During

The office remains a work in progress. The good news is it's very close to being done. The bad news is that means it's totally torn apart and there's not a whole lot to show for our efforts (which then results in another long hiatus from the blog). Part of the delay was waiting for the weather and my schedule to clear up long enough to work on the second drawer unit. It finally got done:

I also found some new curtains (which you can just see behind the futon) on clearance at Lowe's. They're blackout curtains which is great since the window is the last one that needs blinds. The only part I dislike is that I had to cover up some great details around the window, but the room gets direct sunlight for most of the afternoon and I didn't want the stuff I have sitting on top of the ledge across from the window getting any more faded.

Inside the drawer. Since this photo, we have gotten a third box for our files. I also hope to get a couple of magazine holders and store Adam's collection in here.

In other news, I've also been working on a couple of yard projects.

I planted some hosta and spread around some new dirt in the new flower bed. Bugs have eaten some of the leaves, but I can never catch any in the act to see what it is so I can use a proper repellant. Hopefully they don't actually do too much damage. I also hope to get some impatiens in the ground before too long.

In trying to bring color to the yard, I went out and bought these two planters from Wal-Mart and finally got some plants to put in them. I've got a day lilly in the turquoise and I think a butterfly bush...I forget what the tag called it, but it looks like a butterfly bush in the yellow.

I still need to spread the leveling sand and set the edger stones around the bed and spread dirt around the irises that decided to bloom (and are now all dying...just the blooms though...Shouldn't be concerned, right?). I'd love to plant a few more flowers and maybe add a wind chime or some other fun things and the back yard will be almost complete!

I've finished a few projects, yet somehow a thousand more have been added to my list. How does that work?

Life and Drawers

I mentioned yesterday that life had been a run-away train. Between the house, husband, dog, work, and church, it's a wonder I actually have time to watch TV :) It's about to get a little crazier, too. I don't remember if I mentioned this or not on the blog, but I'm going back to school. The state of Kentucky requires me to have 15 hours towards a Masters to keep my teaching certificate current. I have until next year to get that done. Tomorrow, I will begin my first summer course (yeah, a summer term that starts in April. Whatever). Luckily, I only have to be on campus the first day and the rest is online. For the second summer session, things will get very interesting as I'm taking 2 classes and I'm not sure how much will be online vs. on campus. BTW, I'm obviously getting a Masters in Education, but I will take a few additional hours to have an endorsement as a Reading/Writing Specialist. I'm happy to have a conversation about why!

Anyway, I told you all that so that I can be even more excited to show off my latest project:

No, I did not built that entire thing. No that is not one solid piece. The top section is actually half of a pair of bookshelves my daddy built me when I was little. We've had them stacked on top of each other in the office and they held canvas bins with my crafty supplies (I looked for a picture, but I totally can't find one with the bins). When we started plotting what we actually wanted to DO with the office, we took a few measurements. Turns out one on its side measured the same as the walls on either side of the windows. Thing was, they're still only a few feet tall and we've got some high ceilings. Plus, we were utilizing the tops to hold picture albums and scrapbooks. Our solution? Huge drawers. I thought I may be able to make up how to build it. After all, it's a big box with one side open with another, slightly smaller box without a top stuck inside. However, I felt the need to browse Ana White's plans just in case.

My box is basically the Braden Entryway Drawer Bench, modified for what I needed. I did use 1x12s for the drawer sides and back, but didn't do essentially steps 3 and 4. In step 2, the bottom part is actually at the bottom. Also note, in step 8, she talks about installing the drawer slides, but doesn't include them in the shopping list. The comments also have a few comments about the drawer slides and I agree that a single under-mount is wobbly. I wonder if a side mount would be better? I'll pick up 2 more slides on my semi-weekly trip to Lowe's and go ahead and install 2 for the second drawer and hopefully get around to installing a second in the first (that makes sense, right?).

The rest of the plan includes moving these books to the sideways bookshelves and selling this bookshelf (or at least possibly moving it to the guest room). This wall will get shelves on the wall for my crafty bins and also a secretary-style desk for me to do homework/crafty projects.

