Best. New Year's. Ever!

I came up Indy last night to spend NYE with Man and his girls. Turned out he had bigger plans than ringing in the new year...we're engaged! We've spent New Year's Eve around the house, making and eating a fun snacky dinner together and generally spending time as a family. It's pretty amazing to think just a few months ago I was a single former-foster-mom and in just a few more months I'll have an amazing husband and three beautiful step daughters!

Miss Thing is turning 13!

Miss Thing is a self-proclaimed tom boy, so when she asked if we could have a "spa day" for her birthday outing I jumped at the chance to do something girly and booked a mani/pedi at a local salon/spa.  After a bit of back and forth to pick a date (her actual birthday isn't until after she returns to school but I wanted to do the outing while she's on Christmas break) we settled on Saturday morning.  After work on Friday I met BBS and Miss Thing at the mall where they were doing some Christmas exchanges and Miss Thing went home with me to start her birthday outing with an overnight.  We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to buy her donuts for breakfast (yes, Auntie Karen likes to spoil her monkeys) and some stuff for the family Christmas party the next evening.  We went home and Miss Thing instantly got attack lovins from the pups.  She's come so far with them and as I saw her fending off slobbery Lolly kisses, I remembered when I first got Wolfey and all the monkeys were scared of dogs.  Any time Wolfey would jump or lick, they would all freak out.  It was so great to see Miss Thing standing her own.  The next day I let Miss Thing sleep in while I got the goodies ready for the party and did some housework.  When Miss Thing woke up we headed to salon for our girly afternoon.  My girl couldn't stop smiling the entire time.  We both picked shimmery, glittery nail colors to be all sparkly for New Year's Eve (I'm spending it with Man and his daughters while Miss Thing will be at her first big NYE party) and we had so much fun.

On the way from our outing to the family Christmas party Miss Thing was grilling me about Man.  I finally got it out of her that she has worries about Man's daughters taking up her space in my heart.  I reminded her that it doesn't matter how many other kids there are in my life, Miss Thing will always be my favorite girl in the whole wide world and her brothers and sisters will always be my monkeys.  I think she felt better about things after that, and she admitted that she really likes Man and is happy to have him around.  She even harassed me about "screwing up" her chance to be a flower girl, but told me she'll be happy to be my junior bridesmaid when the time comes.  I really am lucky to love my silly, sweet, generous little monkey!

Small town living

I've only lived in my sleepy little town a little over four years, but, with the exception of college, I've lived in small towns my whole life.  And even Muncie, Indiana isn't exactly a booming metropolis!  I've always enjoyed the fact that a small town offers the quiet restfulness of country living with the knowledge that there's always someone nearby if you need something.  I remember growing up with the same people living in my neighborhood for twenty-plus years, and I still keep in contact with many of them.  I remember walking next door to borrow a cup of sugar or an egg, to play with the neighbors' cats or to dog-sit while neighbors were on vacation.  I remember my dad bringing home a tractor to plow our street and driveway, and clearing the neighbors' driveways while he was at it.  I especially remember the yummy treats we received as a thank you for Dad clearing their driveways!

I've never felt quite as at-home in my current small-town neighborhood as I did the one where I grew up, but I've always chalked that up to the fact that I hadn't lived there as long.  Still, it seemed that there wasn't quite the sense of family in my neighborhood that there was when I was growing up.  Thankfully, this summer, things started to change.  I was working a lot of extra hours and struggling to keep up with the house, so I hired a neighbor kid to mow my lawn.  He had lived in the neighborhood his entire life, just as I had the neighborhood where I'd grown up.  Often, when he finished, we'd stand out in the front yard and talk, and since everyone on the street knew him, we often had visitors stop and talk, as well.  People I'd seen around for nearly four years and always waved or nodded to finally became people with whom I had small talk.  I learned a lot about the neighborhood, the town, and the people living there, and was really beginning to feel as if my neighbors may someday become my friends.  As the summer wore on, I was trying to fix some things around the house so I could have the place appraised to refinance and I hired another neighborhood boy to do some odd jobs.  I had had more contact with him and his parents, since they "borrow" my basement when we have tornado warnings, but that had been the extent of our contact the entire time I'd lived there.  Once the boy started working for me, we started talking more and became friendly.  I began chatting with his parents when I saw them out in their yard and my neighborhood really began feeling like the one in which I'd grown up.

