Gecko Pet Hotel: Rockin' & Rollin'

The Gecko Pet Hotel is back in business this week as Lacey is staying over for a few days. Lacey and Yahtzee have been the best of buds since day 1, and their energy hasn't changed much either. The Doggy 500 is always in session when they head outside, and there is always "Safe tree!"

(Always with the cute looks when they want in)

(There is somehow always energy for wrestling)

(Finally settling down a bit and sharing a peace stick)

Getting Into The Christmas Spirit

So this year, we have been having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit...and no, it's not because there is no snow on the ground! In fact that makes us quite happy :-P The Christmas music that we had wasn't doing the trick, and we just weren't feeling very jolly about it all. So, on Sunday I decided on a remedy for this scrooging we had going on. We went out and bought our very first real Christmas tree together.

We brought our tree home and trimmed the bottom branches and trunk off and popped it in the tree stand. Ta-Da! Instant Christmas spirit. The trimmed off branches were turned into a "swag" by Lady, which was placed on the chimney mantle. While Lady made the swag, I took the opportunity to finally give our car something she'd wanted for a long time...a cleaning.

After the cleaning, we headed inside to get our Christmas groove on. We had also finally found a radio station playing Christmas tunes all the time. So, we got to work decorating the tree, the house, and the yard.

When we had the decorating done, we were sufficiently imbued with holiday cheer to get cracking on the gift making.

(Toto giving his head bobbing, taste-testing approval of the new tree)


(Everyone wanted to pitch in to make the tree feel at home)

(The all important moment of hanging the angel on top of the tree!)

(The full new setup)

(The decorated tree and newly tuned & lighted piano)

Happy Bir-nather-day Lady Gecko!!

As I'm sure you all knew, Friday was Lady's Birthday. For her special day, we threw convention to the wind and went shopping!? That's right, we went shopping. As you may or may not know, shopping is definitely not on the top of our "Fun Things To Do" list. However, this time around we had a fantastic time.

Lady ended up with a new clay oven, fabric, clay, magnets, pants, ice cream cake, shampoo & conditioner, Eeyore pj pants, and a new dremel & dremel drill press (Thanks Brian & Tiff!!!). I ended up with new jeans and a new book (The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, I'm just a few chapters in and it is already very exciting...dare I say, "Best yet")

All those goodies on Lady's birthday, and that wasn't even her birthday present. She got her present on Thursday when the piano tuner paid a visit to our house to give the ol' piano a long overdue tuning.

(Getting cake & b-day wishes from her mom on the phone...who was waving for the pic)

(Learning about her new dremel & dremel drill press!)

Yahtzee & Friends: Part Deux

Jupiter and Belle came over for a short weekend stay this time. They all settled back into their routine very quickly, and enjoyed a trip to the dog park. Yahtzee twisted her ankle on that trip and had to take the rest of the day off. She is back at 110% again now, and ready to get out and play more.

The Great Houston Snow & Frost

Here are a bunch of pictures from the "snow" that we got down here, and then the frosty morning that we had the day after.

Busy Bees

Yahtzee was again forced to donate her upstairs bedroom for a good cause; Lady's mom came to visit!

Wednesday night, an hour and a half past both her and Lady’s bedtime, we picked up a tired (but crazy excited) Dotz at the airport. Thursday morning was very busy, as Lady and Dotz had LOTS on the agenda. They multi-tasked and got much of the updates and travel adventures discussed while making the garden tours. Then it was time to get down to the main business of the weekend... prepping for Lady’s first craft show! And thank Goodness Dotz was there to help, because Lady was near going crazy trying to figure it out herself. Mondo tried to help, of course, but sometimes a rocket scientist mind can’t quite fathom how to help an artist mind whose sanity is threatening to escape. He did what he could (which was a lot) and left the rest (which was also a lot) to Dotz.

She talked Lady through tablecloths and presentation plans while Lady frantically finished pieces of jewelry. There was sleep that night, and waking on Friday, but for some reason, especially since Lady took the day off from work, it all blended together… such is life in the late stages of planning.

And as Murphy would have it, we hit a few small snags in our planning. Snag number one: Lady’s sewing machine was dead. It had probably been dead for a while, in fact, our neighbor had left hers at our house once, because Lady couldn’t get her own to work. But this wasn’t really okay: Yes, sewing was possible, but a girl HAS to own a working sewing machine. We had to go shopping for more fabric and ribbon, anyway! This leads us to Snag number two: it was Friday the 13th! For those of you who don’t know, Lady’s family tends to be accident prone on Friday the thirteenth. One thirteenth Friday, Lady and her sister both got in car accidents in two different towns, at the exact same time! Every accident that Lady has been in has been on a thirteenth, so Mondo was a little leery of letting Lady AND her mom in the car that day. The original plan was that any shopping would have to be done on after this day had passed, but in the end, reason pushed through our superstitions and we piled into the car to go to JoAnn Fabrics.

