Divo

I think that's what you call a male diva. Right? No better word describes him. Norman that is. A neighbor once gave us a sign that says, "This home operates solely for the comfort of the dog." It's true. Below is a mini homage to our baby… just because we love him (and he matches the new background so well).

Which, by the way, will probably be changing quite frequently thanks to bloggers new advance template setup! To celebrate March, it's a brewsky.

Norman, darling, was ready for his closeup.

Shawn and I always think he looks… prestigious?

That's hot.

Fishbowl

Here's the rest of the story…

You've seen the evidence in the living room, now experience the evidence in the rest of the house. Our new, beautiful windows from Renewal by Andersen - before and afters. You'll notice they automatically add paper around the outside of the new trim for when it gets painted. This also adds an extra incentive to get to painting them right away as the paper is somewhat unsightly next to the stunning windows. Who's up for painting trim? It's GOT to be easier then installing it… oh memories of installing the kitchen baseboard. Priceless.

Kitchen Before (notice the perfect trim - yeah, Team DeBoer did that)

Kitchen After (with some peanut butter apparently)

Dining Room Before (with Norman's signature back side)

Dining Room After (with Norman's signature front side)

Summer (North) Bedroom Before

Summer (North) Bedroom After

Summer (West) Bedroom Before

Summer (West) Bedroom After (and also the very first window they installed)

Norman's Bedroom Before

Norman's Bedroom After

Famous Bathroom Before

Famous Bathroom After

Winter (South) Bedroom Before

Winter (South) Bedroom Before

Cure

Ellen DeGeneres is the number one proven cure for chronic crabbiness. She's Dr. DeBoer recommended. She's hysterical without being vulgar or tacky. She notices and brings attention to simple little things and makes them funny. And (and for this I would resent her if I didn't love her so damn much) she's ALWAYS happy. Granted, she's ALWAYS happy when she's on TV, but I'm willing to bet she's nearly always happy off TV. I don't know how she does it, but I'm thankful she does it.

In the past week alone, I came across her powers twice. Once when I encountered her HBO special: Ellen DeGeneres "Here and Now" and the other when I came across the following video: http://www.oprah.com/entertainment/Ellen-DeGeneres-and-Oprahs-Magazine-Cover-Shoot-Video

Windows

Old living room windows…
…meet new living room windows!

Single-pane, drafty, ugly window, circa 1954…
…meet new triple-pane, with argon gas, beautiful window, circa 2010!

Tomorrow, Renewal by Andersen will replace the sliding glass door in our dining room and then the project will be complete. We'll have all new windows throughout the house. I'll post more photos soon but be prepared, they are worth every penny saved over the last year. Best part, we didn't have to lift a finger therefore we didn't screw anything up! Now we are left to paint the trim and dwell in our fish bowl once more. That is, until new window treatments bust their way into the budget. More to follow…