Well after much thought we decided no deck for now.. waaaay more money then we had expected even to do it ourselves.. so we're moving on and working on the fence I think thsi weekend.. instead we're going to landscape and fill the backyard with color and plants:-) Can't wait.. Stanley seems to be doing better..still shedding but his skin is definitely more healthy and he's as playful as ever. I went to doggy class for the first time last week and boy did he embarass us.. haha.. apparently he only sits for treats so the trainer instructed us to use a pinch collar and what a difference... We had such a pleasant walk the other day because of this collar!

This month has been pretty hectic.. 2 weddings, housework, Lavender festival, BBQs.. yikes.. but the summer is going by really fast so much enjoy this weather while it lasts:-)

Will upload pictures later but the bathroom is done and operational:-) has been for about a week now.. it looks awesome and sooo much nicer then what we had.. The toilet was set just in time for the 4th BBQ at our house.. thank goodness. With 20 people, it would have been a pain to share just 1 bathroom in our master bedroom.

So next on the list is the fence, awning, and possible deck. I think Brian and Aaron are going to start on that this weekend.. I will be at the Lavender Festival so wont' be much help:-( Stanley is still balding and we don't know what to do.. We'll just give it some time and see how he does. If he doesn't improve by next month, its back to the vet.. He still acts normal, eats, sleeps, does not itch.. they've ruled out all the ugly diseases so thats good.

Oh and Brian has decided to take up rock climbing. He went for his first climb last week and I think he climbed 40 feet or something..but he loves it so far. I dont' think I will be joining anytime soon..

We are moving again with the bathroom!! Brian ran into some minor problems with the drywall so we were a little delayed.. then Aaron came into town and the tile work has began and will probably finish by end of day today:-) They worked all day yesterday then we hit Chef Liao's for dinner then back to work until about midnight..yikes but I have to say it looks AMAZING!! So professional.. especially the sub tiles.. some photos...

Woohoo! I won 2 ebay auctions in a roll! Yipee.. I got these 2 McCoy Floraline white vases.. I've been collecting these for the last 2 years:-) ..I dont know anything about the history of these but I just love how they look.. pretty inexpensive too..I usually pay about 15 to 20dollars a piece for these .. The green ones are a lot less. I thought I heard somewhere that they used to be used for delivered flowers.. like FTD..etc.. who knows. They're just pretty..simple, clean lines This one I won about 3 weeks ago... last minute bid:-)

This one I won today..

Can't believe its already Thursday. Monday we couldn't work on the bathroom..had grandma's birthday dinner..we ate so much food at my uncles:-) so on Tuesday Brian continued with the drywall and yesterday he put on the first coat of mud.. sounded like it was pretty fustrating for him but I think he's finally got a hang of it so tonight is sanding then 2nd coat of mud.. Tomorrow Brian is off to Jimmy's for a guys night so it looks like the bathroom won't be done before Aaron gets into town:-( Oh well.. Poor Aaron will be stuck helping us tile I think..hehe

Stanley is also going back to vet on Sat.. He's taking his antibiotics and handling it okay but still losing lots of hair and getting more bald spots:-( makes me so sad. I hope he's okay..... and crazy as this may sound but we're thinking of getting another dog.. a friend for Stanley.. a smaller dog.. a lap dog:-).. we'll see.. wait, I said Stanley would be the last dog I get ...hmm...

and finally got a chance to upload some photos.. Brian's new truck and wisteria blooms:-)

Lots of progress this weekend.. the drywall is now up and we are set to mud and tile:-) Next weekend we tile.. I think the floor is going to be a hex tile in a natural stone color (with a bunch of color variations in it).. and the tub is being surrounded by white subway tiles. the room will be painted khaki I think.... thats what we have in mind so far but it'll change I'm sure:-)

Some pictures

No wonder its taken 6 months:- insulation goes up
vapor barrier going up with the help of Johnny

drywall.. starting to look like a room again

The bathroom remodel is back on track! So far, Brian has poured down some sort of concrete to "float" out the floor..whatever that means.. then he put hardiboard down and last night, he moved the outlet and switches and started insulation and tonight I think he's finishing insulation and starting on drywall:-) which means that this weekend we can tile..yippeee.. after that, it'll be pretty close.. trim work, detailing, installing fixtures and we should be done!

