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Friday, August 28, 2015

Friday Favorites


Iiiittt’s FRIDAY! So you know I got my latte, which always makes me smile, and now I’m counting down the minutes until the weekend really begins. While I wait, let’s talk about some favorites.


Yesterday we had a team building event that included my work department and several others we work closely with. Even the event planners really had no idea what we were in for when they booked sessions at Houdini’sRoom Escape. The gist of what happens is this: groups of 8 people are put into 3 separate rooms inside the building. Each room has its own complete (and VERY realistic) theme. Your host gives you a rundown of the hypothetical situation you’re supposed to be in and then leaves and locks the door. Your job as a group is to find a specific item(s) hidden inside the room as well as the code to unlock the door. Of course for safety reasons there is a button you can press to leave the room if necessary. There is a TV screen on the wall and once the door is locked it counts down from 60 minutes. That’s how much time you have to find what you’re looking for, get the code and get out. Now, there are cameras in the room that allow your host to see and hear you. Yea, Big Brother style. If you need help you can ask for a clue and he or she will send one over the TV screen. You are allowed to ask for as many clues as you want without penalty. The catch is that there are a series of complicated puzzles and/or riddles your group has to solve to get to the next clue. Working together and using each member of the group’s skills is what gets you out of that room. I won’t give anything else away so if any of you in the area think it sounds like fun, you’re on your own!



I don’t typically buy a ton of things from GAP but they are having a huge sale right now plus, if you shop on the website, the option to send in a text for a 25% off code will be at the top of the screen. Use it! I absolutely love their pure body crop leggings because they are SO soft and comfy. It’s also a great time to grab some of their basic tees and tops because in my experience, the quality is high so you’ll have them for a while.



I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on my cell phone case from Scarlet and Gold Shop and I can tell you not only is it too cute, it’s incredibly durable. This is coming from the girl who drops her iPhone VERY often. Clumsy + butterfingers right here. I have the Tangled print currently but I’m also loving Paint Party and Rainbow Stripes.

Remember how I love monograms? Well this tumbler with monogrammed sleeve combo is right up my alley. You can order the 24 oz mason jar with your color choice of straw and patterned sleeve, monogram or initial included, or just new straws/sleeves if you already have a tumbler. This is great for me because it fits right into my cup holder and I don’t have refill it a hundred times a day. I drink A LOT of water so this is super convenient. Plus, the sleeve is washable so it’s no problem if you spill something on it. Or it gets dog slobbered on. The latter has already happened to mine!



Several of you asked where my camo print Mama Bear shirt from my new profile picture is from so you can find it here. It’s super soft and stretchy and camo is basically a neutral so you’ve got a lot of pairing options. The majority of you are mamas whether it’s to human kids, furry kids or both, so this tee is great for on the go comfy style. 

In case you missed #National Dog Day, here's a little throw back I posted on IG of my boys.


I hope y’all are getting your weekend off to a great start!
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Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Our Weekend


Chris was back in town this weekend and we finally had a long overdue date night. Just the two of us. It was a beautiful evening to sit outside on Friday so we tried out Flip Daddy’s, known for their burgers and beers. Since I’ve never eaten goetta I really had no idea how much a local thing it really is. If you aren’t from the Cincinnati area and I have no idea what I’m talking about, just known that it’s a meat product. I don’t encourage you to Google it. Anyway, Chris got the Cincinnati Sunrise burger which was piled with goetta, egg and cheese and he even added jalapeños to feed his love of all things hot and spicy. I kept it meatless and went with the black bean burger with onions and garlic and herb aoli. We both traded out fries for grilled mac n cheese sides and everything was so amazing I was sad my stomach couldn’t handle all of it.


Saturday turned out to be the perfect day for a wedding with an outdoor reception and that’s where we celebrated with friends and family. Great people, good food, open bar, a little dancing and it was a wonderful way to spend a summer evening. It was tough to get good pictures with all the twinkle lights but I think you can tell we had a lot of fun.

Sunday we had a slow, lazy morning catching up on our shows and eating donuts. Then we headed out to find a new home for the less than furry babies, our turtles. No, we aren’t giving them away. Really? Not our style. Red eared slider turtles can grow very large (sometimes to the size of a dinner plate!) and live many years if they are well cared for. Mike Tyson and John Wayne turned 4 this year and are happy, healthy and growing by the day. So it’s time for a bigger tank. They’ve been living in a 55 gallon aquarium for the past few years but they’ve outgrown it and really need a tank specifically for turtles. Of course it’s not all that common to need a 90 gallon turtle tank with stand and top screen so we had to have everything ordered. We will pick it up in 2 weeks and our shelled family members should have a nice new palace to swim around and sunbath in.


