Quick Snap Sunday

New Sleeping Arrangements!

 

These are not new sleeping arrangements, yet they are new sleeping arrangements. These are not arrangements enforced by mommie. Nor are they enforced by daddy. Nope, these are sleeping arrangements enforced by the little one at the top of the photo...little Pipey-Pipe!

 

Ever since her health crisis she has refused to sleep too far from her brothers. Sleeping in "her room"(the spare walk-in closet) by herself, is no longer for her. She has no interest in being in "her room" by herself. Though it's not far from her bros at all, apparently it feels miles away. If I put her to bed in the closet area like I used to she follows me out. Brad at times still tries to get her to stay in "her room". As for me I don't care where she sleeps. If she prefers being near the boys, so be it. There's certainly no harm in it. Before the month of May took place I know there were nights she spent the whole time in her room. Never coming out until morning. However, I think the majority of the time she spent most of the night in the closet area and came out once she heard Simon beginning to wake up for the day.  

So as it is now, the boys share the big bed and she gets the woof-woof bed. No, she doesn't care it says "woof-woof" and has bones pictured all over it. She could careless, she's happy to chase mini bones in her sleep. LOL!

Things That Can Make You Scream!

Okay there's the obvious things that scare you and make you scream but what about those frustrating things that just make you want to scream. I have one! Magazines! Might sound strange to want to scream at a magazine. But I believe I complained about this very same issue this same time last year. Well it's still a complaint of mine. Dealing with magazine subscriptions makes me want to scream.

I can't help but wonder how many people in this world magazine companies are scamming? Well not this little 5 foot nothing chick! I can guarantee it!

I received one of those lovely little postcards in the mail telling me my subscription to Food Network magazine was about to expire...about to expire as in doesn't expire until last day of October! Cue the scream from me! October is a little ways away and the end of October is even further away. But that's not the real issue to me, the real issue is the price. They are offering a yearly magazine to first-timers for $12 a year. Yes, I went and checked. But the postcard I received says mine will automatically renew at the unbelievably "low" price of $29.90....Uh? They are kidding right?

I canceled my subscription! I did the same thing last year too. I canceled then I renewed. However, this time around I'm seriously considering not renewing. It drives me crazy how their magazine circulates to the stores about 2 weeks before it circulates to subscription paying customers. Besides I don't get enough recipes out of it to make it worth paying for, if I'm being honest with myself. I also prefer to cook healthier than what their recipes provide. We'll see, I'll think about it. But my true point of this post is to tell everyone out there to check your automatic magazine renewals. Make sure you are not paying more than what they are offering subscriptions for to new customers.  

The Similarity

First off, to my husband, you know I love you more than words can express. So please look hard, I mean extra hard for the humor in this post. ;) Same goes for you my dear sweet Cody-man, no words to express my love for your furriness!  Probably not the best post to write but oh well it's not like it's anything that surprisingly bad. So it's okay, I think, I hope! Here it goes...

The other morning upon finishing my workout I looked at my phone to see what I may have missed. Did someone call or text while I was sweating? It's been well established the building would have to implode for me to stop my workout for a phone call. I actually keep it on silent during my workouts! Anyway, there was a text from Brad asking me what the "yellow stuff" in his breakfast bowl is? I make him an on-the-go breakfast bowl every morning and hand it to him as he walks out the door along with his morning coffee. As I read his text I laughed outloud and immediately thought to myself, "He's just like Cody!" Completely skeptical of anything NEW appearing in front of him.  I have noticed this similarity between the two of them many times before. I let Brad know via text what the "yellow stuff" in his breakfast bowl was and that it was "safe" to eat! It was homemade pudding with fruit mixed in. It looks slightly different than store-bought when it's made from scratch, obviously I don't use dyes or preservatives that might alter the color. Which is why the color was throwing him off. All was solved and he enjoyed it. Whew!

It's still funny to me though that Brad and Cody share such a similarity. That same afternoon when Brad came home for the day he noticed a blueberry on the floor in the entryway. Minutes before Brad walked in the front door I had tossed Cody a blueberry as he stood watching me wash them up. Cody was skeptical of such an item and left it sitting there. See what I mean...two peas in a pod!

