Starbuck, One Year Later

So the first Sunday in October, 2012, we got a puppy.  Half lab half we-don't-know-but-have-several-theories, all black but a couple of white spots on her chest.  While I do love this dog, I tend to treat her like a dog (not in the figurative language phrase sort of way but in the way that I don't treat her like a person because she isn't one).  Robert, however, spoils her.  When he went out to buy two baby gates (to keep her contained to the utility room when she was a puppy since our fence wouldn't keep her in till R added to it and we didn't want her to be able to be in the rest of the house without one of us carefully watching), puppy food, a collar, and a leash, he also came home with a stuffed duck.  We named the dog Starbuck (from Joss Wheedon's version of Battlestar Galactica...we're dorks like that) and the duck Donald.

Exhibit A of the spoiledness.  I do not allow the dog on the couch.  Robert does.  Also, Starbuck sleeping with Donald. 

Starbuck loved that duck.  She loved it and squeezed it...until it died...

That white stuff?  That's Donald's innards. And this picture is fuzzy because she is shaking Donald.

Donald now looks like this:

Could I have cropped out the ironing board leg and most of the hideousness of the carpet in my craft room?  Yes.  But you should know by now not to come here for the quality of pictures.

So, because he is such a dog-spoiler, Robert got Starbuck a belated birthday present today.  I dubbed her "Daisy."

So sorry there's not a picture of fresh new Daisy...I didn't think that far ahead.

Daisy has been carried all over the house and has already lost a leg and some "feathers."

Daisy and her leg.

Daisy losing some "feathers."

Starbuck "loving" on Daisy.

I put Donald out and she was having trouble deciding between them.  But Daisy won.

Poor Daisy.

At least she doesn't have milk teeth anymore?

In an effort to come full circle, here is Starbuck sleeping with both Daisy and Donald today:

Notice that, as I am in charge, she is sleeping on the floor.  Because she is a dog.

Branalyn

Where Did September Go?

Remember when I went to train at the very end of August and when I landed and turned on my phone, I got notice that my grandmother's husband had died?

Well, we got back from Disney on a Sunday and that next day I got word that my great-grandmother had died.

So between my end of August trip, my Disney trip (which I do plan to share about in two different posts that I have floating in my head), and two trips to South Texas for funerals, I only had a few days here and there at home.  I missed 3 Sundays in a row at church!  On the few days I did have at home, I had several trips to town (nearly always an all day experience) for doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, etc.  And I was able to sub a couple days last week.  Though technically after all the out of town and not in September, I'm lumping it together in my nothing-got-done-at-home month.

Needless to say, I had a lot of cleaning, etc. to catch up on when I was finally home for awhile!  The house is finally whipped back into shape and the laundry is beginning to be caught up.  AND we are starting some work on projects around the house!

Once I get all my paint sample squares painted, I'll try to take some pictures and post them.  We plan to paint and remodel the bathroom next month along with getting few other minor things done as we go.  It's going to be a huge amount of work, but we are going to remove all the trim and doors in the house, strip it, repaint it, and hang it all back up.  It all just has so many layers of paint that the detail doesn't show anymore.  Eventually, we plan to sand and refinish the hardwoods (when we get started on this, we will remove the carpet in the kitchen; we can't remove it before though because it is glued; the kitchen is going to take A LOT of sanding).  If at all monetarily possible after all that, we'd really like to replace the flooring in the "downstair" area.  I say that because it's just one stair down into the two back rooms that were added in the 50s.  It's concrete under the flooring so we would actually have to purchase flooring to put down and by the time we get to that, our designated fund will be long gone.  We will have to see what the church is willing to do!  I'm excited though, to have started on the projects and to be making any sort of progress!

I have supper started and two more things on my to-do-list left for the day, so I'm off to make sure I actually get caught up around here!

Branalyn

Well, Friends...

I went to Disney.  Then I came home and life went crazy for a while.  My great-grandmother died and going to the funeral involved going to deep South Texas.  I actually got called to sub at our local high school two days this week (there's a long story for the "finally" part).  We had to go to town one day this week.  And the house is still a wreck from all the time I've been gone.  But Disney was so much fun and I really wanna post about that and some other things soon.  But right now I have so much to do!!!

Branalyn