Saugatuck, MI

I think this was the 3rd annual birthday we have celebrated with our friends & neighbors at their house in Michigan. We always have a blast eating, drinking, and carrying on in some way. We even made it down to the water, to Crane's orchard for apple pie, the vineyard for a tasting this year, and to town to shop....well, all in a combination of the last 2 trips I guess. I was lucky enough to buy a cute little desk where I type now for our office & my school computer.
The weather was about 20 degrees warmer than last year, so we ventured down to the park so the kids could ride the "wheel o death."The ladies convene for a self timer Friday night.
And surprisingly, we pulled off a self timer Saturday night in the wee hours of the morning!

York visit- November

The last weekend the water taxi was running in Chicago was a beautiful, yet chilly afternoon. It was fun to ride the Metra and water taxi while still being able to see the Marshall Field's (or is that Macy's) Christmas window display/story. We also saw the Cantigny home & grounds on a Sunday afternoon tour.

Halloween 2009

Hummm. To post something from so long ago is almost challenging. What do I remember about Halloween? It was soooo cold, the tractor was exciting and took many of our trick-or-treaters on a different path, pizza always tastely and great company from the neighborhood later in the evening! The tractor wins all votes for the most exciting part of the evening. Who would expect this in a cozy little burb like ours? What is so fun is that now Jim takes it out and around the block on Sundays just to keep it running now that it is all fixed up!

Natalie is our most frequent visitor! Atlas likes her a lot & she is very good to him. He likes to listen to her read him stories from books that mom has given me!

Here is Jim stealing away some of the kids. Only parents who needed a beer or a pit stop came later in the day. Strategy was important to making the evening good for all!

Big bad birthday weekend

Wendy came up to celebrate her shared September 21st birthday with Mike, 5 years apart. I believe 32 & 37 are their ages this year. Instead of tequila or keg stands, we sat around the neighbors fire Friday night, went shopping and dining Saturday, and saw a car show, IDEA garden, and strolled through stables & an equestrian center Sunday before mellowing out for some surf & turf, wine, football, and Cranes apple pie.

Of course it would not be a real visit without a 4 footed friend, cousin Daggot. Atlas & Daggot get along pretty well until Atlas starts to throw some right hooks or tries to steal a ball just to be a trouble maker. He's never really been taught to share, but I think he truly likes having somone smarter & wiser around him!

Most precious dog in the world

Atlas after a long day outside while we stained the deck. He had absolutely zero interest in going back in the house after about 7 hours ouside---note the wide caps on his ears as he got a little too close to the deck staiN! oops!

Here, Atlas is prioritizing his balls from favorite to "can be my favorite if the multicolor goes missing"
And, maybe if I sit at the door and cry long enough, someone will let me outside in my unfenced yard!

Sshhhh, I am sleeping. being a dog is very hard work & I must get my beauty rest!

Sidewalks at last!!!

I waited all summer to get the stinking sidewalks done & I end up missing all the action because I had to go back to work. The kids are probably sad that there are no more see saw boards to jump on or little stones to throw, but I bet everyone who pushes a little tyke bike is extremely pleased to have a smooth surface again!

The frame really looked nice from our point all the way down the street to the 3 other houses that came on board together to try to reduce the cost of the pour. Who would think that concrete is SOO expensive? And with a little luck, I will petition city council or the street division to recoup 50% of the bill if the budget for the replacement sidewalk program returns next year.And some lovely little mums to flank the stairs as fall approaches. A nice touch done by Mike (the final white board is in the garage waiting to cover that last riser)

Back to school movie night in the driveway!

On the Saturday before school started, we had one last summer block party with leftover hot dogs from July. Get a few people together, throw in some homebaked goods, fruit, & chips, and dinner is served! Voila! As the sun started to set, Anne set up the equipment for a king sheet showing of a popular kids movie that followed a short home video on our garage door.

The screening was awesome and the kids tucked themselves in with popcorn & sleeping bags.

Even Atlas got to watch from the mezzanine!

And the adults ditched the kids, went next door, and washed down the s'mores with a few final beers of the night. Thanks to Muilli's grill basket, many could be served at once!

