in the background.

Beautiful view from our campsite at Fr-Utah.

Celebrity Blogger. Maybe, someday?

Kathryn is finally becoming a celebrity blogger...well...sorta. Check out her post for Denver Botanic Gardens! Another exciting thing about the post is that it features photography by Foxy. Kathryn took the internship at the Gardens a few months ago and just found out that she would be able to cook, write, and blog for a meager living. She will also be guest blogging on a new blog called "GradHacker", launching in early June...will post when it goes live!

'Tis the Season

...for using the push mower. Norah and I spent part of our Saturday afternoon doing manual labor, yard work, and yes, you guessed it...we mowed the lawn. This is no ordinary lawn mowing adventure and requires many runs over the jungle-like grass in the yard. Despite the near-dead appearance of the grass in some places, it still proves to be a challenge with patches of thick grass bushes and dandelion clusters. Wish us luck as this season begins...

Standing next to the push mower with pride, admiring all that we have accomplished

You have one guess...

As to what Ryn and Nor are signing up for...

What exactly...

...is in our attic?

apparently it's a 3-woman + 1-dog operation...

Denver is Confused...

Well, yesterday we enjoyed some sunny, 84 degree weather by going to the park during the day and attending the Rockies game at night.

It was so sunny, in fact, that the majority of us got a sunburn.

Then today, we see this:

It has been snowing NON-STOP and incredibly hard! We can't complain, because we know it will melt tomorrow... and like Kelsey says, the earth is thirsty so we welcome the moisture.

Silly Denver!

THANKS JEANNIE!

Kelsey and Norah were THRILLED when our family friend Ninki showed up at our doorstep with gift cards to Safeway (the grocery store)  sent with love from their Momma. 

Here they are,  ecstatic with their purchases shown in the background.

THANKS MOMMA!!!!

claire's boutique

Today Nor, Kat, and Kels took a trip to the mall to get some second and third hole piercings in their ears. Who would have thought that Claire's would still have a monopoly on ear piercing nationwide? Kat had her ears pierced when she was 6 yrs old at Claire's and Norah had her ears pierced multiple times from ages 7-present at Claire's (lots of re-piercing on that one)... good news to report... all piercings were had and no tears or fainting!

Here are some pictures from our adventure:

Don't mistake this blank stare for creepiness...Kat was terrified. She got a lolly pop for being brave.

She looks very concerned...but she had to put on a brave face because Kat was going after her...

Semi-professionalism

It has been quite some time since I’ve written a blog post. I swear I have several ‘legit’ excuses for this. The first one has to do with the fact that I am always questioning whether or not I really have anything important enough to write about. Secondly, I always wonder if anyone really cares enough to read what I write. I suppose if you’re reading this now, then yes, yes you do. Congratulations! You are the lucky winner.

Okay, so the real reason that I haven’t had time to write a blog post is because I’ve become an incredibly busy person. I remember during my first quarter of graduate school, I kept thinking about the fact that most of my friends had become completely consumed by work. We are at that age now where everyone is entering the workforce, and the ‘real world’ is just beginning. Well, now I am one of those people consumed by work, and despite the crazy schedule and many sleepless nights, I am incredibly happy about that. I still think I’ve been able to semi-avoid the real world thus far.

Graduate school has been incredibly challenging and rewarding so far. I also just started an internship at the Institute for Environmental Solutions (IES). In the next few months, I will be leading a series of workshops for IES on non-toxic living in Fort Collins. I successfully made it through finals last week, and I even had time to end the week by going to String Cheese Winter Carnival on Friday. Since I went by myself, Kels and Andrew were gracious enough to meet me in the lot. Thanks guys!

I’m currently in Miami visiting family and relaxing on the beach. I’m ready to get back to Denver, ready to get back to work, and ready to see what new knowledge and experiences next quarter will bring.

Denver sure feels like home lately, and life is good. :)

Just Across the Way...

Hi! Although no longer a physical member of the Poor House, I thought I'd take a moment to update my happenings in sunny California. So, finally I'm settled...for the most part. My internship is going wonderfully. I work for a company called Little Engine Productions at the Disney Studios. Basically I read a helluva lot of scripts, write feedback and do office work. But the environment is ideal and the experience is priceless. I'm so happy!

My apartment is splendid. Plenty of space and still in the process of getting tables, chairs, etc. For the most part though, it's sorted. My mama left Sunday (couldn't have done ANY of this without her!) and believe it or not, is in DENVER! My dad (couldn't have done ANY of this without him!) and brother are there as well about to embark upon a ski trip in which I was originally supposed to be a part of. Oh how things change. My cousin Dave is also residing at the PH for the week. Love it!

