In a slump

Those of you who read this and also see my Facebook snips will notice that I have been having issues with stupid the last week or so. Just feeling very bitter towards stupid people and how they insist on coming in to my personal space and being stupid near me.

I really wish I could hear something on that job I applied for, something to shake things up, maybe make me get excited about getting up in the morning.

Going back to the gym for the month of May has helped me get up in the morning, so that's one little thing.

We got our mortgage refinanced last week, other than the immense stupidity that I faced dealing with those people, it was a good thing... good now that it's over, and my mortgage payment has gone down. The savings will be thrown at the truck payment to knock that down... gotta put that on the fast track for a few months, get us out of being upside down on it, so we can refi the loan, and get it out of my mom's name. After we do that, it's back to the plan.

Speaking of the plan, it's one step forward, two steps back. Remember (not that long ago!) I was all happy because the first one bit the dust... our anytime credit account attached to our checking was paid off... well, with the refi and the remodeling, it's back to damn near maxed out... as of today. SONOFABIATCH...

So I've been in the dumps lately about finances, but I am trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel...

The pups will be ready to leave us in about 10 days... seems like just yesterday they were born, and now they're so big, and eating puppy food soaked in milk, and their mommy is no longer needed for nourishment... they're big kids now!

So all I need is to finish the bedrooms downstairs, pay off the bill I JUST HAD PAID OFF, (little bitter there, too!) get a new job, and get caught up on the bill paying plan, then maybe I will be a little more cheerful...

Hey, a girl can dream!

Does Michael Vick deserve a second chance?

I saw a story on him this morning on the TV at the gym... they're discussing whether he deserves a second chance... in the NFL.

I believe that he does deserve a second chance... at being a human being.
Not in the NFL. Why? Because kids look up to NFL players, hell, ANY sports figures. I practically have to wrestle my 11 year old son down to remove his Adrian Peterson Vikings jersey once a week to wash it!

Michael Vick deserves a chance, yes... but go be an insurance salesman, work in a factory... not in the public eye where someone might think you're a great guy. Because you're not.

I watch the show "Dog Town" on NatGeo. They got some of the Vick dogs, trying to rehabilitate them, trying to save them. It rips my heart out every time I see one of them, scarred and scared, damaged beyond what we can imagine. And my heart leaps when I see one of them come back from such a dark place to become what they were meant to be... dogs. Not warriors, not disposable commodities used for income.

Michael Vick makes my stomach turn, I believe that serving time in prison is a mere pittance. I will not go so far as to say some of the things I have heard, what kind of punishment would be fitting the crime... I don't agree that two wrongs make a right. But I don't believe that he deserves to be put on a pedestal EVER again.

Go sell insurance Michael... leave the limelight to those who deserve it.

Rockin' robin

I had a battle this weekend with a robin... you know, tweet, tweet, bird.

Bitch decided that the light under my awning, right by my back door was the PERFECT spot for her to build a nest. Not.

I wouldn't mind if she was just going to have the little robin eggs and sweet little baby birds... THAT would be fine.

But she would sit on the edge of the nest and poo off the side. Right onto my back steps.

So I put a pop can up there on Friday, trying to block her constant efforts to create the nest.

She kept trying to work around the can, and I kept knocking it down... using a hockey stick.

By Sunday afternoon, the silly bitch gave it up and moved it to the pine tree in the back yard.

I win.

Battle Royale

That's what my kids called what I photographed this morning... see for yourself! They were 3 weeks old on Friday... just a few more weeks and they'll be gone!

puppy update

They opened their eyes over the weekend... and they're learning to growl and bark (It's so cute when they start... they look like they actually startle/scare themselves when they let out a big bark!)

I have to go back to work today, haven't been there since last Thursday! I had Friday off, it was our 16th anniversary, and I had Monday off, then Tuesday and Wednesday I had to go to Fargo for work related training. The two longest most boring days of my life... I'll never get those back.

Thanks.

