A Dull Winter

I'm sure you have noticed the total lack in posting.  Like the title of this post said, it has kind of been a dull winter.  I always get anxious once the new year hits.  I want to get out in the yard and start digging around and planting.  That is no different this year, especially because we have some pretty big projects planned, as money allows. Ah, if money were no object.

After not really seeing much of Andrew in December since he was out playing Santa for UPS and delivering packages, we have been spending some much needed time together with the dogs.  I'm sure Maya thought Andrew was never coming back, she gets so sullen when he is gone too long.  Buddy is happy when Andrew is home, but he is more concerned when I am gone for any long period of time.  Speaking of Buddy, our old man celebrates his 10th birthday next week.  As of next month, he has been with us for two years!  We actually had to stop and think the other day about how long he has been with our family.  He has become such an important part of our life, we can't really remember what it was like without him.  We had his annual checkup a couple of weeks ago, and the vet heard a heart murmur.  Of course, we didn't want to think anything was wrong with our little Buddy, but we continue to keep an eye on him.  He hasn't really slowed down at all.  He bounces around like a crazy man and loves to do a dance for us when we pick up his food bowl. 

On the diet front, I have been trying to keep up with my workouts.  With the holidays, it was hard because I wasn't at work to actually workout.  I workout in the gym at work, so on the days I'm not at work I really don't want to drive all the way into work to workout.  I think I did pretty well.  Of course, holidays mean sweets, and I have a major sweet tooth.  I haven't stepped on the scale since sometime in December.  I keep putting it off, but suppose I should come clean with myself at some point so I can assess the damage.  Earlier in December I was getting really sick of not dropping any weight, so I went back to the doctor to discuss it.  I have to say, I was actually really frustrated with the visit.  The advice I got was to speak to a dietitian.  I know it would likely be beneficial, but it still frustrated me.  It isn't like I'm double fisting cheeseburgers for dinner.  I'm actually trying harder on this diet and weight loss goal than I have any other time I have lost weight and I'm seeing far fewer results.  A lot of it I'm writing off as stress, which I'm working on resolving at the moment.


So, there you have it.  As I said, a dull winter so far. I hope things pick up soon!

Happy New Year!

Holy cow, has it been three weeks since I posted?  Christmas has come and gone and I can't believe the new year is here.  Where did 2013 go?  I hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends!   

I hope 2014 has some exciting things in store for us.  2013 was a big year with our move to our growing old home.  This year we are looking forward to settling into our new home and working on some yard projects in the spring.


Buddy and Maya scored for Christmas with a candy cane shaped bone.  The bone was gone within a week!  They also got some treats, a set of racquetballs for Maya, and a new squeaky toy for Buddy.   

My big project for the Christmas season was to find something for the wall behind our couch.  The wall has been a big empty space since we moved in. I have been trying to decorate with things we already have to same a few pennies.  You may remember the shelf over my coffee station was completed with a shelf and cabinet door I re-purposed.  Andrew has been trying to clean out some "junk" from the garage to make room for his shop.  In the process, things have ventured into the house that I wasn't sure what we were going to do with.


Two of the things that made their way into the house were a shelf from Andrew's bedroom when he was growing up and an over the door mirror we have had since we lived in our apartment.

I took the shelf and primed it with some Kilz, which I always like to keep on hand for these impromptu projects. Once the primer dried, I painted the shelf with two coats of black semi-gloss paint.  

I made a trip to to Lowes to pick up some black metal shelf brackets and some d-rings to hang the mirror. 

I hung the mirror first by removing the over the door hangers and attaching the d-rings.  I hung the shelf directly under the mirror.  I think it turned out great and adds some great lighting to the room with the reflection of sunlight from the windows on the other wall.