A real-life update: weddings, ulcers, mochas, shopping, fall

So here's a real update on life's going (no art or foster children). 


Last weekend, I went to Texas for a wedding.  Congrats to the happy couple!  Love you guys! 



Here's my immediate family!  My brother is so grown up now!

Here are the newly weds: Michael and Jessica!  Since all of my cousins are getting married, it's nice having more girls in the family!  The wedding was just gorgeous, and the reception was one heck of a party.   My family is so wonderful, and I miss them so much.   I'm so blessed to have the support of so many wonderful people.


This week, it was hard to get back into the swing of things, but I managed to survive.   I had some crazy cases, but they seem to be doing alright.    I also had my annual exam.   Much to my surprise, I had significant pain on palpation of my upper abdomen.   It's been 3 days since my appointment, and the pain never really abated.  For the last year and a half, I've had...well it sounds like morning sickness.  Inappetance, nausea, vomiting almost every single morning until about 10 am.  And NO...I'm not expecting.  In May 2012, I was 165 pounds...by October that year I was 150.   I've been maintaining about there since then.   For the past couple of months I've also had a little more heart burn than usual.   Some nights as I'm trying to fall asleep...I feel like I could breathe fire.     So my doctor ordered a full ultrasound, a whole bunch of blood tests, and told me to take omeprazole twice a day instead of just once.  I've been taking it once a day...but it doesn't really seem to help much.   Anywho...I'm waiting for the bloodwork results, and the ultrasound is next week.  After that, she said we'll talk about an upper GI.    Oh joy!  


This weekend, Beth and I went shopping.  Why not, eh? Who cares that I wear blue jeans and a scrub top every single day...  I'll dress up after work for going out.  Yeah...going out.  Fine. I just enjoying owning cute clothes!   CHURCH!  That's where I'll wear them...

After a long day of shopping, a Salted Caramel Mocha sounded just right.  I never drink these frou-frou drinks...but this one was particularly enjoyable (even though I only drank half).

New clothes!  The best part of having an ulcer (or whatever is wrong with my stomach):  Weight loss was effortless.  Not feeling like eating breakfast..and then eating months of salad...or pita with hummus for lunch...or deli meat rolled around a piece of cheese. I lost 15 pounds like it was nothing.  None of my shorts fit anymore...
So the pants with the blue shirt...I tried them on as a dare.  They are shiny, black denim..they actually worked as part of the outfit, and apparently no one else had wanted them since they were 60% off the sale price.

I also couldn't resist this silk, black and white, floral cami with RUFFLES!   I thought it went well with the cardigan I just recently bought...

In other news, fall is upon us with her crisp nights and frosty mornings.     So far these are the only flowers holding on.  My gourd plants have all turned brown and died...so hopefully I will have some nice gourds to paint come spring time!  I will leave the actual gourd crop out there to dry out over the winter.

As far as my art goes, I'm working up the energy to paint my Christmas card line.  I'll admit, I've started watching Christmas movies to get myself in the spirit.  I'm hoping to have a line or two out by Thanksgiving.  




Anyway, if you read this blog...know that I appreciate you!

Peace and Love, y'all!

WOYWW - quilting

 

It's been a long time since I participated in WOYWW!   And I'm a bit late this morning... So what's on my workspace this week?   A whole box of t-shirts (with a wet, blind kitten on top - it was Stevie's bath day), a stack of books about quilting, my ott light, and just some odds and ends.  I've been researching a quilting project.  I have about 22 of my late grandfather's flannel shirts (right now they are spread out on my guest bedroom bed).  I first wanted to make wedding presents for the 2 cousins getting married this fall....then I thought.. but what about my parents, 3 uncles, and 7 cousins...who all loved my grandpa.   Is there a way to make something from 22 shirts for 12 different families (including mine)?  Maybe a 2 quilt block wall hanging for each one.  Then I started thinking...there's no way I can get them finished in time for even the weddings...and I recruited help from an aunt.  She came up with the idea of making it a collaborative project between all the women in my family.  Awesome!  So in a couple of weeks we'll have a fantasy shirt draft (the women's counterpart to my family's fantasy football draft).   

I'd love ideas on what to do with my grandpa's shirts (and my t-shirts too)!  Maybe once Operation Papa Shirt Project gets moving I'll share some pictures from it!

Peace and Love, y'all!

