Meet “Cricket” + The Power of a Light Bulb Swap, & Early Black Friday Deals!

Hi all! I had an entirely different post planned for today but… an unexpected pint-sized gift landed in our laps last week and turned all of my plans upside down in all the best ways. Say hi to our new cutie, “Cricket”:

Best early Christmas present ever! She is simply too sweet not to share so I wanted to tell you a little bit about our cute new family member and the story of how she came to be ours.

 

Many of you have been following along on the blog for years now and know that we had the sweetest Boston terrier “Hope” who we lost in April of this year. We had adopted her at 5 months of ago from a wonderful rescue organization in Indiana and I would swear that she was forever grateful to us – she was truly a once in a lifetime dog and we all still miss her dearly.

After Hope was gone, our house felt so lonely without a dog but I just wasn’t ready to jump right back into having one when our hearts were still healing from losing her. Fast forward a few months and I found myself starting to peek at Petfinder and AdoptAPet, you know… just to look – ha!  I eventually found several rescue dogs that I thought could be good matches and each time I would apply and get excited about having possibly found our new addition only to get let down when another family was chosen.

Then about a month ago a cute little 6-year-old Boston terrier named Cricket popped up. There was very little information about her and I was debating whether to put in an application without knowing more when her profile was removed from the site. Covid has resulted in a crazy increase in dog ownership so these Bostons were getting adopted fast! I didn’t think much more about her until three weeks later when up popped Cricket on AdoptAPet again! I immediately sent an email to Cricket’s foster mom with some questions and she responded right away, leading to a phone call and then an application to adopt her.

Cricket was being fostered in New York but had been transported all the way up from Mississippi with FOHARI (Friends of Homeless Animals – Rhode Island). Transporting rescue dogs from the south (where there are a lot more homeless pets) to the northeast where they have a better chance of adoption is actually pretty common. Cricket was previously owned by a woman in her 90’s who had to go into a nursing home and the woman’s family couldn’t keep her so they advertised her for free to whoever wanted her. Luckily someone from the rescue organization saw the listing and snagged her (some of the things that can happen to “free” pets are nightmarish).

Cricket was adopted out quickly after she was listed on FOHARI’s site the first time but the family who adopted her apparently had another dog who was not fond of this new little addition and they ended up turning Cricket back over to the rescue. That’s when she was re-listed and I happened to see her profile. Fast forward five days during which they checked our references, did a virtual home visit, etc. and Cricket was ours!

We met up with her foster mom (who was so wonderful through the whole process) on Wednesday to pick up our new little family member and our first reaction was that we couldn’t believe how little she is! Cricket is under 11 pounds which is really tiny for a Boston terrier. She’s a total love bug and is happiest when you’re holding her or she’s cuddled up in your lap.

Cricket was piddle pad trained in her previous home so we’re having to potty train her to go outside just like you would a new puppy but she seems to be catching on pretty quickly. We are totally smitten and loving having the tiny sound of feet trailing after us around the house again. It took about five months for us to be matched with her but Cricket was definitely worth the wait! I’m sure you’ll be seeing her pop up a lot on the blog because just like our sweet Hope, Cricket already doesn’t stray far from her new momma 🙂

We are forever grateful to FOHARI and Cricket’s foster mom – all of the volunteers who donate their time and love to helping so many rescue dogs have a very special place in my heart.

Now switching gears with a quick tip…

 

This tip couldn’t be more quick & easy but you might be surprised by what an impact a simple change-up of light bulbs can have! I actually get asked about my light bulbs in our kitchen pendants all the time so I thought I’d share what I use and show you how it changes up their look.  Instead of using traditional candelabra bulbs in our kitchen pendants, I use {these clear globe bulbs} which add a stylish twist:

Sources: Kitchen pendants (12.5″)  |  Gray & white counter stools  | All other sources are linked {here}

They might not be for everyone (when renovating our kitchen I surveyed your opinions on these two bulb types and answers were split pretty much 50/50), but I love that they’re a bit unexpected. I use the same bulbs in a lower wattage in our sputnik light fixture upstairs:

Sources: Sputnik light fixture  |  Herringbone wallpaper  |  Daybed  |  Window shades  |  Floor lamp

and also in the pendants in my girls’ bedrooms.

