April Fools....

....that's what we're feeling like after a couple of weeks with these puppies! They sure are a handful but just when you're about to send them back, they do something really cute and suddenly its all better :). This week Chris came home to an unexpected present in the dogs' kennel. Needless to say, he was not pleased. Of course the dogs had walked around in it too, so they needed a bath. The problem was, we didn't have any dog shampoo yet and they had never had a bath. What is a guy to do? Improvise. When I got home that day I knew about none of this until I walked into the kitchen and put some evidence together which brought me to the conclusion that something bad had happened. Behold:

Found: One dish rack in the 'used' position (also wet with soapy water) which Chris has never before used.

 Found: One bag of dog treats - opened.

Found: Two freshly cleaned and terrorized dogs.

We then promptly went out and got them some really fancy dog shampoo (makes them smell like coconut!) and gave them a proper bath....which they hated every second of.

On a totally unrelated note, my tulips are finally coming up! I'm so jealous of all my Des Moines friends and their stupid 80 degree weather. These beauties came up just in time to get dumped on with 4 inches of snow tonight - yay!

Learning and Growing

The little doggies are learning more and more every day! We have had them exactly one week but it feels like we've had a lifetime with them. It's been a lot to get used to, but they are so darn cute we can't imagine life without them. They are good eaters but don't like having separate bowls. They have way too many toys but only seem to want to play with whatever their brother has at the moment. They are gradually getting use to their crate, but they still have to come sleep in mom and dad's room to feel comfortable at night. They really hate it when anyone leaves the family room (where their crate is).

Rudy seems to be understanding that we have to do our 'business' when we're outside, but Leo has a tendency to forget that point. He is more interested in sticks, leaves and rocks when he's out there. This makes mommy mad when it's 3am. We can't wait until they can hold it a little longer and we don't have to take them out every 3 hours. Most of all, they like to sleep and are sleeping next to me right now, as a matter of fact.

We are trying to get them used to their collars and leashes - they don't quite know what to think of it yet.

They did learn how to go up and down the deck stairs to get outside, and they know how to jump out of the sliding glass door to get outside - progress!

We've had a lot of visitors and they think that little kids are especially fun! Here is baby Piers with the 'dah' as he calls them.

Bocce Birthday

We went to a new place in town, Pinstripes, for Chris' birthday party. Pinstripes has bowling and bocce ball as well as a bar and restaurant. It was a bit difficult to arrange the reservation (they are new and always VERY packed) but the place was great! The food was excellent and they even had bonfire pits outside that we sat around after playing. All in all it was a great night! Here are some 'candid' action shots from the night.

Introducing.....

We are IN LOVE with our new babies Leo (Leopold) and Rudy (Rudolph)! We picked them up on April Fool's Day but they are no joke! They are so lovable and cuddly that it is hard to leave them! They came from a breeder in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Their mom is named Wilma and their dad is appropriately named Trouble (these guys are double trouble!). They had a sister that got adopted the same day and her family named her Lilly. They picked her up at the same time so they all got to say good bye to each other.

Here is Leo with daddy.

Brothers!

Rudy

We like to sleep a lot.

We like to cuddle.

We are still trying to get used to our new bed, but we like it sometimes.

We sure do like to eat!

Here we are reading books about puppies with daddy.

We definitely like to play together, but sometimes it gets a little rough!

I think we're going to be in for it! So far we haven't had too many accidents in the house, but it's still early! We're doing okay sleeping at night time, but they still get scared sometimes. More updates to come!

Not-So-Extreme Bathroom Makeover

The bathrooms at Maison de Krusmark were the talk of the town (I'm sure, why wouldn't they be?) in 1983. A couple of years have passed now and we got to thinking - 'you know what would be fun? Updating the bathrooms!'. So we did.

The main floor half bath used to sport some really beautiful sponge paint. I know, how could we have gotten rid of it? These are tough choices in life but what can you do?

We got a new mirror and bathroom fixtures from Lowes (they have great stuff!), repainted (best money I've ever spent), and got new accessories from Target. Couldn't be happier!

Moving on to the upstairs guest bath, one might have felt like they were journeying to the Land Before Time. Never fear! You're still right here in Plymouth - you've just stepped into our bathroom. Who DOESN'T need octagon-shaped sinks?

While we haven't tackled the vanity yet (what, do you think we're made of money?) we did update with a really awesome gray-blue color paint, new fixtures and new mirrors, also from Lowes. We also replaced the broken, metallic blinds with nice white wood blinds.

Last, but certainly not least, we made some updates to our master bathroom. When we first moved in, we thought the toilet in this bathroom was made for Smurfs because it is so low to the ground, and seems as though someone used a parachute to squeeze it in between the tub and shower. We've gotten used to that (if you just hug your knees when you're on it - just kidding) but will likely someday reconfigure the bathroom. In the meantime we painted a pretty olive color, replaced the blinds with white wood blinds, got a new custom mirror, new fixtures and accessories - voila!

Before

After

Although renovations are expensive, they sure are fun! If you thought we were done - think again! We've only gotten started friends.



Let the Renovations Begin

New homes = new decorations! Ours is no exception. Since moving in, we have really enjoyed making over our house into a place that reflects our personal style. Needless to say it will be a long, continuous process, but a fun one! Here is a little preview of what we've done so far:

Here is the entryway when we bought the house.

Here it is before our little revamp.

And here it is after a little much needed paint!

 I love the new rug we got, as well as the bench. Once I get my crafty skills in order, I'll make some pillows to match!

We didn't have a dining room in our last abode, so we had to purchase a new dining room set and a hutch to house all of our beautiful wedding china. A new large mirror (thank you Homegoods) completed the set. Now all we need is a little paint on the walls and some new window fixtures.

Here is the dining room when we bought the house.

Here it is with our new furniture.

And our new china buffet.

Stay tuned for the next edition of Extreme Home Plymouth Makeover: Bathroom Edition!

Hello World!

I feel like such a women of the modern world, creating a blog! I figured since everyone else is, why not? So here it comes - a lot of writing about some nonsense that likely only Chris and I care about. Enjoy!