Update

Dog back on my porch. I called and left a message on their machine. Neighbor outside so he doesn't know I've called. He comes to get his dog when he notices him missing. I was in the kitchen preparing dinner when I saw him walking down the driveway. He slaps his legs for the dog to come. Dog won't budge. He walks closer and slaps his legs again. Dog won't come. Now he's very mad so he pounds on my door (apparently not knowing that I've called and left a message) to let me know he's there getting his dog off of my porch. Of course I knew this as I had seen the entire spectacle out my kitchen window facing the driveway. I tell him I called and left a message like I said I would. Then he tells me he didn't know that and walks down the steps looking back calling the dog. Again the dog won't budge. Finally he picks the dog up and huffs off.

At this point I might as well document this. I'm so frustrated! Grrrr!

Troubles in paradise!

Yep you read it right. We are having a strange problem with our neighbor. So we live out in the country and we all live on acrage so none of us are simply a stone's throw away.

About two weeks ago one of our neighbors dogs starts hanging out at our house. We aren't home all the time but when were, we walked their dog home. One day my son said he returned the dog and to their kids and the kids started kicking it. I'm disgusted.

So the dog starts sleeping on our porch. Everytime we take him home, he runs right back over. (It's really no wonder why.) The neighbors knew this was happening and just laughed it off. They make no attempt to stop this or effort to come and get him. (We are a pet friendly house and at this point it wasn't a real big issue to us.) Nearly a week of this goes by before they come retrieve their dog. One morning the lady neighbor shows up and gets her dog off our porch and speaks with my dear hubby about it. He let her know that he was basically here on the porch everyday this week when we get home from work. She apologized and left with him promising it won't happen anymore. My hubby told her it wasn't a big deal.

The dogs back the next day. So since this had gone on for so long and the dog was filthy, the day I bathed and groomed my dogs, I groomed him too because he had clearly been neglected. A few days later the man neighbor comes to get him. It was a beautiful day and I had the door open to let in some fresh air. One of my dogs was running in and out the side door playing with the kids but when their dog saw him, he ran into my house and hid. So the man knocks on my door and wants his dog back and I explained that he had just run in the other open door and give him their dog back. He makes a comment that he's not happy to see his dog on our porch all the time. We make some friendly conversation and he leaves. A day or so later their dog is back on my porch again. This time its nearly two days before they come and get him. The man comes finally and retirives the dog off the porch and doesn't speak with me at all. Fine and dandy.

So I get home yesterday and I get a phone call from him. Quite frankly I'm really irritated about this situation now. And even sleeping on it didn't help! Bottom line, he is angry that his dog is sleeping on my porch. And says it in a way as though I'm hording his dog. HIS DOG IS SLEEPING ON MY OPEN FRONT PORCH. It's not like I have him tied up there. Its not like its my dog or my responcibility. I take care of my dogs and have a fenced area for them to play. I know where MY dogs are at all times. Anyway, I digress.

So I understand he was frustrated and that he was just venting. But this wasn't a convo he needed to have with me! Then he asks if I can't just help them out a little. Now what exactly would they like me to do? I've tried returning their dog numerous times in the beginning and I pointed that out to him. He comes and eats the food I set out on the porch for our cat and I told him that. I don't know why he's sleeping on my porch but he seems to be a nice dog. He points out that the dog seems very anti social and they don't know why he's taken to our family but they aren't giving him to us. Again I point out I'm not sure what he'd like me to do more than I've already have. So then he gives me this story about how he and his wife have had several dogs and this one they've had the longest (a year) and that they really want to keep this dog for a long time, unlike the others they've had. I'm sorry that really ruffled my feathers. That story seemed as though this was a hurt pride issue rather than for concern of their dog. I kept the conversation polite though and offered to call him the next time his dog was on my porch. He thanked me but said that if the dog wasn't there they knew where to find him. He tells me he's going to spend more time with him since that's clearly what the dog needs and then in the next breath he says he's going to start keeping him chained up until he's broken this habit. Then we ended the call.

So they don't take care of him. They don't groom him or have a place for him to when its cold and wet out and his a small dog. They spend little time with him. The kids mistreat him. They have a bigger dog that picks on him or so the man said. Why would this little dog want to stay?

