iPhone Photo Dump & Instagram, too!

Everyone is allowed one random post a week, right? In my book (head), that's the way it works...so count this as my mid-week dose of randomness!

How is your week going by the way? We have had a great couple of days, full of work (of course), bike rides, grilling burgers and playing with Louie. The weather has been LOVELY in Northern Indiana!

Here are some pictures from the past week or so on my iPhone. Oh and these are in no particular order:

Flowers from my super sweet husband last Friday at work "just because". Goodness so I love that man!

Chocolate covered strawberries at work from a distributor...oh my these were good! On a side note, last week was the end of our fiscal year so it was a bit stressful and crazy around the office. These made up for it!

We were able to get both bikes in the back of the CRV, yeah! It's good to know that we have a car that can transport them if we want to go ride different trails-there are trails everywhere here!

We picked up some more flowers to plant...are you surprised? You shouldn't be!

Our impromptu date lunch @ Culvers. Note to self: always, ALWAYS order a kids meal. The portions are much smaller (read: I can eat it all) AND it comes with custard. Win!

My new wheels! :)

We have broken out the CGM and our checkbooks so I can use the CGM in effort to lower my A1C from 6.9. Granted, 6.9 is not bad for someone who has had T1D for as long as I have-but I would like it lower should we bring a baby D into the world anytime soon. This picture was taken Sunday morning...apparently I run low overnight. Time to decease my basal rate via my pump!

Rant: CGM sensors are EXPENSIVE. Even with insurance it costs nearly $100 per pop. I think there should be an underground black market for diabetes supplies. Who's with me?

Oh sweet Louie. Is a caption needed? I think not!

Headed to church Sunday morning...good service, good message AND we sang "How Great Thou Art". I wish we could sing that every Sunday. It's a great kick off to my week and always makes me feel like Papa is right there with us singing loudly. I miss him...

I have started calling these our "flamingo flowers"...they remind me of flamingos, which reminds me of Florida and makes my heart happy!

Bike ridin' through the neighborhood...

And the bikes are up for the night...so not only are we getting exercise from riding, but it's a bit of a workout to get the bikes up in the garage. So basically we get a little lower body and upper body workout each time we ride. Win!

Love me some Louie lovin'-such a sweet pup!

Mid-Week Randoms

Happy Thursday, Y'all!

 

Let's just recap my week thus far, shall we?

 

• It's been a busy week! I actually worked yesterday from 6:45am until after 5:30pm...that's a long day at a desk people!
• Thank goodness I got some new nail polish thanks to my BFF, Brooke and was able to relax last night by painting my nails this beautiful color. LOVE it!
• On Tuesday we went to our niece's softball game and had a great time! We took Louie with us thinking it would be fine because we took him to the ballpark several times last year. Well, they have changed the rules and added "No Pets" to the sign :( He stayed with us and was on my lap the entire game, but it looks like that will be his last softball game! Sad face! He had a good time:

• I got a new phone through work this week too and I am loving the IPhone 4s. Siri is my friend!
• Along with the phone I have several new apps, including Instagram! Follow me here @ylimedonaldson!



My First Instagram Photo: Peonies from our yard!

• I'm on the hunt for the best IPhone apps, so fill me in our your favorites!
• Louie has been so funny this week, his personality is hilarious! Tell me, what did we laugh at before we had a dog? He lights up our life!

• Louie gets so excited when we come home, we love it! He will jump and jump and then run, its so cute!
• All the flowers we planted last weekend? Well, most are doing great but our double inpatients are not. Looks like we will be doing some more planting and rearranging this weekend. It's okay though, I like it!
• In other Louie news: I just talked to the vet and we have a new plan for his heart worm treatments. It just breaks my heart that we are dealing with this still...it has almost been a year since we started treating him, and the end still seems far off. Now we will be giving him Doxycycline (you know, anti-malaria meds/) and heart worm preventative meds (HeartGuard). Apparently this could potentially weaken the already adult worms so they can respond to other treatments and prevent/kill baby worms before they can grow into damaging adult worms.

