Harvey Dent {07/21/2013 - 06/10/2024}

 

I know I said I was going to do a weekly check in on this blog & then stopped around the end of March.  That's really when the wheels started to shake on our little homestead for our Big Boy - Harvey Dent.  Last week, the wheels rattled & then quickly fell off & we're still standing by the tragedy & in shock on the whole situation & how fast everything progressed.  Especially the last 24-48 hours of Harvey's time here with us.

If you look back, you'll see, everything started on February 29th.  It was the first thing we really took note of.  The seizure like symptoms he was having.  He would play when we got home & after a few minutes, he would stumble - he'd fall down - struggle to get back up - sort of shake & do a breathing pant with his mouth closed.... & it would repeat for about 15 minutes. Then he'd be exhausted afterwards for about a half hour.

I got a video of this episode & we got him to the vet after we saw this happen a few other times & knew it wasn't a one off situation.

Hearing the symptoms, the vet immediately thought "seizure" - but when I showed him the video, his mind was changed & he thought it was his heart.  They took him back & did an xray & found out his heart looked great - his lungs did too. For a big dog in double digits, everything looked great. - so the next step was taking blood to see if anything showed up.

The results came back & his liver enzymes were a little high - nothing crazy so that was the next step to get checked/tested.  He went in for a Liver Enzyme test & while the results came back fine, it left effects on Harvey. Not eating to fast for the test & then not eating well after the test, he went into multiple seizure episodes afterwards & throwing up - & just so sick.  In this test, though his liver looked fine, we found out that his glucose was extremely low on the few vet visits we went to.

The next step was a test that our vet doesnt do often. We would have to make sure Harvey's glucose was below 50 - the lowest it SHOULD be is 75.  We took him in for more blood draws & his glucose was 38. They were able to take his blood & send it off to a special lab for this test..... & the results that came back wasn't great.  

Insulinoma.  A tumor that grows in the pancreas.  

At least we knew what was causing the seizures & we were told any time he had them, we could give him Karo syrup on his gums & let him lick it & it would bring him out of it quickly.  It did work too - it would take the episodes down to 5 minutes & he'd recover fast too.

The bad thing about this is 1. its not like diabetes. This causes a differences in insulin to glucose.  Where in diabetes, if the glucose is low, the insulin should be low - & vice versa if its high.  Harvey's glucose was low, but his insulin was high so we couldnt like give him a shot like you would for a diabetic dog. - the other bad thing was 2. The vets didnt know what to do.  

As soon as we got the diagnoses, I'm the queen of Web MD & I was all over the internet reading up on this - what to do - a plan of attack - all the internet research you can do.  When our vet was back from maternity leave, she took over Harvey's care & she called me & just told me to change his diet - all we could do.

No ma'am... that is NOT all we can do.  I asked her when we should start steroids & she looked it up & was like, OH YEAH....  I asked right then - "have you ever handled this before?" - No. She said that none of the vets in the office had handled this type of cancer - & that they've never had a positive dog before.  She said they've tested dogs for it before but not one ever came back positive.  

Of course our dog is the one that gets a rare cancer.

Our vet did say to give her a few days & she would research it & contact people she trusted at a specialty vet lab.  She called me back knowing more information & had spoken with another colleague that had handled this multiple times.  All the information I had found was in agreement with the plan for Harvey.

He was to eat small meals every 4-5 hours - which meant even getting up in the middle of the night for snacks - it felt like we had a new born baby in the house... & 2 steroids a day.  The steroids were to keep his blood sugar up.  We could increase it if the seizures came back & once we got to the limit of dose of steroid, we could back it down & then add in one other pill.  All of this could buy us time.  The usual time span with insulinoma is 6 months up to 15 months.  Some dogs I read lived up to 3 years with it.  We'll take every bit of time we can get.

We had an automatic dog food feeder that would give him food throughout the day

We started the steroids.... & he never had one other seizure when he started it.  He had more energy - he had a good 2 weeks on it.  At this point - it was May 10th when he started the steroid.  We thought for sure things were going to be good for awhile.  After the first few weeks, we had to go in & see how his blood sugar was.... it was PERFECT 114! Right where it should be.  Our vet was hoping it would be around 70 - she'd be happy with that. Look at our Harvey being an overachiever.

From March to June - we were in this vet's office every 2 weeks.
They knew our boy well these past few months.

But then... it all turned so fast.

We're 2 weeks into it & I started to notice a decline.  He didnt have any seizures but I could tell he was dragging. His back legs were weak - he was having a hard time standing to eat - or even going to the bathroom. He couldnt get up on his own.  We had rugs running throughout our whole house so he never had to be on a slippery floor too - the most hodgepodge of rugs you could imagine. It helped him though.

I found a harness on Amazon that we were able to put on him & was able to leave on him all the time & it was a huge blessing. We were able to just give him a tug up & once he was up, he could make it where he needed to be.  If he had bad days, we could hold him up with it too & he even became reliant of us helping him up the back porch steps. He couldnt push with his back legs to go up the 2 steps at all.  

