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omni-scient-ramblings · 3 years ago

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Daily Writing Challenge - June 2nd 2021

Based off the Song Adventure Is Out There by AJR

Also a prequel to the short story I wrote yesterday... This is leading up to the day Sarah met Evan

Sarah sat on her bed, covers thrown over her head, intent on blocking out the world around her. Her hair was a mess and so was her room. Her joints ached from being curled up in one spot for so long and while she was tired of feeling this way, she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed and actually do something about it.

The world was terrible and cruel anyways, there was no reason for her to actually get up and do anything anyways. People would dump you for no reason and they’d break your heart through a text message without a second thought to how excited you were to celebrate your six month anniversary.

Sarah buried her head in the mattress, throwing the pillow across the room as if it were some sort of voodoo doll for her ex-partner. Was it too much to ask for someone that actually cared about her?

A soft knock came to her door and Sarah groaned out some sort of response. “Go away” maybe.

The door opened anyways, despite her wishes, and her mother walked in. “Sarah honey?” Marge asked, sitting on the foot of her bed.

Sarah rolled over as if to face her mother, glaring up at the ceiling. No wonder Jesse hadn’t wanted to stay with her. Who would want to date a college student still living with their parents?

“Sarah...” Her mother began, sounding concerned. “I know the break up with Jesse was... Unexpected to say the least, but that doesn’t mean it has to stop your whole life up does it? What about that dive you were so excited to sign up for?”

“I cancelled it,” Sarah grumbled, hating how raspy her voice sounded from crying. She really needed some water or something. “I didn’t see the point in going if they were going to be there.”

Marge sighed. “Sarah, you can’t avoid him forever. Just because they broke up with you doesn’t mean that you two can’t be friends!”

Sarah sat up this time, resisting the urge to glare at her mother too. Even in her muddled post-breakup state she could tell that glaring at her mom wouldn’t end well for her. “Mom, they dumped me because he had completely lost all interest in me. If they wanted to still be friends after all this then he should’ve at least had the decency to break up with me face to face instead of doing it over text. Heck, even a voice text would’ve been better than a single message telling me it’s over!”

Marge winced slightly. “I know honey, and what Jesse did wasn’t right in the slightest-”

“He texted me five minutes before our dinner reservation was scheduled, and the cancellation fee at that point was more expensive than the reservation itself, so I had to eat dinner in the most well known couple restaurant, alone, on the verge of tears the entire time, unable to ask for clarification because of their strict no phone policy Mom! I can’t just ‘go on a dive’ with them!” Sarah said, her voice breaking towards the end as she realized that not only had her ex ruined her night, but the dive trip she had been looking forward to all semester long.

“Sarah,” Marge began, getting off the bed and beginning to fold Sarah’s discarded clothes that were scattered about the room for her.

Sarah gulped. Her mom’s no nonsense voice was no joke. “I did not raise my daughter to lose all her confidence over a single breakup, no matter how crappy the break up was.”

“But Mooom-” Sarah protested, wishing she could just throw the covers back over her head.

Marge stopped folding clothes to shoot a look at her daughter. “The only but is going to be yours getting out of bed and getting ready for the dive tomorrow.”

“I told you, I already cancelled on the dive trip,” Sarah said, fiddling with the edge of her blanket.

“Well then, luckily for you, Dr. Matthews was double checking the list yesterday and noticted you’d been taken off. She called the house to ask if it was purposeful or not and I told her it must’ve been some administrative error, so you’re going on the dive trip tomorrow, whether you like it or not.”

“MOM!” Sarah exclaimed, finally looking over at her mother.

“Don’t you take that tone with me young lady,” Marge warned, and Sarah crumpled again. “Trust me, this’ll be good for you. If you didn’t go on this trip you’d be kicking yourself for it years in the future.”

Sarah sighed. “Alright fine then... Can I at least have some privacy so I can get changed and make sure I have everything packed?”

Marge nodded, setting the pile of clothes she had already folded down on Sarah’s desk chair before heading for the door. “You’ve got 15 minutes to get dressed, and then I’m coming back in here to annoy you til you actually get out of bed.” she stepped outside, shutting the door softly behind her, and Sarah reluctantly slid out of bed, looking around the room for something to pull on.

“You’d think that with all these clothes everywhere it’d be easy for me to find something decent to wear,” Sarah grumbled to herself, looking under her bed for a pair of socks.

Sure enough, 15 minutes later, Sarah was out her bedroom door, sitting at her kitchen table with a bowl of cereal in front of her, despite the fact that it was almost noon.

“I really don’t see why I have to go on the dive," Sarah complained, scooping a spoonfull of cheerios in her mouth. "It's not like seeing Jesse on this thing is going to make him want to take me back."

Marge just shot her a look from across the dining room table, taking a sip from her coffee. "It's not about getting Jesse back Sarah, it's about rediscovering your love for all things other than Jesse. You were excited for this diver before you met them, and you can be excited about the dive for it after you broke up too, Jesse is not the only good thing in the world you know."

Sarah forced a small smile onto her face. "I know Mom... It just... It really sucks you know?"

Marge smiled sympathetically at her daugher. "I do know. And I also know that things are going to get better. I promise."

"Thanks Mom..." Sarah trailed off, staring down at her cereal. "I think I need to go out and buy a new pack of socks from the store. I couldn't find any at all in my room and I know for a fact I don't have any dirty laundry."

Marge laughed. "If it'll get you out of the house then by all means go for it. It's a do nothing day for me, so you can take my car if you'd like."

Sarah perked up a bit. Her mom never let her drive her car. "Really?"

Marge smiled. "Yes really. And if you happen to run into Jesse at the store, don't be afraid to show the old girl off a little."

Sarah grinned for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Maybe this whole dive trip wouldn't be so terrible after all.

***

Not less than 24 hours later, Sarah was regretting every single decision she had ever made up until this point. "You're sure I have to go Mom?" she asked, standing in the living room, peaking out at the bus that wasn't supposed to arrive to pick her up for another 10 minutes.

"Sarah," her mom told her, shooting her a look that was equal parts intimidating and encouraging. "There is so much more out there than Jesse. Or if you want me to put it into marine biologist terms, there are so many other fish in the sea."

Sarah resisted the urge to smile at her mom's corny joke.

"Adventure is out there!" Marge told her, doing her best to put on an encouraging smile. "You shouldn't be in here, moping about over some stupid demiboy that couldn't even bother to break up with you properly. You go on that dive and you show them that you're better than that. You're the up and coming marine biologist that can do anything you set your mind to. So get out there and find some adventure!"

Sarah let herself smile, feeling some of the tension leaving her body. "You really think so?"

"Honey, I know so," Marge told her. "Eventually you'll be out there making memories and having so much fun that you won't even remember your times with Jesse. And instead of losing your socks, your socks will be the ones losing you."

Sarah allowed herself to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of that one. "How did that make any sense at all Mom?"

Marge just shrugged. "Maybe it didn't, but it made you laugh, which is the important thing here."

Sarah smiled.

"Now get out there and go on that dive! You've got this!"

"Yeah, Sarah reassured herself. "I've got this!"

She took a deep breath and pulled her backpack higher up on her back, opening the door and standing in the doorway for a few moments, staring out at the bus. “... Adventure is out there.”

“So why are you in here?” Marge asked.

Sarah hesitated for a moment longer before taking her first step out the door. “I’m not.”

Marge smiled and Sarah did too as she glanced back at her before heading to the end of her driveway. Adventure was out there. And she was going to find it.

