It's all in the details...

Sorry, it's been a while since the last blog entry!

I have been doing a lot of online shopping lately and had to share how impressed I was with Piperlime!  Seriously, could the shipment box not be cuter?  Not only that, but the shoebox is wrapped in tissue paper, they include a shopping bag, and all of the paperwork is folded neatly in a cute little folder.  

Oh, and these are the shoes I bought!

Credit: Piperlime

Some Fall Decor

Confession: I decorated for fall before summer was even over!  For once I was motivated.  Keep in mind my decor is still lacking - as in, this is just a start as we finally settle into our house several years later!

Sorry, the vase in the middle is a little off-center...I have also added another frame.  Candle sticks are from the PB Outlet in Lancaster.  Candles are from Target.  Vase is from Target.  Stones are from Target.  Berries are from Target (recent).  Brown twig stuff is from Michael's (recent).  Frame is from PB Outlet. 

 

 

 I love these candles...and not just because they smell so lovely.  

And one photo of my pretty mums...plus look - my hydrangeas are still blooming!!!

Embrace Technology

Two recent instances that demonstrate my love of technology (in a limited capacity...I'm not a tech expert).

1. I just bought a Jawbone bluetooth due to Maryland's new hands-free law.  I admit to making fun of people that used blue tooth devices in the past...like when they're in stores and what not.  Well, now I have no room to talk.  This device is awesome...it's actually clearer for me to talk on it than on my phone.  Multi-tasking at home while taking phone calls is made easier too.  This thing is so tiny and light!

Credit: Amazon

2. We went to a friend's party in the city this past Saturday night.  We had never been to their house and despite us both working in the city, we didn't know the exact location.  We parked in my work building and walked (with an 18 pack of beer and 2 bottles of wine)...we thought we were going in the right direction.  Nope, we went too far.  Enter my Droid's GPS.  It's nice to have a phone that includes free GPS since my old BlackBerry didn't.  I selected the Maps function which pinpointed exactly where we were (as GPS should!)...I was able to easily see where we had made a mistake.  The GPS kept up with us as we finally made our way to the party.  Yay technology!

Adventures with a flat tire...

Last weekend I spent a few hours running errands at the mall.  Too bad the mall near our house does not have many or any options.  This results in my driving 30 minutes to Towson Town. 

I got off the beltway (695) and was driving on a nice suburban road where the speed limit was 30 mph.  Trust me, these details matter!  I heard a noise that sounded like a branch had hit the back of my car.  It was windy that day...so it was possible.  I drove a few more minutes to the parking garage.  Then I noticed the completely blown rear tire.  Umm opps and ouch!  Thankfully the tires are so big and there was no damage to the rim (that's the correct terminology, right?). 

I'm thankful I wasn't on the beltway when this happened.  It was just a shame that I was 30 minutes from our house.  Mark, being the hero he is, drove out to Towson to put the spare on my car.  Major props to Infiniti for having a spare kit that made changing a huge tire in a parking garage that much easier for Mark.  Not that he didn't need to work hard - he did - but the kit helped in many ways.  Being my usual self, I said to Mark when he was on the ground by the tire, "ummm you're going to wash those jeans and sweatshirt when you get home, right?" 

We made our way to Cheesecake Factory while we waited for the tire place to put on two new rear tires.  Cheesecake makes everything better, right?  The bad news - the front two tires need to be replaced ASAP since they're bald.  Ahhh don't you love vehicle expenses?!?!  Like I said, this could have been worse in many ways, but I was so proud of Mark! 

Some Family Humor

I *think* my parents and family say such funny things sometimes.  As a result, I felt the need (wow, talk about motivation) to share of the humor and record their stories/sayings.  Hmm maybe it's only funny to me?  

The setting: Friday 4:55 PM. 

My mom calls me on my cell and says, "Chrissy!  Put me on speakerphone."  Reference that MD recently passed a hands-free law when driving. 

Me: "Mom, I'm not driving."

Mom: "Well where are you?"

Me: "This place called work."

She sometimes forgets that people work until 5 PM or later...she's even called me in the middle day (while she herself is working) to ask, "where are you?"  

"No photos please!"

Tucker squints just like Mark for photos...

Someone was being bashful

Procrastination

This is procrastination:

These packages have been sitting on our dining room table for at least a week now...waiting to be opened.  My lame excuse: I've been "too busy"...ughh!

