The Crazy Dog Lady (who also edits things)

If you have been reading this blog for very long... or if you follow me on Instagram... or interact with me in person... you know that I've been precariously balancing on the precipice of becoming 'that crazy dog lady' for some time now.

I mean, can you blame me? Look at this sweetness:

Anyway. Recently, the smartest and I have been discussing trying to get out and see a little more of Oklahoma. There are state parks and lakes and tall trees and rolling hills, all just out there, waiting for us to enjoy them. But every time we started talking about taking weekend trips or even really long day trips, I would point out that we would have to find someone to watch the dog. And we already ask our friends/family to watch her way more than we should, and we need to save the favors we have for the really big holidays, so that puts us in a bit of a corner.

We decided that we would just bring her. But we can't leave her in the car, because it'll be hot. We can't leave her in the tent because she might blow away. And she can only walk a couple of miles before she lays down all pathetically like she might perish if she takes another step. So...














We bought me a crazy lady dog harness.

Yeah. I'm officially that girl. That girl who carries her dog like a child. However, I am also that girl who gets to go places and do what she wants, so I'm ok with it. In case you were wondering, the puppy loves it. LOVES it. She thinks that hiking makes her a big dog- and she loves hopping in the grass, and jumping over the little tiny sticks that to her feel like huge logs. And she very much enjoys being carried when she gets tired 6 minutes later.

In other news- I'm editing things. And its hard, partially because the puppy likes to lay in my lap, and that requires my lap accommodating ten pounds of fluff, my large binder and my laptop simultaneously. But mostly its hard because I'm trying a new path to editing that makes me question every literary choice I've ever made. Which is good. Mostly.  Maybe. I'll get back to you on that.

Painting, painting, and doors

I mentioned last week (here if you missed it) that I spent my week/weekend painting the living room. I painted it the same color that it was already, partially because I honestly thought the paint I had was more of a gray than a white, and partially because I already had a plethora of paint that needed using that had been bought for other things. Here are a couple (terrible) before photos:

And here are a couple of after photos:

It looks good, but the same. I've never bothered to paint a room the same color it was before, so this is new. I'm sure there's a deep lesson in there someplace, about change being beneficial even if it isn't immediately noticeable. To make it more noticeable, I rearranged the artsy pieces around the room and added some new ones.

I finally took the plunge and worked on the door paintings. I didn't have even a slight plan as to what I would do, which is always a dangerous kind of fun. I didn't take photos of the process partially because I nearly always look back and wish I had stopped 5 steps shy of where I ended up, and partially because my hands were (and still are) so caked in paint I can hardly function.

I thought that they were finished, so I brought them inside. And hated them.

 

So I hauled them back outside and had another go at it on Sunday morning. And this time liked them much better.

50/50

This morning I took one of those quizzes that come up on Facebook. You know the ones, things to tell you if you have an above average memory, or what your underlying personality type is. This one was right brain vs left brain, so being of artistic mind, I was naturally intrigued (see quiz here).

I expected to be all about the right brain. I am a little chaotic and twirly, and most of my interests center around reading... writing... designing... music... and an unhealthy attachment to my dog. I do not like math. I do not like hard questions about life and the affairs of men. When playing strategy board games, my strategy is usually to make big, bold moves and have fun while losing everything.

But I am also compulsively early, like to keep my workspace semi-neat-ish, follow recipes (sort of), and dislike math problems involving shapes.

All of this to say, that my brain is divided 50/50. Though if you ask me, at this present moment, its divided 20/80, the 80 being the percentage that still needs to be soaked in coffee for an hour before I become a tolerable human.

