tucker buddy.

See this sweet face?

Our little Tucker is just about the sweetest puppy I've ever known. He is smart as a whip and has oodles of tricks... sit, stay, down, shake and is a rockstar at playing fetch. Sometimes though my little scholar uses his smarts in ways that just don't make his momma smile. Like the time he tried to help me make our kitchen bigger....

This picture does not come close to showing you the damage he really did. He's lucky he is so cute.

Or the time he decided that his mommy was spending too much time on her laptop. He quickly solved that problem by chewing right through my charger. Twice. (note to all... laptop chargers do not just cost $20 like I assumed)

And see this sleeping angel curled up in that comfy bed??

I miss when he was that tiny

Fast forward a few months from when that picture was taken and we discovered that Tucker was smart enough to unzip his bed using nothing but his teeth. The result of this 'trick' was a puppy ending up with a tummy full of styrofoam and two very angry owners. (although it was hard to stay angry when he got so sick from EATING HIS BED!)

Tucker's sweet giraffe had a fate quite similar to that of his bed.

We've lasted almost as long as we can without replacing Tucker's bed. He has a comfy pillow in his kennel where he sleeps at night but he really needs a fluffy bed for lounging on while he watches tv  to keep him from jumping on my couch. He is a social little guy and would rather be out near us than curled up in his kennel while we watch tv or eat dinner.

Do any of you who have big doggies (or destructive little ones) have a bed that you recommend? Doggie beds can be expensive and I don't want to spend $50+ on another one unless we think it will last. I would also like for it to not be a total eye sore in our living room. Tucker would prefer that as well, he has impeccable taste. (I told him he might even be able to have one monogrammed and he went crazy!)

I had thought about sewing him one myself but let's be honest, he would tear that thing to bits in no time thus leaving Kyle to not only tend to a puppy in trouble but a wife who would probably be in tears. That doesn't seem like a good situation for anyone.

In my little furry friend's defense, he is really a very well behaved dog. Those three incidents are the worst there has been during his almost one year of life. And if we're being really honest, all of those incidents were much more human error than puppy error. And to be painfully honest... two of the three were mostly my fault. Three if we count each charger he ate.

what i'll be doing this fall.

Over the last few weeks some of my favorite fall shows have slowly started their new seasons. This week marks the start of most fall seasons and I could not be more excited. Here are a few of the things Kyle and I will be watching this fall!

Mad Men

I started watching this show thanks to a recommendation from my sister. To be very honest, one of the things I look forward to most about this show is seeing what the characters will be wearing this week. I also enjoy seeing this time period and the crazy drama in the Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Price office. Never a dull moment!

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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Anytime I tell someone I like this show they are surprised. Nothing about it seems ‘my style’ and yet you can find Kyle and I cracking up every Thursday night to see the ridiculous schemes of ‘the gang’. Not sure what else to say about this one except you will surely like it or hate it and I happen to like it. A lot.

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How I Met Your Mother

There are two characters on tv that remind me of my husband. The first is Marshall on How I Met Your Mother. Obviously they aren’t exactly the same, but I have found myself smiling on more than one occasion at how similar Marshall’s sense of humor is to Kyle’s or how I could see Kyle and I having a discussion exactly like the one Marshall and Lily are having. I also can’t get enough of Neil Patrick Harris and love him as Barney.

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The Office + Community + 30 Rock

We LOVE Thursday night tv on NBC. Kyle and I have been avid Office lovers since the summer we sat at his parents house and watched every.single.episode. (pretty sure that is the summer the rest of the Krueger family was forced to love it too!) And if you’re wondering, character #2 that reminds me of my husband is sweet Jim. My sister has even pointed out to me how similar some of their mannerisms are. I am hoping this season is great since it is Steve Carrell’s last season with the show (break.my.heart)

Last year we gave Community a chance and have enjoyed it too. Kyle convinced me to start watching 30 Rock and it is now one of my faves.

       

{above photo cred: here here and here}

Parks and Rec

We are very sad to see Parks and Rec leave NBC’s Thursday night line up. It also makes me nervous because a move like that often means bad things for the future of a series. Nevertheless, we LOVE this show! My favorites things about Parks and Rec are Ron Swanson and Aziz Ansari. I think it takes watching a few episodes to really appreciate this show but I highly suggest giving it a chance.

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Modern Family

Oh my sweet goodness I love everything about this show. I love little Manny and his very adult attitude. I love Cam and am pretty sure he and I would be fast friends. I adore how awkward Phil is and cannot help but tense up every time he embarrasses his kids. Of every show on my list, this is the one I most recommend watching if you aren’t already. I think it has a little something for almost everyone and it is completely hysterical.

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Glee

Kyle probably wishes I didn’t love Glee as very much as I do. Most people seem to have pretty strong opinions on Glee-love it or hate it-and I completely, 100% love it. I love the ridiculous high school stereotypes that everyone can remember from high school. I love the singing and dancing . I love seeing what ridiculously preppy and adorable outfit Emma is going to wear each week. It is a highlight of my tv week for sure. 

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A few other faves that began filling up my DVR a few weeks ago are The Rachel Zoe Project (I love Brad), Project Runway and Flipping Out.

