Mouse in the House
When Ryan and I arrived at the gym, we hopped on side-by-side treadmills to begin our workouts. Within 30 seconds, I hopped off, declaring I “just wasn’t feeling it.”
I chose an elliptical beside Ryan’s treadmill instead and peddled away for 30 minutes, thinking I would then head upstairs to take a 6 a.m. yoga class.
After my 30 minutes were up, a single thought ran through my mind. I could dig deep and finish my cardio workout by completing only 20 more minutes on a cardio machine, or I could take an hour long yoga class. I opted for the short and dirty option!
Yoga = No-ga (Ryan’s words, not mine. 
)
After my 30 minutes on the elliptical, I completed a 15-minute treadmill workout that looked like this:
| Minutes | Incline | Speed |
| 0 – 1 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| 1 – 3 | 1.0 | 6.5 |
| 3 – 3:30 | 1.0 | 9.0 |
| 3:30 – 4:30 | 1.0 | 6.5 |
| 4:30 – 5 | 1.0 | 9.1 |
| 5 – 6 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| 6 – 6:30 | 1.0 | 9.2 |
| 6:30 – 7:30 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| 7:30 – 8 | 1.0 | 9.3 |
| 8 – 9 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| 9 – 9:30 | 1.0 | 9.4 |
| 9:30 – 10:30 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| 10:30 – 11 | 1.0 | 9.5 |
| 11 – 12 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| 12 – 15 | 8.0 | 4.0 |
Since Ryan still wasn’t done with his workout when I finished my treadmill session, I read magazines on the elliptical for another 10 minutes while waiting for him to finish.
Breakfast
After a 20 minute walk with Sadie, I downed a cup of coffee with almond milk (obsessed with our new Keurig!) and got to work on breakfast.
In today’s smoothie:
- 1 1/4 c. almond milk
- 1 c. frozen strawberries
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. xanthan gum
- 1 handful fresh spinach
Cocoa powder makes smoothies so chocolaty. I’m a fan!
Mouse in the House
In other news, our unwelcome guests are getting braver. Too brave.
Yes that picture is for real. FOR REAL. We live among vermin. In my head, I’m repeating August 1… August 1… August 1… Get me out of here. (Also, if any of you say that mouse is cute, I may have to pummel your face.)
The little guy in the above picture is currently perched under our oven and is dying for some food out of Sadie’s bowl. She is not having it. Like Joey Tribiani, “Sadie doesn’t share food!”
Let’s hope this ends well… though I’m not really sure what “well” entails.
Well…the mice will at least eat any bugs that are in your house.
Victoria (District Chocoholic)
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:00 am
ever the optimist.
peanutbutterfingers
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Oh my gosh. I would CRY!
Jessica @ How Sweet
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:53 am
i have. believe me, i have. when i told our landloard about the problem, he was like “yeah, it has been an issue in the past.” REALLY!?!
peanutbutterfingers
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Melissa @ Mouth Watering Morsel Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 11:57 am
and they didn’t tell y’all about it before?!! RUDE! do you know if they’re gonna do anything? or what you would do?!
Melissa @ Mouth Watering Morsel
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I don’t know how you kept cool long enough to take a picture! I would’ve freaked out!
Best. Show. Ever!
And I love the FRIENDS reference
Samantha Shelton
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Ewwww! Just seeing that picture made me pick my feet up and look around our floor, even though we don’t have mice…you poor thing! August 1st…August 1st…August 1st!
Danica
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That is a gutsy little mofo. August 1…just sic Sadie on ‘em!!
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:54 am
she’s worthless. she just chases them BACK under the oven. which is away from me, so that isn’t completely worthless, i guess.
peanutbutterfingers
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EEKS! If mice are around enough for you to be able to snap pictures, it’s too much. August isn’t far away- HANG IN THERE!!
Brittany (A Healthy Slice of Life)
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Ahhh Julie! That mouse is SICK! I really can’t believe how big that thing is…I would be freaking…haha and tell Sadie she needs to get her claws out and get to work!
Claire
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:54 am
I KNOWWWWW.
peanutbutterfingers
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AHHHH! He’s like….big! Julie get outta there! Especially now that you work from home.
Yikes yikes yikes! Unappetizing…Sadie might stop eating her food. Might have to bake her a chicken or something.
Meg
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:57 am
i know! they don’t mess around. and they reproduce like assholes.
peanutbutterfingers
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That picture FREAKS ME OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Liz @ Blog is the New black
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OMG, Julie!!!!! I would be screaming and freaking out right now. You are so brave!! Thank god you are getting out of there! August 1st can’t come soon enough!
Hope
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Ok, I don’t know how you even had time to get this picture because I would have ran out of the kitchen screaming…mice give me the heebie jeebies!
Jane @ In the Pink and Green
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:58 am
i was in the other room using MEGA zoom. and then i passed out.
peanutbutterfingers
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I don’t wanna get pummeled in the face so I will keep my lips zipped but in all seriousness …. Mice are cute …..in a cage….. at the pet store…. I would cry too if they were in my house. August 1st will be here before you know it!
Stace
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:05 am
nice save… i had my fist ready.
peanutbutterfingers
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You should teach Sadie how to “sick em”…although, don’t do that- then she would have mouse breath- ewwwww. I can’t believe you got that picture! My mom told me that when she was pregnant with me there was a mouse in our washing machine and when she washed all her maternity clothes it killed the mouse and stripped it of all it’s fur= maternity clothes ruined. OMG I feel so bad for you! I can offer you a room in my house until August 1
haha
Lindsay@ In Sweetness and In Health
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OMG! Is there any way you can move out sooner? I would send that picture to your landlord IMMEDIATELY. That is so ridiculous.