Happy 1st Adoption Birthday to Tucker!

One year ago a special dog joined our family.  September 27, 2009 was a day we will never forget!  Tully and Oreo were hesitant to accept this 100+ pound animal, but now they love them (or at least Oreo does).

Mark and I started the adoption/rescue process late last summer.  The process is not easy by any means.  You have to submit essays, the rescue has to contact your references, the rescue has to do a homevisit, and then the potential parents have to visit the foster family's house to meet their potential new family member.

The process is also competitive.  An e-mail announcing a new adoptable dog can receive 25 replies within minutes since so many families want to rescue a dog.  The competition is a good thing since many dogs will get new forever homes.  Mark and I had lucked out many times by not responding soon enough, despite my monitoring my Blackberry quite frequently. 

We received Tucker's adoption announcement on September 17, 2009.  This is what it said:

Please, allow us to introduce an absolute gem to you, Tucker.

Sweet Tucker arrived here last Sunday and after a day to adjust, he is doing great. He still sports his summer haircut.

Tucker will be 4 years young in December. He knows some commands, such as: Sit, stay, walk, outside. He came from a home that had no other animals, into a house that has 3 dogs and 3 cats. He gets along great with everyone, but is especially fond of the smaller ones. Sometimes he gets frisky and it is a joy to watch. He does stop if you call his name and tell him no, but he will still whimper and sometimes chirp to get the others' attention.

Tucker loves lounging on furniture and it is hard for him to concentrate on commands when my Jack Russell is around.

I took him to the vet today and was very proud of him. He likes to ride in the car and if you let him, will gladly stick his whole head out the window taking it all in. Tucker is a big boy. He weighs in at 96lbs, and does has a few conditions that are resolvable and being treated.

He had fleas when he came to me and is being treated for a flea related skin irritation with medicated shampoo - and naturally, by keeping fleas away from him with appropriate regular topical applications, s.a. Frontline. Tucker was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which is being treated with Doxy for the next 30 days.

Honestly Tucker is a fantastic Golden companion. You couldn't wish for a more congenial family member. Sweet natured, loves to be around his people, wants to please and go with you wherever your steps lead. He has gotten into a few things out of boredom. At his young age, he still needs to be kept occupied, i.e. with soft fluffy toys, and he is a happy camper. He does bark at outside noises and is a good door greeter and Golden ambassador. He does very well with everyone he meets, dogs, cats, kids, and infants (If an occasional lick is ok). He is reliably house broken. Tucker is happy hanging with us, but he would really love to meet you, his new forever family….

These are the photos that accompanied Tucker's announcement:

Mark and I traveled to the Dominican Republic to celebrate Mark's 30th birthday around the same time we received Tucker's announcement.  A few days before we boarded our flight, we met Tucker at the foster mom's house.  I think a few other families were also being considered.  Being in the DR, we had little to no cell/e-mail service.  I kept sneaking into the business center to check my e-mail to see if we had received an update.  Upon landing in Charlotte (for a layover), I received an e-mail that said Tucker was all ours if we still wanted him!

The next day, Sunday, September 27th, we welcomed Tucker home!  This photo was taken by the foster mom outside her house.

What a year it has been.  We hope there are MANY more years to come with our beloved Tucker.

Sunflowers!

We traveled a few miles this past weekend to see the famous sunflowers in Harford County, MD.  We were about a week late...but better late than never.  These sunflowers even made it to the front page of the Washington Post!

 

 

 

 

 

Silly Tucker

Here are some silly photos/stories of/about Tucker...

I went to Target earlier this week with the intention of buying only a few things.  Rightttttt.  Target is a trap and it is hard for one to walk out of there without blowing their budget out of the water.  Since my local store is being renovated (they're adding fresh produce - yay!) I had an excuse to wander around aimlessly (well more aimlessly than normal).  I stumbled upon the one of the pet aisles and couldn't resist buying Tucker a new rope (come on, it was only $3/4) and a fake squirrel.  Tucker is, quite simply, obsessed with squirrels.  When he sees one, he pauses, tries to pull me, pauses, then slowly backs up if he's too close.  Then as I try to persuade him to "leave it" and walk away, he keeps looking behind to try to get a glimpse.  The best is when he looks at trees that he has seen squirrels run up days prior.

