Kitchen reno - mudroom

After a lot of debate during the kitchen planning process, we came to the conclusion that keeping a mudroom space at the side door was the way to go.  And I'm so glad we did!  Here, you can see the before photos...small, but functional cabinets, beautiful peg coat rack, awesome light(bulb) on the side of the wall, and the pantry... all in the mudroom...

Before...

There was a decent amount of storage in the pantry, but having it around the corner from the kitchen was less than convenient.  So where the doors were is where we decided to put the new wall - adding 18" of space in the kitchen.

During...with the wall and pantry gone!

We ordered cabinets for the mudroom to match the kitchen.  We also went with one big, pantry/closet sized one to put Cady's food, towels, and other stuff that comes along with having a dog.

We needed to build the big cabinet up a bit so it would go up to the ceiling, and Steve our contractor suggested this - a shoe cubby!  So he built us a little box to throw flipflops, etc, and it's perfect.  We had paint matched to the cabinets so we could paint the shoebox to make the whole thing look custom.

We originally were just going to run the hardwood through the whole space, but after the messy, snowy winter we had last year, I made a last minute decision to go with tile.  We found these darker, slate looking tiles at Lowes and it only too a box and 1/2 to do the whole mudroom.

We love the floors!  They look so good.  Once everything was finished, it was time to get some hooks up...which proved to be a little more difficult than we'd hoped.  Instead of putting them straight into the drywall, we had to add a board and drilled them into that.

Once painted to match the wall color, you can't even see it!

The mudroom is finished!  We would like to find a new rug, but for now - this one will do just fine.  It's the perfect spot for Cady, muddy boots, coats and bags, and will lots of use.  I'm so glad we decided to keep it separate from the rest of the kitchen.

And it's great to come home to a nice, functional space, especially when you're greeted by this crazy one! 

New Year's Resolutions

I know that New Year's Resolutions have a bad rap.  It's fun to 'set goals' on New Year's Day, and then laugh about giving up in just a few weeks time.  The guy on the radio last week was joking that he'd already blown it, in 3 days.  But I think the fresh new year is a good time to refocus and think ahead about things you want to accomplish over the next year.  So many times during the holidays, we let our good habits go because of the busy schedules we all have, the parties we go to, and whatever other excuses we come up with.  So I like to take the new year and quiet January to set the tone for a good, productive year.  Here are a few of the things I've been thinking about as we adjust to writing 2013.

Use what I have - and get rid of what I don't use.
I'm sure like many of you, I tend to have my favorite sweater, platter, coffee mug, whatever it is.  And I have countless others that just sit in the cabinet or closet and collect dust.  So I really want to try to shake it up a bit - pull out that pretty platter from the back corner, or try to wear the clothes I have in my closet.  And then, if I decide I really don't want or use the items, get rid of them!

Don't worry mom, I won't get rid of anything without asking you first.

Clean out!
I think this is on the list every year, or all the time.  It's amazing how quickly we can accumulate things...and I want to clean out and get rid of things we don't use.  It's been too long since we've had a major clean out, or GROS session...and we need to go it again.  This goes with the first item on my list, of course.  I already turn my hangers around at the beginning of the season to see what I wear and what I don't (when you wear and wash something, it goes back into the closet with a hanger facing the right way.  This way it's easier to see what you haven't worn after a few weeks), but that doesn't mean I'm good at getting rid of the items that I haven't worn after 6 months...I just need to put it in the Goodwill pile when I know I'm not going to wear it.

Try new things.
This is something I feel like we're pretty good at, but I want to be sure to keep it up.  Just a couple of weekends ago we went to Pho 75 in Arlington to try that for the first time.  It was delicious, and we can't wait to go back - and try other new things!

Be healthier.
Eat more veggies, less junk.  Cook more meals on the weekends rather than going out.  Drink more water.  Drink less alcohol.  Eat good breakfasts.  Remember to take vitamins, and not just when I'm getting sick.  Eat dinner earlier, and not so much chocolate after dinner.  Just try to be generally healthier overall.