Paige
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:06 am
our landlord knows… we’ve been working with a pest guy for MONTHS. the pest guy is seriously GARBAGE, but he’s the guy my landlord uses. it’s ridiculous. we would’ve moved sooner but there’s a lot going on behind the scenes w/ us right now which kept us here. ick. soon enough!
peanutbutterfingers
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Paige Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:09 am
Blahhh that’s so crappy. August 1 can’t come soon enough!
Paige
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Paige Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:12 am
Also, I’m pretty sure the landlord has a fiduciary responsibility to get rid of an issue like this in a timely manner, otherwise you have grounds to withhold rent payments. You might want to look into it!
Paige
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Kelly Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:19 am
I agree with Paige….look into that issue because I am pretty sure that you can withhold rent or break your lease without consequence.
Kelly
Stace Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:20 am
This can be some what true…. you can’t withhold rent and you have to have everything in writing (requests to landlord/maintenence for issues) and sometimes the court has to get involved but yes some things can turn in your favor including recv rent back. My best friend works property management and tells me if people(renters) only knew what they could get if they knew the laws…. you also have to look into Florida state laws…. I have had leaky windows since i moved to my apartment …. 5 years ago…. and we did find out that it is a problem with the siding and not the windows …. we could freak out but its not my style so I just will continue to put a towel down when it rains….. and my complex is only like 9 years old….
Stace
peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:22 am
thanks so much for the info. that’s actually really interesting. i just wish our landlord wasn’t such a nice guy. i’m just glad we’ll be out SOON. hopefully BEFORE aug. 1.
peanutbutterfingers
Stace Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:49 am
Yeah, our office ladies are so nice so I would feel bad too. Good luck, and cant wait to read about all your adventures in moving!
Stace
Oh no way is that thing cute! Disgusting is more like it. I’ve seen the amount of crap they produce. I don’t know how you’re keeping sane! Aug 1, Aug 1, Aug 1!!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
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Ughhh that’s awful. My parent’s deal with the same issue from time to time. Traps, traps, traps!
Sarah
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Oh Julie, that sounds awful! I can’t WAIT to see your new apartment and how you decorate it… without mice as an accessory!
Alexis
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I flip my schnit when I see a mosquito in my house…much less a mouse!
Faith @ lovelyascharged
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Love your blog! What are your favorite Keurig k-cups? I’m always looking for good flavors to try!
Pamela
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:20 am
we just got our keurig about 2 weeks ago, so i’m still in the process of trying the cups that came with the machine. i tend to like flavored coffee, so the french vanilla has been my fav so far!
peanutbutterfingers
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Amy @ Life's a Payne Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:58 am
Nicole and I both have Keurig machines!! We are obsessed with our coffee!! I suggest trying macadamia nut cookie, and butterscotch caramel flavours…they are my favourite!!
Amy @ Life’s a Payne
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Ahh yuck! Sorry to hear about the mouse – they definitely freak me out and I’d want an exterminator in there (or mouse killer.. not sure if exterminators do mice!) ASAP!
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
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There is absolutey nothing cute about mice. If you had a bunny infestation, then we could talk cute
Kelly
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:09 am
hahaha!
peanutbutterfingers
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Eieeek! mice!! when we had a mice prob, my dad always set the trap with Peanut Butter!! ( NO LIE) we always caught em.
I guess the mice want to be on the peanut butter blog, since they can’t resist peanut butta!
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes
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krista Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:26 am
YES set traps Julie! Er, Jewlie!
krista
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I know the pain. . . I had the little buggers in my first apartment. PS: Love the Friends reference!
Katie @ running4cupcakes
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Oh my gosh, Julie, YOU are brave getting close enough to take a picture!!! I would have to leave the house. Mice creep me out!
Melissa
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Ugh. I am SO sorry! I love animals…but those little gross vermin need to go!
PS – The Joey Tribiani made me laugh out loud!
Andrea @ Onion in My Hair
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Ahhhhh!!! I don’t mind mice, but not in my house! Ohh I am feeling for you.
One time growing up we had a mouse in our house and my dad dropped a log on it
It did not end well for the mouse…
Lindsey @ Happy or Hungry
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:18 am
is your dad available for hire?
peanutbutterfingers
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Love the friends reference!!
Val
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That’s scary. I would probably sit with my feet up all day because I would flip if I felt it against my leg. Did you guys set up traps?
Sylvia @ Frolic Through Life
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:23 am
we have and we’ve had success with them, but there are a LOT more than we anticipated. it’s beyond disgusting.
peanutbutterfingers
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Sylvia @ Frolic Through Life Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 1:12 pm
That’s horrible, but you guys are almost out of there! I used to work at a pharmacy and we had rats, it was probably one of the scariest experiences of my life. We walked in one morning to find a drugged rat wandering the aisles because they left out traps with food mixed with medication to kill them.
Sylvia @ Frolic Through Life
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ewwww i used to have mice in the apartment i lived in in college. hah it was so sick we’d wear our uggs around bc we were scared of it. one of our (guy) neighbors caught it and killed it then we felt bad
they’re sick…but kinda cute?