The first week of June, I called the vet & told them that something was wrong.  They told me to increase the steroid - which I didnt feel comfortable doing since his blood sugar was still good.  They suggested it could be potassium since steroids could effect that. So we took him on on Friday, June 7th for a blood sugar test (still great!) & then a full blood panel.  At this point, his legs were so bad, they had to come out to the car to take his blood because we had such a hard time getting in up & around.

I felt so bad all the times they had to take his blood.... my poor baby.

The weekend of June 8th & 9th - he just seemed more tired than usual.  He would catch the ball - always laying down - & he fell asleep with it in his mouth.  He wasn't wanting to eat as much as he usually did.  Something was happening. I kept checking our little vet app to see if his blood work came back from the test on Friday to see if it was indeed his potassium & we could give him supplements.

Sunday night - we dont know what happened - it was like his legs were jello. He couldnt stand up at all any more. Like the snap of a finger, it happened that fast.  Ricky & I would have to lift him up by his harness & HOLD him up while the other would try & stabilize his back legs. 

Monday morning, we knew something bad was happening.

He refused to eat.  I had to get his steroids in him & got a spoon full of PB & scrapped it on the roof of his mouth. That would be the last food he'd eat.

He tried to drink water.... but he'd gag & throw it right up. Nothing was staying in.  He couldnt stand to go to the bathroom so he kept messing on himself.  We were able to get him on a blanket & carry him everywhere - to get cleaned up - to go on a ride in our wagon..  We took him back to the woods to let him see his favorite place.  He would raise his head & look around - but you could see he was feeling so badly.

He was in the shade in our back yard & I was sitting out with him when I noticed his gums.  They suddenly turned WHITE. Like white as a sheet of paper.  I've never seen anything like it. His breathing got very labored all of a sudden too - we called the vet & they told us to bring him up & they could squeeze him in.

We had to load him up in his wagon -we lifted the wagon in the car & started down to the vets office.

OF COURSE we're on the way, feeling like it was a rush & emergency & I'm driving like a NASCAR driver & the FREAKING ROAD WAS CLOSED....we had to turn around & go a whole other direction costing us 25 minutes. I thought Ricky & I were going to stroke out by the time we got here.  On the way, Harvey was just declining so fast. He got so sick - his whole body eliminating on both ends.... we knew this was taking a fast turn.

I ran in the vets office & they told us we had to wait ....................... I still want to scream thinking of this.

We got him out of the car & cleaned him up the best we could - & we just loved on him out in the grass on his blanket.  Just kept telling him we loved him & rubbing him....

they finally came & saw him & rushed him in (ya think???) & they listened to his breathing, saw his gums, took his temp & then rushed him to the back. They put him on oxygen, gave him an IV & had to ice pack him - he had a 106 fever! The highest it should be is 103. 

The vet came in & said it was just amazing timing that we got his blood work ran that Friday before.  His white blood count was off totally - his liver was THROUGH THE ROOF.  She said that showed he had some sort of infection - & she thought the cancer had spread through to his liver already. None of this made sense to me. None of it. That it happened so fast? Is it possible? It was too much information at once & my brain wasn't working to connect any of it.

Next thing we know - they're telling us he's still declining in the back & we said we dont want him to suffer - it was just awful & we knew there was nothing else we could do.

As we're signing the papers to proceed - we told them we want to be with Harvey when he was going to be given his shot & eased out of his suffering ...... all of a sudden, everyone is rushing in with Harvey - still in our wagon we brought him in  - & it all happened in less than 60 seconds. It still feels unreal..... Harvey RAISED his head up & looked me straight in the face. I said HEY BUDDY - & then I noticed his eyes - they were so dilated.  I screamed - WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM? WHY ARE HIS EYES LIKE THAT?

 .... he laid down - & just passed away. 

Ricky was petting him & felt him stop breathing. Ricky kept yelling - HES NOT BREATHING!!!! .... & like that, he was gone. 

On his own terms. Letting us know we didnt make the decision.... he did.
Once again, taking care of us... doing what he always did best.

I'm so glad he saw me & Ricky & knew we were there in his final moments.

I told Ricky I just know that when they took him in the back, he was away from us & he felt like he could go then. Because if he stayed with us, I think he would have just kept fighting so hard to be with us.... my little fighter.  That boy always cared about US - I know he knew it would break us when he left.

The vet said while he was in the back, they did an ultrasound & then she told me, "The tumor was HUGE"

ok...... I'm so mad & confused. 

The WHOLE reason we never did an ultrasound was because they say with Insulinoma, the tumors are always so small - they're tucked in the pancreas & you cant see them. They will eventually grow & spread to the liver - but an ultrasound was always avoided because it wasnt needed. 

NOW there's an ultasound? & ITS HUGE? So big you can see it in a fast scan when looking for internal bleeding - why she did the ultrasound because with Harvey's gums that white, she thought there was bleeding somewhere.

We're just dumbfounded.  I get it - he had cancer - there's nothing we could have done to ultimately save him. But was there something that could have helped him be more comfortable? Could have slowed down the cancer? ... I dont know...we're still just numb about it all & have so many questions. All the What If's that naturally come.

Now, we just carry on without our Harvey Dent... & the days have just been heartbreaking ever since.