Birthday visit with mom & dad

Well, the last time they visited, we had a leak in the bathroom that was unexpected, to say the least and I had dad assemble a hall closet system for coats, picnic baskets, beach towels, & the vacuum. With that behind us & no jobs for dad this August, we ate, drank, took the dog to an outdoor event, ate some more, and bet on the ponies at Arlington park. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time just having fun.Atlas at Canigny cooling off in the play area.

Definitely not one of my horses crossing the line. I am not a good gambler yet.

A self timer pose outside Graham's. Of course ice cream is what one needs after a calorie packed meal with bread, butter, beef, & wine. Next time we will go for lunch so I can try the filet oscar on the day menu!

Tanks from all times are actually playground pieces for kids to climb & play. Mom & dad weren't interested in sitting on the top!

Fun for me!

Although I lost another tennis match today, Atlas was the recipient of a bagful of balls from Laura, my tennis partner. her dog only likes to play with the can & could care less about the balls inside! It doesn't hurt that she got there early & picked up everything the park district kids missed!

da Porch, da Porch!

I love the red. I love my porch, always did and continue to do so. I am not convinced I have the chairs exactly where I want them, not that there are many options, but we have 2 small tables still being painted black. Mike and I sit on the east side in the 2 chairs, company sits on the west side. It does get hot over there at night, so one day, I will get some outdoor curtains (hint hint mom-white or red from ballard designs maybe) to hang. Or maybe they will be on sale by the end of summer and they can be added for next year!

Pittsburgh

A quick, long weekend trip to Pittburgh actually produced sunshine for the first time for Mike. He has seen snow, rain, & fog up til now. Finally, we had about 5 consecutive days of light & visibility. Nothing spectacular happened, just a calm trip of sleeping, eating, drinking, playing with the dog, and some wild driving around town to go shopping, see the new club facilities, & check out the Three Rivers Arts festival. A nice way to catch up on what we've been missing!

Like new

Like new, but not really. What was that lipstick on a pig phrase? Again, the master plan brings us a new garage. Until then, one gallon on Behr paint (we bought 2 & I just cashed my $10 rebate, no shame here) coated the 7/8 of the garage that is actually visible...noone will ever see the backside, behind the fence, in the corner. Sorry dad, we were a little lazy, hot, tired, and ready for food after drinking beer in the sun all day while working. Hopefully the new coat of paint & fancy trimwork on my part will keep it standing for a little while longer! And the bonus for us was that Atlas went next door to play with Sophie outside for a little while & the neighbors hung out in their yard & sipped Sangria enjoying our fine work from over the fence!

Grass

Surprisingly, all the grass came from seed! I guess that is a cheap way of trying to get out of buying sod, but the timing was right and with a little TLC, the Peterson? brand has grown quite well over the past few weeks. Even Atlas can enjoy the yard when we moniter the side without a fence & keep him occupied with his ball. And yes, even dogs have unflattering poses, but he is still our little shag-a-muffin!

Pasta night

Yes, a regular night for us that will dwindle away now that spring/summer are upon us...well, it is raining outside, again, which cancells grilling time. Anyway, this is a great looking meal and tastes good too! Saute-artichokes, spinach, cherry tomatoes halved, garlic, & shrimp. Add vodka sauce. Top over your favorite pasta & sprinkle with parmesean. YUM! Bon apetite!

the Front Porch

Finally under construction. The stairs have been started but we a short one board. The railings have been looked at but something doesn't seem up to code on this ever-so-fabulous Trex material. I mean, really, can anything just be easy? without a hitch? I think we are definitely on the Wheaton Postal services top 10 nightmare clients between construction, lack of sidewalk, icy stairs, slippery when wet wood, and a giant barking dog. Who really wants to make it all the way to the front door?

Outdoor lights

Our outdoor lights that were on the never ending backorder finally arrived & were installed. Although they seem small, they are quite bright and look pretty nice.
Otherwise, the decking has been ordered & as soon as it is installed, the sidewalk be poured. Will keep you posted!

No news....

To my loyal followers who have become sad without a routine post of activity....We did plant some grass seed, we are using our side door that enters through the kitchen which puts us in the group of people who eat 15% more than those who enter the front door, and our outdoor lights have arrived.

We are waiting on the deck to be done. Then conrete & a back patio. Perhaps some sod so atlas doesn't get a metal shard in his paw. Can't imagine what kind of vet bill that would create, yuk!

Other than that.....

