Bangs!!

I've been wanting to do this for awhile.  It was time for a change. 

Around here.......

In the wake of losing Milo, I've been trying to keep myself busy and occupied while I'm at home.  The last thing I want right now is more tears!!  My friend Cyn lost her precious pup a few months ago, and we talked about how our eyes were 10x their original size from all the crying.  Seriously, I woke up Sunday morning and my eyelids looked alien in their puffiness.  I've been doing more organizing around the house, trying to get settled and comfortable into this new home.  One of my special decorations that means a lot to me are these tea cups.......

They are vintage and lovely and heirlooms from my Memere Ila and Great Aunt Irma.  Now that I have my own home, I am excited to bring all the cool family stuff I've been keeping at my Mom and Dad's house to my place.  Including my vintage secretary desk from my Great Aunt Grace (my namesake).  My mom had it refinished a few years ago, and it looks awesome.  I'm going to put it in the living room.  I'll post pictures.  I picked up this fun little Halloween decoration a few weeks ago when I worked at my cousin's pharmacy in The 'Ville.

Its an old witch boot, pretty cool huh?  I put some orangey / red berries in the boot to give it that Halloween flair.  Speaking of Halloween, I really need to figure out what I'm going to be this year.  I think that will be my project for my day off tomorrow.  I think a trip to the costume shop is in order.  Something that is a game changer this year for the costume?  The fact that I have contact lenses.  Why a game changer you may ask?  Because it means that I can wear a mask.  This opens so many costume doors my friends.

Other things going on around here that I'm excited about?  Bailey is leaving on Friday!! 

Don't get me wrong, she is super sweet, and a great comfort right now after Milo's passing, but she is definitely putting a crimp in Frank's lifestyle.  Since I have to keep Bailey and Frank separated, I haven't been able to put together my office / craft space.  I'll be super excited to get that done so I can start scrappin' again.  Especially with my scraptastic weekend planned in November, I need to start planning for that as soon as possible, it is going to creep up quickly.

Who couldn't love a face like this?  I'll tell you who. Frank.  That's who.            

Saying goodbye to an old friend.......

It has been an emotional few days here, to say the least.  Milo's condition kept getting more grave and complicated, ending with the discovery of metastatic pancreatic cancer.  It turns out the pneumonia was due to his body shutting down from the cancer.  My poor little sweet boy.  I only had a year with him, but he brought so much joy to my life.  He was an incredible comfort for me, and I will miss him terribly.  I said goodbye to him Saturday afternoon.  We were placed in a room together, with a blanket on the floor.  They took the cone off his head, and he laid down in between my legs and fell asleep.  So comforting.  We spent some time alone together, me bawling my eyes out quietly as he rested next to me.  Later, the vet came in and he was set free.  Free from pain and suffering.  It was peaceful, and I am grateful his life ended in my arms.

I love you Milo, always.  

We've had better weeks.....

What I really need right now is a giant cleansing breath. But it just isn't happening. The past couple weeks have rattled my nerves, to say the least. First up.... my sweet little guy Frank....

He's lost a fair bit of weight the past year, and I finally took him to the vet to try and tease out a reason for his shrinking size. At first we were looking for evidence of hyperthyroidism, when those tests showed up normal, we moved on to the pancreas..... Sure enough, the poor guy has an inflammed pancreas.  He's been on steroids for 5 days now, and he's doing sooooo much better.  He seems to be putting some meat back on his bones, his fur is looking the fluffiest it has looked in months, and, not to be too graphic, but his poo is looking top notch!!  All firm and well formed :)  There is nothing quite as satisfying as a solid turd from an ailing feline.  And you know what else?  I was thinking the steroids were going to make Frank all cranky, like they do to humans, but no.  He is super lovey and affectionate, which I'm totally eating up.  He's even been letting me hold him, which he NEVER lets me do.  So it seems as though Frank is on the mend.....

Which leads me to my guy Milo...... Ugh...... My heart is just aching for him right now because he's still under the weather, and the vet isn't 100% sure what is going on with him.

