family portraits.

My friend & I took family portraits of each other for Christmas cards. Neither of us wanted to pay (or could afford) to have professional ones done & we both took a photography class in college. The weather was perfect - 50s, sunny, a slight breeze. This cool abandoned building is right behind her house. It went better than either of us expected - us with Bentley & her with their three dogs. We both were able to find a usable shot for Christmas cards.

red mirror re-do.

I found a little mirror for a few dollars at an antique/consignment store here in town. I thought it was cute & had potential but it was a dirty off white. 

I grabbed my Krylon gloss spray paint in Banner Red & here is the shiney new mirror...

Ikea shelf, vase from TJ Maxx.

Pet Suites.

When we went to the Bengals game a few weeks ago I looked into having Bentley in doggie day care for the day. I looked in the Cincinnati area because it's an almost 3 hour drive & I figured he'd rather spend the time in the car with us than locked up somewhere with strangers. I looked at several websites before contacting Pet Suites for more information. I'd never used boarding or day care for previous pets & this was obviously Bentley's first day care experience so we were a little nervous. Since he was adopted, I was afraid he would have anxiety over being locked in a kennel alone. Maybe it would remind him of his shelter days.

A representative from Pet Suites called me the same evening to confirm our stay & answer my questions. We didn't need reservations; we could drop him off any time. Day care was a flat rate of $19/day & they're open 7a.m. - 8 p.m. 7 days a week! You have to have proof of vaccinations & there are some requirements but one of the main reasons I liked Pet Suites is that the dog is still allowed a play time. With most places, the dog has group playtime & your dog must have a temper evaluation before he is allowed to participate, which is done in advance. At Pet Suites, they have individual play time so your dog can still get some fresh air & blow off some steam. (We were on a short time schedule & couldn't make two trips to Cincinnati for the eval - it wasn't that Bentley wouldn't pass.)

The location was easy to find & the place was super nice. Staff met us at the door, were very friendly, & were good with Bentley. He hadn't started obedience training yet so when they said, "Ok, we're ready for him!" we kind of laughed thinking they had no idea what they were getting into. He had potty breaks & they fed him dinner & they keep a chart on their pets so they can tell you if/when he pooped so you're ready for your 3 hour ride home.

Bentley appeared to have a good time. He was happy to see us, but didn't seem scared or to have any anxiety over the experience at all. There is also a Pet Suites in the Indy area, which will be convenient for us, especially for boarding if we're flying out of town. We will definitely use Pet Suites in the future!

Bengals vs Colts

We went to Cinci for the Bengals/Colts game. The weather was perfect! Sunny - a little windy - & low 70s. Perfect for an outdoor stadium! I love the atmosphere at Paul Brown & fitting in with all my  Bengals fans. We took Bentley to doggie daycare in Cinci & he had a good time too.

last loveliest smile.

for a challenge at Tally Scrapper.

DirecTv

We have finally made the switch & broken up with Comcast. I hate Comast. & that's an understatement.

I have had nothing but problems with them since I first signed up with them in 2009. I moved into my own apartment & set up my own account & got into an argument with them before my tv even worked! It all went down hill from there.

When I moved in here I was glad to cancel my account with them. T already had service with them & it was the same package that I had, but without a contract. We toyed with the idea of switching to satellite a few months ago but got into an argument with the lady from Dish Network who got pushy & T busted out his attorney attitude & she ended up hanging up on us.

We haven't talked much about it since... until our Comcast bill came for the month & they jacked up the cable $20/month (which they are technically allowed to do since we weren't under contract). To which I immediately told T we would not be paying.

Insert DirecTv. We have several friends who have DirecTv & are really happy. I was really excited about getting the NFL Sunday Ticket = all the games = I get to watch my Bengals play! We think we got a pretty sweet deal & we are super happy with it so far. T said when he returned our stuff to Comcast (in the DirecTv box) the lady said we would rethink our decision after our satellite went out with bad weather. I think she's a sore loser.

for adoption.

Bentley offically became available for adoption today!

This is the bio we wrote about him:
Bentley is a male black Lab, about one year old, who just wants to be near people. He is a very friendly boy who doesnt know a stranger. He is also social with other dogs & loves kids. Bentley came to his foster home in early September from a shelter in Alabama. Not much is known about his history, including his name, so to keep with his southern roots he was named after the governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley. He recently weighed in at 64 pounds & the vet said he will be about 70 pounds when he fills out. Bentley is a great companion & a really sweet boy. He quickly caught on to sit and down. He is being crate trained & house broken. He is also learning to walk on a leash. Bentley has a lot of puppy energy & is a very active boy who loves to play. He has the typical Lab chewing behaviors but has done really well at only chewing on his toys & not on anything that he shouldnt. He would benefit from obedience training & will do best in a home with an active lifestyle that allows him a lot of play time.

it's beginning to look a lot like fall decor.