Ernie feels the loss too - Harvey was his buddy when he came to our home.  I walked in one day to see Ernie just sitting next to Harvey's kennel staring inside of it - I wont even tell you how hard I cried at that.

The last time we have had only 2 dogs in our home was 2002.  22 years with 3 or more dogs in our home.

I cant believe 2024 has claimed 2 of our babies - Zoe in January & now Harvey in June.

2024, you can kiss my rear... seriously.

We've been looking back on pictures though - trying to think of the good memories of Harvey & not the past few months.... & with 10 years of having this big lug, we have so many good memories. SO MANY.  I love under the #harveydentvincent hashtag on IG, there's over 100 pics of my beautiful boy.....take pictures. Store up memories to look back on - they matter.

Harvey came to us because a friend that works with an Aussie Rescue needed someone to foster a puppy that was in a shelter in Eastern KY.  I told Ricky that we would just foster - we didnt need to keep him.... Ricky did not want a boy dog ... but he agreed to fostering. Well, as soon as this cute little pup came running down the sidewalk to meet us, Ricky took all of 30 seconds before he said, "Dont worry about putting him up for adoption - we'll keep him"

Our Gotcha day - October 2013

Harvey came into the house while we still had Sydney & we always said Sydney taught him how to be the best dog. He took on so many of her traits.

I know a lot of you remember Harvey from the hashtag I created when we got him & all the things he tore up as a pup. So many dog beds tore up. The best of it all was the COUCH he tore up. I'll never forget coming home & walking into our living room & seeing a full floor of FLUFF where he tore up the cushions. .... Honestly, he was so darn cute - I just laughed.  He could get away with anything & we'd still think he was the best little thing.

I mean... look at this face!!!!!!!!!

I could sit here & post the HUNDREDSSSSS of pictures I have of him & talk about his funny little ways.... 

... the way he would STOMP when he wanted our attention - or food.

... the way he'd throw back his head & howl the most raspy voiced howl 

... the way he would snuggle for HOURS - his favorite place to be was in Ricky's lap, or laying next to me in the bed.

... the way he followed us everywhere & just wanted to be near us

... the way I was so sad losing Sydney because she was my reading dog & would sit next to me all day while I read - & then Harvey stepped in & filled those shoes, loving reading days on the porch

I could sit & tell stories every day for the rest of the year... all of this to say, he was our family - he was our baby - losing him has been so hard - beyond words.

I know some people think dogs are just that... dogs.  & then there are people that understand when your life revolves around these little creatures that have hair all over them, they are so much more.  That you give up things to be home on time to feed them - that you will pay anything to keep them healthy - that you will buy every toy just to get them excited - that you will spend all your time just wanting to hold them & love on them. Family. Your baby.

We're adjusting. Trying to. Our lives feel so different.  Something is missing.  Things arent right.

Thankful for videos & pictures & most of all memories.  Memories of our Gentle Giant & all the love he blessed us with.  He loved us & we loved him even more.

Till we get to snuggle again Harvey Dent.

Our old man, a new Kindle & light my way! {Weekly Check in}

Sorry I missed last week - we've been sort of in a frenzy with Harvey Dent lately.  Our poor boy.... we're not sure whats going on. I know I mentioned this in the last, or maybe post before that.  We got him into his vet's office & explained what was going on.  

After he plays, he gets in these episodes that last about 15 minutes where he paces... & stumbles & falls. Gets back up, paces & does it all over again.  He falls about 10 times in that 15 minute span. I took a video of him doing it to show the vet.

Telling the vet what's been going on, he initially said it sounded like seizures.... but when he saw the video, he said no, he thinks its something else, because he said that seizures are more intense - the body tenses up, the shaking a little more.... he thought it could be his heart.  They did a chest xray & the vet was shocked.... everything looked fantastic. No enlargement. No fluid anywhere around the heart.  So - Harvey is scheduled for an EKG this Friday.

Also - they went ahead & took blood & they called me later & told me his liver enzymes are high.  The Friday he goes for the EKG, he's going in fasted & they'll take his blood - keep him for a bit & feed him - & redraw the blood to check his liver enzyme levels.

I'm still not fully convinced its not the arthritis supplements we've been giving him.  That is when it all seemed to start.  I showed the vet the container & he said that's just a coincidence.... but, if you read up, high doses of glucosamine can cause elevated livery enzymes as well as liver damage (OMG!) & these are a super high dose of glucosamine! I obviously took him off of these nearly 2 weeks ago so I'm hoping when they retest his liver, there is a difference.   & liver issues can cause the same stumbling & unbalancing issues.  Maybe its our imagination but we just think he seems to feel better since we took him off of these too. He hasn't seemed as lethargic.

The vet even said Harvey could be having VERTIGO .... who knew! & of course it would make sense that MY baby would have Vertigo, right?

Hoping for some GOOD answers after these tests this week.  Life up some good vibes, prayers, thoughts for my boy. I know he's 10 years old but we want at least another 4 years out of him - minimum!

Look at the white coming out of my old man's ears now....still my baby though!

