I’m Baaaaacckkk & an Amazon Giveaway

Oh hi guys, long time no blog! It feels like I’ve been gone forever, but nope, just a week. I hope the gals that guest posted for me while I was gone kept you entertained in my absence and that you were able to find some great new blogs to read.

I’m not going to promise you magical things for this post, mostly because today was my first day back at work and I thought I was going to fall asleep by 11am. In case you are unaware, work starts for me at 10am. I wasn’t doing so well… then the coffee kicked in and I basically had ADD until it wore off around 4pm. So, that was fun.

Great Stirrup Cay Beach, Bahamas - Norwegian Cruise Line / hellorigby!

I’m still going through photos from the past week, but I will leave you with this gem from last week’s adventure. This shot was taken on Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas. It was the home of a really special sunburn on the side of my leg (like seriously, the most bizarre location and shape ever. I think I accidentally rubbed the sunscreen off while it was still wet… so learn from my mistake!) as well as fabulous drinks in coconuts with monkey faces. Yeah, you’ll see what I mean in tomorrow’s post. (or Thursday’s… I may or may not have taken way too many photos!) Continue reading

5 Ways to Challenge Your Dog’s Bored Mind

You know how much I love my dog, so when I found Cat’s blog, Oddly Lovely, I was smitten. She’s like a cooler version of me because not only does she share posts about controversial topics and her pets, she also creates recipes that look and sound far too good. Today she’s got some awesome dog boredom buster suggestions and ways to entertain your dog because really, there’s nothing better than a tired dog!

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My dog Ru is my best friend. It’s funny, because I was really never a dog-person before she came along. Then I took a trip to “just visit” an animal shelter, and the moment we looked into each other’s eyes, it was all over. Now I am a crazy dog lady. Ru comes with me to the office, and she waits for me outside grocery stores and coffee shops. Together we got our Canine Good Citizen certificate and now we’re starting a nose-work class so we can try out container searches like bomb and drug sniffing dogs. She is so happy and smart and eager to please. It really makes me understand the expression “Lord, help me be the person my dog thinks I am.”

5 Ways to Entertain Your Dog / @oddlylovely for @hellorigby

In addition to exercise, the #1 thing most dogs lack is mental stimulation. Sure, they can hang out on the couch all day and stare at the wall for what seems like hours. But their boredom certainly contributes to the destruction of your shoes and the holes in the yard. Dogs are not children – they want to WORK. They love to be challenged and they love discipline. Find little ways you can turn your dog’s boring life into little puzzles, and they will thank you for it.

Here are my five favorite ways to mentally challenge my pup:

Turn meals into challenges with food toys

This is my absolute favorite way to keep Ru entertained when I’m busy at the office. Pick up some food toys like these Kong Geniuses, stuff them full of regular kibble (or stinky treats if your dog feels so-so about food), and let them puzzle out how to get the food out. In fact, you can feed your dog entire meals exclusively out of food toys, effectively turning a ten-second activity into an hour long mental challenge. Other than the Kong Genius toys, Ru also loves the Tug-a-Jug and the Bob-A-Lot. Continue reading

Try the Trend :: Gingham

Gingham is one of those things I’ve been thinking about adding to my wardrobe, but I don’t want to come off as too… well, Little House on the Prairie. Marissa of Makin’ It With Marissa has done the hard work for us and has picked out some great pieces for Spring 2015!

Hey there, everyone! My name is Marissa and I blog over at Makin’ it with Marissa, which is a life + style blog for 20-somethings and young professionals. I’m so excited to have teamed up with Jenn to bring you this fashion guest post, which is part of my “Try the Trend” series, in which I take a seemingly-scary trend and make it wearable for the average fashion consumer. Without further adieu, let’s get on with the good stuff!

If you’ve been paying attention to the fashion forecasts for spring 2015, you’ll have noticed that gingham. is. everywhere. Earlier this morning, I actually just stumbled across an article entitled “Gingham is the New Black” and, while I don’t think anything ever can – or will be – the new black, I definitely get the message loud and clear. Continue reading

Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I’m so excited to bring you a delicious recipe today from Johanna of Our Joyful Home. She always inspires me with her delicious food and drink recipes, she’s got a great sense of style, and she’s a fellow PNW-er! Give her some love and definitely give this recipe a try. I mean, how could you not?

I’m Johanna, and I blog over at Our Joyful Home. I blog about a lot of stuff like style and DIY projects , but some of my favorite things to share are recipes.

Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake Recipe / hellorigby!

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What to Read: Winter Reading

We all know I love reading, and I love when I find a fellow blogger who does too! I’m excited to have Lola of Lola Lane Love here to share her favorites on her winter reading list! The new year marks my next Goodreads reading challenge, and this year I’m shooting for 150 books. Yes, I’m crazy, but I’m definitely adding some of Lola’s picks to my reading list this year!


As soon as I saw that Jenn was looking for guest bloggers, I knew that our shared love for books would be a great place to start. Now, I have to start this post off by saying that I am a professed lover of non-fiction and autobiographical genres of literature. However, I do like to mix it up every once and a while and will try to do so in this list!

What to Read This Winter / hellorigby!

So grab your cup of coffee, tea or wine, your favorite snuggle blanket and let’s get started.

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