thoughtful thursday...

Its rainy here in NYC. Hey, where are our NYC pet bloggers anyway!? We feel like we're always reading about the windy city. Havi hates the rain (such a princess) but LOVES staring out at the window on days like this.

Today, we wanted to show the ways we made our place "our place." We were working on a really low budget over here (thanks so much grad school loans) and have a small space to work with (thanks NYC housing market). So far, we have tried to show you all the ways we made things functional and stylish at the same time. Today we thought we'd show you how we made all things "us."

We're Dave Matthews Band Fans. Okay, its bordering on an obsession. Instead of framing meaningless prints we find online or the same old pictures that everyone else has in their apartments, we bought the DMB posters from the shows we have attended together. These are limited prints that change with each show and cost around $50. Although expensive, they are a special memory and are limited editions (they can be resold for twice that amount). And, when framed with our tickets they not only look stylish (thanks DMB for knowing we were decorating contemporary) but the Room Essentials frames are from Target and the lowest price we found. We plan on filling up the wall across from this one in our bedroom when we go to his Three-Day festival in Atlantic City this summer. Special thanks to Law Student's parents who expertly designed and set these up!

Since we met, everywhere we go we started collecting magnets (Freedom of the Seas, Museum of Natural History, Jersey Shore, etc). Easy enough in a small kitchen to make the fridge the center of attention, and decorate with our magnets. Now everyday we get to see a collection of our memories together while giving a little pop of color to the room!

Lastly, we're working on this wall. We hope to have a collage of different photos above the couch (we're also painting this wall grey Memorial Day Weekend when were FREE). These are the ones we've collected so far...

In other news...Havi is Dog of the Day on CuteDogDaily! Go vote for her...it sucks that her black fur does not photograph well. Also, Dental Student got an A on his last exam and passed his competency!

Havi Tummy Issues Update: With the help of our many blog followers and our NYC Pitbull MeetUp group we decided not to go to a new vet who will probably run all the same tests. We are going to try a new food without wheat or chicken (many dogs are allergic to these two items). Artemis from Service Dogs and Me recommended Evo. We will also give Havi a fiber supplement. We'll keep you updated and please keep the ideas rolling!

wash well wednesday

Today Havi was sure to help me show you her Favorite Room the bathroom.

I like bathrooms as clean and neat as possible, but still another fun and decorative room! We made the room black and white like the rest of the house...

Here is Havi sitting at the entrance to welcome you to our bathroom...

We chose this black, white, and grey shower curtain from Bed Bath & Beyond (where else?!) when we realized that our good friends Heather & Neil had the same one in blue tones! Great minds think alike! We also got these simple hooks to hang the curtain with.

This decal is from Project3Design's Etsy shop! It was only $9.00 and it decorated the wall without having to pay for a picture and frame. The best part - we poke fun at Dental Student!

At Heather and Dental Student Mom's urging we bought this amazing bath mat! It is made of microdry fiber which dries fast and is made of a material that feels like tempurpedic, turning our bathroom a little spa-like. Havi obviously loves it best!

One last thing - our shower head is detachable for when we wash Havi. In the city, it is hard to wash a dog in many other places. Although, PetCo and various dog washing places are available, we realized the cheapest place is our own apartment. This shower head has eight setting for the humans and is hand held for the pups!

lights, camera, ok...just lights.

Today's Favorite Thing is our lighting situation. If anyone has ever lived in an apartment in NYC, then you know - there are no light fixtures. This leads to a delicate balance of just the right amount of light to work by, without being surrounded by lamps. Our kitchen, entryway, hall, and bathroom all happen to have lights. That means we just needed to light the bedroom and living room. Off to Ikea we went...

This is the bedroom nightstand lamp. The little flicks on the lampshade are grey and the shade is beige (these are our two warming colors for the black and white theme). The bulb takes 75 watts so it gives a lot of light to a 10X10 room!

The same lamp that stands on our nighstand also comes in a floor lamp and holds 100 watt bulbs. The bits of grey compliment our new grey couch nicely and give a lot of reading light.

Here it is a little closer.

These lights were the coolest. It was hard to explain them. So I turned one on and one off. Because our dining room table is doubling as a desk, we needed more light than the lamps by the couch would provide. These lights are not only functional but decorate the whole wall!