Globe bulbs in the next size up are also my go-to’s for bathroom vanity lighting. You can find them in both clear and frosted options:

Sources: Vanity light fixtures  |  Vanity  |  Vanity knobs  |  Mirrors  |  Faucets  |  Woven tray  |  Soap & lotion sink set  |  Striped towels  |  Other sources are linked {here}

I typically use {these clear globes} with light fixtures that have clear shades like in our master bathroom and {these frosted globes} with light fixtures that have frosted shades like in our girls’ bathroom. I also use the same clear globes in {this woven pendant} above the tub in our bathroom:

and in the woven pendant over our kitchen table in NC.

One thing that drives me a little crazy about globe bulbs is that some brands put writing on them that you obviously wouldn’t want to see if you have an open weave or glass fixture where the bulb shows. Often you can turn the bulb so that the lettering faces the back of the fixture where you won’t see it but if not, I’ve found that an easy fix is to take a scraper like {this one} (it’s made for ceramic cooktops but I use it for tons of other things) and simply scrape the lettering off (when it’s not plugged in of course 🙂 ):

And one last related quick but impactful idea for an easy makeover is to change out shades for bathroom vanity lights! I swapped out the old glass shades for {these new shades} in my girls’ bathroom and it made a world of difference:

 

 

It’s crazy how many pre-Black Friday sales are already out! I guess it makes sense this year since stock is low on so many items and shipping is taking forever. The good news is that you can knock out a lot of shopping early so I thought I’d share my favorite early deals for you and your friends & family on your holiday gift list! First off, Rifle Paper Company currently has 25% off plus free shipping on $50+ {here} . They have the cutest colorful patterns – I own the doggie waste bag holder that clips to our leash, the AirPod case, and the wireless charger – they would all make great gifts!

 

Sources: Scrunchie  |  Pet waste bag holder  |  AirPod case  |  Catchall tray  |  Wireless charger

If you’re looking to dress up your home for the holidays, Wayfair is having a Black Friday Sneak Preview Sale with a bunch of first-chance deals plus free shipping over $35. My favorite deal is on our bedroom nightstands that are not only on big sale but they’re also an additional 20% off when you buy two! You can find them {here} in several different color options.

 

These are my other favorite Wayfair pre-Black Friday sale finds:

 

Sources: Blue & white table lamps  |  White nightstand  |  Neutral patterned area rug  |  Round mirror  |  Desk lamp  |  Writing desk (multiple color options)  |  Geometric throw pillows

If you’ve been waiting for a good deal on a Dyson cordless vacuum, Target has the Dyson v10 Animal (which is the one that I have) on sale for 30% off {here}. They also have the v8 on sale but I don’t recommend it – the v10 is a big step up from that previous model.

In case you missed it in my Instagram Stories, my Ninja Foodi that I LOVE and gets amazing reviews is on sale for the best price I’ve seen it {here}. Plus, if you’ve never bought from HSN before, get another $20 off with code HSN2020. If you’re not familiar with it, it works as an indoor grill with NO smoke (perfect for this winter when there’s too much snow to grill & we’re staying out of indoor restaurants) plus it air crisps, bakes, and roasts. And clean up is crazy easy. We just got ours last month and have already used it a ton!

 

J. Crew has early access to Cyber Monday deals {here}– {these plaid & tartan socks} are darling and would make great stocking stuffers and {this crystal cluster earring set} is an awesome deal and would make a great gift too!

And TJMaxx has {this set of two white dining chairs} that we have in our NC dining room for the best price I’ve ever seen them – only $50 each! Not a Black Friday sale but I didn’t want to miss telling you about it because it’s hard to find decent chairs for that price!

How was that for a completely random post? 😂 Hopefully I’ll get a little more done this week as Cricket and I get into a new routine, including finally getting our family room Christmas tree flocked! I’ve wanted a flocked tree for that room for a few years now but didn’t want to buy a new tree so I’m going to try flocking the one we already have. Stay tuned… I’ll let you know how it goes!

XO,