A Little Wedding Wall Update

The wall dedicated to our wedding is looking a less sparse. 

When Jon hung our guest book and shadow box I knew that we needed to add a little bit more to it eventually. It looked a little better once we added the frames to right of it. I had been looking for the right accessories for a while now because I didn't want to just hang anything on there. 

Over my holiday break I found the gold resin letters at Hobby Lobby. I actually had spotted them all over Pinterest first but had never be able to find them at the store. I found them while I was browsing the discounted Christmas stuff and since they were on sale I bought them. I also found the little "love" sign there (also on sale!). 

I also purchased a floor vase ($8!) from target. I've actually had it for months but it finally seemed like the right time to display it. I wish the curly white filler was a little bit more substantial looking but I like the overall effect. 

Our First Anniversary

Jonathan and I recently celebrated our first wedding anniversary! This is us a year ago.

Don't we look happy? BEST. DAY. EVER.

We decided not to do anything fancy since we just got back from our trip (Jonathan still bought me a beautiful bouquet of roses). So to celebrate in a low key we decided to open our wedding wine box and watch our wedding video. Please ignore the mess that was our dining table.

What is a wedding wine box? Its a box that a bride and groom place a bottle of wine, two glasses and letters to each other. The letters are secret and we wrote about why we had decided to get married and the qualities we love in each other. At the wedding ceremony the box and its purpose. The idea is that a couple puts it together before the wedding and open it on a certain anniversary. However if they ever find that the marriage is in trouble they are supposed to open the box, pour the wine and separate to read the letters.

Last year we decided to open the box on our first anniversary and then on every fifth. So a couple of weeks ago we pulled out the top tier of our wedding cake from the depths of our fridge and sat down with our wedding wine box. We bought a fancy bottle of wine on our mini honeymoon in Napa and placed that into our box.

We opened the wine, grabbed some defrosted cake and sat on the couch to read our letters. I won't say what they contained (that's between Jon and I) but they were very sweet. I, of course, cried. Then we settled in to watch our wedding video.

Originally I was a little apprehensive about eating cake that's been sitting in a freezer for year so I called the baker who did our wedding cake. Luckily she gave us a whole new cake for free! Since I called at the last minute we had to wait until the following week to pick it up. We ate the defrosted one on our actual anniversary to keep with tradition and the new one the following Sunday. Cake two weekends in a row? Yes please!

It was a perfect way to remember our first year of marriage and six years together. Check out our first photo together (way back in 2007!). Just for fun.

See You Later...

This will be our last blog post for a while. Why? Because we are finally taking our long awaited honeymoon! The destination? EUROPE!

The last few months of 2012 were a whirlwind for us. In between home buying, new jobs, our wedding and settling into married life we really didn't have a lot of time or money to take our honeymoon. Jon was actually offered a new job the day we moved into our house and he started on October 1st, just 26 days before our wedding! That meant he didn't have any time off. So he was only able to take off a couple of days for our wedding and then we took a trip to Napa for a few days on a mini (honey) moon. But the plan was always to take a real, fabulous honeymoon once Jon had accrued some vacation time and we saved up a bit more. 

And then life happened. We celebrated our first holidays as a married couple, Poseidon came to live with us and we spent most of our weekends fixing up our home. And the honeymoon got pushed to the back of our minds. 

Then my cousin invited us to her wedding in New York (its actually in New Jersey but my family lives in New York) and we thought "we're already part of the way there... let's just go from there!" That's exactly what we are doing.

We are starting our trip off in New York. We'll be in town for a few days celebrating with my large extended family the marriage of my cousin Paola and her (really) soon to be husband David. We are planning of visiting the 9/11 memorial since it was still under construction on our last visit in 2010. We also plan on visiting Lady Liberty because the last time I was there I was so small my mom carried me up to the top. But the main attraction is the wedding! My sister and I are excited to be bridesmaids and my whole family is excited to see all of our large extended family.

Saturday night (the wedding is Friday) Jon and I will take off for Dublin, Ireland. Naturally Jon wants to visit the Guinness Storehouse and the Old Jameson Distillery. I really want to see the Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol and Trinity College. We're both excited to hang out in Temple Bar at night and go to the pubs.

