Take Some Time To Celebrate

With the holidays just around the corner it's time to take off and enjoy the spirit of the season. Food! Friends and family!

Nemo's Christmas wish is that winter will end early.  He hates the cold too!

Happy Holidays everyone! See you right back here in 2011!

2010 Project Round Up

Whoa, where did this year go? I feel like I've just gotten used to writing "2010" instead of "2009" and already I have to move on to "2011." Time really does fly the older you get. As 2010 comes to a close, it's a good time to reflect on all the things I've accomplished. Goals met and projects completed, it's a been a pretty good year.

The first big project completed in 2010 was the guest bedroom. It was a lot of work to get to the finished product, but it was so worth it. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out and I think our guests have been pretty happy with it too.



I kept up with my dresser addiction, and refinished three dressers so they looked like new. One for our bedroom, one inspired by Anthropologie, and one for my niece. I also added a bright campaign desk to my list of completed projects.



Finally, I made a headboard and built a bed for our master bedroom.



And while all the projects were fun, I also completed a number of other goals that I'm pretty proud of. I actually managed to check off another 14 non-DIY goals on my 101 list:

I sewed something.
Wrote a politician.
Got a new laptop.
Started a new job.
Had a Giveaway.
Donated my hair.
Started volunteering.
Saved six months of expenses.
Fostered a dog.
Sold something on craigslist.
Refinanced our home loan.
Commented on a bunch of blogs.
Voted in a mid-term election.
Gained over 100 awesome followers.

I'm also on track to complete project 365 and to prove that I can keep a plant alive (only a few more days to go!). When I was going through my old posts I had forgotten about a lot of the things I've done (like starting a new job. It feels like I've been here forever!). I have a hopelessly poor memory and having a blog to remind me of it all has been invaluable. I still have a lot to do to finish my 101 goals list, but I'm well on my way.

All in all, 2010 was a good year for Casa 26, did 2010 treat you well too? I have high hopes for 2011 (it'll be the last full year of my 101 goals in 1001 days!) and am looking forward to completing even more things on my list.

Reading: Mini Shopaholic

To my knowledge, I have read all of Sophie Kinsella's books. And, for the most part, they are essentially the same. The plots vary a bit, but as a whole, they are light-hearted chick-lit reads that make me laugh every now and again. They'll never end up on a critic's serious "must read" list, but they're entertaining enough to be a fun story.

The entire Shopaholic series revolves around Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood), a serious shopaholic that while flawed, has her heart in the right place. In Mini Shopaholic, Becky now has a toddler age daughter and finds herself trying to live within the constraints of the economic downturn by "cutting back" (in her own way of course) while also planning a lavish surprise party for her husband.

I have to admit, this book fell short for me. There are some cute moments at the end that made me laugh, but it took a lot to get to them. I think most of what made Becky so endearing in the previous books was lost in this one. There's too much lying (and I think the lies go too far beyond "white") and a certain amount of Luke's appeal was diminished too. In general, all of the characters were less likable (even her daughter!). With this type of book, where the characters don't have much depth in the first place, likability is huge.

I know Kinsella has more ahead for Becky Bloomwood, but I just hope that the next novel does a better job of highlighting the characters that I used to like so much. Otherwise, it might be time to for this shopaholic's story to end.

What to see what I'm reading next? Check me out on Goodreads..

Nemo's Good! :-)

We finally heard back from the lab about Nemo's mast cell tumor and it was about as good as we could have hoped for. As expected, it was graded a two, but it was the best possible two there is (does that make any sense?). The margins were clear (meaning the vet got it all) and it doesn't appear to have spread. In the future there is a chance that it could reappear, but all we can really do is know that's a possibility and look out for it. From our end though, keeping a watchful eye out for a re-occurrence just means petting him and giving him belly rubs regularly. I don't think we'll have any trouble with that part.

Right now, all we have to do is let the little guy heal up. Luckily, Nemo hasn't been super interested in his incision, but he has licked at it a few times. When I first brought him home he didn't show any interest in it at all, but that quickly changed so he was forced to wear a not-so-attractive e-collar. I think for most people this would have been the end of it. Put the e-collar on and you're good, right? Apparently not so much! Nemo learned how to pull the thing off on the first day! It doesn't quite work right when the thing is laying on the floor and Nemo is on the sofa...

