Angus

It looks like we may have a home for Hugo. So now it is time to sing the fluffy praises of Angus.

I feel like I am writing a personal ad, and in a way, I guess I am.

Angus is a gentle soul who was rescued at the animal shelter as a puppy. He is fixed, he needs his shots updated. He loves to run and likes to play in the yard with balls and a Frisbee. He has excellent house manners. He grew up with another pup and a cat. They would chase the cat, but never knew what to do when they cornered her. He gets along with kids. We taught him to ring jingle bells hanging from the door to let us know he wanted out. He can run on a treadmill to the command "your turn" although it's been a while since he has practiced. He is very smart. If he had a beach, he would enjoy a long long long run on a beach.

He prefers being outside most of the day and would require a high fence. Have I mentioned he looks like a Muppet? He reminds me of a Muppet. He is super cool and oh so very nice and good. I would love to see him in a happy home. If you or anyone you know would like to adopt Angus please let me know.

He is a medium to large dog.
He sheds some but it is usually only bad twice a year. 

On this the 25th day of January...

I have come up with some goals or resolutions. I had to stew over this a bit. 

1. I am going to read my scriptures and say my prayers. It needs to be done and there is really no good reason it is not getting done except that I am exceptional at frittering my day away. No computer until it's taken care of. That's that! 

2. I am going to take better care of my face. I rub my eyes, I pick at my face and I sleep with my make up on. No more! At least I am going to try not to do that anymore. I will wash my face at night, I WILL moisturize!

3. Drink more water. Not hard, just need to do it. 

4. Actively seek the joy. It's always there, I need to see it more and that also has something to do with the frittering. So maybe it should be stop frittering, but I like a good fritter. (Yummm...fritter) This includes being more bold and less of a perfectionist when it comes to my crafting and creating!

5. Find at least one way to be of service to someone everyday. PS. I found the lady who wore socks to keep her hands warm and should have her hand warmers to her by tomorrow! Yayayayay!

6. Stop over thinking and be me. Not the me I allow myself to be, but the me that I can and should be. The best me possible. This includes not allowing myself to be a slave to perfectionism. Embrace all that I am. This includes making phone calls and being present and fully participating in life. I hate the phone.

I was playing around with the idea of doing a picture a day project again, but then I realized it would just be

 This: 

and some of this:

And a whole heck of a lot of this:

With a dash of this:

Sooooo, you see my adorable dilemma. That and I am going to be honest, Thatcher in winter is not inspiring me to be running about with the camera. We will see what Spring has up her sleeve. Maybe it will require me to get creative, either way it will be an adventure.

I think in the aftermath of the infertility and all that was going on during that time, the moving and the adoption, and the actual raising of a child I just got a little sidetracked. It's time to get back on track. I am excited to do that and take you guys along with me. 

Wish me luck.

 

*Steps up to microphone* My son is soooooo big!

How big is he?

Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all night! You're a great audience!

When pictures you think will be cool go horribly awry, but funny awry.

Emergency! Dog homes needed

Dear those of you who actually read this,

This is a sad day for me. I have come to the conclusion that people like us, (traveling, roaming, moving, homeless, and otherwise not settled) cannot have dogs. I love my dogs. My dogs filled the awful gulf in my heart left when I could not have babies. They are sweet dogs. I love them dearly but, we cannot be the kind of dog parents that we need to be.

If you know anybody who would love these guys please pass this on to them and let them know they are available free to an awesomely good home. They are not meant to be tied up in the yard, they are meant to be loved!

This is Angus. He is awesome because he looks like a muppet. He is a sweet dog, right now his hair is a mess, he was hanging out with my parents' Bernese mountain dog for a year and now he looks like a giant dog has been slobbering all over him. I did give him a trim, but it's going to take another.  He is nice and would do better in a big yard with a tall fence. He likes kids.

Behold his awesome dodging skills!

Puppy love!

This is after his surgery.

He is bigger now, I promise he is pretty. I will get more pictures of him, I can't seem to find them at the moment. Angus is a good dog, he needs walks, he can walk on a treadmill although he hasn't for a year so that could take some re-training. He is a good dog, but if he doesn't get walked and gets away from you he does not come when called. He will run and run until he needs water then he will come home. He is a herding dog so he needs a job. He is a good watch dog.

