Bout of Books 13: End of Day 5 Update

Yesterday was a very hard day. After nearly 12 years, we had to say goodbye to my best friend, Piper.

She had been fighting osteosarcoma for about six months, but the cancer had spread to her lungs and her stomach. She was a trooper. I'm just happy she's no longer hurting. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through and I'll miss her every day.

Between losing her and having the next 4-5 days slated for nothing but rain, it was a good time to take comfort in a book. I settled in and did nothing yesterday but read and play on my iPad. The plan is more or less the same for today and tomorrow, though we will actually have to leave the house for a while for family things.

We have a niece's dance recital this evening (our third such recital in two weeks -- that's what happens when you have a handful of nieces and only one nephew) and then my brother and his wife will be here from Ohio to visit, so we'll be doing a big family dinner tomorrow night. We only see them once or twice a year so I'm excited to hang out with them.

Other than that, it's all reading. Here's where I'm at this morning:

Currently Reading :

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Minutes Read Today: 167 minutes

Total Time Read: 572 minutes

Goal: 600 minutes

Pages Read Today: 177 pages

Total Pages Read: 569 pages

Goal: 600 pages

Books Finished Today: 0

Total Books Finished: 1

Goal: 3 books

I've almost met my page and minute goals and I might actually finish this book today. It's soooo long, but soooo good. (I had to make sure my number of "o"s matched there.) I'm pretty happy with my BoB progress so far.

Now...I'm off to the Bout of Books Twitter Chat!!

Back to Crafting!

It's been a rough month. Like, really rough. This has pretty much been me since March...

Source

I've spent the last month fighting to get out of the lease for my office, finding a new office and taking my dog to the vet. Yep...that's right...more doggy drama for 2013.

We noticed a lump on Piper's leg in March. We watched it for a couple of weeks and then decided to take her in once it didn't seem to be getting any better. The vet took a look and decided to try to aspirate it...no go. So he did a needle biopsy. We got the preliminary results of a sarcoma a few days later. So...we scheduled for an excisional biopsy.

The day before that visit, I let her out in the yard, heard her bark once, and then she came back limping. Best I can figure, she either fell in one of Sadie's holes or slipped off of the rocks in the walking path and hurt herself. When the vet went into do the removal of her lump the next day, he diagnosed her with a torn ACL. Oy. She was back for surgery the following week.

Two weeks, two stapled incisions and nearly two thousand dollars later, Piper is now an indoor dog and a cancer survivor. The lump was indeed a sarcoma, though an early stage with low chance of metastasis. We have to watch her for recurrences.

Crashing out on the bed after ACL surgery. Don't mind the blanket pile in the background. I've been lazy with housework.

The staples came out last week, but she made a quick trip back to the vet today after we noticed a new lump in the area. The vet confirmed that it's just the nylon knot from the suture used to tie her new ACL, so we're breathing easier and we've also been informed that she's healing very well. A good thing to hear. I don't think I could bear losing another dog this year. Piper's my baby.

As for work...I finally got to the point where I was sick of paying through the nose for my lease. So...I hired up my lawyer. I wound up settling with him for a sizable amount of money and we're moving out this week. In the meantime, I've been searching for a new location. I had my time wasted by a colleague with an open space who very nearly had a deal signed with me before he managed to double the price he wanted and then also sprung on me that he wanted me to pay for all of the tenant improvements on his completely unbuilt space. Umm....no.

That sucked up almost three weeks that could have been used concentrating on lining up things for the space that I am currently signing on. VERY frustrating.

In the end, I found a great location for a good price and I'll be pretty happy. The office is a bit further from my house and requires me to wake up earlier, but it will be a great deal in the end. I also managed to get myself an additional job offer in the mix.  More about that on another day...once it's all finalized.

So...ya. Needless to say, I've been burnt out and not really feeling it so much in the crafting department. I'm finally starting to pull it back together though. This weekend I made this...

An apron for 2 year old Marley...it matches the one I made for her Mama.

...and did some lazy scrapbooking. Hey...it's a start.

And now I really am getting going on stuff for the Etsy shop. I'm super excited. Things will begin being posted to the shop this weekend. Yay!!! Progress!

It will be a slow start, but once things start to settle again I WILL be posting more regularly. I'm glad to be getting back to things...it makes life feel a little bit more normal. Thanks for waiting it out with me. Craft on!!

Farewell, Friend.

