I realized a few things today as I attempted to dress myself like a real human being for not only one but TWO "dress nice or be socially inappropriate" events.
First, I do not often dress like a real human being. My life lately consists mostly of going to three place: the dog park, the gym, and the studio. All of these places have a uniform of sorts: dog park attire is jeans that are already dirty and a t-shirt or hoodie; gym is yoga pants or bike shorts and some kind of athletic top or t-shirt; and the studio is dance clothes or something similar to the gym. None of these places require me to look "nice" or wear anything vaguely resembling slacks or dresses. So my options have grown somewhat limited when it comes to clothing that is appropriate outside of these venues, and perhaps Target.
Second, and more applicable to the general public, is that it is so much more difficult for women to dress nicely than men once the weather gets cooler. Now, I will admit that it is unfortunate for men that they have to wear clothing that is hot during the summer. But they consistently have go-to wardrobe items that can work for any event at any time of the year. And there is always the polo shirt for the warmer months when extreme dressed-up-ness isn't required. But when I look in my closet trying to get ready for church in the morning on a chilly October Sunday, I sift past all of the sweaters and jeans, veto all of the summer-y dresses (even with my ugly old black cardigan they just don't cut it), sadly bypass my nice wool dress pants from a million years ago that I am in the process of trying to fit back into, and I am left with about 2 options. If that. What is a woman to do? It seems that my options are either to freeze to death or look frumpy. Maybe I should just stick to the dog park.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
featherpalooza
If it seems like my blog is often about my dogs, then that is because my life is often about my dogs. I'm guessing this is how I will be once I get pregnant, only times... like... a million. But anyway, this is truly a dog story worth sharing because it has illustrations. And a video. If I can figure out how to import a video...
A little backstory: Refer back to the post about the couch. Remember the uncomfortable arms that are lacking in fluff? We made up for this by having three throw pillows. Two are stuffed with cotton and one (I now know) with feather. Libby had done some work on the cotton pillows in the past by chewing on a corner until she had access to the fluff and then strewing it about. So those get put up when I'm not home. But they seemed to have no interest in the other pillow. Until yesterday. This is what I came home to:
Note:
1. The excellent husband I have cleaning up the mess.
2. The trash bag behind the excellent husband already full of feathers.
3. One sad looking dog in her kennel behind the excellent husband.
4. I tried to upload the video, but there was a Blogger error. Not my fault. I'll try again in the future.
A little backstory: Refer back to the post about the couch. Remember the uncomfortable arms that are lacking in fluff? We made up for this by having three throw pillows. Two are stuffed with cotton and one (I now know) with feather. Libby had done some work on the cotton pillows in the past by chewing on a corner until she had access to the fluff and then strewing it about. So those get put up when I'm not home. But they seemed to have no interest in the other pillow. Until yesterday. This is what I came home to:
Note:1. The excellent husband I have cleaning up the mess.
2. The trash bag behind the excellent husband already full of feathers.
3. One sad looking dog in her kennel behind the excellent husband.
4. I tried to upload the video, but there was a Blogger error. Not my fault. I'll try again in the future.
Monday, October 20, 2008
shower the people you love
I am throwing Katie a baby shower in November and have finally gotten the invitations together. All I have left to do is address the envelopes- which in my opinion is the worst part- and then stuff the invites and instructions. I decided to throw a "Baby Through the Ages" shower (My idea, not a websites. I'm very proud of that.) where people will be assigned a certain stage in the baby's first year and then bring a gift that somehow accompanies the milestones in that stage. To help explain the theme and give people their assigned stages, I am including a little poem inside the invitation that I am exceedingly proud of (maybe a little too proud...). It goes as follows:
Baby Through the Ages
Newborn clothes are cute: tiny shirts and teeny booties,
But welcoming a baby includes many other important “doodies”.
There’s keeping baby entertained, as well as clean and dry
And making sure she sleeps and eats so that she does not cry.
So for this baby shower we are helping our friend Katie
By making sure that she’s prepared for all aspects of Baby.
You’ll be assigned a certain stage from Baby Girl’s first year
And that way we will know the Bridges have all the essential gear.
So think about the milestones that accompany your stage
And to find the things that Katie likes, visit Target’s webpage!
Oh, and speaking of showers, there is still a hole in our ceiling. And it's getting moldy. And they came to fix it and said it's still too wet. DUH.
Baby Through the Ages
Newborn clothes are cute: tiny shirts and teeny booties,
But welcoming a baby includes many other important “doodies”.
There’s keeping baby entertained, as well as clean and dry
And making sure she sleeps and eats so that she does not cry.
