Jail Break!

Today, I had yet another close call with Peanut. I definitely almost lost her...and I thought it was for real this time.


The lock on the gate to our fence keeps breaking. This is the fourth time, and we've even had it replaced (thank goodness we're almost outta here.) 


So, I'm standing in my kitchen, making myself some lunch, when I look outside and see a Boston Terrier that looks strikingly like Peanut. Then, I see a pug. Uh oh.


I ran outside and saw the gate was wide open, and now I have 2 doggies running around the streets of my neighborhood.


Since Wiggles tends to be the lazier of the two, he came back when called, but not Peanut. She wanted to play a game of "chase me" all the way down the street. I realized that she's way too fast for me, so I ran back to the house, grabbed my keys and hopped in my car.


I see her little black and white butt running all the way out of our neighborhood and onto the main road. Shit. 


Luckily, she decided to stay on the sidewalk. I see a white pickup truck pull up beside her and a sweet lady gets out and calls her, just as I throw myself out of my car, wet from the rain and exhausted from running all over the neighborhood. She grabs a very happy Peanut and hands her over. I thank her breathlessly as I grab my bad dog. Thank goodness Peanut's a social little pup, or else it could have been a bad situation. 


Phew! Crisis averted. Remind me to check the dang gate every.single.day.

Stuff I Love

Occasionally, I come across some pretty sweet things that I like to share with you all. Since I've gotten all kinds of creative lately, I made a nifty little button for this installment of...

In the health and beauty section, I'm loving:

Maybelline Falsies Mascara: This stuff gives you some serious lashes. It can get a little smudgy, so if you're prone to shedding tears or rubbing your eyes, you might want to wait for the waterproof. 

Covergirl Liquiline: This is the ultimate liner. I hate eyeliner that tugs on my eyelid and makes me look like a 4 year old applied my liner with a crayon. This stuff goes on smooth and stays put. 

Clairol Nice n' Easy Foam Color: I got the hair dying bug a few weeks back, so I scooped this up at Target. Typically, when I dye my hair, I get it everywhere. Last time, Wiggles got his own little brown splotch on his back because he walked underneath me while I was dripping everywhere. I decided that this foam would be the less messy option. And it definitely is. Four stars for this. It was much easier to apply than the gel, and I certainly had less drips. Warning: Cover your hairline with Vaseline or cold cream to prevent dying your skin! 

Crest Spinbrush: I resisted the electric toothbrush craze for a long time...until my dentist suggested I get one. For $8 I purchased this bad boy at Target (are you sensing a pattern here?) and I was immediately in love. I just had my first visit back to the dentist since using it and I had significantly less tarter. For that, I give it two thumbs up. If you're still using a manual toothbrush after you read this, you're a silly monkey.

In the world of delicious foodstuffs...

Breyers YoCrunch Fruit Parfait: I've been eating these every day. Which means I'll probably get sick of them soon, but for now, I've loving them. They're got granola for crunch, lowfat vanilla yogurt and lots of fruit. Get some.

Lean Cuisine Spring Rolls: These things are ah.may.zing. Run to your local store and buy these now. I haven't had the fajita style, but I can personally recommend the garlic chicken and thai-style. They're freaking awesome, and you'd never know they're good for you. 


What are you loving that I should try?

Puppy Teefs

I posted last week that a few of my closest friends got themselves some adorable puppies. Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Lily, the 9 week old French Bulldog. 


One look and I was in love. She kind of looks like Peanut, but with bigger ears and a pudgier belly. 

She's an energetic little girl. She was on puppy play mode for most of the visit. But she did have a little nap right in my arms (awwww!). A few things I don't miss about having a puppy:

1. Puppy needle teeth...they HURT! The puppy nipping phase is probably one of the most annoying stages. Toes, fingers, hair...nothing is off limits.

2. Puppy bladders. Yeah...they're little. Which means they only hold liquid for about an hour at a time. That's a lot of time outside. And a lot of accidents when you don't make it out in time. 

3. Chewing. Along with the puppy teething comes puppy chewing. Lily enjoying nomming on some grass, carpet, shoes, tables...pretty much whatever she could get her teeth on. But when you look at her little face, how do you yell!? 

