Charlie's Hair

Remember surfer puppy. With his wild hair. And then we chopped it off for the heat of the summer and I thought he looked stupid.
I just wanted to show that his hair has grown out enough again that he doesn't look so stupid.

And this photo is just funny. For Logan's grad he received a pig dressed as a cop. Charlie was pulling on the pants of said pig and both of us thought (at the same time) that this would be hilarious.

Before and After :: Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

The master bedroom was purple. Not just purple but with a very country rose border.The first thing we did was switch out the 1/2" plastic venetian blinds for basic blackout roller blinds. But the border was really getting to us.

So Stef and I spent a couple humid hours in the bedroom pulling down the paper. I had originally planned to paint the headboard wall a darker green called Egyptian Nile and the other three walls Mother Nature, a lighter green on the same paint chip as the darker colour. When the guest room ended up being green I figured I had to do something different (mostly because when you get to the top of our stairs you can look straight into both the guest room and the master at the same time.) So, to get rid of the purple we used the leftover kitchen paint. We put down a primer coat and then only had enough paint for one coat of the brown. As a result it is not true to the paint chip, it has some purple bleeding through which is making the brown look a bit more taupe - even sagey.My plan is to find a green fabric in the original colour I was going to paint to create a headboard. I wanna cover a piece of plywood with batting and fabric and then surround it in moulding. And probably use the same fabric for drapery panels.

Before and After :: Guest Bedroom II

Guest Room

To remind you, the guest room started like this.

I had posted before about our "Oops" can of paint.

The room continued to be an adventure in bargains.

I sewed the duvet cover and pillow shams from fabric Janet has given to me and a twin sheet on sale on sears.ca. The Roman blind was in the Ikea "as is" section for $9.99. The throw pillows were originally in our living room (where the accent colour is now red) and the blanket (which is only half done) I have been knitting over the last three shows of the season.

Edmonton

:: Wednesday ::

Nicole and Kenn stopped over in Calgary on their way to Vegas. We had a little dinner and played a little Wii. They gave us a new game as a house warming gift, Boom Blox. It was fun.

:: Thursday ::

After some early morning breakfast we saw Nicole and Kenn off and back to bed.

Then a quick pack and in the car with the little puppy.

He was very good. He sat or slept in his kennel the entire time, didn't complain once.

We had a fabulous dinner at Lindsay and Dan's, a nice long walk in the river valley and spent the night after a few Strongbows.

:: Friday ::

Lindsay and Dan went off to work and we slept in. We headed off to the West Edmonton Mall, mostly for something to do. There ended up being some great deals; bought a couple t-shirts from a Jacob clearance store, some essentials batteries and wrapping paper, but most importantly a bridesmaids dress for Kendra's wedding. (photo to follow).

Logan, Charlie and I checked into the hotel. We wanted to hang out there for a bit to let Charlie get comfortable. I don't think it was too much of a struggle.

Stef rolled into town at 6:30 and we picked up Jonathan and went out for dinner with Lindsay and Dan. Then back to the hotel, where Jason and Jenn were waiting.

:: Saturday ::

The wedding. Matt and Kim Royer. Logan met Matt at the Bay Sunridge when he first got his internal position here. Since he and Kim got together we have hung out with them a couple of times - including a great weekend in Canmore.

Ceremony in St. Albert.

Matt is a cop in Edmonton and he wore his Dress Uniform.

I love this photo. It is very blurry - but also very graphic. Back to the hotel for a quick beer and a sit down before the reception. This is us waiting for the van taxi we ordered. We requested it for 5:45. After it was five minutes late we called to confirm/order another. At 5:45 the next morning they called our room to tell us our cab was here. Lame.Cool Cake.They are a very fun couple and chose to enter their reception to the song "Bringing Sexy Back" It was very fun.Tyler was a groomsman. This was his entrance to "Bringing Sexy Back" First Dance - and a peek at the back of her gorgeous dress.Garder TossBouquet TossImpromptu Dance with the bride and the Groomsmen. After a great time (and an open bar) we returned to the hotel expecting the worst. It was the longest time he had ever been alone - from 5:45 to 1:30. But there were no accidents, just a pile of shredded something in his bed. But he was ready to play. He discovered that he was big enough to jump up on the beds as well as from bed to bed.

