Though really I suppose it's Happy Black Friday! I work in retail, so for me it's not all that happy. And I work for a store that got to be open on Thanksgiving, so super fun time there. While it was definitely not the best Thanksgiving I've ever had, I still have much to be thankful for.
Our three dogs drive me crazy at times, but our house would be empty without them. I have a lot of laundry to do, but it's wonderful we are able to afford clothes for ourselves, a washing machine and dryer to clean them, and this house to keep us warm. I'm grateful I have a dependable vehicle that gets me safely to and from my job, that will hopefully last for years to come.
I got to spend time with my mom and my "other" mom (my best friend's parents invited us over), and while I did not see my husband as much as I would have liked, I'm very thankful that we were able to get married while my dad was still alive and able to enjoy himself. It's been a rough year, and I'm so very grateful my husband has been so supportive through all of this.
And now it's on to Christmas! I did not venture out for any Black Friday deals this year, but I've decided Cyber Monday really appeals to me much, much more. Picking something out while in my pj's and having it shipped to my door is definitely the way to go. Although, I hope the hubs isn't home when it gets delivered!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Born Again TV Stand
Today my productivity is falling a little short of what I need to accomplish. Which is why it feels good to have this project done and put in place. It's like making a to do list, and putting something on it you've already done, just so you can cross it off. But it still feels pretty good.
Anyway, in my grand tradition, this project has been about a year in its completion. Major hangups include procrastination, and choosing a color for the inside. Don't worry about the mess in the background - it's still on my to-do list ;)
I love the way it came out! And my little helper in the corner. Hubs helped me pick the color for the inside, and I think it's pretty fabulous. Here's the before picture:
As you can see, I chose to keep the original hardware. I actually really liked it, and it's one of the reasons I liked this piece of furniture in the first place. The challenging part came with the veneer - painting veneer is HARD. Especially with all the little crevices in the doors and drawers. There are some paint chipping problems, but I think it helps it to look "antique" with the peeling paint. If it gets too bad, I'll touch it up at some point.
Here you can see the spot where the paint isn't sticking very well.
Since I don't notice it from a distance, I'm not going to worry about it right off. I also had my handyman cut a hole in the back so I can keep the base to the surround sound and our dvd player on the inside. It has definitely cleaned up this little TV corner from what it used to be, and is another step towards us living like grown ups.
Here's a before picture of the inside of the drawers:
I really liked the look of the old newspaper, but in the end I decided to paint it green because it just all went together better that way.
And another picture, because I just like it so much!!
Anyway, in my grand tradition, this project has been about a year in its completion. Major hangups include procrastination, and choosing a color for the inside. Don't worry about the mess in the background - it's still on my to-do list ;)
Here you can see the spot where the paint isn't sticking very well.
Since I don't notice it from a distance, I'm not going to worry about it right off. I also had my handyman cut a hole in the back so I can keep the base to the surround sound and our dvd player on the inside. It has definitely cleaned up this little TV corner from what it used to be, and is another step towards us living like grown ups.
Here's a before picture of the inside of the drawers:
I really liked the look of the old newspaper, but in the end I decided to paint it green because it just all went together better that way.
And another picture, because I just like it so much!!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Our First Anniversary
Hard to believe a year has gone by since our wedding!! Then again, so much has happened in the past year that it feels like forever ago. Our anniversary was yesterday, Mr. Fabulous had to work and I stayed home and looked through all of our pictures and listened to music as I made an effort to clean the house. That effort mostly failed as I spent a long time putting together his paper gift.
We attempted to go out to dinner at the restaurant where we had our first date (they also catered our rehearsal dinner), but we forgot that since it was Sunday, they were closed. Instead of going to a different restaurant, we decided to get some chicken wings at the grocery store and go home and eat them in our pj's. My mom made us a replica of our cake top, and we ate that with some champagne. All in all, it was a pretty good night!
We attempted to go out to dinner at the restaurant where we had our first date (they also catered our rehearsal dinner), but we forgot that since it was Sunday, they were closed. Instead of going to a different restaurant, we decided to get some chicken wings at the grocery store and go home and eat them in our pj's. My mom made us a replica of our cake top, and we ate that with some champagne. All in all, it was a pretty good night!
This is us at the grocery store. He's looking at me because he thinks I'm crazy for taking our picture, yet he's the one who ends up looking crazy ;)
Our cake! And champagne! My mom did a great job recreating her masterpiece from last year.
And finally, his gift. 52 pieces of paper with ideas for us to do in the coming year until our next anniversary! I had originally seen a similar idea as a wedding gift suggestion, and then I searched the internet for 52 date ideas and saw that some other wives had done this (or something similar) for their first anniversary. Let me tell you, 52 things is harder than it sounds. I ran out of ideas after 12, which is why I was eagerly searching the internet for 40 more. I had them all written down, but when I copied them onto the colorful paper for the jar, I threw the list away. Oops! But I'll let you know each week what he chooses!
