Dog Stuff

Thanks to my dad, I have always been an animal lover.  Bringing home strays was almost like a hobby to my dad…one that drove my mother insane – haha.
I think the dog that I can think of the furthest back was Holly.  She was a husky/GSD mix.  She was smaller, probably 35-40 lbs.  She was so sweet.  In true husky fashion, she loved running.  I think I was maybe 10 when she had taken off – not that this was a new thing on her behalf – but unfortunately, she was hit by a car and died.

About that same age, I talked my parents into letting me get my own cat.  Oh sure, we had dozens of cats in and out of the house, but I was allowed to name and keep my very own.  I named her Precious.  The only way I was allowed to keep her was if I got her fixed.  So I saved my babysitting money (yep, I was babysitting at 10 yrs old!) and took her to the vet and got her fixed.
She was the most awesome cat. Ever.  As I said, we had a lot of pets during my childhood, but she was special b/c she was MINE.  She died when she was 8, which is far too young for a cat.  She inhaled a cleaner and it burned her lungs.  The emergency vet had told me she had a 50/50 chance of survival when I dropped her off at 4 in the morning.  They called me about 15 mins after I walked back in my house at 5:30, to tell me she didn’t make it.  I picked up her body a few hours later and buried her near my house.  It was a terrible few weeks…that cat had gotten me through rough stuff during my hs years.  I expected her to be around a lot longer.
Besides Holly & Precious, we had Buzzy, Snoopy, Puppy (I think after a while, you run out of names b/c you have so many – haha), Josephine, Yarborough (my dad was a big racing fan), GiGi, Cherokee, Ms. Kitty, Cutie, Shotgun…huh…I’m starting to blank out on names…I can picture them…but their names escape me.
I carried my love of animals into adulthood and had no problem finding strays to bring home.  The first, Bubby, was a terri-poo that I saved when I was 19.  When Dennis & I moved in together, he came with me.  No doubt my mom was thankful for that.  We saved a dog named Sammy, who was supposed to be for our elderly neighbor, but ended up being too strong for her and so he stayed with us. Finishing off the original Fabulous Four, were our cats, Doobie & Toni. 
Life was good…then our neighbor passed away and we had to move b/c her family was selling the duplex. 

We moved in w/some friends of ours, where pets were not allowed.  The Fabulous Four went w/my parents.  Bubby & Sammy got out of the yard and even though I had signs up, ads run, and pounds called, we never found them.  I can only hope a family found them and fell in love.
After about 6 wks, we moved in w/my mom & dad.  My great-grandfather had just passed away and his house was empty.  We decided to move to FL, to his house, where we would be a mile away from my grandma.  She hated cats.  So we couldn’t take Doobie and Toni with us.  We found them great homes, they went to friends of my sister.

We had gotten a puppy, Sandie Paws, and thankfully, she was allowed to come with us.  She was our baby!
Upon moving back to OH, we rescued Scooby…a few months later we saved Quinn & Bella, two strays from the same litter, that our shitty neighbors had dumped.  My sister found a cat wandering a bad neighborhood and brought her to us…Sativa.  So now we had the Fantastic Five. 

Getting 3 dogs fixed at once was an expensive bill that I knew would really hurt us.  We had just moved back from Fl months before and I wasn’t working yet.  We were trying to figure out how to pay for this when someone told me Planned Pethood might be able to help us. 

I contacted them, explaining how we came about 3 dogs in such a short amount of time and could they help.
They did – all 3 dogs fixed for free!  We started volunteering.  First by walking dogs that were kenneled, waiting for a foster home to open up.  Then by fostering.  That was pure insanity.  The most dogs we ever had at once was 12.  our 4, 5 pups and 3 foster dogs.  The puppies were temporary, only for the weekend, but whoa – it was stressful.  However, we didn’t have kids and we weren’t getting pregnant and I needed to focus on something so I would quit being heartbroken by negative pregnancy tests.
Foster, after foster were brought home and adopted out.  It was a nice feeling to know that we were helping these stray dogs, found on the streets or in the pounds, from being put to sleep and find forever homes.
During all these fosters coming and going, we adopted one, Gizzie, making our bunch the Super Six.
Because my pregnancy was high-risk and I was doing shots all over my stomach, we quit fostering for awhile.  We did a few dogs after Cadence was a couple years old, stopped again until just recently.
Dog rescue is a passion to me.  I think about it all the time, wishing I could do more.  Recently, one of the people that I have met long ago, suggested that a group of rescue people start our own dog rescue.  How exciting is that??!!!
Excitingly, we have started working on getting Black Swamp Pound Dogs up and running!
Check out our facebook page – like it, share it and keep checking back for updates. 
Black Swamp Pound Dogs Facebook Page

Most important, Thank you Dad for giving me the heart for this!