Then it happened: a few days before Christmas, the odd-job boy's dad came over with a box of homemade cookies and a Christmas card.  Talk about a "welcome to the neighborhood" kind of moment!  I felt like it had finally happened - I'd finally found that neighborhood/family I've been looking for.  And last night, I came home from work to find...someone had plowed my driveway.  Now if only I knew where to send the goodies!

Snow day!

I put the dogs out to potty this morning and saw we'd gotten snow overnight! Not a ton, but a heavy dusting that turned everything a beautifully wintery white. I was just snuggling back into bed to check my email and send Man his wake up text when I received a call from a coworker that he had just gotten off the phone with the owner of the company, who had requested that he instruct anyone north of a certain area to stay home, even if it meant their store would have to remain closed that day. Since I had scrubbed my house top to bottom in preparation for Christmas company who didn't come (we all ended up at BBS's house) there were no real chores to do, so I spent most of the day catching up on snuggle time with the pups. It was really pretty great. I admit I don't always adore my job, but I feel like I'm pretty darn lucky to work for a company that understands the value of it's employees and places our safety before the opportunity to make a few bucks!

What have I gotten myself into?

In a matter of moments yesterday I went from planning a quiet Christmas morning, just Man and I waking up to a few gifts under the tree to hosting Christmas breakfast and potentially having 20ish people at my tiny house on Christmas (for the record, this is why I didn't post yesterday - too busy having a mini meltdown! Boy, am I lucky Man was able to talk me down off that ledge...several times!). The monkeys have been sick for nearly two weeks now (Schmo came down with it first and a few days later the others started dropping like flies) and somehow even Mom (who NEVER gets sick) got the bug. Just when it seemed everyone was on the mend and Christmas may not be badly affected, Princess's fever returned and Dad got sick. Christmas Day is usually at my parents' house, with Mom's parents and a few of her siblings coming over but we don't want to risk Grandpa getting sick (he's 93 and this is the longest he's stayed out of the hospital in months and we'd like to keep it that way!) so we certainly don't want Grandpa around Dad or even in my parents' germy house. So, since BBS has germies in her house, too, and the rest of the family who attends Christmas Day activities is from out of town, I volunteered my house. I certainly don't regret it - this is what family does and I'm just happy to get to see almost everyone on Christmas - I'm just a little worried that I don't have a shoe horn big enough to squeeze everyone into my house! I'm sure I won't be posting tomorrow, with all the craziness that is bound to ensue, so...
Have a happy, safe, family chaos filled Merry Christmas!

Why is it...

...that I can go days, weeks, even months without shedding a tear over my kids and then I'll have a day like today when everything I see, hear, read and think of sends me into a fit of missing-my-babies tears?  Don't get me wrong, I think about them a bajillion times a day, I just don't usually cry.  Yes, the holidays are right around the corner and I have been preparing myself to have a few harder-than-average days but this is insane.  I've mentioned before that I know things have to get easier and there will always be things that remind me of my kids, I just wish that I could have some experiences that could remind me why I fostered and why I had to give my foster babies up.  I sent this message to The Boy's adoptive (I'm assuming, since I haven't heard anything) mom and I'm waiting with baited breath, hoping to hear back from her.

