Quick Takes Friday

1. I took the Christmas tree down last night. I think last week was the official christmas tree pick up at the curb, but I didn't get it down in time. I was quite relieved to arrive home from work and see that they took it! Although I got the tree undecorated and down, the rest of the house is still decorated. I had to do the undecorating, unlighting, and taking down of the tree in steps with naps in between- thanks to being sick and without energy- so nothing else has come down yet. Maybe tomorrow...

2. Now that Christmas and Owen/Suzie's birthday is done, I'm looking at the bleakest part of winter... and time to take on some serious projects to keep from going insane. Right now I have so many that need to be done it's hard to pick... and none are really creative or fun, they are more along the lines of declutter and organize. Maybe I'll have to make it a blog-event like last year's laundry room project. Although decluttering and sorting old boxes in the basement isn't nearly as fun as painting stripes on the wall. Stay tuned.


3. It is incredibly cold here in Michigan. As in sub-zero cold, which we don't get too often. Tomorrow we're supposed to get more snow. There is this adorable little bird that seems to like the spot right outside the patio door, perched on the dog runner. He flutters at the patio door a lot and has reappeared numerous times in the past few days... he's so cute. I wish the pic showed his red head/chest better. Last night I scared him away to scatter birdseed in case he's hungry... but then he didn't come back. Oops.


4. Speaking of birds, thanks to the above bird-visitor, I suddenly realized I need a bird book. I was having a conversation with someone a few weeks ago and they mentioned some bird they keep seeing, my first question: "Oh cool, did you look him up in the bird book?" She looked at me like I was crazy. Is the bird book really so crazy? I grew up in a homeschooling family. A bird-book family. Any time we'd see a bird, someone would run and get the bird book and we'd look up what it was, where it came from, what it ate, what birds it was closely related to, etc. I remember pouring over the gorgeous pictures in the bird book just for fun. When Lisa lived with me, she had a bird book and we'd look up the various birds that ate outside the dining room window. Currently, I have no bird-book housemates and apparently I need a bird book of my own... maybe I can get one with my borders gift card. Along those lines, come on... any other bird-book people out there? Is the bird book really so crazy?

5. Although it's cold, it is very beautiful!! Here's a shot out my dining room window- playing with the filters in my awesome new camera.

6. I'm reading a book called "Pack of Two" about a woman and her dog. It's kinda cute, she talks about the relationships people have with dogs and how intimate and hidden those relationships are, how foreign they are to people without dogs, etc. At the beginning of the book, I really enjoyed the connection and thought she had some interesting and true observations, but now I'm bored. Apparently she's going to continue making those same observations over and over again and never really get anywhere with the book. On a positive note, the book is confirming for me that I'm not an insane dog-person. I am certainly a dog owner and love my dogs (and blog way too much about them) but I am not an over-the-top dog person. Whew. That's a relief.

7. Alan continues to thrive in the Cous household. He enjoyed Owen's birthday party at my place last Saturday and got quite good at the paddle/ball game. He's so cute! He is always just delighted with life. Apparently he insisted on wearing the pants I made him for Christmas when he found out he was coming to my house! What a cutie! Not only does he have physical therapy several days a week, he also has Ken Cous, ever practical, at the helm, teaching him to crawl, and do all sorts of non-traditional exercises to help him function better in the real world. His surgery on his arm is coming up next week, say a prayer for a successful surgery and quick recovery.

Sick

I am sick. Don't worry I'm not dying. It's winter in Michigan and after weeks of family events with sick kids where I escaped illness, I finally succumbed. It's just a bad cold, but I called in sick feeling awful on Monday- stuffy head, splitting headache, sore throat, chills, man-voice, ya know, typical bad cold stuff. I worked 6-7 hours both Tues and Weds and then spent all of yesterday on the couch. Ugh. Today I'm finally feeling like I'm on the mend, hurray! The energy returns!!

Things that strike me as funny when I'm sick:

1. I am gone from approximately 6.30 each morning until around 5.30 pm most days. I do occasionally stop home at lunch, but typically the dogs spend around 8-10 hours a day at home, alone, and do not have accidents in the house. When I am sick and on the couch, Maggie wants to go out approximately once an hour. If I refuse (which was about half the time) she then picks a fight with Suze because when they fight, I inevitably say "Not in my house!!" and make them go out. Instead I made them both lay down and stop fighting. Nice try Mags.

