It’s Scarf Time

Within the last week it has started to cool off in Houston.  FINALLY!
Fellow Houstonians, I’m sure you will agree with me that this cool off is long-await and greeted with joy.  Seriously I can’t think of a better way to welcome December!
So when Lindsey proposed a scarf swap in preparation for the cool-off I jumped on the opportunity.  I was paired with the lovely and creative Allison from Dish with a Swish (seriously she is so talented!  Check out her etsy shop).
When this baby arrived, I squealed I was so excited.  I mean who wouldn’t want to receive this cute package in the mail?!

Allison spoiled me & sent this fabulous scarf. 

Oh it’s gorg!  My favorite colors and a fabulously fun pattern!

I think she gets me :-)
Thank you Allison for the scarf & to Lindsey for hosting such a fun swap!
What is your favorite scarf this season? Is there another one that I need to get?

Look Who’s Famous!

The Mr and I went to school at Randolph-Macon College in the Center of the Universe.  Yesterday I was scrolling through Facebook, and guess who I saw on the RMC Facebook page?!  I’ll give you a hint, they have 4 legs, and lots of fur…..

We are tickled black and yellow to have our “yellow jackets” featured!

Seriously, these two are becoming very popular!  Fellow RMCers, make sure you “Like” the RMC Facebook and Bookstore pages so that you can stay up to date (and check out Tomlin and Rooney!).  Thank you RMC for featuring our "yellow jackets"

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Rooney’s BIRTHDAY!

I’m not sure I even believe that I’m writing this, but Mr. Rooney turns one on Saturday!  I am completely shocked.  How fast did this year go?!  I feel old saying that, but it’s true!

In honor of Rooney’s first birthday, I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and document his first year as a Hawley.  Warning this post is going to be a HUGE picture overload.  Seriously, consider yourself warned.  *See Tomlin’s one-year post here*

When we got Rooney in the middle of January this year he was 6 weeks old and weighed 4 pounds.  He was soooo sick (and super smelly).  (Bringing pup home post)
Tomlin was not sure what to think of Rooney.  For a while we were worried about how this was going to work.  But within a couple weeks, Tomlin really started to fall in love with her new little brother.  They are now inseparable (seriously they cry when they can’t see the other; it’s very sweet).  Though Tomlin still has a problem with sharing sometimes. lol

Rooney has always been a good eater. Every meal is as if it was his first meal in a bazillion years.  I’m sure this stems from the neglect he experienced before we rescued him <-- Clearly that is the psychologist in me talking-once a nerd always a nerd ;-)

For the first few months we were at the vet every two weeks trying to get Rooney healthy. Poor little guy was so sick.  But every time we went to the vet there were fewer and fewer issues to treat! We all, including our bank account, appreciated that!
From the beginning Rooney has been a lap dog.  He loves to snuggle.  This is becoming harder and harder considering he is now 62.5 lbs but he still thinks he is 4lbs. lol

In March Rooney got his first “formal ware”
I remember every moment of this day (below).  This was the morning after I defended my dissertation and we went on a walk.  It was at this moment that I realized Rooney was starting to be a dog, and not a puppy.  I guess I had missed that in the writing chaos that stole my spring.

In June, Rooney went on his first road trip: from TX to VA.  Both pups loved the hotel beds….they had no intention of sharing with us.

Over the summer Rooney went to the beach for the first time.  I think he thought the beach was a big bowl of a sandy snack lol

Rooney and Tomlin play very well together.  They also get in trouble very well together.  This was their worst Dog Shaming

At one,

-Rooney has gotten a lot better with his commands (see a video from earlier in the year here).  He can now sit, stay, shake, and turn left. 

-Rooney hates to be alone.  He cries, or wails rather, when he is left alone.

-Rooney loves to ride in the front passenger seat and look out the window.

-Rooney absolutely adores Tomlin; he copies everything she does.  I’m not sure if he looks to her as a mother or a big sister: they play together all day long, but she also cleans him and is constantly making sure he is following the rules, and when he isn’t she is the most effective little tattler lol 

-Rooney has yet to figure out that he is not only heavier than Tomlin but much taller.  He lets her boss him around all the time.  Watching these two brings us so much joy!
That concludes the puppy phase for the Hawleys!  In 1.5 years we have raised TWO puppies!  I thought we were crazy to take on both pups, but it has turned out to be such a blessing in every way possible!  Thank you Lord for letting us take care of these two beautiful pups!

Blue Bird {{WINNER}}

Thank you so much for everyone that participated in the Blue Bird giveaway.  I definitely recommend checking out Diane’s shop; she’s got some fabulous jewelry!

The winner of the $20 gift certificate is Morgan!  Congratulations Morgan!!!