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samanthasroberts · 6 years ago

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People Share 35 Hilarious Habits Their Pets Have And They’re Too Good

We’ve seen dogs being weird and pets bringing home the weirdest of items, so it’s no surprise that our closest (usually) four-legged friends can be really, really bizarre. Some say that pets can be so close to their owners, that they eventually mimic some behavior and we know anything about humans, we know that our own species can have some pretty strange habits. That’s why it doesn’t surprise anyone that pets can be a little… “out there” with their actions. Well, as long as they’re not hurting anyone, we guess? People of Reddit decided to share some of the weirdest, yet harmless habits their pets have, and, let’s be honest, some are pretty darn weird. Scroll down to check them out and don’t forget to comment, as well as vote for your favorites. Oh, and if you have some weird stories of your own, share them with other pandas! (Facebook cover image: sipa)

I am not allowed to get mad, If I yell, raise my voice, or even sound angry my cat pumpkin will get up from wherever she is and run over. She will then mew gently and grab at my arm with her paws while mewing. She pulls my hands to her head and rubs her head on me trying to get me to calm down. It works though so theres that.

Growing up, we had a chocolate lab named Kody. Kody had a few oddities and idiosyncrasies about him. My parents are beer drinkers, and Kody would learn how to open each and every cooler we ever had so that he could eat all of the ice. That dog LOVED ice, he would eat it until he had what we called “brain freezers” or these mini little seizures (he was fine, but it was a weird habit). Another time, Kody was out pooping in the yard and we saw a bunch of cloth coming out of his butt. Turns out, it was an ace bandage that had to be surgically removed. Upon opening his stomach they found a silver dollar, a few bobby pins, the ace bandage and a billiards cue ball. Now, here’s the kicker- we didn’t own a pool table, and our closest neighbor was 5 miles away, who also did not own a pool table. We never did find out where he got that cue ball from. He lived to be 15 years old and passed away peacefully two years ago. Miss you, buddy.

My dog has ‘takeaway’ every time she eats. She won’t stand at her bowl. She stuffs her mouth full of dry food and then sits near me wherever I am, spits out all her food and eats it one bit at a time. When she is finished it she repeats it all.

My pet rat, Doctor, likes to poop when she is hanging from the bars of her cage and making eye contact with me or my fiancee.

She knows it makes us uncomfortable. She don’t care.

My cat likes to shower with me. He will sit and drink the water as it runs until i use shower gel, then he will sit on the edge silently judging me for contaminating our lord water.

I have a giant Maine-coon Siamese mix tomcat. His thing is to bring up laundry from the basement during the night. The weird thing is that he’s pretty good at taking clothes into the right rooms. I don’t know if he does it by smell or what – but it’s pretty normal for me to wake up to a pile of my socks, my daughters some of theirs, etc. He also chirps and meows the entire time he’s making his deliveries – which is pretty funny in and of itself.

My dog can’t go anywhere without his toy. My girlfriend calls it his “girlfriend”. If we go outside he will bring the little stuffed animal with him and drop it somewhere. If we tell him to “go find your girlfriend” he will search frantically for it until it’s found.

#10

My boyfriends cat loves to snuggle up on people’s chests and then slooowly and veeery gently place her paw (with claws out and toes spread) and just .. place it on their mouth.

Does anyone know what the heck she’s trying to get out of this?

#11

My dog can sense when I’m about to fart and will stick his nose near my ass crack to smell it and then run away in disgust after. I have no idea why he continues to do it when it clearly annoys him

#12

#13

My lardass cat has this weird cake infatuation. (Ha ha I know). Not to eat. She likes to lay on them. I can’t count how many cooling cakes I had to throw out because she decided to take a nap on them. I have to hide them somewhere to cool and frost. I also had to buy a solid cake saver because she would lay on my old one and crush the lid into the cake.

My favorite was when my son turned one, we had the unwrapped cake sitting on the counter waiting for cake time, and she tried to lay in it. When I came in to get it all the frosting is pulled off in the center and one pissed off frosting covered cat under my bed.

Yet she still does it.

#14

We have a Great Dane/greyhound mix named Keelah who, on occasion, absolutely must sniff my boyfriend’s belly button. I’ve never seen a dog get so derpy about it before. She’ll jump up and put her paws on his shoulder and stick her nose in his stomach until he gives in and pulls his shirt up so she can sniff. She’s really, really weird.

#15

Our cat pulls my dresser drawer open and sleeps in the socks after he arranges them into a cozy “cat bed” for himself.

#16

Our golden retriever has 3 comfort blankets that he folds and carries around with him.

#17

My SO’s dog, Lola, farts when we enter the car.

Everytime.

#18

My best friend’s kitten (to whom I am a kitten aunt by proxy) has a new habit of running down the stairs at top speed and launching himself onto the sofa.

She swears he’s either going to kill her with a heart attack or he’s going to f**king miss the sofa and go claws-first into her face, and she’s not sure which.

#19

My dog smiles whenever he wants something. He started showing his teeth when he got excited to see us after long periods of times (i.e. vacations) and we would say “What a pretty smile!” He made the connection to the word and now will do it on command and pretty much whenever he wants our food. Kind of like a “hey look I’m smiling, I’m pretty!” Some people probably think it’s bad that he does it because he’s technically showing his teeth, but you can tell it’s not aggressive or in a bad way. I think it’s hilarious.

#20

My cat loves to watch the toilet flush for some reason – he would even come running from other rooms in his house at the sound of a flush when he was younger. I guess it’s mostly harmless, but I have found toys in the toilet before the lid down rule was put in place (my assumption is so that he can watch them zoom around too).

#21

You know how cats, especially kittens will “nurse” on things? Like knead their paws and suck on something like a blanket?

Yeah, my 10 year old dog does that.

#22

My cat chews through bags to eat bread. Doesn’t matter the container or the type of bread. And because he drools he can dissolve any kind of paper bag in a minute. It’s bizarre but he was a stray so I figure he used to do that to survive.

#23

My cat licks walls. often for 10 minute intervals. i wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of his sandpaper tongue scritch-scratching at the wall.

#24

My cat used to sit on my couch, like a person would with her 2 back legs outstretched in front of her, and then proceed to bend down and suck on her own nipples while purring very loudly. It was weird.

#25

My parrot is obsessed with ears. He will happily spend 15-20 minutes delicately nibbling on the rim of my ear, carefully scraping his beak around the inside, and licking all over. Last time I saw my doctor for a physical and she got to the otoscope part of the exam, she exclaimed, “Wow, your ears are remarkably clean!” Gee, I wonder why…

#26

My chihuahua sneaks to her water dish. We have no idea why. She does this almost every day at varied times. If her water is dirty or if the dish is empty she will keep sneaking until the situation is fixed.

#27

#28

We don’t have pets in the main country the Netherlands where we reside but we got a ton of them in my fathers country Russia. We own a big piece of ground and a forest, with 23 white Russian wolves and 3 Caucasian owcharkas. The wolves have some weird habits and one of them is that they greet each other and their pups by friendly biting them in their neck, it still that scares the shit out of guests and relatives that we usually have over.

#29

After I take a shower, my collie mix insists on rolling in my towels.

When I have the towel on my head and I’m laying down.. He tries to roll in it.

If I’m sitting with the towel on my head, he tries to roll in it.

Then when I inevitability throw them on the floor he has a field day.

#30

My cat would be happy with his eyes closed purring and layed down my side and then suddenly look in the direction of the corner of the room with his eyes completely open. When I look there’s nothing there. It’s scary

#31

My German shepherd is a hoarder. He has a hiding spot behind a chair and underneath a table, and he’s been building a stash that we have to go in every week or so and clean out. Usually it’s just wrappers and random s**t he “sneaks” out of our trash cans. This last weeks clean out consisted of 3 of my oven mitts and a pudding cup. He doesn’t chew on anything, he just likes to have stuff.

#32

She stares at me while I sleep. From 3″ away. When I open my eyes all I see are these huge solid black eyes in a weirdly diagonal white face.

I wake up convinced that I have been abducted by aliens.

#33

One of our cats will climb up onto the back of our couch while we’re watching a movie or something and loudly clean his butthole.

#34

My dog does this little boner dance whenever he has a boner. He slides across the floor and humps the air rapidly until his doggy-boner goes down.

