Just in time for Summer

I'm going to keep this short and sweet (words, that is) because the photos will speak for themselves. Joe and I had our backyard renovated and it has been a HUGE transformation. There is still a lot of landscaping left to be done, but the hardscape is finished and we purchased a comfy, cushy conversational seating set this morning and have been enjoying it all day!

BEFORE





AFTER

Renovation Part 1:
Side yard transformation into fire pit and second patio. Paver "pads" aka "giant steps" connect the front gate enterest to the main patio. In the center is a smaller patio with a built in fire pit. The fire pit is rectangular (double the fire!) and is built out of an accent wall. The stucco is curing, so we will wait a few weeks before painting it. In the next couple weeks, we plan on ordering A LOT of granite rock to fill in the areas around the pavers.




Renovation Part 2:
Main yard transformation included a large paver patio, sod and new sprinkler system, concrete curbing, flagstone steps and paver walkway to connect the garage and the house. The area surrounding the curbing is still dirt, we need to install a drip irrigation system and electrical system before planting. Eventually, we plan on using tropical plant/shrub/trees to fill out the space so it can become something of a Oasis!

I'll post additional photos later as we finish little projects here and there to bring everything together. The transformation has been extreme and we are very happy with the results. It's such an enjoyable and functional space now. I can't wait until the plants go in, but considering the hottest months are coming up here, I'm inclined to wait until the fall before we start any serious planting. Everything got done just in time for Memorial Day and Summer!

Maximus

I'll begin by saying I did not want a third dog. I also did not want a fourth dog, but that is all a part of Sadie's story. The pugs were and always have been more of my dogs. They require little exercise which suits my lifestyle fantastically. However, Joe wanted to get a dog that he could hike, wrestle and play with. He wanted a dog that could protect our home but also one that would adapt well to living with the pugs, and eventually, one that would do well with children.

A Doberman took a lot of convincing, and Joe was 100% right in his breed of choice. Dobermans are loving, loyal, playful and all-around wonderful animals. I don't have applicable life experience, but it appears they do well with children as well. They are nurturing and protective.

We went to a Doberman breeder just to "look" and walked away with Maximus. I got to pick which of the litter I wanted, but we knew that we wanted a male. Joe wanted a black Doberman, but I thought the reds were so beautiful. Maximus was the only dog that left the sleeping pile of puppies to play, and he was the only one that cried when the breeders took his momma dog out of the room. I was hooked.



If you've had a dog, then you probably recognize this toy. It's the little soccer ball toy you can get a all the Pet Stores and Target. He was an itty bitty thing, with really large paws.



The first night we got him he pooped in his kennel. Ants found their way in and he had ant bites all over his puppy belly. Poor Max. It usually takes me awhile to get used to have another dog, to get over the anxiety of more cleaning, more food, more love, more potty training etc. but the minute he got those little ant bites I just loved him completely and wanted to take care of him!

Such a proud little boy!

The pugs had no idea he would get to be so big. So, they let him do things like, oh- bite their faces! Brady was his constant playmate.

Best friends!

Here he is 10 days after his ear cropping surgery. His ears are "posted" meaning they are taped so they stand straight up. This continues until the cartilage hardens and the ears will stand naturally. There are many different opinions on ear cropping. In some countries, any kind of physical appearance alteration you can make to a dog is banned. I can assure you that we did a lot of research before deciding we wanted to crop his ears. One, it is breed standard. Would you be able to recognize a Doberman without the ear crops? Probably not. Second, it helps with hearing. The ears and tails are HUGE without the crop/dock. Third, in terms of a protection dog, a Doberman does not look fierce or menacing at all without the ear crop. I am not going to lie and say he probably did not feel pain as a result of the surgery. But the pain he felt would be comparable to a spay/neuter surgery. As anyone who has dogs knows, you can tell if they are in pain. The only problem Max ever had with his surgery was having to wear the cone. It scared the pugs and they would not go near him for the 10 days he had it on. So, his biggest issue was lonliness until it came off :)

Here is Max after the first postings came out. His ears fell so we had to post longer then this, but it gives you a good idea of what they initially looked like. They were too big for his head, but they were done so he would grow into them.

Max is very unaware of his own size. When he was a puppy he basically stole the dog bed we had for Otis, so we gave Otis this bed. Naturally, Max then stole the new bed and claimed it as his own. He is a lot bigger now then in this picture, and he still tries to sleep in it. There is no way to get his whole body in it now, so he kind of sits in it and pours out on all sides.

We do NOT allow this anymore. But Max is sad we don't. He loves sitting on the couch, the stairs, people's knees, people's shoulders, the pugs-- anything he can use as a stool, he will. Height wise, his rear end is taller then our couch. So, he likes to back up and try to sit on the laps of people sitting on the couch. This, apparently, he has decided does not classify as actually being on the couch, so he thinks it is okay.