Perhaps, I should avoid saying this next part but when I host a party Brad has to be pre-warned about turkey and/or chicken being used instead of beef. Because if something looks different and he can't get my attention because of the amount of people in our home for the party/get-together, he'll avoid the food item like the plague! Honestly, the list of food items Brad has to be pre-warned about goes on and on. I don't have enough time to write that much. Lol! The list of food items Cody is suspicious about goes on and on too! And yes, there's another HUGE similarity between Cody and his human daddy. But I'll save that for another day! I'd rather not have to sleep on the couch tonight! Which is where I might be after revealing this info! LOL!  And definitely where I'd be if I revealed the other similarity. Just kidding! Brad very rarely reads the blog! I'm safe. I think. ;)

Quick Snap Sunday: Tennis Time!

 

 

Tennis Time!

 

Brad thought he'd change up his look a bit for tennis. He walked out of our room and ready to go in his green shoes! It was a first! I should have focused on the shoes more. Oops! I love these shoes but he hardly ever wears them. He's not into bright-bright colors that seem to be so popular right now. And he's not exactly into green either! But let's say he's working hard to expand his color scheme lately. Cody's collar is green and blue, exact same shades of the green and blue as Brad's outfit. Pure coincidence!

 

As for the 2nd pic of little Miss Girly-Thing! She has recently taken up the sport of tennis. No, she's not very good yet. She doesn't have quite the same skill set as her oldest brother. Cody is actually the most motivated to play with a tennis ball. After tennis balls get past their prime and Brad no longer wants to hit with them, he collects a full can of tennis balls to bring home to Cody. He then arrives home and stands near Cody as he opens the can. Watching Cody's reaction to the rainfall of tennis balls is complete joy. 

Top 10 Things Learned From Simon

Remember this post from June, Top 10 Things Learned From Cody? Click on blue link title if you need a refresher course. Well it's time to see what I've learned from Simon. He may be relaxed and the most chilled one of the trio but there's a lot to learn from Simmie-boo-boo!  Without further adieu:

10.  Stay on schedule....Keeping to a schedule is important. I likely got this one drilled into me as a kid too. In case I ever go a little off schedule it's Simmie to the rescue.

9.  Be a cuddler....Yes, surprise, surprise! Of the trio, Simon is by far the most likely to want to be cuddled. He works hard when outside on his leash. He is on patrol for food and anyone he doesn't approve of. I guess it's not overly surprising he needs to let his guard down, so to speak, in an effort to allow himself to be cuddled from time to time. 

8.  Peanut Butter Me Up....From pancakes, to protein shakes, to any baked good...it's all improved with peanut butter.  Right Simon?

7.  Agility....He specializes in quick moves. The most all-around athlete of our fur-babies. He's taught me the importance of quick reflexes, especially in the kitchen when I'm trying to get to something before it hits the floor and he inhales it.

6.  Be A Peacemaker....It's okay to throw in the towel. Who cares if someone else wins the argument? Life will continue even if he doesn't win an argument. Simon is a master at this! I think he has to be since he has Cody as his big brother.  No interest in confrontation.

5.  Loyalty....Who needs new toys? It's all about showing loyalty to the old toys. Simple-Simon! Happy with the good ole stuff. His very first toy was a squeaky basketball. It no longer squeaks but he still plays with it the most frequent of any of the toys. New toys do not seem to impress him too much! He's too loyal to his old standbys to be lured by newness!

4.  Early Bird Gets The Worm....Definitely Simon believes in this phrase. Early to bed and early to get up. Always anxious to start his day. Getting as much accomplished at the beginning as possible!

3.  Get Hyped Up...Definitely don't be shy concerning enthusiasm. When super excited about a new treat, it's perfectly acceptable to have your eyes nearly popping out of your head and your tongue sticking out dancing with anticipation. How else will others truly read your excitement if you don't? He has this down, trust me! And it's super cute! Brad LOVES getting Simon hyped up!  

