25 for 25

Today I turn the big 2-5.  

I'm a quarter of a century, and it feels kind of old.  But since there's not a whole lot I can do about it, I might as well enjoy it. :)

                                                                                                        Source: cilantropist.blogspot.com via Kari on Pinterest

I'm a little bummed because my new computer didn't arrive when it was supposed to on Saturday.  It's okay though.  I still had a great time going out to eat in Honolulu last night, and I got some sweet gifts from my family in the mail.  Even from thousands of miles away, my family knows how to make me feel special on my birthday.  When my new computer decides to show up, I'll share some birthday pictures with you guys.  Until then, here are 25 random facts in honor of my 25 years of life.

1.  I'm left handed... but sort of not.  I write left handed, cut right handed, play golf left handed, bat as a switch hitter, and throw right handed.  I'm a little mixed up, but it works for me.

2.  Old TV shows are my favorites, in particular I Love Lucy.  Since I was really little, I've loved Lucy, but I also adore any of the old classics-- Leave It To Beaver, Andy Griffith, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, Happy Days, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Addams Family, etc.

3.  I'm kind of weird when it comes to eating M&M's.  I eat them in color order, starting with what I consider the ugliest... so it's brown, then orange, then red, then yellow, then blue, and then I end with green, which is my favorite.  Strange, I know...

4.  My favorite movie ever is The Notebook.  I know it's cliche for girls to say that, but I can't help it.  I love the love story, and the Alzheimer's story hits home because my PawPaw had it for 12 years.

5.  I really like Big Band music when I'm working on artwork.  I turn Pandora on to an Artie Shaw or Benny Goodman station, and I can paint away.

6.  I was lucky to grow up surrounded by tons of animals.  We didn't have them all at the same time, but at different points of my life we had fish, hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, parakeets, chickens, rabbits, cats, dogs, goats, cows, a donkey, and horses.  I learned a lot about the circle of life, and I wouldn't trade any of those life lessons for anything in the world.

7.  When I was little I wanted to be a country music singer, and I constantly gave "concerts" on the fireplace hearth, the deck, or any platform I could find.  It's funny because I used to love being the center of attention, but now I'm super shy.

8.  When I was in the 4th grade, I wanted to be a professional golfer.  I even invented the "all-in one golf hat," which had a place for tees, markers, balls, and just about anything else you might use while playing.  I wonder why that never caught on?

9.  I've only broken one bone.  It was my middle finger, and I broke it in the 8th grade doing back handsprings on a basketball court.  It twisted so that every time I bent my finger, it would bend towards my ring finger and pinky.  I had to have surgery to fix it.

10.  My favorite color is green.  It just makes me happy.

11.  The only food I really don't like but wish I did is black olives.  I keep trying them over and over hoping that my taste buds have changed, but so far I've had no such luck.

12.  My first "car" was a red Power Wheels Jeep when I was about 3 years old.  When I turned 16, I got a red Jeep Cherokee to drive.  It's still the only car I've ever had, and it even made the trip to Hawaii with me.

13.  My middle name is Renee. (I guess it's not legally my middle name anymore, but in my mind it always will be.)

14.  Only once in my life (knock on wood) have I had to have stitches.  When I was really little I fell on a floor vent and sliced my knee open.  I don't remember much, but I remember having to sit still for a little while.

15.  Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing are tied for my second favorite movies ever.

16.  I'm a nerd at heart, and I'd rather play Scrabble than just about any other game. (This also makes me a BIG fan of Words With Friends on my iPhone!)

17.  If I could choose any magical power, it would be the ability to teleport.  Boy oh boy, would that ever come in handy right about now?  I'd love to be able to literally "pop in" to see my family whenever I like.

18.  I have a major sweet tooth.  Chocolate is probably the absolute best thing ever, and cheesecake is pretty amazing too.

19.  I have a real, honest-to-goodness phobia of needles.  Even now, the thought of getting a shot makes my muscles weak.  I tear up every time I go in for anything involving needles.  I always tell the nurses they can laugh if they want, but I'm going to tear up even though I know there's really nothing to it.  It's just one of those totally irrational fears.

20.  I'm kind of OCD about some things.  I can't stand clutter!  If I see too many things out of place I start getting claustrophobic.  It drives Kent crazy, and he knows when he better get his things picked up because I turn into a great big agitated ball of grumpiness when clutter takes over.

