Mellow Monday

So this past Saturday was fun.  I went on the annual Garden Tour, which is always a fun way to spend the day.  My neighbor's yard was featured this year, and she did her usual criticism of my yard when she saw me.  She's going to be gone for the entire month of July, and I can't say that I'll miss her.  I took a few pictures from the tour, including the one above.  The roses are in honor of a woman's Boxer who passed away earlier this year.  The white blob at the bottom is an angel.  The picture is very clear on my iPod, so it's disappointing it didn't come out better here.

I had an interview for an internship this past week too.  The interview went pretty well.  I won't find out until the middle of August if I got it or not.  It doesn't offer an hourly wage, but there is a small stipend available at the end of it, depending on performance.  Keeping my fingers crossed that I got it!

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Took this from here.

1.  What lessons has your life work taught you?

That you can't judge someone by the way they look.  Someone dressed to the nines can be dirt poor, while someone who looks homeless can have a fortune in the bank.  Just because someone is good looking, that doesn't mean they are nice.  Someone can be an incredibly nice person, and still be a horrible coworker.

I was also really shocked to learn that people can be soooooo different, depending where you work with them.  I used to work in a call center, then moved to the commercial loan department within the same company.  When some of my call center coworkers moved to the commercial loan department after I did, I was so surprised at how different they were from one department to the next.  I don't know what made them that way, and it was disappointing in most cases.

2.  Do people tell you that you act older, younger, or your age?  

People don't really comment on the way I act, at least not to my face.  I tend to think I act younger.  I'm a non-traditional student and am surrounded by 18-21 year olds most of the time, so I try not to act all fuddy-duddy around them.

3.  What do you do when someone tells you a joke that you don't think is funny?

Sometimes I'll fake laugh.  I remember once at my last job that the asst. manager's boyfriend was trying to get me to laugh at one of his stupid jokes.  I wouldn't laugh, so he kept telling them.  Finally, I told him I didn't think the jokes were funny.  The asst. manager took him into her office and he left me alone.  I think that's the last time I saw him.

4.  Show and tell.  What comes to mind first when you see this picture?  Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Once upon a time, I used to follow a blog which is now no longer in existence.  One of my favorite posts was one where she was showing off her new tattoo and she talked about the meaning behind it.  When she graduated from college, her boss had given her a key necklace.  The boss talked about how she is the one that holds the key to her life, she's the one that makes the decisions, she's the one who opens all the doors, she's the one that makes things happen.  She is the one who holds the key to make all her dreams come true.  All she has to do is to turn the key and make it happen.

 So she got a key tattooed on her as a reminder that she is the key to her own success. I *LOVED* this idea and decided that once I graduated college, I would get a tattoo of a key also.  One the last day of my very first semester, my psychology professor commented to the class that she bet no one had ever noticed her key tattoo.  She had it done in white on her forearm so that she could see it every single day, but that no one else would see it.  So I think mine will also be done in white for that very same reason.  I've already got the key picked out that I plan to use, now I just need the money for it.  (I'm accepting donations if anyone is interested...  Just kidding!)

Wordless Wednesday

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Soooooo yesterday I tried to visit everyone, but Blogger was acting weird.  Normally when I click on my reading list, it shows a long list of recent posts.  Yesterday though, it would only show one at a time.  There was a link just below it that said "Show more," but nothing happened when I'd click it.  If I refreshed the page, it would show another new one, but only that one new post with the same "Show more" link that didn't work.  I signed out and back in again, even waiting awhile before trying again when it didn't immediately fix the problem.  After several tries with the same result, I gave up!  Did anyone else have this problem?

I was just thinking last night how it's so weird that I went from being insanely busy and neverendingly exhausted with school and work, to having absolutely nothing to do.  It's nice to have the free time and not have to feel guilty for not doing anything productive, but I almost don't know what to do with myself!  This past week was nice.  I took a long walk with the chi's and my mom and her beagle.  I also had dinner with friends one night, which was a lot of fun.  This coming weekend, I'll likely be going on the annual garden tour, which is always a fun way to spend the day.

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Took this from here.

1.  Describe a time when you felt vengeful.  

I used to do hair about 87 years ago.  One day, a client came in who asked for her hair to be streaked blonde.  It took a long time, and I ended up working past closing time getting her hair just right.  She seemed pleased with it when she left, and even gave me a tip.

The next morning she called back and spoke to my manager, demanding a refund.  She said she hated it and that I'd done a horrible job on her hair.  My boss told her no, saying that if she was unhappy, she should have said something at the time of service, and that she was welcome to come back in and we'd try to fix it.  She refused to come back in.  She then went to another salon to get it fixed the way she wanted it and wanted us to not only refund her money from when she came to my salon, but to also pay the services for the other salon.  My boss again told her no.  She called relentlessly, and one day my boss was out, so I had to talk to her.  She was quite nasty and told me that she was in the process of hiring an attorney.  She also said that the other hairdresser was willing to testify that I'd ruined her scalp by leaving the bleach on too long.  If I'd ruined her scalp, the other hairdresser should not have been adding more color on top of it to fix it!

