advice: especially for my fellow dog lovers.

diddle, abby, dutch

i'm not sure when i learned this, but it's something i had never really thought too much about.  now that i know, i can't believe it never crossed my mind and i feel sort of foolish.

please, please, please, be smart about walking your dog on a hot afternoon this spring & summer, not only because of the hot temps, but because of the hot pavement.  heat travels through the pads of their feet and can ultimately overheat the dog and kill him or her. if you must walk them, try the grass.

in the summer i normally walk dutch in the mornings because the roads and sidewalks are still cool from the nite before.  about eleven or so, they really start to heat up and stay warm until the nite.  even some evenings they can be pretty hot. i always reach down and touch the sidewalk with my palm to see how hot it is before we set out on our journey.

this really isn't something that most people probably think about, but i know a person who accidentally overheated their dog and he ended up dying.  isn't that terrible?!  this person felt awful, but he never thought walking on a hot sidewalk would be a bad thing.

we can wear shoes, but unfortunately dogs pads take the brunt of it all.  i have seen doggy shoes for times like this, but it's smarter just to walk in a cooler environment. 

there is my bit of advice for the day.  hopefully this is something you can use for the upcoming months to protect your pooch!

pretty polish for a wedding. ♥

today one of my best friends from nursing school is getting married.  it's going to be a beautiful outdoor setting at a countryside winery. 

i figured i needed to spruce up my hands a bit and give them a coat of polish.  if you remember this post, i have way too much polish, but as i was sifting through it this morning, i found a polish buried at the bottom that i bought almost 10 years ago i would say.  the paint job itself doesn't look so spectacular, but the color sure is.

the color is so pretty, somewhat like a dark pinkish-red. i used to buy mac's polishes on occasion and always loved this one.  even after almost 10 years, it was like brand new.  there was no gooeyness and i only had to apply one coat. 

i'm sure i'll be using this one a few times over the course of the spring and summer, but i'm still planning on keeping my toes sans polish!

life lately, thru photos.

it's been a pretty nice last week, or so.  i had a mini-vacation, where i just stayed around here, but i had a lot of fun. 

there were a couple celebrated birthdays, book club gatherings, hockey games, concrete cake, movies, having fun, walking, and nice weather.

here is some of what was captured.

 

 

such a happy time.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SPRING

1.  sandals
2.  an extra hour of sunlight
3.  the smell of bbq grills
4.  blooms & buds
5.  thunderstorms
6.  open windows
7.  spring cleaning
8.  flower pots
9.  tank tops
10.  chirping birds
11.  sun on the skin
12.  improved moods
13.  sunnies
14.  spring sales
15.  green grass

besides the obvious like warmer weather & getting out of winter - what are some of your favorite things about spring?? i know there are more than what i have listed!

it's a chocolatey kind of day.

it's easter.
a day for celebrating.

today i'm celebrating because i get to eat chocolate again after living chocolate free for over two months. haha, two months.  it may not sound like much, but it really is. i would give almost anything for a taste of the sweet, rich, yummy flavor. i'm hoping to get kisses, reese's eggs, and snickers in my basket this year.   i was eating chocolate in excess and needed some control, so since about january i've been trying to be good.

i do this little willpower thing a few times a year and i really am proud of myself for it.  so today i finally get to eat some.

but,
it's also going to be a pretty day spent with family, sunshine, hopefully warmer temps, and probably a prayer or two.

there's much to be thankful for and much to be prayed for, as well.

i hope you find some things to be thankful for on this easter day.

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cute, little punxsutawney phil, LIED!

oh yes, he sure did.

what happened to an early spring?  here in these parts, it is supposed to be upwards in the 50s and 60s.  unfortunately it's been in the 30s since i can't remember when, and it's getting old.  to make matters worse, it snowed all day yesterday and we got about a foot of snow.  i don't think i've ever seen this much snow in my life!

i love snow, but i don't even feel like getting out and playing in it much. i am just ready for spring and warmer weather!  i see so many pictures of people in spring clothes, being outside, and having a tan and i have cabin fever.

nonetheless, it sure does make for a pretty scene and here are a few photos i snapped.

 what's the weather like where you live??

into the swing of more light!

i have a love/hate relationship with this day.

i dislike it, not only because we lose an hour of sleep or partying, or whatever we may be doing at 2a, but i feel groggy for the day.  my day starts out feeling a bit wasted because it's already an hour later.

but, i love it for the fact that spring is near, it won't be getting dark until about 7ish, and it puts me in a better mood!  here we come longer days, warm weather, and pretty colors.

have a great day!

saturday morning daydreams

I saw this cute post idea somewhere, but for the life of me can't remember where it was.  Oh well.  

