Until last week we had a smart dog and a dumb dog; a lovey dog and a shy dog; a couch dog and a floor dog. We had two delightful dogs who wanted nothing to do with one another but to live independently in the same space.

Then, after a month of rote training, Tiberius learned to sit; this made our lives about a million times easier. See, Murphy practically speaks English, but Ty... mostly we were wrangling Ty around the house by brute force and sheer will. Now, seemingly overnight, we have two dogs who "get it." And getting it has transformed Ty into another dog entirely. He is engaged, he is affectionate, he is funny. He is part of the family.

The other thing that changed last week is this:

We went to Ikea and got this sofa for the mud room. Nothing fancy, it's in the mud room after all, but it fits, the cushion covers are machine washable, and for whatever reason every furry thing in our apartment loves it. It has become command central for the pets.

With the arrival of that sofa another dynamic changed n our home. The dogs became... buddies. All of a sudden they're interested in each other. They play, they sniff, and they've even started lying around together.

It's like that sofa in the mud room was an all access pass to the rest of the house for Ty. He lays around like it's his full time job.

I have never met a lazier dog- or a snugglier one.

And just when we were thanking our lucky stars that he's not interested in sleeping on the bed with us like Murphy is he spent some time downstairs with the neighbors, discovered how gosh darn comfortable beds can be, and has now taken up residence in ours.

I don't mind so much. We're a dogs-on-the-furniture kind of family. All the better for the snuggling.

Friday Josh and I went to a wedding.

Whenever I get ready to go out I have to try on everything, and with everything I try on that doesn't fit I get more and more insecure.

I'm like a Cathy comic.

Here goes:

ACK! Makes me looks fat!

ACK! Makes me look scary!

ACK! Makes me look scary and fat!

Why didn't I just try this one on first and save myself the agida?

A little hair and make up...

and we're out the door.

That's what I'm talking about!

I was doing some grocery shopping after work yesterday and when I walked past the corner where they display the cut flowers I saw bunches and bunches of daffodil buds. I grabbed three, threw them in a vase and went to bed, when I woke up this morning they looked like this!

How's that for an optimistic start to a Friday!

Another great sight first thing in the morning? This guy! The cuteness... how did we ever live without him?

Josh and I have been rather busy lately finishing up some overlooked home projects, click on over to my Dwell page to see what we've been up to.

I haven't posted a painting class update for a while because I've been working on my self portrait for weeks. I finished it on Monday, and here it is.

I'm extremely happy with how it turned out, but this picture doesn't do it justice. I wish I could show it to all of you in person. I love how the oil paint is thick in some places and thinner in others, how it captures the brushstrokes and how that texture does the work instead of the color in some places. Now I'm working on a companion piece; Josh is sitting for a portrait for me as well.

Josh and I went to Ikea last night.

I get super excited about a trip to Ikea, all wound up like our neighbors terrier, by the time we get there I'm practically humming with anticipation. Josh is cool about the whole thing. I ascribe our disparate behavior and attitudes to the fact that he grew up here and has always had Ikea, and for me, growing up in Denver, Ikea was like a unicorn. I'd heard tales of it's wonder but I'd never seen one myself.

The thing about Ikea, it seems like everything is so cheap, but before you notice it you've spent hundreds of dollars. I learned early to make a list before setting foot in the store. Not a mental list, not a plan, an actual list, on paper that you can reference. And while this always kept me more on track than walking in empty handed, it's not a perfect system. Ikea is designed to trick you into wondering how you ever lived without a paper lantern/metal colander/ decorative fox mask/ whatever.

But last night... last night we walked into Ikea with a list, and walked out of Ikea without purchasing one thing that was not on the list.

Can you imagine the sheer willpower that we had to wield to manage such a feat?

It's not that I haven't been cooking. I have been cooking. I've been cooking up a storm actually. I just don't think I've been cooking anything you'd want to read about.

My latest obsession? Steel cut oatmeal.
Is it glamorous? Exciting? Daring?

No. But it tastes so good that Josh and I have been getting up a half an hour earlier every day just to eat breakfast together.
Steel cut oats are chewy, flavorful and with a sprinkle of sliced almonds and dried cranberries, and just a dash of honey and soy milk interesting enough to start my day.

I participate in two online cooking clubs, and I find that these two focused projects each month allow me to relax and think less about food, cooking and eating.

I wouldn't say I've been in a rut with respect to cooking, but taking a few classes during the week, cutting back on the amount of television I watch and bumping up some other creative pursuits has shifted my focus away from the kitchen. I'm sure as soon as spring springs here in Chicago and the Green City Market opens up I'll be back in the kitchen with new vigor, but until then I'm sort of focusing my attention elsewhere.