Next up is Munich, Germany. One word: Oktoberfest! Jonathan and really love Oktoberfest and go to a large one up in Big Bear so it will be so AWESOME to go the real one! We're also going to going to the Hofbrauhaus. We will take a break from the beer drinking to visit Dachau.

Our third stop will be in Salzburg, Austria. I think I'm most excited for this leg of the trip. I did a semester there when I was in college and it holds such a special place in my heart. I'm excited to show Jon around the city since it was such powerful experience for me. Our agenda includes: Mozart's birthplace, the Fortress and the Stiegl Brewery. We're also going to visit the house where I lived during my time there and visit all the places I used to go to.

We'll end (insert super sad face here) our trip in Budapest, Hungary. Neither one of has been there so we're going to be playing this one by ear. We figure we'll be really tired at this point so the only thing that we are doing for sure is visiting on the old baths there. Apparently Budapest is know for thermal baths and we think that sounds incredibly relaxing. We need to recharge before we make the loooong trip back to California. 

The only downside to the trip? Leaving Poseidon behind. We'll miss him but I'm sure my family will take good care of him in our absence. Hopefully he'll miss us too!

Anyway, this means we won't be blogging for a while. But I'm sure the time will fly by and we'll be back to roaming the aisles of Home Depot in no time!

*all images courtesy of my BFF Google*

Poseidon's Post: Sick As A Dog

Poseidon is our chipin (Chihuahua/ Minuature Pinscher mix). Since he’s a big part of our household he likes to give an update on his life every now and then. 

I know I just told you guys about my second birthday but something major happened to me last week and I just had to share so other pet parents don't worry like my humans did. 

Thursday started out like any other day. I woke up, got really excited when my parents woke and went outside to take care of my business. My dad fed me breakfast and I watched my mom get ready to go work. I settled in for my nap when all of sudden my tummy did not feel good and I had an accident in the house. I felt really bad about it because I know my mom doesn't like to clean that up but I couldn't help it. I thought the worst of it was over, drank some water and tried to nap far far away from my mess. Except it wasn't over. Not by a long shot. I'll spare you the smelly details but I spent all day being sick from either end of my body! It was so gross and I had to keep moving around the house to find a clean place to lay down. It was the worst day ever. I just kept throwing up over and over again. Throwing up like that is exhausting and pretty dangerous when you only weigh 7 pounds. 

When my mom finally came home from work I was so happy to see her but I just didn't have energy to meet her at the door like I normally do. She came in, called my name and when she saw the mess she said "Oh buddy, what happened? Are you okay?" She picked me up, gave me a kiss and told me to wait on the couch. She started to go upstairs, saw my bloody (told you it was gross) mess and called my dad to tell him that she was taking me to the vet. I had another accident in the car on my mom's lap but she just rubbed my head and said it was okay. 

Once we got the vet he said that they had to run some expensive tests to see what was wrong with me. My mom started to cry (she always cries) and told him to do whatever he thought I needed. She just wanted me to get better. Moms are the best. 

They took me in the back for some x-rays and blood work. I didn't even make a fuss even though I was scared that's how sick I was. After a little while the vet came out and told my humans (they all showed up to be with me, I love them) I had hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. He explained that vets don't know why dogs get it but basically we get really sick all of a sudden. We get bloody diarrhea and vomit out of nowhere. It can be really dangerous because we get dehydrated and if you don't treat it we could die! 

The vet said I had to spend the night in the hospital so I could get antibiotics, anti-nausea medicine and an IV to give me fluids. My humans were sad but really wanted me to get better so they said good night and they admitted me to the animal hospital. The next morning I felt a lot better and thought I could go home. My uncle picked me up but I got sick again at my grandma's house so he brought me back to the vet. That sucked. I wasn't feeling 100% but staying in the hospital is lonely! At least my family came to see me. 