Embarassingly, the other week during a routine after-work walk, Tucker picked up a dead squirrel.  It was hidden in the bushes.  Tucker is notorious for quickly (where does that speed come from?) picking up trash during walks.  I really thought he had picked up a food wrapper judging by the way he moved...NO.  It was a freaking dead squirrel.  Thank goodness he dropped it right away.

I digress...Tucker loves squirrels so I thought that getting him a lifesized fake one would make him happy.  Boy oh boy...he's ecstatic!  I apologize...all of these photos were taken with my Droid 2. 

 Mark made me take this photo of the two of them.  So cute!

Lastly, I came home to this earlier in the week.  Surprisingly Tucker did not disturb the perfectly lined up remotes.  

Birthday Gifts...Courtesy of the Eagles

Since Mark doesn't read my blog I can safely post his cool birthday gifts here!  His birthday is this weekend.

The Eagles recently wore some throw back jerseys for one of their games and merchandisers are now selling the old kelly green apparel!  Who doesn't love kelly green...especially when it has that cool vintage feel?!?!

Credit: Official Philadelphia Eagles Online Store O

 Credit: Official Philadelphia Eagles Online Store O

I think I may also order him a pair of running shoes...not Eagles ones though!
I 
I think 

My Greeters

Every day when I come home the devil cat, Tully, will be waiting at the door that leads from the garage to our house.  It's not because he really wants to see me; rather, he wants to make his great escape.  As soon as he hears the garage door opening he books it to the foyer...who cares if he slides along the way and runs into walls.  Tucker also takes up residence in the foyer area.  Sometimes he will be waiting right at the door with Tully.  Other days, if he's had a walk from our neighbor and is tired, he'll be sleeping in the bathroom that is right off the foyer.  He'll lift his head to say hello and then go back to dreamland (tough life)!

This has been a pretty long and eventful week, so I was glad to see Friday come to an end.  Even better was seeing this sight when I came home - all THREE animals waiting in line for me at the door.  There was Oreo, followed by Tully, with Tucker behind both of them.  What a lovely sight...it put a smile on my face as I tried to make them back up so I could get in the door without them escaping.  Such a nice way to start the weekend with animals that love me unconditionally!  :)  Well at least Tucker and Oreo do...not sure about Tully.

Jen Lancaster Would Be Proud...

Pink and green anyone?

If you don't know who Jen Lancaster is, then you've been living under a rock.  She is a wonderfully witty and sarcastic writer.  I beg of you to read her memoirs if you haven't already.  She is that person that tells it like it is and causes much laughter as you delve into her life via her novels.  

Anyway, she is quite the fan of preppy clothes and the other day when I was buying workout clothes I thought of her when I bought this green and pink pair of shorts.  Too bad the teenagers at the gym have the same ones!

I also went a little overboard and bought more workout clothes.  Ummm hello, they are for motivation!!!  (Ahem, who cares if I also wear them as pajamas...what's wrong with that?!?!)

 As you can see, I'm a big fan of supporting the local economy...a la Under Armour.

Tucker's Visit to the Fountain

The past few Saturday mornings we have been supporting the local economy.  Since we live in Town, we're able to walk to many places.  Just recently, we started walking to the Farmers' Market to buy fresh produce, dog treats, and flowers.  Then we go to a deli that serves an excellent hot breakfast.  The best part of all - we get to take Tucker everywhere with us.  Little kids squeal and want to pet Tucker when they see him.  The owner of the deli always brings Tuck a big bowl of water, and to show his gratitude, Tucker gives him many kisses.

This past weekend I took these photos of Tucker posing in front of the fountain in Town.

Just to Prove I'm Organized

See, I'm organized, really!  Here is my bin of paint chips!  They are separated by vendor (Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, Behr, Martha Stewart...) and are in numerical order.  Ahhh I love organization!

An Embarassing Accomplishment

I feel like such a hypocrite!  My blog has the word "organized" in it...but I feel like I'm not always as organized as I would like to be.  When I do organize something (whether it's my closet with clothes, wrapping paper, Christmas decorations, files, etc...) I get immersed in it and the end result is phenomenal.  The problem - well because I do get so immersed my progress is sloooowww.  The same problem presents itself when I clean - when I clean, I really clean.  But then I don't get to clean everything I want/need to clean.  Ahhh a catch-22! 