The Davions in Your City

The story of Davion had us all wiping away tears.  This brave young man went before a church and begged to be adopted.   “I'll take anyone.  Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don't care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be” he said.  His courage and his ardent plea for a family to “love me until I die” brought his plight to America’s attention.   “I think I’ll be more successful, and have more opportunities if I had a family.  And I hope that I do find one” he says while wiping away tears.  What breaks my heart…is he was overlooked.   Overlooked for YEARS until his plea went viral on the internet.    It looks like he’ll find his family as 10,000 people have inquired….

Did you know there are more “Davions” in your community?  In your state? Possibly even in your neighborhood?  

Patrick- 14 years old.  He loves arts and crafts, sports, and hip hop dance.  He’s got a fun sense of humor.  He deserves a loving family.

William  - 13 years old.   He loves sports, and can’t wait to find a family who will cheer him on in the stands!  He does well in school and is proud of his grades.  He deserves a loving family.

Samantha  - 18 years old.  Samantha is a devoted catholic young lady looking for a family to help her transition to adulthood.  She loves animals.  She has been in the foster care system since 2005.  She deserves a loving family.

Or what about Anika?  - 16.  She loves football, creative writing.  She has a passion for church where she can be treated like a normal kid.  She deserves a loving family.

Or Justin? - 12. Justin says he feels all alone, but he loves normal boy things like video games and wrestling.  He deserves a loving family.

I picked out just a few of the HUNDREDS of Missouri children to mention here.  There are children of all ages, races, and genders who need a home.

But I’m single…You’re not excluded from this either.  Alicia, here,  is looking for a mother to love her.  She doesn’t care if you are black or white…or how old you are.

But adoption is expensive… WRONG.  In most of these cases, the state pays for legal expenses.

But I can’t afford another child… For most children in the foster system, there are government subsidies that continue to help financially support the children even after adoption.  Many of these children qualify for scholarships so they can go to college.   Additionally, healthcare and daycare might also be covered.  http://www.dss.mo.gov/cd/adopt/masp.htm.  Honey, let me tell you…Chase and I are in more educational debt than most people can imagine, but that’s not stopping us! 

But both of us work…  That’s ok!  Adopted children can go to daycare, and the state may even help you pay for it.

But adoption is time consuming and I don’t want the government nosing around my house…  Well parenting in general is time consuming.   Of course adopted children may have a few additional challenges facing them, but they are still just children who need loving families.   If you were in the government’s shoes…and you had to try to find a safe home for a child in your care, wouldn’t you do some research on a prospective placement’s home?  Of course the government wants these children in loving and safe homes!  Chase and I have been through the entire home study process, and it wasn’t bad.  You know what we had to change?  We had to purchase a larger fire extinguisher, install more child safety locks, post a fire escape plan with emergency numbers, and change our fire alarm batteries more often.   They asked A LOT of questions about our upbringing just to find out what parenting styles we were raised with…

But I don’t have any parenting experience… That’s ok.  Neither did we when we first became foster parents. 

But what if the birth mother decides she wants her children back… After a court has terminated parental rights, that’s pretty much a permanent thing.   After a child is adopted, if the case goes back to court 98% of the time the child stays with adoptive family.

More misconceptions addressed here.  http://www.adoptuskids.org/for-families/how-to-adopt/common-myths-about-adoption#age

Why do I care so much?   I care because of God.  God loves these children.  God CARES about the orphans and widows in this world, and the church has a God-ordained call to help them. 


Besides…after you’ve seen their faces, how can you turn your back on them? 

Peace and love, y'all

My blind kitten

So this is my precious little blind kitten Stevie. I think we can say that she's probably going to stay in my house,

 but we'll just have to see how it works out.  I keep trying to find her a home, but every time I tell someone she might need surgery they don't seem interested anymore.  Poor kitten, she has some pretty severe congenital defects. She's missing part of her eyelids and she's also got eyes that are too small for her head . So far, she seems pretty comfortable despite these issues. However there's a possibility she might have frequent infections. If that's the case she will probably require surgery to remove the extra tissue (ie, the defective eyes). But for now we'll just keep an eye on her.

The aftermath, a constipated chinchilla, first football games.

The Aftermath....

Last week was the first week after the boys went home.  Monday was the hardest night for me emotionally.   Since Chase is working on his dissertation, we decided not to take any more placements until he graduates.

