Fall Bucket List, New Hair Cut, and Dexter Update

We went to Mom’s for chili and cornbread and to do some projects Mom wanted done. She had her door decorated cute for Halloween! I hauled about 6 big boxes to Good Will yesterday after work from her garage. She’s making progress! We then had Sunday afternoon to work on projects here and I got a few things done. One of which was working on our bucket list for Fall to the end of the year.

Here she is, our Fall Bucket list:

I tried to put some fall things we love to eat and some old favorites of mine – I’ve been craving hot ham and Swiss heated sandwich with like a peach mild hot sauce (yum) and also grilled cheese with tomato soup. Not sure why but they both sound so good to me. There are some dishes I want to make and/or create of my own (pasta with wine sauce and veggies). We have some Christmas gift cards to restaurants to use up from last year and we’ll use those up soon while we are running around shopping. I put some shopping adventures on there since we’ll be doing some Christmas outings. I threw some goals on there but also tried not to exhaust myself with all my video and blogging goals – I think there are only two! lol I threw some fun on there. Our trip to Texas is on there. Overall a pretty fun list. George also was consulted and his items were put on here too. I rolled over some of the ones from Summer that we didn’t get to.

How did we end up on the Summer Bucket List?

Well we DID get a lot of it done when you consider how much time each of them takes. What we didn’t get done was some all day or half day excursions we wanted to do. I didn’t get a yoga class in, nor did I meet my weight loss goals. The jewelry project remains undone (going through armoire and getting rid of unwanted items and then redoing it to house my earrings, lol). I didn’t get my puzzle finished but it’s about half way through. We didn’t get to go to some restaurants that we wanted to go to. I didn’t get to learn Tube Buddy either (helps with YouTube), but I did do some Canon camera lessons and played in Canva quite a bit and learned a lot. I did not read 3 books b/c I picked a book about twice the size as Gone with the Wind, lol. I’m over half way through. I did not go Yard Sailing with George b/c I valued my rare time at home too much to be gone all morning. I love yard sails but time at home prevails.

Work. Well it’s month end and quarter end again. I’m hoping not to stress and I said I wasn’t gonna. I can have two other months with not a lot of extra stuff going on, things going smooth, but let me have a month-end or quarter end busy schedule going on and the world turns upside down like a snow globe and back up again. I have had more issues this week. It’s almost like people plan it. I know they don’t but you swear they do. lol. Because it always happens like clock work. I thought I’d never get through with payroll today. The goal was to get through early so I could get some tax work done, but noooooooo oooooo ooooo! Payroll took longer today than it has in a long time. I’m off Friday so no hope of doing much this week toward month end or quarter end. So geez I hope the next three weeks go better otherwise “nuttin-be-done”. I did get a few things done Monday until hell fire broke loose today.

Hair Cut. I did it. I got it cut short. This is their styling. I think I can do better on the top. I used to have my hair cut short a lot in my thirties and forties. Lately is the longest I’ve had in a while. Forgive the no make up scenarios below as it’s been since 5 this morning since I applied make up. I did add lipstick b/c with me lipstick (and eyeliner) makes a big difference.

It’s shocking to me that my hair is black and grey when I used to be so brown! It may not look like much is cut but look over toward the chair to the right – huge clumps came off. It feels wonderful. And I have always had a tendency to cut my hair shorter for the fall/winter months. I don’t know why. I wear a lot of scarves so it’s ok.

Honestly I don’t think it looks a whole lot different on me, just shorter and neater. I’m pretty happy with it but as always it will depend on how it looks after I style it but I think it’ll be fine. Like I say, it doesn’t matter how you get it cut – in two to three weeks it all starts to look like every other hair cut. At least with me.

Dexter. Can you believe how big this guy is? We love him so much. But I will say that having a big dog is just so much different than a little one. Not only is he very expensive (food, XL pee pads, dogsters (b/c we spoil him), flea/tick meds, heartworm, treats, and soon to be grooming bath and doggie day care). We also will have some household damage to repair when he calms down but thankfully nothing major.

I still miss the love that a smaller dog gives, but I’ve talked to God about this, knowing that we prayed for a dog and God provided this one. Upon arriving home after such a prayer, several times, to be met with paws on my shoulders and kisses on my mouth and cheek. So while sometimes he seems aloof a lot of the time, I think it is just the puppy stage kicking in. I know that he will settle a bit and we’ll be able to have the loving calm relationship I’ve been seeking. lol

He does so many things so well and seems to respond to training well when we take the time to consistently remind and prompt him. He’s pretty good a sitting but can be distracted. He is consistently trained to the pee pads (sometimes misses and if it is a big pee can be a river in the hallway). Big dog. Big pee. So we have supplies handy in hallway closet and take turns cleaning if needed. He has taken to holding his pee all day til we get home and will do a big pee outside.

