Don't have enough to do already

Because I don't have enough to do already, I joined Thirty One. 

The new catalog is out, but the website has not updated just yet.  I am excited about this opportunity and I love, love, love the products.  My favorite is the City Skirt purse.  You buy the purse, then you can buy extra skirts for the purse to change it up.  You can have a different purse every day of the week without having to move your stuff from one to another.

Link to my website here

August special here

Check it out.  There are some great things for back to school, working girls (lunch tote, it is awesome!), picnic bags, and more!

With ravaged limbs and wet souls.

With ravaged limbs and wet souls.
Originally uploaded by ...stephanie...

Pioneer Woman posted her results of her latest photography contest. I saw this photo and couldn't help but be mesmerized by it. I truly feel like this. Not sure what feeling that is, but I can relate.  I especially love the title. 

It has been one of those days. Started out full of promise, I actually got up at 5:00 a.m. and made doughnuts for my peers at work. We had a meeting all day, so we were all trekking (trecking, treking???) out together.

I should have known it wouldn't last. Meeting at work was fine, except the air wasn't working. Yeah, place 30 or so managers in a room for the day with no air conditioning. There is not a happy camper in the room by mid afternoon.

In the middle of the morning I receive a text message from Jeff.

"Can't take much more of this, someone stole equipment out of the trailer while we were working. $800 worth of equipment."

I have decided I'm tired of people. What causes someone to drive by someone and say there is a hard working individual, let me take their stuff.

So, I go back to the photo above.  With ravaged limbs and a wet soul, I'm saying good night and going to bed!

Duchess

Kyle and Duchess 1996

The photo above was taken one afternoon sitting in our living room.  How this picture has remained in perfect condition, not in any photo album through 3 moves and 14 years, I can't figure out.  It is one of my favorite shots of Kyle.  Look at that face, "Whatcha taken a photo of me for Mommy?"

Then there is Duchess.  Her coat is shiny, ears perky, face dark with a shine in her eyes.  My husband at the time brought her home one day from work.  She had been in an abused home and figured we could take her in.  I at the time, didn't want the dog.  Which is why she became, my dog. 

Duchess always follows me, she slept under my bed for years until her legs and back could no longer handle the contortion she put herself through getting under there.  She is the last one to move from my side when the others go running away.  Always looking back to make sure you are still where she thinks you are.

She would protect Kyle and I from anyone who came to the house.  Which caused a few problems, like the time a kid from down the block was selling candy as a fund raiser.  My roommate at the time didn't lock Duchess up before answering the door, Duchess got a hold of the kids shoe, the kid jumped on my roommates back screaming at the top of his lungs.  It is funny now, but wasn't so funny then as I forked over $125 to buy chocolate bars!

Anyway, Duchess is now 15 years old.  This past weekend she has started to show her true age.  She spent yesterday at the vet having a Senior Work Up.  And, the news wasn't good.  Her pancreas is enlarged, her spine is showing problems and there are two masses on her heart.  On top of that, she has bronchitis.  She came home with us last night on steroids to help with the bronchitis, and to await the final results of her blood work and x-rays. 

We aren't ruling her out just yet.  The last time she had a bad spell, we were afraid that Gracie would be left alone so we got Nico as a just in case.  That was 7 years ago!  But, honestly, I realize we have been graced with her much longer than most dogs.

Last night, her and Kyle hung out.

We will keep everyone updated on her. 

OOPS!

I pondered for a week whether or not to write about this.  But, what is a blog about your life, if you don't blog? 

I mentioned a week ago that Jeff and Kyle went four wheeling.  They took the motorhome and stayed the night.  Came home the next day, no big deal.

Well, there was a little deal, okay, okay, a big deal when they returned. 

We store the motorhome at the back of our property.  Jeff, brought the camper home and in trying to manuever in a different way, was concentrating on not hitting the well we have.  In doing so, he didn't hit the well.  He did however, hit the apartment building.  In doing so, it resulted in the side of our motorhome to look like this:

You have to understand, Jeff is extremely careful with all of his things.  Everything has its place and everything is well taken care of.  Our motorhome looks and smells brand new inside.  This little accident did not make him happy. 

My comments you ask?  Well, first was "How the heck did that happen???"  and deep inside I was thinking he needed to go have his eyes checked, I just couldn't figure it out. 

After he explained it to me, my next comment was "That is what insurance is for.  As much as you hate to make a claim, that is the point of it." 

Now I didn't think to to take a picture of the building.  Sometimes, my brain is on, sometimes, its not.  I was able to sneak around the corner and snap these on Saturday morning though:

You can see the bushes in the front, as I was hangin off the side of the front porch of the main house trying to take these without being seen.  If he saw me taking these, he would have known they were about to show up in my blog!