Saturday afternoon I finally got to go home and I was so exited to be with my parents again. I had to smell the whole house! I guess my parents had to deep clean the house while I was gone. I noticed they also threw away the rug in the living room. I felt bad but my mom said she didn't really like it that much anyways. The couch cushions smelled like fresh laundry so I know they cleaned that too.

Since my tummy was still sensitive my parents had to feed me a tiny portion of chicken and rice every few hours to make sure my tummy could handle it. That part was okay with me since I love people food. 

Poseidon's Recovery from Berennisse Behr on Vimeo.

I also have to take a lot of medicine which I hate. I know its to make me feel better but I still don't like it. I spent most of the weekend recuperating and napping. 

 At least I got to sleep with my parents Saturday and Sunday. They were really worried about me and my mom kept waking me up to make sure I was okay. I also got to go to my grandma's house on Monday because my parents didn't want to leave me alone. Grandma let me sleep in her bed and play outside. 

I'm feeling a lot better and things are getting back to normal. My mom said I have to keep taking my medicine until Saturday but I have enough energy to play with my toys!

Poseidon's Playing from Berennisse Behr on Vimeo.

My parents did buy me some doggie insurance in case I ever sick again and really recommend that all pet parents get some for their fur babies. Although the vet bills were really really expensive my humans said that I am worth it. They said that we are a family and that's what family does. And even though I can be a brat when its medicine time I love my people. Not only do they throw me birthday parties, they also saved my life.

Poseidon's Post: #2

Poseidon is our chipin (Chihuahua/ Minuature Pinscher mix). Since he’s a big part of our household he likes to give an update on his life every now and then. 

Dude, I'm talking about my 2nd birthday not the other number 2. Sickos.  And before you continue reading I ask that you don't judge my humans. Yes, they're embarrassing but I love them. 

Sunday, September 1st was my second birthday and all my humans and my cousin Winston (see him under the table?) helped me celebrate! Where do you go for a doggie birthday party? The Lazy Dog Cafe! 

I love when all my humans are in one place but I have to say the BEST part of the night was my dinner. My parents let me have human food! Without begging! I was so excited. I ordered some brown rice and grilled chicken. I didn't even bark at the waitress when she brought it out. My mom tried to get a photo of me eating it but I was too fast for her! See the empty plate behind me?

I also got presents! My cousin Winnie and his humans got me some new toys. I love new toys. Especially ones that squeak! His humans also gave me homemade doggie ice cream. I wish my mom would have let me eat the whole thing but my humans were worried about upsetting my tummy. Crazies! Ice cream is always ok!

But my favorite toy was this HUGE dragon that had a ton squeakers in it! I couldn't wait to play with it even though my dad said it was bigger than me.

This is one my humans. She doesn't live with us but she helped rescue me from a horrible place called the animal shelter. She's the best. She lets me sleep in her bed and gives me lots of treats. I was supposed to be looking at the camera but I think I spotted more food. Oops! Its still a cute photo of us, right?

This is me with my parents. My mom says this is a cute family photo of us. 

I wasn't even tired when we got home. I really really really wanted to play with my new dragon but my dad said I had to wait until we got home. When they brought it out to give to me I went crazy town!

Poseidon's Favorite Birthday Present from Berennisse Behr on Vimeo.

I have to say that birthdays are pretty awesome! One year ago my brother and I were stealing leftovers in a Del Taco parking lot in Orange County. Now I have a nice home and a family that throws me birthday parties. I am one lucky dog. I only wish all homeless dogs could find families. 

Jon's 28 Years on the Planet

Friday was Jonathan's 28th birthday!

We celebrated quietly at home. His mom came over and we ordered in. She baked a delicious cake. It was a Victorian sponge cake with cream cheese frosting in between the layers topped with whipped cream and berries. It was as delicious as it sounds. Wish I had gotten a close up of the cake. 

My parents had already surprised us with our beautiful new shutters. My brother came by and surprised Jon with a Green Bay Packers Cheesehead. Obviously he loves it. He immediate stuck it on his head and said "this will make game days great!" 

I think that may have been his favorite gift. I caught him wearing it while playing video games in his man cave. 