Anyone else have the all my weekday shows are on hiatus blues? 1 month until Grey’s Anatomy comes back on!!! Happy Tuesday!
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Monday, August 24, 2015

Being Mom

I don’t have any human children as of yet but I consider myself a mom. My kids are just furry. And it’s a job I take very seriously. I’ve left work or skipped parties if one of the monsters is sick. I’ve planned activities and social events around making sure they will get walks or potty breaks and fed around their standard time. There are very few people I trust to be left in charge of their care. If you ask them where’s mommy? and I’m around, they will come find me. Chris and I are the adoptive parents. They know who loves them and cares for them and trust us implicitly.
Giving birth to a child or adopting a baby isn’t what makes you a mom. It’s the bond that you form with your kids, the love you give them, the desire to put their needs above your own always, the worrying about them and fierce protectiveness of them you feel. This, to me, it what it truly means to be a mom. My babies will never talk but if they could, that’s what they would call me. When the time comes that we do bring a human baby into the family, there will be some adjusting of course. And we will have to learn how to parent our own species. But I won’t become a mom, because I am already. My kids will just be getting a sibling.
In my house, I’m the mama bear and I’ll do anything for my kids. Just because your kids aren’t human doesn’t mean you’re not a mom. The paw prints on my heart tell me that.
Shout out to all my furbaby mamas!
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Saturday, August 22, 2015

Bath Time Blues

I’ve mentioned before that we bathe our dogs at home in our second bathroom. Ares and Chaos are both small enough to fit in the tub with room to maneuver around them and Chris installed a detachable showerhead to make things that much easier. It’s so much more convenient and cheaper than taking them to a groomer plus it’s more comfortable for them. But just like human kids, not all dogs like bath time.
When we introduce the boys to something new we incorporate high value treats, aka treats they don’t usually get that make them super excited like real cheese or bacon. This hopefully helps them form a positive association with the unfamiliar situation, object, person, ect. While this is a great training method, it doesn’t always work.
The first time we tried to give the boys baths at home they were both like hell no. But you guys probably know by now that Chaos is very food motivated plus he’s a total people pleaser and will usually do something if there is food involved or just because mama wants him to even if he’s not thrilled about it. And Ares is a little shit and could care less. I love them equally but Chaos is typically easier to work with. Even though we tried to it the right way and slowly introduce at home baths with delicious treats and lots of gentle coaxing and praise, bath time is still a sore subject for Ares. On the other hand, Chaos LOVES baths.
After the first few times that Chaos reluctantly got his baths, he figured out bath time = yummy treats and all of mom or dad’s attention. I said “good, bath” every time I gave him a treat during those first baths so now if you say bath or bath time he is all waggly tailed and running off to the bathroom. He waits outside the tub while I get the water going and towel and treats set up and the second I tell him to get in he’s ready before I can blink. He even turns left and right for me and lifts his feet. He doesn’t get the really good stuff treat wise anymore since those are reserved for new/scary things but he still gets regular treats and that plus lots of affection is good enough for him.
We followed the exact same process with Ares but he’s not as food driven as Chaos and has a stubborn streak a mile long. If he doesn’t want to do something the chances of you convincing him otherwise are slim. He still tries to hide when he knows it’s his turn for a bath. When I pick him up to carry him to the dreaded tub he hangs limp in my arms with a facial expression that indicates he’s succumbed to impending death. We have made a baby step forward finally and he no longer tries desperately to escape the tub of torture while I try desperately to contain him. Now he just stands there with a perma-scowl like I’m the meanest mom ever for making him do this. He will however not miss a chance to shake off sending water, shampoo and loose hairs all over me and the entire bathroom.  He especially hates getting his head wet.
When the shampoo has been rinsed both dogs will stay in the tub long enough to be dried off with a towel and then they are supposed to jump out and stand on the towel while I wipe their feet. Of course Chaos has this down pat and lifts each paw for me, waiting patiently until I say all done and he gets more treats. The second I take the towel off Ares he leaps out of the tub and takes off like he’s being chased by a bear, leaving wet paw prints down the hallway in his wake. He then promptly proceeds to roll around all over the living room rug, snorting in disgust.
As Alan Jackson would say, there ain’t no cure for the bath time blues. But at least we’ve only got one with an attitude.
Happy weekend!
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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Wish List Wednesday

Do you ever look in your closet and see a whole bunch of things you like but don't love? I had so many clothes/shoes/accessories that I liked just fine and there was nothing wrong with, but I recently found myself wearing them just because I have them and not necessarily because I really wanted to. Sometimes I buy things just because they are on sale and I'm positive I will need them at them some point. Or maybe I feel like I'll miss out on a good deal. Other times I did love them at one point but my style has just changed. And there are some things that I really just don't even know what I was thinking. You know those ones where you wore it last year and this year you're like uummm no. The point is, I'd rather have less things that I love and am excited to wear than more things I just wear because they're there. So I've been cleaning out my closet. 

