New Favorite Snack!

Dutch has a new favorite snack! He needs to eat healthy so he is pretty limited to apples, broccoli, bananas, and other fruits and veggies. He gets a bone from time to time or an organic dog biscuit but nothing tops his new favorite combo. I came up with this the other night and he seems to really enjoy it and has now learned where the apple sauce and peanut butter are kept and stares at the fridge.

Bananas with organic apple sauce and organic peanut butter - all mixed up!

Dutch normally inhales his food but he seems to savor this snack... long slow licks! He has been a bit depressed these past few days so I am happy to indulge him in a healthy treat once in a while.

Need motivation...

I can't get in the mood to paint! James has done so much work on the rooms and I have only done one coat of primer. I want to be done painting this spare bedroom by this Sunday night. My plan is to be 100% done with the guest room by next week... this means painting, washing the carpet, moving furniture and getting the pictures hung up. I think this will be done by Wednesday at the latest but that is if I get motivated! We need to be done both this room and our bedroom before we go to Mexico in 5 weeks! Then when we get back the third bedroom will be made into an office/study room.

Finally done!

Today is the last day of the last class that I need for my Master's Certificate in HR Management!!!! I just need to deliver my presentation, which is fun filled, and that is it! Of course I finished my paper and presentation yesterday morning so I have all day to do stuff around the house! And, I can enjoy my days off for the next few months.

I now have 7 classes to go to complete my Master's in Organizational Leadership. I will be taking a class on non-profit management this summer and I am honestly psyched to take this class. It is with my favorite prof and it is a subject that I am very interested in. Woo Hoo!

Is spring here?

I was so excited to hear that the weather is going to be great over the next few days! Then I became depressed because I have too much to do inside to enjoy a hike on my day off tomorrow. But, that doesn't mean that Dutch can't enjoy some fresh air! After his morning nap he looked out the back door and decided he wanted to go out... to sun himself. So, I got him his "messy bed" and out he went!

Ahhh, this is the life!

Yes, Dutch has his own body pillow. He needs his comfort.

My old man...

Dutch is 7, which we all know. He enjoyed his birthday party in January and enjoyed his annual vet appointment last week. He received his next 3 year rabies shot, kennel cough booster, and gave blood for the now "annual blood screening". Turns out Dutch is on the road to hypothyroidism. So, we watch for lethargy, lack of appetite, and major hair loss. Until then we will live our life as normal.

5% cashback!!

For those of you with a Discover card, say thank you now! I was checking my online statement and noticed the "informational advertisement" on the right side of the web page stating that you can get 5% cash back on travel, fashion, and warehouse club purchases. I clicked on it and sure enough all you have to do is click a button to notify Discover that you want to save 5% during the specified period instead of 1%! Everyone shops at these stores so why not use your Discover card and get extra cash back? Jan - March has 5% back on airlines, hotels, car rentals, and cruises. Perhaps I should book my cruise by March 31 and get 5% back on a maximum purchase of $800. That is an extra $40 in my pocket.

• March is 5% back on warehouse clubs.

• April - June is 5% back on home and fashion purchases.

• July - September is 5% back on gas, theme parks, and hotels.

If you have a Discover card and plan on making purchases that involve any of the above items, go to your account page and sign up to get this extra bonus!! It is free so take advantage!

It's a girl!

I think this is the second "It's a girl!" post in 6 weeks, right? James is the proud new uncle to Nella Mitchell, born at 3:23 am! She is a peanut at just under 6 pounds and a 1/4 inch shy of 19" in length. Mommy and Daddy didn't know what they were having - she was nice to give them a double surprise by showing up a few weeks early! I know that Nella will be loved by all and that there will be plenty of good times ahead. Congrats to the proud new family!

Change is coming!

Time to make things my own! I have not done a thing to my house since I moved in besides putting on a new roof and putting sheet rock in the laundry room. So, I decided that I wanted to redo the bedrooms - all 3 of them! We are starting with the new guest bedroom. This is the former room of Mike, my old roomie. I love this green that a former roomie put in here. I hate to get rid of it, but it needs another coat and the nautical decor that I already have won't go well with green. So, the color will now be "slender reed" when we are done - a beachy tan. James is shown here getting ready to paint the ceiling. That is now done and I put up one of a few coats of primer so that the green won't show through. Meghan will hopefully like this new room when she moves in later in April!

Town Fair Tire dinner

I had to dress up this weekend. I really don't enjoy dressing up - that is no secret. But, I clean up well and I found out that James cleans up well too! We looked really great for one reason, the Town Fair Tire year end dinner.

Look, we are not in jeans!

The shrimp were bigger than James' thumb!

James received an award for his store reaching $2M. It was his first year being open so this number should be bigger next year!

Polishing his award in the hotel room.
Look how proud he is. I am proud of him too!

The evening was great. I had a lot of fun and it really was fun getting all dressed up with James. I am looking forward to next year's dinner!!