Today I lost my buddy...my lab/chow mix, Harley. He was only 9. It's been a really difficult week and a half for our family.

I got Harley from the local shelter when he was just six weeks old. I got him as a companion for Piper since I worked all day and she was home alone. They bonded right away and have been inseparable ever since. It makes us worry that maybe Piper won't handle his passing all that well.

He was always a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He loved everyone... He was perfectly happy just to hang out and follow you around. What a nice, mellow pup. He could be a super goofy dude, too. He wasn't the brightest penny, but he always had a smile on his face.
 

Harley was our ball dog...our water dog...our chow hound. He was a pretty typical lab. He LOVED to go swimming. He would head straight for the nearest patch of water anywhere we went...no matter if we wanted him to or not. What a happy little clam.

Harley had never been sick. He's always been the easiest pet to take care of. Just went with the flow. What an awesome guy. But around Christmas time, he developed a cough. We took him to the vet and they gave him some pain medication. The cough subsided, but he developed a lesion on his leg and started having issues with eating. Harley was never one to turn down food. 

We took him back to the vet. During exam, the doc also found an anal abscess. We felt awful. He was put on antibiotics, started eating again, and seemed to be doing better. We were keeping him indoors more, out of the cold and laying on blankets to help him rest easier. But...then he started having trouble breathing and we noticed that the sore on his leg was getting worse. Back to the vet we went.

It was at this visit that things really turned for us. Harley had started losing substantial amounts of weight, but gaining substantial amounts of water. The doc ran some tests, but couldn't determine exactly what was wrong. His blood was low in protein and full of white blood cells. They gave him a shot of antibiotic and referred us to a clinic more specialized in emergency medicine so that he could have an ultrasound. X-rays had been inconclusive, other than revealing the fluid buildup.

Though we weren't ultimately fans of this clinic, they did try to figure out what was wrong with him. 4 liters of fluid were taken off of his chest and abdomen, allowing him to breathe much easier and rest more comfortably. After 3 days, he came home on Friday night. He was freaked out being alone, so I slept on the floor next to him. He was better by Saturday and he seemed to be back to his old self. 

Last night, he started struggling to breathe again. Between 9pm and 5am he put on a substantial amount of fluid and we could tell that he was hurting. We were up with him for most of the night. We made a beeline for our vet as soon as they opened. They removed a whopping 6 liters of fluid from the poor guy's abdomen. They said that he was feeling much better, walking around and seeming comfortable. He laid down to take a well-deserved nap. He never woke up.

Collin and I went to say goodbye this afternoon. His collar came home with us. He will be cremated and his ashes will be scattered in an orchard a few hours from home.

It's really hard to say goodbye to my sweet boy. We're going to miss him so much. I am glad that he was comfortable in his last hours and that he was with people who cared about him. I was upset that we couldn't be with him, but in the long run it was probably easier this way.  His photo is now on our mantle, with his collar. We won't forget him.

We love you buddy. We'll miss you. Thank you for being such a good boy.

Summary Monday: Couch Edition

I've been super lazy today. I'm not going to lie. It was a fun weekend, but I woke up this morning not feeling so hot. Thank goodness I didn't have to work today. I had a pile of plans for things I was going to accomplish. Instead, I got the dishwasher emptied and completed one load of laundry. *sigh*

At least I wasn't the only lazy one...

But I had to get a post finished. It's going to be a busy week and I have at least three other posts planned for the next couple of days.

Darian has a week full of field trips, so it's going to be fun for him, but busy for me. He'll be doing the regular zoo/museum field trip on Wednesday followed by their special two day field trip on Thursday/Friday. Not only does this mean getting things together in order to pack him up for an overnight stay, I have two sack lunches and a sack dinner to prepare. I'm going to have to get creative...especially since...it's time to go shopping again.

Remember that big shopping run I did back at the end of January? Well, it has lasted until now...a full five weeks longer than the original plan. Some of this was due to eating out and some due to using leftovers, but a lot of it had to do with simply using my stash more creatively. Including that trip, groceries for the last three and a half months have ended up costing us about $600 (after adding up the produce, dairy and extra cereal stocking up I did during that time). It works out to about $175 per month or $40/week. But all good things must come to an end. So...I'll be spending a good chunk of time this week prepping for my next run. I'm not sure when I'm going to hit the store, since I'm working Friday. I have a bad feeling that it will have to be Saturday, since Collin will be working on Friday night. I will definitely need two people for cart wrangling.

