Shocked and Appalled.

There's an Acme minutes away from our house. Although it's not always our grocer of choice, it foots the bill when we need to run out for small items such as bread and ice cream, which was exactly what I needed while on my way home from running errands earlier today. Now granted, we live in a college town, but when I walked into Acme and was immediately greeted by the following display, I'll admit, I was a little shocked and appalled.


Imagine walking into your grocer and immediately upon entering being faced with a folding table, piled high with ping pong balls and red Solo cups. We're talking tubs overflowing with ping pong balls and Solo cups stacked so high you could barely see over them. Stacked against the folding table were additional folding tables for sale.

Hung from the front of the table was a handwritten sign that read,

"This year, run the tables!

And buy all of your supplies here!"

As in, "Shop at Acme, For all of your beer pong needs."

What kind of grocery store condones this activity? Let alone promotes it with making sure college kids have access to every supply they would need as soon as they entered the store?!


Maybe I'm just getting too old for this...

Never Have I Felt So Intimidated...

by a piece of technology.

Remember this post? The one where I blogged about wanting a new phone solely for the purposes of checking my email and blogging? Well, my friends? Ask and ye shall receive. My wonderful, gracious (and insanely technologically adept) father-in-law hooked nearly half of the family up with this new beauty.

So, excuse me if you don't hear from me for a while. I apologize in advance!

I've been sucked into the black hole that is the iPhone 3G.

And I'm enjoying every minute.

Wordless Wednesday. You Thought I Forgot?

psst.. Guess what?

Fall is coming!!!

Which means I cannot wait

to do some of this...

apple picking, september 2008

Hey You! Check out my Blog-lift.

get it? kinda like a facelift?

but for my blog?

ok, ok. cheesy, i know.

If you haven't noticed,

things are looking a little different here at I Love You More Than Carrots

and I wanted give a HUGE bloggy shoutout to Danielle over at

Girl's Night Out, Custom Blog Designs

for not only being fabulous, but also for creating

my darling custom header and background.

Working with her was effortless and it was almost as if

she was already in my head! She knew exactly what I wanted

and when my OCD kicked in about the size of the big blue heart,

she worked tirelessly with me to make it absolutely perfect.

She's worked with so many of my favorite bloggers,

I just knew she'd be perfect for a little

ILYMTC re-design!

If you're in the market for a new look,

don't hesitate to check her out!

Happy Tuesday!

Read Me. I Promise You'll Laugh Out Loud. Twice.

Things around these parts have been absolutely crazy ever since Fire Rescue let the rookie drive the big, bad fire truck. We're down to one car in the M household which doesn't bode well when the Mr. needs to be at the airport at 7am, lunches need to be packed, laundry needs to be folded, the dog needs to be walked and you need to be at work by 8.

It's Monday morning. As usual, I'm up before the sun to let Sully out to piddle. I'm downstairs folding laundry and reminding (read: yelling at) Hubs to promptly encourage him out the door by our estimated time of departure, 6:30am. I'm making sure he has his laptop, his money clip, his Treo and his leather belt. These are the crucial Hubs-cessories that frequently get left behind.

I'm walking the dog up and down the street, pleading with him to "do poops." I'm in and out of the shower, I'm throwing together my lunch. Which, I am SO excited about, because I've recently gone cold turkey from Coca-Cola and become addicted to Izze Sparkling Fruit Juices. Okay, I'll admit: the withdrawal symptoms only lasted a few days, until the sweet nectar of the Gods, aka Izze, was introduced to my palate.

70% pure fruit juice. Sparkling water. No refined sugars. No caffeine. No preservatives. No artifical colors. No artifical flavors.

D E L I C I O U S N E S S.

But back to the point of this story. I'm dropping Hubs off at the airport. I'm getting lost between the airport and my job. Believe me, this is no small feat. I could get lost in my own neighborhood if I tried hard enough. I'm really missing my SUV and my navigation right about now.

I make it to work. I spend the following four hours salivating at the thought of digging into my lunch sack and embibing on a little Sparkling Pomegrante goodness.

