Its HOT

Temperatures are supposed to reach 105 degrees today in our area. That's pretty darn hot, folks.

I'd like to remind everyone to please keep your pets indoors or in a very shaded area with plenty of water and a fan if possible. They, just like us can be harmed or killed by the heat!

Keep cool by staying indoors, in shady areas and make sure you are drinking lots of fluids around the clock! Its super easy to dehydrate in this heat when you are not constantly replacing what you've lost.

I've also seen some pretty nasty comments on Facebook and other social media sites today. For instance someone posted this on a similar comment:

Post: Its really really really hot today! I wish I was in a pool somewhere!

Comment: Just remember, while you are complaining about the heat there are thousands of soliders somewhere in a desert much hotter than it is here who are stuggling to fight a war and make it home safe to their families.

Now - don't get me wrong. I am sooo thankful for our military and all the sacrafices they and their families make in order to serve our country and fight for our freedom. But, I don't think that every comment about someone's opinion should be twisted and turned into a debate about civilian life and military life.

It is hot, and its not a "normal" hot for those of us in this area. In NC we actually have pretty mild seasons year round. So, naturally some of us are going to let out a little gripe. We're human, we all do it. I just wish once people could remember that everyone complains now and then. Its normal and its a way for us to express our concerns or disapoinments. I don't think anyone complains to hurt another's feelings so before we all go around fussing at each other just because of a small little complaint - stop and remember, we're all human and we all do it! (admitingly or not)

Budgeting 101 - The Basic Five

Its no secret that we MUST live by a budget in our house. It is simply not possible for us to live off of one income. Trust me, I'd be a SAHM in a heartbeat if two things existed, the first being that I had a child to actually be a "Mom" and the second would be my husbands huge paycheck.

While we aren't living in poverty and we are very blessed to have a home, running water, clothing and food we still don't live a life of luxury where we can ignore vicarious spending. And even having two incomes, we still have unavoidable expenses that take most of our money away as soon as we get it (house, truck, student loans, utilities, gas and grocery expenses and medical necessities).

I don't have budgeting down to a science and I still get off track sometimes, but knowing where your money goes is the most important thing to me when it comes to budgeting. Here are my basic "rules" for my budget and sticking to it. Keep in mind, these are the five basic rules to budgeting that help me, these may or may not work for you and your situation.

I may also need to add that I say "my budget" because my husband and I do not share bank accounts or money. I know that may seen super weird to some, but for us it just works. He likes to handle his finances a little differently than I, and as long as someone doesn't come knocking on my door to repossess something my hubs has forget to send the payment for, then we'll keep it that way. 

1. Log all expenses/debts from account. (I list EVERY purchase on a spreadsheet. Sort of like keeping up with a checkbook register, except I can categorize the purchases to adjust the budget accordingly)

2. Pay yourself first. Any money that I want to put into savings or hold onto for something specific happens the very minute my direct deposit hits the bank. I always "pay" my savings account first and then pull out any cash for specific purchases like birthday gifts. (Using only cash for specifics also keeps me from overspending or going over my spending limit. Since I only have the set amount of cash - I can't spend more than I have in my hand unlike my sweet, nifty, darling little debit card.)

3. All known expenses come next. Any bills/payments due within 2 weeks of pay day (I get paid bi-weekly) get paid after I pay myself. If I pay these before spending any money I know that I'm in the clear and don't have to worry about them.

4. I set limits. I limit myself to eating lunch out only once per week and take my lunch the other days. I limit eating dinner out to once per week as well and try to stick to wallet friendly restaurants.

5. The day before I'm paid I utilize what's left over. If I'm about to get paid again I take a moment to "use" up the money left in my checking account. This helps to fool me into thinking I have zero money, therefore, I can't spend what I don't have. (Of course, I leave a certain amount in there for unexpected things and such). I try to divide whats left between what is most important - for example; currently I'm putting any extra money that is left towards the balance on a credit card that we used for an emergency situation. The card doesn't charge interest until October, so my goal is to pay it off before its accrues any interest. I just make an extra payment with the left over or put extra into the savings account.

How I Spent My Birthday

Yep - that's right. I've officially been around for a quarter of a century. My birthday was Friday and I'm sure it was a birthday I'll not be forgetting anytime soon. At least not for 4-6 weeks!

*If you are faint, squeamish or don't like TMI then you should probably close this post now.* 

I spent most of the morning laying on a table in a room that looked something similar to this:

all because I'm a clumsy goof who can't focus long enough to chop a handful of mushrooms without partially amputating my thumb! Yes, you heard that right. AMPUTATED THUMB!

Okay, okay its not THAT bad, as in my thumb is not amputated.... Buts it is pretty bad cause that's what diagnosis was on my discharge paper. I know this because I code at work, so I looked it up. Got it? Moving on....

I'm very squeamish and I'm not sure how I even managed to tough it out the entire night on Thursday after the incident and make it to the doctor on Friday morning. It was still bleeding 12 hours later.

When I arrived at the doctor on Friday morning, I still wasn't sure the damage I had done because up until this point, I couldn't look at it for fear of passing out or vomiting. When the MD took the bandage off and began to clean my thumb I got brave and decided to take a look.....whoa!

