Insomnia

I laid in bed frustrated at several points last night. I couldn't fall asleep. Is it because I'm excited about the future? Certain things preoccupy a lot of my thoughts these days.

I tried many tricks. I laid my hands on my abdomen. Trying to breath deeply. I got out of bed. I wrote. I read. I wrote some more. I walked my dog. I took medicine. Still peace did not take over. Still could not sleep.

I could hear all the noises. Doors opening. Shutting. Footsteps. Why does this bother me?

I feel unsafe... Why?

Because I was in a 12 year relationship with someone who stayed awake drinking after I'd lay down. I would hear him walking. Doors opening. Closing. Fearing that when the bedroom door opens, would it be peaceful or war with demons I can't see in the resemblance of someone I cared for.

The Body Keeps the Score... Title and point.

My body remembers. I can't be frustrated with myself. Only patient. I have to keep recovering. Keep changing my thoughts. Keep practicing to heal. It will take time. I will use my good resources. I have a dr appointment soon. I have good  GREAT friends.

At Nancy's, I didn't have too much trouble sleeping. I felt safe there. Those noises were reassuring. My apartment complex is full of people I don't know and will only have to come to learn how to trust in certain ways. I can do this. I will continue striving for peace so that I may not miss another opportunity for JOY.

I just want to stay high...

It's absolutely astonishing how much a person can forget of themselves over the years as you live from one pay check to the next bill to the next therapy session to the next major life decision. I'm speaking from experience and can only imagine that there are several others who can relate. Life is a distraction. But living is the point of it all. For a while now, I wasn't so sure how much living I was doing. But I am very thankful for a gift that has shown me that I have continued to be myself all throughout. I have been honest with myself and true to myself all along. I can't tell you how grateful of a feeling this is! I had watched people around me forget themselves. Destroyed and deteriorated by life.

I knew there were things I liked to do that I had moved away from. I really enjoyed art and drawing but hadn't put pencil to paper since high school. I was scared there was more of myself that I had lost. I was afraid I lost myself completely. There was a time when I was convinced I was someone I was unfamiliar with and a person or a type of person that was undesirable.

I picked up new hobbies- like hiking. I put a lot of energy and focus on that. It's new and exciting and something I have found to be very healing.

We've (my siblings and I) have always  given my mom grief for being a hoarder. She would keep everything. When I had moved into a house, and had what my mom saw as opportunity space, she gave me tote after box after tote of mementos, memorabilia, crafts, toys, many things from my childhood.

I have gone through them a couple of times in my life. And this time I noticed some pretty cool things. And things I just find humorous! Among these things, some of the ones that I hold most dear, are my writings. My mom kept my old kindergarten journals and the journals from grades thereafter. Here's what I've learned:

I have always loved the zoo. I have always loved to read and write. I have always loved many colors. I have always loved my family.

I have poems I wrote when I was in the first and second grades. I have poems I wrote in high-school, college, and journals, and diaries, and a book I authored/illustrated in the 5th grade. The feeling to see these things and be reminded of who I am is very gratifying. I feel solid. Whole. Joyful.

I wonder what intention I could create that helps to me see more of that even in the times when I am challenged by all the distractions. It's an unpleasant experience to feel like you've lost yourself. To not feel confident in yourself and everything else that goes along with that. I am struggling to describe what it felt like. But right now, I feel like I am soaring. I feel purposeful. I am on a high I don't want to come down from. 

Which reminds me of the song: Stay High by Brittany Howard

Brook's History

This is as complete as I can get it. I referenced pictures taken and bills from the vet.

