By sheer coincidence, our actual blogiversary (which occurred last Friday) falls just days before what we lovingly call a “dogiversary” around these parts. Yep, Burger’s birthday was this week (yesterday actually) and this year he’s a whopping four years old. Happy Birthday Burgmeister!
Here’s the old man now in a tribute to his sister’s weekly photos:
We marked his special day as we usually do – a walk, some extra play time, and of course a special dessert from Three Dog Bakery. But this year Sherry and I also decided to break out the old home videos to take a look back at our little guy when he was truly a little guy (all 2 pounds of him). And lo and behold, the videos contained an interesting peek into our old decor (circa 2006 – before the blog even existed). So despite these being never-intended-for-public-consumption home videos, we decided they were too entertaining to hoard for ourselves. As long as you can forgive the shaky camera work, sweats as wardrobe, overuse of cutesy baby voices, and dog kisses on the mouth – yes, we’re “those” kind of people.
Oh, and might we suggest that you keep an eye out for these decorating gems in the background:
- Sherry’s original “office” that featured a desk skirted with a wrinkly old sheet
- A view of our old laundry area / entryway complete with bi-fold doors
- Our old floor plan. To give you a sense of flow, Burger even runs through the now closed-off doorway between the kitchen and our then-dining-room (now nursery) at one point.
- The yellow and ice blue color scheme in our den, complete with weird silver ornaments atop blue vases – and our fireplace screen painted white (before we repainted it back to black).
- Tons of old furniture, including our original den couch (both slipcovered and uncovered).
- A very bare looking living room before we figured out it would serve us better as a living and dining room.
This video is the perfect reminder that homes, and the way they’re decorated, evolves over time. Rooms don’t look picture perfect right away. In fact ours took four and a half years to get to where it is today- and we were definitely learning as we went (this video makes it pretty darn clear that we didn’t start out with a knack for the decorating thing at all). So fret not if your house is a work in progress – you’ll get there.
But enough explanation. Grab some popcorn and enjoy! View the video below, or click here to see it on YouTube
So what do you think? What was our most grievous decor offense? Was Burger not the cutest pup ever? Thoughts in general about how a house slowly evolves into a home? Let’s chat.
Psst: Although the footage is only 4 years old, it was shot on a ten year old mini-DV camera which is why this video is so grainy. Thank goodness for our new Flip Ultra HD (scored at Target for only $150 thanks to some sales!). For anyone out there looking for a video camera recommendation, that would be it!
Oh yeah, and don’t forget to check out our BabyCenter post of the week right here. This time we’re talking about how our house can look a bit like a daycare center one minute, and how we can stash all the baby gear for a lot less chaotic and crazy look the next minute.
Heather says
I love seeing Burger run around the couch in circles at the end and his “fight” with the lip balm. My maltese used to do the same things and we would call it “freak out time”. Unfortunately, she passed away last November at 16. I’ve been heartbroken ever since. It’s amazing how much of an impact a dog can have on your life.
Happy Birthday Burger!
Elise says
I just love puppies! He was so cute. I think it’s awesome to see how much your house has changed. It certainly gives me hope that our house will begin to change as we can put more work into it. I’ve been reading your blog for a while and hadn’t really paid attention to where you guys were from. So what a surprise to recently find out that you live in our new city. We just moved to Richmond a year ago!
Kate Watt says
Aaaahhhh! Burger is just like our pup, Floyd. He’s a Havanese and is knocking on the door of eight months old. He runs in circles, jumps in circles around things, lays his little paws on me (mom) when we’re lounging, loves kissing (especially ears). Thanks for sharing the video, makes me smile.
CasaCullen says
Burger,
I will have you know that tiny Zola was staring at much of this video with me…
She told me you’re very handsome and we all agree that you were ONE CUTE PUP when you were little!
Cheers to many more years of tail wagging, crazy dances and lip balm fighting (hee hee!)
XO – The Casa Cullen Clan
Josh says
I gotta say. I never was a big fan of Chihuahuas but that video of Burger might have changed my mind. He is a cute dog and I’m sure cleanup isn’t so bad with a dog of his size. lol
chrystie says
What a cute little baby doggie!! Oh my gosh, this inspired me to get out the videos of my cat when she was a tiny baby kitten. They grow up so fast don’t they!
xoxo
Chrystie
http://www.anchoringgemini.blogspot.com
Kate says
Oh my goodness, Burger was (and still is!) so adorable! Thanks for sharing the video…was fun to see the place in the background. I’m newer to your blog and haven’t seen much of your house before all the renovations. Makes the re-do even more impressive. You guys are amazing!!
heather says
Awww…Happy Birthday Burger! So sweet! We have an almost 8 year old Rat Terrier. Part of their breading is chihuahua and it’s amazing to see how similarly our dog and Burger plays! Precious, precious, precious!
Condo Blues says
Z me!
I’d spend the gift certificate on a light fixture for my living room. It’s dark in there!