Move more.
This is always something I think can all work on...moving more.  Both in terms of exercising and during everyday activities.  Get up and walk around the office every so often.  Take the stairs out of the metro instead of the escalator.  Get off the metro a stop early and walk (when it's not so cold and windy, lets be realistic here).  Take Cady for longer walks when we go out.  And then the exercise thing...getting home after 6:30-7pm in the evenings makes finding time for exercise challenging - especially when I want to get dinner started so we're not eating so late (see last item).  I feel like so many evenings by the time I'm home, dinner's made and eaten, it's practically bedtime!  But 30 minutes on the treadmill a couple of days during the week plus being sure to work out on the weekends needs to happen - I want to get that back into my schedule.  I always feel better when I exercise regularly.

Read more books. 
Between all of the social medias and blogs I read, plus magazine subscriptions, I haven't read a book in a long time.  And, really since The Help, I haven't gotten into one I like nearly as much as that one.  I have a big stack that I have recommendations for, and I want to actually read them!  I just need to start one.  Do you have any good books I should add to the list?

Find a good work/life balance.
With the familiarity and flexibility of the old job, I felt like I had a good balance.  I worked longer days so I could have most Fridays off, at least from March through about November, and could manage my schedule how I needed to.  With the new job, I have a lot to learn.  And our schedules seem much more rigid, 8:30-5:30, 5 days a week.  And I think I'm going to be a lot busier day to day, plus traveling a decent amount.  It's going to take some adjusting and diligence on my part to ensure I have a good balance.

Spend good time with good friends.
We are very lucky to have so many friends, both in the DC area and around the world.  I feel that we do a pretty good job of visiting people, seeing RVA friends when in town, and getting together with different couples and groups of friends here.  But I want to make a point to get together with people we really enjoy being around but don't get to see very often.  We have already had dinner with my old roommate who we went all of 2012 without seeing!  And we have plans to see one of M's college friends, wife and little girl this weekend while we are in RVA - we haven't seen them in over a year either!  A few months ago, I decided to try to see a different friend in Richmond each time we were in town - it's so tough with the quick trips and trying to see both parents - but we've done pretty good so far, I want to be sure to keep it up!

Break Cady of the bad habit of barking at the tv.
This seems ridiculous (and it is) and hilarious...to those who don't live with it.  My dog watches tv.  She doesn't just calmly sit on the couch and stare towards the television.  No.  She actively watches tv, specifically the commercials.  And she recognizes when there are dogs on the tv.  And then she flies off the couch barking at those dogs.  Or cows, goats, horses.  You have NO idea how many commercials have animals.  Until you spend an evening with Cady.  She will even be in the other room or upstairs and hear the music of a commercial with an animal and go racing in to bark.  We have to keep a baby gate in front of the tv to keep her off the tv stand.  So we've been working on a new method to attempt to break her of this.  And we're determined.  Time out.  It sounds absurd, I know.  But we've done it with other things and it's worked.  So we have an old leash tied to the leg of the table behind the couch.  Any time she barks, we scold with "no bark!" and clip her in for a few minutes.  We've definitely noticed an improvement...but we have a ways to go.

There are a few other things I'm working on this year, such as actually putting clean clothes away, keeping my piles cleaned up around the house, returning items I don't want during the return period, and trying new recipes.  And getting back to blogging more regularly.

Did you make any 'resolutions' or goals for this year?  How are you doing so far?  Even if you feel like you've 'blown it' or fallen off the wagon, you can always get back on.  You don't have to wait until January 1, 2014, or the beginning of the next month, or the all too familiar "I'll start Monday."  Every little bit along the way can make a big change in your life, and you have to start somewhere!

Weekend snapshots

Time is flying, I can't believe it's December 10 already!  Luckily we were in town this weekend and able to get some good Christmas decorating done!

Friday night we hung around our area - first we met some friends for a happy hour to celebrate one girlfriend's completion of grad school - wooo!  That's such a huge accomplishment, especially to do it while working and having a life!  Then we headed to Dogfish to have a couple of yummy beers and dinner.

