Colonel Gustard

I can't help but take a second to point out that we have now spent a year with our beloved dog Gus, the Colonel that won our hearts.  Known by many a name, Gus Gus, Gusaroo, the Fuzz Guster, Gussy, Gaseous Gus, Gimpy, Gustipher, the Gus-mister, and of course, Colonel Gustard.

Let's just take a little walk through the year shall we?

{First morning with my new Mom and Dad.  This looks like a cozy spot}

{My Dragon is my favorite.}

{Snuggles with Mom}

{Sweepy Guster}

{Munchkin Man}

{Look how big I'm getting!}

{Sniff Sniff}

{Pumpkin man}

{"I may be a big boy, but I love to snuggle"}

{Dapper Gus in his bow-tie}

{Snowy Gus with a mean mom who makes him stay in the cold for a photo op!}

{I want to be a super-model gus}

I thought I'd share some cuteness with you before I let you know that I may be away for a while.  Closing on the house is coming down to the wire, so when I'm not working, I will be packing, painting and moving.  This said, my posts may be few and far between up until the grand unveiling.  Thanks for sticking with me during this stretch.  I hope I will be seeing you again sooner rather than later!

She Loves You - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

I like the Beatles.  Can you tell?

So, I'll warn you.  This post is going to be a bit different from the usual.  Take it as you like. 

I've been thinking about love lately.  To get a little more particular, I've been thinking about the word "love."  I have been realizing that I have unintentionally been replacing the word for something less, like "heart" or "like" to reference my feelings toward things. The more I think about it, the more sense this makes to me.  Let's be honest for a second.  I think we'd all agree that "love" is a very powerful word, yet, we use it so inadmissably.  I'm guilty of it, you're guilty of it, we're all guilty of it.  Maybe it's not that big of a deal, but I would like to think that when I tell my husband that I love him, that word truly has special meaning in an effort to grasp the reality of what I feel.  In the english language, this one word has so many possibilities of dimensions, that it makes it hard to define.  I don't love hats the way I love to make things and I don't love to make things the way I love my husband. 

In the greek language, there are different words for the different dimensions of love.  I'll spare you super in-depth explanations, but it's interesting, and I think important to think about.

First, there's philia, the kind of love that would exhibit from a friendship or family relationship that exemplifies loyalty.

Next, there's eros, the passionate kind of love, love a step beyond friendship.

Finally, agape is unconditional love.  The kind of love that the Lord exhibits to us.  Love of sacrifice, patience and perseverance.  The kind of love that is displayed in 1 Corinthians 13.  And it's this kind of love I want to strive to give my husband but also impossible to obtain entirely.

All I'm saying is to consider these things the next time you talk about how much you love a dress.  I would never be offended by someone using the word "love" to express their feelings for minute things, I just want to be more thoughtful in the way I choose to use the word.  I want to make a point to use the word "love" when I'm referring to and striving toward the agape version of it. 

With that being said, here are some things I "heart," if you will:

{essie nail polish in pretty nudes and pastels. essie has the best color selection} 

I also wanted to update you on how big little gus gus is getting!  I can honestly say, with full confidence that I love this little guy that's getting to be a big guy.

He's my pride and joy!

Also, just saying, I want to paint everything in my house right now. I've been waiting for the urge to fade, but it's not.  Therefore, you may be seeing some painting posts coming up.

Never too cool for stool!

I am ashamed to look back on the date of my last post.  I apologize for my absence, but it has luckily not been due to lack of projects.  Ok, maybe the first couple weeks were.  Rain everyday for 2 weeks straight does not appeal to my motivation.  Luckily, the sun has chosen to show its face a bit since then and I have a few things to share with you.  In this post I'm going to start with how my fantastic find in dollars and cents came to be a fantastic find in the visual world.


A couple weeks ago, Ben's family came to visit.  They haven't seen our place since it was just Ben living here before we were married, and it was so fun to share how our living arrangements and lives have changed since our last visit including meeting the newest, cutest and favorite addition to the family.  (Insert opportunity to brag on my cute puppy)

{I mean, who can resist that face?!  Side note:  One of my favorite things that he does, because I think it's just too funny, is trying to hide his biting habit.  He knows he's not allowed to bite people or our stuff (specifically my wedding shoes, may they rest in peace), but when he forgets, as puppies do, and is biting on me, or something else he shouldn't be biting, as soon as I tell him "no" in my big gruff mean scary voice, he starts licking whatever it is he chose to use as a chew toy, pretending that he wasn't really doing anything wrong.  Sneaky little bugger.} 

Ok, enough rambling about my baby, back to the subject.  One of Ben's and my favorite things to do is frequent antique shops.  Most of the apartment is decorated in finds from our favorite store down the street and we really wanted to show it off to my in-laws.  It's usually hard for me not to buy something, however on this particular trip, we found something amazing.  Two stools for four dollars.  Some people call that a steal.  We've been looking for stools for our counter since the wedding, but they tend to be at least 40 bucks a pop.  The only catch about these is that they were hideous.  Take a look for yourself.  Hid-e-ous:

Needless to say, I couldn't take these sitting in my dining area for long without some tender loving care, so I pulled out some paint I bought back on the first warm sunny day in spring.

{mmmm orange sherbet, or creamsicle, whichever you prefer.  Perhaps both?  Nothing wrong with 2 deserts!}

Because of the dark colored areas the previous "artist" chose,  I decided to prime the stools before painting.

Then for the fun part, and let's be honest, colors that remind you of a frozen treat, are good colors.

Gus Gus helped too.

{Sorry, I had to put in another picture of my boy.  I accept that I am an annoying mom}

After the paint dried, I distressed the stools a bit with a sandpaper block rubbing it on areas that would become worn with time.  I can't help it, I like things old, and making them look old if they don't already. But I'm so happy to have these delectable pieces of furniture grace the edge of my countertops.  The perfect spot for my morning bowl of oatmeal.

Stay tuned for my next post of actual food as opposed to food colored furniture.  A yummy tomato basil pasta bake.  Mmmm Mmmm good!

A new addition, and full time distraction

I have not written in a few days.  I had planned on doing a post about the aforementioned kitchen chairs, but had a surprise arrival on Tuesday that has kept me pretty busy since then.  Readers, meet Gus, my adorable new puppy.

As of last Tuesday, Ben and I have been married for 5 months.  We both have a love for dogs that we have been resisting for about 4 1/2 of those 5 months. What can I say, when you're a dog person, you just are.  Needless to say, my attention has been elsewhere - playing with my puppy, snuggling with my puppy, introducing him to scary unknowns like riding in cars and playing with other (much bigger) dogs, not to mention the sometimes frustrating task of potty training.

Despite my distracted excitement over Gus, I am itching to get some projects done.  I've had a few sewing projects brewing in my mind for the past couple weeks.  Of course, my sewing machine and I haven't quite made up from the fight we had about a week ago.  I also have a gift I've been working on and can't wait to share with you once that gift has been given.

Starting tonight there will be a little less of this...

... and a little more productivity.  Don't get me wrong, I'm getting a little better at resisting the cuteness.  Today I made cookies and deviled eggs.  Not to be eaten together of course, but it is a step in the right direction.