Three posts in one day? Damn I'm chatty!

The purpose of this post is to share some GOOD news with you guys!!

For the first time in SIX LONG DAYS, my other dog has finally started to eat again. Since Nikita died, Sheba has stopped eating. She wouldn't go near her food. She just ate dog treats here and there and drank her water.

About five minutes ago, Husband and I decided to try something different. We changed her food to Science Diet J/D. She also has arthritis but it is very minimal and we would like to keep it that way. We put her food in a different bowl and put it upstairs versus downstairs in the room that she shared with Nikita.

What a difference!

I just went over to praise her for eating and pet her on the back. She yelled at me. Girl doesn't like it when you mess with her food ~ especially when she hasn't eaten in six days!

My Sheba girl is back! We've been spending a lot of time with her, letting her sleep in our bedroom, taking her for rides in the car when we run errands, things like that. She slowly started to come out of her depression but this is just awesome.

This is a photo I took of Sheba and Nikita last week. Sheba is the one smiling at me.



I just gave her another cup of food and she's playing hockey with it!! SUCCESS!!

~xoxo~


BTW...wish me luck as we start our fucking garage sale tomorrow. THREE DAYS of this shit. I am more of a "let's donate to the Goodwill" kind of gal but Husband thought joining the neighborhood garage sale would be a good idea. I seriously hate garage sales.

Ugh.

Some Moms sing their kids lullabies.

Me?

I bust out the PEANUT BUTTER JELLY song!!




Every time I make my kids PBJ for lunch (which is usually six days out of the week), I will break out into this song and dance. But...not from the video above.

I do this version...




Some Moms may sing their kids lullabies but this Mom does the running man to the Peanut Butter Jelly song.

At least they'll remember me for my craziness!!

~ xoxo ~

I found my internet crack.

Etsy.com

It's an online craft show extravaganza.

An orgy of handmade crafts, if you will.

A warning though.

Once you click, you can't stop. I browse during my bouts of insomnia and it makes my insomnia worse!

Have fun. Don't blame me when you get addicted. Blame the bitch that started Etsy. *snerk*

Is it Sunday yet??

I need another hobby like a need a raging case of the clap.

That's not going to stop me though!

I have a couple of projects that are itching for me to try. I don't want to post about it for fear I will jinx myself and they will turn out like crap.

In the meantime, I leave you with my favorite photo from the weekend. We went up north to our cabin for two days. Since we are moving in a mere THIRTY days, I wanted to take photos of my favorite parts of the cabin. The bits and pieces, one might say.

Sidenote ~ Did I just say I was moving in THIRTY DAYS? HOLY SHIT I AM MOVING 800 MILES AWAY IN THIRTY DAYS. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. *Cue fetal position*

Back to the lecture at hand. My favorite photo from the weekend:




Now, there is probably symbolism in this photo, the fact that it's a baby pinecone starting fresh and the fact that we are moving in THIRTYFUCKINGDAYS and starting fresh but I just don't see it...

*wink*

Now, where's that Xanax??

~xoxo~

Oh yeah. I just shared this blog with my Momties (my Mom and my Aunties). I figure if a Church of Christ Pastor can read it and still like me, so can they. Or so I hope.

Shit. What did I do??

*smile*

It's 3am but I can't sleep so here's a photo for ya.

Nikita is on the left, laying down. Sheba is the one in the front, smiling away at the camera. This was taken the day Nikita died. Ever since she died, Sheba has been depressed and not eating her food. We are going on day 5 now and are just stumped at what we should be doing for her. We've been giving her a lot of love and attention, letting her rest while we pet her, telling her what a good girl she is. It's just so sad to see her missing Nikita so much.

Any thoughts?

PS...Have you ever walked around a bar with your pants around your ankles (on purpose) just to see what people's reactions would be?

Yeah, me neither. I was just, um, wondering.

Peace.

~ xoxo ~

My FIVE favorite things right at this moment.

#1 ~



Busy B Boutique on Etsy.
More specifically...



and



and




I've been wearing my headbands since they arrived in yesterday's mail. They are ADORABLE and fit wonderfully. They are the perfect accessory to CUTEsify your pigtails or your ponytail!


#2 ~



Yeah, it's a small photo but it's fucking DEVINE. I'm eating one right now.
Perfect late-night snack and only THREE points. BOOYA!


#3 ~



Ahhhh yeah...that's the shit right there baby.


#4 ~



I can haz cheezbrgr? (aka, LOL Cats, aka funny shit!)




#5 ~

Along the same lines as the LOL Cats above, I present to you...

LOLPresident!






**********

Now, I'm gonna take five of you freaks to do the same thing. Maybe this will get some of your asses back to blogging!! *wink*

#1 ~ Buh Bye.

Hero ~ I know you're out there sugartits!

