It's Okay

I'm joining in for the first time.  I feel like today I need this.  It's my day off. Hopefully I can set up some future blog posts for prep for the holiday season. Today the plan is: shop, bake christmas treats, bake dog treats, blog, read, RELAX. It's Okay....
--- that my blog has sat on the back burner these past two weeks. --- it's okay that my puppy struggles with kibble, there are other softer food options. --- it's okay that my puppies are horrible pen eating monsters. --- it's okay that it's almost December, that means only one month left at my store with my job!  --- it's okay that my house is a mess, it means I enjoy life. --- it's okay that Eric hasn't worked in a while, means I get to spend more quality time with him. --- it's okay I'm not prepared for Dyan's wedding in 14 days.  --- it's okay that my Christmas shopping isn't under control --- it's okay that I love rocking out to Christmas music. --- it's okay that Christmas has been up for weeks. :)  ---it's okay to be obsessed with the new Boy Meets World Sequel! --- it's okay. 

5 for Five

I work retail. I'm a store manager.
America can take back Black Friday.
Canada, and me, don't want it! Boxing Day is hectic enough.
I'm exhausted. Black Friday kicked my ass, and we aren't slowing down.
As a result, my blog got neglected, but did my last week's goals? Let's see

Last Weeks Goals.
1. Finish Office --- painting, putting up desk, organising shit, getting comfy chair in!
YES THIS GOT DONE!
Painting was finished. Desk installed, and we used the printer. I even got pictures up on the wall. It is wickedly awesome!

2. Sit down and Read.
Failed. :( Such a good goal!

3. Get ChristmasLights finished on the outside tree!
YEAH! And we even got a timer so now they turn on and off automatically! Next year we will add more lights to the house.

4. Get Old Spark Badges to Girls
I got them to  one girl.... I need to get the rest out.

5. Vacumn Bedroom Floor!
This means I got my laundry ALL DONE! I even steam vacumend all the little puppy mistakes! Yay! I need to just continue to doing laundry in a timely manner.

Wow! This is my most successful week! 3.5/5 goals complete!

This Weeks' Goals
1. Start Christmas Baking
2. Clean Out Car.
3. Take puppies for a walk X 2
4. Order a picture and go take my wedding tree to be framed
5. Place photo order with wedding photographer!

100th Post

Say What?

Already!

I feel as if this post should be influential and profound.

That this post should be something amazing. 

Guess What!

It's not. 

Instead, I'll tell you that one of my new favorite spots to buy dog sweaters is Winners! Who would have thought. I found the best sweaters, unfortunately, they didn't have matching "boy" and "girl" sweaters. 

Daisy tried to put her sweater on this morning. It snowed last night. She gets cold easily.

Caper's sweater is a little small, and he has too much fur, so a tuft sticks out in the stupid hole for the leash. 

I work retail.

Canadian retail has for some reason as grasped onto this idea of 'Black Friday' --- *rolls eyes*

It will be fun! 

In other news, I'm finishing up my Christmas Decorating.

Can't wait to get my tree in December (no trees till at least December 1st)! 

Hubby said we can get a real one! :D 

Now the Christmas Baking will start next week!

What's your favorite christmas recipe?

Caper is a professional Monkey hunter. His favorite toys are shaped like monkeys.
This squeaky toy is no exception. This is him plotting his next attack.
The monkey better watch out! 

Investing in Quality

This is how I feel about ALL of my other bra's.
Except my new, well fitting, good quality bra. 

They suggest that up to 80% of us are wearing the wrong sized bra. 

I was convinced that I was one of the 20%. Why? Because I didn't feel my boobies (yes, that's what I'll call them ATM) were over flowing my cups, I didn't feel that my straps were too tight, and I felt that  my bra's felt a-okay. 

Well, I was mistaken. 

Now, I've previously measured myself to be a 38/40 B. This is in those stores you find in shopping malls --- aka. La Senza. This measurement is probably old. I've always thought of myself as little, but with a big rib cage (sigh). 

Any who, while in Vancouver/Langley , I dragged Eric to one of my new favorite lingerie stores called Forever Yours Lingerie. 