I'm getting nervous about it now. Let's not talk about it any more. Instead, here's what happened last week:

Posts I Posted: I started off a lot stronger than the week before, but quickly petered into nothingness as Collin's mom came into town and we spent a lot of time hanging out together, celebrating her birthday and preemptively celebrating Mothers' Day. Before I disappeared, I posted a crazy, rambling post from my phone about my badly behaving dogs, as well as two book reviews. I warned you about the drudgery of Girls in White Dresses. Don't be suckered in by the cute cover. Remember how that worked out with Lift? I also played compromise with my rating of the clever, but complicated Ella Minnow Pea.


Books I Read: I finished reading Philippa Gregory's The Lady of the Rivers, her third book in her Cousins' War series. I really enjoyed it. Its review will be one of this week's posts. I think I might also have to update the bracket with that post. But before I get to that, I will be reviewing (drum roll please) Jenny Lawson's Let's Pretend this Never Happened. I am still giddy about this one. I am currently reading The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty.

Recipes I Tried: I made Crockpot Pineapple Chicken. Not too shabby. The best part? It took me all of 5 minutes to throw in the pot. Very little prep required. I also revisited Peanut Sesame Noodles and Cheap Korean Beef. Total prep time for both of those recipes done together: about 20 minutes. Yay for easy. I made some pretty darned good chocolate/butterscotch pancakes, but forgot to take pictures. So...I guess I'll be making those again. I'm sure Darian will have a good cry over that one. They were delicious. I paired them with some crack bacon. Not the healthiest dinner we've ever eaten.

There. I have done my duty for the day. I'm going to go see if I can get my second load of laundry in the dryer. After that I think it might be some iPhone gaming and a little more reading before bed.

Summary Sunday - Soiled Carpet Edition

I have returned to the land of the living. Yay! Stupid stomach bug. Nothing I hate more than a good puke. Now that we've dispensed with all the pleasantries, on with the blog...

So it's Monday, but let's all pretend it's not. It's going to go ahead and be Sunday again, 'kay?

Last week was a rough one, so not a lot got done. That means a shortish write for me and an easy read for you. Perhaps both pluses?

Collin is out of town on shift for the week so it's just me and Dar until Friday night. He left on Saturday early in the morning after working three 24 hour shifts during the week. That made for one heck of a crazy Friday before he left. Add to that a sick kid and life gets really fun.

Darian came home from school sick as a dog on Thursday afternoon. I was off getting my nerve testing done on my arms (which - if you've never had electrical impulses shot through your already sore appendages - is a really good time). By the time I got home he had thrown up three times and was white as a ghost on the couch. Off to bed with him, but then he proceeded to vomit on the floor a couple of hours later. Good times. The cat was also apparently appalled by Darin getting all the attention, so he decided to go ahead and poop on the dining room carpet. Once again, good times were had by all.

The offender. Who is currently residing on my lap...and apparently really likes saltines.

Darian stayed home on Friday. Collin was (thankfully) off work at 8:30 that morning so we tag teamed being home in order to get all of the errands done. Dar was feeling well enough by afternoon that he was picked up by his mom as planned. Collin and I were able to go out with our Christmas gift card from Owen & Patti and have a nice dinner...and some drinks. We so needed it.

Saturday I got spoiled even more. Patti was awesome enough to take me for a pedicure after I accompanied them out to take photos of her adorable daughter who is turning two in a few days. It was LOVELY!

Unfortunately, that relaxed and wonderful feeling was ruined about 3 hours later by the appearance of Darian's gift to me...the stomach bug had returned to the house. I spent Saturday night and the wee hours of Sunday morning hurling out what was left of that afternoon's lunch. Not cool. I spent the rest of Sunday in bed and my stomach still hasn't quite returned back to normal. On the bright side, I did discover that Picabo has a penchant for saltines. He practically attacked my hand trying to get one for himself. Weirdo cat.

Alright...so what did I accomplish before the joy of illness struck our home? Not a lot. It's sad...

Posts I Posted : Darian reviewed his second book of 2012, while I showed the scarves I made for Christmas, gave a review on City of Bones and demystified the TLC naming question.

Books I Read : In addition to City of Bones, I finished City of Ashes which I will be reviewing later this week. I also realized a large mistake...yet again. This series has not been fully published either. Criminy! I initially thought that there were only three books in the series. I was wrong. There are six. Drat. I have books 1-3. I need to get book 4. Book 5 will be released later this year and book 6 will be released next year. Seriously, I need to start doing better research before I read.

