the secret life of emmy

**WARNING**

Shameless plug ahead.

Miss Emmy - My fur baby; Housemate; and daily entertainment - has joined instagram.

T H E   S E C R E T   L I F E   O F   E M M Y 

After years featuring as a special guest on my personal account, Miss Emmy has launched her own. Keep up to date with her daily musings, model-esque posing, and general cuteness.

xx

let's talk gratitude

grat-i-tude [noun] 
Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling or

 attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or 

will receive.

No other words today. There's no explanation required.

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the

 foundation for all abundance.” 

― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

xx

oh my gosh.. she's SIX

Miss Emmy is SIX today and my heart swells with love for this little parcel of fur.

Both of us are in absolute denial of her age. In fact it is a topic that is strictly off-limits.

When people at the dog park remark on how she is such an adorable puppy -

We smile knowingly and make small talk about her youthful appearance and endless energy.

Just 8-weeks old..

In a very raw, honest conversation with my mum recently, I discussed (yet another) relocation and actually considered what it would mean to not take Miss Emmy with me - ie. not having to look for 'dog-friendly' rentals; the freedom to travel for work..

But having those thoughts and speaking those words aloud made every cell in body scream in defense. The joy that my fur child brings me surpasses everything. 

Note to potential friends/boyfriends - This little dog is my non-negotiable.

And is it just me, or is she getting cuter with age?!

xx

The Latest in Canine Fashion

The clouds have descended and the rain is relentless.

Summer is officially a distant memory and already it is a struggle to get out of my warm bed in the morning.

Luckily (although sometimes it doesn't feel like it) there's a certain look Miss Emmy can give me that not only convinces me to get up but also brave the outdoors. brrrr!

On a morning walk this week, I realised the inequality in our relationship - she wears a raincoat and gets to go back to bed when we get home.

It' a tough life for a spoilt pooch!!

Think it's going to be a looooong winter.

xx

Brief Interlude

It's been pretty serious around here lately.

I bet you're wondering - where are all the cupcakes and pretty house pics?!

I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

It's my party  blog and I'll cry post if I want to.

Let's all take a deep breath and collectively admire this photo of Miss Emmy.

That is all.

xx

Puppy Birthday

Miss Emmy turned five yesterday.

F-I-V-E

I bought her a treat in celebration of this occasion - A pup-cake made with dog friendly ingredients and iced with cream cheese frosting and beef liver.

Getting her to sit still long enough for a photo was near-impossible!

Miss Emmy and I have been through a lot together.

Since she came into my life I have :

Been married; And divorced.

And moved house four times.

Yes we have our disagreements.. (She is an absolute Queen of the Silent Treatment)

And sometimes I forget to pick up dog food on my way home, so she gets a can of tuna, an egg and a carrot for dinner.

But no matter what - She greets me at the front door with a happy tail Every. Single. Day.

That's the best kind of love.

Happy Valentines Day.

xx

My Very Own Cheerleader

sourced here

The first 5 day work week after the holidays is always the hardest.

And yesterday I 100% believed that it was already Friday.

It was truly heartbreaking to realise I had miscalculated the days.

But here we are. We made it.

I would like to thank my wonderful puppy from whom I receive endless love and support.

I couldn't have done it without her.

xx

My Insta-Life

I have a confession..

I have an addiction.

It's not drugs or alcohol*

It's not even worthy of an episode of My Strange Addictions - I'm not eating couch cushions that's for sure..

It's just a little ol' app that I just can't get enough of.

Enter Instagram

Oh how I love thee.

I love that it still has the capacity to let me stalk people Facebook-style; without the meaningless status updates that I just don't care about.

I love that I can waste a considerable portion of my day searching random #hashtags

Hello #minischnauzer

or

#fitness

or

#channingtatum

And I love that I can document my random life.

Even if no one else cares to know where I am (usually at the beach) or what I'm eating (cupcakes).

Guess what??

This is the beginning of My Insta-Life.

A little blog post where I share my latest Instagram posts.. just for a little fun :)

Left > Right; Top > Bottom

Strange dolls on sale in Kmart (no wonder the youth of today are a little cray); 

Miss Emmy playing Sleepy Lions in the car;

My new toy - and the reason why I can blog to you from the comfort of my home again (after 6 months of being laptop-less and blogging at work... during scheduled breaks/lunchtime of course);

Lunch time wine - is there anything better?; 

Gingerbread House candy. Notice there's no photo of the completed house? Yeah... Let's move on;

Pancakes. Enough said;

The photographic evidence from our beach-themed Christmas Party. Here's a word of advice - Stay AWAY from the photo booth whilst intoxicated;

The photos from the beginning of the night were actually very cute. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the rest of the evening;

Gifts from clients. *Warm and Fuzzy*;

Jamie Oliver in The Advertiser - I heart him;

And there it is - The beach = BLISS;

And the seagulls.