So what else has been going on lately

NIGHT LIGHTS
I got these in this week & am LOVING these night lights! They are automatic but a soft glow to them - not severe bright. I've put one in each bathroom & in our hallway & in all the walk ways. No more tripping over dogs in the dark! They're really thin & flat too so not a bulky one that sticks out from the wall. If you're looking for good nightlights - check this 6 pack out!

Click pic for link

VANDERPUMP RULES
I finally did it - I'm caught up. 11 Seasons. It was a ride but now I'm up to the LIVE episodes. I feel like I've accomplished something! What? ...... ...... ...... who knows. But that was fun. I need some recommendations for what else I need to binge.

WINTER?
I know we've finally hit Spring, but lately, we've been on a cool streak. The air has just felt so crips & chilly.  I saw a meme that said, If it gets cold one more time, I'm putting my Christmas tree back up - that's about how I feel right now.

BOOKS
March has been on a roll for me lately. I think having Kindle Unlimited has made a big difference! I'm finding that a lot of book on there, the audio, if its not available as well on KU - its on Hoopla - so its been helping me knock some books out in 2 or 3 days. 

These are the two books I've read recently & both are thriller/mysteries... kept me on the edge of my seat.  The Teacher - the ending, I'm usually pretty up on how Freida McFadden's books work but even the very end of this one stunned me a bit.  

KINDLE
Look at that pic above... notice anything? I opened up my new Kindle. Well - the Kindle I bought on Prime Day in 2019!!!!! I bought it thinking my old Kindle that Ricky got me in 2014 would die soon. It didnt. LOL - it just kept lasting. The past year, the battery hasn't held out as long. I'd have to charge it every 4 or 5 days - that's fine. But it got to the point where I'd tap the screen & it would take a few second to switch to the next page. It was becoming VERY irritating so I went ahead & opened up my "new" Kindle - especially because I figured this will be outdated soon enough & I didnt even get to use it.

I'm loving the paper white though. The screen is so much more crips & clear & easy on the eyes as my other one.  It feels funny how its flat all across the board too. My old one has a dip on the screen & I constantly had to blow out dust & crumbs in the corner.  Let's see how long this baby lasts for me.

AUTOGRAHED BOOK
Look at this surprise I got in the mail! A friend of mine I went to high school with, we've stayed in touch over the years - especially over the love of reading/books. She told me about her neighbor who is the mother of an author - I may have mentioned this a few weeks ago when I read one of her books.  (An Enchantment of Ravens).... well, my friend Shannon ended up telling her neighbor how much we're enjoying her daughter's books & lookie here.  The author BROUGHT the books down herself to Shannon! How fun & nice is that??? & autographed them.  I just think its the coolest thing!!! This is going on my "Special book shelf".  Shannon & I decided to do a buddy read for this too so I'm super excited about it.

LIGHT MY WAY
Speaking of awesome friends... my coworker recently got a Cricut & she's coming up with the coolest things she's making... & I've got to reap the benefits here.  Look at this little lantern she made for me.

Put a little battery powered candle in there & it just glows so beautifully!
& look at the characters on the top!!!! All the enchanted friends!!!  I've got this sitting at the top of my cubicle to light the way to my castle... or home away from home anyways! LOL

WINNER WINNER
Some exciting news - I won a YEARS worth of stickers from a planner account I follow! I was shocked. According to Ali is the store & I had entered an Instagram contest & when she reached out to me to let me know I would be winning a sticker package for each month for a year - I mean, it doesnt get any better than that for me!!!!

LOSER LOSER
Yep... NCAA tournament started & yeppppp - UK lost in the first round. We shall not talk any further than that. Yikes!  This is the first year in a long time I didnt do a bracket.  

How has your week (or two) been?

Do you use a Kindle? What version is yours?

Do you have a Cricut? What do you like to make with yours?

Is your NCAA bracket a bust yet?  Who did you pick for the winner?

Cookie Time, Twilight feels & poor hips! {Weekly Update}

It was actually a really slow week this past week - nothing too exciting going on - which NO COMPLAINTS on that.  But here's the highlights...

STILL COUGHING
OMG. I'm so over the thing where you INHALE & every breath makes you need to cough. The good thing is its not in my lungs. Its like a dry cough. Which I looked up & is common for "many weeks" following COVID.  I just hate I cant get a big inhale. & it gets worse as the day goes on, which I read that the more things go down the throat, air/dust/food, the most it irritates the cough. I'm trying to do more deep breaths to try & train my throat to GET OVER IT.

VET VISIT
We have an appointment coming up with Harvey Dent.  The past few months, we've noticed a decline in his mobility & those famous aussie hips.  But it got REALLY bad one day. The dogs were playing & he fell. Just PLOP - & couldnt get up - but when he did, he just paced. Acted so strange. It lasted about 15 minutes... & then he was ready to play again. He did it again 5 days later. OK - we're getting an appointment. But geez - when did vets become like human doctor's offices & you cant get in? Couldnt get an appointment for 2 weeks out. Sigh.  I did get him some WUFFLES hoping that would help. He's just about 1.5 months trying them out  & I read it can take up to 3 months to see a difference. But if the vet can give us some good stuff, we'll take that.

