Hello All,

I am off of work today to take care of the dog situation. Leo was picked up by the animal control, so we had to call them this morning and than go down to the pound to make sure he was our dog and to pay the fee to get him out. Unfortunately we could not pick him up today as they are neutering him. We did have to pay for him now though, the total was not bad $175.00. That includes the neutering, the boarding, the micro chip (it is a new state law that went into effect last year, that any pet picked up from has to be micro chipped before going back to is owners) rabies shot, parvo/distemper shot as well. It wasn't bad all in all really. Our vet would have charged more for all of that really, and it is good to get him fixed. I cannot wait to get him home though, it was so sad to see him there. He looked so sad and broken hearted when we had to leave him.

Miranda has a some little wounds/scratches on her. She has a some on her chest, ear and face. We took her to Banfield in Petsmart by the house as they have a free wellness clinic, where from 2-4 on Tuesday and Thursdays they have a free exams. They were are really nice I have to say and cheaper than our previous vet. They are closer to the house as well. She got micro chipped as well, and her rabies as hers was due at the end of this month. They also gave her a de-wormer just in case as she was outside for a bit and might have eaten something she shouldn't have. They have a wellness plan that for like $30 a month, it will cover all her shots, routine dental cleaning, etc. for the year. I might do that for the dogs and see about doing the pricest one for Trixie with her teeth work that is needed, it might be best to pay the monthly and get it done. Also if you get the plan you can get a discount off other services that you do, so in the end it might be worth it to put Trixie on the plan first and get her all done and than put the dogs on.

Miranda did so very well. Even strangers came up and petted her and she enjoyed it to the 9th degree and than some. She was so well behaved. The only time she was antsy when she barked at another dog cause she wanted him to play with her. Even the vet was impressed with her friendly and sweet disposition. She really is a good dog, but I know I'm biased as I love her like hell, so it is always nice when other people can see that as well. She also is the perfect weight. I always think she is too skinny and needs to be fatter, the vet said she is perfect weight and is healthy. Yay for my little girl! We are going to give her a bath later on tonight, she also got a brand new pink collar and matching leash. The hubs picked them out for her, she is a girlie girl dog. It is funny to see. Right now, she is passed out asleep by daddy's chair. I'm going to take her for a walk later on, but it has been a busy day, running here and there, in order to get everything done.

In the end, all ended well and that is what matters. I really believe God watched out for our babies and brought them home to us safe and sound. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep them that way. We are buying a padlock for the fence first thing tomorrow before work, so when Leo comes home, no one can let him out. Jerks, whoever they are, I better not find out who they are. Miranda is going to be an inside dog from now on. I'm getting a crate for her tomorrow after work, so that she will be back to being crate trained. I also got a schedule for obedience classes at Petsmart, they are not bad, only $109 for an 8 week course. They have classes on Monday so we can go to them than, I'll wait until April when I get an extra paycheck and work on getting them into there. But I'm only doing one dog at a time. Miranda can go, and than Leo can go. No way and I'm going to try and take them both to class, I'll loose any sanity I have left.

I'm off to clean the kitchen so I can make a scrumptious dinner for us tonight, thank you all for your sweet words and prayers, seriously they helped more than I could ever express in words.

Miranda is back home right now. She has some minor wounds on her chest, and she stinks. When I get home from work tonight, I will give her a bath and plenty of cuddles time. A neighbor a block away from us, found her and gave her food and emailed my husband when she looked online to see she was lost. Leo was picked up she said and we are trying to find out where he is. Please keep him and us in your prayers. No idea where he is right now.

Our dogs are gone. We came home and they are gone. Someone let them out of the yard and they are no where to be found. If you can please pray we can find them. Please.

Hello All,

Today was a good day. I actually ended up getting everything done that I needed today. I met my friend for coffee at Borders. I was able to pick up a sewing book I wanted and a couple of magazines. This coming weekend I'm going to start on some sewing projects. I've always been intimated by the sewing machine but this year one of my goals is to conquer the machine of doom! I shall over come and learn to make pretty things.

This is the book I purchased:

http://www.amazon.com/One-Yard-Wonders-Sewing-Fabric-Projects/dp/1603424490/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265090454&sr=8-1

I have to see what my first project shall be. My mommy bought me several yards of fabric when she was here and I cannot wait to start and see what all kinds of things I shall create. I'll make sure to take plenty of pictures of the final projects and if I think of it, an in progress shots as well. When I get better, I hope to be able to make quilts and blankets and all kinds of things. I love homemade things and would love to be able to fill our house with little things through the years. I am also going to work on learning to knit and crochet. My mom bought me for Christmas some learning booklets and I cannot wait to start on them. I think it will be fun to make sweaters, socks and scarves. I want to make some things for the kitchen as well. I really want to be good at these things.