2.  Keep the focus....Oh man, his focus can not be deterred. When he sets his eyes on something, look out he's going to get to it. One time at the vet's office as I was paying his bill, the receptionist turned around to get a treat for Simon, he leaped out of my arms then scrabbled as fast as his pug legs could carry him across the reception desk. Embarrassing at the time. Super funny to me now. His focus is like no other! I have stories for days, to go with this key Simon element!

1.  Don't Act Your Age...Simon says, "What? I'm how old? No I'm not! I don't look a day over 7! Actually make that 5! I don't look a day over 5! I still sit in my toy box. Tear into wrapped gifts. Run with reckless abandon! And eat like it's my puppy days! Who are you calling old?"


Thanks Simon it's my pleasure being your mommie!...as your daddy says...You are our diamond.  Simon the diamond!


p.s....Cody was featured in June. Simon featured in July. Hmm, who could be featured next month? I wonder!

Who Is That?

I'm not sure what this is? Is it a difference in species, cats vs. dogs? Is it a boy vs. girl thing? Or possibly it's more about Piper's young age? Perhaps, it's simply a Piper-thing?

When Brad comes home from tennis wearing sunshades and a hat she gets scared out of her wits! She sees him walk in and she vacates the room in the blink of an eye. She has no clue who that man is that walks in with the hat and shades on. Nor does she care to stick around to find out. Meanwhile the boys gather around him as usual when he first arrives home from somewhere. They don't care what he walks in looking like. They always recognize him. But she seems like she doesn't even recognize him. Once he leaves the room to go clean up, she ventures out from the closet in the spare bathroom. She ever so slowly and cautiously looks about for that strange dude she saw come in the door a few minutes prior.

It's a rather bizarre scene to watch unfold. Cats have a good sense of smell similar to dogs. Maybe not quite as acute as dog's but still they have great senses. You would think she could easily sense it's her daddy? Maybe she does sense it's him but just doesn't approve of the sunglasses and hat. Perhaps, she's the most fashion savvy of all of us and she's trying to tell him those shades with that hat aren't working...try something new. LOL!

I'm hopeful she will grow out of this issue. I'm leaning towards believing this is an "age-thing". We'll see. I can't begin to accurately explain though just how much fear clearly goes through her when he walks in wearing a hat and shades. Maybe he needs to take those off before entering the house. Strange kitty! Never been through this before. The pugs have never acted like that with me or Brad. They've seen us both in full Halloween costumes at times too. They've even seen Brad dressed up like Dracula, and no fear from them!

Baking and Relaxing

Brad only worked a half day today because he had a tennis tournament. His scheduled time to play was late this afternoon. Can you believe a tennis tourney in July, scheduling people to play in the afternoon? I was surprised he wanted to participate in this particular tourney. If someone asked me to play in July, I'd ask them if they fell and bumped their head? Clearly they've lost some sense if they think I'm going out to sweat to death. I'm a former Zonie, I know heat! I also know I'm not into doing stuff I don't have to do out in the heat in JULY! In case you were wondering...yes, I'll be up bright and early walking my puggies! Something I have to do in July and all other months. Rain, shine, and all the sweatiness of the summer. This summer has been extra humid. It's stifling outside. Every morning Cody says this to me, "what is going on?...my coat is drenched and we've only been out here for 30 seconds!" Okay, he exaggerates! But yes, someone turned up the dial on the humidity about mid-June and has forgotten to turn it down since.

While Brad was off playing a tough match in the heat of the day, I whipped up some cookies. Now here's something about me some might not know. Yes, I love baking. And yes, I understand good baking takes TIME. However, I like active moments. I seriously dislike recipes that call for cookie dough to be chilled before baking. Makes me want to scream when I read...."chill dough for 3 hours"! I get all geared up to bake, start the process then have to stop to chill the dough for hours. Frustrating! I'll admit I typically pass on recipes that require dough chilling. But today since I was waiting around for Brad to come home, I put in the effort to make a batch of cookies that require dough chilling. My schedule for the late afternoon was to walk puggies, then come home to start my cookies. It got a bit tricky at one point when I multi-tasked between mixing the cookies and finishing laundry. Once I started chilling the cookie dough, I moved on to making dinner. As I was making dinner Brad popped in. He wasn't in a good mood, his match didn't go as planned. I won't go any further with that....

