Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Introducing...my house!

Many of you have asked to see pictures of our home and decor, since I've talked the heck out of IKEA on here. And I know you're also probably curious to see our new floors, since I've been talking about them forever.

Well you can go to my new Facebook photo album to see pictures! Don't worry, you don't have to be my Facebook friend to see them. (But if you wanna be my Facebook friend, that's even better! *hehe*) I was going to post them all here but decided not to because, 1. I don't really have time and 2. There are most pictures than I can probably put in one post. 

I will, however, post some "BEFORE" photos of the old carpet. Just so you can get an idea of how much better everything looks! 

"AFTER" but before the trim went in
The kitchen/dining area

So go check out my photos and let me know what you think! :)

Saturday, April 25, 2009

I got ma hair did!

Well I finally did it. After blogging about it ages ago, I just finally went and had my hair done today. Good grief, right? What took me so long? I dunno...just dragging my feet I guess. I did have my Mom trim it for me like a month ago since it had gotten so ridiculously long and stringy. But I did still want some shape and color.

My new friend at work, Anne, went to a new hair stylist not long ago and was very happy with her cut and color. I liked how it turned out too, so I decided to make an appointment with her. I went today after I got off from work. My appointment lasted from 1:00 - 4:30!! Why? Cause I have a ton of hair - it's really thick and dense. It always takes a long time for anyone to do anything with it. And I wanted the color to look really natural all the way through, not just highlights or thick chunks. She kept saying, "Wow you have a lot of hair!" Poor thing, I would hate to work on this mop. 

But she did a great job! I LOVE the color!! It's exactly what I wanted. Looks sunkissed and fresh...not too blonde, not too dark. I'm still deciding about the cut. First of all, I asked for a "sideswept bang" because lot's of my friends have that and I think it looks so cute. Plus I thought it would shake up my look a bit. Well I HATE it. *sigh* They fall right in my eyes. I don't know if it's just the wrong length or what, but I'm regretting asking for them. And then she styled it all cute and curly, quite glamorous actually. But I know I will hardly ever (if at all) mess with that. So I'm still curious to see what the cut will look like when I style it myself. We shall see!

I took these pictures when I got home this evening (after a run to Wal-Mart...the curls have died down a lot here). Notice I'm STILL in my scrubs. (And also notice how well they match my walls!) *haha* 
The color actually looks a little lighter than this in person. 

The back (Wrigley thought it smelled good. *hehe*)

What my bangs kept doin'. Drives me NUTS! Maybe I need better hairspray?

And here's what my hair looks like right now as I'm chillin':
Ahhh...what a relief to have the hair outta my eyes!

Side view (sorry, forgot to do that while it was styled).

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Absent

A whole week without a post?!? Wow, my life has really changed in the last month, hasn't it? I'm sorry to disappear on y'all like that. But to be honest, I didn't even REALIZE that an entire week had passed already! I am so busy! Did you know that I'm working 45-48 hours a week? What a switch from my old 27-35hrs a week I pulled at Scrapbook Garden! (And what a TOTAL opposite of being unemployed!? *haha*) 

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining at all! I am still enjoying my job. It's very fulfilling and I love it! I'm really getting the swing of things and feel confident in my position. (And have I mentioned the puppies? I love puppies. *hehe* There is a particular black and white Papillion puppy that I would totally dog-nap if I wasn't the nice person I am. She is the most adorable thing you've ever seen in your life! I tried to find a picture online that looked like her so I could show you, but no other Papillon puppy is quite as cute. Wow, I digress....) But man, I am having trouble getting everything in my life balanced out. I feel so good if I just get laundry caught up from week to week. Thursdays (today) we are open from 7:30am to 7:00pm...and while that's technically only an hour longer than the other days, it feels like forever! By the time I get home (which can be as late as 7:45) I don't feel like doing ANYTHING. So that's what I'm doing tonight...although technically blogging isn't nothing. :) 

I have a confession to make. It's shameful, but you should all know since you've been so supportive to me. I have been SERIOUSLY slacking on my exercising. Beyond seriously. It's so hard for me to get myself to the gym after work. I am so gal-darned pooped! And there ain't no way I'm gonna get up and go before work. (Holy cow, I'd have to get up at 4:00am or earlier! Not happening. I have a hard enough time getting up when I do now!) 