21.  I haven't had fast food-- aside from Chick-fil-A when visiting home-- since moving to Hawaii nearly two and a half years ago.

22.  My lucky number is 17.

23.  I secretly wish I was outgoing enough to sing karaoke.  I'm entirely too shy to ever do it, but I envy people who are brave enough to go through with it.

24.  I love country music from the 80s and 90s.  I grew up listening to it, and it's my favorite.  Don't get me wrong, I like pretty much all kinds of music (except screaming stuff), but country is my roots.

25.  My great great aunt is literally the oldest living person in the world.  Her name is Besse Cooper, and she is 114 years old.  Check her out here.  She's not able to get around like she used to, but her mind is still really sharp.  I think it's pretty amazing.

Hope you guys enjoyed my 25 really random facts. :)  Do we have anything strange in common?

How About Them Apples?

Okay, so I've been missing in action all this week.

And I can explain.

My computer broke on Tuesday.  Just as I was sitting down in my studio to work on a pet portrait using my computer to see the true colors in the images I was working on, my favorite computer ever-- my little pink Dell-- fell off the table and onto Murphy's little dog bed beneath.  (Yes, my little Murphy is so spoiled that he has his own bed in my studio... Luckily he wasn't in it when this happened.)  Well, since it didn't fall that far, I thought nothing would be wrong.

                                                                                                           Source: google.com via Stinkweed on Pinterest

Not the case...

When I tried to turn little pinky on, it said "no hard drive detected."

Oh no...  I just replaced the hard drive in this computer about 6 months ago when it died of old age.  

I took my poor little old computer to Best Buy so the Geek Squad could give me a diagnosis, and I was hoping against hope that it was just knocked out of place.  No such luck for me though.  It hit the floor juuuuuust right so that the hard drive shattered, broke, or whatever happens when they die.  Crap...

I came home to discuss it with Kent.  I didn't know whether I should dump more money into a 3 year old computer or just get a new one.  He said I should just get a new one.

Really, he just saw it as the perfect opportunity to convert me to a Mac.  Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Mac.  I used them in all my art classes in college, but I just never could get used to them because I had always had a PC.  (Let's face it... we all love what we're comfortable with.)  

Well, upon deciding that I needed a new computer, Kent-- because he's such an awesome husband-- got online and ordered me one right then.  Just after he placed the order, his computer ran out of battery.  That's because he left the cord at the hotel where he stayed during his last training trip.  Soooo... neither of us had a computer until his charger came or my computer came in the mail.  Needless to say, that didn't happen until today, and Kent's charger finally came.  

I felt bad not being able to check in, and I hope you guys didn't totally forget about me.  Hopefully, tomorrow I will be getting my new computer in the mail today (Yay for a really awesome, one-day-early birthday present!), so I can check in on it later once I figure out how to work the new contraption.  :)  

Anyone got any advice on seriously learning about Mac's?  I know the basics... well, enough to get by, but the darn things confuse me. (And yes, I've heard all about how "simple" they are and how "streamlined"... I just have a hard time relying on keyboard commands)  Any tips, tricks, or cool things I should know? 

Hope you guys have a great weekend! 

Sunday Blues

I don't know what was up with the weird day I had yesterday.

Do you guys ever have those really funky days where you just wake up and everything seems a little off?

That was yesterday for me.

It should have been a fantastic day.  Kent had just gotten back home Saturday night, so I had been stoked to spend all of Sunday doing lots of fun things.  However, it didn't happen quite that way.  

                                                                                                         Source: google.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Since Kent was so jet lagged, he woke up at 4:30am, and since he wakes up and turns on every light and loudly opens and closes every door when he gets up, I did too.  Plus, I woke up from a not so pleasant dream, that just made my day start off all wrong.  Has that ever happened to you guys?

The morning wasn't so bad, since I made a big breakfast, and we went to the farmer's market.  Getting my favorite jam-- Coconut-Pineapple-- definitely put a smile on my face.

On the way home we had a discussion about where we might be in the future.  Those discussions don't always end well because we don't always agree.  We get over it soon enough, but a little piece of it sticks in my head and drags me down.

For most of the afternoon, nothing really went the way I planned, so I just felt like I had wasted precious time... and who ever gets enough of that, right?

By supper time, I was just feeling a little down.  Despite the fact that I had yummy cheesy rice (don't judge), and fresh Mahi Mahi from the farmer's market on my plate, I couldn't help but see my mood reflected back at me.