I have also spent some time over the last week prepping my "to read" list. I've been organizing my e-books and getting things together so I can get an idea of what to read next. There are a lot of good choices.

Darian also informed me earlier today that he has finished his next book, so he will be posting a review this week as well.

Projects I Completed : Well...this week was an utter failure. I attempted to scan my Project Life pages and  the results were dismal. Without a wide format scanner, getting the whole page is quite difficult. So...I tried photographing them. Once again, a big batch of fail. Glare everywhere. So...before I was sidetracked by my stomach's staged coup, I was planning on making a light box this weekend. That project has gotten pushed to this week and I hope to have photos ready of both the Project Life and Smash pages by this upcoming weekend. I'm also keeping my eyes peeled hoping that the Pocket Pages I need will come in soon...it's putting a kink in the works.

As for the rest...well...laziness ensued. I'll admit it right now. I did finally get caught up on reading blog posts though so I will be able to share some great blogs and posts in the upcoming weeks. Yay!

Now...I think it's time for some wine and Netflix...ok, maybe water...I don't need revolt part II.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

So I forgot all about it in yesterday's post, but I meant to talk about next year's book plan. I've really enjoyed this challenge so I'm going to renew it for next year, upping the number of books for the goal and building a true bracket (no more groups of five). I'll be posting each book individually with a synopsis and a review. Also, Darian has decided to join in on the challenge. He's going to set a book goal for himself (we're thinking we'll have him aim for about 32 books in the year) and then he'll review his own books as guest posts and do his own bracket. These posts will be paired with my book posts whenever possible. At 9 years old he's started to get really excited about reading so it will be a good challenge for him. Plus, I guarantee you there will be some entertaining reviews.

Now on with the show. I promised you a surprise and I'm definitely going to deliver. I mentioned a few days ago on my Twitter feed that I ate Poptarts for breakfast and "tipped my hat to Nyan Cat". My brother replied to this with the statement that I needed to dress one of the cats as Nyan Cat for Halloween. This was a demand, not a request. Well...I figured why not...here's the result.

I picked Jasper because frankly he's the only one that would tolerate this kind of crap. As I sit writing this post he's laying next to the chair with his costume on. He's totally unfazed. This cat is awesome.

And for those of you not familiar with Nyan Cat, a little video education:

Wordless Wednesday - The View From My Lap

Believe It Or Not, It's Just Me.

Ok. So FYI...I'm giggling at my title. That may or may not be a good sign of things to come. Why am I giggling? Because Collin and I had a full blown discussion a couple of weeks ago about the Seinfeld episode where George changes his answering machine to his own version of the theme song from Great American Hero. Crap. I may have just dated myself. But I will tell you...it's hilarious. Don't believe me? Check it out here. (You're welcome Collin.)

Well, I've put it off as long as possible. It's time to talk about myself. Blegh. But I guess being my birthday week and all it timed out pretty well. Yup, that's right. I'm getting a year older this weekend. Not sure I'm thrilled about it, but I do feel better knowing Erin will be the same age in two weeks. Hah! I love having a friend with such a close birthday. Oh ya, and I'm pretty sure Erin has been mentioned on this blog more than Collin. She just has a knack for fitting in to these posts. It's not a girl crush, I swear. Don't get any ideas Erin.

Alrighty, let's get this show on the road. You should already know by now that this is me :

"This is Me. I like myself photographed better in black and white. My hairstyle changes almost as often as the color has in the past few years. I think I have pretty eyes - my best feature. I like my smile too - a good thing since I'm a dentist. I never take my necklace off - it feels weird if it's not there. I'm self-conscious about my chest. I can look good in certain tops, but low necklines make me nervous that I'm showing too much. My upper arms, upper thighs and stomach are never as thin and flat as I'd like them to be, but I can't give up sweets and good food either. I don't like wearing socks or shoes if I can avoid it. I only wear socks in the house if it's really cold and my preferred shoe is a flip-flop."

My hair is a bit longer now - I actually took this picture last fall. I'm trying to grow it back out, but now I'm looking at this picture thinking "Wow, that haircut was cute." Oh, and you can't tell because it's black and white, but my hair is red in this photo. I've thought about going back to that too. Honestly, the only thing keeping me away from both is the maintenance.

These are pictures of me when I was younger and cuter. Proof that at one point in my life I was a natural blonde.

