Progress in Our Dining Room

I make myself crazy watching HGTV shows because I am constantly thinking about how I can utilize their ideas in our house.  I like so many styles, so it's hard to decide what fits best in our house.  I think our style would be somewhere in between modern and traditional.

The room in our house that Greg and I decided was completely mine was the Dining Room.  I didn't have to have his approval for any design concepts, colors or decorations; however, Greg has been a great supporter of the process and has been a huge help accomplishing our projects.  The concept for this room is modern, yet comfortable, chic, and fun.

I've done my best taking some before and after photos.  I was able to take a picture of the original decorations of the previous owner, which one can tell from the picture was very traditional.

Our dining room table is the first and only piece of furniture that Greg and I spent a considerable amount on money on.  We also bought a China cabinet for the room off of Craigslist that we wanted to refinish and update the hardware to make it fit in the room and match our table better. 

I typically see gray's in modern rooms on HGTV, and I typically like gray's that have a hint of purple in them.  I took a bunch of gray paint swatches with me to JoAnn Fabrics in order to choose a bold fabric that I liked that I had planned on wrapping around canvases and hanging on the wall.  I found a girly fabric that Greg liked as well, and this is what I have based the room around.

We finally found a mirror to hang on the wall, and it makes a huge statement.  We orignally weren't planning on having a mirror, but we both are happy with the outcome.  Anyway, up next is finishing the China cabinet, choosing fabric for the curtains, and decorating.  We will post again when it is completed!

Stinky Abby

I let Abby out this morning around 5:45 AM, and she sprinted across the yard barking for the intruder to leave.  I was afraid to look outside, but I knew I had to get my dog back inside before the neighbors complained about her ferorcious barks.  As I peered out the door calling her name, I saw some creature slowly moving through my neighbors aluminum fence and traveling through his yard.  Abby finally came inside, and I fed her breakfast.

I continued to pour myself a bowl of cereal where I smelled as if something was burning.  I checked the oven and it was off.  I smelled the sink, and nothing was coming from there.  I convinced myself I was crazy, and I went into the Living Room to watch the news.  Abby finished her breakfast, came in the Living Room and started rolling on the carpet as usual; however, today she rolled more than usual.  Then, she rolled all over her bed, which she doesn't use too often, so then I knew something was up.

She continued towards me and I grabbed her head and smelled the source of the stinkiness in our house.  I called up to Greg, "Greg, I think Abby may have been sprayed by a skunk," and his response, "Yeah, I can smell it all the way up here in our room."  He was already researching skunks on his phone and said it is the oils from their spray that are extremely hard to get rid of, and only special shampoo gets it off a dog's fur.

I immediately bathed Abby, and soaped up her head really good.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of this because she looked so cute.  We didn't allow Abby in our room while we were gone at work, and she was left to her dog pillow, where I know she is holding a grudge towards me for treating her like a dog and not a member of our family who deserves better than a pillow on the ground that one actually calls a bed.  I wasn't fooling Abby...

The house still stinks when you leave and then come back in.  Chase hestitates walking in the Living Room and smells the areas on the carpet with extreme care wondering what has caused such the bad smell.  I think he also understands that Abby is the one spreading it through the house because he doesn't want to play with her tonight.  I told Greg that we are going to have to get our carpets cleaned sooner than we had planned, so don't worry, we will take care of it before anyone visits again.

My Funny Valentine

I told most of you Happy Valentine's Day with an email revealing this blog, but if I missed anyone, then Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Our Valentine's Day started off with me making Greg eggs and a fruit cup for breakfast, and he was very appreciative of it.  I realize that cooking for Greg is the way to his heart.  I packed his lunch for work that day, and I had a nice dinner planned, so I was excited for the evening to make dinner and surprise him with the blog.

I tried a recipe that my Mom had given me called My Funny Valentine, which cooks Lobster Newburg with lobster tails, mushrooms, shallots and green peas, and Lemon-Butter Parslied Potatoes, that I substituted with sweet potatoes.


What is it Supposed to Look Like



What Ours Looked Like

Despite the differences in pictures, the meal turned out delicious! 