So now Brad has been ordered by his wife to relax and play games for the evening while I bake my perfectly chilled cookies and blog! He deserves a night to do what he wants. When playing a tournament there's a few days worth of preparation beforehand. Therefore, he needs some down time tonight! I'm good at busying myself with the fur-babies and other stuff, maybe I'll even read. Quick, someone in Phx revive my mom....she just passed out after reading that line. Yes mom I read. I'm just not into long novels that go on for months. I like shorter to the point stuff. I'm all about magazines and random articles. Anyway, I have zero problem letting Brad relax on his own. It's finally Friday! I know he had a tough week since his co-workers have been rotating their vacations this past week and this coming week. Which of course means extra work dumped on his desk. Yeah, definitely he deserves a night of gaming action!

Quick Snap Sunday(On Monday): So Polite

So Polite!

I couldn't help but capture this moment. Pipe is laying next to "her" pink bed while Simon soundly sleeps in it. She could have made a fuss, forced him to move. After all she's been known to do that. He's so passive with his siblings he would've moved without much negotiation. But small pet-type miracles happen from time to time. Sometimes a little cat-sister can be polite and loving to her big brother allowing him to rest his weary bones in her bed. She was perfectly fine taking a backseat, so to speak! She was happy and content laying next to him, head resting on the side of the bed for quite some time while Simon worked extra hard getting his "handsome sleep". He's a boy so it's not "beauty sleep", it's "handsome sleep"! He's quick to correct anyone that confuses the two! Ha-Ha! Wink-wink!

I think this could be a great pic to represent the fact that our world needs to take a chill pill. Relax people and be nice/cordial to your fellow neighbor/human being around you. My husband went off to work today with his gun concealed in his pocket. He had to work alone today at his office due to summer vacations co-workers are enjoying. For him there was no way he was working alone without some type of protection. And once again I ask myself....how did we get here? How did things so dramatically shift to this point? And why can't all of life be as cute and innocent as this pic above? Big sigh!!

Saturday Arrives

Whew, you made it Simon! Our little Simmie was sick for 2 days. His troubles started Thursday in the late afternoon hours. I had quite the issue taking care of him while Brad was at tennis. It was not a good situation. Believe me! Poor little dude!

As I took care of him, I had the world news on in the background. I'm beginning to not like Thursday's! The last two Thursday's have featured tragedies. Obviously one of those tragedies hitting very close to home. As for the latest terrorist attack in France, I was super saddened as I watched the Thursday night coverage. I think all that know me even just a little bit are aware of my extreme obsession for everything and anything French. As a teen I visited Nice, France and actually walked down that exact promenade where people were struck by yet another cowardly psycho.

To make my evening worse, Brad soon popped in the door, home early from tennis because he wasn't feeling well. Quite the evening! A sick pug, an under the weather husband, and terrible news on the TV. Brad was quick to bounce back from his issues. He overexerted himself playing tennis in the warm humidity. I wish he knew how to dial it down a few notches when it's so muggy and hot but he goes all out. Like I should talk, I'm the same way. Even when I don't feel 100%, I give my workouts my all and suffer the consequences later.

So now Saturday has arrived. I think after having a mini-vacation, then returning to the regular routine, I tend to look forward to the following weekend even more. Oh who am I kidding I look forward to all weekends no matter what. Who doesn't? The surprise of the day...Brad wants to go see the movie The Secret Life Of Pets. I was a little surprised based on the fact it's an animated movie and it's clearly geared for the young ones. We will likely be the only couple in the theatre without kids. This should be interesting yet fun! We typically wait for animated movies to come to Redbox if we want to see them. This will be a rare occurrence for us to go to a "animated kids movie" on a Saturday during the summer. Um, yeah it's going to be filled with little ones!   

