Priorities.

As some of you may know...I am moving BACK TO THE CITY this weekend! To St. Paul specifically.

Could not be more excited! We've lived in the 'burbs for a good five years now.

I'm ready for a change and Java Train is within a block of our new house. As is a zoo.

That's right. A zoo.

Jealous much?

I will promise to try and share with all of you so you can live vicariously through me (zoo wise.)


I'm rambling. And the title of this post was about priorities.

On a beautiful 79 degree day here in Minnesota yesterday...as I ran errands..I saw this and turned around to appreciate it and to take a photo.

Yes, folks. Neighbors Bar in Albertville on a sunny and warm Monday at around 2pm.

Look closely and you will see someone's Little Rascal parked right outside!

It made me laugh out loud. I'm not sure why I found it so darling yet so odd.

A beautiful day after 7 months of winter and snow horror. But this ride stopped at the bar. I envision this person taking a nice ride and coming upon the bar thought "Do I have a PBR in me? Let's just do it! It's Monday! Let's celebrate."

Or...a regular. The parking of the Rascal might show that there's some comfort there. Is that a legal parking spot for a "vehicle"?

My sweet Daisy a.k.a. Zazzle. I have posted this photo before but it's so cute that it had to be shared again! She's better now after her tooth surgery. She's crabby again, so we realized she's back to her old self. She was really happy while hopped up on the pain meds!

Curtis in fashion forward-bowtie pet jewels. Bedazzle!

He found a dead mouse in the field behind our house yesterday. His girlfriend Brandy who lives behind us left it for him. I know because it was just sitting there by our firepit while Brandy stared at us from across the nature preserve. I took the dog scoop the other day and threw it into said field. Curtis found it after dinner.

SO. GROSS. Yet I'm almost used to it.

He ate the whole thing, crunching it...dropping it, picking it up. Almost as if to horrify me more.

I tried the usual treats, throwing of balls...to get him to leave it so I could get rid of it. Nope.

In the end, I caught him rubbing his head and body ALL over it. Then he ate it all.

Pigpen got a bath and was not happy. Ugh!

As I have related various stories to my BFF about him, she told me about a close friend of hers who has a dog who ONCE..wait for it..threw up a gopher's head in her living room!

I guess I should be thankful.

Can you get ebola from that?!

Back to packing!

xo

T

Friday Etsy Finds.

This may be quick friends because.....

THE SUN IS OUT and the temp is in the mid 60's! It feels like Palm Springs!

Or it's just been cold for months and Mamma is feeling alive!

True, true. Thanks for the reminder, George.

I'd like to credit this loveliness, but I think it was a Pinterest find OR from my friend Nicole's blog Fit Mom. Either or, I am borrowing it.


May I present to you...my Etsy finds!

Love popcorn? Me neither.

Just kidding!

My hubby is the real popcorn afficionado here. But after trying Kit Kat popcorn, Reeses and believe it or not, Peanut Butter and Jelly from this shop- I am SOLD!  I actually had to send some with Brad to work so I wouldn't scarf four bags! Candy's Popcorn on Etsy. I received a bunch of samples with my order. Fast delivery and great service and again..who knew I liked PB & J popcorn?

From: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CandysPopcorn?ref=seller_info




Did somebody say Cinnamon Toast Crunch?!

Need something beautiful for Mothers Day? Me too. And I'm not even a mom yet!   I like to buy myself little items around various holidays. Is that odd? If so, I don't want to be normal!!



This shop makes beautiful mini cards and any sized photographs from her beautiful images that she takes in and around Oregon. I've ordered cards from her in the past. They are super cute!

Shop info: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaPictureThis?ref=seller_info

Tulip Love!

This is one of my faves below.

She has some Mothers Day specials going on now through April 30. In true form, I seriously want to buy some images for my house, but we're moving in less than 7 days. Anything purchased now just has to move.

And that makes me feel...overwhelmed.

We had plans to have a HUGE (or YUGE) Garage sale this past month prior to our move.

But the damned weather gods weren't having it. Hard to have a sale with 3 feet of snow. 

