Do Dah

Every year, we go through the fiasco that is Do Dah Day, with the only benefit being filling the Grizz's need to see and be seen. Because I'm pretty sure that's a major need of animals.

This year, I went extra nuts and decided he needed a bath for the occasion, and I would give him one myself. One hour later I had a clean bulldog, a pulled back muscle, a clogged tub and a half empty bottle of wine. He was unimpressed.

 Until he realized just how much better he felt.

How you doin??

 We packed two bottles of water for Namath and headed out the door.

There seem to be a lot of Great Danes this year.

"Maybe if I don't look directly at it..."

All in all, Namath did pretty well. No one ended up near death or crying, as in years past. Why do we keep going to this event?

Lastly, we said goodbye to Namath's mom yesterday. She was very, very loved and will be just as missed.

Raise the Roof

You can go ahead and deduct 50 cool points for the blog title. But blog titles are hard. Sorry.

It's Monday, so you know I have to report back on the new address. This weather may not be good for flowers, crops or lakes, but its pretty good for house building.

Wednesday afternoon.

Sunday afternoon.

My weather app tells me its looking good for shingles and a wrap this week.

Welcome to our casa...let me guide you through the frame.

 If we have a winter this year...fireplace/smore maker.

 View from the master, laundry room then garage. Master bath to the right, kitchen and living room to the left.

 Man cave. Attic space straight ahead.

 To the left of the man cave, upstairs bedrooms and bath. A whole level just for Namath.

Looking across the street from the upstairs bedroom.

And down the street, with an appearance from my thumb.

One of the best parts of the house...the pantry. Looking into the downstairs guest bathroom and bedroom.

Is the floor plan clear as mud now?

Would you think it weird if I told you one of the best parts of this visit was realizing our previously thought odd numbered address is now even? I don't like odd numbers.

It's hard to believe how far we've come in 4 years. And some change.

Home Sweet Home.

Strawberry Fields

Hi, my name is Erin and I hate sandwiches.

Ok, that's dramatic. In context, they can be good. Making another one at home for lunch might be the death of me. I've fought this battle for weeks (months?) and can never think of a good solution.

I love salads at restaurants, but never can seem to strike the right combo at home. Until now.

I don't remember where I came across this lunch idea, and I wish I could for proper credit. Delicious, simple, fresh and a much needed break from turkey.

Grilled chicken, goat cheese, strawberries, spinach and balsamic vinegar.

Any good lunch ideas you've stumbled across??

This Weekend

 As of Friday...we are moving right along. I was excited to go see the newly framed upstairs, but alas, there were no stairs.

 
 In anticipation of the man cave, we went to do a little shopping. Wouldn't this look good at the top of said stairs? (I kid.) We did some real furniture shopping and have narrowed down some choices. I know what I like, just a matter of  finding it and not having to take out a second mortgage for it.

Saturday afternoon we headed to a friend's annual "Cut the Cord" party.

It was serious business. They had two bands. One for afternoon, one for evening.

And some serious Southern cooking. Purchased at Piggly Wiggly.

We also tried paella. They had a special outdoor paella cooker and enough to feed an army.

We left just before the sky fell out to head back downtown for Secret Stages. I would tell you what it is, but then I would have to kill you.

We decided to go hear the James Taylor-esque singer at Wine Loft and ran into Matt's college roommate. He's the recipient of the bunny ears. Are we still doing that?

I had a great weekend hanging out with MS...he was even nice enough to watch the Desperate Housewives finale with me, and only made fun of it a couple of times. True Love.

It's a (Wood) House

 Well, for now. Sit down, pour a drink, because I have an exciting update. Well, exciting for us, and maybe semi-exciting for you, if you're sitting in a cube, like me.

We've gotten so used to things moving at a glacial pace, and you know how that thrills me, (name that movie)  I was putting all my eggs in the foundation basket for Sunday's visit. I squealed when I saw this.

 First floor framing!

 From the back of the house looking forward.

 We can take showers!

 First floor guest room window. No, that' not a Coors Light box. Trust me, I zoomed in to check.

 On that subject, let me interrupt for a PSA on appropriate construction zone drinks.

APPROVED. Lord knows we are on a tight deadline. Give me a month and I might be bringing you a case myself.

 DENIED. I'm not sponsoring your house party. Also, who drinks beer while eating candy?

 Needless to say, we were pretty pumped. Are you singing Vogue in your head now, too? Just me?

 While being neighborly and making sure the houses a little farther along were making good progress as well, we ran across this on one houses steps.  

23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; 24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

 133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. 134 Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.

 Good reminders. There is more to creating a home than picking the right shade of grey and matching cabinets and counter tops.

Scraping the Bottom

I'm risking that a lame post is better than no post at all. Really lacking blog inspiration lately. If you have any, please send it my way.

Ran across this chair at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago. I'm a sucker for anything with the nailhead trim. 

 Would look great in our bedroom. If you could see it from the pile of clothes that would inadvertently land there.

 Any Mad Men fans out there? I can't believe this has made it to the radio. Much less Top 20 on 20. Creatively located on channel 3.

Also, I need(ed) gas.
 

 Tucked this away for future reference. What exactly do you have to push out to receive a Mercedes? I don't think I want to know, or participate.

Need to keep my eyes on my own wheels. And watch where I park.

But some days I'm just too busy opening doors and fanning palm leaves for the Grizz, who thinks our life's purpose is to make his as easy as possible.

On that note, if you haven't seen the rocking bulldog from David Letterman, you really have to google that right away. I may be biased, but its funny and totally worth it on a Friday afternoon.

It's Cinco De Mayo eve...behave accordingly.

Pitter Patter...

 Another weekend has come and gone. This year is racing forward at breakneck speed, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's a little bittersweet.

Speaking of bitter, it's always good to spend two straight days with this guy. Judging by his looks, he doesn't feel the same. When are ya'll going back to work again?

Try not to be jealous of all the clutter. It's the joys of 18 months in 850 square feet. I wouldn't open the coat closet.

 Speaking of racing, we got to watch a 5K/10K race  run by Friday night. Fun to be on the other side of a 10K. With a glass of wine.

There's normally grass where all that dirt is. They just dug it all up, and we aren't sure why. Grizz is sure he doesn't like it.

One of my favorite holidays is upon us - cinco de mayo. We kicked off the celebration a little early Saturday with MS' dad's beergarita recipe. I highly recommend it and its practically calorie free.

Sunday we went to check house progress. Hark! The pitter patter of footprints. Our frame review is next Friday. Either the next two weeks will be incredibly productive or we'll be rescheduling.And you know how much I love scratching dates off my calendar. Yes, I still use a paper calendar.

The bedroom.

Foyer, straight into main living area, straight into the infamous wall. Speaking of, does anyone have any opinions on brick with mortar wash? I thought decisions were over.