Here he is more recently, much larger. Again always playing with Brady, though now he has Sadie who is a much more appropriate play mate. Brady's method of attacking Max is to run at full speed and JUMP in the air to bite his face. Any fear you may have of a Doberman hurting a Pug should be reversed. We do watch them carefully because Max is so unaware of his size, but he loves them.

Max peering over our gate.

We love Max so much. There is a different kind of love for big dogs and little dogs. Max can be a human pillow. He has the most loving demeanor, is ultra-sensitive and wants nothing more then to be loved. He requires a lot of work, has a lot of energy, is thick headed and sometimes difficult to handle, but I wouldn't trade him in for anything. It is hard to believe he is only 1 year old. He has a lot of growing up left to do (both mentally and physically) and will be a completely different dog this time next year. For starters, he'll be enormous, well over 100 pounds. Also, he will start to mellow out. He'll become more aware of his size and how to control his body. He will learn to respond better to commands in public spaces (focus is a big issue now) and he will learn to harness his energy a bit better. Overall, he is a wonderful dog who everybody loves and deserves all the big hugs and kisses that he gets and gives!

It all started with a sink...

Easter this year was hosted by my Uncle Chuck and Aunt Allison who kindly offered to give Joe and I the pedastal sink that they previously had in their guest bathroom. We managed to fit it in the Mini Cooper and discussed all the things we could do to the guest bathroom. Our inspiration and motivation: the Sink!


Above: The original look of the bathroom, and our mini-renovation afterward we moved in which included a fresh coat of paint and updated linens.



Above: Dry fit of the sink and new, recessed, oval, medicine cabinet.

Luckily, we did not go through with the initial of plan of tearing out the bath tub and shower. We will work on that later. Instead, we decided to do the following:


1. Replace the flooring
2. Install the new sink
3. Repaint
4. Update Toilet (new seat and new flush lever)
5. New light fixture
6. New electrical outlets and plugs
7. Updated bathroom linens to match the new style of the bathroom
8. New medicine cabinet
9. New shelving/towel bar
10. Replaced floor molding

We began by removing the old tile and using a chisel to remove the old tile adhesive.


We then did a complete dry fit of the tiles, adhered them to the ground and grouted.



We decided to paint the walls a blue-gray color called Steely Gray from Sherwin Williams. We also chose to paint the ceiling the same color as well, which helps open up the space. I was given the special job of painting.


We still have some minor touch ups and the light fixture needs to be more securely affixed to the wall. So, I'll post the final pictures in a separate blog. Joe and I are happy with the final result and are glad we started on a smaller room so we can learn from our mistakes and do a better job on all of our other projects.

Here are some things we learned:
1) Before deciding to do a complicate pattern with your tile, research how to lay it out and make your cuts. Our cuts were not accurate and while the overall effect of the pattern we chose is very cool, it was a huge pain and we made mistakes.
2) Pre-mixed Tile Adhesive works fine, Pre-mixed Grout dries out to fast and is difficult to work with
3) Turn off all circuit breakers before working with electrical components. Obviously this is a DUH, but Joe nearly got himself electrocuted again so I'm stressing it again.
4) Consider painting the ceiling. You can go lighter, darker or the same as the wall color. Rather then look unusual, it looks great.
5) Update the small things. Of all the little things, we replaced the flush lever on the toilet. Combined with the new toilet seat cover our toilet looks more modern and newer. We are also a huge fan of changing out the light switch covers (see previous post for the kinds we used in our house).
6) Consider using a pedastal sink. I know that a lot of people don't like them because they don't offer any storage but in a small space a pedastal sink allows you more visual space, which makes the room look bigger. You can add storage in other ways like glass shelving, which is clear but practical. Or, you could install a wall cabinet above the toilet.
7) Think outside the box. We originally painted the bathroom orange, an unusual color but Joe and I both loved it. We chose a gray for this bathroom because it is a modern color but looks great with the classic look of the pedastal sink. We chose ceramic tiles but inset blue, glass tiles for a unique look. It's a fun place to experiment and also a great place to get your feet wet before tackling larger renovation projects.

Brady: The Valentine's Day Pug

Brady was Joe's gift to me on our first Valentine's Day after we got married. I had wanted a black pug for a long time, so I was very excited!

Comfort toys and Dumbo Ears

Joe and I both believe it is likely that Brady has some mental problems, or at the very least had some bad experiences when he was a puppy. We got him when he was young but he had been sold and returned by one set of owners before we got him. We don't know why they returned him or what happened to him, but when he got him he was an extremely terrified, nervous, sensitive little dog.

First, we have comfort toys. Brady grabs a toy, crams into his mouth and keeps it there until he is comfortable any time he is scared. He does this the most when people come over, and sometimes he will do it when we come home. He does it far less now, but he used to do it all the time. It is sometimes amusing watching him, he does not care what the toy is, it just needs to be close. I've seen him use socks and my slippers if he is in a clutch and they are closer then a toy! Size is also not an issue. In fact, I think the bigger the better. We used to have a couple toys that were larger then Brady, so when Brady used them the comfort toy worked really well- it protected him from even being seen!