Instead I bought him a ProCollar Protective Collar. It works like an e-collar, but instead of a large cone around the dog's neck, there is an inflatable tube (think: butt pillow). He can't pull it off when we're not around, it still keeps him from getting at his incision, and it seems a lot more comfortable for Nemo (he's not freaked out by not being able to see around him).

That doesn't mean he's thrilled with it though. Here he is modeling his new "accessory":



Trying to look dignified:

Yup, Nemo has quite the waddle.

And begging me to please get out of his face already because hasn't he been through enough without this embarrassment?!!?



So the moral of this story is: If you see something weird on your dog, please get it checked out by your vet. If we had let this go there's no doubt it would have spread eventually and I can't bear to think about how that would have ended. Also keep savings for unexpected pet medical expenses. This whole thing (the initial test on the bump, the surgery, the lab to test what the vet removed, etc.) cost about $1000.* And that's with our super vet who discounted his rate significantly. Who, by the way, I will be sending a very nice Thank You this weekend for making Nemo a healthy boy again.

* I'm sharing the cost not because I'm upset by it, but because I often have a hard time finding information online about how much I should expect veterinary expenses to be. Of course every experience (and therefore expense) will be different, but hopefully this can help anyone out there prepare themselves for what to expect.

Happy Birthday Molly!

I'm not usually one to celebrate dogs' birthdays, but I had to make an exception this year.

Big Molly is a whopping 13 years old!

But don't let her age fool you. She may spend most of her time snoozing away the day, but she'll still get up and go for a walk through the neighborhood or a swim in the river.

The biggest perk to being an old dog in our house? You pretty much get to do whatever you want. While Melanie and Nemo still have to perform tricks and get off the sofa when we say so, Mr. T and I have adopted a "special policy" when it comes to Molly: She does what she wants to do. As far as we're concerned, she's retired from all that "work" stuff.

After so many years she's certainly well trained and well behaved, but if we're walking and Molly wants to sniff something for ten minutes, we let her. If she wants a few extra minutes outside in the morning so she can roll in grass, she can do that too. And if she looks at you with those big puppy dog eyes and rolls over on her back, you had better believe that we're right there rubbing her belly. She has earned it all.



So happy birthday Big Bear. You're so insanely awesome I can't get over it.

It's Like a Patchwork Quilt In Here

In my pursuit to re-redo our master bedroom I've been sampling paint like a maniac. You may have seen some of the samples on the wall when I revealed the knock off pottery barn bed, but what you saw there isn't even half the story.

To recap, I've decided that this Lonny bedroom is the inspiration for our space.




I heard through the internet grapevine (it was Google... I'm not popular enough for gossip) that the paint color in this room is Benjamin Moore's China Blue. The key word there being blue.

And here is where I reveal a weird personal confession: I don't like blue walls. For my entire life it's been a  running joke I that I can't stand painted blue walls. Why? I have no idea. I'm weird like that. Please tell me I'm not the only weirdo out there with this kind of unfounded bias.

But since I've been blogging and looking at more rooms, my stance against blue has softened. I see other people's rooms that happen to be blue and I like them a lot. So when I went to pick out paint I was a little hesitant - but hopeful! - and grabbed some blue paint samples. It turns out though that while I don't mind blue in other people's rooms, I hate in my own. It's some seriously twisted decorating hypocrisy.

Since I wasn't loving any of the blues (the blues gave me the blues?) I've been struggling to figure out what I want. Gray? Green? A different blue that would miraculously be some other color when I saw it but still blue to others??!?

And that's how I ended up here.



That's ten different paint samples. TEN!!!!!!1  I've sampled blues, grays, grays with green, grays with blue, and that god awful sea glass color in the top left.  Seriously, in real life it's the most awful color for this room that I could have almost-chosen.  It's just that bad.

I think one of these is "the one" though. It has to be. I swear, I dated fewer people than this before I married Mr. T. Picking paint shouldn't be this difficult...

I've got quite the paint sample pyramid going.

For anyone interested in what the colors are, here they are with their names.

