Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
one month in pt. 2
Miyagi chilling on our futon / couch that we hope to soon replace with something a little smaller.
The entertainment stand is put together, but we hope to replace this too with a wall mounted flat screen and a smaller cabinet for the components. Someday.
Our teeny tiny living room.
My art room is small and desperately needs some organization and art inspiration!
Our bedroom with the non-functional gas fireplace, crown moldings, and antique chandelier.
We are in desperate need of a trip to IKEA to purchase organizational furniture! But for now, it's home.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
blogging buddies: we want YOU!
Do you have an awesome pet? Do you have a blog? We are currently accepting new submissions for our Blogging Buddies series!
Interested?
Please send us an email!
windshielddiaries at gmail dot com
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
the one where we got engaged
M took me for a drive to Indian Ladder trail at Thatcher Park where we had one of our earliest dates.
We hiked and took photos til we got to the waterfall, where we sat on some rocks and watched the water pour down in front of us.
And then he got on one knee and asked me.
And OBVIOUSLY I said YES!
My grandmother's ring <3
Thank you M, for making me happier than I've ever been!
Monday, September 26, 2011
one month in
It's been a month since we've moved into our house. This week we finally got the last of the boxes unpacked nd the kitchen set up...for now.
It's obviously outdated and in need of some renovations, but until we save up some money to fix things, it's home.
Our Peanuts shower curtain was one of the first things to be hung up and started to make the place really feel like home.
M had to replace our rusted cast iron pedestal sink with this small vanity for now, but we were able to salvage the vintage mirror and glass shelf!
Tomorrow: living room, bedroom, and my art room!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Blogging Buddies: Scruff and Fee
Hi! I’m Fee from Cakes and Cuddles. I’m a Scottish 21 year old living in England, and I am learning to bake and blogging about it. I live with my lovely boyfriend and our little ragga-kitty, Scruff.
When my boyfriend and I moved into this flat, the next door neighbour had two cats. We didn’t know their names, so we called them Kneepads (because she had white legs with what looked like black ‘kneepads’ on them) and Nico (because I’m in love with the Broken Sword series and my boyfriend did an impression of the kitty and randomly did it in a French accent!). Unfortunately, Nico was hit by a car only a few months after she came into our lives, and as Kneepads became lonely having lost her sister, she began to spend more and more time at our house. It got to the stage where, if I would outstretch my arm when I was in bed, she would come and lay on her back, under the duvet, and sleep like a little human cuddling up to us. It was adorable. We didn’t know her owner, and she’d leave every day when her real owner got home so that she could be fed, but she was round our house all day and all night apart from that.
When our neighbour moved unexpectedly, I was devastated. I never got to say goodbye to Kneepads. She used to lay with a paw on each side of your tummy like she was cuddling you, and I was really missing having her adorable little cuddles. My boyfriend and I decided we’d adopt another cat, and that we’d name it Cooper, after our favourite character from The Big Bang Theory.
I went to the shops one day, and as I was walking home a cat walked directly up to me, then turned around when it reached me and walked by my side. I remember smiling at it, because it looked exactly like a cat I’d had (Merlin) when I was a little girl, except that he had tufts of fur sticking up all over the place and his ear was ripped in half. He kept circling my feet as I walked home, so I took a photo and sent it to my boyfriend via Whatsapp, with a message along the lines of “I WANT TO KEEP THIS CAT.” Here is the exact picture I sent him, all those months ago!
He followed me all the way home, then slowly crept inside behind me. My boyfriend said he had no problem with us keeping him, but that it wasn’t up to us; owners don’t choose cats, cats choose their owners. We had absolutely nothing for a cat, so had to use a bowl and saucer for feeding him and improvised a bed for him by stacking old couch cushions, making a bed shape out of a hoodie then laying a towel over it. Luckily, he settled right in and he’s been with us every day ever since. He didn’t have a collar, but for the first week I was terrified that he’d go back ‘home’ and I’d never see him again. Nobody in the area (5 minute walk from my house) had ever seen him before or reported him missing and he was so scraggly that he’d clearly been a stray for a while, so we decided that we’d give him a home here. As he was so raggedy and had his poor little torn ear, I knew from the moment I saw him that his name was Scruff. As homage to our previous name choice, I bought him a little kitty brush and wrote ‘Scruffdon Cooper’ across the base.