He still does well overnight. There was one day we were gone all day, went home fed him and had to go out again for a fund raiser meal and program, back again after bedtime. That night he was a wild man from being cooped all day and resting. He woke me up numerous times wanting me to get up – every hour on the hour. I was exhausted but didn’t want to punish him into the hallway again after having him cooped all day. He was pretty patient every time when I said “let me sleep” and would hmph like a teen and go stomping off. His emotions are funny sometimes, as he has a bored/frustrated growl and pout noise. But in the mornings he is very loving, and usually pretty sleepy. Sometimes he doesn’t want to go to bed and gets mad that George has gone to bed. He’d sleep with him if he’d let him. Too many guitars in there, shoes on the floor, and that bed is awful high. So no go.

Little Roo. We miss out so much with him. It hurts that I cannot see him and hold him and do things for him in person. Katy had a work trip for part of this week. She posted this on her Instagram. I was thinking I don’t post on here enough about him. I had always saved him for “best for last” when I did my “meanwhile in TX” ending, but then I could never get that far in my blog posts and honestly not sure that they want to me to post a lot on here for security reasons but I know that they know I’m his Nonni and I’m not gonna keep him a secret. Seriously they don’t give me a hard time about sharing, but they did request not to be on the videos. I noticed that a few pics got in from the mantle, but I guess that is different in a way. But I’ll get to see him and hold him in a few weeks and I already know I’ll be crying when we leave. It’s just too hard.

2023’s Winter Party with our fun loving foodie friends…we decided to plan a Northern 50 degree latitude party. Meaning that we’ll do lunch/dinner with foods that are typically eaten by countries 50 degrees and north on the globe. We already have a lot of foods in mind for our Winter Party in which we also share Christmas. I think we are looking at a February date so that Year end can be concentrated on as I’ll be so stressed. lol

Here’s some things I found on the internet…I’m just saying. We prob won’t do breakfast but how cute is this? And then there are the polar bear ice cube trays.

I think of my Svalbard YouTube channel I follow. I’ll have to pay attention to what all they eat up there in Norway and above, as well as Canada, Alaska, France counts too I think and then there is Russia which currently gives me bad thoughts. I do not think bad of the Russian people at all but I do not take kindly to such a man like Putin who is selfish, greedy, hateful, and spiteful. I told the Lord today that he managed to have him named a totally appropriate name – someone that farts all over everyone. Sorry but there it is. lol. Putin, if you apologize and fix what you’ve done I’ll forgive you and apologize myself. Til then I’ll think of you for what you have done, which seems so meaningless. Yes perfectly named. Sorry, no not sorry.

My heart does not even want to think of being alive still when the nuclear wars break out. There will be massive losses of life – like a third or half of the world. It’s not a good scenario. Those alive will starve and the Lord will come back early to keep his people from suffering so much. I try to do the Revelation series but it haunts at me that so many are going to perish and not have everlasting life and that so many will be in desperate situations and will wish they were dead instead of suffering. So I’m not able to do the revelation study every day. It’s to grave for me. It literally is. And just so sad that I have to have these talks with God about it to even be able to fall asleep.

So let’s end on a happy note about food. Here’s some shots lately.

Above is George’s deep dish pie pan pizza with rosemary crust. It was really special!

So tomorrow’s Wednesday already. I work tomorrow and Thursday and then Dexter gets his snip on Thursday. I drop him off and will go in later than usual. George will pick him up. I will work later than usual Thursday to get my hours in and then I’m taking off Friday to be there while he recovers.

George takes over with him Saturday as I take Mom and Fancy out. It’s Fancy’s spa day and then Mom and I will go out for breakfast and then get our Pedi’s done. She will need to get some groceries too and she always likes the dollar store if we have time and Sally’s beauty supply is next door.

Then George has plans with a college roommate in town for either lunch or dinner. I don’t think it’s decided yet. But he’ll have to decide if Dexter is good to be by himself or not if he goes to lunch. I’ll be back from Mom’s no later than 5 or 6 I think depending on how much of a grocery run or whatever we end up doing. Probably back by 3 or 4. But anyway, in case I’m not back until Friday – everyone have a lovely rest of the week and let me hear from you and what is going on.

I miss you guys. Everyone has been quiet.