. . . courtesy of (500) days of summer
. . . and potentially winning a giveaway makes me happy too
maybe winter’s not so bad.
this morning steve ran in
and said we all had to come out and see how pretty
the sun looked shining through the snow-covered trees.
though i’m not the hugest fan of winter,
he was right.
and the pretty morning was made prettier
when william came in this morning
(i was still in bed)
he said: “mom, you can stay in bed this morning. i already made our lunches.”
he is going to be the best husband some day.
stripes are in.
. . . it’s true
. . . but i guess it’s been this way for awhile
. . . either way, i want to make them all mine!
top to bottom: express, anthropologie (x2), free people (x2), and ikea
. . . and just for good measure because they’re so pretty
urban outfitters (but good luck snagging a pair!)
. . . and in keeping with the spirit of stripes
found on my etsy shop
(and yes, this means the supplies finally arrived!!)
a warning for me, for you.
say no to drinking texting and driving???
(drinking and driving is still off-limits, but listen to this…)
i was just watching yesterday’s oprah and here’s what i learned:
- talking on the phone while driving (even on a headset!!) = 4x more likely to get in an accident
- drinking and driving = 4x more likely to get in an accident (equal to talking–who knew?)
- texting and driving = 8x more likely to get in an accident!!!!
i really don’t want this blog to be a platform for my opinions
about what you and yours do in your daily lives, but really… 8x more likely.
i will not text while driving ever again
(i’m not a big texter at this point, so this shouldn’t be too hard)
i will do my very best to limit my phone conversations in a car
(and at this point, i confess, i am on the phone in the car all the time).
these aren’t some random studies… “they” (the infamous “they) have done actual studies proving that your brain is not seeing as much periphery when you are even talking on the phone as when you are off the phone entirely.
so, in the words of the lovely ellen degeneres,
Now we have hands-free phones, so you can focus on the thing you’re really supposed to be doing … chances are, if you need both of your hands to do something, your brain should be in on it too (here & now).
snowy day thoughts.
thank you, mlk.
(and wouldn’t he think it cool that we have a black president?
i know i do. whether or not i agree with him all the time.)
gracie is still alive.
as evidenced by this picture taken of her just a few moments ago.
has yet to upchuck a bone though (or have it come out the other end).
steve snow-blows in his pjs and slippers.
it’s the massachusetts way.
no surprise here.
she looked gorgeous. also, i think steve carrell should’ve won
instead of alec baldwin. like them both, but michael scott is the best.
and what was up with the DOWNPOUR in L.A., ahnika?!
thought that never happened there.
Worry over Gracie’s ailments will kill me before they kill her.
Gracie had a UTI about 2 months ago. Dogs can get those. After about a week of peeing way more frequently, squatting to only have a drop come out, and frequent accidents in the house, it was determined that a UTI was the likely cause. When I got her pee checked out, however, it was very diluted and showed no sign of blood or anything that would indicate a UTI.
“Well, what would it be, then?” I asked the vet.
“We’ll just watch her and if it continues, at her age, it’d most likely be related to her kidneys.”
When I got home, I googled (NEVER use Google to diagnose a medical illness. But, even as I say this, I will definitely do it again. Using Google for these things is an illness unto itself.) kidney issues in a puppy which then led me to juvenile renal failure which then led me to numbering the days Gracie had left and crying at the prospect of her quickly approaching death. All of this on my birthday weekend. Lovely. And last year on the night of my birthday, guess what arrived in the mail? Allie’s ashes. Bad sign.
(I don’t completely keep my wits about me when it comes to dog’s potential illnesses since Allie’s death. I admit it. Guilty as charged.)
I even had my Mom’s friend doing Reiki on her from afar. Yes, that is possible, and yes, that really did happen.
So, I put Gracie on antibiotics for a UTI and hoped that it would cure her ailment.
It did. The UTI symptoms stopped and she was a happy puppy. And I was a very happy puppy owner.
Now, a few months later, she is showing more signs of a UTI. Great.
(Maybe it’s a weird fluke thing she’s going through. Let’s hope.)
But, just when a UTI seemed like the big concern, Gracie went and trumped it when she swallowed a 4 x 1 inch marrow bone last night. I put some peanut butter on one end to get her interested, turned around for 1 second, and looked back to see her doing that snake swallow thing as the entire bone journeyed its way down into her stomach.
I hate you, Gracie.
(I totally love her actually, which makes this all the more annoying.)
I almost lunged with an outstretched arm ready to plunge right down her throat, hook the aforementioned bone, and rescue her poor stomach from days of unrest.
I didn’t. It was too late.
