The Monday Outfit Switch.

I'm currently wearing this...



But I wish I was wearing this!

The Newest Addition to my DVR Schedule...

I don't watch a whole lot of tv. In fact, I don't think our tv thinks that it has the ability to go to any channel but the Speed network (yes, that is my husband...I'm not the biggest fan of Pink's or Low Rider, althought I do like 101 Cars you must Drive).

However, I do have several shows that I DVR on a regular basis, so I have something to watch while I'm folding laundry. Somehow, watching some good tv makes an unpleasant task much more pleasant...or that could be the glasses if white wine that usually accompany laundry folding.

My newest show is a little unusual for me - I hate detective/lawyer shows on policy. Really, how many Law and Order variations can NBC come up with? Plus, they tend to freak me out a little bit, I try to maintain my rosy little view of the world as much as possible - in order to avoid feeding my paranoia that someone will break in or something.

Enter: THE MENTALIST! (yes, I think he's pretty darn handsome). (Don't lie, you thought it too.)

Yes, there are other people on the show. See?

The breakdown of the show:

"The Mentalist stars Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, a detective and independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. Within the Bureau, Jane is notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Jane's role in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by his fellow agents. However, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) openly resists having Jane in her unit and alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. "

Fascinating! Here's the definition of "mentalist" (brought to you courtesy of Wikipedia)

"The term mentalist refers to entertainers whose performance appears to be based on "psychic" abilities, featuring the ability to read minds, project the mind to alter the state of matter, foretell the future, and see distant and hidden objects. This branch of magic is referred to as "mentalism."[1]

There are analogues in the field of parapsychology, where a mentalist is defined as someone who is believed to read thoughts and place suggestions in people's minds. While a psychic may claim to observe a hidden spiritual reality and report on it, in a process known as "psychic reading" (see cold reading) a mentalist might claim the ability to manipulate and change that reality. The stage mentalist ostensibly mimics these supernatural behaviours by natural means."

Not only do I think the show is well-written and has a good amount of wit and humor in addition to the case to be solved in each episode...it's not overly creepy or gory like a lot of cop/detective shows out there. (Law & Order SVU, I'm talking to you!)

Plus, isn't this reason enough to watch the show...?????

The List about US!

10 things about Newlywed Husband and I...

1. We have been married for almost 2 months - definitely still newlyweds!

2. We look a lot like the couple in our blog header, notable exceptions being that Newlywed
Husband does not have quite such a square jaw, and Newlywed Wife (me) has much longer hair.

3. We both despise avocados and guacamole. Disgusting.

4. I love collecting shoes. He loves collecting guns. We respect each other's collections.

5. Our dog is our baby. Someday we will have a real baby. Or five.

6. He kisses me good morning, good night, hello, and goodbye. ALWAYS.

7. I have expanded my horizons since we got married. As in...learning to ride a dirtbike.

8. We can both eat our weight in chips and salsa. No question.

9. I'm disgustingly obsessed with Christmas, and he is sweet enough to indulge my need to plan tons of decorations, activities, and traditions.

10. We pray before EVERY meal we eat together. And have done so since our 2nd date.

The Sad Post.

Izzy/Indy went home last night.

After digging in the muddy backyard all day yesterday, Izzy did a bit of paw-painting (similar to finger painting, but with mud...and she lacks the posable thumb) alllll over our back patio/patio furniture (luckily, the latter was covered). She then decided to take herself for a run, and somehow managed to first dig herself out of our backyard yesterday afternoon, then spent a (I'm sure fun for her) couple of hours barking at cars in the middle of our street. A nice lady driving by stopped and tied our wayward adoptee to our fence with HER dog's leash, leaving a sweet note saying that if we would please call her she would come and pick her leash up later.

My poor husband got home before I did, and spent a good hour blockading every possible gap between fence and ground with rocks (not sure where he got the rocks???), and windexing every surface of the porch.

Izzy had the look of a sullen teenager, no love for mommy when I got home. We soldiered on and put her on her leash, hoping that taking the doggies for a walk would restore the normal peace and joy in our little household...

It did...for about 30 minutes. Until we got home and Izzy VAULTED/CLIMBED the 10 foot tall fence in the yard for another freedom run. After seeing her almost get run over by a car - twice - we had a moment of deep thought. The thought went kind of like this: "Izzy doesn't love us, she has been completely devoid of affection or interest in us for the past 3 days. She is obviously trying to get back to the foster family she lived with for 5 months by escaping through the fence/over the fence/under the fence. The foster family wasn't sure they wanted to give her up anyway....they loved her, and wanted what was best for her."

The conclusion of all this deep thought was clear: Izzy's foster family was where she belonged. They thought they were doing the right thing by giving her up to a family with a bigger yard and another german shorthair. She clearly did not agree, and just wanted to be with the people who so kindly rescued her and bonded with her.

So, we took her back. And Winston is again a bachelor. (I think he's ok with it though, he got two milkbones this morning and it seemed to cheer him up significantly).

The Name!

We decided to re-name the new doggie....drumroll please...IZZIE! No, this is not a tribute to one of my favorite shows ever Grey's Anatomy. We just like the name :)

Isn't she adorable?

The Election...

I am not in any way wanting to use this blog to voice my political views but...suffice it to say I'm disappointed this morning. And very apprehensive about what is to come in the next four years. That's all.

The Newest Addition...

Introducing...

INDY!

We decided recently that our sweet boy Winston needed a girlfriend...and after much deliberation and research and 'friendly discussion' (I wanted a chihuahua at first), we settled on getting another german shorthair...after weighing the pros and cons...

GERMAN SHORTHAIRS are notorious for:

• high energy
• needing LOTS of exercise
• being a little clingy
• not responding to commands when distracted by a scent or sound

GERMAN SHORTHAIRS are famous for:

• being extremely loving
• loyalty/protectiveness of 'their' family
• good with children (as long as they are taught not to jump)
• very high intelligence

My sweet husband rescued Winston a little over a year ago from the local pet rescue society. He was underweight, had been abused (he still cringes when you get a belt out of the closet), and had heartworm. He is now the most loyal, sweet, loving big guy you could ever ask for:

After a trip to see a doggie for sale at a german shorthair breeder about an hour outside of Dallas, we decided that the right thing to do was to adopt. There are so many doggies out there who need homes, and we thought that if we were meant to have a companion for Winston...she would just fall in our laps.

Indy was rescued by a sweet lady and her husband in Ft. Worth after they found her and another dog abandoned by Lake Grapevine. She was skinny, had hookworm, and was (and still is) terrified of loud noises and new people. They fell in love with her sweet disposition and energetic enthusiasm, but have a small yard and not enough time to exercise her as much as a german shorthair needs...so they put her up for adoption. We brought her home yesterday, and she fell asleep in the car with her head resting on Winston's back...so sweet :)

She has been slowly settling in, she and Winston ate like truck-drivers when we got them home last night and then tried to mooch off the sweet husband and I while we had dinner. Sleeping was a little tougher...she decided barking and not laying in her bed was a good plan - we were not on that bandwagon AT ALL!

This morning though, she ran around the house and played with Winston and her chew toy...she's a very happy doggie :)

Here is our dilemma: Indy does not respond to her name at all. We aren't the biggest fans of her name either. Should we re-name her? If so, what should the new name be? We thought about just changing it a little bit to 'Wendy', but are afraid that if we call Winston by his nickname 'Winnie' (which we often do), then they won't know who is being called.

Some of my ideas have been:

Victoria

Elizabeth (both english names...to go along with Winston :)

Whitney (just because it starts with a W like Winston, and it's a cute name)

Trixie

What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment for us with your suggestions!