I know, I’m a tv junky (I also know that no one really cared to read all of this). I promise I find time to do things in addition to sitting on the couch vegging out with my favorite shows. I do love that most of the shows on this list manage to pull Kyle and me away from school, laundry, dishes and playing on the internet long enough to enjoy some laughs together on the couch.

What shows are you most looking forward to this fall? Have any favorites that need to be added to my always growing list?

some birthday fun.

My parents came to Atlanta the day after my birthday. As always, we had a fantastic weekend together and I was so sad to see their departure come so very quickly. Hope you all enjoy a few pictures from our weekend!

Friday night we had dinner at Rosa Mexicana. It is one of our favorite restaurants and if any of you ever visit us in Atlanta, I promise to take you there!

Insert Jenn and Jason into this picture and you have my favorite people in the world.

On Saturday my mom and I enjoyed a morning of pampering at 29 Spa. With the exception of a few incredible spas we've been to in Hawaii, 29 Spa is the best spa I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. The best part is their relaxation area, complete with a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. My mom and I had some good girl time and are already looking forward to going back on her next visit. After our spa time we headed to the mall to do some shopping with my dad (Kyle was a bit preoccupied with college football)

We finished our Saturday with a delicious dinner at one of our favorite sushi restaurants. 

Sunday included church, a delicious brunch and some fabric shopping with my mom. The boys stayed at the apartment and talked shop (electrical engineering) while my mom helped me pick out a few patterns and some fabric for sewing projects. I started one of my projects the other day and quickly realized that I am in desperate need of another sewing class! 

It was so nice to have my parents here for a few days. I love getting to show our loved ones around our town and take them to some of our favorite places. Mom and Dad, come back soon!!

Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon! Kyle is busy with studying and I am thinking about putting up my fall decorations. Maybe setting up my pumpkins will convince the fall weather finally to stick around!

prettied up.

Hello sweet readers! 

How do you like my new look?! 

I have the lovely Marina of Penny Lane Designs to thank for my shiny new blog. I have been wanting a makeover by Marina for ages and finally went ahead and purchased one of her BEAUTIFUL prefab designs. Marina was so easy to work with and even let me customize the design until it was exactly perfect for me. If you are in need of a makeover, give Marina's gorgeous designs a look. I am such a fan of all of her work. 

Not only does she create beautiful blogs but she is a fellow Aggie and was also a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.... a girl after my own heart! You should also check out her personal blog and admire her handsome little one year old. He is absolutely precious. 

A million thanks to Marina!!

My sister and her new hubby are in town until tomorrow so I'll be back soon with lots of updates! Have a wonderful weekend!

90210.

I know the twitter world has been all a-buzz because today is 90210 day... you know, as in that famous zip code. To me though, the day is special because....

it's my birthday!!

I love birthdays. I think they are wonderfully fun days and when it comes to birthdays and Christmas, I get as excited as a four year old. I love that everyone is a little sweeter and even boring days seem just a little more special because there is something to celebrate. In my opinion, birthdays are pure fun!

I have had such a great birthday, despite the fact that I had to wake up early and go to work. Here's a little run-down and some pictures from the day. A certain sister of mine is very insistent that I share birthday pictures asap and I'd pretty much do anything for that girl so here we go...

My day started out with a yummy omelet from Kyle. It was much more delicious than the smoothie I typically drink on my way to work!

One of my favorite people at work decorated the door to our classroom... I took a picture but would rather not tell the whole world what school I work at. Just picture pink streamers and birthday banners... so sweet!

My little ones at school also sang me a wonderful rendition of Happy Birthday. Most of the words weren't right but hearing those 12 little munchkins singing for me was a highlight of the day. After my song, they all paraded over to me so I could have some special birthday hugs. It melted my heart!

My usual lunch was replaced by a birthday date with Kyle. We dined at Chili's followed by a Starbucks drink for me. After lunch Kyle stopped by the school to meet a few of my co-workers and of course meet the little ones that I spend my days with. They were all just waking up from their nap when Kyle got there so he didn't get a true impression of how crazy our classroom can be!!

The second half of the day was exhausting but I survived and came home to a beautiful display on my kitchen table!

{roses from Jenn and purples pretties from the hubs!}

I even got some lovely presents....

{I know I don't look my birthday best. That's what happens after a day with a million 2 year olds. I just love my sister enough to share these pictures in spite of that!}

A gorgeous J. Crew necklace and bracelet from Jenn! (I have no idea what I am doing with my right hand...)

Presents!! And yes, Tucker got me a birthday card... it was hilarious!

Kyle made a delicious dinner and then we spent some time playing with one of my presents....

Oh.my.goodness. This game is so fun! We haven't played through all of the songs but so far we are loving it! I see a lot of dance parties in our future!

It was a fantastic day and the fun is just beginning! My mom and dad will be here tomorrow and are staying through Sunday. We have some things on the agenda and I can't wait to tell all of you about the rest of the weekend. 

Thanks so much to all of my friends and loved ones for the sweet birthday wishes and thoughtful words and cards. I love you all so much and am incredibly blessed to have all of you in my life. 

I'm off to enjoy some of my beautiful birthday cake and watch this week's Project Runway. Happy birthday to me!