• Louie will stay at the vet next week one day to be observed, just to make sure he doesn't have any reactions. So please lift him up in prayer! And me too...my nerves are already kicking it!
• We booked flights to Florida this week! We will be on a little vacation over the 4th and I am getting excited! I am also getting nervous because we will be leaving Louie.
• While we are on said vacation, a friend from church will be staying at our house with Louie. This way, at least he will be in his normal environment. I really hope he adjusts well while we are gone. Does anyone have any tips or advice for making this happen?
• I thought about ordering Louie a Thunder-Shirt for while we are gone, hoping it might help keep him calm and relaxed. Does anyone have any experience with these? Here is some info about it.
• I'm SO excited to watch Grey's Anatomy tonight...but I am sad about who I am 90% sure is going to be killed off!



Randoms-Louie, Cupcakes and Landscaping

I know, I know...I have kind of disappeared from blogging...AGAIN. My excuse is the same as it always is...life just gets really busy sometimes and since blogging isn't my top priority it usually is the first thing to get dropped. It is what it is. BUT, I'm here today! :)

Warning: this post contains a lot of Louie pictures. I can't say I am sorry about this because we just think he is so darn cute and lovable! But if you are tired of seeing our furry child then maybe you should just come back another week! Otherwise, sit back, grab a cup of coffee and stay awhile!

Louie has been so cute and playful this week. Last week we were dealing with a stomach bug that had us up at all hours of the night cleaning our carpets-fun, right? Thankfully he is on meds now and must be feeling better because he has been acting more and more like himself. We are so thankful to see him behaving normal and with his tail wagging. I love it!

Last weekend my mother-in-law, Bev hosted a Mary-Kay party and has asked me to make cupcakes. Of course I said that was no problem! They were moist with lots of pretty pink frosting-perfect for a girlie make-up party! We even had left overs, which I think Stephen ate the last one last night.

Speaking of cupcakes, I am trying to work on photographing my cupcakes with my new Canon Rebel and its been a little difficult. I can't seem to find the right natural light for picture taking...it's either too light or to dark. Any tips/suggestions out there?

This is totally random, but on the way to the above mentioned Mary-Kay party we drove through a little town that I have always admired because of it's mill. Stephen was nice enough to slow down to 10MPH so I could snap a picture. He didn't want to stop on the road, so 10 was the agreed upon mileage, ha! Isn't it quaint and pretty? They do tours on Saturday mornings and I hope to go one day...maybe soon?

Louie has so much fun when we are outside. He runs and plays and just lays around. I think that he really enjoys it. That is until our neighbors dog, Emily comes over (yes, our neighbor has a dog named Emily...yes, its a little awkward)...and when she does come over Louie will hide under a tree or in the bushes. It's quite funny! Well, he got to spend a lot of time outside this weekend while we worked on a big landscaping project...to be revealed later!

One hint about the project: the materials weigh about a ton combined!

Do you love flowers as much as I do? I love how they can brighten a space and make even a ugly house cheerful. I picked up these hanging baskets at Wal-Mart for $3! Talk about being thrilled with that find! We just love how they look hanging on our front lamp post. Spruces it up wouldn't you say?

And lastly, the before shot of our front flower bed. You will have to wait and see the after...because we are still working on it. This project is a multiple day project, ha! I CANNOT wait to have it finished and see how pretty it is!

Have a happy Thursday everyone...I am so happy the week is almost over!

Midweek Randoms :)

Ready for a post of bulleted style awesome-sauce? You better be!