Do you get whats going on here? They come in different styles as well!

favorite things week!!

Happy all-moved-in Monday! We missed our post yesterday because we were exhausted after a full day of moving. Both our families came (that's ten people) to move us into our new one bedroom apartment (not big enough for ten people). Our first real home together! It was a fun and tiring day!

This week we decided to do a Favorite Things Week! Each day we will feature a new favorite thing in our apartment.

Today's Favorite Thing is our entryway. We decorated it to be warm and welcoming and totally dog-centric.

We got this at HomeGoods, I love canvas prints!

Lindsay, who awesomely babysat Havi while we moved, has this bench in her apartment. It is from Hayneedle, where we were able to get the bench in three days with free shipping. Its great for sitting on and looks very welcoming.

These ottomans came inside the bench and now serve as extra seating in the apartment/a foot rest until our coffee table comes. Now, we keep all of Havi's medicines, foods, paw wipes and the like in the bench.

The tops flip over for a flat surface perfect for entertaining!

This hat rack matches perfectly in our apartment. It's from Ikea (that store is my danger zone), and holds Havi's backpack, leash, and our walking coats perfectly. Shout out to Dental Student's SIL (and my saviour) for putting it together!

Havi won't eat unless we're in the room with her (this isn't due to any anxiety issues, she is just the most curious dog ever and always wants to know what we're up to). Now that her bowls are within eyesight of the kitchen and living room, I can get something done while she eats! The bowls are from PETCO and match our black and white color scheme. The mat is courtesy of Dental Student's mom.

The bookshelf is from Target for only $30! We loved the price and functionality. We thought that bookshelves are so inviting when you walk into a home. Because we opted out of a desk in this apartment for space purpsoes, the bookshelf will hold all our school books, DVDs and videogames nicely. As long as we keep it clutter free, and keep only these items on it, it remains functional and attractive.

These prints are from Law Student's parents. They're by the artist Ebgi, my favorite by far!

Lastly, an update to Havi's Tummy: It has been 2.5 weeks on hypoallergenic food twice a day with no treats. Our skinny hungry girl now has diahrrea again. The doctor said the elimination diet is over and she needs to go back on the Hill's Science w/d and metronidazole/flagyll to steady her stomach again. He said the next step is an intestinal biopsy or another vet. Any advice out there?!?!

Today's Monday Rescue Pup check out Capone on SecondChance Rescue's Facbeook page! He is UTD and gets along with everyone and every pet! Give him a chance at a forever home!

P.S.

We are now giving away the furniture we have left:

1 Wicker Bookshelf

2 Ikea Desks

2 Nightstands

1 Crate & Barrel Black Shag Carpet

packing day in pictures

Hi everyone! Happy Saturday also known as the day before we move! Dental Student and I cannot figure out if we're excited to move or excited to not do homework for TWO WHOLE DAYS!

Havi is getting very nervous and skittish. She hasn't calmed down since the boxes came out. I know that she may not actually remember it, but having been a stray, shelter and then foster dog I feel bad whenever I upset her routine in her true forever home. I cannot wait for Monday so she realizes we're all settled in in a new place with the same old smells.

Here are some pics from our moving day!

havi is NOT allowed on the coffee table...but cannot figure out how else to get to her favorite spot.

please, dad, what's going on - dont leave me!

all i wanna do is lay in the sun...pleaseeee

i am NOT happy

im watching you guys!

Lastly...the Saturday Morning Blog Hop

2 days!

So I took a MHD (mental health day) yesterday to pack up the place. My mama came in and we got a LOT done. Havi thought it was thoroughly helpful to take every sock back out of the box once we put it in, but she was too cute - we had to let her!

After a looongggg day of packing I took Havi on a walk to Aunt Lindsay's who is being super helpful and will be having a playdate with Havi on Sunday while we move so she doesn't get scared (Lindsay promised to take pictures). I need to get back to my boxes, but Havi wanted to show you some pictures of the mess her mama made while packing...

We still are selling/giving away:

2 Ikea Desks

2 Desk Lamps

1 Nightstand

1 Cabinet

1 Wicker Bookshelf

1 Black Shag Crate & Barrel Rug

1 Glannon's Guide to Criminal Law

1 Constitutional Law Text by Sullvian & Gunther

1 IP Brief book

For today's Fabulous Follow Friday PLEASE check out In Black and White we LOVE their blog. We must have something for Chicago dog owners!

havi needs some blog-love.

