Number 27

I remember when I was just about the age that Jaylinne is now, I had to learn the hard way that living where we did, losing our four-legged friends was not a rare occurrence. We had a gray miniature schnauser, named Bert. He wasn't what you would call an old dog, but he was no puppy either. It seemed like no matter how hard you tried to keep 'em in, they were trying equally as hard to get out and run around! Unfortunately, Bert is the first Geneva Road casualty that I can remember. Being so young, I didn't fully understand the situation. I knew that I couldn't see my dog anymore, and I didn't get to say goodbye. As it would anyone, that made me sad. My Grannie, God rest her soul, tried to soften the blow for my sister and I the best she knew how: explaining that Bert would now be in heaven. She really got the point across when she took us to see the movie, "All Dogs Go To Heaven." Being that it all happened around Christmas time, she even sent us a Christmas card...from Bert! Doggie Heaven sounded like a party! :) It was just a few small gestures, however it made an impact on our lives.

I am very thankful for this lesson, as I was able to use it on my own Daughter. Yesterday was a pretty rough day for me and my family. We had to make the decision of putting one of our four-legged friends, Arnie, out of his misery. Let me give you a little bit of history about Arnie:

He has been part of our family for 15 years. We got him, as a "puppy," as soon as he was old enough to be away from his Momma. You'll notice I use the term puppy loosely. You see, Arnie was a Bernese Mountain Dog- or in lamens terms, big as hell. From a young age, he was what you'd call a runner. If he needed to get somewhere, he was running. The Forrest Gump of the dog world, if you will. He loved to run so much, in fact, that on more than a few occasions, he had to be picked him up from the pound. He had to be sprung from the klink so many times, they even had a name for him: number 27. Much to our surprise, we also learned the hard way that he was a digger. A runner...and a digger?! A moment of silence is in order for the elaborate gardens and the Halloween decorations throughout the neighborhood that fell victim to Ol' Number 27... ;) No one is more sorry about those than him.

Given his size and stature, people were often afraid of him and thought he was mean right off the bat. However, he was quite the anomaly. He wouldn't hurt a fly. In fact, he was even afraid of mice! The other dogs that were in our family were chihuahuas. In the real world, the biggest dog is usually king. Not this time- bless his heart, he was afraid of the chihuahuas too!

He loved people, but most of all, he loved kids. Being a mother myself, I would- for lack of a better term- shit frisbees, if I saw a dog of his size coming towards my child. Hell, let's be real here, if a dog his size that I wasn't familiar with came towards me, I would panic. But he had a special way with kids. No matter how excited he got when they were around, he always knew to be gentle, and keep his paws on the floor. And he was definitely not one to be stingy with his kisses.

Here he is with Baby Dalys. Always so gentle :)

So you can imagine how hard it was for us to make this decision. He was old. He had cancerous tumors. He had trouble walking. Although it made each of us sad, we knew it was time. It was the humane thing to do. Rather than take him to an unfamiliar place, and leave him alone, we decided it was best if it was done at home. That's where he would be most comfortable, and more importantly, he could be surrounded by the people who loved him. Ryan and I decided to break the news to Jaylinne so she could say her goodbyes. Although she was very sad at first, and there were lots of tears shed, she wanted to go play with him one last time.

Catching a little snooze on a nice fall day.

So we stopped at McDonalds, got a Happy Meal for Arnie, and made our way down to my mom and dad's house. When we got there, Jaylinne gave him the biggest hug she could, and told him she loved him. In an effort to console my mom, who was crying, Jaylinne said to her, "It's OK, Grandma. Even though we won't get to see him everyday, we still get to see him in our memories." At that moment, I felt a sense of peace. I was grateful the talk we had with her earlier stuck :) It was a good day. It was a beautiful day outside, we all got to spend time with him reminiscing, and he even got to eat a happy meal! Which was soon followed by a slice of pizza he was able to swipe from Dayne and Dalys. Again, no one was more sorry about that than him ;) Although I was heartbroken, I knew I had to be strong. For Arnie. So when the time came, his head was resting in my lap and I comforted him the best way I knew how, while my dad did the same and held onto his paw. I'm very thankful that when he went, he went surrounded by his family, and could feel how much he was loved. Here's to hoping that all dogs, really do indeed, go to Heaven.

See you on the other side, Number 27. We'll sure miss you.

Excited? Perhaps...but only a little

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and dad bought a play set to put in their yard for all the grandkids to play on when they were visiting. Here is a picture of a very similar playset:

Photo credit: Playset Services

They wanted to keep it a surprise until the kids saw it in person. I was able to record Jaylinne's reaction and, boy, am I glad I did! Was keeping it a surprise worth it? You tell me...

Haha! This video kills me. Where does she come up with this stuff?!

2 Shades of White? More Like 7 Shades of Crazy!

Ever since I thought about doing the headboard (refer to last post!) I have also wanted to find another tv stand for the TV in our bedroom. The one we were using was functional, kind of, but it didn't look as good as I knew it could. Initially, I was just going to refinish it. However, our TV was wider than the stand itself, so it actually looked a little ridiculous.