The camper is at the shop to be fixed, the roof is now repaired, so all is well.  We will be headed out again in September and I'm driving!

Just kidding on the driving part.  No way, not on your life would I even attempt to drive the motorhome!

Snow White

Snow White cleaned my kitchen this week:

Don't you wish she came to visit you?

Sorry

There.  I apologized in advance for yes, another quote. 

"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you" Dr. Seuss


Sorry, again, I couldn't resist!

How To Cool Off In Florida

Put bathing suit on, stand under air conditioning vent until you have cooled down from breaking the sweat you did attempting to put on the bathing suit.

Go outside, get in the pool, which currently is warmer than the temperature of the outside air, get out, dry off until you at least won't drip all over the place, go back inside and stand under the air conditioning vent again.

Repeat as many times as necessary!

Thank You.

This Sums It Up

I found this quote yesterday, (anyone else seeing a pattern emerging here?) I seem to be drawn to them lately. 

When I saw this though, my heart soared.  It finally gave reason to the fact that I love to read.  And I don't mean a little bit.  ALOT of Bit!  Those that know me, know I am never without a book.  It is nothing for me to read 2 or 3 books a week.  (okay, a weekend)  Which is why my wonderful husband bought me a kindle 2 years ago.  (Anyone see the new one?  OMG!  I want it so bad my eyes hurt!) 

Leave it to Confucius to create my new motto in life.

"No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance."
    - Confucius

And that is all there is to say!

Sick

I don't get sick often.  By sick I mean, having to purge all of the contents of my stomach and lie on the bathroom floor for hours.  Well, my time was up this weekend.  Within an hour of coming home from dinner on Friday night, I was in the bathroom pleading to Jeff to get me a headband and a glass of water. 

And in that order!

I then proceeded to spend the next 4 hours on the floor.  Who ever decided that bathroom flooring should be tile is a genius!  Genius I say!  Because that hard, cold tile was the only place I wanted to be.

I proceeded to feel this way into Saturday afternoon.  At which point the rumbling stopped and I gradually started back on solid foods. 

Jeff and Kyle left Saturday morning to spend the weekend 4 wheeling.  I have never been so grateful to be alone!   I spent Sunday trying to recover and laughing at the fact that I am obviously out of shape.  My stomach felt like I had done a million sit ups.  I floated in the pool and read my kindle, while doing 18 loads of laundry before the boys showed up with their nasty attire.  And by nasty, I'm talking bugs in their clothes nasty!

So, here is to a better week!

Guys Weekend

One guess where Kyle and Jeff went this weekend.

They went four wheeling at the Myakka Mud Fest.  This just doesn't look like fun to me.  And everytime they go, all I can think about is the laundry.  I'm also currently thinking over the fact that Kyle only had one pair of shoes.  Guess I will be shopping later today.

Bella

Bella is back home and I saw this quote today and thought it is the perfect way to start the weekend.

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.
                                                                -Samuel Butler

Best Signs

Our local GNC store always seems to have the most interesting signs.  You can check out a previous sign HERE.

1,000 glasses of red wine for $1.00.  ( I wish!)

Caden Lane Contest

While sifting through a few of my favorite blogs, I came across a contest being held by Caden Lane.

Check out the contest HERE

This contest makes me wish I had a baby!

Ok, almost wish I was having a baby.

Alright, Alright, knew someone who was having a baby.

Houdini

J called to check in on Bella today at the vet.  Last night was a big night for her, and he wanted to see how she did.  Here is how the conversation went.

J:  "I'm calling to check on Bella and to see how she did last night."

vet:  "Oh, our escape artist."

J:  "What do you mean by that?"

vet:  "She climbed our 8 ft high fence and tried to escape.  It would have been nice to know that about her."

J:  "We've only had her a few days, we knew she could jump 4 ft, but we were not aware that she can climb a fence."

vet:  "She can be picked up today after 4:30."

J:  "We were told tomorrow."

vet:" No, today."

J:  "Okay, we will be there."

Guess she wanted to go home!

Just a Few Thoughts

Preparing myself to write this post, I discovered that, for the second post in a row I will not have any photos.  I find this funny seeing as I am taking photoshop classes.  Anyhoo....

Bella had to be dropped off at the vet today to start her heart worm treatment.  It was emotional for Bella.  She was shaking like crazy and looking at me with those large brown eyes and telepathically sending messages of "What did I do that you are bringing me here?"