#35

My cat swats/punches his water dish a few times before drinking it. It splashes everywhere. No clue why.

Just thought of something else! He is long haired floofy cat (peach/blondie), and we have a fuzzy blanket similarly coloured. My cat often licks it to clean it, mistaking it for himself.

My cat talks to herself if she thinks no one is around. I’ll come home or go to a side of the house that I haven’t been in all day and hear her meowing and chirping and howling. Once she realizes I’m there, she’ll stop. I’ve been able to sneak up on her a couple of times and it’s pretty bizarre to watch. She’ll just be walking around the room making sounds. She doesn’t do it that often. I wish I could catch it on video

#37

Step 1: Drop the tennis ball into my hand so I can throw it across the room for him to fetch

Step 2: Retrieve the tennis ball and start gnawing on it with his head halfway under the couch

Step 3: Drop the ball and have it roll to an unreachable distance under the couch

Step 4: Stare at me and moan loudly until I am convinced to walk over to the couch the ball is under and lay on the floor, struggling to reach far enough. Eventually I just lift the couch so he can get far enough underneath it to grab the ball back

Repeat incessantly

#38

My cat “nurses” on a blanket we have. But only if the blanket is on me. It’s like the little f**ker actually thinks I am his mother. He’s strange. He also likes to play fetch and attack people who come over to visit. Weirdo.

#39

My cat will sit in the bathtub for hours and meow at passersby to turn the water on for him. Then when someone finally gives in, he will splash around for about a minute and then go drag his big wet furry feet over someone/my pillow.

Every morning he will excitedly hang over the edge of the bathtub, waiting for me to turn on the shower. Once I do, it takes him about two seconds to realise what’s going on, and then he panics and scrambles as fast as he can out of the tub.

Weirdo.

#40

My cat nurses on his own tail. He will creepily come up and lay really close to you, curl in a ball, and start sucking away at the end of his tail. Sometimes he’ll even look you in the eye while he does it.

I know it’s a comfort thing to him, I found him alone when he was just a baby, but it’s a pretty weird thing to do.

#41

My cat Miles will run to the other side of the house and meow to his brother Murphy. You can tell it’s a “Hey!! Come check this out!” and he’ll keep doing it until Murphy finally gets up and goes to look. Sometimes though, Murphy says eff that and stays where he is, leaving Miles to meow at nothing for like an hour. Finally he’ll show up and look at Murphy like, “Didn’t you hear me!!?” No but we did!

#42

My male cat likes to stand in the corner, face the wall, and sing the song of his people. My female kitten likes to meow at me and then hide when I walk over to pet her. She’s a jerk.

#43

My friend has a really bizarre cat, she loves to be spanked. She will lie down with her butt in the air for people to pat her right above the tail. The harder the better.

She also loves to be spun around on an office chair, she jumps up on the back of it and holds on with her claws to be spun around. Spinning + smacking her butt every time she passes = kitty bliss.

My rat loved snot and would grab all my used tissues to lick inside them.

#44

My pit asks for permission every night before getting in bed with us. We have never told him to stay off of furniture, but he always asks. He does that weird howl/growl/bark thing that “talking” dogs do.

#45

My cat, O’Malley, will always smell a new person’s shoes when I bring people over. When he is finished, he looks over at me and makes a stupid face.

#46

Not sure if this counts but my snake falls off of everything. Put him around your neck he falls off. He falls while trying to climb up or down my chair, desk, and always plops off my bed if I am not watching him. He will even get excited smelling something so he will point his head straight up and extend his body up until he falls backwards belly up. Will also do this while swallowing his food.

#47

One of my three cats is a monster. He is kinda fat but stocky/muscular too. He is 6 and weighs about 20 pounds.

Anyways, he will lick plastic bags. We are always afraid he will suffocate himself because he will stick his head down inside the bag and lick for as long as we’ll let him.

He also steals paper clips. My mom was working on her doctorate and she had mountains of papers and a lot of paperclips on them. The crazy cat would dig through all of the papers and pull off the paper clips with his teeth. And he hid them all under the rug that was under the couch so we couldn’t see them.

And he plays very rough. We found out the hard way that he enjoys being spanked. We caught him fighting another cat and gave him a tap on the behind to get him to stop, and he fell on the floor and started purring. And when I scratch his chin, he isn’t happy until I scratch as hard as I physically can, to the point where I think I’m gonna dig up all of his fur.

#48

She won’t eat unless both my husband and I are seated in the family room watching TV. It’s pretty inconvenient on busy days.

#49

My dog (a husky) will make a gap in his food with his snout, then will yowl at the nearest human like he’s hungry and there’s no food in the bowl, until you pick his bowl up, shake the gap out and put it back down again. He will eat it then!

#50

My cat licks people…all the time and all over. It’s odd when you wake up in the middle of the night being licked and realize it’s not the dog doing it.

#51

My Australian Shepherd likes to sneeze in the clean laundry as it comes out of the dryer. It has turned into a two person job to get laundry done without dog sneezes on it. One to distract the dog and the other to hustle the laundry into the basket and to safety.

#52

Anytime we Hoover a carpet my Jack Russell has to ‘swim’ all over it, because God forbid it not have his fur on it

Also, he regularly sneakily drinks our cups of tea.

#53

My male dog licks my female dogs cooch after she pees, then his lips and jaw quiver as he drools. Freakin weirdo.

#54

My cat is afraid of the dishwasher, I guess. Not the sound of the dishwasher running, the sound of me taking s**t out of it and putting it away. He is mostly silent, maybe a welcome meep when I get home. But the dishwasher…man. Mayhem. It’s been seven years and he still freaks the f**k out every single time.

#55

My English bulldog Shelby will sit with her back to me and try and look at me upside down by leaning back until she falls down. She does the same thing in the car. I thought it might be vertigo but she just really seems to enjoy it.

#56

When I’m away from my husky for more than about eight hours she will likely howl at me and make a big deal, like she’s cussing me out.

#57

Run run run, locks up front legs slide slide slide, roll roll roll. How does she not break her neck?

#58

My pancho gets super worked up and then immediately thinks he needs to drink water. This usually results in him coughing up any water he just drank and freaking out about coughing.

My sisters mastiff likes to sit down next to your leg and lean on your leg and stare at you but he’s so heavy he often pushes people over with his lean.

#59

One of my cats likes to get in the lower branches of bushes (and the Christmas tree, as it turns out) and just chill. Just sit there in the branches, eight inches off the ground.

#60

My cat likes hair ties. He swallowed one once and he proceeded to prance around the living room with the rubber piece hanging out of his asshole. I now have to hide them all so I’m not paying for surgery on his dumb ass.

My dogs also go around licking each other’s assholes and the cats assholes. They also won’t sleep unless they are buried under a blanket.

My female cat rubs her head on EVERYTHING and has a weird fascination with doing this on shoes.

#61

My cat Wookie has an intense love of the bathroom. He will lay on the edge of the bathtub while I take a bath, will sit on the bathmat and watch us shower, and loves the toilet. He loves to watch it flush, likes to watch my husband pee (has gotten pee on his head from trying to watch from the wrong angle) and likes to try to pull toilet paper up out of the toilet while it is flushing, which is pretty gross. Weird cat.

#62

Not mine but my SO’s dog, Bacon… Cannot poop unless he is backed up against something.

When we first started dating I used to get to his apartment before he got off work so I would take the dog for a walk. Like any male Bacon must pee on everything to ensure its his. Which meant sometimes I didn’t realize that he wasn’t sniffing the same place to pee but to find the prefect article in which to place his butt against and would tug him along and ruin the whole process… Which meant about five minutes of the behavior or him deciding to hold it.

#63

My dog likes to eat beaded jewelry. I shouldn’t say eat, he sucks on it until it comes apart, and then he abandons it and acts innocent.

#64

My dog take his blankey or his bed and will suck on it with his eyes closed. We assume he thinks he’s nursing. He also occasionally humps his bed before sucking on it. Harmless but weird as s**t.