Prayer & Blood - please help...

As we watched the Weather Channel & various news stations covering the tornado hitting AL on 4/27, I had flashback to 11 months earlier when we were hit by an EF-4. Eight people died, the high school I graduated from was destroyed, the police station gone too…


 The picture below was circulated over the national news many times over, it happens to be my mom’s friends home, which has since been demolished & is being rebuilt.

I have been an emotional mess the last week, I’m not sure if it’s PMS hormones or maybe needing an adjustment in my medications, but watching the scenes coming out of AL have made me cry more than once.
I know God has plans for these people and I know the 284 lost lives are now rejoicing because they are home with our Savior, but for the families left behind & trying to pick up the pieces, I pray they do not lose their faith.


Alabama destroyed

 Listening to K-Love yesterday, the deejay asked listeners from the AL area to call in with suggestions for the most needed donations..
I was touched by a listener who called in saying they are in desperate need of blood donations for the tornado victims...
It’s not to say they don't need food, clothes or shelter..but asking for BLOOD - not a material item, a life saving donation.
I wish I could give but because I’m on blood thinners I cannot – thankfully Dennis can AND is giving this weekend.
I know the economy is hard on everyone now, gas prices are $4.15/gallon…but blood is free. Please, while you’re sitting in your comfy chair watching cable & facebooking on your laptop, take a moment to pray, then set the computer down, turn off the tv & head to your local blood bank & help save a life!

Screening, Cord Prolapse & Aiden Joseph

Friday was pretty laid back. I was happy to get off work & after a quick trip home to change my clothes we went to visit Marge & Dave. She bought us dinner from McD’s & Cadence stayed the nite.

Saturday my mom came over to watch Bryleigh while Dennis & I went to volunteer at Planned Pethood. I was screening & he helped setup, tear down & take dogs out to use the bathroom.
I LOVED all the dogs there! Some of my favorites from the day were Sally, Sophie & Tyson.
Also, this cat w/the Humane Society, was cracking me up. He totally looked like he was saying FML. Poor guy! Ha!

Cadence was dropped off to us at the store and about 20 mins before it was time to go, she threw up all over the bathroom…I felt so bad!
She was pretty lethargic the rest of the day – fell asleep at like 7:30 even.

However, when she woke up Sunday morning, she was back to her happy self! We were feeling a little like we had cabin fever, so we decided to take a small drive. We ended up in Kari’s neck of the woods & stopped by, but she wasn’t home…

After about an hour of driving, we went home to relax. I was also waiting for word on how Randi’s labor was coming. Around 6, Angie texted me that they broke her water, so I headed up to the hospital to wait & greet Aiden w/the rest of the family.

Around 7:40 Randi started having complications…she then had cord prolapsed. They wheeled her back for an emergency c-section. It was so scary. The dr was on the gurney w/her holding the umbilical cord inside of her.
However, Aiden Joseph was born crying loudly, healthy as can be @ 7lbs 4oz 21 inches long! Randi lost quite a bit of blood, but they were finally able to control & she didn’t have to have a transfusion.

I left the hospital before Aiden came out to meet everyone – but got plenty of pics from Aunt Vicki!

Welcome to the family Aiden Joseph – we are so happy you’re here!

Time flies when you're having fun!

The last week & a half has been busy! We've had appts, visiting Gramma, whatever you can think of, we've done it! :)

Bryleigh is staying awake for longer periods of time & is sooo adorable when she's awake. She looks around & makes all kinds of noises. She loves 'talking' to us.
The cats are driving us crazy b/c they chew on anything they can of hers. Her binky's, the bottle nipples...I'm seriously ready to kill them!

Saturday evening we headed over to Gramma's & visited w/her for awhile. When we left it was after 9 & it was dark & a little chilly. The crisp weather & smell of firewood burning got us psyched for camping in Oct!!!
We are looking for a small propane heater for the tent b/c let's be honest, as adults & even Cadence @ 4, we can handle the chilly evening weather - Bryleigh - well that might be a bit much!

