how much is that dog(g)y in the window?

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”
― Will Rogers

Shelter dogs need homes.
in two days, i will be making my second trip to the local animal shelter to rescue a blue-nosed, grey female American Staffordshire Terrier (aka "pit bull"). i think she is around 3-4 years old. we call her "Maggie." the cutie above isn't Maggie, but she looks like him (he was there, too, according to the shelter's webpage).

my oldest son spotted Maggie roaming the streets at 1:30 a.m., a little over a week ago. he pulled over to get her out of the street so no one would run her over. she trotted right up to him, and when he opened his car door, she jumped in. he took her home.

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man.”
― Mark Twain

Maggie was wet from the rain, and her paws were bloody from walking for who knows how far or how long. i dried her off, and got tail wags and a few kisses from her for my efforts. she was very friendly and happy to be out of the rain. she slept in our garage (with my son, who refused to leave her alone, bless his heart!) until my son was able to take her to the shelter.

Maggie on the way to the shelter.
the shelter believed that Maggie was bred, her puppies taken away, and then she was left in the street. unfortunately, they also believed that she was "stressed, depressed, and fearful" and because she cowered in her kennel, she was "unadoptable." the shelter's only options for her were the local rescue group or euthanasia.

when the rescue group visited, they noted a very sad and very scared pit bull, and they, too, deemed her unadoptable -- they didn't want her. Maggie would be euthanized.

“Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. ”
― Roger Caras

my doggy, Gamby.
this is Gamby (also a pit bull). he's been part of our family since he was 4 months old; he's 6 years old now. he is going to have a new friend, because in two days, my family will become Maggie's rescue group.

“Dogs lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. . . so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence . . . Maybe loving dogs is a way we do penance for [the] illusions we allow ourselves and the mistakes we make because of those illusions.”
― Dean Koontz, The Darkest Evening of the Year

(note: my son is no longer allowed to bring home stray dogs!)

drawin(g)

okay, so we're not artists, painters, sketchers, whatever...

this is my version of Hercules:



and this is my boyfriend's version:



um, yah.

~ ~ ~
while i'm at it, here's the "X Box" that a friend of mine drew:



aaargh! it took me a week before i broke down and called her to ask her what the hell she drew.

~ ~ ~
but here's my favorite stick-person drawing i did:




i kinda miss this game now...

nail polish for clumsy (g)irls

i used to get my acrylic nails every two weeks. i spent $65 (including a pedicure and tip). i looooved getting my nails done. but when you're a single mom, as i am, it gets difficult to justify spending so much money on yourself when you've got bills to pay, school lunches to buy, and larger sized clothes to supply for growing children.

it's pretty distressing to go from beautifully painted nails to short, stubby nails. and since i am clumsy and cannot polish my own nails without smudging them almost immediately, i just quit polishing my nails.

it has been months and months (oh, okay, years - that's how lazy i've been), since i've polished my nails, so when i first heard of Avon's Speed Dry+ Nail Enamel, i was really eager to try it.



it claims to dry in 30 seconds, and it really does! this polish dries so quickly, that there's really no time for me to be clumsy and screw up my nail polish. I. LOVE. THIS. STUFF.

i apply a base coat and two coats of Avon's Speed Dry+ Nail Enamel, and my nails are all pretty again. hooray!

the cost is pretty cheap, about $6 regularly, but i buy them even cheaper when they go on sale for $3.49. there aren't that many colors, but the ones that Avon does have are still really nice.

unfortunately, like all nail polishes on top of regular nails, even Avon's Speed Dry+ Nail Enamel doesn't last a long time (nothing like the longevity of polish on acrylic or gel nails). i would say that it lasts about 4-5 days before i get a bit of chipping. but that's okay, i just spot-polish the chips, and 30 seconds later, voila!, all pretty again.

my short, stubby nails tend to look better with the darkest colors like "Vamp It" (a black red) and "Twilight Blue" (a blue black), but in the lighter colors, i really like "Crystal Calm" (a shimmery beige) and "Grey Flash" (a slightly shimmery, medium gray).

out of 5 stars, i'd give Avon's Speed Dry+ Nail Enamel 4 stars, but only because this line doesnt have that many colors yet.

a hammer for (g)irls

I'm not sure whether to be delighted or insulted at a petite hammer with pretty flowers on it.

I mean, would I, as a woman, be more inclined to buy this smaller, cuter hammer than the typical, heavy, ugly hammer?

Hmm... I wonder if they make one with Hello Kitty on it..?

(g)rub

in an effort to feed dinner to my kids at a decent time (I commute a little over an hour to and from work), I've been experimenting with a crock pot.

I've made successful chicken dishes with it, and I wanted to try a pot roast. I didn't do anything special, just bought a seasoning packet and cut up a potato.



at 5:30 a.m., I started the crock pot on low, with a stop time of 3 p.m. (when my youngest son got home from school).

he sent me a text when he got home: when can i eat? it smells really good.

I was so proud and excited that the roast would be a hit, I asked him to send me a picture.



ACK!!! what the heck happened to my pot roast?! was 9.5 hours too long? did I disintegrate it? (un)holy cow!!

turns out my son decided he was going to cut -- or rather, shred -- the roast on a cutting board and then put everything back into the crock pot.

whew! my kid's fault, not mine..!

(g)rocery bags

I've been on the hunt for reusable shopping bags that look like the regular brown paper grocery bags. I also wanted the reuseable bags to be able to stand on their own (like a paper bag) for easier packing at the checkout line.

and, Eureka!, i've found the Earth Tote, Original on www.reuseit.com.

Originally created as an alternative to single-use paper grocery sacks, this bag has also become a favorite for outdoor enthusiasts and urbanites alike. Made with armor-like Cordura nylon fabric, each of these bags will save thousands of disposable bags.

* Made with armor-like, ultra-durable 600 denier Cordura nylon
* Replaces 1000s of throwaway bags over its lifetime
* Stands up on its own for easy packing
* Folds up just like a paper bag
* Easy to clean
* Made with Fair Labor/Fair Wages
* 1% For the Planet member
* Also available in Recycled PET

I can't wait to take them to the grocery store!

hello KISSty

must. have. this.