The library was the next stop for my day. I brought back some books and picked up a couple of books on tape for the hubs. He loves to listen to them while he is at work, it makes his day go by faster and he actually gets more production done. I got one that is one the Civil War. 'The Killer Angels', by Michael Shaara. It actually sounded like something I would like to read myself, and I know the hubs is a fan of war reading, so I hope he likes it. The other one I got him, I'm on the fence if he will enjoy or not. It is called, 'The Fortune Tellers Daughter', by Lila Shaara. He isn't a huge fan of mystery type things, but this one seemed to mix science into it, so I hope he finds is adequate to keep his attention. It is hard to find things as he never really gives me much to go on.

I myself just finished up reading, 'The Lost Symbol' by Dan Brown for fun. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was one of his better books. I am currently reading right now, 'It must have been something I ate', by Jeffrey Steingarten. This is his follow up book and I've never read his first one. He judges on the Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef, he also writes for Vogue. On TV he quietly honestly seems drunk and almost gets into fist fights with other judges. The one he seems to have a huge distaste for is Tim Allen for who knows what reason. But his writing is sheer brilliance! I think cookie you would like the book, it is a series of essays he wrote throughout the years on food and his thoughts, ideas, etc. He shares a lot of the same ideas as you do, on using fresh ingredients and making things from scratch and not a can type of things. He truly enjoys food and it is interesting to see his experiences with it all. Next up is 'A Reliable Wife', by Robert Goolrick. This one is for my book club, it is Feb's book. I've heard good things about it, once I'm done with Jeffrey's that will be the one I tackle. It isn't too long so I'm not worried about not being able to finish in time.

After the library I hit the Avenue. I like it honestly better than Layne Bryant. I find it cheaper, and the fashion is more younger. I always feel like the clothes are more older in Layne than I actually want to wear. It has been awhile since I've gotten new clothes and I've been in desperate need for some decent things to be able to wear to work and not look or feel dumpy. I was able to get two new pairs of jeans, three new tops, two bras, one nightgown and a hoodie all for around $114. They have this thing that if you try and sign up for their store credit card they will give you 30% off your total whether you are accepted or not. I should say my credit is bad, horribly, horribly bad. When I went off to college I was ill equip to really understand my financial picture. I took out credit cards and couldn't pay them, my score has been sucky for years. I've not been able to get anything for over 10 years + really. So low and behold to my amazement I was approved, it gave me another 30% off my priciest item and I got one of the bras for like $7 bucks. My original total was $197 so with all the discounts it came to $114. Much better, as my budget was $100, so I did good. I also will pay it off this coming weekend. I couldn't pay it at the store, as you cannot pay with a debt card and I do not have checks nor cash with me. This was the best news of all, my credit is getting back on track and this is a good start to it. I actually am looking forward to work and looking good for once. My mother in law got me a sweater when she was here for Christmas and I found the perfect pants for it and cannot wait to wear it now. My mom also when she was here got me some great shoes so I'm set for quite awhile. Go me!

The last item I had on my to do list of doom today was to go food shopping. I almost skipped this one but I knew if I didn't go today I wouldn't go at all and I don't want to rely on fast food. I was good with the budget and only went over by like $3.00. I'm going to make some nummy wraps for my lunches this week. I'm going to put some garlic hummus on the whole wheat wraps I bought, and in the inside is going to be a mixture of the baby spinach, arugula, tomatoes I got at the farmers market, with some fresh mushrooms, and strawberries I got at the store. I've never done anything like this wrap before and it sounds good in my head so I have no clue how it will turn out, but I thought the strawberries would give it just a smidgen of sweetness. I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm trying to experiment more with healthier foods. I need some variety otherwise I get so bored. The hubs can eat the same thing all month and have no issues. I need to find some variety or I want to bash my head in and stop eating healthy.

I'm going to also try some new things for dinners. At the farmers market I purchased a little over a pound of ground buffalo. The hubs loves buffalo meat now, so I thought I would make some soft shell tacos with it. I'm not sure at all how it will turn out but we shall see. I'm also going to try a healthier version of pasta this week as well. I'm going to try and make an olive oil type of sauce, rather than the heavy cheese sauce we always do. Fingers crossed on this one, but the biggest risk is going to be some tilapia fillets I picked up. I'm going to try and marinade them in an Asian kind of olive oil we bought at the farmers market and see how that goes. We both really enjoy the fish, and I'm trying to find ways to bake it that do not include breading it. Again a healthier option that is tasty and turns out is the goal.

