summer is for simplicity.

undress season is starting!  I was in the car with Dan the other day talking about how different I am from when we were dating and got married.  I suppose I'm not that different, but I was remembering how I almost never wore pants and got "dressed up" every day.  He noted that at that time I was taking outfit photos everyday, which I don't do any more, but still, my style has changed a lot.  I've been working on clearing out my closet of the things I really don't wear all that much (or not at all) in the past few years.  This dress, I've had for five years and has always been a favorite.  I'm pretty positive it'll never end up in the give-away pile.  There's nothing super fancy about it, but for some reason it's always been one of my favorites.  It walks the line of being feminine, but still casual, and it's the perfect weight for muggy summer days.  I did a remix post with this dress three years ago, and I'm sure I've worn it many a time since then.  Paired with a comfy pair of cute sandals and a flower crown, I love how sundresses don't need to be styled up much.  Just simple.  Complicated styling is for Fall and Winter.  Summer is for simplicity.

 


dress (similar)/courtesy of modcloth :: shoes/courtesy of moorea seal  bracelet/31 bits :: necklace/courtesy of tribe jewelry :: flower crown/handmade
 

the perfect day

ave you ever had one of those perfect days?  Where you're just beaming with happiness and feel entirely content?  Saturday was one of those days for me.  The weather was incredible, I started the day with an invigorating workout with a bunch of fun people, went home and weeded the entire garden to prep for planting new veggies, took Dusty to the farmer's market and bought veggie starters, got a little group of colorful cacti as a surprise gift for a friend, worked on my to-do list, ate taco truck tacos and mandarin Jarritos for lunch, blogged, took photos, planted flowers, watched Grey's and CSI, ate chocolate covered strawberries... I mean, it was kind of disgusting it was so perfect.  I'm grossed out just describing it.  I feel like it's important to celebrate the great days, though.  It can be so easy to just wallow in the stuff that sucks, or to live in a constant state of overwhelm, or just the feeling that you're not enough, not getting enough done, not making enough money.  For one day it felt amazing to not only feel the pleasure of amazing weather, lovely company, and yummy bites, but also feel productive and enough.   It's also important to enjoy those moments of perfection, because inevitably the streak of awesome will end.  While that day was amazing, it also ended with me not getting to sleep until 5am because Dan ended up with some crazy food poisoning.  So it goes!  Ebbs and flows.  Such is life.

 

dress(similar)/courtesy of modcloth :: sandals(similar)/thrifted necklaces/courtesy of tribe jewelry + joy dravecky jewelry flower crown/handmade :: photos by liz morrow studios

merry christmas!

furry family

rowing up, my family had Jack Russell Terriers, which meant every piece of clothing and furniture had a nice coating of white fur.  So, I was prepared when we got Dusty to have fur clean-up become part of my life.  Everyone told us that Corgis were big shedders, but for the first year we had Dusty she barely shed at all!  She lulled us into thinking she wasn't going to shed a lot, but then this spring-- BAM.  I was dodging corgi-fur tumbleweeds left and right.  Sweeping up piles of Dusty fur is a regular occurrence these days, so when Swiffer contacted me asking if I'd be interested in trying their sweeper thingies, I was definitely interested.  I could have made 10 Dusty's with the amount of fur I've cleaned up in the last 9 months!
I was more interested because Swiffer is supporting the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA) in a year-long effort to help find homes for animals in need!   Since pet clean-up can become a huge ordeal (especially if they shed like Dusty does), Swiffer is trying to help make the challenges of cleaning up after a pet less of a concern for those considering adoption.  According to the Swiffer Cleaning Index, half of Americans say that concerns about pet hair and shedding in their home is one of the top reasons they worry about getting a pet, wouldn’t get a pet or don’t have one. More than one third of pet owners also say the leading source of “pet cleaning tensions” in their home is hair, dust bunnies and/or shedding.  

 

To help pet adopters cope with the newfound cleaning challenges, Swiffer is donating Big Green Boxes full of Swiffer cleaning products to more than 100 shelters nationwide and gifted each of an estimated 7,000 pet adopters with a free Swiffer Sweeper during the ASPCA Mega-Match-A-Thon.  Swiffer also gave me a second box full of pet cleaning accoutrements to give to a friend with pets and my friend Amy was the perfect candidate! She has two bunnies and they're shedding their summer coats right now like crazy!  I had no idea bunnies were shedders.  Her giant bunny Riot got curious and came over to inspect the box, such a cutie.  