I wandered through. Nothing caught my eye but some nighties. Picked them up, and then a pretty burgandy bra. I saw they sold a 40B! My size (at La Senza, mind you)! I had to try it on. 

It didn't fit very well. So I threw it on the rack and hummed and hawwed over the nighties. I bought the long soft black one. It's amazingly comfortable. 

The women who was checking on me, asked me about the bra. 

I shrugged it off. I wasn't bra shopping.

She took my measurements anyways - 40D! Say what! I'm little

And came back with some bras to try. 

But one was! The Van Elle one!

OH.MY.GOSH.

BEST BRA EVER.

Now the unfortunate part is that when you go to these fancy lingerie stores, bras start to become what I say is expensive. I can be a bit stingy at times, and bras, sock and underwear is definitely one of those places. But, hubbie was with me, and we were on vacation so I went for it. Luckily, This one didn't break the bank, rang in at about 59.99$

And it's amazing.

I feel like I spend the day without a bra, but with all the benefits of a bra.

This bra is ugly.

It's not cute at all.

But I feel great. 

You deserve to feel great.

And for $60, you deserve it.

We were it EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE YEAR. 

I don't know why we haven't done it before.

To end this post, I'm including a few link ups to some other great/better blogs/websites out there that I found on bra fitting. Definitely a new found advocate for getting the right fitting bra at whatever the cost. You wont regret it! 

Classy Women - The Importance of a Well Fitting Bra

Cups and Measures --- a blog dedicated to bras! 

5 for Five Mondays

Last Weeks Goals: 

This Week! No big goals, since my days off are spent in Vancouver

1. I WILL FINISH MY LAUNDRY. 

It's now 7/8's finished, needs to be folded and put away. 

2. GET CHRISTMAS STAFF REFERENCE CHECKED AND INTERVIEWED. 

hired three staff!

3. CLEAN OVEN/STOVE TOP

not done....

4. FIGURE OUT A BLOGGING LIFE/SCHEDULE

5. BUY A CALENDAR FOR THE FRIDGE TO MARK LIFE ON. 

going to do this today, I'm lazy. Calendar Club is SO FAR AWAY from my store. :P

This Weeks Goals.
1. Finish Office --- painting, putting up desk, organising shit, getting comfy chair in!
2. Sit down and Read.
3. Get ChristmasLights finished on the outside tree!
4. Get Old Spark Badges to Girls
5. Vacumn Bedroom Floor!

I can do that! I have the next 2 days off!

Black & White Sunday.2

I'm not taking part in Social Sunday today, hopefully next week! Here's some pics from my little munchkins playing with their toys. As we speak, Caper is going crazy with his squeaky plastic monkey. It's obnoxious!

The toys. 

This is how daisy hangs out in her bed. 

yum, let's eat my monkey's stuffing!

Playtime over.

Friday Letters

Dear Next Week: Please give me strength to survive you. Dear Caper: Daisy doesn't always want to play with you, give her a break. But you are adorable when you sleep in the morning. Dear Housework: Please help me out, I want a clean house! Dear Christmas: Please slow down! I'm not ready, the count down is counting down too fast! I'm not ready yet! Dear Sorority: I'm SUPER DUPER PUMPED ABOUT TOMORROW NIGHT. Dear Blog: I really want to change you up and make you look super sweet, but my patience runs dry with the editor things.

Can we go home already?

Have to share! Daisy is waiting for us to leave!

Wordless Wednesday

Staying at the Grandparents 'Farm'

A Recap of my week in Vancouver in pictures! Coming to you early before bed on Tuesday night.

At Mom's House

Meeting Tucker for the First Time

My Beautiful Lady

5 for Five

Last Weeks Goals: 

1. GO TO FABRIC LAND AND FINISH SEWING PROJECTS

---- including the dog seat cover and puppy pee pads, along with my diy fem pads. 

I finished the dog seat cover! 

I finished the puppy pee pads. 

2. PAINT AND SET UP THE OFFICE ROOM

 ---- the room is half painted.... 

3. CONTINUE TO TAKE DOGS FOR A WALK. TRY TWICE THIS WEEK. 

I'm going to say that I cheated.

