Nail Polish

Okay, anyone that knows me knows I am "a little" OCD and I LOVE to organize everything. If I can find a way to consolidate and have things neat, and well organized then count me in. I am always on the look out for new and interesting ways and I would like to share what I have done with everyone. If I could organize for a living I would be one happy camper. My first of many posts on organizing is going to be how I came up with a neat way to store my nail polish and the random little things to do your nails. I am by no means saying all these ideas are original but I haven't seen anything like this. I may see something and put a new spin on it but I will always give credit where credit is due. I came up with this idea when S and I were in West Marine. I was bored, I had already looked at everything that I had any interest in and I was following S down the isles when I looked down and saw all different sizes of these plastic containers and although when I saw them I had no idea what I wanted to put in them, i knew I could find something to use them for. I mentioned to S that I may come back a pick a few of these up he asked what I needed them for and I told him I wasn't sure yet. He said he had a few empty ones at home and I could have them. They are actually used for tackle. One night I was sitting down to paint my nails and pulled out a plastic basket that had all my polish just scattered around and the first thing that came to my mind were those plastic fishing tackle containers.

Open

As you can see from the pictures all my polish fits perfectly and they are organized by color as well. Have more polish than I do? They have larger ones or you can use multiple ones. I am so pleased with how this turned out and I am sure I will be using the containers for so many other things. Stay tuned, more to come........

Summertime Goodies

I love almost everything about summertime. Being outdoors, how nice it is to feel the sun on your skin, bike rides, going on the boat, and being vegan I LOVE all the fruits and veggies that are in season. Don't get me wrong I can honestly say I have things I love about each season but hey it's summer so I will talk summer. Today S and I went to Costco to get a few staples we like to stock up on and as walking around we came upon a nice selection of small seedless watermelons in a 2 pack and then on the opposite side I saw some huge papayas. I would rather eat organic but I could not pass up such a good deal on papayas. We also picked up some fresh pineapple as well. When we got home S had to cut up all the fruit. It seems I am having some coordination problems lately and I think S was worried I was going to cut my finger off. I already had some organic nectarines that I picked up at Whole Foods last week and S cut those up as well. So now we have fresh watermelon, papaya, nectarines, and pineapple. I think I am going to make a couple fruit salads to take on the boat tomorrow but I just couldn't resist having some papaya with fresh squeezed lime now. YUMMY! Now I will have a yummy fruit salad everyday with my lunch. Tomorrow I will get up early, pick up my mom, we will take Bella for a walk in the park, then we will go to Whole Foods to get items for my breakfast smoothie and some things to have for lunch and then after I drop my mom off I will come home make my smoothies and then S, Bella and I will go on the boat. I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

We should be so admirable



Baby Bella



Bella and Daddy

Bella and Mommy

Bella on FL. Vacation

The artical below was given to me years ago and I have held onto it because it is so true.  Even if you aren’t a dog person you should be able to admit that at least one or two parts of this touch you.  Every time I read this I'm always reminded of all the dogs I have known.  Read it and see what you think.



Candy and Freeway II



Sadie



Merlin, Luke and Joanna

Joanna and Lady

We Should be so Admirable:

Editor: If you can start the day without caffeine; if you can get started without pep pills; if you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains; if you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles; if you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it; if you can ignore a friend’s limited education and never correct him; if you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend; if you can conquer tension without medical help; if you can relax without liquor; if you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed or color, religion or politics.  Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog.  Author unknown

Candy and Freeway I

Hannah



Puppy Calvin



He thought he was still a puppy

Lap Dog??????

Merlin, Calvin and Joanna

Grace

Yes he slept in the bed.....

I hope everyone enjoyed walking down memory lane with me, I sure enjoyed it.  It was nice to be reminded of how special each and every one of these dogs were to me.  I am the lucky one because I was blessed to currently have and have had in the past each and every one of them in my life.  I hope everyone experiences the kind of unconditional love a dog gives at least once in their lifetime .