We Think We're Funny: May 2013

Someone once told me couples that laugh together, last together. Luckily Jonathan and I think we're hilarious!

While we were working on the cover patio...
Jonathan: Babe. What are you doing?
Berennisse: Why you worry about Behr? Don't worry about me!
Jonathan: You're my wife! I have to worry about you.

Berennisse: Babe, rub my belly.
Jonathan: Rub your belly?
Berennisse: Yeah, like a Buddha! A Behr-da!!!

Jonathan: For my birthday can you buy me a squirrel suit?
Berennisse: Like "Hey little buddy! Want a nut?" suit?
Jonathan: I see how you can think that.... (Proceeds to explain what it really is) but if you got me what you were thinking I'd probably rock that!

Berennisse: Jon! Kate (my Kate Spade purse) is on the floor!
Jonathan: Kate was in the way. She's fine.
Berennisse: Kate is NOT OKAY.

When I bought our new dining table and chairs...
Jonathan: Hey babe, did you get the table?
Berennisse: Yeah! But guess what? Those chairs I liked? The ones I thought were $100 for the pair? They were way cheaper!
Jonathan: Oh, how much were they?
Berennisse: $30 for the pair!!!!
Jonathan: You bought six, didn't you?
Berennisse: They're in the car right now!

Frame That S

Look what I made this weekend!

Jonathan and I need a lot of stuff. Like matching pillows for our bed. And a dishwasher. This means we don't have a lot of stuff to put on our walls. But acquiring artwork is at the bottom of our massive To Do List... actually it may not even be on it. Anyway its not a priority. We did purchase a cool wall clock and hung a wedding print on our living room wall but it was still pretty bare looking.

I was debating between putting up more pictures but I didn't want to go crazy with the wedding memorabilia. We have a canvas wedding print, a shadow box and our guest book on the walls. A little too much wedding. So when I saw a cool 3D S (for Jon's last name) graphic print at TJ Maxx I knew it would look awesome in our home. Only problem is that it was too small and cost about $20. Not worth the money in my world.

But I had a plan. I knew we had leftover MDF from our Man Cave bookshelf project that was a similar size compared to our wedding canvas print. I went to Joann's (with a coupon of course) and purchased a hollow wooden S that wouldn't look too small on the MDF.

At home I used some basic craft paint and applied two coats of metallic gold to the S. I let it dry for about a... week. Ok, I left it on the coffee table for a week.

Finally I thought I should finish it up / had guests coming over so I picked up a can of black matte spray paint and got to spraying. Once the MDF was all covered and fully dry I brought it back to my crafing area (the couch) and used tacky glue to adhere S to the board. I let that sit for three weeks. Have you noticed we are slackers around here?

This past week I visited the Home Deeps (yep, that's my nickname for Home Depot) again and picked out some wall trim and a miter box.  Jonathan and I don't have a fancy saw yet, so we needed the miter box to help us cut the necessary angles to frame this out.

Since I am a big wuss, afraid of cutting myself and destroying the trim Jonathan helped me measure and cut the wood pieces. We just marked the trim at the edges of the MDF and used those to make our angular cuts. The miter box is really easy to use and has the angles on the box so you know where to cut. Pretty easy.

The next day I gathered up my supplies and went outside (in the blazing heat).

I painted the trim pieces a glossy black.

Once it was dry I glued them to the board and waited for that to dry. I then used some caulk to fill in the open spaces between the trim since it wasn't a perfect fit. After that dried I painted over the caulk to finally have a finished project!

Actually, I was done but Jon was not. Weeks ago I had picked out a cheap framing kit from Michaels for $2.50. Jon used that to add a wire to the back of the frame and FINALLY we were done!

We hung the final product other side of our clock with our wedding. Not bad right? It looks even better in person. This is probably one of my favorite crafts to date because it was super easy, cheap (I already owned most of the materials) and I learned to use a miter box and saw. And I think my version is way better than the TJ Maxx version. Just saying....

You See Me Rollin'

A couple of weeks ago when Jonathan and I tackled our garage project I was in Behr Beast mode. Using power drills. Teaching myself some basic HTML stuff. Designing a new blog header. No biggie.

