a big weekend

I should add to that title...and exhaustive too.  Well friends, we made it to the finish line of house selling 101 on Friday and officially closed.  Although I'm thrilled to be done with all the showings and mess of selling, it was a lot harder to say goodbye and hand over the keys than we prepared ourselves for.   Lots of ugly tears leaving that home and our neighbors.

But, now we're moving forward.  We'll start the building of our new house this month and in the meantime we have rented a little place super close to my parents.  It's a little like Everybody Loves Raymond, but without the brother.  So far we are loving it!  I can't even begin to tell you what a huge blessing this is to have them so close, especially for the holidays!   So, Friday afternoon after closing the movers came and we loaded everything up and headed to the new place.  We're so grateful for our parents because in theory moving always looks so easy and then you start and it's the worst mess ever.  We spent the weekend unpacking and trying to make this place feel like home.  Last month I had this scribbled on my chalkboard and the next day we we're under contract so I do believe it's a perfect reminder!

The internet and cable man just left and so I'm extra excited because I have a lot of tv and blog catching up to do while I unpack.  I did hit my big goal for Monday and that was to get rid of all the boxes in the kitchen.  It's a lot more fun unpacking than packing!

book shopping

Time to talk books. 

Truth be told there's not much to my list this month.  I feel like the only thing I've been reading for the last few weeks is my sharpie handwriting on moving boxes.  But a few weeks ago, I was at Half Price books and saw "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls and picked it up because I remembered it being popular a few years back.  Let me say this book cost me a good few hours of sleep because I stayed up way into the wee hours reading.  I could not put it down.  Absolutely inspiring read and beautifully written.  It's going on my favorite of 2012 list. 

 

I also had ordered "Unglued" by Lysa TerKeurst which I can't even begin to say what appropriate timing this book came into place for me with the move.  But move or no move definitely a must read as well.  Also, a fast read too if your looking for something short and sweet.

I meant to add to my book shopping list last month the book by Sloane Crosley "I was Told There'd Be Cake" that I had read.  This book had me from the title.  Very funny and witty read.  I need to pick up her other sometime.

Well that sums it up for me.  What have you been reading lately?  I'm needing some inspiration for what to pick up next so do share.

happy pugoween!!

 

happy halloween from our pugidential candidates 

bark obama & mutt romney!!

don't forget to vote!

forgive my lack of creativity...this move is exhausting.

the view from here

our house has been on the market for awhile. after two contracts falling through and numerous showings i told boy i was done. he asked for one more month. i begrudgingly said yes. and two days later we were under contract. 

in a few short weeks we will be saying goodbye to our first home.  we'll be loading up and moving to a rental for six months while our house is being built.  it's so bittersweet.  we're not only leaving behind a great house that saw us through our first years of marriage, but also leaving behind the best neighbor's God could of ever blessed us with.  i hate goodbyes.
 

so this is becoming my view that's multiplying daily.  i started out going "this is going to be the most organized move ever" and had a list of what was in each box and everything was nice labeled and numbered.  and now it's "throw that crap in a box and tape it up!!".

 

my view from behind the baby gate.  the pug's are a bit unsure of all this.  i keep reassuring them not to worry, the food bowls and the sofa are coming with us.

in the meantime, i'm heavily relying on my dark chocolate addiction to keep it together.

blog reminiscing

This month is just flying by.  I feel like I'm behind on everything.  And when I say everything, most importantly, this season's episodes of Parenthood and Revenge.  I made the mistake of relying solely on my cable company to come through and put them on their on demand program so I could curl up in bed and watch them per my nightly routine, but they have failed me.  The audacity of their generosity.  Which led to a call to the cable company today and me trying to fix it.

Automated Voice:  "Please state your technical issue in your own sentence"

Me: "Help!! I'm 3 weeks behind on Parenthood and haven't even started Revenge"

AV: "I'm sorry I do not understand.  Please state your problem again"

Me: "NO PARENTHOOD!!"

AV: "I'm sorry I do not understand.  Please hold for a representative"

Long conversation short the rep kindly pretended to care about my mini dilemma, and after numerous attempts to fix it...it appears the cable box must be replaced.  So fingers crossed I get reunited with the Braverman's soon and can start Nashville too.  You know because I need another drama in my life.

