Happy heart day, friends! I hope your day has been full of hugs and kisses and roses and chocolates and balloons and cards and anything else that Hallmark encourages us to buy this time of year!
I, for one, got some brand new socks from my Valentine! I love me some soft new socks and I love even more that Doc was paying attention last week when I offhand said I needed some new ones. Yay for practical gifts! (Not that I would have turned down chocolate. I love that too.)
I mostly wanted to pop in today to show you the Valentine I whipped up late Saturday night. Since we got Lollipop on Valentine’s weekend last year, it only made sense that she was the star of our Valentine card this year. And yes, this is a picture of a picture. I could’ve uploaded the original .jpeg file, but then you wouldn’t have gotten the full effect with the lollipop! (It’s supposed to look like its in her mouth, by the way.)
Sticking the sucker through made the card (picture) a little wavy, but I still think it turned out pretty cute for a last minute idea. And my coworkers seemd to enjoy them so I call it a success. Yay!
That’s it. Hugs and kisses and all that other Valentine-y stuff!
Even though nothing spectacular happened, this has been a really great weekend! The weather was nice, we got to sleep in, I got lots accomplished, and there was nothing we HAD to do. I love a weekend like that.
Friday night we party-hopped. We started out the evening with a surprise party for my friend Kim. (You may remember that I have helped with a few rooms in her house, seen here, here, and here.) I actually remembered to bring my camera and guess how many pictures I took….one. Whomp, whomp. Me and the birthday girl? Nah, just a picture of this balloon.
Happy birthday, Kim! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody how old you are…
Doc and I ducked out of the surprise party early because we had 9:00 dinner reservations. Yes, 9 PM. Yes, I had to take a nap after work so I could stay awake long enough for dinner.
The meal was good, but the company is what made it so great. We were joined by 16 of our favorite people.
Since our reservation was so late, we met up for pre-dinner drinks. A few of the guys got things going with some Jameson and Butterscotch Schnapps shots followed by an orange juice chaser.
The bartender swore that the combination tasted like pancakes. I think that sounds disgusting but those that gave it a try said it was pretty good.
I really have no comments about this next picture, but I do feel that it should be posted.
The weather was so nice Saturday that I got up and went for a long morning walk. I spent the bulk of the day working in the shop and made good progress on a lot of my projects. I even finished a couple that I’ll show you this week. (I promise I’ll post more than once this week…)
That afternoon we stopped by my brother’s house to check out something he’d been working on. We had Lolli with us, which absolutely thrilled Bren. She LOVES Lolli. I’m not sure if the feelings are mutual. Bren likes to hold Lolli and it’s usually not in the most comfortable position for poor Lolli, so it looks a little something like this.
I know these picture are awful quality – I was using my phone – but bear with me because I think they’re pretty funny.
So Bren likes to hold Lolli but Lolli doesn’t really love it. At one point, we walked in Bren’s room to see her standing on her bed, holding a squirming Lolli, and smiling at herself in the mirror above her dresser. I guess sometimes you just need to see how you look holding a puppy dog.
A few minutes later, Bren got so excited. “I put her in my box! Now she can’t get away!” The “box” she was referring to? Her laundry hamper.
Poor Lolli.
We’re dog-sitting my parents’ dog, Henry, this weekend so we had him with us too. Bren had Doc put Henry in the “box” with Lolli, but she decided he made the “box” too heavy so he had to get out. You know what’s coming next, don’t you?
Bren got in the “box.”
Oh man, that girl cracks me up. (This morning at church, she had on a headband of feathers that she’d made in Sunday School. “Hey Bren! Are you a little Indian?” She told me no so I asked her what she was. “A chicken!”)
Tonight, after getting out of the shower, I walked in our bedroom to see that Doc had taken a page out of Bren’s book. I saw this on the floor.
Doc had a smirk on his face and even Henry was sitting on the bed, looking a little smug. I got closer and sure enough, poor Lolli was trapped underneath.
Before anyone runs off and reports us to PETA, let me assure you that Lolli was not harmed in any of these laundry hamper escapades. She’s perfectly fine and is as wild and crazy as ever. I just won’t be surprised if she runs under the bed the next time I start doing laundry.
I’m pleased to say I have officially started my Christmas shopping AND our Christmas cards have been ordered. I don’t know why, but having those ordered makes me feel so much less stressed! I’m excited for the next few days: 3-day work week, Thanksgiving food, and getting to see all of our family. Should be a good week!