The Non-Argument

Never fear, if you think something is impossible to destroy, hand it over to Simon. The little one man wrecking crew! Okay maybe he won't destroy it right on the spot but in time you can bet on it! He's even busted his collar twice in his lifetime. I remember being out for a walk one afternoon when Simon suddenly pulled one way while Cody and I pulled the opposite, as I blinked his collar busted.  Yep, there he was free from a collar, free from a leash. Look out world pug that believes he's a Rottweiler is loose to run free. Actually, he didn't go anywhere. He stays right with me. He knows I dole out peanut butter, why would he leave? Well in typical Simon fashion, he recently destroyed his kong. Shocking...I know! I truly thought a kong was "Simon-proof", afterall it's been "Simon-proof" for at least 10 years. However even at his ripe old age of....wait for it....now whisper it quietly...14...he is still going through his puppy chewing days. The only difference is he doesn't need to chew on something every day, it's more like every other day. It was such a mess the night the kong came apart. He had pieces of his blue kong everywhere. The pieces were stuck to him thanks to the sticky peanut butter inside the kong. For the night he earned the nickname Simon-Smurf!

Brad promised Simon a quick replacement for his destroyed kong. So there we were Sunday afternoon standing in front of the kong section of Petsmart. They have a reasonable amount to choose from. Brad instantly grabbed two large kongs. LARGE, as in designed for Rottweilers and German Shepherds. I quickly exclaimed, "No way, put those back." Then grabbed the appropriate size for the boys. Brad responded by reminding me, he promised Simon an upgraded kong, to which I chuckled at a bit.  Brad then gave me this lovely speech about how Simon will be so disappointed that he's lasted on this planet for an entire 14 years yet his mommie doesn't believe he deserves an upgraded kong. Honestly are Simon and Brad working together behind the scenes?  I think so! We continued to go back and forth with these kongs. I'd grab the smaller kongs and he'd grab the large kongs. It was quite the discussion over kongs to get for our fur-babies. How many pet parents argue about kongs? Geesh! The only kong we were in complete agreement about was the one for Piper. It's small, pink perfection!

So who won the non-argument over kongs....drumroll please....the mommie of the pet trio! Upon leaving the store Brad informed me, he would be far away from me when I present the new kongs to the boys, he doesn't want to receive judging stares from Simon. Ha-ha! The way I see it Simmie has lived without his kong for nearly a week, he's going to be happy to have one again. That's all he cares about. Plus an added benefit, his kong is bigger than his little sister's kong. Issue solved!

Side note: Those that know our little Cody as well as our Simon, for one second imagine Cody with a jumbo kong?....yeah, not happening. Cody wouldn't have been able to lift the Rottweiler-sized kong.

Honestly???

After seeing the news headlines this morning I'm speechless! Almost wordless on this blog right now. Really people? Honestly! What is it going to take to keep the peace? I understand this is America and we have a right to protest if we want. But come on people! People on my TV talking about how black lives matter much more than white people...is maddening to me and should be maddening to everyone no matter what race you are. I understand and respect that ALL lives matter, but how come it's suddenly now gone into "black lives matter more than white lives".

All I have to say is....How? How did we get here? How have things gotten to this point?  How is it possible that we have 5 dead police officers in Dallas, and yet protesters are still out protesting police!!! Come on people! Have a heart! Have a pulse! Have some OH I WANT TO SAY A BAD WORD BUT I WON'T, I was raised in a highly conservative household so out of respect for my mother I'll keep it as clean as possible. Although the word I was going to say isn't that bad!! Just so you know! What direction is this nation going in? This has been quite the eye-opening weekend.

I should end this now! I have to end this now, I have a cat-daughter that needs to be disciplined. Yes, even her cat-life matters. But no it doesn't matter more than her brother's dog-life's! EQUALITY!! EQUALITY!!!!

Weird Weekend!

