Dear Motivation

Dear Motivation,


Where are you?  Why have you abandoned me?  Do you not realize how much I have to do?  How much I could do?


How am I supposed to keep climbing Mt. Washmore, the mountain of laundry that never gets smaller no matter how much gets washed, without you?


How am I supposed to keep cooking meals that no one likes, clearing counters that never stay cleared, picking things up that just wind up back on the floor, without you?


What about all the other things I need to do or just want to do?  Working on my art, training Ginger not to bark at people walking past, teaching Chili some tricks, getting our tax stuff in order, redecorating some of our rooms, decluttering, etc.


None of it gets done because I just can't find you.  Could you let me know when you'll be back?  Could you just drop me a postcard?  Give me a little encouragement?  Promise me you'll be back once you've "found yourself" or whatever it is you're off doing?  I need you.


Barb

Happy Hour Friday

Hello Everyone.  Thanks for stopping by.  Since it's Friday, I'm going to join Rxbambi in Happy Hour.

I'm happy that my email account has gotten hijacked.  Someone sent all of my contacts an add from an online drugstore where they could buy viagra.  That's just great.  My kids' teachers are all in my contacts, my Aunt and Uncle are in my contacts.  I got a call from someone at the bank about it.  Even Dr. Grumpy is in my contacts!  Sorry!  I guess I'm just glad it wasn't porn or something!

I'm happy that I walked my dogs today.  These poor dogs.  Since I sprained my ankle I haven't been able to walk them.  But the ankle is on the mend and I walked without pain.  It was only about a 20 min walk (less than half what the dog whisperer says they should get everyday).  But it was better than nothing.

I'm happy that I've been decluttering.  Our neighborhood has an annual garage sale in the spring.  So I'm gathering up stuff to get rid of.  Other people who love the dog rescue we volunteer with will also bring their stuff over (Bambi has already unloaded a bunch of stuff.  I'm thinking about charging her a storage fee) and all of the proceeds will go to the doggies.  (and kitties, too).  We only made about $300 last year for the rescue.  I'm hoping we'll do better this year.  I'm also happy that I've gotten my kids into this purging, but they want to keep the money their stuff brings in.  I guess that's fine.

I'm happy to be going to a Habitat for Humanity function tomorrow and a Hope Rescues function on Sunday.  Both will involve a lot of fun and both are great causes.

I'm happy that this is the last week for basketball.  It's been a good experience, but I'm ready to have my Saturdays back.  At least until baseball starts.

I'm happy I figured out how to add a button to my blog.  It seems that all the cool kids have them.  I wanted to be cool too!  I used my favorite ATC (that's artist trading card) for the art on my button.  What do ya think?

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you are having a great Friday!  Happy weekend!

Random Thoughts Tuesday

Hi, All.  It's Tuesday.  The Un-Mom is hosting random thoughts today.  Go check it out!

Just finished sweeping and mopping in the hearth room.  It's one of the dustier rooms in our house.  I saw a yahoo article that said household dust contains not only human skin, dog dander and hair, decomposing bug parts, and dirt from outside, but also arsenic, lead, and DDT!  Makes me (almost) want to go and dust the rest of the house right now!

Got my hair cut today.  I look rather sassy, but hubby is too busy to go to lunch with me.  So I'm letting the dogs enjoy my new haircut while I mop and dust the house.

That reminds me, I was going to put something in the crock pot for dinner.  Better get to that as soon as I'm done with this post!

Our Monday nights just got a tiny bit less busy as we had our last basketball practice for the 3rd grader.  First grader's last practice is Thursday.  Last games are on Saturday.  I love the place they are playing.  It's a little church-y (we aren't really)(Upward Basketball) and they have a Bible verse to learn each week (won't kill 'em) but it has a really positive atmosphere, everyone gets to play, they don't keep score so everybody wins.  It's been a good experience for them.

The next sport they are doing is baseball, which is a summer sport here.  So we have a break for a couple of months.

Chili is so cute with the tip of her tongue sticking out!

She went to the door yesterday and looked at me.  So I let her out and she pooped!  I guess we are getting there.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I'm off to clean up some of that arsenic!

Sassy Sunday

Hey All, Sassy here.  This is my favorite corner of the kitchen.  How's your Sunday?  I'm busy laying on the couch, sitting for cookies, and watching for squirrels.  You have no idea how busy I am!

