Update on Scout

Scout is home! He spent Friday and Saturday night at the emergency vet hospital, but had no more vomiting. It still appears from the x-rays that something is in his stomach (they can't tell what), but he is eating small amounts of bland food every couple of hours and drinking all the water he wants and is keeping it all down. So, no surgery for now. This is VERY good news!!!
So for now, we'll just give him his meds, keep feeding him the special diet, and keep an eye on him. We are soooo happy to have him home!!!! And thank you so much for the well-wishes!

Funny thing is, the first thing the vet said to me the night I admitted him was "Are you SURE he's a lab/golden retriever mix? He's HUGE!!!" I laughed and told her that's what the lady at the rescue was told, but everyone thinks he's part Newfoundland. She replied, "That's what everyone here is betting on! We've been talking about it since he got here!" But all in all, he got a great report. They said he is "one cool dog" and he was the perfect patient...all of the vets and techs fell in love with him. Isn't that the most wonderful thing to hear as a pet owner???

Oh Scouty, what have you done???

As fun as Christmas was for us, I think Scout was feeling a little left out and bored. On Christmas Day, Barry let him outside for a bit and found him later chewing on one of our chickens. We were really surprised by this, as he usually leaves the chickens alone! Anyway, Barry saved the hen from Scout's clutches and then later found her dead in the coop. Add to that another hen that appears to be missing... DAMMIT! I started out with 12 chickens and now I am down to 5. Looks like I will be shopping for chickens soon.

So on with the story. Barry left for his hunting trip the day after Christmas, and Scout had been pretty low-key all day. That night, I was totally looking forward to an evening to myself....get the kids to bed, maybe have a nice hot bath, read in bed for a while....you know what I mean. Well, I got to bed a little later than I wanted due to a long overdue phone conversation with my friend Sheri. We had been having trouble connecting through the hustle and bustle of the holidays, and were due for a long chat! So, I didn't get to bed until 12:00-12:30. At 2:30, I woke up for no reason in particular, just couldn't sleep....WHAT???? I fantasize about sleeping!!! This was distressing, to say the least! So the longer I can't sleep, the more pissed off I get. Finally at 3:30 am, I gave in and started reading. At just this moment, Scout started barking. I ignored him, hoping he would go back to sleep...which it appears he did. That is until 5:00 am, which coincidentally, was just about the time I fell asleep. So I was annoyed, with a capital A. I stomped down the stairs and asked him what the hell the problem was. And that was when I noticed the vomit in his crate. UGH.

I let him out, and not feeling like cleaning it up in my tired and surly mood, I let him out and then let him come upstairs to lay down in my room for the rest of the morning in hopes I could get some more sleep. NO, it wasn't meant to be. Noah woke up twice and then Scout threw up again, this time on my new bedroom carpet. Shit. Now I was forced to get up and actually DO something! And through all of this drama, the kids were still sleeping....

So I took Scout outside again, and then he came in and laid down on his bed and went to sleep. Seems everyone was sleeping at their leisure but me...what the hell?

When I finally gave up the ghost that I would ever get back to sleep, I got up, made breakfast, and waited for the kiddos to get up. During that time, I talked with my friend Deetra and we made plans to run into Columbus to run some errands and do some returns. Since we had to go to the same stores, we decided to go together. Right before she got here, I went to the basement to crate Scout and there were no less than 4 piles of MORE dog puke! It appears he had eaten some of the cat's food and wasn't able to keep it down. Break out the steam cleaner for the 2nd time....

He appeared fine after that, so I went ahead and crated him and we left for our shopping excursion. When we got back, the kids went down to let him out and he had thrown up again in his crate. No biggie, I cleaned it up and asked him if he was ok. He just looked at me and drooled long, thick strings of drool. Poor baby...he was nauseous. By 5:00 he was throwing up nothing but mucousy blood. OMG, did I get worried! I immediately called the vet and they said to bring him right in. So I did, and he perked up quite a bit when he saw the other dogs and was more than eager to play...I felt better about that immediately.