I grew up in the same town I live in now, along with my parents and two younger brothers. I was pretty much a nerd in school. I was drum majorette in the marching band (I also played flute for 7 years) and graduated first in my class. I stayed local for college and got a bachelor's degree in biology - which I can do nothing with unless I want to go work for Fish and Game. Then I moved to San Francisco for a three year stint in dental school. Blah, blah, blah, now I'm a dentist with a gigantic pile of student debt. Yay for fun!

I hate scrapbooking myself (mostly because I hate having my picture taken) but I've made a conscious effort to do some pages about me over the last few years. So, lucky you, I have scrapbook layouts to help me tell my story. You know the drill (FYI...totally not a dentist joke)...

"This picture was taken in Las Vegas in October of 2006, just as I began to discover the real me. Coming out of a failed marriage and learning to be on my own again, I started to realize that I could live for myself rather than for others, as I always had. The result? A more outspoken, confident and happy me. Granted there are still moments of uncertainty and self-doubt, but overall I love the new and improved me."

I was married for six years when I realized that our marriage just wasn't what it should be. He had more or less disconnected. I gave him the chance to save it by getting us scheduled for counseling, but he didn't take me up on the offer. So I filed for divorce. The above picture was taken the week my divorce became final. I started dating Collin three weeks later. Funny how life works out.

"I guess we all have an alter ego hidden somewhere...for me it's online. I started using the handle Elle sometime in 2006 (taking it from the "L" starting Lynde) - something easy to remember, but still useful as a disguise to hide behind. I guess I just always figured that Elle was the more fun version of myself - the way to break out of the goody-goody shell that everyone expected out of me. And so now, even though I'm always Lynde in real life, it's nice to think tha tI'm a bit more outgoing and outrageous than my normal self - that a piece of Elle has rubbed off on me."

So there you go, now you know my secret. My name is really Lynde (pronounced Lynn-dee), but it's too hard for people to pronounce and spell correctly, so online I go by Elle. I just like it better that way.

"This is one of my favorite pictures of me...more specifically, this is my favorite picture of my hair. Ask anyone in my family and they'll tell you how obsessive I am over my hair. I just can't leave it alone. I'm always changing the cut, changing the color, trying a different style. Unfortunately, I'm usually not happy with it...as my family will tell you is usually the case whenever any major event or picture taking is supposed to take place. I'll spend hours in the bathroom fussing with it and grumping about it. But looking back at all the pictures of me over the last few years, this is definitely my favorite. In fact, I've decided that I am working back toward this style. Not too short, not too long, and simple enough to style. That's just the way I want it. Now, the black and white doesn't help me - I'll still have to figure out the color, but at least maybe I've settled on something that I feel is really me. And if I can find the outside that is me, maybe there's still hope for me figuring out the inside that is me..."

"5 Random Facts About My Life. I hate wearing socks. I picked dental school on a whim. I've had 5 dogs...I have 3 of them right now. My favorite color changes all the time. I love to read."

I really do hate wearing socks. In fact, I'll mention it one more time before this post is through. They drive me bonkers. I always go barefoot in our house and generally in our yard. I'll wear flip flops whenever I can. I did pick dental school on a whim. I had originally planned on going to medical school to become a pediatrician. But I decided I didn't want to be in school that long or have a job that I thought would make it too difficult to have a family. I went to my childhood dentist around the time I made this decision. He said I should go into dentistry. So I pretty much did.  I have had five dogs: Loki, Keisha, Piper, Harley and Sadie. Loki was my dog when I was really young and we didn't have him for long. I don't remember him much. We got Keisha when I was twelve. She was an awesome dog and super sweet. She passed away a couple of years ago. I still expect her to come running outside whenever I go to my parents' house. And you've already met the other three.

                                     Loki                                                     Keisha

And now the nitty gritty...

