Lucky Dog Animal Rescue

One of my favorite hobbies is volunteering with a local animal rescue. I love being able to help animals, and since I can't adopt every single one I love being able to match up others with new furry family members. My dog, Rolly, has seriously changed my life. He has helped me so much with anxiety and depression I can't even tell you. 

Lucky Dog has some seriously amazing dogs for any of you in the DC/Maryland/Virginia Area. Please check them out if you are interested in adopting or volunteering. If you are farther away please consider ordering a calendar to support these deserving pups! I have met most of these dogs and they are truly angels who deserve a second chance.

I'm Over You Wendy

Alright I need to get something off my chest. I am so over Gwyneth Paltrow Singing. I mean, she's not bad, but she's not great. And if she wasn't a celeb baby who grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, married to a rocker I wouldn't have to hear her all the time.

You may be saying to yourself, "Most singers today aren't that talented. They are just exposed to death." This is true. However, other pop singers at least have a catchy tune or a gimmick. What's Wendy got besides a 3 note range and a lucky spot on Glee because Ryan Murphy is her GBF? To make matters worse she has contributed to a resurgence of Cee Lo Green's "Forget You" which already had a respectable run on the radio and slowly died out. Now it is just getting played out. 

I kinda feel like you are already a successful actress, why do you need to also be a subpar singer? Am I alone on this guys? BTW this was so awkward with her on the piano. Cliche much?

I am on Fire!

I have won 4 giveaways in 3 days!!! Not to mention I won two giveaways last week!

So far I have one two packs of Brilliant Screen Cleaning Wipes!

A free NachoMama Tee Shirt.

And a Ruffle Necklace!

If you haven't already, make sure you enter my Giveaway so you can get some free stuff too!

Frugal Decor Finds

I have kind of an awkward spot in my kitchen that I have made many attempts at decorating.

Sorry for the weird light beaming in. Before the previous owners redid the kitchen (THANK YOU) this used to be a smaller window on the left and the sliding doors on the right were actually a single door. It looks way better, but there was no longer room in between the door and the window for cabinets. Hence the design conundrum.

While shopping at Marshall's the other day I came across these vintage looking plates that matched my window treatments PERFECTLY. And they were only $3 each!

Look at me taking a halfway decent picture!

Anyhow I headed to Hobby Lobby to figure out how to hang these babies. I decided I like the idea of these Disc hangers better than the traditional type.

They were super easy to use. The hardest part was letting it set overnight because I was anxious to put them up. 

Here's the final project. Only $6! Awkward decor no more! (Only awkward pictures!)

Do you have any awkward spaces you are struggling to complete?

Blog Hopping

Question of the Week: Are you going to plant a garden this year? If so, what will you be planting, and when will you start?

I am going to try and plant hydrangeas and maybe some herbs. I've only planted flowers before so this will be a big change for me. I'll certainly be posting pictures of my attempts!

Gifts that Make You Feel Good

Look what I got in the mail today! My very first Scensty. 

What makes it even better is that the sale of these products benefit Brynlee. There is still time to place and order. And there is still time to enter the giveaway for the Plugin Scentsy Warmer over at Jessica's Coupons. 

Check Me Out at Funky Polkadot Giraffe!

Me and my wreaths are being featured over at Funky Polkadot Giraffe. Please take a looksee and share the love!

Friday Frenzy!

$20 Hobby Lobby GiftCard Giveaway!!

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**


I am oh so close to 300 followers and I wanted to do a giveaway to thank everyone for their support. I am offering a $15 Hobby Lobby gift card to the winner. If I reach 300 during the giveaway the amount goes up to $20 so tell your friends!

As an added bonus, I will offer the winner a feature on my blog with whatever they end up making with their gift card loot. It's totally up to you! I will also place your button in my sidebar for one month.

Update: I have reached 300 followers (YAY) so the giftcard will now be worth $20!

Mandatory Entry: Be a follower of In the Loop and leave me a comment telling me you are.