And the clencher... why am I so bothered by this? About four hours after this phone call about them reclaiming their dog and chaining him up and spending more time with him etc. They come over and ask me for their dog. I don't have their dog. Where is their dog? They don't know and they thought I had him and was hiding him. I've never given them reason to think I've let him in my house or reason to think I'm trying to steal their dog. I have five of my own for Pete's sake. I need another dog like I need another hole in my head. But I do love animals and it pains me to see their poor neglected dog being mistreated. This entire situation makes me sad. :(

So sorry to unload here but now I feel a little better.

On to more happy things! I'm on spring break. Yay! I actually have the house to myself today and some paperwork for work I need to finish up and then a wonderful week off. I can't believe its here. *deep joyous sigh*

And I've been a little scrappy this week. I worked all with older pics and its so much fun! As always, credits are in my galleries if you're interested. :D

This past weekend we went to Portland and had the kids fit for the bowling balls. Yep they got their own. And on the way home we stopped at the Mall. We bought dd a couple of pair of shorts since the nice weather is upon us and then went into Old Navy and bought everyone flip flops. They are awesome for us to where when we go out boating. :)

While at the mall we saw a GLOW IN THE DARK MINI GOLFING place so we of course gave in a whirl. It was a lot of fun and I took loads of pics in which I'll be scrapping soon. It was great family fun!

So I really need to get on with the paperwork here. Thanks for stopping in to visit. I'll be better this week about posting since I'll be off. I hope you all have a terrific weekend!

I just love a guy that can

laugh at himself. Over at digiscrapshak they challenged us to speak of fashion foul ups...

So! My son went through this growing spurt not so long ago. One morning he got up for school and threw on some clothes and off we went. Part of the way through the day he came and found me to let me know he REALLY needed some new jeans. He stressed 'really' in a way I knew he was a uncomfortable in the pair he was wearing. I told him we'd go shopping after school, so off he went. As I watched him walking away, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. What I saw was that he was wearing a pair of his (younger) sister's fitted jeans. They were literally 4 sizes to small. It was really bad... I admit, Mic Jagger even came to mind. hehehe. But in the end, JR was really a good sport. Not only did he laugh along with us, he even posed for these pics. ;)

I'm amazed at how time flies. It seems like this week went by in a blur. Some super great news though- I joined the creative team at Color Line Designs. I'm so very excited to get to work those fab ladies!

And I did do a lo I would like to share and then I hope you all have a super great weekend!

Credits can be found in my gallery. Thanks for visiting!

A lost post

I did post a lo since the last but it is now missing in action. Hmph!

It's been a good week since I've posted. So so busy. And this past weekend I had spring fever and started deep cleaning parts of the house. It felt really good though! I'm hoping to have everything ship shape and sparkling in the next few weeks. Then over spring break I'll start on the outside of the house. I'm SO HAPPY spring has come early this year! :D

Have I mentioned a little scrappy trip I'm taking? A bunch of us (like 35+) are gathering next month to meet in person for an entire weekend to visit and scrap. We've all met on the internet and all live within driving distance of one another. How cool is that!?!?! I'm really starting to get EXCITED!

And I simply must mention my disappointment with the twists and turns of the last Grey's episode! Poor Cali! Izzy and George together... just not believable to me. And what's with the new doctor and Christine? Anyway... I hope this week's is better!

Last night the kids and I sat down and watched Dancing with the Stars. It was really good. We liked watching and picking our favs. The costumes were really cool too! Next week should be just as fun by the looks of the previews!

The other day I printed off of bunch of lo's to put into albums. I hadn't done it in a very long time. I must say I'm really excited to get some in books. The lo's printed out really nice too as I did them at home. I was real pleased with the quality. I was a little bummed because the ChatterBox albums I bought said they were 8X8 so I cut them all down. I went to slip them into the sleeves and they are to big. I now will have to retrim them all. Live and learn I suppose.

I think it was in the missing post, but I mentioned how I was going to try to use my treadmill more and concentrate on losing a little weight. Well, I seem to be so sporatic with my exercising. I'll be really good for several days in rows and then I lose my mojo for several days. I guess I need some more disipline to be dedicated and motivated EVERY day. If only...