This is Hugo. He is a pal. He wants to be with you wherever you are. He is a good dog and comes when you call. He won't sit, usually due to the fact that he is so excited. He does jump into your arms which is pretty awesome. He does not mind kids as long as he can get away from them. He would probably do better with older kids. He's really cute. He's my little friend. He is very loyal and loves his people. He does not like strangers, but as long as you introduce and let him see they are welcome he is fine.

Now before you judge him, he is probably the best Jack Russel ever, like really. He's my favorite and the one I will be most broken hearted about losing.

He wears sweaters

And he is pretty and regal and awesome.

Please let me know if anybody is interested, and please pass this along. It really breaks my heart to do this but they deserve a happy loving stable family and we just cannot give that to them right now.

I am sure that if they were in a family with lots of love and exercise, they will be wonderful dogs to any family. We have had them at my parent's house for a year so they have not had the attention and training they have needed for that time.

Thank you for looking, please ask any questions you would like.

Recent pics, just took these Sunday the 23rd.

Can you stand more of me?

I have decided that the lovely Jill is right. I over think too much. I have all the tools I need to be as awesome as I am in my head so why not just go with it right? So that's the plan. I think the real need here is just to be more connected to my camera.

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Today my muppet dog escaped. I see other dogs who look to be the same caliber as my dog and yet tiny little fences keep them in.  I fear my dog, like his mother, has a strong sense of independence and is constantly pushing himself to be free.  Stupid dog. On the plus side, his year long stint at my parents has left us with a different dog.  He looked like a refugee after dealing with their giant Bernese Mountain dog. He came when I called and that, my friends, is a victory.

The other awesome thing my dogs have been up to is digging up poisonous toads and barking at them and biting at them. Fun! Any ideas on how to evict said poisonous toads from ones yard? Yesterday my attack Russell tried to kill a cat that was not ours. The cat sat in the basement window for a good 45 minuets after the episode looking terrified, so that cat may have found a new home. Sorry cat, but not that sorry.

They have been busy and making me think that maybe we cannot have dogs until we are settled. Which I thought we were, but has not been the case. It makes me sad though because they are my babies. When you can't have babies, dogs seem to be the natural choice. So getting rid of them is really a sad thought, but chasing them through town is a sad thought too. Why must they be so sure the grass is greener on the other side?

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I escaped the basement. It's supposed to get cold again, so I decided to fully embrace the warmth of today. We walked to the post office, and then the boy and I went to a little antique shop around the corner. We met a cute older couple out walking. The man told me he was taking his wife out because she had hip surgery and needed to get out, he wanted her to get better. She was wearing socks on her hands because they were cold. I wish I knew who they were, I want to leave hand warmers on her porch for her. She commented about how cute my shoes were as we walked away. Maybe I can find her. Grandma might know them.I am totally planning hand warmers, I bet she'd use them, they have to be better than socks.

The antique store was really cute. One of the better ones I have been in. I really enjoyed it and the lady who owns it is so nice. I will probably go visit again, and if you come to visit me you will have to come and see. So totally come and visit me you guys, OK? Check ahead of time though because we are a family in constant motion. I think I am getting motion sickness. I AM sick of moving.

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The boo bear is still growing teeth and that is making him sleep longer (yay!).  He is really grumpy though too. (Booo!) Either way he is totally adorable.

I totally missed a picture of the toad, it was too gross and I wasn't expecting them to have dug up something that fat and moving. Sorry friends, maybe I can catch the next toad. Sam I am is way cuter than a toad and when he moves he doesn't freak me out, or have warts.

I did pick a few things up at the shoppe today.

Bye bye black bird net hat thingy. It's hard to get a picture of on my hair, maybe it needs to belong to someone blond or red.

Oh that I had found this before Christmas! I think I could've rocked it then. I love this one though. I knew it was mine as soon as I saw it. (See more stripes!)

Hooray adventure!

Can I be more me, than I am?

