let's have a quickie

pervert.  not that kind of quickie.  Just a quickie recap of the wonderful weekend. 

Weekends come and go and most Mondays I feel like where did time go?  Did anything productive come out of it?  and this Monday I can confidently answer YES.

Friday night David was in Wolf Creek so me and los perros just relaxed and watched tv and googled in search of our dream engagement rings late into the night. 

Saturday I slept in and later my college room mate Sarah came by the house to meet Lola and we went off to brunch at The Range.  I haven't seen her since her wedding (last June) and so we had lots to catch up on.  It was wonderful.  She is trying to affordably furnish her new house so we went furniture shopping HERE and found some great things (and everything is always 20% off).

Then I met up with some friends at Coaches to watch the last few minutes of the Lobo game (a great win!) and came home to walk to the dogs.  We got the park right at dusk and it was still warm.  We played ball (Lola likes to drop the ball halfway up the hill and then chase it as it rolls down to the bottom, again and again -- she's very good at entertaining herself) and walked home in the dark. 

David came home shortly after (with a sunburned red nose) and we met some friends for dinner at Il Vicino for pizza and beer.  He crashed out shortly after we got home and I watched some interesting documentaries on PBS. 

Sunday morning my sister called and canceled my babysitting duties for the day (!) and so D and I got some burritos and Starbucks and took the lucky dogs to the dog park (our new weekend routine) and my mom met us there with Lily.  Fun was had by all dogs and after we went to Petsmart to get Lola her own real dog food bowl so she doesn't have to eat out of tupperware anymore.  Later at home I took some photos with the afternoon sun and then went back up to the heights to meet my friend Lindsey for coffee.  She has been going through the crazy process of applying to some prestigious grad schools and I got some good advice for taking the GRE and finishing my application.

On my way home I stopped by my mom's house and helped my sister plant some onions before the sun went down (for some reason my butt is really sore now).  While I was at coffee, D went to Costco (my least favorite place) and Sunflower and we finally have  full fridge again!  I'm glad he took the initiative.  Then off to dinner at his mom's house and took a dip in the hot tub (at the house he watches) on our way home.  Finished off the day by watching "The King's Speech" and it was awesome (we have an illegally downloaded copy -- don't tell). 

So there it is, all rambled off.  A full weekend, but still was very leisurely.  It was perfect.  This is how I'm gonna do it from now on.  Plus I can check off one of my "new year, new things" list:  spend more time with friends.

Home is wherever I'm with you

So I'm feeling very nesty lately.  I've been thinking about all things home, cleaning, building, organizing, DIYing, prettyfying...  things are really great with me and Dave and our little family of black dogs and this song just really brought all these feelings together for me today.  It is super hippie, like beyond hippie, so open your hearts and give it a good long listen. 

"Home is wherever I'm with you." - Home

I just want to stay home and make babies and paint walls and read books.... sounds like bliss.

It's like some kind of punishment to listen to this song all day while I'm strapped to my desk, glued to my computer, thinking of my dream life as a domesticated stay at home hippie mom.  yarg.

Thank you Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros

Favorite things - Dec. - Jan. Edition

December was filled with yummy treats, Christmas carols, the luminaria walk down Ridgecrest with my man and dog, AND A GILLION CHRISTMAS PARTIES, hence why I never got around to my Dec. list of favorites.  But of course, they were all about Christmas / Winter / Holidays, and we don't need a post to state very obvious favorites.  So here we are, moving on into 2011, and I'm happy to say that it is day twenty of the new year, and I'm still feeling that fresh hopeful glee you get when there is a new start.  My to-do list is chalk full of new ideas on how to get inspired and creative and healthy, while keeping the responsibilities in check.  We'll see how long it lasts... Anyways, here's a look back:

1.  This was a while ago, but lets start off the list with a huge props to Oprah.  It IS her last season and she DID just start the Oprah Winfrey Network on cable, but she still managed to squeeze in a history making reunion on her talk show that I HAD to record.  The cast of 'The Sound of Music' was on her stage, in its entirety, for the first time in 45 years.  As she would say with wide open arms "MONUMENTAL!"  This is one of my favorite movies and it was really cool seeing old footage, hearing about Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews on set, and seeing how none of the von Trap children looked anything like their childhood selves.  Thank you Oprah! 

I still have it saved on my DVR if there are any fans that missed it

2.  Trader Joe's Freeze Dried Blueberries -- I am the only person in the entire world who still hasn't shopped at TJ's, but I plan to someday, and when I do, I will definitely pick up a few bags of these luciously dried morsels of fruit.  My Dad gave me a bag last month, and I was like, 'great, thanks dad, dried fruit' (blah), but they are actually delish and have a lot of flavor.  You can bake with them, add them to oatmeal, or just eat them raw (just beware -- you might get them stuck in your teeth).  They have zero additives, and I'm pretty sure that the entire bag is one serving and is only 120 calories so you can eat a few handfuls and not even dent your diet (or your pretend diet, if you're like me).