It's finally lunch. I grab my lunch sack and make a mad dash to the break room. I tear it open, reach inside and pull out...

A COLD BUD LIGHT.

I wish I could've seen the look of utter and complete disappointment on my face. My luck had better turn around real soon...And I'm limiting Hubs' stock of Cold Bud Lights in the fridge. He now needs to split his sacred brew with the sub-zero cooler. Obviously, I need to make more room for Izze.

And, you know, pack my lunch with the lights on...

What To Do When Fire Rescue Backs into Your Parked Car at 7:30AM.

1. Wake up from the all of the commotion/incessant Sheepie barking.

2. Throw on mismatched pajamas.

3. Glance out bedroom window and casually say to your husband, "Hey, looks like Fire Rescue is parked out front of our house. I wonder if our 90 year-old neighbor is ok? You think I should go move my car?"

4. Wander downstairs half asleep, looking for your keys.

5. Open front door and start hysterically laughing when you notice that Fire Rescue is NOT parked out front of your house to attend to your neighbor, but rather because they made too wide of a turn and smashed into the front of your three month old Lexus.

Is this really my life?

the Fire Chief and Police convening
outside of our house once Fire Rescue managed
to maneuver their way down the rest of our street.


Ouch. My hood and fender is pushed so far in that
I can't even open my passenger side door. And that little
headlight down there? It's a goner...

honestly, all i can do is laugh...

Dear Plastic E-Collar. My Own Little Product Review.

Dear Plastic E-Collar,

You suck. Sure, you are see-thru allowing my poor recouperating puppy a little extra peripheral vision, but Sullivan is a clumsy boy and you sure aren't helping matters. Not only is he afraid to walk up the stairs without me by his side holding his head up so that he doesnt get his head caught beneath said steps (like he's done a bazillion times since coming home from the Vet yesterday), but he also has an incredibly hard time eating, drinking, walking, sleeping, running, laying down, rolling over and just plain acting like his normal puppy self.

I would also like to take this time to say thank you for the black and blues and cuts and scrapes all down the front of my legs. From a far, it looks as if I went running through a briar patch. No, no. Alas, I did not. I've just been trying to stay out of poor Sullivan's way. Don't even get me started on your price tag. Because frankly, it's about $40.00 more than you're actually worth. That's right. I'm calling you worthless. Had I know there were alternative collars out there, I would NOT have wasted my time with you. That's right. We're breaking up.

As I'm writing you this letter, I've just gotten back from the Organic Pet Shop down the street where they sell Cozy Cones. They're moldable. Pliable. And they certainly won't give Sullivan whiplash. Doesn't this face look much happier to you now? Thanks for a whole lotta nothin'.

Sincerely,

A Much Happier (without YOU) Dog-Mom and Sheepie

Take Me Back to the Beach!

Although the weather outside is fry-an-egg-on-your-driveway hot and rather perfect for a spontaneous jaunt to the beach, this little blogger is stuck at home with the puppy patient passed out in the air-conditioned bedroom and laundry teetering in overflowing stacks in almost every bedroom. Truly, the washer has been running tirelessly since 8am this morning and at this current moment, I see no end in sight! (Well, maybe if I would stop blogging...) Aw, shucks. Never! Since this little blogger can't escape to the beach today, I thought I'd share some favorite photos of our beach vacation earlier this month! Ocean City, Maryland.

First stop, Seacrets!

Nothing like a dirty banana (or two!) to start the week off right!

After a freak paddle ball accident on the beach that involved Hubs

smacking himself in the face with the paddle, he was forced to smile awkwardly

so to hide his fat lip.. Nice one, Hubs!

Standard M family photo-op

on the deck of the bay. See anyone familiar?

Pamcakes from over at A Girl, Inspired!
if you have a minute, stop on over and tell her to keep blogging!

And finally, the "cousins" at one of our favorite weeknight watering holes,

"Hump Night" at Harpoon Hannah's!

Happy Thursday!

Lu-Lu-Lu-Luke, I Am Your Father...

Pardon the shoddy quality of this cell phone photo-

But please, feel no shame laughing hysterically at Sullivan.