MollyBGolly ~ It's been SIX MONTHS since your last update, ho.

The Florida Hoochie, aka Liz ~ Take a break from packing girl!

Citizen Mom ~ Let's see if she remembers the little people. *wink*

**********

It's Friday which means it's MAN CANDY day!!

Let's take a gander at McSteamy...aka, McDoMeUntilICanNoLongerWalkAndThenDoMeAgainButThisTimeEvenHarder






*drool*

~xoxo~

She died with her head in my hands.

May I go now?

May I go now?
Do you think the time is right?
May I say goodbye to pain filled days
and endless lonely nights?
I've lived my life and done my best,
an example I tried to be.
So can I take that step beyond
and set my spirit free?


I didn't want to go at first,
I fought with all my might.
But something seems to draw me now
to a warm and loving light.
I want to go I really do.
It's difficult to stay.
But I will try as best I can
to live just one more day.


To give you time to care for me
and share your love and fears.
I know you're sad and afraid,
because I see your tears.
I'll not be far, I promise that,
and hope you'll always know
that my spirit will be close to you
wherever you may go.


Thank you for loving me.
You know I love you too,
that's why it's hard to say goodbye
and end this life with you.
So hold me now just one more time
and let me hear you say,
because you care so much for me,
you'll let me go today.

~Susan A. Jackson~


I feel a huge sob waiting to come hurling out of my chest at any moment. Hug your babies, furbabies AND human, extra tight tonight.

~ xoxo ~

I dare you to send this card to your Grandma.

Several months ago, I stumbled upon a website called Super Industrial Love. They sell the funniest, most sick-ass cards you could want. They are rude, crass and completely un-PC.

I *love* them!!

The owner reads my mind. It's frightening, really.

Now, go check out the website and find some cards for that "special" occasion!

~ xoxo ~

To kill my dog or not to kill my dog. That is the question.

A serious one, at that.

I'm in a MAJOR predicament. It sucks ass. It's about my dog.

Nikita is a German Shepherd. My husband and I adopted her from an animal shelter in the summer of 1997. We had been dating a little over a year, lived together and decided to get a puppy. I had a specific type in mind so we headed over to the animal shelter.

I didn't see any puppies that I truly liked, although I wanted to take every one of them home. We were just about to leave when my husband saw her. She was in the very last kennel at the opposite end of the shelter. She was standing up on her hind legs with her head peeking out over the top of her kennel and her HUGE ears sticking straight up. It was almost as if she was saying "Pick me, PICK ME!!"

She was nine-months-old, rail thin and timid as hell. I knew by the look on my husband's face that we would be bringing her home. He went down to see her while I turned around and told the shelter worker to get the paperwork started.

Nikita came home with us an hour later. She was adorable ~ totally meant for us. She got along with my stepkids wonderfully, even protecting my stepdaughter while we went for a drive in the car or when she was taking a nap. It's like she knew how delicate and fragile my stepdaughter was.

Nikita has been with us through all but one year of our relationship. She was there when we bought our first house, got married, had our first baby together, bought our current house, had another baby, lost my stepdaughter, and had our last child. She is just as much a part of our family as any human could be.

Nikita is almost 11 years old now. A few years ago, the vet told us that her hips were getting arthritic. Over the last few years, her legs have gotten worse, she has gotten slower, fatter (yay!) and very, very grey. Who knew dogs got grey hair? I certainly didn't.

Back to the matter at hand...

About a month ago, Nikita fell down the steps in our house. She was pretty sore the night it happened and no better the next day. I took her in to the vet, where she was sedated and xray-ed.

When I picked her up, the Vet told me that her x-rays were "fascinating" from a medical point of view. Basically, Nikita had arthritis EVERYWHERE. He told me that the x-rays showed a MAJOR change from the previous ones and that she has gotten a lot worse.

We briefly discussed the plan for Nikita and between myself, my husband and the Vet, decided that SHE would tell US when it was time to go. The Vet said that she would lose that sparkle in her eyes or perhaps fall down and not be able to get back up when it was time to go.

Ever since that visit, watching Nikita struggle with her pain is heart-wrenching. She NEVER vocalizes it but you can see it when she walks. When she lays down. When she struggles and struggles to get up. Sometimes she looks so sad...but she always is excited to see us with her tongue hanging out and her tail wagging like mad. The thought of "she is hurting more than she is showing" has been in the back of my head for weeks now.

Today, I had the dogs outside with me while the kids played in the front yard. Nikita started to bark and since she is deaf, couldn't hear me when I was yelling at her to stop. I swatted her on her snout and she dropped. I felt AWFUL. It's like I startled her and she just fell down. She couldn't get back up. She was sitting on her haunches and trying SO HARD to stand up. She ended up spinning around in a 360 on her ass before she could get up. I was close to tears and felt like absolute fucking SHIT. I hugged her and told her I was sorry but I still felt, and feel, like the biggest dick on the planet.

