Rob hinted in a previous post that big changes were coming for 2010.   Well, we finally got Liam potty trained so we decided that, with all the money saved on Pull-Ups, we could afford to buy a new house!

So, after more than 17 years, dozens of coats of paint, several major renovation projects, and countless memories, we’ve actually said "goodbye" to our old home, packed up our stuff, and moved on down the road.   Scary?   More than you could know!   Kinda sad?   Yeah, it’s tough to imagine that the old house isn’t our home any longer.   Exciting?   Unbelievably!   Here’s the front of our new house:



We did some prep work before the move-in and after nearly a full day of grueling wallpaper removal, we got Liam’s new room ready for paint — and in his favorite color, of course!





With lots of help from Ryan, we finished painting Liam’s room, the office, the dining room ceiling and the living room before the big move.

Liam was very excited about helping to prepare for the move.   He couldn’t wait to box up his toys and put them with our other boxes.



So on February 27th we officially moved into our new house. We couldn't have done it without the tireless help of Ryan, Martin & Adrian.   Thanks guys for giving up your Saturday to help us and thanks to Linda for loaning us your trailer!



Stay tuned for more pictures as we finish unboxing and settling in at the house!
 

Labels: home improvement

Liam made the transition from his baby bed to a "big boy" bed this past weekend.   He was so excited when they delivered the bed on Saturday morning!   We temporarily moved the baby bed to other side of his room (just in case) but he kept insisting that we get it out of there because he’s a big boy now.

He did really well with his nap Saturday afternoon and then slept all that night (with only one roll-off mishap).   Luckily his giant, fluffy bear Hugo "caught" him when he rolled off the bed at 5:30 on Sunday morning.   Rob bought a couple of swimming pool foam noodles that we put under the fitted sheet on each side of the bed to create bumpers for the sides and that seems to have solved the rolling off problem.



After naptime yesterday, we decided to take the old crib apart and Liam even helped remove screws with the cordless drill and bag up the little pieces.

The headboard is still in transit and we haven’t installed the bedskirt yet so I’ll update this post with another picture when all of that’s in place.

Update:   The ready-to-assemble headboard finally arrived so here’s the completed bed with headboard, noodles and bedskirt all in place:


We’ve also finally updated the Liam’s bedroom page with some photos and details of his room.   Be sure to take a peek!
 

Labels: home improvement, parenting

Our little guy has gotten into watching Bob the Builder lately and we frequently hear him singing the theme song at night after he goes to bed.

Recently Rob did some digging in our backyard to get rid of a tree root that was threatening to cause trouble with the patio slab.   While digging, he veered off an inch too far in one direction and severed two sprinkler pipes & a sprinkler control wire.   Well, that set off a whole chain of events and needless to say, we ended up with a pretty big hole in the backyard by the time he dug out more to fix the damage.   There for a moment, I was thinking that I might be getting the swimming pool that I’ve always dreamed of having... well, okay, it wasn’t really quite that big.

But you can just imagine how excited Liam was to see this giant hole in the yard with a mound of dirt sitting beside it... oh, it was calling out his name!   For days he was drawn to it like a magnet whenever we’d go outside.   The time finally came to fill in the hole so I bought him a new scooper shovel just for the big event.   Of course, more of the loose dirt went in the air and on him than in the actual hole, but he was definitely a man enjoying his labor.   Here’s a video of him singing the "Bob the Builder" theme while he works:

Labels: home improvement

September 21st might’ve officially marked the last day of Summer, but this past weekend signalled the real end of the season — the final grass-cutting of the year.

And so it was with a heavy heart that Liam & I dragged out our trusty lawnmowers and gave the yard what’s likely to be the last grooming for the season.   For those who know us, you’re probably all too aware of just how much mowing the grass has quickly become one of Liam’s most-treasured pasttimes since Dede & Karen bought his bubble mower back in July.

Liam always lights up when mowing time comes around and toils with unflagging resolve to keep up with me even in spite of the thick St. Augustine turf that bogs his little mower (and feet) down.   Even with sweat rolling off of his little brow, the tireless tot just keeps going — it absolutely breaks his little heart when the job is done and we have to put away our equipment.

He’s so enamored with helping with the yardwork that he’s still reeling from the trauma caused when Clems borrowed our (real) lawnmower last month and we were out of commission for several days!   And Clems still gets a sound scolding from Liam (including some fierce finger-wagging) anytime the topic comes back up!