Feb 20, 2018- brought her home
Feb 24 - first hour long car ride and stay in Ionia. Met family & Kujo.
March 9- uti
March 5- first trip to the dog park
Mar 11-13- my first trip away
March 21- uti
March 22- puppy play at Harbor Humane
March 26- uti
March 24- April 1- my second trip away
April 6- Aman park
April 7- uti
April 8- dog park
April 19- puppy class
April 24- uti
April 26- puppy training class
April 28- Aman
May 3- puppy training class
May 10- puppy training class
May 11- uti ? I think this was the final visit and the uti was cleared!
May 12- puppy play at Harbor Humane
May 17- puppy training class
May 19- downtown Baldwin
May 24- spay at Harbor Humane
Jun 15- dog park
June 17- first Kayak trip
June 19- eye infection
July 1- trip to Ludington to see family
July 2- dog park
July 6- dog park
July 30- vomiting barium Some time after this is when the Canine Flu freak out was happening. Because she had been vomiting, we decided to wait on the vaccine.
Sept 3- first camping trip & 2nd kayak.
Sept 25- first canine flu vaccine.
Sept 27- dog park
Sept 30- beginner training
Oct 7- beginner training
Oct 14- beginner training
Oct 21- beginner training & graduation
Oct 22 - explosive diarrhea. Between March and October, $1701.38 spent on acute care for vet visits, procedures, and medicine. This was around the time she was due for her canine flu booster, but we decided against it because of her health and the schedule for getting her booster in was maxed out. We had also already gotten the recommendation to not visit the dog park, so what was the point anymore? The vet did not have great availability for getting in to have the 2nd vaccine. Possibly an excuse, but it was a challenging time all around.
Nov 4- intermediate training
Nov 11- intermediate training
Nov 18- intermediate training
Nov 25- intermediate training
Dec 2- intermediate training
Dec 9- intermediate training & graduation
Dec 16- advanced training
Dec 23- advanced training
Dec 30- advanced training
Jan 4th- walk at Grand Ravine's
Jan 6- advanced training
Jan 10- visit to Lowe's & PetSmart
Jan 13- advanced training, bought Thundershirt and visit to Lowe's
Jan 17- 1 on 1 training session

dog beach? I don't remember the date but we had gone to the Kirk Dog beach with Brook.

Training Update

Um so here we are. We have literally 1 session left in the 18 week series that I purchased. I feel like Brook has made very little progress. If anything, she has regressed. Or maybe I am not giving her enough credit.

I purchased two 1 on 1 sessions that were on sale. We will have our first session this week prior to the normal class.

In reflecting on the training, I feel like the class size was slightly too big for Brook. I have learned that she is more nervous/anxious than I wanted to admit. Even looking back on all the times we had gone to the dog park, she was more excited to greet people than dogs. And she interacted hesitantly with the dogs and occasionally find a dog to play with. She was great with recall and would check in with me frequently. I was happy with this behavior but I didn't recognize a very important part- her hesitancy- as possible anxiousness.  So the big break we had in visiting the dog park and then the large class sizes have compounded into a more serious anxious problem around other dogs.

I was frustrated during many sessions. I didn't understand why Brook would not interact with me or follow direction. At times, she would take direction from the trainer and that would only frustrate me more because it made me feel like there was something wrong with me for her to not want to listen to me.

I have bought a Thunder Shirt that was on sale at the local pet store. I saved $10 which I am happy about.

I want to continue training but I want to find a class that is smaller.

Student Loan Debt

Guys. My car is paid off!!! I am working on paying down my credit cards (less than $3,000 total)
and then I am going to work my ass off to pay off the student loans. I am just FED up. Fuck FedLoans. Fuck loan forgiveness. It's too stressful and not worth it to fight through it.

I have to submit employer verification, income verification yearly. If my income changes, I have to reapply for income based. These three things have to happen for loan forgiveness. I have to make 120 on-time payments before the loan forgiveness is made.

I'm about to give you the full story of my student loans. I am going to break it down as simply as possible so if you have any questions about "gaps" let me know.

I graduated college. A couple of months later, I started my position at a nonprofit. I made what you could expect an entry level position would make. I qualified for income based payments. My payment was $0 initially. I recieved a raise, and then my payments went to about $50. 

I got married. My husband doesn't have student loans. We filed taxes together. FedLoans, or whatever program reviews my income, decides that my income, is OUR income. Makes sense right. But the forgiveness program is designed to forgive loans for people working in my position. MY POSITION should determined MY income, right? Not. What the fuck ever... I was DISQUALIFIED for income based payments. My payment was then about $550. Yes, that's right. 100 times the most previous amount. Can I "afford" it? Yes, I can PAY it, but that means my husband is left in full responsibility for paying the mortgage on our home. 

There was a new income based program launched and I qualified. My payments were still about $550 dollars, but at least the payments would qualify towards the 120. 

Some more changes happened, and my payment was dropped to about $450. Since I was used to paying the $550, I began to pay a bit extra on some specific loans. I did this because during the time that my payments were $0 and $50, I had interest that capitalized on the principle. There was a short period of time that I owed more than what I began with, even after paying for a handful of years. 