We always say when one dog passes on, the next in line is immediately needing attention.... I need my babies to give us a break & be healthy for awhile.  

 BUYING
I am a sucker for a sale - & Happy Planner had an extra 20% off their sale prices... & of course, you have to spend $75.00 to get free shipping. That was an easy reach for me. I love taking advantage of these sales.  I ended up getting 5 full sticker books & An accessory book, a Disney Large Icon sticker book & a Floral 5 Sticker Sheet - all for what 3 regular priced sticker books would cost.  This should last me awhile.... "should" being the key word there.

READING
Look at me - got 2 books in this week.  Both of them, pretty enjoyable. 

Bride is about a Vampyre that is forced to marry the Alpha of a Werewolf tribe in order to keep peace between the two... & I love that sort of stuff after being a Vampire Diaries fan... the only downside, this one got a little WEIRD. If you read it -you know.  You may want to read some spoilers if you go into it - WEIRDDDDD

& The Coworker was good enough - not great - I gave it 3 Stars. Some fun twists & turns but not a must read.

WATCHING - or tried
I love Emma Stone so when I saw her new movie was streaming on Hulu, I thought I'd give it a try. ...................WHAT..... in ...... the ..... WORLD? ......
I couldnt.  I got through about 30 minutes one time. Had to turn it off - tried again. Nope. Tried a 3rd time & never made it past an hour & a half of the movie. I thought, why am I doing this to myself. I found zero parts of it entertaining so I gave up. Saw she won the Oscar for it too, which good for her - I think Emma Stone is just all things adorbs.  M'kay.... I'll stick with my sophisticated palate of Grease 2 & Xanadu. LOL

HORSEY DAY
All last week was cloudy, rainy & gloomy.  But Monday, we had a gorgeous taste of Spring. It worked out perfectly because Ricky was beat from a days work so I handled the horses on my own. It was such a lovely day, I took my time over there - got to love on the horses - took extra time to do some stall work. Just being out in fresh air - if you call horse manure fresh? - was just getting my Spring loving heart excited.  The horses loved all the extra attention too.

COOKIE TIME
Have you gotten your girl scout cookies yet for the year? We have a little Girl Scout that lives next to us so of course I'm going to support this awesome gal! Ricky isn't a big fan of Lemon cookies so that whole thing was mine (YUM!) & I got him all the chocolate things - only for him to tell me he's not a fan of Thin Mints. WHAT? I have literally had Thin Mints in my freezer in bulk buying so he could have them for months after the cookies were gone from the front of groceries.  I'm so confused. Guess more for me!

NAILED IT
Of course, the State of the Union was last week & I know everyone has their thoughts on that but can we all agree the rebuttal afterwards was sort of .... insane? ... creepy? .... my jaw watching this was literally open the entire time.  We all knew that SNL was going to do a parody of it - but man, bringing in the big guns with Scarlett Johansson - it was CHEF'S KISS hilarious

What was the highlight of your week?

Do you love supernatural books - or used to watch Vampire Diaries?

Do you have a trick for a dry cough?

What's your favorite Girl Scout cookie?

Iced Coffee, crazy movie & oat milk butter! {Weekly check in}

 This past week in my life:

INSTAGRAM MADE ME BUY IT
I follow some coffee making accounts (how do they make homemade coffee look so delicious & beautiful?) - but I kept seeing the HyperChiller & I knew I had to try it.  This is a thing if you love some iced coffee - which I do year round & especially with Spring & Summer coming up.

You fill the different parts up with water & put this in your freezer & then when you make coffee, you just put this under your Keurig, or pour coffee in it & let it sit for like 60 seconds & VIOLA - cold coffee.  Which, you think, why is that a need? Well, when you make hot coffee & pour over ice, it melts the ice, making your coffee very watery.... science! ... but this is cold - so pour over your ice & nothing is melting - just good delicious coffee.

Click Pic for link
As of this posting - it was on sale for 49% off!
Totally the cost of like 1.5 Starbucks iced coffees

Different tests shows how it drops the temp over 100 degrees in 60 seconds. That's pretty cool. - LITERALLY!

I'll be putting this baby to work a LOT!!!

READING
I finally got around to finishing this book. I know its been everywhere for the longest & book 2 of this duology is already out (I already have it too) but this is a great mix of fantasy & drama & war & romance... its sweet too & enchanting.  I'm excited to read the next book - especially because this one sort of leaves you on a cliff hanger! If you use Kindle Unlimited - its available on there too - I saw that - AFTER I bought the kindle version. Because yes, I usually like to have at least 2 versions.  I'm bad.

VISITING
We got to visit our friends who had a baby recently.  Their 4th child. That's a busy household for sure. They had the baby right when we got COVID so we made sure we were in the clear before going over &meeting the new little Princess.  I havent held a newborn in awhile & you forget how tiny they are. & that baby smell.  So precious.

WATCHING
OK... i gotta know - HOW.... HOWWWWW did this movie win all the awards last year? Everything Everywhere All at Once. Oh my goodness.... I got parts of it & the big picture of generational issues being passed down - but hot dog fingers? & Raccontoni? LOL - What in the world did I just watch?  I always tend to think the winner of Best Picture at the Oscars are not something I'm usually going to really enjoy.