Left of the Mirror from the top, left to right:  Martha Stewart's Sea Glass; Sherwin Williams' Rainwashed (matched to Behr); Benjamin Moore's Saybrook Sage (matched to Behr); Benjamin Moore's Palladian Blue (matched to Behr); Behr's Aqua Smoke; Benjamin Moore's Van Alen Green (matched to Behr); Restoration Hardware's Sea Green
Right of the mirror, from the top: Behr's Relaxing Green; Benjamin Moore's Quiet Moments (matched to Behr); Martha Stewart's Winter's Grey

I'm 84.7% sure that I'm going to go with the Van Alen Green. Looking at my inspiration rooms I realize that I like the green tones that come out in the walls. I don't know if it's the light my room, or the furniture, or something else entirely, but when I use the same paint on my walls I don't see any of those hints of green.

And just so you don't think I plucked these colors completely out of thin air, here are some some amazingly gorgeous rooms with some of these colors:

Aqua Smoke @ Russet Street Reno



Saybrook Sage @ Adventures in Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone



Rainwashed @ Studio Ten 25



Relaxing Green @ Yellow Brick Home



I suppose the lesson learned here is that the same color really can look completely different in a different room. That, and I'm eternally grateful for small sized paint samples. Anyone else have a similar long standing anti-wall color bias, or have more-than-average trouble making seemingly simple decisions about paint?

98... 99... 100!

Look at that! I have OVER ONE HUNDRED followers! Woot!





This is such a great goal to hit. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL for following me!

Whether you subscribe or follow or just check in once in awhile, THANK YOU. I know the intranets are a big place and there are lots of other places you could spend your time, it means a lot that you check me out every once and again.

I'll do my best to make sticking around worth your while ;)

And He's Not Even Wearing the Cone of Shame

Nemo had his surgery this morning and now he's home safe and sound. As I write this, he's sitting in my lap and he's definitely happy to be back home.  Loopy. Still a little drunk from the meds, but as good as you could hope for. Thanks for all the good vibes everyone, they are working so far!




Even though he's not rocking the cone of shame, he was sporting this little bandage when he came home.



Unfortunately, he's not quite out of the woods yet. The tumors that the vet removed have been sent out to be tested and we'll have to wait to hear back on those results. If you remember from my last post, the tumors that were removed will be graded a 1, 2, or a 3 - with a 1 being the best result and 3 the worst. From what the vet was saying, I think he was preparing me for a 2 result. I don't think we can hold out for a 1, but of course there's no way to know for sure until we hear back.

Until then I'm going to baby Nemo like crazy and try not to worry.

Update: So much for being cone free ... the poor guy just can't catch a break.  He's snoring like a freight train though so I'll take that as a good sign.

DIY Knock Off of Pottery Barn's Stratton Bed (with drawers!)

It's taken me a long time to build this thing. So long in fact, that I have a hard time writing up anything about it. I can't think of specific things that you might want to know. I'm just in love with how it turned out.





It was definitely lot of work. Countless trips to Home Depot. Many hours (although, altogether I think I only spent seven or eight days working on it).



We had one major set back when we built the first "bench" wrong. A couple pieces were just half an inch off, but since everything was glued together there was no way to salvage it. It wasn't a fun day.

Finishing it, however, was a very fun day.



I think everyone would want to know how much it cost to build. The short answer is: I'm not really sure. I'd estimate around $400-$500. That includes the big mistake we made (which definitely cost a good bit of money in materials). We made other mistakes too. They were smaller, but fixable. A king size Stratton Bed with drawers from Pottery Barn retails for $1800. I think the savings were well worth it.



Of course we used these plans produced by Ana White. And the corresponding plans for the drawers (then we added 1/2" trim to the faces).  The drawers are HUGE by the way!  Which makes them a pain the neck to build and haul around, but super for all the extra storage.



I was a little worried that our mattress would feel firmer when we put this bed in place. But it's fine. It sleeps great. Even the dogs approve.



Definitely a job well done. Have any questions you'd like me to answer?

p.s. And of course I'll be sharing this finished product in a bunch of great parties. Make sure you check all the parties out in my sidebar so you don't miss any of the other great projects around the blogosphere!

Things I Learned While Building A Bed

• Pilot holes are your friends.
• Don't tick off the lumber guy at Home Depot.  Instead, compliment him endlessly.  He is your best friend.
• Go to multiple Home Depots to get your wood cut.  You don't want your best friend to think you're crazy by seeing him three times in one day.
  