Honest to goodness, this is how my food looked immediately after I scooped it on my plate.

As I sat down to eat, it started pouring down rain outside.  I seriously felt like I couldn't catch a break, and a big part of me still has no idea why I was so down.  I guess between the dream waking me up on the wrong side of the bed, the day feeling wasted, some difficult conversations, and some anxiety I've been having about some upcoming appointments I've got (nothing crazy... just regular doc and dentist stuff... but when you have a real, honest-to-goodness needle/medical phobia like I do, you start stressing weeks ahead of time), I guess it was just a little much.  

However, I'm bound and determined that today is going to be a much better day and that this week will be a happy and productive one.  They say you're as happy as you make your mind up to be, so I'm deciding that I'm going to be very happy this week.  After all, it's my birthday week.  I turn the big 2-5 next Sunday.... oh boy....

Do you guys ever have days like this?  What do you do to get out of the little funk they cause?

Halloween Nails!

It's been quite a while since I've done a nail art tutorial, so I thought with Halloween just around the corner, today would be a great time for one.

How about some Halloween nails?  :)

These are super easy (although you may need help for your "wrong hand"). 

All you'll need is a base/top coat, some orange nail polish, a black nail art pen, and white nail art pen.

Start by applying your base coat, and follow it by painting your nails orange.

Next, use the white nail art pen to create a little ghost on your thumb.  Do this by creating a little circle, add a body with a little tail, and add arms.

Outline the ghost with the black nail art pen, add eyes and a mouth, and add the word "BOO!" if you like.

Add a spider web on your ring finger.  Do this by drawing several intersecting straight lines. Then, starting at the center, connect the lines in a spiral with short, slightly curved lines.

Let the paint from the nail art pens dry completely.  Then, finish off with your top coat.

There!  Now you have festive Halloween nails!

Hope you like them!

Glorious Gloomy Days

With all the pretty pictures of fall scenes and beautiful leaves I've been seeing on blogs and Facebook lately, I've been feeling pretty homesick.  As beautiful as Hawaii is, it's hard for this girl from the South to be so far from home and away from the changing seasons.  I was really missing the crisp air, the pretty colors, and wearing comfy, cozy sweaters.  To make all that worse, Kent got a chance to go to Charleston (one of my favorite places) this past weekend for a big family event since he was already doing some training in North Carolina.  I was beyond bummed, and I felt completely disconnected from my family and all the things I love back home.  It was one of those times when the isolation of this island felt very pronounced.  (Don't get me wrong... I was happy for him that he got to be there.)

However, I desperately needed at least a little taste of back home. 

Yesterday, the weather here must have gotten my message.  We had one of those rare, glorious, gloomy Hawaii days.  (Yes, I know that sounds totally ridiculous.  But can you imagine if you never had a lazy rainy day??)

 

I decided that the rain and gloom would be the perfect time to imagine that I was back home in weather that was slowly turning colder.  I cranked my air down, put on some comfy clothes, and decided to make "cool weather food."

Back home, my daddy always makes chili on cold, rainy days.  So what did I do?  I pulled out some ground beef, and got to work.  Before long, I had an incredible smelling pot of chili simmering on the stove all afternoon.

It was amazing.  I needed that little taste of home.  

I also decided to sip on some coffee with a little homemade Irish cream while the chili was cooking.  Warms the body and the soul...

Want to make your own Irish cream?  It's super easy.  Put 1 cup heavy cream, 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk, 1- 1 2/3 cup Irish Whiskey, 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules, 2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract into a blender.  Blend on high for 20-30 seconds, and store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

It's amazing what familiar food, cool weather drinks, and a little lazy, gloomy lighting can do.  I may not be home, and I may not be able to make it to every family/friend event that I'd like, but these little "tastes of home" help hold me over.  

What about you guys?  Ever need those little things to make you feel closer to home?  What do you do on a nice lazy, rainy day?

A Little Shop Talk

Just wanted to take a minute to remind you guys about the crochet hats and scarves in my shop right now.

With the colder weather and holidays approaching, these would be perfect for you or a special person in your life.  Not only would you be warm and cozy, but you would also be helping to save animals because 10% of each sale in my shop goes to an animal charity (Humane Society, SPCA, or a local animal shelter).  For a short time, you can also use the coupon code SAVEAPET for an extra 10% off your order.

