Spring Sights

Fresh cut grass and a view of the alpaca pen:Shrubs blossoming:

Who Needs a Toilet Anyways?

This weekend, we removed the toilet from the master bathroom, and finally pulled up the rest of the ceramic tile:This is in preparation of putting in the new floor. We're at a point now where we can start to put things back together - woo! We found a tile we liked at Home Depot - it's sitting in front of the tub as inspiration. The color ties in well with one of the colors in the shower tiles. This will look nice!

We also spent some time doing round 2 of mudding on the ceiling, and touching up a few areas on the walls. This should be the end of all the drywall-related activity.

We tried to order the double-sink yesterday, but the guy at Home Depot has some problems getting the order placed, so I have to try again tomorrow. We also picked out the vanity base we want, and will bring it home when the sink comes in.

Next weekend, we really should pick out wall colors. The revised completion date is end of May. Dammit.

Right Max?

Max Gets A Treat!

Since Max was a particularly good boy today, he got a special treat- peanut butter in his red kong!
I think he enjoyed it, despite the sticky challenges.

I've been sick as a dog since Sunday night. It hit like a ton of bricks...the stomach flu. OMG is it NASTY.

I am hoping it finishes running it's course by tomorrow. Till then, lots of bedrest. Max, Spike and Kitty all took turns napping with me to make sure I was not lonely :)

Miss Kitty: I did NOT eat your dessert....
Um....what was the question again?

This weekend, we finished sanding the walls and got the primer on - yay!
Now we need to pick colors and we can get things painted! At least now it looks like a wall.

After that, I spent some time sanding the mud on the ceiling. To say this is messy is an understatement:

More exciting news on the alpaca front! Farmer Jon expanded the alpaca pen today, and now the alpacas can come right to our fence:
He did this to give them more grassy areas, as they have eaten everything in their old pen area. Mrs. Farmer Jon said she would bring me some grain so I can hand-feed them! OMG!

Pet Pics

I have see-krits....

You can rub my belly, but don't touch my green ball!

Keep that white fluffy thing away from me.

Me! And a bear!
We stopped at the Coca Cola shop in Las Vegas, and I decided we needed pictures of us with the Bear. You would think in Las Vegas, I'd get pictures of us at the slots, or with an Elvis impersonator (that doesn't demand a tip)....nope. I like the Bear!

This is from the lobby of the Bellagio:

We did the lunch buffet here on Tuesday. It was pretty good. We tried things we've never had before - like duck, lamb, a variety of fish, and a slew of really yummy desserts. I will say, the days of cheap lunch buffets in Vegas are long gone....this one was $19.95 a person. But if you want a lot of variety, this is a good choice.

Someone Got A Haircut!

We noticed something a little different this morning when we looked out the window:
Our little alpacas were sheared! They must have done it while we were in Las Vegas! OMG look at how thin their necks are!
They look funnier than usual. Haha. I feel bad, though, as the weather this week is super-cold for April, so my poor little friends must be a little chilly!

I want to take them blankets. Or bring them inside!

We came across an Alpaca store in Las Vegas - pillows, blankets, sweaters, slippers. Their fur is so soft, and reportedly very warm. Maybe the owners are making us a blanket with the wool!

Back from Las Vegas!

Well, we came home today! Boo! Haha. We had a great time in Las Vegas - how oculd you not? Some of my favorite pictures are below.

It's not every day you see a giant motorcycle sticking out of a building (the Harley DAvidson Shop, of course!):

The weather was beautiful for the most part - sunny and mid-80s, so we spent quite a bit of our time outdoors walking around. Lots of pretty sights:
In all the times we've been to Las Vegas (ok, all 2, including this one), we had never seen an Elvis impersonator. Till this time!And as soon as he saw me taking pictures, he put up his hand to cover his face and said "Pictures for tips only!":
Yeah, whatever. Try and enforce that on a public sidewalk with thousands of people....and he didn't even look all that much like Elvis.