3.  Good Magazine.  My cousin stayed with me last month and left it behind and I really like it!  it's like totally 'by the people, for people' and super creative, but not to the point where you feel like it's all discombobulated / hippy shit.  It was 'The Work Issue" and talked about everything jobs / career / economy / education and all in a context that is down to earth, real life, interesting, and for 20-early 30somethings who are still close to their college ties.  It is visually interesting (they have graphic art competitions for their cover / article work) and has nice thick heavy paper.  Me likey.  Also, I haven't yet perused it yet, but their site looks just as interesting.

thanks cuz!

4.  Fruitables dog treats.  Luka is not a fan of any kind of meaty treat.  He is more of a banana, carrot, cucumber kinda guy.  I always wanted to take him to formal dog training, or do it myself, but he won't give a rats ass because he doesn't like any of the treats I buy.  He either spits them out, or pretends to bury them in the carpet.  Last month some friends were visiting from Ohio and  brought along their dog's favorite snacks, fruitables, and Luka loved them.  They come in a bunch of different flavors, are organic, healthy, and not so high in calories that your dog will pork out if he eats too many.  There are flavors like: Pumpkin & Blueberry, Pumpkin & Banana (which even sounds like good human food), Pumpkin & Cranberry, and Pumpkin & Apple.  I've been to the chain pet stores in town and they aren't there, but I bet Clark's or Whole Foods will (my source says she buys them from Amazon).  They have Luka's seal of approval.

5.  If you have seven bucks, go catch the matinee showing of "True Grit."  uh-ma-zing.  The girl that stars it it gives a mezmorizing performance, she reminds me of a western Judy Garland but with depth.  As soon as the movie was over, I felt so involved in the story, I wanted them to start it over so I could watch it again.  GO.  SEE.  IT. 6.  Goody hair spin pins -- I've been spreading the word about these little gizmos for a while now, but I just love them so much, they need an honorable blog mention.  Say you make a bun like normal, messy or tight, high or low, and then you basically screw this pin in and it holds it all together.  Each box comes with two pins in case you have a ton of hair, and you can find them all Walgreens / Target.  Goody is also on top of giving ladies what they want, so they also have these new snazzy products and tutorials to show you how to use them. 7.  Before New Year's Eve I scoured the interwebs for some good appetizer recipes and this one seemed to be a winner with the crowds:  Bacon wrapped pineapple shrimp.  It doesn't look like much right here, but I promise, you won't be disappointed.  It tastes like a little kabob on a toothpick and is veryyyy easy to make.  David doesn't like shrimp, but I discovered if you wrap it in bacon, he can't get enough of it.  Thank you Rachel Ray for your little pterodactyl arms and quick yummy recipes.   8.  A few new blogs have been brought to my attention this past month.  One is a guilty pleasure, and the other makes me want to quit my job and remodel a beautiful Virginian home.  First, 'Calling People Names' is hilarious and often is about things most people think, but don't have the guts to say.  I love it.  It can be sweet, funny, and raunchy, but without crossing the line, just like things I think about everyday ;)  The other blog was brought to my attention by a girlfriend who knows of my budding DIY interest and it's about a couple who (since the crazy popularity of their blog) have been able to quit their jobs and blog full time about remodeling/decorating/stylizing their house.  Young House Love.  They do almost everything themselves in super easy creative ways and give great DIY instructions to follow.  They also seem really sweet and down to earth and aren't afraid of letting it all out, from the details of their courtship / wedding / marriage to having a kid and looking for a new house, the husband and wife take turns with blog posts and are wide open for everyone to see.  I also love that they post like twice a day so there is always something to read (low work productivity when I read this blog).  (JDel, you will love this site, but be prepared to sit for a few hours because the reading is endless.  A lot of the projects remind me of things you and Reed would do for your new home.) 9.  Final Favorite -- Narayan's 2nd Birthday.  It's amazing how time passes and now he has grown up into a little boy who is putting sentences together, listens to directions, and is in love with anything with wheels. Happy Friday!

Tuesssssday

Okay, the past week we celebrated a bunch of birthdays, played with our lovely dogs, and relaxed after being crazy busy for the past 6 weekends.  All I have to show for it....is more pictures of dogs.  I promise, unless either of them develop some stupid dog tricks, this will be the last dog photo post.  I'm planning posts of more substance that will come later in the week.  :)

 

 

note:  As of Friday, Sassy is now "Lola" but because I'm having second thoughts about my addiction to L names (Luka, Lily, Lola (eventhough it was D's name of choice)) it may be blended into Sassy Lola (uncute, I know).

Sassafras update...

So it's been 3 days since Miss Sassy Princess joined our family, and.................things are going great!  It's a shocking surprise. 

