BUSY BUSY BUSY

Ms. Jane has come and sadly gone. We had a wonderful, very productive visit. As you can see, Bruno adores his Nana! Boy did she spoil him! And boy did he let her! Jane and I spent a day out shopping over in Boise and Nampa, looking for envelopes for the wedding invites and a dress for the glamorous Miss. Maria, my junior maid of honor and assorted wedding stuff.



I was a little nervous that Ms Jane would be one of those shoppers I hate, you know the ones...oooh look at this....oh look at that...oh let's go look at that. Nope she's like me. Go in scan the store, go to what you want, grab the right size, pay for it and get out! I was so relieved! 



Nick's sun flowers have grown about a foot since this photo was taken! We think Ms. Jane brought some of that magic Tennessee pixie dust fertilizer with her. Everything has really gone a little nuts since she's been here.My rose bush must have 300 buds on it right now! I can't wait to see what they look like!



The week Ms. Jane was here was sort of like a long slumber party, I don't think we went to bed before 2 am. So we slept in a little, here's Ms. Jane with Bru. He really enjoyed having her here and sharing the bed with just one person instead of two.

When she left, he spent the whole day waiting by the front door for her to come back. We all had such a great time and we all miss her.

Time for dinner! Oh, Nick's job at the theater...going o.k. He's working a lot of long days but not alot of days, which is sort of nice since there is so much to get done around here for the weeding. We'll now it really is time for dinner!

Have a wonderful evening!
xo

BRUNO-GUEST BLOGGER

My name is Bruno-sometimes they call me Brubles or Bruby Doo, but my name is Bruno. I live with Nick and Tig in the coolest house in the world! I know my mom writes about me alot but she doesn't really know what I'm thinking all the time, so, I stole her camera and I'm hijacking her blog!

The first thing I see in the morning.

Today I want to tell you about my world. There is so much going on around here, Dads trying to make Brunotopia look really good for our wedding. Yes, it's my wedding too! I'm going to officially be a Reeves!

Opps that's my paw!

Mom has a bad case of O.C.W.D. and spends alot of time trying to find things for our wedding. I can't wait till it's over. Well, till the reception anyways, the food is going to be yummmmmmy! I know it's all going to be nice and fun. I think she got everything figured out as of today.

Dad



Mom

My life is really good, I get really great food, I have tons of people who love me! People tell me all the time I'm a handsome boy and I'm a good boy, people I don't even know!

Froggy my friend



My toys, I have lots of them!

I'm a real good soccer player! My dad played soccer a bunch, even in England, he's pretty good but not like me! I beat him all the time like 30-0.

My favorite place to nap.

I'm just the luckiest dog in the world, when I think about when I met my mom, at the Humane Society, that was the best day of my life. 

My other favorite nap spot.

In one week my NaNa will be at my house. I have her whole trip planned out, Cuddle cuddle cuddle!!! She is a really special lady. When she came to see me the first time she slept in Mom and Dad's bed all by herself, I thought she might feel lonely in there alone so I jumped up there and snuggled her. She snuggles real good, we've been in love ever since!

The best treat ever!



Mom is going to bake these for breakfast when NaNa gets here. Uh oh Mom's coming! Gotta go. This was sort of fun!
Bye-
Bruno

A LITTLE EASTER MORNING PORN

I have come to expect some things to be a certain way. Like Easter for example, it should be a day of peace, relaxation and joy. A day of contemplation, a day for family. A day for...



homemade, all the way from scratch, with love in your heart and a song in your soul, cinnamon rolls! I have really been craving a good cinnamon roll, hot out of the oven, but getting up three hours before breakfast, on a holiday? Not happening!! The answer Overnight cinnamon rolls! I'm so happy I found this one! A little crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside, just right, and the smell. On an Easter morning, the smell of bread, sugar and cinnamon. What could be better?

A man who does the dishes! Man am I lucky! He doesn't even mind the pink curtains! Since we've moved things have changed, Nick is still stressed, but not like he was in Portland, he's not nearly as angry. I'm not as stressed either. We get to spend more time together doing "normal" couple things, like the dishes or puttering in the yard. We talk more, about the future, the past, mistakes and blessings.

We laugh more. We decided to spend our lives together because we enjoy each others company, in Portland we didn't really have much time to enjoy, we were both so exhausted from just trying to get by. Here, well, I can only speak for myself but I've fallen in love with this big silly goof ball all over again. Nick and I don't really argue, we don't always agree but, life is too short to worry about little stuff like the toilet seat or the cap on the toothpaste or dirty clothes on the bathroom floor or clutter on the table. Maybe it's because we have both been in "bad" relationships or maybe, because we found each other later in life, I'm not sure, I do know that, all my life I have wanted a relationship like my Mom and Dad's and now that I've found it I'm going to hold on to it, and appreciate it.