I had some financial stress, and I decided to pay only what my bill statement showed for a time. Then I noticed something strange. 

Although I was approved for income based, and paid the amount my bill statement showed on time, I had payments that DID NOT qualify towards forgiveness because they were less than the amount determined by my income application.  My account had been put on a "Paid ahead status," meaning that although I had an amount determined by income driven plan, my bill would reflect how much a owed based on how much I has paid. This had never before been explained to me. How would I know to pay something other than what my bill statement said? I have looked through the previous mailings and statements and this information is NO WHERE.

I have 37 "qualified" payments from the last 7 years. I need another 83 payments. 7 years. 7 years of payments assuming every payment is income based and that I work for a non profit.

I have paid in nearly $16,000 in the previous 7 years and still have a remaining balance of $45,500. Yep. Putting it all out there. You know know some details of my financial life. Please don't judge. I only wish for support and encouragement while I work my ass off with numbers, which I HATE (just ask my boss) to figure out a realistic budget and stick to it while putting as many pennies towards these loans as I can.

Training

So I have began a training class with Brook and I am so glad that I did. It was very apparent how much she needs the continued training. I was very embarrassed by her behavior when we got to class. Her leash manners are terrible. After talking with the trainer, I understood it to be as a result of taking her to the dog park so frequently. She only knows dogs as playmates.

It's important to me that my dog has good obedience. We take her with us everywhere and I look forward to having her with me when we go places. I would like her to get the Canine Good Citizen or therapy dog certifications. Possibly both.

I am not self disciplined enough to train her on my own using resources like YouTube or books. I have to be in a class with an instructor that I can ask questions.

We first had a six week session of training in the spring (April-May). She did not attend the graduation ceremony because she was scheduled for her spay that same day (May 24th). Our training was knowledgeable and a great person for reference. But the style was too much lecture. And the topics would be too many for one session. Some of it might have been the people in class who would ask questions and because she knew a lot, she would share her knowledge. But, for our young pup, who was kenneled all day and then brought immediately to class, it was too much sit time.

Then, we did not continue training in a consistent manner. So here we are- 3 weeks in, and scheduled for 15 more weeks of training (18 total). So far, I like the trainer. Even more importantly, the schedule is perfect.

I have spent a lot of money on this. I have purchased a new leash (although ours was an approved length, it is just too long for our little girl), a new harness (to stop pulling), a gentle leader (to prevent jumping), MANY treats, and a treat pouch. I know the investment will be worth it. I hope my husband will continue to support me and that it won't be a struggle to train her because he approaches it in a different manner. I really hope he will go to more of the sessions with us.

They grow so Fast

April 8th, 2018 

February 20th, 2018

We picked a name!

We took the rest of the week and the weekend to think about a name. Tom got out of the shower and asked, "What about Brook?"

It is perfect. I had immediately thought of a river, but was really thinking of a small river aka a brook. So that is the name we will go with!

Puppy!

I brought home a puppy! After we lost Hazel, I got into the habit of checking the humane society for puppies. This morning when I checked, there was a litter of retriever mix puppies. This little gal caught my eye. I called to see if they were still there and they were. I left from work to visit. I visited with her and another female from the litter. As soon as I took this one out, she placed her paw over my wrist as I was petting her. I was smitten. I brought her to meet Tom at work and he's still not sure about the whole puppy thing. 

We haven't named her yet. I immediately think of a river when I see her coloring, but Tom is hesitant about the name. 

Winter Window Weatherization

So much easier than I anticipated. And the results are better too. I grew up not being able to see through the plastic but this stuff is like looking through glass.

I did find it to have a static cling so be careful where you are laying it out when making your cuts.

I found it helpful to attach the top, bottom, and then sides. In that order, while tugging at the edges, I got a much less wrinkled finish.

The kit cost $11. I hope I get that much savings in heat.

I have yet to do my living room window because I need a piece of trim at the bottom of the window. Not only will this give me a place to adhere the plastic, but I will also cut out the draft that comes from the gap in the plaster and the frame of the window. I think this window will make the most significant difference in the efficiency of heating our home.

Are you ready for home-ownership?

Our house has been the source of frustration and depression over the last two years. It has also been a great source of creativity and reward.

