First a rant, then some raves!

Hi blogger friends! Apologies for not much blogging, but really, not a whole lot has been going on. We settled in at a warp speed and have gone pretty slow since.

So the rant.... oh boy! I know I have said it before, but my husband is seriously the most patient man alive. And thank goodness for that. So we have been getting some estimates for a fence and to add stairs on the deck. Let me first say that if you want stairs off your deck, have RH do it, it would have been way cheaper! So on this journey, we came across two things that we needed some answers to. First, the right hand side of the house, we cannot see where the french drain ends. We see it clear as day on the left side, but nothing on the right. We would hate for the fence guys to gouge it or anything. So my hubby saw our PM and asked him if he knew.... Are you ready for this, are you ready for this answer? He actually told Hubby to go to the back of the house on the right hand side, dig down til we find it then dig out til it ends! WTF! You want us to dig up the lawn that we have spend hundreds of hours and dollars on after RH gives you total crap?! Ummm, I think not. So happy it was Hubby who handled him, he was a gentleman as always, but he came in fuming mad. I know when he's mad, that I would have required handcuffs and a straight jacket. So needless to say, we have no idea where that french drain ends. Then he asked about the deck, because like many others, we were told it was Trex. After fence/deck guys looked to find the color match in Trex, taaadaaaa, they don't have that color! So it took several days but the PM did text him back with the brand, which is actually Evergreen. Here's what I have learned.... that survey? That is what they care about, and when you fill it out, you are now a number. I get it kinda, the PM can't constantly answer questions and get phone calls from all his prior customers. But after we filled that out, we don't even so much get a wave when they drive by anymore. Hey RH, maybe I would want to build again! Do you think about that? Ongoing customer service and politeness is required for repeat customers! Oh, and the dishwasher was installed with a bum part and started leaking. The first time the guy came out he couldn't reproduce it, shocker. But Hubby called back because HE figured it out, it's some sort of hinge that is sticking out. Waiting on that part to come in for the final fix. And last, the spare upstairs bathroom. So we didn't have a problem until recently. OK, let me rephrase. We don't use that bathroom, 95% of the time, it's just him and I here. About a month ago we noticed it had this awful sucking sound from the tub and sink when you flush. Hubby called the 800# and the very NOT plumber customer service person insisted it is a clog (it isn't), that clogs aren't covered by the warranty (no shit, but it isn't a clog) and they will send someone out but we will have to pay for it if it is a clog. So I'm sure my husband could better explain, but the bowl doesn't fill up full enough and the placement of the pipe thingy that fills the back is way too low. So he has adjusted it some, but is still figuring out how to move the pipe portion. It's seriously just easier to fix ourselves than deal with one more moron from RH telling us it's a clog. Jerks. So what I'm learning, if you have problems, you best come prepared to tell them exactly what it is and exactly how it needs fixed, or you get the run around. Awesome. And let's take a deep breath and move onto happier things!

Now onto some good! The Hubby had a great decorating idea! I was quite shocked, haha! After we went to a huge multi family garage sale, we found two original Beatles albums in great condition. He suggested the powder room be a rock and roll theme. Until we can get some more albums, we just selected some album covers off the internet and printed them out. We still have a ton more to do, but here is the start. We also got some guitar decals to put on the wall that turned out cool. When we are ready to paint, I plan on doing really thick blood red and blood orange stripes. Here's some pics, not the easiest room to photograph, but you get an idea. We also found a mirror at Kirklands to replace the existing one and de-Ryanize that part too.

We also got some decorating and furniture squared away with the loft. I work from home a lot and Hubby spends a lot of time on the computer editing his photos, so we really wanted it nice and comfy up here. The desks are actually from Ikea and we love em! My hubby picked out the rug from RugsUSA before we moved in. I was hesitant, but it actually came out pretty cool!

Oh and I can't forget, a quick snapshot of the front of the house. The garden is looking good and we added lots of different flowering perennials since we started it. The grass is looking OK. The crap that RH puts in is already dying out. So we are gonna de-thatch this fall and again in the spring to prep for more grass seed next year. Disregard the bucket and hose, the car just had a bath and we just watered the front. The siding looks really light here, it's quite darker in person.

And we started a nice little workout area in the basement. Need some more stuff, but I'm stalking craigslist daily. We got the elliptical for pennies there! The "mat" for the floor came from Costco for next to nothing too. I like it!

And now, the biggest addition to our home and family! Please meet Cassidy Grace! Yes, I'm one of those very weird people who give their dog a middle name :) We have been looking and looking. We applied at one rescue, but didn't have a good feeling about it- they seemed really strict and we haven't had a pet in the past 5 years or a fenced in yard. Quotes for the fence all making sense now! So a few weeks ago I was doing my daily stalking on pet finder and saw our precious little pup and her sister were rescued from a kill shelter in NC and brought up by the SPCA. Her paper work said she was 5 1/2 months old, we brought her home on July 19th. Our vet says she is probably closer to 7 months old now. She is a good girl with a very, very sweet personality! She loves people and loves to sleep. A week after we had her, she just didn't seem to perk up yet. Turned out, where they spayed her, she was having an allergic reaction to the internal sutures, so she had another surgery. She is doing great now and is settling into her new home great! She has already learned sit and almost has down mastered. She went on her first walk in the woods yesterday and jumped right into a lake, it was adorable! So here she is, she is a big baby :)

She is quite the spoiled girl, lots of treats and toys! But hey, she's a part of the family! And if you are going to wear the cone of shame, let it be pink! We are also getting some weight on her, she was really skinny.

The back is also coming along slowly. We finally gave up and got some chemical stuff for all the invasive vine. It's all dead now, we just need to drag it out. There are some nice bushes in there that have come back to life too. Next spring we will start to plant some different flowers and bushes that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, along with a pond/fountain feature. Hubby has a great vision of his little nature area and I think it's gonna turn out wonderful!

I think that is all for now. We have some bedroom plans in the works as well as a few more de-Ryanizing ideas. Will post em up as they come along! Have a great day everyone :)