And while I've gotten my eating back under control (I fell way off the train from my Birthday through Easter), I'm still up 5lbs. *pout* I feel fatter than that, though. I was actually pretty relieved when I got on the scale and saw that the number wasn't as high as I expected. But I could show you exactly where those 5 pounds are sittin'. *haha* So sad. I can also tell I've lost muscle tone. How do these negative results happen so quickly, when the positive ones take SO LONG? It's been just one month. No fair. But I am determined to reign myself back in. I've made it to the gym twice this week and on the other days I've walked the dogs. That's at least a start.

One thing that is helping renew my motivation is a little trip Jeremy and I are planning for the end of May. Our clinic will be closed May 23 - May 25 so we're going to take advantage of that and go to Schlitterbahn! Our anniversary is on the 22nd, so it'll be fun to get outta town and celebrate. We've never been to Schlitterbahn (came close once but had to cancel the trip) and we've always wanted to!

But, um, for those who didn't click the link, Schlitterbahn is a WATER PARK. Which would require, naturally, a swimming suit. *eek* No no no...the horror. What am I thinking?!? I know once I get there I'll get caught up in the fun of slipping and sliding (or at least be able to remind myself that we're hundreds of miles from home and I'll never see any of these people again so why does it matter what they think of how I look?) but for right now, the thought of going in a dressing room with those little pieces of stretchy fabric is NOT fun. Especially because I'm ghostly pale (my coworker caught a glimpse of my ankle the other day and asked if I was wearing stockings under my pants. *haha* No, that's me!) I know I'll just glow like a blinkin' beacon! (Yukon Cornelius, anyone?) 

So I'm focused on undoing as much of this damage that I've accumulated as possible in the next month. As frustrated as I am, at least I know what works and what to do, right? I was doing so well before, I just need to find that focus again. Better get that swimsuit and hang it around my NECK every day. ;) Wish me luck!!! 

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Judge Not, Lest Your Dog Be Even More Obnoxious

One of the most amazing things about my new job is the savings I get on my dogs' health care. I probably shouldn't disclose the actual information or discounts, but you should know that it's a substantial savings! :) Plus, our clinic goes much more in depth than our old vet did, with tests and immunizations that I'd never even heard of. It's really quite impressive.

So after having all their records faxed over, I discovered that all my dogs are due for various things. I decided to take MoJo to work with me today to get things rollin'. I figured I'd just keep him in the back (in our boarding area) for the majority of the day, bring him up for his appointment, then "board" him again till it was time to go home. Well within 15 minutes of his stay in back, I was regretting this decision. He barked incessantly the whole day

At first I was really embarrassed and annoyed. For one thing, all week long I've been complaining about a weimaraner that's been boarding with us. She seemed to bark non-stop and was really, really loud. But MoJo's bark was at a particularly irritating pitch and much more persistent. More like an "AAH! AAH! AAH!" instead of "woof woof." I kept thinking, "Geez! Stop it!" I was worried that my boss and coworkers would form a negative impression of him before even getting to see him outside the cage. They kept insisting he was fine and not bothering anyone, but he was bothering ME.

Well then as the day went on, my annoyance turned into concern. I simply had no idea that MoJo had such terrible separation anxiety. And no one we've boarded him with in the past has ever said anything to me about his ridiculous overreacting. (My theory is that those kennels have indoor/outdoor runs so he doesn't feel so confined. But who knows.) When we crate him at home, he just lies down when we shut the door. (WRIGLEY is the one that barks like a maniac when crated. You can be sure he won't be coming to work with my anytime soon! *haha*) Anyway, when I went back to check on him, he was practically frothing at the mouth with drool because he was panting so hard. He kept it up all day. It was terrible!

