Meet Princess Cheese

Princess CheeseScarlet, Carleton, and I are so excited to see A Dog’s Purpose. This is actually the first non-animated film that Scarlet has put on the calendar as a must-see. She always says she’s a “dog person,” as is my whole family. Jacinda is into cats. Tell me what a cat’s purpose is? That’s right, you can’t. Because cats are useless and dogs are better. The end.

Can I tell you about Princess Cheese? I’m going to tell you about her. She’s our mutt. When my dog Puck died, it took us almost a year to come wading out of our grief and decide to get another dog. We went on our 6th wedding anniversary to the LA Animal Shelter and told Scarlet she could pick out any dog she wanted. It took her about 30 seconds to find this little ball of fur and energy, which she then named Princess Cheese. P Cheese had mange, she had pneumonia, and she had mad love for Scarlet instantly. She also had way too much fur. A few months of TLC, some vet visits, and a nice grooming later she settled into our little family quite well. Now she’s been with us for four years, and we couldn’t love her more.

Princess Cheese 2If I had to guess at Princess Cheese’s purpose, I would say it’s to be a sort of sibling to Scarlet, an only child. She snuggles her, runs with her, plays dress up with her. She protects her, runs to her when she’s scared, makes sure no one sneaks up on her, and keeps monsters out of her closet, and sometimes hides under her bed when she hears thunder. I’ve had many dogs in my lifetime. I had dogs as a kid with my parents. I had dogs after my parents got divorced, that I shared with my mom. I had a dog during my single twenties and when I married Carleton and had Scarlet that was my dog, my best friend. This dog is Scarlet’s, and if Princess Cheese lives about as long as she’s supposed too, she will probably leave this world about when Scarlet leaves home to go to college. I’m already sad about it, but when you are a dog person, you know this is how it goes. It is how it is supposed to be.

So I am grateful that Princess Cheese found her way into our home. I don’t know how she ended up at the shelter, or what her life was like before, but I know she has a good life now, and she’s happy, and we’re happy to have her with us while we can.

The ones we rescue, rescue us. Watch the trailer for A Dog’s Purpose, in theaters January 27 (get your tissues ready):

Recreate the #ADogsPurpose movie poster using your dog & share using #MyDogsPurpose. Your furry friend could even be featured in the film’s campaign! Check out our poster of Princess Cheese, then get started making your own now: http://unvrs.al/ADPPoster adogspurpose-poster

About the movie: Based on the beloved bestselling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog’s Purpose, from director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, Dear John, The 100-Foot Journey), shares the soulful and surprising story of one devoted dog (voiced by Josh Gad) who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love. The family film told from the dog’s perspective also stars Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton, Britt Robertson, K.J. Apa, Juilet Rylance, Luke Kirby, John Ortiz and Pooch Hall.

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Happy New Year!

We don’t need nothing fancy, just a little yearly video holiday card. We had an amazing year, we hope you did too. You can check out the past 6 years of our video holiday cards here. Have a great holiday and we will see you in 2017!

XO
Jaime

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A Boy’s Bedroom Makeover: The Reveal!

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Hey, it’s December and the busiest time of year for both work and family. Let’s take on a big project like making over a kid’s bedroom! The timing may not have been perfect but Gordon is so thrilled to have his big boy bedroom finished. (See photo below: that is his thrilled face, I swear.) If you missed it, here is the style board that we created with our long-time friends at Lamps Plus. Read on for more pics of Gordon’s new bedroom and all of the sources.
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Prudent Wishlist: For Dudes! 2019

1. “This color-coded chart traces the trajectories of every orbiter, lander, rover, flyby, and impactor to ever slip the surly bonds of Earth’s orbit and successfully complete its mission.” Umm, that’s amazing. Get The Chart of Cosmic Exploration and many other fabulous dude-gifts at popchartlab.com.
2. Sneakers meet duck boots. Perfect for dudes in colder climates, from Vans.
3. This little gadget makes cold brew coffee. It doesn’t seem that exciting, but I gave one to Carleton last father’s day on my friend Wendy’s advice, and it is his most-used gift I ever gave him. He makes us a new batch every Sunday, and it’s amazing because it is so concentrated, but without the bitterness. If your dude is into coffee, get him the Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker.
4. If your dude likes to dress it up a bit, but is also generally down-to-earth, then we see a tweed sport coat from Orvis in his future.
5. So I got Carleton a Stanley Flask many moons ago. He liked that. Then I got him the Stanley thermos. He also liked that. Then Stanley came out with their new travel mugs, so I got him one of those. He promptly threw away every other travel mug we owned and replaced them all with these. They. Are. Good.: Stanley Classic One Hand Vacuum Mug. For extra coolness, always choose the Hammertone Green color.
6. So I got one of these and spit into it (so much, like so much spit) and sent it off. I will share my results when I get them in six to eight weeks. It will be especially interesting due to my recently-discovered adopted status, but I think any dude would be fascinated to see their DNA sequenced? Geno 2.0 Next Generation from Helix and National Geographic will be a cool gift that you’ll all be talking about way into summer.
7. You guys know that I get something ridiculous for Carleton every year, right? It’s become a family tradition, we all wait to see what it is and how hard he will laugh. This year, it’s this. Make sure you also grab some helium from Michael’s if you want to see it in action on Christmas day.
8. If your dude likes beer, then he will like this: BottleKeeper.
9. And my final recommendation is a fun stocking stuffer. Like even if you don’t camp, your dude will feel like a prepared man if he has one of these in his glove compartment. It allows you to drink out of any nasty puddle you come across, all filtered and clean: LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

So, what are y’all getting for the dudes on your list this year?

