Sweaty Betty harem skirt | not available, Eileen Fisher harem pants are a nice alternative
H&M Conscious Collection t-shirt
Charlotte Stone Alice sandals
Jerome Dreyfuss Florent Backpack | review here
This post is going to be full of randomness, I hope you don’t mind š
First, the outfit: I just threw this on because it’s easy, and I’m all about slouchy lately. And I don’t wear this harem skirt enough. But now that we have Dagny, I have to consider carefully what I wear around the house. Not because it will get ruined (she hasn’t ripped up any leggings yet), but because I need pockets and closed-toe shoes for treats and traipsing around the grass. This outfit has neither. But I did wear it to run errands and was so comfortable it was crazy. Maybe the oversized/shapeless silhouette isn’t THE MOST FLATTERING EVER on me, but I think it’s sort of chic, in an I’m-over-40-and-will-wear-what-I-want way.
Second, MY HAIR!!!! I really want to get it cut back shorter again, to just above my shoulders, but lately, all I want to do is pull it back. Because it’s HOT. I don’t like hair on my neck when it’s hot. So I pretty much decided I would wait until September for a cut, but I’m really frustrated with it; I like the look better when it’s down, but I just can’t. Whine, whine, whine…
Finally, some Dagny updates. She doing REALLY well. I forgot to mention that on Friday just an hour or so after we brought her home, I took her outside and she pulled out of her collar! She TOOK OFF (she’s fast) chasing rabbits and scared me to death. She doesn’t know me, or my husband, from whoever. Why would we come to us? Especially when there’s bunnies to chase? We live in a townhome community in between two busy streets; I was deathly afraid she would run out in one and get hit. And then I thought I’d have to call the shelter and tell her we lost her, could they come get her. But she managed to back herself into a corner and was so worn out Leo grabbed her and finally carried her back home. Leo promptly went out and got her a harness type lead to take her out on so she cannot do that again…
I was convinced we’d made a mistake, how could I deal with this? Would she ever be happy with us? Come to us? Walk on a leash? Seriously. I was beside myself worrying. Then I thought about the house training. How long would it take? Would she have to stay in a crate forever? On and on and on and on. This is how my mind works; always worrying, over-thinking, etc., which of course is all for naught, because either you will MAKE the things you worry about happen because you’re so focused on them, or you will relax, take a breath, and let things take their course. But I’m impatient, didn’t you know?
Fast forward, and yesterday was her first accident-free day! We’re crate training, so she doesn’t spend a lot of time outside of her crate unless she’s just gone outside and done her “business,” but she’s been very stubborn, and just NOT GONE to the bathroom outside if she doesn’t want to. We’re also trying to get her on a schedule, which isn’t easy. But she’s getting the hang of it. As I did with Ozzie, we attached bells to both the outside doors and ring them, saying “outside” every time we go out, teaching her that if she wants to go outside, she needs to ring the bell and we’ll go.
Yesterday, she rang the bell three times, twice she really had to go, and once she just wanted to chase bunnies. This morning she rang it once, even after she’d been outside and went to the bathroom, but I took her out anyway. She didn’t do anything, but I want her to understand that she can ask to go out and we’ll take her, no matter what. She’ll “grow” out of testing us, I think, but this is great progress in just a few days.
She’s so sweet and happy, I’m just glad she’s here with us and not in the shelter anymore. She does so well in her crate, and actually uses it as her “down” time to sleep and relax. So far, no issues with chewing things that aren’t hers, but she is rather rambunctious and likes to run circles and up and down the stairs until she wears herself out. Last night she did that and slid on the tile right into the refrigerator, cutting her knuckle. No big deal, but as soon as she will come when she’s called and gets more used to us, we’ll need to start taking her to a dog park or something so she can run around outside instead of around major appliances!
All is well now, and again, my heart melts at her face, and I’m so happy we brought her home. My mission in life, is to save all the puppies. Right now, we’ll have to do it one at a time, but ultimately, I’d like to be able to foster dogs, and donate to no-kill animal shelters. Also, a few times a week I’m going to the local shelter just to take dogs out and play with them. I have to get past the idea that if I can’t do EVERYTHING, it’s not even worth it to do anything. That’s not true, any little bit helps, and when I can do more, I will, but right now, I must do all that I can. I mean…look at that face!!!
(via instagram)
I want to save the puppies too!
And that whole outfit looks great on you.
Love her face and love your mission to save puppies! I’m a cat person, all my cats have been adopted (current one was a stray who adopted us and turned my non-pet-EVER husband into the biggest cat person in the world) I cry when I watch the commercials for whatever on tv and wish no pets had to be euthanized and so on. Geez, I’m getting weepy at work typing this. My current charity of choice is local and provides low cost spay/neuter services to people who can’t afford the procedure and otherwise wouldn’t do it. I firmly believe that everything helps!
omg, i avert my eyes and cover my ears at those commercials. i just can’t. especially when the sarah mclachlan song plays with it. *dead*
Hi Gretchen,
Love your new skin care routine–also that attitude (I’m 40 and I’ll wear what I want. . .”) !
