Introducing Lucy
February 8, 2010 at 5:04 pm | In Beagles | 2 Comments
We got a puppy a little over a week ago. She’s a beagle mix. The vet thinks her other half is dachshund or terrier. Everyone else has said she has the coloring of a rottweiler. !! (We don’t exactly know since we got her from a rescue.) I whisper to her, “please don’t be a rottweiler.” Nothing against that breed–I knew a very sweet and lovable rottweiler and know they make very good pets. Just not for me. I want a petite, dainty dog. The beagle/dachshund idea pleases me because that’s what Peanut is and hopefully that’ll keep Lucy on the smaller side. Time will tell.
She’s a good dog. Puppies are hard, don’t get me wrong, but she’s cute. She can scream bloody murder, let me tell you. She’s getting better, though. She doesn’t scream every single time I leave the room. Just 70% of the time now.
So far the two dogs get along great. They’re very interested in each other and can wear themselves out playing and chasing each other through the house. I wish I could get a video of that, but they move so fast!
I’m probably jinxing myself here, but the housetraining has been going extremely well and Lucy didn’t make a single peep all night last night. Woohoo!
Why Didn’t I Think of This Sooner?
January 26, 2010 at 8:19 pm | In Cool-weather gardening | 1 CommentLettuce is a cool-weather vegetable. We’ve been having lots of cool weather, and yet, I haven’t planted a single lettuce seed. I have shamed my garden self.
A Hodgepodge of Things
January 21, 2010 at 5:28 pm | In After pics, The Joys of Decorating | 1 CommentSo, I’ve been a complete blog slacker. I don’t feel like I have much to blog about, really. It’s not that I’m busy or that nothing has happened, it’s just…blah is the only thing that comes to mind. Maybe this post will jumpstart my 2010 blogging.
A few things here and there have been going on. I haven’t completely finished my lapghan, but I did replenish my yarn supply and I completed two rounds of edging. I started the third, but promptly set the project aside after 10 or 15 stitches and am contemplating undoing those and calling the lapghan finished. See, the third and final edge is supposed to be stitched backwards. Backwards?!? I definitely do not have the hang for that, or the patience to struggle through it. I think no one will be able to tell the difference and the lapghan will look fabulous. But finishing that is on my to-do list.
We walked into a furniture store fully expecting to buy two black, leather swiveling bucket chairs for the sad, bare area in the living room behind the couch. They were going to be perfect. I was in love with them and super excited. And did I mention they swiveled? Swoon! Apparently the chairs were discontinued, though, and there weren’t any available. At all. Anywhere. Boy, was I bummed. Until we saw this and came home with it:
The “bare” area I’m referring to is the one where the Christmas tree and bench are in this pic. The bench is staying there, but obviously the Christmas tree is not. We still have a sorta bare area there, but that’s where the coordinating chair to the sectional comes in. We ordered it in beige (it’s on back order, wouldn’t you know it?), and will place it across from the sofa and move the chair that’s currently there to the corner where the Christmas tree was. I’m not convinced the chair/bench thing will work there, but it’s a start. I’m sure tinkering will be involved, including repositioning the current artwork and adding more as pieces continue coming together. I’m happy, and the whole sectional/chaise thing is genius!
We painted the master bedroom and got new bedding. I’ll take more pictures as the room progresses (I’m thinking a DIY headboard, new nightstands, drapes, and one of those large mirrors that leans against the wall). We have one accent wall, which you can see in this pic. The other walls are a light putty color.
This room has been interesting. During one of our many late-night discussions about what to do with the room, we realized we had two very different visions for what we wanted. I don’t think that’s happened before! I wanted light, fresh, crisp, clean, and airy. He wanted a bold, dramatic, high-impact look. How the heck do you combine those two visions? I think we’re on the right track. The orange, white, and neutral wall color are definitely fresh and crisp,while the teal is high-impact for sure. We’re brainstorming artwork ideas now and looking for some nightstands we can refurbish. And of course I have two table lamps already staked out at Ikea.
Next up, besides forging ahead with the bedroom stuff, is replacing the half bath hardware and painting. If we can ever agree on a color.
P.S. I had two great-looking tomato plants on the brink of flowering, then we had over a week of cold weather (I don’t know if it ever officially froze, but my tomato plants are not happy). So not what I signed up for when I moved to south Florida.
Yarn Shortage!
