What We Did on Mother's Day

We took a walk down to the creek...this part belongs to our neighbors.  Our side needs some work (CLEAN UP).  And we have yet to tear down a ramshackle cabin (think Seattle's Hoover City during the depression...)  A tree during the last storm took care of some of the demolition work.  SEE:

 We (I mean CALLIE) enjoyed a dip in the creek.  That dog was happy to the Nth power!

She even enjoyed shaking it ALL off...

And here is the biggest trip of the day...there was an Airstream parked near our cabin (ON our property).  SILLY me thought it was a Mother's Day present!!  But NO, it turned out someone parked her Airstream on our property because she didn't have ANYWHERE ELSE TO PUT IT.  She basically bought it, turned the "for sold" sign over, then wrote us a note "dear neighbor, sorry for parking here without your permission..."

 

RIDICULOUS, RIGHT?!?!?!

Luckily, it's gone...but it came very close to me selling it off.    So anyway, NOW my husband has a VERY clear picture of what I want:  Airstream, DWR edition.  Yup, I'm going for the big bucks on this one...it'll be WAY cooler than this, but I thought I'd share a picture of the rogue Airstream regardless, so you all could see how AWESOME these look in a little clearing in the woods.  ENJOY.

 

XOXO.

 

 

Fatty Callie in the Yard

I absolutely LOVE my dog.  She's super sweet, and I love sharing the goofy pictures I take of her, like this one:

Of course, that is if she has the patience to sit still long enough!!  Usually, most of the pictures I am able to take of her are of her rump, like this one:

BUT

I

LOVE

HER
ANYWAY.

.

.

.

XOXO

:-)

New Toy for Little A!

Little A Got ANOTHER Toy...

 This one fits her MUCH better than the other two. However, as you can see, she is still really little.

 

And here are the Doggies roaming the yard...

 

Mikio is plotting to pee on my birdhouses...and Callie is grazing again like the Fat Girl she is.

 

 

 

Tuesday Night: Callie in the KitchN!

CALLIE IS IN THE KITCHEN!!!!

Take THAT, husband!  Evil husband that shoos my furry friends out of MY kitchen!

Also...look at how awesome this asparagus looks through my Canon!

I used it to make this quinoa & brown rice rissoto dish.

I eyeballed some cream, milk, and shredded parmasen into it.

Then I topped it off with fresh tomato and ground salt + pepper.

HEAVEN!!!!  Even the little Dolly ate it!  :-D 

Kitchen Update: Change is Good. Progress is Better.

So in the interest of keeping this post easy to view, I have opted to scale down the pictures (because I have so many to show you!!!).  However, for better detail, just click on the pic, and you can see the full-size version.  :-)

Below is a view of the cabinets along the "coffee/tea bar"....

Remember what this side of the wall USED to look like?! (Look at the difference new flooring, counter tops, and paint can do!! *Please note, we are obviously not done with all the trim work.  Some of it is still in the original light-Tiffany-blue...but at least this is change for the better  :-)

Look at this Thrifty pendant!  $3.99 at Goodwill!!!  It replaced the dubiously-built Urban Outfitters starburst pendant, which is now installed in the pantry (ha!) until we figure out where we really want it.  Yes, I know there is more trim that needs a coat (or five) of Dove White Gloss.  One day, we will get there...

This corner of the kitchen looks good when it gets dark out too!

BUT I think I like it better in the daytime, with its Callie Dog companion.

I love my vintage knockoff Tulip Table (but the Bertoia Side Chairs are totally really.  Nothing in our house is knock-off Bertoia.  So far, it has been totally easy to find and/or repair on the cheap).  ***STILL searching for 4 Bertoia barstools though***

Here is the AWESOME tile we chose (Lowe's) for the backsplash along both the main kitchen counter and coffee/tea bar.  My father-in-law suggested Tiffany Blue grout, but I think we will stick to plain old white.  LOL

By the way, IKEA train set = good investment of your $

DRUMROLL please.....(imaginary drumroll)....