On the upside, his appointment went fine. We're waiting on the results from a couple of tests, but I was excited that Dr. Olson didn't tell me he was falling apart or anything (since I felt like he was, with the way he'd been acting.) And he also didn't act like he hated MoJo, which relieved the Mommy in me. :)

And I've learned my lesson about judging other people's dogs. Just because they rant and misbehave in our setting, doesn't mean they're bad dogs. It's obvious to me that dogs can have split personalities and be a COMPLETELY different animal away from home than they generally are for their masters. As I type this with my sweet MoJo snuggled calmly up against me, I can't even see a shadow of the crazed maniac he was earlier. (Probably because he's so completely wiped out and exhausted from all the barking! *haha*)

On that note, I put together this little video about my babies and I wanted to share it with you.  (I used iMOVIE to make it. Words cannot describe how user friendly this software is - it's SO easy to use!) I hope you like it. :) (The song is "The Puppy Song" by Harry Nilsson. I first heard it on the "You've Got Mail" soundtrack. It makes me happy!)



Saturday, April 11, 2009

"Girl, you know that you need to stop..."

"...always talkin' 'bout what you got, always talkin' 'bout what you got..." (Anyone else love that song?) But alas, I'm about to talk about "what I got." :)

I promised a loooong time ago to show you what I bought at Michael's with my Birthday money. And since then, my package of goodies I purchased with my 2P's gift certificate arrived. So I am practically rollin' in new scrapbook stuff and I just HAVE to show you!

First, the Michael's loot. 
This line is "Friendly Forest" from Colorbok. I saw it first thing I walked in the door and absolutely fell in love. Bright colors, cute little squirrels and daisies...what's not to love? (To see more pictures, check out this lady's post.)

Me and My Big Ideas has always been a favorite company of mine and they've come out with some really cute new stuff. A lot of it features the stick figure kids they're known for. These little charms and tags were simply irresistible, and there's a matching paper pad that I still regret not buying. Maybe next paycheck? (YAY! I love getting paychecks. *haha*)

This line from K&Company is called Actopus to Zelephant, which I think is a cute name. It's going to be so much fun for zoo pages. The paper pad came with a whole bunch of punch-out animals (last photo) that can be layered and popped with dimensional adhesive. I adore the artwork. How cute is that raccoon? 

And now for the 2P's goodies. 

I love American Crafts. Their design team is one of the best around, in my opinion. I particularly fell in love with two of their new collections when I saw them online. But lemme tell ya, when I opened the box and saw this stuff in person, I about lost my flippin' mind. It's TOOOOOO CUTE! 

This is Craft Fair. The colors could not be more fun. They are so vibrant in real life!
(Won't this city paper be so cute for a New York City layout? *squeal*)
American Crafts started making "Flair" (just like on Facebook! *hehe*) a few collections ago, and I think they're so fun. See the "I Love Blogs" one? Of course I had to have that one. :)

This is Backyard. It's Spring through Summer, all rolled up into one collection. Great colors and designs that include everything from chocolate bunnies to kites.
And this is my favorite piece of flair. I think it's hilarious! :)

And not that I really needed any more animal paper, but how could I resist this line from Sassafrass Lass? Well, clearly I couldn't. ADORABLE!!! The colors, the artwork...it's all so cute I had to have it.

So that's it, folks! Makes ya wanna come over to my house and play with my toys, doesn't it? ;) 

Happy Easter everybody!!! Jesus is risen!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Keep them doggie's rollin'!

When I was 8...or 9...(or maybe 7? *haha*) I got my first pair of rollerskates. Like REAL rollerskates...not the Fisher Price ones with the bell inside the wheel that seemed to make it impossible to even move. Being a bit of a daredevil, I took to them immediately. I don't mean to brag, but I became a darn good little skater. (Hey I have to take joy in the few talents I excell in, right? ;) ) I could do turns, twirls, skate backwards and all that good stuff, plus I was really FAST and could stop on a dime. I participated in all the "contests" at the roller rink and positively lived for the speed-skate song when I could fly by the older boys and even the show-off teenager "referees." :) My bestest childhood buddy Ellen and I felt like we ruled the rink and had delusions of becoming amazing professional rollerskaters someday. 