Sorry if whoever sees this thinks I stole it, but I can't place the blog. .. .

I daydream a lot.  

Like, I probably spend a third of my day in la-la land, so I thought, why not share some of my daydreams.

This morning I have been obsessing about finding a couple dresses for upcoming events.  I ran across this boho clothing site from pinterest [where else??], and I think since the pinterest craze has hit, sites have been bombarded and things are scooped up in record time.  Same with this site.  It's really frustrating, but I'll just keep checking back for in stock items. 
In the meantime, here are some of my favorite dresses.

Which is your favorite?

welcome, spring.

I know the first day of spring happened a few days ago.

I don't want to be rude it not welcoming her, so better late than never.

I welcomed spring with a nice case of strep.  

It hasn't been too awful, just a sore throat really, but

that's ok because I'm on the mend and luckily my days off fell perfectly and I enjoyed some family time and

 the sunshine.

 

I was just thinking of a few things I have that I'm excited to wear with this crazy warm weather we've been having.  Sure, I am a warm weather girl and love it wholeheartedly, but come on...

spring just arrived and we're having summer weather already.

I know this can't last long, but the forecasts prove me wrong each time I watch...

 

So, until it goes back to highs in the 50s, I'm going to pretend we're already in the swing of things and bust out these few pieces.

 

 

one.

This is one of my favorite perfumes.  It's Greenify by MAC and unfortunately they don't make it anymore.  [They luckily brought back my other favorite, Turquatic, though....yay!!!]  As you can see, this is almost gone and it makes me so sad, that's why I use it sparingly and save it for spring.  It smells just like a warm, sunny, green day.  I love earthy, nature smells and this one is pretty amazing.  I used it once last week and I'll probably save it for a weekend nite out for next time.  It pairs perfectly with my staple, patchouli, as well.  Blessed to have this bottle!

two.

Normally the only pink I like is bright, neon pink which looks perfect on summery, tanned skin.  These, however, will look alright with my still pasty white, wintery skin.  These are relatively old.  I never wear them (maybe even just once), but I saw them the other day and decided to give them a try in the next few days or week.  The one on the left is called Conquistadorable and the right one is Party in My Cabana.  Suitable names, I suppose.  I prefer bare nails and have an abundance of expensive polish, so I guess for the next couple of weeks, I'll have to adjust to having pink on them.  I will manage.

three.

My feet and toenails are in no shape for sandals yet, so until then I think I'm going to resort to these cuties.  I have had them for a few months and never had the chance to wear them.  I think they are just the cutest and will look good with so many different outfits, well except my work scrubs.  I hope these bad boys aren't worn out by the end of summer because I can see myself wearing them quite a bit over the next several months!

four.

The last few weeks my yard has been exploding with daffodils.  It's a shame that they come and go so quickly, but I have enjoyed seeing them stick around for as long as they have.  I think this one just looks so beautiful.  My yard is happy to have them around. 

So there you go.  A few things I am excited to put to use.  

What are you looking forward to??

stepping into spring...

It's so unseasonably warm here, it's crazy.  I think the normal temps are around 55 or something, but today it's going to be in the 80s.  That doesn't happen for another month or so normally.

I'm not complaining, except for when I have to work 12 hours and can't enjoy - like the next 2 days.

This crazy weather has be itching for spring and constant warm temps, dreaming of vacations, and planning outdoor things.  But it also has me obsessing over new clothes, shoes, and accessories.

These are some of the shoes that I'm wanting to spruce up my wardrobe with.  I'm wanting to get a few new styles and ran across these shoes that I think would be perfect additions.

What do you think?

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Sorry for the huge blank, white space after the picture, but I have no idea what the hell happened....