It was emotional for me too.  If you do not understand how heart worm treatment works, I implore you to stay in your happy little place thinking she will get a shot, stay calm for a month and then be healthy. 

Unfortunately, this is not how it works.  Bella will receive a painful treatment and remain at the vet until at least Friday.  She will then come home with us, and be required to remain calm with no exercise or excitement for one month.  The reason?  The increased blood circulation from heavy exercise can push heart worms out of the major blood vessels and into the lungs, increasing the chance of developing congestive heart failure and possibly causing sudden collapse and death.  And yes, that is a direct quote.

I am upset that someone took the time to train Bella, but not the time to give her a $10 a month prevention medication.  Our pets have always been given the best, and in return they have given us their best.  Duchess and Daphne are 15 years old, Gracie is 9, and Nico and Lucky are 7.  Bella is 2.  Every year when that month rolls around that we tote ALL of them in rotation through the vets office and gripe about the bill at the end of it (last year with Duchess and Daphne needing surgery, and then all of their annual shots, it came to somewhere around $1200), we do it because we took on the responsibility to care for these dogs. 

I understand people are giving up their pets in record numbers right now due to unemployment and other factors.  However, there are low cost vaccinations and spay & neuter programs available all over.  And I can't say enough about spay & neuter your pet.  It is healthier for them and can help cut down on all of the unwanted animals out there!

So, I am headed to work with Bella on my mind.  Her and the cats had finally started to come to an understanding that neither was going anywhere and that the cats were not dog treats.  So, I hope you will keep her in your thoughts as well.

Photoshop

I finally caved and signed up for Photoshop classes.  Class started last night and will be every Monday for 3 weeks, 2 1/2 hours each night. 

I discovered what people do when they retire.  PHOTOGRAPHY.

I was the youngest in the class by probably 25 years.  Seeing as I'm closing in on 40 myself, this was quite impressive. 

A good time was had by all of us, maybe a few were a little frustrated, but for once, it wasn't me.  I love what this program can do and can't wait until the next class.

(On a side note that has nothing to do with the content of this post, we discovered that Bella can leap the fence in the dog pen without even skimming the top of it.  She was quite proud of herself as Jeff and I watched in amazement.  No wonder she was picked up by Animal Control!  We are currently scratching our heads trying to come up with a solution for the next month until we can get her into training.)

Sangria

It has been so hot and humid here lately, that I figured I would do something different for drinks with dinner. So, yesterday morning was spent chopping, slicing and peeling various fruits for a White Sangria. I added apples, grapes, lemons, limes, oranges and pineapple. Then added Pinot Grigio, Rum, Citrus Vodka and Cointreau with some simple syrup. I then placed it in the fridge all day, poured it over ice and served it with dinner. It was delicious, which was obvious by the fact that the pitcher was empty by the time the dishes were done!

Some Things Happen For a Reason

If you read the post of how we found Nico, or even what was happening when he was lost, I mentioned that I had been looking all over for him.  This required me to visit shelters and animal control service.  The Humane Society was wonderful as always, animal control was depressing.  I volunteered at The Humane Society way back when.  Jeff made me stop due to my weakness in saying "No".  During my few months there, we added a dog and a cat to our family.

While walking through Animal Control, the second to the last cage I thought was empty.  Which I found strange, since the place was packed. (For those of you who have dogs, please keep them under close monitoring during the 4th of July.  It is the busiest time for Animal Control.)  As I turned around and came by the cage again, I realized that there was a dog in that cage.  Two eyes were looking at me from under a mountain of hair.  I quickly realized that she was a Labradoodle.  One of the two breeds we had been considering looking at in the future.  The WAY future. 

After finding Nico, I had to notify every one of the places I had contacted to place a report of a lost dog.  The last one was animal control.  After giving Nico's information, I had to ask about the Labradoodle.  Her answer?  "That dog is not able to be adopted out to the public."  When I asked her why, she said that she had tested low positive for heart worms, and because of this, she could only go to a rescue group or she would be euthanized within the week. 

My response?  "Whoa, wait a minute".  I then discussed with her that low positive was treatable and although the cost can be all over the place, why would they put down a dog that has a treatable disease.  That is the process, was the reply. 

Of course, my mouth sometimes works without my brain being attached, so my next question? 

"What if my husband and I take her and agree to pay for all of her treatments?" 

As my mind was trying to figure out if I really did say that out loud, her reply came back.  "No.  Only a rescue group, or she will be euthanized." 

So, I hung up the phone, completely deflated with how the whole process works.  I didn't understand the need for all of these rescue groups until talking with them.  Now, I get it.  So, I text Jeff and informed him of what our conversation had consisted of and how the process worked. 

