The old [dog] couch has gone.  R.I.P.

It has breathed its last breath … and ate Arriba for the last time

After getting gradually stinkier and stinkier (it was primarily used as our basset hound’s bed during the day – do you know how much bassets smell?), it has finally been laid to rest at the dump. Now we have a blank canvas…

In case you’re wondering where the rest of the furniture has gone to (from the first photo) …. the little glass crescent table is currently being used in our DVD nook until we find a more suitable replacement; the small TV was initially moved to the other side of the living room before being replaced with this beauty (it is now living in the game room upstairs); the keyboard is currently situated in the office.

For now, we’re putting one of the leather sofas over there until we figure our the final furniture configuration.  You know, when we get floors, a rug, side tables, curtains, redo the fireplace, install crown molding and baseboards, replace the windows, did I mention floors?

We’re still a long way from finishing this space, but hey at least it is now 100% less stinky (and probably at least 80% less ugly).

One of the first things we decided to do in 2011 is to make sure our house stays safe and sound.

Yesterday we had an electronic security system installed in the house to give us some protection from burglary and fire.  We have sensors on all the doors, motion sensors in key rooms and a fire alarm that automatically notifies the emergency services if we are not in the house.  That gives me great peace of mind knowing our doggies will be safer when we’re not there.

Eventually, we’re planning on installing a camera surveillance system – one of those funky ones you can check in and view the house online.  It’d be great to see what the dogs get up to when we’re not there!

How do you protect your home? Do you have an electronic security system? Or perhaps a canine one? What other tips do you have for keeping your home, pets and valuables safe?

The DIY projects around the house have taken a back seat lately. Let’s just say, life has got in the way. In approximately 4 weeks, my mum and her husband will be coming over from the UK and visiting the new house for the first time. It’s giving us the push we need to get back on with a few “really-need-to-do” projects, and if we have time a few other “I’d-really-like-to-get-this-done-too” projects. I’m calling our new found DIY fervor …

It will be nice to have my family visiting – a few more English people round here is always a good thing! For the week they will be here, home will become a little more like home. I’ll post about the projects we are currently doing and are planning on tackling in a later post. But for now, while we’re on the subject of home, check out the shoes I made for my Halloween costume this weekend (it’s amazing what a little mod podge and some glitter can do):

They probably need a second coat of glue and glitter to fill in some of the small gaps, followed by a final coat of mod podge to seal everything. 

Cute, huh? Despite having my own set of ruby red slippers, I’m not going as Dorothy, even though I have a Toto stand in:

I’m going as a bedevilled witch, and as most of my costume is black, I wanted some red shoes to match my devil horns. Witches can be cute too, y’all! What Halloween costumes have you got planned for the weekend? Do tell.

Over the last year, our chihuahua puppy Reebs has been quite the destructive force in our house.  The couch has received the brunt end of the stick.  Reebs takes great pleasure in making holes and pulling stuffing out of the couch cushions.

The couch is fighting back. The couch is eating Reebs.

Let’s just say it’s couch karma.

Well, it would be if Reebs didn’t enjoy snuggling IN the couch, rather than on top of it.

Picture this.  Friday evening, we had just sat down to dinner.  We hear this almighty crash.  The dogs run away from the kitchen faster than David Hasselhoff running away from an AA meeting. We go to inspect the kitchen.

Nothing.  No items knocked over, nothing dropped off the counter.  We had a WTF moment.  Even the dogs looked perplexed…

Rick had the genius idea to check the pantry. Voila! We found the culprit…

The bottom two wire shelves had come crashing down.

So, that’s another project to add to our 2010 to-do list.  We had eventually planned on making over the pantry, replacing the wire shelves with more solid wooden ones.  Maybe we can just stack the canned goods on the floor for now?  No-one would know, right?

When I left for the UK at the end of June, I packed one medium suitcase of clothes, shoes and toiletries. When I returned last week, I brought back two large suitcases. What caused the extra baggage?

Mmmm, english chocolate.  How I love thee.  Oh, and not to forget our other finest export…

There’s nothing like a good cuppa tea.  It solves all problems. Well, according to most English soap operas.

In addition to the case load of chocolate and tea I brought back, I did manage to squeeze in a few home decor related items. Like a pair of these crystal pineapple lights:

Although it is designed as a pendant lamp, I’m planning on using it as a wall sconce in the spare bedroom. I also had that makeover in mind when I bought these curtains:

The duck-egg blue, cream and chocolate brown work well with the color scheme I had in mind.  However, I’m not sure I’m actually going use these as curtains.  I might use the fabric to make a pelmet instead, and use the leftovers to make some coordinating pillows for the bed.  I’ll be posting an updated moodboard and inspiration photo for the bedroom makeover shortly.

I also brought back a candlestick very similar to the one below – it was a lovely surprise gift from my mum.

In case I had an extra square inch of room that was not being used up in my suitcase, I brought back a duvet set for our master bedroom (very similar to the one below):

I LOVE that teal color.  So much so that I got a table runner for the dining room in the same palette:

The last items I managed to pack into my overstuffed suitcases were this modern chrome clock, and these wooden letters (actually in white), both of which will live in the dining room.

In fact, the only thing I didn’t manage to bring back was my brother’s adorable spaniel puppy, Ginger…

If I could’ve, I would’ve.  So, that’s the tale of how I managed to double my baggage coming back from the UK.  Let’s not get into how much it cost me in excess baggage charges.  I’m sure it will be all worth it when I see these items in place. What items have you brought back from vacation to use in your home?

When the hubs and I went out for a rare trip to the cinema to see Avatar, we caught the trailer for Despicable me:

It wasn’t til just recently that I noticed we have a despicable dawg under our own roof.  Can you see the similarities?

