Reunited and Erik's Homemade Haircut

Bentley is now 8 weeks old and still at 1.5 pounds. He is doing well with doing his business outdoors now. We upgraded from newspaper to outside grass after only 5 days of trying it. Bentley did not like the feel of the newspaper between his paws, and I did not want to fight with the whole thing.
He is eating soft Purina one small breed food and drinking lots of water.

We decided after a week that we would reunite Bentley and his brother Harley together over food and good times.

Harley and Bentley



The boys played in the playpen (excellent idea mom) while the boys (Brad and Erik)
did their thing and the girls(Stefanie and Lauren) cooked the dinner and sprayed painted letters for the dogs' place mats (pictures soon to come).

We cooked marinated chicken,garlic asparagus, and mashed potatoes(recipes at the bottom).

It was so much fun eating a great meal, talking to great friends, and hearing our boys(all 3 dogs)in the back ground.

Then, the boys cleaned up the dishes and we got prepared for haircut lessons.

Warning: Stefanie cuts Brad's hair, so I thought I could do it too. I hate the way Erik's hair turns out because the people he goes to do not do a good job on it. His always turns out too short and he ends up looking like a duck. This time I have full control and his new do looks more like him.

We started off with Brad getting a haircut. Stefanie took me through the steps and had a great visual(Brad's head). She has been cutting his hair for a year now, so she is pro. Next, Erik was wetting his hair and sitting down in a chair. I had the hair cutter tool in my hands and many giggles later I was ready to listen to Stefanie.

We started with a 3 on the back of the head. I took the tool and went all the way up to the crown of his head. I took so much hair off. A very powerful and accomplished feeling came over me. I wanted to keep going, so I listened to Stefanie direct me on what to do while Brad took pictures of it all.

Then, we switched from a 3 to an 8. We started at the front of his head and went straight back. We wanted to blend the back where the 3 and 8 met. So, I used a 5 to blend it all together.

We had a few moments of giggles then a lot of teaching from Stefanie. Even Brad had to get in ON the action.

evidence that I cut Erik's hair :)


Stefanie instructing me on what I should do


I need to post an after picture of his new do.
I am pretty proud of how it turned out. Well, the good thing is if the man gets compliments on his hair I can say I did that.

The scariest part was using the scissors. Lines and Lauren don't mix well. So, when it came to his bangs I was "nervous" and the trim line on his back neck was a challenge too. Good thing he doesn't look behind himself because the neck is a little ahem...off to any eye. teehee 1st time for everything

Would I do it again? Yes, if Stefanie was walking me through it. It will take some time before I can call myself "pro."

His haircut was a challenge, but I'm so glad we got to share it with Brad and Stefanie.

Thanks Guys,
We love you

Meet Bentley...

It all started with Cooper spending time at my parent's house while on vacation. Of course, he loves his Goo ma and grandpa and the non stop loving he gets from them. Also, he loves the company of all the other dogs that are there too. Darcy, Reilly, Sammi, Harley, and Remi all keep Cooper well energized and happy while mommy and daddy take a break for themselves. Every time he comes home to us he is depressed, mopey, and not himself. Why not? Cooper=alone while Cooper + 5 dogs= companionship. It was clear that we needed another addition to add to our little family.Well, it was just an idea that I didn't think would come a reality until our great friends Brad and stefanie Fields started talking about getting their 1st puppy. This triggered my puppy fever BIG time! Stefanie and I found the best breeder and thought it would be cute to buy brothers, so they could spend time together growing up and being raised together.

So, we did exactly that and brought home another dog to add to our little family.

We picked out Bentley by Erik and I sitting on a rug and letting the puppies come to us. Of course, the one we found was love at first sight. This little guy had beautiful markings and a little chocolate mask on his face. He was the one especially made for our little family.

Meet Bentley!


the best things come in small packages
Bentley is a 1.5 pound Shih Tzu with Chocolate, black, and white fur. He is 7 weeks old and adapting well into the family.
So far he loves to...
-cuddle in our arms
-hop on Cooper's back
-play with his favorite blue toy
-wag his tail
-take long naps on his blanket
-kisses on his nose and forehead
-follow Cooper everywhere
- sleep upside down (just like his brother Cooper)
-Eat grass and put everything in his mouth

so far he hates to...
- the sound of newspaper
- take baths
- be left alone
-cold air
-blow air on his nose and mouth

Bentley has only had 4 accidents and is on schedule to get his 2nd round of shots later this week.

Couple more pics just because he is so cute!







Here's a picture of the two brothers Stef and I picked out :)

A photo shoot will be given soon of the boys together.
Stay tune...

Some stress is worth it...

It has been a few weeks since I last posted, however our little family has been so busy with getting our life back to normal. We wanted to update you all on what was going down in the Peterson household.

