When last we spoke, I was headed out the door, on my way to the day spa for a facial. On my way there, I grabbed an iced latte at the Starbucks, which, is something I rarely do anymore since the company stopped carrying sugar free cinnamon dolce syrup. The plain nonfat latte was ok, but I really do miss a good cinnamon dolce latte.
Ms. Congeniality
Wife, mother of two, recovering Diet Pepsi addict and collector of OPI nailpolish....oh, and I really do want world peace.
Monday, March 18, 2024
Weekend Wrap-up
Friday, March 15, 2024
Friday Favorites, Mid-March Edition
Happy Friday! It was another tough week at Not So New Job, and I am looking forward to spending the weekend at home, catching up on housework and starting a few projects for the wedding (yes, already!).
A while back, I wrote about my hunt for the milk glass vases that Shanti will be using for the table centerpieces; I mentioned that I have fallen for the vintage glass in all its' forms, and, today I bring you proof of that.
My first piece was the lamp that I showed in that earlier post, and I am still in love with it.
I feel pretty confident that I am done buying milk glass for the foreseeable future, but, I guess one should never say never.
In other favorite news; Mom finally, finally sold the house in Mayberry. She got full asking price and will now be able to pay off the loan on her townhouse in Hooterville. To celebrate being mortgage-free again, she invited us all out to dinner on her. She told us to order anything that we wanted off the menu and the Man-Cub took her up on the offer by ordering the shrimp Alfredo with a lobster tail on the side.
That sounded good to Mom, so she added a lobster tail to her steak, too.
It was a delicious evening and definitely something that we all felt worth celebrating. Making this final break from my childhood home was a long time in coming, and absolutely necessary for Mom's peace of mind.
I'll raise a glass to that!
Now, I am off to start my weekend of nesting. Before I do, though, I am going into Hooterville for a facial at the day spa; the house isn't the only thing in need of a thorough cleaning.
Have a great weekend!
Monday, March 11, 2024
Women of Distinction
This past Friday night, I was honored to be included among twenty amazing women at Hooterville's Women Of Distinction Gala. I still have no idea who nominated me for the award, but I am grateful for, and humbled by, the nomination.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
The Internets Made Me Do It, Again
This may need to become a regular series on ye old blog; lord knows I could use the content.
Anyhoodle, I saw this super easy Easter craft floating around on both Instagram and the TikTok, so I figured I would give it a go.
I purchased most of the materials from the Dollar Tree in Hooterville, plus a few flowers from the Hellmouth next door to it (for those of you new to this blog, the Hellmouth is my nickname for the big box store that starts with a W and ends with a stress-induced headache). For this project you will need:
1. Some sort of pedestal base. I purchased a candle holder for mine.
2. A center item. This could vary, based on your tastes and style.
3. A small piece of floral foam, ideally one shaped to fit your base, although, the floral foam is easy to shave down to meet your specific needs.
4. A selection of artificial flowers and greenery, the cheaper, the better.
The only tools needed are a hot glue gun and a pair of wire cutters, to separate the stems of the flowers.
The whole project consists of three steps:
1. Glue the floral foam onto the candle holder.
2. Glue the center item (in this case, an adorable bunny; he's wearing glasses!) onto the floral foam.
3. Separate the flowers into single blooms.
4. Shove the stems of the flowers and greenery into the floral foam in whatever design/shape your heart desires.
That's it. It turned out really cute, and was relatively easy and inexpensive. So, thanks to the creatives on the Internets. I wonder what I should do next...
Friday, March 08, 2024
Friday Favorites, Eye on Spring Edition
Didn't I tell you not to trust that damn groundhog?
Monday, March 04, 2024
The Long Goodbye
The news from Wednesday's vet appointment was just about the worst that we could have expected. Boomer has stage 3 anal sac cancer, which has metastasized to his lymph nodes. The original tumor is about the size of a baseball, and it is firmly attached to the rectum, which makes it inoperable. The vet did give us the option of traveling to Colorado State University, where Boomer would be treated with radiation and chemotherapy in an effort to shrink the tumor, but, even if that worked, the surgery required to remove it would also destroy his rectum, which would result in the doggie version of a colostomy bag. That option might give us an additional few months with him.
Our other option, is simply to let nature take its course, which will give us somewhere between six months and a year with Boomer. The vet assured me that Boomer is in no pain (which is obvious, given his behavior, appetite, and play drive). He also said that he won't experience significant pain until much closer to the end. However, as the tumor grows, it is narrowing Boomer's colon, which will make it increasingly difficult for Boomer to poop. When we get to a point where, even with stool softeners, he is experiencing too much difficulty, or, if the cancer metastasizes to his lungs, making it difficult to breathe; we will know that it is time to let him go.
We chose option two.
I can't bring myself to put Boomer through a lengthy treatment that will just make him sick. Currently, he has no idea that he is unwell, and, I want that to be the case for as long as possible. On a practical level; it makes no sense for us to move to the Front Range to pursue treatment that will cost upwards of $20,000, to possibly gain just a few months, with a decreased quality of life.
I vastly prefer to let Boomer be Boomer for as long as we can.
To that end, we are loving on him with all our hearts. We are indulging him in all the previously forbidden snacks (plus adding a stool softener and a probiotic to his diet), playing ball whenever he wants, and doing all the things that Boomer loves to do.
I pray that we get a year with him, but I also pray that when it is time, we show him the grace of a peaceful exit without delaying it due to our own selfishness. I love him too much to be selfish.
And, that's the update.
But, it's not the end of the story; expect frequent Boomer-related content as we move forward. I want to document all of the joy that this dog experiences, and all of the joy that he brings to us and to everyone who loves him, and, trust me when I say; a lot of people love him.
He is a very good boy.