First things first, Dotz bought Lady her early birthday present: a WORKING sewing machine! Then we ogled fabrics, findings, ribbons and clay. There was a fabulous sale going on… When we got through the register, we felt supremely smart at how much we had gotten for such a small fee. When we realized that the clay had been over half off, we even had to run back and buy more!

The great deals (and the prospect of playing with all that new clay) had Lady pretty high on the way home, and when Mondo turned off the car and sighed with relief, Lady had to be reminded that our safe return home was monumental, considering the date. This Friday the Thirteenth had been defeated.

Saturday morning, Lady went off to work, while Dotz and Mondo got to work cleaning the house and prepping the meatballs and lefse for the party. With a few rounds of Yahtzee thrown in for some relaxing at lunch time, we were good to go for the Lefse Party. Lady finished a harrowing day at work, and made it home a half an hour after the party started, and STILL beat the guests. She’s that good. The lefse was yummy, and the art gallery that Mondo and Dotz set up was impressive. Everyone enjoyed good food and fun, and soon it was time for bed.

Sunday morning came lazily in as we visited Galveston Bay. We wondered at the awesomeness of nature, the vastness of the ocean that holds so many tiny miracles… these perfect shells and sea beans are the inspiration as well as the medium for much of Lady’s artwork, so the trip was labeled as an “inventory run.” Dotz and Lady searched the beach, while Mondo kicked back in the lawn chair, read his book, and got pleasantly crispy.

Once we de-sandified and re-hydrated ourselves back at home, Mondo relaxed with a new game while Lady and Dotz delved back into the artwork. Much of the preparations were done, so Lady showed Dotz her newest discovery: the Mokume Gane technique. Dotz’s tentative attempts soon turned into confident rolls and slices, and by the end of the day, she was turning out beautiful pieces.

Monday morning pounced on us before we expected it, and at oh-early-hundred we had to get Dotz to the airport for her trip back North. As always, it was a bitter-sweet goodbye. It’s so fun to have guests, but so nice to get back to our regular routine! Our Monday turned into a hum-drum Monday, and Mom arrived home safely and fell back into her own routine there. We had all had fun, but I hadn’t realized how much until I got a phone call a few nights later, “Lady… how do you tell when the clay is done baking? Should I take it out now?” Oh, my mother. I’d gotten her so hooked on clay that (under the guise of a library program) she had to go out and get some herself!

Carpet Cleaning Extravaganza

We decided one Friday that it was high time we gave our carpets the full cleaning they have been missing out on. We hit up the Home Depot tool rental center, which I highly recommend for getting yourself a power tool for cheap rent for different amounts of time. We rented the industrial carpet cleaner with the upholstry attachment for $27 for 24 hours.

Before the renting and the deep clean, there was the prep work. The office and guest bedroom were cleaned out and everything was moved into the library or a non-carpeted area. Everything from our bedroom was moved into the living room. We didn't rent the giant blowers to help dry the carpets, so we had to camp out in the living room to let everything keep drying. Sunday morning we moved everything out of the library and got that cleaned up last.

The cleaner worked out very well. It is nice to have somewhat clean floors...though even the greatest carpet scrubber out there wouldn't be able to get out all the crap that the previous owners put into the carpet.

(The empty & clean master bedroom)

(Camping out in the living room)

Lefse Party III: Invasion of the Nords

The 3rd Annual Lefse Making Party happened on November 14th to thundering cheers of, "Mmmmmmmmm"!

This year, we had a few rookies join the veteran ranks of the lefse crew, and the rookies were not disappointed. The lefse making stations were manned and fun was had all around.

*12lbs of potatoes were harmed in the making of this lefse!*

Turkey Day 2009

Another Turkey Day has come and gone, and the turkey sandwiches are still delicious! We had our MN crew over for the festivities again this year, and it was another success.

I decided this year that I would be going all out and making homemade stuffing and stuffing the bird. Seeing as I was making this big step in the Turkey Day happenings, I turned to the best name in the stuffing business...my mom! I received the trade secrets to making the stuffing that has been passed down to her.

Not to be outdone by last year's 20lb bird, I threw caution to the wind as I got to stuff a 25.8lb turkey for our feast. Also on the menu was baked potatoes, homegrown MN corn, lefse, broccoli goodness, fruit salad, applecrisp, and pumpkin pie. The spread was glorious, and the taste was fantastic. Everyone also got to leave with their own pack of leftovers.

What could possibly top off the turkey dinner, you ask. How about kicking back and relaxing while watching Apollo 13 and then finishing the evening off watching "Punkin' Chunkers"...nerd heaven!

Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

Gecko Pet Hotel: Always Barking Crazy

Over the Thanksgiving holidays, the Gecko Pet hotel was booming yet again. This time we were host to two dogs! Everyone, meet Jupiter (big) and Belle (small). They have settled into the Gecko life quite well, and have even enjoyed multiple outings to the dog park!