I am coming to the sad realization that as much as I may think that I want to be free to be me, maybe jeans and easy peasy lame shirts are me. I do heart stripes, so I am adding more of those, but maybe I am just not cut out to be the cute skirt and tights wearing person I fancy myself to be. The vintage hats are awesome but will I wear them? And should I? I think if my feet didn't hate me, I might be a whole lotta more cuter, because shoes make a difference, but pain makes more of a difference. At what point do you give in and say, "this is me."? I wear jeans everyday, I sit in a basement with a small child for most of that day and subsequently get nilla wafer goo and all manner of "stuffs" smeared on me. I have puppy dog slippers and I am not afraid to wear them! Do I give in, or do I fight to be a me that is a lot of work to be? These are the questions I come bearing today. January is not even over and I am rethinking this aspect of my betterment. I have decided, I need to have more adventures. I need to get out of the basement. Maybe I will be brave and wear my skirt and my floral tights. Maybe...goo'ed tights don't sound like much fun. Goo stops me from doing lots.

I realized today we have moved 5 times in 6 years. I think that seems excessive and should be stopped. Moving is the worst ever, I know I have mentioned this, but it seems worth repeating. Don't move, it's no fun. This public service announcement brought to you by a girl lurking in a basement.

I miss decorating, and my stuff. Oh man, looking at that makes me want to cry of cuteness. My house looks like an antler farm exploded and killed all the cuteness now. Sad day! We are going to get our stuff in Feb. I am excited. Not that I have anyplace for it, but it will be close and I can use bits and pieces, I think it will be therapeutic for me to decorate with my stuff again.


All manner of goo's come from this little monster I love so much. Just to be clear, I will be covered in goo everyday. He's worth it. I wouldn't trade the goo for anything.


This is me being me. Dog slippers and skull pants. All found on clearance. Clearance is me.

Now, what I know I am, is a mini van driving mom. Yes, I have one baby and we upgraded to a mini van because we are awesome. Really it's because we are doing in vitro and what if I have triplets. That would be scary, but at least I would have a van. So maybe by getting a van we will only have one or two and not three because we are so prepared.

I get to drive back to Tucson on Friday to get a shot I am three weeks late getting, that I do, in fact, posses! *throws confetti* Now I can ride in style, with cruise control! Woot! I really hope this in-vitro round goes better than the first. I think it is our last. It's just kind of been a frustrating little road travel, not that adoption was any kind of piece of cake. I don't know, myabe it won't be the last time, but for now I think we agree it is. All this to say, I really hope this works.

Here she is, I think her name shall be Cleo, because she is pale gold, which is like unto beige, which is like not cool and kinda lame, but I like it, merely for the fact that it doesn't look near as dirty as it is, and laziness is king around here. Why clean what doesn't look dirty? What does this have to do with being named Cleo, you may ask? The goldfish on Pinocchio is named Cleo. Duh.



She is pretty and leather and seat warmers are the bomb-diggity!




The little man is riding is style now! I can't believe all the space. I think I will sit in the back and watch movies with the boy. It's pretty nice to have space!

I leave you with these shots of my little boy in his awesome shirt of nerdom! Seriously, cutest shirt evah!





Teeth are the devil. Watching my little boy go through teething is making me think I should take better care of mine. It's got to be done.

Oh and as an aside, anybody out there have any tips on changing the mail email addy on blogger? I want to delete my old email but I only get my notifications there.

Dear 2011,

Back off!

Love,
Me

As much as I had hoped to write a nice post about how I was going to work really hard to live a life full of gratitude and giving myself permission to truly be myself and love every minute of it, it doesn't seem to be heading in that direction. I wanted to talk about how much I wanted to revel in every minute of motherhood. Especially before there are more, because I have heard it's hard to keep sane at that point. I wanted to do at least a picture of the week. I wanted to create and play my uke and really commit myself to being a better me.

Let's sum up what has actually happened shall we?

Day one, our dog tried to jump a fence and ripped his claw out of his paw. We tried to wrap it up but he limped more with the bandage than he did without. We packed up our stuff.

Day two: We loaded up our dogs and our junk and our baby and headed to our new home. I was singing banjo music as we pulled away, feeling like the Clampets all the way. Just needed Grandma out there on the roof in a rocking chair. Later dueling banjos came on my awesome pandora station and that made me happy. I later would flush my dad's car keys down Grandma's toilet. Luckily avoiding destroying her septic system. They were fished out by J and my Brother in Law who will never, ever, let me live it down. I screamed. I almost cried. Fun times.