• Thank the Lord it is Wednesday, I am looking forward to the weekends more and more these days. Anyone else in that boat?
• I am so thankful for my husband. Stephen is incredible and always helping me around the house and with Louie. I know how blessed I am!
• I am pretty thankful for Louie too. He is such a sweet pup and makes us laugh everyday with his antics. Having a pet has been so good for us!
• Have I mentioned I have a new boss at work? Well, I do. It has been 2 weeks of long days and lots of overtime, which certainly helps the checkbook but totally wears me out. I am very much looking forward to things settling down and a routine forming.
• I like routines and doing the same thing everyday. There, I said it.
• I participated in my first ever assimilation meeting/process for said new boss this week and it was very interesting. Have you ever participated in one?
• We may have some warmer weather later this week and I am kind of looking forward to it. I am upset that we had a lousy winter, but I am over these cold, gray days that do not result in snow.
• I feel like last year we went sledding like 10+ times during the winter and this year we have gone 0 times. This is not okay with me.
• With the mild weather we have been having I really have Spring fever. I am ready for sandals and suntans! At least I have some pink nail polish to help put a spring in my step! :)
• Speaking of nail polish...a good color can totally lift my mood and spirit. I love a good pink color! Color of choice this week is "two hour lunch". So fun!
• 17 days until vacation in Florida...woo! I think "two hour lunch" will be my vacation color...
• I am already planning what to pack for Florida and have bought a couple new things. I don't know why but I always want/need something new before a vacation...no idea why.
• While in Florida we are hitting the Magic Kingdom. It will be Stephen's first trip and I am so excited. I might even make him wear a "My 1st Visit" Disney pin! :) Any tips or comments on things we need to do while there?
• I got Stephen Star Wars on BluRay for Valentine's Day...meaning I have to watch them. We started on Saturday and I actually like them. I was shocked that they interested me at all...Anakin just became Darth Vader though so I think it goes downhill from here. I liked him as a good guy!
• I am loving the longer days, it is daylight outside when I leave for work and still light out when I get home...love love LOVE that!

You know me...I could probably keep going and going but I better stop. If you made it to the end of this post, bravo to you! I hope everyone has a great Wednesday! :)

Adios for now!

Random thoughts for this Tuesday:

Disclaimer: All of the pictures used in this post are cell phone pictures. Please excuse the poor quality!

1. We are having some weird weather here in Indiana. Well, at least I think it is weird. Let’s just say that we had snow but it is all melted now and last night we had thunderstorms. Thunderstorms in January! I even had to wear my rain boots to work today because of all the water. Is it not spring, it is winter! Oh and our high today? Yeah, it’s in the 50’s.

2. Our high on Friday is 23 degrees.  In the 50’s on Tuesday and in the 20’s on Friday, that’s totally normal, right?

3. We finally got our Christmas gifts put away and/or hung up this weekend. The pile if gifts that was neatly stacked in our bedroom was driving.me.nuts.

4. Speaking of hanging things, several new things are adorning our walls at home and I love it.

This is our new gallery wall by our staircase. Mom & Dad got us these great frames for Christmas. Love!!

These new sconces are from Kohls and they are in the library-where up until last weekend we had nothing on the walls! I am working on a painting that will go in between them!

This puzzle was a gift from my Grandma this Christmas. It looks very good in our library and I think it will be something we treasure forever. She even wrote a note on the back of it!

5. I got a lovely Christmas gift from my sister-in-law that I can’t wait to use.  She got me the Baby Cakes Cake-Pop maker, which is essentially a Easy Bake Oven for adults. I am so ready to put it to use. Maybe this weekend! J

6. Louie has been acting like he feels much better, even running around with energy. I want to teach him how to play but since he never has he just doesn’t get it. We have a couple toys that he will sniff and just walk away from. What toys do yours dogs love? I need some ideas for something he will actually use!

7. The hubster and I picked out what tile we want for our backsplash last weekend at Lowe’s. I think it is perfect!! Just waiting for our 10% off coupon to arrive via email and we will be purchasing the tiles for our spring project!

What do you think?