Things my computer thinks

When I took up the writing mantel roughly a year ago, I think my computer started having some serious doubts about my mental condition. In the span of a month, I went from Googling wall colors, recipes and skinny jeans to hunting through lists of flower names, searching for 'girl with brown braid in winter' and 'guy with blonde hair'... and still skinny jeans. For me, I mean, not the blonde guy. Like this photo, from my permanent collection:

I started reading writing blogs and searching through writing contests and visiting twitter (gasp! I know. I'm not much of a social media gal unless you count Instagram, but you do what you must). My phone, which stalks me very effectively, is now divided into writing blogs that I frequent, notation of the next upcoming Thunder game, and informing me that I have lost my sweet mind. Oh, and since I have recently started Googling names for a new set of characters, it now thinks that I am expecting, and apparently wants very much to help me in my search for the perfect baby registry. Not pregnant, Google. Just trying to give birth to a new manuscript over here... though I can see why you'd be confused.

My computer also thinks that I am very susceptible to marketing. The worst part of that being, of course, that I AM very susceptible to marketing. Maybe if I take a month and focus on just Googling writing related things without the occasional link follow into the realm of women's fashion, Google will start suggesting books to read instead of really cute brown wedge booties that I probably can't pull of.

And if all of that hadn't convinced my computer that I am descending along a spiral of insanity with writing as the prize, I have roughly 38 documents created since last June in my Google Drive that pertain to books, querying, query tracking, drafts and ideas. And, since I am an artist at heart, some of these are named things like "Copy of Copy of Edited Copy of Book v2" and "From the CO car ride." Don't worry, when I set up the 8 new documents for the super secret new project, I named them things that actually made sense. See? I'm an evolving creature indeed. Speaking of driving places while writing (the smartest does the actual driving, by the way. Don't write and drive, folks, or you might end up in Narnia). Driving produces photos like this, which are their own kind of inspirational.

The soft-dressed woman

Yesterday, the smartest and I went to buy him jeans. While I am the type that likes to have a variety of colors of jeans, and enjoys jean-hunting at the thrift store armed with beady eyes and a tenacious attitude, the smartest really only requires a pair or two of similar jeans to survive life. Yet another way that we are deliciously different.

Naturally, while the smartest is hidden away in the dressing room, I take to the clearance racks. Because I have to know. I have to KNOW what kind of prices there are and if there is a $3 shirt hidden amongst the racks (spoiler alert- there WAS). I sifted through a couple of racks and found myself with an armful of things to try on while waiting for the smartest to emerge.

Upon entering the dressing room and hanging my clothes on the rack, I realized something very important about myself.

I am the soft-dressed woman. You've heard of the sharp-dressed man? I'm his fleecy, snuggly counterpart.

I no longer make fashion choices based on appearance. I make them based on texture. I've known this for awhile. I like soft things. I have ALWAYS like soft things. When I was a child, there was a panda bear sweatshirt dress that I wanted to wear every day for five years. I didn't... but I wanted to. In high school, I took a turn wearing things because I liked how they looked, but that was also when I curled my hair on a daily basis and truly believed in my heart that wearing a skirt over jeans was a great look to go for.

I no longer care if what I wear is making a statement, unless that statement is "don't you wish you felt as cozy as I look right now?" I counted the items on the rack that I had grabbed, and here is the breakdown:

- one sparkly
- one plaid
- one floral (and $2)
- five fleece (4 shirts and one pair of pants)

Don't worry, I contained myself. And by contained myself, I do mean I picked my favorite fleece, and then hunted high and low for a second one, because when you are part amazon woman and find arms that are long enough to fit you comfortable that ALSO feature thumbholes... you buy more than one.

I am the soft-dressed woman. Hear me roar! And come cuddle with me, because I am most definitely warmer than you are.

A smooth faced, pale fingered leather etcher

1). Have I ever mentioned that I have Raynaud’s Phenomenon? That sounds way more exciting than it is, actually. It means that occasionally and at random times my fingers turn white and go a little numb. Lately, it has been mostly the tip of my middle finger, but occasionally it'll spread through my whole hand. Typically it is brought on by stress or by cold. When I was in California recently, both of my hands went completely white thanks to a perfect storm of panic over riding a roller coaster and the, ahem, brisk, morning temperatures. 