Rollerblades came along and became the cool thing, but I stuck to my skates. I never liked the way rollerblades felt on my ankles and wasn't nearly as coordinated in them. It became more and more difficult to find my favorite skates (which were more like tennis shoes than the boot skates you see as rentals at rinks) and eventually I did wear out my last pair. (I'd wear the stoppers right down to the screw, to the point the metal would leave marks on the driveway. Oops! Daddy, I need some new skates!) It was very sad. :(

Well several years ago, Skechers came out with a pair of rollerskates that closely resembled the kind I used to get as a kid. Except these were Skechers, so they were automatically cooler! I got a pair for Christmas that year. It was so exciting. The first time I went out on them I was a little wobbly (more height + more weight = more to carry on 8 wheels!) but eventually I regained my coordination and I'd say I'm pretty decent again. Here's a picture of my beloved skates, sporting the pom-poms a friend of mine bought for me for my Birthday. (I had a skating party for my 24th Birthday...I know, I'm so grown up. It was SOOOO fun!!! And while we were there, I mentioned that I'd always envied the girls with the cute pom-poms on their skates. And tada, I got a pair of my own! So sweet, right?)

When we were a two-dog household, I used to take Wrigley and MoJo rollerskating all the time. (Note to the sarcastic: *I* was the one rollerskating. Not the dogs.) They loved getting to run full speed and I liked the fact that it wore them out in half the time. Normally I make them walk beside me, but Cesar Milan (the Dog Whisperer, aka, my hero) says that it's alright to let dogs run ahead when you're skating with them...even letting them PULL you, because it equals a job or a task for the dog to perform. Just like a husky would pull a sled or a sheepdog would herd sheep, the task is actually good for them mentally as well as physically. And I enjoyed it too, so I did it with the boys every chance we'd get.

But when we added Cubby to the family, I stopped this because I didn't think I could control all three of them while on wheels. I could just picture them getting tangled up around my feet, making me nose-dive into the pavement and knocking all my teeth out or breaking my nose. (Yes I have an overactive, morbid imagination.) And Cubby probably couldn't have kept up last Summer anyway, since he was still a tiny tyke. But he's big enough now and they're so good on walks, I decided to pull out the skates and give it a go yesterday.

It went SO WELL! Cubby was a little frightened by the big clunky wheels on my feet at first, but when he saw how excited his brothers were about it, he decided they weren't that bad afterall. He was by far the slowest of the three, though. It was funny...he would run up and pass Wrigley, look back at him like "HA! I passed you!" but then immediately fall to the back of the group, even behind ME to the point I felt like I was dragging him. He couldn't figure out how to keep a steady pace. *haha* He's still a silly little puppy.

I thought MoJo would be the most excited about running, since he's our high-energy-go-go-go guy, but Wrigley was just ecstatic! He was running as fast as he could, ears back, tongue hanging, tail straight out. He looked like a shorter, stalkier greyhound. :) And not once did anyone dart out in front of me or tangle around each other. I stayed upright the whole time. *haha* And today my thighs and rear are quite sore, so it's clear that the dogs didn't do all the work.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Puppy Perks

Hey have I mentioned...that I LOVE my job?!? It is really an incredible feeling. Every day I feel more and more comfortable and blessed to be there. This week I was left "on my own" at my position for the first time and I feel like I did really well! There are certainly still questions and issues that arise that I don't know how to deal with, but I think that's going to happen for a while. There are just so many levels in this new world.  And I'm gradually getting used to my schedule. Each day I'm a little less horrified when my alarm goes off. *haha* I won't lie, though, I've taken a few power naps in my car over my lunch break. :)

You know what the absolute best job perk is? PUPPIES!!! Other offices really should offer this incentive program. ;) For the past week, there have been new puppy exams out the wazoo. It is SO much fun! I get to love on them and play with them, get covered in puppy kisses and love bites and rub their warm little bellies. It is beyond fun. I enjoy the older dogs too, of course, but nothing is better than a wiggly, silly little puppy. Especially one that isn't peeing and pooping on your carpet or destroying your flip-flops. Yes, visiting with these little sweeties is the perfect taste of puppy love, without all the responsibility.