MAKING
Finished up February for my Temperature Blanket.  I'm excited that there was a lot of ups & downs in temps for the month giving me some variation in the colors.  I think I'm going to be putting that dark blue & light blue away now for awhile... it'll be fun to see it close out the blanket at the end of the year.  

If anyone is curious - THIS is where I got the colors from - the Schitt's Creek line of yarn. EXCEPT - they were sold out of the Hide Your Diamonds color & I couldnt find a color to go with - white? Cream? - but that matches the Rose Apothecary - so I went with the baby blue - & I actually like it even better!

EATING
Here's my HungryRoot Haul for the week.... I am LOVING that Oat Milk Butter from last week! That's the brand that is on the Netflix show about the Twins eating different diets - one plant based - one meat based.  I've been on the lookout for it. I found their cream cheese at Target.... mehhhh.... its not terrible but its not great. The butter though? I'm all for!!!

But we're excited for another order of those black bean burgers.... DELISH!  & give me all the mushrooms please... & thank you!

CELEBRATING
We got to celebrate a coworkers birthday this last week - which means DONUTS! Look at how pretty this rose donut looks. I'm not sure how YUMMY it is - got mixed reviews by the tasters... I imagined a hint of potporri in your mouth & that was confirmed - but it sure is purrty.  Happy Birthday Lilah!

SPORTING
Speaking of coworkers - look what one of them made me. I'm so excited about this. I actually love the yellow too with my blue car - TOTAL Beauty & the Beast vibes!!!!

How was your week?

Have you watched that crazy movie?

What's the best book you've read so far this year?

Do you have a decal on your car window? What is it of?

Weather roller coaster, your Aesthetic & Kindle Unlimited? {Weekly Check In}

 

WEATHER ROLLER COASTER
... that time of year.  near 70s one day, snow flurries the next. Like, truly.  Its just been nuts that you dont know what to expect each day.  & of course, on the cold, snowy day where it just get out of freezing, our furnace breaks. Because of course it does! Luckily, Ricky works in a heating/air part warehouse & sees alot of people daily that do this sort of work so we had someone come out pretty quickly to get us back up & running. Always something.

Dogs in the sun with snow still on the ground - perfect pic to explain the weather

BOOK FOR THE WEEK
I have an old high school friend that we stay in touch all these years later & have a love of books together.  She let me know that her neighbor is the mother of an author.... well, that just feels like six degrees of Kevin Bacon an author sort of thing & I felt like I needed to read a book by her. I really enjoyed it too! Its a quick easy fantasy sort of book - about a painter who has a talent to paint people in their true form & when she paints the Autumn Prince's portrait & it shows sorrow in his eyes, all sorts of chaos ensues.  I'm totally going to check out more by this author

KINDLE UNLIMITED
Speaking of books, I ended up looking for a book in Audible free section & was enjoying it so much, I wanted to get the Kindle to read when I wasn't able to listen... & then saw it was in Kindle Unlimited. As much of a reader that I am, I've never tried it.  I've always either bought the book, or gotten them from the library.  But I'm intrigued.... especially because you can get the kindle AND audio on a lot of these & I love doing that - being able to go back & forth.  So I'm trying it for a month with a free trial. I put on my Bookstagram account a question about it & got lots of reasons why people LOVE IT & why its not for others.  I see all the points so I'm just going to give it a shot.  I figure if I use it for 2 to 3 books a month, its saving me money & I may try it for awhile. 

VALENTINE'S CARD
I have a planner friend who sent me a Valentine's card with a little surprise in it.  It got here late but better late than never... & look at that vinyl sticker!!!! LOL ... Now the pressure of WHERE DO YOU PUT IT? I would put it on the front of my planner - but its already full.  Maybe my first sticker for my 2025 planner. ........... OMG - typing 2025 freaked me out.

HUNGRYROOT THIS WEEK
Still loving this.... we've discovered a new black bean veggie burger they have that is FANTASTIC! ... made with brussels sprouts & those little potatoes were AMAZING!!!!

& this is the haul that came in this week. This is why I really like them - they send full size items. We got a full size tub of Oat Milk butter for a recipe that calls for just like 2 tsps.  & I'm excited to TRY Oat Milk butter! ... same with these artichokes. 

If you want a code, I think I have one that can save you $50 if you want to try it... just let me know.

PINTEREST AESTHETIC 
Anyone else see that thing going around Instagram to pull up Pinterest & type in four different words & the first picture is your "aesthetic" ... The words are ACTOR / OUTFIT / AESTHETIC / QUOTE ... & this is what I got... it feels appropriate for me!

This cut off the outfit - she has on skinny jeans & white tennis shoes
But really love that quote!

WATCHING
I missed last season of Love is Blind & had been seeing a lot of posts about the couples this season - especially the "Meagan Fox" comment - so I had to jump in.... & what a dumpster fire this season is!  These people.  If any of them actually end up married in the end, I'm going to be shocked.

