The Mannequins Become A Family. The Manny Family! {Snap! Snap!}

{Warning! Photo heavy post.} 

Our babies are complete. They've been sanded, wrapped, and given shoes. Cement shoes. {Insert evil laugh here.} Kudos to my Dad for instilling in his daughter knowledge of power tools and the capability of mixing cement. The girls held the mannequins in place while I mixed it up. They got the job of holding them in place (most of the time) until it was dry enough to let go so I could rest my arms for the next batch. Hand mixing cement is tough!

This was our major project for the beginning of summer since things kind of die down for a few weeks. Well - we needed some entertainment!

Myself and Kae all suited up and ready to go. And of course I can't stop laughing behind my mask. Scalpel!

Kae pouring the cement while I wait to do the hard work mixing. I take that back. That chick can definitely wield some power tools and do heavy work.

Kae & Cathy steady Oscar while his shoes dry.

I'm holding Lady Gaga steady. Nice face, huh?

They're all standing!

Introducing! (from left to right) Lady Gaga, Emmy, Oscar. Of course we all put our sunglasses on them. Who could resist?

On the look-out!

Small plants and vines have been planted at their... um, well - feet and they are now proudly standing in front of the flower shop awaiting many a double take and awe struck stare. 

 We of course chained them together with dog run cord and pad locked them up. We don't want the neighborhood or college kids dragging them off or trying to tip them into cars. See - we're responsible with our humans.

What We've Done To The Mannequins (Part 2)

When we last left them, the mannequins still had no plan. We had sanded them down ready to be painted but that's it. . Come to find out - we did not paint them. We discovered that it would take a TON of paint to fully cover them even after they had been sanded. So, we took this awesome woven, plastic mesh and cocooned and bound them with colored wire. The first word that comes to mind with a lot of people is: bondage. Fun, Crayola colored bondage. That sounds about right! Tune in next time to see what happens to our little Manny family!

We ran out of mesh. Now they're just waiting to be fully dressed.

Crazy Things I Get To Do...

...at one of my jobs.

One of my jobs is running a hair salon with my husband. My other job is Chief Minion at the flower shop next door. As Chief Minion, there are a myriad of things that I do.

Today - I sanded off the sheen of 3 mannequins. Yup. You read that right. What is being done with said mannequins is still in the works.

Oh. I also got to grope them...

Gorgeous Allium

Gorgeous Allium I had to take a picture of. These are the size of softballs but they can be as big as a human head.

Book Club!! (or 'How To Avoid The Topic Of Why I've Been Gone So Long')

So, we're just going to skip over why I've been gone for so long (Crazy busy! But isn't that the most overused excuse? Really.) and jump right into the fact that I've joined an online book club and I think you should, too! It is hosted by Michelle over at Dream Home DIY and it couldn't be easier to join. Just send her an email (dreamhomediy@hotmail.com) and 'Bam!' you're in. Online book clubs are the easiest because you can show up in your PJ's at 3am. We may be 10 days into June but you're more than welcome to join now or wait until July.

June's book is: 'Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet' by Jamie Ford.

Check out some reviews and a preview here.

THE Wedding

And what other wedding would I be talking about besides The Royal Wedding. I will be getting up ridiculously early (4:30-5am EST) to watch it live. It's not the same to watch it after it's already over.

I'm looking forward to seeing her dress, hair etc. Very interested in the wedding flowers since I've been working in a flower shop the last 8 or so months. In fact, that's all us ladies at the flower shop have been talking about in our free time. She will be a huge trendsetter for many years with the choices she makes.

Will you be getting up early to watch it live or wait until later?

Puppy Playtime

The last few years Easter has become a quiet, little holiday for Hubz and I. We're 1000 miles away from my family - who have the traditional big Easter dinner but in the same city as Hubz family - who celebrate but in their own little families. (Make sense?) We tend to pick up our favorite snacks and take-out and just stay in. We carried on our little tradition but since it was unbelievably gorgeous out we took the pups outside for a few hours to play. It's been so rainy (April showers bring May flowers kind of thing) that we just couldn't pass it up. Enjoy our play time!

Maya LOVES sticks! We have a whole pile in the backyard just for her.

I put Athena in a tree. Don't worry, it was only a few feet off the ground.

More stick chewing. I can't help myself, she's just too cute. I don't have human kids yet so these are my fur kids. Can you imagine what I'm going to be like when I have human ones?!

She heard one of the neighbor's dogs bark.

Wrestling the stick. Who do you think will win?