The Great Display Case Experiment

Before Lady had her first foray into the Johnson Space Center Craft Show, I had the task of making her a display case for some of her art. (You can read all about how the show went over at her art blog.)

So, I drew on my considerable experience of attending flea markets for inspiration. Ha! All those hours of walking the fleas has finally paid off. The key component to the box was that we finally found pieces of cheap glass at Home Depot (our home away from home). The glass determined the dimensions of the box, and after some routering, ta-da! We had a display case. The finishing touches were added with a framed canvas for the bottom and some accent lighting for the front of the box.

Now that the show has come and gone, we have come up with even more ideas for how we can make the display case even better for the next show.

Whew! That's One Tired Puppy

Halloween was quite the exciting day for a certain puppy. Trying to help Mondo & Lady work in the garage (more details in a future post) and getting to greet all those Trick or Treaters was quite the day. So much so, that Yahtzee was so pooped on Sunday that she didn't even care when the couch monster ate her!

Happy Halloween

It was an exciting Halloween this year, as even Yahtzee got to get involved with the Trick or Treaters. First, she had to make sure that everything was ready. That there was candy in the bowl, and that there were ghosts & ghouls wandering outside. Then, we just had to wait for the fun to begin. Soon enough the costumed folk were all stopping by to visit, and Yahtzee made sure to greet them all at the door and wish them a Happy Halloween with a great big doggy kiss! Yahtzee would keep watch out the window, and then race to the door when more people stopped in for candy.

The Unexpected Sunflowers

This year Lady had a whole pile of sunflowers growing in the garden along the garage. Well apparently at one point she dropped some seeds in a different flower bed, and poof! One day we saw sunflower stalks growing. Well the time finally came for them to bloom, and they did it with great vigor. A picture may not be the same as getting to see them and smell them in person, but we hope you enjoy the pictures! Also, the honey bees are still out, and they very much like the sunflowers too.

It's Official: The 3rd Annual Lefse Party

Yes, that's right everyone. The day has finally come for the 3rd Annual Lefse Making Party. Saturday November 14th is the big day! We will probably be picking up more pots & bowls since we expect this year to be as big, or bigger, than last year. So, if you happen to be in our neck of the woods that weekend, come on over and partake in the deliciousness.

Revenge of the Fallen - On DVD Now!

The newest addition to the live action Transformers film franchise, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, was released on DVD today. Target stuck with what worked for the first movie's DVD release by creating another transforming DVD case. This time around they let Bumblebee join Optimus as the DVD case transformers. If you haven't seen the movie itself yet...what is wrong with you!? :-) It is a great show, and I enjoy having the movies in these fun cases.



During the photo shoot, Yahtzee the ham decided she needed to join in on the fun. She greatly enjoys watching the movie as well.

Yahtzee & Friends - Continued

While watching the neighbor's dogs, we tend to steal one of them away to our house for a visit. This time Shweepie came over for a visit.

Ants... Again

So, you may remember that a few months ago I got ants in my pants. Well, ants in the kitchen isn't quite as bad, but it's still a problem. During the pants episode, we sprayed around the entire house, and after a while, it finally seemed to kill all the ants. Evidently it's time to spray again, because after a lovely meal of spaghetti and a long-needed kitchen cleaning, we suddenly had ants... again.

Interestingly enough, the mess that had been there for way too long hadn't enticed them, but clean it all up and leave one bowl of drippings, and they came running. John performed the usual duct tape and vacuum maneuver, and then, in his wisdom, decided that who we to stop them from eating in our kitchen? He placed a napkin where the bowl had been, and covered it with ant treats, a.k.a Amdro poison. When I came home from work 6 hours later, the napkin was empty. We placed more out, and more again, and the ants are still cleaning.

Mondo's New Workbench

As I was paging through the most recent issue of The Family Handyman, I came across the blueprints for a workbench. This one struck my fancy and I decided to run with it. I have been looking at workbenches to build because I would like to have a real workbench to finish the kitchen remodel work on. So, the supply list for this workbench; 15 8ft 2x4s and 1 Sheet of Plywood. Yep, that's it. Now these supplies don't take into account the customization that I added to the bench to give it some flair and additional functionality. The picture on the left is scanned out of Handyman showing the baseline, and the picture on the right is my customized version of it.


My current customized additions include: 2 parts bins & large drawing board area
My future customized additions include: dowel holder, rag containers, attach point for vise, & attach point for router table...

So, with a new workbench, I got new initiative to reorganize the garage to match the new bench. It was time to retire the loft from its garage storage duties, and it was moved up to the library where it will provide a nice reading cavern and its usual storage space. To handle the loss of the loft storage, we went for a ceiling shelf alternative to handle the lumber lurking about, and we simply got to throwing some more stuff away. When it's all ready, we'll post some pictures of the finished product.