This wall will stay relatively unchanged. The lamp will get moved for another drawer/bookshelf unit. The file cabinet and desk/chair will get sold. The drawer on this side will get inserts for hanging files and will hopefully have room to hold old magazines, notebooks, etc.

This gives a better idea of how tall the unit actually is. Not quite as ginormous as it looked at first! Although the drawer measures 29" across and is 23" front to back (deep? wide?)

Room for all of my scrapbooks!

After the second drawer gets built (the rain lately makes it tough to get spread out and saw), the next big project will be a garage work bench and storage!

10 Things I Don't Hate About You

I was tagged some time ago by one of my besties, Michel, for 10 Things I Love. Life has, of course, continued to be a run-away train, with no end in sight so I'm just now getting around to it. A second straight day of thunderstorms will do that to a gal. Plus, I've re-claimed my garage parking spot for the moment, so I'll be updating soon on what has been occupying that spot ;)

Rules:
1) State who gave you this award in your post
2) State 10 things that you love
3) Give this award to 10 other bloggers, listing them at the end of the post,
and notify them with a lovely comment.

BTW, these are in no particular order!

1. My Husband

A little obvious, but what can I say? I kinda like the guy :)

2. Mister

This dog has the uncanny ability to make my day better. Husband's too. He has been a learning experience and we continue to work through separation anxiety, but he has been great the past few times I've left him in the crate while Adam was home.

3. The family cabin

In the 1940s, my grandfather on my dad's side bought a one-room stone cabin on the shore of Batchawana Bay, off Lake Superior, just north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He used it as a hunting lodge and would go with his buddies. As the only doctor in rural Ohio, this was one of the few places he could go and truly be away from it ALL. It became the family vacation spot and I have enjoyed going up every year since I was born. Within the past 10 years we have added a hot water heater/shower, deck, phone line, and just last year a flush toilet. It's had electricity since about the 70s (I think). There's still no TV and spotty cell phone reception (international calling anyway). There's only internet at the Voyageur Restaurant down the road or in town at the Steamy Bean coffee shop or public library. It's a slice of heaven :) We have made wonderful friends with families along the beach and I look forward to telling my kids all of the stories of trouble my friend and I would get into and the history of the place.

4. Our house

I have loved having our house to decorate and make "ours." Even though I sometimes wish for a larger garage or bigger lot with mature trees, for a starter house, it's pretty awesome!

5. My family

I have told Husband on several occasions how happy I am that both of our families get along. Growing up, Dad's family lived in Ohio/Michigan, Mom's in North Carolina, and we were in Alabama, so neither side interacted. It's been great when both sides get together. Our moms carry on and giggle and plot against us while our grandmothers grandmother us. Dads and Pawpaw take care of projects we don't quite know how to tackle. Our siblings join us in shaking our heads at the craziness of it all. (Not pictured in above picture are my mom and Husband's Pawpaw as they are both the ones taking pictures).

6.My Girls

These ladies are amazing. Each one comes from a different place (literally and figuratively) and I adore each one of them. They are all doing amazing things in life and can't wait to be old ladies together

7. Auburn Football

((image courtesy of Fox Sports)

War Eagle. That's all I need to say.

8. Television

(Image courtesy of Modern Family's Facebook Page)

Rarely is there a time when at least 1 television isn't on in our house. Many times it's just background noise, but come primetime, there are several shows I actually try to watch while hanging out on Facebook. Modern Family, House, Parenthood, Wipeout, 30 Rock, Raising Hope, Glee, I could do a 10 Things Post just on TV shows. I wish I spent more time in the evenings reading or otherwise doing things productive. But I don't.

9. Third Street Stuff and Coffee

(image courtesy of Third Street Stuff)

This is the place that whenever Mama Nancy is in town, Michel and I will meet her here. It's barely a block from Transy's campus. While Transy actually built its own coffee shop in the year before we graduated, this place has oodles more character and charm. What initially drew us here was that all of their coffee drinks feature Fair Trade coffee (Google it). Being socially responsible is just part of it. They have a Happy Hour where drinks are 1/2 price and their drinks are already 1/2 the price of Starbucks. Supporting local business, supporting Fair Trade, both on the cheap? Sign me up! Plus, we get to hang out with Hendrick.