So for this baby shower we are helping our friend Katie
By making sure that she’s prepared for all aspects of Baby.
You’ll be assigned a certain stage from Baby Girl’s first year
And that way we will know the Bridges have all the essential gear.
So think about the milestones that accompany your stage
And to find the things that Katie likes, visit Target’s webpage!
Oh, and speaking of showers, there is still a hole in our ceiling. And it's getting moldy. And they came to fix it and said it's still too wet. DUH.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
holy...
Ceiling. Yes, that is the update to the rusty-colored, nasty smelling, molding, leaking bathroom ceiling. They cut a huge hole in it. The note maintenance left for me said something to the affect (or is it effect? one of those grammar rules I can never get a hang of...) of "we THINK we found and fixed the source of the leak, will be back to patch and repaint ceiling". THINK?? They certainly should have found it since they now have complete access to the inner workings of the bathroom ceiling. Oy. But it has stopped dripping and causing a nasty rusty mess all over my bathroom floor, bathtub, walls, toilet, etc.
Also, to update freak dog's condition: Baxter "tumor" is getting better. I have to put a warm compress on it a few times a day to keep blood flow going to the area so it does not turn into a cyst... or something like that. What a good mommy I am. The itchiness is due to allergies that have led to some form of doggy acne (I know right). So he gets some Benadryl for that. And a bath.
Also, to update freak dog's condition: Baxter "tumor" is getting better. I have to put a warm compress on it a few times a day to keep blood flow going to the area so it does not turn into a cyst... or something like that. What a good mommy I am. The itchiness is due to allergies that have led to some form of doggy acne (I know right). So he gets some Benadryl for that. And a bath.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
bad and good
Things that are not so good:
1. Our bathroom ceiling is leaking. Again. Granted, the first time it did this we had been out of town for the weekend and it was actually raining in our bathroom when we came home, whereas this time it is more of a steady drip... But still. Oh, and the water is strangely rust-colored. And it got all over my bathroom cleaner bottle. Gross.
2. Baxter has some kind of weird tumor thing on his cheek. I just noticed it Friday and decided to wait to see if it went away over the weekend but it hasn't. So, back to the vet we go. I'm hoping it's allergies or something.
3. I can't remember if we have flyball this week and the director dude isn't answering my emails. Plus it looks like it might rain. Not looking good for flyball.
Things that are good:
1. Meghan came in town this weekend. I didn't realize that I hadn't seen her since the cruise (well, technically we saw each other once in between, but it was brief enough as to not really count). It was nice to have the wonder-threesome together again and be able to catch up and hang out.
2. I think I may have found some apartments that meet both mine and Joe's requirements. The property manager site didn't list prices, but they had lots of apartment, condos, and houses so I emailed them for more info. Some of our friends live in one of the apartment complexes and their rent is pretty cheap for a 2 bedroom. So we'll hope they have something we like available in about 5 months.
3. The weather has been beautiful today. I am all about some fall.
1. Our bathroom ceiling is leaking. Again. Granted, the first time it did this we had been out of town for the weekend and it was actually raining in our bathroom when we came home, whereas this time it is more of a steady drip... But still. Oh, and the water is strangely rust-colored. And it got all over my bathroom cleaner bottle. Gross.
2. Baxter has some kind of weird tumor thing on his cheek. I just noticed it Friday and decided to wait to see if it went away over the weekend but it hasn't. So, back to the vet we go. I'm hoping it's allergies or something.
3. I can't remember if we have flyball this week and the director dude isn't answering my emails. Plus it looks like it might rain. Not looking good for flyball.
Things that are good:
1. Meghan came in town this weekend. I didn't realize that I hadn't seen her since the cruise (well, technically we saw each other once in between, but it was brief enough as to not really count). It was nice to have the wonder-threesome together again and be able to catch up and hang out.
2. I think I may have found some apartments that meet both mine and Joe's requirements. The property manager site didn't list prices, but they had lots of apartment, condos, and houses so I emailed them for more info. Some of our friends live in one of the apartment complexes and their rent is pretty cheap for a 2 bedroom. So we'll hope they have something we like available in about 5 months.
3. The weather has been beautiful today. I am all about some fall.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
sofa
I've decided that I want Ikea and Real Simple to collaborate and decorate my house. Here is the (fascinating) story of how I came to that conclusion.