2). I got a new phone a couple of weeks ago, and apparently took a bunch of photos with an auto-beauty setting turned on? It makes you look creepy smooth. Which is cool, but I really don't mind that I have pores, so it really freaked me out until I figured out what was going on. See the hat? Totally normal texture. See the subtle glow of my skin? In no way have I ever looked that smooth in my life.

3). Over Christmas (well, a little before Christmas) I bought a wood burning kit. I used it to make cutting boards for the family, and even practiced a little leather work. Most importantly, I did NOT light myself on fire, much to the surprise of everyone involved. 

I want to bite the muffin man

The smartest and I are on a health kick. I know, I know, we health kick every couple of weeks it feels like... only to be slowly seduced and led astray by soda, chocolate and the all important Chili's chips and salsa with ranch.

The smartest and I decided that we were in need of a bit of a life style change, so we decided to start a new eating regime in September (notice how I didn't say "diet", because the word "diet" sounds nowhere near as awesome as "eating regime"). We are trying some new things, including tracking our fitness and having a bit of competition between the two of us.

Shockingly, its actually been pretty fun so far. Something about being in competition with each other reminds us to be a bit more active, so we have been swimming more, playing soccer, and even ran a 5K last week (in the pouring and rather chilly rain), just for fun. Though my calves STILL aren't sure it was fun.

We have also opted to limit the grains/sugar/carbs that we consume. So we are trying to stay on the meat/veggie/fruit side of things. No bread. No chocolate. No snow cones. Here's what our house looks like these days after I hit the grocery store:

Shockingly, I haven't chased a bread truck down the street yet. But don't worry... it is still early. I may yet find time in my day to bite the muffin man.

A couple of things that we have discovered so far:

- The smartest likes mangoes
- I like grilled squash
- When you don't eat sugar, ripe fruit really does start tasting incredibly sweet
- Between the 2 of us, we can consume roughly 10 bananas in one week
- Friendly competition is an excellent motivating tool

We are definitely seeing some results- I, for example, can feel that we are eating less salt because my wedding rings fit the way that they did when we got married. We both feel quite a bit better most of the time- which isn't to say that we don't also feel hungry ALL the time, but we definitely feel better. Here are a couple of the recipes that we have tried variations of and liked:

Chicken tenders with avocado sauce  
One Pan Chicken 
Squash


Wish us luck as the Halloween Candy starts sneaking on to the shelves!

3 Years of Bliss (and stuff)

As of yesterday, the smartest and I have been hitched for 3 years. 3 years you guys. Does it feel like longer than that to you? Technically we've been together for a bunch longer than that, but our wedding feels like eons (that's right, EONS) ago. We're diggin this whole marriage thing, though, I have to tell you. (And not just because the smartest single handedly made the most delicious steak I've ever eaten in all my life yesterday.) Per our tradition, we snapped a selfie with our trusty wedding vows in front of the new house to commemorate the year. We added it to the collection, which now looks like this:

House Update: Office

In honor of your incredible patience on the utter lack of photos we have provided of the new digs, today I have a little peek at the room I spend 90% of my time in...

The office!

When we found the house, the office looked like this:

I didn't love the purple. And by didn't love, I mean truly hated. This was one of the rooms we painted in the 2 day period between "yay the house is ours" and "oh crud, we have to move everything we own". That's how motivated I was by the purple, ya'll.

The puppy was a trouper. She spent most of our painting time sleeping on top of her crate. Unless I was on the ground, in which case she spent her time invading my personal space.

The first week of living in the house, I finally unpacked everything and sort of haphazardly tossed things into shelves and arranged them in a tolerable fashion. And celebrated the fact that the papasan chair has come back from its journey to the attic.

Last night, whilst the smartest was working away on something highly technical, I decided it was time to really take a swing at making the office a space that I like rather than tolerate.