To be honest, I can't say if we were ready for home ownership. I thought we were. But there have been many challenges that I don't think we were ready for emotionally. I am very thankful that Tom has the knowledge and skills for renovation. And I am glad I have many sources of inspiration. Together, I wish there was a better way to share these skills with each other. Tom has been overwhelmed, we have been restricted financially, and I have been incredibly impatient at times.

Don't feel compelled to make the decision of home ownership without considering what may be motivating you to do so. Our motivations for owning a home were different from one another. Therefore, our expectations were different. All without realizing it because we both agreed it was what we wanted and didn't discuss it beyond that. (Terrible pattern that is present in many aspects of our relationship I might add.)

I am not sure what I might suggest to remediate these troubles. But I'm sure there are great sources for that.

It has been a lesson in patience for sure. Our gains have been small at times, but it has been an awesome feeling that slowly, bit by bit, project by project, there is less to "get done" and more to enjoy about our home.

It's a wonderful feeling, a great sense of accomplishment, to say, "I did that."  I am sure there are other ways to embrace this feeling, but as we contemplated purchasing a home, there was no "better" way to share that together. Our society's culture dictates marriage, home, babies. I may suggest marriage, relationship building, home, relationship, then maybe babies if that is right for you, and again relationship.

I am very thankful that I have continued to use my blog to describe each of these journeys. Each project has been different. Some things we have done together and some things one of us did. I have been able to collect our experience in one place and see that we, together, have gotten a lot done.

Kitchen painted!

Recently, we helped a family member move in and do some painting in the new house. I was pretty jealous by the end of that day. My house has felt so torn apart these 2 years. I didn't want the jealousy to be a negative jealousy because I was truly happy for my family. So I used my feelings to motivate myself positively. After spending a few hours painting at their house, I decided to go home and paint my kitchen!

I spent from 10:00am - 8:00pm yesterday prepping and painting my kitchen. I had a bit of help from Tom with some mud work that needed to be done around our slider door. We had taken down wall paper that was there from the previous owners. We kinda went heavy with the removal and did light damage to the dry wall which was fixed by Tom's mud work. This part sort of slowed me down at first, because I had to wait for it to dry before I could prime that wall space. But I used that time constructively and began priming the window trim. It needed to be repolyed or painted. I wanted to brighten that space a bit, so I decided to paint it. I then sanded the mud, vacuumed the dust, and primed the wall space around the slider. I didn't prime the rest of kitchen.

I know it was a bit risky painting an old kitchen space without priming. But the paint we bought was intended to be used without primer and I've had time working against me. We had always primed first, but I knew with only me painting, I wouldn't be able to do 2 coats of color in addition to priming. So as I made breakfast, I cleaned around the spaces near the oven with a microfiber cloth and hot water.

So I primed the trim around the window, primed the walls space around the slider, painted the window trim, and then began working in small sections around the kitchen. I would cut-in/ trim each section and then roll it out. I really liked that I chose to do this. I cut up the time I was trimming all at once, and since I was rolling while the trim was still wet, the results were very nice. It was hard to work above the cupboards. I was hunched over, twisted, and stretched. By the end of the first coat, it was 6 or 6:30pm. I was TIRED and ready to be done.

I called Tom in and asked for his opinion. I thought it looked pretty good and was tired. I thought, maybe I could leave it this way and do the second coat when Tom does the ceiling. (The ceiling dry wall tape has split in a couple spots and Tom has to redo that before painting. I insisted we paint the kitchen anyway and do touch ups as needed when the ceiling gets done.)

He suggested I keep going in sections and when I am too tired to keep going, I can stop.

I was relieved to hear him say that. Like it was ok and I wouldn't be a failure if I didn't finish in one day.

I got started on the second coat. Just hoping that I could finish but somewhat doubting it. We hadn't figured out dinner yet, and I would need a shower before bed. Next thing I knew, it was 7:15, and I was 2/3 done! I just had the space above the sink and around the slider. I was so happy! I was done painting and cleanup began at 8:00pm. Tom helped with clean up and I showered. He got Chinese take out and we ate.

The paint color I used on the walls was a custom Valspar flat color. We bought too much paint when we did the guest room and office. I gave a gallon to our family for the new house and had a gallon re-tinted to use in my kitchen.

The paint color I used on the trim around the window is Valspar Ancient Stone.