Watching her struggle to get up only deepened the question in my head of whether we should have her put down or not. I called the Vet shortly afterwards and have been waiting for him to call back. In the meantime, my husband, stepson and I have talked about it. We all feel she is hurting but still has her spark. My husband wants to hear what the Vet says. My stepson says that he will support whatever decision we make. My younger kids have no idea (and I plan to keep it that way for now).

So many questions are running through my head but the biggest one is:

How in the HELL do you know when it is time to put down your dog?

My heart is torn in a million pieces but my head keeps saying "Yes, it is time."

I know that only we can make this decision but I just had to get it out there. I am hoping the Vet will call soon because this is fucking AGONY.

*teardrops*

~ xoxo ~

KICK ASS!

I went in for my first Weight Watchers weigh-in tonight.

I have started my weight-loss with 2.4 pounds!

It's not much and probably would have been a little more except I had a few beers on Friday and Saturday night. Granted I stuck to light beer but who knows how many points Jagermeister will turn out to be. Between the beer, the chips and salsa, two dance recitals (and no healthy food at the concessions) and going out to dinner on Sunday night, I think 2.4 pounds is still good.

Since my WW place is closed on Memorial Day, I plan to weigh in a few days early on Friday. Then, maybe I can enjoy my Memorial Weekend up at the cabin with fishing, family and food.

KICK ASS!

~xoxo~

Because I'm too lazy to make up my own entry

SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks! All the answers must start with the first letter of your first name.

My letter: ~S~

1. Famous Singer/Band: Staind

2. 4 letter word: Shit

3. Color: Sage Green

4. Street: Sunset Boulevard

5. Gifts/Presents: Stickers

6. Vehicle: Sonata

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Shit

8. Boy Name: Sawyer

9. Girl Name: Savannah

10. Movie Title: She's Having a Baby

11. Drink: Strawberry Margarita

12. Occupation: Stripper

13. Flower: Sunflowers

14. Celebrity: Sacha Baren Cohen

15. Magazine: Simple Scrapbooks

16. U.S. City: San Diego

17. Pro Sports Teams: St. Louis Cardinals

18. Fruit: Strawberries

19. Reason for Being Late for Work: Sleeping in of course!

20. Something You Throw Away: Shit

21. Things You Shout: SUCK ON IT!

22. Cartoon Character: Snoopy

This is some cool shit.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

If you want to create your own visual DNA, follow the link above. When you get to that website, just click on the START button...no need to sign up. That's good, too, because I hate that shit.

Weight Watchers has me by the balls.

It's okay though ~ I need it.

I'm headed in to day four of my first week back on the WW bandwagon. So far, so good. I've been walking every day (which still hurts due to the Jagermeister incident a few weekends ago). I have been going over on my points but only by a few. I figure it's the first week so that will happen. I went grocery shopping today and bought food ONLY for me. A couple of Smart Ones meals, some Healthy Choice french bread and a kick ass Lean Cuisine pizza. I had it tonight and damn...good stuff. It was the Roasted Garlic Chicken pizza. YUMMY IN MY TUMMY!! Mister Hunzer would have to disagree and say that it was bad on my bowels...poor fella. Got his ass kicked in the Dutch Oven Playoffs tonight.

I bought a bunch of the 100 calorie snack packs of various treats. I realize it's probably a big marketing ploy and it will work against me in the long run but for now, I'm digging these snack packs. The ones I have tried so far have been GOOD and only TWO POINTS each! I tried the Sunchips one (in cheddar, of course) and the Hostess Cupcake one. You get three TEENY TINY chocolate cupcakes in the package but they are too cute to resist. Damn good too.

I've been eating a lot of fruit ~ LOVE bananas. I eat them so much that I'm expecting a monkey to come flying out of my ass any day now.

The hardest parts for me are:

1) eating breakfast
and
2) eating five small meals a day versus three large ones.

I'm not a breakfast person but I have been making myself eat breakfast this week. Mister bought me some Special K cereal with chocolate bits in it. Frankly, it tastes like shit. Sorry hun ~ I know you were trying to help. I'm a SK Red Berries kind of gal. Next time think "Chocolate equals poop. Red Berries equals a hot sweaty shag fest."

The "five small meals" deal is a little difficult when you have five other mouths to feed and they can eat whatever the FUCK THEY WANT TO EAT AND DO IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU WHICH MAKES YOU WANT TO SCREAM.

(I'm not bitter. Or jealous. No, not at all.)

I kid ~ but honestly, trying to remember to eat five small meals on top of trying to get everyone else fed and all that jazz is not the easiest thing in the world for me. But I will prevail.