"Being Me. I don't like getting up early. I love Jelly Bellies. I often forget to wash my face before bed. I hate it when my hair won't cooperate. I could spend every day scrapbooking. I only like shirts that go all the way down to my hips. I want to travel to Australia. I love spending time with Collin. I am a perfectionist in nearly everything I do. I like learning. I can change moods in the blink of an eye. I need to live near my family. I love PF Chang's Shrimp with Candied Walnuts. I don't like to wear socks. My favorite color is blue. I would like to go back to college for a degree in English or Creative Writing. I wouldn't mind living in Canada. Fingerprints on stainless steel and rub lines on suede furniture drive me crazy. I have over 10,000 songs on my i-pod. I hate spiders. I have wanted a baby since I was 24. I add Tang to orange Gatorade to make it more orangey. My favorite moves are Love, Actually and Across the Universe. I miss my dog Keisha nearly every day. I have seen every episode of Gilmore Girls at least three times. Fall is my favorite season. I have to have mayonnaise on my hashbrowns. I love to read. I sometimes don't brush my teeth. (I rarely floss.) I love my house, but not my neighborhood. I talk to my cat (all the time). I can never have enough scrapbook paper. I would much rather be a passenger than a driver. My favorite room in my house is the library. I need a vacation about every three months. I like musicals. I would wear flip flops every day if I could. I love to swim. Halloween is my favorite holiday (for the chili). I am very smart, but can be very dumb when it comes to common sense. I hate to run. I like picnics. I never suntan, I only burn and then fade into a suntan. I love photography. I like to watch hockey, rugby...and curling. I am afraid of heights."

Tada. You now know a load about me. The most random group of things you could ever gather. And okay, I may be a little buzzed in this photo, but it was taken at Island Park. Don't judge me. At least I was having a good time. There was also some pretty damning evidence in that one. I put down that my favorite color is blue. Well...if you were paying attention earlier, you noticed that the layout before says that my favorite color changes all the time. As I was typing this stuff in I seriously stopped and went "Blue? No it isn't." So proving my own point. FYI...current favorite color...who the heck knows?

Also, I disclosed that I don't always brush my teeth and I rarely floss. Before my hygienist friends yell at me (Erin) I will elaborate here. There are days when I don't brush my teeth, but it's generally when I'm sick or just over the top lazy. Most of the time it drives me absolutely crazy not to brush my teeth after I shower. The flossing? Okay, ya...I'm not an awesome flosser. But, I do have a Sonicare toothbrush which I say meets me somewhere in the middle...and I'm a dentist so my word is gold here. Oh, and FYI...I have no fillings so I'm doing something right. So there.

"How to Take Care of Me...Tell me that you love me, every day. Cuddle with me on the couch. Keep the kitchen sink clean. Watch a "chick flick" with me. Tell me I look pretty. Clean the dog kennels without being asked. Take me out on a dinner date. Make the bed. Go scrapbook shopping with me. Stop by my office just to tell me hello. Turn off the cell phone once in a while. Surprise me by making dinner. Save some time in your week just for us to be together. Ask me how my day went. Squeegee the shower. Give me a hug. Put your dirty clothes in the hamper. Clean up your coffee spills on the kitchen counter. Stick with the budget. Enjoy a bubble bath with me. Take the trash cans out to the curb. Sleep in with me on weekends. Go grocery shopping with me. Call me in the middle of the day for no reason. Help do the laundry and put clothes away. Go to bed at a decent hour. Leave work at work and let us enjoy our time together. Plan some fun things for us to do on a long weekend. Feed the dogs."

This may seem like a silly list, but it's all the things that Collin does for me (some more than others) that make me happy. These are the things I need to keep me happy through the day. I am neurotic about the kitchen sink. I hate having dirty dishes in it and I like to keep it wiped down. Pretty sure that's my mother rubbing off on me. I hate cleaning the dog kennels so it's always nice when he does it. I like having him call and check on me during the day - usually it's the other way around. It's just nice to know someone's thinking about be. I don't think I'm that high maintenance, but I definitely have a pile of things that can make my day.

"I Forgive Myself...for not being perfect...for sometimes struggling to say the right thing...for taking time to be lazy...for leaving laundry on the counter...for having "hot spots" in the house that need cleaning...for sometimes losing control of my temper...for expecting too much of others...for struggling to like myself...for not walking the dogs as often as I should...for taking the easy way out and making microwavable dinners...for not telling my family often enough that I love them...for not liking my job...for being tired at the end of the day...because at the end of each day I need to realize that I'm doing my best and that's all that I can do. Though I sometimes feel guilty for taking time for myself, I need to recognize that it's okay to regroup, catch my breath and keep myself going on to the next day."

Everyone has faults and no one is perfect. I saw a post done in a magazine done on this topic a few years back and thought it was pretty important. So now you also know the bad things about me. But, they still make me who I am. And I guess I'm okay with that.

