Another Passing at the Pitt

Our little Shaggy has been devastated ever since Wini passed away. His eye wouldn't stop dripping, his back leg just got worse, and he was visibly lonely. We tried pain meds, acupuncture, warm water baths. He passed away during the day while we were at work. We left him in the morning like we usually do, telling him that we loved him very much, but something about today was different. I think that he's in a better place with our Wini and together they are frolicking in a field full of dandelion greens.

We have such fond memories of our Shaggy. He was the little man of the house. So gentle and oblivious to everything that went on around him. He had a one track mind and that was our Wini. Good-bye our little Shaggs. You were loved very much and you'll be missed.

Fun with Insulation

This year will be the first year Bob and I will be hosting our first Thanksgiving, and the first one at the Pitt. Since we have 6 additional people staying with us for a long weekend, we've been motivated and working extra hard to get everything in place. This morning we had some fun with insulation. You see, we bought all the necessary insulation to adequately insulate the attic, now we just need to get the insulation into the attic. There are three separate attic entrances in the house. One is in a bedroom where there is scripture quoted on the wall. Today we finally moved the insulation into the attic through that room. The best part about transporting insulation? The masks!

MUAHAHAHAHA. Am I scary?

"We're taking all precautions necessary to avoid H1N1"

In addition to the insulation we finally moved the tub into the storage room. Thanks Aunt Sue and Uncle Ron for the furniture dolly!

Phase II: House Wrap

It is incredible how much better the house looks with house wrap on. Gone is the plywood and gross old brown siding, and in is the new wonderful Dow Chemcial housing wrap. The best part, it's made in Canada. We are one step closer to not looking like the most ghetto house on the block.

We've enjoyed a warm fall, which has been a big help in getting the siding started and going. Since my niece is visiting for the next couple of weeks, dad won't be available as much as he has been, so production is slowing down. But once the first row of siding is up, the rest is easy. Stay tuned for Phase 3.

The Plywood Palace, Siding, Phase 1

We've been busy at the Pitt. We began the outside of the house and thought, a couple of weeks and BAAM we'd have siding. As you may know, things are not always how we think they should be at the Pitt. There were a billion repairs to do in the wall itself. And we had to build the wall for the new bay window in the kitchen!!

So we begin with pictures of the plywood palace. Our neighbors must be getting super excited that we are a step closer the real siding:

 We also had to tear down the front steps. They weren't level and water was flowing toward the house. So while I'm at work Bob calls me and says, "We just rented a jackhammer." I'm not going to lie, I was worried. Bob, Dad and the Jackhammer. Who would win?

Dad 1. Steps 0. Bob 0.

Phase II: House Wrap

A Passing at the Pitt

It's been a tough couple of days on the Pitt. Our sweetest Wini girl passed away on Thursday.

Wednesday night we noticed she wasn't eating (she was fine that morning). This is bad, because rabbits need to eat pretty much constantly. We took her to the nearest exotic animal emergency hospital (exotic? yeah, we know) which was all the way in Novi. She had gut stasis (again), a condition where she basically stops digesting. They medicated her and kept her overnight. By morning she was doing much better, so we transferred her to our regular vet for observation the rest of the day. She was doing better, but in the afternoon she took a turn for the worse and never recovered.

We miss her so much. And we know Shaggy misses her terribly. Wini gave us so much: she was our first pet together (and the only one that's been at all of the places we've lived together), she led to Orsi's nickname (Bun), she convinced Orsi's parents to get a pet (their dog Virgonc), she got us Shaggy and so much more.

So in loving memory of our Wini, here are some photo highlights from the last 6 years:

Front Door and Curtains!

It seems like Michigan fall is settling in. It's beginning to get darker sooner, so many of our pictures are being taken in the dark. It's cooler out. Sweatshirt weather has set in, football games have begun (GO BLUE!), and we've finally picked out some siding. The siding is the last big outdoor project we have left. So while Dad and Bob talk about G channels, and J channels, and integrated J channels and all that other exciting siding stuff, I've been focusing on interior design.

So here's a couple of side projects that we've been working on. The front door has finally been painted. The color is Sundried Tomato by the folks over at Sherwin Williams on the outside, and white on the inside.

My other obsession has been finding the perfect curtains for the master bedroom. It's been a long hunt, but I've finally found ones I love at Cost Plus!

No curtain rods yet just Bob. So what do you guys think? Isn't it totally Ors (and Bob if he had an opinion)?

And it Looks Better!

So it looks better already (see just a temporary set back).

Our new door wall!

Dining room back to normal.

Our new bay window in the kitchen!