Saturday morning we lounged a bit, ran errands, and headed out to Christmas tree hunt.  We decided to try a new place this year, Joe's in Chantilly.

We had a bit of a challenge finding a tall tree - having a 6'1" husband is a good judge when looking for a big tree!  We finally found one, and while M was cutting it down, I happened to notice what looked like a birds nest or something inside.  So once it was on it's side, I reached in to get the ball of leaves out.  As soon as I moved the first handful, I saw these 2 beady eyes staring back at me!  ANIMALS!!  After a little scream and getting my courage up, I looked back in at a little mama mouse protecting her 2 babies.  I felt awful that we'd disturbed their home!  After a little encouragement (and some light shaking) we got them out of the tree, and they scampered off to another one.  Wow, am I glad we found them in the field rather than our living room!!  

 

Sunday morning bright and early we headed downtown to meet some coworkers for the Jingle All the Way 8k.  Somehow I keep getting talked into doing these races!  My coworker Nichole is very persuasive :)  Despite the cold, rainy morning, we had a good time at the race.  Well, all but the running part!  It was fun to see all of the costumes that people came up with - Santas, a full nativity scene complete with 'Jesus in the manger stroller,' all of the reindeer connected pulling a sleigh, and even a guy playing Christmas carols on a tuba! 

It was the longest race I've done, and happy to say I didn't do too bad...maybe I will run a bit more before the next race and do even better!  But that requires more running...so we'll have to see about that part.

Back home Sunday afternoon to watch the REDSKINS beat up on barely squeak by the Ravens!  Then we turned on some Christmas music, poured some wine and got into the holiday spirit...and actually decorated the tree.  

Cady supervised...and then was forced to join in the fun!  Although...not sure she'd consider this fun, but we sure did, and I know Grandma enjoyed receiving all of the photos of our little reindeer!

Ghostprint Gallery

Last week, I was in Richmond for dinner with my parents to celebrate my dad's birthday.  Richmond has a very vibrant art scene, and my mom loves going to the galleries and taking art classes.  There are lots of galleries that have sprung up on Broad Street, and mom knows the owners of a lot of them.  They have an event on the first Friday of the month where the galleries all have an open house, a lot of times to showcase a new exhibition.  A couple of them have started having artist preview receptions the night before.

Ghostprint Gallery is the one we visited for their artist preview with Juan Perdiguero.  He was there for preview, and was very interesting to talk with.  He is from Madrid, Spain, and also teaches an art class at SUNY, so he splits his time between the 2 places.  This collection is called Perros Indalo.  He studied and photographed the dogs in Spain during an international artists residency he participated in.

The artwork was amazing.  Juan explained to us how he created these gorgeous pieces.  The backgrounds were part of the photograph that he took, just blown up really large to focus on one aspect of the background.  So he first puts the photo paper on the canvas to highlight the background - the one below was the center of a flower that was in the original photograph. 

So then he takes ink and makes the outline and full shape of the dog.  Then, this is the amazing part.  He uses paper towels to rub and remove the ink to make the dogs face.  So it starts completely dark, and he ends up with these incredibly detailed pieces.  The eyes were beautiful - and the expressions that the dogs have!  We were joking that one was waiting for food, and one was probably getting his back scratched, and another wanted to play...

While these pictures are cool, they really don't show the beauty as seeing them in person did.  The one below is my favorite - I just love the expression and his ears!

My parents love dogs as much as I do, and we really fell in love with this artist and his work.  I hope you've enjoyed a little piece of the exhibit!  This show is on display until May 26 at the gallery - if you're in Richmond, go see it!


All of the photographs are from the Ghostprint Gallery website. 

Weekend Snapshots

Over the last 6 weeks or so, we've had some great, low key, in town weekends.  With the fall being as busy as it was and lots of things already on the calendar for the spring, low key has been really nice.  We've joked about how much stuff we've gotten done!

Low key doesn't have to mean no fun!  Friday night we went to one of our favorite spots, Mad Fox, again.  This time for dinner with 2 of our closest friends.  We finally used all 3 of our Groupons!  Thinking it was a great idea, we bought 3 in the fall...and have been the last 3 weekends in a row...