My Girl Piper - She's So Photogenic

So we've finally made it to the last of the pet menagerie. Today it's all about Piper, my eight year old Anatolian Shepherd.  As promised, I will be combining her post with projects. Yay!  In Piper's case, I will be featuring a few of my 12 x 12 scrapbook layouts of her along with some tips on the techniques/ideas used in those pages. I'm also including a few other pictures of her just for fun.

6 weeks old

Ask anyone in my family and they'll tell you right off the bat that Piper is my favorite. I'm not shy about it. She is the oldest out of my brood and I've had her since she was itty bitty.  I got Piper at the shelter when she was only about five weeks old.  She had been taken from her owner as the result of an abuse case.  It was rumored that there were others from her litter, but she was the only one I saw there that day.  At the time, I had just moved back and I was actually living with my parents while I shopped for a house. I went to the shelter by myself one afternoon and just fell in love with her. She's been my buddy ever since.

Graduating from Scotch Pines.

Piper is pretty darned smart and she knows it. She can be pretty darned stubborn.  The funniest thing about her is that she has absolutely no interest in toys of any kind and generally isn't that keen on treats.  All she wants is attention. 

This layout features my very first use of my circle cutter...or should I say first successful use of the circle cutter. Now...let me tell you one critical thing about using a circle cutter. You must, must, must use it with a glass mat. If you use some other cutting mat, you will absolutely hate it.  The blade will drag, you'll tear the paper, and you will occasionally shed tears.  Spend the $12-20 and use a glass mat. It's totally worth it.

Now I'll be perfectly honest. I'm not a fan of this layout. I like the colors and I like the primary paper, but it's a total lazy page. It's always bothered me.

I had actually cut the circles out for use on another page and couldn't bring myself to get rid of this fabulous orange patterned paper. (Oh...and for everyone who is probably wondering, I'm awful at knowing where all my supplies come from. I'm pretty sure this particular paper is from the Bohemia line by My Mind's Eye. I love that line fyi.) So...I used the cut sheet as a window and just added a couple of simple embellishments.  There is no journaling on this page because - well, honestly I just don't like to journal all the time. I would say about 75% of my pages have journaling of some kind. The rest do not.

The font on this page at this size is very small...so for those of you who don't like to click on additional areas...

"This is my girl Piper. She is my baby. I got her when she was just a tiny thing at the Canyon County Animal Shelter.  I was living with my parents at the time, after just finishing dental school.  She was such a cute little thing, I just couldn't resist her.  Thought she was just a mutt at the time, but now it turns out she might just be a purebred Anatolian Shepherd.  Either way I just adore her.  She's smart as a whip, but she can be a stubborn thing.  She is a good companion and quite the love bug, definitely a momma's girl.  She'll come to Collin, but only if I'm not around. Otherwise she just stares at me. Silly puppy. I would love to have her as an indoor dog, but she's got a little problem with nervousness and an inability to control her bladder. Still...she's just happy as can be. I love her to death. My sweet Piper girl."

As for her bladder issue, the vet refers to it technically as "submissive urination".  He thinks it came as a result of her abuse as a puppy even though I got her as early as I did.  She has gotten slightly better about it over the years, but has never really recovered. I love her just the same regardless.

This is one of my favorite layouts, I'll admit. I love the color scheme even though I'm not a huge fan of pink.  I think the hot pink in combo with the black and white just pops fantastically.  I also love the swirl pattern.  I would love to tell you where I got this awesome paper, but honestly I have no clue. (I know, you're stunned). I'm pretty sure it's made by DCWV (Die Cuts with a View), but I couldn't tell you what stack if my life depended on it. Just know I tore my collection apart tonight trying to find it for you.  My other neat trick on this page is the letter "P". It is a die cut P completed using my Pazzle - yet another awesome gift from Carole. Once I had it cut out, I coated it in Glitter Glue and let it dry. I love the sparkle even though I technically despise glitter (if you haven't heard my herpes of craft supplies line...well then...read here. I'm just that funny.)

But...once again, these don't always scan in the easiest way to read the journaling without the blow up. So...

"My sweet Piper girl. I love her to death. She is such a momma's girl...always mauling me for attention anytime I'm around her. She has the best personality. Always sweet and friendly (except for when she and Sadie get in a tousle) and always wanting to be right by my side.  It's hard to believe that she's already almost seven years old. She still acts like a puppy 100% of the time."

