Custom Pet Portraits

Get a custom oil portrait of your pet.  It is the perfect gift to remember your loving best friend forever. Contact me about pricing and to place an order

leahstone17@gmail.com

 

Buying a Home

So Paul and I are in the midst of buying a house which as many of you know if fun, exciting, and sometimes annoying.  It is a cute yellow bungalow in a great neighborhood for making good friends, doggie play dates, and families. I am really hoping it all works out smoothly.  I have been pinning things like crazy that I want to do to the house, but the first order of business is this...

 

The house is yellow with white (possibly cream) trim which is adorable.  The shingles up above are not so adorable, they are light pink. Yeah you heard me, light pink.  The picture doesn't show the nature of this situation, but trust me a yellow and pink house is not a good combination. So immediately when we move in I want to pain the shingles a different color so I am taking votes.  I am thinking a nice gray would look great or even just continue the yellow up above on the shingles.  What do you think?

 

A White Kitchen

I really love the look of a white kitchen (white cabinets, white/grey soapstone counter tops, and white subway tile) but I am not sure if I am sold on the idea of doing it for my house.  I have 2 black short haired pups, Charlie and Jack, and I can just imagine their tiny hairs getting stuck on the cabinet doors and I would find myself whipping them down endlessly.

Tell me what you think. Do you like white kitchens? If you could paint your cabinets any color what color would they be?

 

via House Beautiful  

If I had an extra $0000 for appliances I love the look of these retro appliances by Big Chill.

All photos via pinterest

 

I got a FREE Kindle Fire

Will someone please share a book with me?

 

I realize I am a little late to jump on the Kindle, Nook, IPad reader bandwagon, but hey when you get the opportunity to get something for free you just have to take it.

If you live in CO, AZ, or CA you too can get a Free Kindle Fire.  You have to open up a checking account at 1st Bank and pay three bills with bill pay, then you get a code in your email and order it online.  The whole process took about a month from setting up the account to getting it in the mail. But it did come, it is cool and yes it was free. 

From the website:

Offer valid only for customers residing in Colorado, Arizona, or Riverside County, CA. Offer valid for new personal checking accounts opened. Limit one gift award per household, per 24 month period. Limit one gift per account. The gift is redeemable online and a redemption code will be given if the account opened is in good standing, the customer enrolls for online banking, and (1) a direct deposit greater than $300 posts to the account, or (2) three bill payments are made from the account to corporate entities. Requirements (1) and (2) above must be met within 60 days of account opening and the code will be given within 90 days of account opening. Direct deposit must be payroll, pension, Social Security or other government benefits. Direct deposit or Bill Pay enrollment must be new to FirstBank. We reserve the right to substitute gifts offered at any time with an item of similar value. Limited time offer. The cost of the gift is considered interest and is subject to IRS and other tax reporting. The cost of the gift is considered a bonus that can be revoked if the account is closed within six months of opening. FirstBank employees are not eligible to receive the gift. iPod Touch© is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, Garmin, and Amazon are not participants in or sponsors of this promotion.

Can People Stop using the word Retarded...Please

I have a friend who has been complaining about people using this word and how offensive it is to her and I saw this blog post shared on facebook and wanted to share it here. It is written by Phoebe on her blog Herding Cats.

I think this is brilliant and should hopefully put the end to people mis-using the word retarded. Please be considerate people and share the word.

Being Retarded

All around me, people use the word retarded without a second thought.  Sometimes, I’ll say “Um, dude, really?” and they’ll say “Oops, my bad!  But really!  I was being so retarded!”

Sometimes, I let it slide.  I realize that it’s a word that’s ingrained in our society’s vocabulary and people use it without a second thought to its meaning.

But what does it mean to be retarded?  Well, I know what it doesn’t mean.

It doesn’t mean not being able to choose something for lunch despite 100 choices in front of you.

It doesn’t mean not being able to find your car keys.

It doesn’t mean saying the wrong thing to a person.

It doesn’t mean forgetting your best friend’s birthday.

It’s not something to describe yourself as when you’ve spilled your coffee, or tripped on a crack in the sidewalk.

It’s not something to describe your computer, car or phone.

According to  Merriam-Webster Dictionary  the word “retarded” means -
: slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress

For me, it’s not just any old word – it’s my daughter.  My beautiful, bright, happy, loving, amazing daughter who is slow or limited in intellectual development and academic progress.

In our household, being retarded means something different.

It means not being able to fully care for yourself.

It means not understanding what the doctor is going to do to you.

It means not being able to explain what hurts when something hurts.

It means not being able to ride a two wheeler.  Or read.  Or ever be able to live on your own.

But ever the optimist, I also know that retarded means…
…never realizing the negativity behind the word retarded.
…never knowing the insensitivity surrounded the word’s usage.
…never realizing the ignorance of people.
…never knowing how other people view you.

Being retarded also means…
…loving unconditionally.
…finding joy in the smallest of things.
…being self-confident.
…not realizing that there are limitations.
…innocence.

Read More HERE.