2. I never think of being sick as something to get "good" at but I've decided I'm decidedly not good at being sick. It makes me feel rotten physically (duh), not to mention weepy, out of control, and frustrated at being both weepy and out of control. (Note: I was only weepy day 1, the others I was just frustrated and exhausted). And I kept laying there thinking about all the things I wanted to get done and didn't have the energy to do. Like I said, I'm not good at being sick.

3. Suzie is also not good at me being sick, but provides an excellent companion anyway. At least once every half hour her cute face pokes up over my pillow, as she tries to lick my face, checking to see if I'm okay, and usually attempts to climb onto my lap to cuddle. And though I always refuse to let her join me on the couch, it's strangely comforting to have someone checking in on you and wanting to make it better. She spent most of the day napping next to me when Maggie wasn't picking fights. For the record, other than using me as a means to go outside, Maggie doesn't give a crap about me- she checked on me exactly twice all day, and both were after I refused to let her outside.

Puppies

Lassie with the kiddos

As you may know, I am mush for babies... especially of the human or fuzzy varieties (baby fish, baby lizards, etc. don't hold the same appeal). Puppies are a particular weak spot for me.

A few days before Christmas, the neighbor who walks our archnemisis dogs (two big long haired fluffy white ones) walked by with a new puppy. I wanted to run down the street after him, but thought that might be strange. I think it's a husky pup and soooo stinking cute!! On New Year's my aunt and uncle brought their new puppy to the family party, soooo cute! Lassie is a baby collie and just beautiful. They held her like a baby for half the time and let her wander around the rest of the time. Then I stumbled across some pictures of Baby Suzie... I want a puppy!!!!!

On the other hand, here's a list why I like not having a puppy right now (yes, you are right, this list is for me more than anyone else):

-I can sleep through the night without interruption

-I can sleep in on weekends without worrying about accidents in the crate

-I can wander freely through the house not worrying about a potty training accident lurking in some corner

-I can work a full day and not be worried about accidents waiting for me

-I can leave things out at puppy level and they (usually) won't get chewed or destroyed (with the exception of an occasional kid toy, which Suze thinks are for her).

-Adult dogs are more peaceful and we can just chill together (sometimes) without all the activity of a puppy

There are probably more reasons too, but that's enough for now. I really do appreciate having adult dogs... But just look at how cute she was!!!! Why can't they stay like this forever?

Baby Suzie - cutest puppy ever

And now for a short mundane post...

...about my favorite topic, homeownership and the random projects I never dreamed existed... last night I walked into my laundry room to hear a weird squealing / fan dying sound (and I know that its sad that I able to recognize sounds like that). I have one of those whole house humidifiers connected to the furnace and it was making this distinct sound. Hmmm. I removed the cover by just sliding it over and the fan is apparently just going in spurts, on for a few spins, then apparently sticking on something. I don't think the actual motor is the problem, but I think I should remove the fan, clean and grease it and put it back and see what happens. But I'm also nervous to do anything because these projects always seem to escalate...

Add that to the project list...

Belt Tightening

It's going to be season of belt tightening, in every sense of the word.

At home, I've needed to actually budget and pay off some debt (not a huge amount -other than the house) but debt nonetheless... and just keep better track and save more. Sometimes being single makes it easier to not be good about budgeting which is not a good thing. It's time to get my butt in gear and January is the month to begin it all. It's a good challenge for me.

Not to mention things at work are not looking good, the economy here is terrible, all the jobs we typically compete for have a dozen more companies in the runnings because they are all hungry for work... yeah, it is not looking so good lately. I'm starting to look around to see if I can pick up a part time job to supplement while things are so bad... but it's also harder to find part time work these days since so many people are out of work and companies aren't hiring as much either. It's not pretty... say a prayer for the whole thing if you think of it.

It's interesting to weed out unnecessary expenses... A few months ago I cancelled the home phone and internet since we didn't use it enough to make it worthwhile. I now use my cell phone for everything, which is fine, I have internet access at work and sometimes at home when the free wireless works. I was splitting a netflix subscription with a good friend, last night I decided I should cancel it, especially since I don't get that much use out of it. And today my friend said they're cutting out extras and could we cancel it, perfect. So netflix is out which is a few bucks a month. And now the next decision: Cable. What should I do? I'm not a TV addict, but I do enjoy it, particularly when I'm doing laundry, paying bills, and stuck inside because it's winter. I already have the cheap cable, but is it really that important? Necessary? certainly not. Should I get it turned off for a few months and put that $15 somewhere else? I would certainly be more productive at home... on the other hand, there are other places maybe i could trim the $ from and keep the cable... Why is this such a hard decision???

