When A Guy's Away the German Shepherd Will Play

Alicia our German Shepherd breeder was nice enough to watch Diesel while Stephan came home this weekend for Thanksgiving. And this is what happened:

And now Diesel is a YouTube sensation...I'm sure his daddy is SO PROUD!

We Are Homeowners!!!!!

We are officially homeowners on the Navarre house!!! My Facebook status said "Stephan and I are homeowners and official grownups!!!" My brother Matt replied "There's no paperwork on the grown-up part." Haha. Can't wait to decorate and become a Domestic Goddess

First New Home Purchase...And I'm Itching For More!

I made my first purchase for the decor of the new house!!! It is a new bedding set. I figured instead of getting a new one for the guest room, we should get the new one and transfer our old one to the guest room. Did that even make sense???

I've decided on a shades of gray, with whites and creams for the bedroom. A whole room without black is a big change for me! So excited and I will reveal the bedroom inspirations later. But the set went on sale last week so I had to JUMP on it...and I had a gift card from my brother, Nate, so what's to stop me???

It's from the Fieldcrest Luxury Collection at Target and is way fabulous with a 500 thread count, baby!

I didn't get the lame decorative pillow they show here, though...

The only problem, is that the light gray sheets (which totally MAKE the bedding POP) were sold out online and in stores :( NOOOOOO! They added contrast and depth to the bedding. Ebay saved the day, though! I was hesitant to buy sheets from Ebay (can you say hygiene issues???) But they were new, in package and from a VERY reputable seller. And at only $25 I could afford to take the chance. They came in mint condition, luckily

Can't wait to get this on the new fabric bed I have my eyes on (later posts to come).

And NO German Shepherd ALLOWED!!!

And Diesel Makes Four

Stephan picked up the new fourth member of our little family today! I'm so sad I couldn't be with him, though. Stephan is already out of control...

We have always talked about a furry friend for Bentley, our Yorkie but knew it was only do-able once we had a house...with a backyard. Now that we are getting the house, it was on the table to actually move forward with getting the second dog. Stephan's only stipulation was that it had to be a "man dog." Something he wasn't embarrassed to walk. (I had to get Bentley a camouflage collar just so Stephan could be seen with him). His dream dog was a German Shepherd. German Shepherds are also another military man's "accessory." Much like guns, tattoos, and apparently super ridiculously huge flat screen tv's (if you've been to more than a few soldier's house/room, you know what I'm talking about).

I, on the other hand have always been of the small dog persuasion. My logic was always Big Dog = Big Poop, Little Dog = Little Poop. I was also afraid of being overpowered being kind of a small person, and of the H-A-I-R. I literally lay in bed at night thinking about the dog hair, the daily vacuuming, the brushing, and the fact that is will probably keep my mom from ever visiting me.( All negatives).

I went back and forth, thinking about surprising Stephan with a pup for Christmas but was stunned by the price. But I eventually succumbed to the "I just got back from Iraq" guilt Stephan put on me. It's hard to deny a guy who just came back from his second tour in Iraq and who is such a wonderful, generous husband.

Stephan stumbled upon Kerstone Shepherds, not far from Manhattan, KS where he's stationed. They are SUPER legit and really know what they are doing (which is important with this breed). Stephan went to "visit" and left with a deposit down. He's been a goner ever since.

He visited the pup, almost weekly and we went ahead and named him so he could begin to get accustomed to it. We were torn between Riley (after Ft. Riley, our first base together) or Diesel (as in the cologne, not as in Vin). We chose Diesel by default because the father of the pups ended up being named Riley and we didn't want to be copycats. It made me happy to see how happy it made Stephan.

I'm happy too (I'm one of those girls who has puppy fever all the time and wants to save every dog), but also very nervous. I'm also sad to miss bonding time for him with me and Bentley. We will see...

Baby Diesel looking like a bear cub...how could I resist???

Growing, growing

Stephan in love:) He's literally the perfect looking German.

Diesel and his brother!

Coming home for the first time:) Yes, he's asleep in my husbands lap in the car.