 So what happens now?  Well life resumes as usual. Of course as a veterinarian, I can't just have normal, healthy pets at home so I'm never bored.  For whatever reason, Chimichanga got sick and stopped eating.   My best guess is that he injured his back paw, stopped eating because it hurt, and then got constipated because he stopped eating.  Poor little fellow...he was promptly started on antibiotics, pain medication, and syringe feeding.   


Poor little, constipated chinchilla....

He was a bossy little patient, but I think he actually liked the syringe feeding.  When he finished swallowing a bolus, he would bite the syringe for more.    Syringe feeding was followed by a gentle belly massage...and half a dozen little poops.   Hooray for constipated chinchilla poop!

Stevie the blind kitten...

If you read last Monday's post all the way to the bottom, you know I took home a blind kitten.  Here's a picture of little miss Stevie!  I've decided her 2 major defects are eyelid coloboma and possibly microphthalmia.   I think she may have a tiny amount of vision in her left eye. 



Luke and Lando's first football games...

Much to our delight and surprise, Chase and I got invited to go cheer on the boys during their first football games.  They didn't get hurt and had fun - so I'd consider their first games a success.    We hope to go cheer them on at some more games!  We consider ourselves very blessed that their family still wants us to be a part of their lives as family friends.

While we were at the games, I had fun watching a little girl play and dance with her umbrella.  She warranted a picture...and maybe I'll paint it later :)


What else did I do since we didn't have the kids last week?  I restored the bedrooms to guest bedroom status and cleaned the house.    I signed up for a Children's Book Illustration Class at the local community center...and a Facebook networking class for work.  I bought 2 books: Orphan Justice and Blog Inc.   Hopefully I can read those and blog about them soon! 



To all that support and encourage us as we stumble along trying to make a difference in this life....thank you.  You are very dear to me.


Peace and love, y'all!

Smores, Happy-Sad Days, Blind Kittens

I suppose the title just about sums up the last month.   If you've been reading my blog, you know that at the end of July we got a call for 2 boys who needed a place for "2 nights" (Foster Parenting: Luke and Lando).   Those 2 nights turned in to nearly 2 months.   We picked them up on July 24th and just today they returned home.   Honestly, I don't even know where to start writing this blog post...so I guess I'll start with how I feel today. 


Today I am happy-sad.

After 2 months of reading bed time stories, practicing multiplication tables, discussing personal hygiene, and keeping 2 growing boys satiated...Chase and I were pretty fond of those 2 boys.  They are very good kids... just 2 normal school aged boys who like football, dogs, Legos, superheros, and cantaloupe.  Just 2 normal boys with a added dose of anger and uncertainty about their future.  Those boys LOVED cantaloupe.  The younger one could almost eat an entire cantaloupe by himself in one sitting! 

Here's some of what we did...
We had some discussions about proper behavior at school, attitudes toward people with disabilities, and "socially acceptable" hygiene.
 We talked about court, and a little on why the "big people" are fighting so much.  We reassured Luke and Lando, that they are good kids...and this is not their fault.  
We cooked dinner together, and ate dinner together. 
We diffused temper-tantrums...and cleaned up "accidents."  We decided to purchase plastic, disinfectable clothes hampers for future foster children. 
We read books (lots of Diary of a Wimpy Kid) every night together when I tucked in the youngest. Each night I left 2 lights on, and left the door open...in case the little one needed to find his older brother in case of night mares.
We learned to tell lies from truth...some of the time.  Amazingly, toothbrushes should be wet provided they were actually used to brush teeth...despite what 11 year old boys may claim.

After court day,  I handed one sad little boy hiding under the bed a pillow, a blanket, and a little stuffed dog to keep him company.  He seemed like he needed time to sort through his emotions on his own, and he didn't want to talk.  We made sure he know we were available to talk if he wanted to... and didn't press the matter. 

I brought home a blind kitten.  Why? First and foremost, my gushy-soft heart couldn't resist a pathetic, abandoned kitten with eyes too small for her head. Second, I wanted an opportunity to talk about disabilities with the boys.  They had made a few comments about disabled people that warranted further discussion... Blind kittens are probably better teachers than lectures.   As the boys gently petted the tiny kitten, I told them that she is still a valuable creature...and deserves to be treated with kindness.    Even though she looks different than other kittens and will probably never have a life like a "normal" cat...she can still have a wonderful life.


Even blind kittens need love. 



