A Girl's Best Friend

I have a little bit of a heavy heart tonight and a lot on my mind. My sweet Mojo is sick.

She's been sick for about 3 weeks now. For about the last week, I was thinking she was getting better, but after seeing her today, I am afraid she's not. She was Tim's dog first, but she is my sweetheart now. About 3 weeks ago, she started throwing up a lot. Eventually she became pretty lethargic and stopped eating. All of our dogs usually sleep in whatever room we or actually I am in but Mojo would just go straight to her bed in our room. She would spend all day and night in there and only get up to go outside. We took her in to the vet, and they thought she had this cold/flu thing going around in dogs. She got a couple of pills and some paste to coat the lining of her esophagus and she finally stopped vomiting.  But then, she had really bad diarrhea. After another week and her first meds gone, we took her to see a different vet at our clinic. At this time, her lymph nodes in her neck were majorly swollen.  I took off her collar because it looked like it was rubbing. He took some blood work, and they still haven't really figured out what is going on. He said it looks like lymphoma, except that only her throat nodes are swollen. Her cell count was kind of high, so that looks like an infection but yet, she hasn't ever been running a fever. He prescribed her a couple of different pills and she started eating again and the diarrhea began to thicken. As of today, her nodes are not getting any smaller and the watery diarrhea is back. She has been by my feet all evening and you can just see the sad and tired in her eyes. And in mine. I'm really scared for my furry friend.

I really miss this silly smile!

You can see how skinny she is here. :( 

If you would all keep her in your thoughts and prayers, I know we would all appreciate it over here.

Sunday Social

Back again with another Sunday Social with Ashley and Neely!


1. Favorite breakfast food
I absolutely love French Toast.

2. Best way to spend a free day
Reading. Period. I want to read all day every day!

3. Airline ticket to anywhere in the world….where would you go and why?
I would love to go anywhere in Europe or Australia. Those are just places I've been dreaming about visiting.

4. You can only leave the house with one thing…what is it?
My phone. I have to have my phone with me. And now that I FINALLY upgraded to the iPhone 5 and got the gold one, it has to stay in my eyesight! 

My Precious!! That's how I feel about my phone!
Source

5. How do you take your coffee?
I don't. I don't drink coffee, but if I need the extra perk, I have to have lots of flavored creamer in it.

The Tim behind this blog.

I love this link-up and I always seem to forget to ask Tim in time. This time I was prepared ahead of time! Yay me! 
Here's the questions and his answers: 1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? Probably Somewhere in Scotland or Ireland, maybe New Zealand then. If not there, then South America. Not in Mexico, but all the way South, like Chile. (I just hope he takes me with him!!)
2. Sand or snow? Sand (I'm so tired of this snow!!)
3. What Winter Olympic sport would you rock at? Either Bobsleigh or Skeleton. No skiing, skating, or boarding. At least not for more than a few feet. (I think we're the only people NOT watching the Olympics this year.)
4. You're cooking a romantic dinner- what is your go-to dish? Whatever you want to eat LoL. I have a meal I've had stored in my Yahoo that I've been waiting to try! I told him to answer the question and he said........ If I had to pick though I would say steak, potatoes, and asparagus. (Sounds good to me!!)
5. Fill in the blank: This year, I gave (your wife/girlfriend/fiance's name) a ____________________ for Valentine's Day? Flowers and quality time with her favorite little girl in the world. I didn't complain! Kahle was at his Dad's and Tim had to work so Izzie and I went to dinner with Mom and Randy and then spent the rest of the night at home. Randy gave Mom, Izzie and I all a carnation from the restaurant we were at and Izzie's eyes lit up! It just goes to show that every girl loves flowers!  Ok, I know not every one does, but you know what I mean! 

Hello? Is this thing on?

It's been quite awhile since I've wrote.  Is anyone still around anymore?  I've just had a lot going on in my little life and not too interested in writing it down. I've really been trying to read a lot more. And by reading I do mean reading blogs (I think I follow too many!) and more books. I am such a bookworm. My ideal day would be snuggling up with a blanket, my dogs and just reading.....all....day...long. I would also take a few cups of hot tea!! I finally finished up The Hunger Games trilogy. I have heard that many people were disappointed in how it ended, but I really liked it and wouldn't change a thing. I think Catching Fire was the best one out of the three. I just could not put it down and I can't wait to see the movie!!

