Attention All Runners
… and all those Wish-You-Were-Still-A-Runner, like me… how cool is this:
i want one!!!
yippee, once again for Woot.com
The Great Lu-Dini
THE SCENE: 5:29 am – i hear a slight rustle in the hallway, then the faint sound of a zipper opening… a few seconds of quiet and then the ambush as Lucy jumps on the bed and snuggles right in between us providing sloppy kisses and wriggling around until she is comfortable.
i am exhausted, and she is sweet and cozily warm… but no, this goes against the new rule: the dogs must sleep in their kennels at night.
so i get up, let her out and tell her to go back into her kennel, which she does, kindly.
i zip it up and try to secure it as best as i can, and go back to bed.
18 minutes later… repeat performance.
this time, i get right up and say “Kennel” and once again, she walks right in. i zip again.
16 minutes later… i hear the rustle, and wait for the pounce onto the bed, but nothing… so i get up, turn on the light, and she’s slowly slinking into the room hoping to make it this time.
nope.
“Kennel”… and, as the good girl that she is, heads right back into her red travel kennel.
this time i place the zippers together at the bottom– seems to have foiled her attempts…. for now.
But, as anyone knows, once you have been awakened just shy of one hour from when your alarm is scheduled to chime, there’s really no going back to sleep.
you lay there, you change positions a few times, you try to count to 100 – or as i did, trace the lower-case alphabet in cursive, backwards.
and then, just as you are drifting off… The Alarm dings, and it’s time to free Lucy for real.
Silly Woosey!!!
RueLaLa again
HELLO! in case you weren’t looking– RueLaLa.com will be featuring a Cynthia Rowley sale on the 15th!!!!! (and Vera Wang Lavender Label tomorrow)
in case you didn’t know my love of this site – you can see it here, AND you can still sign up by going here
if you are still unsure if this site is awesome or not- just realize that as i type this i am wearing my new black Calvin Klein trousers, purchased from said site, and am just about to open the latest tops from Sweet Pea purchased from said site.
happy shopping, y’all!
Busy, Busy Miss B!
whew.
i feel like i have been going non-stop for quite awhile. and i think it’s true.
this week has been especially crazy and we are coming up on a hugely busy weekend– but i do see that light at the end of the tunnel, yes i do.
i was oh-so-excited to realize that Monday is Columbus Day, and though i am not a major follower of this such holiday, it does happen to be a day that the State Government closes its doors, and i kind of technically work for the state, that means This Girl gets to hang out at home with the pooches and probably get even MORE marked off that list!!!
What list, you might ask?
This list:
- sewed a bandana blanket to send to a friend in France that is battling cancer
- knitted two scarves with some suede yard i had no idea what to do with (thank goodness for “speed sticks“)
- started knitting a new toddler hat, and realized that the yarn is spun in Mitchell, NE! (This Girl is pumped!)
- made three Tu-Tu’s
- Visited with Neil
- attended church (i know!)
- tried to tidy and organize, which really only led to more of a mess
and on Sunday, (after church!) i got the whim to paint the sun porch – and painting only really happens for me on a whim. if i try to plan it, i end up talking myself out of it. so the whim struck, and i began painting….
i didn’t have the foresight to take a true “Before” picture, but it ended up that the leftover paint from my parent’s basement was a perfect match for the existing color — i was assuming it would be darker… so, not much change there, except that its a lot “Cleaner” with no scuffs and years of grunge.
but i DID take a “before” picture of the floor… which, i thought was “okay” to last another winter season, but AJ talked me into it, and on another whim, i went home during my lunch on Tuesday and edged and rolled on a coat.
here’s the “Before”:
whew, looking at it now, yes, it needed severe attention!
here’s the “After” after one hour and one coat:
i was really hoping that it would be a one-coat thing… because if the idea of painting isn’t daunting enough, doing it all over again really puts me over the edge….
that is, until i break down and realize that it does need one more coat– and then i am quickly reminded how much faster and nicer that second coat goes on. (see, it’s all just really a mind-game!)
here’s the final painted product:
aah, smooth and shiny!
then we got funky and started hanging up new hooks and coat hangers, etc…. this being my most favorite piece in the room:
and then, finally, last night, i was able to put all the extra pieces in and make it a functional room again:
i am so not in love with our shoe rack – but its the best place to keep the shoes and i would love to find a hall tree that wasn’t too terribly expensive that could hold it all… a girl can dream, right?