T.V. Stand:
Custom and well built by my hubby bee

Next: Our hardwood floors for our master bedroom and closet

Thanks to Erik, Hector, and Mr. Peterson we have the most beautiful master bedroom floors

Meanwhile, I was stressed completely because with us adding floors to our master/closet we had to completely turn our house upside down.

Living room:
Before

After:


Dining Room:
Before:

After:

Bathroom:
No before pic
After:

We sure missed our extra plush pillowtop king bed: Blow up mattress you do not even compare :(

Now, my bedroom and closet floors are complete! They look absolutely stunning.

Master Bedroom Decorating update:

You want me to WHAT?

We had 1 more wall left to finish before we could put all our furniture back into the master. We decided to take a break from all the fumes and labor and have a day of fun. Erik was going to go golfing with the guys while I was going to do my thing.

I woke up very excited to see how the paint has set on the walls. I was completely disappointed when I saw how dark and gloomy the walls were. A million thoughts were swimming in my head. I just sat there and starred until my eyes were crossed trying to think what to do to lighten the room up. I knew Erik would not like what I had thought, so I was hoping he would say something along the lines of " redo" " "too dark" or something to give me a get out jail card to redo this paint job. Instead he woke up "happy" I mean bright eyed and bushy tailed. His first words were" wow, I like the green." I thought to myself "are you kidding" No....this was going to take a lot more convincing.

While Erik was getting ready for golf I decided to use my day to go shopping, so I got my "inspirational binder" out and ready to use.




If anyone is curious my inspirational binder is a binder where I store all my ideas or things I find that inspire me for my house (current) and my future home.

My mission was to find something simple to make the room feel more airy.
I went to Bed, bath, and beyond, Jcpennys, Macys, Target, Pier 1, Target, Walmart, Zgallerie, and more. I bought a bunch of odds and ends.

Note to self: GREEN is not the trend right now


My mission was a complete BUST! I got a high from shopping, but still nothing "popped" out at me for inspiration to continue doing my master room in green.
I was so bummed I started to cry!

Erik walks in and cues for me to cry more... I gave him my "woe is me" cry and I was wrong to do green because I couldn't find anything that looked good. Finally, I settled down and got the nerves to ask him if he wouldn't mind me starting over. I said," Erik, I did not find anything I was happy with.I want to redo the paint color and start over." Erik replies," You want me to WHAT?"
moment of silence...I was about to get killed.
Erik thought about it and I'm sure the thought "Happy wife equals happy life" when through his head. The heavens must of opened up because he replied with: Okay, if you want to do something different then let's do it. This time let's do it right!
....so began our next adventure of home improvements :)

immediately, I found the Blue I wanted and purchased it ASAP. We wanted to get that "gloomy green" off the walls before it did permanent damage.

The blue I chose inspired me to do a whole new look. I decided to "hotel chic" modern design.


Hotel chic- bringing that feeling of the luxury hotel into your home.

Erik and I love to travel the world (when we can) I decided to do create a "hotel" feel at the house. A place where we can have a haven to retreat in.

So, it began...





good bye gloomy green...

hello hotel chic...


4 walls, tray ceiling,trim, corners, and hard to reach places were all cinderella hotel chic blue



Next step...shopping for Hotel chic design

Yay! Paint Master Bedroom and beyond

It all started with the custom T.V. unit in the corner of our master bedroom! Of course, this was a perfect opportunity for me to get my master painted. So, I sweetly talked Erik into doing it. I went to all the paint stores to find the "perfect" color for our master bedroom. I think deep down Erik and I both knew this was not going to stop at just paint, but we ignored that point and went on. We landed on the green family swatches!
Meet Artichoke from Sherwin Williams


We got 2 gallons, stir sticks, painter tape, brushes, and pans. We were ready to paint!



So, Erik begins to tape off the molding from the walls. He knew I would go "paint happy" and accidentally paint the parts that weren't suppose to be green. hehe he does know me. I was so giddy to put this color on that I did that and accidently got some on the rug. oops! Good thing we are replacing the carpet for hardwoods



Then, he took over from there


while I took pictures and did the trim


oh, who knew paint was so messy:
Good tip: Use Clorox wipes...it gets out anything ;)


At this point, I didn't want to end up looking like shrek the green character, so Erik took over


3 walls were down and 1 to go!

Let's get all Dolled up...

