This beautiful little girl is Shasta. She's currently 9 months old and admittedly spoiled rotten! From the time she was born she had to be bottle fed and according to her Dr. basically finished developing outside the womb. So she's had special handling from day 1. She had 13 brothers and sisters who did not survive this start in life. So yeah...she's spoiled! So last night hubby and I had a nice dinner out at a restaurant we'd never been too. Then went over to his parents to visit a short time and came home for the rest of a relaxing evening...or so we thought. Upon entering our home I heard a strange sound...running water! and it was running all over my kitchen!! FLOOD! Into the laundry room...it was bad! So he runs to turn the water off and I'm still standing there shocked. We called my mother who lives on the property to obtain more towels and such...so there was a lot of confusion..I ran into the main bathroom to grab what towels we have. So I finally get to sit down..my feet are swollen and I'm in pain..just one of those things but I know I need to sit for a minute. I hear a sound from our bedroom..I count heads on 4 legged children and find Shasta missing...I've closed the bedroom door and she's stuck in there..Shasta never barks, only w/the other dogs and if some one strange is around. I've told her over and over again she has to let me know when I've closed a door on her in a room! So I open the door and no Shasta..so we begin counting heads..no Shasta! I run outside and call to her...no Shasta! Meanwhile hubby is in the kitchen with the plumbing issue at hand. He comes out and calls to her..no Shasta. I finally grab the car keys and for over an hour scour the neighborhood, listening for neighbors dogs barking at her, etc... So between trying to tear the kitchen cabinets apart to get to the plumbing problem hubby is out with a flashlight looking for Shasta...It's midnight out and I'm sure the neighbors aren't appreciative of us screaming for Shasta! I call the local radio station and start sending out the word and will put it on their web site. We're sending up prayers...Guess I should mention that the next day I am going with my in-laws to take my fil to have a catheter released to begin dialysis...so I need to be getting things in order in my house and packing a suit case...PLUS the day after we get back from that adventure we are leaving for our sons college graduation...and we have no water and our beloved Shasta is missing. Finally it's around 1:30 a.m. and hubby has to be at work early the next morning so he decides to drive the area...miles upon miles! He comes back with no luck. So we decided sadly we need to go to bed and I'll start calling and searching in the morning. As I passed the bathroom door I mention how silly I was...I even checked inside the new vanity we'd just installed this past weekend because Shasta liked to get inside it! He admits he looked there also.... I don't know why I did it but I reached into the bathroom and opened the linen closet door....THERE WAS SHASTA!!! We couldn't believe our eyes! Shock, Disbelief...you name it we ran the gambit of emotions. And yes, I cried again...Thank You Lord for answering our prayers! Also St. Anthony and St. Francis! I swear there has to be a class somewhere that will teach her to actually bark when she needs help!! We still have no water, hubby will work on that after work today and I'll be in Spgfield but Shasta IS fine and currently sleeping on my lap...

Gripe for the day

Perhaps this won't bother some people but I have a real problem with a convicted sex offended in the position of maintenance man at an apartment complex! What is even more bizarre is his picture was plastered on the front page of the local newspaper around October! Does no one at the complex even look at the local paper? This guy has a key to your apartment!!! This is a large complex made of mainly of low income families...what are these parents thinking by not standing up to this management company...oh wait I think I did hear that his brother or brother in law is the manager of the the complex. This situation completely appalls me...oh did I mention that our sheriff is getting special recognition for his handling of sex offenders...He is a joke...many years back we purchased a home that he had been foreclosed on! We had to completely go through every drawer and corner before even letting our toddler into the home...numerous types of pills found in drawers on the floors etc.. guess we know how he can catch the 'bad' guys so well...he's one of them!

This and That

Doing a little catch up! Here's my oldest with his first adventure in baking! It was a pumpkin cheese cake! YUMMY! He surprised me by bringing it to Thanksgiving dinner. It really was good! I've hinted for him to continue with his experimenting in the kitchen...he hasn't taken the hint seriously yet...I even gave him a cookbook for Christmas titled 'Cooking with 4 Ingredients'! How much easier can it get? So hint, hint...you could make me another one of these!!

