Dog Modeling

The tile is not quite finished yet, but my beautiful dogs can't help but pose on the new floor.  With handful of tiles left to set, then grouting them into place, and the floor will be complete.  I can't wait to have everything back in order- we're all anxious for that!

Fan Upgrade

I took down the fan in the spare room to have the ceiling refinished and realized just how out-dated it actually was once I had a good look at it.  Not to mention, only one of the four tulip lights even worked!  So I set it out at the curb, and went shopping at Home Depot, less than 1/2 mile away.  By the time I returned, the fan was gone!  Now just a fresh coat of wall paint and some closet doors, and the room is all ready for visitors :)

bye bye tile

My awful tile is gone!!! This is really exciting because 13 types of flooring in less than 1300-sq. ft. is entirely too much!  Doesn't Sheba looks as if she's protesting removing any more flooring? 

Mid-way through rennovations

These poor pups can't wait until the ceilings, walls, and tile is done... there is sheet rock dust everywhere!

I'm on schedule to have everything finished before xmas. Busy busy!

Training Day Report Card

I got the invisible dog fence put in yesterday (with lots of help from Joe and Sean!)  And yes, we all tried it out to see what it was like; how could I force my dogs to wear a shock collar without me trying it first?  It felt just like testing a 9-volt battery on your tongue.  But it doesn't really hurt, just feels uncomforable.

Today was the first of 30 training days before the doggies can run unsupervised in the yard.  Today's lesson was to walk each dog (one at a time) on a leash and hold the collar in the other hand so they could hear the warning beeps as we approached the white flags.  When their head went past the flag, I jerked on the leash to teach them not to cross.  They were then rewarded with a milkbone.  We continued around the property to familiarize them with their new boundaries.  The schedule is to repeat this 3x per day for 2 days, then move on to the next step.  Here's how they did:

Maverick: I took him first so he wouldn't be nervous about where Sheba went without him.  He seemed oblivious to the beeping sound because all he wanted to do was cross the boundary.  And, as predicted, he spit out every treat that I gave him.  C+

Sheba: She loves to go for walks so when she saw the leash, I had 100% of her attention.  After the second flag, she was already afraid of the beeping, and would not walk between the flag and me; she would go between my legs or squeeze around to the other side of me.  And, as predicted, she gobbled up every single treat.  A-

supersizing the kitchen

Before the craziness began...

Who doesn't want a bigger kitchen?  After seeing my neighbor's renovations, I was compelled to knock out the wall between the dining room and kitchen. 

Sheba seems to prefer to lay in sheet rock dust and turn herself into a white dog, while Mav walks through it and leaves white doggie prints on my bed!

Step One: Insert Sledgehammer

Step Two: Invite Friends Over to Demolish

Step Three: Prepare for Contractor to Refinish Ceiling and Walls

fancying up the mailbox

Thanks Mom, for making my mailbox the cutest one on the block!  And its very appropriate, since I'm on the corner of Cardinal Avenue :)