Amy
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I know how you feel Julie! We had a problem in our house during the winter, the little buggers were getting into my cupboards and my utensil drawers! Talk about yuck! I had to sterilize my entire kitchen, and ran every single utensil, plate, cup, bowl, mug, etc through the dishwasher three times!
We called in the exterminator and he laid out traps and poison throughout our basement and attic (we live in a century+ home and that’s where he said they were coming from), and thank goodness we haven’t had an issue since!
Steph
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eww… that mouse is HUGE. i had the same problem with my apartment last year and my roommate and i lived with it from august to november after personally catching about 15, having countless holes created and many “bombs” set off in our apt, before we were finally able to move out. I was subletting, and luckily for me not on the lease, but our rental company did not refund any of her money and tried to even PENALIZE her after they gave us the okay to leave…. after months of living with mice and disgust. ughhhh … and they certainly do reproduce like assholes! Good luck!!!
Lauren
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Ugh mice are NOT cute!! I’m a firm believer in traps. If they didn’t have it coming, they should have stayed OUT of my house!!! I had one in my old house, mouse trapped it, his friends saw what happened and they all HIGH TAILED it OUT of there!!! I imagine the scene from Sex & the City when the mouse crawls into Carrie’s bed and into her hair EEEEEEEKKKKKKK
Morgan @ OperationHotMama
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OMG I can’t believe that is real!!! That would seriously give me the heebie jeebies! I’m impressed that you’ve been able to tough it out… I would have been out of there so fast! What does your landlord say about it? Good luck… August 1 is almost here. At least your breakfast looks delicious!
Erin
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I’m just so happy you referenced Joey Tribiani; smart man!
Melanie
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Mice are so annoying! It’s the little sounds they make as they scurry away that scares me. ech.
I had a mice problem at my last place and my landlord wouldn’t do anything about it until I got “real” with him. He fixed it after that, but I didn’t care– I still moved and am happy that you’re doing the same!
Jihane @Sinful Sundays
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I don’t know why, but mice don’t freak me out too much… probably because I had gerbils, guinea pigs, and bunnies as pets growing up. I wouldn’t like them running around the kitchen though!
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat
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Ack, that is one brave little rodent! I have to say though, I’d prefer a mouse over a roach any day – they are the infamous critters in NYC.
Rachel @ The Avid Appetite
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ahhh!! I would be counting down the days until I got out of my lease. I haaaate rodents. Definitely NOT cute.
Sarah
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So gross! We had just one tiny mouse in my college apt. I was standing on the kitchen counter, freaking out, and called 2 neighbors. One, the guy, swept him outside where he went to die. The other, a girl, freakin brought cheese and tried to feed him back to life!!
krista
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I remember when my parents bought a new couch for our living room 3 years ago, there were 3 mice hiding in there and we didnt know about it until we saw them running around our house one day! =P
Shannon
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Ohhh, man. That mouse is sick. You weren’t kidding about living with vermin!! I would be counting down, too.
Katie @ Faith & Funfetti
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uuugggg Julie I’m SO sorry! There is NOTHING worse than mice, rats, or cockroaches in your OWN home. I had a cockroach last night in the kitchen and almost died…I can’t imagine.
You’re almost out of there!
Jenna…lifeinjenneral
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This sort-of reminds me of that scene in Ratatouille where the rats crash through the ceiling on the chandelier… did you ever see that movie?
Get out before that happens!
And… I have to, I’m sorry, but they ARE cute and they can’t help that they picked the wrong place to live! But I completely understand that it would give you the creepies to have to sleep with them around and stuff!!
Ani
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Oh gosh…that’s pretty disturbing. We’ve never had a mouse problem (that I know of?!?) but we have had spider issues!
Also, just realized our dinners last night were pretty much exactly the same. Ahem…great minds think alike.
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life
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Laura@ Backstage Pass Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 11:10 am
A spider issue? That sounds terrifying!
Laura@ Backstage Pass
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Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 11:12 am
Haha, ahhh, nothing major. Just some small ones here and there. I’m the one who has to take care of them though…my husband is terrified!
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life
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Paige Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Hahaha I love this. My boyfriend and I are both spider-phobic but he still is on killing duty, my fear trumps his.
Paige
Good luck with the vermin! I wouldn’t blame you for losing your mind a little bit. I’m so not a fan of rodents. Loved the Friends quote, by the way!
Lindsey
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AGH!!! I knew I was scared of this post…that photo will haunt me in my dreams tonight!!
Lindsay
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Eeew that’s not even a mouse, it’s ugly enough to be a rodent!
Khushboo
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We just got a Keurig for Christmas too! We use it ALL the time.
It’s such a nice, quick and easy option on work mornings
And holy crap – that mouse!!! I feel it crawling on me and I’m not even there!! I can’t wait for you to be out of there!
Cait’s Plate
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At my mom’s house years ago, I trapped the mouse under a pot. Then I flung it into the garage. It actually hit the car and bounced off. But when I came back an hour later, it was gone. I also had mice at my first apartment in Boston. It was disgusting!! All of those little mouse droppings!
Anne @strawberryjampackedlife
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Does Sadie ever catch any of these little guys?
Lee @ in the pink of condition
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LOL! Awww….but that mouse IS cute! Maybe he just wants to help you cook. Like Remy in Ratatouille.
Paula @ Eat: Watch: Run
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I totally empathize! Our last apartment had a mouse problem (AND WE WERE ON THE 2ND FLOOR) and my hubs and I went on a week long trip and decided to set 10 traps around the dryer…all had caught a mouse when we got back…nast! Those mothers reproduce like crazy too. When you see one, you should know there are probably at least 10 more.