#65

My GF’s cat poops in the litterbox, then immediately tries to cover it by making digging motions on the floor/wall next to the litterbox. Never inside. Not sure if dumb or just a c**t.

#66

My Doberman likes to climb up in bed with my SO and I, and just stare at us while standing over one of us.

#67

#68

Source: http://allofbeer.com/people-share-35-hilarious-habits-their-pets-have-and-theyre-too-good/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2019/04/05/people-share-35-hilarious-habits-their-pets-have-and-theyre-too-good/

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adambstingus · 6 years ago

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People Share 35 Hilarious Habits Their Pets Have And They’re Too Good

My pet rat, Doctor, likes to poop when she is hanging from the bars of her cage and making eye contact with me or my fiancee.

She knows it makes us uncomfortable. She don’t care.

My cat likes to shower with me. He will sit and drink the water as it runs until i use shower gel, then he will sit on the edge silently judging me for contaminating our lord water.

#10

My boyfriends cat loves to snuggle up on people’s chests and then slooowly and veeery gently place her paw (with claws out and toes spread) and just .. place it on their mouth.

Does anyone know what the heck she’s trying to get out of this?

#11

My dog can sense when I’m about to fart and will stick his nose near my ass crack to smell it and then run away in disgust after. I have no idea why he continues to do it when it clearly annoys him

#12

#13

Yet she still does it.

#14

#15

Our cat pulls my dresser drawer open and sleeps in the socks after he arranges them into a cozy “cat bed” for himself.

#16

Our golden retriever has 3 comfort blankets that he folds and carries around with him.

#17

My SO’s dog, Lola, farts when we enter the car.

Everytime.

#18

My best friend’s kitten (to whom I am a kitten aunt by proxy) has a new habit of running down the stairs at top speed and launching himself onto the sofa.

She swears he’s either going to kill her with a heart attack or he’s going to f**king miss the sofa and go claws-first into her face, and she’s not sure which.

#19

#20

#21

You know how cats, especially kittens will “nurse” on things? Like knead their paws and suck on something like a blanket?

Yeah, my 10 year old dog does that.

#22

#23

My cat licks walls. often for 10 minute intervals. i wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of his sandpaper tongue scritch-scratching at the wall.

#24

#25

#26

#27

#28

#29

After I take a shower, my collie mix insists on rolling in my towels.

When I have the towel on my head and I’m laying down.. He tries to roll in it.

If I’m sitting with the towel on my head, he tries to roll in it.

Then when I inevitability throw them on the floor he has a field day.

#30

#31

#32

She stares at me while I sleep. From 3″ away. When I open my eyes all I see are these huge solid black eyes in a weirdly diagonal white face.

I wake up convinced that I have been abducted by aliens.

#33

One of our cats will climb up onto the back of our couch while we’re watching a movie or something and loudly clean his butthole.

#34

My dog does this little boner dance whenever he has a boner. He slides across the floor and humps the air rapidly until his doggy-boner goes down.

#35

My cat swats/punches his water dish a few times before drinking it. It splashes everywhere. No clue why.

Just thought of something else! He is long haired floofy cat (peach/blondie), and we have a fuzzy blanket similarly coloured. My cat often licks it to clean it, mistaking it for himself.

#37

Step 1: Drop the tennis ball into my hand so I can throw it across the room for him to fetch

Step 2: Retrieve the tennis ball and start gnawing on it with his head halfway under the couch

Step 3: Drop the ball and have it roll to an unreachable distance under the couch

Repeat incessantly

#38

#39

Weirdo.

#40

I know it’s a comfort thing to him, I found him alone when he was just a baby, but it’s a pretty weird thing to do.

#41

#42

My male cat likes to stand in the corner, face the wall, and sing the song of his people. My female kitten likes to meow at me and then hide when I walk over to pet her. She’s a jerk.

#43

My friend has a really bizarre cat, she loves to be spanked. She will lie down with her butt in the air for people to pat her right above the tail. The harder the better.

She also loves to be spun around on an office chair, she jumps up on the back of it and holds on with her claws to be spun around. Spinning + smacking her butt every time she passes = kitty bliss.

My rat loved snot and would grab all my used tissues to lick inside them.

#44

#45

My cat, O’Malley, will always smell a new person’s shoes when I bring people over. When he is finished, he looks over at me and makes a stupid face.

#46

#47

One of my three cats is a monster. He is kinda fat but stocky/muscular too. He is 6 and weighs about 20 pounds.

Anyways, he will lick plastic bags. We are always afraid he will suffocate himself because he will stick his head down inside the bag and lick for as long as we’ll let him.

#48

She won’t eat unless both my husband and I are seated in the family room watching TV. It’s pretty inconvenient on busy days.

#49

#50

My cat licks people…all the time and all over. It’s odd when you wake up in the middle of the night being licked and realize it’s not the dog doing it.

#51

#52

Anytime we Hoover a carpet my Jack Russell has to ‘swim’ all over it, because God forbid it not have his fur on it

Also, he regularly sneakily drinks our cups of tea.

#53

My male dog licks my female dogs cooch after she pees, then his lips and jaw quiver as he drools. Freakin weirdo.

#54

#55

#56

When I’m away from my husky for more than about eight hours she will likely howl at me and make a big deal, like she’s cussing me out.

#57

Run run run, locks up front legs slide slide slide, roll roll roll. How does she not break her neck?

#58

My pancho gets super worked up and then immediately thinks he needs to drink water. This usually results in him coughing up any water he just drank and freaking out about coughing.

My sisters mastiff likes to sit down next to your leg and lean on your leg and stare at you but he’s so heavy he often pushes people over with his lean.

#59

One of my cats likes to get in the lower branches of bushes (and the Christmas tree, as it turns out) and just chill. Just sit there in the branches, eight inches off the ground.

#60

My dogs also go around licking each other’s assholes and the cats assholes. They also won’t sleep unless they are buried under a blanket.

My female cat rubs her head on EVERYTHING and has a weird fascination with doing this on shoes.

#61

#62

Not mine but my SO’s dog, Bacon… Cannot poop unless he is backed up against something.

#63

My dog likes to eat beaded jewelry. I shouldn’t say eat, he sucks on it until it comes apart, and then he abandons it and acts innocent.

#64

My dog take his blankey or his bed and will suck on it with his eyes closed. We assume he thinks he’s nursing. He also occasionally humps his bed before sucking on it. Harmless but weird as s**t.

#65

My GF’s cat poops in the litterbox, then immediately tries to cover it by making digging motions on the floor/wall next to the litterbox. Never inside. Not sure if dumb or just a c**t.

#66

My Doberman likes to climb up in bed with my SO and I, and just stare at us while standing over one of us.

#67

#68

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/people-share-35-hilarious-habits-their-pets-have-and-theyre-too-good/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/183958094802

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allofbeercom · 6 years ago

Text

People Share 35 Hilarious Habits Their Pets Have And They’re Too Good

My pet rat, Doctor, likes to poop when she is hanging from the bars of her cage and making eye contact with me or my fiancee.

She knows it makes us uncomfortable. She don’t care.

My cat likes to shower with me. He will sit and drink the water as it runs until i use shower gel, then he will sit on the edge silently judging me for contaminating our lord water.

#10

My boyfriends cat loves to snuggle up on people’s chests and then slooowly and veeery gently place her paw (with claws out and toes spread) and just .. place it on their mouth.

Does anyone know what the heck she’s trying to get out of this?

#11

My dog can sense when I’m about to fart and will stick his nose near my ass crack to smell it and then run away in disgust after. I have no idea why he continues to do it when it clearly annoys him

#12

#13

Yet she still does it.

#14

#15

Our cat pulls my dresser drawer open and sleeps in the socks after he arranges them into a cozy “cat bed” for himself.

#16

Our golden retriever has 3 comfort blankets that he folds and carries around with him.

#17

My SO’s dog, Lola, farts when we enter the car.