So I found my own free show elsewhere:
There is a ton of construction going on - too much. Seems like all the hotels are building and covering up the views of and from each other. The skyline is full of cranes, scaffolding and building shells.

This is the rubble pile from the old Stardust hotel that was imploded a few weeks ago:
And not far away, this was going up: The first of the 2 new Trump towers:I think we hit just about all the major hotels. The new Wynn hotel was by far the most elegant in my opinion. We didn't venture from the nickel-slots for gambling, which kept are losses quite low.

We took in the Blue Man Group show on Wednesday night. Good, but different. The audience reminded me of the cult-like audiences that follow the Rocky Horror Picture Show for some reason. If you have ever seen the show, fill me in on all the toilet paper. I didn't really get it. And I am not a big fan of audience participation - it's my greatest fear that they will grab me!

We flew jetBlue, and I'm pleased to report it wa a wonderful experience. Loved the individual TV monitor, the leather seats, and the extra leg room. No delays, right on time taking off and landing. I think we would definitely fly them again.

Construction Updates

Believe it or not, we are making progress on the Master Bedroom project. Slow as it is....

We completed round 2 of sanding, and in some places, did round 3 of mudding this weekend. Things are coming together!
A big pain in the ass was merging the walls between where the closets were. They did not line up very well when the walls were taken down! So after way too much tedious sanding and mudding, we are finally at a point where they should look faily seamless after the final sanding and priming:
The plan is to give the final sanding when we get back on Friday, get some more primer on Saturday, and prime the entire bedroom & bathroom walls this coming weekend! Major accomplishment!

Then pick out paint, and hopefully paint the rooms week after next.

After that, the big items are the tile floor in the bathroom, the vanity & sink, and then new carpeting.

I expect we'll be done sometime in May. If not, I give up... =:o

HAPPY EASTER!

These are the results from our 2007 Egg Coloring Fest.
They turned out pretty well.

Now, we start packing for our trip to Vegas tomorrow! Woo!

Spring is in the air!

The trees across the street have really started to blossom. Too bad it's supposed to be 28 tonight!!!

We leave for Las Vegas in 3 days - yay! It's in the mid-80's there right now - perfect!

When we were in southern Minnesota visiting Joe's parents a few weeks ago, I snapped this picture of a puppy dog hanging out the window while we waited for a train to pass:

Cuteness

I just want to go hug it!!
I love these guys. They must be getting near shearing time, they are quite fluffy.

And today marked the official start of the 2007 Mowing Season:
Thanks Joe! Of course, this caused the neighbor across the street to also mow his yard. You see how this goes....

And, finally, because we don't have enough projects going on, I started tackling this mini-project:
I actually started it over Christmas, with cutting the tiles while I had a tile cutter for the kitchen tiles. They've been sitting downstairs ever since.

This project ends a major annoyance since we moved in. This door leads to the garage, and the carpet & padding were too thick, so the door would only open about half-way before getting stuck. Would drive me crazy....

So, we got rid of the carpeting & padding, put down a thinner backerboard, and the tiles will allow the door to open without getting stuck.

Problem solved.....

Spring Cleaning

When we moved in last July, one thing we both noticed was how dirty and disgusting the concrete walkway and patio were on the back of the house. With everything else we had going on, this was a low priority.

But this Spring, it was at the top of the list:Talk about disgusting! I don't think this has been cleaned for many years. Joe's been using the pressure washer, and while it takes FOREVER to do, it makes a huge difference.

For a little fun, we also decided to color some eggs for Easter. This is the Easter Work-Station 2007:We chose this weekend, because next weekend we will be getting ready for our trip to Las Vegas!

IN OTHER NEWS: I got stung by a %$@*&^+ wasp (or hornet - who knows the difference?) today! In the palm of my hand! The little bastard.....was on my pant leg, and when I bent down to look at something else, and put my hand on my knee, the SOB stung me! I hate wasps (and hornets!). This will be a long summer....