Refusing to Dog

I'm a dog person by nature, and so I'm not usually one to go trolling the internet for cat videos. But this came across my screen this week and made me laugh so hard I just had to share.

His face just kills me. Haven't we all felt that way? Begrudgingly being carried along, doing something we don't really want to do? Happy Friday, one and all. Hope this kicks the weekend off on the right, giggling foot.

The Power of Imagination

I don't know about you guys, but it's been a LONG week for this girl. I need a little levity on this dreary friday, and found just the thing - Enjoy!

Click on the segmented square icon in the lower right corner to make this video full screen.

Read the story on the Dreamworks animator dad who put this together here.

Brain Power

There have been a few fun research-based quizzes floating around my Facebook feed the last week or so, and I was surprised by my results on some I've taken. Namely, a 30 second quiz to determine if you're more right-brained or left-brained.

Since I have a pretty creative nature, I thought I'd show right-brained hands down. But check out my results:

Did you take the quiz? What was your outcome?

I also enjoyed this quiz that determines what American accent you have. Get ready to sound like a crazy person saying words aloud over and over (please tell me that's not just me...). I ended up with Midland, but in the 93% range for The West. I'd say pretty accurate, being that I'm Washington born and bred.

I love these quick and interesting little quizzes. Hope you enjoy 'em too.

HOWLoween TwentyThirteen

This should have gone up on the actual date of Halloween, but I think I was still laughing too hard from the photo shoot. Hope everyone had a wonderful, treat-filled holiday last week!

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Closet Case

About a month or so ago, we returned from running errands. (That's not the interesting part, don't worry.) Within minutes, I heard Nate's voice from upstairs "Ermmmm........ Want to see something... interesting?" Um, always. So up I went, only to find that the closet in one of the bedrooms - which was supporting a lifetime's worth of ski jackets and various sports team jerseys - had completely collapsed.

The hardware plastic anchors had ripped right out of the wall, and the single "support" bar was bent beyond rehabilitation.

And so, after living with this scene in the closest's room for about a month...

...we decided to bite the bullet and invest in a new - and better - system. Knowing what the closet holds, but keeping in mind room to grow (dear Lord, please no more ski jackets...), we hit Home Depot for the components.

Off came the doors, out came the remaining fasteners and supports, and on went the spackle:

Next? Lots of using the level. This closet has a few strange angles, but even in a square closet: Don't trust your wall or floor lines. The idea is to pretend like you're hanging the components on a blank wall.  If it's a little crooked, you'll notice - In this case by all your clothes ending up on one side of your shelves and hang bars. So after squaring everything up 15,000 times before drilling each hole, we popped in these upgraded anchors (no more plastic, thankyouverymuch):

And, tada!

The weight load is so much more balanced, and it legitimately doubled the storage capacity of the closet. Magical.

....Anybody need some ski coats?? Just kidding hubs... juuuuuust kidding.

On The Side

It's the upgrade that almost wasn't.

I go through phases where I'll buy just about anything within reason, and then a switch gets flipped and I'm back to my scrimpy-save-y ways, scrutinizing every penny and over-analyzing every purchase for long-term value.

We were in the neighborhood of our local Home Goods store recently and Nate suggested we pop in to look for bar stools for our soon-coming table (next month, eeeee!). We struck out there, but spotted a great side table. Slowly but surely we've been upgrading our Ikea college leftovers, and deep down I knew this was just the thing. But... Sixty dollars? At that moment it felt sickening.

I got over it. And the more minutes it's in our home, the more I love it. Buh-bye black blocky Ikea table, helloooooo weathered, wrought-iron loveliness.

Lesson learned? If I see something I know is perfect, it's a great price for the quality, and it's in a place where they only sell one and it will only be there once.... For heaven's sake, BUY IT. Big ol' shout-out to the hubs for convincing me of my own lunacy and pretty much picking up both the table and I and taking us to the cash register. It's a keeper (and so's he).

So, What Sound DOES a Fox Make?

This video has been the highlight of my week - Can't. Stop. Laughing.

Enjoy (and yes, it'll be stuck in your head, well, forever)...

Can't play it from this page? Here it is on YouTube.

The Notebook

Nope, no Ryan Gosling/Rachel McAdams slow-motioning through a rainstorm here. Just a super-weird happening that completely unsettled our household this week.

