Miss Maple

::Crimson Queen & Mexican Heather::

Nicholas and I transplanted this little lady in late November and I can say we are so glad she made it! She had a tough little uprooting (which took all afternoon and into the evening) from her home of nearly 8 years and a 6 hour drive in the back of a moving truck but here she is! 

Scarf!

::Alexander McQueen Skull Scarf in Sand and Black::

My box came today! (And this one has a fun story...)

A year ago, Net-a-Porter invited some shoppers to join their insight panel. I signed up and filled out a couple questionnaires. (I hope I was able to give some insight on semi-fashionable engineers.) Well, last week they sent me a gift card for participating! So of course I had to get something off my wishlist: an Alexander McQueen Skull Scarf! 

I think scarves have to be my most favorite accessory. They're so comfortable and can be worn with almost anything. This one will fit nicely alongside my current collection. 

Boxes! For all the Boys!!

::1st Bark Box::

The pug boys got their first BarkBox today! Looks like we got the small dog box instead of the medium dog box. (We changed subscriptions the day we signed up, but it didn't take ::squinty eyes::) The boys LOVED the treats, but the chicken flavored rubber newt is probably the biggest hit. Seyms has claimed this newt as his own and has been very vocal about it. 

::Nespresso::

The human boy got his Nespresso box today. 150 espresso pods with 2 limited edition flavors. He's very excited :) We also found out the pods are recyclable! Our nearest Sur-la-table will take them (and give us a reason to shop for kitchen accessories)!

This of course means the kitty boys get to play with the boxes everything came in. It's a pretty happy in the house tonight. :)

Using eggshells

::egg shells for the garden::

Last spring, after I got my little garden set up behind the house, I noticed we got lots of little buggies and fat crawly critters running around and eating my leaves. Since the pugs roam around back there, I didn't want to use anything chemically or potentially hazardous to pugs. One of my friends (she call's herself my red-neck friend) says "country folk" crush up eggshells and sprinkle them on the base of their plants. Bugs crawl on them and injure themselves on the sharp edges and keep away!!  I tried it for a little bit, and it seemed to work so now, I collect our eggshells and make my own anti-bug sprinkles.

Egg shells are also good to put in the bottom of newly planted veggie plants because they help by slowly breaking down and adding calcium. There's lots of other uses for egg shells besides just tossing them in the compost bin.

I do recommend using a small food processor you won't mind if the container goes cloudy - eggshells will scratch plastic. And a take-away from high school chemistry class: use the stove area fan/vent when opening or pouring out the crushed bits. Eggshell powder is not yummy in the eyes or nose.

If you have any other DIY-type garden tips, let me know!!

Puggies at the Expo

::Seymour & Wilson @ the Pet Expo::

Yesterday we spent most of the day at the Houston Pet Expo at the Reliant Center (there also happened to be some poor engineering souls taking their exams next door).

There were rescues for every pet out there from reptiles and bunnies to birds and just about every major dog breed. There were also neat gadgets and services for some lucky pets:

::beds and backpacks::

::poodle showing off some grooming skills::

::hedgehog!::

This guy was hanging out while his mom was busy shopping. We also got to meet a macaw and a gorgeous albino cornsnake. We brought Seyms so he could hang out with his other buddies also in foster care.

::pug pen::

Lots of folks stopped by to get some pug lovin' and meet a few of our wonderful pugs. Eight lucky puggies got adopted into their new Forever Families at the event!! Unfortunately, a few more are waiting to take their place in foster care. But, we have awesome folks in this group that make it happen. :)

::Nicholas, Seymour, and Wilson after a long day::