If you can't see clearly, he has his "lampshade," er, E-Collar, pushed up against

the fan so that it creates not only a wind tunnel but this horrid whooooshing sound..

And he's loving every minute of it...

As if he wasn't directionally challenged before, this collar certainly isn't helping things! As the anesthesia wears off he's constantly following me around the house, butting up against my backside and scraping the skin off of my shins! Poor fella..

But just think Sully, you're going to make SO many new friends now!

Dear JCrew...

Dear JCrew,

Please stop teasing me with your 20% off PLUS Free Shipping over $150 promo ads. One email is enough. Six within the last four hours is pure torture. Sure, it was great, albeit creepy, when the local JCrew phoned my house just to make sure I received my $25 rewards card, but did you not hear? I AM ON A BUDGET! I know you know I am a sucker for both cashmere and ruffles. And if found together on a single item? Heaven. But Hubs would not be happy. And we can't have a cranky Hubs. Afterall, my birthday is coming up and I'm yearning for another Yurman. So there you have it JCrew. I vow to muster up all the self-reserve I am capable of and I'm hitting delete, delete, delete on those emails. What's that you say? Will I be spending my rewards card? Blasphemy! How can you even ask such a question? Of course. I'll see you in two weeks.

Fondly,

Ashley Paige

The Great Snip and Sullivan, A Year in Review!

Sullivan turned ONE! this past week.. Don't worry, ridiculous pictures of the Sheepie wearing a party hat are soon to follow. We did spoil him with extra treats and brand new toys, but we also bought him a much larger birthday present. What's that, might you ask? An appointment with the vet for "The Great Snip," of course! [Insert creepy, horror movie-esque music here]. We figured it's about time, as Sullivan's social circle is at a stagnant halt. It's not so much that he's aggressive or attempts to be dominant over other dogs (Puh-lease, this goober wouldn't hurt a fly!) But other dogs seem to always notice Sully's male-parts and immediately become suspicious. Sully, we're doing this in the best interest of your popularity amongst the neighborhood pack. We promise! We only want you to have lots and lots of doggie friends!

I'm as nervous as any other dog-mom would be and made sure we scheduled the appointment during a week where Hubs and I would alternately be home to keep an eye on the convalescing patient during the days following his surgery. The receptionist at the office must've thought I was crazy as I asked her about a bazillion questions, including, but not limited too, the most important (per the ever-so-compassionate Hubs), "How much is this going to cost?" Of course, I was too busy being concerned with pain, antibiotics, and thwarting possible emergencies. Once a nurse, always a nurse, I guess!

So on Wednesday, just before heading out to a doctor's appointment of my own, I'll be dropping Sullivan off at the vet and picking him up a mere 8 hours later, just a little bit less of a man. Poor Sheepie. He doesn't even know what's coming!

On a brighter note, here's Sullivan's last year in review in the M household:

My first day at home, 12 weeks old

November 12, 2008

Check out those spots on my nose!

Unwrapping Christmas presents, December 2008

Mom forcing me to wear my rain/snow jacket

Obviously thrilled, January 2009

My First Snow and my Favorite Time of Year

Winter 2009

February 2009

Looking like a REAL Old English Sheepie

March 2009

Six months old and Sixty Five Pounds!

April 2009

Time to trim the bangs. Running into too many

car bumpers and street signs...

May/June 2009

Hanging out with Mom.

Lookin' a bit like a homeless dog with that haircut.

July 2009

Hung out with Gramma and GrandPaw for the week

while Mom and Dad went to the Islands.

All I got was this crab.

I'm tipping the scales at 80lbs!

We brought Sullivan home from the pet store on November 12th, 2008. We're not sure how he spent his first three months of his life (likely in a puppy mill of sorts), but since it wasn't with us, we'd rather not think about it! This fluffy knucklehead has brought so much love and so many laughs into our little home, we can't imagine our life without him! Happy birthday, Sully Monster! Wishing you many more tail-wagging, face-licking, bird-chasing, sneaker-eating and treat-loving years ahead!

Hubs On Expanding My Vocabulary.

