Image by airwaves1, used under Creative Commons license I know I am a walking stereotype—treating my animals like my kids. But we are all stereotypical in one way or another so I am just going to embrace it and say, for now, my pets are my babies! Of course, that means I run the risk of spoiling them even more than the average pet owner. I do lean a little too far in one direction when it comes to dog treats. I assume it’s a bit like a mother in a supermarket giving into her toddler who is begging for chocolate just to get him to behave while she finishes shopping. This said, I am aware that dog treats are meant to be used sparingly while we train our dogs to listen and learn the rules. I would definitely recommend a local dog training class for new puppies or older dogs, as they will advise you on treating your dog once a new command has sunk in. If in doubt, save your best chewy treats for the end of the session, … [Read more...]

What do you generally eat for lunch or even in general? Is it healthy? I know that I am generally NOT a healthy eater and even though I love salads I am eating tons of fat because I eat most of the time homemade ranch dressing which I make with buttermilk and mayo which are both total fat! Sometimes I am good and do lite vinaigrette and such! I am getting hungry just writing this! I wish I could do better, but have you ever noticed that it costs more to eat fresh fruits and veggies than it does to just eat JUNK? Which is really sad!  You can go and get a fast food meal for cheaper than you could buy the good stuff, and I am almost sure that is why we have the problems with a lot of the health concerns in this country! There are so many of them I can't even begin to name all of them, but you can find a list of them here. The infographic below brings up some pretty interesting points to consider, like the fact that we eat over 85 lbs of oil and fat in a year..Ugh, doesn't it sound … [Read more...]

Here is one of those posts where I kind of leave the present, and paint you a picture of Nichole's days gone by. Sort of. Back when I was going to move to Boone, NC to go to Appalachian State, I hadn't really "lived" in the mountains in the winter since I was 4! I live in a pretty mild tempatured area where we don't really see a lot of snow, and where we think it is cold when it is below like 50 or so! I packed accordingly when I arrived in January 2005 though!  I had heard the rumors of how cold it got and I wasn't taking any chances. Plus all the snow and wind (that was for you Jason!) Honestly I have heard that Boone even has gotten snow in every month except July. Being a true old timer one of my fond sayings is "It will snow before halloween" in regards to the fall semester! Anyways, I had lots of cute gloves and coats, and my mom even bought fleece and made scarves for me! The staple of my collection though would have been between sweatpants and hoodies! That is all I … [Read more...]

It has been a few years since I got a new computer (*sniff*) and I am truly itching to get a new one! My laptop is awesome, it is white, my favorite brand..but it is almost 4 years old I think! The battery won't hold up very long, so it has to be constantly plugged in. The thing that bothers me the most though, is that I believe that the screen is starting to go out. I have a weird line that changes colors and also comes and goes...and changes size every time the computer is on! Sometimes it is there, sometimes it isn't! Other than that it has held up very well, with not problems. I am almost afraid to say that, because it is almost like you put it out there, that there aren't any problems..and BAM here comes something to totally screw it up! I have several things that I consider before I buy any type of computer (and believe me I have had my share over the years, several laptops, 2 netbooks and 2 desktops) If things go well I will be updating mine in the near future … [Read more...]