The big reveal

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I have been working on a few projects.  Remember that?

Today, I am finally ready to share one of those projects with you, and I really hope that you'll like what you see. It has taken a lot of time, but it is finally ready to be revealed, and I couldn't be more excited.

For the past few years I have been making jewelry for myself, mostly because I can never seem to find anything that I absolutely love in a store.  The more necklaces that I made for myself, the more frequently I noticed people complimenting the pieces that I had made. Then eventually it got to the point that people were asking me to make custom pieces for them, or telling me that I should be selling my jewelry and making money off of my craft. After a lot of thought and preparation, I decided to open my own Etsy shop.

Today I listed the first round of items for sale, and The Pink Pendant officially went live.

If you have a minute, stop by and check it out.  Right now I have necklaces, earrings and wine glass charms for sale, and everything is handmade by me. I'd love to hear feedback from you on anything that I can do to improve the shop or the products and I also offer custom items if requested.  If you see something you like while you are there, and decide that you'd like to buy it, I am offering a discount to my blog readers, so make sure to use coupon code 'PFOBfan' at checkout to receive 15% off of your purchase.

{Click image to visit The Pink Pendant on Etsy}

If only she could talk

Yesterday was a rough one for our puppy.

We took her to the vet on Saturday for a check up, and to inquire about having her teeth cleaned. We knew that there would probably be a few other minor things that we would also need to consider, and so we had set aside some money so that we would be prepared to take care of our girl. When we got to the vet, some of our suspicions were confirmed and a few others were brought to our attention.

In the last year or so, we have noticed a skin tag sprouting from her side and a small lump growing on her back. We have been a bit concerned about them, so that was one of the things that we brought up and asked about the possibility of having them both removed. The Vet agreed with us that it would be easier to do everything all at one time, while she was under anesthesia for the teeth cleaning, than having her go through two separate procedures with anesthesia both times. The other things that the Vet addressed, that would also need to be taken care of while she was under were a broken tooth that would need extracting, and some overgrowth of her gums that would need to be lasered off. Apparently this is common in Boxers.

Yesterday was the day she went in to have all of these things taken care of. Brett did the dirty work and dropped her off in the morning while I was at work. I knew that I would have fallen apart if I had been there, because of the fact that I am an emotional basket case who always sees the worst in any situation. He is my hero. He even took her to Petsmart and bought her a new toy to take with her to keep her company while she was there. I still ended up crying like a baby from work when he sent me a picture of her in the car on the way there. Just the thought of her being scared to be there alone with strangers made me sad.

I left work early so that we'd both be able to go pick her up together after she was done. When I walked in the door, and she wasn't there to greet me, I nearly lost my shit all over again. That is one of the highlights of my day. I can't imagine how sad life must be for people without dogs. 

We finally got the call that we could come pick her up, but the girl told us that the Vet wanted to discuss her blood work before we could take her home. It turned out to be fine, just a small matter of needing to lower the amount of protein in her diet, but I was worried the whole way there to face the impending doom of being told that there was something seriously wrong with her. (remember, I always expect the worst from situations) When they finally brought her out to us, she seemed a lot happier than I would have expected her to be, and her nubbin (that's what we call her tail, or lack thereof) even wiggled a bit. The spot where they removed the lump from her back had been dramatically shaven to give them room to work, and now looks like this:



When we finally got her home, she was still a little loopy from all of the drugs and in pain. My heart was broken. She couldn't fall asleep, so she just laid on the couch whining. We did our best to comfort her, but nothing seemed to help.

This morning Brett says that she seems much happier which, in turn, makes me much happier. Hopefully this will be the last of her surgical adventures, but at least now she will have a cool scar to show off.

Lethargy leads to thinking.

So far, all the new year has brought to me is illness. I have been sick for the last two days, which means that I have done nothing but lay on the couch and sleep.

It has given me a lot of time to think though. I've been thinking about the changes that I'd like to make this year to better myself, better the situation we are living in, and better my relationships with the people who mean the most to me.

To better myself I plan on writing, at least a little bit, every day. Whether it's my blog or working on my book, I want to write. I need to write. Writing is my sanity. It's the one creative outlet that I have, and it helps me to keep myself balanced. I enjoy it, and that is why it's important to me. Along with writing, I need to become a healthier version of myself. I need to get back into a routine, start eating healthier and workout regularly.

To better our situation, I need to work on doing something to make a little extra money. I have a few ideas that I am working on, some by myself and some with partners, that I hope to be able to tell you all about soon. For now though, I don't want to jinx anything. They are big ideas though, and I cannot wait to see where they will take me.

To better my relationships with those that I care for, I need to start by making a stronger effort to communicate more often.  This year for Christmas, I didn't pick up my phone to make a single phone call, all I did was sent out a mass text. A text message. So pathetic. The other thing that has really been lacking is birthday's of those that I love. I used to be very good at remembering birthday's and I have seriously fallen off the bandwagon with that one. I never send birthday cards, and half the time I don't even remember to call.  I need to make a better effort with birthdays.

Don't mistake these changes for new year's resolutions.  They are not.  They are life resolutions. Things that I want to change about my life and keep up with them indefinitely.

Torn

You all know that I hate the snow.

I'm a little torn lately, though.

Usually by now we have had snow for at least a month and a half, and lots of it. I'm usually bitching about the shitty commute by now, because as soon as it starts snowing, people drive like total assholes. This year though, there is nothing. No snow anywhere in sight, other than the very peak of the surrounding mountains, and it is January 4th. I wake up every morning a bit relieved, but to be honest, now it is starting to worry me.

I don't like the snow at all, but in January I would rather be a month and a half into the snow season, knowing that there are only a few more months to go before spring. The fact that we have no snow yet means that when it finally does start to fall, it most likely won't stop until June. Last year we had snow clear into April, and it started when it was supposed to. It's not unusual for the snow to linger into late April, or early May, but that is usually where it stops. This year, I'm not convinced that will be the case.