We Did Something Insane

I honestly don't know what's wrong with us. I really don't.

We got another dog. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just spring it on you like that, but there you go. We (mostly Joe) have been thinking about this for a long time for a number of reasons. First of all, we got our first dog, Bo, for the kids, right? Well, she's not a big fan of the kids, other than Cora. She tolerates them....barely. Also, now that I am working, she is home alone for a few hours every day. And finally, she likes other dogs, but doesn't get a lot of interaction with them, so her social skills aren't the best. So, one day we went to the local animal rescue shelter, and we came home with a dog.

This is Kronk.

He is an almost 1 year old Boarder Collie mix (possibly Lab?), formerly known as Steven. He didn't have a chip when he was found, but I assume he was owned before, because he's already house broken, crate trained, and knew how to sit on command. It's sad to think that he lost his first family - sad for them if he was lost, and sad for him if they abandoned him - but it's working out good for us. Already he is fitting in with our family, although it IS a big adjustment....because he's big. 45ish pounds of puppy is a handful. He's full of energy, but he really is a sweetheart, and really affectionate, and smart. He loves the whole family - kids too!!! He loves to play fetch and tug-of-war. He loves being outside, even in the snow and cold, but thankfully never tries to jump the fence.

As far as Bo is concerned, she also seems to like this newest member of the household....maybe a little too much, if you know what I mean (wink, wink). I never knew that female dogs will also hump male dogs sometimes. You learn something new every day, huh? They are pretty funny together (and yes, they're playing, not fighting).

I don't know what else to say. This is our life now.

What is wrong with us?

FINALLY!!!

Okay, I know you've all been dying to see pictures of my house. We've been painting forever, and I wanted to get everything done before I took pictures, but that's just not going to happen. Especially since I hurt my rotator cuff. Yes, did you know that you could do that by painting too much? I didn't. It doesn't hurt all the time, but it does when I lift my right arm or reach for something....which I do a lot every day! I'm supposed to be doing excises, but I keep forgetting.

Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about my house!

Can I just tell you how much I love my house? So. Much. It's the best thing about living here. It is our safe place, our refuge, our Balm of Gilead. My only complaint is that the kitchen is pretty tiny, and I don't have enough cupboard/storage space. But that's the only thing. Okay, now for pictures. Here's the outside.

 And our back yard, which we're not getting any use out of right now because it's TOO COLD.

The Living Room and Dining Room - the before pictures.

This is how we started out. Every room in the house painted a flat off white/cream color, with wood trim. To me, it made everything look dull and dirty. Everything had to go. With the cathedral ceilings in our living room, it was especially challenging. But we didn't want to shell out thousands of dollars to hire someone else to do it, so we plunged in. We decided to go with gray walls and white trim. Perfect.

And here's the after shots. We just need to do a second coat on that wall on the right in the living room, going up the stairs, and I need to finish hanging pictures.

The Family Room - before.

Check out that gorgeous early-80's style stone fireplace. Even better, if you look closely you might be able to tell that several of those stones are sticking OUT to create shelves. What the?! That had to change. Also, I was ecstatic about the built in book shelves, but not the color. Staining was in order.

Cora was a big help in all of this process. She might even tell you that she did more than me and Joe, but I don't know how accurate that is.

And here's the after shot. We just need to put the mantel in above the fireplace - just a floating mantel stained the same color as the built-in. This is the room we spend most of our time in, and we love it.

The Kitchen.

The cupboards were painted by the previous owners. I don't hate them, but I definitely don't love them.....okay, actually I kind of hate them. I was going to paint them white, but I honestly don't know if I'll get around to that or not.

I have all my mugs from the German Christmas markets up along the top of the cupboards, and I love it. Those will be there all year round, not just for Christmas. Plus with all my magnets and pictures of family and friends on the fridge, this is a happy enough room that I can overlook the blue cupboards....and the fact that the microwave is white, instead of black like all the other appliances (shakes head defeatedly).

And that's my house. I'm not going to show the bedrooms or basement or garage, so get over it. For as long as we are here (which may not be that long because we are quickly discovering we are not mid-West kind of people), we will enjoy this lovely little home, and make it our own :)