I can only hope that leaf-raking will be a suitable substitute...

Labels: home improvement

As a longtime fan of Will Wright’s city building simulator game SimCity, I’m very familiar with the term NIMBY, which is an acronym for "Not In My Back Yard," a phrase used to describe resistance from citizens to the development of landfills, affordable housing (especially multi-family housing), industrial facilities, or other services or structures.   In the game (as in real life) citizens frequently boycott controversial, unsightly, or distasteful things from being located in their neighborhoods even if they themselves and/or those around will benefit from the construction.

Likewise, there’s an opposite acronym for those rare occasions when the people are excited about something new in their neighborhood — YIMBY.   And YIMBY, or "Yes In My Back Yard," is our new motto now that our swanky "Veranda" is complete!

The patio cover project progressed very rapidly and construction has actually been done for several days now, but we wanted to wrap up a few finishing details before the unveiling.   For more details, be sure to check out our Veranda & Back Yard page.



Of course, you can also peruse our 2Dolphins Resort & Spa page for revealing looks & other ongoing home improvement efforts throughout the rest of our house.
 

Labels: home improvement

The combination of old shingles and some recent storms with very high winds led to many of Permian Basin area home with roofing problems.   Although we couldn’t detect the damage, it seems that we were among those.

But it seems that the timing was fortunate — having just finished our master bath renovation about 3 weeks ago, our ever-reliable contractor Truett was available to tackle another project that Dede has wanted to do for several years.   We decided that this would be a good time to cover our patio so the roofing work on that could be done at the same time as the new shingles are being installed on the rest of the house.   Yup, so even while we’re still rebounding & cleaning up from the bathroom redo, we’ve launched into yet another large home improvement project.

Here’s a pre-construction shot of our back yard with the then-uncovered patio:



And here’s a peek at the first day’s progress:



It’s at odd times like these that my inner nerd kicks in and I start wondering about silly things like the term "patio."   A little Googling revealed that patio is a Spanish word originating in the 1800s that typically refers to a courtyard or paved area adjoining a house.   I also learned that, since we’re covering our patio, it’s now more appropriately considered a "veranda."   While it sounds like a Spanish word — especially when I use my best Antonio Banderas voice — veranda is actually a term imported from India that refers to a gallery or porch with a roof supported by columns.

I like the sound of that.   Veranda.   Who knew we were so multicultural?

I’ll post more photos as this project progresses, but in the meantime, you can peruse our 2Dolphins Resort & Spa page for revealing looks at most of the other areas of our house & ongoing home improvement efforts.
 

Labels: home improvement

Dede took the inaugural shower this week in our new master bath!   The renovated bath feels much larger & brighter and we’re really happy with how well the mix of materials complement each other.   Visit the updated Master Bath page for details & photos!

And feel free to roam around on our 2Dolphins Resort & Spa page for other revealing glimpses of our home.
 

Labels: home improvement

Our much-needed, perpetually-delayed master bathroom renovation project is finally underway!

Our master bath’s step-in shower developed a slow leak into an exterior wall, so we’ve been planning on gutting the tiny bathroom and remedying the problem before it could cause any real structural damage.   We’ve been working towards this for well over a year, saving our pennies, assembling materials, & finalizing design choices while our trusty contractor Truitt has been tied up on another job that kept expanding.

The layers of construction dust settling throughout the house and the mess are a challenge (to say the least!) but since this is a room that sees heavy use everyday, we’re excited to finally have the makeover in progress!   We’ll update the Master Bath page soon, but in the meantime, here’s a teaser glimpse of the new glass block shower stall:



Be sure to check out our 2Dolphins Resort & Spa page for revealing looks at most of the other areas of our house and our ongoing home improvement efforts.
 

Labels: home improvement

Take a look at our Russian Adoption Journal for photos of our latest home decor project.

Rob & I just finished our hand-painted "safari jeep mural" for the spare bedroom.   We were both really pleased with the way it turned out. So much so, in fact, that we’re thinking of doing another wall...
 

Labels: adoption, home improvement

Years ago, the term "hacker" carried a connotation of a malicious meddler who attempts to gain unauthorized access to sensitive computer systems to steal, change, or destroy information as a form of cyber-terrorism.

But today, it’s come to mean something entirely different and much more flattering. Now a "hacker" is someone who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations — someone who makes things work beyond perceived limits through unconventional means or skills. And there’s a whole new social culture of hacking that’s emerged as a result of information-sharing via Internet-based communities.