I also do beanies for men!

If you don't see the exact color/pattern combination you're looking for, shoot me a message.  I'd love to make something just for you with custom colors or even custom yarn.  With advance orders, I can create your hat or scarf from high quality cashmere blends, alpaca, or wool. (I just need time for it to be ordered and shipped to me.)  Just contact me for pricing information. :)

Turn on the Faucet

I know I did a fairly random post yesterday, but I have to do another one today.  I watched a documentary last night (I know... I'm like an old person with all these documentaries lately), and it really opened my eyes about some things.

It's a film called "Tapped," and it's about bottled water.

I had heard a good bit of what the documentary told me.  Plastic bottles have chemicals that can cause cancer and other problems, some companies bottle tap water, and the bottles have very detrimental environmental effects.  However, this documentary showed images that I can't get out of my head.

So many un-recycled bottles make their way to our oceans.  Plastic doesn't break down like organic materials... it takes a very long time.  Plus, it washes up on our beaches.

[source]

Is this what you want future generations to play in when they visit the beach?  It's not what I want.

Those plastic pieces also are being ingested by marine animals and fish.  It's killing entire populations. 

[source]

Is this what you want to find when you eat your filet of fish?  It's not what I want.

It's not even just the environmental effects that are so crazy.  It's the fact that these companies producing bottled water take it from small towns like many of us grew up in.  Did you know that when Georgia was in a very serious drought several years ago (one in which lakes were at the lowest recorded levels) and everyone else was on severe water restrictions that the Coca-Cola bottling company was still pumping water out of local lakes and streams to bottle water--  many of which were sold back to people in Georgia?  How about them apples?

And the politics behind it all?  Oh, it's frustrating.  Politicians are pretty much working for the bottling companies that are bottling our free tap water and selling it back to us.  Does anyone else see something wrong with this?

Now that I've told you some of the juicy tidbits, I should tell you that there's much more.  I highly recommend  that you guys check this film out.  It will change your way of thinking, and you will want to turn on that tap more often.  

Here's the trailer so you can check it out.  The full length version can be found on Netflix, for sure, but I'm sure you can find it other places as well.

On the Brain

Once again, I've found myself without a lot to say lately.  That is partly because the hubs was around for a few weeks, so the computer was at the bottom of my "fun list."  It's also because I've been doing some custom crochet projects and preparing for a few paintings.  All that doesn't add up to lots of excitement to share in a post.  

However, I have had a few random things on my mind lately, and those things are evidenced by things I've found on the ever addictive Pinterest in the recent hours days.

Crochet Stuff

 

Source: dottieangel.blogspot.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

I've been browsing Pinterest for inspiration for new crochet projects, and when I'm finished with the half a dozen custom projects going now, I desperately want to try something with some beautiful granny squares like these.  Isn't this lovely?

Exercise

 

Source: None via Lindsay on Pinterest

Maybe it's some things I've seen on television lately, or maybe I've just been paying more attention to the many unhealthy and extremely overweight people I see all around, but I've been extremely motivated to exercise lately.  I've always loved to run, but sometimes I go through slumps. One of those was just a few months ago.  I'm out of it now, and my love of exercise and fitness is back in full force.  I've even signed up for a course being offered here so I can become a Spin instructor.  I can't wait!

Craftiness

 

Source: kevinandamanda.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

I haven't been doing much random crafting lately, but I'm ready to jump back in with a few projects.  This photo is my inspiration for a project I'm dying to try.  I really need a cool jewelry holder/display for some of my earrings, and I've finally found what I want to use to create it. (Hint:  It's an old drawer.)  As soon as my carpenter (a.k.a. hubby) gets back, I'm going to try to make my vision a reality.

People

Source: etsy.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

This could probably speak for itself, but I'll give a brief explanation.  Lately, I have been noticing a lot of closed-mindedness, a lot of judgmental people, and many instances of people believing that because they warm a pew once a week that they are superior to everyone else.  All of these people seem to belong to the same club.  Now, I definitely believe in God, but I'm having a hard time with how some of his supposed followers are acting.  I can't seem to understand why everyone thinks their way of thinking is the only way of thinking simply because they are brought up that way.  Do people not understand that everyone is brought up in a belief system of some sort and that to them that belief is right because it's what they know?  That a book of any sort can be misconstrued and made to say what the interpreter wants?  I'm really not trying to start a religious debate because what I'm noticing has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with actions.  I just pray that one day people can all respect each other based on morals and ethics and not just beliefs or how beliefs are expressed (as long as those expressions do not harm anyone... think more group worship inside vs. worship with family on a mountain after a hike).  To further see what I'm saying, check out the documentary "Lord Save Us From Your Followers" on Netflix.  It raises so many valid points.

