Things I'm Loving Thursday

I'm still refusing to be a sheep and post my "Things I'm Loving" list on a Friday, so here we go on a Thursday...

1. My new library card- I've been meaning to get a library card for a long time now. While I love my Kindle, I do miss the smell and feel of holding an actual book in my hands and borrowing one is the easiest and most cost-effective way to enjoy a few. I put a bunch of books on hold that weren't available when I got my card and now I've been bombarded with them all at once. It's wonderful.
2. JuneauLuxe- This company makes the prettiest bracelet sets. I came across them while browsing Instagram and despite not being a big jewelry wearer I fell in love and immediately wanted one! I've shared their link with my husband and sister, and with my birthday coming up I'm crossing my fingers...(hint, hint)
   
3. BarkBox- Just like Popsugar and Stitch Fix for people, Bark Box is a subscription service just for the dogs! I managed to sign up with BarkBox through a Groupon deal and am contemplating being a regular subscriber. Once you pick your dog's size, you enter your shipping and payment info, and once a month your dog gets his own box in the mail that includes organic treats, toys, bones, hygiene products, and new gadgets. You can also save $10 during the month of January with coupon code BADPICKUP
   
   
   
   
4. Zulily- Yet another addiction of mine, Zulily offers new deals DAILY on clothing, shoes, accessories, and home goods for women and kids. I have purchased numerous gifts and items for myself off of Zulily and have yet to be disappointed. Sometimes it takes a while for the vendors to ship the items but everything has been as described and totally worth it for the discounted price!
   
5. My husband- Although he is fully at fault for giving me this nasty funk, he's also been really good at keeping me fed and making sure I have all the medications I need. Both of us have a general outlook of "Throw some dirt on and walk it off" so when either of us goes out of our way to care for the other one it's always greatly appreciated.

***Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post; I have paid for these items on my own and have not been given compensation for a review. However, this post does contain referral links for new sign-ups that give me a little credit towards my next box(es).

Six Things Saturday

I missed Five Things Friday...for several weeks now...but I felt the urge to publish something. I know I have family members who click on this page out of habit by now, so no need to completely disappear despite my overwhelming urge to run away and never come back.

1. I've been re-thinking what I want this blog to be about. I love to read others' blogs about fitness and running, mainly because they help keep me motivated, but I've realized that I personally have no interest in writing about that stuff. I genuinely don't want to share how far I ran yesterday, or how long it took me, or what I ate that will make others roll their eyes and tell me to just eat a burger already. I run, several times a week, but I run for my own personal health and not to impress anyone else. I believe beer and cupcakes are a food group, and regardless of the fact that I slave for 12 hours over people who are diabetic, artery clogged, morbidly obese messes, I have no intention of not eating things that make me happy. I just have to run longer to make up for it; totally worth the sacrifice. With all of that said, I'm still not sure what type of blog I want this to be, but I know it won't be a fitness or food one.

2. I received my first Stitch Fix a couple of weeks ago and ended up loving two of the items, a light sweater/jacket and a loose hippie- looking shirt. I meant to take pictures of both of them on me, but I'm not a fan of selfies and asking my husband to do it just opens up a whole new can of ridiculous worms. I will say that I've already scheduled my next Fix for Sept 20th and I'm looking forward to seeing what my stylist sends then!

3. I've rediscovered Pinterest. I forgot how many awesome pumpkin recipes appear on there and how many neat tattoos and outfits I end up loving. Plus it's an excellent waste of time considering I still haven't re-opened my Facebook account (go me!).

4. Our youngest cat is very photogenic and she has no problem posing for the camera. Enough said.

5. I started decorating for fall. I love fall. I especially love fall because the horrible humid heat starts to go away AND because it means everything pumpkin. For those who don't know, I LOVE pumpkin. Once I get back from vacation (which will be in a different post), I will begin my annual collection of pumpkins and gourds.

6. I did yard work today. That's right- I haven't mowed the lawn since I was a kid living on Harvey St but, while sitting outside enjoying a Dogfish Head beer, I made the snap decision to get sweaty and grassy. I also walked through a whole bunch of dog poop but at least the backyard looks good. I think even AB was impressed. Next time I get the urge I will wear gloves.

Five Things Friday

1. I am absolutely in love with Sudocrem. My sister first introduced me to it about a year ago as a possible treatment for my cystic acne, for which I've pretty much tried everything. I briefly gave it a shot (so I'm a little impatient) before finally going to a dermatologist and getting put on Spironolactone (miracle acne drug for me). My little jar of Sudocrem was then vanquished to the back of my bathroom cabinet until recently, when AB asked if he could try it for some chaffing. While it didn't make a huge difference for my acne, apparently it is a miracle cure for chaffing! Since then both AB and I have tried using it for various things and this is what it works wonderfully for (so far):

• Chaffing (for the third time0
• Razor burn
• Rashes of unknown origin
• Blisters
• Hot spots on my dog*
• Calluses on my dog's bony joints*
• My dog's ever-inflamed butt*
• Self-contained staph infections...on my dog*

*My vet was questionable about using Sudocrem on Stetson at first, but once she looked it up and read more about it, she jumped on the train with us- surprisingly Stetson doesn't lick it off; if it feels as good to him as it does to me on my post-running flabby underarm chaffing then I'm not surprised!

2. I'm giving Stitch Fix a try. I read a lot of blogs, and since it kept popping up over and over again I figured, why not? The worst that could happen is that I'd be out $20. Stitch Fix is like an online personal shopper; you fill out a [very] detailed profile, pay $20, and you are sent 5 pieces of clothing/accessories to try. You can choose to buy any, all, or none and mail back the rest within 3 days in a postage paid box. Whatever you do decide to buy you can apply the $20 towards, and if you keep all 5 items you get 25% off the entire box. You can do monthly "fixes" or just order one when you feel like something new. If you're a Pinner, you can give the company the link to your pinned clothing so they can get an idea of what you like. When you mail something back you have the option to let them know what you didn't like about it. I may end up not liking any of it at all, but I'll update once I receive my first box the week of August 30th. If anyone decides to try it, please use this link so that I can get a referral credit!

3. Canned pumpkin is the insanely cheap and easy solution to my dog's whacky bowel habits. Stetson has always had issues with his digestive tract, and since the cancer and chemo it's been even more off-kilter. We're constantly battling diarrhea and colitis so I finally took my vet's advice and started mixing a tablespoon of pumpkin into Stetson's wet food two times a day. Problem solved; the poor dog has regular bowel movements and no diarrhea! Amazing.

4. I have finally made it to Week 12 of the Couch to 10K. Running 30 minutes straight sucks; running for 54 minutes straight is miserable...but I can do it! Shockingly, my eating habits haven't changed a bit and yet I haven't even managed to drop another pound. Maybe it's the beer...

5. I haven't had a cupcake in 6 weeks. That's right, the self-diagnosed cupcake addict has managed to avoid those little handheld servings of yummy, sugary, calorie-packed, waist-widening, addictive goodness. Until tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be having one of each from my beloved Gigi's:

Italian Cream

Kentucky Bourbon Pie