I'm also gearing up, getting closer to Season 10 of Vanderpump Rules. I had never watched it before & started binging it a few months ago & finally worked my way up ... I'm finishing up Season 9 this week & I am so anxious to get to the Scandoval of it all! 

Is your weather on a ride?

Have you tried Kindle Unlimited?

Did you do the Pinterest Aesthetic Challenge?

Snow, organizing & V-Day {Weekly Check In}

 

*BACK IN THE OFFICE
It felt good to be back in the office actually after finally testing negative for COVID.  I do enjoy my Friday working from home, but it also felt good to have a reason to get dressed & put on make up & get out of the house too.  

I still had a lingering cough - but poor Ricky - he REALLY has a lingering cough. He still even spiked a fever through the week. He came home from work & would just crash.  Out of the 3 times he's had COVID, he said this has been his worse.  Hoping next week has it all behind us both.... please!

*GET UP & GET MOVING!
 I have gotten in the habit of listening to some podcasts on YouTube every night when I go to sleep.  I'm always listening to either Mel Robbins or Jay Shetty - better that body and mind with information.  There was an episode from Jay Shetty that I was all into that I listened again the next day while I was wide awake - he had a Holistic doctor on there & the information was so insightful.  He talked about how bad sitting is for us. We know this but to hear it in terms of how each hour we sit, it raises our mortality level of dying of awful ways by 10%. That is terrifying.  He talks about setting a timer for every 45 minutes if you sit at a desk all day - which I do. I have some days that I dont get up at all - even forgetting to go to the bathroom till after 1 or 2pm - & I get to my desk around 6:45am. That tells me I dont drink any water either!!!! .... This has freaked me out so much. I am now getting in the habit of getting a small cup of water - making sure I drink it & also setting a timer so that every 45 minutes, I need to get up & get more water - AND it'll hopefully make me go to the bathroom more too - even more getting up & moving.   

Its awful that at the end of my long day, my step count is barely 3000 steps - that's just embarrassing. & then there's Ricky who walks over 15 miles a day - A. DAY.  PEOPLE.  & then when we get home, its like I'm more tired than he is - how does that make sense.  GET UP & GET MOVING!

Here's that YouTube link if you're interested in some health info & some holistic changes....

* Have you seen the new WICKED trailer?
.... I always say that Wicked is up there battling my Beauty & the Beast for my favorite musical. Its just the best story if you've never seen it. & to see more details in this movie adaptation - I CANT WAIT! .... though I am super bummed that they're breaking it up in two movies - like WHY. If the Broadway play can do the whole thing in under 2 hours - with an intermission - they can make a really good movie in 2.5 hours that people would sit through & watch.  I'm pretty mad they're doing this. & it really doesnt make sense to me. This part 1 BETTER be the most amazing movie ever or I'll wait for part 2 to come to video.

* BRUNO'S SPOT
I dont think I ever shared the little marker that we got for Bruno's burial spot in our bad woods.  Every time we go back in the woods to walk with the dogs, we make sure to stop & say Hi to Bruno.  I'm wanting to plant flowers around it too this Spring. Still miss my little man.

Harvey & I on our little walk visiting Bruno

* VALENTINE'S DAY
 I put my pink coffee mugs out & had to pick up that little coffee cup & donut stuffie at Target - so cute! & of course, changed up my chalkboard for the month.

& Ricky is always so good with getting me something sweet. He got me the most beautiful vase with 18 white roses. He knows I love my white roses! ... & a cookie cake... & the most beautiful card.  He's not really a card-kinda guy - but it is one of my favorite cards. He also picked up some dinner because I dont cook on Valentines Day. I dont ever want to go out either. Its too crowded & food & service always feels rushed.... I'm happy to eat in my own home some take out.

Of course, I got him a card - has the Flintstones on it LOL - he loved it so much! & got him some candy too - guys need to feel loved too!

*OFFICE ORGANIZATION
If you know me, you know I have an obsession with all things pens, stickers, markers - all things stationary.  Since I got my new planner I'm using for 2024, it has very specific paper so I've been trying even more pens - & its been out of control. So I ended up ordering some organization things & I'm loving my work area at home is looking so nice & neat & straight.... & leaves room for MORE pens LOL

Click pic for link on all the things that have made my world better

*BOOK 6 of 2024
I enjoyed this... even though I was wanting to know more about the Real Housewives & the Jen Shah of it all - but there's not much Housewives talk in this book. But I love Heather & enjoyed hearing her story - & all the dish she shares about the Mormon church.  I did this one on Audio & zoomed right through it.

Click pic for more book details

* SNOW
We're into our 2nd winter.... its not unusual to get 3 winters up so Spring. Snow came in on Friday & made for a cold Saturday.  We didnt even get out of freezing on Saturday.  Luckily, the sun came out & melted all the snow on Sunday -  & we're back in the 50's by the next week.  Its that time of year where you never know what you need to wear for a day. A heavy coat? Or just a light sweater? Check your weather app on the daily up to April.