Looking back, I guess I could have been more flexible or creative.

"Free mug of hot chocolate with every person who steps INTO the sale!"

Or 0

"Buy Two Get One FREE!"

True story. Our neighbor growing up actually did that. We still laugh at the memories.

He was my mom's best friend's husband. He was meticulous about his garage and lived for sales.

His garage was carpeted. He stole ashtrays from hotels back then (this was the 80's people. I recall ashtrays being not only en vogue, but omnipresent. My parents seemed to use theirs as display!) and those ashtrays were part of his "deal".

He also had various signs in the garage.

My personal fave to this day:

"No loafing the manager."

It still makes me snort. My mom also had to explain what it meant more than once because I just didn't get it.

It's a quote I still use. Perhaps incorrectly. But it's just..odd and fun! When is the last time someone told YOU that you were not allowed to "loaf" something? See? It's rare.

I'm off to hit the backyard and do some back handsprings and cartwheels!

Gotcha!

Happy Friday!

xo

T

Tongue In Cheek Tuesday- Link Up- Except It's Wednesday...

Because that's how I seem to roll lately. It's amazing I have clean laundry.

 I seem to have taken a confused left turn this past 30 days and I'm either working, caring for dogs who have just had surgery, dealing with a puppy who has broke free of his leash AND collar (broke one day, found him down the road running after the Fed Ex man!!) or "other things"...

Linking up to some HILARIOUS ladies today! Go and check out Bliss Ranch blog- she is talented, funny and quite creative. She made a paperdoll OF HERSELF for the Tongue In Cheek Tuesday post! Too hilarious.  The point is how you look when you blog- the real deal.

http://blissranch.blogspot.com/


WHAT I WEAR:

I myself have been wearing my Target off white robe for the past 6 months of "Forever January" here in Minnesota. I think my neighbor across the street thinks I'm a lazy freak. I wear it with it abandon. It can be 9AM and I'm letting the dogs out, it can be 3PM and I'm working on Etsy orders for my shop. If I don't have to go anywhere, this winter has told me "Comfort is key. Bed down. It's going to be long. Put that comfy cotton robe BACK on! As a matter of fact, don't take it off. Bra? Sheesh. Why bother? How about a nice pair of black leggings and some comfy socks? You got it, girl. Lookin good!"

For all of us, I declined taking a photo IN my robe. Part of the reason: Mystery.



Kidding. You need to be able to see the chunk that is missing at the top of the neck. Curtis tried chewing the tag out of it about 9 months ago. He's normally so good with just getting the tag out of things- absolute perfection. Not this time. Ate right through the robe! Do I have other robes? Yes. I thought I'd retire this one. But in true Tina-Spirit..the most beat up and broken down item is always the most comfy, soft and fabulous. So I continue to wear the hell out of it.

CHEW DETAIL:  Not bad, Curtis. Not bad. He's generally past the point of doing this kind of stuff, but he surprises us once in awhile. Brad left some expensive snowmobiling gloves out this winter and Curtis chewed the fingertips off of them. Then he got mad AT ME. Guess what? I then became irritated WITH HIM. Put the damned gloves away! You can't trust a (then) 1 1/2 year old dog that needs to be neutered!



HOW I LOOK USUALLY:

Like this, apparently. Brad sleeps during the day when he works nights, so I had no one to take the photo but me. Do you wonder "Why didn't she get that anti-glare stuff for her glasses?" And I say because these are my cheap readers! I have a prescription and then I need readers to read things such as: my iPhone, ibuprofen bottles, any kind of smallish type, the facial expressions of others...etc. Okay, the last one was kind of a joke, but I must say that my dwindling eyesight is really quite disturbing. No! At this point I have no desire to get lasik surgery. The thought of my eyeballs being probed by lasers while being held open with those metal things completely freaks me out!

Also..why is that lampshade THAT askew? I don't know. I chose to let it ride.

Why do I have inches of dark roots? 7 months of snow and cold has made me not care so much. Seriously.




