So it's not completely done....but I could not wait to post some pictures **excuse the dirty camera lense, someone with golden hair licked it, and it has never been the same**. The color is a bit hard to see, but it is olive green with cream trim and black accents. Both doors will be black, but I think I have to get different paint, or an additive because they are aluminum. The chimney will come next. It is in pretty poor shape, so we have to get a mason out here to fix both of them. So I am sure I will post another picture when it is completely done. Wait, is it possible to be completely done.....I am not sure we would know what to do with ourselves. Oh wait, thats right, next year comes the landscaping. FINALLY!




I thought I would show my next project. My mom gave me this antique dresser, which I am going to use as a sideboard for the dinning room (a.k.a. the new place to lean the chuckit up against). I am thinking I will paint it black and get some cool knobs. What do you think?

And finally, my Grandma gave us bar stools for our birthdays....pretty cool grandma! We love them!

Those Parkert's sure are busy folk

Nick and I have been frantically trying to get our house ready for the winter. We are officially done putting the siding up, whoo hoo! And we started painting last night. I decided not to put up any of the paint yet because I want to show off the final product. But just so you know, Nick and I love the color. So you will have to wait for the surprise. Or you can drive by our house and see what it looks like, I can't stop you from doing that, he he.

We are still trying to decided what to do with the chimney. I think I am going to paint it. It is not in very good shape....

Next summer: Landscaping.....finally =-)

I hate coming up with titles....

So to make a long story short, our camera is not the most reliable and really needs to be replaced. So here are some pictures that I have taken with my phone.

My good friend Katie stopped by for a short visit from Portland on Tuesday and brought her new puppy Kerby. She is just a little dolly and I really wanted to keep her. Gage and Olive really liked her too. Gage was a bit overwhelming for her but Olive was just her size. Here are some pics. She was really fast, so these are just a few pictures that are not blurry.



Gage finally calmed down a little bit and Kerby got used to the idea of a 90+ pound dog, and they did well together, but here is poor Gage longing to be outside playing with us. He is inside looking out the window, whining. We finally gave in and let him have a try at being gentle. He did very well.

I also have to share my new toys with all of you (all two of you who read this). I received two new very cool toys for my birthday. I already mentioned my awesome new phone (from Nick), which I would take a picture of if the camera was not stuck to the back of it. And I got a new vacuum from my mom. My mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told her a new vacuum, and I told her the one I was looking at down at Costco (it was $80). She went down there to buy it and came home with the below model instead.....
A Dyson Animal....I have to say I am in love with it and the attachments are so amazing for my really hairy dog. If only he would let me vacuum him (I tried....it did not go over so well). Anyways, I recommend it for anyone with pets, and who really appreciate great cleaning tools. I am so spoiled, and so blessed!!

Fun Birthday at the lake...

Nick, Gage and I went to lake Cocalala for my birthday. It was wonderful. Not only did we get a break from "the house" but we relaxed and just hung out together (which has not happened without a hammer in our hands for a while). So we read and played and had fun. Nick also got me a new phone for my birthday (a palm/phone). What I did not realize was that even if the palm is on, that does not mean the phone is on. So I had my phone turned off for two days and did not even realize it. I felt selfish, but it was weird that no one called me on my birthday. Then I realized on Saturday that my phone was off. So once I figured out how to turn the phone part on, it told me I had 8 voicemails. So thank you to everyone who called! Sorry I didn't answer, I didn't even know how at the time =-)

Anyways, here are a lot of pictures from our weekend o' fun.

Even though Nick and I had a blast, I think Gage had the most fun of all. He finally figured out how to NOT splash himself while he swam. And lots of rolling, rolling, rolling.
My first attempt at a self portrait
Second attempt, almost got it.
Yeah, the third time is a charm
My boys
Gage had lots of dry land fun too.
I love this picture, especially the tongue
The turtle I caught
The turtle Nick caught.
Thanks for a great birthday!

Is it really already July 6th?

I cannot believe the year is already half over. Especially since Nick and I have so much work to do on the house before it snows!!! Wait....wasn't it just snowing? Anyhoo.....

Here is what we did on our relaxing 4th of July weekend. Not much too say except I have a lot of cuts and bruises, siding looks a lot better when it's level and a skill does not work properly when you cut through the power cord...whoops. But Nick still loves me, and he is proud of me for using the skill saw, the nail gun (which is sooo heavy that my right shoulder is now 10xs stronger) and all the caulking that I did. So enough construction talk, look at my pictures.

This is our house the day we bought it. So this is the "before"


This is after Nick and Brad and Morgan tore off all the original siding. And that is me down at the very end putting up the Tyvek paper.Here is the house all wrapped up ready for trim and siding!!

Just a close up of what it looks like.
Here is after the siding is done on this side. You really feel like you have accomplished something after you see this. Now it is ready for paint!
Here is the a picture to compare to the first one from the day we bought the house. A pretty big difference huh?
And here is my cute husband!

The Craziness of Spring or is it Summer

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous this past week. Spokane is a small portion of the country where there are absolutely no natural disasters. But man has the warm weather brought so many projects!!! I have not stopped moving for two weeks! I wake up at 5am to go running, then I go to work, then I get home, walk the dog, make dinner, water the lawn (yes, manually, no sprinklers yet!) usually do laundry then go to bed. But lately we have had small group, barbeque's, birthday parties, good bye parties, and more taking up our weekends.

Nick and I rented movies from the library and we had them for two weeks, and did not watch a single one. Such a bummer, they were due today. Also, I have been waiting all year for the third season of "So You Think You Can Dance" and I have only seen a half hour of one episode. I believe that it and "Project Runway" are the only good reality shows out there (okay fine, I will admit I occasionally watch an online episode of "The Hills." Don't Judge).