*OPPENHEIMER
I watched this over the weekend. Whew. It left me feeling all sorts of ways.  The power of the mind & how brilliant scientists are... & then how scary that brilliance can be used for. & to hear how Oppenheimer was treated.... by back room shady disgusting men who want power? I mean... I had no idea of this story.  & I had to just sit for a bit & research history on it.  .... this was heavy to say the least.  Its also mind blowing to me to think of these big major historical figures living in like "our time" - ... to think that Einstein was around in my dad's early years... & Oppenheimer was around the first few toddler years that Ricky was born. It feels like these people should be alive in a different century if that makes sense.

What is your favorite pen you use?

Did you celebrate Valentine's Day?

Did you see Oppenheimer? What did you think?

What was the highlight of your week?

A week full of sickies.... New weekly edition!

 I read on my bloggy friend Steph's blog where she's going to blog like a weekly update - I love this idea. I feel like its doable. I've just not wanted to invest a lot of time in front of the computer when I feel like I'm in front of it constantly & my free time, I just want to relax & read & spend time outdoors with my dogs.... but I'm going to strive for that - a weekly update. Because I do still enjoy connecting with the bloggers of the world... & I want to keep my memories in one place... so let's see how this works.

So here we go - the update for last week 02/05-02/11/25

* Yep, Covid got us.  Well, it got me first.  I woke up last Friday in the middle of the night with the worst sore throat & earache. Like, I was thinking I need an ER visit for my ears because I thought they were going to rupture.  I took at COVID test in the middle of the night at 2am & it was negative. OK - maybe just a sinus infection.  I woke up feeling worse & was so glad it was my work from home day.  The morning, I felt worse by the hour. Getting weird body cramps, in the back of my thighs, in my forearms ??? in my ankles ??? - so weird. I took another COVID test at lunch time & it was an INSTANT positive line.  ...& by the end of the night, I was feeling like death.  I had over a 102 fever & I was shivering & miserable - still couldnt swallow anything. It was awful.  It hit me hard & fast.

We tried to keep Ricky safe.  We stayed in opposite sides of the house - we wore masks if we came out of our designated spaces.... but by Tuesday, he felt bad & had to come home from work. He did the same thing though.  He tested before he went to work  Monday evening & then when he got home on Tuesday, he had that same instant positive test.  & he had the same symptoms as me - the sore throat & earache & high fever.  It was exhausting.

ahhhh - this is love - sharing in all things

We both still sound froggy & both still feel a little drained... but I'm so thankful this was nothing like my first go around with COVID. That still haunts me with the breathing issues.  I tested negative 9 days later & back at work.

* Love grocery delivery.  With us both sick, we had offers from my brother, Ricky's sister & a neighbor to go get us food (thank you to all of them!!!) but I pay the yearly fee to get my groceries delivered & its the best thing ever.  I hate going in the grocery store & fighting the crowds & there's never a line open that isn't 5 deep.  I used to do the Click List to pick up but that even got old to me.  Drop on my front porch - especially when we're sick.  This is the best thing if you have it offered to you & you dont enjoy grocery shopping either.

* Glad we got a taste of spring. To be sick & not go around anyone, I'm glad we had some temps in the 60's where I could get some sun on my face & get to throw the ball for the dogs.  Of course, we've been back in freezing temps at night again - but just the glimpse of Spring gives me hope - its around the corner!

* I finished a book - Daughter of Mine. I love that I got a preview of this book from NetGalley - it comes out in April 2024.  If you love mysteries & thrillers, you'll enjoy this. It took a few days for my brain to function enough to read with COVID Fog - but once I got started in this, I couldnt put it down. 

Click Pic for link on more info of the book

* I had to get 4 new tires for my car.  Bye money! Ouch!... my car right before I got sick was starting to do weird things with the steering wheel. It would just shake back & forth.  It started small but every day driving, it was getting worse & then my whole car was shaking, My phone in its holder was rattling so hard, I thought it would jolt off.  Ends up, there was a "bubble" in my tire & the tread was getting ready to come off another tire.  I've had my car going on 5 years & its the original tires so time to get some new ones.  Ricky told me I needed the more expensive ones because he knows I dont like tire noise - this is true... so I paid for the best & while they're still feeling bumpy to me wearing in a little - I'm glad to know I have some good safe tires on my vehicle now.

* Speaking of groceries earlier - we've been trying a new food delivery the past few weeks. So far, so good! Hungryroot is what I've been going with.  What I love most about it- the dinners are SUPER FAST. Like most things take 15 minutes or less. & they have great healthy options & a LOT of vegan, vegetarian things. What's different about this is it has like "grocery items" - you can use your alloted credits for meals or grocery items - or pay more if you use all your credits. I'm in love with their Cucumber Tahizi dip so I'm always adding that to my order.  But here's a perfect example of a meal - Butternut Squash Ravioli with steamed broccoli - it was fantastic!

If you have any questions or want to give a try, let me know - I can send you a link

* & to end the week - SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! I dont really care about any sports besides Tennis - as we all know - so I didnt really care about the game - but am always here for the commercials & the half time show.  Of course, we were super stoked to see roller skates involved.   & as much as I know about football, I loved Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce got their happy ending for this.  I love love.

How was your week last week?

Did you watch the Superbowl? Did your team win?

Have you avoided Covid or sickies lately?