It's a beautiful day in Ontario and I think I might just go plant some seeds. Maybe I'll just go sit in the yard with Bru and enjoy another cinnamon roll, oh and work on wedding plans.

Happy Easter-
xo

THERE'S NO FOOL LIKE AN APRIL FOOL

Last night I was thinking about my Mother in Love's visit in May...maybe I was distracted...maybe I just wasn't paying attention...but I stepped on a goat head! OUCH!!! That made me start thinking about making her a list of things she wants to make sure she has when she comes, then I started thinking that a lot of people will be coming for the wedding as well and they deserve to be warned.

Ontario is a nice place but there are a few inhospitable things...like the goat heads and you really do need to be prepared. So for those of you coming to Ontario Oregon here is a packing list for you.





• Shoes and slippers with a good sole, if you can walk on hot coals or ground glass with them all the better.
• Eye protection, the wind gets going here and wow, look out, the dust blows and and the gravel flies!
• MOISTURIZER!
• Shorts. long pants, tee shirts, sweaters, a light jacket, and a heavy jacket, all will usually be worn in one day.
• Camera and batteries! This place is gorgeous!
• Any gourmet items that make life worth living. Tea, coffee, chocolate, tea, the selection here is very limited.
• Did I mention Kevlar shoes and slippers?

Have I shown you the planter Nick built in Brunotopia? He used some of the pavers we found back there when we moved in. He has planted sunflowers in there for this year. I think it will be quite pretty for the wedding. I can't wait to get a picture of my niece and nephew, Maria and Mark standing there with sunflowers in the background!

Bruno would like to add that showing up to Brunotopia without a Bruno treat would be in very bad taste indeed.

Well, that's about all I can think of, other than how exactly to get Nick for April Fools. Any ideas? Did anyone get you really good?

Happy Sunday!

xo

One more week left to enter the giveaway!

HAPPY DAYS!

Happy Saturday! Wow, Saturday's are different here, busy, but at a slower pace. Like everything here, people are just not in as big a hurry. It's sort of hard to adjust to but it's nice. People take time for family and friends on the weekends. Of course I work weekends, have forever, wouldn't know what to do if I didn't, but part of the beauty of moving here is that, I have more time to spend with Nick and Bruno!



This is the first really warm weekend we've had, and Nick has the gardening bug bad, yes you can't get a shovel out of his hands for long. Brunotopia is a real mud pit when it's wet and a dust bowl when it's dry. We want to get some grass seed down before Ms. Jane gets here so that she and Bruno can sit on a nice cool lawn, but, it's still getting cold at night. I don't know.

Maybe soon. Nick has struck an uneasy truce with the neighborhood hooligans by promising them pumpkins at Halloween and he's started them. Wow, our friend Anton, aka, punkin head won't need to worry about pumpkins for a while!

He's even gotten quite creative when it comes to containers to start his seeds in, his basil for instance is in P.B.R. cans! Bet your not surprised Johnny V! That's my Nicky!!

I think Ga'mom and Ga'pop would be proud of his resourcefulness!

Well, Happy Saturday! Hope your all well and happy and check here on Monday afternoon for a big announcement. No, Ms. Jane I will not let you in on it before I announce it here Monday! Sorry!

Have a great weekend!
xoxo

HAS SPRING SPRUNG?

This beautiful sunrise is what I started my day with yesterday.

This is today! Happy spring!

Bruno loves the snow, chasing snow flakes is one of his best tricks.

He thinks it tastes pretty good too.

They're awfully hard to catch on your tongue.



 Well, HAPPY SPRING! and WARM WISHES.
time to get ready for work and a mile walk in the snow (don't tell Nick, but I'm looking forward to it) it's supposed to stop by noon.

Have a beautiful day-
xo

HURRAY FOR GRUMPDOLF THE SALT AND PEPPER

Thanks to a lot of blood, sweat, tears and good old fashioned elbow grease, we have indoor plumbing once again!



Those are two pieces of pipe that had to be replaced. I am so proud of Nick, I know that this was a physical challenge, not to mention a test of patients, I honestly thought he was headed for a nervous break down at several points.

He had everything ready to be turned on by noon today. wouldn't it figure that the one part he really wanted to replace, and didn't, was the only thing that leaked! He got that old fitting removed, we had everything turned back on and now (cue angles singing) WATER! In the pipes where it belongs!


 Bruno seems pretty happy now that we can start filling in the giant hole and send the Orks back to middle earth!

I found this ominous sign in the dirt right before the water was turned on. I just knew then that everything was going to be allright and that Nick and I are meant to be here, loving and caring for each other and this beautiful old house. I will never again take for granted the joy of a flushing a tiolet!

I'm going to go help fill in the hole now. Hopefully I won't be sharing anymore plumbing pictures.

It really is a beautiful day!