This past weekend I noticed that he was doing this cough / gagging thing, and his appetite started to do a nose dive, which is kind of a big deal if you know Milo.  He LOVES his food.  The biggest issue I could tell was he was panting.... A LOT.  Like sucking in air type panting.  Sometimes it would be bad, other times it seemed like it would calm down.  He was still eating a little bit, drinking a lot of water, and going to the bathroom, but he just wasn't his usual self.  On Tuesday I took him to the vet and he was put on antibiotics for what they thought might be an intestinal infection.  Over the next two days he didn't improve that I could see.  Last night his breathing while he was sleeping just seemed really labored.  So this morning I took him back to the vet for x-rays and a blood draw.  The vet just called back and I guess his x-rays show quite a bit of fluid built up in his lungs, which could be one of two things.....pneumonia or heart disease.  His blood panel showed an elevated white blood cell count which would indicate bacteria.....so possibly more likely pneumonia.  But I'm still freaked out to say the least.  The vet has started a broad spectrum antibiotic for the possible pneumonia, and a diuretic to help get rid of some of the fluid in his lungs.  I pick him up in a few hours.  Milo has only been a part of my life for a year, but I really can't imagine losing him, I love him so much.  He's a great companion, always excited to see me, tail wagging with his goofy, stubby-toothed grin.

Please send positive thoughts to both Milo and Frank!!!      

After.......

Wow!!  What a difference!!  The gardeners came over while I was at work this Saturday and worked $hit out in the backyard!  Take a peek......

Pretty awesome, no?  Is it just me or does Milo look super lumpy in this photo?  I came home from work and was sooooo excited!  About the yard anyway..... Then I saw the 5 ginormous piles of dog puke throughout my pristine new-to-me house......yeah, Milo had "an eventful day" while I was at work.  Poor boy :(  I have been feeding him dog food by the name Avoderm for a number of months, and he seems to like all the flavors I've given him so far.  Except for the "Senior Dog" formula I introduced on Saturday morning.  Note to self: do not give Milo food he's never tried before on a day you aren't going to be home.  Bad idea.  Lesson learned.  Oh, and did I mention the puddle of dog pee I found as well?  Three weeks in the house and Milo hadn't broken his seal yet.....until Saturday.  Again, poor boy :( 

So I busted out my Haan Steam Cleaner.  I love this thing.  It cleans and sanitizes any sealed surface without the use of any chemicals.  Just water.  It's the power of steam people.  After cleaning up Milo's various bodily fluids, I ran the Haan over the floors, now they are like new.  I highly recommend this little gadget.

Why does Frank looks so peeved in the photo?  Well, if you know Frank, you know that he's kind of a dick most of the time.  He's ornery, doesn't really like to be touched much, and sure as hell does not like to have his territory threatened by a little, white, yappy dog named Bailey.  I've officially had to separate them.  It has been stressful on everyone, especially Frank and I.  I don't think Bailey could give a flying frack about Frank's nerves.  Frank has been letting me know in not-so-subtle ways (read: peeing on my bedspread) that he is unhappy with the house guest.  Since I've made my office in to Frank's sanctuary a few days ago, he seems a lot happier.  He has some windows to look out, his perch to sit and sleep on, and a banquet of food options provided by his guilty feeling owner.  Wet food, dry food, Bonito flakes, cat nip, you name it, he has access to it.  Oh, and don't forget the three fleece blanket beds on the floor.  He's living the good life for the next few weeks.  Sure, I'm positive he'd prefer the run of the entire house, but for now I think he'll make due without having to run in to Bailey.  And my nerves will stay in tact knowing Bailey can't corner Frank under the bed.  And of course the no-cat-pee-where-I-sleep is a positive.

She looks so innocent.....don't let her fool you...... :)  

Before.......

So my back yard is already stressing me out.  The previous homeowners were total green thumbs and did a great job of keeping the plants in check in the back yard.  Me?  Not so much a green thumb, and definitely not doing a good job of keeping the plants in check.  I'd say I'm not doing any kind of job in regards to the back yard thus far :(  In an effort to not let all the produce and foliage back there rot away and attract vermin, I'm having some gardeners come over this weekend to clear out the joint.  Here is a before shot:

I'll post an after shot in a few days.  I'm having them remove all the produce because I can't even come close to consuming the amount of vegetables out there.  I've already managed to let Milo defecate on pretty much everything, so actually eating anything at this point would probably put me in the hospital.  It's like a jungle out there, no joke.  Milo has gotten lost out there in the middle of the night numerous times.  I'll let him out to pee at like 2am, and after not hearing him for 10 or so minutes I'll peek outside only to find him lodged between some enormous plant I can't identify and the fence. 

I'm looking forward to planting some grass, or laying down sod, in the spring.  Also putting in a deck for relaxing, hanging out, BBQing, all the fun stuff that goes along with decent PNW weather.  I'd love suggestions for some plants I can put back there that are hearty and fragrant, but don't require a ton of work on my part.     

Guess who?

Yep, I have another member of the animal kingdom squatting at my house for a span of time.  Apparently I am the go-to sucker for taking care of other people's animals while they leave town for an extended period of time.  My parents are visiting family on the east coast for a month, and I'm taking care of their dog, Bailey while they are gone.

She's a Westie, and she's adorable.  But a little more high energy than Frank, Milo, and I are used to.  We're adjusting though :)  After she runs around the house for a bit, she calms down pretty quick.  Luckily she loves her crate, so I put her to bed a little earlier than the rest of us, and she doesn't make a peep until morning.

Milo has been exhausted since she arrived, less than 24 hours ago I might add, it doesn't take much excitement for him to curl up for a nap.  But he seems pretty excited to have another canine pal around.  I was watching them interact this morning out in the yard, and both of their tails were wagging.  If anything, he's gotten a little more lovey towards me, wanting to lay *rightnext* to me on the couch.  Its adorable actually.  He hasn't jumped up on the couch in months, but yesterday he did it twice.  Bailey has a slight advantage over Milo since she is much smaller, and much more agile.  She can pretty much jump up on anything.  Like right now, she's curled up on my desk, next to my laptop.  And Milo is snoozing at my feet.  I'm in doggy heaven.  If you're counting, that is 2 dogs and 3 cats that I currently have at my house :)

In other news, I have done something I never thought I would do.....I joined Twitter.  Yeah, I thought my social networking had maxxed out with Facebook, but I guess not.  If you'd like to follow me, let me know and I'll send you my username.  And if you are on Twitter, and I'm not already following you, let me know your username.  Any recommendations for other Twitters I should be following?  If you say Justin Bieber I'll disown you as a friend.       

off the grid......

Wow, the past few weeks have flown by!!  I'm all moved in to the new place, and have been totally preoccupied with unpacking and getting things settled.  Yesterday I made the usual post-move trip to Target, Ikea, and Bed, Bath & Beyond.  It was a FULL day to say the least.  I bought a blue dresser for my bedroom from Ikea, and I'm pretty darn stoked about it.  I love some color, and I think the blue dresser is going to play off the golden yellow walls perfectly.  Of course I'll post pictures once everything is all settled.  Oh, and I have to figure out how I'm going to put together that monstrosity of a dresser!!  Tonight Kyle and Cyn came over and helped me put up some pictures.  It definitely feels more like home with some art work on the walls!

What else have I been up to besides moving / unpacking / settling in to the new place?  Playing with my iPhone, its pretty much like crack folks, seriously.  I currently have eight "Words with Friends" games going right now, it is addicting to say the least.  Enjoying the camera applications.  Taking pictures of Frank and Milo settling in to their new space. 

Frank has found a few new favorite spots, including this one..... the back of the couch cushion in the living room.  He can check out what is going on in the front yard, survey his kingdom, so to speak.  Good lookin' cat, no?  I think so. 

Milo has found my feather bed, and decided to make it his own..... little rascal!!  Well, I was due for a new one, and I will definitely need a new one now that his basset stank is all up in those down feathers!!  I found a fun, colorful cover for the feather bed at Ikea yesterday so it looks a little better than a dirty old pile of human-bed-gone-dog-bed on the dining room floor.  Milo probably doesn't care what it looks like, he's just happy to fall asleep in luxury.

Another one of Milo's favorite spots?  The cold tile floor of the bathroom.  I am in love with the bathroom tiles, they are original to the house, which was built in 1942.  Milo loves them too.

Last, but not least, when it is sunny out, Milo likes to kick it on the back porch.  He isn't much for going out in the rain, so the past few days he's spent mostly inside.  But when the sun is shining, he likes to sniff around the yard for as long as he can before he poops out and needs a nap (read: about 15 to 20 minutes). 

As you can tell, I'm still obsessed with the ShakeIt iPhone app.  So fun!!       

iPhone addict......

I'm officially obsessed.  At least for the time being.  I finally got my iPhone in the mail a few weeks ago, and I've been having fun with it ever since.  So many apps!  Currently I can't stop playing "Words with Friends", it's like playing Scrabble.  I have like 7 games going at once.  I've only managed to win one game so far, but I'm learning the ropes!

Also totally digging the camera applications, particularly ShakeIt.  I've taken so many pictures of Milo and Frank, sort of embarrassing.  Milo doesn't tend to look at the phone, so I can never get a good shot of him unless he's sleeping.  Frank is a whore for the camera, he doesn't seem to mind it at all.

See!?!  He's working the picture for sure.  Or he's about ready to swat my face.  Definitely looks like typical Frank in that shot, two seconds away from retaliation.

  

Drive by Milo-ing!!!  Like I said, he's afraid to get his picture taken.  The best pictures I have of him involve him being distracted with a bone, or being distracted with sniffing, so he doesn't care the camera is all up in his grill.  In other Milo news, he had a BIG day today.... groomer appointment at 9am, then vet appointment at 3:30pm.  He's smelling clean and has short toe nails.  The vet took a sample of a lump he has on his ear, to make sure it isn't cancer, it has to be sent to a lab for analysis, so I won't find anything out for a few days.  Unfortunately the vet said he has an infection inside both ears (not uncommon for basset hounds due to their super long ears, usually a combination of bacteria and yeast), and I have to put drops in his ears twice a day for ten days.  He DOES NOT like to have his ears messed with, so this should be interesting.  Wish me luck!!

Happy Wednesday!! 

best mail day ever!!!

Today after I got home from work I walked to the mail box.  It was like magazine Christmas in there.  Huge smile folks, huge smile.  The scrapbooking gods decided to send my three craft magazines to me on the same day, unheard of.  Usually they are staggered by a couple days.  Not this month.  Scrapbooks, etc., Paper Crafts, and Creating Keepsakes, oh my!  Looks like I will have some reading material for the next few days!!

In other crafting news..... I'll be attending my first scrapbooking retreat in November!!  I've never immersed myself in scrappin' for 3 days straight, should be pretty fun.  And Gina and Colleen will be there, so you can't go wrong there!

Frizzle Dizz layout

My friend Kym is an artist and she works quite a bit with encaustic wax.  She and I are going to do a trade..... I'll be making her mom a card, and she'll be making me an encaustic wax piece.  Kym has already given me one encaustic piece that is awesome..... check it out below.  You can also check out her pieces on Etsy here......

Encaustic wax piece by Kym Strom

I was at Fred Meyer the other night and I picked up the latest issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors (another craft magazine I like to read, but don't subscribe to.....yet).  There was a card shown that I'm totally inspired by, and I'd like to take some elements from the card for the card I'm making for Kym's mom.  It contains a quote that I love...."One generation plants trees, the next enjoys the shade."  I'll post a picture once I'm finished, although it probably won't be for a month or two since all my scrap stuff is packed away for the move.  Speaking of which........

Yep, everything is moving a long well!!  So incredibly excited to have a place to call home........