Guest bath, green

Spottless. Now both bathrooms are complete-lighting, shelves, mirrors. I still love the green & white as it is crisp & cool. Clean, and not blue like a swimming pool. That evokes a whole set of other memories. The tub is deep and wide. Again, I don't see myself ever using it, but I am sure someone will eventually be in there.All the doors have been shimmed and painted so they are as good as new. The new sink isn't as charming as the old pedestal sink, but oh well. That was then, this is now. Currently contemplating on a lobster "hancock tower" from CB2 to fill my storage needs-saw it in lincoln park yesterday but didn't get it as the 76"long box would have had difficulty squeezing into my not-so-clean jetta. Maybe, when it stops raining, we can get it in the wrangler from the warehouse in aurora?

MAster BAth, again

It was essential to save this tub. Why, nostalgia I guess. We don't use nor as you can tell, does it have plumbing yet. The high ticket item can wait for an indefinite period of time. Until then, it will sit as the centerpiece of the bathroom. I promised myself to keep it tidy & not sort or store my laundry in it! To the left is the shower and fancy "watercloset." For now, the shower has a thin liner (until of course a rimless glass hinged door can be added; this can wait til the tub is in place. In the meantime, we just hope to not pull down the curtain rod! I don't have many products, but you can see a bit of clutter on top of mini floor cabinet-it's final destination still to be determined!

And finally, the mirrors have been hung after 2 months sitting on the floor waiting...for what? not sure...but the stud finder seemed to work, we didn't burst any pipes, and I can perform all my morning duties in one location. It has been quite a while, maybe 5 years to be exact, that I was able to do everything in one place; and that bathroom in the city certainly wasn't pretty!

Let there be light!

Fixtures from restoration showed up today after a 4 month backorder. Now, maybe when the rain stops falling & everyone gets back from vacation, we can get some outdoor lighting up for action. We still need a porch light for the fron, but can't find something we like that accomodates the screen door opening outward. Any ideas? Anyone?

Cable guy!

Well, last night was a fun threesome....Well, me & 3 ran some wires to do some of the footwork to get some cable & internet without being gauged by the only cable company that serves our zipcode without installing a giant satellite dish on your front porch!
Bob, tech friend from school, of course, was the brains behind the operation, the man with tools, and the patient one to deal with Mike as a partner at the other end of the fishing line, me relaying messages across levels when the hook was made, and....Jamie teaching Atlas how to shake. Oh yes, another exciting evening on Garner avenue!

driveway

No more dumpster diving for anyone. The dumpster has been picked up and has left us a nice clear path to the garage!!! yeah, mike even wanted it to snow last night, just for the shear excitement that both our cars fit inside again. Yippee!

(that was kind of boring wasn't it....)

Yummy in your tummy

So, in my free time, these are my new creations. We threw away both of Atlas's kongs (if you are unfamiliar with these, the look like hard plastic snowman the size of a softball that get wiped with peanut butter or treats for a dogs enjoyment) Since we haven't ventured to the pet store lately for a new raised stand (we threw away the old one & now literally crouch down and hold atlas's bowl at a reasonable heigh so his food can be eaten safely and digested properly later) or new collars (everyone notices when his color changes), I make him these little creations that consist of glucosumine hip chews, science diet chicken biscuits, and liver flavored charlie bears stuck together with peanut butter and then frozen. Ants on a log I'd say! Atlas is very fond of them so every time I slide out the freezer door now, he sticks his nose onto his tupperware dish---oops, was that too much information for those who eat at our place?

Backorder #1

The double drum shade finally arrived after a few month delay. I REALLY like it. The box seemed huge when it was on the porch, but once it was hanging, I was totally sold. Makes for a fine dining experience! And, yes, those are plastic, seasonal placemats-easy to wipe & clean up spills for adults and visitingchildren! Who irons linens these days?

comfort

Apparently, not having cable isn't effecting Atlas's comforts. Movie night doesn't look too bad, does it?

Guest room

Yes, it is just a twin, but in an old house turned new, the second guest room is still tiny. Luckily, a trundle bed is easy to find and without a headboard or decoration, it squeezes itself into a 78" corner. I need to get some bolsters or fluffy pillows, but with the economy as it is and my potterybarn days behind me, some things will just have to wait. However, we are ready for guests from recycled glass green to witty green in the bath, please come visit!