Welcome Back?

Hello Friends!
You might have noticed I took an extended hiatus from blogging after posting incredibly infrequently in the first place. The thing is, I felt like every post was one big pity party, and bad things kept happening so I just gave up. 2014 was one big suckfest. I’ll probably post a couple of quick recaps just to catch people up on major changes in our lives, but for now I’d rather just skip right over it.

2015 isn’t shaping up to be much better, but I’m at least determined to have a better attitude about it. I have a few goals to accomplish to make that happen. Goal 1 is to write more, so you will definitely be seeing more blog entries. Goal 2 is to spend more time doing things I enjoy. Too often I get stuck in the cycle of sitting on the couch and watching TV all day, and nothing gets accomplished when I do that. I have projects that have been sitting around waiting for me to finish them, things I want to learn, and a house that isn’t going to clean itself. Plus a pack of dogs that don’t want to watch me nap all day. Goal 3 is the big depressing one: to get our finances in order. We do ok, but we could definitely do better. Basically after experiencing an emergency, I’ve realized the importance of creating an emergency fund. Goal 4 is of course to get more exercise. I’ve noticed how much better I feel, how much better I sleep, when I exercise even just 30 minutes a day. Hard to remind myself of that when it’s 5 degrees outside.

Otherwise, things are pretty good. We both currently have good health, we have a roof over our heads and a car to drive. We have happy and healthy pets that provide us with companionship and entertainment (and eggs!). And we have friends and family nearby willing and able to help whenever they can. Overall, things are pretty luxurious in the grand scheme of things. Fostering an attitude of gratitude is a somewhat grueling process, but I seem to be managing so far. My negativity center freaks out for a second (you know how I love me a worst case scenario), but generally once I’m given a little time to get things into perspective, it all seems a little better. So that's pretty much it, trying to dig out from the multiple feet of snow we have and keep things together and unfrozen.

See you all soon!

Whirlwind Adventure

We had so much fun on our little getaway! I'll sit down and fill you in more fully soon, but the highlights include:

Cold Camping Nights
Gaining what feels like 10 pounds (at least)
Lots of sitting in the car
A lighthouse
An Antiques Mall
And the Waffle House.

We arrived home in the wee hours of Saturday morning, and then I had to work Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. We are just starting to get back in the groove of being at home and with a little sunshine outside we have lots of plans for the coming days!

Storm Warning

We have soooo much snow! And without Hubs around, I have a lot of shoveling to do. A few weeks ago when we had a big storm, I did a small amount of shoveling and later had a back spasm that I haven't fully gotten over. Last night I spent an hour clearing off our deck, and now the pile nearly reaches the deck! This snow is heavy, branches of trees are leaning down, and under the snow is a lovely layer of ice.  Even though I'm all plowed and shoveled, my car isn't going anywhere today.

My inlaws were kind enough to schedule a delivery of wood the other day, and the only place for the guy to deliver was right in front of the garage. When I heard snow was coming, I had to get that pile of wood stacked under the deck so I could park my car out of the way, and so the wood would not get covered in snow. I did what any self-respecting woman would do, and I called my Mommy and asked for help! She is such a trooper.

It has been quite the weekend of physical labor, but I kind of love it. All my muscles are sore, all my clothes are wet, my dogs are tired from chasing me around, and there's a beautiful layer of white over everything. Soon it will all melt away, and all my hard work will seem like it was for nothing.

Today the wind stopped blowing, the fire is going in the woodstove, and a nice pot of soup is simmering on the stove.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Though really I suppose it's Happy Black Friday! I work in retail, so for me it's not all that happy. And I work for a store that got to be open on Thanksgiving, so super fun time there. While it was definitely not the best Thanksgiving I've ever had, I still have much to be thankful for.

Our three dogs drive me crazy at times, but our house would be empty without them. I have a lot of laundry to do, but it's wonderful we are able to afford clothes for ourselves, a washing machine and dryer to clean them, and this house to keep us warm. I'm grateful I have a dependable vehicle that gets me safely to and from my job, that will hopefully last for years to come.

I got to spend time with my mom and my "other" mom (my best friend's parents invited us over), and while I did not see my husband as much as I would have liked, I'm very thankful that we were able to get married while my dad was still alive and able to enjoy himself. It's been a rough year, and I'm so very grateful my husband has been so supportive through all of this.

