Puppy Graduation!

Well, it's official - our baby has graduated...

from puppy kindergarten!

Here is his class picture: Riley the puggle, Lucy the vizsla, Sox, and Hercules the english mastif and their families

He was the first one to make it through the obstacle course of all the things he learned these past two months - including sit, down, watch me, stay, leave it, and even puppy push ups! (sit-down-sit-down) For that he got a treat of soft serve ice cream and a big cookie. After all that excitement it was hard to get him to sit for his graduation picture - this is the best he could muster:

We're so proud of him - he's growing up so quick (pushing 60 lbs now!) but still playful and curious. He's looking for new friends now that Saturday morning will be free, and with the weather warming up, he just may find them if Momma can find the local dog park or some good walking trails in town!

Press the arrow (play) at the bottom right of this next still to check out his excitement when the announcement was made:

Home Improvement Continued

So a whole month has gone by with no posting. I did wonder if I would have enough to say...and it seems that while things have been busy, the time to write about and reflect on it is never sufficient. Here's the dish:

Project #2: The downstairs 1/2 bath
This "room" was a must fix when we moved in. The vanity and toilet were so terribly small I thought it was made for a little person! I felt like I might fall in every time I used the pot - LOL! And I am not exaggerating when I say that there was wallpaper on the ceiling. Here is proof:

At this point, the wallpaper is off (including the ceiling) and the walls have been scrubbed. It seems that the toilet was too close to the wall so when it "sweats" the moisture just seeps into the wall. That meant mold! Luckily it was just surface and easily removed with some bleach and a scrub brush.


We have prepared the walls for skim coating and priming and are picking out the perfect shade of blue for my ocean themed bathroom. The ceiling will be white...like a ceiling should be! Final results may take the rest of the month since we are replacing the mini toilet and searching desperately for a vanity that is no more than 20 inches front to back (since that's all the room we have). We've considered a pedestal sink, but the pipes come straight out of the concrete floor and are 8" apart from each other, making a pedestal a very tight fit. Add to that the challenge of having a baseboard radiator along the wall where the toilet and vanity is and we've got quite a challenge. I was inspired by a DIY channel show recently where the guy made his own cabinets in the kitchen, but the trick would be to find a sink that would fit. With all these choices, I'm just happy that we have a fully working and comfy bathroom upstairs to use!

Project 3: The office
The walls of the office were in rough shape. They were not level, full of holes and a dirty yellow color. Not the kind of space that inspires innovative thinking - and with 3 classes this semester...I need some inspiration! Mikey has been great at skim coating to get the walls to look even - and I am in the process of debating the perfect color for the space. I'm thinking a blue-grey or natural looking green/tan color. Since the space is in such disarray, I am forgoing before/during pics and opting for just the finished product..again in another good month or so. :)

Sox Update
Well, on one hand, our RED SOX are playing again and that's a happy thing. I invested in a new t-shirt for my new favorite player, second baseman Dustin Pedroia...affectionately known by me as Lil' D. He's about 5'8 on the stats, but I think is more like 5'6. Either way, he's a great prospect and I'm happy to see him out on the field again.

At Home, our Sox is growing big. He's now over 50 lbs and in the past few weeks has lost a lot of his puppy hair. The family room carpet was awash with black fur...the vacuum got a lot of use!

Sox also grew into his big dog collar! He has grown ferocious puppy teeth and is now able to fit a tennis ball full in his mouth (before it was a bit too big!).

He has mastered sit, down and SHAKE (his first trick) and is now working on roll-over and Come when called. He's pretty good at come in the house but out in the neighborhood it's a free-for-all. Overall, he is such a fun and loving pup and we are loving watching him play.