I get to go to Natural Pawz located in The Woodlands. It's a doggy day spa for DOGS! It's a genius idea ;)
It's something about being so "free" after all the long matty hair is taken off :)that makes you feel so refreshed and rejuvenated. It's kind of like human spas except I get to be told how cute I am the entire time. Each time I go I look cuter than the last time I went in.However, this time I dont know what mommy was thinking when she told Michelle (my personal spa person) to cut my hair this time. I feel naked and look so rat like. See for yourself

Do you see how michelle is smiling? I am not happy. I am a naked little rat dog. What will this do to my status for all the other neighborhood dogs during walk time? I tell you they will laugh at me...


If you can't remember how cute I looked before here is a closer up before and after
Before


After


So, what do you think of my new do? I thought so too. Let's say together LITTLE NAKED RAT DOG :(

Eventually, It will grow back.

Cooper's Prints: Mommy, I don't think you should except any walks from me for a while; I won't be caught looking like this in front of dogs.

I would like to say thank you to mommy, daddy, Michelle, and Natural Pawz for giving me the opportunity to do this experience.

Natural Pawz is the best haircut place around The Woodlands. They are fun, clean, professional, and takes really good care of me when I'm there. I would highly recommend them to any four legged family member.





.

Forgotten? I think not...

Normally, I look forward to the weekends with mommy and daddy. The sleeping in on the big bed, playing all day, and relaxing with mommy and daddy. However, this past weekend was awful for me.

I just knew it was going to be a good one after I woke up to the smell of human food. Mommy was making daddy breakfast in bed. Of course, she is so sweet and always let's me eat with daddy too. Yep, I just knew it would be the bestest weekend until mommy and daddy were talking about some T.V. thing over breakfast. Then, daddy headed to his office and mommy went to go get dressed. Before I knew it I was getting good bye kisses,hugs, and see you soon coopeys from mommy!

They left me alone in my room with the lights off! Mommy thinks I have a million toys and a comfy bed with a very manly looking polka dot blanket to keep me happy, but the truth is I am rather lonely when they leave. All I do is sleep, chew on my stick, and sleep some more. You are probably thinking awwww pooor Cooper: all along in the Dark, arent you? Let me explain the lights off thing to everyone before you report my parents to the DPS ( doggie protection services):
You see they give me a lot of trust and faith I am a very well behaved dog after all the hours they spent on training me. Well, I am...except this one itzy bitzy time I accidentally got bored and pulled all the fun strings out of mommy's rug. They were not happy with me for a while, so I got degraded from my BIG room(parents bathroom) to my room(guest bathroom). The lights are off, so I don't get tempted into chewing on anything else.

Well, back to the story...I waited, slept, and chewed on my stick for a while until I was going crazy. I was beginning to think the time was a lot longer than normal, so I began to get a little worried. All sorts of thoughts came to my head ( they left me, they don't love me, and they aren't coming back) I was about to give up hope, but then I heard the door open. I listened closely to their footsteps coming closer. I heard mommy and daddy talking and walked right pass my door. I barked to get their attention in case they "forgot" they had a four legged family member behind doors. Finally, they came to my rescue to let me out and do my business.

I came in with a smile on my face not because I was happy to see my parents, but I didn't have an accident in my room. I did everything I could to hold it in. When I came into the kitchen I saw this


I was so excited I forgave mommy and daddy because they didn't forget about me!


The wait was well worth it! I have a new toy to add to my collection and a lot of treats to get when I am a good boy.

Cooper Prints: I don't like the new treats, so can u return those and get my chicken sticks (you know the ones goo ma and grandpa spoiled me on) and mini bone treats!

Thanks mommy and daddy! You are the bestest!!
Cooper Peterson

Part 2: The Big Surprise

After all those hours of searching for the perfect T.V. and a good deal on one we got some sleep!
I was exhausted I didn't even care to wash my hair that night! I woke up the next day and I had better days
( Thank Goodness for Great Quality Hair spray) Hair is sticking up like a Squirrel tail


After I got dressed and looked cuter I suggested to Erik my next idea! Excitedly,I told him I wanted to build a "custom T.V. stand that would be on the wall"floating" and not in a stand on the floor. I showed him inspirational pictures of what I wanted for that spot, and we headed to home depot ( my least favorite store).

We thought we would start in the wood aisle

but quickly felt like this couple
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAxxv8JmI5c

We finally found an associate that could help us!
Meet Jeremy A.K.A. Our Lifesaver


He helped us so much by giving us ideas, tips, and ahem...few more slices on the SAW then Home depot allowed.



of course, Erik helped in his ways too!


Next, we had to find out if Dad, Mr. Peterson, or Erik's uncle was available to help us along our next adventure!
Alas, Erik's uncle was home and had all the tools needed for this project.

We started with cutting the boards into some 45 degree triangles!

Then, we router bit all the shelves to make them look pretty!


And made a custom hole at the back of the shelves to hide all those pesky cords


Next, we (ERIK) will be painting and assembling the creation!
Pictures will be posted soon!