This is the best example I can give as to what I did to my thumb, except in this photo the thumb was cut on the side and  is still pretty much in tact - mine, not so much. From the end of my (very short) finger nail and above are now missing from my left thumb. I didn't just cut them and need stitches, I CUT IT OFF, completely. (I wish this is what my thumb looked like - its a paper cut compared to the butcher job I've done to myself)

Not only could they not reattach what I have cut off, due to the angle of the cut but they also couldn't do anything for the wound to close it. The verdict - special dressing to cover the open wound and the bandage has to be changed twice daily due to the fact that the said open wound will continue to drain until the skin grows back. All of this was decided after the episode of giving me a nerve block to attempt to stop the bleeding with some black liquid that burned and stung like a youknowwhat! So there ya go... Yay - Happy freakin' Birthday to me!

Does it hurt? Ummm, HELLZ YES! It hurts like the devil constantly and even worse every time I move my hand!

This is my new style for the next few weeks - you like?

Oh, and any tips on functioning with one hand would be helpful! You have no idea how long it takes me to shower and get ready without a left thumb. While not impossible, it sure is time consuming.

Wordless Wednesday

<3 melts my heart <3

Toys for Dogs

Our lab, Bronx, is one tough pup. In return, his toys also have to be tough. A stuffed animal lasts all of about .564 seconds in our house. He can pull stuffing out of a bear quicker than you can say STOP!
We currently have a few favorite toys but I think his interest is dwindling. Labs are very smart dogs and require lots of exercise, which Bronx gets on a regular basis.
However, there are times I simply just can not give him my undivided attention and he needs to play with toys.

Our current favorite contender and longest lasting toy:
The Kong

Although Bronx still loves this toy and knows exactly what to do with it (it hold treats or "stuffin" inside and the dog has to chew in order to get the treats out) so its sort of boring to him now. He will still play with it, but the time it requires him to get the treats or stuffin' out is not as lengthy as it once was. 

We have a few varieties of the Kong toys (bone, ball, and two of the Kong shown above) and we have some rope toys for pulling and we have some outdoor balls for fetch.


Some choices I've found on my recent search are;

The Hurley - its durable and it floats which would be a plus when taking Bronx to the pond to swim and play.

These Nylabones are suppose to be very durable and with stand heavy chewers but I think I read somewhere they are made partially of plastic. I really don't want my dog eating plastic. I will have to research this more.

This "Peek and Seek" board seems very intricate and would probably keep Bronx busy for a while but is it too advanced? My dog is smart, but that looks like something for a 5 year old! It is still an option though, so we'll keep in on the list for now.

The "Bob-a-Lot" is pretty neat. However, I can see this toy sliding all over my kitchen floor as B slaps it silly with his paws trying to get treats out...he isn't the most gentle creature when play and food is involved! Ha!


What toys do you recommend? What are your dogs favorite toys? Comments and recommendations are very welcome!

Weekend Recap

Dave was suppose to have games all weekend. The game on Saturday was actually an early game that started at 1pm. They usually play at 7pm. It worked out so well in our favor because we had a couple's dinner to attend in honor of Dave's big cousin, who is getting married in September. Some ladies at our church threw this dinner party for them while they were in town visiting family. Ashley and Brad live in the Raleigh, NC area so we love to see them and catch up when they visit. I didn't take my camera with me but this is one of Ashley and Brad's engagement photos. Their sweet puppy's name is Bella. She and her cousin Bronx are going to have such a ball next time they visit because Bronx was finally released for full activity after his recent surgery.

 They got rained out on Sunday so we were able to hit the town with some good friends and grab a nice dinner. Tripper and Brittany are some of the sweetest people! They are both still in college and Trip was actually on David's team in years past before he became to old to play American Legion Baseball. :( 

We try to squeeze in some hang time when these two are in town as well!

We had seafood again (no complaints here) and I ordered.....drum roll please.....crab legs! Yes, again! I love them and I probably only get around 5 chances each year to eat them so if its on the menu at a good seafood restaurant - I'm probably ordering it.

 

David had the combination of swordfish and grilled tuna. The tuna was out of this world! Seriously, I almost traded dishes with him! 

We ordered a few beers and then laughed hysterically when Dave kept sliding his mug back onto the bar, as if it were falling off. After a few minutes we noticed it wasn't the bar that was leaning....the mug was! It almost looked as if the mug had been melted or was melting right then! We got the biggest kick of that glass! Its the little things that make life fun, huh?

 

What Would Your Shirt Say?

Monica over at Pixel Perfect  did this same post recently. Go check hers out!
She asked her readers what their shirt would say if they were to wear one that explained a repetitive question you get asked a lot by strangers (hypothetically speaking, of course). I'm answering in blog post form, cause this is too funny not to share!

I'd say these are some of the most repetitive questions that I am asked by strangers in public;
- Do you tan? Are you allergic to the sun? Are you always that pale?
- Is that dog walking you or are you walking that dog? Did you know your dog is bigger than you are?
- What grade are you in? (I get this one a lot when I wear one of hubby's school's t-shirts in public)
- Wow you are short, how tall are you really?

My shirt would say:

- Yes I know how pale I am. No, I'm not allergic to the sun!
- Yes, I do realize my dog is bigger than I am.
- I guess if secondary education had continued, I'd be in the 19th Grade.
- I'm tall enough to kick your ass! Is that tall enough?

Okay, so that last one may be a stretch....but its really how I feel sometimes when I get asked stupid questions! I have never had to guts to ask strangers questions, but apparently lots of other people do!

So, what would your shirt say?