After a few days of some nice weather (and rain), the last of the snowpiles in the yard are officially gone. Yay!

I went shopping the other day and look at what I found in the store:

Aren’t they adorable?! I would have brought one home if I didn’t think my husband would kill me and the dogs/cats would kill the bird.

Writing update: Deep into edits of Electric Moon. Must get back to work…

The ice maker went on the fritz. Instead of cubes, the ice would chop up. After a few tries, I finally figured out that the ice machine was too full. So I emptied it. An hour or two later, I wanted to make sure it worked and grabbed the nearest empty container. The dog’s water dish.

It worked! And since the water dish was empty, I decided to fill it. The younger dog saw something bobbing in the water, but remembered the last time when the rubber racket ball fell into the water. He submerged half his face into the water. Lesson learned…after three times and a five minute sneezing fit when water wet up his nose.

So when he saw the ice cubes, he looked interested. I told him to get one, and he went bobbing! And won! He got two ice cubes the first try. He quickly chewed them up then went back for more, nervous that the other dog was eyeing the dish. He ended up going back five times…then all the cubes melted.

It was hillarious. The only drawback was the small river of water runing through the kitchen afterward.

Yeah, ignore the classy dish we use for dog bowls. The cat got curious. Though he took a few sips, he has no fangs, so no bobbing for him.

The last piece for the kitchen finally came. I’ll post some pictures tomorrow. Well, all except for the curtains. Neither Hubby or I can find anything that fits, so Hubby volunteered me to sew curtains. That should be amusing since I don’t have a sewing machine. lol 

A young couple woke up to carnage this morning when they walked into their hallway. All the toys in their house were viciously destroyed.

The suspect was caught on camera. He is white with salt and pepper hair. One blue and one brown eye. Stands about 26 or so inches, 55 pounds. He has several distinguishing marks on his face including a number of freckles. If you see him, don’t try to apprehend. Call the number on the tags.

His known associate has black hair and brown eyes. He’s stands about 26 inches and weighs 110 pounds. It appears he tries to rescue the toys, but the ensuring tug-of-war only ends in death.

Again, don’t approach them. Call the number on their tags for help. They will worm their way into your house with innocent eyes and bashful looks. Their antics are adorable. If you are taken in, they will wait until you are asleep and murder all your toys. The next day, they walk around the remains all innocent like as if oblivious to the mess. Like they didn’t create any chaos. If you think you are safe because you don’t own any toys, fluffy socks, slippers, drier sheets and any type of stuff animals are fair game for them. They are not picky.

Beware! You were warned.

…and it’s time to party!

Mommy and Daddy went away to work, and I was naughty. I chewed through my brand new collar to freedom and played hookie all day!

He thankfully stayed in the yard and played with the other dog until we got home, otherwise, it could’ve been a disaster.

Aren’t I adorable? The flash loved his eyes.

 This about sums up how the new year went for me.

No dogs were harmed in the taking of this photo.

My devil cold, otherwise known as my sinus infection, is finally going away. I hope. Three months is long enough, by golly. The baby dog (can you guess which one is only 6 months old?) had a vet check-up last week and passed with flying colors. Too bad he hid under my chair the whole time the vet was in the room. Yeah, just a little awkward. It took me a good 15 minutes after the vet left the room for me to coax him out.  

Then the trouble started. This is what I saw at the vet’s:

Isn’t he adorable?! He danced and begged when we walked in the door. The vet asked if we knew anyone who wanted a house-trained dog.

Well, it just so happened that I did. No, I did not take him home (I don’t think I could survive three dogs). But he did go to a family member. It was love at first sight for them both. The dog is just a doll! And perfect for town living.

I also did a lot of reading the last two weeks as I wait for the edits of BloodSworn. How did your new year go? Any New Year’s Resolution? Did you break yours already? I’m going to try to get 3-4 new books released this year. I’m also determined to read at least one book a week. If I don’t read, then I don’t get to buy more books. (Whimper…) We’re also going to try and remodel our kitchen this year. I’m excited and dreading it at the same time. So tell me, what are your plans for this year? Do you set yearly goals?

I thought having a second dog would negate the need for me to exercise the dog. Both dogs are so active, they are passed out by the end of the day. If I throw the ball, it would be me fetching it.

Are you wondering what I mean by the miscalculation?

Well, apparently, dog number one is a hero, valiantly taste-testing all the food to ensure that there is no poison or anything bad for the young puppy. Yeah, he’s so brave.

Hubby and I both agree the dog has gained a pound or three.

Now, the important question…Does the holiday weight count for dogs?

I’ve been a little quiet over the last few days.

I have a reason.

A good reason.

It has two ears, two different color eyes, four legs and a tail!

