Sweet Sugar

Today, my family lost our precious girl so near and dear to all our hearts..Our sweet Sugar passed away this morning at 11:00am. She was part of our family for 11 years and we are all truly blessed to have been able to love her for so long.

I have never really known what it's like to lose a pet so close to me. Our family lost our cat of 18 years when she passed away. I was in college and I remember being sad, but not as sad as I am today. I wasn't there when Kimmy passed away, but today I was fortunate to be able to say my good-byes to Sugar Bear..that was one of her many nicknames.. Sugar Bear, Cheese Slut, Butterball, and Queen-B. My parents have two other dogs, big dogs, but Sugar ruled the roost over there. She was the Queen B and she made sure they knew who was boss. 

Today, was suppose to be just like any other day, but I got a call from my mother this morning saying that Sugar wasn't doing too well and my dad was taking her to the vet. Sugar had been slowing down these past couple months, but hadn't shown any signs that she was in pain. She was eating regularly, but seemed to be losing weight. She had also been shedding quite a bit, and was pretty lethargic around the house. They had her thyroid checked then and everything came back normal. It wasn't until a couple days ago Sugar quit eating and drinking. Not thinking this was her last day with us, we all thought they would give her some medicine and she'd be able to go back home, but unfortunately that wasn't in God's plan today.


Her organs started shutting down and we knew then we didn't have much time left with her. I called Chris to tell him what was going on and thankfully, he was able to leave work and head over to the vet. Sugar adored Chris. He was her favorite. Every time we stopped by my parents, Sugar would just wail and yelp as we walked in the door. She had to get her loving from both Chris and I, especially Chris, before we were able to do anything else. She loved him dearly.

Once Chris showed up and was able to say his good byes, just several minutes later Sugar passed away peacefully and naturally. The vet went to get the "medicine", but before she could do anything, Sugar had already passed on with her dignity. We are so blessed that Sugar made the choice for herself, and we as a family didn't have to make it for her. She went downhill so quickly, we still don't know what caused it. Maybe cancer..we don't know.

I am so thankful we were all able to be together today to say good bye to Suggie. I have so many great memories of Sugar..she loved chasing squirrels around the neighborhood and riding around with me hanging out the window of the car. She loved any kind of cheese and actually jumped up on our patio table one time and ate a huge chunk of Brie. She loved dressing up in her t-shirts. I would put one on her, and she'd get this extra pep in her step and run around like she was Miss Thing. She loved to eat and loved to nugg. She would jump up on your lap and bury her little head into your neck and love on you. She was such a special dog. We always said she was more human than dog. She had this way of looking at you that felt more human than anything. She knew how to give love unconditionally and was so much a huge part of our family. We are going to miss her so dearly.

~We will miss you sweet Sugar~

Lots of love and sweet kisses baby girl

XOXOXOXOXO

Going "Green" Bathroom Trends

I'd like to introduce ya'll to a guest writer today, Shahab, from Dulles Glass and Mirror Company. She was interested in sharing some current trends in bathroom design, and I couldn't wait for her to share more on the topic! I am TOTALLY in love with the frameless shower doors and vessel sinks. 

HOPE YOU ENJOY!

When looking for bathroom trends, look no further than going green with your bathroom décor. This means looking for bath products that are organic, green, and SAFE for you and your family.

                                             

Recycled Bath Mat (via)


These 28” square cotton bath mats are made from recycled cotton jersey. It’s comprised of recycled chindi fabric which comes from a variety of different knit fabric remnants. These bath mats are affordable, green, and look unique in any bathroom.



Organic Wood grain Bath Towel (via)

If you’re looking for organic bath towels with a little bit of textural flare, these organic cotton “woodgrain” bath towels bring the natural tree-ring pattern to your bathroom.

If you happen to have a wood vanity or wood grain bathroom tiles in your bathroom, these towels provide a perfect match.


Modern Weave Hamper (via)

To continue the green bathroom trends, this hamper is made from rattan plant. The peel from the rattan plant is tightly hand-woven to provide that natural look, while being durable storage your laundry.

Anytime you can go natural and remove any materials such as toxic plastics from your bathroom, you should do so. This especially includes things such as vinyl shower curtains that contain potentially harmful toxins found in PVC plastics. See the following trend for the perfect alternative.


Frameless Glass Shower Door

There are further alternatives to give your bathroom that new look. Frameless shower enclosures reinvent the typical shower into a modern, attractive, centerpiece. Adding a neo-angle shower enclosure for your bathroom is a beautiful way to turn any corner into a shower, while replacing the shower curtain and the outdated framed look with luscious frameless glass that also shows off any new tile work you do. If you’re looking for a shower enclosure, neo-angle shower enclosures are the trendiest shower doors in 2012.


Vessel Sinks (via)

Don’t stop there, do a search online and with a little bit of effort, you can find a modern-looking vessel sink and faucet, at an affordable price. Craigslist and Ebay are a good place to start your search. Some DIY-ers have even made their own vessel sinks by drilling a hole into a large kitchen bowl.

These bathroom décor tips will not only make your bathroom look very high-end and modern, but also green and organic.

 

About the Author

Shahab Shokouhi is a Writer at Dulles Glass and Mirror -- a manufacturer of commercial and residential glass products including tempered glass, replacement glass, and shower doors.

How to "WOW" a cement planter

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I wanted to share a small little project on how to stain a cement planter. So simple, easy, and inexpensive!

I bought this great looking cement planter at Lowe's several weeks ago, and wasn't for sure if I wanted to keep it looking "Au Natural" or stain it. I lived with it for a week, and decided it needed something. 

                                                                                                   

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

Off to Lowe's I went and logically thinking, I was going to go with a cement stain, but soon found out it was only available in a gallon. As the Donger would say, "NO WAY JOSE"!

A light bulb went off, and I remembered I had some wood stain leftover from another project in my garage. I used a small can of the MINIWAX Dark Walnut wood stain, and used a paintbrush to apply it. I didn't over apply, and basically just dabbed it on allover. What an inexpensive way to change the look of natural cement completely.  For small projects like this, I would highly recommend trying wood stain. It WILL work, so go for it!!

Now we've got a beautiful, SUPER heavy planter that's not going anywhere for awhile. After all was said and done, I went to water the palm, and a lovely stream of water came flowing out the base. Didn't think that part through. That's my next project:) Always a project!!