See??

Wasn't that fun?!

Follow me on Instagram (Andie_Cupcake) if you would like to see more exciting times in the life of a single girl.

xx

*Note: Some might dispute the alcohol thing.... 

Monday-itis

Urghhh... Monday.

I am less than enthusiastic about today. I think I'm getting sick. Again...

And I wasn't the only one who wasn't keen to get out of bed this morning.

Miss Emmy

xx

I heart Daylight Savings

Monday = The first day of Daylight Savings.

Finished work at 6pm and squeezed in a quality walk with the fur baby before dinner.

Daylight Savings After Work Walk with Miss Emmy

= BLISS.

xx

Afternoon Tea with Miss KB

I finally got to see the SFC over Easter!
(And then sadly got too slack to post about it before now!)

Even though Miss KB insists that there's still sooo much work to do, the place is ah-mazing and I am truly jealous!

Miss Emmy was invited to the afternoon tea because she won't be welcome after the arrival of Chuck Bass - understandable, because Emmy is practically from Brooklyn and Mr Bass has high standards....!

The afternoon tea was delicious (I think I ate my body weight in mini quiches) and it was wonderful to catch up with KB but my petulant teenager of a dog, clearly dissatisfied with being confined to the courtyard, gave us all a heart attack mid-afternoon, by successfully escaped and disappeared up the street.

Luckily KB noticed she was missing before she could venture too far so she spent the remainder of the afternoon inside with us.

I took this opportunity to engage her chair modelling skills.....

Hmmm... She really needs a haircut!!

xx

Easter Snapshot

Due to moving house last weekend, I didn't really make any exciting plans for the Easter Weekend but in the end my four day break disappeared in the blink of an eye in a blur of more unpacking, quality Emmy-time, catch up with friends, several visits to my poor nan in hospital and far too much chocolate. There wasn't even any baking!!

I did manage to take a few quick snaps throughout the weekend.

Allow me to share them with you --

Miss Emmy chilling in one of her fave new spots in the house

The pile of chocolate, which disappeared much faster than I am willing to admit

Chad Michael Murray made a return to One Tree Hill -
I may have squealed when he appeared on my tv...
(and then I scrambled for the remote so I could pause and take a photo!)

Miss Emmy and I went for a walk at the beach -
BTW.. this is not me trying to be abstract , this is Emmy pulling on the lead around my wrist as I took the photo!!

Good Friday dinner. Delish!

I felt this way after the long weekend too...

Planning on doing more of the same this weekend. But with less chocolate!!!

xx

Operation Happiness

A happiness slump.

I'm sure you've been there.

In a little bit of a rut; Feeling a little bit down; Just sadly counting down the days til the weekend - then rinsing and repeating..

It's just too easy to dwell on things instead of living in the moment.

And honestly ?  Unhealthy habits breed unhealthy minds and bodies.

So it's time to get positive. I am going to harness good energy and start to feel better about everything.

I'm going to make a conscious effort to pull myself out of this slump and get some happiness into my life.

How ?? 

Well, I'll tell you...

EAT HEALTHY

Let's face it - Everyone feels better when they feed their body nutritious food rather than pizza and chocolate. Healthy foods give us energy.

Here

BE ACTIVE

I am by no means a gym junkie. I do not crave exercise and I can't say I understand the need to get up early and go for a run. But I do enjoy long walks with Miss Emmy. So long walks we shall have.

GET ORGANISED

We're in the new house now, so it's time to get organised. This means major wardrobe reassessment. Once upon a time, I had a super organised wardrobe, right down to the colour coding of my tops. (Yes, this is perhaps slight over kill, but trust me - a neat wardrobe helps me sleep at night!)

Here

BAKE

It somewhat contradicts my 'Be Healthy' initiative, but baking is my relaxation. And as long as I share the baked goods, I shouldn't be undoing all the hard work.

Besides, I have sooo many recipes over on Pinterest that I can't wait to try!

Here

FEEL FABULOUS

I can't remember the last time I went to the hairdressers to have my hair done. Like properly done (not just for a trim). I have been dying my own hair for over a year now, but I've decided it's time for a change. A fabulous change, which involves the hairdresser giving me a brand new hair colour.

Here

REMEMBER

Life is made of the little moments.

So even if getting out of bed and going to work is tough sometimes, every day there are little moments to stop and enjoy.

Here

I guess this is an extension of Project Healthy House. It's about the body, the mind and the soul.
Let's call it Operation Happiness.

xx

Reunited

Those of you who read my blog regularly (which to be honest is probably just my sister!) would know that after selling my house I moved to a sharehouse where my gorgeous puppy was not permitted to live. It was extremely difficult to make the choice to move when I knew she couldn't come with me and I experienced a huge amount of guilt throughout the five months I spent there, but I made the decision for many reasons, but perhaps selfishly because being with friends was what I needed at the time. 

