What's that smell?

Warning: The post you are about the read is disturbing and may not be suitable for all readers.

Yesterday when I walked into my house after work I was hit by an awful smell. I thought maybe the sink clogged and after I put my stuff away in my room I would take care of it. Well the closer I got to the bedroom the worse the smell got, I opened the bedroom door and was hit by the bulk of the smell. Makoa had become sick and had the worst case of diarrhea I have ever seen. It was all over the pan in his crate and had started pouring out onto the carpet. He was covered from his tummy down and just reeked.

I let Enna out of her crate while I pondered on what to do with Makoa. I didn't want him to run through the house the way he was but he had to go outside so I could clean up this mess. I finally grabbed a towel, plucked Makoa out of his crate (while I tried not to gag) and plopped him outside.

My next task was to get Makoa's crate into the bathroom, this took me a few tries because I could only get a few feet before I felt like I'd be sick. When I finally made it to the bathroom I threw the whole thing in the bathtub and turned the shower to scolding hot. It wasn't coming clean. I panicked. I didn't want to touch it to scrub it!!! I grabbed a big bucket and started pouring it on the crate, this helped but it took me 15 minutes to get the crate clean.

Now it was time to tackle Mr. Stinky. Again I grabbed him with a towel and got him in the full bathtub without much of a fight. He then got drenched with the same bucket that was used on the crate. I wanted him mostly washed off before I had to touch him. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. the poor guy, I dont think he'll be my water hound anymore!

By then John had gotten home with a rented Rug Doctor and went to town on the carpet. The smell was bothering him so bad he had to get a face mask from the basement! okay folks, it really wasn't that bad, John was just being a drama queen. After cleaning the carpets he proclaimed that he couldn't deal with the smell and was going to his parents.

Dana came to my house an hour later and when I asked her if it still smelled bad she told me that it smelled like dirty baby wipes. I guess thats better than rotting death.
The smell was still faint in the bedroom when it was time to go to bed and I kept waking up to the smell and wanting to be sick. Hopefully the smell will dissipate before I get home.

Now brace yourself for the creature I had to bathe, you may want to hold your breath:


He was fine all night and hasn't gotten sick again. I think he may have just ate something that upset his tummy.

Aren't you glad I shared? :)

counting down

In a month from now I'll be on a plane to LA to board a cruise ship heading off to 8 day cruise to Mexico . This month better speed by, but the week in Mexico better drag!

After the headache with the travel agent we're lucky that we even get to go! We made a payment of $300 with a gift card that John got from work and John shredded the card right after. They called a few days later saying that we still owed $300 and it threw us off thinking that it was all paid off, turns out they never ran the card and we were out a huge chunk of money!
John went to work to see if we could cancel the card and get a new one. well long story short, a month after we ran the card we finally got a check from John's work to replace it but by then we had already paid off the cruise so we wouldn't lose our spot. Does anyone want to know my opinions on Morris Murdock travel? :)

Some other trips that might be in the works:
Yellowstone with my family
San Fransisco with John's family
Breeding trip with Enna (this is still up in the air, we know we're breeding her this year but we dont know where, when or who with.)

seeing double

ear piercings that is.
I've wanted to get them done for a long time now but never got around to it. Yesterday I worked with my friend who has doubles and we talked about them for a while so I said, "I'm going to get mine done tonight!"

When I got home I told John I was going to go get my ears pierced and asked if he wanted to come he said sure but just stood around eating popcorn while I was getting my shoes and coat on. Finally I said, "well I'm leaving...." He just shoved more popcorn in his mouth and said, "Okay bye!" So I was was a little sad that he didn't want to come with me.

When I got to Claire's I looked at the piercing earrings they had available. When I got my first set done at 14 they got really infected and we blamed it on me being allergic to 14 karat gold so I was going to go with something else. They girl suggested Titanium but they only had two choices and they were ugly and if they have to be stuck in my head for 8 weeks I'm going with something I like! So I put my health aside and got 14 karat white gold square fake diamonds. If they get infected this time its all my own fault!

The girl then put the piercing gun up to my head and said, "do you want me to count down or just do it?" I told her to "just do it" because the anticipation of the pain is worse than the pain itself. It was just a small pinch like I remembered and it was done in a blink of an eye.

This morning I forgot all about them and answered the first phone call of the day by saying, "Good mor...oww! ning, Nelson Labs" Still a little tender! Hopefully thats normal and I'm not already experiencing infection. I'll be super pissed if they are and I'll be kicking myself for the next 8 weeks!

Now cross your fingers for me that they aren't and then tell me how pretty they look! :)

one

Today my little Enna turns 1.


When this little ball of fluff came into our life I was pretty paranoid that we would lose her. We had bleached our carpets, couches, clothes, shoes, and lawn to kill the Parvo virus, but I didn't know if that was enough. I read too many articles about Parvo and how it was really contagious, even the vet told us that we should wait a year before getting another pup.
But we took a leap and asked our breeder to send her a month after we lost Kora. We needed something to mend our broken hearts.