So the vet checked him out and said he appeared fine in all respects (normal temp, normal gums, no tenderness in the abdomen), but she was definitely concerned about the bloody vomit, or vomity blood, or whatever you want to call it. She suggested that he be monitored overnight, and since they are not a 24 hour hospital, I would have to take him into Hilliard. Oh JOY. But, I am not messing around here with my sweet pup, so off I go...and my good friend Deetra volunteers to go with me for moral support, and her sweet hubby Shawn watches all 3 kids for us.

Now the 24 hour clinic in Hilliard was AWESOME, let me just say that right now. Everyone we dealt with was warm, caring, and professional. I just loved the vet. She was very upfront, honest, and calm. They did an exam, bloodwork, and some x-rays to see what was going on. He was healthy in all respects except for the fact that his stomach appeared full, even though he vomited all day and hadn't eaten at all. This was the worrisome thing. So, she said he needed IV fluids because of all the vomiting, various drugs to help with the nausea, and overnight monitoring...in fact he will be there until Saturday morning at the least. All this and $900 later, I left without my dog... and still no definitive answers. Kendall fell to pieces when she realized I didn't have Scout with me and I had to rock her to sleep and put her in my bed. None of us got to bed before 11:00.

So this morning, the vet called at 7:00 am to tell me he had perked up a bit and hadn't vomited all night, but he is still salivating. Also, his updated x-rays show his stomach is still full. They will see if he is interested at all in eating today and see what happens, but she is thinking he will have to have surgery if whatever is in his stomach doesn't dissipate or pass. And this will cost "a couple thousand dollars" for a dog his size...86.6 lbs to be exact. So anyway, I guess we just doubled the Christmas budget...LOL. Whatever...it's just money. We'll pay the darn bill and cut out some unnecessary expenses for a while...you do what you have to do for the ones you love, right?

Oh Scouty, what on earth did you eat???? Chicken feathers? Chicken bones? A toy? A ball? Who knows....but I guess we'll find out sooner or later, won't we???

What a Fun Christmas!

Another fun Christmas has passed!

We started off the weekend with a trip to see the zoo lights with our friends, the Huntingtons. It was a relatively warm night, so the kids were having a good time. Kendall was already worn out from all the holiday preparations, so she was a little whiny, but we still had fun.

Saturday, we ventured west and headed to Barry's dad's house for Christmas with the Kucks. This year we had brunch, complete with pancakes, eggs, and sausage. Of course, we can't forget the traditional peppermint stick ice cream and little cookies that Luanne always has for dessert! The kids could barely wait to open the gifts, as usual, but were much less rowdy than in previous years! Noah was really into ripping open the gifts the year, but he really would have been happy with just one gift. As soon as he opened the first one, he wasn't interested in any more! Just like every year, the kids made out like bandits...and we had such a wonderful time sitting around visiting with the family and watching the kids play.

We had to leave the Kucks around 4:00 to get to my mom's family Christmas at my uncle's house. They have a new house that is HUGE...and really, really nice. Plenty big for our huge family! There were kids EVERYWHERE, all 3 floors, I tell you! But it was great fun seeing everyone.

We left for my Dad's about 7:30-8:00 and Noah fell asleep on the way, poor baby. He had been fighting a nasty cold all week, and all the excitement got the better of him. We put him to bed as soon as we got there and then stayed up late talking and eating. The next morning, we got up, had brunch, and opened all the wonderful gifts everyone had brought. We stayed for awhile, watching my new "The Office, Season 3" and laying around relaxing. And then it was time to head back home to get ready for my Mom and Joe to arrive on Christmas Eve...

Mom & Joe and Jess all arrived late in the afternoon, and we sat around chatting and waiting for Noah to wake up. We usually eat and then open our gifts to each other, but this year we decided to eat late and open gifts early. So as soon as Noah woke up, we got him a little snack and sat down to give gifts! By this time, Noah had the gift thing down pat. The gift of the night was Noah's excavator (see the pics at the right!) This thing was major-cool, and he talks about it non-stop. And no-one, I mean, NO ONE is allowed to touch the "escabator"!! And check out the necklace Barry had made for me! (Thanks Kathy, I love it!)

Santa came that night, but thank goodness the kiddos slept until 8:00, so we were all well-rested by the time the kids went crazy with the presents again! We had raspberry stuffed french toast and a scrambled egg strata for breakfast...YUM! Then we just sat around and watched the kids play. Never got out of my pajamas the whole day...it was AWESOME.

Jessie stayed again last night and we got up today to do a couple of returns and a little shopping before Barry headed out for his hunting trip. So now, Noah is sleeping, I am finishing this long overdue blog post, and Kendall and I are watching Shrek 3. It promises to be a nice relaxing night in the cabin.

Enjoy the pics and I hope you and all your families had a warm and wonderful Christmas together!!

Sunday morning

Good Sunday morning everyone! Hope you are all having a good weekend. We are getting lots of snow and icy rain, and sitting around in our jammies. Last night, I finally got it together enough to get the kids in front of the tree and get our Christmas card picture. What do you think? Normally we get one of all of us, but I had no one to take the pic and I KNEW that Noah would never sit still and wait for the timer on the camera. So...here it is. Just the kids. But I think it turned out pretty cute, don't you?
Some of you have been asking how Noah is doing with his potty training. He's doing pretty well! We haven't hit it hard-core yet, but we are planning to start that over Christmas break, when I will be with him 24 HOURS A DAY. Well, whoo hoo! But for the most part, if he sits on the potty, he goes. In fact, he won't get off the potty until he has squeezed out at least a few drops of pee. Pretty funny, actually! So, I'll get you an update after Christmas break...but for now, here's a little funny picture for ya:
This morning, we felt like making a full-on breakfast. We opted for Blueberry-sour cream pancakes and fruit smoothies. Kendall has been dying to try out her new Drinkmaster that our friends The Woods sent us for Christmas. So, here are Kendall and Barry making their banana/strawberry/pineapple smoothies. YUM!
In case you were wondering, the pancakes were DEEEE-LISH!!! Witness:
And Noah ate 4 whole pancakes and 2 cups of smoothie all by himself! "More pancakes! More pancakes!!!"
Today we are going sledding at The Grosses house. They invited us yesterday, mid-snowstorm. The kids will think it's the cat's pajamas, I'm sure! Other than that, we are going to be working on the basement and possibly doing some Christmas baking. Yesterday, Kendall and I made a batch of Reindeer Munchies and some Sand Art Bars. Pistachio Bark and Christmas Bark are on the agenda for this afternoon. If ya'll want some of the recipes, let me know. Maybe I'll post a few! Until then, I will leave you with the recipe for the pancakes!!!

Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes
(topping)
1/2 c sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 c. water
4 c fresh or frozen blueberries

(pancakes)
2 c all-purpose flour ( I use half oat flour, half unbleached)
1/4 c sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1-1/2 c milk
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c butter, melted
1 c fresh or frozen blueberries

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in water. Add blueberries and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm. For pancakes, combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add milk, sour cream and butter. Mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the berries. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle and turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Serve with blueberry topping. YUMMMMMM!!!
(**You can also substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream, if you like. It's just as good!**)

So predictable...

Ok, so I broke down about 1:30 and did the dishwasher. So predictable I am. But at least I did it while Noah was eating his lunch, so I didn't have to take time out of our fun day to do it. Whatever. It's done and I'm done with my tantrum.

On to bigger and better news...

The kids are in bed, Barry is out playing poker with the guys, the dog is sleeping on the floor...and I am headed to a nice, hot bubble bath with my half-read book, Eat, Pray, Love. Ahhhhhh...

And then it's off to bed with me! I have to work tomorrow morning! Have a good night, peeps!

The Dishwasher

Do you ever have one of those days that you just can't bear to do that one daily task...not even one more time???

Today is the day for me. And the source of my stubborn stance is the dishwasher. I came into the kitchen today to a dishwasher full of clean dishes and a counter full of dirty dishes. This is not an abnormal occurrence...it happens nearly every morning. I come into the kitchen in the morning, fix the kids breakfast, and while they are eating I unload the dishwasher and reload it. No big deal, right? Right!

Well, ummm....most days anyway.

Today was a day like any other, but I was feeling particularly put-out this morning for no good reason. Ok, that's not necessarily true. I had a reason. Noah was up and down all night last night and I spent a good part of the night in his bed with him, trying to coax him back to sleep. Yeah, he was actually requesting a Nutri-Grain bar at 4:30 this morning. What's up with THAT??? Anyway...I was tired and a bit surly this morning, and seeing that dishwasher and counter full of dishes just sent my sense of "mommy-responsibility" over the edge. I simply could not do it. I have been walking by the dishwasher, actually SNEERING at it all morning. I want the dish fairy to come and take care of it. I cleaned all morning on Wednesday and then the majority of the day yesterday...and I. Am. DONE!

I don't WANT to do housework today! This is NOT what I am good at! I am a people person...I exist to talk to people and work with their muscles and give them a smile and a positive outlook...I want to play with the kids and read my book and work on my scrapbooks! I want to make Christmas cookies and wrap gifts and make out my Christmas cards. I want to play Christmas music and dance around the living room being silly with Noah. I DO NOT WANT TO UNLOAD THE DISHWASHER!!!!! (My God, am I being ridiculous, or WHAT????)

What on earth do I hope to accomplish by refusing to do this one simple task? Absolutely nothing. I am being childish, and I know it will just make the job bigger later this afternoon when I finally have to cave in because there are no clean dishes. But you know what? I really don't give a shit right now. I'm taking the day off. I just think it would be great if one morning I got up and came out and the counter was clean, the dishwasher was empty, and I didn't have to hop right to the household chores. But alas, I don't think THAT is a realistic thought. Our dishwasher runs probably twice a day...and one of those is while we are sleeping, so...you get the picture.

Oh well. Not to worry. After I get done having my little tantrum, I'll just buck up and do my chores...and feel better when it's done. But for now, we'll just use paper plates!!!

Finally...the Christmas Tree!

So there it is, folks! FINALLY, we have got the tree up and decorated. I was starting to think Christmas would get here before I could get caught up! I was so focused on getting the tree on Sunday that Barry and I picked out this lovely tree in THE RAIN...and it was wet, wet, WET!! So we put it up and let it stand for a day to dry out before we decorated it. The kids had fun going through all the ornaments they had made and the ones that have been given to us over the years...it was so nice. We put Noah on candy cane duty, as he is like a bull in a china shop. But let me tell you, he was ABSOLUTLEY fine with that! Plus, they were easier to hang than those little metal hooks!
We also decided to have a few friends over for New Year's Eve...a party in our PJ's, if you will. We are asking everyone to wear comfy PJ's and their funkiest socks. Funky-cool, not funky-stinky! We are having a contest to see whose are the best! Barry has been hard at work getting the basement fixed up for the party. We took the carpet that we had removed from the main floor of the house and put it downstairs and moved some things around...and Barry is building a wall or two. Then we will move all the toys downstairs and set up the TV and Playstation and set all the kids loose! That way we adults can sit up here and chat! Food, friends, and fun...what more can we ask for?

Still don't have my Christmas cards started. This is UNHEARD of around here. I usually have them done the first week of December. I don't even have the picture taken yet. Maybe I can make that happen tomorrow night, when we will all be home. Then I can just have the pics printed on Saturday morning and get the cards done and sent on Monday morning! That will be a weight off my mind... OR, maybe I could use this picture I took the other day...Haven't made any Christmas cookies either. Gotta get on that...soon! I will pick 3-5 of my faves and then we will make them to distribute to our neighbors and friends. Ah, so much to do yet, and so little time!

Hope you all are coming along with your holiday preparations as well!

Holiday Eating Tips

I got this recently from my friend Torben...and thought I would pass along the advice for the upcoming holidays! Heh heh...

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they 're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's the Holidays!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Enjoy the upcoming Holiday season!

SNOW DAY!

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

We knew we would eventually get snow...but I guess I kept hoping for just a week or two more of fall weather.

But alas, it is not meant to be. Last night, we had some actual accumulation! The first snowfall of the year really is so beautiful! Anyway, Kendall's school was cancelled today...(what? Cancellations due to a lousy 2-4 inches??? Unheard of in my day, I tell you!) so we have been hanging out cleaning and playing today. She was so excited to see the snow on the ground this morning...and had her panties all in a twist because I wouldn't let her head out to roll around in the snow at 7:30 am! Yeah, I got her to hang on until about 10:45, and even then I thought she was positively going to explode. So here are some morning pics...Of course, this was Scout's first experience with snow...he was SOOO curious! And then, once he was comfortable with the entire winter experience, he got a little crazy!And as if that weren't enough exciting news for the day....the special edition Candy Cane Christmas Joe Joe's are back at Trader Joes!!!! YUMMMMY!
For those of you who have never experienced this wonderful holiday confection, the Candy Cane Joe-Joe's are just like Oreos, except with no hydrogenated oils. They are the ONLY Oreo substitute that Barry (the Oreo addict) will accept! And these are just the icing on the cake...or the cookie, so to speak! Each "oreo" has crushed-up candy canes in its vanilla-bean filling....oh MY GOODNESSS!!!! They are sooooo gooooood!!! And they only come out at this time of year...and only until they sell out! So get 'em while they're hot, people!!! (I've got 2 boxes already!)

Weekend Happenings

Well hey there, ya'll! Hope you all had a nice weekend!

We had a really busy week, and Friday was the only evening that both Barry and I were home, so we spent some time playing with the kiddos. Then on Saturday I had to work for a few hours, and while I was doing that, Barry took the kids to Santa Saturday at his work. I guess they had a really fun time...there was Santa (of course), games, music, and lunch.

Then Barry met me at my sister's and dropped Noah off with me so he could take Kendall out for some special time, just the two of them. They went to see Enchanted....Kendall loved it!! Then on Saturday night, we went over to Shawn and Deetra's for dinner. Roast...YUM!!! The kids played like crazy, and Noah was completely obsessed with Shea's Barbie Princess Castle, of course because it went up and down it was TOTALLY COOL.

On Sunday, I went to Ms. Kathy's to work on some beading projects for Christmas. Here are some pics of the few things I made. I think I am safe in posting these, since I don't think the recipients of these gifts read my blog. But just in case, I won't say who they are for! Well, ok...the earrings are for me (heehee....)!


After I got back from there, I had just enough time to get changed and get a bite to eat before Deetra came to pick me up for some Christmas shopping. The Eddie Bauer warehouse was having a big sale for preferred customers only...and we were SOOO there! I picked up a cute brown quilted jacket for half off, and also a fleece pullover that was so soft and fuzzy inside that I just HAD to have it. I also got 5 shirts for work and a cool zippered sweater for Barry. AND, just for spending $20.00 (or quite a bit more) I got a cute stuffed black lab puppy wearing a red scarf. This little doggie is for Noah...he loves his Scouty so much, and this pup looks so much like him! So anyway, we had a successful trip!

Then today, Barry was off due to the fact that our new carpet was being installed. What a pain! We (Barry) had to move all the furniture and make sure it was not in the way. We had to keep Noah occupied so he was out of the way...and that was NO easy task. Then we had to move everything back. Right now we are both just sitting on the couch watching mindless TV, since we are so freaking tired.

Also in for today... since we were moving all the furniture today anyway, we took this opportunity to take down Noah's crib and put him in his big boy bed. No, not the log bed that we will get him when we move him upstairs. This is just a transitional daybed...same one Kendall started out in. And I am happy to report that he seems to like it! He's been in bed for over an hour, and hasn't come out once! So, knock on wood, but we are really excited about that!

Oh yeah, and Noah woke up Saturday morning at 5:45 a.m. moaning that he wanted "More pancakes! I want MORE pancakes!!" Really, this kid must dream of nothing but food! But hey, at least he has good taste!!!

And one more thing, if you're still with me at this point....what a perfect storm of football this week...all the right teams lost...and now,

The Bucks are back at #1, Baby! Watch out LSU, here we come!!!