New House Tour Part 2: Less Chaos

So...this is way overdue. Better super late than never? I hope so! Here is what our house is looking like these days. We've lived here a little over a month now and have managed to get a few little things done.

Our individual work areas are coming along. I think they say a lot about us. Here's mine:

Believe it or not, I find all that color and chaos comforting. I love having somewhere designated for all of my school stuff. When piles of binders are toppled over and my backpack's contents have spilled across the floor, I can shut the door and walk downstairs.

Boyfriend though, has a very professional dusty blue and dark wood office. It's sophisticated- even the Rage Against the Machine poster. He's got a menacing bookshelf, heavy with academic miscellany, baseball bobble heads and empty space. Something about not getting distracted, I guess. Huh.

Our guest bedroom is pretty bare, but the bed is made!

The dining room has taken on a multipurpose life much like it had at our old house. The dining room is where more bookshelves go (so many, so many) and where game nights happen, where Boyfriend works when his office won't do, where projects get laid out, and where dinner rarely happens. Here it is:

Our backyard, you ask? We haven't done a single thing...because it has looked like this since mid-January. I know, I know, it's pretty, right? Nope. Three weeks ago it was pretty. Now it's just
a sick joke. Melt.

And because I am that pet owner, here's a cute picture of Arley enjoying our new digs.

Warm Weather Dog

Many of you know Arley, our Boxster (she's a Boster Terrier/Boxer mix). She's from South Carolina. We adopted her from a Boston Terrier rescue when we lived in the NC. Because of her southern pedigree, our little dog is a total weather wimp. Temperatures dip below 40 degrees and she starts to think that going outside is akin to summiting Everest.

Snow, you ask? Arley met snow for the first time last year and she's pretty sure snow is Mother Nature's own practical joke. How could anyone be asked to stand on wet, frozen ground for any amount of time, ever in their lives? Seriously.

We're always brainstorming new ways to accommodate Arley's delicate sensibilities. Ok, I try to accommodate and Boyfriend is quick to remind me that "She's a dog, she'll be fine." So not the point, Boyfriend.

Anyway, we have afghans on the couches in which Arley can cocoon herself unless she manages to get a toe caught in the loops and freak out.  So, that's a solution as long as the blankets aren't trying to fight back.

We also, against our better judgment, bought her a sweater. It is important to me that you know that said sweater was on clearance at Target for something like seven dollars. So, there's that. Arley doesn't mind wearing the sweater so when we remember to put it on her, it sort of helps keep her warm. Much to my surprise, it was actually a challenge to find dog clothes (that phrase, man, that phrase) that are intended to keep a dog warm. The vast majority appear to have the exclusive purpose of money-waste. This is a long-winded way of saying that if you wanted to buy Arley this we wouldn't be mad at you.

I'm writing this post from my parents' house in Missouri which is one of Arley's favorite places to visit because while she loves my parents and brother, the main draw is a fireplace! Last Christmas, you could find our dog laying belly first inches away from a roaring fire. I'm pretty confident Arley believes the spot in front of the fireplace to be heaven.

How are you holding up in the beginning of winter? Arley and I are already over it. Have a happy Thanksgiving! 

How do I know if I'm a screw up or not?

Lately, I feel a little bit Jekyll and Hyde. On one hand I really feel like I'm getting my act together what with having a job I like and actively applying to graduate school and whatnot. On the other hand though, I am a twenty-five-year-old studying for the Praxis. This is the standardized test for prospective teachers, most often taken at the end of your undergraduate studies. I am soooo not looking forward to taking that test in a few weeks with what I assume will be a room full of cute, confident, newly twenty-two-year olds with perfect hair.

I'll rush in still dressed from work, having been up since 6am, boyfriend and pup at home wondering why their dinner isn't making itself. I jest, Boyfriend is a better and more frequent cook than I. Arley? I will never live up to her standards of care. Anyone looking for a full-time belly rubbing gig? It doesn't pay and your client has dog breath. Takers? No? If you change your mind you know where to find me.

So, my week will be full of relearning geometry formulas and the proper use of semi-colons. There's a Halloween costume that needs finishing, too. Boyfriend and I are part of a group costume with his cohort at school. We're all going as different characters from Pac-Man. I'm going as a strawberry and Boyfriend is going to be one of the ghosts despite my suggestion that he be a big, white dot. What? It's a great idea! Whatever.

Halloween plans? Long lists of unpleasant things to accomplish? Needy dog at home?