Tag: dogs

A Little Bit About Me

A Little Bit About Me

About Me

So, here i sit trying to think of something to write about.  I have ideas, but no pictures to go with the ideas or I have pictures and have no idea what to write about.  It’s a vicious circle I live in.  As I get older (and closer to my wedding) I have been thinking a lot about who I am and how I got to be this awesome lady.  I thought there would be nothing more fun to read or talk about then a post about myself… okay, I’m really stretching it here and just need to finish a few other topics.

Here we go interesting tid-bits about yours truly:

– my first word was cookie, which is what I am blaming my food problems on
– I love black licorice so much that I named my first do Licorice.  She was a black lab, so it seemed fitting.
– I am absolutely terrified of clowns, people in face paint, masks, or fully body costumes and hate wigs.  Pretty much anything that can completely disguise how a person looks freaks me out.
– I love sweets and probably have the biggest sweet tooth known to man
– I do not like to go into our basement at night. Something about it creeps me out, perhaps it’s the glow in the dark stick-on stars that are all over our unfinished basement that screams this was a child’s playroom or bedroom; and it’s an unfinished basement
– I enjoy working around the house on projects.  When I was little I used to help my dad wire lights around our patio fence, install speakers on our back patio, etc. I am actually pretty handy

about me– My favorite dog breed is a Rottweiler. I had one growing up that would walk with me every morning to the bus stop and meet me when I was dropped off.  That dog saved me from a pretty horrible person one morning and at that moment I decided my children would have a Rottweiler to protect them just as I did
– My guilty reality tv show is Dog and Beth On the Hunt, which replaced Dog The Bounty Hunter.  A little strange, but I do love them and may have waited hours in line for their autograph at a Borders once
– My favorite color is blue and my last 2 cars have been blue
about me
– My favorite season is fall, which had something to do with why we decided to get married in November

about me– My  dream is to be able to provide a refuge for stray or neglected dogs that need a forever home

Cheers!

Why am I obsessed with my dogs?

Alright, it’s not news to anyone that I treat my dogs like actual children.

I know I am not alone in this epidemic, but I might be one of the biggest offenders.  Last week Tiny had a little lady surgery performed and I took off the following day to be with her… and let’s be honest to have a day off work is always a bonus!  My poor, poor puppy was just not feeling good at all and it was breaking my heart.

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Post-surgery

Look at this little face!

While Tiny was getting snipped, Maggie was at the spa for a full day of pampering.

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So fresh and so clean

Less hair is always better for Maggie.

I spent the day holding Tiny and making sure that she knew she was loved.  Oh I felt so bad taking her to the Vet and somewhat embarrassed when I had to carry her back because she was thrashing against the wall to get away from the Vet Tech.  Oh these dogs!

These dogs are too spoiled!

Cheers!

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Homemade Oatmeal Bath for dogs

homemade oatmeal bath

A homemade oatmeal bath for dogs can soothe itchy, dry skin from allergies.

homemade oatmeal bath

My poor pup, Maggie has been suffering from itchy skin for way too long.  I even resorted to covering her skin with an old Halloween t-shirt so that she couldn’t scratch.  How embarrassing for her!  I could just imagine her at the dog park with another dog giving her a funny look like, “girl, don’t you know it ain’t halloween?” and then Maggie sheepishly going, “ya, my mom hates me for some reason.”   Then all the other dogs would gather around her laughing.. I’m picturing Rudolph not being picked for any reindeer games here.  Ya, I don’t know why I’m on a holiday theme today.

Anyway… That wasn’t going to happen.  No dog was going to make fun of my Maggie!

I did research and found a homemade oatmeal bath that I could use the oats I bought for the Healthy Breakfast Bar Recipe.  So to me that was win-win.  I didn’t have to go buy anything.

homemade oatmeal bath

All you need is 1 cup of oats (quick or regular) blended in a food processor or blender.  Mix the oat powder in a luke warm bath.

homemade oatmeal bath

I took a plastic cup and poured the mixture over Maggie for about 10-12 minutes.

That’s it.  No rinsing.  A simple homemade oatmeal bath.