I've always tried to eat well, but I'm not really a dieter. I'm all for moderation but I'm not at all in favor of passing up a chance to try a new cheese or wine or butter or bread. I just sort of assumed that my genes were finally catching up to me (not from my mother, she's a teeny tiny little thing) and that this is what my body is like now. I still feel beautiful, I'm still active, I'm not a lazy lump lying around all day. I'm just a size 8 now and no longer a size 4.

I've decided I can live with it- but I can also live with oatmeal for breakfast and long walks with the dog. I'm all about doing everything a little bit.

February's recipe for the baking group with which I participate is another story altogether. Nothing about these rich but light and flaky croissants says "moderation." That's why I froze 2/3 of the dough and only made a few croissants this weekend. No need to make a dozen, I'd just east them all. Continue reading Croissants

Some weekends are more productive than others, and this was one of those weekends.

Normally I make a sort of to-do list for the weekends with the expectation in mind that I might get none of it done if something better rolls around- or if I just don't feel like doing it. Weekends are weekends after all, but this weekend I actually managed to do everything I blogged about on Friday.

Josh cleaned the base boards while I made croissants and repotted our house plants.
I signed up for next session's classes at the cultural center, returned and picked up library books, and dropped off recycling.
We watched a season of BSG (and just now, at the end of season 2.5 realized that Gaius Baltar is played by the actor who played Tom in Bridget Jones.)
Played with the pups; including Ty's greyhound date where we forget entirely to take pictures we were so busy running around.
I made some serious progress on the sock I am knitting and found the time to tackle all sorts of little projects around the house that have been forgotten in the past 6 months.
Last night, after our jam packed weekend we opened a bottle of wine and sat down to watch Out of Africa

I know that I'm probably the last person to see this film, but if I'm wrong, if you haven't seen it yet, you absolutely must. At first I thought it was very long, but in the end I loved it so much I was left wishing it was longer. Has it become terribly trite to adore Meryl Streep? It must be, she is ubiquitous, but still, there is no denying that she is simply amazing. Her portrayal of Baroness Karen von Blixen-Fineckle made me want to read the book- if only to see if she was as independent and plucky as the movie would lead us to believe. It's already in my library queue.

It should go without saying that this week was heavy on the work and light on the blog, which, is exactly as it should be, if you get paid to work and blog for free. And I do.

The week was simultaneously forever long and went by in a flash. Go figure.

This weekend I hope to:
Go pay my $0.20 late fee at the library and pick up a few books
Start our spring cleaning- slowly. My goal for this weekend is to get my house plants in shape and clean the base boards.
Tiberius is signed up to attend his very first Greyhound play group. I can't wait to see him run with his ilk!
Croissants! This month I chose the challenge for my baking group and I've put it off until the last minute. I'm making them tonight. Or tomorrow morning. But definitely before I got to bed on Sunday night.
This weekend we're watching BSG season 2.5- and I can't wait to see what happens! BSG! BSG! BSG!

Spring is coming soon.
Spring is coming soon.
Spring is coming soon.
Spring is coming soon.
Spring is coming soon.
Spring is coming soon.
Spring is coming soon.
Spring is coming soon.
(repeat)

Josh and I are homebodies of the highest order, but we do enjoy a nice night out on occasion.

This weekend we dressed up and headed out for a date.

After 6 months of living on the South Side we've got the Metra/El/Taxi system down to a science. For the longest time we'd defer to the Taxi because it was easier, but now we plan our outings before hand and save that money for cocktails.

It takes about a half hour to get from our place to Millennium Station by Metra, and from there we can grab the El wherever we want to go. The trick here is to bring something to do on the Metra, and the trip is over in no time.

Lately I've been working on my knitting. Josh brings his fancy phone.

(Sometimes we get these old white-guy conductors who feel like they need to ask us if we're lost when we get on the train. Like it is unfathomable that a young white couple would live in our neighborhood- that attitude is starting to get on my nerves.)

But, clearly I digress.

We went to dinner at La Madia. They're one of Josh's clients, so I was prepared to pretend to like it, even if I didn't actually like it, but the food was amazing. The atmosphere was very chic. And the cocktails were to die.

This cocktail was a black peppercorn infused Gin, grapefruit juice, gomme syrup and lemon. I'm certain I can find a way to adapt that and make it my beverage of choice this summer... I'm thinking infusing a simple syrup with the black peppercorns and going from there.

Oh, forgive me, but I love a pun, even a bad one.

For the longest time I've limited my knitting to simple, beginner projects like scarves and hats that don't require any finagling. I don't know what came over me this weekend, but I decided to pick up some sock weight yarn and a package of needles and jump in.