8. Last weekend we also did a little car shopping. My car is just not safe in the winter with snow. We are comparing the Honda CRV and other compact SUV’s that offer 4WD or AWD. Do you have any recommendations or reviews to offer from personal experience? We have heard wonderful things about the CRV and are leaning in that direction. Probably going to test drive this weekend!

9. Getting a new car means getting rid of my old car which makes me sad. My Honda Civic was my Grandpa’s last car and I took over his payments when he became too ill to drive. It breaks my heart that it won’t be staying in our family. L I might cry when I give over the keys…

10. A new aquatic and fitness center just opened near our house. Read: about six blocks away. Every night I drive by it and wish we had a membership so I could get some exercise and work harder at losing weight. A 12 month membership for me and the hubster is $400. I think it is time to sign up!

11. I have not had a gym membership since I was in high school and worked at the YMCA. Membership was my only benefit and I loved going to work out…hopefully I can find that love again! Maybe paying for the membership will actually motivate me to go! Ya think?

12. We have been watching Mary Poppins and it is such a fun movie! A spoonful of sugar… J

13. Oh, we also watched Mr. Poppers Penguins last weekend and LOVED it. A must see!

14. I LOVE after Christmas sales! We found some cute (and cheap) stuff last weekend at Kohls. This included the perfect ornament for Louie to remember his first Christmas with us. We I was so excited!

15. I could keep going and thinking of random things, but I thought maybe I should stop. Don’t want me readers to get bored!

Midweek Randoms :)

I have been pretty busy at work this week, which is a good thing! But, that makes our evenings a little less exciting because by the time we get home we are both pooped! Stephen's been working at his parents house this week, roofing their house. This has been nice because his drive to and from work is a little shorter since they live closer to us than his usual job sites are :)

Fall has arrived in Indiana and I love seeing the leaves change colors. I also like collecting leaves to dry out for craft projects...which is what we did on our evening walk with Louie last night!

These trees are at the back of our property and you can see them changing already!

This tree is in our front yard and I cannot wait until it is orange and yellow throughout. I can see that it is changing at the top though, so I don't think it will be long. Yay!

We have been testing Louie outside without a leash on. He has been really good and has not ran away from us once. He does get going on a sniffing spree and wonders all over the yard, but if we call his name he turns around and runs for us. I am so pleased with his progress!

We spent some time outside last night before dinner watching Louie wonder and moving the sprinklers. We spread grass seed Saturday and Monday so we are watering the yard this week to keep it moist. Too bad there is no rain in our forecast!

Louie thought he would sniff my camera, too. How cute is he!?

I love his fluffy eyebrows!

And those big brown eyes! :)

I took this picture on our walk last night. This is not our street, but the street behind us. I just love our town and the quiet tree lined streets; especially in the fall when leaves are changing and falling! We collected some nice additions to my leaf collection for crafts!

After our walk I think Louie was tuckered out, ha. He was not interested in moving at all, until we went upstairs. Then, he galloped up the stairs behind us and begged to be lifted onto our bed.

So cute!

On Monday I came home to a surprise from Stephen. He had gotten me a sweet card, beautiful fall flowers and an extension cord. I was so happy. You might wonder why I was happy about an extension cord. Let me tell you! I like to craft in the living room, and my hot glue gun cord is not long enough for me to sit anywhere other than the floor. Sitting like that for hours really hurts my back, but now I can plug in and sit on the couch to craft AND use the coffee table as a working space instead of bending over using the floor. Yes, I am excited!

The flowers are beautiful, too!

This was this morning as I was leaving for work and putting Louie in his kennel. It always breaks my heart when I put him in there every morning! I know he is just a dog and it is normal for them to be caged for hours, but I just feel bad sometimes! Can I please be a stay at home puppy mommy?

No? Okay then, back to work...

Have a great hump day everyone!

Oh, I almost forgot! I was running late this morning and did not have time to put dinner in the crock pot, so Stephen said we could go out for a midweek date night! Seems that forgetting to start dinner has its advantages sometimes! And, we are taking Louie with us! I'll let you know how that goes!