Frigid

Tonight is set to be the coldest night of this winter so far, with a forecast low of 21F. There is also a strong wind blowing, which will drop the wind chill down to around 0. The Northeast is having a terrible winter storm right now, with really really low temperatures as well as heavy snow and ice. I wouldn't mind seeing some snow, but the amount of it expected up north is scary.

I realised today I've been making do for years now without a proper winter coat. How ridiculous is that? I don't know what I was thinking to put off buying one for so long, but today on my way to work I stopped at a department store and bought myself a big, soft, warm winter coat. It's a warm camel color with large dark buttons. I love it! I wore it home from work tonight and was as warm as toast. Just in time for the icy winter weather expected all weekend.

A shiny new year!

Happy New Year everyone! It's been difficult getting time to sit down and blog, but I hope that with the holidays over and done, life will settle down a bit. Did you make any resolutions for 2014? I resolve to renew my job hunt and to find a new job before the holidays roll around again! That is my biggest hope for the year. Besides making a new job happen, I'm not being overly ambitious with making resolutions. I plan to continue trying to take one day at a time when it comes to healthy habits...going for walks, drinking water instead of soda more often, eating breakfast, etc. etc. I would love to end 2014 in better shape (and healthier) than I was at the start!

The past few weeks have been rainy and messy outside, and it's made life difficult with our new dog, George. He's apparently younger than they thought at the shelter, and has so much pent-up energy that long daily walks are a necessity. When it's raining and we can't go, George becomes destructive. He chews through all the toys, rawhides, and treats we give him and then goes on to look for other things to destroy! He also hates getting wet, so instead of doing his business in the backyard when it's raining, he goes to the far side of the garage (next to the driver's door of my car) and poops and pees there! I am happy to report, however, that when we get to go for walks, he's doing much better walking on the leash. Despite being hyperactive and full of mischief, he seems intelligent and eager to please us. He's also a total love-bug. He will lick you all over and attempt to climb onto your lap, and generally just soaks up any ounce of affection you will give him. The best thing about George, though, is how quickly he has become devoted to Ginger, and she really seems to like him back. It's such a relief to us that Ginger seems mostly happy with the new addition to our family.


  Now that January is here, I'll finally have time to sit down and catch up with everyone's blogs. I hope you all had a great holiday season, and I wish for you a wonderful new year!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of my dear friends here on the blog. My world is a bigger, better place because you all are a part of it. Thank you!

I wish for each and every one of you the blessings of love, warmth, comfort, and joy.

Peace. xx

It's almost here (and almost over!)

We're in the home stretch now...Christmas is a mere 3 days away! I can't wait to see it come and go. This has been an incredibly hectic holiday season. In addition to the normal woes of working in retail (long hours, crowds, etc.) we've also had our share of extra stress this year.

 Money is tight thanks to a big car repair, Husband had the flu two weeks ago and is still recovering, and I woke up yesterday morning with the beginning of a bad cold. In addition to all that, we've adopted a new dog. The timing of the adoption was bad, but George was on the "put to sleep" list, so we didn't have the option of waiting until after the holidays. We love him already--he's lovable and playful and sweet--but he's also very young, bursting with energy, and in need of training. I've been working hard teaching him to walk properly on a leash, and we've had to take extra walks every single day, not just for training but to burn off some of his excess energy.  Getting another dog has been a lot of work so far, during an already hectic month. I'm looking forward to January when I can spend more time with both of the dogs, as well as having some down time for myself.

Sweet George

Ginger and George share a bed now.

Today is my last day off before Christmas, so I'm baking cookies. This cold has made me feel lousy, and I really don't feel like doing anything--but I'm soldiering on. The holiday is coming, ready or not!

Ho ho ho.

George

This handsome boy is the newest member of our family. We named him George, after the awesome little terrier in the movie Bringing Up Baby. George came from a nearby shelter and was on the euthanasia list last week. I've been thinking of rescuing and adopting a second dog for months now, and when I found him on the shelter's website somehow I just knew he was the one. He's about a year old, but he still acts very much like a puppy. He is very, very sweet and playful. We brought him home on Friday the 13th, just in time for Christmas!

So far Ginger is accepting her new little brother with more good grace than I would have thought possible. I'm so proud of her! They've been playing together in the back yard in between naps, and Ginger has even been willing to share her big doggie bed with him. There have been only minor skirmishes and jockeying for position since George's arrival, for which I'm profoundly grateful. I think they're going to be good friends.

Ginger and George
 

What a happy Christmas it's going to be for George and our family. Anyone who says you can't buy love has never paid an animal adoption fee!

We survived!

Last week was rough, folks. Rough. Husband caught the flu, I had an emergency trip to the dentist, there was an expensive car repair, and Christmas is steadily approaching without regard for our woe or lack of preparation. I had to have a root canal yesterday, which I was dreading. Dreading. Husband has been miserable and feverish, the laundry stack rose higher and higher and our house was devolving into a total pig-pen mess. I was about ready to run away from home!

I am happy to report, that as of today, Tuesday, things seem to be improving. My root canal didn't hurt much at all. I was taking lots of pain pills, and before the dentist started he numbed me up really, really well. The procedure went quickly and smoothly. This morning I only have some mild soreness in my jaw. What a relief! And Husband is feeling a little bit better, not 100% yet but improving slowly. I got some laundry done last night, then had a good night's sleep, and this morning I cleaned and mopped the kitchen and bathroom. Things are looking up!

Time to get a move on with the Christmas decorating and planning. Here's hoping the rest of the month goes more smoothly than the first week!

And now, this.

A toothache yesterday led to a trip to the dentist today. Now I'm scheduled for a root canal first thing Monday morning. I don't mind saying I'm scared. I definitely shouldn't have googled what the procedure involved.

At least I have a bottle of good pain pills in the meantime.

Fa la la la....F*ck!!

With Christmas only 3 weeks away, there's been lots of planning going on around here for meals, small gifts, gathering with friends, and other festive seasonal things. Until today.

Husband's work truck broke down yesterday and we had to have it towed to a shop. We got the call today. Major repairs are apparently necessary that are going to cost us anywhere from $600-$900. F*ck!

I will admit, compared to the bad luck we normally have this time of year (I have a superstitious dread of December) this isn't the end of the world. We may be eating a lot of beans this month, and a functional vehicle might be our only gift to each other this year, but it could be (and has been) much, much worse.

But still. Talk about putting a damper on my holiday spirit! I had planned to dig out the decorations and begin sorting them today. One phone call from the mechanic and all of my plans and Christmas cheer dissolved like a balloon with a pin in it.