Miss Emmy was temporarily adopted by my mum so I knew she was being looked after - and judging by the amount of weight she has gained during that time, I know she was definitely well fed - but I knew I could only take advantage of mum's offer to be a halfway home for Miss Emmy for a limited time. And, if I'm 100% truthful, Emmy is a huge part of my life and I missed her immensely.

So... over the weekend I've moved house again (yes.. that's now 3 moves in 6 months) and Miss Emmy and I are finally reunited.

The weekend was emotional - combined sadness over leaving Miss Pip; excitement over another new beginning which includes 'Morg's and Andie's Pink House of Fabulousness'; and ofcourse having Emmy back on a full-time basis (which means no more weekend visitation issues or awkward access visits).

And, Miss Emmy seems to have settled into our new house nicely and quickly claimed Morgan's bed as her own.

It was my first day back at work today since the move, and whilst Emmy was somewhat confused by being confined to the yard all day (since she's previously had a dog door and therefore access into the house at all times), I must admit - I do love coming home to such an enthusiastic greeting at the end of a long day.

All packed up and ready to go..

It was an exhausting day - all that exploring in the new backyard tired her out

Then she discovered Miss Morgan's bed

My vicious guard dog - keeping watch out my bedroom door
(and maybe napping on the job!)

Where is she? Oh, back on Morgan's bed!

This is her Happy Face

And now she's discovered another Comfy Spot - the fur rug beside my bed

xx

A Family Re-United

Miss Morg's and I have just had confirmation that our rental application for a pet friendly home has been accepted. WOO HOO!

This is super exciting, because it means I will soon be re-united with a special friend of mine - Miss Emmy.

Miss Emmy

I can't wait! We are going to spend some time together at the dog park tomorrow in celebration.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones too.

xx

All Grown Up

My fur child turned FOUR yesterday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS EMMY

xx

Missing My Fur Child

I love my new living arrangements.

Sure, I had some reservations before I moved in. How could I not? I have never lived with anyone other than my ex in the past. I am used to my own space and the silence that comes with living alone. I wasn't sure how I would find living in a share house with two other people, but my housemates are both gorgeous and so far, all is good. I am loving our family dinners and having people to watch tv with. The endless supply of magazines and the equally limitless "That's what she said" jokes, because we're all super mature.

It's the simple things.

But today I am missing my fur child, who due to a silly clause in the lease agreement, can't live with us and join in the girly fun too.

xx

My Week in Photos : Birthday Week

Settlement Day - The Beginning of my new chapter; Coincidentally, it was also the day I noticed I had successfully grown a strawberry in my vegie patch... Oh, the irony.

Annual Schnauzer Fest - The none day every year that I realise that even compared to her relatives, Emmy is the cutest dog on the planet.

Moving Day - Amongst the Settlement Day Celebrations and the Birthday Week madness, I also threw in Moving Day. Because of the whole New Chapter thing.

Birthday Celebrations - Dinner at The River Cafe on the Torrens, Cupcakes, Cupcakes and more Cupcakes. And some champagne. And some cocktails... We also got a little Ultra Cultural and saw a Cabaret Show at La boheme - New Coat of Paint. Awesome.

xx

TGIF!

What more can I say??

The weather forecast for Adelaide this weekend is devine - Mostly sunny and 27 degrees - So I'm looking forward to long lunches in the sun and casual walks on the beach with Miss Emmy.

Happy weekend everyone.

xx

Being Happy



Things that make me happy :

Miss Emmy

Freshly cleaned sheets on my bed

Thick sliced toast with butter and peanut butter

Warm cookies fresh from the oven

Sitting on the couch under a doona with the airconditioner on

Getting a text message

Singing in the car

Hugs

Wearing a new outfit and getting compliments about it

Catching up with a friend and talking for hours

Dancing!!

Sunday afternoon baking

Freshly manicured nails

Listening to my iPod on shuffle

Frozen coke

Taking Emmy for a walk in the sun - Not knowing where we're going, just walking..

People watching in airports

Bonding with someone over a TV show (especially True Blood, because I can gush about Eric for hours..)

Wearing a dress or skirt that I can twirl in

Watching rain through a window

Laughing so hard that I'm no longer making any noise, but am gasping for air

Swinging on a swing set

Spending time with family

Bubble baths

Eating icecream out of the tub

Driving in the car with the windows down

Fairy bread

New shoes

And;

Logging into Blogger and seeing that someone has commented on one of my posts  :)

xx

Image Sources : Happy Print;  Emmy;  Hugs;  Ice-Cream;  Twirl;  Bubble Bath;  Shoes