It feels like our updating has been scattered, but at least things are getting done.

I read another DIY blog and she had an ongoing list at the end of each blog. I like that idea. Also, I watched a video tutorial to figure out how to add a slideshow. Hope you like the updates!

Here is my list for the kitchen: 

Paint trim around the window 

Paint walls 

Paint the rest of the trim 

redo drywall tape on ceiling 

fix popped drywall screws 

paint ceiling 

update light fixtures 

add cabinet hardware 

new flooring (in my dreams!)

Seat Yourself

I had an old chair that the cushion was no longer a cushion and the black covering was just boring. I decided to redo it with a bit of the fabric that I got at a thrift store for 2 bucks. I have probably 3 yards of this fabric.

I pulled off the fabric and the cushion. I found that the chair actually has a hole cut through the seat of the chair. Kind of like it used to be a chamber pot chair. Gross.

But whatever. Still a cool chair.

The board holding the cushion was in ok condition. It was probably about 1/4 or 3/8 inch thick. Which was sufficient since it rests on the seat of the chair. You could tell that they had re-purposed a scrap piece of wood. It sort of resembled material that cupboards or wood paneling is made of.

I purchased a $8 - 2 inch chair cushion from Fields Fabrics. I cut the foam with a utility knife using the wood seat as my guide. This was a bit trickier that I thought. Since the foam was so thick, I had to make two or more cuts down the side careful not to cut on an angle.

I then laid the fabric over the wood and cushion and cut to size with enough to pull over the edge.

I then stapled the fabric to the wood using 1/4 inch staples. I edged it with upholstery cording on 3 of the sides. I did not put cording around the back side of the seat.

Here's the results!

Sorry that I wasn't great at taking pictures throughout the process. I was too busy trying to figure it out. I have another chair, a different style, that I will be covering with the same material, and I will be more intentional about taking pictures throughout that process.

Best,
Melanie

Dull Lull

I have done a great amount of gardening this year. Hopefully, I will see the full benefits of next year. I am continuing this fall to thin out some things and continue conceptualizing what I would like to see in the remaining spaces.I need to continue thinning my lillies and lilly of the valley.

I have did a touch of research and have become very familiar with Michigan Native species of the last two summers. I am focusing on those and using them in my garden as much as possible. (I really like the white lillies. I may keep those even as I get closer to mostly native species.)

I have a section of purple cone flower, black eyed susan, milkweek, yarrow that transitions to peony, black eyed susan, New England aster, blue eyed grass, and butterfly weed, transitioning to butterfly weed, new England aster, lupine, prairie smoke, and columbine. I have wild petunia spreading and wild violet as well as ground covers.

I would like to add a couple of planters of ostrich fern out front with my jacob's ladders, trilliums, big leaf aster, and dead nettle. I will keep the dead nettle. I just love how well it blosoms through out the year in my garden. So pretty!

Other than that, we have not done any house projects other than the deck :(

I pulled the nails out of the trim boards if you think that is something. I will be sanding them, priming, and painting white. I think that and painting my kitchen might be two projects I take on this fall.

Damn Jam

 Me versus the boiling raspberry jam. The jam won. 

So our neighbors from across the field asked us to care for their chickens while they were away on vacation. They also pointed out another neighbor on vacation who had requested that the raspberries be picked from their bushes to encourage berries through the season.

Tom and I picked 5 dry cups of berries. (That's really a whole other funny story!)

Yesterday, I made jam. 

I was convinced I was a terrible jam maker. 

For 1.) I am terrible about reading a recipe. Especially ones that emphasize a process. Such as jam. I normally read for ingredients and go from there. 

2.) I am not great at doing things quickly. I have only been able to manage making a meal with a single side and time things to be done all at once maybe ONE time in my life. 

Jam is processed rather quickly. 

Set up takes the longest- sanitizing jars, gathering utensils, preparing the fruit, and measuring the sugar. 

This time I thought I managed it pretty well. 

Until the almost end :( 

I had one hiccup while boiling the fruit. That being that it was definitely boiling and some decided to jump out and land on my foot. Ouch! 

But on a more serious note, I had read in a canning book that jam temps out at 225F to set properly. 