Anyway, with me being behind and all I found a post I started awhile back about blogging and it just never got posted.  I had been thinking about how this year marks 5 years of my blogging.  Crazy how fast the time goes.  And I was thinking about some of the first blogs I read and the ones that inspired me to start my own. 

I know Big Mama and BooMama were one of the first and oh how I wish I could remember how I even discovered them.  And from there I branched out and started commenting on others and that started some amazing blog friendships.  Sadly, as I look back on my blogroll it seems so many that I started out reading have moved on and no longer blog.  Thankfully, you stumble into new ones along the way in this big ole' blog world.   The best part of this 5 years of blogging is thinking about the first blogs you followed and when you started following them they may have had only 1 kiddo and now has 3 or they were single and are now married.  So much fun to get to ride along on every blogger's journey. 

So, I'm curious to know do you remember the blog or bloggers that inspired you to create your own spot in the blog world?  Or maybe some of your first blog friends?

Shop Till I Drop

Because of my super awesome organizational skills I mistook an appointment I had today for 11:00 instead of 1:00.  At least I was early.  Since it wasn't close to the house I took this gift of time and did something I haven't done in years.

I went to the mall across the street.

Like a real honest to goodness escalators and Sbarro's filled mall.

It's sadly been awhile.  Like to the point where I walked in and gasped at the sight of The Limited store front and felt the need to call someone and ask if they could believe they were still around.  My wardrobe lived for The Limited Too and The Limited in the 90's.  Good times.

I do believe that my lack of mall trips have been due to the invention of the internet.  Why dodge mall surveyors when you can get the Gap shipped to your front door?  It's been an easy and unregrettable decision.

Ultimately, I spent a good amount of time in Forever 21 in search of a new chambray top, because the one I bought at Target fits weird and makes me look like I'm headed to an art class.  Right away I began noticing a rather large section of leopard print.  More specifically leopard skinny jeans in various colors.  Although I am a huge fan of all things leopard print, I just could not fathom actually wearing them or where one would even wear them or what's the age limit on the leopard print pants and if there's not a rule maybe we need to make one.  Too much thought so I moved on.

Sadly, no chambray on the shelves, but lots of other cute stuff especially in the Love 21 section.  And in those 2 hours I had to kill at the mall truly wore me out.  I realized the best part of shopping online is the lack of work you actually have to do. 

But then there's that Orange Julius stand that sort of makes up for the whole outing doesn't it?

friday randomness

1.  I've really been loving watching the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team each Friday night.  This show really needs a warning though, "you're to old for this" at the beginning of each episode.  For some reason it's caused some unwelcome confidence in my own flexibility and kick technique.  I told boy if I run out and buy white cowboy boots he has my permission for a kick line intervention.

2.  I've been meaning to give a nubbin update on pug.  You can read all about his utter here.  When I took him to the vet last month she looked at it and said, what I thought, no cause for concern just if I see it growing or him scratching at it then call.  Well what about if he starts sprouting out another one?  I just noticed this today so a call to the vet will be in order first thing monday for two nubbin-ectomies (thanks Lia).

3. Speaking of trips to the vet when I took them in and they weighed them out in the waiting room they both came in at exactly the same weight.  I was like there is no way that's correct... pug always seems so much heavier than Landry.  So we weighed them again and sure enough the same weight popped up.  A lady in the waiting room says to me "it's because he's black".  I'm like excuse me, thinking could your comment couldn't be anymore racist and inappropriate.  She goes on to say it's because he's wearing black, everyone looks slimmer in black.  Speechless I tell you.  Remind me to tell you the ebony and ivory story from a recent trip to the pet store sometime.

4. I'm not going to get my hopes up too high, but I think we may be able to start busting out the long sleeved shirts this weekend.  I so hope we can get a few good weeks in of having the windows open...the a/c needs a break.

5. I felt like there was a number 5 here, but I'm getting sleepy and my hamstrings are killing me so we're just going to have to roll with 4 bits of randomness today.

Have a great fall weekend!