I also just finished The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Amazon

Talk about a tear-jerker!!  I honestly cried for an additional 10 minutes after I finished reading. (I'm sure Tim thought I was nuts!) And I didn't just cry because it was sad, but it just spoke to me and became a piece of me. I think I mourned the fact that I was done reading. I really recommend everyone to read it if you haven't already! I'm also really looking forward to this movie too. And Andrea, if you are reading this......you will read this book!!! It's just so incredibly good and easy to read.

I'm now reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Amazon

I just started this on Friday night so I'm not very far at all but it's pretty good already. A little weird, but I like weird.

I have on my To Read List, both the Divergent Series and The Mortal Instruments Series. We watch City of Bones the other day and I really liked it! I'm into all the supernatural and end of world stuff. If any of you have read some really good books lately, let me know! I would love to add to my collection. I have so many books it's pretty ridiculous! Tim built me a bookshelf a few years ago and I've been on him to build me another one. I have 2 tall ones right now and they are full and I keep piling on top of books and in front. I also have a huge stack on my nightstand and another shelf in my bedroom with several more books. I have always been against e-readers because I am addicted to owning and reading physical copies but I've been thinking I might need to get one, since my house isn't big enough for a library! Ha!

Well, I think I better end for the night. Izzie is half passed out on the couch and Kahle needs to start getting ready for bed.  I really dread Mondays. :(

Ready for the New Year!

It has been so incredibly long since I last wrote here.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I just cannot believe how quickly it flew by! I just can't believe it just came and went faster than I could blink. I had Kahle home this year and we took full advantage of that by just staying home and enjoying each other's company. Yes, the kids still argued a little, but I am so thankful and blessed that us 4 just stayed home and had a great time.  I have so many wonderful family members that I enjoy seeing for the Holidays and any other time we get together, but as I get older, all I really want for Christmas is to spend my time with my kids and enjoying their excitement as they open their gifts. It really warms my heart.

We started a new tradition this year. It's one that I've seen many other people do. We got the kids new pajamas, a movie, throw blankets and snacks for Christmas Eve. I've always let them open one present that night, but this year we turned it into a movie night. They loved it!! On Christmas morning, I made French Toast Souffle, it was a bust. :( The kids ate hardly anything and Tim didn't like the crunchy bread on top. I guess I will still to traditional french toast from now on. Then again, it might have been the anxiousness of present opening that made the kids not want to eat! We opened presents and the kids were of course thrilled with everything! Then at noon, Mom, Alli, Jake and Vada (my neice-dog) came by for more gifts! It was so nice to just have all my favorite people in my house.  I am hoping that next year we can plan a little better and do lunch all together. I had made plenty of snacks the night before but a meal would have been great. Regardless, it was still perfect!

Do you all have any exciting plans for New Year's? We are invited to a party at a Co-worker's of Tim's but I don't think we are going to go.  It's in another town and we don't want to have to do any driving. We already have a babysitter lined up, so we might just wander around our little town instead. I'm ok with just staying in too.

I'm for sure ready for a new year though. We've had so many bumps in the road this year and I'm ready for a fresh start. No more drama for me!! I never make resolutions, not sure why, but I just don't care to.  There are a few things I would like to make as goals though.

1. Save up money!!
     We just do so bad with our money. We have enough to cover everything, usually, but I only get paid once a month, so around the middle of the month, it gets a little tight. I would like to save some money for a rainy day. We had our garage door cable snap a few months ago and now have practically replaced everything and it's still not fixed. I think we need some new cables, AGAIN, and we should be good to go. We've already replaced them twice and the motor. When we went to Menards to pick up new cables, wouldn't you know it, they were out of the size we needed. Just my luck!

2. Get healthy!!
    Tim and I both need to work on this. We need less junk around the house and more good stuff.  I just want to be a good example to my kids. I also need to work out. I tried but I just hate it. Starting at the new year, I'm really going to crack down on myself and try to get some sort of exercise in. Even if I don't do an aggressive workout, just anything is better than nothing! And I know if I start working out more, Tim will do. He really wants to get back in the cage, and he needs to work on his body more.

3. Have more patience.
     I use to be pretty easy going but not so much anymore. I get so annoyed at everything it seems and it's just not good for me or anyone in my house. My kids fighting drives me crazy but I don't need to bite their heads off all the time. I also need to spend more 1 on 1 time with them. I'm sure that would cut down on their fighting. Which reminds me....

4. Make more family time together.
    We always talk about this and never do it. We need to just do more together. Not just be in the same room but actually interacting together. We all need to put down our electronics and just be a family. We have lots of issues in this house that I know could be fixed if we spent more time together.

5. Get my house into shape.
    There is so much I want to do to this house. And by saving money, hopefully we can accomplish some of that. But also, my house needs some organization. The kids' rooms need painted, new carpets and organized.  There is so much and it needs done. I'm tired of it.

6. Avoid drama and protect my family.
    I do not want my kids to be around negative people and there seems to be a lot around us lately. People I thought were friends have proven they are not, family that I keep hoping will grow up have proven they can't and my kids have to be witness to all this and just end up getting hurt. I've got a pretty thick skin and if you can't provide me with friendship or love, I can do without you. It doesn't hurt my feelings. I don't have a lot of friends, and I'm ok with that. But when it affects my kids, then you really have to be out of the picture.

7.  Blog more and take more photos.
    Why have a blog if I never post? And I have a new camera, why not use it? Time flies by so fast, and I need to document every second before the kids are out of the house.

I suppose those could be considered resolutions but I really prefer the word goal! It just sounds more attainable and less easily broken.

That's all I got for now. Hopefully I will be back soon! Everyone have a good New Year's!!!

Vicki

Meaningful Beauty Crème de Serum

I was pretty excited to try this Serum from Cindy Crawford. It has to work doesn't it? I mean, look at her!! She's gorgeous and you would never know by looking at her that she is 47. She hasn't aged one bit!

Now, I'm 29 and honestly, I really don't have very many wrinkles or aging on my face. I do have some forehead lines because I guess I wrinkle my forehead a lot. I blame that on my children.

Here is a little more information on the Crème de Serum:

The Meaningful Beauty Crème de Serum takes a triple approach to combating the signs of aging with three powerful anti-aging ingredients: superantioxidant melon complex, anti-aging peptides and hyaluronic acid. Combining the power of a serum with the rich, moisturizing effects of a crème, this crème de la crème treatment is designed to help protect, increase hydration and prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

• Available as part of the Meaningful Beauty New Advanced Anti-Aging System.
• Combines the best properties of a serum (concentration and potency) with the best properties of a cream (rich, moisturizing texture).
• Formulated to help to visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and leave skin soft and more supple.
• Designed to help promote a smoother, more even toned, radiant complexion.

To learn more about the Crème de Serum, click here.
For purchasing information click here.

I really never noticed a scent and I absolutely love the way it feels on my skin!! As for results, well, I haven't really seen much difference yet, and since it's only 1 part of the line, I kind of feel like it would work better if I had more of the line, it is also a little more pricier than what I usually spend, but it might be worth a try!

Has anyone else used this or anything else from the Meaningful Beauty line? Please let me know how it worked for you!!

 I received Meaningful Beauty Crème de Serum complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Vicki

Sunday Social

I haven't wrote a post in so long. Life is pretty boring over here. Well, I guess it hasn't been extremely boring, there has been some drama with a certain ex of mine. But you don't want to hear about that! I was out of town for most of this last week in Norfolk, which is the hometown of the hilariously funny Taylor.  I had some schooling for work that I was attending and I was lucky enough to go with my co-worker and best friend Andrea. We get pretty silly when we get together so even though it was work/school. We still had a good time. Didn't we Otis? :) 

Alright, let's get to this week's Sunday Social questions.

1. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone?

I'm pretty boring right now with my phone. Ever since the first update, I put up some random sparkly water background. I don't even have pictures of my kids for my background!! What is wrong with me? 

2. What do you keep beside your bed?

Books, chapstick, lotion and a glass of ice water. Must haves for sure!!

3. What is your least favorite chore?

Dishes! I hate them with a passion. Luckily for me, Tim and I have a deal. I cook, he does the dishes! 

Yes....this is definitely me!!

4. If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be?

Working! Haha. I really wish I could be a stay at home Mom. Maybe when Izzie is in school full time too! ;)

5. What do you do to vent anger?

Oh boy. I do get angry sometimes. The best way for me is to be by myself and either read or just listen to music, maybe a little too loudly. If you leave me alone, I will calm down faster than if you harass me.

6. What is your favorite holiday of the year and why?

I really enjoy Thanksgiving. I mean, family and food? What's better than that? 

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I am getting ready to start baking some goodies, put on Christmas music and decorate the tree!! 

Vicki