Of course when John opened it, he had to take a few out and see what was in there, but I wouldn't let him read all of them. I tried to keep it to things that cost little or no money, a lot of them are things we always say we're going to do, and then never do them. A few are season specific, so I hope we choose them in the right season! It's hard to built a snowman or go ice skating in the summer, but I guess part of the challenge will be making it happen no matter what. And the general idea is to get us out of our habit of having dinner and watching tv each evening.
Here's to a year of fun and adventure!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Our Pack
Sometimes, very rarely, all three of them are near each other long enough to take a picture.
Just an Update
Things have been super crazy around here. The husband's thumb is finally better, after numerous doctor and hospital visits and a few different antibiotics. He's back at work and feeling much better! Thank you everyone for your concern and well wishes. The hardest part was that the rest of him was fine, and as such he was super antsy with orders to sit home and do nothing. I have to admit, the day I tried to do nothing with him, it was much harder to do than I thought it would be!
Today I am home alone and tackling many forgotten about projects. Hopefully you'll have more updates soon on those, but admittedly I tend to tackle more than I can handle and feel like quitting part way through. Hence why I have so many to finish in the first place.
I got a promotion at work! I'm super excited for the additional responsibility and new challenges I will face. I'm back to having a more variable schedule, which I'm actually really excited about. Sometimes you get stuck in a rut with the same routine all the time, so I like that some days I have time in the mornings, and some days I have time in the evenings. It is definitely another "grass is greener" situation, as last time I switched positions I was really excited to have a set schedule and the ability to have more of a routine.
Things are going pretty well with the addition of Zoey. She still has a lot to learn, but at least she more often than not chews on dog toys versus eating my stuff. Fiona is still adjusting to being completely outnumbered by dogs, and then my rearranging the living room sure didn't help her. My dear feline hates change, and I'm sure she will be voicing her displeasure very soon. Already she seems to hate being separated from us at night and does not appreciate having the bedroom door shut. The funny thing is this is definitely not the first time we have shut her out at night as Bandit has a tendency to eat garbage, and Fiona has a tendency to try and eat my feet while I'm sleeping. I am sure everything will sort itself out soon enough, and we will all live happily ever after.
Today I am home alone and tackling many forgotten about projects. Hopefully you'll have more updates soon on those, but admittedly I tend to tackle more than I can handle and feel like quitting part way through. Hence why I have so many to finish in the first place.
I got a promotion at work! I'm super excited for the additional responsibility and new challenges I will face. I'm back to having a more variable schedule, which I'm actually really excited about. Sometimes you get stuck in a rut with the same routine all the time, so I like that some days I have time in the mornings, and some days I have time in the evenings. It is definitely another "grass is greener" situation, as last time I switched positions I was really excited to have a set schedule and the ability to have more of a routine.
Things are going pretty well with the addition of Zoey. She still has a lot to learn, but at least she more often than not chews on dog toys versus eating my stuff. Fiona is still adjusting to being completely outnumbered by dogs, and then my rearranging the living room sure didn't help her. My dear feline hates change, and I'm sure she will be voicing her displeasure very soon. Already she seems to hate being separated from us at night and does not appreciate having the bedroom door shut. The funny thing is this is definitely not the first time we have shut her out at night as Bandit has a tendency to eat garbage, and Fiona has a tendency to try and eat my feet while I'm sleeping. I am sure everything will sort itself out soon enough, and we will all live happily ever after.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Meet Zoey!
I'm sure you'll call us crazy, and believe me, we are, but we got another dog!!
It started like this: I've always wanted a basset hound. We've talked about our next dog being a number of different not as big dogs, and also talked about getting another dog before these two pass on to ease the transition and feel like no one is being replaced. We also, however, talked about not having any dog for a while after these two, but when the local humane society had a basset up for adoption, I said, "Please??" And Mr. Fabulous said yes!
But he was adopted right before Mr. Fabulous got there, and he figured while he was there he would take a look around. And then he found Zoey. She's a collie mix, smaller than Brooklyn, but a few of the same mannerisms. She's super cute, a little rough around the edges, and has soooooo much energy.
She's a year old and still has a lot of puppy habits, including needing to get up to pee before my 9 hour sleep cycle is over. I swear she can tell time, because if I say "5 more minutes" or "20 more minutes" I swear she's barking at me just as time's up. And she's already eaten 2 pairs of shoes, a belt, a pair of jeans, and chewed a hole in my down comforter. Apparently the small fortune I spent on chew toys for her was not money well spent. Recently she discovered the cat's bed and decided she fits just right there! Just as Fiona was starting to get used to her presence here too.