As I lay in bed tonight...I wonder.  Did anyone read the boys a story tonight?  Did they *really* brush their teeth? Did they win their football game over the weekend?  Did they get a snack before bed?  How was their day at school?  Did Lando learn his 2s and 3s yet?

Do they miss us?

Are they going be ok?


Of course, reunification is the goal we have been working towards.  We've had long discussions (and written long letters) to their family.  We've prayed for them.  We miss them, but we hope they'll never have need of our home again.  I'm happy we've reached the goal of reunification.


I'm happy the kids can be with their biological family, but I'm sad they're gone from my house too.





We made smores with Princess Peach (when she visited during for "respite").  We also made them with the boys.  I consider smore-making a success considering no flaming marshmallows went airborne, and no one got burned or poked. 

Lando and I made some art on the Gelli plate together.  He had a blast, and gave the pictures to his biological family.   He loved the checkered stamp.

Before school started, I took them to Chucky Cheese's on one of my days off.  Chucky walked by throwing tickets in the air, and Luke ran to pick them up.  Another mother saw Luke and her son frantically picking up the tickets and thought her child was trying to take tickets Luke had dropped.  She made her son give the tickets to Luke.  I watched as Luke peered down at the tickets in his hands...and thought about what he should do as he glanced back up at the boy and his mother.  He walked to the mother, and explained that Chucky gave the tickets to both boys.   He gave the tickets back.    I was so proud of his honesty. 



This has been a fun, challenging, tiring adventure.  I still feel very strongly that God has called us to care for these children.    Hopefully we made a difference in these children's lives as we strive to glorify God by loving the foster children he placed in our house.  Only God can see the big picture, but I feel confident that He's got a plan and we're part of it.   Maybe 2 months doesn't seem like a long time, but these last 2 months serve a purpose in His plan for the world.


I wonder what comes next. 



Peace and Love, y'all!

WOYWW

Thanks to Julia for hosting this blog hop (http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/)!  I'm afraid I didn't make it to many at all last week since we were [anxiously] waiting to hear when to pick up some foster kids.   I'm hoping to have more time today for blog hopping :)


Here's my work table this week.  This is the table I took over when we got a new dining room table :)  I'm working on cards for swaps now.  I've also got my postage scale (used at the moment for weigh a chinchilla that's not been feeling well), various cutting tools, the trashcan (on the table because the dog thinks of it as a buffet), and flower shaped grippers for opening jars (going to try them on the Gelli plate). 


Today is a day off.  I'm hoping to vacuum thoroughly, change the sheets in the guest/foster bedrooms, clean up the chinchilla cage, and dust.   I'd also like to blog hop, watch Star Trek on Netflix, paint, and play with the gelli plate!   We'll see what happens!

Peace and love, y'all!  Thanks for visiting!

EDIT - Noon-  It sounds like we may be getting the boys ("Luke" and "Lando") tonight.  You never know when you'll get that phone call as a foster parent. 

EDIT #2 - I turned off Google plus commenting.  It was ridiculous.

Foster Parenting: Luke and Lando

Chase and I are licensed foster parents...and we never know when we'll get a call to help a kiddo in need.   Well we were called week last week, and we went to go pick up 2 brothers (school aged) who needed a place to sleep for 2 nights.  Since Chase is still finishing up his PhD, we've only been taking respite and short term emergency placements.   We'll call the boys Luke and Lando (from Star Wars of course..).  

We got the boys on Wednesday night, and we promptly went home to inventory foods they like, make a grocery list, and head to good, ole wally-world for supplies.   At Walmart, we told the boys they could each pick 1 small Lego set each - or 1 medium sized set to share.  The boys promptly launched into a thorough examination and discussion of the pros and cons of each Lego set.  After careful consideration, they chose a Star Wars themed set (9496 Desert Skiff) with multiple Lego characters (Luke and Lando included) and that tentacled creature (the Sarlacc) that almost eats Luke.  While I'm fixing a basic dinner (fried kielbasa, wild rice, and peas), Chase and the boys assemble the legos.  I think Chase was just going to sit with them, but the boys begged and begged for Chase to help.  "You HAVE to HELP US!!  There are SOOO many pieces!!"  After the legos were assembled, and their craftmanship praised...we sat down for dinner.  We usually eat at the dinner table, but since we only had the boys for 2 nights we made an exception and ate while watching TV.  Although the boys (both less than 12 years old) begged to watch Chucky, we settled on Adam-12 (a police series from the 60s).  I calmly explained to the boys that I get terrible nightmares from scary movies, and while staying in our house...they'll have to pick less scary movies or television shows (not to mention age-appropriate).  After a couple of episodes, the boys brushed their teeth and changed into pajamas.  Chase read them bedtime stories, while I sat in a chair in listened.  The littlest one wanted 2 night lights and lamp on during the night, so the oldest trasferred his room's night light to his brother's room. 


