Being Thankful

I was going to post about all the things I am thankful for this year. But as I was thinking about my list I realized that telling other people what I’m thankful for aka lucky enough to have kind of sounds like bragging. So instead I thought we could all take some time to think about ways we can help those less fortunate who might not have much of anything to be thankful for.

Obviously in this house we are huge animal lovers. And it breaks my heart every time I see an adoption event at a local pet store because I just want to take all those homeless dogs and cats with me. I keep telling myself that they will all eventually find loving homes but sadly this is not true. We are not in a position to adopt any more animals right now but we can still help by donating to rescue centers and purchasing Christmas gifts where a portion of the proceeds go to a noble cause for animals. Some stores also have programs where you can purchase extra supplies during checkout to donate. We do this every year.

Giving trees are everywhere this time of year with tags for children and families who could never even dream of what we have. I like to pick a few off our tree at work and have the best time picking out gifts for each person and adding in some extra goodies. My mom has always done this and had us help pick out the gifts when we were younger and it’s something that has stuck with me.

There are million ways to give back to your local community or donate time, money or services to a bigger cause. Whether your soft spot is homeless pets, orphan children or the elderly, there is always something you can do. We have to remember not to take our privileges for granted. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle so it’s important to be kind and to be thankful for those battles that we ourselves are not currently facing.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones.

Monday Mumbling

Each day we are getting more and more settled into the new house but there is still SO much do! We have so many ideas and projects the list it’s almost overwhelming, but exciting none the less. Yesterday morning I decided to break my own rule about waiting to welcome the Christmas season until after Thanksgiving. My toes were cold Saturday night and tall cozy Christmas socks fit the bill. Relaxing early Sunday morning with a red blanket and red and white striped straw in my cup just seemed right so I went with it.

I even went out and purchased some new holiday décor that I’m super excited about it. I love mixing nontraditional and traditional Christmas colors for a whimsical look. It’s a work in progress since our living room is still a bit under construction and I need to get the box of last year’s decorations from my parents’ house, but so far so good. The kitties were digging the new throw pillows, especially this furry one.

As if we don’t have enough going on as it is, there’s also a third dog in our house for the time being. Long story short, his daddy could not take him on base for military training (simply because he’s a Pit Bull, argh) so we are puppy sitting for the next couple weeks. Lyzel is a 14 month old male Pit Bull. His energy level is off the charts and he looks like Chaos did when he was on steroids for his allergies (chub a dub dub). He’s a big old sweetheart and a typical waggly, smiley, cuddling pittie to the core. But he’s been with us since the day after we moved and let’s just say it’s been a bit exhausting. We are so happy we could step in to help out but having a third dog in the house who isn’t used to a regular schedule and has little no training has been a lot to take in. Luckily we are all adjusting and can’t get over how many mannerisms we thought were just “Chaos things” are actually “Pit Bull things” as Lyzel does them too.

 

Happy Thanksgiving week friends!

Moving on is Bittersweet

After making one last trip to the condo to check that everything had been taken to the house, Kristina asked me if I was sad to leave. I said that I was but not anymore and that’s the truth. After the first deal fell through on the sale of the condo and the home we thought we would move into disappeared from our grasp, we didn’t have all our eggs in the basket this time around. We were cautiously excited when the offer came through on the condo and then relieved to find another home we wanted to purchase and very happy when our offer was accepted. But because we knew it could all go away any minute, the idea that we were really going to leave our first home together didn’t sink in right away.

When we made it down to the final 2 weeks without even so much as a hiccup in the process, then it hit me. My condo was the first home I purchased for myself. It was the first home Chris and lived in together and as a married couple. It was the only home that Ares, Chaos and Little O had known. We made some pretty great memories over the 3+ years we were there and looking back on them, I did get a little sad to leave. But by the time moving day came around, it was all excitement about the new home and all the new memories to be made.

 

 

The last few weeks in our first home were spent having last snuggles on the couch, lasts baths in the tub, last walks on our route, last lounges in the bedroom and last moments just being together there. I think it’s always a little bittersweet when you close one good chapter of your life and move onto the next. But change is what keeps life interesting, what keeps us young at heart and what keeps us learning about ourselves. So we begin this new phase with open arms and happy hearts.

We've Moved!

 It’s been quiet around here because we’ve been busy moving into our new house! Last week we signed all the papers, handed over our old keys and got our new ones. Our wonderful families and friends helped us pack up and then unpack (thank you mom, mother-in-law and BFF) so much over the weekend and we celebrated with, what else, pizza and beer.

Everything is now at the new house, but everything is not where it’s supposed to go.  Anyone who has ever moved I’m sure can attest to how overwhelming it is at first, just trying to figure out how to arrange your stuff in a new place. Of course this is just one of those things that takes a bit of time. We actually had some demolition going on the first 2 days knocking out built into TV shelves in both the master bedroom and living room. Our bedroom actually had a window into the stairway for a little while so that was pretty funny. But thanks to my dad, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law and Chris, all the built ins that just didn’t make sense are gone. Men loves power tools and knocking shit down with sledge hammers.

I am so excited to really get everything unpacked and start decorating! And you guys, the backyard is FENCED IN. It was so fun to see Ares and Chaos running around back there for the first time. I had forgotten how lightning fast of a runner Chaos actually is since he’s typically laying around in the most comfortable spot he can find. We have a really nice wooded view too so I’m looking forward to pretty snowfalls this winter.

I promise to do a house tour when we get settled in and do updates on our decorating progress. I’m pretty certain the yard is Ares’s dream come true and as much as Chaos does love to run it (for about 1 ½ minutes), he has found his own favorite place in our new house. 

Cape City

One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six

I told Chris that I wanted a cape this year. His response “So you can be like Supergirl?”. Not exactly the kind of cape I was talking about but since he knows nothing of women’s fashion I should have seen that coming. If you’re into style even just a teensy bit, you know capes and ponchos are everywhere this season. Just for the record, a cape is open in front whereas a poncho is pulled on over your head. I already own a very beautiful orange poncho but I feel like a cape (or 2!) would really round out the wardrobe if you know what I mean. There are a few I’ve seen all over the blogosphere that I’m just all googly eyed over so I thought I’d link them in case you’re on the hunt for one yourself. Which is your favorite?