I've wanted my own dog ever since I left home, but one of the reasons I thought it'd be a good idea to get a puppy was as a baby step towards someday starting a family with a tiny human.  I had never really raised a dog from puppyhood, I was pretty young when our Jack Russells were pups, but I knew that taking care of a little dog would be a good learning experience.  My mom came over the other day and as we were about to leave for dinner, Dusty came in and her butt fur was covered with poop.  We'd been dealing with diarrhea for a couple days due to an upset tummy, so without a second thought I quickly plopped her in the sink and sprayed down her fur to clean her up.  My mom laughed because it was definitely a "mom" type thing that I was doing.  Taking care of a dog isn't totally the same as having a kid, but it's taught me that I'm capable of more than I would've thought and it's shown me a different kind of selfless love I didn't know I had.  I'm sure I'll learn a ton more about that type of love whenever we end up making a person, but I feel a bit more comfortable with the idea after becoming a dog-mom.  

 

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Delightfully Tacky alive and kicking.

dusty's big adventure // avoderm giveaway

an's parents are in town this week and invited us out to go for a hike this past Sunday.  They recently got a new dog, a Belgian Malinois named Harley, whom they brought on the hike and a friend of theirs was coming with us who was bringing her Pitt Bull, so we were excited for Dusty to have fun with other dogs.  When we first got Dusty we weren't sure about how good of a hiking dog she'd be.  I don't think people usually go for Corgis when they think of outdoorsy dogs, but we really loved Corgis and hoped she'd enjoy hiking and be able to keep up.  Turns out, she's a total adventure dog.  She is dauntless!  I'm constantly impressed by how hardcore she is, such a hardy little gal!  She really is a part of our family now and we couldn't imagine life without her.  I had dogs growing up, but this little girl has a part of my heart that those dogs never did.  I couldn't have imagined a better furry pal.
One thing we hadn't had the opportunity to do with her yet was take her swimming.  The Pitt Bull loved swimming, which was one reason the hike we went on was chosen-- it had a lake at the end! Dusty had played in the surf on the beach before, but never gone all the way in and swam.  It was a pretty shallow lake, so she just waded around for a bit, and then we coaxed her out into the deeper water with sticks and toys and there she went!  A swimmer!  It was a pretty hot day so all of the dogs were ready to lap up the water and dive in to cool off.  Thankfully there was a nice breeze up at the lake, so we all cooled off while the dogs splashed around.

 

For any of you pet owners out there, I've partnered up with AvoDerm to share a fun giveaway with you!  If you're like me, you like taking way too many photos of your pet.  Well, now you can put those photos to good use!  AvoDerm is doing a "Glow and Tell" photo contest and you can enter a photo of your healthy, glowing fur baby to win a photo shoot with award winning pet photographer Mark Rogers!  This contest has been going all summer with three different entry sections and it's now in entry period #3, where you can share a photo of your pet expressing his or her love for a chance to win.  Head over to Facebook to learn more and to enter your photo.  Entries will be accepted until August 29th and then the voting will begin September 4th and last through the 10th.  Share how you express love to your furry loved one (and vice versa) and how they're a part of your family on social media using #AvoDermGlow.

You can also get a $5 off coupon to try out AvoDerm food for your pet, just click here to snag the coupon*!

What is AvoDerm all about? The condition of your pets' skin and coat is a visible indicator of their overall health. AvoDerm premium pet food is packed with high-quality protein and avocado, a rich source of the vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants your pets need to look and feel their best. AvoDerm pet food formulas are loaded with high quality meat proteins, wholesome grains, antioxidant nutrients plus vitamins and minerals for inside health and California avocados for healthy skin and coat on the outside.

Miss Dusty snacked on some AvoDerm biscuits on our hike while we snacked on the bounty of huckleberries that lined the trail.  She was pretty tired by the time we got back to the car and napped the whole way home.  For a dog with tiny little legs, she sure can trek!  She kept up with all the other dogs whose legs were at least four times as long as hers.  They all got along wonderfully and it was so cool to see such different dogs all playing nicely together and having fun.

Summer is definitely winding down, I feel the chill in the air during the evenings now, but I'm hoping we get to take Dusty on at least a couple more outdoor adventures before the cold and rain sets in for the winter.  Do you have a pet that is as adventurous as you are?  I think it's so special to get to share adventures with an animal.  I remember Little Bit was also an adventurous little dog.  She used to jump on waverunners and snowmachines and insist on riding with her front paws on the steering wheel and her little nose in the wind.  She'd even get zipped into my Dad's winter coat with her head poking out the top, possibly one of the cutest things ever.  I wish I could find a picture of her all bundled in with my Dad!  What's your favorite adventuresome pet memory?

*Coupon expires 1 month after printing. This post is in partnership with Avoderm. Thanks for supporting those companies which help keep Delightfully Tacky alive and kicking! *