About your darling pup, hang in there. I rescued my dog from a dumpster. He was adorable too–and really difficult. He would bite me, and hang on. Not nips, bites. He ate my very good sofa and armchair. He threw up a lot. I whined and it didn’t help me when my friends said he was “so sweet.” Let him eat THEIR sofas. Then the vet told me that a border collie mix might be a bad fit with my quiet personality.
But she also told me that he was allergic to what I’d been feeding him. And that he was so young that he had not been weaned–so that explained the biting. He was hungry and motherless. I wept. Then I hired a good trainer who visited us four times. First, we got him not to bite. Then he learned to come when called. Finally, he learned sit, lie down, and stay. That’s it. The border collie in him was a very fast learner.
Some thirteen years later, we are the best of friends. He is known among dog friends as a well-behaved, easily handled dog. He’s still high-strung, and he’s still a delightful handful. And keeping him was one of the very best things I’ve ever done.
I named him Lucky because I’M lucky to have found him.
Good Luck!
that FACE and that floppy EAR!
like the outfit too
You look great first off! And your new baby….too adorable!! Love that you rescued her! I network dogs on Facebook (hours a day) from high kill shelters, so this is near, and dear, to my heart. Thank you for adopting! Fostering is great too,….good for you! My family is very involved in rescue, and it changes you. So many need homes. Hats off to you Grechen!????
thanks shanon š
how do you do that exactly? network dogs? what’s the facebook page?
It’s very easy. Friends of mine share pics of dogs in shelters. On the dogs thread, people write shared, if they shared it on their page for others to see. You can pledge money on the dogs thread as well. This pledge can be paid via Paypal to the rescue that rescues the dog. You pay after the dog is out. People pledge as little as $1. Most rescues are finacially strapped, but if a dog has pledge money, they can rescue the dog, and collect the pledge money to help pay the dogs shelter fees, and vetting. I usually network Southern CA dogs, because I am from CA and that is where most of my friends and family live, and the shelters there are really awful, and are high kill. But I also share Atlanta dogs, and others around the country, even though I currently live in Charleston.
It works too! Two years ago one shelter I network had a 90 percent kill rate and now it is under 25 percent. Getting the dogs seen is critical. I don’t follow you on FB, but you can always friend me, and you will see the dogs I share, if you like.
Aw, it’ll get better and she sounds so smart .. already ringing a bell to go out – cool!
Monica.
oh LOOK AT THAT FACE!! š She sounds very smart if she is already learning to ring the bell! I thought about doing that with our dog but I’m pretty sure he would be knocking at that all day long so he could go outside to chase neighborhood cats, haha. Luckily he is already house-trained so I just skipped the bell option.
And although your outfit might not be traditionally “flattering” as in figure-flattering it does look chic and oh so comfortable. I love slouchy outfits too even though I am only 5’4″ so they aren’t the best option for me either. Who cares! Wear what you like. š
I am positive Dagny is part Basenji. Cool dogs. Look them up. My brother’s Basenji ran around like you describe and we called that “orbiting.” LOL.
Gretchen, you look absolutely fantastic in your outfit. Chic, indeed! I am all about wearing clothes that are comfy and that I feel good in. Btw, i’m in the over-40 crowd too! And may I say, you are doing an awesome job with Dagny. I want to save all the strays, all the shelter pets, all the unwanted animals in the world too. It’s so overwhelming when you think about it…and makes me cry. But we can only do the best we can with the resources we have. I’m also into sharing about the pets in need on FB. I try to network with different rescues in my area as well as throughout the country. I love that your a dog lover and I love your website!
omg, thanks rebecca! i looked it up and you’re right! she’s definitely a basenji mix…stubborn, check, STRONG, check, intelligent, check!
haha, she’s ringing the bell anyway, not just for the bathroom, but we’re trying to train her and establish trust, so i take her out anyway. 9 times out of 10 she uses the bathroom eventually…the other time, she’s looking for bunnies.
thank you henny! so glad you’re here š
Dagny is so stinkin’ cute! Those ears and what a face!! She’s so smart and trainable. Sounds like she’s a great addition to your family.
I love oversized chic, so your outfit gets an ” A” from me! I could also see that JP striped tank top you wanted the other day working well with your skirt (for an opposite look/closer fit on top and looser on the bottom). I know, I know…I was the one that made you second-guess it! š
haha! yes, you did! i didn’t need it anyway. i need a white tank. not a striped top š