I took them to the dog park. 

It was fricking cold this week... but it's only going to get colder. 

4. BRING OUT CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS, or at least find them.

5. FINALLY, AFTER MANY WEEKS, FINISH THE LAUNDRY. 

Aka have the bedroom floor be able to be found and all laundry baskets EMPTY. 

This Week! No big goals, since my days off are spent in Vancouver

1. I WILL FINISH MY LAUNDRY. 

It got half done last week. 

2. GET CHRISTMAS STAFF REFERENCE CHECKED AND INTERVIEWED. 

3. CLEAN OVEN/STOVE TOP

4. FIGURE OUT A BLOGGING LIFE/SCHEDULE

5. BUY A CALENDAR FOR THE FRIDGE TO MARK LIFE ON. 

Wedding Mondays - DIY Bow Clutch

It's been a little puppy-overload here, and I haven't had a Wedding Monday in a long time, so here's an old post from my old wedding blog.

On Pinterest I found this great tutorial from Elm Street Life.
The clutch is super cute and super easy!

Anyways, I had this fabric that I bought with this in mind, because the fabric is the same colour (tone) as the boys ties. It's not identical, because I didn't have as many options as I wanted, but I had to buy like 2 metres for my sisters sash, so I made matching clutches! 

See, Moriah's sash, and the pocket square. Same shade pink, different type of fabric! 

It was so easy, only took me an afternoon and I made two of them! I used lots of interfacing because my fabric is a little flimsy, but it did the job! 

This is all the stuff I needed! I love my cutting board, one of the best things I've purchased for my sewing product. 

And this was the final product!!! 

Finished Product!

The process.... 

Love it? Check out the tutorial! 

Black & White Sunday

Today I'm joining in on the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop via MyLifeinBlogYears

Now I found it last night, and so, this morning took advantage of some puppies playing in my mom's backyard!  Ohh, and I got to legit play with the Black and White Setting on my camera. Personally, I think my dogs look much better in colour. We made it to Chilliwack just fine last night =D

Want to join the hop? Just follow the rules below.

1) Link up your blog name and URL using the Linky Tool below (link is at the bottom of the thumbnails).

2) Follow your co-hosts and follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like.

3) Please ONLY SUBMIT A FEW PHOTOS with minimal or no text, and make sure it’s in BLACK AND WHITE.

4) Grab the “Black and White Sunday Blog Hop” button below and include it in your Sunday Blog post.

Sunday Social & Remembrance Day

First, before Sunday Social begins, I need to take a moment.
And while I did live in the States for awhile, Canadian Remembrance Day is more important here than there. This is a day in which for the weeks before we have bought, not one, not two but maybe 5-8 poppies (because we loose them, wear them on different outfits, etcetra) and wear them over our hearts.

I don't have anyone in my family who has fought in the wars, or been directly involved with the military, but so many have, and though I'm not a huge supporter of military effort, I do realize the importance of Canadian Peace keeping troops and general reserves in making our country a great place to be, as well as other countries better places.

Anyways, don't forget to take your two minutes of silence when 11 am comes around to remember the hard work and dedication of the lives of the men and women who have served their country.

Now onto the Sunday Social

Canadian Thanksgiving has passed.

Now it's time for Christmas.

Once Remembrance Day is over, of course. 

Favorite Thanksgiving Memory

Perhaps one of my fondest is from my time at Cottey College.

I can't help but smile and remember the fond moments of celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving with my American Friends. Introducing them to my favorite Canadian side dishes and sitting around the table in the cafeteria and saying what we are thankful for, and being thankful for my friends. 

This picture isn't from Thanksgiving, but it is from that time of the year. 

My other favorite memories is Thanksgiving with Emily.

Emily always buys an organic grain fed turkey and it's massive

It's now known as the misfits Thanksgiving.

It's always the best of times! 

Favorite Thanksgiving Food

I once hated stuffing. I know love stuffing.

Especially my mom's.

And sweet potatoes with marshmallows.

What is a Thanksgiving Tradition you and your family have?

I don't know if we have any specific traditions aside from the usual.