Happy Thursday everyone! After two weeks in the blogosphere we are totally feeling the love! Thank you for helping us with Havi's anxiety when she needs to be in the crate for a long period of time. We always leave her with a kong and treats, but maybe she needs more of a challenging toy!

Now that we have the attention of some amazing fur parents, Dental Student and I thought it was time to tell you the saga of her tummy. Havi was on the streets for 8 months in the south before being bounced from shelter to fosters for the following 6 months, and then we rescued her. Havi is now a beautiful pit/lab/boxer mix who has stolen our heart. However, little was known about Havi's health before she came to us. During her first few days with us she had awful diarrhea. It led to me picking up the 50lb pup and running two avenues to a vet we have never met before. Havi was and is fully house trained. However, since we rescued her, almost every other week, she will wake up in the middle of the night and have a loose bowel movement on the floor, and proceed to cry indicating she is in pain. In addition, her poop has never been of normal consistency. We have done three Giardia tests, three fecal flotations for parasites, one blood test, and seen the vet a total of 15 times in four months. She is the happiest pup and shows no signs of being sick, never has a fever, watery eyes, or wheezing (more than normal pitbullness). She has been on Natural Balance food, Hill's Science w/d, and Hill's Science z/d. We have tried no treats, then all treats. She has been on four courses of metronidazol/flagyll and that is the only time her bowels are solid. We were hoping that someone has some new, great idea we have not though of before. Because parasites, Giardia, cancer, and allergies are all ruled out, what should we do next? We are going to go to a new vet to see if he has any ideas. Our current vet said the next step is a sonogram or anal exploratory surgery. We do not want to spend money or time if anyone can think of anything new besides having to probe her some more. Havi especially appreciates any ideas!

Lastly, here are CraigsList postings for before the big move (3 days!!). We are selling 2 desk lamps, a Crate & Barrel rug, 1 wicker bookshelf, 1 cabinet, and 1 night stand. Take a look!

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2282234352.html (furniture - by owner)

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2282244714.html (furniture - by owner)

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2282248636.html (furniture - by owner)

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2282253073.html (furniture - by owner)

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2282264781.html (furniture - by owner)

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2282238141.html (furniture - by owner)

wordless wednesday.

As we patiently await todays linky...we'll try to be wordless.

We wish we could lay in bed on this snowy spring day!

oops.

Well, leaving Havi alone in her crate for the longest time ever yesterday (8.5 hours) did not turn out as expected. Havi pulled our brand new comforter that lays on our bed next to her crate through the wires of her crate and chewed a hole in it! We're confident a good tailor can sew it up, and happily that that side of the blanket will be pushed up against the wall in the new apartment. But still, this was not what we planned! Obviously, 8 hours was too much for little anxiety-ridden Havi. Any ideas? (Besides moving the crate away from the bed :p).

So anyone who knows us, knows we loveee saving money in one of the world's most expensive cities. Well, getting Havi didn't exactly further that goal. But, we love deal sites! As of 8:30am Law Student had already received 16 emails full of fun stuff to do in NYC. We've bought manicures, improv shows, dinners, massages, and food cart tours! Last week we learned about PetSimply.com and BarkingDeals.com. That's right, pet deal emails! We already bought our first one, from PetSimply when they featured Natural Balance Training Treats. How do you save money on your pups?

meanderings.

First of all, thanks to all the awesome new followers over the past week. We hope we don't disappoint!

What a Monday! After my crazy Law-Student induced March Madness I welcome April with open arms! Between a Moot Court Brief, Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C., Competition in NYC, the MPRE (standardized character & fitness test), a Wills, Trusts & Future Interests midterm, Intellectual Property Licensing & Drafting paper all in one month on top of interning and 16 credits - I actually want April. Which is rare for a Law Student, who usually dreads the finals preparation of April especially coupled with our move! Dental Student informed me yesterday that he has three exams in the next two weeks, so now its my turn to "man" the house.

Well, we encountered moving mishap number one this morning. We were not allowed to reserve the elevator until today. When I called, we found out we only get the elevator on Sunday from 12-3. This may work out well because Dental Student's brother is driving through three states to help and may not get to us by 12 anyway or it may be a very short period of time. Either way, we'll find out!