Stephanie s says
Z ME
I would spend it on anything and everything. I got robbed last year and I’m starting from scratch!
Amanda H says
Happy Birthday, Burger!
His anti-lip balm dance looks a lot like Midge’s (my chihuahua – her second bday is on Saturday) carrot dance. Every now and again she’ll get a baby carrot and attack it – even throwing it up in the air so she can pounce on it before it lands.
Connie says
Oh, this is a hoot! I’m so use to seeing Clara in pics like this one. Burger is simply adorable. How did he get his name?
YoungHouseLove says
He was tiny (patty sized) when we got him. And his tummy was spotted like a cow- so it was kind of the perfect name!
xo,
s
Candice says
Burger, you have the same birthday as my sister and…….Google, who turned 12 yesterday.
Molly says
Z ME!! I’m a recent college graduate and I’m about to get my own place in the DC area. I have a whole lot of wonderful hand-me-downs from grandparents and parents which I’m thrilled to use in my new place because they have so much character and good memories. Having some of their old furniture is what’s going to remind me of my family and keep me from getting too home sick while I’m living on my own.
Even though I love the hand-me-downs I’m so excited to put my own touch on the place. I don’t really know what my style is but I know what I like and I’m just gonna learn as I go. I can’t wait to go shopping and put all my finds together in the new space.
jja says
I love this video, so cute little creature! :-)))
Liz says
What a spaz! so Cute!
Beth C says
What decor? I couldn’t take my eyes off Burger long enough to notice anything else. He’s so cute! Happy birthday, buddy.
CA Colleen says
Thank you for this line: “So fret not if your house is a work in progress – you’ll get there.”
We moved into an older home in June, just in time to have our second baby. Now the house projects are eating into our sleep time and vice versa! It feels like, even though we are making (slow) progress, we’ll never realize this house’s potential. It is encouraging to think that it took years and years for your house to get where it is today. We’ll keep on it!
Nicole says
Oddly enough this is the first time I’ve commented although I’ve been reading the blog for awhile now. Just have to tell you that I was never a lover of the chihuahua until I started seeing pics of Burger.
I’ve even laughed out loud at some of the shots (the one of his ears sticking up from behind the pillow on the couch). He’s a very photogenic pooch!
Also, props to the blog. I have the link saved in my favorites!
Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody says
I’m hoping you can answer this!
How did you get your mini DV video in digital format? We have some video s we’d like to be able to put on DVD.
Thank you!
It’s nice to know that style and an eye for decor is something that evolves over time. Maybe there is hope for hubby and I!
YoungHouseLove says
Jen @ Candian Rhapsody,
Ok so this is totally an embarrassing answer. Previously I had converted my mini DV by plugging in the firewire cable to our iBook. Well, since we both upgraded to MacBooks over the last year-ish (and sold our iBook) we no longer have a firewire input. So in a pinch our solution was to play the video through our TV and videotape the screen with our FlipHD cam. Totally bootleg, we know.
If you want to do it a better way, you could always google for video conversion in your area and there’s probably a local company who would do it for you (I had this done a long time ago) or you could invest in a DVD recorder for your TV. Good luck!
-John
Shauna says
So, I tried to see your old decor, I really did. But the only thing I could focus on was that ADORABLE PUPPY OMG! Seriously precious! Me and my husband are looking at buying our first house and I totally know what were going to do until we get ourselves settled and decorated, buy an adorable, energetic puppy! No one will even notice the decor!
Kristina Gulino says
Haha toooo cute. And I love that you named him Burger. Our fish is named Ham.
Kristina
Nook & Sea
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, love it!
xo,
s
Jessica H. says
Burger is so cute! It’s so awesome to be able to look back and see how little he was.
Probably a bit of a dumb question (I’m not a dog breed professional so please forgive me lol), but is Burger a full-bred Chihuahua or a mixed breed?
YoungHouseLove says
He’s supposedly a full blood chihuahua but he’s a little bigger and taller than most, so he might be a mutt. We hear some varieties are called “deer headed” chihuahuas, with longer legs and noses so we think that’s what he might be, but a little larger than most. Haha! He’s a big boy.
xo
s
Carmen says
Hi there!
Burger is so adorable and looks very comfy under your covers. I have a question, where do you guys keep his toys, bed, etc? We are thinking in getting a Cat (cover burgers ears please!) and we live in a condo but not sure where would the litter box and bed will go, any ideas?
Thank you for your time reading my comment and Congratulations in your soon to be here bundle of joy.
YoungHouseLove says
Burger just sleeps in our bed and has a crate in the closet near his food/water so he doesn’t have a pet bed or anything (although he sleeps on our sofa and in our bed as well as sprawling out in sun spots (on rugs and floors) all the time! As for a litter box, since Burger’s house trained we don’t have that challenge, but maybe try tucking it out of the way, like in a laundry room or mudroom or some other spot that’s sort of off the beaten path? Good luck!
xo
s