SENTANCES YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D SAY

Bruno the lap dog...he's alway so proud of himself when he does that! Luckily I had the camera right here! Well, the "army of one" sleighed the last piece of fence yesterday, as well as about 200 poorly laid pavers. He also finally comleted his compost bin and his worm box! That's where the whole sentances you never thought you'd say thing comes in.

So, while he was pulling out the bricks, Nick found 3 worms, let's call the Larry, Moe and Curly. He then informs me that he's going to put the worm box in the basement...I then inocently ask "What's going to keep them in their box and not crawling all over the laundry?" sentance one I never thought I'd say. Sentance two went something like this...we're having dinner and I realize while makeing said dinner I put garlic skins in the compost bucket under the sink, and I actually heard myself say "Do worms like garlic?" WHAT!! Well, I guess I'm getting the country life I wanted.

The supreme ruler of  BRUNOTOPIA. All hail the king. I think he's been secretly working out the landscape plans, Poor Nick, I'm not sure he knows what he's in for.

I think today I'll tackle these boxes in the library. After I post my blog everyday I look at all sorts of others, for inspiration and I get so jealous! All of these women have beautiful homes, so nicely decorated and so well put together. I can't wait until mine is like that, the day I can post a picture of a room all the way finished, furnished and put together! Well, sitting here won't make that happen, now will it?

Have a beautiful day!

(oh, and if you want some inspiration for your own cozy cottage check out my blog list over there on the right!)

SUNNY DAYS AND COUNTRY DATES

AHHH...A nice sunny spot for the Bru! He loves hanging out in Brunotopia. Nick has been so busy trying to expand the boarders of Bruno's kingdom, and the army of one has succeeded!!

O.K. we know the place needs to be painted...and yes we have a plan...even if we don't get to the painting won't it be cute with window boxes across the front? Maybe one of my Mom's favorite flowers...nasty urchins...or as most of us call them nasturtiums.

The garage is my favorite building on the property. So rustic and charming, and it isn't ready to fall down like so many old out buildings you see! I am so blessed to have this place, and my two guys! I've only known two men besides Nick who are as hard working...my Daddy and my Ga'pop... Guess I have to add Nick's dad Lee to that list...we have a plumbing project to take care of today and I know Nick wishes his dad was here to help. Boy do we have a long list of projects for Lee when he gets here!!!!

I want to finish my spice rack project as well as my favorite clock. Hopefully we can go get at least one dresser so we can at least get our clothes put away--Nick was just putting things away in the fridge thinking how much he was hurting when he nailed his head on the fridge door! His comment? "Now I really hurt from the tips of my toes to the top of my head!". -We had a country date last night, we went to the auction preview, that was a bust, then we went to dinner which was not a bust! WINGERS, good food, good service, really a nice time, and with out the Bru! After dinner Nick really had something special for me...KMART! He really knows how to show a girl a good time!!

Well, I'm feeling guilty just sitting here doing this...guess I should put one last coat on the spice rack so I can get it hung up...then maybe organize the laundry! Have a great day!!!

WE'RE NOT HOMLESS ANYMORE!

Our super sweet little farm house, minus the farm, and yes, that's a "damned" locust tree in the front! I'm not sure what I want more...furniture, or that tree gone! We want to replace it with a curly willow and we want our family and friends that come out for the wedding to help us plant it. What a great symbol of our life together!
                                        

If you've never bought a home let me just tell you, it's not all happy wet puppy kisses! It's a lot of phone calls, pieces of paper, trips to the bank, stress and headaches. This whole process of moving from Portland has actually given me shingles and that's no fun! It seems like every time we turn around someone has their hand out and wants more money that we were expecting to pay. Oh well, it's only money, and this is the home that we will build our best memories in. Our wedding reception in the yard, Thanksgiving, Christmas. For the first time in a long time I have a fireplace to hang stockings on, and places for at least 4 Christmas trees!!!! My G'mom(Mom's Mom) is sitting on her cloud in heaven jealous! Day off breakfasts and special dinners! I can't wait to be a real farm house wife! 

This is BRUNOTOPIA, a place where leashes and harnies are forbidden and kitty cats are like the guys in the black hats in the old western movies,and will be run right out of town before sundown! I think he's been watching way to much Daniel Boone on t.v. lately! It makes me a little nervous. Of course when he's not busy playing sheriff Matt Dillon to Nick's Festus, he'll be being Sgt. Schults! Big dog, big security! He's also convinced that the Quonset should be his dog house!

The outside of the house needs a lot of t.l.c. but the inside really only needs some cleaning and tons of furniture. So far I have named the yard and the Quonset will be called the Swamp, the house is nameless and that just won't do. If you have any suggestions please let me know, I just can't think of anything yet.

Well, if all goes well we'll be in there on Friday! No more motel! No more microwave food! No more stepping on each other!