It started like this: I've always wanted a basset hound. We've talked about our next dog being a number of different not as big dogs, and also talked about getting another dog before these two pass on to ease the transition and feel like no one is being replaced. We also, however, talked about not having any dog for a while after these two, but when the local humane society had a basset up for adoption, I said, "Please??" And Mr. Fabulous said yes!
But he was adopted right before Mr. Fabulous got there, and he figured while he was there he would take a look around. And then he found Zoey. She's a collie mix, smaller than Brooklyn, but a few of the same mannerisms. She's super cute, a little rough around the edges, and has soooooo much energy.
She's a year old and still has a lot of puppy habits, including needing to get up to pee before my 9 hour sleep cycle is over. I swear she can tell time, because if I say "5 more minutes" or "20 more minutes" I swear she's barking at me just as time's up. And she's already eaten 2 pairs of shoes, a belt, a pair of jeans, and chewed a hole in my down comforter. Apparently the small fortune I spent on chew toys for her was not money well spent. Recently she discovered the cat's bed and decided she fits just right there! Just as Fiona was starting to get used to her presence here too.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Wedding Reminders
This weekend we had the pleasure of attending a wonderful wedding filled with love and friends, and it reminded me just what our marriage vows were all about. In the short time we've been married, we've been handed a lot of setbacks, and it is easy to get caught up in it all and just feel badly for ourselves. We still have a lot going for us, a roof over our heads, loving family, some hilarious fur-kids (and feathered kids) and we still eat 3+ meals every day.
My dear husband has an infected thumb. I know it doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but two hospital visits, three doctor appointments, and numerous antibiotics later, it's still infected and painful. He can't work on the boat with it, and this weekend when we thought it was getting better, it suddenly got worse again. Without going into too much detail, he took a band-aid off and a chunk of his thumb came with it. That was right after the ceremony at the wedding, so we rushed off to the drugstore to get some better dressings and went back to the reception.
When we arrived back to the reception, it was tough to find seats, so we just mingled about. When we had our food, we decided to just sit at the picnic tables outside. I went to get some drinks, and when I came back my dear husband had pulled a couple of chairs in front of the fire pit for us. It was wonderful. Just the two of us, sitting by the fire enjoying some delicious barbecue, a whole tent full of people behind us. We talked about how lovely the ceremony was, how funny some of the people were, and how tipsy most of the groomsmen seemed to be.
We had to leave early, and I'm sure we had to miss out on some great times, but health of the hubsy comes first. He has a follow up appointment today, and I hope we're finally told that everything is healing as it should. It's still swollen and painful, but less so than it was a few days ago.
I have had a lot of people tell me that the first year of marriage seems like the hardest, and I would say ours has been pretty difficult. It was fabulous to have such a glorious reminder of how it all started, and the commitments we made to each other to help and support each other to be the best person each of us can be, no matter what.
Also, I learned to make sure to write down all medications and a list of questions to ask before going to the Emergency Room. Otherwise, you have some late night phone calls to make, and some favors to cash in on as you bribe someone to go to your house and find the answers for you :)
My dear husband has an infected thumb. I know it doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but two hospital visits, three doctor appointments, and numerous antibiotics later, it's still infected and painful. He can't work on the boat with it, and this weekend when we thought it was getting better, it suddenly got worse again. Without going into too much detail, he took a band-aid off and a chunk of his thumb came with it. That was right after the ceremony at the wedding, so we rushed off to the drugstore to get some better dressings and went back to the reception.
When we arrived back to the reception, it was tough to find seats, so we just mingled about. When we had our food, we decided to just sit at the picnic tables outside. I went to get some drinks, and when I came back my dear husband had pulled a couple of chairs in front of the fire pit for us. It was wonderful. Just the two of us, sitting by the fire enjoying some delicious barbecue, a whole tent full of people behind us. We talked about how lovely the ceremony was, how funny some of the people were, and how tipsy most of the groomsmen seemed to be.
We had to leave early, and I'm sure we had to miss out on some great times, but health of the hubsy comes first. He has a follow up appointment today, and I hope we're finally told that everything is healing as it should. It's still swollen and painful, but less so than it was a few days ago.
I have had a lot of people tell me that the first year of marriage seems like the hardest, and I would say ours has been pretty difficult. It was fabulous to have such a glorious reminder of how it all started, and the commitments we made to each other to help and support each other to be the best person each of us can be, no matter what.
Also, I learned to make sure to write down all medications and a list of questions to ask before going to the Emergency Room. Otherwise, you have some late night phone calls to make, and some favors to cash in on as you bribe someone to go to your house and find the answers for you :)
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