By the time I got home, I was really frustrated.  I then remembered that the person who had called me about the white Shiba Inu, was from a rescue group.  So I frantically searched through my phone, found their website and shot off an email.  Telling them about the dog and that we would foster her if needed.

2 hours later I took a phone call from The Safe Haven Animal Rescue of Florida.  They had been looking at this dog, but could not find a foster home for her.  If Jeff and were willing, they would pick her up the next day, have her cleaned and bring her to us.  The rescue group would cover her medical expenses.  In the end, after all of her treatments, if we want to keep her, we can, or they will try to adopt her out. 

They picked her up and had to shave off all of her hair since she was so dirty and covered in fleas.  Her heartworm treatment will start Wednesday, and that will last for one month. 

So, we now have a new addition to the family, and her name is Bella.  She really is a good dog.  She sits, gives you her paw, and gets along with everyone.  Well, everyone but the cats.  That is a work in progress. 

Bella, already at home on my furniture

Friday Just Got Better

Friday just got better courtesy of Mr. Cheesecake!!!

Blueberry Cheesecake

TGIF

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

This week has been long.  With everything that happened with Nico, we didn't get much accomplished other than finding him.  Well, there is a little surprise, but I will wait to show you all that until I get a few photos.

Today will be hectic at home, glad I am working!  We are having our pool heater replaced.  No, we don't need it now, but it hasn't worked in a year.  Not much fun having a hot tub that never got HOT!  This requires the gas guy to be there along with the person installing the pool heater. 

Then, our air conditioning guys will be coming for our maintenance.  Which causes mayhem with a stranger in the house with the dogs.

There is one other thing, but that would give away the surprise.  So, until tomorrow, Happy Friday!

2 For The Price of One

First, let me get this off my chest:

NICO IS HOME!!!! 

Now, let me tell you about the title of this post.

Our newspaper ad hit this morning.  We received a few calls and someone mentioned that we should call the Sarasota animal shelters as well.  While calling all of these, I kept getting the same question, "Didn't you just call about a Shiba Inu?"  Finally, after the 3rd time, I asked who else is calling.  They informed me that a small white Shiba Inu, female, went missing last night. 

As I was checking our ad on craigslist, I noticed the very first ad was for a white Shiba Inu, named Sheba.  Her family missed her terribly and were looking for her.  I have to say, Nico is cute, but she was right up there with him.

I then received a phone call from a gentleman who informed me that he didn't have my dog, but he had found a "small, white, Shiba Inu named Sheba, whose telephone number on her collar didn't work."  He wanted to know if I had heard of her and if I knew of a way he could get in touch with the owner.  After getting over my initial shock, I told him that yes, I did know whose dog it was and just so happened to have a cell number and a home number.  I took his number and called Sheba's owner.  He was over the moon with excitement that we had found her. 

During all of this, I received a text from Jeff "I think I found him, will let you know".  Twenty minutes later, Nico was back at home.  The person who picked him up on Sunday, saw our flyer at the gas station and called.  He said that Nico had been wonderful and had been sleeping with his 5 yr old son the past few nights.  (Not sure if Nico is happy he was recovered, because he will be back on the dog bed!)

So, in the end, we got 2 for the price of one.  I'm glad we were able to have these Happy Endings. 

Know Someone, Who Knows Someone

Know someone, who knows someone, who may just know someone else that drives a Dodge extended cab, green, Dooley pick up? 

After days of placing ads, going to every shelter and animal place I can think of, putting posters up around the neighborhood, only to have to do it again after torrential rains, we had someone call with some information.

This person called to inform us that they saw someone pull over and pick up Nico along Morgan Johnson Rd, about a 1/2 mile from our house.  He was just trotting down the sidewalk. After speaking with them a bit longer, we realized how close we came to finding Nico ourselves. 

You see, when we realized he was gone, everyone that was here, jumped in a car and drove.  A few people stayed back, standing in our driveway, outside the gate, just in case they saw him.  When these people saw Nico being picked up, the were heading down Morgan Johnson and passed our house.  They mentioned the people standing outside.  They just didn't know why we were standing outside the gate at the time.  It wasn't until the next day when they saw the flyer's.

 Now, don't get me wrong, when this person called us on Monday, I was relieved.  That meant Nico wasn't out wandering around alone somewhere.  Most of the animal shelters were closed, so I was looking forward to Tuesday. 

Unless you haven't noticed, it is now Wednesday.  Not one phone call to any of the shelters or animal control, or us for that matter.