He’s quite an old (starting to grey!) boy – we acquired a cat toy for him and he just stared between us and the toy as if to say “Really? Toys? They are beneath me”. I’m not sure how old, really, but his age absolutely presents problems. His tummy is very sensitive and whenever he eats anything too rich we’ve got an entire kitchen of grossness to clean up. He also gets bored of food really easily; he’ll scoff his food up the moment he’s got a new flavour, but by the second day he’ll refuse to eat it because it has become mundane. He also won’t eat anything unless he actually sees us put it in the bowl. Sometimes he’ll have a bowlful of food sitting there and he’ll stare at it until one of us pretends to put an imaginary handful of food in! He moves quite slowly a lot of the time, and sometimes looks off-balanced when he starts to talk. Apparently this is all part of the process of getting older, and it makes me sad that we’ve come in to his life so late in it, but I’m pleased that we can give him a happy home to live out the remainder of his days.
He has adorable little quirks. He walks on his hind legs if you offer him a slice of ham (pictured is my boyfriend holding ham up for an action shot) and he is the most ridiculously camera shy cat ever! The moment he sees a camera he looks away really quickly and moves his face away from the lens no matter what angle you’re trying to get a picture from – which makes it really hard to get pictures of his face! He also answers to MANY nicknames, including “Scroff” (we Woll Scroffed him!!!) and “Diddle”, short for “Scruffadiddle”. He loves stealing your seat, turning the volume up and down on the TV and pressing buttons on the controller if you’re playing a game on the xbox360 or ps3 instead of giving him all of your attention. His favourite place to sit is across your arms when you’re trying to type, and second favourite seems to be on your chest with his butt in your face! He loves being brushed, too, and even loves the little blue diamante collar we got him as a joke. We thought he’d hate it and want to take it off immediately, but it seems like he really suits being a “pimp kitty”!!
I’ve managed to get a proper photo of him from the front ONCE, and it was when he was sitting on my boyfriend’s lap and we made a little hat for him out of a rolled up sock. The moment we placed it on his head, it was like he was totally immobilised! As cute as it was, I started to feel bad for laughing at him so took the hat off; I didn’t feel bad enough not to take photos and post them on the internet though!
If I have learned anything from having Scruff, it is that you can’t compare one cat to another; they all absolutely have their own personalities, in the same way that you and I do. Kneepads loved cuddling and having his paws stroked, while Scruff will put his paw on you on HIS terms, but if you acknowledge it he’ll hastily take it away. Be prepared for a bit of trial and error before you find the food that agrees with your kitty, too, and don’t be afraid to look online when you’re not sure what to do; just make sure you don’t listen to some crazed feline-extremist who wants to scare all of us cat owners by trying to pass off an ill-informed comment as fact!
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Thank you Fee, for sharing your story!!
We are currently seeking submissions for the Blogging Buddies series, and we would love to hear all about your pet or pets, please email us!
windshielddiaries at gmail dot com
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Alice's Diner
Newly opened on 3rd St, we couldn't resist stopping in for breakfast!
The interior is classic diner, complete with pink neon that I kind of fell in love with!
We loved how obviously family-run this place is.
The servings were the perfect amount to fill you up without making you feel overstuffed if you cleaned your plate. The bacon was done perfectly, the toast and home fries were great. My overeasy eggs were a little over cooked, but I didn't mind. The french toast lacked in presentation, but made up for it in flavor. Seasoned with cinnamon and cooked perfectly! We're looking forward to coming back again and again.
Monday, September 19, 2011
larkfest
M on stage at Larkfest 2011.
Severe Severe kicking off their set on the Washington Ave Stage.
Backstage access, baby! Not as exciting as it sounds, though there was catering and a bar.
Got to see my first Living Walls piece. I'm so psyched to go find some more!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
letters
Dear Garbage Men,
Sorry we left so much stuff for you this week. We promise not to do this again for a while.
Dear New City,
I feel so much more at home in the short time we've been here. You are charming and beautiful.
Dear Backyard,
I know we haven't really had a chance to use you much since moving in, but trust us: you are still our favorite.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Blogging Buddies: Anya & Kaycie
Hello Windshield Diaries readers! My name is Kaycie (from Redhead Memories) and is this is my new Siamese kitten, Anya.
Lately I’ve been pretty lonely at home, since my husband has to take the car to work and stays there for most of the day. After some thought and some saving (gotta love newlywed budgets!), we decided to adopt a kitten!