Some of our favorite websites to visit are hack sites, where off-beat, sometimes-radical thinking folks put forth creative ideas to make everyday things work just a little bit better, easier, and/or cheaper. Here are just a few:



Lifehacker makes getting things done easy & fun with simple tricks for managing your information & time. If you don’t already have this site bookmarked, well, do it now!



Danny O’Brien’s lifehack.org is a frequently-updated blog built around the theme of hacks, tips, & tricks that get things done quickly by automating, increasing productivity, & organizing.



Asha Dornfest’s Parent Hacks is a collaborative weblog that collects useful parenting tips, recommendations, workarounds, & other bits of wisdom. It’s the stuff that would’ve been left out of the instruction manual — if there were one to begin with.



ikea hacker is a a nifty site that offers simple tips on repurposing, tweaking, & otherwise improving the cool stuff from Dede’s favorite store, IKEA.
 

Labels: blogs, cool sites, home improvement, self-improvement, software

A couple of weeks ago, I finally worked up the courage to replace our old crank-the-dial, manually-operated, & inefficient Trane thermostat with a new eco-friendly Honeywell programmable digital thermostat.   I’ve wanted to do this for some time now, but was a little intimidated about the whole thing...







Turns out, it couldn’t have been easier.   This model was about $65, features a nice Indiglo-style backlight; big, easy-to-read display; and allows 4 schedule changes for Monday thru Friday and another 4 each for Saturday & Sunday.   Y’know, all the whiz-bang stuff that any gadget-lovin’, techie dude would want...

Been thinking about doing this yourself?   Hesitate no longer!   You’ll be helping the environment and your wallet — you can likely recoup the expense of the new thermostat within a few months thanks to lower energy bills.   And it’s a very straight-forward swap that even a rookie homeowner can tackle.   Read more about the steps required at DIY Network’s Guide to Installing a Digital Thermostat.
 

Labels: environment, home improvement, technology

For the uninitiated, Ikea (Dede’s mostest favoritest store ever) might best be described as "the Old Navy of home furnishings."   (You can learn lots more about it via my Cult of Ikea post.)

We’re still reeling from our most recent pilgrimage to Ikea.   We lumbered back home from our trip to Ikea Frisco piled up with more stuff in the back of the Element than we’ve ever managed to cram in there before.   Here are a couple of photos showing just some of the goodies we managed to haul back:


 

Labels: home improvement, shopping

Ahh, the first few dry leaves have dropped on the lawn, the days are getting shorter, the nights are a little cooler, and there's just that feeling that Fall is upon us. Poets often romanticize about Autumn's crisp air, earthy golden hues, and mellower tones with sentiments like:

"There is a harmony in autumn, and a lustre in it's sky..."

"The mellow autumn came, and with it came the promised party, to enjoy it's bounty."

"What visionary tints the year puts on, when falling leaves falter..."

"Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits."

Yeah, right. No sooner did the Autumnal equinox occur to officially signal the beginning of Fall did we get another near-triple-digit blast of blistering temperatures to remind us that, regardless of what the silly ol' calendar says, Summer's not over in West Texas just yet. And this just in time for the annual MCH Employee Picnic too!

And with the Summer-like temperature, there was also one last good opportunity to catch a few more glipses of dapper dudes sporting cool Hawaiian shirts. So, in continuing that series, here's Harvey H. doing the stylish tropical shirt thing with a distinctive University of Texas flavor.

Labels: fashion, home improvement

We have the walls & ceiling painted, carpet installed, and windows replaced and have started moving back into our home office.   Of course, the first thing in was our computers and our new computer desks.   In fact, that’s about as far as we've gotten.   Once we were back up & running, we wanted to take some time out to catch our breath and enjoy the room - and post a few pics.

Click the new Mango Gold-colored square in the Our House" diagram to see our progress!

Keep an eye on the blog for more updates on the home office project!
 

Labels: home improvement

We started our home office remodel on Friday. Our plan was to pull up the old carpet and stain the bare concrete slab below. The best laid plans sometimes just don't work out! After we pulled up the old carpet and pad, we found even older vinyl tiles. Under those vinyl tiles, we found some really stubborn old black glue. After some research on Google, we read that acetone would help remove the glue. We tested this theory with a bottle of fingernail polish and a wire brush and found that the glue was tougher than we were! Time for Plan B...