I'm not sure how someone can pick up a dog that is obviously well cared for and think to keep it.  I am really trying to keep my faith on this, but who ever picked up Nico picked him up on Sunday.  SUNDAY!  As I was laying in bed last night I realized that there is a possibility that they won't give him back.  We have had Nico for 7 years and to not know where he is or what will happen to him, really gets me.

The ad hit the newspapers today.  I am praying, hands in the air, knees on the ground praying, that people see the ad, the flyer, the craigslist ad, the facebook page, this blog or anything else that I have done and call us. 

Rain

Rain, Rain and more Rain.  This is what the weather has been since returning from vacation.  I have made a few discoveries about my feelings towards all of this rain.

1.  I snack all day when it rains.

2.  All the lost dog posters you put up the day before, now need to be redone.

3.  I eat ice cream when it rains.

4.  My pool is now cold.  Yes, for those of you up North, that means it has fallen below 80 degrees.

5.  I just want to read all day when it rains.  This means I don't do the house work I should be doing.

6.  I snack on pretzel M&M's all day.  (If you haven't tried these, YOU MUST!)

7.  Bugs try to escape the water by moving in with you.

8.  You try not to think about the dog you lost and how he hates rain, the sound and the feel of it. 

9.  Mowing cannot be accomplished when it is this wet.  I'm afraid we will lose our other dog soon because  we won't be able to find her when we let her out to do her thing.

10. I made pulled pork last night, and then ordered pizza for dinner anyway.

If this rain does not go away I will not fit into any of my clothes.

If You Must

If you must have a lost dog, don't even think of losing one on a holiday weekend! 

No one is open, not the animal shelters, animal control or newspapers for you to place your ad.

This morning was spent printing pictures, collages and posters to put up around the neighborhood.

Posters and flyers are made.  Jeff and Mike are out currently placing these up in the neighborhood and local stores.  Our other two dogs seem a little out of sorts.  Gracie, especially.  Gracie and Nico have always shared a bed.  Even though they each had their own, they chose to sleep together. 

Hopefully someone found him and will see our posters. 

LOST DOG

Our 4th was fantastic until about 7:30 p.m. when we realized that Nico dug out from the dog pen.  Normally, no big deal because our property is completely fenced with a gate.  However, we had a house full of people coming and going.  At some point, the gate must have stuck open. 

This is Nico, please email me at mjgambler@gmail.com if you have seen him.  He is a Shiba Inu and we have two other dogs who miss him terribly.  Along with a few humans too!

Happy 4th of July

While in New York, we took time to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We didn't get off the boat at Lady Liberty, just ventured on to Ellis Island.  The boat trip did allow for me to get some photos.  I will post the pictures from Ellis Island later this week.

The line to get on the ferry was CRAZY long.  Luckily, Stacey was smart and we pre-ordered our tickets.  Note to anyone thinking of going to New York, PRE-ORDER your tickets.  It was super duper hot and humid, so not having to stand in that line was fabulous.

Public Service Announcement:  No one sells sunscreen anywhere near or on tour.  I ran around like a crazy woman trying to find sunscreen anywhere I could.  I came pretty close to asking someone who was putting sunscreen on themselves, if I could buy a squirt!

Kyle on the Ferry heading over to the Statue

Cohen enjoying the view

Happy 4th Everyone! 

A Week In Review

The last post I made was exactly one week ago.  It was a long and busy week. 

While in Massachusetts, we met up with family.  Kyle enjoyed spending the day with other kids around his age that are family.  Nothing like living 1500 miles away from the majority of family and being an only child!

We were able to gather the kids long enough to grab a couple of photos of them.  The oldest is 17, and the youngest is 5.  At least I think he was 5.  Ages weren't a matter of discussion.  Kyle was impressed with them all swimming in the pool, which was no way warm enough for him to even consider changing into a swim suit for! 

As some of you may know, I went from being an only child to having two siblings a few years back.  My Mom brought this small bundle of fur into her life, Ruby.  Ruby is a shih tzu.  A year or so after, my Dad couldn't resist getting one of his own, Roxy.  Roxy travels everywhere with my Dad.  And now, to add to the menagerie is Molly, my Aunts latest addition.  Lets just say Roxy is not that impressed with Molly. 

This is Molly, smiling for the camera!  Say, Dog Biscuit!

And, this is Roxy.  Who was not only miffed at everyone because there was another dog, but she was hot.  It was so humid the last day we were there, I wasn't sure why we even left Florida!  However, not trying to get off track, after looking for Roxy, I discovered her in the flower bed, trying to stay cool in the shade!

I will continue to post things from our trip as I go through the pictures I took and try to make some sense of them!  Until then, Happy Weekend!