It's the weekend, as if I have to tell you that. Bare with me! It's the weekend, but it's not a typical weekend here. Such an odd and uneasy feeling exists. We ventured out briefly to Redbox. As we drove down the road we glanced at one another, Brad quickly stated, "it's like a ghost town". As I chimed in with, "where is everyone?" People are not out and about like usual during a weekend, or at least not in our section of the Dallas metro area.  It's pretty quiet and lacking of any kind of pep!

Indeed it's an odd and somber weekend. The news is filled with info on the victims as well as the cowardly idiot that shot them. The weather outside this afternoon decided it wanted to match the gloomy feel of the city. Clouds of gray ushered their way across the area, now completely settled in hovering in the skies above as evening approaches.

Did we get anything at Redbox? Nope. Perhaps our mood shifted upon arriving at our local grocery store where we choose to use the Redbox machine, we simply couldn't ignore the depressing mood that exists around us. I think it's going to take some time for Dallas to move past this. This coming week will certainly be hard as the city prepares to officially and publicly say goodbye to the victims.

Shocked For Sure!

What happened? Unbelievable! I watched the TV last night totally stunned. Went to bed feeling completely uneasy too.

So there I was last night out walking the pugs. It was not a typical time I walk the boys. I had decided to walk over to our garage unit to measure the new fish tank as we need to figure out where it's going in our home. I should mention we live about 2 blocks from a police station and we live 2 blocks from the Dallas County police shooting range where they have their officers train and continue to practice their shooting. Yes, it can get loud from time to time. But it's only heard if you happen to be outside. We never hear anything once inside our mid-rise complex. Anyway, there I am walking with the puggies and all of a sudden I notice not one, not two, but three police officers that live in our building rush out and run to their cars. They were speeding out of the parking lot in a matter of a few seconds. I soon arrive back at our apartment turn on the TV and there is no regular programming, only live coverage of the ambush. I sat and watched in disbelief. What happened last night makes no sense.

It is being reported this morning the gunman wanted to kill white people and of course mainly wanted to kill white police officers. Then why was he at a predominantly African-American protest rally? Why open fire in rapid succession? If you are shooting in rapid succession how does one know who they are taking out? Now my husband says with a scope on a semi-automatic sniper weapon a person can tell what race they are aiming out. So maybe, but to my simple mind and hearing how fast those shots were fired it's hard to imagine one could be too selective about whom they hit.

Okay, now the direction I'm about to go in may be considered controversial. So tread lightly or stop reading now.  To me this is not ONLY a race issue. People are hiding behind the race issue. People are hiding behind the gun issue. To me this is a blatant disregard for police/law enforcement, overall authority. Period. End of story! I noticed it during my college days, a twisted lack of respect for police started creeping up at that point. It has grown year by year and at this point in our nation it is at an all time high. Too me that is the root of the problem. It's not about guns, it's not only about race. I'm not saying some of those issues aren't playing a part but I am saying it's not the root issue. Let's boil it down to the root issue! Let's start teaching kids to respect authority again. The lack of respect this young generation is having for authority and even their own parents is completely UNACCEPTABLE.

I would also like to add if this is only about race then last night's ambush on police would not have occurred in Big D. Why? Of all the cities I've lived in, Dallas...hands down....no doubt about it.....without a doubt...has the highest number of African-American police officers. Umm, hello, the police chief is African-American! And the deputy mayor is African-American too! So clearly this is not just about race!

To say I'm still in shock of what occurred in our city last night remains to be true this morning!  Never saw this coming, that's for sure. That being said....Dallas Strong! Back the Blue! I'll put those two phrases being used in our city this morning in hashtag form as well. #dallasstrong #backtheblue

**Due to the events of last night the blog will reflect a more appropriate look. The celebratory fireworks I planned on featuring until at least this coming Monday must be sidelined! I could go with black or gray but the saying that is going through the city is all about "backing the blue"!

Birthday Pics!

Now it's time for birthday pics:

 Because his wife insisted on the "official" bday pic!