October - Really??!!

Wow has it really been since October that I've wrote on here?! Time sure does get away from me at times...so much to do and so little time to get it all done! So let's just start anew or at least almost anew...I would have to write a novel to go back to October and detail everything that has happened. I'm sure a lot will show up sooner or later on my blog....all in due time. But for let's just say a lot has happened, some good, some not so good...but lessons have been learned either way.

I've missed my little blog spot...my own little part of the world wide web. I'll admit in the past I was concerned that some that may stumble upon my little blog may be offended...but I've decided what the heck...this my space and it's all for ME! I'm not saying I want to hurt feelings and won't feel bad if I do...IF you choose to read my blog then you're entering my space and it's really my feelings and thoughts at the time I'm typing my little fingers to the bone. Tomorrow I might feel differently or I might not...it's MY opinions, thoughts, feelings and whatever! I'm more than willing to share with friends, family and strangers...maybe you'll see a little of our life when you see mine...So I'm back and I can't wait to get started!! Yep, I know I'm talking in circles but guess what!! I don't care it's MY Blog!!

Moving, Moving and Moving

Oh my gosh it's been a busy past couple of weeks!! Chris has moved into his own apartment...He and a friend from work have taken the big rental plunge together. It's a nice apartment complex on a golf course..neither play golf..but next summer I can see them both hanging out at the pool and checking the views out (and I'm not talking about the golf course!). So here is a pic. of the view from their front window. It's really pretty and across the 'pond' is the club house.

So...after the announcement from Chris that he was moving out things sorta snowballed. It became necessary to find Lance and Nathan an apartment. Thankfully I found one right a way and I have to pat myself on the back!!! I love this little place! To me it's 'homey' and I do mean that in the old fashioned way. It's in a quite area of Bentonville and the security can't be beat since it adjoins the Walmart general office's property. Nathan took pics but hasn't sent them to me yet. But I did take a few pics of the necessities of a bachelor life and a pic of them on the phone trying to get their internet hooked up! Okay these pics are at the top of the page....my laptop has decided to go stupid...or...maybe it's the operator....

So anyway, we have a HUGE storage unit in Rogers that is holding the household items/furniture that we couldn't get moved all at one time to Mtn. Home or situated with the boys. So we'll go through it a little at a time and then rent a moving truck and bring it home. Plus we have to get our house ready for it! Which involves repairs and moving my mother's things up to her house....slowly but surely.

Okay, gotta get around and take our beautiful Shasta to the vet!!! I think she'll finally get her first shots today!!!! I can't wait to see how much weight she's gained and for Dr. Robbie to see how well she's doing! She is so spoiled!!!

Finally some Good News!