Home for the first time! Festive red collar.

My wonderful husband who insisted on a "man dog" stopped by PetCo after picking Diesel up and left with professional pics of the dog. Did I mention they are Christmas themed??? And did I mention he dropped $60??? Yeah...

Excuse the ghetto screen shot...literally the perfect German!

Yeah, he's in a Christmas present...

Yeah, he has a Santa hat on...this looks like its from a dog calendar or something...Out of control!

MY only stipulations were that he would not be allowed on the furniture or bed (I just bought nice bedding) and he had to be brushed daily and we had to vacuum and mop daily. Period. Guess who will end up doing these things, though???

Times Are A Changin'

Next week is a big week for us. Stephan is picking baby Diesel up and is as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. He is being such a man-boy, but it makes me happy to see him this excited. We are also closing on our house next week! I just wish we could experience both things together:( I'll miss the first bonding experiences with Diesel, and neither of us will be in Ft. Walton to pick up our keys :( It all will come together soon enough. I just need to get through the dreaded holiday season (working in retail ruins the holidays, you basically countdown 'til it's all over).

More details and posts soon to come.

ManLand Of The Lost

There seems to be a growing trend in home decor for something called a "ManLand." It's basically a man-friendly hang out area with no female decor influence whatsoever. It's basically the adult equivalent to The Little Rascal's "He-Man's Woman Haters Club." There is even an entire HGTV show called, surprisingly, Manland

Stephan has been lusting for one ever since my uncle turned his basement into a "manland." He has leather recliner sofas, surround sound, and a projector and screen the size of the wall to watch movies/play games.

Since we are closing on our first home soon, the question of the ambiguous third bedroom has come up. The one day B-A-B-Y room (I spell it so Stephan won't hear the word all the way from Kansas, kind of like you spell W-A-L-K in front of the dog so they don't have a meltdown). We are not having a baby soon enough to do nothing to the room, but also not having a baby so far away that we should do too much for the room.

Let me write it in conversation form (because I find it the most entertaining)

Me: So what should we do with the 3rd bedroom??

Stephan: I already know, a manland.

Me: Manland???

Stephan: Yeah, with a huge flat screen, all my movies and games, a bean bag chair, and an inflatable couch.

Me: Ummm.... First of all, what are you, twelve with your bean bag chair? And inflatable couch?!? Why are you always so determined to make us white trash?!? Next your going to say a neon beer sign and stripper pole.

Stephan: Stripper pole...good idea (just to annoy me, of course).

Me: Well, why do you get the room? Why can't I make it a glamorous dressing/closet room?

Stephan: Well, you get the rest of the house, so can't I get a room to myself? I'll build a shed if I have to.

Me: So you would rather hang out in a shed like a serial killer than watch tv in a nicely decorated house with me???

Stephan: Well...

Me: What if we make it an "entertainment room" with dark velvet curtains to block out the sun and like a Rat Pack Lounge/theater design inspiration?

Stephan: So a Man-Entertainment room???

Me: Why do you put Man in front of everything!!!

So, yeah... That's about how it ended. After the conversation I started having the thought of what a sick social experiment it would be to actually let my husband have free reign over the decoration of a room of our house. What would he do? What design attrocities would he commit? I don't think I have the stomach to find out...

Source

Let There Be Light Fixtures!

I have SO many saved links on my computer of design inspiration and home decor. I'm all about Old Hollywood Glamour, Hollywood Regency, and Art Deco! Here are some light fixtures that I'm currently obsessed with!

LUSTS:

Comet Pendant Light $495 (Ouch)

Horse Head Lamp (I don't know why, but I LOVE this)

MUSTS:

From ZGallerie:

Erto Chandelier $399

Linear Strand Crystal Chandelier $349 (I have no idea where the heck you hang this!)

Twig Lamps $59.99 -$119 (SO whimsical)

From Overstock.com:

Glass Pendant $294.99

Crystal Chandelier $289.99

I'm on the look out for cheaper versions and I will be looking for thrift store/vintage finds too.