Dear (new mommy),
It's hard to believe that it's been more than five months since I've heard anything about (The Boy).  I think about him daily and hope he is doing well and as the holidays approach I'm reminded more and more of some of the awesome memories we shared.  I hope he's doing well and that your family is happy and healthy this holiday season and always.  I understand if you don't want to tell him why, but please give him an extra hug tonight, and make it from me :)

As I sit here typing with tears streaming down my face, I can't help but wonder if they know how often I think of them, how much I miss them and how deeply I love them, but I know just how lucky I am to have had them in my life.

Never before have I worried about opening the back door and letting my dogs run. Then again, never before have we had 50 mile an hour winds, blowing rain and temperatures dropping so quickly. I hope they come back soon!

Sadly empty offer

My poor sister is home with five sick kids.  On top of that, on Monday my brother-in-law wasn't feeling well, either.  I just can't imagine.  I've been wanting to offer to help, but I'm hesitant, as I don't want to get sick.  Yesterday I decided I was going to suck it up and call this morning to offer, but then last night my mom texted me and said "You probably won't want to be around me; I have a fever".  She NEVER gets sick, so if she got this, I know it's HIGHLY contagious.  Ick.  Still wanting to help or at least be an emotional support, I called BBS this afternoon to see how everyone's doing.  I told her about my concerns, and that if Mom got sick I figured I was sure to get it being around them.  BBS seems to think Mom didn't get it from her kids (they hadn't spent as much time together as I'd thought) so I offered any help I could provide, even if it was just to sit with the kids for an hour so BBS could get out of the house.  BBS said "you know, just because Mom didn't get it from us doesn't mean it's not the same thing and it's not super contagious.  So my final offer: "If there's anything you need that doesn't require me to have much contact with your kids, let me know."  I feel so lame not being able to offer more, but I just can't afford to be sick, especially with Christmas right around the corner and being super low on PTO from work.  I am so lucky to love a sister who gets that sometimes wanting to help and actually being able to are two different things!

Yipes!

We've had our first full-on doggie fight.  Mom and Dad sent bones home with me the other night when I went there for dinner.  Wolfey knows anything that comes from Mema and Papa's house in a ziplock bag is bound to be good stuff, so he sat pretty, got his treat and gobbled it up.  Lolly, on the other hand, decided to take her time with hers.   I went out to the garage to get some dog food out of the deep freeze and no sooner did the door shut behind me than I heard it start.  I ran back in, yelling but had to really raise my voice to get their attention and break it up.  Anyone with multiple dogs - is this normal?!?We've had some grumbling before when one had a treat the other didn't, but this was all on war when Wolfey sniffed at Lolly's bone.  I'm so not okay with this!

I have so much to say (including Happy Birthday, BBS!) but for now let's suffice it to say I'm attempting to take a media break and leave you with this lovely photo description of why it grosses me out when animals eat bones they find rather than ones I buy at the butcher shop.

Puppy butts

Seriously, are these not the cutest little walkers you've ever seen?!

Siamese twins?

I swear, my dogs are joined at the tail!  I had to drag Lolly out of the house today because she didn't want to go without Wolfey.  They are pathetic!  Lolly had a vet appointment and although they're super nice and don't mind if I bring Wolfey along, I also figured there was no point in stressing him out by taking him in there when he didn't need to be checked out.  We were at my parents' house since they live close to the vet's office and that's where the dogs are staying for the day, since I didn't have time to run Lolly all the way back home between her appointment and my work and I was hoping that having my dad there would help.  Yeah.  First I told Wolfey to stay (he did) and called Lolly (she stayed, too).  Then I told Wolfey to go to Papa (he did) and Lolly went along, too.  Once my dad had Wolfey's collar I called Lolly...and called her...and called her.  She refused to come.  Finally I walked toward her, and being the super submissive dog she is, she laid down.  I grabbed her collar, thinking she would get up and come with me, but instead she rolled over on her back.  I started walking and rather than getting up to come along with me, she laid there and I had to drag her outside!  Once the door was closed and she knew she couldn't get to Wolfey anymore she was fairly cooperative, but I just find it amazing that in only four months they have become so bonded that I literally had to drag them apart!

