End of the Week Roundup

This week has been a rough one. For the most part, every bad thing that happened would not have been a big deal if it had happened on its own but when it happens along with a bunch of other bad things, it makes for a bad week. It's during weeks like this one where I am reminded of the song "Lonely Day" by System of a Down when the song ends with "Such a lonely day, and it's mine. It's a day I'm glad I survived". I think I can definitely say I survived this week. 

1. Saturday wasn't all bad. It started out rough with my hairdresser cancelling on me because she was sick (understandable!) and the receptionist at her salon not being accommodating to me at all (not understandable). After she felt better my hairdresser called me and squeezed me in next Thursday. Anyway, not the point of this bullet, I also met up with my cousin and we had a crafting day. We decided to try out the arm knit scarf and I think it turned out great!

2. Tuesday a deer hit my car. Well I should say that a man driving in the opposite direction of me hit a deer which then sent the deer into my car. I cried for the deer. I cried for my car which has never been in a major accident in the 8 1/2 years that I've had it. I cried for the shock of it. Then I moved on. Dave, being the awesome husband that he is, picked up the rental for me while I took his truck to school for the evening. I, being the unobservant wife that I always am, crushed the flowers he left in the truck to lift my spirits by throwing my purse on top of them and not realizing they were in the car until I got to school. I'm an ass, I know, thanks.

3. My Quilts by Nicole page hit 200 likes on Thursday (yesterday). I definitely needed a good boost yesterday morning and that did the trick. I was so happy I held a quick one day giveaway and gave a bear away! Speaking of bears, I also finished the She-Ra bear that I shared with you guys last week. 

4. Also occurring on Thursday: Me catching Squish practicing for America's Next Top Model. 

5. I know it's not the "same" but I kinda know what parents are talking about when they talk about how cute their kids are. This is going to be creepy, but I'm okay with that, but I swear my cats are so cute they could be models. Please judge me silently or behind my back. 

That's it for this week, thank God it's over! How did your week turn out? 

End of the Week Roundup

Hello friends! Another Friday is upon us. This week has been slow, which is good for relaxing but tough for weekly roundups. 

1. Take yesterday for example, when a massive snowstorm hit. I stayed home and binge watched Breaking Bad and starting reading You. This is my idea of the perfect day, but most definitely not conducive to a thrilling blog post. You, by the way, is gripping. I hate how cliche that sounds, but it really has me sucked in. 

2. Cold days lead to adorable snuggling. 

3. Tuesday was another bad storm day. While waiting in traffic I decided to see if I could have any of life's philosophical questions answered. I should have known better than to ask Siri. She and I fight often. 

Is she calling me fat?

4. I started another bear this week, this time using She-Ra fabric. This particular fleece is a pain to work with because it's so soft and the fleece sheds a lot, but it'll be worth it for the end result. 

5. Snow days and cold nights leads to this, which is amazing until you have to get up and get huffed at.

End of the Week Roundup

The majority of this week, including today, I've been feeling a bit under the weather. I hate being sick, besides it throwing everything off balance, I hate working at less than full capacity. Especially considering my schedule is full capacity. 

1. Friday night I met up with some girlfriends and took a painting with a twist class, which was fun!

2. Saturday, Valentines Day, was spent lounging around with Dave and making cheesecake. Check back on Monday for my cooking challenge results, including how the cheesecake turned out. V-day was super relaxing and I enjoyed every peaceful moment of it. 

3. Tuesday I finished up a few bears for some friends, which boosted my mood. 

4. I started reading The Girl on the Train last night, so far so good! 

5. These two, they are my heart and soul.

Here's to hoping I start feeling better this weekend! Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

How to Look Smart When You Forgot to Write a Post....

Sorry friends, I forgot to write up an EOTWR post last night because I'm still getting used to having a class Thursday night and it's just throwing everything off. So, in lieu of a roundup, I wanted to share this really interesting article I found this week from the Wall Street Journal. 

It's about what people do to look smart, how we judge other people's intelligence, and what behaviors we do that actually do make us look smart. Check out the article and then let me know what you think. Personally, I think using your middle initial is hooey when it comes to looking smart (more like country club smart! haha) and wearing glasses is stereotypical and not really true, I know plenty of dumb people who wear glasses.....even though I am wearing mine today. But not to appear smart (consciously at least, subconsciously you never know!) 

Finally, please enjoy this picture I shared on Instagram of Squish. I have no idea how he contorted himself into that position but he stayed that way purring this little butt off for quite a while. 

Happy Friday!

