Wednesday, July 31, 2019

How Many Sighs Am I Allowed In A Single Day?


Over a decade ago when I started working for an online deal and coupon site, I learned quickly that the cost of shipping could make or break a deal. As a content coordinator, I would often go through a partial checkout just to find out the cost of shipping. Because. At the end of the day, if a pair of shoes was 90% off, the deal sort of fizzled out if you had to pay $9 for shipping. That's why the job was challenging. You had to find great deals that offered discounted shipping or free shipping. Or coupons that you could stack for percentages off and free shipping.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

The Cookie Bowl Made Its Way Back To Me...


I have posted this photo on my personal Facebook wall and this blog a couple of times. It's me. About 4 years old. I was at the kitchen table. Making the same homemade chocolate chip cookies I make to this day. Stirring the batter in the Cookie (aka Chickie) Bowl. That bowl was in the cupboard and used for years and years and years to make cookies.

Monday, July 29, 2019

A Few Minor Changes Will Be Happening In The Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Workshop This Week


This is currently the scene in the Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Workshop. And, it's the reason why Lisa was kind enough to set up the camp table. I needed a bit more table space. That was a little challenging because we have 3 doggy beds and the indoor DIY Dog House in that room.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Our Anniversary Weekend Was Fabulous For So Many Reasons


It was 7 years ago today that Lisa and I stood face to face in front of family and friends, read our vows, and said, "I do..."  I remember that day as if were yesterday. Our wedding theme was, 'Come As You Are.' Before the ceremony, we had appetizers and gave people a chance to mingle. After the ceremony, we fired up the grills. When Justin Jaymes performed, people danced. We had a brief rainstorm. After all the guests left late that night, we crashed. We were exhausted.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Have The Courage To Be Disliked


It seems like as of late, while sipping my early morning coffee, I'm stumbling upon memes, inspirational quotes, and videos that have hit home. Maybe it's the Universe doing a lil' shimmy shake. Fate. I don't know. What I do know is that this morning it happened again. Simple. Once sentence.

Friday, July 26, 2019

Would You Drink The Water That's In Your Furry Kid/s Bowls?


Every now and then I come across a photo of a dog's water bowl accompanied with information about that clear slime that forms on the side and bottom. That slime is called Biofilm. You can read about Biofilm here and here. The last sentence at the bottom of the condensed information is a statement that reads, "Remember to always clean your pet's water bowl at least once a week..."

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Our Ode To Lorraine. You Will Never Be Forgotten. You Are Here With Us. Still. Always.


I posted this photo on my Facebook wall today. It was taken the day Lisa and I were married. From left to right it's Lorraine, me, and Lisa. This very same photo sits on our shelf in the living room and in our home office. It is special for so many reasons.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

We Never Promised You An Olive Garden


My day did not end well yesterday. It honestly felt like a big ol' punch in the stomach. It weighed heavy on my brain and heart last night. I didn't fall asleep until a little after 11 p.m. I woke up a couple of hours later. Couldn't fall back to sleep. I finally dozed off 20 minutes before my alarm went off. Lisa could tell a black cloud was hovering over me.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Sometimes, A Single Look Can Make All The Difference


Early this morning, a friend of mine posted a video on one of my social media streams. It began with a husband and wife sitting at their kitchen table. The husband was on his phone looking at what he perceived as women who were "goddesses". He kept looking at his wife like she was worn out, unpretty, and had let herself go. Long story short, the husband got up and said he needed some space. He left the house.

Monday, July 22, 2019

I'm Divorcing Myself From The Infamous Denial Aisle


I made one of my homemade vanilla cheesecakes Friday morning before the heatwave shimmied in. The day before, I used a quart of freshly picked raspberries to make a gorgeous sauce for the cheesecake. While stirring the sauce, I was marveling at how much I love this time of the year because of all the fresh produce. Our freezer is stocked with a few bags of raspberries and blackberries. We have fresh green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, lettuce, and cucumbers in the refrigerator. 

Sunday, July 21, 2019

It Is All About Balance. Right?


I was born and raised in New Hampshire. We had all 4 seasons. Winter. Spring. Summer. Fall. As I got older, the climate started changing a bit. We experienced sporadic bursts of inclement weather such as Winter storms dropping almost 3 feet of snow and a few severe storms during the Summer months. 

Friday, July 19, 2019

A Dose Of Total Cuteness Overload


Our sweet Lobo does not have four legs. He has three. Two in the front and a single hind leg. His single hind leg suffered an injury well before being rescued that went untreated. He also has Lyme Disease. Lobo is unable to jump on the sofa or our bed. He is not able to go up or down a set of stairs. He is also unable to go up a ramp. His muscle tone and circulation in his single hind leg is good. But...

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Mother Nature Is Not A Force To Be Reckoned With. I Like To Be Prepared.


Well over 8 years ago, I lived out of state. Ohio. For about 6 years. Ohio is prone to severe weather. As in tornados, large hail, back to back severe thunderstorms, and microbursts. Being a New Hampshire Native, I was under my own impression of what "severe" weather entailed. It didn't come close to what "severe" weather actually meant.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Post Afternoon Snack Slumber


Monday through Friday, our kids eat breakfast at 4:30 a.m. They get a morning biscuit shortly after their breakfast. They get a daily vitamin and their first snack around 10:30 a.m. Their afternoon snack is served at 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served between 5:00-5:30 p.m. When I tuck Lisa and the kids into bed around 8:30 - 9:00 p.m., the kids get their bedtime biscuit. On the weekends, their meal and snack times vary. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

This Upcoming Extreme Heatwave Is No Joke


So far, this week has been awesome! Lisa has been getting out of work by 3:30 p.m. That hasn't happened in about 4 1/2 months. I'm not pulling double duty in the late afternoons and evenings. We've eaten dinner much earlier. Lisa gets to spend more time with the kids. All the way around, it's been wonderful. However, as with any week, there's always a wrench or 2 that get thrown in. This afternoon, the proverbial wrench made an appearance.