Her stance: one foot on one end of the stick and the other out wide to brace herself.

A little tired but still won't let go of those sticks.

Sniffing out the neighbor's dog.

Waiting for Mommy to throw the stick.

The Roasting of Peeps and Demise of Peter Rabbit

I just can't help it. I absolutely love decapitating and dismantling my candy in what I guess you can call some pretty gruesome ways. But it's okay because it's candy and they're cute. It's not like I'm torturing cats and squirrels in my backyard. I'm not mean. I promise.

The other day I roasted some Peeps. That actually turned out to be pretty darn delicious. I had a few more left so in honor of Easter - I roasted the rest of them. And - I took pictures this time. I also picked up the same chocolate bunny I received every year growing up. This time it was for hubz and I to share. See, I told you I'm not mean. We dismantled him together.

It's probably not wise to document the crime but I did it anyway. Here are exhibits A-F.

Super cute and sweet little sugar egg I received from a friend for Easter. I love the little baby chick inside! I included this baby chick to throw you off from the torture of sweet, little confection creatures to come.

Exhibit A: Peep before the roasting.

Exhibit B: Peep after meeting my gas stove.

Exhibit C: Peter Rabbit. He had no idea what he had coming.

Exhibit D: Hubz ate his feet while I consumed his eyes and stabbed him in the head with his own carrot.

Exhibit E: Next up - off come the sacred ears.

Exhibit F: Buh-bye Peter Rabbit. That's what you get for stealing from the garden.

On that note -whether you celebrate the Christian Easter, Passover last week or the non-religious, Easter Bunny part of Easter - I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and Easter!

Peep Brûlée!

It's that time of year - well almost the end of it now - where little sugar covered marshmallows in Spring colors and shaped like baby chicks and little bunnies. Peeps! Every year around this time there is always the conversation of how do you eat yours. Most people bite their heads off, some just eat it, and others get a bit more creative. I fall into the latter category. After hearing that my best friend blows them up in the microwave and then makes s'mores out them, this got me thinking. What if I roasted them just like a marshmallow? With all that sugar on the outside it could turn out just like one of my favorite desserts. Crème brûlée.

*This could get a little graphic for all you Peep lovers.

So - I took a skewer, poked it through the Peep's little head, turned on my gas stove and began to roast the little sucker. The pink sugar started to brown and bubble up a little, turning into a nice little crust (I decided not to post a picture because it didn't look very pretty). I didn't want to set it on fire because in my opinion burnt marshmallows are not all that tasty. They turned out pretty good. Not quite crème brûlée but more like a regular roasted marshmallow where the outside is a little crispier. If you like Peeps, I highly recommend roasting them. Plus, it's just plain fun.

What's your favorite way to eat Peeps?

A Story About A Pup That Licks Everything

Yes - everything. Maya (see picture to the right) is a lovely little year old pup who has become the apple of our eyes. Well, one of them. She is filled with so much love that sometimes she just can't contain it in her tiny little body. One way of showing her love is by licking. But it doesn't just stop with the hubby and I. Shame on us for being bad dog parents. We thought it was so endearing that we didn't curb it when we should have. She now licks just about anything she comes across and it's usually when she's pretty excited. From the floor to our legs, the couch to the front door, even my laptop screen. I have had many a nose print and some doggy drool to whip off my screen. Gross. I know.  So now we're trying to train her not to lick everything that's in front of her face. Wish us luck. In the meantime, see the evidence of The Incredible Licking Dog!

See the worn off spot? 

But we forgive her. Because, really - how can you not love this face?

Why TV Commercial Songs Are {Mostly} Evil

Most of us would agree that 90% of TV commercial songs or jingles annoy the ever-living daylights out of us. Don't get me wrong - they can be quite catchy. But then the 'catchy' burrows a little hole in your brain and stays in there for an undisclosed amount of time. All of a sudden the commercial comes on - BAM! Your brain shorts out for a second with irritability.

I woke up with this one stuck in my head and I actually don't mind. It's called 'Don't Hide Your Shine' by Matthew Ray from the new Old Navy dress commercial. There's something about it that is more 'song-on-the-radio' than 'cheesy-TV-jingle'. I would like to know if the kid in the commercial is the one singing or if he's just an actor lip-syncing. Either way, who ever is singing isn't half bad. It's regular Top 40's stuff but I like that sometimes. If he put out music other than commercials, I might be interested in downloading it.

Just a moment...

"Your real friends don't have to be the ones you spend the most time with - just the ones you have the best memories with."