Plan B - we got up Saturday morning and went carpet shopping. The new carpet will be installed next Saturday. As much as the file cabinets / kitchen countertop was functional as computer workstations, we are ready for something different. We did some new office furniture shopping and found what we think will be our new workstations (pictures coming soon after carpet installation). We did a quick shopping spree at Home Depot and prepped the room for painting. We now have the room mostly painted. Since our main computers are down during the remodel, we have limited computer web publishing tools on the notebook so look for the full photo coverage once our office is back up.

Remember you can go to our "Photos" and Our House link to view pictures of our other home projects.

Labels: home improvement

The progress continues with the enhancement of the chi of our Asian themed living room. We've added new throw pillows and introduced a new burnt orange accent color.



More still to come!

Labels: home improvement

If you're not up on the "Feng Shui" thang, don't get put off by the Asian mysticism vibe. Even without digging too deeply into the subject, most of the concepts do make sense and can make for a more effective room layout. So, with that in mind, Dede was all about enhancing the "chi" in our newly reworked living room. While still looking for finishing touches, she had a Trading Spaces moment...

This was a bit tricky to capture because of the low light and size of the room, but you get an idea of the ambient glow that she created using these hard-to-find accent lighting canisters with the "natural light" bulbs that Topper recommended:


 
(Click here for a larger version of the above photo or click on the Living Room on this map to see more pics.)
 

Labels: home improvement

In the frenzied aftermath of our DFW trip, I forgot to mention that the re-ordered chaise for our new living room sectional sofa finally arrived. We picked it up from ADA the evening before we hit the road. So, be sure to click on the Living Room from this map to see the completed sectional set.

Labels: home improvement

We got word last week that our new sectional sofa group was on it's way. We rushed to the furniture store after work on Friday to pick it up and it looks great! One minor snag... the chaise that arrived was the reverse of what we ordered, with the arm on the right instead of left. So, our ever-friendly Wendy & Brandon at ADA have rush ordered a new one. In the meantime, click on the Living Room from this map to see the 3 new pieces that were right.

Labels: home improvement

Rob just finished setting up our new dining table. Now we can put away the TV trays.....woo hoo!! Here's a picture of the table and chairs...

Labels: home improvement

Work on our living room continued last night as we finished touch-up painting and loading stuff back into the entertainment center (aka "hernia maker.")

And we sold our old sofa set to a fresh college grad outfitting his new apartment. That was a great relief, but also caused some problems since Dede's new pit group has not arrived yet. So, we had to improvise...

Now all we need is the cooler full o' beer and a camp stove!

Labels: home improvement

Gradually over the past couple of years We've done lots of work in our home to make it more functional and welcoming and to give it a bit more updated look. I wanted an effective way to showcase some of this work and the steps along the way here on 2Dolphins.com. I came up with the idea of using a simplified blueprint-style plan to map out the different areas. Okay, okay, truthfully, I was heavily inspired by (stole) the concept from June Jackson's excellent Hints and Things web site. Hopefully, I've stylized it enough to make it sorta our own...

So, once I was satisfied with the main graphic - and Dede taught me how to make the hotspots to make it functional - I started fleshing out the pages behind it to represent each room or area. All of this coincides with the ongoing living room makeover that we've been doing here at our house in the past couple of weeks. So, we're by no means finished with the work - either here on 2Dolphins.com or in our home - but please give it a look anyway! We'd love to hear what you think:

Our House

Labels: home improvement

We had what can only be described as kick-ass day that was chock full of stuff to do - and amazingly all of what we intended to get done did, in fact, get done. What's more we even knocked a couple of items off of tomorrow's to-do list:

Started the morning with a couple of Starbucks Frappucino's.

Drove over to Midland to visit Whit at Healthsouth - he's doing well after his surgery!

Printed some digipics on the awesome kiosk at Kinko's

Picked up a couple of shirts at Casual Male

Went to the Asian Market for ingredients for a new recipe  (Hey Dina!)

Went to the flower shop next door for a fresh red rose for Caliente

Jet back to Odessa for my 11 a.m. haircut - Love ya, Jen!

Went to Pinner Carpets to scope out new carpet for the living room

Lunch with Clems!

Clems & I added a new TV cable drop in our guest bedroom

Dede went to the Post Office for Whit's mail

Clems, Dede, & I got really ambitious and decided to repaint the living room

Hand-washed Dede & Clem's cars at the Alpine Laser Wash

Baked a frozen pizza for dinner & vegged with some TV.

Labels: home improvement