Anyway, I've had quite a few celeb sightings...at restaurants, flea markets and at the studio. They're everywhere. Stars---they're just like us! Well, today doesn't have too much in store luckily. A run, the post office, script reading, and a few other random errands. That's it for now! I'm going to put a video of my apt up...so I'll link it here as well. Stay tuned.

To my Poor Housers...I MISS YOU MADLY AND LOVE YOU LOTS!

Update: Roger and Kat Spotted Together Again

Roger on the Red Rocks Trail. Wild card, that one.

Shockingly, Kat and Roger went for a hike in the Foothills on Sunday together...ALONE. Kat is eating her words after having said he was never allowed on a hike again only weeks ago. Roger is beginning to woo her with his dark eyes, playful spirit, and exquisite physique...

Jobless PH Residents Reaching Out...

Well aren't we all glad that two out of the five PH residents have Masters degrees, two out of five have pending Masters degrees, and one out of the five is fresh off the boat from some one-of-a kind overseas direct instruction (see our 'Welcome Greg' post below!)... but all of us seem to still be struggling finding work.
I know what you're thinking: "What do they do all day? Are they even applying for jobs?"
Let us answer that for you now. We'll start with the short answer: yes. Now here's the more detailed description of exactly how far we've reached beyond our fields of experience, or even interest. 
Kelsey has recently applied to be a Professor of Biology at a local community college. You should've been here when we had to whip up a mock lesson plan for that application.
Norah has recently applied to be a Horticulture Instructor at the Botanic Gardens.
Kathryn has combined both of these positions and has applied to be a Professor of Anthropology, and Horticulture assistant (in which case she would be colleagues with both Norah and Kelsey).
Fox has an internship which recently started PAYING her (!)....




$8/hr.... but we're not a house to complain about wages. Way to go, Fox!
And we're gonna cut Greg some slack since he just arrived here two days ago. Good luck bud, the market's a little tough right now...

Whole lotta good this did us...

Although our spirits may waver, they haven't broken and here's hoping to a Spring full of job opportunities and positive thinking!

The Poor House Change-Over

We've made it clear that it was very sad to see Caiti leave the PH and that it was her time to get famous and move to Hollywood, pursue her dreams, all that good stuff...dontcha ya know.

But it was time for us to move on and get a new roommate, and so we found one! His name is Greg and he came straight from Korea!...well...he's actually from Georgia (the U.S. State, not the country) and was just teaching kindergarteners in Korea for a year. He is a musician and you can find him frequenting all the local open mics most nights. He also rides his bicycle around town.

Moral of the story...farewell Caiti, your memory will live on in the PH...and welcome Greg! It takes a real man to voluntarily join the Poor House ranks :)

The World Welcomes Little Tristan

Our wonderful friends Molly and Shane welcomed their new little baby boy to the world last week! He is the cutest little button and has teeny tiny features. We love him so.

Lennon patiently awaits the arrival of his new baby brother

The Roommate Search- Tips from an Industry Professional

By now it’s no secret: times are tough. Rooms are scarce; roommates are plentiful. You’ve probably heard of the housing crisis. It’s not uncommon for one candidate to apply to dozens of openings each day- and not receive a single response. And here you are with one of these positions to fill, having gotten into your current situation when times were better. Whether it’s your first rodeo or not, consider the advice below in trying to get the most out of your search.

1. You’ll want to look for someone with at least 4-6 years of experience in a similar household with upwardly progressive responsibility. The right candidate will have excellent organizational skills, communication ability, and attention to detail. While these might sound like platitudes, you’re going to want to pretend to look for someone with these qualities. Don’t bother to evaluate anyone’s innate ability to be a good roommate, just cover your back and make sure you don’t get second-guessed. In other words, don’t even think about offering your position to someone who hasn’t lived in an identical situation. After all, the only logical proxy you have for productivity is the prior performance of identical responsibilities.

2. Remember that you have a commodity. Yes, through no merit of your own you hold the unadulterated discretion to make life-altering decisions about who shall be endowed with this commodity - but don’t let the fact that you haven’t really earned it prevent the power from going to your head. Timing, circumstance, and a lot of other things that seem like pure luck have put you in a position to alter the paths of candidates who have far more ability, aptitude, and general desirability than you do. To get the most out of your roommate search you’ll want to completely forget that your authority over these deserving people is entirely the product of happenstance.

3. Your commodity is rare- overcharge and underaccommodate. You have something people need (a place to live) and you get to decide who gets it. Be completely unreasonable. Do tenants in similar housing situations typically pay $500 per month? Offer to let someone fill your vacancy for twice the market rate. Are utilities in your house typically divided evenly among roommates? Stipulate that the new roommate will be responsible for the entire utility bill.

