Insta-Friday #8

My week in iPhone photos.

Little brother. My mom's foster fail, Cutie. 

This week I discovered Foodspotting, and I'm already kind of obsessed. Tortillaria was one of the first restaurants I discovered, and it was near one of my favorite thrift stores. These tacos were as good as they look, and I will definitely be back! 

I got these platters from Salvation Army Thrift Store. I'm not really sure what they're intended for... but I figured I could use them for something. At a dollar a piece, I couldn't pass them up.

Katie and I are kind of obsessed with buying these fake mustaches out of those quarter machines. We like to have them on hand for emergencies...like being stuck in major St. Louis traffic. Slap one of these on and wait for your fellow commuters to notice. Fun for everyone! 

Puffy clouds

Normally I wear long pants so my socks don't show like a dork when I bowl, but it was 102 today, and that wasn't happening. So, I let my Pugs fly free.

My friend told me I looked like a grandpa and not 30 seconds later an old man walked in wearing shorts and knee socks. You couldn't have planned it any better.

 This might be my thrifting score of a lifetime. I spotted this covered dish and thought it looked familiar. I picked it up and it was Pampered Chef, marked only $12!

I knew these pieces go for quite a bit, so I looked it up on my phone and this particular set goes for $85 new. I was so excited, my friend told me I needed to stop talking about it so loud because I had about 20 women eyeing me up. He was certain they were going to tackle me and make off with my find. Luckily, I made it out unscathed.

Reunited. 

I Guess This Means I'm Growing Up

This week I went to Home Depot of my own free will.

I'm pretty sure I've been there more times this year than I have previously my entire life (voluntarily at least).

My mom has always been an avid DIYer, and she would drag me to Home Depot, Lowes, et al. I brooded, I whined... I was a brat.

At the ripe old age of 26, I not only don't dread a trip to the Home Depot... I daresay... I enjoyed it?

Nothing makes sense anymore.

Insta-Friday #7

I NEED these leopard wedges from Target. Need.

New pillow fabric. The chevron kind of makes everyone dizzy, but I wasn't willing to give it up. I've instructed everyone to only look at them with their peripheral vision. :)

Neon pink toes.

I've been eyeing these plastic produce containers at Target for a while, waiting for the Summer merchandise to go on clearance. They finally went 50% off and now they're mine!

Perfect for picking cherry tomatoes from the garden.

Are you proud of what you've done here?

Didn't think so.

Dark skies, thunder and lighting, but still no rain. 

Sorry, lawn. 

I want ALL the trees! 

 I haven't been to Garden Ridge in a really long time, since they stopped selling craft stuff and focused on home decor. Only, it seems they've transitioned from home decor to a bizarre mishmash of cheap crap. I give you Exhibit A. 

 

I Will Never Be As Strong As My Mom

I know most parents say there is nothing worse than seeing your child in pain. If it's worse than seeing your mom in pain, I never want to experience that hell.

I receieved a tearful call this morning that my mom's 14-year-old collie, Princess, had passed away. I immediately drove over to sit with her until the vet opened.

I'm really terrible at comforting people. Like, really terrible. I don't know what to say, I'm not very touchy-feely, so I just sit there like a mute being unhelpful.

Seeing my mom upset completely unhinges me. My mom is the strongest person I know, she is always the one who holds it together for everyone else. How can I possibly compare to that? Her version of losing it is most people on a good day. All I did was drive the car to the vet's office and I nearly had an anxiety attack.

I hope I brought some comfort to her. I hope I can shoulder just a tiny bit of her burden when she needs it. And I hope, maybe, I can be half as strong as her one day.

Insta-Friday #6

My week in iPhone photos.

My first tomato harvest from my patio garden.

Last Friday we went to Cheesecake Factory for a belated 2nd anniversary dinner. The lighting was terrible, but here's my chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake. Ridiculously rich, but so good.

While we were at the Galleria, Jason surprised me by taking me to Coach to pick out a present.

I picked a new wallet, since my current one is literally bursting at the seams. I am absolutely in love with the quilted pattern. I made sure to tell him I wouldn't be mad if he got me this style in a purse for Christmas. 

I did a post about my day at Stray Rescue of St. Louis, but here is a little summary, since all the photos were taken with my iPhone. My mom had brought along her new Canon T3i, only to realize she left the memory card in her laptop!

Monday, I picked my first two cucumbers. 

Then, on the fourth I used my homegrown vegetables to make a salad. It was such a thrill to get to leave tomatoes and cucumbers off my grocery list... yeah, I'm easily amused. 

I also put my mint to good use and made mojitos. Yum. I bought so much fresh fruit at the grocery store this week, I definitely see some fresh fruit mojitos in my future!

I got way too excited when I saw that Arthur was "Recently Added" on Netflix streaming. I started watching this show in grade school and I watched it for years, even in high school. I still enjoy it!

 The weather is disgusting but at least we have good eating during the Summer.

Scrunch face. Pug likes to use his stuffed animals kind of like a pacifier. It seems like he can barely breathe, but it stops his snoring.

 

Dog Day Afternoon

This past Saturday, I spent the afternoon at Stray Rescue of St. Louis 

for their annual Adopt-a-Thon. 

Like a lot of the country, St. Louis is in the midst of a major heat wave. So, the event turned into a sort of a doggy pool party. 

 

Could this girl be any happier?

That is the face of a satisfied dog. 

Besides the baby pools, staff members also hosed down the asphalt to keep paws from getting burned, and the tents had misters attached. Notice the rainbow? :)

Hummus is one of my mom's foster puppies, and has made a couple of previous appearances on Pug Life. He and his siblings were a big hit at the adopt-a-thon, and will hopefully be moving to forever homes soon.

Despite the heat, this was such a fun event. It's so nice for the shelter dogs to be able to get out and mingle with the other dogs and meet lots of potential families. If you can leave a Stray Rescue event without being infinitely happier, you're doing something wrong. I have been lax about getting down to the shelter to volunteer lately, and I need to change that. It makes such a positive impact on my life, and theirs.