10. My Job

(image courtesy of The Curious Edge)

When people ask what I do, it's always interesting to explain. I do a little of everything. Officially, our office is The Curious Edge and we do several educational enrichment things. Most of my time is spent with The Reading Room. We specialize in diagnosing (not me specifically, but I'm hoping to gain that qualification in the next few years) and tutoring students with dyslexia. We use the Barton Reading and Spelling System, which is based on Orton-Gillingham research (they're the language gurus). My kids are so much fun! I love literally seeing their wheels turn as they finally understand printed text. Knowing that the whole world will be theirs is pretty incredible. I actually use things I've taught/learned from tutoring and I went into Kindergarten reading!

I also help out with Club Scientific. When I was laid off from teaching full time, CS asked if I'd be willing to help out since they do a lot of things in school (such as field trips and mini-camps). While it's not my passion that tutoring is, I still love seeing kids "DO" science. I wish science was fun when I was in school!

I'm supposed to tag people, but I don't really feel like it this time around (sorry Chel :))

Stylish Blogger Award

Y'all! I am so excited! My buddy Oscar, at A Canine Opines, nominated yours truly for a Stylish Blogger!

I've seen this pop up on several blogs I follow and always figured I didn't have the traffic or followers to participate. When I saw it pop up in his latest post, I actually clicked the link to make sure it was me and not someone else! I am honestly humbled (or as Kelly would say, "chawed"). I certainly don't think of myself as "stylish" in anyway, but I'll gladly accept! Thank you, Oscar!

This award comes with some responsibilities and they are:

• Thank the blogger who gave the award. (Check!)
• Share 7 things about yourself/your pets. (This is like 2 Truths and a Lie...which I am terrible at coming up with TWO things about me! I can do it though.)
• Pass the award onto 15 other bloggers. (I don't know if I know 15 bloggers that haven't already received this, but we'll see what I can do!)

7 Things About Me:

1. We (Husband and I) adopted a Jack Russel mix last summer. He has brought even more laughter and joy to our relationship. You can read his blog here: A Tale of a Tail

2. I have a fear of heights and slight fear of water (Clearly, Mister comes by his fear honestly). Consequently, I HATE bridges. Lord help us if there's a back-up on the International Bridge.

3. I have spent at least a couple of days each summer at my family's cabin in Canada. Except one. I don't like to talk about why.

4. I read too much into things and often end up with my feelings hurt for probably no reason.

5. I am a "cradle Disciple" meaning I have belonged to a Disciples of Christ church my whole life. It's about as non-denominational as a denomination can be. I love it.

6. I'm actually pretty introverted. Depending on the context in which you know me, this may be surprising. However, I much prefer observing to participating. Although that may just be because I'm socially awkward (thanks Transy).

7. One of my top three times of day is after I "powder my nose" after waking up. Mister waits at the bathroom door and is so adorable in his sitting. Then he play bows and if I squat down, he rolls onto his back for a belly rub. Like clock-work. Love this dog!

Alright, so now it's time to nominate. Most of the things on my Reader are news feeds (if you count celebrity gossip as news). So I'm just going to list some of my (and a few of Mister's favorite blogs.

Faith120604 (also read her at His Little Pink Sheep)

Babies & Beasts

You Paid More Than Me

It's a Dog's Life

The Clueless Homeowners

Mint Julips and Magnolias

Life in the Fun Lane

Hawthorn and Holly

Life's Garden (this one's a shameless plug. It's my mom's!)

Moonfly Studio

Love Always, Bear

Tiffy's World

Product Review

This may be a first on The Couch. I don't normally do reviews on products. I'm pretty laid back, plus things are just that: things. In the event of emergency, they could be replaced. However, once in a while a product warrants thumbs up or down. Be it because of cost, quality (hopefully both), or life-changing-ness. This is one of those times.

