Awards!

I've been lucky enough to get a few bloggerific awards lately.  I contend that I haven't been slacking in posting about them...just waiting until the right time.  You believe me, right?!

This one comes from Nola and her mom.  Nola looks very much like a young version of Meadow! Her fur-siblings minions are pretty darn cute too. Thanks, Nola and the momma!

The rules are pretty straight forward: Thank the blogger(s) who gave you the award and link back to them. Done. Share 7 things about yourself.

1. I have to renew my license this year...and visions of the DMV are already making me not like my birthday.
2. It may not seem like it - but I'm REALLY shy.
3. My cell phone ringtone is currently the minions from Despicable Me singing "Copa Cabana".
4. I'm happiest at home, on the couch, knitting with my pups cuddling me & watching a movie.
5. I'll be one of the first to offer you my help, but tell me what to do and all bets are off!  Oh...and I don't ask for help either. Someone needs to offer - and even then, I'll probably tell you that "I'm fine".
6. I'm probably a little more addicted to caffeine than I should be.  Pass the Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and MaryLou's News!
7. I can't imagine life without my dogs!  They are AWESOME!

Nominate 15 or fewer bloggers:
Lorenza
Mrs. Jones
Puddles
Kristine
Sara
Sara
Sonya
Jennifer
Jessica
Andrea
Celia
Nora B. Webster



The second award is from the lovely Kristine!  She shares a love of dachshunds and is overall a really cool lady!  Thanks, love!

Here are the rules of this award:

*Include the awards logo in a post or on your blog

*Share the love and link the person who awarded you

*Tell us 7 facts about yourself

*Nominate 7 other fabulous bloggers

*Link your nominees to your post and leave them a comment on their blog, letting them know they've won! (OK...I'm cheating on this one. I'll get to as many blogs as I can, but you may get a tweet from me instead!)

1. The summer is my least favorite season.  As a girl with asthma - humidity SUCKS!
2. I used to LOVE wind chimes.  Now I'm surrounded by neighbors that have them...and the love has worn off.
3. I could probably eat the BBQ steak pizza from the pizzeria by my house every night for a week.
4. I have a really hard time saying "no" to people.
5. I love airplanes and roller coasters...but am PETRIFIED of heights.
6. I keep a list of all the things I'd do & people I'd help if I won the lottery.
7. I have this weird obsession with flavored seltzer water.  It was the only way I could give up soda (yes, I still cheat out at restaurants).

Nominate 7 bloggers:
Nola
Mrs. Smith
Shelley
Preppy Girl Meets World
Michelle
Beach Bum & Baby
Brittany

The last award is from Jaimie!  She's one of the lovelies that links up her recipes for Tuesday at the Table.  Thank you, Jaimie!!!!

Because I've already shared a whole bunch of facts - I'm going to rebel and not share 7 more facts.  I'm also going to tag ALL my Tuesdays at the Table folks for this award.  :-)

 If your interested...I'll be blogging here from time to time too. I linked you to my first post. You all know I'd do anything for a dog, especially a dachshund!

Updates...

Because I'm a little scattered, I'm just going to give updates on a few things. Beware, out come the bullet points! Heeheehee :-)

• I passed my CNA state test!  Woohoo!  Hopefully I'll have a new job pretty quickly.
• If you didn't read it before, Andrea and I are skipping "3 on Thursday" this week.  We'll be back with fun new topics next week!
• I'm thrilled to announce that Mrs. Jones will now be co-hosting book club with me!  You all know and love her, right?! If you haven't met her yet, so visit her now! Because only two people (I think) read the June book, let's just use it for July.  Everyone OK with that?
• I will be moving to a .com website pretty soon.  I'll be planning it to coincide with my new blog name and design. I'm so excited!
• This is going to sound weird.  Especially for any of you that don't have dogs.  When I got bitten last week, all I could think about was my dogs. And...I knew right away that Brady, my foster boy, belongs in my home. I've asked the board to keep him and could use a few crossed fingers that I get a "yes".
• I'll be going to the plastic surgeon on Friday to get my stitches out.  My PCP doesn't feel comfortable taking them out, and this way I can get a consult at the same time. The swelling is going down, and my lip is fairly numb.  Hopefully that's temporary.  More news after the doctor's appointment!
• The worst part for me right now is that because of nightmares, the little sleep I get (as an insomniac, I get little sleep to begin with), is compromised.  If anyone has tips, hints, experience on dealing with nightmares - please let me know.
• Jack-Jack is still hanging in.  He's fighting a rough battle and we still don't know that the outcome will be.  His puncture wounds are healing well, but he has a broken snout.  Additionally, he's had four blood transfusions, been intubated (it's back out now), been given a feeding tube (coming out soon), has arrested twice, had four seizures and there's a possibility that he's had a stroke.  Prayers for Jack-Jack and his family are GREATLY appreciated.

I also want to thank each of you.  Somehow talking about my dog bite experience has garnered a few nasty emails and lost me a couple followers. That you all stuck by me means a whole lot! The tweets, texts, emails and blog comments have brightened my day and let me know that I really do have an online support network.  Please know that I'll be here for you too.  :-)

Lastly, if you made it through my updates without wanting to throttle me, congratulations!  Here, have a puppy picture!

Happy 4th of July...

...from my pack, to yours!

