This Week was Smokin...Not Really...

Has another week really come and gone? I swear, time is flying by! There is only a week left in January; 2014 only began and already a whole month has almost passed. This week seems like it barely got started good and it was already over - but January always seems to pass strangely, sometimes flying by and at other times dragging it's feet. I guess that's the nature of a month where it seems there is really nothing to do but bundle up inside, away from the cold - which this year, has been quite prevalent! That being said; a look back at this short and speedy week!

Obviously he had a rough Monday...look at that glazed over expression...

My new desk picture - such a sharp looking little sister I have!

I've decided that I've been watching way too many shows that are set in London or the English countryside, (Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Dracula) because I've got travel fever and I want to be UK bound! I've spent my office downtime this week reading all about London and the English countryside...I've got an itch to see Great Britain but Lord only knows when I'll get across the pond. I guess I'll have to content myself with some more British TV until I can get myself on a plane!

I have London fever - too much BBC programming I think?

Houston - we may have that problem....

And now, a little something that honestly has nothing to do with weekly play by plays of life; but has to do with my splendid little sister and the delightful back and forth we have with one another, whether we are together or separated by hundreds of miles. The two of us watch a lot of the same shows (she gets hooked on something, in turn gets me hooked and vice versa) and we text back and forth each week about all the shows we watch...but it's more than that. Even the most mundane things become hilarious and interesting when the two of us are going back and forth. We even have completely random moments where we text about completely crazy things - like the picture below; I'm pretty sure I sent her this picture with the comment that the shirt was really ugly and she humored me and agreed. I'm telling you, sibling bonds are the best!

Wednesday night Cumberbatch clothing critique with my sister - that shirt is ugly; she agrees. 

The mysterious bite on my arm...still no clue what took a bite out of me, but I haven't lost the arm so that's positive.

Thursday night supper - sure pup, just help yourself...I didn't want that last bite of chicken.

Thursday night was pretty terrifying - courtesy of my fabulous smoke alarm. Within weeks of moving into my house, I discovered that my smoke alarm(s) were extremely sensitive - I pull a pizza out of the oven and the alarm goes off...I bring something to a boil and the alarm goes off...I light a candle and the alarm goes off. Lord knows; I just deal with it. I fan it and move on while Watson flees to the deepest recesses of the house to get away from the sound. Thursday night I was dead to the world, sleeping some really wonderful sleep when at 1:21...my smoke alarm wailed to life! Since I wasn't cooking (hello...it was after 1 AM) my immediate thought was that my house was on fire and I was about to have to snatch my dog from the flames, make a run for it and watch my home burn. If this had all been a cartoon, you'd have been able to see my heart pounding out of my chest. Once I found out that we weren't about to die, I just decided I'd take the battery out for the night and deal with it in the morning - however, I realized that the smoke alarm was hard wired into the house's electrical system and so I prayed that it wouldn't go off again...but it did. Two more times. At 3:45 and again at 6:15...when I finally just gave up and got out of bed. And now...well now I've flipped the circuit breaker to the smoke alarm, so here's hoping the house doesn't go up in flames.

This is about right....

I spent Friday night around town with a dear friend - nothing quite hits the spot like some delicious Olive Garden. I suppose Friday night's supper was my break from "sensible" for the week but it was an awfully delicious break. I discovered while I was wandering the stacks at Books A Million on Friday night that Yankee Candle now makes a bacon scented candle - I'm not joking! Now, I love bacon as much as the next person and I certainly think nothing makes a dish taste better than a little bit of bacon...but a candle? And I made the mistake of inhaling deep when I smelled it; thinking it wouldn't be that strong, and gagged right there in the middle of the store. Thankfully Hope was standing by with a lemon candle to sniff so that I didn't have to smell that horrible scent for too long. Bacon is fine...but let's draw the line at candles.

Friday night supper - yum, yum, yum...

I go to town & this is where I find Watson when I get back. Absolutely a bum.

Watson says "do I look like Sherlock...because I'm Watson!"

Saturday morning errands with the pup...I think he likes his car seat more than any other sleeping surface; except my bed.

I got another smoke alarm surprise on Saturday, which seriously...about made me want to scream. Okay, confession...I might have screamed. You see, I'd flipped the circuit breaker off so I thought that the alarm(s) had no power source anymore; I'd forgotten about the battery. Saturday afternoon the things started wailing and I in turn started wailing too...mostly because I was pretty sure the things were possessed! Once I remembered they had batteries I decided to take those out and it would solve all my problems - but it didn't; it just started chirping at me. So of course I really thought the thing was possessed because HELLO! It had NO power source! The electricity to the thing was cut off, the battery was out. I finally just gave up, stuck brand new batteries in the things, turned the power to it back on and now I just pray that it doesn't have a moment again at 1 AM...or 3:45 AM...or 6:15 AM. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Robb Stark - don't be afraid of that wolf; you're the King of the North. Oh wait...I'm not watching Game of Thrones, this is Klondike. My bad.

My sweet babies do make Sundays a little bit sweeter, especially when I get to cuddle a little love like this!

On the Sunday home front, we are back to taking walks on the leash because on Saturday night Watson got jumped by a random, gigantic white lab that happened to be passing through the area. The only problem is that he's apparently decided he likes the locale and so he's taken up residence in the front yard of my neighbor's house, just waiting to jump Watson again. Thankfully, even though the dog got Watson around the neck he didn't break the skin but the terror alert has been raised to orange at our house and we are a leashed household once more. *sigh* Oh well, at least I have a well behaved dog.

Sunday afternoon in the woods...he was about to dive over this log and reach the end of his leash...literally.

Drunk Sherlock & Watson may be my new favorite thing...because...hello..."clueing for looks"

Watson and I ended our weekend with a warm bowl of potato soup, an evening stroll around the house and then some Downton Abbey and Sherlock on the couch. This week passed so fast; I wonder if this next week will be any different?