4. Puppy energy. They are go, go, go and get into EVERYTHING. You can't leave them alone. They're a lot like infants. 

Luckily, I now have two lazy dogs (for the most part). But seeing a little puppy tonight definitely makes me miss that stage. 

Here's the happy family all together.

A Shower for the Blushing Bride

This weekend, we finally had my sister's bridal shower. All the planning (and some sisterly fighting) came together lovely yellow and blue themed shower.

Me, Mama, Blushing Bride

Cake, not made my me. It was delicious.

Photo collage of the couple.

Homemade garland by yours truly, via Martha Stewart's helpful website.

Tables with yellow flower confetti, yellow pansies and yellow primroses.

Like my poem? Believe it or not, my Aunt Deb guessed the EXACT amount of kisses in the jar. 

ABC's of Me!

This little survey is making its way around the blogosphere. And since I'm a sucker for a survey, I'm partaking. Without further ado, some fun facts about yours truly. 


A. Age: 28 (Freshly 28, might I add...and it's way too close to 30)

B. Bed size: Queen...but we should probably get a King because I like to stretch

C. Chore you dislike: Anything pertaining to laundry. Bah.

D. Dogs: Two bad dogs (Teehee!) One pug, Wiggles and a Boston Terrier, Peanut

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee is a must. At least one cup. Usually 2. With Coffeemate Fat Free Vanilla creamer and 2 Splenda. Yes, I like it sweet.

F. Favorite color: Blue

G. Gold or silver: Both, but I prefer silver

H. Height: 5'2

I. Instruments you play(ed): I used to play the flute in middle/first year of high school. I was pretty good. But then, I decided I liked sports better.

J. Job title: Marketing Specialist

K. Kids: Not yet, but hopefully very soon! We're aiming for 2.

L. Live: Moving into a lovely single family 4 bed, 2.5 bath home with a GARAGE in t-minus 30 days.

M. Mom’s name: Dawn

N. Nicknames: My old nickname was Pixie, but no one uses that anymore. I'm also affectionately called Wifey, by more than just my hubs.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Overnight when I has my tonsils out at age 12.

P. Pet peeves: Poor grammar, people who run in the office, and skater hair. You can reference the rest of my pet peeves in this post.

Q. Quote from a movie: "I'm in a glass case of emotion!" - Anchorman

R. Righty or lefty: Righty! 

S. Siblings: Younger sister

T. Time you wake up: My alarm goes off at 5:30, but typically you'll find me rolling out of bed at 6:15.

U. Underwear: Yes, I wears them. Usually they're from New York and Company.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Brussel Sprouts, raw onions and beets.

W. What makes you run late: The horrid, horrid Beltway traffic. Every.single.day.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Feet (I broke both my feet), ankle (thought I broke my ankle, but it was only a sprain), lungs (to find out if I had pneumonia) and teeth (for dental records)

Y. Yummy food you make: Well, I happen to be known for my taco dip.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: MONKEYS! And penguins, but mostly the monkeys. 

Get a Puppy! All the Cool Kids Are Doing It!

It looks like all the cool kids are taking the plunge and getting puppies!


First it was my friend (and surrogate husband), Funk, who got himself this adorable Shitzu named Scout:

And just today, Christopher and Julie announced the arrival of their little French Bulldog girl puppy coming into their lives this Friday (name TBA):

And if she isn't just the cutest damn thing you've ever seen, I don't know what is. I love, L.O.V.E. French Bulldogs. Someday, hubs and I have dreams of owning one, but for right now, these two keep us pretty busy with their antics.

So, happy potty-training, puppy teeth nipping, shoe chewing fun to you guys! :) Don't worry, we've all been there...it gets better. And their cute little faces make your heart melt. That's probably why I have bad dogs. I'm a pushover.

Birfday Stuffs

Today I turned the big 2-8. Twentyeight. Wow...sounds pretty darn close to 30, don't ya think? I do. 


How did I spend my birfday? Well, let me tell you:


6:45 AM - Arrive at work to assist with a photo shoot of a colorectal surgery. Yup. That's right. I hopped into scrubs and found my way to the OR where I got to see an actual surgery. I started by the exit (in case I needed to make barfs), but eventually warmed up to the whole thing and by the time I left I was enthralled with it. 


9:00 AM - FINALLY got some coffee into my system. I was turning into quite the monster by then.