No news is good news

In case any of you were on the edge of your seats waiting for results from yesterday's adventures, I just wanted to say all went well.  Mom took the day off work and was by my side almost the entire day.  She did run to the grocery store while I was in the procedure and waking up from the anesthesia, but other than that we spent the whole day together.  I arrived at my parents' house fairly early to meet Mom and drop off the dogs and we arrived at the hospital around 10:30.  They did all the prep stuff and we had some time to kill since the guy ahead of me arrived unprepared so we visited for a bit before they gave me the first dose of meds to knock me out.  Apparently last time I was hard to put out so this time they gave me a shot of Benadryl to help make the anesthesia work better.  As soon as they put the shot in my IV I could feel it.  My fingers got tingly, then I felt it in my face and chest.  We were talking and I started losing words.  At one point we were talking about the kids' upcoming birthdays (Miss Thing, Buddy and Princess all have January birthdays) and I could not, for the life of me, remember the word "bag".  We were talking about icing a cake and I made a squeezing gesture and Mom figured out what I meant.  I thought it was hilarious that she got "bag" from a move like milking a cow.  Yeah, kind of felt like I was drunk.  Not such a great feeling, but Mom was getting a kick out of it!  After I woke up and was allowed to leave the hospital we went back to their house and I crashed on the couch until dinner time.  Once again I had some tearing in my esophagus so I wasn't allowed to eat any solids but I had some soup while Mom and Dad had dinner, then Mom and I played a game until bed time.  I hate to admit it, but it was really nice to be taken care of all evening.  Every girl needs their mommy every now and then, and I am so lucky to have such an awesome one!

I am loved

You may remember that I've had some swallowing issues in the past and have actually had to be hospitalized to have my throat stretched.  I'm going to have it done again tomorrow and my friends and family have been so awesome supporting me through it.  Originally I had asked BBS to drop me off at the hospital and pick me up after the procedure.  I had asked my foster friend to be my back up, in case the procedure ran long and BBS couldn't make it because of having to get the kids off the school bus.  I had everything covered, but Mom and Man both threw a fit that I shouldn't be at the hospital alone.  Both offered to take the day off work to come sit at the hospital with me, despite the fact that I'll be unconscious about half the time that I'm there.  Since Man would not only have to take the day off work, but would also have to drive two hours each way, I declined (several times) for him to come.  Since I'll be staying at my parents' house that night anyway (last time I had it done the doctor didn't want me to be alone that night, since I had been under a general anesthesia) I finally gave in and let Mom take the day off to come with me.  As silly as I think it is for either of them to waste an entire day, I also feel really lucky to love such amazing, generous people.

Do people still say amazeballs?

Lolly was totally in-my-face-obnoxious this evening. I couldn't figure her out. I pet her, snuggled her, fed her and offered for her to go outside. Nothing. She got in my face, walked on me, licked my hands and arms and just couldn't leave me alone. I asked her again and again to lay down and give me some space, Finally I yelled at her to go lay down. She hopped off the bed and went to stand in the hall. I got up and once again offered for her to go outside and she ran out to potty. A couple months ago if we were in a similar situation she would have gone out to the hall to pee. We still have our issues, but it's incredible how far we've come...amazeballs!

The up side: I spent an absolutely incredible day with Man and his three girls. The down side: we had another ornament casualty. You know, for a day like today, I'll take it!