So, after a sleepless night–completely with Gracie’s guttural noises and heaving followed by throw up by our bedside at, oh, 2 am, 3 am, 4 am, and 5 am and me, tired and in the dark, sticking my hand right in the throw-up to fish for a bone (that never made its way out)–we are awake and waiting. Waiting for what you ask? For her stomach acids to break down this nuisance of a bone, hopefully, and let her pass it. Then we’ll tackle the UTI. Happy happy joy joy!
(Somewhere in there I also googled dogs swallowing bones, and apparently, it can be okay. We have to wait and see. I think this was all in her grand plan to force me to stay home and play with her.)
That’s where we are on this Sunday morning as Gracie runs around chewing on her squeaker ball, all the while giggling to herself that she has our undivided attention. Skipping church, and stuck home to observe a dog. It is a good thing I love her so.
The morning was made a little brighter when these two brought us breakfast in bed.
They really are so sweet, even when I’m a crank in the morning. Which I can be. Whether or not I’ve been fishing for a bone in dog vomit all night.
help for haiti.
So, my Etsy shop is fairly sparse at the moment (STILL waiting on supplies that might be lost in the black hole that is the U.S. Postal Service), but I’m going to do what I can at this point and donate 100% of profit made within the next week directly to Danita’s Children, an orphanage with a five-star charity rating where good friends of ours have been working on a long-term missions trip.
As the earthquake clean-up takes place, I’m sure the numbers at the orphanage are expected to grow, so whether you simply donate to them yourself through Danita’s Children or your charity of choice, or buy something on my shop, please consider helping out Haiti!
(If my supplies arrive, I will quickly try to add more and sell those off too, so keep checking back!).
*image from danitaschildren.org
a happy list.
5 things that make me awfully happy:
1. fresh flowers in the wintertime (or anytime, really)
2. when husband and i cuddle in bed at night
3. wintertime stews & soups
4. when the sun comes in the house on a cold day and shines right on you
5. going to the movie theatre
A baby story.
My friends, Jenny and Aaron, just adopted this adorable little boy from Ethiopia (who I finally got to meet yesterday!). When he smiles, his whole face smiles, and he is relaxed and so very sweet. Anyway, after most of the adoption proceedings were already signed, sealed, delivered, they got a call that he was a twin. The biological parents thought they could take one, but it turns out, they couldn’t. So the twin was up for adoption too, and wouldn’t it be nice if the two could stay together. Jenny and Aaron said yes. They said yes! Not one, but two babies would they be getting when this wasn’t their plan. The story gives me chills and makes me tear up, all the while giving me hope that things in this world aren’t so bad when people like Jenny and Aaron are in it. So, they’ve had this little guy for less than a month, and in one month’s time, will return to Ethiopia to pick up his brother.
The whole thing is nothing short of amazing. So, would you join me in praying for them for a safe arrival of their second boy, and that the whole process of adapting to two babies goes smoothly?
Kate: “Heeeyyy Tes.”
Tes: “Oh Kate, you American girls are such flirts!”
random conglomeration of thoughts.
thoughts spewing here… beware!
—————–
i do not like abercrombie and fitch (i do not like them sam i am).
i do not like that their name is on everything they make–
i feel as though they need to pay the wearer a bit of cash for doing their advertising.
i guess they feel like they need to make up for the fact that the entire storefront is covered in black shutters.
yeah, let’s remedy this by having everyone wear our name across their chests.
yeah, let’s remedy this by having everyone wear our name across their chests.
i REALLY do not like the fact that they have actual apparatuses to spray their perfume from the ceiling.
steve and i were in there today–
an extremely old gift card i got from someone who will remain nameless (how could they?)–
i thought i’d use it up.
i couldn’t stay long enough because the smell was giving me seizures.
steve said, “i feel like i’m getting gassed.”
i’m not kidding about the apparatuses.
look up on the ceiling. you’ll see ’em gassing the customers
(that is if you ever go in there).
——————–
i’m glad steve is a professor.
it means that we have had every day together since like december 5th or something.
we saw a matinee last week–nine!
stellar cast (slight crush on penelope cruz).
and going to a matinee with the husband when everyone else is at work
was just delightful.
good music–daniel day-lewis is a phenom. maybe you’ll see it?
also saw away we go, finally.
love maggie gyllenhall.
“i LOVE my babies. why would i want to PUSH them away from me.”
——————-
steve and i finally got up to speed on the bachelor with our handy dandy DVR.
yes, watching… despite the fact that i can’t stand jake (no one smiles that much).
now, please, dear readers, do tell me. who is prettier?
elizabeth
or
rozlyn
steve and i entirely disagree on this
and i won’t tell you which one is absolutely undoubtedly more attractive.
(elizabeth is way prettier)
also, kathryn might be ellen pompeo’s long-lost blonde twin?
and i think this group of ladies might’ve kept the breast implant doctors above the economic downfall over the past few years.
————–
that’s all for now.