Here are some pictures the boys took while they were here: 

Bert is wondering why we are making bright flashing lights near his cage.

The boys adored Chase and wanted a picture of him.


The second night was actually our 4th anniversary, so we decided to eat out and headed to a local Mongolian BBQ restaurant.  Let's just say we won't be taking most foster kids back.  The kids didn't understand why they picked ingredients for a chef to cook for them...and they didn't think it was fun!  We ended up taking them by McDonald's on the way home since dinner was a flop for them!  Our plans of hiding fresh vegetables in stir-fry...well I'll have to figure out another way to get kids to eat vegetables!  Once we got back to the house, Chase had to prepare chili for a potluck at his work.  The youngest boy was so happy to help.  I'd peek up from my computer to watch Chase and "Luke" cooking together.  Since Chase works with a bunch of vegetarians, he made "Texas "Thai Tofu Chili" I bet Tofu was completely new experience for the boys.  I read the boys "The Little Red Hen" as their bedtime story, and we tucked them in for the night.  Both mornings they woke up and got ready without grumbling, and made their beds with me asking.  They were such sweet gentlemen, and we just adored them.   Chase met with their mom the following day to give them back. 

We'll always remember them, and we'll always hope and pray that their lives will be blessed...that they will be safe, well-fed, and loved.   Hopefully, they will never need us again.


Peace and Love, y'all!

WOYWW

So what's on my workspaces this Wednesday?  (to play along go to The Stamping Ground with miss Julia)



Not to much going on,  I just packaged these up to mail to the swap host.  "You Deserve a Medal" mixed media swap.    The awards I made:  Most Flexible Toes, Suvivor of Firework Season, You are my Sunshine, and Biggest Flirt.  Looking back, I wished I had a made a Monday Surivor one lol... I was so clumsy on Monday!



PSA.  As some of you may know, I've been battling spiders in my household.  I now believe I've found and eradicated the...erm...nests of them.  I found 2 gravid female brown recluses(as well has about a half a dozen little spiders.  while cleaning my garage and spraying in there.  Hopefully I have eliminated the major source of my spider problem.  I can only imagine what a sight it was for my neighbors - I dragged every last bit of junk out of my garage.  Swept out the entire thing...as I found the nasty brown recluses...I'd smack them with the broom repeatedly...most likely yelling the whole time.   SQEEEEEE!!!   Cars kept slowing down like looking for a garage sale.   After that, I sprayed the entire garage with a pesticide.    Since the garage was cleaned and decluttered, we purchased shelves and plastic storage bins to keep it that way.   I can officially say - we very likely have the cleanest garage in the neighbor hood.  We also purchased a shop vac...so I can keep the sucker clean without moving everything out again.

PSA:  I just thought I would share how to identify a brown recluse.  The brown recluse is also called the fiddleback spider and that nickname can help you remember how to identify them.  Ok...so you see that the spider has 2 main body segments.  The head/thorax (called the cephalothorax) where the legs are attached and the abdomen.  The cphalothorax is mostly pale brown (tan) with a dark brown shape in the center of it.  The dark brown part is shaped like a violin with the neck of the violin pointing towards the abdomen.  The brown recluse also has 6 instead of 8 pairs of eyes...if you care to count them.  Anyway...here's a picture of what I presume to be a big fat female....ready to put more of the little nasties in my garage.  I snapped this picture right before I launched my broom squishing attack.  As bad as their bite is...they really aren't aggressive spiders...and usually don't bite unless pressed against skin.   That being said, I've become rather strict about making/checking beds, keeping clothes off the floor, and keeping cardboard out of my house.



Peace and Love, y'all!

WOYWW - 5Ks and Organization

Happy What's on Your Workspace Wednesday!  To play along and share your workspace with crafters around the world, visit Julia's blog.


Here's my crafting area this week.  My fabulous parents came up last weekend to visit and run a 5K (their first).   We ran on Saturday and spent some time in the historic downtown of St. Charles, Missouri.  I'm so proud of my folks for trying to exercise and for training for this race!