Second, we have dumbo ears. This, combined with crouching and the comfort toys are the three major signs that Brady is upset. And when any of the three happen, we immediately comfort him. This has been our way of dealing with it from the beginning. Brady needs comfort more then anything else in the world. So, when he is scared, we provide as much comfort as possible so he knows he is safe. He is the most cuddly, squishy and huggable of all of our dogs. You can tote him around like a baby, thus why he is always our Baby Brady. He is also the smallest of all our dogs.

Brady grew attached to Otis before Otis grew attached to Brady. For the most part, Otis was not too keen on this little black pug we just threw into his life. Now they sleep together, play together and I don't know what would happen to Baby Brady if Otis was not around. I'm pretty sure Otis is his hero. And according to the photo above, he also makes a good pillow. Tell me Brady does not have the cutest sleeping face in the whole wide pug world? :)

Brady may be sensitive, but the little pug has some serious spunk too. Brady's whole entire world changed when we got Max. He became a ferocious little beast. I think Max became a giant comfort toy and combined with his already profound dependence on Otis, he now had something even bigger to protect him. Brady plays and fights with the Doberman's as though he was a Doberman. He can play fetch and run as fast as they do and when we let them outside to play, Brady will run and jump up on Max to antagonize him into playing. Having the Dobermans has allowed Brady to more fully experience his potential. He has gone so far from being a terrified little puppy who used comfort toys as a means of protection to a brave little pug who uses his friendship with all of our dogs as a mean of play and enjoyment.

Can you spot Baby Brady trying to play with the big pups??

Our relationship with each dog is completely different. And while Otis tends to get the congeniality vote, Brady is the pug that people veer to after time. Brady is the dog for the nurturers in the world, the people who love to comfort and take care of things. Brady is often the first dog we will pick up and the dog that gets a free pass to jumping on the couch for a quick pet even though we explicitly forbid this. There is just something inherently innocent and lovely about him. Joe and I love Brady so much, I can't imagine not having his sweet, wrinkled face to smoosh and kiss every day!

Dog Files: Otis

Joe and I have FOUR dogs. We got them each for different reasons and they are special and bring a different dynamic into the household.

Otis came first. When I first moved back from Arizona, Joe recommended we get a puppy so I would have company. He worked and went to school full time, while I did both only part time-so, I was home a great deal more often then he was. Narrowing down the breeds to Pug took a fraction of a second- I knew that would be the dog for me.

Otis on his first day home:

There was only one ad in the paper that we called and still had a puppy pug available. Joe told me it wouldn't even matter what he looked like, I was bound to like him no matter what. And he was right. We pulled into the apartment complex the owner lived at, and tiny Otis came running out. He jumped on me the minute I knelt down. He could have been all sorts of ugly and I would have wanted him, but he was miniature, adorable and wrinkled!


In going through my pictures from Otis' puppy months, he spent a lot of time on our laps while we were doing homework and/or on the computer. Since we were both still in school we were using our computer's a lot so it became Otis' nap time.

My sister was living with me when we first got Otis. I actually abandoned him the first night we got him and ran off to Joe's house. He cried and howled and screamed non stop when he was put in the kennel and my instinct reaction was to flee. So Auntie Julian was left to deal with Otis on his first night. Luckily, I've grown up and Otis has forgiven me. My first instinct now would be to stay and comfort. I'm significantly more patient.

Puppies are deceitful. They appear to only want to sleep and play--- until they discovering peeing, pooping and chewing. For the longest time we had a running joke that Otis only looked things that started with the letter "P." He loved to play, to poop, to be with other puppies and most of all people.

Otis is the most people oriented of all our dogs. Probably because he did not have a playmate until he was over a year old, he was always around friends and family. He is my perfect companion. He is not all that active, I didn't even know he was capable of playing as much as he does until we got Brady. He also knows that I don't like kisses from the dogs. Instead, Otis will just put his chin up to my chin and sniff. That is our way of kissing. Mostly, Otis just wants to be with a person. When we have guests, his only concern is making sure he does not leave their side (which is why he gets the most attention) and is the first dog begging to come back inside after his "duties" in the backyard.

One of Otis' favorite thing is to sleep with us at night. Unfortunately for him, this was routine until we got Brady and we started kenneling Otis at night again so Brady would not be alone. Now with four dogs, we are definitely not inviting all of them to bed, so every now and then we will allow the pugs to sleep with us. Otis has the same routine, he will immediately make his way under the covers and sleep at my feet. I guess my calf makes a good pillow. He does not appear to do this when Joe goes to bed first- so I think he must like being between the both of us.

Otis is a happy pug. He is also the alpha-male of this family. He breaks up fights, he comforts Brady and spends as much of his time as possible with Joe and I. I can't ever imagine not having him in our lives. He is the original and the best possible pug a pug owner could ask for.

P.S. We have people here cleaning our air ducts--- the noise is bothering Otis so he is camped out underneath my legs as I'm sitting at the dining table writing this. Scared or not, this would be Otis' position of choice :)