Came across this quote and not sure who it's by. It made me think of my best friend, Michelle. We've known each other for over 10 years now. We may go weeks without speaking, years without seeing each other but we have remained the best of friends. We always seem to pick up where we left off. Life has been far more fun and interesting with her in it. Thought I'd give a little shout out to one of the best girls I know. :)

Book Review: 'Palaces & Calluses' by Rebecca Woodhead

Rebecca Woodhead's debut novel 'Palaces & Calluses' is in one word - amazing. That's right. I said it. Amazing. Her writing has this easy way about it. Her words make you feel as if you're listening to a dear friend tell a story over a cup of tea. So comfortable and at home.

She wastes no time throwing you into the story of a young woman coming into her own. Finding her inner strength with the help and support of family, friends, a protective and lovable border collie named Rock, and some unexpected people - both good and bad. It is a book you'll never want to put down until the end and then leaves you wanting more. Fear not. 'Palaces & Calluses' is the first book in the 'Cotswold Chronicles' series. If her first book is this amazing, you can only imagine what she has in store for us next.

Purchase her book here. On sale for £2.99 - roughly $5 converted - until April 20th! After, it will be £4.99 or approx. a little over $8.

I'm ba-ack!

No, really. I am. For real this time.

This is only a little post as I am saving my first "real post" for something & someone special. This one is special, too but the other one ranks higher.

For anyone who is still following I pose a question. The blog needs to be renamed. It needs an overhaul really and I believe a name is near the top of that list. I have exhausted my pretty, little brain about it and nothing I can come up with sounds interesting.

So... any ideas?

MIA

Wow, I can't seem to get to my computer lately. I've been so busy I haven't been able to get a look at the computer much less turn it on. It's only been 17 days since my last day of worked and it has flown by! There has been so much going on, it's truly unbelievable. We'll start at the beginning and make it in bullets so we don't have a ridiculously long post.

- Unpacking! Tons and tons of unpacking and organizing and I'm still not done. There has been so much to do and it's been nice taking my time doing it. I've always hated moving and trying to fit things in the couple hours at night or the short weekend.


- Trip to the Jersey Shore. We went to Ocean Grove, NJ with my family the Sunday after the Fourth of July and had so much fun. Hubby had never been there before but I spent my summers growing up here. It was nice to show him where some of my childhood memories were made.

- Camping trip with his family. It was mostly cousins but some of the aunts and uncles came as well as his parents and we had a blast. The weather was great - no bugs! Nice and warm (but not too warm) during the day and chilly enough at night to put on a sweatshirt and sit around the campfire. We made s'mores, played games and swam in the lake. Great memories were made and we plan on doing it again next year.

Here comes a big one...


-We're opening up a salon! Hubby is a master stylist for many years now but took a five year hiatus. He's been interested in getting back into it but nothing seemed like the right time. We over the past few months everything has fallen into place. We found a great little store two blocks from our house in a perfect intersection that we have been remodeling now for about a week. It was completely empty when we signed the lease but a lot needs to be done. I've been taking pictures along the way and will create a post to show everyone the transformation process. We're so excited and this is what has been taking up a great deal of my time. That and finally getting some QT with hubby. It's nice that we're on the same sleeping schedule again :)


-Trip to Florida. Which is where I am now. Probably the reason why I have the time now to finally get a post out. It's been nice spending some time with my family even if drama has ensued occasionally. Well that person is gone now and we can all have fun! I have a couple more days (leaving on Sunday) with my dad, step-mom and two step-brothers (that are like my own) here in St. Petersburg before I head down to Naples/Ft. Myers area to visit my mom and my grandparents and the rest of the family. I'll be there until next Wed. when I head home. I'm actually really looking forward to going home (sad, I know) since we have so much to do wth the business. I'm going to try and get some work done from here next week - lots of phone calls to make!

I'm pretty sure that's it for now. I've been taking tons of pictures from everything we do, I just have to fnd a little time to get everything in order. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!!!

P.S. Athena is doing great! Definitely enjoying her summer and new home. She's very excited to have Mommy home more often to play and lounge around with. She wasn't able to come down with my, she's at home with the hubby (who also couldn't come down either. Some on had to stay and work :P). I miss her so much!

Summer Vacation To Do List

I will be taking the month of July off before going back to work. Or job hunting is more like it. Here are the things that have, so far, found their way on my list of things to do over vacation.