I'm a great planner but I'm not always the best at making decorating decisions as they pertain to our house.  For example, I didn't want to put up any photos on walls until the walls were painted...well here we are now...still no photos on the walls (nor art work).  My excuses are a sham.  I have a few frames sitting on counters and other furniture, but I still haven't come up with my big decorating scheme for the house (thus my hesitancy...again, it's a sham I tell you!). 

Now that our dining room is painted a beautiful olive green and the room is *this close* to being 100% finished, I thought (as I was cleaning the room of course)..."hmm what does this room need?  Ah, look at the mantle, I still have berries from last winter...opps.  Oh well, I'm all set for fall!  Wait, I can put a frame up...one with a wedding photo!  I know I ordered a ton of prints from Mpix several months or ahem years ago."

Now let me defend the aforementioned berries...they had been hidden for a while and just made a re-appearance once we put the dining room back together.  So there.  What do we need for the dining room still?  Some more mantle decor, art work above the mantle, some wall scones next to the china cabinet, some lighting, some decoration on the floor in the one corner, and maybe some floating shelves on the one wall.  In all seriousness, the room looks pretty great now and I'll have to post pictures soon.

Baby steps, baby steps!  I found a frame I bought at Pottery Barn ages ago that says, "I do."  Next I found the prints I ordered from mpix.  Here is the result - our FIRST wedding photo displayed in our house (kind of!). 

Now if I could only work on putting up the 6 8x10 frames I bought a while ago too (I also have all the prints). 

This is the actual photo in the frame:

All of the Mpix prints I ordered:

Waffles!

On Sunday morning I woke up...inspired to make waffles.  This was quite laughable since I rarely cook.  But for some reason, I felt motivated to make waffles for the first time in years. 

We had registered for a Cuisinart waffle maker for our wedding three+ years ago.  I remember using it right after we got married.  However, I couldn't quite master the skill of making sure the batter didn't overflow.  Thus, I gave up.  I blamed it on the recipe, not user error.

Credit: Cuisinart

This time around I made an easy Bisquick recipe and the results were good!

I used this recipe from Betty Crocker.  It was very straightforward.  I added a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and cooked the waffles at the "3" setting for 2-3 minutes instead of 5 minutes.

2	cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 1/3	cups milk
1	egg
2	tablespoons vegetable oil

The results...

  Mark added bananas, grapes, strawberries, and whipped cream to his! 

 I added chocolate chips and whipped cream to mine.  They were so filling!

The Real Housewives...NJ vs. DC

Who doesn't enjoy the guilty pleasure of watching a "The Real Housewives of..." episode?  If you don't, I think you're lying!

I have been an avid fan of The Real Housewives of New Jersey ("RHONJ") - as well as OC and NYC - since the beginning.  Bravo decided recently to branch out their franchise to Washington, DC ("RHODC") - a place that I have lived!  So imagine my excitement.  Granted, I lived in DC for a few months during school and then Northern VA (Arlington and Alexandria, which used to be part of the city) for longer.

However, the DC show is so LAME!  It is dry and just more forced than the other shows (who thought this was possible?).  The drama is boring. 

At one point I wanted to move back to/work in the DC area again because I missed it.  Watching this show is killing that desire for many reasons (I'm remembering why I left the area...guess I had amnesia). 

Even Mark, who is a good sport about watching my shows, had to stand up during the show and say, "sorry, I can watch RHONJ but not RHODC."  HA  That's when you know it's bad :)

In summary...RHONJ = entertaining!

RHODC = dry and drab!

Congrats Ryan and Lindsay!

Friends of ours (Ryan and Lindsay) recently got married in PA.  It was such a fun weekend!  We stayed at the Nemacolin, a well-known resort that even some celebrities travel to (or at least that's the rumor).  Upon our arrival on Friday afternoon, our townhouse wasn't ready, so we played mini golf with some other friends.  Then it was time for the rehearsal dinner at a country club near Lindsay's parents' house.  It was great to see people we haven't seen in years!  Many of Mark's friends from high school live in different states so we rarely get to see them.

Left to right: Ross, Ryan, Tripp, Greg, and Mark

 Me and Mark

Ryan gifted Mark and other friends with a book called, "Bonds."  At first glance we were all confused about this...I know I thought, "why is Ry giving them a book about fixed income?"  Closer inspection found that this book was written by Ryan about the "bonds" he and the other guys had growing up.  They were all part of a close-knit group - a group that they named "Party Wagon."  The "Party Wagon" term was originally coined to describe the car (minivan) they used to drive around in high school to parties and to each other's houses.