9:00 AM - 1:00 PM - Work stuff.


1:30 PM - My lovely coworkers surprised me in the middle of a meeting with a delicious chocolate cake with chocolate icing and a sweet card :) I even got to blow out candles. 


2:00 - 3:00 PM - Work stuff


3:00 PM - Headed home (since I was up at the butt crack of dawn), hit the grocery store, came home greeted by a lovely package by Katie containing:

Are you jealous? You should be. Because they're awesome. She knows my taste so well.


5:00 PM - Eat birfday sushi...California roll and tuna avocado roll. Delish.


6:30 PM - 8:30 PM - I was kicked out of my house because it's being shown to potential new tenants, so I hit the gym and Michaels to get some final touches for my sister's bridal shower this weekend. 


And now, it's 8:42 and I'm pooped. My mom said there's a surprise for me on Thursday. The anticipation is killing me! Then I'll be having a birthday dinner with my parents this weekend. Thanks to everyone for their birthday wishes. Thanks to my mom for birthing me. I'm sure she's glad she did. Right, mom? Right?

Fitness Update

It's been a while since we've talked about my fitness/weight loss. So, let's take a look, shall we?

Fitness

Lately, I've been loving Exercise TV On Demand from Verizon. They have so many workouts, so I don't get bored. Plus, they have a special section for brides! "But, Heather, you aren't a bride?!"

That's correct, I'm not a bride. However, I am a Matron of Honor for my sister on June 11, and I will be sporting a strapless dress. Soooo, though these workouts are targeted at brides, they really work your arms and bridesmaids need a little love too. 

I do still head to the gym as well. I try to get to Spinning class and when I'm not doing that, I'm working it out on the elliptical. 

I'm averaging 4 days a week working out. I really should be doing 6, but it's really hard to find the motivation for that. Let's be serious. 

Eating

I've been pretty good since hubs has been gone. Except for Friday when I had a chocolate peanut butter cupcake from the cupcake truck lady. I'm still loosely following Weight Watchers. I apply the portions to my diet, but I don't count points closely like I used to.

I still cook for myself almost every night. Tonight, I made some homemade peanut noodles. You should make them because they were awesome and I totally made this recipe up on my own. You'll want to double this if you're making it for two. Let me know what you think!

Heather's Totally Awesome Peanut Noodles

2 ounces wheat spaghetti

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 small red pepper, julienned

1 cup broccoli slaw

1 tsp olive oil

Pinch of salt

Sauce

1 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter

1/4 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp ginger (fresh)

1 tsp cilantro (dried)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat oil in saute pan and cook veggies until tender crisp. In small saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add to veggies and pasta. Enjoy! 

Weight

No, I'm not telling you the number. But I have lost almost 10 pounds since October.


Gotta keep on keeping on! 

Warning: Negative Nancy Alert

Today, this is going to be a venting post. Because, quite frankly, I'm irritated at several things right now.


1. First and foremost, Navy Federal Credit Union. My loan officer continues to ask me for my monthly 401K statement for March. Several times, I have said (in plain English might I add) that the 401K statements ONLY COME OUT QUARTERLY THEREFORE MAKING OBTAINING A MONTHLY STATEMENT IMPOSSIBLE. Today, I get the third email from him asking for our monthly statement. I almost threw the computer threw the window. 


2. After work today, Peanut was out in the yard doing her business, when the next door neighbor's German Shepherd walks by. She immediately goes straight for the mud puddle in the back of the lawn and dives into it trying to bust through the fence to say hi to her friend. She completely covers herself in mud to the point where she's completely brown and dripping. So, she went right into the tub for an impromptu bath. Now as I type this, she's ripping apart the new toy I bought her yesterday and trailing the stuffing all over the house. Bad dog.


3. I have an obscene amount of missing socks. I think my dryer is eating them. 


4. I overslept this morning because I turned my alarm off in my sleep. Fail. 


5.  I'm breaking out in hives on the side of my face, which I can only assume is my frustration manifesting itself into tiny welts. 


Tomorrow will be better though, right? 

My Friday Night

I'll start this story by saying I love my mom and sister and know they always worry about me. But Friday night they took their worrying to the next level.