Mary Mary by James Patterson is the latest I'm reading. The Alex Cross novels I am a total fanatic over... love them! This book though... can I say I'm having the worse time enjoying it. It is dark and dreary and there has not been a single moment of happiness in the entire first half of the book. I keep picking it up each night thinking 'it has to get better'. I hope it has one heck of a second half. Under other circumstances, (if I weren't a dire hard fan) I probably would have given up on it by now.

So I'm just rambling on and on. But both of my children are working on book reports and need help, so I must go. I've done several lo's this past few weeks. I'm too far behind on posting on my blog, so *if* you'd like to see them, simply click on my Gallery link in the top right hand column. Thanks a bunch! You all have a super great and fantastic week!!!

Just 4 more weeks

(not that I'm counting ;) ) until spring break. We will have off of work a beautiful 9 days. Yes I just loved the 4 we had over the weekend but it left me wanting even more. Isn't that how it always is?

The weekend was nice and I did a little scrappin', a lot of housework, and spent time with the kids. DD found an old Playstation game and wanted me to sit and play it with her quite a bit this weekend. I did. It was a different change in pace.


We rented the Prestige last night and it was pretty good. Of course I love Hugh Jackman so it was getting my vote from the beginning. It was about magic and set in the early 1900's. We had watch another movie a couple of months ago that had a similar setting... it too was good, now I can't think of the name. Hmm...

So I dusted off my treadmill a couple of weeks ago and started using it again. Usually just adding walking to my daily routine is enough but not much was happening so I even started jogging. Still nothing. Bah Humbug! So I have been toying with the notion of going back to my Healthy Weigh Diet. I did this once, gosh about four or five years ago and lost 40 pounds. And over the past four or five years most of that has crept back on. I'm not one of those yo yo dieters, that was the only time I really went on a diet but I must admit I felt much better 40 pounds lighter. I just never ate. Seriously, I was down to a 600 calorie daily diet and had to excercise nearly an hour EVERY day to get that weight off. Talk about a slow metabolism. But anyhoo. I think I'm going to dig out the old paperwork and a food journal and start TODAY! I guess posting here will give me some false sence of accountablility. hehehe.

And I haven't made a list of things I'm grateful for in a short while, so here it is...

1. I'm grateful my family is healthy and well


2. I'm grateful that Lily didn't get seriously hurt this week


3. I'm grateful that things are going okay at work


4. I'm grateful that ds brought all his grades up this week


5. I'm grateful that ds is still enjoying his youth group on Wednesdays


6. I'm grateful that my dd is so kind and thoughtful.


7. I'm grateful that we live out in the beautiful country.


8. I'm grateful spring is coming early this year as well as day light savings!

Thanks for visiting. Have a super great week. TTFN!

Lily

So let me start at the beginning and move backward. The other night I brought the laptop into the livingroom and was working on it while the dogs (all five of them) were wrestling around on the carpet. I was watching the power cord because they were running back and forth through the area where it was plugged in when suddenly Lily bit into it. I freaked and she was getting a buzz. Luckily her tooth peirced only one of the three wires or I'm certain she would be dead. Very freaky. So moving backward... she started out as my dh dog and would travel with him. When with him she got into this terrible habit of chewing through electical cords. I count tell you how many cords she's bit. We've tried repeatedly to break her of the habit all the while being so thankful that she had never bit into a cord that was plugged in. Well, now we are thankful that she did not die. Again it was aweful but I hope that she will now be afraid of biting into cords.

You know, I won't go into detail, but this week I was really reminded once again that life is like a puzzle and that we each get but a small piece. If we are lucky we may see a few other pieces along the way, but really we never know what the entire puzzle looks like until we all come together to contribute to the big picture. For what its worth...

And this weekend has been so nice as we are on winter break. We've had Thursday and Friday off which was a good thing since we woke to about 2.5 inches of snow the first day. Yay! The kids played for a short while in it then it was slush by afternoon. Me, I did do some scrapping.

And the kids started riding this past summer/fall and here's a lo of them playing.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend all! And give your pets some extra loving today.