How touching that Ryan would write and publish a book...it's really funny too.  Mark and his other friends spent all weekend reading the book and talking about it...this inevitably led to reminiscing about the good old days.  I have started to read the book only to be threatened by Mark that he would take it away from me if I kept asking him questions about his life back then!

 Note the real-life key that Mark still carries to the Party Wagon!

 Me, Lindsay, Jessica, Shannon...notice how I always do the "elbow/chicken wing" thing?  ugh!

"It doesn't go to his head or modify his behavior, however..."

We are VERY fortunate to have a retired neighbor that walks Tucker.  He is so sweet and truly loves Tuck.  We were e-mailing about Tucker and I asked how he was behaving.  Our dog walker responded:

"He has been well behaved except recently when we saw- in our joint experience- our first rabbit. It was hard to restrain him as he took off with much more vim and vigor than is evident when he sees squirrels. He is getting more used to them, I guess. He gets a fair amount of petting from strangers and a lot of favorable comments about his good looks. It doesn't go to his head or modify his behavior, however. Seconds later he may be rolling on the grass or asphalt, sniffing the ground or trying to dive-bomb food scraps."

HAHA  

Dress FAIL!

Zappos, you have let me down...how embarrassing since I just sung your praises.

I was steaming the pretty coral dress the night before we were to depart for the long weekend when I noticed a hole...but not just any hole.  As a few friends pointed out, it looks like a cigarette burn.  What the...?!?!?!  The dress was *supposed* to be brand new.  I was very disappointed to say the least.  Thank goodness I had my backup dress.

Here is the damaged dress:

A Love Affair With Zappos

What other website could I go to a few days before a wedding and get a dress online and in time?  Ummm Zappos!  Yes, they aren't just about shoes, people.

I have been a devoted Zappos customer for years.  I'm not the only one that shares such a love for them (I'm thinking of you, Laura!).  A few months ago I ordered some new Asics running shoes from Zappos...only to have them become damaged...as in the interior of the shoes started to get some large holes (hard to explain).  I called Zappos to see what they could do.  Umm no problem, they said.  They proceeded to ship me another pair overnight, told me I have a few weeks to send back my old pair (free), and upgraded my account to VIP meaning everything is one day shipping.  I think Zappos used to have universal one day shipping but now "regular" accounts have to wait a few days?  Who knows?  They're still a ton faster than places like Macy's and Ann Taylor.  I'm a VIP!  Yes, lame. 

The quest for the perfect "guest at a wedding" dress began weeks ago for me....yes, this is kind of the usual process.  I tend to research things a little too much...translated to I'm a really picky shopper and not all dresses fit me well (thanks hips, legs, and butt) so I scour websites until my eyes go bleary.  My devoted research backfired a few times...just when I had looked at every dress on a website and shopped the price elsewhere, when I would go to order, I was informed it was sold out.  This happened at least three times.  Mark laughed.  The websites I looked at were: Nordstrom, Macy's, Overstock, SmartBargains, Bloomingdale's, Zappos...I think there were a few others. 

Yes I could just wear some of the cocktail/evening dresses I have worn before to events but what fun is that?  Plus this is a wedding in July so I needed a short and colorful dress...plus I think the wedding is going to be pretty formal. 

I was excited to have finally found a dress I liked online (because let's face it, it's nearly impossible to find evening dresses in stores).  This dress from Ralph Lauren looked so pretty...but with two weeks and $16.95 in shipping before it finally reached me, I said no.

I ordered this gorgeous dress (Calvin Klein) from Nordstrom only to have it fit tight across by ribcage - what the?!?  That's odd.  It also came up too high and close to my armpits...not ideal for this hot summer heat.

I came close to admitting defeat (especially after going to the mall today)...and thought I would just wear this dress I wore to another friend's wedding a few years ago (it's from Ann Taylor).  Yes that is me looking like a dancing fool.  This dress is my backup plan.

I am now about to order this dress (Tahari)...I love the color and unique tulip-type bottom.  Let's face it, this is probably as trendy as I will get.  I'm still trying to figure out why I always seem to get silk and satin-type dresses?!?! 

Let's hope it fits...if not, no worries thanks to Zappos.  I think I'll get this on Tuesday when I get home from work - such convenience.