So last Friday before we left town, we met up with Sassy at the dog park and asked all the usual adoption questions and I found out that she was not as trained as I previously thought.  Her mom said she has accidents in her crate, she is not leash trained, she drinks out of the toilet, she destroys all chew toys, she is super scared of strangers, pees in the car / jumps all over, freaks out at the vet office, wakes up super early, etc.  All weekend I had anxieties like what did I just do?  did I make the wrong decision?  I'm not going to be able to be away from the house for more than 3 hrs at a time for the next year?  I'm going to be up in the middle of the night to let her out?  Is Luka going to hate me?  We can't go out of town / have lots of people over / take her to friends' houses?  I seriously lost sleep over it and one night just laid in bed thinking "I have to call the lady back and tell her I need another week to think about it."  I'm a person that believes that things happen for a reason, but all of a sudden I was feeling like, how can I be sure that Sassy is 'the one'?  I didn't even meet any other dogs.  I can't just take home the first dog I meet??!!?!?!?!?!?

Then I was fell asleep while watching Titanic with the girls and finally had a peaceful mini nap / contemplation and realized that everything will be okay, there is a reason she called out to me, she meets the points on my checklist (size, age, sex, color) where as the other dogs I looked at online required some concessions, and I'm sure that the other girls I looked at have just as many issues that we would have to deal with.  On Friday committed to Sassy and said we would pick her up on Sunday when we got back in town, and I felt good that I was going to follow through and be ready to take on whatever was coming my way.

So while I had this revelation and found peace with my decision, David was ten steps behind me and still wanted to wait a week before taking her in.  Granted I've been looking at dogs online for over a month and have been mentally preparing for all the things that are going to change in our day to day life (we have it super easy with Luka), but David had not thought about any of it until the last moment and had a mini angry-breakdown about it all.  Change is hard, I get that, but I'm the kind of person that's like, "suck it up and deal with it."  We got the dog, she said goodbye to her Mom and little girls, we made a trip to the pet store, and then headed home where David took her on a walk to make sure she would be tired enough for bed. 

So I'm always thinking about what kind of dad that David will be and watching him with Luka, sometimes I'm like awww, he'll be patient, loving and kind.  Other times I see him get so pissed and annoyed that Luka won't stop licking the car windows, or in a bad mood because of other things that I'm like, ummmm I'm not putting my kids through this (he has gotten incredibly better at not projecting his work stress into anger).  So with getting the new dog and bringing her home, we were really tense and snippy / stressed and I kept thinking, "When we bring a baby home, are we going to be just as unhappy?" 

Also running through my head, "Does he hate her?  am I going to be the only one taking care of this dog?  does he think she's ugly?"  Well he warmed up to her right away and is in love.  He's all glowy and he can't stop talking about her.  He loves on her and keeps telling me how pretty and smart she is and how we lucked out big time with her and she was meant to be in our family (it takes him a little while to catch up with me).  All these things are true, especially getting lucky.  She is not perfect by any means, BUT she is actually really well behaved.  She is smart and lighthearted and listens and knows basics like sit, go to bed, lay down, get your bone, she has only had one accident in the house, ZERO accidents in her crate, entertains herself around the house, does not jump the walls outside, walks great on the leash, comes when called,  only cried for 15 mins the first night in her crate, AND is sleeping quietly the entire night all the way til we let her out around 9am!!!!! (the sleeping in part is my favorite).  Something we are going to have to work on is anxiety and once she has more time to get used to our routine, we'll take her out more.  Anyways, I agree with David, she was meant to be with us and we did get really lucky.  Plus, it's really nice to see him fall in love with her and want to train, run, and play with her. 

Now if only cranky Luka pants was on the same page...........

 

Happy New Yizzle

So last Friday we packed up and led a caravan up to the Ranch and were greeted by sub zero temperatures and crazy crazy wind / blowing snow.  Luckily we had a nice warm home with good food, lots of drinks, and fun company. 

Of course there were little adventures here and there.  We didn't have the key to the driveway gate, the pipes froze after the first morning, I couldn't sleep because I thought the house would blow down, and the second day we went sledding in 9 degree weather, but all in all, we had fun and got to relax.

Zero degrees + wind chill = -25 degrees

Dawn!

Quick note....

Please welcome Sassy Princess (taaadddaaaaaaa!)

Impressions so far:  She is nuts.  Dog Attention Deficit Disorder.  The only reason I got these pictures is because I have a quick shutter and she had a bone, otherwise, she is ALLLL over the place.  I feel like we just got a crazy toddler dog who has the potential to learn, if she can stay still long enough. 

Luka is being very quiet and patient and keeps looking at me like "Really?  Is this dog serious?  Are you keeping her?"  Sassy just wants to play play play, and after Luka's long day driving back from Chacon Winter Wonderland, he just wants to lay around and watch tv.

It is very safe to assume that my first resolution of 2011 is to become a super dedicated dog owner, top notch dog trainer and the most patient dog mom in the world.

P.S. We welcome any name suggestions for our Sassy Princess.  We are not huge fans of her name, and she is not sassy per say, but for some reason the name suits her.  It's definitely a name that was chosen by her little girl / former owner.  Think happy hyper black puppy dog meets goofy meat head playing enthusiast.