:: Sunday ::

After our 5:45 am call from the front desk we managed to sleep till ten, pack up the mess we had made of our two adjoining room and check out by noon. After breakfast at Tim Horton's the rest of the gang headed home while Stef, Logan and I went to Jonathan's.

We had a mellow afternoon (Jonathan had a big night too) and watched Knocked Up. Then the four of us drove out to Sherwood Park to visit my Auntie Alma and Uncle Paul (actually my dad's aunt and uncle). Cousin Carla and her family also joined for supper.

Jonathan got Koen all riled up. And Koen got Charlie all riled up. While Charlie was playing with Koen he made the most noise he has ever made. He made play growling noises and quiet barks - just like a regular dog.

Little Kaeleigh. The last time we saw her she was just a couple days old. It has been a while since we had seen the family. Kids grow really fast.

We had a fantastic dinner and then had to drive home. A great long weekend.

Huge success

The house warming was a huge success.

We finished the whole to do list with time to spare.
I finished all of the cooking I wanted before the first guest arrived with 20 minutes to spare.
The menu:

• Beef on a bun
• Potato Rounds (potato slices crisped with melted cheese, bacon and green onion)
• Surprise Spread
• Veggie and Dip
• Cheese Ball
• Fruit Salsa (peach, kiwi, raspberry, lime) with Homemade cinnamon tortillas
• Homegrown strawberry rhubarb tarts

There were plenty of people. This morning we were trying to count and we made it to 40 without much hesitation. So I am sure there were more.

We had a great time. And I am so proud of Charlie. There were a handful of very small kids and a couple of very playful older kids. He was very good with them. Very cautious and gentle. They loved him. So did all of the adults. There were many people that tried to sneak him out in their jackets.

And the weather co-operated. It was clear for most of the day. Long enough for Logan to cut the lawn and tidy the yard. The clouds rolled in and it rained round 3:30 for an hour. And then rolled out. We were able to be on the deck all night. I don't know what we would have done if it was raining.

All in all it was a success. I couldn't be happier.

Summer Job

Well...I work at the Home Depot. Yeah me. Let's go back and look at some of the other jobs I have had to get me through summers.

Westjet

Shoppers

Both of these jobs have lead to posts like:

Ode to Shoppers
I hate you for the pants I wear
the grumpy people's nasty stares.
I hate you for the people in need
who don't see the sign, or just don't read.
The shit that happens everyday,
"I did this wrong, I don't wanna pay".
The drumming fingers and rolling eyes,
these people and things I truly despise.
A summer job that makes me say,
I hate you in each and every way.

Ripples become waves
Because there is no one else around I had to leave a note.
To Whom It May Concern,I will require/be taking a personal/sick day tomorrow, Aug 30.I will not being coming in for my 8:30 - 5:00 shift.Stacey.

If I see another hand in the air
Today was the end of the second of four weeks of training for WestJet, and I couldn't be more frustrated. The class moves so slowly that I might kill someone - I'm actually not sure how I have not done so yet. The class style is "wait for everyone to be on the same page". There are some people out there that I am unsure how they get to work every morning

I already can tell that this one is going to be no better.

I have been hired for Kitchen and Bath, and will be trained to be a kitchen designer. Hopefully, once I don't have to rely so heavily on other people it will be better. I am not sure I can make it through this one. I will be keeping my eyes open.

House Warming Party

We have decided to have a House Warming Party.

It seems like we have had the house for a long time. But I have only been home for a month. Lots of people have their house warming parties after they have been in the place for a month. Quit bugging me.

Anyway...

Thursday, June 12th

Come and Go

w/ light supper, appetizers etc

6:30 on into the evening.

Poor pup is bald

Charlie got a hair cut.

Previously

Now he has no hair. And I picked the longest cut length they do. Logan tells me that he has to look like a dork for a little while - all dogs do when they get their hair cut.

It is certainly a reminder of how small her really is.

The shirt he is wearing says "Danger: Chick Magnet".