Well, in a nutshell that's what's been going on in my head lately.  Anyone else had similar things going on in their brain?  What has been on your mind this week?

P.S.  All of these images came from Pinterest.  For some reason the source links are wanting to hide behind the images... silly blogger.

Tail Wagging Tuesday: Special Pup Feature- Josie

This week's Tail Wagging Tuesday special feature pup belongs to one of my sweet readers.  Adriane wrote me and said she would like to share her little Josie's story.  I was so excited to read the interview, and now I'm super excited to share it with you guys. :)  Here's what Adriane has to say...

What kind of dog is Josie?  How old is she? 

     I’ve estimated Josie to be 10 months old from when she got her big girl teeth a couple months back. So her birthday will be celebrated with mine in November! We are still very stumped about what Josie actually is! I’ve spent hours and hours searching the internet, but I haven’t come any closer to figuring her out. When we adopted her, we were told by one person that she was a Spaniel mix, another said she was a Lab mix, and someone said she was a Collie mix. Our vet said she has German shepherd in her. She is very much a mutt, but she is probably the prettiest, most regal looking mutt I’ve ever seen! I was never a fan of black dogs (no idea why!) before we adopted her, but I think she has helped me to see past the color because now I can’t get enough. Because of her, we’ve started fostering black labs for a rescue!

Where did you get Josie?  What's her story?

      Josie is my first rescue baby. One day I was on facebook looking at impounded dogs (an animal-lover I know of dedicates a page to the local animal shelter and posts all of the dogs needing homes everyday), and I came across the sweetest face. Underneath the picture there were dozens of comments indicating that she was going to be put down soon (our Animal Control is a high kill shelter, and kills 80% of the animals that they intake), and concerned facebookers were asking if anyone could just foster her until they could find her a home. I half-heartedly showed the picture to my boyfriend, Steven, saying "aw let's go save her!" but we had said it half-jokingly about many other dogs we'd seen online. It wasn't that we didn't want to save them; we just weren't if we could make the commitment since we are both college students, I have a job, boyfriend is in the National Guard, and we have very busy schedules in general (somehow it works though!). In the end, there was just something about this picture that made me drive all the way down to Animal Control to at least meet her. When I got there, she wasn't there! I looked through all of the enclosed areas about 3 times over looking for her cute face. I finally asked someone, who told me she had just been adopted! I was happy she was saved but a little disappointed since I’d been getting used to the idea of having a puppy. When I got home, I went back to the picture and read that the person who had adopted her was just going to foster her until they found her a home. I immediately messaged the person, saying that I wanted her, and a couple hours later she was mine!

How did Josie get her name?

      I wish there was a better story behind her name, but the simple fact is, I CANNOT make up my mind when it comes to naming anything! I was afraid we would have to go days with no name for her, so I asked a friend of mine. She suggested Josephine, which is a name that I have always loved, and it is one that can be shortened! We have never called her Josephine, since dogs respond best to 2-syllable names, and Josie is just easier anyway.

What are Josie's favorite things to do?  Things that make her unique? Crazy quirks or special sweet things she does? 

     Josie will chew on pretty much ANYTHING. “My dog ate my homework” is a scenario that could very likely happen in our house! In fact, paper and cardboard are her favorite things to eat. Toys do not last very long with her. I have not yet found a toy that can withstand her destruction, and believe me I’ve tried all of the expensive ones! I’ve lost many pairs of leather sandals to Josie, a laptop cord, and most recently, my debit card! She doesn’t seem to like chewing up Steven’s things as much, but she LOVES to put holes in his army socks. Besides causing mayhem with chewed up debit cards (haha), one of Josie’s favorite things to do is play chase. She will play fetch, but she thinks being chased is WAY more fun. Something funny, that I guess you could say is unique about Josie is what we call her “poop” bark. She definitely lets us know when she REALLLLLY has to go, and I never tire of hearing it because it is SO hilarious! I joke that Josie has trained US, because she does things to get her way. She will bring her bowl to you if she thinks she needs food or water, and sometimes if we are watching TV or doing homework, she will purposely walk by with something in her mouth (that she isn’t supposed to have) so you will pay attention to her instead.