I couldn’t think of a good title. Mostly because I don’t really have anything to write about, just a couple of pictures to share. So, a post without a point.
I bought a new pumpkin decoration to officially ring in the fall season. Isn’t it cute?
Oh wait, here, let me zoom in.
I think I’m slightly obsessed with door decorations. It’s ridiculous how insanely excited I get over a cute new doormat, and I was the same way about this pumpkin. It’s bright, it’s cute, it pops against the house. Oh, and it’s reversible! When it gets closer to Halloween, I can flip it to this:
Love it.
Last Saturday, I was chatting with my mom and both of my sisters-in-law when we lost site of Bren and Parker. It didn’t take us long to find them.
Even if there hadn’t been lots of giggling going on behind there, the little feet sticking out would’ve given them away. Three-year-olds are so funny!
You know who else is funny? Lollipop. I think the expression on her face in this picture kinda makes her look like a cartoon character.
She’s feisty and still has lots of puppy energy, but she has sweet moments too.
(After the last time she got groomed, I thought her new haircut made the hair on her ears look really long, so I took out my scissors and gave them a little trim. Now she’s rockin’ a “triangle” do. Oops.)
She still hasn’t lost all of her baby teeth, but her adult teeth came in anyway. She’s got front row and back row teeth. I think it’s kinda funny.
Fall tv is back and I’m glad. This could be bad for my blogging because there are so many new shows I want to watch, plus all of my old regulars, and it’s hard to type and watch at the same time. In fact, I’m signing off now so I can get to watching.
Today’s photo edit is really nothing fancy, but it’s a picture that I think is funny so I’m sharing it anyway.
Meet Lolli, my crazy, floppy-eared puppy. She’s smilin’ atcha.
My photoshop edits are barely noticeable…just a boost of colors, a little bit more definition in her fur, and that wonky hair in her eye is gone.
She’s got an appointment today to get all of her hair buzzed off one more time before fall. Can’t wait to see my almost-bald pup-pups later this afternoon!
Don’t worry, I’m fully clothed at work today. And I don’t feel naked at all.
It’s Lolli. She’s the one feeling a little naked, or nekkid, as I like to say. Bless her, I decided she needed a hair cut. Her locks were getting a little tangly and matted and she sorta looked like a ragamuffin (probably because after her last bath and brush she immediately went outside and ran through the sprinklers about 28 times, then came in with soaking wet dreadlocks and feet covered in mud). Plus, it’s hot. Like really hot. Poor little thing kept breaking a sweat every time we took her on a walk.
So, after calling around to several groomers, I finally got her in for an appointment yesterday. Sure, this technically wasn’t her first time with a groomer. But the last time they just cleaned up her face and trimmed a few areas. And stuck a bow on top, remember?
This time they brought out the big guns shaver. I was probably more nervous than she was, seeing as how she didn’t know what was about to happen when I dropped her off. I took this picture last night while we were in the wood shop.
She’s half the dog I dropped off that morning!
Sweet Lolli seemed to have a different disposition about her yesterday evening. She was embarrassed. I kept reassuring her that she still looked cute, but I think I heard Henry laughing at her.
I didn’t tell her daddy (Doc) that she was getting groomed; I thought it should be a surprised. When we finally got home last night, she curled up right next to him, maybe hoping that he could magically put the long hair back on her and make it all better.
She was still a little sheepish this morning but I think she’s slowly bouncing back to her old self. She’s just gotta get used to feeling a draft.
(In the picture above you can see how her tail is still a little long. It’s like her own little pompom waving behind her!)
If a different-looking dog starts appearing in my pictures, don’t worry – it’s still Lolli. She’s just sportin’ a new do.
I am currently in the back seat of my mom’s car, headed to our vacation destination: the beach! My dad is driving and Doc is up front with him. We just finished listening to a whole cd of greatest hits from the 60s, and now they’re blaring the Rolling Stones. They dug into the bag of snacks a few minutes ago and Doc completely ripped the resealable seal off the bag of Nutter Butters so they’re on a mission to eat them all. My mom is in the back with me, reading on her kindle. I’m curled up in my snuggie (of course) and just finished reading the current issue of US Weekly and now am bored. So here I am, trying to blog from my phone. Hope this works, because typing on this thing is too much of a pain for this to end up not even working…
About the title of this post…I was out in our side courtyard with Lolli a few days ago when I noticed something weird. The flowers that I’d planted in my triple pots on Mother’s Day were looking a little scarce.
