Cole Visits the River Museum

What a busy, busy weekend! Shane and I had Cole on Saturday and Sunday this weekend, so lots going on around here. Saturday was a big supper on the grill with Grandpa Bo and Rhonda. Cole was showing off his newly acquired golf skills. Sunday morning we got up extra early to see turkeys...yep wild turkeys (8 of them) walking through our front yard. To keep up the wildlife trend for the day, Shane, Molly, Cole and Bo headed off the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. Cole was excited for ducks, Shane the fish and MoMo the otters. Enjoy the pictures:
PS: Cole's favorites: the ducks and all the rocks!

Trip to the Arboretum

Today Shane, Grandma, and I went to the fall showing at the Dubuque Arboretum. We saw the most beautiful flowers, birds, and bushes. What a wonderful asset to Dubuque! I really recommend that EVERYONE goes during each of the 4 seasons. Our little trio also went off to the open house at the Julien Hotel in Dubuque. Again, a historic treasure that has been restored. I cannot wait for the opportunity to stay over in one of those amazing suites. Highlight of the day: sitting in the walk-in safe of the Al Capone suite. I am also trying to find an excuse to eat at Caroline's the new restuarant under the hotel. Hibiscus

Dahlia (huge)

Waterfall into shallow pond

Purple ornamental grasses

The Furniture Is IN!!!

All the boxes are in, and starting to be unpacked. Thanks to all of our helpers we got everything loaded and moved in one day. Now the fun begins...finding all my stuff. I have unpacked just about everything...but still cannot decide on their placement. I am hoping to get things hung on the walls this weekend, then the house will start to feel lived in.
As more things go up, I will try and post more pictures. We would love to hear from everyone...so drop us a line or just come on over.

Before & After

Before: Spare Bedroom
After: Spare Bedroom

Before: Bathroom














After: Bathroom






After: Living Room (now its tan and rusty/terracotta)
Before: Living Room (yes it was PINK)

The house is starting to look like our own. While we took possession of the house on June 30th, we have little to nothing moved in yet. For the past 2 weeks, Shane has been tackling the jungle of a backyard, and Molly has been painting, painting, and painting. She is now starting to sand the hardwood floors and reseal them with polyurethane. After all of this is done, we will start moving in the furniture. Keep your fingers crossed for Saturday, July 23rd...no rain and lots of extra muscle.
But I thought we would give you a sneak peak of the changes inside so far.

Cole's Day at Uncle Shane's

Cole has finally decided that Uncle Shane is his buddy again. Over the past few weeks Cole has been over several times...his favorite activities: dancing to rock-n-roll and petting the deer. As soon as he arrives he grabs the remote and heads to the stereo...after pushing ALL the buttons we turn it on and he starts to move. He is going to be quite the dancer.
As for the deer, he is fascinated by them and must pet them everytime he comes over. However, when Shane picks him up and he is face to face with the deer is a bit uncertain. The picture above shows the latest stare down.

Another Move Is In Our Future

Well, its official. We close on our new house on June 30th. Shane and I are both very excited and have lots of projects to complete before the furniture starts being moved in. Floors, paint, and cabinets are going to be my responsibility; while Shane tackles the landscaping, gutters, and exterior. We both have BIG plans for the space...Shane is very excited about the finished basement becoming "Manland." I will post pictures of the finished projects as they get done!!!

We Got a House!

Well its been a quick, stressful, anxiety-ridden process but the offer we put in yesterday was ACCEPTED! So pending inspections...and more inspections...and the bank we will be homeowners! Here are several pictures so you can all get a sense of the new place!