(FYI Morgan- in case you need a person to shop for, my birthday is coming up hehe j/k)

If you did not win, NO NEED to worry!  Diane is also offering 15% off on all purchases!!! (enter the code FALL2012 at checkout for your savings). So go check out Blue Bird and start your Christmas savings!

Have a great Tuesday friends!

The Dog Days of Fall

Hi Friends!!  How was your Thanksgiving weekend?!  Ours was spectacular!  In the morning of Thanksgiving we did some volunteer work and visited a nursing home to sing carols and deliver some sweet treats.  Phil and I agreed that it was the best part of Thanksgiving, but I think we say that every year.  After our visiting, we came home and I cooked like crazy, and then passed out on the couch watching Elf with the Mr.

Percy the Turkey was de-licious!

The Friday after Thanksgiving in our house is typically spent getting our tree and transforming our house into a holiday wonderful land (Here is last year).  We are moving right before Christmas this year, so I don't see the point in putting up a tree to take it down in two weeks. Why make things harder than they need to be; ya know what I mean?  So this year we will be celebrating Christ's birth without all the extra stuff.  This year instead of decorating, the Friday after Thanksgiving was my first experience with Black Friday.  The Mr likes to catch sales, and in the past I have compromised and gone out after noon, but this year there were a few things that we needed to get for our upcoming move so I ventured out.  Still, I compromised and wouldn't leave the house until after 10am.  Slowly but surely the Mr is getting me out earlier and earlier lol.  Maybe next year I will be out & shopping by 8am (GASP!).  I think most people were done with their shopping by the time we got out because it was very quiet and peaceful.

The rest of the weekend was spent watching football and celebrating with our Houston family.  It was so relaxing and I hope that was how your weekend went.

In case you missed it, Tomlin debuted her first blog post a couple weeks ago at Creatively Classic.  Thank you Lindsey for letting her steal some of your blog space    If you have not yet met Lindsey, you've really got to get over to her blog and meet her; she is awesome!

In case you missed Tomlin's post, here she is again.  Hope y'all enjoy Miss Tomlin!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi!   

My mom talks about us all the time here (and seriously, could you blame her?!), but we wanted to share a little with y'all today.
Today we wanted to tell you about the Dog Days of Fall.  Everyone says things like the “dog days of summer” and “it's a dogs life”....but seriously folks, the dog life is best in the fall,  and here is why:

Snuggling (and playing) under the covers

Football season (and our name-sake)  This is how I got my name, and this is how Rooney got his name.

Begging for Thanksgiving scraps
Mom says our brown eyes get her every time.  We know the sad puppy face is our secret weapon; works like a charm ;-)

Homemade pumpkin treats (insert wild tail wagging)

Long naps

Taking our mom and dad on walks for their coffee break (goodness they are always waking us up early for their coffee walk, what is it with those two?!)

Dressing up

Wearing our fancy party clothes

Doesn’t that sound like so much doggy fun?  We love this season!

Since our mom can't get enough of us, maybe she will let us share more of our dog tails tales with you on her blog.  Make sure you put in a good word for us.

We ruff you,

Hope you all have a great Monday!  Just remember, not too much longer and you’'ll be on Christmas break!!!!

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Family Time

As many of you know, the Mr and I don’t live near family (background check here).  This means that for the holidays we either have to fly home or spend it with just us two here in Houston.  Both options has it’s pros and cons, but this year we totally lucked out.  Instead of having to fly home, we had the treat and blessing of having the Mr’s family come and visit us :-) Last Thursday my in-laws flew into Houston and we had a whirl-wind, action-packed, fun weekend.  It was one of those weekends where we just felt so blessed to have such a wonderful family.  What a way to start Thanksgiving week!

On Friday, the Mr gave them a tour of Houston, since I had to work…..I did not want them to have any fun without me ;-)

Then on Saturday we went and rode the ferry from Galveston Island to the Port of Bolivar.  This was super fun!

The Mr and his mom hunting for sea shells

On Sunday we went to church.  It was a great sermon on courage from Acts 4:1-12. You can watch the video here.
After a picnic lunch, we settled in for some Sunday naps and football.  The Mr grilled out some steaks (for the guys) and chicken (for the dolls).  It was delicious!
I have to say my favorite part of the weekend was watching the Steelers game. Obviously all of you know how the Mr and I are big Steelers fans, but this extends to our entire family.  It was SO fun to watch the game altogether.  What a fun memory!

We had a great weekend and were sooooo sad to see them go, but feel so blessed that we got to start off this great week of thanks being grateful for our family and the time we got to spend together this past weekend.

So from the Hawley family to yours, we wish you a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!