I know for a fact that I planted more flowers than that in the top pot! Doc and I counted how many flowers we had and divided them out between the number and sizes of pots we had to fill. I specifically remember that the top pots got 5 flowers each and I planted them in an X pattern, like the 5 on a die.
The first time I noticed my flower pots looking a little thin (which is not when I took these pictures) I actually found a whole flower with it’s roots and dirt attached laying on the ground beside the pot. I thought it was weird but just picked it up and replanted it.
So now I’m out there again and the flower that I had replanted is gone again, but this time it’s nowhere to be found on the ground. And now, not only are some whole flowers missing, but some of the remaining plants have had their heads pulled off.
What in the world?!? I told Doc about and he said he’d noticed it too.
“Do you think a raccoon or something is eating my flowers?” I asked him.
“Oh I think someone’s eating your flowers alright,” he said, “but it’s not a raccoon.”
Gulp. “Then what?”
“Lollipop.” he said matter-of-factly.
“Oh yea right! It can’t be Lolli. It’s the flowers from the top tier that are missing. She can’t reach those!”
“She can if she jumps up on the furniture.”
Crap. I suddenly realized he may be right. My cute little fur baby isn’t just biting me, chewing up furniture, and peeing on my bed anymore. Now she’s eating my brand new flowers too.
FOR SALE: One 5-month old Maltipoo puppy. Enjoys long walks, nipping ankles, and eating flowers.
Just kidding. I love Lolli, even if I don’t LIKE her sometimes. She’s ours for the long haul.
[Update: we finished the Stones cd. Now the duo up front is singing along to the Beatles. I feel certain that my dad and husband are going to be hoarse by the time this road trip is over.]
Lolli got her staples out yesterday afternoon – just in time for me to play dress up with her. Don’t let the expression on her face in the picture above fool you; she didn’t like it one bit. But how cute are her little feet poofin’ out from the sleeves??
In the picture below, you can see the details of her Easter outfit. It’s a ruffled pink and white polka dot number complete with a hood that has bunny ears. The best part? I didn’t spend any money on it. It’s a hand-me-down from my friend Jenny’s cat. Apparently her cat grew out of it, but I had to take it up for it to fit Lolli.
You can kinda tell it’s made for a cat instead of a dog, because there’s not much “neck” between the body and the top of the hood. I had a really tough time trying to keep the hood up on her head. Maybe you can tell what I’m talking about in the picture below.
See how it doesn’t really look like the hood will fit up over her head?
That doesn’t mean I didn’t keep pulling it up and trying to get it to stay. I also showered her with kisses and told her how pretty she looked in her Easter outfit.
Look at my shweet lopsided bunny dog.
Aaaaand the hood’s off again.
“Mom? I don’t wanna do this anymore.”
Guess who’s got an appointment to get her hair cut this week?
Our Easter photo shoot came to an end when Miss Pop figured out how to shake off her hood.
One last picture, just for fun. This is one I caught of her in mid-run. My dog is so talented she can hold herself up on one paw.
thank you for my rope dog. it’s my favorite! i think it’s mom’s favorite too because she’s always trying to tug it away from me. i growl and tell her it’s mine. i already started shredding the tail. mom has to pick up blue strings all the time, but i try to tell her to leave them on the floor. maybe you can come play with me again sometime.
love,
lollipop
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dear miss mary elizabeth,
thank you for my princess bone. it’s my favorite! it helps make my teeth strong. and thank you for my blanket. it’s my favorite! it has my name on it so it’s all mine, no one else’s. mom says lollipops are sticky and sweet but i don’t think the blanket is sticky or sweet, i just think it’s soft. i like taking naps on it. sometimes mom puts it on my head and says ”where’s lolli?” because it makes me disappear. it’s a fun game.
lots of licks,
lollipop
p.s. can you tell mom to give me more of those things called treats? they’re my favorite!
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dear porter and grace,
thank you for my chew toy. it’s my favorite! mom says i’m too fast when i play with it and i don’t let her take a good picture. when i try to chew mom’s toes she always gives me this toy. it doesn’t taste the same as toes but i can shake it back and forth in my mouth. maybe sometime you guys can come over to my house and we can play chase and i can show you all the good tee-tee spots.