4th of July Fireworks

   HAPPY 4th OF JULY



That is the moon below the fireworks.

I LOVE fireworks and I must say the company I work for puts on a great fireworks display for the 4^th.  Even though I have to work, once the show starts I am able to just sit and watch the show.  Let me clarify my job consist of driving a golf cart in my designated area with my husband as my passenger and we instruct people where they can and cannot walk.  We always have a great time.  My mom usually goes with us and sets up a lawn chair with one of the best seats for viewing the show.  Last night the moon was beautiful and as it was coming up over the golf course it was reflecting in one of the lakes.

I hope everyone had a great 4^th.  Enjoy the rest of the pictures.

Bike Ride

This is a pictue of the basket from Cynthia's web site

S and I love to go for bike rides but we always felt guilty about leaving Bella behind.  I searched everywhere for a bike basket that was sturdy and could hold a dog up to 20 lbs. but everyone I talked to said they had never heard of something like that.  Bella is only 16 lbs. but if I could find a basket that could hold a 20 lb dog then there would be no problem holding Bella.  One Saturday S and I were talking about taking the bikes the next day to Wrightsville Beach and riding around, well this is when I kicked my search into high gear.  I typed in bike baskets for dogs up to 20 lbs and up came a list of different web sites.  There was one that really caught my eye so I clicked on it.  Cynthia’s Twigs (www.cynthiastwigs.com) offered a couple types of baskets that were different sizes.  I found one that could hold a dog up to 25 lbs. and I knew that is exactly what I needed.  She also offered pillows, basket covers and other accessories so if anyone is in need or would love to have a nice basket to carry not only your furry family member but it can be used to carry just about anything.  I did order the large basket that fits on the back of the bike, a pillow and a rack to attach to the bike.  The rack did not fit my bike and when I called Cynthia and explained this to her she was more than happy to let me send it back for a refund.  Her web site is awesome, not only are the products great but there are some great tips on how to get the little one ready to be a passenger on your bike.  I followed the suggestions that were on the web site and now every time Bella walks into the garage she sits by the bike, looks up at her basket (yes it is hers) and lets out a little whimper.  My husband and I did not believe it the first time we saw it.  Don’t get me wrong you need to take several little trips in a not so busy area to get you and your passenger used to how everything feels.  I started out just as suggested by letting Bella sit in her basket around the house.

Every time I would put her in the basket I would sit next to her and constantly pet her and tell her what a good girl she was.  I would only let her sit in the basket for a few minutes at a time because I didn’t want her to become scared of it or feel forced.  It only took Bella two days before she was ready to actually sit in the basket while it was on the bike.  I must say I did take my bike to a local bike shop and I had them put a rack on my bike and then attach the basket.  As soon as S and I got it home I was ready to try it out.  I still continued to follow the advice on the web site.  S was on one side of the bike and I was on the other and we walked Bella up and down the street until she felt a little more comfortable riding in the basket and it worked.  The next evening we went for our first bike ride and we have gone a couple other times since then.  So if you do decide to order one of these baskets for the purpose of riding with your pet please take the advise that is given on the web site it will really help you to help your pet become more comfortable. 

She can move around but not too much.  She is in a harness and then it is attached to a harness (you can get this from Cynthia’s web site) that has a ring in the middle and is hooked on each side of the basket.  S and I bought one of those aluminum alloy carabiner that climbers use and we hooked it to the harness she was wearing and then attached it to the loop on the harness that attaches to each side of the basket.  It is really light weight so she doesn’t have something heavy sitting on her neck or back and they are strong.  I strongly suggest making sure your pet is harnessed in because I have talked to several people that told me how their dog or someone they know had a dog that either fell out or jumped out.  I even talked to one person that said their friend ran their dog over.  From what I can tell Bella has no problem being harnessed in and I feel much better about taking her on rides.



Better view of the harness.  Looks like a happy dog to me.