Sunday was Community Day for Cadence's team & so they went around 3 different communities gathering food. It was sort of a scavenger hunt. Cadence's team won!! But really the food bank won b/c all the teams collected 1836 items of food/boxed items & toiletries! They even got a tv & $35!!

Our week ahead isn't too jam packed. We have Bryleigh's follow-up appt from her jaundice tomorrow. I'm visiting w/my friends at work before heading out to that..on the way home we'll hit up Baypark for my blood work.

Now, onto what you REALLY are here for...pictures!
Cadence playing w/Gramma

Bryleigh napping

Cadence getting a help w/swinging

Woohoo-the teeter totter is fun!

look how high she can go!

Giving Daddy a push down the slide

chilling in the golf cart on the way back to Grammas.

Gramma w/Bryleigh

Malachai, Gramma, Cadence, Bryleigh & Taevion

tiny feet!

Cadence cheesin it!

Little Ms. B hanging out in her swing

Trouble!


Let me think about that…

Cadence loves her coach!

what a great turnout to collect food for the local food pantry!

She loves her daddy!



look at all the food collected! And there was still more outside!!



What a great group!

Ready to go home after a long day!

Til next time...

It's true - Spring is here!

This past weekend was some of the best weather we've had in...well I don't even know how long! Saturday - I took Mo to the event & unfortunately no one showed any interest :( After the event, I took him home & went to Aunt Vicki's to get Dennis. I offered to take Heaven w/us to the park. The girls had a blast! Cadence was so tired from running around so much - she was miserable!
I was happy when she finally fell asleep..

Getting ready to go down the slide

The girls going down the slide

Cadence hurt herself on the bars2 beautiful girls

Yesterday we stayed home & did laundry & cleaned. It was sunny - not quite as warm as Sat, but nice none the less.
Today was gorgeous! We didn't get out, but had the windows & door opened. It was great. Not much planned for the rest of the week. I volunteer at the church office tomorrow evening for a couple hours. Home group on Friday..that's pretty much the extent of our week. Have a great week!

WooHoo - it's ALMOST Friday!!!

Monday - Cadence started daycare full time. I was excited for her to be going everyday - I think going all day, every day will help her in a bunch of ways. She'll be around other kids, so she'll get lots of play time in. Playing w/other kids, will help her speech. She won't be in the house snacking w/dad all the time (dennis is a great dad, but when she's bored & wants to snack - he lets her). She'll be working on colors (she knows most of them), shapes (she know 5 shapes), her alphabet (she knows all of it but the l-p portion) & counting (she can count to 12). They will also work on writing & learning days of the week & months. I'm excited for her to learn these things. She's very smart & catches on to things quickly, but once she knows how to do it - if she's no longer challenged, she gets bored. Now, she'll be learning so many different things, she won't be bored anymore. Plus, not being stuck in the house, she'll have more to talk to Madison about on the phone!
She & Madison talk about 3x's a week - but Cadence usually only talks about the dogs or her toys. Madison goes to the babysitters, so her days have something different all the time & their conversations end up one sided & Madison gets bored when Cadence only talks about the dogs & toys.
Dennis picked up Cai from daycare & when I got home from work, made tacos for dinner. We dropped Cai off at Marge's so that Dennis & I could go to class at church. When we got to Marge's after class, Cadence was ready to come home. It had been a long day for her & I think she needed the comforts of home. Dennis pulled up in front of the house so that we didn't have to walk in the mud & as I was getting out, Cadence started crying b/c she thought I was going home & she was leaving again. She just kept saying, I want to go home too. I brought her in the house & she curled up on the couch next to me. We headed to bed around 9:45 - I was exhausted, but I think Cadence was fighting it. She kept talking & trying to stay awake. I finally got her to sleep & I was out before my head it the pillow.
Tuesday morning it was much easier to wake Cadence than yesterday. She was a little cranky in the bath, but once she was dressed, she was much happier. I dropped her off at daycare & she kissed me good bye. She was very shy, but I'm hoping it didn't last long & that she started playing. I only checked on her 1 time yesterday! I was so proud of myself… I'm not sure if it's b/c we didn't see each other much yesterday, but I felt like I had to check on her 10x's! I didn't, but I sure wanted to! When I picked her up, she didn't even want to leave. She was playing w/the blocks w/some little boy. I had to physically go over & carry her away from them.
Yesterday was a long day at work. When I got to the daycare to pick up Cadence, they were outside playing. I figured I'd never get her out of there. However, she was ready to leave (mostly b/c she had mud on her pants). On our way back through the daycare - she took me into her room to show me their art projects. She has made a flower & there's a picture of her in the middle & they also made caterpillars. They were very cute & she was very proud of her work. My mom was going to Alan's after she got off work to run him over to pick up a pizza - I suggested she should pick one up for me. She hung up laughing. Around 6:45, my brother called & said, meet mom outside in a minute, she's got a pizza for you. YAH MOM!! It was yummy & we didn't have to cook it - which made it even better!
This morning Cadence was ready to go to school, that's all she kept talking about - but again, when I dropped her off, she was very shy. It makes me sad, but they said she opens up & has fun not long after I leave.
As for tonite - not much planned, watching Ghost Hunters that was dvr'd last nite & doing some much needed laundry.
Tomorrow nite is home group for church - we're going to have a potato bar & salad for dinner.
Saturday is Dennis' 32nd b/day. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you look at it financially), he has was asked to work. It will be overtime at that point - so it will be worth it.
Since he'll be working, I'll be taking Ranger & Mohawk to the event. Here's to hoping they find their forever homes..
Cadence will go play with Madison - she's pretty excited about that!
Sunday is my weekend to volunteer at the Welcome Center at church - so I'm looking fwd to that.
Have a great weekend!