This is my son’s dog Regal. He will be staying with us for a while…or maybe permanently. We’ll see.

Well, let me tell you, no more playing ball in the morning for weight loss on Dog number 1. This little tike is only five months old (so itty-bitty!) and has the energy of one as well.

Talk about no rest. They are either running or unconscious. lol  

Dog #1 is the best teacher…so patient!

The downside is that the puppy needs to go potty in the middle of the night to advert accidents.  *sigh*

Also, huskies are runners, so we have to keep an extra eye on both dogs so they don’t disappear.

The cats are not a fan, but everyone seems to be adjusting fairly well…even hubby and myself. We’ll see how it goes. Wish us luck!

I’m a purse girl, meaning everywhere I go, I bring one. I’m one of those Moms when you need something, I have it in my purse. I have one purse, a big one, and I only purchase a new one ever ten years or so.

So this morning, I’m a few minutes late out the door. I wake up my husband and say goodbye. I grab my phone and pick up my purse. I have a slot for everything. Just when I was ready to shove my phone into my purse, guess what I found?

A spider.

A huge, harry, long-legged freaky thing.

AND IT CRAWLED IN MY PURSE!!

I might have screamed.

My husband most assuredly laughed. At least he asked me why first.

So what’s a girl to do? I grabbed my wallet out of my purse and went to work. Yes, the purse stayed home. And yes, my husband laughed some more. But let me ask you this: What if I brought it and the spider crawled into the car while I was driving? I would be watching the purse more than the road!

I know that critter is in there either curled up dead so I’m going to have to dig that thing out or it’s making babies. I’ll have thousand of spiders crawling out of my purse. Ugh!

I’m not afraid of spiders per se, but I don’t like to know about one and not see it. You never know when one of those suckers will pop out at you.

Now I’m wondering if maybe I didn’t see one this morning. I only saw it at the corner of my eye, so it might not have really been there, right? RIGHT?

Hubby, you might as well laugh it up now, because guess who’s cleaning the damned purse out tonight.

*Note: I was going to post a picture of a dead spider for you all, but after the first few searches on spiders, I couldn’t do it anymore. Way too creeped out. I know there is one lurking over my shoulder somewhere. I can feel its beady little eyes on me. *shiver*

So, the dog figured out the reason I’ve been throwing the ball for him in the morning. Exercise. In retaliation for being tricked, the little stinker stopped retrieving the ball. Apparently, he thought I should participate in the fun, too.

In the last week, I’ve had to go find it in the dark about 8 times. With all the leaves on the ground, not an easy task.

Me<- so not happy.

He thinks it’s funny to chase me through the leaves and try to take me down. Again… Me <- not so much.

But, I’m stubborn, and we keep trying. I went outside yesterday morning and found his water bowl frozen over with ice. Already. I’m so not ready for that type of winter.

With the cold, I’ve been starting my car in the morning. I thought I was going to conserve my time and throw ball and start the car at the same time. So I threw the ball. The dog ran after it.

Then I made a tactical error.

I took out my keys and turned my back. They jingled. I opened the door, and the dog pushed me out of the way and jumped in the car. You could almost read his mind…RIDE!!!!!

Sigh. I open the back door and told him to get out. He does without any trouble, and I shut the door. Way too easy. I should’ve been suspicious, but I didn’t suspect a thing. Before I could even turn, dog shoved me out of the way to jump back in the front seat.

Well, he…heck!  My own fault really…I never shut the front door. I narrowed my eyes on the dog, and he promptly avoided my gaze. Stinker!! So I lean over and start the car. Puppy his happy. Confident. I backed out and shut my door and opened his.

He jumped out. I quickly shut the door. Only to turn around to see that the dog thought the front door was still open and nearly ran face-first into it. HA! I laughed. Puppy decided to pout, and I had to go find his ball…in the dark…all by myself.

Yup, so dog is learning. Me <- not so fast. I still throw the ball and, one out of ten, I have to go retrieve it myself. Grrrr.

In the last few days, three people have suggested that our dog is going to fat. Okay, they flat out said he was huge.

No one likes to believe that their baby is fat, but I’ve come to realize that the dog might be a wee-bit heavy.

He’s a three year old black lab and the same weight as me. Now, I just have to figure out how to put the dog on a diet. Maybe we’ll both have to start exercising more frequently instead. I might have a pound or two that I could spare to loose.

The good news…I bought a new camera. The last camera was my son’s, and I couldn’t take a picture with it worth a darn.

This new camera is the next best thing since sliced bread. Just look at how clear the picture came out? I love the color. And the detail – you can almost count each blade of grass. No more taking twenty pictures in order to find one photo that might not be too blurry to use. Yay! Love it!