1. Unpack! We're moving this weekend and my first day off will be filled with copious amounts of unpacking, organizing and telling my husband he's not allowed to put away/organize my kitchen stuff because he just can't seem to get it right. In my brain, he's not organized enough. Could be my OCD.
2. Begin writing my first novel. I've written many short stories and some poetry along the way, but I feel the need to challenge myself to a full fledged novel. Still debating on whether to start my idea or co-write with a family member on the games & imagination of our childhood.
3. Finally finish scrapbooking my wedding/honeymoon albums. It's horrible that we've been married almost two years now and I'm less than halfway through the wedding album. It takes me so long to choose the "right" pictures to go in there. I always feel like I'll be leaving something out. Not to mention, they only have so many wedding scrapbook decorations and I've probably used them all!
4. Trip to the Jersey Shore! I will be taking a one and a half day trip to the Jersey shore. This quaint little Victorian town is where I spent every first week in August during my childhood. So many great memories and some of the family will be going back. We've changed it to the weekend of July 4th to coincide with: 1) missing jellyfish season and 2) most of the extended family will be there as well. Last year was the first time we've been back in about 10 years.
5. Trip to Tampa, Naples & Ft. Myers, FL. Very excited to go down to FL and see my family. I haven't seen them since the beginning of April and it's been far too long. I'm so excited to see my new baby cousin Avery and be able to spend much more time down there. I will not be looking forward to the heat and humidity though. But it will be nice to see some sunshine and listen to the ocean.
6. Camping trip with my husband's cousins. I guess they used to take these great camping trips together (as did my family) and we all want to do that again this year. I'm looking forward to it. I always have such a great time with his cousins and again haven't been camping here in NE since childhood.
7. Trip to Cape Cod. My husband and I will be visiting some friends and having a little bit of a romantic trip to the beach. We need a little time for ourselves :P

I'm seeing a trend here...lots of trips!

I think this is about it...so far. We're very spontaneous people and love a good adventure. Not sure if we'll have time for more but if it's something we want to do - we'll make it work.

What are your plans for the summer?

All Dogs Go To Heaven...Rocks Do Too!

The first time I tried posting this, all the pictures loaded backwards. So here it is for real :) I'm sure this really didn't happen especially since the cars in the background didn't change. Either way, it's still wicked funny regardless of your religion.

Best Book Ever

Last year my brother gave me a book to read called "Rescuing Sprite" by Mark R. Levin. My brother hasn't suggested a book for me to read since...well, I can't even remember. We both grew up loving books and I do mean loving them, but we didn't usually have the same taste. When he suggested it he told me this one was one of the best books he has ever read and I really took what he said seriously. I read the entire book that night and have never laughed so hard and cried so hard at a book in a long time if ever. Reading the entire book in one sitting wasn't hard to do. It was a fast read and a relatively small book with print a little on the bigger side. It was an amazing story though about a man, his family and their relationships with their dogs. This is a true story that every dog lover and pet lover for that matter should read. I can't say anything more about it or I will give the story away completely. All I can say is when I was reading the book my husband was sleeping next to me on the couch. I was crying so hard that he woke up thinking something bad happened. I was in hysterics. But don't let that scare you away from reading this book. (I'm also a little bit of an emotional person so that could be why I cried so hard.) I can't say enough good things about it. It has touched me in so many ways and made me look at life differently. It also made me appreciate my little fur baby more than any words could ever describe. Dogs really do have a special unconditional love for their owners and the bond is one-of-a-kind. Either way, I recommend this book to everyone but make sure you have a big box of tissues next to you. Let me know what you think of this book after you've read it and if you have already, did you feel that same way I did? What are your thoughts about the book?

Click to read synopsis and reviews.

As promised...

...more pictures of Athena! We had such fun this weekend playing outside. There is a small hole in our fence that is the perfect size for her head. She loves to just pop her head through and see what people are doing on the other side. It's hard to get pictures of her when she runs so fast. Hope you all enjoy her as much as I do!

BBQ Fun

Friday night after work we had an impromptu BBQ. We came home to one of our neighbors grilling and it smelled so wonderful! Mind you, we don't even have a grill. So we started out evening with two destinations in mind...well three. The grocery store, local hardware/outdoor store and the liquor store. Hubby made some wonderful kabobs, burgers and rice pilaf to top it off. Athena had running around the yard and watching is out the window.

Pic 1 - Yummy kabobs hubby grilled
Pic 2 - Athena staring at us
Pic 3 - Athena watching our friends outside
Pic 4 - Smile for the Camera!