How about access to communal areas and restrooms? Your household probably has a tradition of granting that to everyone. Not so fast. Your new roommate has the bad luck of needing a place to live at a time when places to live are hard to come by. At the very least you’re going to want to institute a probationary period during which the new tenant is allowed access to common area only on weekdays, for example. Perhaps bathroom privileges terminate at 6pm. Feel free to get creative with this one. The more arbitrary and demeaning you can be with the conditions, the more you’ll be able to remind someone that he or she only has himself or herself to blame for needing a place to live at a time like this.

4. Consider temporary, part-time, or temporary to permanent leasing. Maybe you’re looking for a Tuesday and Thursday roommate, but simply don’t have a full-time need at the moment. The implications of holding a scarce but necessary resource are that people are willing to do a lot to acquire your good favor.

Tell that Tuesday-Thursday roommate that you’ll consider full-time tenancy after three months of good behavior. You just made your opening a must-have opportunity. And you don’t even have to actually consider permanent tenancy- at the end of the three months you can just tell your new roommate that you didn’t have a need. If this had anything to do with employment, you might call it an internship. In other words- someone who is overqualified to fill your vacancy is likely to be so desperate to find an opening that you’ll be able to subject them to outrageous demands in light of their credentials.
______

While even the best of us can’t guarantee success in the roommate search, it’s more important that we adhere to the process. With these tips in your back pocket, you can get the most out of the candidate you select. After all, anyone foolish enough to be looking for housing in this market surely deserves what’s coming to them.

Andrew Smith

Some men walk past a billboard looking for housing

The PH Bids Adieu to Caiti

*Disclaimer* This post contains sappy content

This morning the Poor House was feeling a little blue as our dear basement dweller, Caiti, packed up her belongings and hit the road. She's headed for L.A. to pursue her career and has accepted an internship at a media production company (?). When we walked back in the house after waving goodbye to her and Jan, we sat on the couch quietly and thought about how the house felt emptier. As excited as we all are for her, it should come as no surprise that we are going to miss her. A lot. 

We spent our last evening with her in Denver at Sancho's (obviously). We came home and for the first time, explored our attic. Don't ask us why it had to happen at 12:30 a.m. on a Friday, but it did. Turns out there's not much to it, although Kels is pretty certain there's a large rodent of sorts living up there.

Anyway, I digress. This post is about Caiti and the zest that she brought to our house. She connected us, she kept things light and fun, and she was my partner in crime down in the basement. We're going to try to skype as often as possible, preferably at 6 p.m. mountain time so that she can continue to compete in our daily jeopardy competitions. 

You'd think it would get easier, saying goodbye to your best friends... since it seems that you spend your young adult life moving from one place to the next, but it doesn't. Especially when you get used to said friend being three feet from you most of the day. Nevertheless, change is necessary, change is an opportunity to grow, and we know our Caiti will always be a part of the Poor House even as she starts her own adventure.

Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It's the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here's a happy one for you.
~Dale Evans

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened! -Dr. Seuss

Peaceful Relations?

Roger is easily distracted and excitable. A "loose canon" if you will. He is working on it.

Roger is a Rhodesian Ridge-back puppy who equals Kat in weight. Kat and Roger have a tumultuous past. Not only does his size become overbearing when he is over excited because he plows her over on the trail but, to top it all off, she is allergic to him and breaks into hives by merely touching him. She once vowed (5 days ago) never to allow him on a hike again on account of his poor trail etiquette. The tension was palpable....however, today is one for the books.

With the dawning of Rog's new medication regimen, she has noticed a marked change towards tolerable behavior on his part. This led to a breakthrough in their relationship. Today...Kat took Roger for a walk in Wash Park (not without the supervision of Kelsey and Henry, of course). His behavior was commendable. Maybe, someday, they can frolic in the open field together on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Roger and Kat at Wash Park...is it love? We'll see about that...

We miss you.

We want Norah to come back to the PH now!!!!!!

Happy Love Day!

The Poor House wishes everyone out there a very Happy Valentine's Day! We hope your day (and every day for that matter) is filled with love and happiness. 

Smile today, lots of people love you!

Henry's Birthday Bash

Henry Breen turns 3 (21) tomorrow, so of course, we threw him a birthday brunch today! A bunch of his friends came including, Lennon, Sherwood, Taxi and Quinnie! They had tons of fun and ate plenty of cake and treats. Henry was showered with gifts and tons of love (nothing new there)! He now is quietly resting on the couch, dreaming happy thoughts while his new toys are still in his grasp. Sweet dreams H and happy birthday. We love you more than you know!


Treat. Treat. Treat. Treat. Treat. Treat. Treat. Treat.

Lovebug

Norah and Taxi

Roger couldn't make it...

Henry eating his birthday cake with his proud mama.