Hubs and I have been looking to make a few large life-changing\life-enhancing purchases lately. Not only is it an exciting time in our life together, but it's also both exhausting and overwhelming. Remember when life was easy and all you had to worry about was who you were going to play on the swings with? Or cross the monkeybars with? Or trade for your sandwhich at lunch with? Ah, but I digress...

Driving home from our meeting with the realtor:

Hubs: I think you need to learn some new words.

AP: Oh yeah? Like what?

Hubs: Save. Bargain. Thrift. Frugal. Haggle. I know, I know. It's kind of an older term, but a lot like, Negotiate. Cheap. Sale. Economical. Say it with me, "Ec-o-nom-i-cal."


Funny, Hubs. Really funny.

Dear Firework Setter-Offer

Dear Unknown Firework Setter-Offer in the Wee Hours of the Morning,



Are you serious with yourself? What in the world gave you the bright idea to set off multiple rounds of fireworks in the park RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE repeatedly between the hours of 12:45am and 3:45am? Newsflash, but it is not the 4th of July. Or any other holiday that denotes the setting off of said fireworks. Did it not occur to you that some people (ie: myself) are responsible adults with real jobs that require not only restful sleep but also waking up at 5:am? I'm sure you thought you were all hip and cool and whatnot, but the truth is, I want to punch you in the kidney. You're lucky I didn't call the cops. Why didn't I? Maybe because I was too stoned from the marijuana smell wafting into my house through the open windows. Take heed, my assinine friend, I will not be nearly this nonconfrontational next time. I secretly hope you shoot your eye out.

All my love,

Sleepless in the Philadelphia Suburbs

Hubs is the Shadow Puppet Master?

I wrote a post here about what Hubs would like do with my Kindle. I love my Kindle. Love, Love, LOVE IT. It goes everywhere with me. The nail salon, the doctor's office, the beach, the pool, the Caribbean, to the in-laws in Maryland, up to my folks in New Jersey and it's even schlepped to and from work on a daily basis... Okay, you get the point.


It slips easily into my bag and I adore it. Right now, I'm carrying around 18 books in last seasons Coach Signature Ali bag. Coming from a total book whore, every loyal reader out there should own one. Don't let anyone tell you, "But won't you miss turning the pages?" Or "It's not the same. Not being able to hold that book in your hands." You're right. It isn't the same. It's better.


I'll admit, I get a little sad when I think about how I'm no longer contributing to that floor-to-ceiling library I know I will build in my house someday, but right now, I'm content with that.


Hubs loathes my Kindle, yet secretly wishes he had one of his own. Why doesn't he like it? Perhaps it is because I try to take it to bed with me every. single. night. Fast forward to Sunday nights circa 9:30pm:

Setting the Scene

Hubs has to be up to leave for the airport at 4:30am on Monday mornings. Every Monday morning, mind you. This means we're in bed by 9pm or 9:30pm at the latest. This little bookworm rarely tires before 10pm and therefore reads every night to not only make her sleepy, but to also put her racing mind at ease.

PS: She also can't read without her bedside lamp on.

Hubs: You know, there's a lamp in the office.

AP: What's wrong with this one? (30 seconds later)

Oh, you meant for me to go to the office, huh?

Hubs: [huffing and puffing] I can't sleep.

AP: Well, how about I use a flashlight?

(rigs up flashlight with elastic hair ties, the grace of God and the headboard)

(Five minutes pass)

Hubs: Wow, the shadow of your head is HUUUUUUGE! I can see all of your little whispy hairs.

(Two minutes pass)

AP: (starts hearing monkey noises.. "ooooh, oooh, aaaah, aaaah, aaaah!")

I flip over in bed and my husband is making the most perfect Gorilla shadow hand puppet I have ever seen in my entire life. That's actually a lie. I've never seen anyone make a shadow Gorilla hand puppet. Except my husband. And it's amazing.

At this point, not only am I hysterically laughing but we've woken the sleeping Sheepie who suddenly wants in on the action. Hubs quickly launches in quite a lengthy shadow hand puppet repertoire. He's pulling perfect facsimilies of eagles, bunny rabbits and dogs out from beneath the bed sheets! I'm laughing so hard the tears begin streaming down my face.