Anyways, I feel like this is an email more than a blog but...I am going to L.A. this weekend to attend my sister-in-laws baby shower but I will be back on Monday, and hopefully things will have calmed down a bit. So enjoy or dodge the weather where ever you are, and I will post more pictures soon. Hopefully of my cute pregnant sister-in-law!

My furry babies

I wanted to share really quick, how cute my dog and cat are. They are best buddies and olive (the cat) follows Gage (the dog) around like a little brother. This was after a long afternoon of chasing each other around in the yard. Olive is 11 pounds now....wow, he sure grows fast. Enjoy!

Jeans Day!!

So today I get to wear jeans to work!! I know for many of you get jeans friday or something similar. We do not. I work at a hospital still run by a Catholic ministry. So I basically come in contact with nuns and priests daily. Sister Rosali was our main speaker in orientation. They take modesty very seriously. "Skin" is not aloud. We even have to wear nylons every day....blah (I do get away with wearing dress socks with slacks rather than nylons). But I must say it is nice not seeing cleavage and yucky feet.

But today is an exception, we are cleaning out our offices and the storage room, so we get to wear jeans! We only get to wear them if we are not going into the main hospital, and if we are we either have to change, or not wear our badge. The funny thing is even though we all talked yesterday about how excited we were to wear jeans, I still hesitated in the morning because I didn't want to be the only one, or have the wrong day. It's funny how rules affect onself and how much I realize I am a rule follower, not a breaker. I still have a nice sweater on, but I brought a fleece vest just in case at any point I don't want to get my sweater dirty...which might be all day ;-). Anyways, I wanted to share my joy today as I walk out of the house in my Gap jeans, and my worn, but loved Danskos. Its just the simple things that I am reminded to appreciate. Jeans and comfy shoes......

Nothin' like a Montana Spring

Nick and I had the pleasure of driving 7hrs Friday after work (3:30pm) to Big Sky, MT for a glorious day of skiing. Spring skiing has never been so wonderful. Even though the wind and the temperature (12 degrees) felt like January, the 4 inches of brand new powder clouded that fact. Nick's sister, Libby, won two nights in a condo in Big Sky. This condo was three times the size of our house, with heated floors. Needless to say, we did anything but rough it. Oh just look at the pictures...I don't feel like typing anymore.

It's hard to complain when this is the view...

So I am impatient....whats the big deal?

I am not sure that being impatient is the same as being impulsive but I definitely show many signs of both. If I think of an idea or project, I have to do it right then, I can't wait until later, or tomorrow. Most of the time if I wait until tomorrow, I already forgot the project anyways.

Many people know this about me, and just shrug it off. One of my biggest things to be impatient about is my hair. Now any normal person would call and make an appointment then wear ponytails or hats until they could get in. But in my case, if I cannot get an appointment the moment I call, I just do it myself. Now, I know you are thinking, there are so many walk in barbers, why don't you go there? Well because I am picky about who cuts my hair. I went to Studio Galactica in Bellingham, and I go see Kelly here in Spokane. But the one problem is Kelly is very busy (probably because she is very good), so it usually takes two weeks to get in. My impulses usually don't give me two weeks. So I color it and cut it in my bathroom. I know I am not a professional, but it's just hair, it grows. Besides who can deny that a $15 cut and color is a great deal. I know our bank account thinks so. So to make a long story short, here is my new cut.....

Sorry for the dear in headlights look, our camera is really slow to take pictures, that is IF it even takes it. So most the pictures I have a funny face, this one just looks SHOCKED! But I cut my bangs shorter, really because my friend Andrea just got hers cut short, and I really liked them , so I cut them short again. It looks like I am opening my eyes really wide, but I think its just the fact that I am surprised our dumb camera actually took a picture!! This one is where my bangs are swept to the side...this cut is so versatile (insert laugh). But really, I think I like it, and if I decide I don't, it will grow or I will just cut it again...

Anyways, I am really just copying a friends blog because she just did one about her hair, and I read it while I was dying mine last night, so I did it too. I love you Andrea!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!! Drink lots of green beer...

Still attempting Green

Click here if you read the previous blog and scroll through all 8 pictures.

Green, Green, expensive Green

The cool thing right now is to go green. Well, I think cool has finally hit the mark. Nick and I have been trying to go green/organic for awhile now (I guess going to school in Bellingham rubbed off on us a bit) but green is EXPENSIVE!! Now, because of this cool "green" trend, prices are dropping. Yeah for OPRAH!!

I used to use the recyclable bags that you could buy at the grocery store (i.e. Safeway or Albertsons), but, to put it nicely, they SUCKED. You could barely hold anything, the straps broke, and they were a pain to wash. So I surfed the net to find another option. I found the most amazing bag, that is inexpensive and wonderful all at once. They are Baggu reusable shopping bags. I recommend them to everyone. They fold up nicely into a small pouch, so I can carry them in my purse, and never forget them. Even though I really wanted to buy pink (fushia), I bought grey (smoke), so that my husband didn't have to carry home a pink shopping bag. Get some, and save a plastic tree every time you go shopping.

I also want to try the products from the BioBag line, such as Kitchen Waste Bags and dog poop and cat box bags. Let me know if anyone has used them before.

Our goal is to try to make the smallest footprint we can, within our budget, so that our children will have room for their garbage in the landfills...he he he

Who ate my tulips???

Nick gave me these once beautiful tulips. When I woke up, this is what I found.



Now I have my suspicions, but so far no one has been charged with the crime because I have yet to see anyone (see below) on the counter that is not aloud....I think I am going to install a kitten cam.