Day three: Mostly just unpacking and trying to find places to put things, oh, and laundry. Laundry makes any day a bad day.

Day Four: Doubled over in pain from who knows what crying.

Day five: The boy grabs and tries to eat a scorpion. Jason saves him, but scares him to death in the process. He had to shake his had rigorously to make him drop it. We squished it three times but those crazy things just wont' squish. Finally he stopped twitching. I think he said with his last breath that he was sending an army of his brothers to avenge his death. I am pretty sure that is how scorpions work. So now I am totally paranoid, especially with the baby. Alarm on phone goes off, oh yeah, I have an appointment to get my shot in Tucson. Yay! This is the second shot in a series of three. Apparently I have to be on birth control in order to get pregnant. Don't ask me these people don't talk to me or let me know what is going on ever.

Day six: Drive to Tucson, find out they don't have the shot. (This happened last time too.) Tell me I just have to come back next week. That will be $25 co pay please. They keep asking me if I brought the medicine. Last I checked, you need a prescription to get medicine. I didn't know I could just waltz into a pharmacy and pick it up OR ELSE I WOULD HAVE! So I get go back next week. I go out side stop myself from crying because, have I mentioned, I am on birth control and it makes me the crazy crying lady of doom? Well it does, I am sure to make tons of friends in my new digs *rolls eyes*. I go back in and ask if I need a prescription or something. So and so is going to look into it. That's nice. I am not feeling hopeful at this point. So and so has been supposed to look into it like a month ago you know. I guess I will just jump in my car and wait anxiously for the next adventure to Tucson. I hate driving to Tucson.
Holding back tears I get in my car and the car alarm starts going off. Well the little key clicker thing doesn't work so some guy comes and tells me to use the clicker. Yeah dude, it's never worked and I am pretty sure it doesn't work after the toilet incident. Thanks for the tip though. I can't get the alarm to go off so I figure I will drive away. It has to stop once you are rolling away in it, right? Wrong. So I am driving on the street and cars are slowing way down and looking all around. I pulled into another parking lot. I called J and burst into tears. He is telling me to go back to the Dr's office and tell them I am not leaving until I get a shot. I tell him I cannot deal with this right now. I call my dad, I try to pull the fuse, no go. I look under the hood. Dad is telling me to look for something that doesn't belong and pull the wire. That's like telling me to defuse a bomb. I don't think you want me in there just pulling wires higgelty piggelty. So I think I know what it is, but all I can really deduce is it's on the driver side and my ears no longer want to hear things. So I drive the car to this car place. Praying it won't start blaring, it doesn't, it just keeps beeping at me. Dude at car place sends me to another place that sells car alarms. He tells me to talk to Paul. I talk to Paul, he comes out and kills the alarm. Thanks Paul. I go to Target and walk around to wind down and get ready for the 2.5 hour drive home. I can't wait to do this again next week. *bashes head into steering wheel*
I get some food at Ghetto fabulous A&W. Some kid in the back is walking around muttering to himself and the lady taking my order is really hard to hear and annoyed at me for asking her to repeat herself. Look lady I have been standing in front of a blaringly loud car alarm for a while now, give me a break and stop mumbling and tell the weird kid to stop talking to himself. I eat my food and get home. J took me to get a blizzard.

So in an effort to live a more grateful life. I would like to give a shout out to Ryan and Paul for helping a gal in the throws of an emotional breakdown. Paul didn't even charge me for it. Thanks Paul! Thanks J for the blizzard. It was needed. And thank you Cindy for watching the boy. I don't even want to know how horrible life would've been with him crying AND the car alarm never ceasing. I may have just driven into a wall. I am grateful I didn't. :)

And 2011 this is for you! I think Helen may be on to something here.



I was going to write a post about how this picture was a wonderful example of how you could disagree with Christmas and still be festive, but now I just dedicate it to you 2011 and give you a warning. You better back off dude, I am on birth control and I just may snap, or cry, or cry AND snap, and you don't want that. *stern preschool teacher eyes*