So I boiled my jam for the 1 minute after mixing in the sugar, but the temp only got to 205. I boiled again and still only got to 205. I noticed the texture off the spoon seemed nice and thick so I said screw the temp. I was nervous of "burning" the flavor of the jam or possibly making it too thick. I had some help with Tom through this.

Tom held the jars while I poured in the jam. I water bathed them for 10 minutes and took them out.

That's when I noticed my BIG problem. 

Air. 

I forgot to take the air out of the jars before putting the lids on. They didn't explode, which is good, but I was sure that this could potentially compromise the shelf life.

So I immediately popped the lids, took out the air, and put the lids back on. But I was so worried about the air, I forgot to wipe the edges clean. I popped the lids again, wiped the edges, put the lids back on, and water bathed for a second 10 minutes. 

At this point. I was worried about the lids sealing because I had already processed them once. I thought maybe I had a chance, since the gum never really cooled and formed to the jar. 

While watching Orange is the New Black, Tom looked over at me after hearing a distinct PING. My only response was, "Damn, that's a good sounds to hear!" 

Twice more and I was feeling good. 

So only 2 things left to worry about. 

1.) Taste. 

2.) Texture. 

I boiled twice and water bathed twice. I hope it doesn't alter the taste and/or texture to be unfavorable. Taste testing is tonight. I'll report back what we think.

Veggies & Herbs

Tom really wanted to do a large garden this year. I am hesitant. I know how much time I have already spent in my flower beds improving and maintaining them. It's been a lot of work. I can't imagine adding in a large vegetable garden. In addition, we are very undecided as to where in our yard we would put such a garden.

Our neighbor offered a solution.

She gave us an old 55 gallon barrel.

We cut it in half. Drilled holes in the bottom for drainage. Built a base with 2 by fours. Lined them with cocoa liner (the garden center was sold out of the cheaper black landscaping material). Then layered cow manure, miracle grow garden soil, and top soil.


Here are the results:

top row: bell peppers
bottom row: broccoli and cauliflower

top row: brussel sprouts
bottom row: zucchini and summer squash

round planter is patio cucumbers
left square planter is jalapeno peppers
right square planter is roma tomato

 I also planted my herbs.

oregano, sweet basil, dill, cilantro, thyme

I am excited to see how this turns out! Maybe next year, we will put in a larger garden. Or maybe we will find that this offers enough of the experience to harvest a few veggies ourselves.

Note: the edges are a little sharp on the barrels. Tom has an idea to cut a slit in a hose and slip that over the edges. We haven't done this yet. But, I am anticipating that we will need to especially on the barrel with the squashes. I don't want to get cut and I don't want the edges to damage the plants as they grow and vine out.

Deck the... deck!

We bought a Generac 2500 PSI washer last week. On Friday, Tom began power washing. We really didn't get much done that evening since we work late. But he hooked it up and played around with it. He found it was a little more powerful than he thought...

Tom didn't realize how powerful his pressure washer would be. He hooked up the straight attachment and "carved" his name into the deck. You could still see it etched in after he washed over the area!

Almost permanent.  

 Tom resumed pressure washing on Saturday and finished on Sunday. Probably a bit over 8 cumulative hours of washing. Our water bill is going to be so high!

On Monday, we began using  Thompson's WaterSeal Clear Multi-Surface Waterproofer to seal the deck. Tom left work early(ish- he got called back for a service call). I started helping when I got home. We worked together from about 6:45-9:30pm sealing the spindles and other small/tedious areas. Tom knew this would be most time consuming, so we started with that. We left the deck for Tuesday.

We finished the project at 7:45pm Tuesday! Here are the before and afters:

All the while... the weather forecast kept calling for rain. It kept changing from 30% chance to 60% chance. I was praying so hard that it would not rain!

I didn't sleep well Tuesday night thinking I kept hearing rain. Throughout the day Wednesday, I probably checked the forecast, 10 times. Tom stated he did this as well! Finally, 7:45 rolled about and NO RAIN!!! It began raining about 11:00pm. The water was beading up, just as it should! We are very relieved and happy with the results.

railing

deck

We learned that Thompson's Waterproofer needs to be applied every year. We're ok with that being it was the first time that we did the deck and this year we had to purchase the pressure washer. Next year, we'll be able to afford a longer lasting product and might even pick a tint to add to the stain.

With the remaining sealant, I am going to wash and seal the concrete in the garage!