After Mad Fox, I headed downtown to meet up with my 'softball team.'  I use that term very loosely, considering I've only played in ONE game.  Ever.  The group is not very skilled at softball, and we're totally ok with that.  We're good at the other competition, Last Team Standing.  It's exactly what it sounds like, and we came in 3rd place this year, winning ourselves a free keg!

Saturday was spent running errands, grocery shopping, working on chores around the house and getting in an extra good workout.  We made the long trip about 5 steps next door to our neighbors house for dinner.  We're all trying to be frugal and eat healthy, so it was great.  Veggies and dip to start, delicious pot roast, fingerling potatoes, green beans and peppers for dinner, and Strawberry Fool for dessert.  Oh, delicious.  

Topped with some mini-chocolate chips and fresh mint, it was a huge hit.  

Sunday morning, I snuggled up on the couch with a big cup of coffee and the pup.  I have gotten very behind on magazine reading lately, so I was determined to get through some.  And that's just what I did - I read 6 magazines Sunday morning!  Ahhh, it feels so good to get through things like that! 

Hope y'all had a great weekends, too.  Happy Fat Tuesday to all!  Anyone giving anything up for Lent?  I'm still trying to decide on something...

Thank goodness for doggy daycare webcams

It's been over 3 years since we brought home our furry little bundle of puppy joy...she was 8lbs and 9 weeks old.

And since then, we've definitely had an adventure.  She's a trip - she's so smart and really has a great personality and is definitely crazy.  We have loved having her, as do her Grandparents and Cousin Pearly. 

For a while we were taking her to dog daycare about once every 2 weeks or so...and she'd sleep for a couple of days afterwards.  We really like Dogtopia, and it's great exercise, fun playtime, and good socialization for her.  But over the last 6-9 months, we just haven't been as diligent about taking her.  Husband's office moved, and there really isn't a convenient one for us. 

Cady's been getting a little growly lately with some of the neighborhood dogs, growling and getting fussy with them when we're out on walks.  We decided it was time to start taking her back to daycare regularly again, for so many reasons. 

Since she's been a little aggressive lately, we wanted to do a re-evaluation instead of just dropping her off and acting as if nothing was wrong.  And it's a good thing we did...

Cause she failed.  After about 20 minutes and time with 4-5 different dogs, they brought her back out to us.  The woman working with her said Cady was very scared, and was using the growling as defense against the dogs.  She was doing ok with one for a little while, but when the dog came up behind her, it really scared her. 

Luckily, they did say she's fixable!  Just not on a Saturday.  Since the place was packed with pups for the day and weekend, we looked at the calendar and picked another day that wouldn't be nearly as busy - so we went back on a Tuesday. 

I was a little nervous at first, being that overprotective mother.  But, everyone working there knew her story and were waiting for her when we dropped her off.  Also, having the webcams was definitely comforting - I was able to check in on her throughout the day to make sure she was still playing in the room.  They had her in the Lounge with all of the big dogs - this picture doesn't even show half of the number of dogs that were in there today!  So much for a slow Tuesday.

We picked up our exhausted puppy dog that evening, and she was asleep before we even got out of the shopping center.  She's not cured, but I definitely feel more comfortable walking her around the neighborhood after her day of playing.  And we have promised each other to keep working on this - we're going to take her regularly to daycare to both keep her socialized and let her have a fun day out of the house! 

Also, the girl who saw her on Saturday gave us the name of the trainer that they work closely with, suggesting we have some sessions with her so we are better equiped to help Cady get back to not being so scared.  I don't want to have the dog in the neighborhood that no one wants to say hi to, or have her be scared of other dogs all the time.  There are easily 5 or 6 dogs on our street alone, so she needs to be friendly with all of them. 

We've also decided that we need to invest in a new collar, so she stands out among all of the other black dogs at daycare!  I had a bit of a headache from staring at the webcam all day...what about this one?


Photo from Amazon

 

Too much?

Wordless Wednesday