If I don't have the glasses on for small type, I can be seen looking at my laptop like this:

Glasses must always be atop head or NEAR in case of an emergency!! (Sidebar: Why do my eyes look robotic and black when they are, in fact, green?)   Hair WAS actually brushed earlier in the day. It is always messy looking. I've just decided to stop fighting it. On certain days, I can ALMOST create dreadlocks in certain parts of very snarled hair. Yes, it gets tiring. I have baby fine hair and am just used to it.  I don't bother with makeup anymore as Brad likes me for me and I just don't care as much as I used to. It's a relief. That's what a blessing my 40's have become.  I can't see as well as I did six years ago, I don't sleep as well as I did two years ago, but I care so much less about things that just do not matter. And THAT is wonderful!

Recent purchase that makes me smile! I have yet to use it as I "forget" that I have it! How sad is that?!


I'm off to order a cheese pizza or something similar. I don't want to freak anyone out but I think it's sleeting here AGAIN.

Holla to the Weather Gods = NO MORE!

Dreaming of a Real Spring~

xo

T

New Cereal Alert!

At least it's new to me.

Wait for it.....

In the generic, lower priced cereal section. Why buy a box of cereal when you can get a bag large enough for a family of five? I'm THAT serious about cereal.


This HAS to be new, right? I've long been a fan of Marshmallow Mateys, Coco Roos and their version of Fruity Pebbles- the name escapes me right now. But Muffin Tops? LOL. Is this supposed to be funny due to many women being concerned about having a muffin top? Specifically in low rise jeans?

Hilarious. To me.

I had no one to share it with at 3pm at my local grocery store.

So I did what I do: I sent it to my best friend on her work blackberry.




Also: My cute rainboots.

They have little cats all over them. They are quite cute, they keep my feet dry AND the money went to feed shelter animals.

That cool brush on the left? Used to belong to our sweep up package. Curtis "stole" the brush when he was a puppy about a year ago. He's been carrying it around with him ever since. Like a security blanket.

Except it's a brush. I know. He's a bit odd.

I never leave it out when I'm not home as I don't want him to get hurt.

He also favors phone books (we get one every year although I have no clue who actually uses a paper book anymore.) so I let him tear the pages out and recycle them. He has a blast and he looks hilarious carrying the whole book around. He also enjoys cardboard boxes, bubblewrap and anything that looks remotely like garbage or like it should be recycled.

In unrelated news: Gary Busey is an angel in an earth suit.

Me too, Gary. Me too.

Have a lovely evening!

xo

T

I'm Still Kicking.

Happy Saturday, Friends!

We have a soul crushing two feet of snow on the ground AGAIN and that's all I'm going to say about it. It's too bad I'm not a big drinker, because I am running out of indoor "fun" activities after HALF A YEAR.

I have had some custom Etsy orders, so it's not like I'm just watching Dr. Oz obsessively ( it IS a good and very helpful show!) but creativity is running low.

Thanks to Shannan at Flower Patch Farmgirl, I have begun watching "The Mindy Project" and I have to say- Good stuff, Maynard! HILARIOUS!!

I made these around Valentines Day!! I was just apparently way too lazy to upload any pictures.

Made some cute wine glass/champagne flute charms for my Etsy shop.

Stole this idea again..from Shannan at Flower Patch. She did it at least a year ago or more. I "made" cafe curtains out of Target napkins. Four napkins for $8, people! Bought a black tension rod, placed it between our two cabinets flanking this window (no hardware install! Lazy at its best!), purchased some inexpensive ring clips also at my local Target and..voila! I needed spring in the house, but can't bear to see the snow anymore so this is a win-win!



Made this below for myself. It just makes me happy.

I never used to believe in pink for myself, but I quite like it now.






He's tired of the whole indoor thing and has broken free of his crappy outdoor leash twice this week. I almost had a heart attack as he ran in the MIDDLE of the street during the snowstorm. All I could see was a little black weiner body in the white snow. He seemed just as stressed out if not more when he returned home. For the record: He has a backyard to run free in, it's fenced. He's lazy and at various times of the day he likes to sit out front with his 30+ feet of leash (or he runs in the road- safety first!) and yell and bark at passerby.