Everytime.

#18

My best friend’s kitten (to whom I am a kitten aunt by proxy) has a new habit of running down the stairs at top speed and launching himself onto the sofa.

She swears he’s either going to kill her with a heart attack or he’s going to f**king miss the sofa and go claws-first into her face, and she’s not sure which.

#19

#20

#21

You know how cats, especially kittens will “nurse” on things? Like knead their paws and suck on something like a blanket?

Yeah, my 10 year old dog does that.

#22

#23

My cat licks walls. often for 10 minute intervals. i wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of his sandpaper tongue scritch-scratching at the wall.

#24

#25

#26

#27

#28

#29

After I take a shower, my collie mix insists on rolling in my towels.

When I have the towel on my head and I’m laying down.. He tries to roll in it.

If I’m sitting with the towel on my head, he tries to roll in it.

Then when I inevitability throw them on the floor he has a field day.

#30

#31

#32

She stares at me while I sleep. From 3″ away. When I open my eyes all I see are these huge solid black eyes in a weirdly diagonal white face.

I wake up convinced that I have been abducted by aliens.

#33

One of our cats will climb up onto the back of our couch while we’re watching a movie or something and loudly clean his butthole.

#34

My dog does this little boner dance whenever he has a boner. He slides across the floor and humps the air rapidly until his doggy-boner goes down.

#35

My cat swats/punches his water dish a few times before drinking it. It splashes everywhere. No clue why.

Just thought of something else! He is long haired floofy cat (peach/blondie), and we have a fuzzy blanket similarly coloured. My cat often licks it to clean it, mistaking it for himself.

#37

Step 1: Drop the tennis ball into my hand so I can throw it across the room for him to fetch

Step 2: Retrieve the tennis ball and start gnawing on it with his head halfway under the couch

Step 3: Drop the ball and have it roll to an unreachable distance under the couch

Repeat incessantly

#38

#39

Weirdo.

#40

I know it’s a comfort thing to him, I found him alone when he was just a baby, but it’s a pretty weird thing to do.

#41

#42

My male cat likes to stand in the corner, face the wall, and sing the song of his people. My female kitten likes to meow at me and then hide when I walk over to pet her. She’s a jerk.

#43

My friend has a really bizarre cat, she loves to be spanked. She will lie down with her butt in the air for people to pat her right above the tail. The harder the better.

She also loves to be spun around on an office chair, she jumps up on the back of it and holds on with her claws to be spun around. Spinning + smacking her butt every time she passes = kitty bliss.

My rat loved snot and would grab all my used tissues to lick inside them.

#44

#45

My cat, O’Malley, will always smell a new person’s shoes when I bring people over. When he is finished, he looks over at me and makes a stupid face.

#46

#47

One of my three cats is a monster. He is kinda fat but stocky/muscular too. He is 6 and weighs about 20 pounds.

Anyways, he will lick plastic bags. We are always afraid he will suffocate himself because he will stick his head down inside the bag and lick for as long as we’ll let him.

#48

She won’t eat unless both my husband and I are seated in the family room watching TV. It’s pretty inconvenient on busy days.

#49

#50

My cat licks people…all the time and all over. It’s odd when you wake up in the middle of the night being licked and realize it’s not the dog doing it.

#51

#52

Anytime we Hoover a carpet my Jack Russell has to ‘swim’ all over it, because God forbid it not have his fur on it

Also, he regularly sneakily drinks our cups of tea.

#53

My male dog licks my female dogs cooch after she pees, then his lips and jaw quiver as he drools. Freakin weirdo.

#54

#55

#56

When I’m away from my husky for more than about eight hours she will likely howl at me and make a big deal, like she’s cussing me out.

#57

Run run run, locks up front legs slide slide slide, roll roll roll. How does she not break her neck?

#58

My pancho gets super worked up and then immediately thinks he needs to drink water. This usually results in him coughing up any water he just drank and freaking out about coughing.

My sisters mastiff likes to sit down next to your leg and lean on your leg and stare at you but he’s so heavy he often pushes people over with his lean.

#59

One of my cats likes to get in the lower branches of bushes (and the Christmas tree, as it turns out) and just chill. Just sit there in the branches, eight inches off the ground.

#60

My dogs also go around licking each other’s assholes and the cats assholes. They also won’t sleep unless they are buried under a blanket.

My female cat rubs her head on EVERYTHING and has a weird fascination with doing this on shoes.

#61

#62

Not mine but my SO’s dog, Bacon… Cannot poop unless he is backed up against something.

#63

My dog likes to eat beaded jewelry. I shouldn’t say eat, he sucks on it until it comes apart, and then he abandons it and acts innocent.

#64

My dog take his blankey or his bed and will suck on it with his eyes closed. We assume he thinks he’s nursing. He also occasionally humps his bed before sucking on it. Harmless but weird as s**t.

#65

My GF’s cat poops in the litterbox, then immediately tries to cover it by making digging motions on the floor/wall next to the litterbox. Never inside. Not sure if dumb or just a c**t.

#66

My Doberman likes to climb up in bed with my SO and I, and just stare at us while standing over one of us.

#67

#68

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/people-share-35-hilarious-habits-their-pets-have-and-theyre-too-good/

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anneedmonsonus · 6 years ago

Text

14 Great Books About Houses: My Reviews

If I was down to my last $20, I’d probably buy a coffee and a book… maybe a novel about a house.

Me at bookstore *Spies book with pretty old mansion on cover* TAKE MY MONEY

I am very partial to a story where an amazing house is almost a character. And I’m a total sucker for a book cover with a beautiful old sprawling manse, the more secretive-looking, the better. (Add a stone wall and a pair of wrought iron gates and I’ll cough up an extra $2).

“How do you find time to READ?” my friend Deb asked me once. She is also a mum (but she has three young boys) and also has a small business. “E-books,” I told her. E-books have revolutionised reading books for me as an adult. I don’t have a Kindle – I usually read books on my phone.

I love the immediacy of an eBook – you can buy it in seconds. Yes, like many people, I love the FEEL of paper between my fingers, and the smell of an old book – but if there was the choice between a book on a phone and no book at all, I’ll take the book on a screen.

What’s also great about reading on a phone is that you can easily read one-handed, and you don’t even need to be holding it. I can read a book while nursing the baby, which was INFINITELY more satisfying than tiredly scrolling Instagram in those hazy crazy newborn days. I quickly learned I could feed a baby in a dark room and read at the same time (just flick the book app onto night mode) without the glare waking the baby up too much. It definitely made those night wakings a little more bearable.

And there’s the portability factor – I can read while waiting in line at Woolies or while doing inane tasks like folding laundry or chopping vegies. You can do it! I totally get feeling like you don’t have time to read – but you can. I feel happier and content when I am in the middle of a good book, like life is more rounded and fulfilling somehow.

Today I thought I’d share some of my favourite books that feature houses in a major role – and I’m hoping you get time to read at least one! I would love to hear your book suggestions too.

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW A.J. Finn

Yes, the protagonist is an alcoholic female, which seems to make a lot of people cross as there seems to have been a spate of unreliable female narrators lately, but I enjoyed this psychological thriller for what it is: a punchy, addictive little pageturner you could read in a night or two. And the house in it is a crucial part of the story; an amazing 19th-century Harlem townhouse set over five storeys. Living in Perth, where a four storey house is unusual, multi-storey living fascinates me (just imagine how good your calf muscles would be) and sent me on a delightful real estate rabbit-hole swooning over New York townhouses.

The Woman in the Window is another one of those domestic thrillers that people immediately compare to books like Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. It drives me nuts. I totally get that it’s a marketing ploy when publishers do it, but even worse is it trickles over into reader reviews where you get people pompously declaring, “WELL. That was NOT Gone Girl.” Well… because it’s not Gone Girl. Ironically I’m writing this as I’m writing short reviews myself, but I think you should start a book without too many expectations and without immediately comparing it to another book in the same genre.