Good luck, t-minus one month and one week!
Leslie
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Oh, Julie, you have my sympathies. I wouldn’t be able to live there. I am petrified of vermin.
Angela
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Ewwwwww I’m soo sorry about your mouse problem. That thing is HUGE! I can only imagine the anxiety and stress you must be going through. My mom had them in her house a couple years ago and it was AWFUL — they actually seemed to live under the oven too!! Yuck yuck yuck. We never found out how they got in though so
hopefully they never come back!
I am sitting here itching just thinking about it!!!
Hannah
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I think the mouse is cute
*blocks face with hands*
Granted, I live in Florida and rodents tend to stay outside because the weather is warm. I’ve never seen a mouse or rat inside a house unless it was a pet. I have termites in my house, sooo I’d take rodents over that any day!
Good job on the A.M. cardio, too. I can’t for the life of me drag my ass out of bed before 6 a.m., especially if I know a treadmill is waiting for me -_-
Allie Q (Fit Geek)
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Coffee with almond milk is my GO TO mixture.
Mice can be super annoying.. like I’ve mentioned.. my parents live in the woods – and there isnot much they can do to keep em out in the winter.. because they wull find a way in to get warm.
August 1 is close, Julie. You are almost out of mouse-land.
Cait @ Beyond Bananas
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sometimes, we find mice in our house but it’s after my cat has killed them. It’s so gross but we have an old house, so they find little places to come in
Wendi @ A Southern Yogi
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Dude…That is DISGUSTING!! I do not know how you and Ryan can sleep at night. If I were you I would give Ryan a goodbye kiss, take Sadie…and go move in with your parents until August first.
GROSS.
Katrina
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 10:04 am
Luckily the only evidence we have of them is in the kitchen. So nasty.
peanutbutterfingers
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AHH!! Your are more brave than I would be! I would be running out of the house till my husband got home! I did that once with spiders
But they were all over the ceiling and I was scared of them dropping onto my head!
Lindsey
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Ewwwwwwwww! You poor thing, you are BRAVE! I had a cockroach fall on MY HEAD the other night and I freaked out and wanted to move ha. Hang in there
Steph
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Oh my gosh, for real?!! I would FREAK out if I saw that in my kitchen. You poor thing. Tell Sadie to work on her mouse-hunting skills!
Cait @ UrbanFencepost
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CALL THE LANDLORD!!!! Make them have pest control come out!!! That or use a mouse trap – its gross and kinda sad but rats are germ-y little creatures and we don’t want cute little Sadie to swallow up that nasty thing!
Leila
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Is there a nice cat in the neighborhood that you can borrow, even for a few hours a day?
It won’t get rid of the mice completely, but they will probably stay hidden a lot more often if they think there is a real (no offense, Sadie!) predator lurking about. Just make sure the kitty rubs himself all over and leaves a nice strong scent!
Alison @ The Peacock Diaries
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Lol! Uh oh :-O In our last house, which was a total dive, the bf and I had RATS! Maaaan, they were nasty! I was practising yoga in the kitchen one day (it was a big kitchen and the only room with space for a mat), and much to my horror and surprise a rat ran over the mat to get from one side oh the kitchen to the other. No Joke. I screamed pretty loudly, lol!
) and one morning I came down for breakfast to find a huge rat pretty much in half in the trap. It was so horrible! There was no blood or anything, the poor guy was just squished completely down the middle, and then puffed out either side. Tom was picking it up, like “Wooooow, so cool”, whilst I was squealing in horror! 
xyx
We ended up putting a trap in the kitchen, laiden with peanut butter which they seemed to enjoy (rats have good taste, clearly
Chin up until August 1st, sweetie!
Yolie @ Practising Wellness
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Yeah, that’s gross!
My college dorm had a mouse problem and they’d jump out of garbage cans. Traumatizing.
On a side note, I called you out on my (insignificant) blog this morning. So thanks!
http://fittalker.blogspot.com/2011/06/thank-you-pb.html
Jessica @ FitTalker
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Omg I would freak!!! Well I kinda have been there.. In my student days, I rented this very cheap appartement.. It looked great but the only downside was that it was like 0.5 storey below the ground ( like a cellar appartment)..
Little did I know I was living together with a gazillion spiders!! I’m not even kidding.. I had to kill about 2 or 3 a week.. And not the little kind… They were big.. With fangs.. And hair..!! I taped the entore appartment to get rid of any cracks or holes but it didn’t really help..
Worst appartment ever!!! So I can totally relate you poor girl!
Where are you guys gonna live starting from august?
ellalinea
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Laura@ Backstage Pass Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 11:13 am
That sounds so scary! Big, hairy spiders and having to kill a dozen a week? I just got the shivers!
Laura@ Backstage Pass
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:20 pm
ah that is scary! i hope they weren’t poisonous! as for where we’re going to live, that’s still up in the air. there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes right now, so stay tuned!
peanutbutterfingers
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A. I too am OBSESSED with my keurig, love it!
B. Mice are the worst! We had some bold mother f-ers in our old apartment and my husband also used to call them cute and it made me SO crazy.
I used to open the doors with my eyes closed and stomp my feet just so I didn’t have to see them… Ignorance is bliss!
Charlotte @ Weekends So Sweet
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In the states you guys call “prawns” – “shrimps”, now I also see what you guys calls “Mice” we call “Rats” EEK! I would be so outta there. You are a brave, brave women, kudos to you!