Joe is in love with our nasty old couch. This couch had spent a great deal of its life out on a porch during Joe's college years (yes, they were those guys). We cleaned it pretty well (and by "we" I mean more like "I") before we moved it into our apartment and also bought a decent, neutral color slipcover since, in addition to being gross, it is ugly. And you can't clean enough to get rid of ugly. But regardless, Joe is in love with it in all of it's nasty ugly glory. When I suggested/insisted that we would need to think about replacing said couch in the not-so-distant future, I really thought he might cry. So being the kind, loving, considerate wife that I am, I agreed to look into getting it reupholstered. To Joe's (and that sofa's) credit, it is relatively comfortable and a good length for napping. I also don't really have a problem with the construction of the couch so much as the fabric and lack of padding in the armrests. I figured reupholstering was a good compromise, and hopefully cheaper than buying a brand new couch.
WRONG.
The woman that emailed me back from a reupholstering company in Athens gave me an estimate of $450-500... for LABOR ALONE! Not to mention that we would have to pay for (and find ourselves) 18-20 yards of good, sturdy (read: expensive) upholstery fabric, an extra fee for pick-up and delivery, etc. So boo to reupholstery, and goodbye to old nasty couch.
So I turned to that wonder-world of cheap yet trendy furniture, Ikea. I figured I could easily find a couch there for around $500. Plus, Baby Bargains, a book I borrowed from the woman I babysit for, says that it is the best place to find a crib and other nursery furniture that is safe, practical, and inexpensive. As I was looking at the website, taking virutal tours of all of the living rooms (and nurseries...) I decided that they should just supply the furniture for all of my house. Then I'll have people from Real Simple come and help me organize, color coordinate, arrange, and just generally make my life better. Good plan.
Joe is in love with our nasty old couch. This couch had spent a great deal of its life out on a porch during Joe's college years (yes, they were those guys). We cleaned it pretty well (and by "we" I mean more like "I") before we moved it into our apartment and also bought a decent, neutral color slipcover since, in addition to being gross, it is ugly. And you can't clean enough to get rid of ugly. But regardless, Joe is in love with it in all of it's nasty ugly glory. When I suggested/insisted that we would need to think about replacing said couch in the not-so-distant future, I really thought he might cry. So being the kind, loving, considerate wife that I am, I agreed to look into getting it reupholstered. To Joe's (and that sofa's) credit, it is relatively comfortable and a good length for napping. I also don't really have a problem with the construction of the couch so much as the fabric and lack of padding in the armrests. I figured reupholstering was a good compromise, and hopefully cheaper than buying a brand new couch.
WRONG.
The woman that emailed me back from a reupholstering company in Athens gave me an estimate of $450-500... for LABOR ALONE! Not to mention that we would have to pay for (and find ourselves) 18-20 yards of good, sturdy (read: expensive) upholstery fabric, an extra fee for pick-up and delivery, etc. So boo to reupholstery, and goodbye to old nasty couch.
So I turned to that wonder-world of cheap yet trendy furniture, Ikea. I figured I could easily find a couch there for around $500. Plus, Baby Bargains, a book I borrowed from the woman I babysit for, says that it is the best place to find a crib and other nursery furniture that is safe, practical, and inexpensive. As I was looking at the website, taking virutal tours of all of the living rooms (and nurseries...) I decided that they should just supply the furniture for all of my house. Then I'll have people from Real Simple come and help me organize, color coordinate, arrange, and just generally make my life better. Good plan.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
20-something manual
Stolen (and altered slightly to fit my own blog, which is admittedly not nearly as funny or clever as hers... I'm working on it...) from one of my favorite blogs, Adventures in Chaos, written by the editor of my favorite magazine, Real Simple.
Things not in the manual for post-college young-adulthood:
-- how to convince your husband to replace a coffee table that has been chewed on by a rescue dog
-- how to convince your husband to rescue said dog in the first place and then continue convincing him it was a good idea when the dog remains ill and costs money
-- finding new friends without the benefit of classes, clubs, meetings, etc.
-- how to make a 600 sq.ft. apartment feel homey without feeling cramped
-- how to keep that same apartment clean when some people don't know how to use hampers
-- cleaning out dog kennels when a dog has... digestive issues
-- craziness experienced during the onset of baby fever
-- actually using all of the yummy produce you buy at the grocery store before it becomes a science fair experiment in the fridge
Come to think of it... maybe this is the book idea I've been trying to think of. Maybe I should write a manual for twenty-somethings... hm. It's probably been done. I shall research. Amazon.com here I come!
Things not in the manual for post-college young-adulthood:
-- how to convince your husband to replace a coffee table that has been chewed on by a rescue dog
-- how to convince your husband to rescue said dog in the first place and then continue convincing him it was a good idea when the dog remains ill and costs money
-- finding new friends without the benefit of classes, clubs, meetings, etc.