Ok. Big deal! I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Stepped out of my comfort zone and ROCKED it. Obviously this called for self fives, repeatedly asking Jonathan if he was impressed by me and calling my parents to tell them of my recent accomplishments.

The fun didn't end there. 

Recently Jon and I had discussed making some changes to our backyard. We're thinking less concrete box and more suburban oasis. We have some big plans but one of our smaller projects is to add some green back there. 

Step 1 was to move a plant tree thing from our front porch to our backyard. Jon had tried to move it but its really heavy. I thought we could use our dolly to move it. Unfortunately this required moving it around our building. I didn't want to go through our house and we share walls with our neighbors so the only option was to go from our front door all the way around to our garage. 

Considering how much work we how put it on that day I didn't want to ask Jon to do it. I knew he was tired and I figured that it would be a lot easier with a dolly. Except I forgot that I had to lift the stupid pot on the stoop so I could use the dolly. Have a good laugh and excuse my profanity. 

They see me rollin', they hatin'.

We need a lot more plants back there but at least now there's something other than concrete back there.

The Star of the Blog...

As we were getting the blog started Jonathan mentioned that he is the "Star of the Blog." I laughed and said "No! The house is!" But once I got to thinking about it I realized he's right.

This blog is about all the things we do to our home but nothing would be possible without him. He is the fixer of leaky sinks, official painter, designated spider killer, heavy item lifter, idea feasibility checker and Home Depot shopping companion. He's pretty awesome and my favorite person EVER. Not only does he listen when I say "You know what we should do..." but he helps me make all my pinspiration dreams for the house come true.

I love the man and am so happy (deliriously) to be married to my best friend, love of my life, and handiest husband. So, in honor of my other half and our 6 month (!) wedding anniversary Saturday, I've added "The Newlyweds" page where you can look at some photos of us throughout the years including our wedding video and photos. One stop stalking! Kidding... but you know you're going to look.

Since this is very lovey dovey post and not really related to our on going home improvements, I'm sharing our in-a-perfect-world-where-time-and-money-are-no-object To Do List on a new "The House" tab. (Does that get us back on track? Probably not.) We'll be updating the photos as we go!

To celebrate 6 months of wedded bliss we're opening a nice bottle of wine we got on our honeymoon in Napa. We're fancy like that.

You Heart Us

Even though I like to get my craft on I didn't do a single crafty thing for our wedding. Jonathan and I assembed the invitiations but that was about as complicated as we got. However, I did have an idea to DIY our guest book. Thank you Pinterest!

The photo has kraft hearts and heart cut outs of a vintage dictionary assembled as 3D art. I actually wanted to order one from the seller but the only option was to go with the exsisting colors and paper. I figured I could make something similar that would match our wedding colors and would fit in to our home.

With leftover scrapbook paper from my bridal shower and some new metallic gold paper I used a heart punch out and cut out tons of little hearts. I saved all the gold ones and put all the purple ones out at our wedding. We asked all of our guests take to a heart and sign it. 

All the hearts sat in one of our closets for almost 6 months. I am a slacker bride. But doesn't every new wife need time to recover after the wedding? As our six month anniversary is approaching I FINALLY decided to put it all together. Intially I wanted to use some leftover MDF from our Man Cave bookshelf project but I couldn't fit all of the hearts on it. Jonathan said we could just leave some off. Yeeeeaaaahhhh, no. Michaels saved the day with their sale on shadow boxes! I picked one for $30 (it was 50% off!), laid out all the hearts and played around with the layout I wanted. 

Jonathan watched the Laker (ew) game while I worked. 

I slighty folded the hearts in half, glued them down...

And stuck the whole thing back in the frame. 

LOVE IT. I love that its something we can hang in our home (forever hopefully!). I didn't want a book that would  sit in a closet or under our coffee table unseen. All of our favorite people and their well wishes for our marriage are on display and its so sweet that we can literally see the love everyday.

P.S. Yes, its on the floor in the photo. We haven't decided where to hang it yet!