The likeness extends beyond the silhouette.  Our puppy Reebs has taken to leaving us “presents” around the house.  Understandable perhaps when we are gone from the house and the dogs are kept inside.  Not so much when we are both here and she has free access to the yard.

Solution?  Install a doggy door.  With the exception of the property we rented when we first moved to NC, we’ve had dog doors in all our houses, and so all the dogs have experience using them.  Everyone except Arriba.

This time round, Rick wanted to install the dog door in the exterior wall, rather than the back door. In the past, we’ve had issues with the dog door being fully waterproof because it tends to sit unevenly in the door paneling. 

The dog door was surprisingly easy to install.  Cut out hole in interior and exterior wall using the template provided.  Laugh at dogs pondering the new hole:

Try to stop chihuahua from using dog door without steps:

Next, screw the exterior side of the dog door into the studs. 

Although it was not in the instructions provided with the dog door, we went ahead and installed an additional wooden threshold under the door frame – this was to provide extra support for the dawgs as they come through the door.  The last step was to screw in the door from the inside and caulk around the frame outside.

 And voila!, one dog door installed…

It was quite gratifying to see the dogs use the door for the first time.  It’s amazing that they didn’t forget how to use it after three years without a dog door.  Ok, it’s not rocket science, but the little things get us excited round here.

We’re planning on eventually replacing those old deck steps, but for now they do their job well enough.  Reebs has taken a little time to get used to the door.  But with sufficient coaxing (i.e. treats) she has started using it really well!  No more despicable Reebs.

There’s all sorts of regular candy floating around at this time of the year.  So how about some eye candy – at least its fat- and sugar- free!

I took this picture of Arriba when she was sitting in the sun on our couch in the front room.   I was trying out my new  F1.8 50mm lens (which is a Christmas present from my family – ssshhh, don’ t tell them I’ve opened it already). Isn’t she adorable? The innocence in her eyes totally belies her devilish nature!

I have been working like a crazy mad woman since being in the UK.  During the past week, I have worked six 14-18 hour days – but at least I gave myself Saturday off.  Wuh hoo. With all this work going on, I haven’t been able to get out and about much, which means no nice, interesting posts of my sightseeing exploits for my blog readers. Boo.

So, I thought I’d throw you a bone and post a little eye candy to tide you over.  No, it’s not George Clooney nekked.  I did have a rather interesting dream about Brad Pitt last night… but that’s another story.  Move aside RPattz, there’s a new boy in town.

Meet Indy. He’s my new squeeze here in ol’ blighty. Well, technically he’s not mine at all – he belongs to my brother’s family.  But who can resist his cute puppy face?  This dog is so goofy that you can’t help but smile when you see him. His tongue lolls to the side of his mouth as he bounces up to greet you. And he has limitless amounts of energy.  He runs all over my brother’s farm (attracting dirt and grime as he goes), catches all the rabbits and brings them back home as presents for his owners.

Indy is not the only cutie-pie in the family.  Meet Buckley.

Buckley is Indy’s “brother from another mother”. He is the complete opposite of Indy.  Cool. Calm.  Collected.  CLEAN. He is the perfect snuggle-up-and-cuddle type dog. And will give you as many kisses as you desire.  Even ones you don’t.

Meet Freddy, my grandparents’ dual-personality canine. This Jack Russell is the most loving dog INSIDE the house.  But when my Gramps takes him out on walkies, he’ll try to bite anything that moves.  Seriously.  Not just stray legs or hands – I’m talking moving vehicles.

So this poor little fella has to wear a muzzle when he’s out and about on the town. He couldn’t be any more different in his home environment – even when strangers come in the house, he is happy to to cuddle, have the prerequisite sniff and then hunker back down in his bed. He even has his own blanket that he covers himself with.

It’s not all boys around here.  Meet Mollie, my mum’s partially-deaf (and totally daft) dog.

Mollie is the grandmother of our UK canine family.  She is getting on in years, so it is not surprising that she is partially deaf, sleeps like a rock and snores like a freight train. Kinda like me – except the getting old part.

At least I have these bow wows to keep me company while I’m away from my own canine family.  Oh, and Rick. He’s my dawg.

So this week’s photo challenge was a little different to previous weeks. Instead of taking an everyday object and photo-cropping it at an odd angle (like the blinds, or the tile spacers), this week an ordinary photo was taken of an obscure, albeit renovation-related, object. Looking at the reduced number of guesses, I’d say that the object was a little too obscure. Abstruse. Recondite. You get the picture. Oh no, that’s right, you didn’t get the picture. Yes folks, for the second week in a row, there is no Friday Fun Photo Challenge Winner.  Guess I’m gonna have to eat all those peanut butter cookies by myself. Well actually, not being a fan of peanut butter, I wouldn’t be eating any peanut butter cookies IF I had made any.  Now, if today was double chocolate chunk cookie day, that would have been a different situation altogether….

So, what was the object?  It was a hinge pin door stop. You know, those things that slide over the hinges on a door to stop it from opening too far and the handle making a great big hole in the wall. Well, we don’t actually need doors to make holes in our walls – Rick once used his head to make a gaping chasm in our kitchen wall back in Oklahoma – no it wasn’t on purpose – he tripped over the dog and went head first into the wall.  Quite funny, actually.  Then, when we were living in Missouri, I made a lovely hole in the bedroom wall with my feet (I’ll leave that story to another time and place).

Anyhoo, we need to install a couple of these suckers on our new french doors between the kitchen and office. Given our prior experience, I thought it sensible to be proactive in preventing another sheetrock hole.

So there you have it, the tale of the hinge pin door stop. Maybe it would have been easier to guess if it was the Tail of the Min-Pin Door Stop (he he)…