This Sat we have to go to the vet too.. poor Stanley has some skin problems and losing hair in patches:-( So sad.. I feel horrible but he seems to be acting normal.. playing, eating, sleeping so not sure whats going on. He seems to sneeze alot which could mean allergies.. man dogs are just like humans. So hopefully the vet can diagnose and treat it. I hate to think that he's itchy and in pain all the time.. poor guy..did I already mention this is the last doggee I get?? haha.. well nothing against Stanley but it is stressful..especially for someone like me who worries about every little thing:-)

Its time for a new phone and what do you know, the phone I've been eyeing now comes in 4 different colors!! It was meant to be! Theres the basic black then these 3! Yes, color phones have finally made it to the US.. so now the problem is I like them all.. I definitely want one of the colored ones but not sure which one.. leaning towards green or orange. Markane thinks the green is more "me".. I tend to agree... especially this sage green but the orange is so bold.. and blue.. sigh, decisions, decisions.... well I have 2 more weeks before I can order( I have to wait out my SPrint contract) so maybe it'll come to me before then:-)

Just got back from Vegas..another company meeting out of the way!! ... Its been really busy lately with work, home and this crazy meeting that happens every 6 months but its over. Right before I left, we hired a plumber/electrician to reroute the bathroom and install the sconces.. that worked out well. So now its all up to Brian. While I was gone he went ahead and put together the new vanity and it came out AWESOME..better then we thought so going well so far. This weekend Brian patched in the floor and cleaned up the rest of the plaster and took off the casings for the windows. I think he's going to set the hardiback boards or whatever they're called today then its on to drywall and tiling! .. its finally getting done:-) We also bought Aaron's tickets last night and he'll be in Seattle 6/28 to help us do the fence and deck.. it'll be done probably by end of summer so I guess we won't get to enjoy it much this year but next year it'll be great. .. some pics that Brian sent to me while I was in Vegas...

Can't believe the weekend is already over:-( Sat we went over with Elaine and Ace to Uncle Tom's cabin on Hood Canal.. what a beautiful area.. Took the ferry over the morning and got home around 9pm... would have stayed longer but we had to get to Stanley.. got some togo from chef Liao's and watched some really funny movie with Sarah Jessica Parker - Family Stone or something like that till 1am.. then Sunday we got up, cleaned the hardwoods and went out to run some errands.. Costplus had a big sale so I picked up the bench seats to match the Balau table I bought last year.. some pictures of course:-) This week should just fly by. My peers are coming into town and we have all day HR meetings until thursday.. then long weekend! Woohoo... too bad the weather isn't looking real nice but oh well.. won't stop us - John and the kids are swinging by Sat to grill out. should be fun

Just got back from a 5 day trip to Indy.. wish it were under better circumstances but we're back and back to the grind.. Came back to 500 emails and a todo list .. fun stuff. Took me all morning just to go through the emails.. now I am working on answering them. It was a lovely 79 degrees out today so i took a break, went to the market and got a dozen apricot colored tulips for my desk.. I was hoping they would cheer me up and make the day go by a little faster - not:-(

Oh well.. so tonight we are going to grill out and enjoy the weather and the the beautiful plans/trees.. this is my absolute favorite time of the year.. the wisteria is in full bloom..

This next month will be a little crazy. We have Flyback so I am headed to Vegas once again for our regional meeting which means 3 days of no sleep and 16 hour work days for me.. got to love it.. thank goodness it only happens twice a year.

Mondays are soo tough:-(.. but we had a good weekend..pretty relaxing. Friday our couch was picked up to be fixed so I was home early - took Brian's new truck out to Marysville to hit the outlet mall..didnt' find much..then went to Chef Liao's for a late night dinner..brought home more leftovers then will fit in the fridge - as usual. Saturday we did more shopping (I didn't realize that I had donated most of my summer/spring work clothes..oops).. found a couple of things so we called it a day.. John and JEssica came over for a crab/steak dinner.. followed my molten lava cakes... so decadent - must not make more then once every few months but it was worth it.. Sunday, spent the day cleaning. Brian did all the windows and I hit the bathroom.. Stanley didn't help much. Oh I also got my new stamping table.. not the one I was originally going to get but we liked the look of this one more plus it was bigger..
and Brian and I are now officially hooked on Vietnamse coffee.. If you've never had it..boy don't start because it is addictive.. its basically a coffee press that you use with vietnamese coffee which has chicory in it.. it drips into a cup filled with condensed milk..then you swirl it all up and dump into another glass filled with ice..soooo good. I bought the press on Sunday and made 3 cups - tasted just like the one at Thanh Brothers:-)

slow day in the office.. so different then yesterday.... anyhow, no word yet from the dealership and we're getting a little fustrated..would like to take care of this and get the car home.. I couldn't find a picture of the granite blue one but heres a pic of the Chevy Colorado...