I not so sure about dis dress, Momma.

OK.  I suppose I look pwetty cute.

Um, can we do something with dees straps?!

Paisley: Will she make us do this for all the holidays?

Meadow: Yep, get used to it, sucker!

Paisley: The boys get off so easy... *woof*

Happy 4th of July everyone!
Have fun and be safe!

*scheduling note: This week there won't be "3 on Thursday".  We'll pick up next week with a fun new topic.

Tuesdays At The Table - Fruit Kabobs & Sangria

Happy 4th of July, everyone!  Cookouts abound, and I'm sharing the easiest dessert I know - fruit kabobs.  Easy to make, easy to eat and the kids have some fun too. :-)
Because I'm feeling particularly ugly and bruised following the dog bite, I'll be sitting out 4th of July activities.  Have some fun for me, will you?!

4th of July Fruit Kabobs

Wooden skewers - 10 inch
Seedless cherries
Strawberries, quartered
Blueberries
Marshmellows or pound cake cubes

Clean all the fruit, and let the kids assemble your ingredients in a pattern that they like (or you decide on).  Serve chilled.

{via}

OK...that was WAY too easy.  So, I'm going to share the link for my sangria recipes too.  Definite party pleasers! Click HERE!

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Birthday Wish List

July is here, and it seems, my birthday is coming quickly. In fact, so are the birthdays of Beach Bum & Baby, Sonya and Jessica! I'm in good company.  :-)

Here are a few things I've had my eye on:

Because, seriously, I think I'm the only one that doesn't have an Erin Condren planner!

I love address stampers. So much prettier than writing my address on envelopes!  I used to have a great one...but it seems to have gone missing.

These Clark's flip flops are so comfy!  I really need a new pair.

Season four of True Blood on DVD.  I have to keep my collection current, right?!

A dachshund accent lamp.  What?!  You already know I'm a little weird.  Don't pretend you didn't see this coming!

OPI's Minnie Mouse collection.  These four colors are so pretty...and I love nail polish!

Anything else that should be on my list?!

The Lows of Dog Rescue...AKA I Got Bitten

*Warning: this is not one of my usual fluff posts.  I talk quite frankly about the best and wost parts of animal rescue.*

Today has been a day of dog rescue activities...which isn't all the uncommon for me.  However, today has given the highest of highs and lowest of lows.

This morning I picked up little Bauer.  He is a sweet, sweet boy who's family opted to surrender him.  For obvious reasons, I won't say anything more about that.  Bauer and I then went to pick up another foster pup that needs to get spayed.  I quickly discovered that Bauer DOES NOT like the car...and will only settle if someone sings to him.  Yes, I sang for HOURS as we sat in traffic and made our way to our destinations.

I got to drop Bauer off at his foster family's house.  He immediate took to them and they accepted him with open arms.  He looks content, right?! It made my heart sing.

I then went back to our rescue's headquarters and was getting ready to head back home.  And that's when it happened.  Dottie the pitbull attacked Jack-Jack the italian greyhound.  Someone quickly grabbed Jack-Jack and when that happened, she turned and bit me.

We rushed Jack-Jack to the vet and almost lost him during that car ride.  Blood gushing out of his nose and mouth. Wounds all over his neck and hindquarters. Right now, we still don't know if he's doing to make it. 

Dottie got euthanised.  It didn't follow the usual quarantine period - but both animal control and the vet know what they're doing. My heart breaks for her.  She had never been violent before and we don't know what, if anything, set off this horrifying incident.

I got nine stitches in my upper lip and up to right below my nose.  My face and Dottie's collided with such force that I have a bruise under my eye.  I'm lucky that I got stitched up by a plastic surgeon.  {Too bad he didn't use enough anesthesia and I felt over half the stitches going in.} My face will be swollen and bruised up to a week, I'm told. I'm also under orders not to talk too much and to keep my face iced and elevated.

The worst part? For the first time in my life... I'm a little scared of dogs. I don't know when I'll feel OK with coming face to face with another pit bull or pit mix. And I know they can be REALLY good dogs.

Tonight I'm thankful for my family.  They sprang into action to make sure I had ice, tylenol and cold drinks in my house.  Mom made sure my pups got fed, out to potty and had play time.  I couldn't wait to get home to Meadow, Beckett, Paisley and Brady.  I think the little boy just might stay.

Please pray for Jack-Jack.  His family loves him so much.  Please also know that if you opt to make a rude comment about pitbulls, I will opt to delete your comment.  I respect your opinions....please be respectful of the words you chose to express them here.

3 on Thursday - 4th of July

Holy moly.  How is it almost July?!?!  Time flies!
A huge THANK YOU for you lovely ladies who play along with Andrea and I. Getting to read your posts is such fun! I hope you have as much fun as we do each week.  :-)

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This week's topic:
Favorite things about 4th of July
For me, this is an easy one!

Fireworks. So pretty!  And all the towns around me do great displays.  I just wish the pups were a little less skittish.  I feel bad for them.

My upcoming birthday. Is this cheating?  Probably.  But the 4th of July means I only have one week until my birthday.  :-)

Cookouts w/family and friends.  I love getting to spend some time with my friends and family.  I really enjoy getting to feed them some fun foods too.  (It's not fun just cooking for one, people!)

Please leave a comment and link up with Andrea and I!