So, I've learned that puppies do some really strange things.  Here's Chili in the dishwasher.  She's learned from Ginger that Barb needs help cleaning the dirty dishes when they first go into the dishwasher.  But on this day she just climbed in and lay down.  I guess maybe it was nice and warm.  Barb was unloading the clean dishes so there wasn't anything to clean.

She's also been seen trying to chew the corner of a cabinet in the kitchen and the corner of a wall.  Of course she does that cliche thing of chewing on people's shoes.  I don't get it.  Gross!  But I guess I like her pretty well.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Happy Sunday.

Six Word Saturday

birthday party, basketball games, police tour

These 6 words describe my busy day today.  See Show My Face for more Six Word Saturdays.

Happy Hour Friday

Thanks to Rxbambi , it's time for Happy Hour Friday!  Link up with her and tell everyone what you're happy about!

I was going to say that I was happy Chili hadn't had any "accidents" in the last several days.  But this morning she peed on 3rd-grader's coat.  It was on the floor (not where it's supposed to be).  She likes to get on something (a coat, a pillow, a pile of dirty laundry) to pee.  Grrr.  But then look at that face.  Can't stay mad at that!

I'm really happy that my 13-yr-old has decided to be in charge of his own laundry.  He's been doing it now for more than a week.  But would it kill him to throw a few other things in?  His last load was one shirt.  The one he wore yesterday so he could wear it again today.  At least it's clean.  A few weeks ago he'd have just worn it dirty. 

I'm happy to have channeled my inner Martha.  I organized my pantry.

Got the cereal boxes all in a row.  Put stuff in order by category.  Used these pretty glass jars for pasta, rice and nuts.  (Look at the difference in color of two brands of brown rice.  Huh.)

I'm happy that I'm able to get some cardio back into my workouts.  My ankle is still "on the mend" rather than all better, but it can take some exercise.  I just need to be careful not to re-injure it.

I'm happy I got to spend time with my sister this week.  And she helped me with menus, too.  I asked her on Tuesday what she was having for dinner.  She said Italian beef in the crock pot.  So that's what I served.  Then yesterday I asked her what was for dinner.  Taco soup, also in the crock pot.  So that's what I served!  It was great.  Wonder what's she's making tonight.

I'm happy that one of my neighbors, one that I don't know all that well, sent me a gift subscription to a scrapbooking magazine.  That was really nice of her.  And totally unexpected.

Sassy's sitting next to me.  I'm happy she still does something she's done since puppyhood.  She chews on a blanket and kneads it like dough with her front paws.  Eventually, she falls asleep with the blanket still in her mouth.  It's precious.  Of course, she also chews the blankets into little pieces that I have to pick up from the floor and occasionally from the yard.  She only chews fleece, though.  Isn't that weird?

I'm happy that my Aunt Barb reads my blog then sends me encouraging and helpful emails.  Hi Aunt Barb!

K.  I think that's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by!  What are you happy about?

Random Thoughts Tuesday

Random Tuesday Thoughts was started by the Un-Mom .  Give her a visit!

Why does having a puppy around turn two older dogs into puppies?  The 3 of them run around and chase each other like, well, puppies!

Why do my dogs, particularly Sassy, chew the "tough" toys to bits in almost no time flat?

Why can't I get my eating under control so my workouts will do what they are supposed to?

Why can't I get caught up on laundry? or house work?  or dishes?

Why do I bother cooking when I know I'll have comments like "Is there anything I LIKE on the table?" or "Chicken again?" or "Why do we have to have this? or that?" "Why can't you make something I want to eat?" or something along those lines.  It's depressing to cook for this family.  Yet I do it every day.  Eating together as a family is supposed to lead to lower obesity rates, higher grades, less risk of doing drugs, less risk of smoking, drinking, having sex, etc. as teens, happier kids.
So why does my 3rd grader "hate his life"?  Because I cook crap he doesn't want to eat, I guess.

Why is it that I pick up all the dog toys and put them in their basket and by the next day they are all out again?

Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

Ok, obviously, it's time to quit.  Have a great Tuesday.

What's in a name?

What’s in a name?  After seeing Rxbambi’s post this morning, I thought I’d look up my name too.  Fun.

Using the name I’ve had for 21 years, my stats are:

31% of the letters are vowels. Of one million first and last names we looked at, 74.0% have a higher vowel make-up. This means you are modestly envoweled.