When we went to the Humane Society and saw her there, I knew she was the one I wanted. Her coloring was so beautiful and I couldn’t resist. She keeps me company while I do things at home and I seriously worry about her all the time. I wonder if she’ll be okay being alone for a few hours. I love her a lot, ha ha.
We have bought Anya a blanket, a giant cat scratcher, with levels so she can climb, and tons of toys. And yet, the sink is still her favorite place to cuddle up.
I would definitely recommend getting a cat. They are very self-sufficient. They lick themselves to stay clean, use their litter box and eat whenever. They still love attention, but can take care of themselves if you’re gone part of the day.
Thanks for letting me share my precious kitten with you!
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Thank you Kaycie, for sharing your story!!
We are currently seeking submissions for the Blogging Buddies series, and we would love to hear all about your pet or pets, please email us!
windshielddiaries at gmail dot com
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Freedom
Styles & Miyagi are finally free to roam past the kitchen...and I think they are kind of freaked out.
Monday, September 12, 2011
a drive to the lake
We took the '93 Rustang to our friend's camp this weekend.
Cruising with the top down!
Sometimes being literally in the middle of nowhere is totally awesome.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
letters
Dear College up the street,
Is it time to send your students home for break yet? No? They will be here getting wasted all hours of the day for months to come? Oh. Ok.
Dear New Home,
You are completely overwhelming. That is all.
Dear Bank Account,
I am so, so sorry.
Dear Miscellaneous Pumpkin Spice Treats,
Welcome back!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Blogging Buddies: Cypress, Rob & Caitlin
Hi all! My name is Caitlin and I blog at To Make Love Stay and I'm so excited to be a part of the Blogging Buddies feature!
My husband, Rob, and I moved in together in May of 2008, after being apart for his entire four-year Army enlistment. In October, we finally gathered up the courage to ask our landlord to get a dog, and you can't imagine how thrilled we were when she consented.
We took the whole day one Saturday visiting local animal shelters until we finally stumbled upon our little beast Cypress. She was in a cage with her brother, Aries, and honestly I didn't give her a second look because she was such a large dog and our apartment was relatively small. My husband was instantly taken with her, however, and I can still picture her sitting against the cage looking up at us with her big, brown, Husky-Rottweiler eyes. The following Monday we brought her home with us and we were totally on cloud 9 with her (minus the vomit in the car on the way home...poor beastie still gets car-sick).
I knew right away that Cypress understood me when our downstairs neighbor complained about her walking too loud the day we got her, and our landlord told us that if it continued we'd have to get rid of her. I'd only had her for 5 or 6 hours but I absolutely lost it. Cypress, who had been a happy, goofy beast up to that point, came up to me and licked my cheek and wouldn't leave my side. Now, whenever I feel anxious or depressed, Cypress literally will follow me everywhere I go and will often refuse to go on walks with my husband if I don't go. She and I are both high strung but I think we complement each other quite well.
Cypress has also been the perfect therapy dog for my husband, who served for 13 months during the bloodiest time of the war in Iraq. She's helped to teach him patience and has kept him company while I travel for my software consulting job. They both require extensive exercise so I think they work pretty well together! :)
We've had our lovely little beastie with us for 3 and a half years now, and she has become an absolutely invaluable member of our little family. We've had bumps along the way just like any family member (like when she decided to destroy a picture of me that my husband carried with him in Iraq), but we truly can't imagine our life without her.
To anyone considering getting a dog I would highly recommend adopting from a shelter or from a rescue. For one, Cypress came to us completely housetrained and knowing a lot of commands. For another, it's great to know that we rescued her and gave her a good home; we know that if we had not adopted her she may not have as happy a life as she does (she is spoiled, that's for sure!). So many dogs, particularly in urban areas, face euthanization every day, which is absolutely heartbreaking to me. My husband and I agree that all of our future dogs will come from shelters or breed rescues and I recommend this to anyone looking for a dog. If you do choose to get a particular breed, research and find a reputable breeder. Please, please do not buy a dog from a pet store - too many get their dogs from puppy mills and aside from the cruelty aspect, you could be setting yourself up for a whole host of breed-related ailments. I know it's been said many times before, but I'm constantly surprised by the number of people in my Facebook or Twitter feed still buying dogs from pet stores. Whatever you choose to do, make sure to give your beastie lots of love and you will get plenty of it in return!
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Thank you Caitlin, for sharing your story!!
We are currently seeking submissions for the Blogging Buddies series, and we would love to hear all about your pet or pets, please email us!
windshielddiaries at gmail dot com