Five Favorites Friday

With my first semester of grad school winding down, this week has been pretty uneventful. Unless you consider writing unit plans and lesson plans as eventful. So in lieu of a end of the week roundup I decided to share five things this week that I'm loving. 

My boss introduced me to this song/band this week. I've never heard of them before but I 've really been enjoying the song. 

I finished this book this week. It's a really short, simple read but has so many powerful, inspirational messages. I'm already planning on including this as part of the teen book club reads. 

 I picked up a pair of these microliner socks (on sale!) from Old Navy the other week, and then promptly went back and bought three more pairs. I'm a flats wearing kind of girl regardless of the weather. During last year's deep freeze I didn't wear any kind of socks, and my feet weren't too happy with me. These socks should be a game changer this year. 

 I love it when OK Go releases music videos. They are always so much fun to watch because they are choreographed so creatively. Here's their newest video: 

 Squish knows the struggle. This is how he was sleeping on the back of the couch, face plant style. 

How was your week?

Sunday Morning Silence

Sunday mornings are my favorite moments of the week. I normally wake up before Dave by a few hours (like 5:30, thanks internal clock, ya jerk!). If I can't fall back asleep I quietly sit there and read or play on my phone. Once Nibbler and Squishee realize I'm awake they climb up and cuddle. 

The silence that Sunday morning offers brings me peace. I get to reflect on things that bother me, things that make me happy, things that I appreciate. It's the one moment of the week where I feel my body washing away the negativity and refocusing on the positive.

The silence is sometimes cut by Nibs and Squish's purrs, which is like the hum of a fan in the summertime. You know, where it can lull you to sleep? Except, instead of putting me to sleep, it centers me more. 

I've always wanted to try mediation, but I could never sit still or shut my mind off long enough to truly appreciate it. I guess you could say that Sunday mornings are my alternative to meditation. 

During particularly rough or busy weeks, I find myself longing for my quiet Sunday mornings, listening to Dave's quiet breathing while he sleeps, feeling Nibbler's head resting on my arm, and the weight of Squish as he slumbers on my stomach. It is in those moments I feel the richest and the most fulfilled with my life. 

It is in that moment when I realize life is good.

End of the Week Roundup

This week flew by super fast, which was kind of refreshing. It flew by so fast I didn't even have to wish for the weekend! Even though it went by super quick, not a whole lot happened that was noteworthy, so I figured it was time for another EOTWR Nibbler and Squish Edition! 

Try to conceal your squeals of delight, I dare you. 

1. First up, my aunt and uncle came up for dinner on Saturday night. The boys love my aunt and uncle, even Nibbler, who runs from everyone, hangs out with us. Squish makes it a point to showcase how much he loves my Uncle Chuck at every chance:

2. Another shot of Squish (he was on a roll this week). I tried to take a picture of Dave for my 100 Happy Days Challenge and Squish decided that wasn't going to happen. 

Just in case you think it was just coincidence, I'd like to show you this next picture in which I'm fairly certain he's mocking me.

3. Ignore Squish in the bottom portion of the next picture. What I really want you to do is look for Nibbler...who thinks he's hiding. No I swear, he really thinks he's hiding. He doesn't realize his ears are deceiving him. 

4 I really should have called this round up the Squish edition. Cause he's literally in every picture. It's been three years and I still think it's freaking adorable that he sleeps with his mouth open. 

5. Monday morning, we had our usual cuddle session. Then the boys decided to take the cute, love factor up a notch by holding paws. It started with Nibbler holding Squish's paw, then Squish put his on top of Nibbler's. Pretty sure my heart exploded. 

Lastly, I'd like to share this little (non-cat related) gem with you: 

The other night I was scrolling through Buzzfeed (which by the way, am I the only one that can get lost on this website for hours?) and I took a quiz to see if Dave and I qualified to be parents. One of us did not laugh and the other laughed so hard she was crying and nearly peed her pants. 

Apparently Dave is going to be a great father and I'm going to be heartless and sadistic. Here's the video one more time, just in case you want to laugh your ass off again, like I did. 

How was your week?

End of the Week Roundup

Another Friday is upon us! 

1. This past weekend, Dave traded in his Dodge Dakota and upgraded to a Ram! Even though it's not "my" truck, it was still really exciting to be a part of his moment. The rest of this week was spent hearing Dave talk about the truck. It wasn't so bad....except for when we were in the truck and he would announce the temperature every two minutes from the gauge on the rear view mirror.

2. I discovered this video/song earlier this week and I cannot stop listening to it.

3. I made this side dish last night that I found on pinterest. It's delicious and easy to make, I highly recommend trying it out!