Driving Miss Nikky

That's what I got for Mother's Day.
My oldest son, Alex took me for a drive. My mom has been letting him practice in her truck, for the past month or so on Sundays. Today I got to ride along. Of course, I got the backseat. I felt about as old as Jessica Tandy in Driving Miss Daisy.

My SON was driving... you know, the one that just a mere short 15 Mother's Days ago was spewing rice cereal on me and shitting his pampers? Yeah, THAT son. DRIVING.

I had him drive to the local Dairy Queen and bought him a Blizzard. He did good. He's certainly not ready for real driving, but it's good practice until June when he takes Drivers Education.

We had a couple of Puppy Owner-wannabe's visit today, too. So that is always nice... they want to wait to see the 'kids' fully up and running around, see their personalities and how they interact with each other and with people.

JP and I got a ton done on the downstairs bedrooms this weekend, too. We are on schedule to drywall NEXT WEEKEND!! We even bought the flooring for Mom's bedroom. There was a sale, but there wasn't enough to do both bedrooms, so I decided to make the most of the sale price and get enough to do the bigger bedroom. We won't put down the laminate wood flooring until the walls are painted and all the trim (except the base molding) are done... less chance of damage or spills on the new floor! So for now, the new flooring will sit in the corner of the family room... a good price that was too good to pass up. It will probably be 2 to 3 weeks before it goes in, but at least when we're ready for it, we won't have to wait for the next payday to get it!

My Mother's Day was NOT relaxing, I was NOT pampered, but it was a very productive day, and I'm happy with that. Besides, I have tomorrow off work, so if I want to relax and pamper myself, I can do it then, when everyone else is at work and school... the house to myself... hell, that ALONE is relaxing!

Boys vs Girls

I had to take pictures (HAD TO! lol) of the pups tonight to send to JP's sister... she's got friends interested in buying some of them. I seperated the kids out and snapped a few.

Here are the 4 boys, one of them in spoken for, just not chosen yet...Jack, Bill & Ted and Thomas.

And there are the 3 girls... Daphne, Thelma & Louise... Chloe is not in the picture since she is already spoken for and therefor not in the "for sale" picture.

Another one bites the dust!

OK, so it's not ANOTHER one, it's the FIRST one. And it's gone. And it feels amazing!
Yesterday I made the FINAL payment to our credit line. Today it showed up on my online banking accts.

On January 1 the balance of this account was $1,268.48. The Balance is now ZERO!
So now the money that had been thrown at that...my pull tab paychecks and my "left over after the mortgage payment" extra from my regular paychecks can be pooled and added to the already $200 payment going to Menards. THAT balance is just under $600 after the payment made yesterday goes through. So I doubt it will take long to kill that one either.

So then after that's gone, I add: $200 (from Menards) to the pull tabs monthly checks: $140, with the "extra after Mortgage" amounts of roughly $180 for a total of $520... ADD THAT TO the already $200 payments to the military credit card... and I will be sending them $720 PER MONTH... nice.

Balance on that sucker is (hang on, lemme grab the last month's statement)....$4189.99... not counting the $200 I sent them yesterday... so figure roughly $4000.... won't take long for $720 per month to kick that one either... ( I grabbed a calculator, figure 6 or 7 months!) even with the 9.99% interest. And THAT is the highest interest rate we are paying on all things... mortgage, truck, Discover card, student loans... 9.99% is the worst interest we have... not bad considering...

Between that and the immense job of housecleaning I did today (with the kids' help) AND the fact that I got my butt into a size 4 jeans finally AND the phone call I got this morning, my SIL has (sight unseen, mind you!) SOLD 3 of our puppies! She's got someone who wants a male, and someone else who wants TWO girls... I am feeling fine and dandy today.

Oh, and later today I am going to print out my resume and prep it for sending off... so THAT helps, too!
It's just a good day to be ME!!

A 37 year old man

Tomorrow I will be married to a 37 year old man.

No, not getting married tomorrow, my husband of 15 years, 359 days will be turning 37 tomorrow. And he's not here. He's at Camp Ripley. He's got Guards. I think that's unfair. You shouldn't have to do yucky stuff on your birthday.

I just love him.