Decor Galore

In addition to not being sure if I hate the living room paint color or not, I was getting that a college dorm house vibe again. I needed something to change. My mom was here this weekend and we went to a surplus store. I bought some art work that I thought might help the space out a bit.

My approach to putting up the art work was inspired by a pinterest post. You've probably seen it or one like it. My mom found it kind of confusing. It was a lot of work.

I started by gathering all the pieces to be put up. Cut a template for each piece using newspaper. Arranged them on the floor for a general out lay.
Taped them to the walls to determine spacing using a pencil and level to help.
Tapped the nails.
And hung them up.

To be very transparent- this seemed helpful in theory, but it slowed the process way down. What I thought would take an hour or so took almost all afternoon and into the evening. And I think it could have been possible to enjoy the results just as much, if not more, by starting with one or two pieces put up and placing others around them by eye-balling it.

Any ways... Here's my results.

Bathroom Reno... Sorta.

Tom left for the weekend. So I bought some paint and a pre-cut sheet of vinyl flooring. Well, let's just say he was excited to help, because he came back home and we accomplished more than I had planned.

I used a darker grey for the bathroom. I used the same color we used in the living room on the insides of the cabinets to add a pop of color.

I took the doors off on the bottom cabinets to the left for a more "open" concept and have hidden things/organized with these great bins I got from a home store.

We added a curved double shower rod, new handles/knobs to the cabinets. We replaced the toilet American Standard Clean Dual Flush toilet! I am a dork, and I am super excited for this toilet. I love that we will be saving some water!

I know the flooring doesn't match exactly, but we got close enough. The pre-cut sheet was super affordable. We didn't adhear it to the existing floor.

I don't have a before picture! I found a couple before pictures!

 

After pictures:

We WILL eventually be putting in the new tub, fan, and sink faucet (already purchased- they are in the basement still in the boxes!). We have to purchase the tub and shower fixtures that match the faucet. Then, we have to pick out and purchase new tile flooring, the tile surrounding to the shower, and backslash tile for the vanity.

My dream would be for a new vanity & vanity top and a pocket door. This space is SMALL.

Chips or Tags?

I have been considering ID chips for both Versace and Hazel just a little bit for quite some time now but haven't gathered much information.

For a while I didn't want to register Hazel because of all the horror stories about pit bull type dogs taken away from their families as a result of law changes in their communities. Don't watch those documentaries. They're horrifying. I pray everyday that we are far enough advanced that a situation like that is unlikely. I have my doubts though :/ But I mentioned this to the Vet one day, and I felt silly for asking in the first place. I felt even sillier by the vet, the vet tech, and the secretary's reactions. I am not sure that they had ever heard any of those stories. They reassured me that Hazel being registered would not lead to her being taken from me and that pit bulls were not banned in our community. I still feel like I need to look into this further/ ask around some more. I still feel slightly uncomfortable about it. It's hard not knowing anyone in this community.

I guess that's sort of along the lines of identification in that an ID chip may indicate registration and other information BUT ANYWAYS...

I saw this video today. Got me thinking again about ID chips.

I am also more concerned because Versace has been outside more and more lately. Without claws, she shouldn't be... but I can't deny her mewing at the screen door. Especially on weekends when I am enjoying my coffee with Tom and Hazel on the deck. It feels awful enough leaving her on weekends and not being able to take her with us like we do Hazel. SO she comes out and has been getting brave about exporing under the deck and around the flower gardens. NOT that I would intentionally ever leave her out there or leave her unattended for long, but I worry about forgetting her out there, about her getting brave and running off, about a visitor thinking she's an outdoor cat (her mewing is determined and convincing that she belongs outside) and letting her out of the house.

AND I seem to loose Hazel's rabies tag every time I change her collar. I set the ID and rabies tags to the side waiting for Tom to transfer the ring (my nails are weak and can't pry the ring open enough) and forget about it for a while. Then it's lost for good :(

ALSO her tags ching chinging drives me crazy. I hate that sound. Especially at night when I am sleeping. It wakes me up EVERY TIME she scratches or changes position!

An ID chip seems convenient, but invasive. And again, I'm paranoid, thinking that it would grant agencies information about my animal(s) that they might misuse. I need to find more information out. I would like to hear from others who have used the ID chips.

Do you use chips or tags?



In case the link above doesn't work, here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBj53DnJGf8