Boring Home Decor

When Bob and I first moved here and bought furniture appropriate for our (new! larger!) space, I spent hours, days weeks and months re-arranging the living room. I moved the couch over there and the love seat over here... placed a side table next to this chair and a floor lamp next to that. I shoved the TV cabinet across the room, hoping to avoid the glare from the setting sun, and I made certain the enormous brick fireplace was always the focal point of the room.

Back then, Bob was perpetually frustrated by the changes I made. Eventually we (and the room) settled on a floor plan that worked for everyone. For several years now, the couch goes here, the love seat goes there, and the chair is stuck in that corner. The TV cabinet has been upgraded with a new flat-screen television, but it hasn't moved from that wall; and the CD cabinet, which screams college dorm room, hasn't moved from its spot near the front entry for so long that I now fear if it were moved, the carpet beneath it would be permanently pocked.

I am SO bored with my living room. Every time I walk through it I think it's probably time (after TWELVE years) that we find a way to make the room look more "adult" and less "college student". In truth I would love to move every piece of furniture in that room to the basement so I could start with a clean slate. In reality my husband might divorce me for banishing his television-watching habit to the basement, and we certainly can't afford the new, more formal furniture I want to replace the dorm-room look.

Of course, the minute I allow myself to think about re-decorating the living room, my mind wanders to the most wonderful kitchen of my dreams. And I quickly realize the alas, none of these changes are meant to be, now or in the immediate future.

And then I'm made to wonder... where is my imaginary, independently wealthy boyfriend when I need him? Sigh.

Sweet Dreams!
XO
Jodi

Bruno Update

It's been quite a while since I wrote about my sweet baby boy. He has grown much and worried me more in the past few months. The boy seems to be trying to freak me out! First, in late spring/early summer he changed his eating habits in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Where he had once attacked his twice daily meals, he suddenly began to look 'em over, sniff 'em out and then walk away as if the food in his bowl was in some way foul. This went on for nearly a week before I emailed the vet (who responded that I shouldn't be concerned), and then ultimately took him in for unaffordable X-Rays to make certain he didn't have a blockage. He didn't... of course!

Fast forward to the last couple of weeks in which we noticed Bruno developing spots along his torso where his coat was jumping ship. This didn't seem natural or desirable to us, but life got in the way and we weren't able to get him to the vet to check it out.

Last week Bob dropped the boy at our muchly-trusted groomer (because we had company coming and no time to deal with the grooming otherwise). When I picked Bruno up that afternoon, the office folks at the groomer's reported on what they referred to as "hot spots" (the lost hair Bob and I had already noticed and worried over). They sold me a $10 tub of cream and suggested we apply it twice daily to the spots. The groomer guys and I briefly discussed my fear that the spots could be due to a nutritional imbalance, because Bruno still hasn't regained the robust eating habits of his first months with us.

We never applied the goop from the groomers (preferring to have a DVM's opinion before we did so) but we finally managed to get the dog to the vet this morning. The answers to our numerous questions and worries boiled down to "I dunno".

What we did learn is:
1) Bruno is not infested with mites or other bugs that would cause the loss of hair.
2) The vet isn't the tiniest bit concerned about Bruno's drop in food intake. (And maybe she's right about that... the boy managed to gain 10 lbs. without eating much at all... he's tipping the scales at 118 lbs. today.)
3) We're doing everything right, but maybe some antibiotics will help with the coat problem, which remains undefined.

BTW - the antibiotics are human-type time release capsules, and they are meant to be given twice daily with food, which Bruno does not eat regularly or predictably. It'll be a breeze to administer them, I'm sure. Groan.

None of this makes any sense to me... Bruno is our first Dane, but he's not our first dog. We're not completely canine ignorant! I just don't know what to think about the food intake OR the hair loss. He doesn't seem the least bit unhappy or uncomfortable, but something feels "off" about this whole situation. I wonder if it's maybe time to seek a second veterinary opinion.

I would love to hear opinions from my fellow dog lovers!
XO
Jodi

In Keeping with the Recent "Dream Home" Theme

Now that "My Sister's Dream Home" is complete, I've been struggling with themes about which to blog. I truly enjoyed the (self-imposed) pressure of having a person/entity/public looking for me to publish new stories of The Build each week... but now that it's done, I've realized my real world is quite boring. I'm not sure how Tami feels about the past few weeks, but for me, life after The Build is making me yawn a bit.

As I often do when I find myself bored with the drudgery of undesirable musts, I recently turned to MIBOR for a dose of daydreaming/entertainment. MIBOR is the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors website and it has provided me with hours of joyful daydreaming over the years.