Pics from Monday morning

I just snapped a quick couple of pics Monday morning before I went to work.

Just now getting a minute to post them, sorry!

The close up one is Ted... aka Mooseboy! You can see him in the 'group shot' he's in the front, sleeping. He's bigger than his brothers and sisters, so it's always easy to pick him out!

Looking into other options

Ad in the paper.
Another bank.
Not sure of any details, but I'm going to submit my resume to find out.
Depends on job description (if it's a teller at a different bank, why bother?)
Depends on the pay (if it's the same or more, I'm THERE!)
Depends on the hours (banker's hours, shouldn't be too tough! Unless more Saturdays are involved)
I'll keep y'all posted.

In the meantime, the puppies are WONDERFUL, so cute, and fat and happy. I cannot believe how much they've changed, not even a week old. They've grown so much already. Pictures coming soon.

The family grows

Our family increased by 8 on Friday. Miss Comet has 4 sons and 4 daughters (see post below for their temporary names!)

They're about the size of small guinea pigs right now, and their eyes are closed but they are still cute as all hell, and as soon as they get a bit bigger (and cuter) I will be posting more pics.

This photo also shows just a little bit of my husband's skills at building a whelping box... which we did Wednesday night... just in time!

I will wait a week, then go online and register the litter at the AKC website. They'll send out papers for me to give to each new puppy owner, so they can name and register their new baby... after they pay me, of course!

Six to eight weeks from now, they'll all be gone! Except Chloe, of course... the one that my mom is keeping... so I won't have total puppy withdrawals! Thank goodness!

Eight is enough

Comet was acting 'weird' this morning. Bloodshot eyes, droopy tail, ears cocked different. Not as springy and silly and wiggly as usual.

Hmmm... could she be telling us that she's going into labor?

Yes!

Her water broke (I didn't realize that dogs' water breaks, just like humans!) about 10:40... Jack was born at 11. Then the wait began... Jack had alot of 'mommy and me' time. Chloe and Daphne came along about 11:50... followed quickly by Ted, who was enormous. No kidding, Ted's a moose. Then came Bill. Followed by Thelma and Louise. Finally Thomas showed up around 2 in the afternoon.

This was my first time seeing puppies being born, and as Jack came spewing into the world, in all the mucus and slimy glory of birth, I got tears in my eyes. I was so proud of Comet, she knew exactly what to do, and she is just the most wonderful attentive Mommy.

So, now, of the 8, I have homes for 2 of the girls, and one of the boys, which leaves me with 2 females and 3 males that need homes... I'm going to make up fliers to put up at a few places, pet food store, kennel, Mom's bar and probably one for the lunch room at my bank.

Anyway, now I am exhausted and I am NOT cooking dinner. Taking a nap!

Welcome to Nessa Rose!

Nessa is on the highest shelf, Tiny is below her. They're getting along much better now. I ended up getting Nessa Rose from a lady I work with, she read on FB that I was having trouble finding a rescue kitty that fit my requirements, female, spayed AND declawed AND free... since I had already piled money into Naughty... which, btw, I won't get any thing back from... sunuvubiatch...

The pic is pretty dark, but she's a calico... tortoise shell coloring, dark, and long soft hair. She's really not that big, it's just all that hair! She is very sweet, she loves to cuddle.. she loves to be held and she does NOT meow! She opens her mouth, she goes through the motions, but no sound comes out... not to worry, I know she is capable of making noise... the first week or so she and Tiny had several fights... loud cat fights... in the middle of the night!

Thank goodness they're over it now, and getting along pretty well. The dogs were also a new thing for Nessa, and after a few days of hissing and smacking them, I think everyone knows where everyone stands on the issue: Don't touch me, and I won't smack you...deal? good.

My Aunt Jeanne

http://okiejontheroad.blogspot.com/

I got an email today from my favorite aunt, Jeanne. She lives in Oklahoma. She has started a blog, with destinations of travels to little known locations as her main theme...

I was just there, it's a hoot, she's the best, and I highly recommend checking it out... there's only 4 posts so far, so it won't take long, but check back periodically for updates.