I should also be looking for another roommate... which is probably the biggest struggle for me. I've lived with sooooo many people, some really terrific housemates, some really crazy irresponsible ones, and some in between. I don't know of anyone immediately looking who I'd like to live with... and I am at the point in my life where I'd rather be totally broke or get a second job to help pay the house payment than live with someone who makes me miserable at home. So for now I'm keeping my ears open and trusting that God has a plan...

As if that wasn't enough, I'm determined to lose some weight. Again it's something I've needed to do, but struggle to get motivated about it. Thankfully a friend is doing the same thing so we're going to help keep each other accountable. My biggest struggle is the exercising in the winter. In the summer it's much easier because I love to be outside and the dogs and I like to do stuff where we get mutual exercise. In the winter I'm a wuss because it is so cold and dark and miserable and my motivation goes out the window. Sigh.

That's my rant. Thanks for listening, say a prayer for all of the above if you think of it :)

And to clarify, I'm not despairing or freaking out... I'm actually dealing with all of it pretty calmly, even though it looks rather bleak right now. I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression or worry you unnecessarily.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:4-7

Quick Takes Friday

1. I feel that I should do some sort of New Year's post... but that feels too labor and brain intensive, so I'm going to settle for this. For the record, I do not like new year's resolutions because I prefer failure in smaller doses. I do have several resolutions / goals rattling around in my head, but will take them one month at a time.

2. It has been a very busy break, lots and lots of visiting and parties with intermittent stretches of being home alone and totally unproductive. I'm really glad I got to see and hang out with a bunch of people over the course of the break: Novecoskys, Mitzels, Archibalds, Pannings, Brad, Sara, Garrett, Katie and Killian, Fiona, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting right now. Not to mention a Mary Kay party with Anne B and some of my sisters :) And seeing lots of family at various family events (but never enough one on one time with far away cousins...). Whew. The unproductivity has been a little extreme but kinda nice at the same time. Besides, I've got 3 months of the dreaded winter to be productive and get projects around the house done.

3. I think I'm finally getting sick after numerous exposures and many escapes in the last couple months. It's nothing serious, but yesterday I got a sinus headache and by the end of the Kennedy family gathering my head was throbbing and feeling stuffy. I took nyquil, snuggled / dozed with the pups for awhile, and then dragged myself to bed. Today I'm still congested, but the headache is gone and I can't really complain, it's pretty mild so far.

4. I love baking. I've been baking a lot over this Christmas season, mostly stuff for one party or another. but I really do love it, it's so satisfying and relaxing and makes the house smell great. And then I pawn off said baked goods at whatever party so hopefully it doesn't go straight to my hips... I have a new favorite bread recipe and I also tried a new recipe for homemade creamy tomato soup. Usually I'm not a huge soup fan, but I've realized that might have more to do for my dislike of mushy vegetables and canned soup than an actual distaste for good soup. Tomato soup made with homegrown and canned tomatoes can't even be compared to the canned stuff at the store.

5. New Year's Eve was fun, a nice small-ish gathering hosted by someone else that included several of my good friends. And some snuggle time with a favorite godson of mine... he's pretty cute, although the noisemakers and shouting at New Year's did scare him. How on earth is it 2009 already though???

6. Next up, dinner tonight with friends, projects around the house Saturday, Epiphany celebration with my immediate family on Sunday. Owen's birthday is Monday so I think we're doing his (and Suzie's) party the following week. A murder mystery birthday party for a friend. Then a retreat weekend at Gethsemane later in January and a few more family birthdays thrown in there too. Maybe I'm not going to get any projects done until February... and I definitely need some more vacation after all this celebrating!!

7. Somewhere in the craze of the past week, I had to take Suze to the vet for extreme scratching, swollen eyes, oozing and bleeding (again). The vet was concerned that Suzie's seasonal allergies may be expanding if she's reacting in January. She went over lots of things it could be and said if I'd like to rule out food allergies, I can put her on a diet of homemade dog food made with sweet potatoes and ostrich for 6 weeks, and if her allergies clear up, we'll know it's a trace of something found in dog food. Awesome. I don't actually think I want to know. I opted for our usual round of prednisone and Suzie's back to her normal happy self and has stopped scratching. Ostrich and sweet potatoes? Are you kidding me?? We'll stick with the cheap and easy steroids for now, thank you.