When we brought her home it was a night and day difference between Enna and Kora, but I watched her like a hawk to make sure she wasn't showing any signs of Parvo.
By the time a couple weeks had passed so had the threat of Parvo and she really started fitting into our family.



Between Christmas and New Year John let the dogs in the backyard but the gate wasn't closed and they got out. He found Makoa right away but Enna stayed missing for a little longer. He told me that he really debated telling me that he lost my tiny little baby, his words exactly were "that little dog is your life, if I would have lost her for good I dont think you'd ever forgive me!"
He's right, I probably wouldn't :)


Nenners is such a sweet puppy and I'm very happy to have her apart of our lives. I look forward to the day when we'll have her puppies running around our house waiting to find new homes. She'll be such a good mother.

One weekend, many projects

Here's a recap of what projects got done this weekend.

*All moldings were installed in the hallway, caulked and ready to paint.
*Bedroom wall was primed and is now ready for paint. (John moved an electrical plug because the mirror hung over it)
*Bedroom crown (that I never told you about) is caulked and ready to paint.
*Bi-fold doors for the laundry room are hung and ready to paint. Are you sensing a theme here?
*Two doors in the hallway got painted.
*Bedroom mirror got painted (it broke and got glued back together so it needed a new coat of paint to hide the glue)
*I cleaned out the fish tank which needed a good scrubbing more than words can say. I did manage to break my suction cleaning tube in the process :( luckily I was pretty much done filling the tank and I only had to make 4 trips with a bucket to finish.



All of that is just the work, we managed some play too...or at least I did.
I went on a hike/walk with Dana to Tanner Park's gulch and she came to the house later to watch a movie.
Tonight we're headed to John's brother's to eat dinner.

Hopefully the next set of pictures will be the hallway all done!

John's stuff

The first thing of John's got chewed yesterday. He reacted better than I thought he would since it was his favorite jacket, but he did say it was his own fault because he left it in the "Makoa zone" which is anywhere around his crate in a 5 foot radius.


We thought Makoa was getting better about chewing but in the last couple weeks he's chewed up decorative pillows and more of my comforter which now cant be fixed. We're hoping to get a trainer to come to our house to help us out with this separation anxiety he's suffering from.

All grown up

Today is my little sister's birthday, the big 1 - 8. This morning when someone asked me how old she turned I immediately said 18 but then had to stop and think, is she really 18, I just couldn't believe it. My baby sister is all grown up!

Growing up we had our moments of closeness but a lot of the sibling fighting that went along with it. Now a days we're the best of friends with our little inside jokes and weird faces (I dont think we know how to smile at each other). We're also movie quoters, if she texts me a quote I have to text back another line from that same movie or impending doom will rain down upon us(okay I really dont know if that will happen because we've never stumped each other).

"oh good, my dog found the chainsaw!" Lilo and Stitch was the movie we watched when my parents went to their new years eve party.
"oooo I love it!" Dickie Roberts is our go to movie when we need a good laugh.
"I fly?" "No you fall" Land Before Time will always be OUR movie.
And she'll always be a Tim Burton lover with me!

My sister is witty, smart and beautiful and I know we'll just grow closer as we get older. I remember telling her once that when we're old and gray we're going to have sister ice cream time, she just told me I was crazy but I was dead serious!

Thanks lil sis for letting me boss you around all these years, I'm sure glad mom didn't take you back the hospital when I told her too!

New header picture

Hey everyone! Come see how good my new header looks!

My dear friend, Dana, made it for me and it's just lovely. In fact she made me a few, it was hard to pick which one to put up!

She's very talented and smart, that girl! She also has great taste in dogs. I will be very sad when she moves away to Cali, she better promise that I can visit her lots with my sweet pups in toe...oh and maybe my husband!

uh-oh!

I found a new website, that's a big uh-oh!

While browsing through a Martha Stewart Living magazine (just for the recipes, I promise) almost every page said this fabulous website. Finally I couldn't contain my curiosity and I had to check this site out for myself.
I was thinking that the wonderful items on this website were going to be a ton of money, like in other magazines where they say "these dresses are for the every day woman!" and then they're $200, but I regress.

I guess I should get to the point. Its a cooking supply website with really reasonably priced items. www.fantes.com, go check it out! Now I have to resist the urge to buy that pasta maker...

Oh the embarrassment!

Yesterday while I was at Target browsing through the hosiery section a lady approached me.

Lady: Do you have a daughter?

Me: (thinking "is there a red headed toddler running around?") no.....

Lady: (looking frazzled) oh dang!

Me: why....?

Lady: I'm just wondering if I need to buy my daughter a training bra.

well the poor woman looked lost in the sea of padding, lace and under wire so I offered my help. I asked all the needed questions and didn't notice said daughter until I finished my schpeal. The poor girl was turning five shades of red and it didn't occur to me how embarrassing the situation would have been for her until that moment. She then decided she no longer wanted a bra and dragged her mom out of the store.

