Life Lessons with Sirius.

Three months ago, Sam and I brought this cute little guy home from the local animal shelter home. Aside from being generally great and entertaining, Sirius has also taught us a few things.

1) A comfortable bed makes all the difference. 

 

Seriously (no pun intended), have you ever seen a more comfortable dog? We took him from the shelter, where he just had concrete and a towel to sleep on for the most part, and brought him home to this kingly dog bed. He basically just slept for two days.

2) But never settle, if an upgrade is available.

 

No matter how much he loves his dog bed, he loves my pillows and memory foam mattress more. 

3) Spend time just doing what you love.

For Sirius, it's hanging out in the sun room on his ottoman (aka. dog throne) watching the birds and squirrels in our yard.


4) And remember, always plan adequate snuggle time into your day.

 

It's the most important.

Things I Like About Not-Quite-Spring.

If you have ever spent more than an hour with me and/or you have ever read this blog, you probably know that I like categories, and I really, really like lists. Readings lists, to do lists, lists of synonyms, lists of favorites, lists of my favorite things to do, etc. I could go on.

Anyway, today, I was going to make a list about the many, many things I love about spring, since it's almost here. But since it is still cold and gross outside, I thought pining for spring would be a little depressing. Also, as a person notorious for looking for clues in the past and planning elaborate things for my future, I should probably spend a little time just appreciating today, including the current weather.

It's a little tricky, because it isn't bitterly cold anymore (not that it really ever was in Carbondale), but it isn't exactly pleasant either. It's windy, and it rains about once a day, and I feel like I haven't seen the sun in weeks. But this is a list of the things I like about the current weather situation, so I'll stop complaining and get to it already.

Things I Like About Not-Quite-Spring

1. I can still wear all of my cozy winter scarves. This is a big deal because I have a very cozy blue infinity scarf that I probably wear three times a week because I love it so much. Actually, this is a picture of me wearing it this morning because my house is cold, and we never turn on the heat.

(That's my "I-would-look-more-excited-but-my-house-is-cold-and-it's-morning" face. Right, not complaining. Anyway.)

2. No allergies yet! Hurray! I have terrible seasonal allergies triggered by all kinds of pretty stuff that grows during the spring. So, no flowers yet, but at least I can still breathe!

3. It's chilly enough that I can wrap up in a big cozy blanket anytime of day for no reason and just contemplate life. I can contemplate life anytime of course, but the cozy blanket is definitely overkill during the summer.

4. Still cold enough for hot chocolate, which is officially out-of-date when the song birds start showing up again.

5. Boots of all kinds are fair game, but it's pleasant enough outside that I can wear my nice boots without fear of ruining them.

6. It's still chilly and grayish, but it's finally March and spring is right around the corner!!!!


Alright, that's the best I can do. Maybe it's not the best time of year, but I suppose it's not the worst. I even saw the sun for a little bit today! Now if it would just warm up enough so I can wear a sun dress....

Til next time, kids.

Little Successes.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about all the things I want to do on a regular basis. As usual, the moment I made all these grand plans, life changed up a whole bunch of things, and my unregulated free time was the first thing to go. But, I am a stubborn woman, and I am proud to report that I have pretty much stuck to my list. My house has been surprisingly clean (by our standards anyway), I've painted my nails religiously, I've been super crafty in the past few weeks, and Rjjr gets exercise everyday!

Sure, I've dropped the ball on a thing or two, but I don't worry about it too much. Still not great at the dishes, and my husband is way more into knitting than I am. How could that be, you might ask? After all that huffing and puffing about being productive and getting stuff done and not making resolutions you won't keep, now I don't even care?! Well, that's not quite it. I certainly do care. It's just that my list is full of things that I like to do, my hobbies, if you will. If I worry too much about checking them off a list, it sucks the fun out of everything.

The logic behind "my list of things I started doing last year and would like to continue in 2013," was that I would make time to do all of the things I enjoy, regardless of what life throws at me. Which was good (er, maybe, unintentional) planning on my part! So, if I feel like writing five letters one week, and drawing a lot of things the next, I consider that to be a success. I took time off of worrying about work and school and finances to do focus on my list, and I can say with confidence that I have enjoyed it.

So, without further ado, here are a few of my "list" successes so far:

I made lots of cards! And I've even sent a couple of them so far!

 

I made this necklace! But I did not put it on Etsy, because I like it, and you can't have it. (Just kidding. But maybe not.)

 

I've been practicing my mad typography skillz, yo.

We even got some new pets!!

And, perhaps most impressively, this is the view of my kitchen, at 11:06 this morning. Please take your time noting how tidy and dirty-dish free it is.

Also, I wrote this blog post this morning. Bam.