Kathy
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Oh my gosh! I would be freaked! I can’t believe you were composed enough to take a picture! I wouldn’t be able to sleep! August 1st can’t come soon enough!
Marie
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Ah! I had the same issue this winter, in a BRAND new house! I found a little guy living in my fondue pot/box in the pantry!! After freaking out, and not going in the kitchen for 2 days, we discovered he didn’t get into our food at all. (just my fondue pot and our paper napkins?) Because of my dog, traps/poison freak me out, so we skeptically tried the wall repellant. You plug it into the wall and it emits a harmless buzzing noise (kinda sounds like the running refrigerator) and this drives mice (and other insects!) away. It actually worked! It may work for you- I think we bought a 2 pack for under $20 at Target. Good luck!
Mary
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I feel your pain Julie! Me and my roommates found a mouse in our apartment this week. When we went downstairs, it had been stockpiling Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses! Needless to say, we are not happy campers!
Try and catch them by putting peanut butter on a trap, works every time!
Ashley
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I would be screaming like crazy!! I can’t believe the landlord is not doing anything!?
Cynthia @ Cynthia’s Adventures
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Julie, I had to share this with you and it’s quite ironic, but mice are attracted to Peanut Butter. I live in an apartment and have seen mice, management instructed that I set up a trap with peanut butter in it. I am too scared to attract more of them so I don’t leave any utensils unwashed with PB on them and my nut butters stay in the fridge lol. Seriosuly though, I hate it too. My mice aren’t as huge as that one though….that is disgusting! I feel for you. I move into my new place August 1st too. I move to the Penthouse level,so hopefully no mice.Hang in there!
Stephy
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We have had a mouse issue also. Landlords are always so nonchalant about it, like “oh yeah, hm mice, there’s not much you can do if you live downtown…try setting traps.” UM DUH. The other night I saw a mouse in our bedroom and I freaked. We slept in the guest room that night. Then I saw one run across our stove. I have cleaned and bleached and done everything I can think of. Anyway, I’ve lived in the city for years and have done my share of trial and error. Here is what has worked and what hasn’t:
1.) Apparently mice love dog food. If you can, don’t leave it out. We bought a bunch of stainless steel containers and ALL of our dry food goes into those. Everything. Even pasta, rice and wrapped up candy.
2,) Peppermint oil. Get some peppermint oil at whole foods, put it on a bunch of cotton balls and wipe it all over the baseboards in your kitchen. Then leave a few cotton balls soaked in it under your stove and in the corners. It smells like toothpaste but it works! Mice can’t stand the smell of it.
3.) Those high pitched noise things that you plug in are a waste of money. We bought them, then I researched and basically mice get used to them after a while.
Good luck! Mice can really ruin your day. Especially if the kitchen is your favorite room, where you spend most of your time. I feel your pain!
Leslie (Food Lush)
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OMG! I can’t believe that is a real photo of the mouse…I would be SCREAMING! So gross! I am so sorry and hope that little mouse excuses himself from your house–like NOW!
LizAshlee
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some of these posts are hilarious by the way – i’m laughing out loud. We have mice in our apartment too – just nicely perched on a can of tuna when you open the cabinet. I’m pretty sure the guy below me thinks I frequently watch horror movies and scream bloody murder. We’ve gotten those sticky traps but then you have to deal with throwing them out!! siiiiiick
Jenny
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GROSS!! They love PB. Slap some on a mouse trap and you’ll get that sucker in no time.
Colleen @ The Lunchbox Diaries
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Oh my gosh, that mouse is fearless! Lock up your peanut butter!
Colleen
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I saw that episode like 4 days ago!!! During university my roomate and I watch the the seasons every September and every January
. And don’t worry before you know it you’ll be all packed up and outta there!
Tichina
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Oh my gosh… I would die if there were rodents in my house! I freak out enough if there’s a spider. August 1 will come fast… hopefully
Leanne (Bride to Mrs.)
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Ewwwwwwww! I can’t believe you took that picture!!!
Holly @ pink runner
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This mouse looks huge! Oh man…I’m sorry Julie! NOT fun at all. You shouldn’t have to pay rent!
LittleMissFitness
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You need a cat!
Paul Alexander
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Oh. My. Gosh. You are so brave!!!!!!! I have a cat and last night, he was acting weirder than normal. He was running around my apartment looking at the walls and then he was in the bathroom for a long time. I thought it was weird, but didn’t really think anything of it. About an hour later, I see him chasing the BIGGEST cockroach I’ve EVER seen. I FREAKED out and made my boyfriend get it out! That is the first time I’ve ever found a bug in my apartment, and it better be the last!!!
However, cockroach > mouse.
Stephanie @ LiveCookLove
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Lindsay Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:16 pm
MY dog hunts roaches as well. I had a little roach problem a few months ago and one would come out each night and I could hear my dog swatting and pacing, so it would wake me up…I would then have to move all the furniture and search for the roach until i killed it…otherwise, I couldn’t sleep…my greatest fear when she does that though, is that she is hunting a mouse!!
Lindsay
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Ewwwwww! Does Sadie try to eat the mouse? Because I think Maverick would tear my house apart to try to get it. AUGUST 1st come quickly!!!!
Bess @ Bess Be Fit
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:21 pm
she just runs after it. she’s such a baby, i don;t know what she’d do if she actually caught it.
peanutbutterfingers
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eww. sometimes we have bugs in the house and the cats try and kill em… mice. no way!
great work out!
does ryan eat smoothies for breakfast too?
