All I Wanted Were Window Boxes

So, as you know, we had our annual BBQ a couple of weeks ago. And as you know, this BBQ always initiates a round of "Let's Make A Deal" between John and myself. As I'm not the biggest fan of the party, I tolerate it only as it does get John in motion to do some landscaping around the house.

For the past couple of years, I've been trying to think of a way to make the front of the house "pop" a bit more. It's a little on the boring side and I've considered painting the front door red, installing shutters and so forth. Well, the shutters wouldn't work as the gables are not wide enough and I can't seem to work up the nerve to whip out the red paint. I did, however, invest some money into some pretty copper and wrought iron window boxes that could sit on the ledge of my picture window and dining room window. Having put some pink impatiens in them at the beginning of the season, they looked pretty, but still failed to yield the "pop" I've been looking for.

When John had the deck flooring installed on the porch, he asked the contractor if he could make some nice white window boxes and install them on the front of the house. We figured the white would pull out the white trim around the windows and add some color without going crazy. I was so excited that I was finally going to get the window boxes I had always wanted! I waited patiently (ahem) and only called John 3 times a day everyday until the workers arrived with my window boxes.

John called me at work and was a little hesitant to discuss the boxes. I kept badgering him to tell me how they looked and he said, "Well, they're big....they're really wide." And I said, "Well, the windows are wide and we wanted them to extend a little past the windows, so that should be good." And John said, "No, I mean, they're reeeeaaaaalllly big." So at this point I'm a little perturbed, because I'm not there to see them for myself. I insist John take a picture with his phone and e mail it to me immediately. I open the picture and much to my surprise I see a rather large white box running the entire length of the window, which was pretty much what I wanted. What I couldn't see and would not discover until I got home, was the "wide" John was talking about was the depth of the box as it came out from the house.

This was no window box, People. This was a balcony off the front of my house. I'm not kidding when I say I could put a chaise on it and lay in the sun. These boxes were absolutely HUGE. After I stopped screaming and insisting they be ripped off the front of the house (p.s. these babies aren't moving as they are bolted into the stone) I calmed down enough to let John say he would fill them with plants to see if that would break up the overall size appearance. If not, he would inquire about having them removed. I grudgingly agreed and moped off to pout about my window-box-turned-balcony debacle.

After a full day of painstakingly searching for the right plants with color and drape, John was able to fill the boxes with an assortment that really looks beautiful. So, although the boxes are still a bit on the large side, they do look nice and certainly add some pop to the front of the house. Now, step back, because I whipping out the red paint!

Another BBQ is Upon Us

It's that time of year again! The Annual Sweeney Neighborhood BBQ! Yay! Not. I'm so over this whole bbq situation. The only reason I tolerate it is because it prompts John to do work around the house. For this year, we're installing new front steps, some new plants, a white picket fence (how quaint of me) and completely re-doing the porch. More on the porch later.

We've got about 80 people coming to the BBQ. This year we're hosting it on a Saturday because John's softball buddies want to party late into the night. Well, whatever the softball guys want, they get, right? So we're starting at 3 pm and who knows when everyone will clear out. I've also been informed that the boys want a band to play, which really pushed me over the edge. You want a band? You go hire one. The nerve. I've was then informed that if the band won't be there, the boys want really good music. OK, peckerheads, now I've really had enough. We always play great music. John's looking into some kind of iPod dock that can go outside and we can just stick our iPods into it. I'm sure the boys will love mine: Barry Manilow, The Carpenters, Helen Reddy.....

Campbell has completed one week of physical therapy for her left leg. The left ACL was done last December, but she has simply not healed well from it. The right knee (done in April) doesn't seem to give her any trouble. So we've got her enrolled at Canine Aquatics. She goes MWF all day and has a couple of sessions throughtout the day. Cami walks on the underwater treadmill and has just started swimming in the pool. I really hope this helps her little leg. It's so sad to see her limping around.

So, back to the house. My Dad has been working feverishly to complete the porch project before the party. What in incredible job he's done! Dad removed the ceiling, removed joists and raised other joists to create an open pitched ceiling. Then he added wainscoting to finish it and painted it white. He added an overhead fan, which is great for moving the air around. We got a swing and a rocker and those really look terrific out on the porch. John hired a guy to install a wood floor over the existing flagstone floor, and that came out beautifully as well. We're just waiting to have the floor oiled, then we're all set. This is what the porch looked like last year before the picnic (the patio and landscaping was the pay off for that party):

We sill have to add the new plants to the planter and add some other "finishing touches," but this is how the porch looks now:






Much better. It seems much more spacious and is certainly more inviting. The swing is really great. Very comfortable and a nice place to relax after a long day. I'll be enjoy a nightly glass off wine out there!

The front steps are still being worked on, so I'll post some photos of them later. If you'd like to see more pics of the porch (and I know you're just dying to) check out my smugmug.

Memorial Day Festivities

I'm a bit late in getting a post up regarding Memorial Day, but hey, it's my blog and I'll blog when I want to.

John, Gretchen and I went to Manasquan for the long Memorial Day weekend. We cruised down with The Girls on Friday after my doctor's appointment. This ridiculous uterine/bladder/urinary tract infection bullshit just won't go away. I've really had it with feeling like crap and being in so much pain that it's nearly impossible to sit still for more than 5 minutes. I'm doing a dance in my chair over here. Very appropriate for the office. Anyway, I digress....

Back to The Girls! Oh, they are the best! Cami and Baa-Baa passenger really well, so we have no problems tossing them in the truck and taking off. They are such the shore puppies. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Here is Cami on our way down to Manasquan. She's quite content to snooze.



The Girls are a bit pooped after an afternoon of frolicking at the Doggy Beach.



John and Gretch having drinks at Sunsets.



And here are Gretch and myself getting ready to head out for the night.



Campbell's surgeon gave us the go-ahead to walk Cami "until she drops." The intention is to get some of her excess energy out of her system. Our concern has been that she gets so riled up in the house that she'll hurt herself worse by jumping all around than walking calmly on a leash. So we walked her while down the shore and continue to do so now. Needless to say, Cami is a much happier camper.

OK, just had a really wacky experience. Nightline has been in our office all day to do a story on our company. Natch, we've been on our best behavior all day and wearing our Sunday best. So it's late in the afternoon now and it looks like the camera guys are taking some "filler" shots of AJ walking through the office and the such. Next thing you know, he pops into my office, camera crew in tow. Now, I was fairly certain that I would not be making the taping so I pulled my hair up in a clip, took off my blazer and pretty much relaxed. Oh, and I started to blog. So not only does the camera crew film me, they walk behind my desk and film my blog. This is so not good. Worse, I'm so thrown off by being exposed by Nightline, that I answer AJ's questions like a complete idiot. Crap. Nice way to end the day.