The site allows me to search whole towns in which I dream to live! And if I don't feel like seeing every home for sale in a given area, I can be more precise by dictating the listing price (min. and max.), the number of acres (at least FIVE if I'm dreaming large), and the minimum number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage. I can even eliminate potential homes by indicating that my husband prefers a garage (as do I), or a basement (which we have now but mostly don't utilize).

I also love to peruse UBuildIt, which is awesome on so many levels! It displays artist renderings (and sometimes photos) of homes... but it goes one step further by including actual floor plans, and boy do I love looking at floor plans! Maybe it's my marriage to an architect, or maybe it's just my need for spacial reasoning/symmetry, but I think floor plans are wonderful, beautiful, lovely, and most importantly, adjustable.

Floor plans are to me what methadone is to an opiate addict... the thing they MUST have, while remaining completely aware that having it won't put an end to the need for a "fix". Seriously. That is how much I love floor plans. For the record, this is my current most beloved UBuildIt design. If I could build that house on 5 acres in the middle of nowhere (and still convince my family to come visit for Christmas)... my life might be perfect!

Ultimately I know that my dream of the perfect house, acres of land and horses grazing in the North/South/Back 40 will never be fulfilled. Bob and I moved into our current "starter" home almost 12 years ago, and it's clear to me now that the only way he'll leave here permanently is feet first.

Maybe the life insurance will pay off some day. In the meantime, it can't hurt to dream big dreams!

XO

Jodi

My Sister's Dream Home - Dedication Day!

First, please allow me to apologize for my tardiness in getting this post put together. My camera's memory card decided to hold fast to its memories by not allowing me to download them no matter how hard I tried. I hope that the delay in my reporting won't curb your excitement over the days events, or your enthusiasm for all things Habitat for Humanity.

If you have been reading the "My Sister's Dream Home" series all along, you already know that my youngest sister and her three boys were qualified as a Habitat for Humanity partner family more than two years ago. On June 26, 2010, their home was open to the public in a dedication ceremony, and they were presented the keys to their very own home! What follows is my recap of that day's events (with photos furnished by my sister, Jean and my mother, Sandie -- Thanks, ladies!).

The family, friends and neighbors who gathered to enjoy the day's festivities were greeted by a slightly new version of the sponsorship sign that was on site before the official build had even begun.

The crowd was large and full of anticipation.

As we waited for Tami and the boys to arrive, we were asked to move back, back, and back again. "What is this about? Why do they keep moving us?" Many wondered.

We learned pretty quickly what all the fuss and moving was about. What is this we see?

"O-oh the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street, Oh please let it be for me!"

"O-oh, The Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street, I wish I wish I knew what it could be!"

As it turns out the wagon delivered Theodore, Arthur, Tami and Jaylen to their new homestead!

That's right... The Wells Fargo Wagon traveled all the way from Texas to Indiana (thanks to the wonderful folks at the Wells Fargo Mortgage office in Greenwood for making this happen) in order to escort Tami and the boys to their home. Talk about excitement! The authentic replica stagecoach even hung around for a couple of hours and gave rides to guests and neighbors.

Once the family was safely transported by stagecoach to their new home, the ceremonies began with words and dedication gifts from Rhett Cecil (Exec. Dir. HFH JC), and Mike Gorman (construction supervisor).

Tami received a family bible, a framed key to her home and a fancy-schmancy tool box filled with all the essentials. She was also welcomed to her new home by none other than Charles Henderson, the Mayor of Greenwood! (Pictured below greeting Tami with a hug and dressed in his casual attire, having come to the site immediately after the city's annual summer festival parade)

After the presentation of gifts, Msgr. Mark Svarczkopf from Tami's church (Our Lady of the Greenwood) prayed over and blessed the home and family with holy water.

And finally Tami was given an opportunity to thank the volunteers, neighbors, friends and family who helped to make her dream home a reality.

I'd like to tell you that I only cried when Tami spoke her heartfelt thanks, but the truth is I was in tears when the stagecoach rolled up. It was a beautiful, emotional, lovely, wonderful, delightful and hot day. I don't have the words to express how grateful I am for every single person who made this dream possible for my sister and nephews.

To the family who graciously donated the lot, to those who volunteered their time to build this home, and to every single person behind the scenes who provided support, encouragement, food, prayers and love. THANK YOU! It is because of your kindness, dedication, hard work and prayers that my sister's dream home is a reality today!

XO

Jodi