Dirty Dog

Cali keeps us busy. From digging holes and getting dirty paws to shedding like crazy, we are in a constant battle to keep the house reasonably clean.

This is what I pulled out from under her toes!

And this was after we had already bathed her and got at least this much hair off. 

Home Improvements Part 2

My Mom and Dad came out in the beginning of June and helped us replace the ugly trim we had on our main level.  Not only was the trim a dark wood but it was super "dated" with groved trim and at each corner a square medallion.  So not our style!  We replaced it with boring standard white trim (more our style).  We still have to pain all of the windows and window trim as well as the closet doors but it is a huge improvement.

Before

After

 And then we needed to paint the front door, garage door and side door because you could really tell they weren't white.
After After

Home improvements Part 1

We have slowly been making some home improvements. 

First up, ugly fan/light transformed to less hideous (not perfect but an improvement). 

Before

 After

June in Illinois

So far June in Naperville is way nicer than June in Chapel Hill.  There is less humidity and it's not nearly as hot. But I guess we have to put up with feet of snow in the winter and below zero temps. We have some beautiful peonies in the backyard and it is so nice to have some shady spots for Cali to chill in (even if one is at the expense of the lilac bush). Still loving life in our new home. 

Outdoor upgrades

We have been upgrading our outdoor space this spring (you saw the patio furniture in the last post). This weekend we put together and used the fire pit (shown here with Cali).  We also purchased solar panel walkway lights from Costco.  They are really nice lights (heavy duty) which make a sun light pattern on the ground-what a nice surprise!

Outdoor dining!

Our first 80+ degree day of 2014 coincided perfectly with the arrival and assembly of our patio set. Notice we have bar height. This was our attempt at making it harder for Cali to put her disgusting tennis ball in our laps while eating. Can't wait for summer!

Halfway done

Spring term has 5 weeks left! I'm almost finished my first year as an assistant professor. So looking forward to summer and research.