If you follow Mister's blog (if you don't, you should. He's got a great month to observe), you may have read that we recently bought a "Carpet Monster," aka a vacuum (10 points to who figured that out first). Both Husband and I have lived our adult lives on hand-me-down vacuums. Some things as hand-me-downs are great. Some serve a purpose. Some would probably be better off in a dump. Vacuums probably belong in the latter category. Until now though, neither of us cared if the vacuum sucked, literally or figuratively. With the becoming not-so-recent addition of a certain shed machine, though, suddenly we care.

Mister's fur blends in nicely with our carpet, which is why we haven't really been in a hurry to replace our increasingly not sucking (literally) vacuum. We kind of forgot it was there. However, after snuggling or playing in the floor, we were oh so reminded that his fur hasn't disappeared. How that dog isn't bald yet, I'll never know. Although I shed every bit as much as he does.

Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, the vacuum, reviewing it, gotcha. So our vacuum figuratively sucks. We had both heard the praises of the Dyson brand, but couldn't quite stomach $500 for a vacuum. The more I read though, the more I was becoming sold. Tales of people who were amazed at how much Dyson literally sucked. Finally, after Husband realized just how hard it was to clean the brush thing on our old vacuum and once it was clean, still didn't pick up anything, I convinced him to take the plunge. Only problem? The $500 for a vacuum.

Enter tax return. Or Husband's year-end bonus. Either one covered the cost (yay us!). We were planning on finding a 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupon and use credit card rewards to get a gift card to help off-set the cost. Then we saw last Sunday's paper and a 20% off Dyson sale. We have plenty of other things we could get at BBB and needed to hit the mall anyway, so off to Sears. I'm pretty sure we're the only people in the history of Lexington to intentionally go into Sears. Anyway, we ended up with the Dyson DC25 Animal.

In all of my review reading, this one seemed to best suit our needs. The difference between the "Animal"and the standard "all floors" is the inclusion of a mini-turbine to use on upholstery. I believe the turbine is available to purchase separately though, if you want to save a few bucks off the top. I also liked the idea of the ball instead of the regular vacuum build. Our vacuum also has a lifetime HEPA filter, making it great of allergy sufferers (which we think Mister may have).

I got my new baby home and put it together. Assembly was pretty easy, although the directions weren't all that clear. Pictures are great and all, but I like words too. All told, it took about 15 minutes, including my initial "what does this do?" time. Then came the test. I have now vacuumed my entire house.

The ball maneuverability is great. I wouldn't say it "turns with the flip of a wrist" as it's a little heavier that than. I still found myself doing the back and forth motion of regular vacuums, but it was handy being able to just go around the dining table instead of working my way out. Keep in mind it's still a vacuum and is pretty big so there are a few crevices it just won't reach.

This thing SUCKS. Literally. Our house is about 1800 sq. ft. and I had to empty the canister 3 times. Well, technically it would have been 2, but there was a big clump of hair stuck near the top I didn't see. Cleaning the canister was super easy. Pop it out, push a button, and the bottom drops out, taking the dust, dirt, and gunk with it. I will say that I've read you'll never need to come into contact with dust, but unless you have super short, not clumping hair, that's not entirely true. I had to grab and pull just a smidge. Also, if you have severe allergies, be warned that when you empty the canister, there's an inevitable dust cloud.

Dyson also advertised a "quick-draw telescope reach" for corners and around the ceiling. I've found that's not entirely true either. It take more effort than just pull our the hose, but it IS pretty nifty.

All I have to do is rinse out the filter every few months (maybe I'll get on a schedule of rinsing the vacuum filter and replacing the air filter) and let dry throughly. Pretty neat if you ask me. Also, Dysons come with a 5 year warranty, so if anything breaks, they'll replace it. How much have you spent on vacuums (that don't do a great job) in 5 years? Quite possibly the same as a Dyson.

My only issue (and it might just be me) is the mini-turbine head. It's great to have, as it picks up crumbs and what-not from the couch cushions. However, I have yet to find a place to keep it on the vacuum. All the other attachments had a place to pop them on so they're handy. The mini-turbine? Not so much. Has anyone figured out where it goes when not in use?

