Am I Crazy?

Lately, I've been wanting to add to our family. It's not that I love Ransom less and am ready for a different dog.  But, I guess it's probably what people feel when they add another child to their family - there is just something missing and I am ready for the next step. Since children are not in the plans right now, it feels time for another dog. Plus, Ransom needs a sister. He has become the spoiled "only-child" who gets all of our attention at his every whim and he could definitely benefit from learning to share. He could also benefit from a playmate to wear him out, because his super-powers of endless energy don't quite fit with our busy schedule.

And of course, I don't just want any dog this time. I want one that looks like this:

Photo from: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/greaterswissmountain.htm

I can reason through most of the arguments to not get another dog. I've found some great deals on our medium-high priced dog food so we are stocked for a long time. The added crate and supplies would be a large start up cost, of course, but as we've seen with Ransom, it settles down after a while. The issue I can't work around is how they would both fit in the car, but that could be solved by putting the crates in back of the truck.

But then I ask myself, "Am I crazy?" And here's why.

Look at this dog. He is obviously not lacking in shiny, soft, black fur. It cover his entire body (save one unmentionable area). I mean, his underside is more covered with fur than I've ever seen. Its a medium length - not super short like purebreds. But also not long like the chow, which I guess that he has in him.

So it boggles my mind that he can maintain that much fur on his body, when I sweep up this pile:

I know it's gross. And I wish I could tell you that this was all of it, but really this was just a quick sweep of the noticeable stuff. I feel like I never actually get it all up, but I can at least get it to where it isn't noticeable to the guests.

So, I totally understand those of you who don't get a pet because of the hair. I really, really do. But, he's so much fun that I don't care put up with it. And, I would put up with it if we ever when we get another dog, too.

Maybe Hubs is Right...

Hubs is continually wondering why we have so many writing utensils all over the house. He is also wondering where all those writing utensils come from! He insists we don't need them all. But there are just some pens that I love. There are pencils that I love. There is just something about writing utensils.

The other day I finally got frustrated with my bag of junk purse that I decided to quickly clean it out. This is what I found:

Hmmmm. Maybe Hubs is right. This might be too many pens for one purse.

Ewww. Gross, and ewww again.

Last Saturday Hubs and I planned a date-night. We hadn't had one since our anniversary in July. That morning our vacuum officially died (it had been on its way for quite a while); so our date-night turned into finding-a-vacuum-night.

This was our first vacuum purchase. We were very happy to have an old vacuum from family right when we got married, so this was going to be a new experience. After having lots of fun at Sears by throwing dirt on the floor and vacuuming it up, we headed home with our new purchase to vacuum up our own dirt. What we saw afterwards was amazing.

This looks like much more than a week's worth of dirt and dog hair, but I had been vacuuming a couple of times each week. I think we should have gotten a new vacuum before letting our old one die.

To some of you, this is yet another reason to not have a dog. It's a good one.

But, even though this is super gross and disgusting and I hate thinking about all this in our carpets, it is really satisfying to empty the vacuum canister and throw it all away.

How to get the skunk odor out of your house.

After Ransom was nice and shiny and odor-free, I had a larger problem. Everywhere I read online stated emphatically, Do not let your dog back into the house! If you have to, lock them up in one room that is away from most of your home. 

Not only did we let him into our house; we let him sleep in our bedroom for the rest of the night. Hey, it was 4:30am and we don't trust him anywhere else.

The worst area was the sun room because the skunk practically sprayed directly into that room. I held my breath and opened all the windows to start airing it out. It figures that the one day it was perfectly calm outside with not even a breeze, was the day I was doing this. I then continued opening all the windows in the house up. Even the garage smelled.

After a couple of hours, it was bearable to enter the sun room, so I dumped baking soda all over the carpet, let it sit, then vacuumed it up. Then I dumped that air freshener powder (the entire bottle) all over the floor, let it sit, then vacuumed. Now, I had a very concentrated smell of fresh linen. Of course, Ransom was traumatized by all this vacuuming and curled up into as small of a ball as possible on the couch.

In the rest of the house, I began burning all the smelly candles I own - one in each room. Since the only place besides the sun room that Ransom actually laid down was our bedroom, I mixed a vinegar and water solution and put it in a spray bottle. Then, I sprayed that on the areas where he slept. Then, I vacuumed the rest of the house. 