Show us a favorite Thanksgiving picture(or 5) from years past

I don't know if I have any pictures.... 

What are you most looking forward to about this Thanksgiving?

It already passed =D

Friday Letters

Dear Caper: Why do you keep barfing? And then, sometimes, eat it again. That's so disgusting. You know, if you stopeed eating all of the random shit that I leave on the floor then that might not happen.

Dear Daisy: Please get over your anxiety. The 8 hour drive to Vancouver is not going to be fun if you maintain your car anxiety for the entire trip.

Dear Husband: Thanks for trying.... I guess?

 Dear Sunshine: you are deceiving. It's FRICKING COLD OUTSIDE!

Dear Laundry: Please help me out. Why do you keep appearing? I think I almost have it, and then it's almost not done!

I think that's all for the week =)

In OTHER News! 

I have Saturday through Wednesday off! SAY WHAT! 

I know. I got Saturday off when I traded it from Friday to get visual done. 

Then Sunday because it's Remembrance Day.

And then Monday and Wednesday because and Tuesday because I'm in the hospital for a sick day! 

We are going to Vancouver. One last medical trip. 

DIY Dog Car Seat Cover

We might have small puppies, but these puppies have super dirty little paws. Especially when we go to the dog park (whats up with the dirt at the dog park, it's either WAY WAY dusty or WAY WAY muddy). Anyways, Eric hated putting them on the seats, and I hate when he puts them in the foot wells, so because Pinterest is my lover, I figured I could make my own.

This project didn't start off so well. 

We were in Fabricland humming and hawing over how much fabric to buy.

Eric said the car was 3 metres wide. We bought 6 metres of fabric. of both the flannel and the twill. 

Our car actually measures at 1.54 metres. 

Needless to say, there might be some Christmas gifts to this tune. 

The orginal Pin

The original pinner did a much better job than I did. 

But I wanted to keep it simple. 

This was one of those Measure a QUAZILLION TIMES.

Only cut once! 

I was worried I cut too small considering seam allowances.

Thank goodness this wasn't the case! 

I ended up cutting a square. Just the right width of the fabric for the length and width of my car. 

I top stitched the whole thing! 

My one feedback is that though I did put the snaps like the tutorial suggested, next time I'll just do tie straps. I think that would be just as easy. Plus, snaps cost like $5! Which isn't too bad :P 

Wedding Monday - Table "Numbers"

For our wedding, I stumbled across a few scrabble themed ideas on pinterest. 

One of the ideas was scrabble tiles for table numbers! 

We spelt out our name, so there was a "B-O-U-W-M-A-N" and the lead table was B & E (they got blank tiles) 

We used little scrabble tiles bought on ebay in bulk to add to the place cards to direct people to the correct table. 

The project itself was a bit hectic. 

Eric went out and bought a plank of maple. 

He was responsible of cutting it into little squares. He failed.

I got rectangles. I guess it worked.

I bought stencils from the hardware store, some tape and went ahead.

The first idea was to paint over the stencil.

Fail.

It smudged. 

This isn't the greatest look. 

So, with the assistance of some tape lines, we used our pencil to outline the stencil, and then to get the straight lines (that I failed to achieve with my hand painting) we used tape. 

The little numbers were the hardest since I don't have the steadiest hand.

I tried a permanent marker. 

It bled. 

We finished the project witha  coat of varnish.

There isn't any pictures of that.

But it really added to the letters. Made them look super good! 

DIY Puppy Pee Pads

I believe that it's inevitable that this winter will result in many "puppy accidents" inside.

Daisy has already made it clear she hates the cold winter, and that she cannot hold her bladder for the duration of the night. 

The hormones have helped. There have been significantly fewer accidents. 

A puppy pad has been placed out and she has taken to it. 

But, the downside is that I HATE PUPPY PADS. 

I bought the eco friendy ones. They SUCK.

I don't want to buy them, or throw them out.

Like femine hygiene bads and diapers, they probably don't decompose in the landfill very well. 

So! I've decided to make my own! 

There aren't many tutorials. So I kinda winged it.

I used what I know about making my feminine hygiene pads to make them. 