I bought a new leash yesterday and he now goes by "Curtis Unchained". Thank GOD nothing happened to him.




Magnets I made:

Bought the stamps on Etsy..SweetStampShop.






This is what we had for Easter decor for a good three weeks:

And I was inspired by Rachel at her blog New at the Newmans and figured...I can at least string these faux eggs, can't I? Can I just do that?

And one day...I just did. Twine plus Dollar General eggs = Happy! Thanks for the inspiration, Rachel!






I even added some bunny flair to the new cafe curtains!

Yep. Easter lily next to Jane Austen! Why ask why?!

There's more, but the puppy is starting to demand dinner and  Miss Daisy had tooth removal surgery yesterday. She's 91 in human years, so needless to say it was stressful. She broke a tooth and had to have the part in her gum removed. It ended up being like a wisdom tooth removal as the tooth was hard to get out. She was in so much pain and so out of it all night,  it was terribly sad. Everytime I looked at her, I felt like I would cry. She's a bit better today and has even eaten a bit and tried running in the yard. Poor Daisy!

Daisy on a better, duck chewing day.

I'm off to have a glass of wine because...I deserve it.

Feel free to tell me your tales of spring. I am going to have to live vicariously through others for the time being.

Holla!

xo

T

Default Cake...for now!

Yes, that is correct.

Sadly, my cake photos from the Minneapolis Cake Walk do not seem to work with my header.

Listen, I'm no graphic designer or web designer. Clearly. Ha! The beautiful cupcakes I photographed that looked so warm and lovely and a bit shabby chic (my fave!) showed up on my header like...a photo turned into many different photos, as if someone had just dropped acid. Not that I'd know. I wouldn't. I did however see that Hunter S. Thompson movie based on his book back in the 90's and all I have to say about that is NO.

Cupcakes at the aforementioned Cakewalk at the end of February:

Another favorite cake from that night:

What was sad was that I wasn't really that hungry for snacks or even...gasp..CAKE that evening.

I know, I know. Crazy?

And now looking back at all of the pictures I think "I wished I'd eaten more!"

Anyhow...

Keep on keepin' on!

Rock This Tuesday~

xo

T

New Home FOUND!!

I know I've been AWOL for a bit here..

I think I mentioned that Brad and I and the dog babies are downsizing this spring. We're tired of the too-far-away-from-everything 'burbs. He's tired of driving an hour to work. We miss being able to see our friends who live closer to and in the city. He works in the city.  I miss mature trees. I want to experience more than our neighbors hanging in their garages 24/7 while ignoring their beautifully landscaped backyards, etc...

After an exhaustive and sometimes depressing search, we have found our new home!

It's a rental in St. Paul and we could not be happier! Smaller and cozier than our current way-too-big house, it is a Cape Cod style, painted a happy spring green with a fully fenced in yard in the back for the doggies AND raised beds for gardening! Can I hear a YAHOO? The owners daughter lived there years back and had chickens, so apparently the soil is fabulous. Large maple trees. A fenced patio (good for dogs) in the front, no neighbors across the street, just mature trees. Coffee a block away. Restaurants within walking distance. Brad can bike to work. A lake six blocks away. A real wood burning fireplace (we have gas right now which is convenient, but I love wood burning.)...

The google street view!

Way cuter in person and again- just soo excited after an exhaustive and depressing search that led us everywhere and places I "didn't know I didn't want to go!"

In other news: The snow has melted- or nearly 80% has. It's only 30 degrees again today, but at least it's sunny and I'm not staring at 5 feet of snow that makes me want to go back to sleep as soon as I rise.

Curtis is chilling on the side of the house in the sun. Daisy has cognitive function issues again. She is 91 and has tried to bite both me and Brad a few times this past week. She's cranky and needs to be on her meds again (she was on selegeline a few years back for her anger issues, but seemed to get better and didn't need it for the past two years.) and seems to find a "Hello" offensive. Good times!

Hope everyone had a fabulous Easter! Ours was very sweet and nice.

Happy Monday!

xo

T