• Your math will always be inexplicably wrong. (apparently two plus two equals four and a smidge)
• You will need to touch up the paint once it's in place, no matter how careful you are. 
• Drawers suck.  A lot.
• Sanding sucks.  Even more.
• Don't glue if your measurements are off.  
• Measure twelve times.  Cut it too long.  Measure again.  Cut off a little more.  Repeat as necessary.  The piece will still not be the length you thought it was supposed to be, but it will fit.  Go with it.
• When you finally get to sleep on it, it will be the best sleep ever.  Because you're so tired.
• I'm am so happy I built sets in high school theatre. Best education ever.
• Always accept help when its offered.  If it's not offered, resort to bribery.  A free meal will buy a lot.  It's worth it.
• I will take my hypothetical future daughter with me to Home Depot. You do not need a man to pick out lumber.
• I will still let my new best friend carry plywood/2x4s/1x3s around the store for me.  I'm not meek, just lazy.
• Project Fatigue is a real condition.  I suffer from it.
• Always have another battery for your drill charging. If you have it, you won't need it, but if you don't, you will.
• Trim will hide a lot of mistakes. 
• Do not, under any circumstances, say you will be finished by X date.  You won't be finished by then.  Not even close.  Just be happy with the progress you've made. 
• Done is good. 
• Really good.

Bed reveal tomorrow.  I love it.

Nemo Has a Bump

Last Friday Mr. T and I took Nemo in for his regular vet appointment. While we were there we asked about a small bump he has on his belly (ok, it's actually where his guy parts would be if he still had them). They took a biopsy, and it turns out it's a mast cell tumor.

If you aren't familiar with them, mast cell tumors are clusters of cancerous cells. They often present as raised bumps on the skin. Mast cells are tricky though because they can be entirely non-threatening, or incredibly serious.  We are actually (unfortunately) experienced with them already as Mel had two removed a few years ago. They are fairly common in dogs, and it seems that pit bulls are especially susceptible to them.

There's a good chance that once removed he will be 100% fine. We will always have to keep an eye out in case he gets another one (as it's likely he will) and recovery from the procedure is relatively easy. The procedure itself is pretty straight forward. He'll have to be put under anesthesia and they'll go and remove the lump and stitch him up.

Once removed they'll check to make sure they got it all (if this ever happens to you, they talk about making sure they get "clear margins" of unaffected cells.  Mast cell tumors tend to be localized so they need to make sure they get it all.), and they will also test to find out how aggressive the tumor is on a scale of 1-3 (we want a 1) to find out if it metastasized  and spread anywhere else.

My rational brain (and the vet) tell me that he has a really really good chance of being fine. I've obviously been through this before and everyone came out okay on the other end. The other part of me - the much larger neurotic overprotective dog mama part - is so worried for him. I just want to get through this and know he'll be okay.

Nemo's surgery is scheduled for next Thursday.  I'd appreciate it if you could all send out positive non-cancer vibes Nemo's way until then.

No Poo?

I recently heard about the "no poo" method of hair care. Basically, it's when you stop using shampoo. You can go "low poo", by using less harsh shampoo options too. The idea is that harsh shampoos can actually do more harm than good, and that between conditioner and your natural oils your hair will be kept in better shape than ever. Google it and you'll get tons of results (here, I'll do it for you).

I read that it can be especially good for curly haired girls (that's me! I straighten it most days though) because it makes the curls nicer and easier to take care of. That intrigues me.

Anyone do this?

I like the no/low chemical nature of it. And the ease. And the cheapness. If I don't have to spend money on shampoo then that's great, and if I can skip a step in the shower all the better. It seems like all kinds of win.

Except if it gets greasy and nasty ... The ick factor could be horrendous.

I did find a post at Instructables that has some information on how to clean your hair and still stay "no poo."  Maybe it would be enough to keep it from being gross?  I have no idea if it'd be worth giving it a try long term. 

Even though I first heard about this several months ago, I only tried going "poo-less" in my shower this morning, just to see how my hair would feel.  So far so good.  But one shower is hardly indicative of how this would be long term though. 

Anyone have any experience with this?  Ever tried it?  Ever have a friend who tried it?

Or is this going off the deep end into Grosstown?

Image from here.

Wordless Wednesday

Um, 'scuse me Nemo, but you have a little something on your nose.