The Notebook (on my striped pants)

Right before bed midweek, Nate went out to give the new grass (yay!) a drink and found a blue notebook placed carefully on a planter table next to the front door. It absolutely reeked of smoke and one side was covered in dust and dirt. No one had knocked, no doorbell, and we had come through that door mere hours before. Unsettling moment #1.

Bringing it inside, we noticed a name and date on the spine of the notebook, and opening it, an entire case file for an accident. Medical records, legal documents... Pretty much any and every piece of paper you would never want in the wrong hands. Unsettling moment #2.

My brain went immediately to A) stolen property has been left at our door, and/or B) the people who used to live here are somehow involved with this accident. Since we still get their mail all the time, I was hoping for the latter, but we know their names, and nothing seemed to be connected. Regardless, I called the police department (closed) and 9-1-1 to ask for police assistance (the operator couldn't hear me for who knows why, and she hung up on me without sending assistance - Unsettling moment #3?), and finally resorted to emailing the police department from their website. Luckily Investigator Joe (really.) wrote me back the next morning and offered two drop-off locations for us to bring the notebook.

The Drop-Off

We did that next day - no harm, no foul - and had a MUCH better night's sleep for it that evening. The scenario came to light of someone dropping the notebook near our house - in the road or on the adjacent path - and a good Samaritan making sure it got... somewhere..., and I'm going with that because honestly, it just makes my stomach unclench.

I want to note: Inspector Joe made it a point to tell me that my [attempted] call to 9-1-1 was the right decision. He said that the public is over-trained that 9-1-1 is for extreme emergency cases only, when really, he said, it's for any time you need face-to-face contact with an officer. Isn't that a great thing to know? Of course I will still be judicious, but I don't feel like someone needs to be in serious, life-endangering peril for me to make that call now. Thought you might like to know too!

Copy Cat

So I guess my pseudo celeb status got Nate wishing for some of his own... And wouldn't you know, none other than Google Maps was happy to provide.

When you search our address on Google Maps, low and behold, there's Nate, getting the mail after work. He remembers seeing the car with the huge camera contraption welded to it's roof, and has wondered for months if his mug would show up online... Guess we have our answer!

What do you think, funny or creepy? I'm going with a mix of both, but pretty entertaining over all.

P.S. Vacation pics are coming - Yet another job role at work has me scrambling a little this week, so please forgive me for the delayed postings!

Mini Celeb

I'm back from a fabulous vacation with a funny happening: I participate in an online marketing community called CrowdTap - It's a lot of fun, and has gotten me some pretty fun swag over the past two years, from gift cards to free clothes and household items. I answer questions posed by different brands (from Old Navy to HGTV to Woolite, to name a few), and they in turn use the community's feedback to better develop their marketing strategies.

Long story short, I received an email yesterday from Mollie at Crowdtap headquarters in NYC telling me I had been chosen to be their first featured member highlighted as "Tapper Of The Week" on their blog and Facebook page. A few questions answered and a photo sent, and voila! I get to be a mini celebrity. Fun!

You can see the whole 'interview' right here, and, if you're so inclined, get to know Crowdtap through their website and blog.

'Tis The Season

...No, not the holidays, but the season where the temps start to creep up and the days start to get longer. I don't know about you, but in our house that means more regular adventures that include the pup. That's why it's so important to be aware of just how quickly temperatures rise inside a closed car:

You don't sit in a metal, airless box in a fur coat for even 10 minutes on a warm day, so don't make your pooch. If you're like me, you want to have your furry friend alongside you whenever you can, but really: If it's warm and you will need to leave them in the car, they are happier - and safer - at home.

And also, because this cracked me up and it's Friday:

Happy weekend friends!

*I found both of these images on Facebook the past few weeks - If anyone knows the original sources let me know!

My, What Big Eyes You Have!

When my pooch gets excited about something, his eyes get huge. It cracks me up every time, and I finally got it on camera. If you're grossed out by dogs licking plates, this is not the video for you... But you're missing out on something funny!

 

Happy Monday!

Sam Spins

Something to make you giggle, starring Nate and his little cousin Sam in our kitchen last weekend:

This was about the third go-round (HA.) - He would ask for more by laying on his belly and scooting backwards toward Nate until he started spinning him again. Kept us laughing for hours!

Happy Friday!

Nerd Alert

Tell me I'm not the only one that just gets a desperate itch to have my hands on a project sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my downtime as much as the next person, but every once in a while I just need something - anything - to DO.