As I told John the story later that evening he rolled on the floor with laughter and said, "Nikki, there really isn't anything that you wont talk about with a stranger!"

Sad thing is folks, he's right.

Dear new neighbors

Dear new neighbors,

Let me be the first to welcome you to the neighborhood! I'm here to fill you in on a few things about this jolly old (and i do mean old)community!

First off the lady down the street, she over decorates for EVERY holiday known to man and some I'm pretty sure she's just made up. She's a big fan of lights so dont stare directly at her house or you might go blind.

The man on the corner, he has a massive remote control car collection that he drives around every night in the summer. If you hear the growl of a motor it's probably him and 20 neighborhood children and not someone chainsawing your tree down.

If you see two yappy Chihuahuas running around they live next door to the man with the cars. Good luck trying to wrangle them up to deliver them home, they'll just get out again in 5 minutes.

Sorry that my house is pitch black even though my husband is home, he doesn't know how to work a light switch. If you hear a scream its probably me, i just broke my leg as I tried to find the door, no worries!

Be aware that the renters' children next to my house like to walk through other people's yards, throw rocks at houses, egg cars, throw random(and most likely dangerous) items in backyards and just be a general nuisance. Just pray with me that they'll be gone soon...and that someone worse doesn't move in.

If you need anything I'm just right across the street so please don't bug me, I have better things to do with my time :). Enjoy yourselves here!

love,
Your dear, sweet, across the street neighbors

P.S. please close your curtains, it's hard to spy on you if you know I'm watching.


This is all in joke, I actually really love my neighborhood and the crazy quirks it has.

A conversation

Here's part of a IM conversation that my sister and i had:

Nikki: well good luck on your homework, buffy the vampire slayer is waiting

Mary: oh my gosh, ha i love you. have fun!

Nikki: oh i will and i'll have a little extra for you

Mary: awh your the best sister

Nikki:i know, i totally rock out loud

Mary: only on wednesdays

Nikki:and sometimes fridays

Mary: and every other sunday (am I the only one that finds that so funny?!?! i about peed my pants i was laughing so hard!)

Nikki: ha ha ha totally
bye lil sis!

Mary: bye:)

I had to post this because i thought it was hilarious, my sister and i were born with the same brain i swear! And my mother wonders why people stare at us when we're at restaurants, i blame my dad.

New year resolutions that should come to pass, but wont

I have never made new years resolutions, there i said it, now you can all gasp in shock.

Here are some new year resolutions that i probably should make and keep but wont.

not being such a gas guzzler: by this i mean, i race off the line in my speedy blue taurus the minute the light turns green like i'm in a drag race (i always win :)).
The reason why I wont: I'm the world's worst waiter, even the 5 seconds it would take me to lightly touch the gas peddle to go gives me anxiety so i must shoot off the line!

not eating handfuls of pasta sitting in the drainer: Sometimes i'd rather just eat the pasta plain then put anything on it, so i munch on it while it drains...and during the meal...and while i put away dinner. My favorite plain pasta is bow tie and spaghetti, it just tastes different than elbow or rigatoni.
The reason why i wont: I just love pasta way too much to stop and why should i stop something that makes me so happy? ...maybe for the reason below...

lose 4 pounds: the wii fit plus (which is a mean, mean game) told me to lose 4 pounds to get to a healthy BMI. i was offended so i quit playing immediately. just kidding, i continued that day...lost interest and didn't play for a week and a half and haven't turned it on since.
The reason why i wont: i'm just not motivated, i need someone like Jillian Michaels yelling at me to get me off my butt after work. I'm really trying to lose these 4 pounds by the time our cruise rolls around but who knows if i really will.

stop talking to my pets in a high, annoying pitched voice: I pretty sure this rubs john like nails on a chalk board.
The reason why i wont: because it's involuntary. the minute i see their cute face my brain turns to mush and i spout off stupid, high pitched baby talk.

So there you have it, my non-resolutions.

disappointment and new eyes

I am so disappointed! The most perfect accent table that I envisioned for my downstairs hallway raised in price $40 on Amazon. oh the heartache! oh the sorrow! (yes the loss of a table can cause those emotions) I didn't jump on the chance and buy it a few days ago and my ship sailed away.
Now I have to wait for it to go down in price because its not prefect enough to spend $90 on it (okay it may be but i'm a cheapskate)

I think I'll drown my sorrows by searching amazon for a gorgeous white dress like the one Julie wears in Julie & Julia (minus the red sash, I'm not digging that)

If anyone can find one like it you should buy it for me, i promise it'll mend my broken heart.

In other, more positive, news John is getting Lasik tomorrow. He's so excited, it's like a kid counting down the days to Christmas! Cross your fingers that he wont go blind and that i'll survive waiting in the doctor's office for 4 hours without having to punch someone's misbehaving child. I'll have The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver to keep me company so I might be able to hold off any violent tendencies.