Last Week Sucked

I tried to think of a better title than this, but there's really no other good way to say it.

On Friday night, actually early Saturday morning, we lost a dear part of our family. Rascal, my husband's loyal sweet and all-around awesome dog, passed away at the age of 16. While that is very old for a dog, he was in good shape and great spirits until the day before. It was all very sudden, and very very sad. The last couple of days have been among the toughest I've been through - it's been really hard. He's already greatly missed, and always will be. Just looking at the picture above tugs at my heart.

In addition to that, the same night, somebody broke into my old Jeep and stole the radio.

Seriously.

An almost 10-year old radio, from an even older Jeep.

We know it was either the kid or his friends from across the street, as instead of being ripped out, it was carefully taken out without any damage (plus, in our quiet neighborhood, he's definitely into a lot of trouble). Nothing else was taken. It was as if somebody needed a radio for their own car.

I'm sure they don't read my blog, but I'd love to put a sign in my yard that says, "I just want to thank the P.O.S. that broke into my car to steal an old cheap after-market basic CD player on the day my dog died. Thanks for that."

Looking forward to what I'm sure will be a better week...

A Sneak Peek:

Taken from my cell phone (because I have a suspicion that my husband has the USB cord to our camera in his backpack...which is with him in New Jersey!)

Almost done!! Only 8 knobs to go, and some clean-up (of course).

Then - better and prettier pictures. Promise.

I Hate it When This Happens...

All day.

That's how long we worked on my cabinets, and I'm tired.

I thought I would share with you some "before" pictures. And some pictures of what we did today...

But nooooooo.

I can't find the cord to plug the camera into the computer.

And did I mention that I am really tired??

And a bit cranky?

So, once the husband makes it home tomorrow night from his trip, I'll figure out where the cord is, and there will be pictures for everyone to see.

Until then, here's a list of what went down today:

Cabinets and drawers were taken down

Hardware was taken off

Degreaser was applied and all was cleaned

Holes were filled

And lots of sandpaper was used

Tomorrows fun will include primer, cleaning and sanding of the actual cabinet box faces that are inside, and *possibly* a coat of paint!

Later, dearies....

Miles Redd in Veranda

Why hello there......

I managed to make it out of New Orleans in one piece (somewhat surprisingly, with all of the people that were down there, and the seeming rise in crime), and there have been so many things and ideas I've wanted to post about!

1) They should make computers able to take dictation so you can blog while running (mostly walking) on the treadmill. And they should make them affordable.

2) Canadian House and Home is awesome. Have you seen this month's issue? Chris now has a really good idea of something to get me for Christmas - a subscription (although, if he really wants to, I'd take Sarah Richardson's farmhouse too).

3) I'm getting ready to re-paint our kitchen cabinets and swap out the old rusty, loose, and crooked hardware! What I'm sure will be an interesting time starts tomorrow, so look for "before" pics.

But back to my topic for today:
Has anyone else seen the new Veranda (November/December) issue??

It arrived last week, and so far, is the most "Domino-like" to date. I'm not sure that is the best description for it (because it's definitely higher-end compared to Domino), but it definitely feels more like Dara's at the helm now than before.

Case in point - the cover story, designed by Miles Redd:

I love that green with the blue.

And I love this wallpaper.


But this bedroom had me feeling a little sense of deja vu, even though it's lovely....

See???




I guess Miles is just a big lover of scenic hand-painted mural wallpapers with 4-poster beds.


The whole issue of the new Veranda is good, though, and I'm excited to see them continue on the path they're on.


Tune in tomorrow for the start of "Project: Paint Kitchen Cabinets (so they don't suck as much)". Me, my Dad, and I'm sure a few dogs all mixed up with some white paint and satin nickel hardware!