Bonus Entries (Please leave a separate comment for each):

Like In th Loop on Facebook (+1)

Follow In the Loop on Twitter. (+1)

Blog about this Giveaway (+5)

Ths contest will end on Thursday, March 3 and is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize. If I don't hear from you another winner will be chosen. If you would like to be notified of your win by email please leave your email address in each comment or make sure that your email is listed in your Blog Profile. Good luck!

Like Whoa!

Please "Like" my new facebook fan page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/In-the-Loop/148485231878283#!/pages/In-the-Loop/148485231878283?sk=wall

300

Guess what? Once I hit 300 followers I'll be hosting another giveaway and you will vote on what you want! So spread the word. While you wait feast your eyes on Gerard Butler and a different 300.

Wordlessly Wednesday

(Don't worry, they're just playing)

Glogging {Warning: Spoilers}

I hadn't even seen a preview for Glee this week so I am coming in totally blind. We are at minute 24 and the song choices have been pretty blah. Highlight so far is defo the Biest! "You ain't seen nothing unless you see me in a cowboy hat!" I predict this ep is about to get good.

Ok, what in the heck was Rachel wearing? I mean talk about channeling Babs Streisand, circa 1981. Although fashion award of the evening goes to Puck sporting Zises grandma glasses.

I am actually feeling the Kurt/Blaine drama. (Although Kurt is kind of a whiny baby) Blaine is my new favorite character on the show. First, of all his voice is like butta. Second, I appreciate that unlike a lot of the other gleeks he is a really multi-dimensional character. Blaine is my new numero uno and Biest is my first mate. Biest used to be number one, but that singing was a whole lot of awful.

Can someone please get Rachel a real love interest? I mean this is getting painful. Can she just find a normal straight dude? This is going to make me have to cheer for a Rachel/Puck reunion.

Ok, does anyone believe for one second that in real life Quinn and Finn wouldn't be dating right now? What type of juniors in high school would be taking the high road?

Brittany is a great Ke$ha. I never get tired of her and Mike Chang dancing. I am also digging Brittany's wardrobe lately. Winnie the Pooh hat = AWESOME.

Poor Mr. Shue :-( (But I LOVED the Grease throwback at the end!)

Song of the Evening: Target commercial with Huey Lewis in the background.

Worst. Picture. Ever

I wanted to share this 5 Minute Craft with you, but I could not get a good picture to save my life. It's in a very dark part of my house and I hate my camera. I'm showing you anyway and hopefully you'll still be my friend.

I bought this vinyl for $1 from the clearance section of Wonderfully Wordy and slapped it on a piece of scrapbook paper and threw it in a frame I already had.  For a buck, I'll take it!

Tuesday Twittering and Following

 

Chocolate Eclair Cake

This weekend I tried a new recipe out and it was so YUMMY! I had seen quite a few recipes for Chocolate Eclair Cake around the web. I read through them and think I pulled the best elements out of them all to make another super easy yet super yummy desert.

Ingredients:
1. 2 Boxes of Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
2. 1 Container of Cool Whip
3. 3 Cups of lowfat Milk
4. 1 Tab of Butter
5. One Box of Graham Crackers
6. One bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
7. 4 Tbsp Shortening
8. 4 Tbsp lowfat milk
9. 4 Tbsp Karo Syrup

Directions:
1. Whip pudding and 3 cups of milk in a bowl. Fold in Cool Whip. I opted not to fully mix because I liked the swirly look, but if you don't care you can mix it well.
2. Rub butter on bottom of rectangular pan
3. Place a layer of graham crackers on bottom of pan.
4. Take half of the pudding/cool whip mixture and spread over graham crackers. Place another layer of grahams following by another layer of pudding. Top with one last layer of grahams.
5. In a small pot mix chocolate chips, shortening, karo syrup, and and 4 Tbsp of milk over medium heat until melted.
6. Poor chocolate over the top and place in refrigerator for about 2 hours.
7. Enjoy!

It's Sunday, but I'm at Saturday Mornings

I've got a tutorial over at Saturday Mornings for some Terra Cotta Coasters. Sorry for the lack of craft tutorial lately. I'm pretty sure I am skipping St. Patrick's Day decor. I'm just not feeling it this year which is terrible because I'm actually Irish! I'm worry on some huge crafts right now that are really dragging out. Thanks for your patience!

I'm linking up with: