Monday Musings: Dog Drama

Y'all... the dog drama just keeps on going around here.  And on Sunday morning it really kicked up a notch.

Last Tuesday I started trying to transition him back to his regular food, but we had some more bowel issues.  (I won't get into the gross details for you) So after chatting with the vet - and yes, showing them a picture of the poop - I was told to keep him on the bland diet for a few more days and keep an eye on him.  He's been eating well and his activity level has been normal.  

He seemed to be doing well, and I fully expected to start the slow transition to regular food again today.  Until the bloody diarrhea started.  Yes.  I said it.  Believe me, I was a hundred million trillion times more shocked to see the actual thing than you are to read it.   I started to chat with the vet again, but decided  - Nope!  We took him straight to the ER vet.   

We had to leave him there all Sunday afternoon.  They suspect gastroenteritis, but we had to wait on blood work and a fecal screening to rule out a few other things.  We did finally get to go pick him up Sunday night about 8:30.  He's going to be on some meds and a special prescription food for a few days.  But I'm praying this sorts him out and we can put this behind us.

It's crazy how attached we get to those little furry family members.  I have been so stressed out.  And shed a few tears with worrying and feeling guilty that maybe I could have done something to prevent this or head it off sooner before it got to this point.  

In other news, I made good progress on my goals for last week.  There were a couple of things I didn't get to.  For example, I did clean out the fridge, but I didn't get to the freezer.  I'll do that this week. I also didn't work on my crochet top every day because I got distracted by another project I was working on for the Etsy shop.

Goals for this week:

• Clear out the last few random boxes my home office
• Clean out the freezer
• Set 3rd quarter goals
• Set monthly goals for July
• Take pictures of new listings to Etsy shop
• Write 1 blog post for the shop blog
• Prep Sunday and Thankful Thursday posts for 3rd quarter

What are your goals for this week?

Sunday Inspiration: Creating

 

Thankful Thursday: June 24, 2021Th

 "if you want to find happiness, find gratitude" - Steve Maraboli

I have had a few conversations with the grandkid recently about being thankful for things and focusing on the positive things that happen to us.  We've talked about how when we're having a bad day, if we try to stop ourselves and take a minute or two to think about all the things that make us happy, it can really improve our mood. These discussions have been a great reminder for me!

I Am Thankful For:

Starting a new book

When the grandkid makes me laugh

A day with cooler temps

A chance to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee

Banana pudding

Dinner at the Female Offspring's house

Playing card games with the family

Renewing library books online

The dog chasing fireflies

New curtains in my office

A Father's Day lunch with my dad

Picking blueberries

My dad

My husband

Barbeque dinner and a beer

What I'm Reading Wednesday: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Out of sight, out of mind. We've all heard the expression.  But imagine truly living this to the extreme.  Imagine that as soon as you were out of someone's eyesight they completely forgot about you.  That's the case for the title character in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name. (description via GoodReads.com)

It is fascinating to follow along as Addie learns to navigate a world where no one remembers her once they leave the room, or fall asleep.  Making it impossible to make friends, get a job, or even rent a room for the night.  I ached for her in parts and felt frustration at her for some of the choices she makes along the way.

There were a few details of the story that kind of made me pause.  For instance, Addie can spend an entire day with someone - drinking coffee or at a bar - but no one ever had to go to the bathroom or anything else that would cause them to leave her for all that time?  Ok... (shrug).  It's not a big thing, and easily forgotten. (kind of like Addie herself)

Over the centuries, Addie's focus becomes finding a way to leave her mark on the world.  To tell her stories. And in a way, deep down, isn't that what we all want?

All in all, it's an interesting premise for a novel and I enjoyed the read. 

 

Monday Musings: The Past Weekend

It has been a weekend.  We were dog-sitting for our daughter and things seemed to start off as well as can be expected when you bring three dogs together.  Until about 5 AM on Saturday morning.  That's when our dachshund, Max, started whining at the bedroom door to be let out.  When got up and took him out, he had some bowel issues.  Then on Saturday morning, he was refusing food and had a bout of diarrhea.  I had an online chat with the vet and he was (of course) put on a diet of boiled chicken breast and white rice for the next 2 to 3 days, with orders to call if he got any worse or if he wasn't better by Monday. 

Fortunately, after a tense day for this dog-mom, he started taking some of the chicken and rice on Saturday evening and seemed to be filling better on Sunday.  He did vomit a little on Sunday, but it was that foamy, yellowish "my tummy is too empty" type of vomit. This makes sense, as he hadn't eaten anything except a quarter cup of chicken and rice and a couple spoonfuls of pumpkin all day on Saturday.  As I write this on Sunday evening, his appetite seems to have returned  He has eaten the bland diet well.  At dinner, on Sunday evening he even gobbled up the chicken rice and was trying to steal his brother's "regular" food! 

Despite all of the dog drama, we did manage to get in some celebrating of the dads over the weekend.  

On Saturday, the Man of the House took lunch over to my father and visited with him for a while. Talked about making plans to go to a baseball game, which we haven't been able to do since about two years ago. (thanks Covid!)  Even picked some blueberries while we were there. Yum!  

After that, we went to the outlets to see if we could find the Man a new pair of work shoes and stopped off at 12 Bones Brewing on the way home for a few beers and a little couple-time.  We didn't eat there, but the barbeque smelled so good, the Man decided that's what he wanted for Father's Day dinner.

Sunday, I made breakfast for the Man of the House. A huge breakfast - eggs, bacon, and pancakes.  Used a few of those fresh blueberries in the pancakes.  And, yes - we did take him to 12 Bones for dinner.  It was my first time eating there and it was just so good y'all!  Recommend. Would eat there again. 

After all this, I didn't leave much time for setting weekly goals.  So, here are a few just off the top of my head...

• Clean out fridge and freezer
• Post new listings to Etsy shop
• Write 2 posts for the shop blog
• Write 3 posts for this blog
• Clean in office 30 minutes per day
• Work on crochet top every day

What are your goals or plans for this week?

Sunday Inspiration: Fathering

 

Thankful Thursday - June 17, 2021

William Arthur Ward said, "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."  Embarrassing confession - unfortunately, I have done this - more than once. And I mean both not expressing gratitude AND wrapping a present and not giving it.  

I Am Thankful For:

Afternoon thunderstorms

Running into a friend at the store

Starting a new book

Hugs from my husband

Houseplants

When the pups are wanting to cuddle

Building Legos with the grandkid

Summer fruits

A sweet treat

Baking cookies with the grandkid

Make your own pizza night

Honeybees in the yard

Breakfast made by the Man of the House

My marriage

A dinner invitation from the female offspring

My adult kids choosing to hang out together

Weighty Matters

I have seen a lot of posts on social media recently about loving yourself no matter what your weight and how being overweight doesn't equal being unhealthy.  These have brought up a lot of thoughts and feelings for me.  

First - I one hundred percent agree that you should love yourself no matter what your weight is.  Your value is not equal to how much you do, or do not, weigh at any given time.  You are SO much more than that.  No doubt about it.  

Where I start to struggle is the insistence that weight doesn't affect health.  Maybe, for you, that is true.  If so - that's awesome and I am truly happy for you.  You carry on being your amazing, beautiful self!

But for many of us (me - for example), our weight most definitely has an effect on our health.  As I have seen the numbers on the scale go up, there has also been an increase in numbers that are hurting my health- such as cholesterol and A1C.  There is a history of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and kidney problems in my family, which can be aggravated by being overweight and those numbers are a warning sign that my risks are increasing.  

So - Yes, for me, being overweight does equal unhealthy.

I also notice other, less concerning, problems with my feet, legs, and back aching, my energy levels decreasing, and even my asthma seems to flare up more when my weight goes way up.  

This is why I am trying to lose weight.  

No, it doesn't mean that I don't love myself.  I'm not doing it to meet some ideal of the perfect size or to have a hot bod.  And if I only managed to get the other numbers where they need to be and didn't lose all the weight - I would be ok with that.  

I choose to write and post about my journey to share my experience and keep myself accountable.  It also helps me to feel that by sharing my story,  perhaps I can give support to others going through the same experience.

If you are on a similar journey to lose weight and get healthy, I would love to hear from you in the comments!  Share what is working for you, or tell me a little about what you have been struggling with.

Monday Musings: Three AM

They say nothing good happens at 3AM.  (Having given birth to my first child just a couple of minutes before that time of the night - I would strongly disagree. But that's not really the point).  In Folklore, 3AM is sometimes referred to as "the witching hour". 

 If I had to guess, I would think that the person who began calling it that was a woman at some stage of menopause. Of course, that's just speculation. What I do know is that after reaching a particular stage in my life, it is now perfectly normal to wake up sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 AM on many (most?) nights during the week.  

Last week was especially bad for the early morning wakings.  It apparently wasn't just me as I saw someone else mentioning this same thing on Instagram.  Which had me thinking about the phenomenon and why it happens. 

Most of the time, I wake up needing to pee.  On a few occasions, mostly since allergy season started back up, I have had a headache and needed to get up for some ibuprofen and a glass of water.  On more than a few times I have woken up pouring sweat out of my body as if I just ran a 5k.  And then there's the oh-so-fun "why in the world am I awake at this hour for absolutely no reason?" wake-ups.  

Whatever the reason for waking up at that hour may happen to be - it's never simple as taking care of the cause and going right back to sleep.  Oh no.  There is going to be a good hour of drifting in and out of sleep.  If I'm lucky.  If I'm not lucky, there will be an hour or more of staring at the darkness around me while I wonder if I should just get up and start my day at that ridiculous time of the morning.  If the wakefulness goes on for more than 15 to 30 minutes, I will usually try reading to get back to sleep.  

Then, of course, there's the next morning when my energy levels are not where they should be thanks to the long period of wakefulness in the wee hours of the morning.  Which makes it difficult to find the motivation to get much done that day. 

Speaking of getting things done - I did so much better last week when it came to accomplishing my goals! I didn't get the boxes taken to Goodwill for donation.  And 15 minutes of physical activity didn't happen.  But other than that - I checked everything else off the list.  

That's a good week.  And I plan to keep the momentum rolling this week!

Goals for this Week:

• Take donation boxes to Goodwill
• Write 2 posts for Etsy shop blog
• Write 3 blog posts for this blog
• Hang curtains in home office
• List 3 new items in the Etsy shop
• Work on the crochet top I am making for myself for at least 1 hour every day
• Pick up Father's Day presents
• Stay within daily WW points every day

What are your goals for this week?

Sunday Inspiration: Tomorrow

 

Thankful Thursday: June 10, 2021

 The days since Memorial Day have been flying past.  The grandkid is out of school, which means we get to spend a lot more time together, and that gives me so many things to be thankful for. 

I spend a few minutes each and every morning writing down a couple of things that I am thankful for from the past day.  It helps put me into a mindset of gratitude and gives me something positive to focus on as I begin my day. It's a lovely habit that I would highly recommend to everyone. Let me know if you keep a gratitude journal in the comments!

I Am Thankful For:

People willing to serve our country

Planning a summer reading list with the grandkid

Ribs cooked on the grill

Taco Tuesday

Cherries

Hugs from my husband

The grandkid's laughter

Good Etsy shop reviews

Summer projects

Summer rain

Afternoon reading time with the grandkid

Groceries delivered

The start of the weekend

A little extra sleep

Spending time with my husband

Family dinner

Relaxing Sunday mornings

The cool down after the rain

Chicken kabobs cooked on the grill

What I'm Reading Wednesday: Transforming Your Thought Life

If I had to guess, I would think that most (all?) of us probably feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts from time to time.  Guilt, anxiety, fear, guilt, regret, anger... the list goes on and on.  What's a person to do?

Perhaps the answer can be found in the book I  finished reading this week:  Transforming Your Thought Life: Christian Meditation In Focus by Sarah Geringer. 

Thousands of thoughts fly through our minds every day, many of them negative. And Satan knows how susceptible we are to these negative thoughts that leave us frustrated and feeling defeated. However, the time-honored practice of Christian meditation can help us find victory in these spiritual battles.

Transforming Your Thought Life offers guided meditations and personal examples that will help you train your mind to stay grounded in God’s Word. Each chapter examines a particular kind of negative thought pattern and provides key Bible verses and prayers for standing strong against it. Day by day, as you hide God’s Word in your heart and mind, you will move closer to the heart and mind of God. (Description via Goodreads.com)

I've spoken before about how as we have repeated thoughts, it creates and strengthens neural connections in the brain, making it easier and easier to have those thoughts in the future. (See HERE) The Bible says much the same thing in Romans 12:2 when it tells us to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind".

In Transforming Your Thought Life, Ms. Geringer divides many common types of negative thought into individual chapters and discusses ways to meditate on the truths found in Scripture in order to transform our mind - spiritually and physiologically. Along with practical tips, advice, and personal stories - She also provides a list of passages from Scripture which relate to each topic that can then be used to meditate throughout your day. 

Whether you choose to read the entire text or select chapters relating to which negative thoughts you are struggling with, this book is a good read for the Christian wanting to overcome negative thought patterns.

What are you reading this week?  

The Early Fox Gets the Bird

 You may remember a couple of weeks ago, I told you about seeing a fox on the road behind our house one morning. As I said then, it's one of the things that comes with living in a more rural area. We spot many different types of wildlife from time to time. Usually, we see them from a distance - out the window or from the car as we drive past. 

But not always,...

Yesterday morning, I was outside in the side yard with the dogs for the morning potty walk, when something caught my eye trotting around the corning of the house.

It was a fox!

This isn't the same fox. 

(stock photo courtesy of pexels.com)

It was right there at the side of the house, maybe 50 feet from where I stood!  It spotted me about the same time I saw it and after a split-second pause it took off down the yard toward the road.

Fortunately, the dogs were occupied by other things during those few moments this all happened, so they didn't go crazy barking or trying to pull away from me.  That could have ended very badly.

This is the third fox sighting by a family member near our house within just a few weeks.  So clearly, this fox is very active.  Or (perhaps more likely) there is a pack living nearby. 

Now that I've seen it so close to the house, I'll be extra careful when taking the dogs for potty breaks or walks. 

Do you have many wild animals living near your home?

Monday Musings: If Dogs Wrote Blogs

As I write this, my dachshund, Max, is in my lap with both of his front paws resting on the edge of the keyboard - looking as if he's more than ready to take over as guest writer for the week. Wouldn't that be something?

I am sure he would probably write all about how he never receives enough treats and only gets fed such a small portion of food twice a day.  Or maybe it would be about how the humans leave the house sometimes and have the nerve to leave him and his brother behind. Or maybe he would thrill you with a description about his love for chewing on throw pillows and blankets, socks, underwear, and shoes.  

It would probably take him a while to type out his posts since he would most likely need to do the hunt and peck typing method having no fingers and all.  Especially when it came to hitting the 

And let's be honest here - if I spent as much time thinking about what I should write as I just did thinking about what Max would write, this would probably be a much more interesting blog post.  

Last week's goals were... well, let's just say - it was another bad week for goals.  I didn't take into account that the grandkid would be with me for 3 days of the week and the effect that would have on my schedule.  I was also still struggling with not feeling especially motivated last week.  Which probably has much more to do with why I didn't complete many goals than having the grandkid did. I did prep my breakfasts for the week and made changes to the "About" page on my Etsy shop. So, it wasn't a total flop.

This week I know that I only get the grandkid two days, so I plan to do some serious goal getting on the days I will be alone.  

Goals for This Week:

• Clear off and organize shipping table in office
• Take donation boxes to Goodwill
• At least 15 minutes of physical activity on 5 days
• Take pictures and video for blog and Etsy shop
• Create a list of ideas for the shop blog
• Ship 4 orders (I'm actually shipping 3 today, so that should be no problem to complete!)
• Clean off 2 shelves in the pantry

What's on your to-do list for this week? Share in the comments!

Sunday Inspiration: Common Actions

 

Thankful Thursday - June 3, 2021

I am so thankful that certain aspects of life are starting to get back to normal.  My dad had his Memorial Day Weekend cookout - something we weren't able to do last year thanks for the nasty ol' coronavirus.  But now we're all fully vaccinated and can enjoy each other's company once again with minimum worries.  And I get to smile at people when we make eye contact in the store again!

I Am Thankful For:

Learning something new

Arriving home safely after a weekend away

Enthusiastic "welcome home" from the pups

The last Bible Study Zoom for this lesson

Air conditioning

Watermelon

A breeze on the back porch

A new kitchen faucet

Salad kits for easy dinners

Having plans for the weekend

The love of a good man

Leftovers for breakfast

Errands done

New library books

First family cookout in a long time

Not-too-hot weather

Planning Disney outfits

23 years of having a son

Birthday cake

What I'm Reading Wednesday: The Lost Apothecary

At the end of last week I was able to pickup two books I had on hold at the library.  The timing was perfect because I had just finished The Four Winds.  And I was excited to get these books, since they were two I expected to be waiting on for a while!

This week I am reading The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.

A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.  Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive . (Description from Goodreads.com)

This is the debut novel by Ms Penner.  

I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, and so far this novel is no exception. I usually know I've picked a winner when I find myself wanting to learn more about the historical period, events, or people referenced in the story.  I'm only about a third of the way into The Lost Apothecary, and I've already googled about a dozen things I wanted to know more about! That's a good sign.

The story switches back and forth between 1790s London to the current day.  I know some people don't care for multiple points of view, but in most cases it doesn't bother me. Especially since the narratives are divided by chapter.

What are you reading this week?

Currently... June 2021

June is here! Summer has arrived.  (Well, unofficially, of course.)

From this month forward, the 'Currently' post is going to look just a little bit different.  Since I have started the 'What I'm Reading Wednesday' feature, it feels redundant to also talk about what I'm reading in these posts.  To take its place, I'm adding a couple of new topics. These may change over the next couple of months as I figure out what is working for me and what isn't.  Any suggestions are welcome!

I didn't do so great with my goals for May.  I recognize that I haven't very good about breaking down the monthly goals into manageable smaller tasks for each week and each day.  That is an important strategy for completing any goals - taking them task by task, step by step until they are complete.  I will do better about using that technique in June. 

Working On:  I know... you were hoping I wouldn't say "getting my home office cleaned and organized" yet again.  But, yes - I am, in fact, still working on that very project.  I will make some good progress on it, then life seems to get in the way for a week or two.  When I come back to it I have to backtrack a step or two and then move onto a new portion of the process.  

I'm also working on updating my Etsy shop.  I need to rework/refresh my About page and make some updates and changes to the listings. 

Celebrating:  June is a quiet month for family celebrations.  There's Father's Day, of course.  But other than that there's just my mother-in-law's birthday at the end of the month before we kick off the busy month of July.  ( birthdays all seem to mostly fall within certain months in our family) 

Wanting/Needing:  Ideas for keeping the grandkid entertained this summer that don't include video games on his tablet or Nintendo Switch!  We'll obviously get back to our routine of having him read to me after lunch each day.  But, honestly - I have no clue.  I think a year of getting to stay at home all the time because of the pandemic gave me memory loss for fun things to do.

Eating: I'm still on my salad kick.  I have slowed down a little because I think the Man of the House might have been weary of how many nights a week I was serving them.  But I'm nowhere near stopping that train yet!  

I'm also snacking on the fruits of summer.  Watermelon, peaches, and cherries are some of my very favorite fruits and they're all in season now.  I am getting my fill of them now while they are at the peak of their juicy deliciousness, knowing that in just a few months they'll be mealy and less flavorful. 

Learning: As much as I crocheted, I've never really done clothing items.  A few baby sweaters here and there.  I made a skirt once that I am very proud of - then immediately gained so much weight that I've never been able to wear it.  And I once made a very simple cocoon cardigan for my mother.  I decided that I'm going to start learning some new techniques and creating some pieces for myself so that I can proudly wear my work! I know there's probably going to be a learning curve, but it's one I'm up for!  

Loving:  So very much!!  The fresh fruits I mentioned above.  I love that since the Man of the House and I are now fully vaccinated and things are beginning to open back up, we can start taking weekend trips together again.

Thinking About:  I have been considering reducing or eliminating the "made to order" listings in my Etsy shop.  There are so many new items I would like to try out and some things I would like to make for myself, but I feel as if I'm always so busy working on made-to-order and custom orders that I never have time to work on other things.  This is causing me to feel a little burnout.  The last thing I want is to start regretting or resenting my work, which means something is going to have to change. 

Our family Disney trip later this summer.  The gals are planning to do a little themed wear for the parks.  Animal prints for Animal Kingdom.  Disneybound for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and Disney t-shirts for Epcot.  I made the mistake (?) of searching Pinterest for inspiration and now I have more ideas than I know what to do with!  I am 99% sure I know exactly what I want for Animal Kingdom.  And I think I'm going to do something R2D2 inspired for Hollywood Studios.  I was mostly set on either Minnie Mouse or Snow White as my inspiration for my Magic Kingdom outfit - but now I'm thinking... maybe Tinkerbell?  

 Personal Goals for June:

• Complete cleaning and organizing home office (for real this time!)
• Finish the crochet top I am making for myself
• Update Etsy Shop About Page and Listings
• Clean out pantry
• At least 15 minutes of activity 5 days each week

What do you have planned for June?  Any goals for the month?