Here is the main kitchen counter.  The glass cupboards and butcher block counter are both IKEA.  The white cupboards are original to the home, but dressed up with IKEA hardware (2 handles for $10, VS Lowe's/Home Depot where the same style will run you $30+ to $70, depending on size.  

For the drawers in the kitchen, we plan will be splurging on brushed nickel "whale tail" pulls from Rejuvenation.  YAY!!!

The white tile will run along the entire counter, cover the windowsill by the sink, and probably go up halfway between vintage stove and ceiling trim (still in the process of being painted white).

Yes, I thought one side of the island should be pop-you-in-the-face YELLOW.  One day, some Bertoia barstools will look really sleek up on that yellow.

The bright window-looking thing on the ceiling is a set up of about 8 fluorescent light bulbs.  I only use it if I am cooking something complicated, otherwise I prefer the little globe lights or the larger globe pendant above the tulip table.

Yup, 2 stoves.  The gas stovetop in the island is for practicality, while the vintage electric stove is just for looks.  I'm taking this one to my next house.

The two cutouts above are for skylights *someday*!

My Tea Cupboard.  Above the tea bar, next to my coffee mug cupboard and teapot cupboard...but my old Fire King teacups & coffee mugs are actually hanging on the other side of the kitchen - because they just don't fit all in one spot!!  

Yet another thrifty find: $10.99 Goodwill painting.  Do you see a pattern here?  I flipping LOVE the Goodwill.  I find some kick*butt stuff there.  This one is really interesting when you get up close to it.

Just don't fall in!  ;-)

Callie in the Kitchen

This is my original Baby Girl, Callie Dog.  Daddy does not like her being in the kitchen.  Mommy doesn't give a sh*t.  As you can see, even going on 10 (human years!), she is still puppy-licious.  ;-P

This post is really JUST pour moi.

So when I am frustrated at work I can pull up this page online and remember Callie Dog ALWAYS wags her butt when she sees me  :-)

Nobody gets me like she does, seriously.

Before Pics: Ugly Country House

Good Morning!  I have some grotesque "before" pictures to share today!  These were taken around the beginning of September (2010).  Since then, my husband and I have made much progress; I will continue posting WIP and current photos as I find the time  ;-)

See the ugliness of the exterior?  Putrid, right?  A house fit to burn!  Unfortunately, the previous owners (built this themselves!!) in their later years, so alot of the work (as you can see, this house is NOT painted) was not finished.  In addition, the house was definitely neglected until we came along...ready for the challange!  This house DOES have a bright side!  It is about 2600 sq ft (great running space for the pets and toddler), has a GREAT deck (which we will revamp within the year), huge kitchen, big bedrooms, and even a little storage nook which we will turn into a playroom/hideout for our daughter (every little kid's dream, right?)  The house sits on 3-5 acres of land (no...nobody really knows since the papers from long ago don't seem to be accurate).  A little creek runs on the property, and it came with a HUGE barn...not the cute, red-and-white kind, but the huge metal variety which we hope to improve someday.  I will save the barn "before" and "after" pics for that someday...

The interior doesn't fare much better than the exterior.  These three are of the main/living room, kitchen (500 sq ft!!!), and upper loft (my favorite!)


Oh by the way, the sheetrook patch job in the main room is something we put in ourselves!  Since then, there has been much, much more sheetrock work my husband has done.  Some areas of the house didn't have any sheetrock, others were torn down, etc...


This is Callie Dog.  She is here to make you feel better after being put through the torture of the "before" pictures:

She enjoys not listening, bum-licking, being outside, being on the bed when daddy is not looking, bum-licking on the bed when daddy can't see, and wiggling her butt.

I have my *fingers crossed* to find more time to post my house updates...soon!  They will also make up for the gross "before" pics in today's post.