Anyway, long story short, we never did refund her money, and she never sued me.  I wasn't a good person back then, and felt very vengeful towards her.

2.  Which holiday has the most meaning for you:  Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, or Valentine's Day and why?  

I would definitely say Fourth of July.  I didn't have a happy childhood, but July 4th does have some fun memories associated with it.  I holds meaning for me as an adult because my dad died on July 3rd, three years ago this year.

3.  What would you like to be famous for?

I wouldn't want to be famous.  I used to think I would, but I know better now.

4.  Show and Tell.  What comes to mind first when you see this picture?  Or tell a story if it reminds you of one. 

The name of this place is called Gold Hill, and it's located in the UK.  I used to live in the UK as a baby (my dad was military), but I don't really remember it, or whether I've been here before.  I would love to go back someday, and maybe explore this village.

Chewy.com and Sojos Reviews

As you may remember, my boys did a review for Sojos back in April.  We received several samples of freeze-dried dog foods and treats.  The boys are still enjoying everything (they're little, so they don't eat a lot), so when I was asked if we might be interested in giving a new treat a try, we were all for it!

We received a 4 oz. bag of Sojos Simply Lamb freeze dried treats to try.  They're made of 100% raw freeze-dried meat, with no preservatives and nothing artificial.  There are absolutely no other ingredients!  As soon as I pulled the bag out of the box, the boys were both underfoot, begging me to give them some.  They both gobbled it down like there was no tomorrow, and came bag looking for more.  I set the bag down on the kitchen table for the time being and any time I walked by it, they got excited, thinking they were going to get more goodies!   That's how much they loved it!  

There are several other kinds of food and treats in the Sojos line, even catnip!  Click on the link to see what else they have to offer.

Here's a little information about it:

Sojos Simply Lamb Freeze-Dried Dog Treats

These mouth-watering morsels are the perfect training treat for dogs of all sizes. Dogs love meat. And that’s just what they get with Sojos Simply Meat Treats. It’s the real, raw meat your dog craves. And for you, it’s all the more delicious knowing that every morsel is gently freeze-dried, under our own roof, to lock in the natural enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

Key Benefits

·         100% raw, freeze-dried meat

·         Made with natural, human-quality ingredients

·         No artificial preservatives

·         No artificial flavors or colors

·         Made in the USA!

Each bag is only $9.95.  That's very reasonable, especially, considering shipping and handling is absolutely free !  

Here's Shiver enjoying some.  (No, he didn't get to eat all that!  I didn't realize he was in the room, and when he saw the treats, he jumped up and interrupted my photo shoot!)
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We also had the opportunity to try a 32 oz. bottle of Simple Solution Extreme Stain and Odor Remover, which is only $6.64, plus shipping and handling.  They also offer gallon size bottles for $18.19, plus shipping and handling.  

Here's some information taken directly from the website:  

Simple Solution Extreme Stain & Odor Remover

Simple Solution professional strength Extreme formula is 3x more powerful than most enzymatic formulas. The only Pro-Bacteria and Enzyme formula that works faster on the toughest pet stains. Developed to remove vomit, urine and feces from carpets, upholstery or any other water-safe surfaces. Completely eliminates odors to discourage pets from repeat marking.

I was really looking forward to using this product!  Two weeks before, Shiver had thrown up twice in one day, and then once the following day.  Of course this all happened on my bedroom and hallway carpet, rather than in the kitchen where I could easily wipe the mess up!  

The directions were easy enough:  Spray the stain and surrounding area well and let sit for five minutes.  Then take a cloth or paper towel and blot it as well as you can.  Once that's done, just let it dry.  Honestly, I didn't see a difference before and after.  However, I am contributing that to it not being a fresh stain.  The boys haven't made any fresh stains that I've noticed, but I plan to bring this out the next time they do and give it a proper try.  

Simple Solution also has a number of different products in their line, which has been around since 1978.    

Thanks to Chewy.com for allowing us to try even more goodies!  

We were not compensated financially for this post from Sojos or Chewy.com, but were provided free samples of dog treats and Simple Solution in return for our honest opinions.

Wordless Wednesday

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Mundane Monday

Thankfully, this past week was considerably better than the week before.  Even so, I still spent far too much of it feeling sorry for myself.  Part of it was due to not having any luck with jobs.  After I got fired, I couldn't find a job to save my life.  I applied for job after job after job with very little response, and had some horrific interviews.  Each letter/email/phone call I received saying I didn't get the job felt like a major rejection.  Why wasn't I good enough?  What was wrong with me that I couldn't even get shitty jobs that I didn't really want, but desperately needed?  School opened up a whole new world for me, and I was finally happy.  I felt like I'd found myself and that I was right where I needed to be.

School is out for the summer, and I wasn't lucky enough this time to be picked to work at my current job.  I figure I'm already looking for summer work, so I'll just look for something to replace my current job.  I have absolutely no respect for my boss, or my coworkers, so it seemed like a win-win situation to find something to carry me through the summer and through the next year of school. 