The last items that really smelled were my clothes that I was wearing when he got sprayed. I put them, and anything else that was exposed to the oil, in the washer and washed as normal. They came out smelling fine, although I worry what will happen when they get dirty again - if that will bring the smell out.

I started this process at 8:30am and was done at 12:30pm. By then, it was beginning to smell like all my candles and air fresheners, so I really couldn't tell what it was like. My aunt came over to smell for me and said she didn't smell any thing gross. Hubs could still smell it a little and I could still taste it whenever I ate.

The next morning, I opened up the house again until it got too warm. We haven't smelled skunk in our house since.

Numbers

6 - the time I woke up on my day off (I just can't sleep in anymore)

5 - the number of miles I ran yesterday (the farthest I've ever run)

60 - the temperature outside when I ran yesterday morning (perfect)

48 - the number of minutes it took for me to run 5 miles yesterday

100 - the number of muscles that ache from my run yesterday

3 - the High School Musical movie that I watched yesterday (sooooo good)

2 - the number of toilets I cleaned yesterday

1 - the time when I finally got in the shower yesterday

0 - the number of hours I spent at work and thinking of work yesterday

The porcelain tooth...I mean, bowl.

This weekend, I found that dentistry will not only be a great profession for Hubs, but it also helps in household chores.

Our toilets have always had this water line that outlines where the water sits and pours into the bowl.


No matter how hard we scrub, the line is still there. Much to my surprise, I found Hubs scrubbing the toilet bowl with sandpaper in an effort to remove the icky stain (he had emptied as much water out as possible). I was skeptical, but the result was amazing!


When I asked him where he got the idea to do something like that he replied, Well, I just thought of it as a porcelain tooth and we use abrasives on porcelain teeth. I figured the same principles applied.


Hubs cleaning up after the "procedure."

MIB - Missing In Blogging

It's been five days since my last post...that seems like a lifetime in Blogland. Life has become relatively calm and that will force me to get creative with my posts. For now, I'll give you a quick update.

After a fantastic, relaxing weekend with family, I came rejuvenated and ready to get back to normal life. I had been having frequent freak-out sessions which produced headaches and fatigue, but really accomplished nothing. It just does not work for me to live without a schedule, a purpose, and a goal. I had not purchased a planner yet for 2009 and everything in my head was weighing down on me. I would walk into walls, forget to turn off appliances, and just feel completely lost at all times. Of course, this all resulted in needless tears.

Now, my planner is with me at all times, I have a schedule and I make goals for myself each day. I'm still catching up from my weeks of chaos, but soon I should be back in a routine of working out, reading my Bible and preparing for Bible studies, and keeping our house in order. I am amazed at how much energy I already have after just a few days of being focused. It's also amazing at how much more fun I am - ask Hubs.

This isn't to say that we don't have spontaneity and that we aren't flexible. We are both of those things, but my overall, day-to-day life needs structure. My mom raised me that way, and it works.

Speaking of my mom, she is recovering and doing well. I say that now, though tomorrow will may be a different story after she tries moving it for the first time.

And, I went to purchase some of my favorite mugs from Starbucks today. I had a coupon for 10% off the entire order, but the cashier only took 10% off one item (my drink). It irks me because the coupon was the only reason I went to buy more mugs. I should have gotten about $1.90 off my purchase...I only got $.35. I want to march right back down there and get my rightful savings.

So, would you go back and ask them to re-run your transaction or just forget about the $1.55?

I forgot my camera

So many things to take pictures of and I left my camera at home.

1) My laundry room is clean. I did not plan to clean my it last night. It is usually disorganized and messy, but since I am usually the only person who uses it, it is the last thing on my list to clean. Last night, I went to unload the dryer. I thought it was odd that the floor was wet, but proceeded to unload anyways. Then, I realized that all the dirty clothes on the floor awaiting their turn for the washing machine were completely soaked. Not tonight. I don't have the energy for this. Sure enough, water is coming from the washing machine. All the hoses are tight. The drain is not clogged. It's a mystery. Well, the machine finishes spinning and it sounds like water is still pouring into the washing machine. Sure enough, the machine is off but water keeps on pouring in. I'm calling the repair man today.

So, I lay out all the soaked clothes throughout the apartment and stay up drying clothes late. I can't wait to see the water and electricity bill.

2) We finally have a jam-packed week again! I wish you could see our calendar!

3) The Husker game was a fun birthday present. It was a perfect day: clear skies, 63 degrees, light breeze, and we won!

