photos of the construction

Can you believe they build these homes so quickly?! I was thrilled to see the stonework in place and the brick finished. I guess the extra brick will be for the mailbox and porch/walk? I dunno; but Tom and I have complete confidence in the construction team. They are very professional both with the communication back and forth and their efficiency in planning. We have thrown a couple of curves at them, and it couldn't have been a more seamless process.

The arched entrance and windows are so adorable. I appreciate all the details that I would normally overlook, but seeing it go up is so much fun. I'm shocked at all the changes that happen when I miss a couple days of driving by there.
I don't think the windows are arched in the back of the home, but they are SUPER big. They bottom out only a few inches above the floor. Our closing date is coming up in about 5 weeks. Come on OCTOBER 11! ...and a special thanks to Tom for making the phone call to our leasing manager today. I'm so glad I have the expert diplomat and negotiator as my hubby!

Color/Pattern selections for the house

Our home began to look more official since they started bricking it last Friday.
These are the selections we made. The brick is reddish, so we went with the front door being a mahogany color. The door color is on the far right in the above picture. It's the sample at the bottom of that thing.
The paint colors are gonna be that greenish/gray for the bathrooms and the latte color for most of the living areas with a white crown moulding trim, and a basic cream color for other walls.
The cabinets are gonna be that dark brown color at the top of the photo above. The granite counter tops are 3 mm thick and that light-ish color that will offset the dark cabinets. The thing to the right of that is the "standard" paint color. Then there's the carpet. I upgraded twice for the carpet, but not the padding. The carpet is super soft and just a basic beige.
The tile is beneath the carpet in this last picture. I think it's all going to work out. The more I look at it, the more I like it. I thought I had chosen everything too dark, but now I think it'll be beautimous. =)

Nose sweat

Gollum overheats pretty easily, and I've wondered for a long time if panting was the only way he could lower his body temperature. Artimus seems to be much more resilient, and his lighter color probably helps too.
So, I consulted Wikipedia:
"Dogs have sweat glands on the pads of their paws and on their noses.
...When these glands are active, they leave the nose
and pawpads slightly moist and help these specialized skin features
maintain their functional properties. The odor associated with dog paw pads
is much more noticeable on dogs with moist paw pads than on those with dry
pads."So, THAT'S why I like smelling his feet.
Look at those talons above! Ok...so here's the reason I titled the post "nose sweat"--yes dogs definitely sweat, just not over their whole body. Here's Gollum and his nose sweat. My shirt was soaked! LOL

A fun smile

He makes me smile.

Mowing and memories ~ Other Such Happenings

Mowing and memories ~ Other Such Happenings

Things that make you go "Hmmmmmm"

Italian Greyhounds

I think most people presume Italian Greyhounds run around all the time at warp speed. My experience with my two boys taught me that while they may be CAPABLE of running super fast, they much prefer to hone their sleeping skills.

Italian Greyhounds in the arts

Portrait of the aging Catherine The Great with an Italian Greyhound.

The grace of the breed has prompted several artists to include the dogs in paintings, among othersVelázquez, Pisanello and Giotto.

Vision des Hl. Eustathius by Pisanello

The breed has been popular with royalty throughout, among the best known royal aficionados were Mary Stuart, Queen Anne, Queen Victoria, Catherine The Great, Frederick the Great and the NorwegianQueen Maud.

Aliens in the Attic

Watching movies with kids makes it so much more fun. It was during Luke's weeklong birthday celebration. Can you tell? He's a wee bit tired.

This is Kimberley on the left and Luke on the right. Kids always gasp and laugh out loud. I love it!
Jack is on the left here with his new brace face =) ...Emma is on the right.
Kimberley on the left; her sister, Kortney on the right.
Kimberley, Kortney, Emma, and Jack were posing for their picture.

This is Karen and Jack.Karen's mom, Cathy, me and K.
Look at those pretty blue eyes!
Karen, Kimberley, and Jack...
Me and Cathy... During Cathy's visit, she went to boot camp TWICE with Karen. I was amazed at her endurance. Anyone who hasn't already taken the class for a long time, usually just quits or gets ill their initial visit... NOT Cathy! She's tough as nails just like her daughter =)
Yep, these are two firecrackers!
Luke and Emma... and everyone really seemed to enjoy the movie. "Aliens in the Attic" may have gotten rotten reviews, but if you see it with a group of cool kids, you'll forget about those silly reviews and have a really fun time!

Carry a camera...

Lots of great reasons why we should always carry a camera

Ok devil pup… Too cute!!!!!! What a great big sloppy kiss!