Went shopping this weekend found this table.. who says you have to go to Ikea for cheapy tables.. this one is solid wood and under 200bucks.. perfect for stamping and other crafts.. I wouldn't feel too bad if I accidentally hit it with a hammer while doing eyelets:-).. I think we're going to stop by and get it this weekend.. Well once again time sure flies. we've been in our house now for over a year.. just amazing. I would say that Fall used to be my favorite time of the year but spring is now.. all the flowers blooming, nice sunny weather for BBQs.. got to love it:-)

What a fast weekend..as usual.. Saturday we spent the day looking for trucks. Stopped at Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota.. Brian finally chose the Chevy Colorado in a granite blue. I personally liked the Toyota Tacoma but Brian felt it was a little too carlike.. the interior was so nice.. too nice.. guess he wanted a "truck truck"..hehe.. So the Chevy Colorado it is.. He got it with some sport package thingee magigee...who knows.. It arrives on Tuesday. We traded in our little Honda Civic.. kind of sad about the whole thing. I didn't think it would be but its my first car and such a dependable little car.. never had any problems aside from new tires and brake pads its served us really well.. good gas mileage.. made me almost think about keeping it.. but realistically what are 2 people going to do with 3 cars.. oh well..I offered it to my mom but she didnt' want a 2 door. Well, thank you my little Civic DX with no AC , nada.. you have been a great car and I personally will miss you:-( I hope you find a good home.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day..must have been at least 70 degrees so we ran errands then worked in the yard and finally got the weeds pulled.. awe, the joys of home ownership

So Brian's back in from Indy:-) and he got me my pancake mix.. woohoo.. And we've decided to go ahead and get Brian his truck.. I think he wants a Chevy Colorado extended cab or something like that. Of course I'm trying to find the lowest price I can online.. but this weekend we're going to head out and take a look at a couple and maybe do a few test drives. I'm not a big fan of trucks but it should come in handy and its time to say goodbye to that Civic..I'm sure poor Brian didn't fit in very well at the job site driving around his little silver 2 door civic..hehe.. He wants a truck like all the other boys.. ;-) I also got my PB tables a nd they are nice.. a little bigger then we thought but thats only because we've never had nightstands..
weather is suppose to be really nice this weekend so that means weeding! fun fun.. our yard is now overrun by weeds.. might try to do some grilling too.. yum..

So i probably had one of my weirdest HR experiences yesterday:-(.. but its over now and I'm glad. Nothing much going on this weekend.. Brian flies out tomorrow morning for Indiana so its Stanley and me. I plan to hit Ikea on Saturday to grab some more curtains for the upstairs bedrooms.. Brian has agreed to repaint our bedroom khaki - right now its a buttery yellow.. its nice but I'm tired of it:-) I thought he was going to kill me for even asking.. I also finally picked up the book Marley and Me from Amazon.. Everyone has been telling me how great it is.. its a story about the world's worst dog and the owner... hehe.. will probably make STanley look like an angel when this is done. I also picked up a cast iron chicken fryer.. haha.. I was watching Paula Dean make fried chicken.. had to try it.. John and Jessica will be guinea pigs.

so maybe not a whole new bedroom set.. what fun is it to match;-) so I just picked 2 of these up online from Pottery Barn..we'll start from here and see what else we find.. Nice and simple and on sale:-) The funny thing is right now we have 1 of these but in a distressed lighter color.. Brian brought it with him from Indiana I think. We're going to move that one and use these 2 so they match..

Rainy weekend:-( couldn't work outside so we went out to dinner on Friday and met Matthew:-) He's very nice and they look so happy together.. Sat, we did some work around the house, then over to Wai's to help her look at her house then onto Cutter's for happy hour.. really good food. Half off sushi and half off appetizers.. I think we'll be back.. Today I had an employee send me a gift basket with 2 bottles of wine.. so nice of him.. not necessary but it was definitely a nice gesture. This should be a slow week so i can catch up at work.. We also moved the bedroom around which has now turned into we need a new bedroom set.. so new bedroom set, and new living room set for the upstairs room..haha.. this never ends.

K, so I'm over the floor scratches..we will do the rest of the home but we'll do a stain. Seems like the stain seems to conceal the doggy scratches much better.. Yes, I'm just a tad obsessive about this whole thing. This weekend we're going to try to work in the yard. Brian was suppose to get my garden ready but since we're doing the grand lanscaping thing, going to put if off.. Lili is in town with her new fiancee so we're going to the Cheesecake Factory tonight to meet him and see her of course.. I also signed Stanley up for puppy classes so he can learn some good manners.. it'll make everyone happier I'm sure. thats about it. Brian and I have pretty much decided that we will be going back to Maui in August/Sept.. our 4th anniversary and me turning the big 30!! yikes.. time sure flies. I have no problems turning 30 but boy married 4 years??!! can't believe that. .. guess we've been in this house now for over a year.. anyhoo, should be fun. WE liked the Maui Prince so much that I think we'll go back there.. or the other option would be the Wailea and go big..we'll see.. no more road to Hana is all I can say. I guess we could have gone to Asia or Europe or something but Brian doesn't have a lot of vacation and I HATE to fly.. and Maui is almost 6 hours..yikes.. but it'll be worth it.. Next week Brian is going to Indy to see Nan.. I"m glad he'll get to go home to see family..wish I could too but Mike's gone, Amy's gone, Traci's gone at work.. and then theres Stanley.