I still need to get the graphics back up and running. I've stalled on getting the thumb drive items onto my new computer. That is this weeks main goal. I have cute Valentine's blinkies I want to offer up, so I need to get my bottom in gear and get my stuff back on the new computer. I also really miss making, it is a relaxing hobby. I enjoy seeing what I can come up with, my work is not at all close to being good like others, but I enjoy it and that is what counts. I don't want to the most popular and desired, I just want to make and have fun with it and hope the members do as well. The rest sorts itself out, I think.

Well I think I've gone on about not a whole heck of a lot. Really my life is boring and mundane and I wouldn't change anything about it. I've got a good life and even with the rough moments there isn't anything I would honestly change. Off to do a little reading before bed. The day and weekend went by far too fast. I'd love to have another day or two off of work.

Hello All,

Sorry it has been a bit longer than I meant between updates. My computer went wonky and it was annoying to try and make posts from the laptop I kept hitting the space bar by accident and it would erase tons of stuff and I didn't feel like trying to redo it all over again. But we got our income tax returns and I have brand new shiney computer. It is honestly made of awesome. I think I love the flat screen monitor the best. Finally I can watch things on my computer if I want too, and the best thing, my husband is jealous of it. Ha, all mines!

Thanks to Phyncke I have graphics programs. I'll be making tomorrow and trying to get everything posted that I owe things too. I'm currently getting all the pixels and boxes from my thumb drive onto the new computer of doom. I didn't realize quite all the stuff I had. So fingers crossed tomorrow I will be making again. Woot woot!

I also have to do some clothes shopping, stop by the library and bring back some books and pick up some new ones, go grocery shopping and meet up with a friend for coffee. It shall be a lot of stuff, but fun stuff to do. I hope to have a relaxing day as well as getting the kitchen back in order. I was able to get some great things at the farmers market today, despite being late to the point we almost missed it. I'm going to try a new pasta dish and use some ground buffalo with my tacos. Valentine's day we are going to make a meal together and have challenged ourselves that we can only use things we find at the farmers market that day. Fingers crossed it will be a nice little treat for us. Not only will it be cheaper but it also will be more fun I think. I'd rather be at home, cooking with the hubs in the kitchen, than having to deal with the over priced places and crowds of people. A few movies we can snuggle up with on the couch afterward, sounds honestly to be the best way to spend Valentine's day. I'll try and take some pictures if the meal turns out. No clue what we are making, won't know until that day. Wish us luck!

I saw the new doctor and quite frankly I'm not impressed. I'm still looking around to see if I can find someone else. The only advantage the new doctor has is she is female. That's really it. I had to pay $25 to see the PA, so she could ask me some medical history questions before I could even make an appointment with the doctor herself. I should note, that during this time, no one would refill my birth control pills without having a pap done. I'm not due for on until April, and I've never had such a difficult time at all before. So I made another appointment and had to pay another $25 co pay, so I could have a pap done two months early. No way could I go without getting that filled. I'm allergic to latex, so condoms are out. We cannot afford a baby right now, and neither of us have enough self control to abstain. The appointment was at 1:45, they told me to be there early to do more paperwork. So I should up at 1:30, guess when I was actually seen my the doctor. 3:15. Yes you heard that right. I was about to walk out, not at all caring about the stupid $50 I've spent at this point. But I needed the birth control refill. Good thing I had the day off work, there is no way I could have been sitting around all afternoon waiting for an appointment that didn't seem was ever going to take place. No one apologized for the wait either. She came in did her thing in like 3 minutes flat, asked questions that made it more than obvious she didn't read the medical history I had to give for $25 to the PA. Glad to see that was a wasted appointment all together. On the bright side I finally got the damn birth control refilled. They only bright thing is they did call me to tell me my results were normal. I'm not surprised by that. I've not had a bad pap yet and I don't have any kind of behavior that would make me nervous about it not coming out clean. So on to find a new doctor. Fehs, I'm not at all looking forward to it. It took me forever to find this one.

We did have a good weekend though. We went to see Avatar with our friends Chris and Cindy from our gaming group and ate at the Cheesecake Factory afterward. A totally fun and laughter filled evening. I hadn't really wanted to see the movie. I know that it was the hyped up movie for the year, but it really didn't seem that interesting to me. I will say it did have some humorous parts to it and the animation was stellar. We saw it in 3D. I will say I'm not sure why people are sad and depressed after seeing it. The animation was not that great that it made me wish the world was real. I rather like my life and the people in it. I'm not a huge fan of living in a fantasy world. There was a time in my life, I would have chosen the fantasy. But not any longer. Things here are pretty good, even the bad, rough times.

