Sleep in heavenly peace....

After a rough couple of days including plenty of food and shopping and not enough sleep, I have finally gotten into the christmas spirit....or at least am well on my way there. I have the tree up....and so far it is still standing. But there did seem to be an extra part in my tree box...

I then decided to try to take pictures for my christmas cards. This one is my favorite but the hair on the carpet wouldn't exactly crop out of the picture the way I liked, so you get to enjoy it. One would think with my new vaccuum (thank you mom and dad! Best vaccuum EVER) that the carpet would be cleaner but I didn't exactly make it all the way through the living room on the test run. I was too tired to get all the rooms (but my hallway looks fantastic)! This is what inspired my blog title as well as the many wonderful naps I have experienced the last three days. The cats didn't make the card this year, but I think they were happy to escape the photo session. They did however enjoy the tree and the new tree skirt from big lots (I am not going to pay a lot of money on something that could very well be eaten).

Mom and dad came up for Thanksgiving and some early (very early and cold...and early) shopping. Dad got to spend some quality time with the cats. And even nap with Lola, his girlfriend. Lola LOVES my dad. Somewhere in her tiny little brain, I think she thinks they live here and just work a lot. They were around a lot when I moved which happened to be near the time I got her. Anyways she is always near when he is around. All in all, it was a good thanksgiving and some holiday shopping is done. The tree is up and some presents are wrapped. Now tomorrow maybe I will try out some of my new toys.

*sigh*

That is all I have to say or murmur is a big sigh. Do you ever feel like a fish out of water? Not the old asthma attack commercials but that you just don't know which way is up anymore? I seem to have just been scraping by since October 3rd. Funny how all I hear is how happy I look and how healthy I have been since leaving my old job but at the same time, it is still taking the emotional toll on me. Everyday is a reminder of what I lost....financial security, health insurance, and just the bitterness about the whole situation. Yes, I am living proof that my health concerns may have been directly related to the job I was in. I have had no large flare ups since October. But I am surprised that the stress of everything else isn't causing the same damage. This is a week to give thanks and I AM thankful for all that I have, family, friends, a job, but I can't help but have that thought in the back of my head about what is going to happen next....how I am going to make it through the next week, next month, next year. I am sure the right opportunity will come along, whether it be with fantabulous health insurance or winning the lottery. I know God has this all in his big master plan of his, but sometimes I struggle just to see that. Everyday seems to have some small disappointment that makes me wonder, What is next?

Christmas Parade #1 of the season

Well we unpacked our antlers and santa hats and hit the streets today for the annual Flora Christmas parade. Dudley did his duty representing the Red Cross mascot, but if you ask me, he steals the show. After this long week that included a swollen finger and craziness by the end of it, I was ready for the much needed fun with my Red Cross family. Of course the parade, or should I say the decorating at the beginning of the parade, always includes our own version of reindeer games. After as many parades as we have been in, we still manage to forget a step ladder for decorating those hard to reach places. This usually ends up in some form of DAT team pyramid, luckily with no fancy dismounts. I hope to acquire some pictures of this soon. I was a supporting member of said pyramid and therefore was unable to document danger time (Dudley helped too by licking the base person's face). I guess it is a good thing we all know first aid. One year when I still had Deli, she rode shotgun in the DOC with Joan. Joan told me today that she wished I had brought Phoebe for her to hold during the Christmas parade. I tried to explain the Deli was 15 and happy to be held whilst Phoebe, on the other hand, is an ongoing game in Bloomfield on who can hold onto her the longest. As you can see by the end, Joan got some much needed puppy loving on the way home from the parade. Anyway, enjoy the pictures! I am now starting to get into that holiday mood!

A lot to give thanks for...

I just returned today from an early Thanksgiving with the fam. We have a lot to give thanks for this year. Tom has successfully completed chemo and is hoping to get a clean bill of health today, grandma is home and driving everyone crazy, I found a new wonderful job, and the fact that we could be together near the holidays. This year has been rough for all of us. In the midst of this years madness, not only did I acquire the new rescue dog Tess but Tom and Julie also acquired a very scared basenji who I did not get to meet due to my banishment from the compound during chemo. Here is the story of her rescue: http://www.ottaray.com/PICDog/wimauma/index.html

I thought I had my hands full with Tess, I can definitely give them credit for their poor dog. She makes Tess look like Dudley. (Okay if you have met my dogs, you would totally understand that comparison.) My favorite thing about Daisy is her wonderful wrinkly forehead and her gorgeous eyes. She is also quite a bit, um, buffer than Benny. Benny is a handsome stream-lined boy and Daisy is like Benny on steroids. Her feet are huge, her booty is huge, her ears are huge. But Daisy has found a wonderful home with people who love her.

Our weekend was full of good times including harassing Phoebe by putting her in her new Halloween costume, which btw, best. halloween costume. EVER. For some reason when we put it on her at bloomfield, she felt the need to do Hippo 500 laps around the house which caused most of the other dogs to chase. I was actually able to get a photo of her in it here at my house, maybe because she was too pooped from the weekend. All in all I chalk it up to a wonderful weekend full of good food and family and LOTS O'Dogs. Tess even managed to stay calm on the car ride sans drugs. Whew, just another thing to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

It's that time of year again

The time when the days get shorter, we all pray that we might get to see a hint of sunlight, and mint m&ms. No wait. Christmas time. Yes I know it isn't even thanksgiving yet but if you are like me and wondering how you are going to afford christmas presents for everyone you care for, you can understand why it is constantly on my mind. I did hear the excellent news that Mom and Dad found me a pre-lit christmas tree. Now I don't have to worry about this:

Yes that was the christmas tree skirt that she rolled up in....

