Before......and After (house pictures-slight updates)

Well it's been a little bit since I did a small house update.  We have been busy!!!  (although looking back at the pictures it doesn't seem like it's been too much - since construction ended but yet at the same time it has been). 

So starting with Bob's house... here is is front yard/porch area.

 

It's ours now!!!

And now, can you tell any difference?  Look closer..... We did different stuff with the landscaping!!  We removed all the dead brush/bushes and the two trees that were blocking the entry way, of course we have the swing hanging and rocking chair too, we changed out all the mulch and planted flowers!  LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!   It's not totally where we want it to be be but we figure it will take a few years to get it exactly how we want it!  but YAY!!!

Another huge transition were the fireplaces (one fireplace - 2 sided).  Below is Bob's fireplace - kitchen side.

Then....

Bob's fireplace - living room side

Then......

And now OUR fireplace - kitchen side.  Isn't the stone pretty!!

And fireplace living room side.

Bob's kitchen (note - I really need to take updated kitchen pictures LOL)

Kitchen without the not so lovely white 6x6 tiles with horribly dirty grout lines that were in there.

New travertine flooring.

ahhhhhhhh

Bob's

Ours.

Bob's formal living room.   

Then ours - prior to water damage, we are not making/utilizing this room as a formal living room but rather a functional room.  We have a counter height table in there-  great for working, crafting, eating, watching tv...and so on it.is.awesome!   Here are some of the beginning phases.

The cabinet below.... well....

The color just wasn't working - so I stained it to match the darker one.

I have two of them.

Before - see the drastic color difference.

and after.

Yes I had to put all that stuff back away!   I learned a LOT while staining these cabinets.  One - it took over a week to fully dry before I could put my stuff away.  That happened for two reasons, one it was horribly humid out and raining - not the best time to stain and two, LIGHT coats.... soak, wipe off.  Reapply - do not do one thick coat and wait....   so next time will be a bit easier/better/faster (hopefully).   More to come with this room!

Bob's master bedroom. 

The only picture I have of our bedroom prior to water damage, this picture is from moving day. 

And not to be mean...but below is a teeny snippit of the transformation.... more to come when it's completely finished.  We have the new flooring, painted, new bedding, new curtains ahhhhh total resort!  Not totally completed yet but getting there.  

There we have it for now....... much much more to come :)

We had to let her go...... Our Allie.

Allie (Indian name - big bump on head) (or Allie Baba) (Lady Bug) - list of names is endless.

Our precious Allie.

There are no words to describe or thank her for all she did for us through the years.

She was my baby before I had one

She was as neurotic as they come - seriously....

She loved her raw-hide bones.

She loved her stuffed animals.... and why she chewed the nose off of every single one, I'll never know.

She could shake - left hand and right!!  (yes we're easily amused)

She LOVED camping - to know us, you know we pack a lot when we go camping but Allie decided that she needed her own camp chair around the fire (adding to what we needed to bring, which of course we did)....so at the time there were two humans, with three camp chairs so everyone had one.  Then when there were three humans...there were 4 chairs and so on......

She definitely loved cuddles- if you would cuddle her, she would be your best friend!!

Then she needed a friend, we felt she was lonely.

She needed a sister.

So the two of them Allie and Abbie became inseparable...... I can't say they always got along but they loved a good game of as we call it at our house, "grab a$$"  or "grab butt"

Then our little group of 4 became 5 - Thank You God!!  (Allie on the left, Abbie on the right)

Time went on.....

She loved cuddles and sleeping more and more

She was a big talker, she would tell me all about her day, I would actually ask her and she'd report in, it was hilarious.  She would also talk to you when you said the words "Obe One Kinobe".... I have no idea why - she'd turn her head side to side..... and then start talking to you....

Always happy to lay in the way of a project hee hee. 

More and more cuddles.

Every night for the last couple weeks of her life, this is how they slept (I came and covered them but they were really together like that).

The big bump on head (Indian name) was completely benign - just a bump....

It's so hard to lose her....

We would feed her one bite at a time to make sure she took her medicine and that she would actually eat.

We miss her like crazy and all her crazy ways....

It's SO quiet without her....so quiet.

We each have our own grief....

but this.... when Mikayla would give her lovings (Allie loved when Mikayla would talk with her). 

and this.....

add to my sadness.

Mikayla "gets it", she understands that Allie is gone, she still cries for her, the only thing she asked for was to get her ashes back, we hadn't planned on doing that but we did it for her.  

Poor Abbie....she is still looking for her, her eating is still hit or miss, still more misses than hits, she still sniffs around for her.... and then she goes to bed like the picture above, it's so sad.  She has major abandonment issues (yes the dog does...she's a rescue and has never fully recovered from her previous trauma)..... so we are pouring on the love to her, it's all we can do. 

Our Beloved Allie - may she rest in peace.

August 1999 - March 24, 2013

Tip Toe Through The.......

NOT tulips...but rather Blue Bonnets!  We found an amazing patch of Blue Bonnets that we strolled through the mud walked around in.

They were beautiful, I wish the pictures would do them justice - I am so happy we found this spot!  I have never seen them like this :)  it was beautiful!

 

Such a poser.

in the picture below - she was mid stomp to scare snakes away.......  we thought it was a good idea..... LOL

  

Good times!!