I'm also enjoying getting to be around the cats. Growing up in a house with asthmatics we never had any kitties. And in recent years I've developed allergies of my own so I just haven't been around that many cats. But my allergy meds have kept my symptoms at bay at work, so I get to love on the kitties too. And I have to admit, I just love their little "meow, meow, meeeeeeooooow" talking. It's quite endearing. :)

Hey, check out the awesome scrub tops I get to wear. Could the colors be any better?? Heck, they even match my shower curtain. :)

Today looks like a beautiful day from what I've seen out my window, and I'm determined to get out there and enjoy it. I think I'll take the dogs for a walk and soak up some sunshine. Hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The end of Birthday season

March represents a bit of a Birthday season in our family. My sister Lauren's Birthday is on March 22nd, and mine is just a week later on the 30th. Our parents kinda planned that, believe it or not. And it probably seemed like a good idea until we were in grade school, each wanting our own separate, unique party. That's a lot of planning, cake and children to cram into a two-week stretch! Eventually as we got older and stopped being so selfish ;) we would settle for each inviting one or two special friends over for a slumber party instead of a full-blown-extravaganza. I'm sure Mom and Dad were relieved. :)

This year, Lauren came up with a clever way for us to celebrate. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but my niece and nephew have serious food allergies, making it next to impossible for Lauren and Rich to go out to eat anywhere. (Which in more recent years became our way of celebrating - the Birthday girl would choose the restaurant and we'd all go out to dinner.) So Lauren suggested that we all pick up carryout from the place of our choice then meet at her house and eat together! That way we'd get to enjoy whatever meal we wanted...plus no one had to cook! And then Lauren could fix allergy-friendly meals for the kiddos. It worked so well for Lauren's Birthday that we did it again the next week for mine. We also played some games together, which was really fun. We used to be big game-players but it's a little harder to do that with small children around. But Livvie played some little computer games and Jack watched videos while we were playing and it worked REALLY well! We had a great time. Here are some photos from the special occasions!

Lauren's Birthday Party
We gave Lauren a surprise for her Birthday. It was a gift certificate to a tattoo parlor (totally not her thing!) that Jeremy had won in a raffle at work. It was hilarious watching her open it...she was reading it carefully, looking for a punchline! We could hardly keep a straight face, but once Jeremy suggested that "we thought you could tattoo the kids names on your back," we both busted up laughing and confessed that it was a joke and gave her the REAL present. She looked relieved!
Me and Livvie - She was so cute, thanking everyone for her Mommy's presents. *hehe*

Me and my sweetie

Me with something else that was sweet. Dang I ate like a hellion these past two weeks! You'd be so ashamed of me! *eek*

All the girls! Sure wish I would have worn something that matched them better! ;) Me, Mom, Lauren and Olivia.


We played Pictionary, one of our all-time favorite games. "Back in the day," we played Girls VS Guys all the time, and the ladies always dominated. Well, I'm pleased to report that nothing has changed, we STILL rocked their world. They didn't know what hit 'em. :) And just wait until Livvie can join our forces. We'll be unstoppable. *hehe*

In between rounds, we took turns showing Livvie how to draw stuff. The Lion is mine (it's made from a number 5), the dog is Jeremy's, and the lawnmower is my Dad's. (Livvie drew the grass. *hehe*)

And here is Livvie showing us that she can write Jack's name!

My Birthday Party

My Birthday loot! (with wrapping eaturing two of my favorite things - penguins and dogs!)

Livvie wrote this! Not bad for 3 years old, I'd say. :)

Lauren and Rich got me a gift certificate to 2P's! SO exciting! (I've already put my order in. *hehe*) Because it's a website, the certificate was just something you printed out, but Lauren and Livvie decorated it up and made it quite appropriately scrappy! Cute, huh? (Mom and Dad gave me some yummy smelling candles and CASH! Yay, I love cash. *haha* Most of it's already gone thanks to Michael's. I'll post pictures of those goodies later!)

Me and Jackaroo. Is he the cutest mop-top you've ever seen or what?

Our dog-nephew Peter. He's the sweetest little guy! (He's a Jack Russell Terrier and he is the best "kids-dog" that I've ever seen. He LOVES Livvie and Jack and is always very gentle with them.)

My game of choice for my party was Balderdash. If you've never played it, you need to go get it! But just a warning, your set won't come with the groovy animal game pieces you see here. I added those. Cause I'm cool like that. :) (We didn't finish the game, but I was leading when we quit so I think I won! *hehe*)

And I should mention that my sweet hubby got me an Epson color printer/scanner combination! So now I can scan pictures onto my laptop...and print out special sizes of photos! I'm very excited. :)