 Piper-Pipe casually glancing up at me as she walks thru the coffee table while daddy gets ready for his pic to be taken.

 Simon declaring himself "camera ready"! Smile big Simmie!

 Brad and Cody. Cody nearly forgot what him and his sibling went to the store to buy for their daddy. He had to get a good look at it again! Notice the wrapping paper stuck to Cody's tongue. Classic Cody! Tearing up the excess wrapping paper.

 The "official" birthday cake! A homemade ice cream cake!

 The cake needed a close-up! What can I say? You know me! I love showcasing desserts!

Happy Birthday once again to my sweetness! Hope your special day was as special as you are to me! Love you more than my words can express! :)

Birthday Party Pics!

Here are a few pics from Brad's birthday party this past weekend:

 Pre-ordered copy of the new Madden. I like getting him Madden but it is a little weird to give him a gift that he can't actually use until late August when the game officially comes out. However, when you pre-order they add a few extras to the game for you! Woo-hoo!

 This pic seems rather self explanatory! :)

 This is likely the best chocolate cake I've ever made according to my husband. The chocolate lovers dream bundt cake was a huge success with him!

The Big Reveal!

Brad's birthday went very well. I was successful in keeping him out of our garage unit all day yesterday. Big sigh! Just as I planned, upon returning from dinner I said I wanted to go by the garage to get some waters. We buy lots of household items in bulk storing them in our garage unit. So it was quite believable to want to stop by the garage to get more water bottles. As soon as the garage door went up it wasn't long before his eyes focused in on the brand new fish tank complete with a new stand that was occupying the exact middle point of the garage. Big reveal was a good success!

After the awe of it all wore off, his first question was, "How did you get this in here?" My response, "I lifted it." He quickly added, "There's no way...you must have got help." Nope, afraid not folks, I muscled that sucker in that garage and finished building the stand all by myself with 2 pint-sized pug onlookers.

Brad loves fish tanks. When we first started dating he had a 55 gallon tank and a 30 gallon tank. We still have the 30 gallon hexagon tank in the corner of our living room. But his dad now has the 55 gallon tank and has had for several years. The new tank is a bow front and a little larger than the current hexagon tank. I fell in love with the bow front design, adds more style in my opinion. So out with the old and in with the new. However, Brad doesn't want to get rid of the current tank completely. It will be relegated to the garage until we have a house and can display 2 fish tanks. Right now though displaying 2 fish tanks is a little much for our living room. Although the current hexagon tank could be moved to one of the bedrooms. We'll see.

One thing is for sure Brad has a fun project to get his new bow front fish tank up and going in the coming days. I hope he doesn't delay too much in changing out the tanks. I hope the new tank gets moved to the household before the end of the weekend. Brad likes to "build the anticipation" of new items. I like to get things out and start using the new item right away. He does things in his own time though. I respect that!

Birthday Time!

Let the countdown begin. It's been Brad's birthday for a few minutes now! Guess what? I have the challenge of keeping my husband from our garage all day. I also now have the challenge of keeping him from reading this blog post too. He can't know his gift is hiding out in the garage.

I had quite the experience today getting his main gift and getting it in the garage since it is too large to conceal in our home. It's too large to wrap either. First time I've ever given someone a gift I couldn't wrap first. The boys and I went out to the garage and "decorated" the gift just minutes before Brad arrived home. Actually we didn't get back before Brad got home, there I was quickly ditching my decorating items in the coat closet before he saw what was in my hand. He then questioned why I was just barely getting in with the boys. I told him nothing. He then turned to Simon for answers. It was nearly dinnertime, no chance Simon was going to tell him anything and risk getting in trouble before being fed. LOL!