Via

4. I think Squishee may be a narcoleptic. He will roll on his back to get Dave and I to rub his belly, but if we don't within about 30 seconds, he's passed out. Kinda like this:

He couldn't last me brushing my teeth to get rubs before he was snoring here. 

5. Scratch that, I think both my cats suffer from narcolepsy. Nibbler is passed out with his head in my tush. Seriously, look closely, you'll see my legs on the left hand side curled up, Nibs' paw is on my hip and his face....is dangerously close to a loaded weapon. 

How was your week?

End of the Week Roundup

It's been a great week! 

1. I won another giveaway through Goodreads. If you haven't started doing this yet, get on it! Free books are awesome!

2. Tuesday, I had to take the boys to the vet for their annual checkup. Nibbler doesn't mind the car at all, in fact I'm fairly certain he enjoys it, but Squish hates the car. He just sits there and howls the whole time, and of course pees. Which is fantastic. When we got to the vet, we were greeted by the office kitties. One of them decided to hang out with Squish, which you see in the top picture and the other one attempted to assist the front desk. 

Side note, doesn't it look like the cat in the bottom picture is pulling a "Brady Bunch" and checking out the boys in the upper picture? 

On the way home, Nibbler tried to get Squish to poke his head out of his carrier and enjoy the ride, but Squish was having none of it. 

3. Wednesday night, Dave and I decided to have an impromptu date night. I love date nights. Enough said. 

4. Last night, I met up with my friend Linda for dinner and chatting. We try to get together every couple of months or so to catch up, she's a teacher and loves to talk about school and her students and I love hearing every second of it. Honey is her sweet St. Bernard who gives Nibbler a run for his money when it comes to best cuddler. 

5. Do you know how hard it is to get a picture of Nibbler and Squishee together where they are sitting and both looking at the camera? This is a moment that needs to be celebrated. 

How was your week? 

Here's to the Night

Every once in a while Dave and I like to just hang out and reminisce about the past. It's a really fun way to remind ourselves of the great times, the sad times, and the times we connected on a deeper level. 

Saturday night, before falling asleep, we talked about some of our favorite memories and Dave brought up the night we brought home Nibbler and Squishee. Thinking back on that night, I remembered how I felt bringing them home. They were so tiny, I was so afraid I was going to break them. 

I haven't gotten around to sharing my first night with them on the blog here, so I thought I would. It's probably not the most heartwarming tale you would expect...

I had to pick them up by myself from the woman we adopted them from (an incredibly kind woman who ran a little adoption place out of her house) because Dave had to work a bit late. I had bought a mini pet carrier that I knew would fit the both of them so they could be together on the ride home. I'm sure it was terrifying for them to leave the comforts of the woman's house and be stuck in a car with a stranger on a dark night (it was October when we had adopted the boys so it was darker much earlier) and I wanted to make sure they knew they still had each other. 

One the way home my car stunk so bad, like someone had passed gas. I assumed that one or both of the boys had done something in the crate, as cats are notorious for doing in the car, but when I brought them inside I didn't see anything in the crate that needed to be cleaned out. 

I kept the boys confined to the living room when we first came home, so they could get acclimated to Dave and I and one room for now. They were really good, and for the most part just laid on my lap or with Dave. 

Pleas ignore this ridiculously terrible picture of me, but this was me and Nibbler the first night home.

When it came time to go to bed, we brought them upstairs with us and I laid them in between Dave and I, nestled under my arm. I stayed in that position all night, but of course, when my limbs would get stiff I would have to shift a little. I noticed every time I shifted I would smell the same scent that was in the car. After a few shifts, I realized that one of the boys would fart whenever I moved because it scared him! The rest of the night, I laid awake with two adorable kittens in my arms wondering how I managed to adopted the only kitten I've ever known to drop smelly, rotten egg farts and whether or not this would be something we would have to put up with for the rest of our lives. 

My nervous farter (not sure who it was but I have my suspicions) stopped dropping bombs shortly after the first night together, but the memory of it always gives Dave and I a good laugh.  

It's a bit random, but let's make today Memory Monday, share a great or funny memory with me!

          

Observations

A few observations I've discovered over the past few days, which I will now share with you:

::It's okay to put a book down and pick up another one::

I'm neurotic and I'm one of those people who prefers to do everything by the book. Sorry if that's a turn off. The good news? This isn't a dating site and you aren't trying to pick me up. 

But I digress. Big time. 