Before. Don't judge ;)

 And so began the hunt for the perfect TV stand. Also began the frustration of not being able to actually find the perfect TV stand. Turns out, I had an idea in my head of what I wanted...and anyone that knows Jessie, knows that generally equates to "bad news." Although I wasn't completely sure of what I wanted it to look like, I knew what features I was looking for: Wider than the TV, tall, and storage space. After searching, and searching, and SEARCHING I was ready to throw in the towel. That's when I decided to go to a little place called Chic and Unique on the corner of 800 S. and 3rd West in Salt Lake....

 and BA-BAM! It might as well have just hit me in the face. I was staring at our new TV stand! It was exactly what I was looking for, and everything I didn't even realize I was looking for all rolled into one! The best part: I loved it exactly how it was. No refinishing necessary! This is something that has only happened once or twice before, so it was a pretty big deal :) Not only was this bad boy there, but two of its homies were there too: nightstands to match! SCORE! So I paid for them and made arrangements to come pick them up the next day.

I was so excited I could hardly even sleep. It was like Christmas for me! Well, low and behold, we brought the set home...only to find out that it was 2 different shades of white! UGH! I'm fairly certain this was God's way of making me realize I know better for not wanting to add my own "touch" to them ;) For those of you who have never had to match shades of white paint, count your lucky stars! It is most definitely, for lack of a better term, a pain in the ass! Bless the ones who have experienced this same dilema. To make a long story short, my "matched shade" of Snow Cap was not a match. So, I had to paint the whole thing. However, while I was at it, I decided to paint the knobs as well. I love the finished product!

Before and after

 

Sometimes A Treasure Hunt Is All You Need!

Since we moved into the place we live currently (a little over two years ago now) I have been trying to figure out what to do with some dead space in our living room. There have been several attempts, but much to my disappointment, none of them turned out the way I wanted them to. I knew I wanted pictures in frames, all different sizes and colors. However, when I put the "Wall of Frames" up, I hated it. Since then, I have been on a mission to get it just the way I wanted it. And finally....IT'S DONE!

Before. Could this space get any more...blah?!

After. I was looking around for a table of some sort, and I found this beauty. I knew it was the one as soon as I saw it! I bought it at Osmond Designs. 

My favorite part might just be the turquoise, old fashioned clock, which was bought at Rod Works.

I knew I wanted to have some old fashioned looking books on top of the table, and I knew D.I. was the place for me! Each of the books I found there for $1.00 a piece, except, "America's Garden Book." That one broke the bank at a whopping $2.00. The brown one is dated 1931, which I thought was pretty dope. Book ends were bought at Rod Works.

These frames were purchased at Pier 1 Imports. I got 2 of them, and just hung one upside down to add some "balance." Love the colors! I wanted to leave a few spaces empty to add a pattern, and I chose the gray and white zig zag.

Finished Product

Now that Jaylinne is in kindergarten, I thought I had better make some time to finish up some of my projects I started. Although I have several that I need to get to, the most important one, in my mind, was our headboard. Believe it or not, this idea began 2 summers ago when my friend Stephanie planted the seed in my head. She came to my house to pick up some old windows to turn into picture frames. She mentioned she regularly visited a blog called, "Purposely Repurposed." (How clever is that name?!) While on said cleverly-named blog, she came across the idea of turning an old, antique door into a headboard. HUH?! Immediately I was intrigued. Stephanie has got to be one of the most creative, crafty people I know, and I knew if she thought it was a cool, unique idea, I would as well. I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, or how it was even supposed to look, so to Google I ran. I pulled up some pictures, and I determined that the door would not be vertical, it would be horizontal- which my little brain was more capable of grasping ;)

Almost immediately, my head took the idea and ran. I was picturing mustard yellow, and dark distressing. There was just one problem; where the hell was I going to find an antique door?! Fast forward to spring 2012. Still with the idea pulling at my brain, I set out to find a door. After checking KSL, Craig's List, Ebay, and even a Habitat for Humanity donation center...it was quickly determined I was screwed. There were several on Ebay on the east coast that I could get shipped to me for a mere $700, however I quickly vetoed that. As it was completely absurd. Then, just as I was about to give up hope, I recalled that my bedroom door when I was little looked just that way! After calling my mom and dad, and squealing my plans in their ear, they said I was welcome to the door... if I could replace it. The house my parents live in is the house I grew up in. It is also the house my dad grew up in. It was built in 1903. For those of you out there not familiar with houses this old, they seemed to have one thing in common: Oddly shaped doorways. Really?! Another hoop for me to jump through? Ugh. But low and behold, I was able to find one!

Now that I had found the actual door I was going to use, the rest was easy! Until I realized it was almost the end of summer and I had only sanded down one side. I decided to buckle down and get it done, and I love the way it turned out! The best part is that it has sentimental value. I grew up in the room behind that door, as many people did before me. Even though I may not live in that house still, I can have a little piece of it with me always :)

Before...

 

 

After

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