The hubs took me out to see the Daybreakers today. I'm always a fan of vampire movies, with the exception of the Twilight stuff. I hate the books and I am sure I would hate the movies just as much. I really did try and read the first one, I couldn't get past the first chapter. Even if I were 15 again I wouldn't have enjoyed that book. I can understand why it is popular. I just like my vampires and fantasy more rooted in grit and grim I guess. Give me Underworld any day. Now the daybreakers had a really good idea and plot behind it. I wish the ending had been a little different, but overall a good movie. I would see it again, and that is always a good test of I enjoyed it or not.

I'm going to end this post here, I'm getting sleepy and have a packed day tomorrow. I will update again than, and will promise to keep updating more often, at least once a week, I'm going to try for twice a week, if not more. Though be prepared my life is not at all action packed :)

Hello All,

This is going to be short as I'm quite tired from work and all that. I will do a much larger update tomorrow and shall get everything back up to date. Just a few things, I have a new computer *pets the shiney* as we got our income tax returns. I paid off three credit cards, bought a new computer and wonderful monitor of doom, and got the hubbys plane ticket for his trip in April. Phyncke I could really use the A3 and photoshop if you have it to send to me? I'd love you even mores! I'll get all my graphics caught up than and get the new offers up. I love this new machine. It was love at first sight :) Anyways, off try my new computer game and than bed as I have to work tomorrow. Ughs, but the weekend is almost here! Woot woot!

Hello all,

The weekend is almost upon us. Woot woot, I say. Our plans for this weekend: game on Saturday - I cannot wait. It has been too long since we have had some fun with the dice and the dungeons, cleaning - we have little projects to do around the house, graphics - I have tons of Valentines offers ready to go and premade, I just need to fill my previous requests and get caught up.

I have to work on Monday, but I'll get paid double time for it, so it will be worth it. I will have Tuesday off, the husband has both Monday for the holiday and Tuesday off. Lucky duck he is. I also have to get my vacation time put in today and pass it on. We are going try and visit my mom early Dec. as the husband wants to be around snow and try and build a snowman. Such a silly fellow he is. I think about a day of it, he will be sick of it, but it will be nice to have some kind of vacation together this year as well. I hate that I cannot visit his family but all the time around Easter was taken. Fehs, for being on the bottom of the vacation requesting.

The doctor's was a waste of time. I spent $25 dollars to give them information the doctor will most likely not even read before I see them. They would not refill my birth control without me getting my pap, so I had to book that quickly as I will be out by the end of this month. I am not impressed with them. I think after the pap and I get my refill I will look around for a different place. I put up with bad doctors in the past and no longer am I patient enough to do that. I work hard to earn the money to spend on my copay, I'm not about to line someone's stupid pockets with it. I'm getting ornery in my old age I swear.

Not much else is going on, we are just working, sleeping, working, sleeping. I hope I did our taxes correctly as we should be getting the refund by the end of this month. This will be a miracle so I can payoff those darn credit cards, get the husbands airfare paid for and perhaps a new computer for me. Anyways, I need to get ready for work. Le sigh. I need to win the lottery so I can stay home and be sloth like.

Jessica I will keep your dad and the rest of your family in my prayers. I'm sure everything with be just fine.

motherautumn you as well are in my prayers, I'm sure your surgery will go grand as well.

Hello All,

Now my friends, I know that most of you read books by the dozen, so please please please leave me in a comment your top three suggestions, or even ones that you might not have enjoyed but you got something out of. I really feel like reading a lot, and am not sure what would be good now that the one for Jan. for my book club is done. I highly recommend the book and will be doing a book review of it later on this week. Yays for reviews!

I'm having a candle party catalog thing from Gold Canyon. I was wondering if anyone would like to order anything at all? You do not have too. I know that money is always tight after the holidays, but leave me a comment if you are interested. I have made comments screened just in case.

Last night the husband and I cooked together, and it was actually fun. He made the steaks and I made the potatoes and some carrots for myself, as I cannot get him to eat veggies for the life of me. It was the first time we actually made a meal together and I have to say it went smoother than we both it would. We thought it was going to be a lot of bickering but it wasn't.

I am off to take a shower before work, le sigh. I am looking forward to the weekend, as it is game on Saturday. Woo hooo!