I left right after work for my trip to Pittsburgh. Right off the bat, I hit wall-to-wall traffic, which I guess I should have expected on a Friday evening. So, to relieve some boredom, I decided to call my sister. We chatted for about 30-40 minutes, nothing extra long. Then I drove on for another 2 hours and decided to call my mom. We were chatting for about 30 minutes, when in mid-sentence, my phone died. 

My phone (Samsung Rogue) has the shortest battery life ever. Those two conversations, along with some Internet browsing during the day, drained the battery. 

Now, I figured since I was cut off mid-sentence, my mother would figure it was a phone issue. But I knew in the back of my mind, I should figure out a way to get in contact with her. So at the next rest stop, I hopped in for some Starbucks (obviously) and to see if I could find an outlet to plug in my phone. 

No outlets. Fine. I'll use the payphone (how 1990's of me?)

I head over to the payphone and I see a giant "OUT OF ORDER" sign. Ugh. Alright, well, I only had an hour left, so I figured it would be fine. I would call when I got there. 

I finally arrive and get up to Amanda's front door when she swings it open and screams "Where in the hell have you been? We're worried sick!"

Apparently, my sister and mom had called Amanda's house looking for me when I failed to answer my cell. In turn, Amanda had called her mom and sister asking about accidents reported in the area. Between all of them, they had the accident reports, local hospitals, and police phone numbers pulled up online. My sister was literally getting ready to get in her car and drive down the Turnpike looking for me when I called and reported my safe arrival. 

Apparently, my cell phone doesn't go straight to voicemail when it's off (like other normal phones.) It rings first. Leading everyone to believe I was laying in a ditch somewhere. 

But I'm happy to report that I made it safely. And my mother and sister worried themselves sick (literally) for nothing. It's nice to know they care though :) 

A Case of Wine? Why not?

I took a little trip to Pittsburgh this weekend to visit my friend, Amanda, and her adorable baby! 


Baby Becca is 3 months old and she could be...no IS...the most well-behaved, adorable baby I've ever laid eyes on. She barely cried or fussed, took her naps on command, giggled, cooed and gave toothless smiles all weekend. 


She's such a joy, she makes having a baby around look like a piece of cake. However, she did projectile vomit on me once. But I was bouncing her all around right after she ate, soooo it's probably my fault. I also got to see the breast pump in action. Seriously, it looks like a torture device. I'm not looking forward to that in the future.


Anyway, Amanda's husband took on baby duty Saturday afternoon while we hit the mall and the winery. I love a good winery...especially one with free tastings. Though I've been to the Narcissi Winery several times, they always have something new...and I never turn down free wine. If you live in the Pittsburgh area, I definitely recommend checking it out. 
http://www.narcisiwinery.com/about/Wines.html

Yours truly ended up buying a case...yes, a case, of wine (12 bottles.) I justify this by the fact that I don't get there a whole lot and I love, love their wine. I recommend the Riesling, Peach and De Chaunac. Delicious.


Now I have to unpack. And try to kick my case of the Sunday blues. 

Who Knew Moving Was Expensive?

I took a look at the photo challenge for the day, and it's starting to really trip me up. 


1. Post of a photo of something that's had a major impact on your life recently. 


Mmmkay. I'm not so sure what to post to go with this. I would post a photo of the sandbox that my hubby currently resides in because that certainly has made a huge impact on my life, but I don't want to give away his location. 


The house has impacted our life, but I've already posted a photo of that. 


So I'm at a loss.


On a side note, I got a quote from the movers today to move us about 16 miles. 

$1700

Holy meatballs! Yes, that's right. Onethousandsevenhundreddollars. Crap.


The online quotes I got earlier were anywhere from $400-$1000, so this one knocked me on my butt. However, they seem really reliable. Something I'm not sure about with the other companies. 


Good thing hubs doesn't read my blog religiously, or he probably just passed out. He doesn't think we need movers anyway. He thinks I can round up our friends and pay them in pizza and beer. That worked when we were 22. Not so much now. We have far more crap. Nicer crap. Also, dearest hubs, you left me to do this on my own. Thanks. Movers are essential. 


Love ya though! 

Boot Cut Jeans...Not Just For the Young

A funny conversation with my mother:


Mom: So, I was at the Bon Ton the other day and I bought a pair of jeans. But when I got home, I realized they were boot cut. Am I too old to wear boot cut jeans?