We spent the rest of the romantic evening watching The Biggest Loser, and I revealed the blog over a commercial and we read the stories together.  Greg loved the idea of the blog, and he's excited that I'll have something to work on while he is on his computer.

Juicin'

We went out looking for furniture this weekend and came home with a juicer.  I was thinking about getting Greg a juicer for Christmas, but it was too important of a decision to not have his input.  After doing some research, I found that people are very particular about their juicers and sometimes it's better to get a starter juicer before one gets into serious juicing and learns all the tricks.  So, consider this, our starter juicer, the Jack Lalanne Juicer.

After getting home around 11 PM, we couldn't wait until the next day to start using it.  Luckily we had pretty many fruits and vegetables in the house to make our first cup, which contained carrots, apples, and grapes.  Each cup had around 3 carrots, a handful of grapes and 1 apple.  It actually turned out pretty good and my favorite so far.

We went to Aldi's the next morning to load up on fruits and vegetables for our new lives as juicers.  We bought a ton of produce for only $27, so that made me happy.  For lunch we made the Green Machine, which contained cucumbers, kiwis, apples and broccoli flowers.  This one was not my favorite, but we told ourselves we liked it because we knew it was good for us.

The juicer came with recipes not only for juice mixes, but also ways to use the pulp in healthy recipes.  I used the apple pulp and small amount of juice and mixed it with flour, wheat flour, honey, cinnamon and milk to make apple spice muffins.  They were just okay...maybe too healthy for us.  I was thinking about mailing some to Mackie for Valentine's Day, but they weren't good enough for her standards.  Sorry, Mack, we'll send you another sample sometime.

The Green Machine

 

 

Apple Spice Muffins

Chase-Man

I lived in my apartment for 9 months by myself, and I had to start thinking about signing the lease for another year.  Greg and I had talked about getting married, but I never though any signs of a proposal was in the near future.  Greg was participating in the Lawrence Wakarusa Off Road Challenge one Saturday morning, so I ran some errands and stopped by the Humane Society on my way home to pass some time.

That was when I found the most beautiful, perfect proportioned kitten named Chase.  He was labeled as a "buff" colored kitten, and I held him for several minutes, and he was so calm and never tried getting away or biting me, for that matter.  I left there and drove home, and I tried to get a hold of Greg. 

As some of you know, Greg has said that he is allergic to cats, but I did some research for 5 minutes and found the following facts: 

1. Lighter colored cats are less allergenic.  Perfect!  Chase was buff colored!

2. Some say that cat allergies are caused from their saliva, so it is spread in their dander after they lick themselves and others say it is from their urine.  No problem!  I clean regularly and I will place the little box away from Greg.

3. Those people who are allergic to cats can get over their allergies over time after living with a cat...

 From these quick internet facts, I decided that I needed a little roommate to keep me busy while I was by myself.  I called Greg's roommate in hopes that he could get a hold of Greg, and I told him that I was going to adopt a cat.  He told me he thought that I should wait for Greg, but I reassured him of the facts and told him that I made up my mind.  Greg finally called after his race, and I told him the good news.  He said he would consider it, and he would head over to my place in a little while.  

We went up to the Humane Society and little Chase was still there.  I paid $6 for him, yes $6, and I feel bad to this day that I didn't say anything about the amount, although I do try and donate to this place as often as I can.  Greg took Chase home to get acquainted with Abby as I went to buy some kitten supplies.  

Greg is no longer allergic to cats.  Chase loves Greg dearly even though Greg teases the cat to no end, and Chase and Abby are the best siblings and love each other dearly, or so I like to think.  Our family wouldn't be complete without him.



Abby-Girl

Most of the posts on this blog will probably be about the pride and joy of our lives, our little children at this time, our pets, Abby and Chase.