Hannah
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 10:41 am
yes! he loves smoothies, but we typically make separate breakfasts. he almost always has oatmeal, an egg and a big scoop of peanut butter right when he gets to work.
peanutbutterfingers
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You should email a local pest elimination company and tell them about your blog, they could send a handsome eliminator and you could write a blog post all about it
Mellissa
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You poor thing!! At least you are moving soon
Jamie aka “Sometimes Healthy” Girl
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OMG that picture gave me a case of the heebies!
We had a mouse in our house a few months ago, our cat kept sniffing around and chasing something so we were wondering what the heck she was doing, and then…WE SAW IT SCURRY ACROSS THE ROOM. I live with my sister and she freaked right out!! We hid in my room and had my boyfriend set up traps with peanut butter, not cheese in them (a tip from my dad!) I decided to lock our cat in our laundry room because I thought she might want to eat the peanut butter and I didn’t want her cute little nose to get hurt in a trap! So we left to go grocery shopping because we were too creeped out to stay, and when we came back we saw that the cat broke out the laundry room and the mouse was just laying there in the middle of the living room. Our cat MURDERED it!!!!! It was amazing, really. Too bad Sadie can’t really morph into a cat!!!
Chelsey @ Jam&Run
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It’s crazy that you caught it with a picture. I had a mouse problem (twice actually – in NYC they pop up every once in a while) – and after a while they are bolder – coming out whenever they feel like it. The landlord gave us these red blocks of poison and they seemed to work. The problem is – you find dead mice every once in a while. But in my opinion, it’s much better than living ones. Also – plugging up the hole where they came from (in our case it was behind the oven) helped as well. Aside from covering it with spackle – someone also told me that steel wool works because the mice don’t really chew through it.
Good luck!! I know it sucks. At least you are moving!
Jeanine
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I definitely sympathize with you on the mouse thing. My parents live right by the water and we have rat problems. RAT. They are in the attics and in the walls. Once when my dad was out of town during a serious infestation and my mom walked into the kitchen in the morning and found a GIANT RAT in the rat trap. How she managed to PICK IT UP and put it outside, I’ll never know.
Lindsay
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What a ballsy little critter!! How dare that mouseketeer scamper around on your turf, rude.
Can’t wait for you to migrate to a mouse-free zone.
Jordan P @ food, sweat, and beers
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Ugh I have a mouse too! AND I’m moving out in August! I feel your pain. . .
Kayleigh
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OKAY, first of all, I want to know how the heck you took a picture of that mouse?! My mom lives in farmland and we used to get field mice in our house. I would always end of on top of the table or chair until that thing was gone.
You’re brave, very brave.
Jessica
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OMG, that thing is huge….it looks more like a rat than a mouse….I would freak out if I were you!
Dawn
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Oh my gosh that’s so scary! I think I’d die if I could hear scurrying noises behind the walls. Good on you for being so brave! And good for Sadie for not sharing her food!
Bee Goes Bananas
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Ahhh, I would be freaking out! I’d be sitting with my legs tucked underneath me all day! Yikes…hope August 1st hurries up for you!
Erica @ For the Sake of Cake
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Hope you guys can get rid of the mice soon!!!!!!
That smoothie looks delicious, by the way!
Gen
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Oh. EM. Gee.
*shudder*
Michelle @ Crazy*Running*Legs
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Katie Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 11:17 am
Oh. EM. Gee. is right. I’d be moving my ass to a hotel.
Good luck, Julie!! Just a few more weeks.
Katie
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ICK! We had rats (yes, no kidding, huge rats) in our attic but they never ventured into the house. I assumed that they were too scared of our golden retriever, but your mice ARE gutsy! You must have the fearless breed of vermin down there in Florida. We hired professional exterminators, but since you are only renting and leaving soon (!!) I don’t blame you if you don’t want to spend the money. You can hold out a little bit longer! oh and btw, I am totally obsessed with my keurig too. Have you started venturing out to the iced coffee/tea/lemonade? All are really great!
Ellee
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Julie..I feel so bad for you! I FREAK when I even see a little bug. I live in NY and we were getting a ton of rain a couple of months ago and we had centipedes!!! I would go crazy.. thank god I had my husband to kill them but they are FAST.
My question to you is: How are you able to stay in that place alone?!! I would be terrified. Are they leaving droppings everywhere? I would be so mad that they would be crawling all over my stuff, especially my kitchen stuff!! wow….horrible!!!
emily
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“Sadie doesn’t share food!” Love the Frienda reference, haha.
I’d look into getting or borrowing a cat. Seriously! Our cat caught a mouse once at a loft apartment we lived at, and after that if there were any more mice, they didn’t come around anymore!
Laura@ Backstage Pass
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Yuck! We had ants all over my kitten’s food a couple weeks ago, but I managed to fend them off with good old Raid.
You make too much yummy food, the mice want in!
Yayan @ About a Kitten
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I didn’t know it was possible but my smoothie came out a tad to thick this morning. So thick my blender didn’t finish blending the frozen fruit.
Danielle
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Is there any reason you can’t move before August 1? A mouse infestation sounds like a good reason to terminate your lease!
Pam, Navywifeinguam
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:21 pm
yeah there’s some stuff going on behind the scenes that i just can’t blog about quite yet.
peanutbutterfingers
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Yeah, I don’t know how you took the photo calmly! We had a mouse once, and I couldn’t sleep, or relax!