Only now I feel like I'm right back where I was before I started school.  I feel like I'm getting rejection letters left and right, and all those feelings keep rushing back when I least expect it.  I especially worry that I won't find a good job after graduation, and be stuck with a mounting student loan bill that I can't afford to pay.  Did I really make the right choice in going back to school?  My heart tells me yes, but only time will tell.  

Someone also gave me a lecture that I wasn't interested in hearing.  When I told said person that I didn't want his advice, he still kept going on and on.  I shouldn't have to justify my life choices to anyone, and yet, I do...  

Another thing I was bummed out about was that only two bloggers have signed up for my annual Christmas in July dog swap.  That's the worst turnout I've ever had.  But then I realized that at least two bloggers joined in, which is better than none at all.  And hopefully those two will be very happy with their swaps.  That's all that really matters - that everyone who takes part is happy and had fun doing it.  

Some other stuff happened too, but I don't want to bore everyone with my problems.  It's in the past, and that's exactly where it should stay!  

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Wordy Wednesday

I had a really bad week last week, and just haven't been up to blogging or visiting anyone.  I try to keep things positive here, so I won't go into detail of what happened.  It wasn't any one big thing, just lots of little things that kept going wrong.  Lets just say a lot of tears were shed, but I'm moving on now and putting it all behind me.  I love cute animals, but decided to do something a little different this week -- inspirational quotes.

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Don't furget to sign up for Christmas in July!  I'm accepting emails to join in until next Friday, June 20th.  Only 2 bloggers have contacted me so far, so I'm hoping more will participate.

Half Full Friday

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty.  I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  And then come back here and tell me about it!

~I'm happy because...

Christmas in July sign ups have begun!  Only one blogger has signed up so far, so there's still lots of room for more!

Shiver seems to be feeling much better and hasn't gotten sick in the past couple of days!

I attended Arts and Roses this past Sunday!

The chi's cheered me up after a particularly BAD day yesterday!  (It was really, really bad.)

The swelling in my mom's eye is finally starting to go down after her cataract surgery!

Because I'm a participant and not a committee member this year, I can attend the big fundraising event and am not expected or required to spend the night  for an event I used to volunteer for!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

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Just a reminder -- see Monday's post on details for how to join my Christmas in July swap.

Christmas in July

Welcome to Christmas in July, fka Doggone Dog Swap!  This isn't a swap for yourself -- it's a swap for your pets!  No, we aren't swapping our pets, although sometimes I wouldn't mind trading mine in, lol!  This isn't limited to just dogs – cats and exotics can participate too!  Basically, you'll each buy toys and/or treats for your swap partner and they'll do the same in return.  You never know what you might get!

The deadline to enter is Friday, June 20, which gives you three weeks.  Once your swap partner has been chosen, you'll get an email with your swap partner's information.

I've listed the ground rules below.  If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.  

1.  You'll enter each pet you have individually.  Since I have both Shiver and Chico, I'm going to fill out the questions below twice (one for each dog).  I'll try my best to swap doggies with doggies, cats with cats and exotics with exotics.  Depending on the participants, you may be partnered with someone who has pets of a different species than you do, so please keep that in mind.  That's where the questionnaire comes in handy!  You'll also have your partner's email and blog address, so that you can contact them with any additional questions.  

2.  The minimum spending limit is $20, the maximum is $30.  These amounts are before postage.  If you're swapping for more than one pet, I'll let you use your best judgment on how much additional to spend. 

3.  *You'll need to email me and your partner a tracking number for the package you sent out* and to let me know when you've received your goodies from your partner.  This part is crucial!!!!  A tracking number is provided automatically on your receipt if you're using the post office, FedEx or UPS.   Anyone living outside of the US is exempt from this rule.  If I discover that you received a package but never sent one out, you'll be outted and blacklisted from participating in the future!!!  Fortunately, this hasn't been an issue in the past, and I'd like to keep it that way.  I'll do my best to match pets from the same country, but please note if you are outside the US, you will most likely be partnered with another international pet.  If you live in the US and cannot mail internationally, please let me know.  Mailing to another country can sometimes be costly, depending on where you’re sending a package to, so I would hate for anyone not to participate because of that.

4. You must post about the swap once you receive your package.  We wanna see what you got!  If you don't have a blog, you can still participate.  Just email me the pictures of your loot, and I'll post them on my blog for you. 

5. You have until Friday, July 18th to get those packages mailed out. That's four weeks to go shopping and get those goodies sent. 

6. This is the most important rule - HAVE FUN!!!!!

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, no matter what your pet is, email the form below to sprinkles at everythingisbetterwithsprinkles1(at)hotmail(dot)com.

1.  The name of your pet and what kind you have 

2.  Male or female

3.  Breed of pet and size (small, medium, large, xlarge)

4.  Is there anything your pet cannot have?

5.  Is there anything in particular that your pet really likes?  Examples of this might be a certain kind of toy or treat.

6.  Your address.  Your information will only be shared with your swap partner.

7.  Your blog address, if you have one

Here's what we got in last year's swap.