  

What makes [Josie so special to you and your family?  What does she mean to you?

      Josie is so special to us because she is our first fur baby. Having this new responsibility really made mine and Steven’s relationship grow in good ways, and I really feel like our love for this pup has brought us closer together. I cannot imagine life without her, she brings so much happiness and laughter into our tiny apartment! One of the biggest reasons coming to college and being away from home was so hard was because I didn’t have my dogs. I will always be a HUGE lover of dogs (Steven is as well), and I think life is just so much better with them! Coming home is one of the greatest parts of my day, whether I’ve been gone for 10 minutes or 3 hours, because no matter what Josie will greet you as if it’s been 10 years! She keeps me company when Steven is gone, and she always cheers me up when I need it. She is just such a great companion for the both of us and we have become a family with her!

If there's anything you think should be shared and it wasn't asked in a question, share it here.  :)

      Josie has a foster brother! Having Josie has brought me in contact with other people who love animals, and I’ve become aware of the vast amount of dogs that need homes in our shelters. The reality is, most black dogs do not make it out of the shelter, and Josie probably wouldn’t have if there weren’t people out there who cared. Because of this, we decided to foster dogs. We took on 2 black labs (in addition to Josie) in our apartment, and it was hard in the beginning but SO worth it!  We have since found a home for one of them, but Josie still has Mongo as a playmate. Fun fact about Mongo: He absolutely LOVES car rides and will jump into any car with a door/window open! When he gets really excited, he does a little dance trot with his feet. He is one of the sweetest dogs ever and we will miss him when he goes to a new home! (Mongo is the dog on the right in the picture)  

Thank you so much Adriane for sharing Josie with us!  This story is just one more reminder of how incredibly wonderful shelter dogs are.  Remember them the next time you want to add a furry member to your family. :)

Just as a reminder-  I donate $10 of every sale in my shop to an animal charity.  Do a little Christmas shopping and find a crochet hat or scarf for someone special.  It'll benefit you and some animals in need!

Decorating for Thrills and Chills

It's finally October! (Okay... It has been for like a week, but whatever...)

As I've said before, I love October!  Back home, I love the changing colors, that crisp feel to the air, and the beginnings of all the holiday festivities.  Here on the island, I just have to settle for the fun decorations that go along with the holiday festivities since the weather and the colors don't really change. Sooo....  I've been decorating for Halloween!

Hopefully, I'll be headed home to be with my family this Christmas, so we may not go all out on Christmas decor.  However, I didn't want to miss out on putting up lights and outdoor decorations, so I thought Halloween was as fantastic an excuse as any.  Here's a little bit of what I've been up to the past few days...

I've got a light up pumpkin in my window, spider webs, a foam bat that I made with leftover materials from my wreath (tutorial here), lights around my door, a carved pumpkin, and skeleton lights along my path to the door so far.  I may play around and add some more, but with limited space for storage here on the island I don't really want to have a huge holiday decoration supply.  Even these few things put a smile on my face, though.  I feel like I'm getting into the spooky fun of Halloween, and I love it!

How about you guys?  Any fun decorations for Halloween?  Does your family go all out?  I've been browsing Pinterest lately, and there are lots of fun decorating ideas, so I may have some more fun things to share soon... I hope.

Oh... In case anyone was wondering why my carved pumpkin has green eyes, it's because it has an LED light that changes colors inside.  I happened to catch it when it was green. :)

Wifey Fail

So I had one of those days yesterday...

One of those days where not a whole lot goes as planned.  You know those kind?

It started out okay.  Kent and I went to go workout together (well, he would be offended if I said "together," it's really more like we rode to the gym together and did our own thing).  That was a great start to the day.   Then, I did a Wal-Mart run where I picked up a few things, including some cute costumes for my furry buddies (Can't wait to show you!!!) and went to the grocery store.  

Since Kent was thinking this would be a week where he didn't have to go into work all that much, he's been a little bummed to have to go in all day for the past few days.  To make things a little better, I thought I'd make a nice pot roast (wish sweet potatoes, onions, and french onion soup mix... yum yum) in the slow cooker, along with a pecan pie that he'd been hinting at for a while now.  