I recently learned that they are releasing a Woman in the Window movie with Amy Adams soon; she can do no wrong and I will be watching.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon AudioBook

REBECCA Daphne du Maurier

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” is the opening line of Rebecca, and regarded as one of the most memorable and famous opening lines of any novel. And once you have visited Manderley in Rebecca, it will stay with you for a long time. I read this for the first time when I was 18 – so probably not too much older than the protagonist would have been – at an age when I could completely identify with those unsure, insecure and competitive feelings the protagonist felt. But even today I still think it is a great read; a dark look at jealousy, secrets and insecurity. The story is about a young (unnamed) protagonist who is working as a companion for an older woman in Monte Carlo when she meets a handsome older widower named Maxim de Winter. She learns that Maxim’s former wife Rebecca, a beautiful, charitable woman who was universally adored, recently drowned at sea and many people are devastated about her death. Despite the recent loss of his wife, Maxim asks the young protagonist to marry him, and after their honeymoon they return to his huge house, Manderley. But the young protagonist finds she has big shoes to fill, and few take kindly to Rebecca’s ‘replacement’. Even though Rebecca is dead, she is like ‘the other woman’, haunting Manderley from the grave.

Du Maurier based Manderley, the Gothic mansion in the novel, on an abandoned house in Cornwall called Menabilly that she had been obsessed with since she was a girl. Eventually she managed to lease it from the owner and moved in, remaining there for most of her life (even though it was not properly habitable) until she was basically kicked out. Dark, foreboding Manderley is an incredible setting, and although this book is slow to start, once it gets going you won’t be able to put it down.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

WHAT ALICE FORGOT Liane Moriarty

Alice Love doinks her head in a gym class and wakes up to find she is no longer 29, pregnant with her first child and crazy in love with her husband Nick – instead she is 39, has two kids and is in the middle of a divorce.

She can’t remember anything of the last ten years at all and has to reconstruct the events of a lost decade – and see if she work out why her life, her marriage and her relationships with those close to her have become what they have. (The upside? In that ten years, Alice and Nick have completely transformed the ramshackle character home they were painstakingly doing up when she was 29 is now a perfectly finished luxury home with a pool – Alice’s glee at seeing her house for the ‘first time’ is funny).

What Alice Forgot is actually one of my favourite Moriarty novels – it will make you examine the way the passage of time can make you take some things for granted and let other things deteriorate.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

JAMAICA INN Daphne du Maurier

Ok, so I think Daphne du Maurier can do no wrong, especially on the gothic thriller front, and the house in Jamaica Inn is immediately so cold and cruel and creepy that it perfectly sets the ominous tone for the rest of the book. Also, Jem the horse thief is sexy. It’s fine to be a horse thief… if you’re sexy.

Probably TMI, but I read this on our honeymoon in Italy, after a beautiful day hiking in the Dolomites, and our son was born nine months later, so you do the maths. We don’t need Fifty Shades of Grey over here. We just need a rude horse thief. (By the way, I thought 50 Shades was crap. There is WAY better erotica out there… not saying I read it… but you know, it’s out there).

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS M.L. Stedman

I’ve always been intrigued by people who live in the most remote lighthouses in the world. It sounds fun in theory, but in real life I think I would go nuts.

And as much as I love him, I could not imagine living with just my hubby on a remote island for months on end, let alone years. We would kill each other.

It’s part of why I was first interested by the story of The Light Between Oceans. Lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne and his wife April live a quiet existence on a remote island off Western Australia, all by themselves. One day a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a crying baby. Their decision they made that day comes back to haunt them years later. Books about ethical dilemmas always catch my interest. I always put myself in their shoes. Would I steal a baby? No, but after reading this I can sort of understand how someone else might.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

THE LAKE HOUSE Kate Morton

Oh, Kate Morton’s publishers are clever. They know that books with pretty old, secretive-looking houses on the cover are like porn to people like me, and I’m not the only one. There’s a definite theme to her covers and a definite theme to her books, which frequently feature sprawling homes in the most romantic idylls of England.

Morton was recently quoted as saying, “Some houses whisper, ‘Write my story!’ so loudly that it’s impossible not to start imagining what the walls might have seen.” She is fantastic at setting a scene, and I like it. This was my first of hers and the house in the novel, an old rambling mansion in the heart of the Cotswolds, one of my favourite places on earth, is just the kind of setting I most enjoy.

I thought the ending was a bit twee, but on the whole it was a fun read.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

ROOM

Emma Donoghue

This is a divisive book. Because I know some people hear of the concept of this book and just go NO THANKS. Look, give it a try. I could have read this in one sitting (except, you know, kids).

Can we consider a shed a house? I think so – particularly if that shed was all the protagonist knew for the first six years of his life. It was his house – his whole world. As soon as I heard about the concept of this book, I was intrigued. Donoghue wrote Room after hearing about Josef Fritzl, who kidnapped his daughter Elisabeth and kept her captive for 24 years. He raped her and fathered seven children with her.

Elisabeth’s son Felix was five when they were finally rescued, and Donoghue was intrigued by what it would be like at that age to leave the life you had always known and go into the world. She loosely based the book on elements from the Fritzl case and other real-life kidnappings.

Room is about a little boy called Jack and his mother. Unbeknownst to Jack, his mother was kidnapped by a man they call Old Nick and for years he has kept them locked in a tiny shed in his back yard – and Jack is the product of that abusive relationship. What’s fascinating about Room is that it’s told from the point of view from the little boy – and the shed they live in, that he calls Room, is the only world he’s ever known. It’s amazingly written and I fell in love with the sweet kid. I read it when Little Nerd was a baby, and it tore at my heartstrings.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE Shirley Jackson

The book that inspired the Netfix show (but they’re nothing alike). I was drawn to Shirley Jackson’s writing when I heard about The Lottery, a short story she wrote, published in the New Yorker in 1948, that so incensed readers she received hate email. She is an amazing writer, and the Haunting of Hill House is a dark, uneasy psychological thriller/Gothic novel that still chills now as much as it did when it was published in 1959.

The story follows four strangers as they begin the summer at Hill House, a reportedly haunted home, for the purpose of reporting on its supposed supernatural phenomena. The protagonist is Eleanor Vance, a painfully shy, anxious 32-year-old woman who has spent the past 11 years as her invalid mother’s carer. After her mother dies, Eleanor is invited to spend time at Hill House with Dr Montague, a scholar of paranormal phenomena, who has asked Eleanor and two other people to come with him. It’s a dark, creepy novel COMPLETELY different to the Netflix series (which I have not, and probably will not, watch – I like a creepy book but not a creepy show!) Jackson’s writing is vivid; the picture she paints of Hill House is of a house diseased and decaying, Jackson describes the disorienting mansion as ‘vile’.

I know most Shirley Jackson fans prefer We Have Always Lived in the Castle and yes, it is good, but there is something I liked about Hill House more.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

THE GHOST AT DAWN’S HOUSE Ann M. Martin

I have to include ONLY THE GREATEST BOOK ABOUT A HOUSE EVER. Am I right, Babysitters Club fans?

If you did not once rap on the wall of an old house, listening for a hollow noise that could signify a secret room or secret passage beyond, were you even a child of the 90s? All I wanted since was to live in a house with a secret room or passage.

This novel sparked my lifelong fascination with the old houses of New England, although I was perplexed by the Underground Railroad mention. When I first read it (at the age of six) I actually thought the Underground Railroad WAS some sort of tiny miniature railroad, something I continued to believe for many years (thank you Ann M. Martin, a little bit more detail there would not have gone astray).

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

I AM LEGEND

Richard Matheson

Forget everything you think you know about vampires (sparkly, delicious-smelling, Edward Cullen going to chemistry class, meh) and then put aside your memories of the movie version of I Am Legend – and enjoy getting creeped out by this awesome science fiction horror novel that inspired the Will Smith movie (and yes, I do think it IS a good movie!)