Today we are leaving Havi alone in her crate for the longest period of time ever - 8.5 hours (previously, it was 7). We hate to do this, because she craves interaction and we cannot let her out of the crate when we are not home. I intend to take her on a long walk when I get home, including her favorite place - CVS (cee-vees as my Nana Rose said)! Dental Student took her on a long walk this morning. We hope to wean her off the crate in the new apartment. That will definitely be an experience! When we first rescued Havi we didn't even have a crate and needed to leave her alone for a few hours. When I returned home she had eaten half of a wooden decorative piece. We believe since that since then, she is more accustomed to the house, the rules, and most importantly, us. We do not think the eating experience was anything more than anxiety from being alone in a new place, and will love being able to roam in her own apartment! She has never shown any other outward symptoms of anmixety when we have left her alone. We have practice leaving her along for about an hour at a time and when she visited Aunt Molly this weekend they were home alone together for an hour. We will update as the experience progresses in the new apartment!

For today's Monday Resuce Dog of the Week, Duchess. The totally awesome blog Foster Dogs in New York City featured her today, and we love her beautiful coloring. See if you can help Duchess find her forever home!

Well, thats it for this rainy day!

lazy sunday morning!

Something unheard of just occurred in the Lawyer-Dental Student household. We just slept until 8am! Not only did we sleep late, we are now back in bed after a quick walk to get coffee and are sitting around discussing our calendars for the week. This is simply unheard of, and its amazing. However, something tells me it is merely the calm before the storm.

We have been walking Havi the past month using a Gentle Leader and her leash manners are now amazing!! However, the nose guard is rubbing her fur raw. Anyone else have this problem and any solutions?

I'm watching Havi laying out in her favorite spot in the sun, playing with a toy. This would be cute, if it wasn't her roommate Chloe's toy. She stole it. She's going to go through some kind of Chloe-toy withdrawal in a week!

Today I am going to school for a Moot Court brunch from 12-4 then Dental Student and I are off to LI for my grandparent's 85th birthdays at Burton & Doyle. We're very fancy.

Our first week in the blog hop was so fun and we made some friends! Can't wait for next week.

Lastly, I saw this article on a law blog...too funny! The Best Law Schools - For Dog Lovers.

threepeasinapod

saturday blog hop.

Sorry it took so long to post today. I took the Acela back from Washington, D.C. which was a great experience then ran to school for a cocktail reception. Meanwhile, Dental Student had a hockey playoff game at Chelsea Piers, which he lost :(.

Today we're participating in the blog hop! Hop away!

its a cow's point. its moo.

Hi all a quick hello as I prepare for the next round of my Competition. Yes, we advanced!

I've gotten picture updates from Dental Student as him and Havi enjoy the New Jersey weather and playing in a big GREEN backyard. A big difference from our concrete jungle! More importantly, Havi LOVES playing with her Aunt Molly. She never stops kissing her.

I am staying at the Hotel Madera which I just learned is a Kimpton Hotel and ultra pet friendly! When you first walk in they have a sign that welcomes the dogs staying this week, a bowl of treats, and a water bowl. I wish I knew, I would've brought Havi!

This week's Fabulous Follow Friday goes to According to Gus. They have an ultra cute puppy named Gus who told us today all about Kimpton Hotels and the great use of a BlanketID tag. Follow, follow!

threepeasinapod

step one. craigslist.

Hi everyone! I'm writing this from the beautiful Madera Hotel in Washington, D.C. I am here for the Federal Bar Association Moot Court Competition as I represent my school. The real lucky one in all this is Havi, as she gets to go Camp in New Jersey for the night with dental student to bake hamentashcen, play in the backyard, and hang out with her best friend - Aunt Molly - another rescued pit! Dental student promised to send pictures!