I am also in the process of adding her to my blogroll (and updating it, all together!) So that's the plan for the night.

Oh, and uploading here and on FB the pics I took over the weekend, of Tiny Sue and Nessa Rose AND a great pic of the Momma Comet... her due date is Sunday April 26th... she's really big!

Some good news

We finally got some good money news!

We got an insurance quote from where I work (banking, trust, investments and insurance all in one building).

By changing our auto (2 vehicles, full coverage on both) and our homeowners policy, we will save $1410 PER YEAR!!

So the plan is the $40 per month savings on the auto premiums will be allocated to a fund to be sent periodically to 'the bill of the day'... whomever is next in line for payoff.

The savings on our mortgage (we escrow our insurance) will stay there. My mortgage payment WILL go down... but the payment I send will remain the same.

OH! And adding to the mortgage payment going down is the refi we are starting the process of doing. We will be going from 7.25% to 5.25% interest... and that will substantially lower the monthly payment, too. Again, keeping the payment sent the same... will drop us from a 30 year payoff date, to something closer to 18.

Things like this make me happy... for a couple of days there, it was like people were coming out of the woodwork offering to save us money! Thanks!

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1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt or a leaky tire.

3. It's always darkest before dawn , so if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if you 're alive, try missing a couple of house payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don't succeed...... skydiving is not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

11. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

12. Some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield.

13. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

14. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

15. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

16. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

17. There are two theories to arguing with a woman - Neither one works.

18. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

19. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

I need help

I think I may have found a solution to the financial dilemmas.
But in order to even give this a shot, I need input... help.
From YOU.

I've decided to try sending off my book to publishers. But I'm assuming that first I need a literary agent. (Do I?) dunno.

I've been doing some research online, and getting the runaround. Yes, you MUST have a literary agent (say the literary agent websites) No, you can make it without one (say the people who have... after countless rejections)

I just don't know where to start. Suggestions? Leads?

Thing is, it may not lead to a check, and a book deal... but if nothing else it will keep my mind off the things that drive me nuts... and give me something else to stress about, right?!!

Oh well, what the hell.

Been a bad month

For blogging, anyway. I haven't had much of a couple of things that blogging requires: Time and things to talk about.

But I got a new kitty on Easter Sunday. A lady I work with needed to get rid of her kitty, since her boyfriend is moving in, and he's allergic. So LeAnn brought Nessa Rose over to meet us all.

Yeah, the new kitty's name is Nessa Rose. As in Elphaba's sister from WICKED... it was too perfect to pass up, and she is just a dream.

She's a tortoise/calico long haired kitty. She's no kitten either. She is not a fan of the dogs, she's already smacked Hailey and Comet. But she doesn't have front claws, so they were more surprised and scared than hurt. She and Tiny aren't on speaking terms yet... well, that's not really true, they "chat", but they have yet to find their 'inside voices' when conversing.

I think Tiny is pissed that Nessa doesn't back down the way Naughty did.
The conversations now heard meowling are more like this:

GET OUT OF MY HOUSE

Bite me, Fatty...they like me and I'm staying.

I'm sure they'll eventually come to an agreement, but for now, it seems as though we have an upstairs cat (Tiny Sue) and a downstairs cat (Nessa)

On another pet related topic, Comet is just about done cooking her mini corn dogs... that's what we call the lumps in her belly. She is due in just about 2 weeks. I will be posting pictures as soon as we have pups!

That's all on the animal front, everything else is pretty dull, so I'll spare you the details...
Later.

Marley & Me

We got the kids this movie for Easter. Just watched it.
I know, I know, we are like the last people on the planet to see it. That's why this is not a review of the movie... y'all know how it ends.

I really liked it. But I will never watch it again. I hate crying THAT much over a movie. Real life, that's worth crying THAT much about. But not a movie.

If you haven't seen it, I do recommend it, I think everyone who's ever had a dog will relate to it (thus the crying) and anyone who's never had a dog (those few poor bastards left on the planet) will benefit from knowing how it feels to love someone that much and have to say goodbye.

Really really good movie, but never gonna watch it again... can't.