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Prudent Wishlist: For Kids!

Scarlet’s wishlist for this year includes and iPhone and a hoverboard. Sorry, Scarlet. But here are some other fun things she has suggested that might just show up under the tree.

Playing Mexican Train Dominoes has become a holiday tradition for Jacinda, especially now that her youngest has discovered it. I think Scarlet will love it.

Every girl should have a subscription to Kazoo Magazine.

Have you played with one of these yet? It’s SO SATISFYING to push the sequins up and down. Scarlet has been begging for one: Reversible Sequin Pillow Cases.

These are the best pencils for any kid (or adult) who loves to color: Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils.

This DIY kit is fun to make and seriously so cute: Seedling Design Your Own Enchanted Flower Rose Crown.

All of the Handmade Charlotte Creativity Kits for Kids at Michael’s are awesome. We like this “adopt a cactus” one especially.

Kids can make ice cream in this! And you can eat it: Chef’n Sweet Spot Instant Ice Cream Maker!

Scarlet asked for this, and once I saw it I had to get it for every kid on my list. You tear out the pages and do what they say “float this page” etc.:Wreck This Journal.

These training chopsticks are a great stocking stuffer. Scarlet picked them out for her cousins. Chimpsticks Hinged Chopsticks

I cannot wait to see my little nephew snuggled up in this: Blankie Tails Shark Blanket, Gray and Deep Blue. There’s a mermaid tail version which may have also made it’s way under the tree.

So, what are you getting the littles on your list this year?

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Marshmallow Gidget Cookies

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We are in cozy holiday mode over here, which involves lots of movie nights. I LOVE IT! Since The Secret Life of Pets comes out today on Blu-ray & DVD (the new release comes with close to an hour of bonus footage PLUS 3 Mini Movies, eeep!) we couldn’t help but set up a fancy little snack table inspired by our sponsor Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and my favorite character from the movie, Gidget.

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Gidget is a white fluff ball of a pup with a pink bow and a heart as big as New York City. I just love how brave and determined she is to find Max. It warms my soul. It’s so fun to fantasize about what our pets do when we aren’t home. I doubt their adventures are quite this exciting.

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The highlight of our spread was pretty, pretty marshmallow cookies that are simple to put together, darling to look at, and a delight to nosh on. Read on for the simple no-bake instructions plus more ideas for a cute “Pets”-themed party. And yes those are malt milk balls in a kitty bowl. The kids are cracking up. And a little scared.

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From the humans behind Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets is a comedy about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day. The all-star voice cast includes Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan and Albert Brooks.




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All The Wreaths You Could Make This Week

Take some stuff and make it circular, and voila, it’s holiday decor. We love wreaths. They serve no actual purpose, but are festive and joyful. They make me smile and also make me want to craft. Here’s some of our favorite DIY wreath projects from years past…
DIY Jingle Bell Wreath, bonus, it makes a happy sound when guests come over. DIY Jingle Bell Wreath

You need virtually no DIY skills to make this Ribbon Wreath, and it’s so pretty! diy-ribbon-wreath

This fun wreath Jacinda made was featured in All You magazine. I love the surprise of upcycling yogurt cups to make it. A fun one to paint with the littles. diy upcycled yogurt cup wreath

One of our most popular posts ever, this DIY Living Succulent Wreath is sure to amaze and can last forever.diy-succulent-wreath You can also follow our tute for making a living succulent tree.

If you can crochet just a little bit, you can make a Crochet Wreath. Jacinda made two and they’re both so fun. diy-crochet-wreath-1 diy-crochet-wreath-2

And just for fun, make a salad wreath at your holiday party. The kids will love it.DIY Salad Wreath

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No More Nursery: A Boy’s Bedroom Makeover

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Now that Gordon is a big Kindergartener, our nursery days are over. I’m cool with it. He still gives me some pretty amazing hugs. Welp. Ok, back to that nursery. We recently ditched the toddler bed, moved our queen bed into his room, and upgraded ours to a King. Now he will have a bed he can stay in for as long as he is here. It can be forever. I’m totally ok with that. Now it is time to round out the room with toy storage, a nightstand and some lighting! We’ve partnered with our longtime friends at Lamps Plus, to help us furnish and illuminate the room with their gorgeous products. While the inspiration board above might not look like the bedroom of a 5 year old, that is my goal. I want this to be a room that he can live in for as long as he lives here. Read on for all of the details… (more…)

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