I noticed an immediate difference; however, she was amazed by her smell for awhile.  Maybe it was too close to food… I don’t know.  Overall it worked and that’s all that matters.

Oh and just a fair warning this homemade oatmeal bath is a pain to clean up out of the tub if you don’t process the oats to a fine enough powder.  Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Need another use for the large oatmeal that you bought?  I adapted a great, super easy recipe for an oatmeal breakfast bar.

Cheers!

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Today is My Birthday

young
Look at how cute of a kid I was!

Happy Birthday to me, happy Birthday to me!

Today I turned 27 years old young.

When I was a little kid I hated having a summer birthday.  Mainly because I could never have a party at school.  All the other students got to have an entire afternoon dedicated to them and we got to eat cupcakes in honor of their birthday.  I didn’t get any of that!  Teachers always said that they would host an end of the year birthday celebration for the kids with summer birthdays, but that never happened.  Ever.

As I’ve mentioned, I also always thought that the fireworks on the 4th of July were just for me.

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Fast forward fifteen years and my birthday was filled with booze, short dresses, and staying up all night.

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Fast forward five more years and I’m happy with a quiet night at home with J.   We spent the night at home, together with the dogs.  It was perfect.

This birthday was like any other day.  It started early with having to take Maggie to the groomers and Tiny to the vet for her “lady” surgery.  Then I headed into work.  The best part of it is that I took off work for tomorrow… the day after my birthday.

You know you’re growing up when you are responsible on your birthday and take the next day off work to care for your pup.

I am working on 27 things to do before I turn 28… that’ll be posted in the next few days.  It’s time to set some goals.

Oh and just one more time, Happy Birthday to me!

Cheers!

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Perfect Summer Evening

yawn
Sometimes you have just a perfect evening. Earlier this week J and I had one of those evenings. We grilled, sat outside on our new patio set and played with the dogs. I think Maggie is used to me taking pictures of her…lick maggie maggieandtiny Tiny doesn’t sit still long enough for too many pictures, but little Maggie doesn’t mind a photo or two …or three.

Here’s to more of these perfect evenings.

Cheers!

Summer To-Do List

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It’s official. Summer is here. The humidity is up and my allergies are finally starting to subside, a little. I put together a little list of fun things that I’d love to do in these next few months. What do you have on your to-do list?

1) Attend a Cardinals Baseball game
2) Go to the lake as much as possible
3) Grill majority of our meals
4) Learn to make a new summer cocktail, preferably with raspberries.
5) Work more on our wedding plans (getting those invites addressed without pulling out my hair)
6) Commit to Crossfit at least 3x a week (fingers crossed)
7) Spend time with J’s family and my family
8) Teach Tiny a few new tricks
9) Start saving for my Bachelorette party(!!!) in NOLA.
10) Go to Founder’s Park to watch a movie

Cheers to a great Summer!

How to Remove Pet Odor from Area Rugs

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Alright, I have two dogs and okay, my area rug in the family room started smelling a bit.

It happens when you have a puppy that is learning how to be house-broken.  Not to mention this said puppy is absolutely terrified of people and has a problem holding it in when she gets scared.  It’s hard to be upset about being scared, but I can be upset that my brand new, gorgeous rug was starting to smell.

Finally, after buying carpet cleaner after carpet cleaner I learned of this neat little trick that worked perfectly.  So, I thought that I would pass it on to you.

What you’ll need:

1) The rug you want to clean
2) An area outside to layout the rug in the sunlight
3) Spray bottle
4) White Vinegar
5) Water
6) Hose
rug
First, you want to soak your rug with the hose.  I like to use a good amount of water pressure to make sure to break up any dirt.
ingredients
Second, spray down the rug with your vinegar solution (1 part vinegar and 3 parts water)

Third, let dry in the sun.  I think the heat from the sun really helped get rid of the smell.

Voila!  Easy, simple and completely doable.  The rug is as good as knew and our house smells wonderful.

Cheers!

M.I.A.

I feel as if I’ve been M.I.A. for the past few days. I haven’t felt like doing anything. My poor house is a mess, the dogs need baths, and my little ole blog has been neglected.

Where have I spending my time?

