My dog ate my bathroom!
He really did. A giant hole in the drywall right near the bathroom door. Poor guy thought he was trapped in there forever, never to see the light of day again. So he panicked and tried to eat his way through the wall. If I were in his shoes, maybe I’d do the same. Who knows.
My husband and I are taking the situation and turning it into an opportunity to redo the entire bathroom. From floor to ceiling. Which means it will count as one of my 40×40 items: #21. Completely remodel a room (floor to ceiling). Wooo!
Here’s what we purchased:
- New door frame and door that match our new baseboard
- New light fixture
- New vanity, faucet and sink
- New mirror
- New Italian porcelain tile floor
- New dry wall
- New paint
- New toilet paper holder
- New towel holder
Here are some of the “before” pictures. I wasn’t lying about Pongo trying to eat his way through the wall! I’ll keep you posted on the “after” pictures when we’re done…wish us luck!
Best things in life…
I saw this bumper sticker and just had to snap a picture. I don’t have a bumper sticker on my car, and probably never will. But if I were forced to get one, I think this would be it.
And here are the two little furries that currently have my heart:
(Yes, Simba is spoiled rotten and under the covers in this picture.)
(Yes, Pongo is a goofball and sleeps like this on a regular basis.)
Gardening – Flower Style
Last year was the first full summer that my husband and I lived in OUR grown-up house. Wreath on the door, fenced in back yard, oh crap the toilet is leaking and I can’t call maintenance…ya know, the whole nine yards. Part of that nice fenced in back yard is a flower garden that was (is) way too much for my gardening skill level and busy work schedule. That didn’t stop us from having people over. I just kindly asked them to ignore the garden and the 4 foot tall thistles growing beside some half wilted lilies.
THIS Summer is a different story. I’m tackling those thistles in their young age – only a foot tall! I also am making sure to spend time in the garden in small increments: an hour here, 30 minutes there. I finally yanked all of those weeds from their unholy spots and laid some mulch down. Now the lilies, lilacs, trumpet vine, clematis, ground ivy and all of the other beauties that I have no idea what they are have a kept home!
NOTE: My dog Pongo was very helpful in the process of laying the mulch. He helped open the bags by ripping them open when I wasn’t looking and made sure the mulch was patted down properly by rolling in it the second it touched the dirt. I recommend having a dog to help you when you garden.
Waking up from hibernation.
I really don’t mind the winter. In fact, the most happiest moments of my life are winter memories… waking up at 5am with my brother on Christmas morning (only to have to wait another 2 hours before our parents finally woke up), sledding on the layers of ice/snow/ice that made us go what seemed like a mile before stopping, singing Christmas carols in neighborhoods and retirement homes with my high school show choir, getting engaged to the perfect-for-me man and then marrying him the very next winter. Yeah – winter rocks.
Yes...he's sitting on our patio chair.
THIS winter, however, has been different. I blame it on my dog, Pongo, who acts like he is going to burst out of his furry skin if he has to stay inside for one more second. A couple of nights ago, he was sprinting up and down the stairs, every once in a while taking a detour to long-jump onto my bed only to immediately turn around and do it all over again. I’ll admit that I was laughing…but adding all of the winter days in which that happened=can’t wait till Spring.
Two weeks ago it warmed up enough for me to mosey into our backyard and play Frisbee with my bouncy dog and I discovered a cluster of sprouts. Green, 1/2″ tall nubs , located where I planted tulip bulbs last fall. Grinning ear to ear, I started looking around my yard and found another. And another. Suddenly I was filled with anticipation that I haven’t felt since childhood outings to King’s Island with my brother and cousins. SPRING is coming!
I can only imagine that this is what a bear coming out of hibernation feels like. Realizing that the birds are chirping, feeling (slightly) warm, noticing the small green plants that are starting to sprout while finally coming out of such a deep auto-pilot state that has lasted for months.
Next year, I’m seriously considering getting a sun lamp.
My child’s name is Pongo.
When you have children you are woken up from sleep several times a night to take care of them. You are constantly following them around telling them, “no” and making sure they don’t eat something they aren’t supposed While they are a lot of work, you still have the urge to spoil them with toys and hugs. You still love them even when they misbehave.
Some people say that having a dog is the best practice for having children one day. Those people were 100% correct.
My child’s name is Pongo, a 10 month old Australian Shepherd who has more energy than a two-year-old toddler. He loves to chew on…everything…and is still struggling to understand what I mean when I say, “no”. Last night, he woke me up 4 times to go outside and to play in the snow in the middle of the night. During the day, I have a keen ear to his jingling ID tag so that I can tell where he is at all times. Does he need to go outside? Is he getting into something bad? Is he chasing the cat?
Yes, he is a crazy puppy that still needs lots of attention and training but I love him even when he misbehaves. I have learned a lot from having a puppy: about myself, about my character and about the team work that is required between a husband and wife when the first child comes along.
While I know that not everyone is a dog person, I have to say that having a dog is an excellent start to a family. Plus, they are tons of fun!
Pongo doing one of his favorite things...taking a car ride!
crazyprofessional 