Backyard Happenings

About a month ago, we had a dirt party to do some work in the backyard. And the main result was this project: Nathan's raised beds.

The dirt area around them will eventually be a path with a trellis in the middle. And they are no longer empty. This weekend, we (me) designed and (Nathan) planted them. And because Shelby has been very clingly lately, she sneaks her way into the photos. 

This is the perennial bed, which, assuming all of the flowers live, will be the same every year.

However, we thought it would be fun to redesign them each year, too. So this ended up being the annual bed.

When we picked out flowers, we used the color wheel for inspiration. The bottom tier of both is yellow, orange, whites, and pinks. The middle tier is purples, reds, greens, and pinks. And the top tier has purple fountain grass and other tall plants. When we grouped them, we put complementary colors across from each other. It took a lot of effort, but the result is worth it. I'm already looking forward to summer when the bed get filled in.

The Kitchen

Finally, an update on our kitchen. It is probably the best thing ever, and it made our house feel instantly changed. But I will let the pictures do the talking.

This is entirely new storage. There used to be a large ovehead cabinet where the fridge is, with the bakers rack next to it. The rolling dishwasher hung out in the corner where the fridge is. This is my favorie new part because it's my little "baking area." The cabinet above has all of my baking ingredients.

See how pretty it is? Oh ya, my step stool (to reach the higher shelves) has a nice little space now, too.

The bottom right cabinet has some pots and pans, but we keep the ones we use almost daily hanging up on the wall. Our pot rack is simply a coat hook from Target.

This side of the kitchen was realtively smilar, only the corner cabinet was a weird cabinet that went all the way back, and the bottom cabinet used to be four drawers. I realized we didn't need drawer space, but cabinet space, so we adjusted. And if you can believe it, that is all of the counter space we had originally. 

This is another side that saw a lot of chance. The dishwasher is now built-in and next to the sink. Weird, right? The counter space above it is all new. It is the "prep" area, because all of the cutting boards hang out in the cabinet under the knife block.

Here is a close up of the countertop. It looks a little greener here than it is in real life, but it isn't plain black like we had planned on.

This is my other favorite part. This sink is giant and it is perfect for soaking pans effectively and holding lots of dishes. They thought I was kind of weird when I requested it, but it is perfect for what we want. 

And here is the dishwasher, pretty and built-in. It's still hard for me to get out of the habit of leaving while it's running.

Still to come in the kitchen makeover is the door to the backyard, but that is not as essential now that we have the garage. Which is Shelby's new favorite hang out.

Shelby's Worst Enemy

This weekend, Nathan and I went to a vintage market, and came home with the ultimate treasure. Everyone, meet our new dog, Sheldon, aka Shelby's worst enemy.

Sheldon is a ceramic sheltie who holds money, and Shelby spends most of her time barking at him or ignoring him. He is the quiet guard dog who sits by the front door.

Sheldon is not the only change that's been happening. We've made lots of changes lately that you all haven't been udpated on, so tune in this week for the scoop.

Until then, Sheldon will sit and wait. Patiently.

Unfinished

I will admit it, I watch a lot of TV. I love TV. And the past few weeks have been full of season finales, or in some unfortunate cases, series finales. I know I am probably overreacting, but I need closure! I wish networks would decide earlier on when they are canceling things so they don't end with a cliffhanger. Best Example This Year: The Finder, Fox. Now I will always wonder what happened. Best Example Ever: Reunion, Fox. Still bitter about it. I see the common theme, here, too...

But on the other hand, I have been obsessing with new TV this week, and you can, too, thanks to TV Line.

Friday Fancies

There is something about cupcakes for me--I can see commercials for any other kind of food or drink, but if I see a picture of a cupcake (or watch 2 Broke Girls) I have. to. have. one. Basically, I totally want one of these in my house.

A good site if you are like me and obsessively read everything a good author has written.

In my opinion, this was one of the best articles my friends posted on facebook about Maurice Sendak after his death this week. (Yes, Facebook is the source of most of the articles I read.)

I am totally loving this for our front door instead of a wreath.

Yesterday I tried to make dry dog shampoo for the super smelly dog that showed up (aka, Shelby, but normally she is so obsessed with being clean). It didn't work, but I did mix a little soap with some water and sprayed it on her, whch seemed to help.

Book Review: Mrs. Kennedy & Me

Mrs. Kennedy & Me is the memoir of the Secret Service agent assigned to protect Mrs. Kennedy. Because of his position, we are able to see what Jackie Kennedy's life was like in the White House behind closed doors. I learned a lot about her and her time as first lady in this book, as it rarely discusses JFK. Instead, we get stories of Jackie's travels and her time at home and insight to what it is like to constantly have a Secret Service agent with you--and what it is like to be that agent assigned to protect the most powerful family in the country.

What I found most interesting about this memoir was the perspective Clint Hill had on the assasination and the emotional impact it had on his life and his relationship with Jackie. Thus, it is not a memoir soley about Jackie or Clint, but a memoir of their relationship and how it impacted her life in the White House.

Book Review: Once Upon A Secret

In keeping with our patriotic theme from yesterday, I have two political memoirs to review today and tomorrow about the Kennedys. But these memoirs are by people who were close with the President JFK (in today's case) and the First Lady Jackie Kennedy (tomorrow's book) in ways that were not as documented in the history of their lives.

Once Upon A Secret, by Mimi Alford, is the memoir of JFK's mistress. She was an intern in the White House press office, and news of her affair with the president only came out recently--the book was just published this year.

There are so many things I liked about this book, which is not so much filled with details about their actual affair, but the context surrounding it. For starters, I loved getting a glimpse into life in the White House press office, back before the Internet dominated the news cycle. I also love this time period, and Alford does a fantastic job of setting the scene for you in that time period, providing the social context, as well. For example, she discusses how JFK's womanizing was not more of a story than it was. A lot of it, she said, had to do with the fact that he was a well-loved president, especially by the press, and people didn't want to believe that about him.

But what was most interesting was that she is easy to relate to. The memoir talks about her life afterward, and how she considers her self to be a footnote to a footnote in history. She says that she didn't have any influence over the president, she just knew him and loved him. She also talks about how keeping this secret impacted her life, both for the bad and for the good. I think that this can be applied to anyone's life, in that sometimes these notable moments in life can lead you down a path that has unexpected influence on you.

If you decide to check this book out, I highly recommend the audio book version. As is the case with most of the books I listen to, I end up sitting in my car for a while because I didn't want to stop listening.