Well for starters I’ve been attempting to do Crossfit 3x a week… it’s slowly getting there. At least I can wake up the day after and not fall out of bed because my legs aren’t there to catch me.

#perfectevening #springfieldcardinals #springfieldmo

Next, we went to a Springfield Cardinals game last week.  J had won a contest at work and got free tickets to the Budweiser suite.  Of course we could not pass up a night of Cardinals baseball, beer, and stadium hot dogs.

Then I’ve been adding prints to the MereLynne Etsy shop. If you haven’t seen the new listings, please check it out.  Plus, learning the ins and outs of Etsy has been a bit challenging for me.  Promoting my pieces, my site, and my Facebook page are a bit time consuming.

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Not your average pillow #dog #doglove #sleepypup #goodmorning

King of the mountain. #dog #doglove #cardinals

Finally, I’ve been spending some quality time with J and the pups.  I’m sure they appreciate that the quality time does not involve water and soap, but they can’t escape that for long.  Honestly, I should have cleaned around the house this past weekend.   I really, really should have.  But the couch looked some comfortable and there was a really good movie on all day… so alas I did not clean.

I’m pretty excited because my parents are coming for a visit this weekend.  My Dad hasn’t seen our new place yet.  Which means two things: 1) our house has to spotless before 8pm on Thursday night 2) we need to go grocery shopping so that it appears we have food and are doing just fine.

You know, the basics before any parent comes to visit.  Don’t look like a slob and pretend that you have enough food to feed yourselves.

It’s going to be a pretty busy week and I’m glad that I took the weekend to prepare for it.  See, I’m still trying to convince myself that it was a good thing I was lazy this weekend.

Cheers!

An exciting time

Road trip to #Branson!
It’s a pretty exciting time for me right now. I’m ready for what the future has to offer, my eyes are open and I will not ignore any more opportunities.

#happy
The most exciting part of 2013 is J and I’s wedding in November. We’ve been planning, organizing, and buying items for it. The closer we get the more ready I am for it to get here. I haven’t been too overwhelmed yet, but I’m sure it’ll hit. We are almost 5 months away from the big day!

Passed out. #dog #doglove #sleepypup #Sleepingdogs #lovedogs #sumner
These two pups mean the world to me. The love I get from them and give to them is priceless.

Working from home on the Etsy store with Tiny's help of course. #doglove #dog #Etsy
And finally, my new Etsy venture is thrilling. I will be adding more items to the shop this coming week. I’ve spent time creating new designs, working on my policies, and even my business plan. I may have a degree in Marketing, but actually attempting to use what I’ve learned is a whole new ball game. I’ve been reading up on SEO, advertising, sponsorships, etc.

Cheers to exciting times!

Prioritizing

J-M-10082 photo by DColeman Photography.

Priorities.  I’ve given it a lot of thought.  I know what makes me happy in life from work-life to home-life.  I know what I need to succeed and go to bed each night knowing that I have accomplished something that day.  Whether my accomplishment is big or small.

For me, it’s pretty simple (at least I like to think so).  I need:
– the love of my fiance, J
– cuddles from two rowdy pups, Maggie and Tiny
– a job that not only pays the bills, but one that I feel I am truly helping someone else
– a roof over my head
– something to be working towards
– my friends
– my family
– being creative

A lot of these parts intermingle with each other.  For instance, being creative, having a job, and something to works towards can all be combined.  I believe that if I find a passion that combines all three then I will have found my dream job.

Having something to work towards is something that I’ve recently struggled with.  I graduated with my undergraduate degree.  One year later, I started pursuing my Masters.  Now, I’ve graduated and … now what?  It’s hard for someone who has always been working towards some sort of degree to know where to go to next.  I know that I need to find a career that I am passionate about; however, I am wanting to move out of Springfield within the next few years.  So, for me this time needs to be spent finding out what qualities of a job make me the happiest, what qualities I want to avoid at all costs, and where J and I want to end up.

It’s a process.  A deep process with quite a bit of thought and time.  I cannot rush and I have to go with the flow.

For someone who is as Type A as I am, this time can be challenging.  Here’s to hoping that I can take a deep breath.

Cheers!