And now it's on to Christmas! I did not venture out for any Black Friday deals this year, but I've decided Cyber Monday really appeals to me much, much more. Picking something out while in my pj's and having it shipped to my door is definitely the way to go. Although, I hope the hubs isn't home when it gets delivered!

Our Pack

Sometimes, very rarely, all three of them are near each other long enough to take a picture.

Just an Update

Things have been super crazy around here. The husband's thumb is finally better, after numerous doctor and hospital visits and a few different antibiotics. He's back at work and feeling much better! Thank you everyone for your concern and well wishes. The hardest part was that the rest of him was fine, and as such he was super antsy with orders to sit home and do nothing. I have to admit, the day I tried to do nothing with him, it was much harder to do than I thought it would be!

Today I am home alone and tackling many forgotten about projects. Hopefully you'll have more updates soon on those, but admittedly I tend to tackle more than I can handle and feel like quitting part way through. Hence why I have so many to finish in the first place.

I got a promotion at work! I'm super excited for the additional responsibility and new challenges I will face. I'm back to having a more variable schedule, which I'm actually really excited about. Sometimes you get stuck in a rut with the same routine all the time, so I like that some days I have time in the mornings, and some days I have time  in the evenings. It is definitely another "grass is greener" situation, as last time I switched positions I was really excited to have a set schedule and the ability to have more of a routine.

Things are going pretty well with the addition of Zoey. She still has a lot to learn, but at least she more often than not chews on dog toys versus eating my stuff. Fiona is still adjusting to being completely outnumbered by dogs, and then my rearranging the living room sure didn't help her. My dear feline hates change, and I'm sure she will be voicing her displeasure very soon. Already she seems to hate being separated from us at night and does not appreciate having the bedroom door shut. The funny thing is this is definitely not the first time we have shut her out at night as Bandit has a tendency to eat garbage, and Fiona has a tendency to try and eat my feet while I'm sleeping. I am sure everything will sort itself out soon enough, and we will all live happily ever after.

Meet Zoey!

I'm sure you'll call us crazy, and believe me, we are, but we got another dog!!

It started like this: I've always wanted a basset hound. We've talked about our next dog being a number of different not as big dogs, and also talked about getting another dog before these two pass on to ease the transition and feel like no one is being replaced. We also, however, talked about not having any dog for a while after these two, but when the local humane society had a basset up for adoption, I said, "Please??" And Mr. Fabulous said yes!

But he was adopted right before Mr. Fabulous got there, and he figured while he was there he would take a look around. And then he found Zoey. She's a collie mix, smaller than Brooklyn, but a few of the same mannerisms. She's super cute, a little rough around the edges, and has soooooo much energy.

She's a year old and still has a lot of puppy habits, including needing to get up to pee before my 9 hour sleep cycle is over. I swear she can tell time, because if I say "5 more minutes" or "20 more minutes" I swear she's barking at me just as time's up. And she's already eaten 2 pairs of shoes, a belt, a pair of jeans, and chewed a hole in my down comforter. Apparently the small fortune I spent on chew toys for her was not money well spent. Recently she discovered the cat's bed and decided she fits just right there! Just as Fiona was starting to get used to her presence here too.

Hint of Lyme

Our big guy, Brooklyn, has been feeling a little under the weather lately. Not wanting to eat his food, lazing about, all pretty unlike him, but not 100% of the time. He doesn't have the best dental hygiene, so we assumed that he had a bad tooth and took him to the doggy dentist. Or, you know, just our vet.

Turns out his teeth really aren't that bad, but he does have some tartar build up and we need to brush his teeth more often (also known as at all). But another explanation for his tummy troubles is that he came up positive for lyme disease. As the vet explained it, the test is simply for the presence of antibodies, so he could have lyme disease, or he could just have a "hint of lyme." It made me laugh, and also made me think of him as a tortilla chip. No laughing matter though, he is now on antibiotics since he had symptoms in line with lyme disease, and after he finishes this round we'll see how he feels and go from there.

In other news, Fiona (our cat) seems especially enamored with him of late, so maybe those two will be friends after all. And Brooklyn thinks he's extra special since he got to go for a car ride, and went to a place where everyone told him how handsome he is and gave him treats (apparently he didn't notice any of the needles).