 

Our V-Day

Usually Paul and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day.  I kind of think it is a bogus holiday full of forced love confessions. This Valentine's Day we decided to get each other gifts (I think mostly we just used Valentine's Day as an opportunity to buy each other something we knew the other person would buy themselves anyway :)

I bought Paul a laptop messenger bag from J Crew. Very sexy casual business man look. And by the way did you know that J Crew offers a 15 % student discount.  Love that.

Paul surprised me with a cello.  I have wanted one for years and have always said that if I could do life over again I would become a concert cellist, so I guess now is my chance.  The cello is old, and worn and beautiful. I have named it Hans because he is from West Germany and dates back to the early 1900s or something like that.  So far I can play a pretty depressed version of Happy Birthday.

Charlie and Jack got some toys and I made out with Charlie for a good 5 minutes so he was very happy.

We also went to Qdoba to utilize their BOGO free dinner meal, all you have to do is kiss someone to get yours free. I let some lady kiss me so she could get two meals for the price of one.  It was very exhilarating.

PS. I am doing most of my blogging now over HERE so if you want to check it out and follow the page it would be mucho appreciated.

How was your V-Day?
 

Great V-Day Gift Idea

Are you wondering what to get all the loves in your life? I stumbled upon a great gift idea for the Sweet Heart in your life.  It includes two of my greatest passions, music and free. I posted about it HERE.

I have a great new artist for you...Priscilla Ahn... and right now she is offering a free download of her new EP, Sweet Hearts, and an option to send it to the one you love. I downloaded it and love it and want to share it with all of you because I love all of you.

Please download it and give it a listen.  Ahn has such a clear voice with hauntingly sweet and somber melodies.  Truly brilliant.

Follow Priscilla Ahn on Facebook, her new bank Sweet Hearts on Facebook, and the male singer on the EP Charlie Wadhams on Facebook. Also, check out Priscilla's blog Girl in a Tree.

She made this sweet video using video footage from Charlie Wadham's, the male singer on the album, grandparents.

Dog Collar Giveaway

Today's giveaway is from Sooper Tramp, a fantastically chic dog accessory boutique located in Denver, Colorado.  Sooper Tramp is owned and designed by the dog lover and creative expert Suzie Brown. She crafts adorable dog collars and other dog accessories like these leash hook plaques. I'm a huge fan of Sooper Tramp's collars, they are high quality. 

Today Sooper Tramp is offering one lucky reader a free dog collar of his/her choosing (excluding the bow-tie collars).  Aren't they lovely? Which would you pick?  I would totally do the Valentine's ones since Charlie is the love of my life and my special Valentine.

A 20% Discount will be offered on all products for Sooper Tramp facebook followers.  Become a follower and use Coupon Code: celebrate20. 

 
For a Chance to Win:

1. Become a follower of Super Dog Charlie Pants by clicking this button

2. LIKE Sooper Tramp's Facebook page HERE 

3. Leave a comment on Super Dog Charlie Pants

A winner will be chosen at random on Friday 2/3 at 5 pm MST. Good luck!

Super Dog Charlie Pants

Wanted to share with you some features I have posted on my dog blog, Super Dog Charlie Pants.  Last Thursday I posted a story about my friend who was injured in a skiing accident that left him a paraplegic and how he has continued to live his amazing life.  Check it out.

I also posted a funny skit about going to the dog park from the TV show Portlandia. Have you seen Portlandia? So funny. Watch it.

Tomorrow I will be doing a giveaway for a FREE dog collar from a chic doggie boutique called Sooper Tramp.  I highly recommend everyone enter tomorrow cause even if you don't have a dog it would make a good gift for all the dog lovers in your life.

Sunday I took Charlie to church and he hated every second of it.  It was great. He was acting naughty and I got to leave early. Thanks Charlie, now I know why people take kids to church, makes perfect sense. Happy Tuesday.

I Joined Blogher

Back in November I met Jesse, brother of Stephanie Nielson (the author of the blog Nie Nie) and he was innamered by my awesome working dog Charlie Pants.  Well over the course of the last couple of months we have conversed on how to increase my blog readership on Super Dog Charlie Pants, my blog about traveling with a dog and my daily life with Charlie.  He suggessted I join Blogher, a female blogging network, and so I did and I wanted to share with you my first post. If you haven't already I would love you to become a follower of Super Dog by going to the blog and clicking the Join This Site button on the right hand side.

Here is My Post on Blogher. Enjoy.

Standing Out in a Crowd by Leah Stone
 

Little Darlings by Sharon Montrose

I love Sharon Montrose's work.  I blogged about her HERE as my dream job obsession. She is a brilliant photographer and one of her specialties is photographing animals.  Check out this new line of photos for a nursery called Little Darlings.  These photos below are all by Sharon Montrose and are found on her blog sharonmontrose.com/blog.  You can see the entire collection of Little Darlings HERE.