Its definitely closer. I need to put photos on the walls, hang curtains, buy a light (oh yeah- did I mention that there isn't a light?) etc, but it is a far cry from where we started. Speaking of far cry... I still can't believe I have my OWN ROOM for my office. It is just so incredibly amazing to have a little bit more space!

Ps- want to see something creepy? Blood splatter blinds. Don't worry- these are going to go. And soon. I actually tried to take them down yesterday but they are held up by an impenetrable force. And that force is likely my utter lack of upper body strength.

Adventures in Wildlife (puppies, alpacas and turtles, oh my!)

In addition to being full of boxes and aching muscles, the last couple of weeks have been full of other interesting adjustments. For example, I have an empty drawer in my kitchen. And I am completely unpacked. An empty DRAWER. Isn't that fantastically exciting?

There has been one other notable difference in our lives in the last couple of weeks; a steep increase in critters. I have encountered more wildlife in the last 2 weeks than in the previous 7 years of my time in Oklahoma. Since moving 10 days ago, I have seen:

3 Rabbits (2 of them larger than the cousin puppy)
6 Frogs (if you know me, you know that I am petrified of frogs. So this one is hard for me. I screamed the other day and the smartest can dashing outside thinking I had, as I frequently do, fallen over for no apparent reason. But I had actually been startled by a frog.)
25 Alpacas (that's right- our new neighbors are alpacas)
3 horses
15 cows
2 woodpeckers
1 inexplicably deceased bird
1 bird determined to enter my office via a very closed window
2 neighbor cats
9 spiders (all outdoors)
2 turtles
2 adorable puppies
1 tick (someone remind me to buy some rubbing alcohol for when I meet said tick's extended family)

The puppies are actually responsible for one of the turtle sightings. They decided that they wanted to be friends with something in the yard yesterday morning, which led me to traipse across the yard in my pajamas to see what they were up to:

Turns out, they were having a close encounter of the turtle kind.

As you can imagine, the looks of betrayal when I rescued their new friend were quite adorably priceless.

The turtle, on the other hand, seemed pretty jazzed when I relocated him beyond the fence.

Or maybe not. Its sort of hard to tell with turtles.

Speaking of friends that the puppies have been making, other than each other, they also made friends with the alpacas during our last walk. The younger alpacas love to sprint to the fence, then walk with us as we continue down the road. A couple of them even raced us to the end of the fence line.

After a day of wilderness exploration... the puppies are tired. And I am tired. From all of the shrieking at the frogs, and turtle liberation schemes. They have, however, stayed awake enough to help me make some sense out of the office (that's right- the Papasan chair is BACK!).

Surprise! New House!

You guys know how I said that there was a good reason for my sudden onset of absolutely-zero-blogginess?

There is. We... moved.

We've been pondering moving for awhile now, and had been casually looking at occasional houses for about 6 months or so. We had quite the list of criteria- so much of a list that we actually didn't really think we could find everything we were looking for. A couple of things we really really wanted were:

- A shop or outbuilding for the smartest (preferably with a concrete floor, to decrease likelihood of fire when he... lights things on fire)
- An office and 3 bedrooms. Since we one day may decide to have little humans... one day. In the far. Far. FAR future. And we want family to come and love those little humans. In the far. Far. FAR future.
- Trees
- Space
- A partially fenced yard
- More kitchen space
- A porch

The smartest and I started looking in different towns that are within striking distance of the town we went to college in, and started to toy with the idea of moving somewhere a bit more rural. As it turns out- the culture  differences that I struggle with so much in Oklahoma aren't necessarily Oklahoma related- they are more related to rural vs suburbs. Who knew? Once we opened our search to some additional locations...

... We found the perfect house.

It was bizarre and incredibly fast (but while it was happening... it felt incredibly slow). We still can't believe it. We moved a week ago today (with the help of fabulous friends- thanks guys you are amazing!) and are love love LOVING it here so far. I promise to share many photos- we've already tackled painting 2 rooms so I will give you a little peek of those soon. In the meantime- I will be unpacking with the help of these little imps: