Our new house, 3 months later

[AmberGretchen]

Oh wow - I love the new pictures of the upstairs! You have an incredible eye for blues - I completely love every shade you''ve chosen and how you did the trim really sets them off. I also loved that yellowish color in the dining room, so maybe you just have a great eye for color haha!!

Re: Mr. cattle dog (didn''t even want to try to spell the name correctly, forgive me), I would HIGHLY recommend you look into doing something like doggie agility with him. I help teach dog agility classes at the shelter where I volunteer and the high-energy dogs (usually herding and hunting breeds) LOVE LOVE LOVE it - I can''t tell you how excited they get once they start to get the hang of it (usually by the third week of class they are straining to get in the door). Its really amazing for the owners too - many of them have raved to me about how much more manageable this makes their dogs at home, and how much it has improved their bond with their dogs. Agility is sort of the perfect thing to do with a high-energy smart herding dog, because it gives them a job to do and provides physical and mental stimulation. I''d be willing to bet you could find classes in your area.

There are some awesome videos of competitions on YouTube, but you don''t have to compete to benefit from it - a lot of people do it just to have fun and bond with their dogs.

 

[AmberGretchen]

OK, here''s a link to a pretty basic video summarizing the basics of agility training, in case I didn''t do a good job describing it. Also, here''s a quote from Wikipedia about Australian Cattle Dogs and agility, which is pretty much what most web pages about ACD''s seem to say:

"Among the most popular activities for Australian Cattle Dogs is dog agility. While the Australian Cattle Dog is ideally suited for this work"

 

[door knob solitaire]

Great House!! Fabulous work you two have done!

Really something. I also think your colors are perfect. Love how the dresser looks like it belongs in the white trimmed rom. That was really a great idea! Looks like you can quit your day job...you have a career waiting for you in house remodeling.

DKS

 

[monarch64]

Fabulous DIY projects you show here! You''ve done a great job on all of them, thanks for sharing those pics!!! Our house was also built in the same timeframe (''4 and was updated as far as electrical/painting/etc. but we''ve had to do a lot to it as far as refinishing hardwood floors. carpeting the basement/master BR, etc. We''ve only the kitchen and bathroom to update, and the more I see of stories like yours and touring our neighbors'' homes (mostly younger couples like us who bought fixer-uppers with proximity to the city in mind) I think I''ll be able to DIY most of the projects we need to do as far as refacing cabinets in the kitchen and re-doing the bath. Yay! for new home-ownership, isn''t it fun to build a nest!? I love having a house that already has "character" as far as location and neighborhood and architecture, I really hope to keep the new things we do to it in line with the styling of the home itself.

Your Aoughus (sp?) and Dylan are beautiful doggies, bless you for adopting A. and so happy for you that he and Dylan get along so well. Here''s hoping you have many years of enjoyment with FI/DH in your new home with your two beloved doggies!!!

 

[snlee]

I love seeing the before and after pictures! Love the color choices too! Your house looks awesome! What a great job!

 

[Blenheim]

Thanks a lot!

Monnie, it is so much fun to build a nest! We''ve been trying to go with more classic looks rather than things that are the most popular right now (i.e., hex tile instead of travertine in the bathroom) because we want to stay fairly true to the styling of the house, so I know what you mean. If you''re motivated enough, it''s certainly possible to do it on your own!



AmberGretchen, we''d like to do agility training or teach him frisbee after we get the basics down. The main concern I have right now is that he''s very wary of people and dogs whom he doesn''t already know. (He''s great once he''s comfortable with a person/dog.) He tolerates new people and dogs as long as they don''t sniff his face, in which case he sometimes snaps once or twice in the direction of the other dog and then jumps behind me. I understand that wariness/indifference about strangers is a characteristic of the breed, but I''m worried about how he''d do in a class setting. I''ve been trying to gradually socialize him, not forcing anything. He''s been doing very well on walks when he''s near other dogs, as long as they''re not trying to charge him (which happened with some off-lead dogs the other day). I haven''t been letting him get close enough to unknown dogs for them to sniff his face lately, because I want to get him used to just being around them first and then build up to it.

The funny thing is that he''s completely fine with Dylan sniffing his face, chewing his ears, mouthing at his neck, etc.

Actually, he was much more scared and timid when we got him, and we''ve managed to desensitize him to certain things that used to make him hide under the coffee table with his tail between his legs (like the brush and the camera, or the sound of twigs snapping).

Are there any books that you''d recommend, or any advice you have? I''ve been going off of a combination of things that I''ve read, but am very open to suggestions. I''m taking a NILIF approach with the dogs and generally making sure that DH and I are the leaders in the house -- eating first, going through doors first, choosing where we sit and walk, choosing when we give affection, etc. We''ve also been very aware of Aonghus''s body language, and watching our body language and emotions when he''s acting timid.

 

[monarch64]

Blennie, re the dog thing...if you''re cautious, A''s going to be cautious no matter what situation you put him in. Sooo, if you take him to an obedience class he''s going to follow your lead, it sounds like. When I first had my Milo he was totally neurotic and so was I, we were the most nervous of the dogs/owners at obedience class, and he had me in tears the first night of class...I had to take him with me into the bathroom at the municipal building just to compose myself a bit because he was so wound up and crazy. As the classes went on, though, I learned I had to "wear him out" first, by walking him and playing with him for about an hour just to get rid of that nervous energy, PLUS I had to get rid of MY nervous energy as well. Not saying you are nervous or whatever in a negative way, but aybe A''s picking up on the sense that you are worried that he''ll do ok or not...bottom line is I think you have to find a way to relax before you do any training whether it''s in or out of a structured atmosphere. It sounds like you''re doing everything right so far. Keep in mind that when there are two dogs in the house one is going to take over the alpha role and the other will follow, usually the older dog or the male dog if you''ve intro''d a female. Yeah, sad but true.

When we got our female puppy to be a companion for our 3 yr. old male dog we were so hopeful that she''d "put him in his place!" Well, she did, and now my DH feels sorta resentful because the eldest dog is different personality-wise. We don''t know if it''s age or submission, but he''s definitely showing signs of both now, which I don''t think DH was ready for. The puppy (Daisy) just doesn''t know when to stop and we have to keep close tabs on her to make sure she doesn''t harm him. we recently found out that he has epilepsy (he kept having seizures), so we''re sort of on tenterhooks with him all the time worrying that he''ll seize because she''s getting too rough with him...I"m babbling, sorry.

Anyway, your house looks great. I love what you''ve done with your kitchen! I told DH when we moved into our house that I wanted to paint our k. cabinets white and "antique" them, and then re-face them with glassed in doors...he kept telling me he''d rather I go get an estimate for a re-do on the entire kitchen but I never did....thankfully our neighbors two doors down invited us in for the grand tour of what they''d done to their own home which is basically the same model as ours and lo and behold SHE had done the very thing to her kitchen that I had suggested and DH loved it! LOL! So I''ve been approved to go ahead this fall/winter and re-model the kitchen cabinets at least. I guess I''ll work on him from there as far as the countertops and tile, hee hee.

Good to see you again Blennie, I hope the dogs start getting along better, they are just great looking and I wish you many happy years together!!!

 

[argh&stuff]

Who knew Blen was so handy around the house? You have done some excellent work. I would have no idea how to put a door in a place where there wasn''t one.

Jen loves the new addition to the family, too.

And now she thinks we need to hurry up and buy a house so we can paint and get another dog.

 

[Catmom]

I love your house and what you''ve done with it. It looks fabulous!!!!! I, too, love your colors and style! Your new dog is a real cutie, too!

 

[Blenheim]

Monnie, thanks for the dog advice. Just to clarify, A and Dylan do get along great. They''re actually play wrestling as I''m typing right now, and they''ll often sleep cuddled up next to each other. It''s just new dogs who A is wary/timid of.

I haven''t been around as much because of the house, but I miss spending time here! Your ideas for the kitchen sound great. I''m glad that your husband has given you his approval.

Argh!! I haven''t seen you around in a while. Congrats again on your wedding, and good luck finding a house. Please say hi to Jen for me.

Putting a door in where there used to be a window actually isn''t that bad. If you score the drywall first, you can remove it cleanly. The picture below is of the framing in our window after we removed the drywall and the window itself -- we just had to remove the 2x4 that was parallel to the floor at the bottom of the window, and the ones perpendicular to the floor just under it. Unfortunately there was some wiring in that wall, but my husband is an electrical engineer so he''s very qualified to take care of that sort of thing. It made such a difference in the room, and I''m glad that we went ahead and did it. My dad (on the left) also flew up for the weekend, he was so excited about the project and just generally about us having our first home.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Blenheim - I think Monnie has a good point that A will take his cues from you in a setting like a class. This is actually one of the reasons I recommended agility was because of the potential for neurotic behavior (its common to all herding breeds, including ACDs) - agility is a VERY positive, fun environment for the dogs. I''ve seen some dogs that came in who were terrified of strange people but agility has really built their confidence. I think its mostly because in the setting of an agility class, you have lots of situations of unfamiliar people giving the dog treats and praising it and no negative experiences, so the dog very quickly builds the positive association. I would talk to the trainer who is teaching before enrolling A for sure, as each trainer will have their own approach and you''ll have to decide what you''re most comfortable with. They can also help you work with his specific issues from the start so he has the best experience possible.

