Welcome to another week of FINISH THIS… , a link-up hosted by NICOLE (Three 31). LISA (The Coastal Chicster), JEN (The Arizona Russums),BECKY (The Java Mama).  If you joined us last week, thank you for coming back! If this is your first time, welcome! Be sure you include your blog post in the link-up and invite others to join the fun too. Feel free to share, Pin, tweet, and post to Instagram in order to spread the word. Use the hashtag #finishthislinkup so others can see what you’ve posted.

Prompts for WEEK THREE (Wednesday, January 22):  

1. A typical day in my life…

It’s funny I go through several months of a routine, and then something changes and I have to find a new routine, and a new typical day.  My new puppy, Shakira has thrown a huge wrench (but a wonderful one) into my typical day.  As we are in the early stages of learning to “go potty” outside my typical day revolves around taking her out constantly and is settling in to something like this:

Wake up to her stirring around 6am (yippee, not 4:00 or 5:00 as it was the first two weeks!).  Immediately throw on some sweats, carry her downstairs, put on her harness, her coat (it’s cold out in NH!), her leash, hold her and slip into my coat, gloves and boots and go outside.  Luckily she does her business quickly.  Then we come inside and I feed her.  She nibbles, plays a little, goes outside again, then goes to sleep for several hours.  Phew, now I eat breakfast, do my Sudoku puzzle (or if it is early in the week, continue to work on Sunday’s crossword puzzle). Next, upstairs to my computer to check email, Facebook, etc. and start working (I work from home).

Around lunchtime, Shakira wakes up.  We do the outside routine again.  I have some lunch and play with her a bit, take her out again, then back upstairs to work while she plays with her toys and eventually naps again.
Evening is pretty much the same.  Cook something yummy for dinner, eat, clean up, play with the doggie, take her out (multiple times), read or watch TV, and bed around 10 or 11.  Sometimes, I go out for dinner with friends and she stays in her playpen in the kitchen.  When I get home she is sooo excited to see me.  We play until one of us is exhausted, then off to bed!

Now hopefully I will be able to add running or going to the gym or yoga back into my routine sometime SOON!

2. You’ll never see me…

Hmm, I have a Not to Do bucket list.  On it are things like skydiving.  I’m adventurous, but I’m not into extreme anything, so you won’t see me jumping out of an airplane, para-sailing, hang-gliding, bungee jumping, ice climbing or anything like that!  I do run, and I have run a few half marathons, but I have no intention of ever training for or running a full marathon.  You also won’t see me in Times Square on New Year’s Eve or at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (unless I meet up with  someone with a penthouse along the parade route!)

3. It’s really unattractive when a guy/girl…

Call me old fashioned, but one of my pet peeves is when a girl purposely shows her bra straps.  Like wearing a regular bra with a racer back shirt.   You know you can easily get a racer back bra!

Another thing I find beyond unattractive and luckily this doesn’t seem to be in vogue anymore is when a girl’s thong strap shows above her pants.  To me, these are fashion don’ts! — tacky, skanky and class-less!

4. If I could buy one thing right now, it would be…

Oh this is hard right after Christmas.  I got the things I wanted for Christmas (I-pod, jambox) and then some other great things (clothes and a puppy!) so it is tough to come up with something I want to buy…but i would like these Frye boots! 

5. I have high expectations for…

My kids!  They are strong, determined go-getters and I know they will succeed in life. By succeed, I mean that they will be happy and productive in their endeavors, and love and be loved by their family and friends.

OK, I was seriously upstaged last week by bloggers who had clever posts and lots of great photos.  I’ll try to get a little more creative this week!  Bloggers if you want to join in the fun Check the link-up link below to add your post and read other bloggers’ Finish This… posts.

Prompts for Week Two (January 15)

1. If I could make anything grow on trees, it would be…

Well the obvious answer would be — money, the altruistic answer would be — enough food to feed the world, or world peace, but that sounds like I am a beauty contest contestant!  What would I like?…

I would like a new fashionable wardrobe every season, complete with fabulous (and comfortable) shoes.  That would be cool, a tree that blooms twice a year and provides fall/winter and sprint/summer clothing (and shoes)!  No more searching for a great pair of jeans or black boots.  No more standing in front of the closet trying to put together a great outfit with outdated pieces!

I would also like to see my (grown) kids more often.  They live in another state, so if I could make them grow on the tree outside my house, and conversely make myself grow on a tree near them that would be great — sort of like being transported to their door at will!

2. I can’t stop smiling…When I look  at my adorable puppy!  

I know, I keep talking about her, but she is soooo adorable.  I don’t even mind getting up at 5:00, because when she wakes me up and I hug her she is such a love!  Her name is Shakira and she is a Shih Tzu/Pekingese mix.  Some fun facts…Did you know that the Shih Tzu was originally a mix between the Pekingese and the Lhasa Apso?  And the Pekingese (names from the ancient city of Peking) were considered sacred dogs and semi-devine.  They could only be owned by Chinese royalty, and the people had to bow to them. Unfortunately when an emperor died, his Pekingese was sacrificed so that the dog could go with him to give protection in the afterlife. In 1860 the British overtook the Chinese Imperial Palace. Chinese Imperial Guards were ordered to kill the little dogs to prevent them from falling into the hands of the “foreign devils.” Five of the Pekingese survived and were given to Queen Victoria. It was from these five dogs that the modern day Pekingese descended. (source: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/pekingese.htm)

3. I get back to nature by…

Walking or running outside.

4. I dread washing…Sweaters by hand!

The actual washing is a pain because my hands get cold, but even worse is trying to squeeze the excess water out of the sweater so it will dry in a reasonable amount of time.  Then the fun of walking around the sweaters that are lying about all over the floor drying.  I might need one of these,  they are stackable too!

Prompts for WEEK THREE (Wednesday, January 22):

1. A typical day in my life
2. You’ll never see me
3. It’s really unattractive when a guy/girl
4. If I could buy one thing right now, it would be
5. I have high expectations for