On Sunday, my mom and I spent the first half of the day organizing my craft room.   They brought up a huge new dining room table (seats 8 people) so I claimed the old table for my craft room.  LOL I went from a 25 year old table to a 34 year old table (but I love it!).



Here's the old dining room table.  My dad made the comment that I've now taken over 3/4 of that room. My husband just gets a corner that he shares with the chinchillas.

I have empty shelves now!  What should I fill them with?

My mom labeled all my boxes.  We also took everything out, dusted the shelves, and patched up the holes (supposed to be there for wires to run in).  My chinchillas were scurrying up the back of the armoire, going through the holes, and chewing on my watercolor paper.   Bad chinchillas!  

David, Beth, Me, my dad, and my mom before the race :)

WOYWW - Morning of art

Here's my workspace today.   I'm hoping to do some watercolor this morning....or maybe make some Moos (once I figure out what they are and what  I want to do).  Also sort on my workspace (the red couch) is a green book I'm working on.   When I've been playing with the Gelli plate, I "clean" the plate and my brayer in/on the book. 

 One of my favorite gelli prints is on the portable desk.   I don't really own a lot of stencils and stamps, but now that I've found a fun reason to own them... maybe i should go shopping.   What are your favorite sources for stamps and stencils? 

 Also on there is the wii remote (for Netflix), 2 prang sets, some source photos for painting, my cup of coffee, and some brushes.  A little list of swaps I want to make cards for is sitting off to the side.  LOL, i'll probably just blog hop all morning and not paint anything.  My poor little dog is on the floor.  She refused to go outside this morning because it was raining.   She keeps running over to the window and peering out.  She's a smart little thing...she'll probably let me know when she deems its safe to go out. 


Thank you, Julia, for hosting this fun little snoop!

Visit to my folks - WOYWW

Happy What's on Your Workspace Wednesday!   I'm posting really late because I've been traveling.   I spent the entire morning at a local art supply store trying out new stuff and visiting with family :)  Since I'm traveling, I'll have to do some blog hopping later this week :)

In a spur of the moment decision, I decided Monday to visit my family in Arkansas over the holiday.  

I wanted to see the new baby in the family, visit my folks, and more of my family at Art Outfitters. 


Art Outfitters has a  station where you can play with a Gelli plate for making prints.  We had such a fun time a bought a 8x10 one :)

The Gelli Station

 

Will and my mom practicing

All of my family at Art Outfitters :)

My mom and I are loving on the newest member of our family.    My cousins are so proud of this sweet little bundle of joy, and they are wonderful new parents.   Who knows...maybe in the next 2 years, Chase and I will decide to have our own.   All in God's timing :)


Peace and Love, y'all!  

WOYWW

Hello fellow WOYWWers!   Thank you Julia for hosting this blog hop!   We all appreciate it!


Here's my workspace this week:



It's my coffee table. It's a great coffee table for art b/c you can just windex it when your done.  I don't worry about getting paint spatters or anything on it!  I've been messing a lot with my watercolors.  I realized I've got 6 different sets (and 1 duplicate), and of course I don't use them all.  SO I made a chart of the colors of all 6 sets.  To be honest, my cheap prangs had some of the most vivid colors :)

Also on my desk are some ATCs I made for some swaps, a postage scale (for mailing returns from swaps), an ott light, my pop tart breakfast, a cup of coffee, and a declogger thing my husband was using on the vacuum.  You see... neither of my 2 vacuum cleaners are functional at the moment.  I'm a veterinarian without a vacuum cleaner....and the fur is starting to pile up!  I really, really hope the belt I ordered will come in today!  Speaking of fur, one fur-contributor is in the top left corner: Ruby dog is wondering what I could be taking a picture of (instead of putting her diet dog food in her bowl).


Hopefully today...I can clean a little, repair at least 1 vacuum cleaner,  and do some painting!


ps - Gus-gus is doing much better this morning (after being attacked by Bert last night)

Hugging my Dogs and Chin-drama

Today was one of those days.   I came home, and loved on my own dogs...and told them never to get old.  It would be nice to have super human veterinary powers -  to talk to animals, assuage their fears, ease their suffering...

In other news, Ruby and I are still training for a 5K.  We're up to 8 minute intervals.   She's a pudgy little thing, but I'm determined to get the extra weight off of her!  She's on a low cal, high fiber diet and we're working to increase her exercise.  I've lost 20 pounds in the last year without really trying...it just doesn't seem fair that poor Ruby has to work so hard to loose weight!  Little fatty...