I'm currently working on his "birthday" cake. I made a cake for his party but now it's time for the "birthday" cake. It may sound crazy to most, but I can't handle my husband not having a brand new cake for his actual birthday. Yes, I'm crazy like that! I started the 2 cake system and Brad now does the same thing for my birthday. We have a cake or a cake-like dessert at our get-together with family/friends then on our actual birthday when it's only the 2 of us(I mean the 5 of us, sorry furries), a new cake is cut into. Who wants 2 or 3 day old cake on their birthday? Sorry that's my feelings. I have a serious problem this year with the cakes. The chocolate bundt cake I made for Brad's birthday he has placed in his top 3 cakes I have ever made. That's how much he loved it! Now I have a serious challenge for this birthday cake to live up to the hype of the party day cake. You may be wondering what we do with all this cake? Two cakes! The majority of the first cake used at the party is given away. However, a lot of that cake gets eaten due to serving up slices to people. Then I make sure people take some of it home. As for the "birthday" cake, depending on what it is, may get taken to work with Brad after we are tired of cake. If his birthday cake ends up being a homemade ice cream cake, that's a little difficult to give away. Due to the melting factor! But ice cream cake keeps a long time. Plus the likelihood of Brad allowing me to give away ice cream cake is almost out of the question. He is a ice cream connoisseur. His biggest dessert weakness for sure!

So wish me luck! All day tomorrow trying to keep Brad away from our garage unit. My plan is that I'll mention going to the garage to get something as soon as we arrive home from dinner. The gift is all set up for the big reveal. It's in plain sight! I can hardly wait for him to see it! 

Hello vacation, Brad loves taking a vacation around his birthday. We started a vacation week today. We are simply hanging out here in the Dallas area. No plans to go out of town. We have 3 furries to take care of so that's quite difficult to leave. Besides it's fun having a staycation, being able to be at home yet not having the pressure of the typical daily routine. Greatness!

Happy 4th of July

Simon's turn to wear the hat. Brad put the hat on him with the band going under his chin and to my surprise Simon left it on for a long time. He proudly walked around with his patriotic hat on his head. To all Simmie's peeps a very happy 4th of July!

Low key day for us today. Relaxing at home, trying to get some extra sleep after such a late night last night. Tonight we'll watch one of Brad's all time fave movies and perfectly appropriate movie for today...Independence Day with Will Smith. Just like I have to watch Home Alone every Christmas season, Brad has to watch Independence Day every year near 4th of July. The last few years we've been able to get it in on actual July 4th. Good for us! We'll of course take a break to go watch fireworks. We don't have to go anywhere to see a great show. The downtown fireworks take place across the street from us. The big choice for us is the rooftop deck or the lawn area in front of the complex. Hope you all get to see some fireworks, real ones! The ones on TV don't count...simply my opinion!

Quick Snap Sunday(on Monday): Mr. Cool!

Mr. Cool!

I can't believe I actually got him to pose like this for a pic! He must have been in an excellent mood! LOL! He has moments when he's camera shy but I guess overall in general we have fun with dorky pics from time to time. Here's Brad modeling his new shades given to him by one of his best friends. Shirts, shoes, and shades...all three are items Brad truly loves getting!!! All items he can't get enough of either! I think you could throw games into the mix for Brad too. Wink-wink!

We all have those types of items in our lives. Hmm, what is one of my items I can't seem to ever have enough of? Let me think....thinking....cookbooks! Man, I have a hard time going to bookstores and not coming away with a cookbook or special edition recipe magazine!

I'll go ahead and say Happy 4th to everyone! I plan on posting a more "official" 4th of July post later today as well. For those that are aware Brad's birthday is fast approaching. Yesterday was Brad's annual birthday get-together. We opted for a small more low-key event this year, which was very nice. The get-together is why I had no time to make this post yesterday! I believe a good time was had by all! It turned out to be a very late evening. What can I say? We party hard in TX. Just kidding we don't know the definition of "partying hard". We have good fun but it's not what most would consider "partying hard". It was a big time game night! Playing game after game going into the wee hours of the morning. We brought in the 4th, much like bringing in the new year.  It's the first time my brother-in-law and sister-in-law had seen Piper since her health crisis so she received a little extra attention from them. The boys didn't mind. Although Cody did pull out his best little dance moves in an effort to impress his Uncle Rob. Like I said, good time was had by all, even the furries! Hope everyone is enjoying their 4th of July.