My girls

BBS needed someone to watch Princess this morning while she worked the Santa Shop at Schmo's school. It just so happened that I'd already found someone to cover the morning at work, because Lolly had a vet appointment, so I stopped at her house on the way to the appointment and took Princess with me. Between Lolly not liking the vet and the added responsibility of having Princess with us I was expecting total chaos. Yes, Princess is a great baby, but I'm not used to having extras to take care of anymore! They were both amazing, though. Princess has this calming affect on Lolly that I've never seen before. I noticed it when I took both dogs to visit the monkeys a couple weeks ago, but today it was really evident. Lolly hates being on the table at the vet. Today, Lolly was getting anxious and Princess started climbing the table. I picked Princess up so she could see Lolly. She bent down to pet Lolly and instantly Lolly relaxed. This happened several times, including in the car. Usually Lolly is a decent passenger but not great. Today, she curled up next to Princess and they both fell right to sleep. I took the cutest picture of Them sleeping together and I wish I could share it, but it would definitely lose something if I had to crop Princess's face out, so you'll just have to believe me that they're adorable together! When BBS told me she was pregnant with Princess, I joked that she had enough kids and she should give this one to me. Now I think I need her, because she is so amazing with Lolly. Not to mention just too stinking cute!!

Stolen from my cousin's facebook post :)

"The best dog you’ll ever own ain’t an American Kennel Club champion; it’s the decidedly average mutt you adopted from the pound ... Despite some significant shortcomings, he’s really, really good at just being a dog."

Then again, I'm not that bright

  In all my research, I've found that larger chunks of meat are good for dogs, as it slows their eating and it's more like eating a wild animal, but if I keep the food bigger, the dogs eat around the vegetables and only eat the meat.  So, when I make dog food, I put everything through the food processor.  When I first started making my own dog food, I would take the ground meat, vegetables, fruits, etc. out of the processor and stir it together with a big spoon.  It worked well enough, but because raw ground meat is sticky, it took forever and my arms would end up feeling like jello after making a big batch.  I decided it was too much work, and started using the food processor to mix things together, but the food was almost too well ground and reminded me of over-chewed meat.  You know, how when you've got a tough piece of meat and you just keep chewing and chewing and it doesn't seem to get any better and finally you spit out this big, grey/brown blob of goop?  Appetizing, huh?  I know that's not what it is, but still, I couldn't bring myself to feed my dogs goop.  So last night, not wanting goop and being too tired to deal with spoon exhaustion, I broke out the potato masher to mix a batch of dog food.  Why didn't I do this before?!?  It was so easy!  Things got nicely mixed without becoming goopy and it didn't take nearly as long, or nearly as much effort, as stirring it with a spoon.  This will definitely be my method of mixing from now on.  I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner!

Stinktastic

I try to be green, but there are some things you just can't avoid.  One of those is bad food.  Even with cooking for the dogs, I occasionally have food go bad.  If it's just starting to turn, I compost it, but even with that there are some things (grease, cooked bones, etc.) I don't want in my compost, so I always keep a jar under the sink.  The other day I discovered some bad cauliflower in my fridge.  Bad as in stinky and starting to get moldy.  I pulled it out and put it in the jar and, since the jar was only about half full, stuck the jar back in the cabinet.  This morning, not thinking about it, I pulled the jar out to scrape a dish that had been soaking in the sink and when I opened the jar, the stench about knocked me over.  I quickly scraped my dish and threw the jar away, despite the fact that it still had lots of room in it.  I put out a dish of baking soda and a bowl of vinegar (both good, green ways to absorb odors) and went on with my morning, avoiding the kitchen for a bit, but when I went back in a while later, I discovered it still smelled...like something had died in my kitchen!  I know a lot of people are complaining that this warm weather just doesn't feel like December, but I'm so thankful that I could open the windows and air out my house while I'm at work today!

Oh, and yesterday, I was gone from 8:30am-10:00pm without a single ornament casualty!  Here's hoping Lolly has finally lost interest in the tree!

Call for help

My walking buddy had to give up his dog and we are both just heartbroken about it.  Alex is a great dog, and is looking for a new home.  I really wanted to take him but just didn't think I could handle a third dog at this point.  Alex does great with other dogs and Wolfey and Lolly miss him dearly.  Please check out his site and, if there's any chance you can, adopt this wonderful dog!

This is incredible

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