The (new) Sidari Collection

Tony and I have talked about getting a formal bedroom set ever since we moved in together.  We have put this purchase off for many years.  Instead, we have long used our own makeshift bedroom set… fondly known as the Sidari Bedroom Collection (trademark pending).  This unique compilation has grown to include (1) A neat Tonsu chest discovered at an estate sale (and clearly the golden gem of the collection)  (2) A spare end table (errrr… nightstand) borrowed from our living room set (3) A collapsible shelf found on clearance Wegmans and (4) A frameless (but extremely comfy) pillow top mattress bed to include mismatched pillows, sheets, and comforter.

The Sidari Collection has served us well for many years.  However, earlier this month we decided to invest in our first REAL bedroom set.  Since the bedroom decorating clearly has taken the back seat for a long time, we ended up going all-out on this project.  We found a dresser, frame, and nightstand set that we especially liked. To go with the furniture, we selected a MATCHING bed set.  This even included MATCHING decorative pillows (which made me feel so Martha Stewart)! We selected a new lamp for the nightstand and hung some prints of my photographs on the wall. And, we figured that we should also upgrade our mattress while we were at it.

Here are the before photos...

... and the after!

Our well-loved Sidari collection will be finding its new home in the spare bedroom, a huge improvement from the lone futon that has served our guests well for many years.  Now our visitors will have a comfortable place to stay when they come to visit.   Reorganizing that room will certainly be a project for next week.

No Longer New Yorkers

Today, we officially sold our house in Buffalo! The closing took place earlier this afternoon (thanks, Dad!!).  With the final crossing of T’s and dotting of I’s, we ended our reign (for now) as homeowners.  It is a bittersweet moment.  Tony and I are so happy to now only have ONE check to pay each month for housing.  We no longer have the burden of balancing 2 separate sets of utilities (it was starting to get confusing). The final step in our move from Buffalo is complete.   Today, we really feel a little bit more like Texans. 

As a final farewell to the house at the end of Walton Drive, here are some of my favorite memories of our first home.  

• The first day we moved in, we only had a few pieces of furniture transferred from our tiny one-bedroom apartment.  We celebrated the first night by watching Mall Cop on a futon mattress in the new living room sharing a pizza from Bob and John’s Suburban.  It was the BEST feeling to be able to crank the volume up on the TV without having a neighbor banging angrily on the walls.
• Not having a landlord!!!
• Our first home project together as a couple involved ripping up carpet (the previous owners had a not-so-housebroken Chihuahua) and repainting the walls (originally a puke green color) in the living room.  During the many hours we shared together in that room, we felt a great deal of pride in admiring our fine teamwork

• Cooking in our huge kitchen!  This is probably what I miss the most about the old house.  Tony and I cooked so many meals together.  We had enough space to cook at the same time, and we got making meals at record speed down to an art.  Both of us really enjoy cooking, and we tried out a ton of new recipes.  We baked homemade pies for Thanksgiving, prepared various types of chili and dip for football parties, tried our first experiments with Thai food, and greeted weekends with at least 10 different varieties of omelets.  We enjoyed sharing baking nights with friends like Erik and Maggie, which included a delicious raspberry roll recipe and a (not so successful yet delicious) attempt at tiramisu

• Romantic date nights!  We really didn’t have much money at the time to splurge on fancy restaurants, so we brought the restaurants to us!  Steak nights and lobster dinners were my favorite, sharing time together by candlelight with a bottle of wine.  Valentine’s Day 2011 was especially fantastic!

• Double dates with friends, including Heather and Bruce, Whitney and Joe, Matt and Ashley, Marc and Cassie, and Maggie and Erik.  It was fun to share movie nights, play video games, share dinners and conversations together, and of course sample different types of alcoholic beverages at our leisure.  The warm feeling that made the house into a home came from the people we shared it with
• Reliving all of the best (cheesy) action films of the 80’s with Erik
• Spencer living right around the corner.  We enjoyed many episodes of South Park and pizza/wing nights (of course, from Bob and John’s Suburban).  Tony and Spencer made some pretty epic recordings, my favorite being Deathercize 2001 (mocking P90X using a spin off style from the Powerthirst youtube videos).
• Surviving medical school with my sanity!  Without my quiet study places… the big yellow chair, my spot on the living room couch right next to the window, having a kitchen table big enough to fit all of my books… medical school would have been a harder beast to tackle. 
• Our first Halloween: We prepared with abundant outdoor decorations and were armed with 5 bags of candy... unfortunately, only one family came to the door.  We pretty much were eating candy until Christmas.
• We loved weekend visits with family.   We enjoyed reversing the roles and hosting our parents for weekend meals and get-togethers.  I had a chance to spend quality time alone with Kit and Liz.  It was great to have them each visit, where we could casually make plans together and just enjoy conversation and some girl time!
• Listening to Tony fill the house with the sounds of his bass.  I loved when Henry visited from Pennsylvania and joined in on the music.
• Celebrating Christmas!  I enjoyed setting up our full-sized tree (thanks, Lori and Mitch!!) and decorating it with both of our collected ornaments.  We watched Christmas movies all the way up to the big day.  Together, we wrapped presents for family and friends while listening to holiday tunes

• Crashing at the house after my amazing Bachelorette party (thanks, Heather!!) surrounded by my best friends
• Watching kids ride by on their bikes and scooters, and feeling so grateful to live in a safe neighborhood
• Our first snowstorm… shoveling out the driveway and then diving into the snow pile.  We never did get that snowblower!  Getting snowed-in that same winter was great… we turned up the heat, made a ton of food in the Crock Pot, and watched the snow fall
• Enjoying our little neighborhood: the Tops around the corner, Wehrle Restaurant (boy do I miss their Greek food), visiting The Friars Table in shorts (only to learn that everyone wears formal attire there), Brew Pub, and the Irishman.
• We created some of our biggest milestones in that house.  Together, Tony and I planned our wedding in the living room.  We later hosted a good chunk of the wedding party in that little house.  In December 2011, we brought home our first pet.  I loved watching our little dog make that house into his home as well. We celebrated our med school graduation with a house full of friends and family, which was a special conclusion to our time in Buffalo

It was a great 3 years.  I know we will always look fondly back at our time in that little yellow Cape Cod!

Wild Doggie!

There are some dogs that really enjoy baths... Butters is not one of them.  For a brief period of time when we first brought him home, Tony and I thought we may have a chance at convincing him they aren't so bad.  Despite our best efforts, the verdict is in... our dog just really hates getting washed.  Before I even bring out the shampoo, Butters seems to already sense it... oh no... here comes bath time! 

Luckily he is pretty good at tolerating baths once in the tub.  He doesn't fuss too much or try to get out like other dogs might.  However, he is equipped with possibly the most powerful bath-escaping method... it is called... The Look.  

He seriously puts on the saddest face he can muster, hoping his shower can be cut short... Oh, Butters, it isn't that bad!!

Even though he pretty much hates every moment of the bath part, he seems to be pretty fond of the whole drying off process.  As soon as he is out of the tub, he turns into WILD DOGGIE!  

That little dog runs around the house, creating a ruckus.  He will find anything in his path... a sock, shoe, water bottle, or toy... and go in for the attack! 

His favorite part of the whole routine is jumping from couch to couch and rolling around in the cushions to dry off.  We have been working on stopping that part of the post-bath ritual.

As entertaining as it is to watch his dry off routine, Tony and I are most fond of the post-Wild Man cool down period.  He gets pretty tuckered out by the whole event, and we are happy when he turns back into the cuddly little guy we know and love.