4) We had 49 mph wind gusts yesterday. Laura, her mom, and I still went out for our 5K race. Let me tell ya, this is my kinda race. Girls on the Run of Nebraska is an organization/club to get young girls active. They sponsor a fun 5K 2 times each year. They don't keep track of your times; every body's number is "1;" it is just to get people out and active.

I didn't "train" for this run, because I just wanted to get out there and have fun. There were moments when I felt like I was running in place (against the wind), so I cannot imagine how hard it was for the girls half my size! Still, we finished and, I think, were happy with how we did, especially considering the circumstances. Laura's mom beat her last time by 1.5 minutes and I came in at 27:05. I think the best feeling is afterwards. I felt like I had accomplished something good and even this morning I just feel good. It's hard to explain.

By the way, Hubs did come and I am so glad he did! It was great to look for him to cheer me on. Also, all the encouragement along the way from the entire crowd helped so much to keep us going in the windy, cold weather.

A Not-Busy Week

This is a rare occurance in our house.


Yup, its a pretty boring relaxing week.

I have heard of weeks such as these. Where there are no commitments each night; where people have time to work out; where people can actually catch-up around the house. But, I haven't been witness to one in a long time.

And, already I have seen the benefits of this:

A frame that has been sitting next to our TV since MAY, is now hanging on the wall.

The kitchen counters are, and will remain, clutter free.

The last load of laundry is done in the dryer, ready to be folded and it is only Tuesday (as opposed to the usual Thursday or Friday).

I am trying out one two new recipes for dinner.

It's a good week to have nothing planned because I will be gone for most of the weekend. I hope to use this free time to get ahead with my cleaning and spend some extra time in the Word. Don't worry...next week I will be ready to get back into a normal busy schedule.

Whew

I don't even know where this week has gone. Actually, where did this summer go? Anyway, it is already Thursday and we have another busy weekend planned... School starts up again on Monday. And, as Richard pointed out last night, I will be saying, "this is our 'last fill-in-the-blank' for the next 8 months!"

Which leads me to the exciting news of today. Richard is back home with me! He left early Monday morning to go on a golfing trip with his dad and got back last night. They had a great time and played 90 holes of golf in three days! I think it was a good end to the summer and I'm so glad they had a chance to do this. I have a feeling these golfing trips will happen more over the years. While he was gone, I kept busy with work, Bible study, cleaning, working out, and hanging with Jake, but I am glad to have Richard home again so I don't go crazy and start talking to myself! It was probably good worthwhile for him to be gone because I finally ironed the many shirts hanging in the laundry room and put them away in our clean, organized closet!

I'm babbling today, but I am so excited that we have a free evening to hang out together before the busy school year starts! Whew.

To Do List

Now that I am back home, I see things all over the apartment that need to get done. I think the excitement of going to Hawaii took over my life and in the process I did not see how unorganized our apartment is right now. My parents and Richard can attest to the fact that I am not the type of person who naturally puts things back exactly where they should go after using them. I am known to fold laundry, but not put it away for a couple of days. Instead of hanging a shirt back on the hanger, I lay it on the shelf underneath the hanging clothes. Instead of putting the shoes on the shoe rack, I set them beside the shoe rack. My intentions are always to come back and put them away... The only exception is in the kitchen. I can't stand the kitchen to be messy since it is the first thing everyone sees when they walk into the apartment.

In admitting these things to you, I must also admit that I have areas of anal retentiveness as well. My books and movies MUST be in alphabetical order on their shelves. Any notes or homework assignments must be neat on the page, or I will rewrite them until they look neat. I cringe when I have to cross something out that I have already written, or if I have to squeeze something in. I'm cringing as I type this just thinking about it.

I am also infamous for making a list, then losing it. Making a new list, then losing it. You get the picture. Each list may or may not have the same tasks on it. So, what better way to not lose a list than post it on our blog? Plus, this gives my readers the chance to be my accountability. I will add and cross off those things as they get done or need added.

Things to do:

• Clean and organize my dresser drawers
• Clean and organize my side of the closet
• Study Isaiah 40:35-40 for Saturday morning study
• Call a lady from church about childrens music in August (do tonight!)
• Clean out the sliding door track - eww
• Find places for all the crap on the dining room table
• Vacuum and talk to Amanda about getting the carpets cleaned

That's a good start. I'll add as I think of more.