That said, last night my eye fell on the family room bookshelf. Poor guy, he was about to get organized.

Before...

...After.

I'm not usually an OCD-type, but I do like the way color-grouped books look on shelves in well designed rooms. Ours is hardly one of those, but never the less, I think the shelf looks a little less chaotic now.

Before...

...After.

Nerd alert. Especially since it may be only me who can even see a difference.

And I KNOW it's only me who would think that despite setting out to organize by color, I just couldn't ever split up the Harry Potter series, and they had to stay together on the lower left. How's that for a little brain insight? It's a strange place in there.

P.S. Let's go for geek-broke here: That white box on the left is filled with crossword puzzle and sudoku books. Yeah. We're awesome.

Funky Tut

It's King Tut exhibit day! So, of course..... (and just ignore the weird pop-up thing, just a YouTube anomaly):

Flashback

While scrubbing my computer desktop of unnecessary files, I ran across a  harried to-do list I made for the week prior to moving into our house. The frenzy of it simultaneously cracked me up (you can practically picture me tearing my hair out and mainlining caffeine) and made my jaw drop in awe of all the hard work we accomplished before we set up permanent camp in our new digs. Take a peek:

This week:
Monday:
-Pick up carpet board @house
-Remove walk-in closet doors/base
-Tear out carpet/pad from walk-in closet
-Sweep/vaccuum closet
-Go to Home Depot
      *carpet
      *foam rollers/laminate glue/buckets(?)

Tuesday:
-Seal upstairs floors and staircase
-Ashley: Pack & Load

Wednesday:
-Pick up countertop from Lowe's
-Unload bins
-Remove kitchen sink
-Finish sanding kitchen counters

Thursday:
-Install countertops

Friday:
-Look into renting U-Haul
-Pack

Sat:
-Pick up U-Haul
-Move!!

Sun:
-Try not to die of exhaustion.   

image

...I think we checked every one of those guys off the list on time, and I'm happy to say we definitely accomplished what was on the list for Sunday, although just barely, as I recall. Fun to look back on that crazy time in our lives!

The Dress I Won't Have On...

Even though pearls are my birthstone, here's a dress I WON'T be wearing... !

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Fit To Be Seen

First dress fitting tomorrow evening!

 (image)

Excited to put my dress on again and start to visualize the magic a few nips and tucks can make.

Here's what I'm hoping DOESN'T go down :

 (image)

Wish me luck and good sucking in skills!

From Someone Who Knows

Found this hilarious take (rant?) on a blog I frequent (HealthyAshley) - Her name happens to be Ashley too, but she's on the opposite end of the country in Florida.

Had to post it because I just so identify.... Her list of things a bride should be ready for :

1. ) Yes, having a vagina automatically makes you responsible for all 250 “to-do’s” on The Knot’s wedding checklist.

2..) Have a guest list? Most of the people you want there won’t be able to make it. People with names you’ve never heard of will start to pop up instead.

3..) Expect your groom to say things like “just tell me when and where and I’ll show up.” Refrain from punching him in the face.

4..) Also refrain from punching people who tell you to just “keep it simple” to cut costs. Even “simple” weddings cost a crazy sum.

5..) Be prepared to field phone calls from your family for your wedding being vegan, being held at a farm and for recommending guests refrain from heels. Heaven forbid.

6..) Sometimes you will look forward to the day you quit being a wedding planner more than you look forward to being a wife.

7..) If you didn’t curse before planning, be prepared to start now. Also, be prepared to start drinking.

8..) Expect guilt trips about money from people you never asked anything from. Feel really bad about it.

9.) You may have debt after the wedding, but at least you’ll have fancy wine glasses from your registry!

10.) Glossy wedding magazines are just about as good as photo-shopped celebrity magazines for your self-esteem."

Thank goodness for kindred spirits in this crazy process.

Anne Shirley and Diana Barry ~ The Original Kindred Spirits

Image courtesy of onceaweekatleast.wordpress.com

Work It Out

The one positive tie-in between moving and getting married (in what's becoming extremely near time frame!!), is that work outs are happening without having to really try.

Image courtesy of ckomorriscounty.com

I'm too busy hauling furniture, painting, tearing out carpet, and hoisting bins-o-crap up and down stairs to sit down and eat, and too focused on whatever task is at hand to care how much I'm sweating.

I'll take it!

Although here's hoping we're not so tired we look like this in April....

Image courtesy of filmsweep.blogspot.com