It's officially Spring...or so I've been told

So the rumor is that yesterday was the official first day of Spring. However, here in Toledo, OH...not so much. We're expecting a snow storm tonite w/3-6 in of snow by morning. Yippee.. I love snow - I love snow storms, but we've had our fair share this year & I'm quite ready for it to be done!
To catch you up on our past week -

The rest of Monday - Cadence made some cute Blarney Stones to celebrate St. Pat's Day. Dennis came home from the hospital & was pretty tired.

My Little Artist

That evening, Dennis & I went to the class at church, while Cadence stayed at home w/my mom. She woke up in a bad mood & was screaming for about 10 mins. My mom tried everything to get her to stop & finally yelled at her. That worked, when we got home, Cadence was quietly watching tv. Cadence had a rush of energy & instead of going to sleep - decided dancing was a better idea..here are some videos of her dancing..



Tuesday - Jenny called & asked if she could kidnap Cadence & take her w/them to Chuck E Cheese that evening. You didn't have to twist my arm - anything to make Cadence tired!

Havin fun @ Chuck E. Cheese

Wed - Cadence got to spend more time w/Uncle Alan, Aunt Jenny & Colin. They babysat her while Dennis & I worked. After work, we went to the hospital daycare to tour it. It's not only right at Dennis' work, but down the street from our house & right next to the e-way entrance (for me to go to work!). Cadence wanted to play, but we only stayed for 20 mins. Long enough to learn about the daycare. They have an accreditation by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, a division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) - this recognition has been achieved by approximately 7% of early childhood programs nationwide. How could I pass up this wonderful opportunity?! So, Cadence starts on Monday! Wed evening, I brought Colin back to my house for awhile to give Alan a break from kids.

Thursday - When I got home from work, I really wanted to spend some time w/Cadence. I feel like I haven't been able to cuddle her & spend time w/her the last few days. They've just been so busy. She, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do w/me. I was a little offended. Finally, I gave up on trying to get some Caco love & watched a mini-One Tree Hill marathon. I was able to delete like 3 episodes off of my dvr - yah me! :)

Today - I just got home from running Dennis to work. I am going to take Cadence to Lisa's while I work. We only work a 1/2 day today, so when I get off I'll pick up Cai & take Lisa to get her phone fixed. Then I have to go to the daycare to turn in the paperwork & sign papers. Cadence will also get a chance to meet some of her new classmates & teachers.

When we're done at the daycare, we'll head over & get Dennis from work. He has a dentist appt this pm, so while he's there, Cadence & I can walk around the mall.

Tonite - I'll be spending the evening cleaning up. We're having Easter dinner here on Sunday, so I'd like to have it all done tonite so that tomorrow I'm not running around like a mad woman trying to get the house finished.

Tomorrow - I'll probably be taking Mohawk to the event & picking up our newest foster..Ranger. Dennis is still unsure if he's going to car care clinic tomorrow. It's been a LONG week for him - so he's thinking he may sit this one out..

Ranger...looking for his forever home..any takers?
Tomorrow evening we will be going to church & then come home to paint eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide. I'll send a quick update tomorrow nite & Sunday nite - Have a Happy Easter!