-- how to make a 600 sq.ft. apartment feel homey without feeling cramped
-- how to keep that same apartment clean when some people don't know how to use hampers
-- cleaning out dog kennels when a dog has... digestive issues
-- craziness experienced during the onset of baby fever
-- actually using all of the yummy produce you buy at the grocery store before it becomes a science fair experiment in the fridge
Come to think of it... maybe this is the book idea I've been trying to think of. Maybe I should write a manual for twenty-somethings... hm. It's probably been done. I shall research. Amazon.com here I come!
Monday, October 6, 2008
dibs and bax attack
My mother and I were discussing the difficulties of transporting lots of people and stuff in a small automobile. I believe what brought this on was that I was telling her how a friend of mine was wanting to get 3 play-yards before the birth of her daughter so that there could be one at both sets of grandparents' houses as well as at their own house. The reasoning is that the fewer bulky large important items to stuff in the car the better. My concern is that I have a small car and two dogs. What happens, I asked my oh-so-wise mother, when I have to squeeze a baby in there too? And all the baby's crap for that matter? My mother explained to me that I will not be as concerned about the dogs once I'm pregnant, and especially once the baby arrives. In fact, I might not take them with me at all when I travel.WHAT???
Now let me explain that usually to me my mother's word is law. The two of us are ridiculously alike (just ask my poor terrified husband). We agree on pretty much everything. BUT. I simply can not believe that I would suddenly be willing to just forsake my precious pooches. Not that I am saying that my child will not become my first priority. I know that the dogs will sometimes have to take the back seat, pun completely intended. But I can not imagine, at least as I sit here on the couch listening to my two little loves growling and squeaking at each other over possession of a bone, that I would not want them to go everywhere with us as they always do. They are as much a part of my family as... well... as I am! And I want them to be a part of my children's lives as well. Am I over-reacting? Am I wrong?
PS- Did I mention that Libby is a flyball prodigy/champion? I'll have to dedicate an entire entry to that, I think...
Friday, October 3, 2008
bloggerific!
I'm back!
So I've been looking at other blogs... doing research I guess. I was trying to find a blog about a 20-something, married, dog-loving, liberal, artistic woman. Or at least someone who met a few of those qualifications. I really couldn't find any! And then I realized... I was looking for my own blog that I never write in. Maybe someone else is trying to find a blog about being confused about how to transition from having a life map to having to google-map yourself from one place to another. So here we go. Back in action. Greerblog take 2.
Joe and I have been considering buying a house since it is looking more and more likely that we will be staying put for at least another couple of years. Now I know that the real estate market is perfect for buyers right now, but that does not make it any less terrifying that we might be becoming one of those buyers. I really do want a house... well really, I just don't want this tiny apartment which is a bit close to the ghetto for my tastes. And I want a yard and a washer and dryer and an extra bedroom or two... and a dishwasher would be nice. But in all of the research I've done, it's going to be a challenge to find something that meets both of our standards (read: Joe- cheap, Greer- liveable, safe, cute, etc.) while being in a good location and being in our price range. And we have to really start looking in January, which is really not that far away when you get down to it. I guess I should just wait and see what's available then and what has been on the market for a long time by that point. I have a problem with getting ahead of myself. Anyone else find themselves wanting to fast forward to the future even while you're wishing for life to slow down?
So I've been looking at other blogs... doing research I guess. I was trying to find a blog about a 20-something, married, dog-loving, liberal, artistic woman. Or at least someone who met a few of those qualifications. I really couldn't find any! And then I realized... I was looking for my own blog that I never write in. Maybe someone else is trying to find a blog about being confused about how to transition from having a life map to having to google-map yourself from one place to another. So here we go. Back in action. Greerblog take 2.
Joe and I have been considering buying a house since it is looking more and more likely that we will be staying put for at least another couple of years. Now I know that the real estate market is perfect for buyers right now, but that does not make it any less terrifying that we might be becoming one of those buyers. I really do want a house... well really, I just don't want this tiny apartment which is a bit close to the ghetto for my tastes. And I want a yard and a washer and dryer and an extra bedroom or two... and a dishwasher would be nice. But in all of the research I've done, it's going to be a challenge to find something that meets both of our standards (read: Joe- cheap, Greer- liveable, safe, cute, etc.) while being in a good location and being in our price range. And we have to really start looking in January, which is really not that far away when you get down to it. I guess I should just wait and see what's available then and what has been on the market for a long time by that point. I have a problem with getting ahead of myself. Anyone else find themselves wanting to fast forward to the future even while you're wishing for life to slow down?
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