Because it uses PUL fabric it was slightly expensive. 

Materials:

Diaper Flannel (twice as much)

Flannel. (I found cute puppy dog fabrics)

PUL Fabric (waterproof stuff)

Thread. 

I bought 1.4 metres of flannel and pul and made 6 training pads! 

I choose dimensions that were half the width of the fabric, and then into thirds. Turned out to be 19inches by 22 inches. This was super rough. And I trimmed a lot more down. 

Then the pattern fabric was fused to two layers of diaper flannel. 

when I say fused. i mean I stitched lopsided squares into it. I didn't really make a lot of effort to be super precise. I figured it was just a pee pad. 

Then with right sides together, I matched the flannels with the pul fabric. 

After trimming up some edges they were stitched together

That's right, turn it inside out, and iron! 

I like to leave a gap in the middle of one side (instead of a corner. 

I iron it all together and then do a top stitch around the whole thing. 

Final Product.

Put it down in the puppy pee area (this area needs to be changed)

So far,  nobody has used them. 

Then again nobody has gone inside.

I hope to find some of that puppy urine spray, or wait for an accident to happen and rub it all over it so they know that this is where to go.

Hubby is worried that they'll want to take naps on it. 

Daisy's Hormones

We should have taken the health insurance offer from the SPCA when we adopted Daisy.

I knew we had a problem because she was 3 years 6 months when we got her and she wasn't house trained. But I shrugged it off. There were lots of changes going on in her life. 

It's been 3 months, and the accidents aren't getting better. Sometimes in the morning, sometimes during the day. Sometimes it looks like she was headed outside, but then, she just went. And, I've never seen it happen, but I THINK it's Daisy. I'm 95% sure it is. 

The boarder where we take our dogs suggested that Daisy drinks WAY LOTS of water. 

She suggested we take her to the vet. We trusted her. 

I hummed and hawwed. And then I woke up to pee stains on my bedroom carpet and the vet was being called. Brought her in the next day. 

***

She's lost a little weight. She's on the slim side the vet explains.

Oh Uh. 

As a shih tzu cross she is prone to kidney failure.

Awesome. 

We'll just do a blood work up to check and see whats going on. 

Okay. 

It could just be that she has a weak sphynctor. 

Oh, and I guess you can't teach your dog to do kegels. 

Or maybe she's anatomically built weird, like an extra large vagina which pools urine and it just releases. 

Oh F**k. I hope not. 

***

Anyways, after an anxious 8 hours, the vet finally called back with the results: NORMAL

Sweet. 

But, because it might be her sphnctory hormones.

Expensive hormones because the cheaper ones she says not the safest for my dog. 

Okay. I trust.

Now, twice a day hormones. And then one half a pill every week. 

The joys of having a furbaby.

Update: Success. It's been working.

Less accidents. 

On her follow up appt the Doctor suggested I get her dewormed since she shows an abnormailty in her bloodwork that is linked to having a weakness to worms... awesome...

Electoral Relief

I've been avoiding making a political post.

But, with last nights success. I will. 

I know many of the bloggers I follow are Republicans :/

I'm Canadian. I lived in the states during the 2008 elections and that was something.

If I had still been living in the states this year, I think that it would have been too tense. 

Heck, I felt the tension up here. 

The bullshit that kept flowing out of the mouths of republicans... 

How could anyone support that over conservative crap? 

With that said, when it comes to American politics, the best I can do is align with the democrats. 

Though, honestly, they aren't liberal enough for me

(IMO America needs MORE political parties to better represent the population demographics). 

So, THANK GOODNESS OBAMA WON!

I'M SO STOKED. 

I hear the acceptance speech was beautiful. I need to watch. 

I have to admit that yesterday, I didn't want to know. 

I didn't know what I would do if Romney won. 

One of my coworkers suggested that if Romney won we, Canadians, should allow American Women to come to Canada under refugee status (in fear of the right to choose over their bodies). 

What seems even more amazing about yesterdays election is some of the decisions made by states to legalise gay marriage and recreational marijuana use. Wow. Didn't know that US was headed that way. 

And Global news just called it "the social fabric" 

=D