I Am Legend was written in 1954 by American writer Richard Matheson and has stayed just as good to this day. It’s VERY different to the movie. Unlike Will Smith’s house in the movie, Robert Neville doesn’t live in a home filled with rescued famous artworks, but his little home, where he barricades himself against the vampires every night and prays for sunrise, is integral to the story nonetheless, and the scene Matheson paints is indelible. Not to everyone’s taste (you might like your vampires more wholesome) but it is a good read.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART Holly Ringwald

Ok, not a fan. I know, I know. A lot of people LOVE this book (which is why I am including it) I am not one. After the first two chapters, which were decent, I struggled to finish it.

The old Victorian homestead in it is a huge part of the story, and lovely, but overall I felt like it was syrupy-sweet and over-written, the storyline was too whimsical and the main character gasped too much. The best part of this book was the beautiful cover.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

THE HOARDER

(also titled MR FLOOD’S LAST RESORT)

Jess Kidd

A creepy old Gothic mansion, a hoarder and a likeable protagonist and her kooky hermit friend – one chapter into Mr Flood’s Last Resort and I was hooked.

I won’t tell you too much more than that, but when I started reading this I felt like it had been a while since I’d read something that felt so original and that was fun.

The setting is a house called Bridlemere, a creepy grade II listed Gothic mansion in West London crammed with layers and layers of junk its elderly owner has collected over the decades, and it is up to careworker Maud Drennan to help tidy it up.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

THE GIRLS IN THE GARDEN Lisa Jewell

Have you ever looked at a big, beautiful house from the outside and enviously thought that whoever lives there must lead the most charmed, lucky, wonderful life?

Well, that’s definitely not always the case, as The Girls In the Garden proves. Like moths to a flame, this was another book I was drawn to because of the beguiling cover (ivy on an old house = seems to be symbolic of secrets that lie within).

This was my first foray into the work of Lisa Jewell and then I read her others in rapid succession (see below). The Girls in The Garden is not my favourite of hers – but it’s not bad. In typical house-nerd-dorky-style, it made me want to learn more about a housing concept I found really interesting; London terrace homes that all face onto and connect to a private, communal park, where (the idea is) that kids can roam from home to home freely and safely… hopefully.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

THE HOUSE WE GREW UP IN Lisa Jewell

I’ve always been interested by what makes people hoarders, and that is what drew me to this book. The story is about the Bird family, who live in a beautiful honey-coloured cottage surrounded by lovely rambling gardens in an idyllic Cotswolds village.

On the outside everything looks lovely; the Birds seem like the perfect happy family, as time goes on you realise how dysfunctional they are; with the lovely mother Lorelei, seemingly the ‘jewel’ of the family who finds joy in creating beautiful memories for her children, sort of the opposite, you realise she is a complex and narcissistic person who slowly tears her family apart (I actually really disliked her).

I finished this novel feeling conflicted about it – it IS well-written, but the storyline gets quite depressing and the mother becomes so annoying! In any case, I couldn’t put it down and had to find out what happened next. Lisa Jewell writes well and she can keep even a depressing storyline going. Worth a go.

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

THE LAST ANNIVERSARY Liane Moriarty

My husband grew up on a tiny island off the southern coast of Western Australia, where only a handful of families lived and to go to school he had to catch a ferry. We met in high school, but dated and married much, much later, when I found out that once my family and I had actually holidayed on that same tiny island, when I was eight. I remember two cheeky local boys riding past my friend and I on their bicycles – it may well have been him!

I’ve always been interested in what it must have been like to live in such an isolated locale (“frequently boring,” my hubby would probably say) and so the premise of The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty enticed me.

A woman in her 30s is shocked to learn she’s inherited her ex-fiance’s aunt’s house, who took a shine to her. The old house is on Scribble Gum Island, a tiny island with a mystery – the Baby Munro mystery. In the 1930s, a tiny baby girl was found alone in a house on the island, her parents having seem to have vanished. The old house and island has since become a popular tourist spot.

This isn’t my fave Moriarty novel, and in my opinion not one of her best books, but she’s one of my fave authors and it’s still a decent read – the lady can do no wrong, and the setting will definitely make you wonder if you could live on a tiny deserted island with no stores (my answer: I could not. I like to be within reach of a coffee shop and dumplings at all times).

Get It: AppleBooks Amazon

Have you read any of these? What are your favourite novels that feature houses? Maya x

The post 14 Great Books About Houses: My Reviews appeared first on House Nerd.

from Home Improvement https://house-nerd.com/2019/04/14/great-books-about-houses/

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outfittrends · 6 years ago

Text

Newborn Girl Outfits-27 Cutest Clothes For New Born Baby Girl Outfit Trends - Ideas How to Wear & What to Wear

New Post has been published on https://www.outfittrends.com/newborn-girl-outfits/

Newborn Girl Outfits-27 Cutest Clothes For New Born Baby Girl

Newborn girl outfits. The birth of a female baby is such a momentous and joyous occasion. Expectant mothers often dream about what their offspring will look like and how they want them to dress. It’s often difficult to stop yourself from buying clothing and baby products well before the baby arrives.

A new baby is about new life, fresh starts, dreams, happiness and the future. It puts everyone in a good mood. People especially go crazy buying clothes for newborn princesses. Once you give birth to your daughter, you will rarely be buying anything for yourself anymore. Everything looks so much more irresistible and swoon-worthy in miniature sizes.

What Outfits To Buy For Newborn Baby Girls?

Here are 27 of my absolutely all-time favourite items that I couldn’t live without for my own daughter from birth through her first birthday:

↓ 28 – Newborn Girl Coming Home Outfits

Your new addition will never make a fashion faux pa wearing anything pink from Ralph Lauren home from the hospital as you start your new life as a family of three (or more) Ralph Lauren is classic, timeless and looks good on everyone, infants included. It’s also always a great idea to go for matching outfits, so here are 100 Cutest Matching Mother Daughter Outfits on Internet So Far.

↓ 27 – SwaddleMe

I am a huge fan of Mexican food, but as much as I enjoy burritos, I have never gotten good at wrapping them up. Swaddleme swaddles are seriously the BEST swaddles ever! The secure design creates a cosy, womb-like feeling for baby and prevents startle reflex that can wake your infant. The soft fabric wings fasten and readjust securely with hook and loop attachments to create a perfect fit. Swaddleme makes swaddling foul-proof, even for those with three thumbs. You can literally pass off the baby as being wrapped as snuggly, smoothly and competently as when the expert nurses did it for you in the hospital.

↓ 26 – Miracle Blanket

Beloved by hundreds of thousands of families, Miracle Blanket is “one of the most beloved, time-tested and effective swaddling blankets on the market today.” There is no Velcro, which makes annoying sounds and won’t get disgusting in the laundry. In addition, one size fits all (up to 14 weeks so you can continue to swaddle, along with the Moses basket for 3 months or the “fourth trimester”) so there’s no need to keep having to buy new ones as your baby grows. If baby’s feet do not reach the bottom of the foot pouch, simply fold the bottom up so the feet touch the bottom of the blanket. The other feature which sets Miracle Blanket apart from its competitors is that there are arm flaps. Getting a good night sleep with a baby is truly a miracle. Thanks, Miracle Blanket for “the gift of sleep.” Night, night and sweet dreams. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

↓ 25 – Monthly Stickers

Monthly onesie stickers are such a fun way to record your newborn’s growth throughout the year. The choices, colors and patterns are endless. They are lots of fun and make it easy to identify just how old your child was in years to come when you look at an old photo which is dated.

↓ 24 – Baby’s First Designer Clothes

A total splurge, but every female, regardless of age, knows the importance of a killer pair of of designer jeans! Baby can even match Mommy, Daddy and any big brothers and/or sisters. And no, we promise that your diaper does not make your butt look fat. Pair with a onesie or pretty shirt.

↓ 23 – Ten Fingers….