Oh ~ and thanks to you girls for recommending the Skinny Cow and WW desserts. I had completely forgotten about those so I stocked up at the grocery store today. Now I just need to figure out a way to hide the chest freezer so the kids don't dip into my stash...

Later lovelies!

~xoxo~

(PS ~ Sara girl, thanks for the audible.com idea. I will be surfing that tonight for sure!)

Losing that Ass ~ Week One

Hey kids.

I joined Weight Watchers again. I did WW after my second child was born and was very successful at it. I was also nursing him exclusively at the same time so between the nursing, the diet and the exercise, the weight just fell off of me.

This time it will be more difficult. I'm not exclusively nursing my infant son...in fact, he only nurses once a day (when he first wakes up). I'm thirty years old versus twenty-six years old. I want to lose 30 pounds versus 20 pounds. I'm taking Lexapro for anxiety whereas I was not taking it when I lost the weight the first time.

Even with the odds stacked against me, I know I can do this. I bought a monthly pass for the meetings because frankly, I need to pay to weigh. If I have to do it myself, I will not lost one pound.

I've been pretty good since this started yesterday. I went for a 40 minute walk today with one of the hounds while listening to James Patterson's "Step on a Crack".

That brings me to my next subject...audiobooks. WHERE have I been? I was hesitant to try audiobooks because I thought I would be bored. I downloaded my first one last week ~ "Mary Mary" by James Patterson. I listened to it during my drive down to Little Rock and on the way back from Little Rock. I'm in love with the concept of audiobooks!

This was one helluva boring ass entry but hey ~ I can't be entertaining ALL of the time.

When I hit my goal weight, I will be posting a before and after picture. I already know which "before" picture I will use. It will be the one of me and Aaron Lewis from his show in March.

I would love to hit my 10% goal by the time I see Staind in July. Send good luck vibes my way!


(Fuck man, I would KILL for a bowl of ice cream right now. UGH!)

xoxo

I'm still wigging out about TARANTULAS...

however, something else has taken over my brain...something GOOD.

I'm going to be flying back to Minnesota at the end of July to see STAIND in concert for the 5th time in two years!! (Technically it is the 4th time since the other time was Aaron's solo tour but I digress...)

Daughtry is the opening act and Nickleback is the headliner. Daughtry, Staind and Nickleback.

HELL YEAH!!




(I'm in Little Rock right now and have been looking EVERYWHERE for tarantulas. I swear I'm going to need to be heavily medicated after I move here).

This one goes in the HOLY SHIT files!

Did you know that there are TARANTULAS in Arkansas?



I'm moving there in 52 days.



I said TARANTULAS.




There are fucking TARANTULAS in Arkansas.



Yay me.












*gag*

I'm so smooth you should call me EX-LAX.

I turned 30 a few months ago. Ever since then, I feel like I'm breaking. Not in spirit but literally BREAKING. What the fuck is it with turning 30 that fucks you up? Is there some magic threshold you cross and your shit just quits working?

I went out with friends last night to celebrate their 30th birthdays. We had a blast at this quaint little Irish pub in St. Paul. They had some awesome beer on tap. Husband and I drank STELLA. I have never had it before or even knew they made a beer called Stella. We had to do it because one of my best friend's has the same name.

(Sidebar: You can just imagine all the jokes that night. "I've always wanted to taste you, Stella."

"Oh Stella, you feel so good when you hit the lips!"

"Stella ~ Is this your hair in my beer?")

Anyways, after six hours of fun with the crew, our boys, and too many Jagerbombs to count, we went out to the parking lot to chat. I decided to grab a big bag out of the back of our car and walk it over to a friend's car.

At 2am.

Drunk.

In knee-high boots with a skinny 3" heel.

Across a crappy parking lot.


My right ankle rolled and I went down harder than a whore at a sausage fest. I went down faster than a wet fart.

I knew I hurt but at that point, I was too drunk to care. Then I woke up this morning and felt like I got hit by a truck. After a visit to Urgent Care and normal xrays, I have a sprained ankle and a fucked up knee.

(That last diagnosis was all me...)

Moral of the Story?







It's all STELLA's fault.


*wink*

Good Gravy ~ MAKE IT STOP!!!

This is my earworm tonight. I have no words for this horror.




Seriously ~ MAKE IT STOP!!!

~ xoxo ~

It's May ~ You know what that means!!

Time for a new "Charity of the Month!"

See the new charity here ------------------------------->



We raised $640 for the American Diabetes Association in April. How freaking awesome is that??

Keep up the good work!!

~ xox ~

Drive-by picture share!

It's a busy week so far but I had to share these photos of myself and the baby boy child. I love them!! Mister Hunzer took them during some down time on Sunday afternoon.






And my favorite...




(You can tell it was a spontaneous thing because of my black sports bra/turquoise blue tank top combo. Pretty hot, eh?)

~ xoxo ~