I would look for someone who only uses positive reinforcement - its been shown time and time again that negative corrections (a la Cesar Milan, etc...) carry too much of a danger of the dog associating something negative with the wrong behavior or situation. On the other hand, you can see that a room full of people (the trainer, volunteers, other dog owners) cheering your dog on and feeding it really high-value treats is pretty much the quickest and most effective way I know of to help create a positive association with people other than the owner and with the presence of other dogs. And the more you can make it fun, the more fun it will be for him.

NILIF is awesome, and its great that you guys are doing that - I''m sure that will help with his issues a lot. Its also really wonderful that you''ve already managed to break some of his negative associations. I would find a trainer in your area that you are comfortable with who teaches agility, and talk to them, but I suspect they will tell you that agility (or frisbee, or flyball, or whatever, but in my opinion agility is the most fun) is the perfect outlet for a dog like A, to help him build confidence and positive associations with other people and other dogs, as well as give him that all-important "job to do" that herding breeds so desperately need to be as happy as they can be. You may be surprised at how much just having that job to do calms him down. He may need a formal obedience class first, but as long as its taught using positive reinforcement, it should help with his issues as well. Just remember - its your job to make it fun, so don''t be shy about getting really excited, and bring really yummy stinky treats that he only gets when he goes to class.

 

[UCLABelle]

WOW! That is a great "makeover"! Very cute home!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

What a great job you guys have done! I actually like drywalling and that type of thing--who''d of thunk it!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Skippy123]

Your house is beautiful! Congrats! I love the makeover and colors!!!

 

[gailrmv]

Blen, your house looks GREAT!!!! Congrats on your new pup as well - they are super cute together!

On a different topic I have to ask you where did you order your wedding band (or did you find it locally)? You have the X Prong Vatche e-ring right? I do too, and I have the curved band and don''t really like it. I''m looking to buy a straight band and am having trouble finding one that fits is just right. Would prefer to order it online anyway - so let me know if you have any recommendations!

Thanks!!!

 

[Aloros]

Wow! Your house looks fantastic after your remodels! Three months? I''m amazed. Was it very difficult to do all of that work? My bf (soon-to-be-fiance) and I are looking at houses right now, and the things you fixed are things I would want to work on - most of these houses are a little outdated.

LOVE the new kitchen. What a difference!

 

[Blenheim]

We have a bathroom floor!!!!

Hubby and I just finished tiling but we still need to grout. I''m so proud of it.

Thanks for all of the compliments!

AmberGretchen, we''ve decided that we''re going to start with agility training this fall or winter. As always, thanks for all of the great dog advice.

Gailrmv, I have an x-prong e-ring, but it''s from Quest and not Vatche. I just have a 2mm straight band from www.eweddingbands.com: link. There is a little bit of a gap, but I actually like a gap. I know that it would bother some people though. I''ve attached a picture so that you can see what I mean.

I also have a 2.5 mm band, which I think looks too thick next to my e-ring. The proportions may be different on your ring though.

Aloros, thanks! I didn''t work this summer, so the time line is much more accelerated than it would have been if we were doing it all over nights and weekends. The work has been difficult in various ways. I''ve had to do a lot of reading on certain topics, such as tiling, and have gotten very sore and at times cut up. Removing the old tile in our bathroom was a pretty nasty job, and shards of tile kept cutting through my leather gloves and into my skin. I think I destroyed 4 pairs of gloves. It''s all been do-able though, if you have the motivation and take breaks when you need them. Also, be aware in advance that you will get discouraged. We ended up taking Saturday mostly off, because we were starting to feel discouraged and needed a break.

To summarize, it can be hard but it''s very rewarding at the same time. I''m glad that we did all of this.

 

[Blenheim]

And, the product of today's hard work:

ETA: The really ugly walls are going to be covered in wainscoting.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Blen, your house is absolutely wonderful! I can't believe all the great improvements you've made in just three months--what AMAZING progress.

I hope you and J are planning on coming to the December gem show because it would be great to see you guys!

 

[Mannequin]

Wow, you guys are doing a terrific job! Looks like you two make a great home improvement team, Liz!

I know what you mean about the tile jobs - I''ve been helping my BF install a new bathroom floor at a house he wants to use as a rental and it''s easy when it''s going well, but when it''s not - ugh!

I love the colors you are choosing, too. That blue in the kitchen looks similar to what I used on one side of my condo''s bathroom. I am almost done with my vintage ad themed bathrooms and am looking forward to posting pictures soon.