Unfortunately, I didn't get back from the store until noon to put it all together.  (Mind you, in the past they have cooked much faster.  I'd put them together in the morning and they would be ready by about 1:00pm.)  I guessed, according to previous experience, that it would be ready by 7 at the latest.

Fast forward a few hours...

Garbage disposal clogs.  Luckily, I am persistent and my dad's daughter, so an hour later I fix it myself.

I then realize I forgot sugar at the store, so I have to pedal down to the mini-mart to get some to make my pies.

Pies finally cook successfully.  Score one for me.

Kent's home around five, and he's hungry... However, the pot roast isn't ready to cooperate.

Boo!

Nearly two hours later, the pot roast still isn't done, and we're starving.

The solution:  order pizza.

Yep, I felt like a bit of a failure.

It was okay though.

At least we got to finish it off with a pecan pie that did turn out okay...

It was kind of yummy, even if I do say so myself. :)

Plus, we get a really good meal tomorrow, and I don't have to cook it! (Perhaps the best part of it all!)

Oh, and Murphy man and Duke got to beg for food all day because of the crazy food smells in the house all day...

It was a little hard to resist those faces. 

Do you guys ever have days like that?  Where things just don't want to go your way?  Sitting back and finding the positive sure helps. 

Happy Wednesday!

Tail Wagging Tuesday: Special Pup Feature- Jasper the Dachshund

It's time for another Tail Wagging Tuesday!  This week I get to share with you a sweet pup that belongs to one of my childhood friends Carli.  She was sweet enough to agree to an interview so we can meet her sweet Jasper. :)

What kind of dog is Jasper?  How old is he?  
Jasper is a Standard dachshund. He is 2 years old. Turned 2 on September 30.

Where did you get Jasper?  What's his story? 
Brent and I were building our house and the man that was doing some work was late one morning because he had to help his dog deliver her puppies. He asked Brent if we wanted one and Brent said no, but later what kind or they? The man said dachshunds, so Brent said yeah we'd take one. We got first pick, and we chose Jasper.

How did Jasper get his name?  
I didn't have a name for him for close to 2 weeks.  Then my friends and I went to  dinner before seeing Twilight New Moon and I said Jasper! Im going to name him Jasper. Brent liked it too so thats what we named him.

What are Jasper's favorite things to do?  Things that make him unique?  Crazy quirks or special sweet things he does?  
Jasper is with me everyday. He goes everywhere with me if I can help it, so when I get ready to leave he runs to the door, gets my flip flop and throws it at me.  He is the only dog I have ever had that eats ice like it's a dog treat. 

What makes Jasper so special to you and your family?  What does he mean to you?  
In 2006 my husband Brent got a dachshund from the animal shelter and named him Carlos. They only had him a few years and he got hit by a car. It broke all of our hearts and Jasper helps us feel better because he looks just like Carlos.  To me, personally, Jasper keeps me company. When Brent and I first got married, for the first 8 months he worked from 4:00pm-12:00am so having Jasper here gave me someone to talk to.  Plus he is always with me everyday, so he's like having a baby to take care of. 
 
If there's anything you think should be shared and it wasn't asked in a question, share it here.  :)

From the day we got Jasper Brent and I have thought that his paws smell like Nacho cheese doritos.  We always joke that we are going to call the dorito company and get him on a commercial.

Thank you Carli for sharing Jasper with us!

If you have a special pup, kitty, or any other furry or feathered friend you'd like to share, please let me know!  I'd love to feature your pet!  Just e-mail me at TailsToTell [at] Live [dot] com, and we can set up an "interview." 

A Few Things from the Weekend

I didn't have a super eventful weekend, but it was a pretty good one. :)

I thought I'd share a couple of photos with you guys...

We had a date night Saturday, so we took a few photos before heading down to Honolulu.

(It's kind of nice having an extra person around to take a few photos every once in a while.)

Of course, Kent had to bring his John Wayne coffee mug along.  He loves John Wayne... hence the pose in the first photo.
 

I also decided to hop in a photo with my two furry boys.  I love those guys.

Our date night was fun, and we had a nice dinner at a restaurant called The Chart House, which overlooks a nice sunset over the ocean and lots of sailboats.  Oh so lovely... I only wish I had brought my nice camera.

Sunday morning, I got super excited because I had an appointment with my friend Sara to cut my hair!  (You know how that always makes your day!)

Now I'm excited to start the week with a new shorter do. :)

Anything exciting happen for you guys this weekend?  Happy Monday!