Last night dental student completed part one of our moving project. He posted everything that we can't take with us on CraigsList. Some of our stuff is in really good condition! We already sold my full sized bed and two bed side lamps. But click these links for two desk lamps, two ikea desks, a wicker bookshelf, two Pier 1 nightstands/cabinets, and a Crate & Barrel rug.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2266058094.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2266065899.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2266087288.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2266099852.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2267889123.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2267906857.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2267918451.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fuo/2267926081.html

My March has been especially crazy: the MPRE, Moot Court Competition, Wills, Trusts, and Estates midterm, and dental student has totally been so helpful. He's watched Havi, cleaned the bathroom, done the laundry, retrieved Fresh Direct, negotiated our new lease, and ordered me my favorite foods when I walk in the door at 11:00pm exhausted. To thank him I ordered these coasters off of Etsy. I hate the movie Dumb & Dumber, but its his favorite. They definitely made him smile today!

Lastly, a special shout out to Fresh Direct. Those who read my last blog know my love for all things living cheap in NYC. Since we moved in, we recognized that not only is Fresh cheaper than any NYC grocery store, but their food is the freshest and really just so convenient. Last week they sent me a chocolate chip cookie as a thank you for my patronage. No, no thank you Fresh Direct - for helping me save money and the yummy food!

Off to moot,

threepeasinapod

wordless wednesday.

It's really Wednesday this time, right?

There's nothing quite like laying in your favorite spot...

adopt the internet!!

Today is Petfinder.com's 15th birthday! In honor of petfinder's amazing work (dental student's parents adopted Molly via petfinder) we join many other blogs in promoting adoption and saving the 320,000 animals in shelter to date! We'll share our theories on adoption this weekend!

threepeasinapod.

mindless monday

With a midterm a mere 36 hours away and a Moot Court Competition rounding the bend, my ability to please factor is at an all-time low. While dental student sleeps until 8:30 due to "Spring Break" (sorry folks, in grad school sleeping until 8:30 is DEFINITELY a vacation, and you still have tons of fun work to do over the week) I have been in the library with my favorite study partner. Even Havi is exhausted from my routine this past month!

Before I get back to the proper way to divide an estate upon one's intestate death, I thought I'd introduce you to some pretty cool things. We decided a couple of months ago that dog parks are just not right for Havi. There are many differing opinions on dog parks and socialization, but our decision was based on a harrowing incident that we'll discuss another time. As a result, I looked into other options for our pup that loves to play. I was led to MeetUp, a site where people of differing interests can "meet up" with people who have similar interests. That's where we found Amy and the NYC Pitbull and Pit Mix Rescue Group. Each week we get fun emails on where to meet up with like owners in controlled settings for some playtime! More importantly, right now the group is leading a kong collection for the AC&C of Manhattan. For more information visit their Facebook, they were featured in the Daily News last week!

We decided to declare every Monday a Rescue Pup of the Week. We'll discuss later how very important we think rescuing is, but first meet Pauly! Second Chance Rescue, where we got Havi has been featuring him for weeks - and we want him to get a home. He's soooo cute! He is 1.5 years old, crate trained, leash trained, UTD with shots and neutered. Please look at Second Chance Rescue to see if you can find a Pauly a home!

threepeasinapod

what's in a name?

We get it all the time. "What did you say? Habi, Happy, Harry?" Her name is Havi.

When we first got Havi she was named Baby, and as much as her foster parents pressed us to keep it, we just didn't like it. Although I threw out names, dental student insisted I wait until we've lived with her for a week and get to "know her." It didn't take us long to settle on a name. Havi can be laying next to you for hours and she'll get up and just decide to kiss you. She is so full of love, we needed a name to reflect that. I am particularly endeared to Hebrew names and started to push for Ahava, the Hebrew word for love.

Dental student likes any names that end in the "eeee" sound. He insists its from playing hockey when he was younger. (Sidenote: he still plays hockey, but lost his game last night. The Devils won though - so I consider it a wash). Soon, we shortened Ahava to Havi and it just stuck. True to form, Havi not only started answering to her new name in less than a week, she proved that she could live up to it.

While staying with dental student's parents one week (affectionately called Camp) they discovered her markings formed a heart on her chest!!

Last week, one of our favorite blogs - StubbyDog featured Havi as well as other dogs with unusual names! Check it out!

The only problem with naming her Havi - it seems a little unisex. Between her pitbull nature, black and white markings, and a unisex name, people always seem to think shes a "he." After a few months of wearing a black collar, don't judge - I wanted her to be chic! We bought her a new collar with law student's parents at Mutts & Butts of Merrick.

Here's Havi modeling the new collar, she really likes it!

threepeasinapod