Baby mitts are for keeping those sweet little hands from scratching their innocent and delicate face and to keep those sweet little hands warm in the cooler weather. In addition, many moms have reported, “It helped protect my babies hands from the well-intentioned women and small children that wanted to “ooh” and “aww” over my newest treasure.” We all know how little babies’ hands are and how tempting they are to touch.

↓ 22 – & Ten Toes: Sweetest Socks

Baby feet are so precious and perfect. When you have to cover them up, put them in Trumpette socks. There is nothing as adorable on the market, plus they provide an extra bonus of staying on better than most other baby socks.

↓ 21 – Ruffles

Little girls are obsessed with pink, glitter and ruffles. The sooner you get used to it the better. (If you look closely, you’ll notice she’s also got her Trumpette ballet flat socks on. No shoes necessary.)

↓ 20 – Anything Personalized

Adding the baby’s name, date of birth, measurements and/or other important stats, makes the ordinary baby item extraordinary. My daughter, Greenlee, has a unique name and therefore will never be able to buy items off-the-rack at the store with her name on it. (I experienced the same thing growing up). Our family was so excited to receive this feminine gingham hooded towel from Pottery Barn Baby with Greenlee’s name embroidered on it in pastel pink. Bath time is such a special bonding time between baby and parents. So many memories are made during this intimate chore and so many bathtub photos are taken to document for prosperity. In addition to the bath towel, you are going to want crib blankets and blankets for the stroller with your child’s name or initials.

↓ 19 – Personalized Leggings

What little girl doesn’t want their name written all over in a fun font (plenty of colours and styles to choose from) in a super comfy pair of leggings! I Know My Alphabet (an Etsy vendor) has become my new favourite go-to gift to get when a baby girl is born. It’s especially wonderful for a child who has older siblings because it becomes extremely obvious then that she is not stuck wearing her big brother or sister’s hand-me-downs. There is no denying these clothes were purchased especially for her and no one else.

↓ 18 – Cute & Funny Outfits

When you have kids close in age, it’s lots labelling the little/baby sister. Other kids in the family can wearing matching “Big Brother” or “Middle Sister” shirts.

↓ 17 – NewBorn Winter Clothing

An adorable snowsuit is a necessity for winter babies. When you bundle your bundle of joy up, make sure she’s comfy, cozy and wearing something warm enough to protect her from the cold, windy or wet climate.

↓ 16 – Ski Bunny Vest

For those less cold days, vests make wonderful layering pieces. They make strong statements and are versatile for all seasons except for the heat of the summer. Neutrals, pops of colour or patterned are all different options. Don’t necessarily buy a pricey vest as its more a novel accessory than a garment that your child will wear on a daily basis.

↓ 15 – Lounge Around in Sweats

Just as you’re most comfortable lounging around in sweats, babies want to look and feel like they’re most comfortable at all times. The littlest thing can set them off. Sweat suits aren’t fussy even when your baby is.

↓ 14 – Hats Off to the Baby

As soon as you announce your pregnancy, identify someone close to your family who knits or crochets and put in your request for baby hats and blankets. There is nothing like a custom made clothing and accessories to make your precious little one stand out in the crowd.

↓ 13 – Bands

And if you’re not too fond of hats, you can always opt for baby headbands because they look too adorable.

↓ 12 – Bathing Beauty

Every girl needs a flattering swimsuit or two for pool and beach days. Seek swimwear with high UV protection to protect delicate skin. Light colours are preferred as they will keep your child cooler in the hot sun while darker shades tend to attract and hold the heat. Lather on infant sunscreen to protect baby’s delicate and fragile skin. A floppy hat should also be worn.

↓ 11 – Where To Shop

What has grown into the “It” shoe for tiny feet was first created out of leather scraps on a kitchen table in 2009, after Freshly Picked founder Susan Petersen gave up on finding a baby shoe that was cute and stayed put. Known for thoughtful attention to detail, the brand’s moccasins and shoes have become big favourites in Hollywood and around the world. They also offer high-quality leather crib moccasins, soft sole shoes and diaper bags.

↓ 10 – Baby Shoes

Completely impractical, but oh so irresistible. While baby Uggs will never hit the floor, all eyes will remain glued on them (especially Mommy who will have to monitor that one hasn’t been lost).

↓ 9 – Halloween Costume for Non-Walkers

My daughter received lots of attention, tons of compliments and the best reactions to being a mermaid for Halloween. Everyone comments on her fin and is curious to know if I had made the costume. I must give credit to Laura Trot of Laura’s Inspiration who has an adorable array of hand-made crocheted baby photo props, along with booties and hats. It’s a great outfit for newborn photos. The mermaid costume was so unique and original that it scored first place in a Halloween costume contest! Here are Top 17 Halloween Costumes for Kids.

↓ 8 – Thanksgiving Outfit

The turkey is going to take second fiddle to your baby’ first Thanksgiving. Dress your ham up in something Thanksgiving worthy. Consider sticky to browns and oranges.

↓ 7 – Some Fancy Outfits

When your baby isn’t wearing a onesie or stretchies, and you’re taking her out and about, you’re going to want her to look like her most beautiful and feminine self. When she’s wearing a dress, no one will confuse her for being a boy. (She can be decked out in pink with a bow headband and still people will comment on what a cute boy he is). Dresses that come with matching bloomers/panties to cover the diaper are an added treat.

↓ 6 – A Classic Wrap Dress

Every lady needs a classic wrap dress. One season, Diane Von Furstenberg teamed up with Gap for a special line. If only the DVF dress could have grown with my daughter.

↓ 5 – Night Suits

Be prepared for your daughter to have more outfit changes than Beyoncé. You can never have enough stretchies on hand. Your baby will spend the majority of her time in stretchies, especially when she’s home. Pick prints and colours that make you happy and designs that are easy (and quick) to get on your ever-moving child.

↓ 4 – Bibs

No matter how many bibs you stock up on, you will always need at least a dozen more. Bibs are necessary for spit-up, protecting clothes when eating solids, wiping drool, the list goes on and on…..Pick some up whenever you see one that catches your eye and is a reflection of your style. Velcro fastening bibs are quick to put on/take off are the best design.

↓ 3 – A First Birthday Outfit

Remember your daughter will definitely need a beautiful little frock to celebrate her first birthday in style, because she can’t go out in her birthday suit! This will be the first of a lifetime of birthday celebrations blowing out candles and eating cake. You can also get some awesome ideas from these 17 Cute 1st Birthday Outfits for Baby Girl All Seasons.

And if you’re looking for something other than clothes to gift to anewbornn princess, then here are two of our highly recommended suggestions:

↓ 2 – Baby Rockers

The Tiny Love 3-in-1 Rocker Napper, an innovative rocker and napper that features a one hand switch from sit to sleep. At approximately two months old, she’ll be at the stage of being bored lying flat on her back day and night. She’ll begin to take notice of objects dangling within her reach. Once the batteries are inserted, it will massage baby, plays 3 different songs, give the baby a light show and offers volume control. The mobile does not move.

The design is extremely pleasing to parents that don’t want baby products that are huge eyesores to their home’s design. Unlike baby swing and many products out on the market, there’s no babyish animal pattern. The middle reclining position post-bottle is an ideal position to help her digest more easily.

↓ 1 – Books

It’s never too early to encourage your baby’s love of books and learning. Your little fashionista-in-training’s new library picks should include: The Birdie Series by Sujean Rim

(The author was the illustrator of the popular Daily Candy website. Jessica Simpson needs to get these books for her baby who will be named Birdie.)

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A post shared by ye jin (@xoxo_yejin) on Jan 29, 2019 at 8:58pm PST

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June Valentine & the Magic Shoes by Eva Chen (former Editor-in-Chief of Lucky Magazine)

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A huge thanks to my own daughter (now five years old) who modelled for the majority of these photos.

What are your favourite must-haves for your daughter? Please share your finds!

#Baby Dresses #Baby Outfits #Stylish baby Outfits Ideas

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