Thanks to the internet I was able to take a lesson and find a pattern right from the comfort of my couch. How luck are we that we have the while world at our fingertips?

I used to wonder why anybody would bother knitting their own socks, and though I had a bit of a bumpy start, now that I've got the hang of it, I see the appeal.

The yarn is so delicate, and each section is working pretty quickly. It won't be perfect, but it's a good start.

I'm feeling wildly optimistic lately.

The other night it snowed. Josh was out with some friends and I was out in the yard by myself with the dogs. The snow was falling ever so slowly, and the light from the alley and the houses nearby made it glitter like diamonds.

I was overcome with this serene peaceful feeling. Life is good. Life is beautiful.

And spring is right around the corner.

I read once that February was so short to make up for it's being so dreary.

And it is dreary. But it's also almost over. And spring, well spring is the best. I love the crisp mornings. I love the rainy nights. I love light coats and galoshes. Frilly dresses and cold knees. Pink lipstick and baby vegetables. Spring cleaning and taking care of the house plants.

True, it's still cold, snowy and grey. But it won't be for long.
The snow will melt, the sun will shine, and my shoulders will feel warm sunlight again.

Here's the thing.

I work in a steel mill. While I don't talk a lot about work here I've certainly made no secret about that.

Steel mills are no frills. Cold. Dirty.

One of the perks of working in less than comfortable surroundings is that I get to dress for comfort; I wear jeans, steel metatarsal boots and a hard hat to work every day. I usually wear a t-shirt and a hoodie, if I have a meeting with a big wig I might trade that hoodie for a sweater. Fancy. I don't have to do my hair or wear make-up to work.

A few days this week I am in a training class. Still, in the mill. Still, boots, jeans and a sweatshirt.

But someone felt the need to wear cologne. A lot of cologne. To the class where we're stuck together in a small room for 8 hours.

Generally speaking I have nothing against perfume. I occasionally wear a fragrance my husband likes. But I adhere to the following rules my grandmother taught me:

1. 1. People should only get a hint of your fragrance if they are hugging you, or are otherwise in your personal space
2. 2. Never wear it if you will be in a large crowd (like a wedding, or the theater)
3. 3. Never to restaurants where it could interfere with another person's dining experience
4. 4. Never wear somewhere other people's attendance is required. If they don't like your perfume, they should have the option of leaving.

I certainly don't have any choice but to sit here and allow my sinuses to become more and more irritated by this man's cologne.

If you are one of the many, many people who live selfishly oblivious to these rules, please hear my plea. I don't care how much you like your perfume, not everyone feels the same way. Many people, like me, actually have allergies to any number of fragrances that you find unobjectionable. And please stop wearing so much. I don't want to smell you coming. Subtlety is key. Less is more. You are not the exception to these rules.

I'm doing my annual financial health check. I get my credit report and check for errors. I find an error. A credit collection agency is trying to collect $76 for a phone bill I never had ten years ago for an account billed to an address at which I never lived.

Phantom phone bill.

I called the phone company to attempt to clear up this credit damaging issue.

I explain the situation. They ask me for my account number. For the account I never had. I remind them that I don't have an account with them.

They ask me for the phone number associated with the account. I remind them that I never had a phone number with them.

I give them my name and social security number and they inform me that they have no record of my ever having an account with them.

Eureka! That's my point exactly! The representative on the other end of the line offers to transfer me to her supervisor, who is better equipped to help me. I breathe a sigh of relief, until...

She asks me for my account number.

Our weekend revolved entirely around- you guessed it, the dogs.

Murph loves riding in the car, when I lived in Denver I used to take him everywhere I went. Here in Chicago it gets too hot/cold to take him along everywhere if he has to wait in the car, and frankly, I don't really go anywhere anymore.

This weekend's agenda included picking up dog and cat food and spending a few hours at the dog park.

At first Tiber had some trouble getting into and out of the car, but he learned pretty quickly from Murph. I made them a great big dog bed for the back of the car (I think I'm officially one of "those women" now) and they seemed perfectly content to snuggle down and snooze.

Ty's other big adventure was his first bath. Every time he leaned against me he was giving me hives and we had no idea what kind of kennel funk was all over him. In the summer we have a nice place in the basement where we can wash the dogs but in the winter it's pretty cold down there. I wanted to try out the self serve dog wash facilities at a nearby pet "boutique" and it was amazing. Very quick and easy. They have everything ready to go, you just wash and dry and they clean up.

Ty did great! The blow dryer freaked him out a bit, but all in all it was painless. And totally worth the $18 to not have to deep clean the house after bath time.

P.S. You can check out February's Daring Cook's Challenge on my "EATS" page.