As for Keurig, I love my Breville K-cup machine (I am actually on my second one… had one for 3 years till I couldn’t stand descaling it so often… and bought new one) What are your favourite K-cups so far?
Pickynikki
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Yikes! There’s nothing cute about vermin. Aug. 1st can’t come fast enough!
Danielle
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Ekk! I had the SAME issue a few months ago! My landlord got a pest control guy to come look at our kitchen (which is where they were coming from) and he found a lot of holes that needed some patching (like under the sink, behind our stove, etc) Maybe ask your landlord to get someone in there ASAP to see if they can calk up those wholes and keep those stinkers out!! At least until Aug 1st! You have to keep your sanity and be able to relax in your home…especially your kitchen!!
GOOD LUCK!
Michelle
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Michelle Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 11:45 am
*holes
Michelle
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Ugh, you poor thing! I don’t know how you’re doing it. Years ago, I was living in a pretty gross place and we got mice maybe two weeks before we were scheduled to move out. I couldn’t sleep for the whole time because I was so terrified of them. Good luck girl. You’re so close to moving!
Michelle @ A Voracious Appetite
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Gross! That mouse would be cute if it were outside. NOT cute when it’s in your house. I hope somehow the problem is taken care of soon. August 1 is way too far away when you’re living with mice.
Laura
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Rogue mice are not cute. Not when they are in your house and especially never when they crawl over your hand when you reach into your sock drawer. Although, hopefully that has only happened to me! BLECH
Amber K
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Oh my god. I would DIE. Even little bugs freak me out, so I can’t imagine having a mice in my home! To be honest, I don’t think I’d be even able to fall asleep!
Jessy
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OMG, I’ve been in your shoes and it’s awful. They are NOT cute! Hang in there…August 1 is so close!
Kristy@RunTheLongRoad
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OMG!!! Get a cat(s) (preferably females, they are better hunters) and let them loose in the house and the mouse problem will be no more.
Lily
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Omigosh Julie! That must be so awful having those brazen little things run around your apt! I’m so sorry
But August 1 will be here before you know it!!
Emily @ Glitz Glam Granola
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I was just curious about your 50 min cardio minimum rationale. Its funny because I kinda do the same thing- if I am at 45 min I’m like ok just do 5 more so I can say I did 50, but I’m not sure why thats the magic number.
Erin
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:18 pm
haha yeah i don’t know why i picked 50 minutes… for some reason it stuck!
peanutbutterfingers
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Ugh I’m so sorry! YOU CAN DO IT! A little more than five weeks
Question for you! Do you use unsweetened cocoa powder? I just bought Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Powder and it’s unsweetened. Would this work?!
Katelyn
Katelyn
[Reply]
peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:17 pm
yes! that’s my favorite kind.
peanutbutterfingers
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I don’t know if you’ve set traps out for the little rodents, but peanut butter works well for bait.
Meg
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Sorry about the mice! I’ve been there too and we ended up breaking our lease because our landlord was too much of a bozo to do anything about it. I’m sorry, but mice that are ballsy enough to calmly stride across the living room to sit and stare at me while I’m watching tv are too smart to walk into those little sticky traps!! 6 more weeks…you can make it…
That show was the best, and I assume that’s where you got the name for your blog. Joey’s imitation of a Peanut Butter Fingers appetizer for M & C’s wedding cracks me up every time!
Also, love the FRIENDS reference
Jenny R
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Ewww, ewww, ewww mice are disgusting!!! Julie you are so brave!! How did you remain cool enough to take that picture??
Mariana
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OMG! I would FLIP out.. I can barely handle a spider or even a mosquitoe showing up at my apt.. yikes. You def are gutsy gf. Get the heck outta there!
Joelle (On A Pink Typewriter)
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Ewww, I hate, hate HATE mice. If I see one I literally jump on top of the nearest high thing. Re: desk, chair, table. You name it! Ekkkkk!
Vicki
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YIKES! I would die, Julie!
Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife
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OMG That’s INSANE!!! I’d totally have a freakout just seeing that creepy little monster. And their paws bleghhhhhhhh!
Liv @ The Salty n’ Sweet
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Not cute. GROSS! I had one when I lived in London for a semester and it gave me the heebie jeebies
Alexa @ Simple Eats
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Eww….eww…eww!!! Disgusting. I would be on top of a chair!!! Not cute at all. And since I’d be up on a chair I wouldn’t be snapping a pic! You’re a brave soul, Julie. Get outta there as fast as possible!
Dear God, please hurry to August 1st for Julie and Ryan’s sake. Amen.
Amelia
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omg. i don’t know how you guys are doing it, i would’ve run out of the house at the speed of light!!!
does sadie tried to catch them???
erica
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:17 pm
yes! she chases them back under the stove.
peanutbutterfingers
[Reply]
I think mice are cute, but not wild running through my house. I would cry if I had to kill one, but I think I would try to catch it then release it somewhere?? oh boy. : (
SAMANTHA
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peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:16 pm
i don’t deal with the trapping of them… thank goodness for ryan.
peanutbutterfingers
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oh my gosh! Thats so gross!! Do yall have mouse traps set up?
Stephanie
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Oh my gosh! Well, at least you won’t have to worry about that mouse being in your house tonight because it will be in my nightmare! UGH!
Diane
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I really don´t like this little things! I would die if I saw one. It is weird, because I am not afraid of snakes, spiders…but I´m afraid of this small mice!
