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1. Adventures in Decorating
2. Adventures in Flea Market Shopping (Namely, the Tanque Verde Swap Meet)
3. Further [epic] Adventures in Dog Sitting
Numero Uno: Decorating
Dylan and I did seat the sink - but I'm going to save that story as a part of a larger progress report later. In the meantime, I'll tell you that we celebrated one project victory by jazzing up the place a little.
We hung, and rehung, some things.
Take for example this adorable Milk Bone advert I've had since the dawn of time:
We decided to move him from his original home in the kitchen - which was above the entry way -
over to the empty space above the pantry
(Dylan didn't even need a step stool for this... height. It must be a glorious thing)
I love it here!
So, what did we do with the spot over the entry way? Well we couldn't leave it empty! So, we finally found a permanent home for one of my cool birthday presents!
First we measured ...
Tacked it up and ...
VIOLA!
Next up, the hallway!
I don't have a before photo, but the after is splendid!
Before, we had a different picture in the middle and nothing over on the right. Now, we have a lovely tribute to Dylan's late little brother. <3
We also put up two different pictures by the fireplace. Here you can see Dylan getting the placement just right.
Also hung but not photographed:
Awesome additions to the bedroom. If I were at home, I'd just hop up right now and take the pictures I need. However - I'm still living in the 3rd section - dogsitting. So ya'll are just going to have to take my word for it. I promise, if I can fit them into the next post in a way that makes sense - I'll show you the rest of the additions.
Now, our last stop in Adventures in Decorating is paint. Paint we got for a grand total of $2. You heard me!
Check these out:
After a failed venture to Home Depot to get the last few supplies we need to finish the master bath, we hopped across the street to Lowe's to see if they might help us solve our problem. Bad news: they didn't. Good news: we found these 2 gallons of discount paint. The color on the right will go in the guest bath, and the color on the left will be an accent wall in the guest room.
Both of these colors are the colors we've said we wanted for each purpose, I swear it. We just got really, really lucky. When we checked out at the register our $12 worth of paint qualified for a $10 rebate. So, in total, those 2 gallons of paint cost us $2. How do you like them apples?! Because I have never tasted anything as sweet WHOOOO HOOOOO!!!
Numero Dos! Opp Shopping (short for "Opportunity Shopping, which is cool-kid/hipster slang for things like flea markets and thrift stores. I'm not actually a cool kid, I learned the term from teh internets)
The first thing(s) I fell in love with were these iconic blue and white ducks
We set them up by the plants on the porch, I neglected to take a picture of them where they'll be residing but consider this another IOU. I just love these little guys!!
Next up: Supplies I actually needed for dogsitting
A little folding toiletries bag and a snazzy overnight bag
Our entertainment/multimedia scores:
Okay I'll admit it - I've been sweating it to the oldies. Mark my words: Try it. Richard Simmons will absolutely kick your ass. Don't believe me? I got that Disco Sweat for $1. If you don't have a VCR, he's also available on DVD. Take my challenge folks, I dare you! Let me know how it goes, and like I said, I warned you!
Also got one of Dylan's favorite's, Cabin Boy. A new video game for me, 2 really fun books and a 3rd book that I kind of want to go out into the middle of the desert and destroy ... it's a long story. Short version: I got it because I had applied for a promotion that I later didn't get. Now I don't need to know that software program and out of bitterness I couldn't care less. (The smart me would say I should learn the program anyway ... but I digress.)
Next up!
Some fine, original art
Signed by the artist even on the date it was created
It's a take on Snoopy, clearly. But he looks a little skeleton like, and Dylan loves both Snoopy and Skeletons so I wanted to get him this as a little present. I think it's really cool haha but I don't know if Dylan likes it all that much. Oh well, live and learn!
BONUS ADVENTURE!
Adventure 2.5 - why it's handy to have a car you can stand up in
Last weekend I went to get the Sunday paper and some nice iced coffees for myself and Dylan.
Since I am in fact a mobile coffee junkie, I already had at least one leftover cup in my cupholder. But that's not a problem, because the car has 3 cup holders. One is right behind the e-break. So I took Dylan's coffee and sort of hovered it over where it was supposed to go and ... well basically what I did was DROP a venti iced coffee into the back of my car. Clearly, I had not drank enough of my own coffee before trying to master the complexities of putting a drink in a freaking cupholder.
The ladies at the Starbucks were very kind and gave me a replacement for free, but when I got home I had to deal with the mess. Now, you may or may not already know that the best way to draw moisture up out of carpet is to get something dry, put that over the spill, and stand on it.
This is when it's handy to have a little box car that you really can stand in.
Good times right there, haha!
Now that brings us up to Adventure #3 - Further Adventures in Dogsitting. Epic Adventures.
I moved in on Tuesday for a one week stay. There's 5 dogs here who are all adorable and my first night was a breeze. I even slept through the Dancing With The Stars season finale! Wednesday morning I found the coffee and chose my mug for the duration of my stay:
The routine is nice, breakfast, water plants, get ready for work, come back here, dinner, water the plants again, do whatever and then go to bed. Not a bad gig, but sometimes exciting things happen. Like, for example the auto-watering setting in the garden blew at a connection so I had to shut off the auto-watering (which is why I water them myself) but ... I mean this is WHY you get a house sitter. Well, on Thursday (I think it was Thursday but what matter?) the excitement amped up a little.
First, let me describe the layout. The master bedroom has been renovated/extended and so the master bathroom has a sliding glass door in with the shower, it's like having a window there but you can walk through it. Anyway, to make for a private shower they built a wooden fence/enclosure to house things like gardening tools.
Nature called, and so there I was on the toilet Thursday evening when I chanced to glance out that sliding glass window. In the enclosure, sliding fast and gracefully on by - a big, black snake. It took a moment for it to even register "I am watching a snake right now" but it eventually clicked. I made sure to watch him until I saw his tail, good news, no rattler. (And I know, wrong color, but still you want to be REALLY sure) I was relieved for a second after seeing no rattler but then I realized the direction in which the snake was going.
He was going toward the patio.
The patio where the door is always propped open so the dogs can go in and out as they please.
The snake is headed, fast, towards the patio where the door is open.
This was me:
Then I proceeded to run, pants down, into the living room to shut that door before our friend entered.
I bet you thought he was going to get in, didn't you? Well, he didn't. And really the "me running ass-out through a house that's not mine" was the epic and hilarious part. But with us all shut safely inside, I was able to go and .... finish.... what needed to be done to not be pants down anymore. Then I googled to find out he's a harmless king snake.
That, ladies and gents, is my Epic Further Adventures in Dogsitting Tale.
Thank you for reading.
See you guys next time!