Also, I am attempting to try and save my hibiscus tree… though, this not being Hawaii, i wouldn’t be surprised if I am unsuccessful.
anyway- so back to the list:
- tidy the house (still slightly, okay QUITE, unsuccessful here… am totally willing to accept any and all advise from you domestic goddesses out there… seriously!)
- print, and organize photos taken since wedding (2.5 years ago)… Walgreens was happy to see me, when i picked up my 700+ photos!!! let’s just say, i took advantage of their 10-cent per picture offer if you order 50 or more… i saved $39!
- send off baby gift to child that is now one-month old — and i forgot to take a picture of the supremely cute blue, blue and blue stripped blanket i knitted… (have asked the mama for photos once she receives!)
- Oh! and i finished Wicked… eh. (let me just say- a whole lot (200 pages) of bulid-up with a very quick end and very little explanation on why certain loose ends remained loose)
stuff still on the list:
- more sewing
- more knitting (and figure out how to cast on, as well as knit with Double-Pointed Needles) — any Knitting Divas out there, PLEASE HELP!
- the whole photo thing (awaiting my order of FOUR photo books from Overstock.com — did you know that shipping is FREE this month?)
- finish details on planning State Day Celebration at Sorority, Saturday (ideas on centerpieces? anyone? it will probably end up as pumpkins with red and green ribbons!)
- continue my quest to take over the world!!!!
whew… not too much to ask, really… 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA and Grandpa!!!
SOOO excited for this weekend. typing quick to get out soon… and do one last spiff up of house and surroundings before the fam arrives!!!
Grandpa R is celebrating 90 Great Years this weekend and all his family will be in town to join in the fun… i am SOOO excited, because family is everything to this chica!!!
i hope to have lots of pics to share after the weekend-o-fun… but i also head off on the Truck$ & Buck$ Blackshirt Truck Tour Monday – so it may be a bit before i actually am able to post…
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thor is so Professional!
HE’S HERE!!!
a little nervous energy to get over, but way too happy to see everyone!!! wants to play, lots!
it sure is a good thing he took care of “business” before we came inside, so that’s one less worry– for now!
working on the Petting Pups part of our therapy… and he’s not too scared of the elevator – Check, Check!
hopefully, soon, naptime (for him), and work time (for me)!
THOR McNaughty!
Thor is supposed to be my sweet puppy. the one that likes to snuggle, suffers through a chronic yeast infection in his ear, and get’s that “no mamma, don’t make me play in the back yard with that bully, Lucy” look everytime i try to take him outside. (she beats up on him, she really does!)
for the last three weeks, or so, he has been acting out – so naughty!
it started right before my birthday- i had received a few cards in the mail, and for some reason, wanted to open them closer to the date– or at least at a time when AJ was home to share the fun! (you don’t need me to tell you i am a dork!)… and one of the days- i had a crazy schedule and wouldn’t get home until late, so AJ would be the first home to let out the pups and feed them. he thought he would be home around 5:00 but it was actually closer to 6pm. he walked in to find THOR sitting amongst piles and pieces of paper and glitter…
i received a phone call to say- “you got a gift card from betsy, that’s all that is left.” GRRRR!!
I am sure the card was lovely – and the cheapskate in me is glad that the monetary part made it through unscathed! THOR was also kind enough to only nibble on the two wedding photos Betsy included from her March Nuptials
Son of a Beezee– THOR, what is up?
we decided it was his way of punishing us for coming home later than he anticipated. (who is the master, i ask you? exactly.)… funny thing, he didn’t even touch the card from my aunt and cousins that was directly beneath Betsy’s… weirdo.
well, then a few days later, i come home to some very brown banana peels on the ground… that turkey got onto the counter and grabbed not one, but two bananas and ate them – including one of the peels… OMG!
THEN – last week, i said my morning goodbyes to the pooches, walked out to my car, said goodbye to the siding guys, started the car, and realized my phone was still upstairs by the bed… shut off car, walk back into house — 27 seconds total – probably …
there’s THOR spread eagle, with a plastic baggie – quart sized – of chapsticks and leftover “liquids” packed from my flight to/from DC for the AAF National Conference… oh, i was one unhappy chica… 27 seconds! there goes the theory of being cooped up too long… 27 seconds!!
a few days later… more banana’s were devoured – with only the stems remaining as evidence.
what is going on with this dog?
i know it cannot be Lucy, because she is in a kennel all day… maybe its time to invest in a second kennel – hmmm?