Hello All,

I finished my book for this months book club and need suggestions of something to read. So I am asking if you can all let me know your top three favorite books and why. I would love to have something new to read and I know i have several prolific readers on my friends list. Other than that today is my back to work day, the weekend is officially over. Le sigh to that.

I completed our taxes yesterday, we should be getting our refund by the end of this month, which would be great. The money is slated to pay off 3 credit cards, purchase my husbands airfare for his trip back home at the end of March/beginning of April, and if there are funds left over a new computer for me. I'll need to purchase my graphic software as well again, but it would be nice to have a machine that I can actually play some games on and that I can do something with other than browsing the interwebs. I do miss playing some games and I swear, Hellgate will be mine this time.

This Thursday I will be meeting with the physician assistant first, and than will see if this new doctor is going to work out. I'm a bit miffed that you cannot make an appointment with the doctor, you have to meet with the pa first, and than you get to make an appointment with the doctor. Really, that means two copays instead of one, and quite frankly, I'm not caring about the pa, I'm caring if the doctor is going to be a good fit. This displeases me, so I'm unsure if this new one is going to work out. I will let you all know how Thursday goes, but I have two other back up ones I found if need be. I really dislike this insurance agency across the board, I'm paying more out of pocket for this company and getting less benefits in return. Does not make me happy at all, but it is what it is. I hate that the company changed, but nothing I can do about it. I certainly cannot pay out of pocket to remain with our old doctors and they do not take our new company. Double le sigh.

The plan for this week is to work on laundry, get the floors cleaned up, get both bathrooms in order, get graphics caught up and work on new offers. We also need to work on getting the Christmas decorations put away and stored and get the garage back in order as well. The last two items might take a bit more time as I need to wait to see how the money situation is after the doctors and all that, as I need to get some storage bins for the decor. We should be okie moneywise but I want to make sure before doing anything. I have all the round of bills paid with the exception of the electric - waiting on the bill should be this week, our garage bill - waiting on that one as well should be this week too and our car/renter insurance - that is automatically taken out on the 17th.

I really want to get our finances in much better order this year. It is one of my must learn to do things. So far I'm doing pretty good, with using our tax refund to get some debt paid off, and with my extra check in April I'm going to try and payoff two of the smaller student loans, the large one with the government is going to take me much more years to do, but at least if I can get rid of the 3 cards and 2 student loans that will free me up around $356 a month, which will be a big help as we are both getting paid less this year as we will not be getting our shift differential like we had been. By the end of the year I want to get rid of another credit card, leaving us with the big one left and I should be able to get that one done during the next year. That would mean in 2 years time, we would be credit card debt free, have only one student loan, and we could payoff his dad faster was well. It would really help us with having a baby too, to get rid of this debt and be able to use that money to pay for daycare or the like. Wish me luck, I always have grand plans for getting financial foothold on things, and than I end up never really doing it. This year has to be different. We really need to get a hold of the money and make sure it goes where we want it to and where it will help us the most.

Alright it is time for me to get dressed and start off the work week. Hope you all have a grand day!

Hello All,

I've been quite inspired by both Unique_thesame and Phyncke with their farmers market they go to and take part in. I looked around and the only one I could try out around me is on Sundays, as the hubs and I work on Saturday and it is a bit of drive. The hubs and I both thought about it, and opted to try out the 30+ drive to see if the market I found was any good.

It was love at first booth! We both really enjoyed ourselves and there was not a ton of vendors, but just enough to make it enjoyable. We are going to go there on the Sundays we get paid, which will be nice as it will be every other Sunday. I also plan to put some money aside from the tax returns so I can go there and spend a bit more on some 'fun' pricier items.

We only brought with us $40 from our weekly food budget and we spent every last dime of it there. We got some home made dog treats for our little guy, buffalo steaks, spinach and garlic pasta, a bag of tangelos, a bag of carrots, two cucumbers, a bag of yams and a ham and cheese quiche. Next time I need to remember to bring my bags from home, to make carrying around the items much easier. Also I want to get some more fruit and veggies items and to try out some of their grass feed beef products and they had these awesome bread/marinades I cannot wait to buy when I have those extra funds.

All in all it was a wonderful time and I'm glad that the husband enjoyed it as much as I did. I was surprised the drive was not as a bad, despite the time and I think it will be worth it, to be able to buy from local growers and help them with their businesses. It made us both feel good, to buy some great fresh food items and to know we were helping out those in our community as well. I am now counting down the days until we can go back.

Thanks so much Jane and Cathy, it was a lovely experience I would not have done without seeing how much you both talk about it. I'm a farmers marketer for life now!