In the chinchilla realm of my household, drama has been the theme.  We let the three boys run together for a little bit while we're still awake.  There was the standard barking, humping, and peeing on each other.  Then...Bert bit Gus in the face. They are separated again...hopefully no one will put them back together for a while to let things settle down.  Poor Gus-gus...he's really stressed now and he won't come out of his hidey-box.  I hope he'll be ok and didn't get too stressed...but I'm pretty worried about him.  His wounds will be fine, but he just got so stressed!  We'll keep a close eye on him - make sure he's eating, pooping, and behaving normally.  :(  If Gus-gus declines, you can bet I'll do everything I can for him.   I'll admit, seeing any of my fur-babies hurt brings tears to my eyes.

Taking Inventory: Watercolors

 

Foster children, dreams, and chinchillas

A couple of weeks ago, we had our first respite foster child stay with us for a weekend.  The child that stayed with us was very sweet, polite (most of the time), and always hungry.  Of course, I can't share a picture of her...but I can share the picture she took of Chase!  She couldn't quite figure out the manual focus of my good old Nikon D40, but she snapped pictures pretending to be a pro!  We played the Wii, went for a scavenger hunt in a park, attended the Crossing's church, and then saw the lions and tigers at a local animal sanctuary.  Haha, she also gave Ruby-dog a bath and swiffered my kitchen (lol..but she had no idea she was helping me with chores b/c she was having so much fun).  We also picked up a new chinchilla. 



Our little Diva was happy to go with us to meet the new chinchilla (and "rescue" him).   We named him Gus after the fat mouse on Disney's Cinderella.  He's missing a front paw and he always has a booger.  He appears to be otherwise healthy so I'm not worrying about the booger just yet.  It appeared his previous owners left his dust bath in 24/7 which can lead to conjunctivitis, rhinitis, and dry/dull fur.  I'm not really sure why this sweet little fellow has jumped homes so many times.  His last owners had him for 6 months, and his first owners another 6 months.  Allow me to briefly step on a soapbox... before acquiring a pet...folks really should consider the lifespan of the pet, their lifestyle, and husbandry (care) the pet requires.   Chinchillas can live up to 20 years!  Yes that's right...20 YEARS!  Most probably live closer to 8-14...but Chinchillas are more of a long-term commitment than other pocket pets.  They are also NOT allergy friendly.  They eat hay, shed, and take baths in dust.  It doesn't get much more allergenic than that.  So there's constantly dust, bits of pet-fur, and hay floating around in my house!  Anyway...I have a hard time understanding why people acquire pets with so little thought of commitment.

My other 2 chins are less excited about the new guy.  They are still just as snuggly with each other as ever, but they really only bite or pee on the new guy.  Poor Gus-gus!  They'll be separated until they get along better.  Maybe I'll just have to find a 4th chinchilla to be Gus-gus's buddy! 

In other news, I'll be working another year in the same clinic.  We agreed to renew my contract ;)  Heavy on my mind has been the timing of other things...like staring our family.  In the end, we'll just have to pray about it and wait for God's timing. 

My Papa loved babies.  Sometimes I feel sad because a part of me wishes he could have seen the next generation born - held his great grandbabies.  At the same time, I don't quite feel like a responsible adult.  I still enjoy watching TV or playing Nintendo all day and letting the dishes stack up.  I like sleeping in and not making my bed. Some days...I just like being selfish!   Patience for God's timing....

Peace and Love, y'all.

What's on your Workspace (ie...spread all over your house) Wednesday

So this Wednesday, I'll admit....I've made a right mess of the entire house.  There are cards on the kitchen table with my paper cutter, scraps on the kitchen floor, cards on my husband's desk, cards  on the coffee table....and on my desk is well...more cards and my water colors. Here are close ups of the art that is scattered about the cards I've been making.  I'm hoping to sell some of the cards at craft fairs and at work and what not. 

Play along with WOYWW over at Julia's blog http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/






Light house watercolors...

 

This is a portrait of John Wayne I did for my boss for her birthday.  I hope she likes him. I had a hard time getting the weathered look of his skin, and my hubby says I made his nose too straight.  Oh well!

Here are all the greeting cards I've made. 


Peace and love!  Thanks for popping by!