I've gone through tops, dresses, jeans, skirts, coats and shoes. But the last categories on my list were jewelry and bags. I've kept a lot of pieces that I realize I never wear anymore and bags I don't use so it's about time for them to go. In honor of my overhaul, I've been scouting out some potential replacements. I'm holding onto some of my more colorful items but where I'm really lacking is neutrals. So here are a few things on my wish list. 
 

Really all the jewelry could be worn together with a colorful outfit or just to spice up jeans and a tee. I am also loving this necklace and even more so the story behind it. J. Crew Factory usually has sales on top of their already discounted merchandise and this bracelet would go with everything. I stumbled across this interesting and fun piece on Instagram and it could be a great addition to a stack.

I am typically not a purse girl, meaning it's the category I have the least of in my closet, but every now and then I like to get a good new one I know I'll use for awhile. I like the look of the hobo bag in gold dust but the grey and tan versions are just as pretty, and how cute are the tassels on the leather bag?!

Happy Hump Day!

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Monday, August 17, 2015

The Do Nothing Weekend

Chris was out of town and I had no weekend plans. While that might sound kind of depressing to some of you, it was a relief for me. Nowhere to be and lots of time to do nothing. Sometimes you need a whole “down” weekend. Ours went a little something like this: long walks, long naps, floor scrubbing and floor parties, online shopping and in store shopping, iced coffee and iced whiskey + lemonade, vacuuming, snuggles, laundry, baking & Netflix. Oh yea.

Friday afternoon I was excited to see a package at the door for me, a blanket I ordered a month ago that had finally arrived. I almost always wash clothes/blankets before I use them so the first thing I did was throw it in with a load of laundry. Once the weather cooled off the boys and I headed out for a walk. And then we had a floor party and watched Scrubs on Netflix. JD + Turk = one of the best TV bromances ever.


Saturday was supposed to be hot and humid so we got up and early and Ares, Chaos and I went for another walk. I was all set to use my brand new monogrammed yoga mat to work out when we got back but somebody had other ideas. 

The rest of the morning I cleaned and straightened and then my dad brought me lunch. He came to fix the toilet in our hallway bathroom but also got to see our resident cat thief in action trying to nose around my vegetarian burrito. When other people see the craziness happen I feel better knowing that I actually haven’t lost all my marbles….yet.

I’ve never been great at naps. Even if I’m exhausted I don’t wake up all refreshed and ready to tackle the next part of the day. I usually just feel groggy and have less motivation than before I fell asleep. But since I didn’t have plans for the night and didn’t intend to make any, I indulged in a little afternoon nap. The whole house did. I made a quick grocery run but the rest of the evening was online shopping and more Scrubs watching. Fun fact: I’m 28 years old but I couldn’t buy alcohol. You see when Chris and I went out with our friends last weekend he put my ID in his wallet so I didn’t have to carry a purse. And then we forgot about it. It’s still in his parked car at his company’s main office about an hour and a half away from home. I realized I actually couldn’t buy the six pack I had in my cart at the grocery before I tried to, which would have been embarrassing, but figured oh well. We keep whiskey (Chris’s favorite) stocked for those non beer nights but I didn’t think I had anything to drink it with and wasn’t in the mood for Jim Beam on the rocks by myself. Technically it’s not drinking alone if the furballs are there so I found plan B. We had a can of lemonade left over from our wedding reception in the pantry. Whiskey + lemonade on the rocks is pretty good with a mac n cheese dinner for one.

Sunday mornings are usually slow at our place. I make iced coffee with breakfast and we just chill. Kristina told me about some blueberry coffee I should try so I gave it a whirl and I was not disappointed. I kept the blueberry theme going with Krispy Kreme blueberry donuts and later on tested a new recipe: blueberry lemon monkey bread. I did fix myself up to run errands and do a little shopping and discovered how hot and humid it was! I was not sorry about being inside most of the day.


We missed having Chris around for a chilled out weekend but definitely enjoyed just hanging out. My furbabies can’t talk but they are definitely some of the coolest creatures to hang with. Have a great week everyone!

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