Me: Seriously, mom? You are definitely not too old to wear boot cut jeans. They're pretty widely accepted through the generations. 


Mom: Ok, I was just checking. I didn't want to look stupid.


Me: Mom, I love my boot cut jeans. And I'll probably wear them until I'm 80. Or until I have to switch to elastic band pants so it makes it easier for Nile to change my diaper. 


Happy Monday :)

Who's Your Inspiration?

Day 16: Post of photo of someone who inspires you. 


This one is really, really hard. Have you ever really sat down to think about someone who inspires you? It's actually a very challenging question.


Obviously, I'm inspired by my family. I'm inspired by my mother, my sister, my Nana, my dad, my friends and my husband. They've all inspired me in ways they'll never know. 


Another person that I think is truly inspirational (other than Oprah because we all know I love her) is:

Elizabeth Edwards

She's really inspirational in a few ways. 

1. She had a long, hard battle with cancer. Anyone who has been on this journey deserves an amazing amount of respect. Her last public statement was incredibly moving. This is my favorite part:

"You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces – my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined."

2. She lost a child, something no woman should ever have to go through. But she underwent fertility treatments, even though she was older, and had 2 children at 48 and 50.

3. Her marriage fell apart in front of the entire nation. A scandalous affair and illegitimate child surfaced amongst the ordeal, but she handled the whole situation with grace and dignity. 

4. She was a strong part of her husband's political campaign and fought for issues that he didn't necessarily agree with, like universal healthcare and gay marriage. 

I haven't read any of her books, but I fully intend to put them on my list. She's certainly an inspiration to every woman.  

Who's your inspiration?

And he leaves again

The day I've dreaded for 6 weeks has finally arrived. Hubs leaves again for his work overseas for another 3 months. Boooo! I was just getting used to having him home. 


Good thing the next three months will be busy. You know, with me moving into a new house and all. Looks like I'll be in at the end of April, over Easter weekend. Convenient? Not really. But I don't have much of a choice. 


Looks like I'll need to get back into my pretend single chick routine. Which really means I get to watch more reality TV and go to bed at 9:00 without anyone harassing me. Also, my house will become infinitely cleaner again. Mainly the bathrooms. Men are so gross. 


Wiggles is probably going to become a bad dog again. He has a serious complex when hubs leaves him. 


And now I'll have to come home right after work to take them out instead of going right to the gym. Which highly decreases my chances of getting off my butt and actually venturing back out. 


But, I don't have to plan meals for 3 months. That's a perk. 


Also, I think some serious retail therapy to ease my pain is in the near future. I don't think he'll mind :)

What I really want to do...

Day 15: Post a photo of something you want to do before you die. 


There's lots of things I want to do. A lot of places I want to go and things to see. Experiences to be had. 


But, before I die, what I really want to do is:

Become a mommy!

I've wanted to have kids forever, but not until about a year ago did I really feel like I was stable enough in my life to be able to care for a child. Hubs and I have been talking seriously about timing. When he gets back from his next overseas work run (3 months starting Sunday), we'll finally be trying. I'm SO excited and also scared. Scared of everything that can go wrong. What if I'm an awful mom? But as you'll see from yesterday's post, I had a really good role model. 

Plus, we just bought a house with the intent on filling it with 2 kids over the next few years. I've already started designing nurseries in my head. 

Now that we've been married nearly 4 years, I think we're getting a hang of the whole marriage thing. Why not shake things up a bit by adding a baby? :)

A Mother's Love

Day 14: Post of photo of someone you couldn't imagine living without.


Now, I very obviously could not imagine living without a lot of people. Like my husband for instance. And I love him to pieces, but he'll never be:

My mommy.

My mom and I are super close. Always have been. Always will be. There are times when I'm upset or worried and Nile knows that what I really need to calm me down is a good chat with mom. 

As my husband, he's come to the realization that there are just some things a girl needs her mother for...no matter how old you are. I always ask my mom's advice. I call her almost everyday. She's one of the most kind-hearted, generous people I know. She'd give my sister and I her last dime if that's what we needed. 

My sister and I have been very blessed to have a mother that's supported our every endeavor. She's been our biggest cheerleader. Our shoulder to cry on. And she doesn't even say "I told you so" when we're wrong. 

I literally can't imagine my world without her.