November 20, 2009 at 11:17 am | In Crochet | 1 CommentOk, it’s not really an emergency considering the fabric store is just minutes away, but I’m at a stopping point on my lapghan until I replenish my supply. The good news is I’m almost done. I just need to finish the row in progress and do the edges. The edges scare me a little bit because I do not understand the pattern at all, but I’m hoping it’s one of those things that will make sense once I’m working on it.
I’m happy with the size of this lapghan. It’s definitely not enough to cover a person head to toe, but it’s enough to be cozy while sitting.
Dining Room
November 17, 2009 at 12:19 pm | In After pics, The Joys of Decorating | 2 CommentsI realized I haven’t shared any photos of the dining room. I had my excuses. First, I was waiting for the new light fixture and dining table/chairs, then the wine bar, then items for the wine bar, and then something I haven’t even thought of yet. Here’s our dining room as it looks today (It still drives me nuts that the pictures don’t show the color very well. Darn my photography skills.):
I’m not crazy about the table setting and the drapes, but I’m not sure what to do differently with either of those things. Wait. I do know what to do about the drape situation, but the ones I want gave me sticker shock. Maybe they’ll go on sale…
November is flying by!
November 13, 2009 at 10:34 am | In Crochet, Miscarriage | Leave a CommentI’ve barely had time to notice I haven’t updated in awhile. My lapghan is coming along beautifully and I’ve made a ton of progress. I’m nervous about finishing the edges because I don’t completely understand the pattern, but I have a little bit of work to do before I get there. Overall, though, crocheting has become my therapy. It keeps my mind and hands busy and brings up sweet memories.
Life has been consumed with other things lately. I had another miscarriage and now we’re looking into some testing to try to figure out why it keeps happening (third time is *not* the charm). I’ve been overwhelmed and sad and pessimistic and frustrated, all things that bother me endlessly. Bloodwork to test my thyroid came back a tad borderline for subclinical hypothyroidism. Our research shows that there may be a pretty strong correlation between this issue and recurrent pregnancy loss (or, could have nothing to do with it…cue despair). I started medication and we’ll see what happens. In several months, I’ll have a complete blood panel to check for chromosomal and autoimmune disorders. I’m not sure what to hope for with this. I want something to be wrong, but only if it’s something we can easily address. Beggars can’t be choosers, though, can they? (Cue more despair.)
I’m grateful for the support my husband has given me, even though he’s grieving, too. I’m also grateful for my doctor. I had such a hard time with doctors before I found her, and her compassion and expertise has made this whole struggle more bearable. We keep praying something will work out. We also decided to be very open when we feel like it, because we don’t want to pretend this isn’t happening. Pregnancy loss is usually so taboo and it isn’t fair.
But, I want to end this post on a positive note. I’m very much looking forward to Thanksgiving. We’ll miss the huge portion of our family we won’t be with, but will thoroughly enjoy the time we’ll spend with the few we will see. I’m excited to decorate for Christmas. I’m gathering ideas for things that will work with the structure of the house. I’m especially looking forward to buying a new “our first home” ornament for this year. 
I changed my mind
October 30, 2009 at 11:04 am | In Crochet | Leave a CommentI had every intention of starting those little crocheted baby animal toys last night, but I switched gears. I’ve been thinking of my great-grandma a lot more often lately as it’s nearing the second anniversary of her death. When I was growing up, we’d work on various projects during the many summer days I spent at her house. One summer we made a quilt that’s now worn from all the use I’ve gotten out of it, but will cherish always. Gram also taught me to crochet. I’ve really only been able to crochet pot holders, but the baby toy project got my mind working. I decided to try crocheting a lap blanket (or lapghan, to use the correct crochet terminology). I found an easy pattern and tutorials for the various stitches online. I got started last night and unleashed my inner crocheting fool! I know this will be a lengthy project, but I can’t wait to continue working on it. The project is near and dear to my heart, and while I miss Gram terribly, it’s helping remember all the wonderful times I spent with her.
I still intend to make those baby toys at some point, but for now, this project warms my heart.
A Picture-Free Update
October 26, 2009 at 2:24 pm | In Gardening, Sewing, South Florida living, The Joys of Decorating | 2 CommentsIt’s too bad I don’t have any pics to share, but I’ll sum it all up and hopefully take some decent pics to share soon. (I really need to amp up my photography skills. It’s sad, people.)
Gardening
My Aurora pepper is doing fabulously. There are a couple peppers growing already, but the one that’s been around the longest doubled in size over the past day. I’m excited to be getting to this point of gardening; I feel like there’s a little treat waiting for me each time I check my plants for new developments.