 

[gailrmv]

Blenheim, thanks so much for the link! So it is the domed heavy comfort fit. Awesome. Do you feel it aligns nicely with the X Prong (Quest version) all the way around? I'm sure the Quest setting is very similar to the Vatche. Some bands I've tried seem to stick out in back or sides. Well I can always send it back if I don't like it! I feel like a fool having spent $600 for the matching band (plat) only to be buying a cheaper straight band years later, which is what I should have gotten to begin with. Well, live and learn!

ETA I don't think the gap is noticeable at all, I think your ring set looks perfect together!

 

[Blenheim]

Thanks again!

DeeJay, we really missed seeing you. Hopefully our schedules will allow us to come in December!

Equestrienne, I can''t wait to see your new pictures. Your place looks great. It would be fun to meet up at IKEA again sometime and shop for our new places, if you''re up for it.

Gail, I''m having a slightly hard time visualizing what you''re describing. My e-ring is much narrower, both in height and width, at the bottom than it is at the top. My wedding band is basically the same width as my e-ring at the bottom (maybe .1 mm difference) and narrower than my e-ring at the top, and it''s a teensy bit taller than my e-ring at the bottom and is shorter than my e-ring at the top. I feel like I''m doing a bad job at describing this. Would a picture help?

I think that eweddingbands.com has a decent return policy (although I''d check before ordering), so the easiest thing to do may be to order one and see how it looks on.

I hope this helps some!

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 8/30/2007 4:05:50 PM
Author: Blenheim
Thanks again!

DeeJay, we really missed seeing you. Hopefully our schedules will allow us to come in December!

Equestrienne, I can''t wait to see your new pictures. Your place looks great. It would be fun to meet up at IKEA again sometime and shop for our new places, if you''re up for it.

Gail, I''m having a slightly hard time visualizing what you''re describing. My e-ring is much narrower, both in height and width, at the bottom than it is at the top. My wedding band is basically the same width as my e-ring at the bottom (maybe .1 mm difference) and narrower than my e-ring at the top, and it''s a teensy bit taller than my e-ring at the bottom and is shorter than my e-ring at the top. I feel like I''m doing a bad job at describing this. Would a picture help?

I think that eweddingbands.com has a decent return policy (although I''d check before ordering), so the easiest thing to do may be to order one and see how it looks on.

I hope this helps some!

No worries - thanks a lot for describing what you did! It''s the "tallness" that I am picky about, on the sides especially. I should just order it and see. I hate that it''s $300 in plat. I am tempted to keep wearing the annoying swoop band and then get something else altogether in the future!

Your house looks so good. We did a lot of DIY projects in our old house. It was so rewarding and fun to pick out stuff and make it happen. Painting was my favorite. And tiling. Well, tiling was a pain but it looked SO good after! You guys did more in 3 months than we did the whole first year!

 

[risingsun]

You have done a wonderful job with your home makeover. I admire that you and DH are able to tackle these projects and make these changes. My CKCS, Charlie, says "hi" to Dylan and sends cavalier kisses

 

[iheartscience]

Wow, your house looks great! I''m so impressed with all the work you''ve done and you really have a great eye for colors! I really love watching all the home shows and I really look forward to buying my own home and remodeling it just the way I want it!

 

[sumbride]

WOW!

Can you come over and help me? We have trouble with the most basic stuff and you''re in ADVANCED HOME REMODELING after only 3 months! WOW.

LOVE EVERYTHING!!!!

 

[moremoremore]

Blenheim...I have to say, your hex looks AWESOME....Great job with the spacing between sheets...I see NO variations...Super job...Can I ask- is that 2 inch? It doesn't look like 3..is it? What brand did you use b/c when I was looking a few years ago I could find no 2 inch that wasn't a billion dollars a square foot.....And forget about finding hex spacers for my size..And will need to use it again soon when we move....Again, great job...I'm crazy for hex tile....

 

[Blenheim]

Thanks, MMM! There is some variation where I first started laying the tile (it was my first tiling job), but I had the foresight to start in the area where the toilet''s going to go and the majority of the problem areas are going to be covered. I know that you''re not supposed to, but I ended up not using the spacers after laying the first three sheets or so. I just found it easier to get them lined up correctly if I eyeballed it. (If I was laying squares, I''m pretty sure that would have been a different matter.)

It is 2" hex; it''s just a small space so there''s not all that much of it. We bought it at the Tile Shop, for (I think) $4.99/sqft.

My husband''s started putting wainscoting up. I''m back in school, so everything is progressing much more slowly now though.