You're supposed to read one book cover to cover. Who says? "They" say. Who's they? I don't know, it's just "they". Anyway, there's this one book that's mildly interesting but not enough for me to not want to put it down and start another one. Which I've done now three times to this book. 

And guess what? 

"They" didn't come running with their pitchforks and burning torches. I didn't crumble to ash and dust and blow away. And I was able to pick the book back up right where I left off. 

And all was still well with the world. 

::People cannot magically see into your uterus::

Just go with me here on this one. 

Dave and I have been casually trying to conceive now that I am done with my bachelor's degree. It was always the plan (see the first sentence in the previous section), but so far it hasn't happened yet. 

We went to visit his grandfather over the weekend at his nursing home and I'm sad to say that he's not doing very well. At one point he looked at me and very clearly stated "You're pregnant" to which I responded very loudly, "I'm sorry, I'm WHAT?" and he stated again, "you're pregnant" and for three days I thought there may be an inkling that he might have some magical clairvoyance or be some kind of baby psychic that could see something I didn't know about yet. 

Well I'm not and he's not. Because people cannot see into your uterus. 

::Animals have souls ::

(okay I already knew this but I wanted to share this story)

We cut the boys' nails Monday night. Nibbler is really good, he knows he's getting a treat so he just sits there like "hey hurry up, I've got some yummies I need to devour". Squishee? Not so much. Normally, he's my good kitty, so sweet and kind and only getting yelled at when he fights with his brother. He doesn't get into much and only jumps on the kitchen table once in a while. But when you go to cut his nails, he becomes demon kitty, growling, hissing, hollering, kicking, all to the point where I have to grab him by the scruff and hold him while Dave clips his nails while I coo to him, "Mommy's so sorry, you're still a good boy, we just need to do this". 

But Monday night? Monday night Squish and I had a moment. He quietly sat there and allowed Dave to cut  his front nails, then when he moved to the back Squish kicked a little. So I called his name (I was holding him baby style) and he looked up at me and with his big brown eyes, I could tell he was giving in, saying that it was okay for us to clip his nails, that he loved and trusted me and knew we weren't trying to hurt him and it would be okay. Then he rested his head on my chest and let Dave finish cutting his nails. 

I will never forget the look of love and trust he gave me, or how his eyes told me everything I needed to know. It also showed me there was a personality in those eyes, a thinking, feeling, seeing, loving soul. 

::Sometimes the best celebrations are the simple ones::

I got my diploma Monday and when I came home I really wanted to celebrate the occasion. Dave mentioned that after paying bills, we didn't have much money to spare going out. So I "settled" on a free large pizza that we had collected enough stamps for and a viewing of "Mighty Macs" which is a movie about my school's basketball team.  Dave also surprised me with some cheesecake that he had picked up when he was out grabbing the pizza. 

When I went to bed Monday night, I don't think I could have been happier. I spent time with my  husband watching a movie where I got to yell, "I took most of my classes there!" and "That's the rotunda!" followed by "Look out the window, that's where the professor's offices are!" and have some good food, and then have an amazing moment with my one cat who normally prefers his "papa" over me. Life really was (is) good. 

and lastly:

                                         

Christmas Picture Outtakes

I have yet to meet a cat that enjoys being dressed up. All of my cats have hated it, but I knew I had to do something for you guys for my Christmas day post. So I got this great idea to buy Christmas themed hats for the cats. Dave tried to deter me,  he really tried you guys. 

But once I get an idea in my head, it's on like Donkey Kong. 

Before I begin, let me say this. Without even putting them in outfits, its damn near impossible to get two cats to pose together for a picture. They aren't like dogs where you can say, "Sit, Stay" and take the shot. No, cats are then ones telling YOU to sit and stay. 

But anyway, the first time we put the hats on the boys, they were clearly angry. So mad that as soon as we took the hats off, they decided to take their anger out on each other and were all out brawling all over the house. 

It was not fun.

The second time I decided to take pictures, I wisely decided not to put anything on Squish. He really hates it, even more than Nibs, and I'm pretty sure that is why he and his brother were fighting so bad the first time. Which is why you got a shot of him sleeping in front of the Christmas tree. Nibbler hates being dressed up, but since he loves and adores me, he puts up with my antics. 

Anyway, here are some outtakes from my numerous attempts at getting the "perfect" shot...which didn't happen. 

Enjoy!

I believe this is called "The Stinkeye"

Mom, I backed up all the way to the door. Why is this still on my head?

Doesn't the look on his face seem to suggest "The minute you go to sleep, I'm going to kill you"?