Monday, July 15, 2019

I Gave This Gorgeous Table A Makeover


A few weekends ago, Lisa and I went to a community yard sale. It was huge. People were selling baked goods, handcrafted items, and a lot of yard sale stuff. Our mission was to find items that I could give a makeover to or repurpose. We left with a bunch of baked goods and...this table. 

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Another Dog Mom Weekend Of Working Hard And Playing Hard


Yesterday, we played. Hard. We got up early. Lisa ran a few errands while I worked on a few things in the workshop and at my desk. We attended a big event from 2 until almost 6. Then, we came home, prepped a couple of appetizers, and ventured across the street to our next gathering. It was a phenomenal day all the way around. I learned and was reminded of a lot. You can read about that here

Saturday, July 13, 2019

I Learned And Was Reminded Of 20 Things Today


I wanted to sit and write and publish most every detail about today. If I did that, this would be a very, very, very long blog column. One that I would have to break up into several parts. After a big glass of iced water, a few Ibuprofen, and a handful of pretzels, I decided to take a different approach.

Friday, July 12, 2019

We Moved Into Our Home 7 Years Ago Today!


Every year, on July 12th, Lisa and I have pizza night to celebrate the anniversary of when we moved into our home. This year we're celebrating 7 years!

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Today Was A Big Deal. No More Color. Ever.


I did a thing today. I had 6 inches cut off. Hair. The last of the color. I also had some fringe razored to cover my forehead. This was a big deal because...

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

I Do Not Want To Adult Today


This morning, shortly after I woke up, I walked into the kitchen to get my second cup of morning coffee. As always, I checked on the kids. All 4 of them were sprawled out. Quiet. In their favorite spots. This doesn't happen often and, of course, I didn't have my camera or phone on me to take photos. As I stood there, they all looked at me as if to question my existence. I cracked a smile, exhaled slowly, and said, "What a life..."

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Some Things Are Beyond My Control


Back in December of 2011, Lisa bought me a very special gift. A camera. A really great camera. It was on sale. Olympus. Had all the features I wanted without all of the bells and whistles.  Even with the sale price knocking off almost 50%, the total cost was over $200. Since then, I have cherished this camera. Taken thousands of incredible photos. It has served me well. However...

Monday, July 8, 2019

The Bodacious DIY Dog Mom Project Workshop Is In Full Swing Again


A few people have reached out and asked when I'd be offering "up for grabs" DIY Dog Mom Projects. It's been a while. I replied back and let people know that I'm currently working on over a dozen pieces right now. I've got a few old pieces that I'm giving a makeover to and the rest are pieces that Lisa made in the woodshop a few weekends ago and this past weekend.

Sunday, July 7, 2019

Some Of Those "Just Because" Gifts Have Come From Out Of State


I post a lot of photos of the gifts and goodies that our neighbors-who-have-become-family treat us to on Facebook. From homemade pie and fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables to treasures they collect on their travels and unique items for us to either repurpose or give makeovers to. However, some of the treasures gifted to us also arrive from people we know out of state.

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Do Not Get Angry At The Dog


Last night I was mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook news feed while fighting off some writer's block. A "just now" status caught my attention. It was a post from a distraught human. Their neighbor's dog was outside. Barking. It had been going on for about an hour. The human was angry. The angry post was directed at the dog.

Friday, July 5, 2019

The Welcome Home Doggy Dance


Our kids go nuts when we leave the house together. It doesn't matter if we hang out across the street at a neighbor friend's house or take off for a few hours to run an errand. In their tiny little brains, they always assume we're spending that entire amount of time with other pups.

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Our 4th Of July Holiday Turned Out To Be Pretty Great


During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, Lisa and I have an open door policy for people we know. Whether it's someone from our neighborhood tribe or a coworker, we make sure that people aren't spending the holiday season alone. Over the years, we've had some people take us up on that offer.

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

10 Not-So-Glamorous Bodacious Dog Mom Moments


It doesn't matter if you're a Mom to human kids or fur-kids. It happens. Not-so-glamorous Mom moments. With human kids, maybe it's projectile vomit. Your toddler dropping the F-Bomb in the middle of a crowded store. Or your 5-year-old who asks the curvy waitress if she's pregnant.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

If You Forget That You Have A Furry Or Human Kid In The Backseat...


I wish I could get through the summer season without reading about a pup or "hooman" kid who died because they were left in a hot car. Every. Single. Summer. It happens. I stumble on an article while scrolling through my news feed. Dog dies in a hot car. Human kid dies in a hot car. Why is this happening? Summer after summer after summer.

Monday, July 1, 2019

New Day. New Week. New Month. All Rolled Into One.


It's a new day. New week. New month. I love it when the first of the month falls on a Monday. It gives me a false sense of hope that I actually have my shit together. Which I kind of do. But, as a Work at Home Dog Mom, nothing ever goes as planned. I've learned that. I'm used to it. In fact, if anything went as planned, you'd have to wave smelling salt in front of my nose to wake me from a dramatic fainting spell.