Bentley's 15 minutes.

One of the girls involved in Bentley's transport from Alabama to Indy contacted me about doing a piece for her blog. She features a shelter animal weekly &  Bentley was going to get his 15 minutes of fame!

Bentley

meet Bentley.

We picked our boy up Saturday night. He is a sweetie. They say he is about two years old but we think he is younger. He is so curious about everything & has a ton of energy. He is learning a lot right now. He's learning to walk on a leash, he's being crate trained & house broken, he's learning to "sit" & "come." So far he's only had one accident in the house. He's also learning his name. The shelter in Alabama was calling him Dustin. We chose Bentley after the Alabama governor's name, Robert Bentley. He loves car rides & playing with his ball. He is learning "release." He is neutered & will be getting microchipped soon.

Bentley is a very, very sweet boy. I don't think he is listed on the Love of Labs website just yet but if you are interested in adopting him, please fill out an application on the website.

Bengals game.

Cinci.

We went on an overnight trip to Cinci to catch a preseason game. My team lost, as per their usual, but it was great fun. I thought it may be boring since it was preseason & it totally wasn't.

The next day we hit up an outlet on the way home & scored big. I spent roughly $700... got a great new rug from West Elm, a new purse & wallet from Coach, new Shox for work, & we both got some new winter clothes from Gap & Old Navy. I love outlets & this is the best one I have been to in a while. Definitely worth returning!

ready or not.

What am I doing with these four books I just checked out at the library?

Well, we just got approved to be a foster home for Love of Labs! We should be getting our first foster dog this weekend/next week. I am SO excited!

Fostering is something I have been interested in but unable to commit to with my work schedule & apartment living. Now that we've moved into this bigger place & I cut my hours to part time... we're ready for this new adventure!

getting energy efficient.

Our last electric bill was $180. My boyfriend almost died. I don't even want to think about what the gas bill will be this winter.

Our building was built prior to the 1930s. The windows upstairs are plexiglass & the trim around them is rotting wood so the windows don't even touch the glass. First on our list is new windows. We also have zero insulation. That's second on the list.

I checked out this book from the library. Lots of great ideas! Here are some of the projects I'm working on:

• buy an energy monitor to see which appliances are costing us the most
• buy a Smart Strip so devices can really be turned off when we're not using them
• install a low flow aerator for the faucets
• check the hot water heater temperature
• we already have a tankless hot water heater
• clean the a/c coils
• seal gaps around windows & baseboards with acrylic caulk
• cover all outlets with foam gaskets
• seal the foundation gap with 100% silicone caulk
• add insulation
• check into weatherstripping the doors

We went to Menards this weekend & bought lots of supplies so I could begin my projects. Today I am tackling the foam gaskets! & we've gotten three estimates on new windows so that will begin (hopefully) later this month!

yikes.

photo taken with my phone as we walked down the bleachers to head for shelter

We went to the state fair Saturday evening. On the way down we heard a severe thunderstorm warning was in effect & the storms were in Lafayette. I wondered if the concert would even get started before the storms hit.

We ate an elephant ear & drank a lemon shake up before heading to our seats. We were all the way at the very top. Not good for concert viewing. Turned out to be good for other reasons.

As we waited for the show to start we watched the clouds rolling in. It got darker & darker & I wondered if we should leave. Just then a man came on stage & announced storms were on their way, but the band would be out in a few moments. If they needed to pause the concert, we could all head across to the buildings, but hopefully it would pass & the show could go on.

The clouds continued to get darker & closer & lightning got closer. I started to ask TJ if we should head for shelter now, because by the time the storms actually hit, it would be a madhouse. Several people were heading toward shelter. But before I could form the words, a huge gust of wind came through & rocked the stage. It happened in slow motion. From our seats at the top row we saw the stage sway... & then collapse.

It was like a scene from a movie. I heard hundreds of people screaming. I saw people running. I knew people were hurt. Then the slow motion stopped & everything kicked into high gear. People were running down the bleachers, running from the collapsed stage, running to the collapsed stage. I heard sirens. The wind was blowing debris through the air. People were hunched down on the ground, covering up, bracing for the worst. The wind got stronger & stronger. We started down the bleachers to head for shelter.

We went to the horse barn to wait out the storm. We couldn't see outside but it didn't seem like it rained very hard or for very long.

I found out later the stage collapsed right around 9p.m. We were headed home around 10:30. By the time we got home they were showing video footage of the collapse. It falls so much faster on t.v. than it seemed to in real life. The next morning we heard news that five people were killed & over 40 were injured. Truthfully I'm surprised to hear so many more weren't harmed. There was no way to warn those fans in the first few rows that it was coming down.

It was a scary, scary  night & I have been thinking & praying for all those people.