In ASCII binary it is... 01000010 01100001 01110010 01100010 01100001 01110010 01100001 00100000 01001101 01100011 01000011 01110010 01100001 01100011 01101011 01100101 01101110

My personal power animal is the Kunekune Pig

This beautiful creature lives in New Zealand.  According to Wikipedia it is a small breed of domestic pig.  They are friendly and are often kept as pets.  The name means “fat and round”.  I’m not sure how I’m taking this!

My 'Numerology' number is 6. If it wasn't bulls**t, it would mean that I’m responsible, careful, and compassionate. A giver, I am there to support and care for the most vulnerable.  That must mean the homeless dogs I’m drawn to taking in!

The site guesstimates there are 229 Americans who go by my name.

My first name, Barbara, has a Greek origin and it means “foreigner or stranger”.

Using my maiden name, I’m well envoweled and there are over two thousand Americans with that name!  The power animal is the Chinstrap Penguin.

It’s a bit more attractive than the poor Kunekune pig.

Sassy Sunday

Ooh, it's Sunday already!  Time for Sassy Sunday.  So I was thinking about talking about my color today.  Just what color am I?  When I'm next to my lovely sister, Ginger, I look like "the black dog".  I am dark in color.  And I guess when I'm outside in the sun, I look like a black dog.  But if you actually take a minute to look at my coat, you see that I am actually several wonderful shades of brown and black.  And I do have a couple of white patches.

But since I have a lot of black in my coat, I'm a member of the Black Dog Club at the Humane Society of Missouri.  Hey, a girl has to have some social contacts, ya know.  I joined the club after hearing some really sad stuff about black dogs.  Did you know there is such a thing called the Black Dog Syndrome?  It's also called black dog bias.  Wikipedia defines it as a veterinarian and animal shelter phenomenon in which black dogs are passed over for adoption in favor of lighter colored animals.  Apparently, black dogs are adopted in lower numbers and euthanized in higher numbers in shelters.  It also takes longer for black dogs, particularly big black dogs, to get adopted.  People are not sure of the reasons for this.  But, nonetheless, many shelters have seen this phenomenon.  There was even an MSNBC article about it.  The people at Hope Rescues, where are foster dogs (and my sister Chili) come from, say it's true.  Luckily, I was never at a shelter!

So, back to me, the main focus of this post.  In this adorable pic of me, Ginger, Spooky, and the youngest kid all in mom's bed, I look black.  And I just about disappear in this picture with Happy Gilmore, one of our foster dogs.

But Mom's getting better at taking pictures of me.

It's all about lighting.  If she gets me in some natural light, you can really see the complex color patterns in my coat.  Am I not just the most beautiful creature?  Anyway, thanks for stopping by today.  I love it!

Until next week (same bat-time, same bat-channel),
Sassy

Happy Hour Friday

Yeah!  It's Friday!  And thanks to our friend (and to some of us, our sister) Rxbambi , we have Happy Hour Friday.

So.  I'm happy it's Friday.  I'm hoping I'll be able to sleep in a little tomorrow.  But, then again, I have a puppy.

I'm happy I have a puppy.  And I'm happy that most of her pees and poops are outside.   I'll be really, really happy when they all are!

I'm happy Ginger and Sassy are liking Chili.  And that the cat seems ok with her.  And that she's learning her invisible fence line.  Seems alot of my happy this week has to do with that little booger.

I'm happy Bambi made it on the board at the gym (you'll have to visit her to see what I mean).  I can't do the challenge this month because it is 2 minutes of jump rope without stopping.  My sprained ankle wouldn't like it.

I'm happy that my ankle is only sprained.  That's what the orthopedist said.  Minor sprain.  "Minor sprain, my _ ss!"  It hurt like hell!

I'm happy that the olympics start today.  My 3rd-grader is all about watching them this year.  We're gonna hang at home tonight and watch the opening ceremonies.

I'm really happy that our little town library was voted Best Small Town Library in America!  My neighbor is the director.  Way to go Anne!


That's about it for me.  Go see Bambi and link up and tell the world what you're happy about.

Sassy Sunday

Hello, Everyone.  Sassy here.  I thought I'd give you a little peek into my world today.  If you're interested, that is. :)

Well, I'm a beautiful girl, about 5 years of age.  When my people first heard about me, before they ever saw me, they were told I was a Chihuahua mix.  They always laugh and say, "If she's got Chihuahua in her, she must have eaten one!"  Well, I don't actually know what I am.  The vet's office put "Beagle mix" on my chart.  But ya know what?  It doesn't really matter.  I'm beautiful no matter what I am.