Greg always wanted a dog in college, and even though I love animals, I didn't think it was a good idea because a dog is a lot of work, and no one should have to worry about this responsibility while they are in college.  When I knew Greg was serious about getting a dog, I told myself that I had to find the perfect one because it would ultimately be mine one day.  Greg was always attracted to Labs, so we would search for them on the internet at the local shelters.  Greg was in Jackson, Tennessee this summer, so we would even search for dogs in that area.  Over a weekend that Greg was in St. Charles, and I had outlined several different humane societies to visit with potential dogs that I had researched on the internet.  We visited several different places and were close to considering some of the dogs that we saw, but it was at the last place at Petco in North County that we found Abby.  Greg originally wanted a male dog, but Abby stood out among her brothers, and she was the ultimate decision.

The woman laid down some newspaper in a shopping cart so Abby's feet wouldn't fall through as we shopped around Petco for puppy essentials.  Abby immediately peed and pooped on the paper, and I thought, here we go, what great fun this is supposed to be!

Abby was with Greg that summer, and I only visited a couple times.  Greg had already taught her several tricks and she was very obedient.  To this day, I would think most would agree that Abby has turned out to be what one would consider a perfect dog.  I hate to admit it, although I know it's true, but Greg is the one who developed Abby to be a best friend, protector, cuddler, and sweetheart.


There is so much more to write about our little girl, but pictures will have to suffice for now, and I will have to write about our little man on another post.

Our Proposal

I'm not sure if everyone knows the story of our engagement, so I thought that I'd share how Greg proposed...

Greg and I never talked about marriage all that much because I always thought it was a turn off to guys for a girl to ask about when they are getting married or to discuss the long future ahead; however, Greg and I both knew that we wanted to be together, and I can honestly say that Greg is my best friend.

We finally started to discuss getting married that summer, and I, of course, suggested that maybe we start looking at rings and convinced Greg that it wouldn't be so bad.  To my surprise, he didn't think it was too awful, and sure enough Greg purchased the ring of my dreams the following week, but I didn't discover this until 3 months later.

Greg and I went on vacation to San Diego the weekend before my birthday in October, and he proposed at the San Diego Zoo, which if you know Greg and I we love the zoo; however, we do get a lot of jokes about Greg proposing at this location, but I couldn't have asked for a more perfect place or perfect day. 

Before we left for vacation, Greg had contacted the zoo and asked if they had a person that could take pictures of the proposal.  They referred him to the people in the zoo that nag a person to take his or her picture so they can put it on a nice zoo background and one can choose to purchase it at the end of their trip. 

After walking around on a beautiful, hot day at the zoo, we decided to take a break and get lunch.  Greg walked us all around to a nice restaurant at the zoo that served seafood.  I kept insisting that we just grab a burger at one of the many cafes that we passed, but Greg led us all around to this restaurant.  We enjoyed a nice meal, and then Greg stopped in at the restroom, and I decided to use this time to call my Dad who was watching our pets at the time.

Greg got out of the restroom and waited, and I suggested that I talk to my Dad as we walk to the next exhibit, but patient Greg said he would wait, so I hung up the phone with my Dad and Greg suggested that we walked up to this bridge by a waterfall.  At this point, I noticed the crazy camera lady following us and I asked what was going on.  He stopped on the bridge, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him.  I kept saying, "What are you doing?!?", but finally threw a "YES" in there. 

The pictures that the lady took are irreplaceable, and I'm so thankful that we are able to have them.  That night we went out to dinner, planned the entire guest list, chose the wedding party, and wrote down ideas that we wanted to incorporate into our day.  Who said planning a wedding was hard? 

Reason for Starting This Blog

It seems like starting a blog is the popular thing to do now.  Whether you want to use it to promote your own business, post new recipes that you have tried, or use it as a tool to track your progress towards a goal, I simply would like to start one update my family and friends on things I would love to tell them on a weekly basis that sometimes I just forget to pick up the phone and give them a call.

I moved out to Kansas City to accept a job offer after college, once again following my boyfriend at the time, who is now my husband.  Greg and I are both from St. Charles, Missouri and our families both still reside there.  I never thought that I would move away from the St. Louis area, but where the love of your life and employment exist, one must follow. 

I miss seeing our families on a weekly basis and those dreams of having Sunday dinners together and playing games are long gone.  So, this is my attempt to fill you in on the little things that make us smile in our family of ours and our hope that you can be part of our weekly activities.

Until next time...
Love you all,
Shayna