Overall, for a $500 vacuum, it better work. And it does a GREAT job. It is definitely easier to maneuver with the ball. The hose and cord have a great reach, plus the telescoping thing. I give it two thumbs up. Now if only someone could come up with a roller brush that won't get hair wound all around it.

DISCLAIMER: Dyson has no idea who I am. I used my own money to purchase said vacuum. I have in no way been compensated for my time or opinions. All opinions are mine.

Now I've Done It!

It's amazing what having 4 legs and a cute face will make an "upright" do. Not only does Mister have Twitter (which is the easiest way for you to get updates on him), but now he's blogging, too! Head over to http://mrappgate.blogspot.com to see what he has to say. Maybe he'll be more talkative on his blog than his mom is on hers!

Show Us Your Life-Alma Maters

Two blog posts in the same week? Be still my heart! Today at Kelly's Korner, her weekly "Show us your life" is alma maters. Those of y'all that know me in real life know I'm a die-hard Auburn fan. With that said, you might be surprised to learn I, in fact, never actually attended Auburn (my sister is an alum though, which makes me part of the Auburn family anyway). I grew up in a small town in NW Alabama (like about as far into that corner as you can be). I say small, but it was the largest town in the area. Of course, to a high schooler, it felt smaller. I wanted the heck out of there!

My parents told me early in my high school career that I can attend any school I wanted and they'd make it happen. The catch? It had to be at least 50 miles away. I knew even then what my parents were doing. The college in my hometown is very much a "commuter" school. The students live at home and attend classes each day. And they never leave, never exposing themselves to people and things that are different. They didn't want that for me. Luckily, I didn't want that for me either (although, I did actually enroll to take one summer class at that university. However, my parents had moved to Tennessee, so I think it still fell within their "50 mile" rule).

I considered a handful of small, liberal arts colleges smattered around the southeast. My high school was very small (72 in my graduating class. We were all up in each others business), so I felt I'd be lost going to a huge school like Auburn. I eventually settled on Transylvania University in Lexington, KY. Pretty much everyone at home had the same reaction: "Where? Isn't that with the vampires?"

No, non-Latin speakers! Trans is a prefix meaning "across" or "through." Sylvania, of course meaning "the woods." As Transy was the first college founded west of the Allegheny (or Appalachia) Mountains, it's a fitting name!

Truth be told, picking Transy was more of a process of elimination. All of the other schools I considered has religion or chapel requirements. I had that for all 4 years of high school, plus middle school and elementary. I was done. However, Transy is affiliated with my denomination, Disciples of Christ. So it has religious affiliation without being religious. Check! Small student population? Check! Set smack-dab in the middle of a mid-size city's downtown? Check! Not in Alabama and fulfills the 50 mile rule? Check and check! Sold!

Seen here is Haupt Humanities building. What college doesn't have the iconic clock tower building?

Seen here is Old Morrison, Transy's administrative building. It's also the inspiration for all of Transy's logos. There used to be gorgeous cherry trees lining the drive around, but they were lost in an ice storm my freshman year. They replanted, but are obviously much smaller.

My college experience wouldn't have been complete without these girls. My freshman roommate convinced me to go through Recruitment with her (Transy has 4 national sororities and 4 fraternities). We didn't end up sisters, but I found these ladies (Aren't we beautiful?) This is actually a picture of just the seniors on Bid Day my senior year. We went through a LOT as a pledge class, but they taught me the meaning of love, honor, and truth. Oh, in case you don't read Greek, I'm a Phi Mu.

These ladies and I were pledges together, sorority sisters together, rabble-rousers together, and best friends to this day. I love these ladies and they have continually showed me true sisterhood. We may not see each other often (although only Nancy has that excuse as she's currently in Haiti saving the world), but we always pick up where we left off.

So that's the Transy experience in a nutshell. It was some of the best times of my life as well as some of the worst. I'm thankful to have had the awful times though, because it all led me to where I am today.