I've been in my current pack about 4 years.  After I was weaned, a family tried me out but the dad was allergic to me.  So he gave me to his secretary but she had a Jack Russell Terrier that didn't like me at all. So she gave me to her neighbors.  They were an older couple who wanted a lap dog.  But I was just a puppy and they thought I was too much work.  Then, just a month before my current pack were scheduled to move from AL to IL, my original owner, the one whose husband was allergic to me, asked the man of my family if he'd take me.  Her daughter was very worried about all the moving around I'd done and really wanted me to have a good family.  I've been with this family ever since.

Of course you know about my sister Ginger.  We also have a cat named Spooky and a new puppy named Chili.  I don't see what all the gushing over Chili is all about.  But, whatever.

We sometimes have other dogs in the house.  We let them stay here while they wait for new homes.  It annoys me but I guess it's a good thing.  If I were homeless, I'd want a nice family to take me in.

I was thinking I'd write a little something on Sundays.  That is, if Barb will let me.
Today there is something going on called the supper bowl.  Sounds delicious.  But I bet the family won't let me have any.  They do let me have veggies and fruit when they are cutting them up.  I do love the raw veggies!

That's about it for today.  I'll check back in with you next week.  Until then, keep your tail wagging.
Sassy

Happy Hour Friday

Hey Everyone!  It's Friday, so it's time to play Happy Hour Friday with Rxbambi !  Check her out, link up, and play along.

I'm happy that I've made it a whole week without a kid home sick.

I'm happy we didn't get a snow day today (sorry, kids).

I'm happy for all the pees and poops Chili has done outside this week.  It hasn't been all of them, but we're getting there.

I'm happy for kids.  They make me crazy, but they make me happy.

I'm happy for dogs and cats.  They make me crazy, but they make me happy.

I'm happy for my husband.  He makes me crazy, but he makes me happy.

I'm happy I went for the MRI on my ankle.  I was thinking maybe it was a waste of time, but they actually saw a tear and an indication that there may have been a fracture that the x-ray didn't pick up.  So now I have an excuse to stay off my feet!  (the doc wants me to use crutches, but I don't see that happening).  Besides, I loved the 45 minute nap I took during the MRI.

I'm happy to be playing Happy Hour Friday with Rxbambi.

I'm happy I have a washer and dryer to do all the laundry, a dishwasher and sink to do all the dishes, a vacuum cleaner to pick up all the dirt and dog hair, toilets to clean, counters to declutter and wipe down, kid clutter to put away.  If I were homeless, I'd have none of it.

So, what are you happy about?  Link up and play along.

We've got our work cut out for us!

Puppies.  It's been a while since I've had a puppy.  Well, we fostered a couple.  But that was temporary and I protected myself by not letting my heart get too attached.  But this puppy, Chili, is here to stay.

She's about 5 months old.  We've had her for about 2 weeks now.  Sassy and Ginger are starting to get used to her.  Ginger is pretty accepting of new dogs in the house.  She's got a "the more the merrier" attitude about it.  Sassy, on the other hand, is much more picky about the dogs she allows to share her home.  She's never mean.  She just ignores them, sulks, and occasionally growls when they get too close to her toys or blanket.

So I realized today that I've got a lot of work ahead of me.  DUH.  Puppies are a lot of work.  She still needs work on house training.  She doesn't know her name yet.  She's getting the hang of the invisible fence but we are not to the point where I can let her out without a long lead.  She doesn't know "come" or "stay".  She's getting the hang of sit.  (with the help of lots of treats)

Do I need to take her to an obedience class?  I wonder.  I've done them before.  But the last one was for Ginger and she's going on 6 years old now.  So it's been awhile.  I can probably remember all the commands and how to teach them.  If not, there are always books and internet sites to consult.  But, the more relevant question may be "Do I need to go to a class in order to actually train her?"

I think maybe what I need to do it set up a training schedule.  Then do it.  That way Chili will learn her manners and I will save a bunch of money on dog training classes.  But I may need all of you, my bloggy friends, to check on my progress.  I always do a better job of doing things when I know someone is keeping an eye on me.  And I don't want Chili to pick up any of Ginger or Sassy's bad habits.

Bad habits?  What bad habits?

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday!