Chew on it.

Hubs and I lucked out. We found a shelter dog, who despite a few separation issues at the beginning, is pretty as good as we could have imagined.

He is house-broken. He roams in our un-fenced yard without running away (during the daylight hours). He doesn't jump on people when he meets them (occasionally he jumps on me while playing and I have bruises to show for it). He loves his crate when we are gone and when we are home. He's healthy. He's adorable. And, he has become part of our family.

It didn't start so nice, though. Ransom was like other labs and it was after the fact that I did research to find that Labradors are more prone to separation anxiety more than other breeds; that they have a lot of energy and need to expend it; that they need mental stimulation often; and that they shed everywhere.

And all these issues (besides the shedding) lead to excessive chewing. "Labs are genetically predisposed to chewing. The same instincts that make them great retrievers also make them want to expend their energy chewing."

So, although the separation issue has been resolved and we have learned to find outlets for his energy by walking him and taking him to the dog park to play with other dogs, he still loves to chew, chew, and chew some more.

Let me just give you an example. Today, Ransom was in his crate while I was at work. I came home at 3:30 and got ready to workout. I worked out for 46 minutes and this is what Ransom did:

Remember this piggy? Earlier today, his nose was still there. By this afternoon, the nose has been digested and his face is now lacking all stuffing.

This rubber toy is fun to chew on whole, but once you bite the pieces off, you get those little pieces in your mouth to chew on. It makes for some bouncy chewing!

This giant ball-o'-rope was a new toy. It is thick, sturdy, and heavy; but no match for killer-jaws. He unravelled an entire loop.

This was all done in less than 45 minutes. For the last 12 minutes of my workout, Ransom tried to join in with my workout, which resulted in tripping and getting stepped on.

Needless to say, we go through a lot of toys at this house. But that's okay. I would much rather put money into toys than see him chew our furniture!

Friendly Conversation

A while back, I was walking Ransom and passed by a lady from the neighborhood. We chatted and then she asked, So how many kids do you have?

This question was interesting to me since another neighbor had posed this question, mentioning that she had see kids in our yard. I know for a fact that no children have been in our yard.

We don't have children yet, I replied.

She said, Really? I talked to your little girl one day when she was walking your dog. He looked really big compared to her.

That was me, I said.

Sigh.

Lettuce Wraps

I made lettuce wraps the other night. It took me, literally, 20 minutes. Plus, they are good for you and good tasting. Here's the recipe:

3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

3 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. Canola Oil (olive oil works too, but cooke the chicken slower)

1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut up into bite-size pieces

black pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. grated ginger (I used ground ginger)

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1 8-oz can sliced water chesnuts, drained (I could only find a 5-oz can)

1/4 cup unsalted cashews

1 small head Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated

Mix the soy sauce and honey; set aside. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it begins to turn brown, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the garlic and ginger. Add the scallions; cook for 1 minute. Add the water chesnuts and half of the soy sauce mixture. Continue to cook until chicken is done.

Remove from heat and sprinkle with cashews. Divide the lettuce leaves and spoon the chicken on top. Use the rest of the soy sauce mixture for dipping if you want.

I've already said it once...

I've already said it, but I have to say it again.

Hubs and I went to Walmart tonight. Instead of ignoring the many carts strewn throughout the parking lot, we took one of them in with us to use. When we came out, a large van was parked across from our truck and at least 10 young men were unloading their groceries into the van. Three of their carts they proceeded to push together and move in between our truck and their van. The other two carts were pushed off to the side of the van into the empty spots next to them.

Hubs and I put our own groceries away, then start rounding up the carts left by these able-bodied men. While doing so, the guy parked next to us grabs all his grocery bags, sits down in the drivers seat, lifts the bags over him, and places them into the passenger seat. Then, he quickly closes his door and starts the car.

Let me reiterate: we are right next to him and he can see us rounding up the other rude people's carts, yet he leaves his cart right there with them. Hubs asks him if he would like us to get his cart and walk it the 20 feet to the cart stall for him (extra words for emphasis). He says, "I don't care," and drives away.

Please, I beg of you, help me understand why the concept of walking your cart to the designated area is so dad-gum difficult!

Bargain

I love a good bargain. It thrills me to come home and report to Hubs how much money I saved, not spent.

On Friday, Hubs came home with a bargain story of his own.

In our efforts to eat healthier, our food budget has increased and now includes protein bars, and few other various supplements. During the first week of the month, GNC takes 20% off of their products if you have their card. So, Hubs went to stock up on one of the items we use.

While there, he was looking through their protein bars. The salesman asked him if he wanted to get some. Any of you who have eaten a protein bar probably have thoughts of cardboard in your head. We have found some great bars that taste good, but they are more expensive (of course). Hubs told him that we can get them cheaper at Wally World, so we'd pass. That's when the salesman told Hubs that GNC will match another store's price by $1.00.

GNC's price: $2.00

Walmart's price: $1.50

Hubs bought a bar from Walmart, took it back to GNC with the receipt and bought the entire stock of the same protein bar from GNC: 32 bars for $.50 each. PLUS, we got the extra 20% since it was the beginning of the month.

GNC's price for 32 bars: $64.00

Our price for 32 bars: $12.80

A savings of 80%.

Don't you love a good bargain story? Now that Hubs has experienced bargain shopping, perhaps he will be sympathetic next time I head out...

What we've been doing.

We've been working.

We've been hanging out.

We've been enjoying the absolutely out-of-the-ordinary cooler weather.

We've been working out and eating healthy.

We've been to the largest, most hyped-up high school football game I've ever seen. Over 5,000 people watching and we, who care nothing about either team playing, show up 2 hours ahead of time to get a seat.

We've been building friendships.

We've been watching Husker football.

We've been taking care of a very energetic, love-able dog.

We've been busy, but amazingly not with anything worth blogging about.

It's official.

Fall is here!

Fall is marked by my first sip of a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. I have had my sip, and a few hundred more, therefore fall is here. By they way, I do think they have made this latte a little better this year - not so much of the after taste, much smoother.

I'm glad fall is here. It seems like Kansas is ready for fall, too. The weather has already gotten cooler - something that is out of the ordinary. I'm ready for the pumpkins, the football games, the chili, and the cinnamon rolls. If we only had big, beautiful trees to enjoy the fall colors.

Does anyone else feel like fall was just here? Or is it just me who feels like time is hurrying by?

Are you ready for fall or hanging on to the last days of summer?