This page is based on an article I read in Creating Keepsakes magazine a few years ago. I keep a list of pages that I find inspiring and use them to scraplift ideas when i get stuck and run out of brilliant plans. I love the bright colors of the paper - I totally went through a phase of citrus style layouts - and I really love the fact that I got to use my Stampin' Up punch (it was brand new at the time). How awesome is it that I can make anything look like memo paper? I love it.

So...the 10 Lessons I've learned from Piper. Well...to preface...she and I have been through a lot together. She's my best buddy and I love that she loves me no matter what.  Even though I had a fantastic dog as a kid (I'm sure I'll talk about Keisha another day), I've never had a pet quite like Piper. She means more to me than I can even explain. So here are the top ten lessons she's taught me :

1. Love is unconditional.

2. Always be excited to the ones you love. (ugh...this was supposed to say excited to SEE...stupid errors)

3. Happiness is contagious.

4. A good friend can make even the worst day better.

5. Live every day to its fullest.

6. No matter what you wear or how you do your hair, a best friend still loves you for you.

7. Sometimes you have to fight for the things that are rightfully yours.

8. Life is short. Appreciate the ones you love to the fullest every day.

9. Personality is more important than perfection.

and finally...

10. You can never give enough love or have enough love given to you.

So there you go, life in a nutshell thanks to Piper. 

She's always such a happy girl.

Amazing dog right? I think so. She's made me a better me and I love her for it.

Picabo Mini Album (and Video!)

From this point forward on the family tour, I will be doing things a little bit differently.  How you ask? From here out each post will be completed via use of completed projects. Are you stunned? I'm fairly shocked myself.

So today's post features Picabo and the mini-album I created based on him. I have in the works similar mini-albums for the other pets.  The layouts are kept simple with only a select number of paper patterns used and minimal embellishments. I have kept the focus on the photos and the journaling. Photos have been arranged in near chronological order.

And...here's the added bonus...I am including my first ever blog video!  Just because there are some doubters out there, I have videotaped one of Picabo's more entertaining tricks.

I am posting the pages in order as they appear in the album. In between the pages I will be adding any additional comments that may pertain. To see any page larger, just click on it.

This flushing trick is a frequent occurrence. (Thanks a lot Chad.)  The best part is when I forget to lock the bathroom door and he decides to open it, waltz in, and then flush the toilet while I'm sitting on it. No privacy what-so-ever.

Finished about four years ago, this page is the first one where I attempted reverse type in order to get the white font on a black page. Though the type turned out quite well, the cutting of the actual journal block did not.

This would be a light version of the evil eye. Tell me this doesn't look like he's thinking "well, you're just coming off as stupid"...

His newest nap spot is one I just might kill him for. He has taken to jumping up the back of the television in the living room and sleeping on the top shelf of the entertainment unit. He has very nearly broken one of the little statuettes that sits up there.

Obviously not part of the album...excuse the "pet eye". (And yes, I was watching How I Met Your Mother)

This one's a little tough to read without blowing up. Lesson learned...black text on red background...bad idea.

To make up for the difficulty reading this page and for those of you who say "No way does that cat open doors" here's the video to prove it.

Granted, this video doesn't show him bringing the stick back, but I count it lucky that we were able to pull this off in only two takes. He quickly lost interest after this shot.

Yes...there is a grammatical error in this one. I didn't find it until after the album was completed so it's just been left there as proof that we all make mistakes sometimes.

I once had a conversation with an ADT rep who apparently thought I was an idiot.  The house alarm had gone off and we received a call letting us know. The conversation went something like this:

ADT guy : Do you want me to send out the police?

Me : Well, what sensor do you show going off?

ADT guy : It looks like it says garage door.

Me : No, that's okay. We'll just head home. It's probably just the cat opening the door.

ADT guy : You mean the dog?

(Obviously he took me for some kind of waterhead. I can tell cats from dogs.)

Me : No. The cat. He does this all the time.

ADT guy : The cat? You're sure.

(Really buddy?)

Me : Yes. I'm sure. Thank you.

My mom always loves when she looks after the cats while we're gone and she gets to find Picabo's "surprises". It makes for a nice mess to clean up in the morning. I once lost an entire bag of jerky to the thief.

...and as of yesterday, his new interest - salsa. He is quite possibly the weirdest cat ever.

So there you go...a nice easy mini-album.  Once I had the pictures picked and the journaling written, I think it only took me a couple of hours to put this whole thing together.  The best part? I'm going to pretty much identically copy the layout for Jasper & Bailey's albums. I'm all about making this project thing easy...