Needless to say, Hubs may or may not have hit the snooze button a few times before finally getting out of bed and getting ready for another very long, very tiring work week. So much for getting to sleep in a timely manner- but seeing my husband's boyish smile stretch from ear to ear as I laughed my little hiney off in bed was well worth the utter exhaustion the following morning!

What dog sighs heavily outside of the bedroom door, sulks sullenly at the top of the stairs, and scratches incessantly on the back of the door, begging to be let into the

air conditioning?

Give up?

This guy...

Hey, Ma! I know you're down there, but the air conditioning is up here!

Just look what this heat and humidity is doing to my hair!

He can be such a little princess sometimes...

Tuesday's Truths.. Or Rather Another "I Confess.."

1. I hate making the bed. I get up far too early in the mornings to get myself out of bed in a timely fashion let alone take additional time to make the bed [only to savagely tear my way back into it a mere twelve hours later].

2. I'm due for my "New Every Two" with Verizon. This year I am lobbying for the new Blackberry Tour. Why? So that I can check my emails and blog from my phone. No, seriously. That's the only reason. I do not work for a company that pays for this expense, nor requires it. I am a nurse. I need a stethescope, scrubs and an active license. My patients do not care what cell phone I am carrying as they do not need to email me on an emergent basis. But writing/reading blogs? Important enough to me to warrant the upgraded monthly fees. Now, if only I could convince Hubs of this dire neccessity.

3. I only swim in water where I can see my feet. Hubs was astonished, when in Turks and Caicos I was a veritable waterbaby, bobbing and diving in the turquoise waters until my water-logged ears demanded a reprieve. He could do nothing but beg, plead and laugh when I staunchly refused to leave my comfortable, albeit hot-as-the-heat-of-Hell, beach chair spot to go and play amongst the waters of Ocean City, Maryland. Ew.

4. I DVR mindless, senseless programming on a nightly basis, spend most, if not all of my Hubs-less nights watching it and am absolutely obsessed/enamored/giddy with delight. (ie: Miami Social, Royal Pains, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and despite it's extreme makes-me-want-to-jump-through-the-tv-and-smack-them-all effect that it has on me, NYC Prep.) Okay, I'm only slightly ashamed at the divulgence of that last one. Oops.

5. I've recently become addicted to buying my underwear at Target. And no, not even the cute, colorful Target-designer brands they've recently begun to display, but the cheap, I used-to-swear-I-wouldn't-be-caught-dead-let-alone-buried-in-them Hanes Her Way. Specifically the Hanes Tagless Chiffon Nylon line. The bikinis and thongs? A-mazing. No lines. Incredible comfort. Not to mention that I can basically buy twenty pairs for what I would typically spend on five pairs and a maybe a Pink bra in Vicky Secrets. Ladies, we're talking a win-win here.

Have you told the truth lately?

Happy Tuesday!

He's Put A Hit Out..

on my Kindle.
yes, you're reading this post correctly.

no, you're not crazy.

although, Hubs might be.

Last night, while laying in bed, I pulled out my Kindle to finish the last couple chapters of the book I had been reading during our vacation at the beach last week. It wasn't anything worth writing home about, but I often feel unfinished when I've left too many books unfinished and therefore will often grit my teeth to finish the remaining chapters. Not to mention, I already have close to three unfinished books on my Home screen..

Hubs: [inching closer and closer to my side of the bed] Whatchya doin?

AP: I really want to finish this chapter.

Hubs: What? Put that away! There's no Kindle-ing when Hubs is home!

AP: Are you trying to tell me I can only read Monday through Thursday nights? Boy, what are you smoking?

Hubs: Don't worry. One day you're going to come home and the Kindle will be missing. Gone. Dunzo.

AP: What?!

Hubs: Yup. I've put a hit out on the Kindle. Want to know how it's going to go down?

AP: Enlighten me.

Hubs: I'm going to slather it with peanut butter and conveniently leave it where Sullivan can find it. That's it. Say goodbye to your Little Friend.

Where does he come up with these things?