I can't guarantee that there won't be any incidents regarding the tree, but hopefull not as drastic. I have noticed as my animals change from two fourteen year old dogs who didn't care, to a puppy, rescue dog, and the cat who is obsessed with tape and ribbon passing along his annoying traits to the kitten, that my present wrapping isn't as extravagent as it use to be. I use to take pride in my gorgeous present wrapping skills (perfected the year I had chicken pox over christmas) but now I am lucky to get them out of the house in one piece without any re-wrapping. Nope, now I just have to worry about buying presents, traveling, weather, and where the heck my porch cat went. I am concerned that the new neighborhood owl carried him off. I heard the owl the other night when I had the dogs out, which made me immediately call Phoebe in. Which Phoebe took as a great time to start bunny hopping all around the backyard. Fingers crossed that Mario (aka Porch cat) comes home soon, the owl moves on, and all will be happy this holiday season.

Some people call it chaos, I call it home.

That seems to be the theme of my life lately. I wake up this morning to the wonderful sound of a dog getting ready to vomit. Turns out to be Tess and she vomited up pieces of hard plastic. What she ate? I have no clue. I swear she has a stomach of steel. It must be the fact that she probably ate garbage the first year or so of her life. Then I check my cell phone, one to see what time it was (which it hadn't changed yet) and two to see if I had any messages from work. Huh I do have a message and why does every clock in my room say a different time.....I try to get to said messages........................................................crickets................................................nothing.......... What happened next can only be said in a Peter Griffin voice of "aww crap." See I might have dropped my phone yesterday....multiple times. It wouldn't be the first time I dropped it and I usually put the battery back in and everyone is happy. Apparently not this time. So I turn the phone off and turn it back on....okay now we have the correct time. How about those messages??..............................nothing....................................well poop. I suppose if it was work they will call my house, which I find out later, it was them plus a hang up and I had really just put my cell phone on the treatment sheet. Stupid me. Sorry Dr. B. So my arm is still aching from the flu shot yesterday but I decide anyways to attack the leaves that have taken over my backyard. Seriously, the pile of leaves on the curb, you could totally bury a small car in there. Not kidding. And these are the leaves from my back yard....where I have no trees. Nope it seems that every tree within a twenty mile radius sheds its leaves in my backyard. So after many hours of listening to the corgis next door bark (seriously neighbors, doesn't it annoy you that your dogs bark 24-7?? because it annoys the shit out of me), many trips to the curb (escorted by Phoebe of course) many times of me yelling "Phoebe NO!" as she attacks the leaf blower/rake/tarp/Tess/Corgis/Bob/Mario..., I finally realize that the amount in the front is less than the amount in the back. Eh, works for me. No, I am not as good as Bob next door, curses to you retired person, as he individually picks up each leaf and says a wonderful goodbye (not really) but I feel I made a significant dent and that my yard isn't going to smell like rotten ass. I drag my beaten body inside for a hot shower and benadryl. Later my friend brings her Westie over who might be joining us for thanksgiving. My dogs get along with other dogs fine, but she was concerned about the cats. I think she forgot that my cats....are well....dogs in feline bodies. Because after wearing the dogs outside in the backyard (while there is still barking....seriously people?!?!?) we let them in where Rinker runs into Craplin. We watch with baited breath as Craplin sniffs him, gets a drink of water, stretches, and sits down. Yeah see most cats would run but Craplin only runs when he tries to get other dogs in trouble. That is when he pull his "I am going to meander into the "insert room here" make sure everyone is watching me, and then take off like a bat out of hell." For which no dog can resist. And usually after the 3rd or 4th time of this stunt, some dog or dogs gets into trouble and thus Craplin goes to have a meal while snickering the whole way. Rinker is interested but not in an obsessed-you are going to find a mutilated cat body way. And that was that. I make dinner and proceed to watch the halloween simpsons where I immediately fall asleep (oh yeah, I took benadryl). Wake up to Dexter and will start everything over again tomorrow. Yes my life is chaos, but it isn't too bad. Lately though it has been intermitten with good days and bad days. Like last week, mostly good days, one horrible day and today (is today included in last week or a new week?) not so good day. I am gunning for all good days next week because I know it will end on a good note of seeing the fam. Here's hoping.

And the culprit is.....

TESS! I do believe Tess is the one who was the source of the wound on Phoebe's neck. My evidence is as follows:
1.) This was the first extended period of time the two were together unattended. Since Tess is a female Houdini, she is crate bound during the day while Dudley and Phoebe chill in the kitchen together.
2.) There has been some tension between the two, especially when Tess gets near Phoebe's neck.
3.) Girls are bitches (even if they are spayed). They will go for the jugular every chance they get. OKay, so that final reason may stem from other experiences this last year....which leads me to my next topic of blogic....
I HATE drama, I am not talking about the reality show, can't get enough, drama, or the drama club drama of Glee that we all love and miss, I am talking about real-life, man made drama. I have been through the worst of the worst, in fact the drama I was the target of eventually aided in me getting fired. I know the feeling of dread of going to work, I know the pit in your stomach when you pull into the parking lot, I know the counting the hours of the work day left, in fact, I am 99% sure it had a lot to do with my vast amounts of IBS blow-outs. And when it is never addressed, like mine was, then you end up feeling bullied and losing your job. I kicked ass at my job. AT MY JOB! I was good at what I did, and I will say it. But the drama part got the best of my health, and my skills meant nothing. So now I try to avoid drama. If you ask me, I will tell you. If I am uncomfortable about something, I will tell you. If I feel like shit, I will tell you. Plain and simple. If there are issues, address it in person. Don't let things fester and eventually burst like a really cool abscess. We all love abscesses but not the kind with maggots. Don't let it get to the maggot stage people, just don't.