Decorating for Valentine's Day

I just love the decor for Valentine's Day. Totally a cheesy holiday and forced recognition of love to the one you should show love to year round, but hey I will still decorate my house all pink and red and full of hearts. I found this print called Valentine Subway Art on Eighteen25 blog and think you should download this print and print it out and frame it. I did and it looks adorable.  Go Here to download it from eighteen25's blog.

Sandra Bullock

Image via, edited by Hip Hip Gin Gin

I love Sandra Bullock.  Loved her in Miss Congeniality, The Proposal, The Blindside, and I really want to see her new movie with Tom Hanks about September 11 called Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Watch the trailer. It is a tear-jerker. Plus I agree with her quote, I only want to do things I love and not say yes when I don't mean it.  I find I say yes to things I don't want to do all the time.  New year, new goals.

Winter Bike To Work Day in Boulder

Jan 18, 2012 - Winter Bike to Work Day

300 Days of Sun + 150 Miles of Bikeways = Ride All Year!
Winter Bike to Work Day is Wednesday Jan. 18, 2012

Give winter cycling a try and you will be rewarded. Sign me up!

The City of Boulder is celebrating its fourth annual Winter Bike to Work Day (WBTWD) to reward those who ride their bike all or part of the way to work, school or another destination around town. Ride and receive a free breakfast at participating locations from 7 to 9 a.m. Additionally, enter the WBTWD drawing for fabulous prizes by telling us about your ride using our WBTWD online registration form. You could win cycling gear that will make winter riding less breezy and more easy!
This year's festivities are presented by the City of Boulder/GO Boulder in partnership with the CU-Boulder Environmental Center and Boulder County Transportation Department.


You can see more HERE.

I Heart Boulder, Colorado and its Weather

 

I have a secret for you. Ssshhh don't tell anyone, but the weather in Boulder and the surrounding areas (Louisville, Lafayette, Broomfield, Denver) is absolutely amazing year round.  It is January 10 and today it is going to be almost 60 degrees F (I think 58) with full sunshine.  On Thanksgiving it was 70 this year, and right before christmas it was 65, and last week we had a couple of 60 plus degree days.

I know all you lucky Californians think, well today it will be 75, but what you don't get is a variety to your weather.  Tomorrow it is going to snow (yes!) in Colorado and Thursday it will be sunny again and like 55.

Did you know that this area is one of the sunniest areas in America? Well it is, like over 300 days of sunshine a year.  Amazing.  I grew up in Salt Lake City and loved the weather from like May through November and then hated winter because of the blasted inversion. 

 via

Some winter days in SLC are beautiful like they are in CO, but many a times it was so smoggy that you couldn't even see 20 feet in front of you.  Also, moving to CO from Virginia I have to say I much prefer CO to the DC area. I have no humidity, I see the sun all the time, and it doesn't rain every stinking day. I heart Boulder. Plus Boulder has bike to work day twice a year. Winter Bike Work Day and past Summer Bike to Work Day

Happy New Year's Kisses

Image Via Amanda Pair

Okay so I am a little late in posting about the New Year, but I do hope everyone had a fantastic New Year's Eve and rang in the New Year with a smooch.  I remember a couple of awesome New Year's kisses when I was younger and let me share.

1. Bret Baker (who looked like Elijah Wood and at that time Elijah was really famous so it was extra awesome that my boyfriend looked like someone who was hot and famous): our first kiss was New Year's Eve and we had been dating and were both really nervous. I think I was like 16 at the time.  All of Bret's friends were standing around singing "Kiss the Girl" from the Little Mermaid which made the whole situation incredibly awkward. It is still a funny memory though so thanks for that Bret.

2. This one is for you Katelyn Banks Hunt. Remember the New Year's where you, Kelly and I all kissed the same guy? Kind of scandelous but he was so incredibly good looking that it didn't matter. I would like to point out that while he only pecked the two of you, I got like a 10 second open mouth kiss. Awesome.

3. New Year after getting engaged to Paul.  Most favorite New Year's Kiss.

So please share, does anyone have a fun New Year's Kiss memory?  I want to hear it.

Ps. did anyone see the movie New Year's. Was it any good?

image via Justin Beiber singing in NYC for New Year's Eve 2011-2012

Speaking of New Year's and new goals, if you have always wanted to learn how to sing like a Star you should try singing lessons with Charlie Pants Music.

Vocal lessons are available for the beginner student all the way through to the advanced and professional student.  Some reasons singing students love taking singing lessons online.
1. Don't have to battle traffic to rush to lessons
2. It is convenient and easy
3. Sound quality and quality of lesson are just as good as in person vocal lessons
4. Singing students can live anywhere in the world and study with Leah Stone, a certified Speech Level Singing Instructor.

Charlie Pants Music also offers in person lessons at its vocal studio location in Denver/Boulder, Colorado.  Leah Stone also travels regularly to teach singing lessons and vocal classes in Boston, New York City, Chicago, Boulder, Washington DC, Richmond, and Los Angeles.

Leah Stone has an associate vocal teacher, Jessica Johnson, in Salt Lake City, Utah.  If you live in the Salt Lake Area contact us about in person singing lessons there and click HERE to read about singing lessons in Utah.