Luciana Ferreira
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I’m obsessed with my Keurig!! Love it, with a capital L.
Not gonna lie, I’m a little on edge from the mouse pic now. I keep expecting one to jump out from under my desk aaaahhhh
So thank you, Julie, for my unnecessary fear
Liz @ Something To Chew On
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Yikes! My roomie and I have had some problems with roaches in our apartment when it gets really hot out. Luckily I’m away for the summer, but if they are there when I get back I will cry. At least mice are sorta cute??
Ashley
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Oh my gosh! I would freak out! Mice and rodents are my biggest phobia!
Abby
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I have no idea how you got that picture. I would have been screaming and running away!!
Started reading your blog when I saw you in the Angelos…although I already has seen it.
Allison
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Oh Sweetie…If I lived closer I would bring my cat over for you…she is quite the hunter…granted she has only ever hunted flies…I am certain she would get him, shes tough
I am not gonna say that mouse is cute…it is huge and in your kitchen and it makes me want to cry for you.
Normally I am not for the killing of any animals but I sincerly hope sadie lays a smack down on him!!!!
Aug. 1st can’t come soon enough!!!! Are you making sure to wipe down your floors and counters with a mild bleach solution or lysol wipes a few times a day?
We had a squirrel in our wall last fall and we bought these little wall plug in things that emit a noise only rodents and bugs can hear and it scared him off…maybe that would help
Oh I have also read they can’t stand the smell of peppermint oil!!!!
Erica
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Julie – try peppermint extract (baking section at the grocery store). Mice HATE the smell of it. I work in an old warehouse bldg and I used to have a “visitor” in my office. Used a cotton ball and swabbed the perimeter of the baseboards, my desk and the bottom of the door to my office with a big bottle of it- never saw him again….. We also use it at home to keep critters out of our shed in the wintertime….Hopefully it will keep them away til August 1st!
Baby’s Moon
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Eeeewwww!!!!! My heart is beating really fast just reading this! How scary! I’m sorry you’re dealing with this yo!
Carol @ LuckyZucca
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Hi Julie,
Your recycled photo of the luna bar posed a question in my mind… How do you file your photos in your computer? Do you have a breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner file? Do you fie by month? My smoothie, ingredients, or, well… how? I’d love it if you could do a quick post on that!! thx
Jessica
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I found a mouse in our kitchen this morning, too!! AHHH!
We’ve had mice once before… why am I ALWAYS the one that finds them?!! The little bugger was in MY basket of random crap… probably pooping all over my job applications…
I have such a love/hate relationship with mice. On one hand… they’re dirty and possibly disease-ridden and bite… but on the other hand… God, you have to admit, they are SO cute! I really want a pet mouse… one that lives in a cage, not in our pantry.
Marissa
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Get a couple of basic mousetraps and add peanut butter (I know you have plenty) on the food end. Then set them up around where you spot them the most AT NIGHT. Make sure you lock Sadie in your room with you. And when you wake up in the morning, make sure to move any “unused” traps before letting Sadie loose. This will hold you over until you move. It usually works in a night for us (we suffer a similar fate of always having mice close by).
And that mouse would be very cute if it was outside. But since it is inside, it’s ugly. Just like dandelions… when they are planted in a garden or in a pot, beautiful, but all over the yard, ugly.
Alisa @ Running with Knives
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AHHHH! You need to move. ASAP!
Sana
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I am new to your blog, and I must say…I LOVE IT! I am newly married myself, and totally relate to your love of experimenting in the kitchen with healthy new things and staying in shape. But, I MUST know…what time do you get up?!? You always seem to get so much done before breakfast!!! Either you get up super early, or eat breakfast late.
Just curious! LOVE the blog!! You have won over another devoted daily (multiple times a day) reader!
Sarah
[Reply]
peanutbutterfingers Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 7:14 pm
we get up at 5 a.m.
thanks so much for commenting!
peanutbutterfingers
[Reply]
Has your landlord not offered to send in pest control??? My bf and I had rats when we first moved into our house. We called the landlord but he was being way lazy about getting an exterminator so we did ourselves and sent him the bill- lol. It worked though! But ugh I feel your pain, if it weren’t for my cat I would have called WAY sooner.
Jenn
[Reply]
Jenn Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 7:30 pm
oh I meant to add that I live in Sarasota! wtf is up with mice/rats here?? I never knew they existed here until the last two places I’ve lived YUCK
Jenn
[Reply]
he is NOT cute! and he is huge. gross. only a month and 1/2 to go!
kristen
[Reply]
Hahaha ICK! Mice don’t bother me too much but I wouldn’t want them crawling around my house…
Hayley @ hayley daily
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Julie.. I have a mouse catching cat… wish I lived closer. Bruin (my cat) is the sweetest boy ever, but can he catch mice.
We inherited our mice when we bought the house.. and it’s been quite a process. Good luck!! I’ll ask Bruin to send you good thoughts… in the meantime, buy traps and use a tiny bit of peanut butter on them. I know you have some of that in the apartment.
Susan
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Julie you need the claws of death as we lovingly call them here in Holland.
http://www.afunnythinghappenedtravels.com/2011/06/if-you-give-mouse-some-muesli.html
We caught one mouse with them, but can’t seem to get the rest. I woke up and had a heart attack two nights ago when I thought I heard one – so I feel you it’s AWFUL!
My mom says old school glue traps work. I need a cat. Maybe you can teach Sadie how to fetch mice?
Shera
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