My two tomato plants are doing quite well, too. No flower buds yet, but I keep scrutinizing daily and will let out a little “woot!” as soon as I see them. Maybe I’m being naive, but I’m thinking I’ll have better luck on my open-air patio.
I had a minor run in with powdery mildew on all my plants a few weeks ago, but I spritzed the undersides of the affected leaves with my mixture of baking soda and water and brushed off the mildew. I haven’t seen any of that sneaky stuff since, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Again, I’m hoping less humidity + open-air patio = bountiful results.
Home decor
Our dining room is almost done has taken one step backwards, as of last night. First, the good news: We have our beautiful dining room table, complete the table runner, placements, and pumpkin centerpiece. We have our light fixture (which a couple strangers said they loved last weekend, so score!), and a whole leaning bookcase/wine bar unit. We’d like to add a few more accessories to that piece of furniture (a white initial for our last name, a white vase/bowl/sculpture thingy), but that will come in time. We had custom-made curtains, sewn by yours truly, that I was really digging. Until last night.
It was rainy the other night and we followed our usual routine of carrying Peanut inside so we can wipe off her paws. One curtain panel had a minor run in with a muddy paw. No biggie. The panels are all 100% cotton, so I just threw the one panel in the wash (cold water, gentle cycle) and let it air dry. Paw print out. All good. We hung the panel back up last night. It’s a good 6 inches shorter.
&$%*@!
I am still mad. I can’t even talk about it anymore.
Moving on.
We finally found an entryway table. We had such a hard time with this because our space isn’t large enough to allow a typical entryway table generally sold in furniture stores. We were starting to give up, but then stumbled upon a tall, square table for $50. Score! It was originally oak, which does not fly with our style, so we got out our trusty power sander and went to town. Then we painted it black. It’s perfect. We’re still looking for the perfect accessory to place on top of it, but it works in the meantime. We hung a piece of artwork above it that we already had but weren’t using, but decided we prefer a mirror. So, we’re on the quest for the perfect, budget-friendly mirror. I have spray paint and I’m not afraid to use it, so I’m keeping my eyes open.
We’re saving for a couple bucket chairs to add to the living room. They’ll fill our open space sorta behind our main TV viewing area. The open space will serve us nicely by providing a reading nook, guitar display area (gotta keep the husband happy), and board game nook. Plus, we’ll gain more seating. I can’t wait to get those chairs. They swivel, and I swoon.
Crafty projects
I’ve been doing a little bit of sewing and trying to get back into it on a regular basis. Besides the curtain panel customization I did for the living and dining rooms, I did manage to finish one skirt that’s wearable. I’m planning on wearing it to church next Sunday, and I’ll try to get a good picture posted. I started on a second skirt with some minor adjustments, but I lost steam. I did sew a baby blanket for my good friend who is having a baby boy in December. That was a fun, meaningful project, but what I’ve been hankering for is something to keep my hands busy when I’m otherwise being a couch potato. I did some digging and found a site that gives easy crochet patterns for some really, really cute animals. They’re supposed to be baby toys, but I worry they’re too small (any mom readers who want to weigh in?). At the very least, they’re cute, out-of-baby’s-reach decoration for a nursery, so I’m going to try my hand at it. I could stare at the penguin all day:
Check out the Web site to see the patterns and other pictures. If you never hear from me again, you’ll know I wasn’t successful with crocheting these cute little guys. And if you’re my friend in real life and pregnant, forget you saw this post. 
Edited to add: Shoot. I guess my title doesn’t work anymore, but what I really meant was pictures I took myself.
::Swoon::
October 23, 2009 at 5:01 pm | In The Joys of Decorating | 2 CommentsI’m starting to get into the holiday spirit, and think some sort of party in December is warranted. (‘Cause I really need an excuse to buy these and so many other things, right?)
Oh, gardening, how I’ve missed you…
September 11, 2009 at 4:02 pm | In Aurora peppers, Gardening, Peanut, Planting | Leave a CommentI’ve started another garden! Woot! Due to space constraints and my compromise with my husband not to take over the entire patio, I’m only planning one Aurora pepper, one Everglades Cherry tomato, and one Marglobe tomato. The two tomato seedlings are just a tad too young to transplant, but I just transplanted this beaut:
I almost lost this little guy in the transplant process. My yogurt container didn’t want to let go. I don’t remember that being a problem last time around and I’m concerned about the same thing happening when I transplant the tomatoes. We’ll see soon.
And, just because I haven’t shared any Peanut pictures lately:
Because sometimes she just gets too tired and doesn’t make it all the way under the couch (which is one of her favorite naptime spots).
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