Nail Polish Is Better Than Cigarettes

To be addicted to, in my opinion as a former smoker (I quit in April 2010).  This week ended on a crappy note, so I decided to get some small things to cheer myself up.  I went to a book store and bought Bust, Nylon, and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (because I want to see what all of the fuss is about). I also went to Walgreens, my favorite place for nail stuff, and it didn’t disappoint me

Sally Hansen had a display with new Xtreme Wear colors. I love those, they wear pretty well and they’re super cheap.  Normally $2.99, there was a 2/$4 sale.  I got a deep orange glitter called Pumpkin Spice, which will be perfect for October and November Halloween/Thanksgiving nails:

I also got a fuchsia/purple glitter, and I found a pretty pink glitter from Wet n’ Wild:

Sinful Colors had a ‘Show your team colors’ display, which I initially walked right by.  I bought a polish from them a while ago that only lasted about a day before chipping almost completely off, but then I saw that they had silver. I haven’t seen a silver since I ran out of Sally Hansen’s Chrome color, so I couldn’t resist buying it:

Because I’m totally going to rep Oakland Raiders black and silver on my nails when football season starts!

So, I’m going to read, paint my nails, cuddle with all of my various adorable furballs (well, not Twinky.  She’s not a cuddly cat at all.  Ninja will refuse to be put down, and Duke will happily be loved on for hours, but Twink’s fine just sitting within a couple feet of me), and hang out with my awesome husband. A happy weekend awaits.

There’s An Empty Place In My Bones

That calls out for fall.  A snap in the air, leaves turning, walking Duke without pouring sweat, big cozy hoodies, masses of sunflowers on the sides of the highway I take to work, pumpkins, mallow pumpkins, Halloween, long hot showers, lots of baking, a big pot of chicken stock simmering on the stove all Sunday long, blankets, football, hot chocolate, hot coffee again, quiet hours spent cross-stitching and crocheting…it’s just around the corner and I’m attuned to every tiny sign.

I feel the same way, Duke

I’m just holding on to the small things that make me happy, stepping stones to get through this next month, which is always one of the toughest, work-wise. Like this:

Yeah, totally going to drop $20 when I get paid

And this:

$5 to make me ridiculously happy every day? Total win

I’ll make it…and then take a deep breath and smile.

 

Nothing Gold Can Stay

But that’s alright, I hate summer anyway :).  The heat, as I’m sure many can attest to, has been brutal.  August is the first of fall and I couldn’t be happier to see it. I’m starting to feel the increase in energy, and I’m working on getting things happily humming along again.

My 365 project has picked up, mostly because I’m addicted to Instagram.  Easier to use than Hipstamatic because you can capture the moment and then choose the look, instead of choosing film and lens and flash first. I didn’t really get into the whole social aspect of it, but after seeing so many great shots on blogs I read, I started following people.  More fun than Facebook!

Napping in the window sill

The garden has been doing good, although I wouldn’t have tried container gardening again if I had realized how much heat there would be.

First haul from the garden

Steve still has 6 weeks of physical therapy left before he’ll be back to normal activity.  He’s going a bit stir crazy, so in the name of getting him out of the house I dragged him to see the last Harry Potter movie with me.  It was amazing, as was the italian restaurant we ate at afterwards.

It’s crazy that Harry Potter is over.  The first book came out when I was 17, and I read them when I was growing up, as in during the  ‘in my twenties and have to make adult decisions’ phase.  It’s a bit weird for me that that era has passed, and now I’m in the same place as the end of the book-grown up and married.

I will say that it’s nothing compared to the feelings I had when I read the last book in Stephen King’s Dark Tower series.  I read the first book when I was 11.  It was published in 1982.  The last book came out in 2007.  22 years.  As I noted today (in the comments of Alyssa’s post on books) those books were more than a phase.  They’re a part of my life.  I still have dreams about them.

So, any book recommendations?  My goal, as you can see if you’re on Goodreads (and if you are add me), is 100 books this year.  I’m a quarter of the way there. iBooks is simultaneously amazing (instant books! best. thing. EVAR) and bad for me (yikes I spend a lot more money now).  But it’s so nice not to have to track down a book, or pay shipping for it.

Duke is also a bit off from the heat.  I haven’t really walked him in a while, because he overheats easily, so I usually end up running around in the backyard with him spraying both of us with the hose

Smells like wet dog

Luckily he’s easily amused.  The cats, not so much.

She drives Duke nuts because he knows she's there but can't see her

I’ve given up completely on the granny square project and switched to scrapping instead.  My ambitious project is to do a book of my childhood and Steve’s told in photos and family recipes.  It helps greatly that my mom is a photographer. 🙂  I’ll end up crocheting again in the fall and winter, I should’ve known I lose all motivation for needle arts in summer.  Actually I lose motivation for anything other than lying in front of a fan and bitching about the heat.

Squee!!

The coolest thing that has happened to me since Steve broke his arm: I had a picture chosen as a finalist in the Pioneer Woman’s photo contest!!!!

I’ve always loved seeing everyone’s entries but been too intimidated to ever submit-my SLR is film and I’m not proficient enough yet to get amazing shots-but this theme was pictures taken with your phone.  Well, ever since getting my iPhone I’ve taken a ton of pictures, so I figured this was my chance.  Needless to say, I am beyond thrilled 🙂

Except not really

What a month.  My amazing husband had a tire blow up on him at work, which meant emergency surgery to put a steel plate in his arm and fix his dislocated elbow.  It was his left arm, and he’s left handed, so I signed all the paperwork at the various hospitals (he was transported from our small town to the nearby slightly bigger town, then once they did x-rays and found the severity he was transported again to the nearest city).  That was a mind fuck for sure-I’ve never signed medical forms for anyone but myself or my pets before.  It was odd.

So now we’re in the second week of physical therapy.  It’s hard for both of us having him out of work-Steve’s bored a lot, and when he does get to do stuff, it’s been when I’m working and then I’m irritated about how he gets to go off and have fun while I’m busting my butt to support us.  But we’ve smoothed over the minor bumps and we’re both happy to spend more time together.

In the name of getting us both out of the house and crossing stuff off my 31 list, we decided to go fishing-my first time ever.  It was a blast!  I, along with everyone that knows me, was surprised at how much I liked it.  I didn’t catch any fish, although they got plenty of my worms :). I did get a ridiculous sunburn that actually freaking blistered, which has never happened to me before (the blisters, not the sunburn).  I have plans to go fishing with my dad later this month, and Steve and I will probably go a lot now, since there’s a good lake about 10 minutes away.

Let’s see, other news…I started Weight Watchers the day before Steve’s accident, and it’s going well.  I need to re-dedicate myself though, and start exercising.  I’m starting to lose momentum.

Which is normal this time of year-I shut down in heat, and we’re hitting the ridiculously hot part of summer now.  I need to get my all my projects-365, 31 list, new scrapbook-going again.  Plus go see what can be saved from my neglected garden. And maybe finally re-start the granny square project?  Although that might be a little ambitious for me right now. We shall see.