if there actually are people out there that read this blog, then they know that THOR and i have been going trough the whole Domesti-PUPS thing (for good or ill)… maybe he’s acting out at being 6-years-old and suddenly being forced to act appropriately?
maybe it’s the three-week process of new siding with strange guys hammering and making all sorts of ruckus around the house, while he’s stuck inside all day… its messing up his chi…
goodness knows.
if any one out there knows anything about dog psychology… or has a leftover extra-large plastic kennel, i am all ears.
oh- and here’s the craziest – since he’s been acting up so much lately, we put him in the OUTSIDE kennel, alone, saturday night, while we went out to meet up with friends. we came home at a reasonable hour, and THOR was not at the kennel door ready to greet us, as per usual. no, he was AT THE CAR DOOR to greet us. he made three tiny THOR-sized holes to squeeze through- we still aren’t sure exactly which of the holes he successfully escaped through… ow! nor do we know how long he hung out in the side yard before we came home… though, i am attributing that escape to the recent rash of (ILLEGAL) firecracker use in our neighborhood… Poor THOR (GOD OF THUNDER) hates loud noises!
weird dog!
well, i’d better add bananas to my shopping list– don’t want the dog to go hungry.
Pink…Then Blue
HA! nope, still not anywhere near talking about baby things.
it’s our house!
you may remember this photo, where i mentioned our new TREE:
well, look closely and you see the pink (or salmon?) house… I call it “Blush & Bashful” (Steel Magnolia’s Reference)
Consider this, “BEFORE”
for the last two weeks, we have been in the process of getting new siding – here is the “IN BETWEEN” stage:
Today, it should all be about done, and, shocker of all shockers, we went with Blue & Brown!
here is a photo from about a week ago:
oh, but don’t worry. you can never just purchase new siding. once you do that, you throw in the gutters, and then request gutter guard. then all your light fixtures start to look a little drab, so you buy new ones, and then you need to paint the trim pieces, and then you decide to buy some more plants, and then you start looking at your backyard and think, if i just add a little bit here and there, and then you realize that you hate that your two pooches have completely torn up the yard, so your husband buys an electric fence kit PLUS an additional collar (because you have two dogs, you know) and then you need better storm doors, and plan on only buying two and end up with three, and while you’re at Lowe’s you find two interior lights on sale that you just have to have (you bargain shopper, you!) and that goes into the cart, and then you have to buy paint for the exterior doors, which you have to remove in order to put the proper coats on, so you are living with your house wide open for three days (thank goodness for the new, lock-able, storm doors!) and your house is a pit because you have been living in a state of flux for three weeks, and you are counting down the day (15, thanks for asking) for all of your Mom’s family to come into town to celebrate your grandfather’s 90th birthday (EEE!) so you want the place to look so nice, and you are positive that no one will even come over while they are in town, but just in case… oh, and don’t forget you have to paint the garage door – and you and your lovely hubby can’t come to an agreement on whether it should be all blue, all white, all red (i say NO to the barn door look!) or blue with white trim, or white with blue trim, or blue with brown trim, and all you know is that it CANNOT stay pink and brown for much longer….
OY VEY!
so, this is my life! Fun Times with the Beckers, indeed!
***by the way- if you are in the Lincoln-area and are in need of new Siding, Windows or Gutters — PLEASE call Nick and the guys at Capital City Exteriors… they do an impressive job! and i’m the worst kind of client, I am high-maintenance, but i think i am low-maintenance client!(When Harry Met Sally Reference)***
Back for More…
found this online – makes me laugh… yes, they ARE still Hanging Tough:
reminds me of good times in KC last fall.
but the question: why do they need to rip off the Jabbawockeez?
THOR Training: Day 1
i consider yesterday Ground Zero. We are throwing away all preconceived notions that THOR ever had any sort of training. I always thought he was semi-okay trained… but looking deeper, he would only sit if i had something he really wanted. otherwise, no dice.
further research shows, the dog will NOT look at me. And boy, is he stubborn.
I took him out for a two-block training walk. Though he didn’t potty on anything thing until i allowed it (tiny victory!)… he also wouldn’t sit on command and wouldn’t look at me at all– in fact, it was almost comical how he would try so hard NOT to look at me… i said, almost comical… (sigh).
he is so darn stubborn, that he wouldn’t even take a treat from me whilst on the training walk. oy! but, i think i am learning, that he is more praise motivated than treat motivated, which is actually a good thing… or so i tell myself.
I WILL win this battle… i AM the pack leader!
Good Dog!