It's time for some good news.....I haven't blogged about the latest additions to our family because it's been so hard. Bailey (our Bassett) and Buster (our Boston Terrier) gave us 14 precious babies on July 27. One didn't survive delivery. Bailey had a really difficult life before we adopted her last October, we can only imagine what she indured. So because of her past she wanted nothing to do with her little ones. She gave birth and that was that....thankfully I had two extra hands with my mom! Between the two of us we took the majority of the pups out of the sac and cut the cord and tied it off....and then went to feeding every two hours! Plus hubby helped with the feedings. When I fed by myself it took almost 2 hours to get all 13 fed...I'd get done just to start all over again. A lot of sleepless nights. Well.....it appears that the Good Lord has some Angels who really needed some precious puppies. Over 5 weeks we lost all but one puppy, Shasta. I went through so many pairs of contacts with all the tears....the puppies started developing hip issues and I feel that many were underdeveloped. So when only Shasta was left I took her to the vet that day...mom and I couldn't figure out what was wrong...neither of us are inexperienced with raising puppies and we knew we were doing everything right...but there had to be something we were missing. Thankfully we took Shasta in when we did...because she had so many issues she wouldn't have survived..but it was also comforting to find out that we had done everything we could to save the other 13...it was simply a no win situation from the beginning due to the fact of such a large litter and no immune system from their mother. The pain is still there from loosing all my little babies. When I took Shasta in Dr. Robbie was not very positive on our chances of even saving Shasta. She is most deffinitely a special needs baby or 'baby in a bubble'. She has absolutely NO immune system. Plus mommy passed on worms and a really horrible parasite to her through the womb. Her stool sample was horrible 10 days ago. Robbie gave her a 50/50 chance of survival and that was very generous. Well, today she went to see Dr. Robbie and she has gone from 1.8 pds to 2.3 pds!!!!!! in just 10 days and her stool sample was perfect!!!! So we have made it through a week and a half with flying colors!!! We take it one day at a time and then celebrate each week! She won't go back for 3 weeks (unless I feel she needs to) and then we'll evaluate and she'll possibly be ready for her first shots. She's going to be approximately 2 months behind other puppies on getting shots and such. Dr. Robbie was very impressed with 'mommies' meal concoctions for her!!! Only the best for my baby! So above is a picture of Shasta several weeks ago....and above that one is a picture of Liberty born about 2.5 weeks before Shasta and her siblings. Liberty is Shasta's best friend....and Shasta likes nothing more than beating the crap out of her! Liberty isn't much bigger than Shasta so their relationship works out good and Dr. Robbie said it was fine....she needs the stimulation and activity. Shasta also has a skull problem...when she first saw the Dr. he was real apprehensive about this issue. It's the same as newborns having a soft spot on their head..only Shasta's will probably never grow together completely. So that means that parasites can get in through her skin into her skull and also we have to be careful with blows to her head because there's no protection. But Dr. Robbie was surprised that the split has gotten smaller in the past 10 days...something he didn't expect! So we're hopeful....but careful. Shasta has her play crib in the family room and loves to play with her mama Bailey and Aunt Sadie through the mesh....Liberty has also figured it's safer to play with Shasta through the mesh also..I thinks he gets tired of being beat up by a 7 week old puppy!!! I thought my days of mixing formula and buying baby food was past....well, I guess not! But if it keeps our Shasta healthy then it's worth it. Shasta has such a sweet spirit, even when she's growling and barking! Each time she's gone to the vet she's made new friends and made an impression on the other patients and their human parents....and her Dr. thinks she's adorable!!!! And as a special needs puppy mom...it's great to have a vet who you've gone to school with from kindergarten and can renew a friendship with! Thank you Dr. Robbie....who would have thought that bratty boy would turn into my hero!

The View From My Window!

Yes! I get to see this site every afternoon! We have several deer that come up to our back door to check on us and have their evening meal. The little one still has her/his spots!! It's soooo cute! Sometimes they pay a morning visit as well but mainly keep to their afternoon/evening schedule. I'll stand at the window and wave to them. Behind our home is the fields of clover that we planted for my horses. I'm so glad the clover keeps coming up and these lovelies can enjoy it.

So yeah, I know it's been a while.....Time just gets away some times. Terry is loving it here although he's fed up with his schedule and no one wants to change it to make it any easier. He changed it but then was told that it can't be done that way for one reason or another....mainly BS! I am enjoying the move also. It's nice being back close to family and attending family events like my nephew's birthday party and the emergency call that he was in the hospital!! He's fine now...had to have his appendix removed. It was nice not having to worry miles away...I could worry close by in the surgical waiting room.

The draw back has been the amount of work that needs to be done on our new home. Oh my goodness!! Our To Do list has doubled and naturally the cost has tripled. Putting off getting these estimates for the repairs...we'll just deal with as it comes. If we didn't have bad luck we'd have no luck at all!

So my dear Bloggie, I will try to do better and keep you updated more often. But right now I have to get ready to take Shasta to the vet....I've lost 13 of her siblings...just can't take the chance of more heartbreak....have to do everything I can to keep her safe.