Cone of Shame!

Ruger’s allergies got so bad last weekend that we put the cone of shame on him. 

He wasn’t happy about it and Winnie was completely terrified.  Ruger handled it a lot better than I thought he would. 

She would run to another room if he walked near her.  Ruger wouldn’t calm down on Sunday, so I put a sheet over Doug and let Ruger on the couch.  He fell asleep pretty quickly. 

While we were outside Sunday evening, I heard baby birds and took a picture of their nest: 

 

Poor Winnie finally got some rest when Ruger rested on his bed: 

I think her eyes were on him the whole time: 

She would hide in the closet to get away from him: 

Ruger chewed on his feet a little, so I squirted him with the water bottle; he got up and came over to get a drink: 

We took the cone off on Sunday night to see how Ruger would react to his new food and more allergy pills.  He did pretty well, so we’ve left the cone off.

I caught our maniacs chewing on one of the baby birds Monday evening.  So sad!!: 

Monday sunrise with rainclouds nearby: 

My beautiful Easter cookies that I decorated – yep, another career in the works!! LOL: 

On Wednesday, I found this at my desk – a tower of K-Cups!  HAHA 

Ruger’s lip is getting better: 

Oh, and I can’t forget the can of 7up that rolled off the counter onto our tile floor, broke open and sprayed soda all over.  When it was finally done spraying there was only 1/2 the can left.  Lame can!

Acne Struggles

Adding to the blog for journaling purposes...
I posted this on Facebook with a link to a makeup commercial for DermaBlend.  Here are a few pictures of their recent commercials:

This picture is amazing! This man is considered the most tattooed man in the world: 

This hits really close to my heart because I've battled acne for a very long time.

Even when or if money is/was tight, I will always make sure I have makeup, lotions and potions to deal with treating or covering my face. I know I don't have it nearly as bad as some people, but it shuts me down nonetheless.

Those close to me know I will not answer the door unless I have makeup on, so they call in advance. I will not leave my house without foundation on. I avoid swimming although I love it. I've even called in sick to work because I was at home, in tears, trying to cover pimples. I'll skip church or events because I don't want to spend all the time and frustration covering my face for "just a few hours." I suck it up and do it for work because my mortgage depends on it. Most days, I look forward to going home and washing my face. I've spent so much time, money and heartache over it.

My skin is extremely stubborn, so almost nothing helps... But I keep wasting time and money. I've now gone a few weeks without Proactiv - I've been using it for about 9 years and it became a crutch. I had to go cold turkey. I was sick of having to use white towels, pillowcases, etc. I couldn't put my face on Doug's shoulder because of the cream. I had to be aware of where my face was every time I hugged someone. If you don't know, Proactiv bleaches EVERYTHING. I always worried about the crap my body was absorbing from those creams, but I used it religiously. 

I even took Accutane in my early 20's. It's a gnarly drug that doctors require 2 forms of birth control, you have to have blood work and urine samples done every month (it's taken for 5 months) before they give the next Rx because of the crazy side effects!! I would do it all over again and even ask for a higher dose next time. I think I remember reading you can only take it twice in your lifetime because it's so dangerous.

I was hospitalized for a few days in my mid 20's and my biggest stress was how to go get my makeup. I've wondered about if I do get pregnant, how I'll make sure my foundation is on and in place when I go into labor and the entire time.

This is real. It shuts people down from the world. I live it every day.

Road Trip

We packed up the dogs and headed to my parent’s house. 

We stopped on the way to get an oil change for my car.  The dealership found this wonderful little treat under my hood.  Squirrels have been eating the hood insulator.  That part costs $350 (including clips) to replace.  Fanfreakingtastic. 

The oil change took about an hour, so we walked the dogs around town for a while.  Doug did most of the dog walking: 

When we got back to the dealership, they had a mint waiting for me when I got in – too funny! 

My parents met Winnie for the first time, but Ruger knows the run of the house, so he ran straight for their recliner chairs to take all the dog bones he could find. 

They eventually wore themselves out and took a nap. 

Doug took a small nap too and Jazmin was standing guard and then napped with him: 

As tiny as Jazmin is, she seemed to really like Winnie.  She even walked over to her to share a bone: 

While at my parent’s house, I remembered to take a picture of a frame I made when I was about 12.  This is why I’m not a carpenter – LOL: 

We had a few things to do at home, so we left earlier than we normally do.  Ruger and Winnie were exhausted!! It was fantastic!  They even cuddled in the car! 

Then they fell asleep cuddling.  They sure are cute when they sleep: 

We spent Easter Sunday with Doug's family and I realized, while posting this, I didn't take a single picture.  Rude!  We enjoyed the afternoon with them, but we didn't stay for very long since Ruger was wearing the cone-of-shame and Winnie was terrified of him.  More on that to follow.

Catch Up Time

I started the T25 workouts.  It’s only 25 minutes a day, but its hard work.  25 minutes doesn’t seem that long until you have to work it into the evening or morning somehow.  25 minute workout, 3 minute cool down, shower, feed the dogs, feed myself, clean up a little/do a couple chores, Doug comes home, Doug eats and showers and our night is over.  I'm determined to stick with it though! 

I took the truck for a smog appointment the other day; getting it ready for the swap meet on 4/26. 

Apparently I forgot to close the laundry room door and another pair of shoes suffered: 

Here are the maniac dogs taking a rest while I workout…  Most of the time they are running around me, bringing toys to me, etc.  My workout is usually, "Hop, Hop, Squat, pick up the toy and throw it."  I guess they got enough exercise this day: 

I was grumpy a couple weeks ago and I decided that fun straws make drinks better.  I sat on the couch and enjoyed some lemonade to cure my grumps. 

I was waiting for a file to save on my computer and I may have found a new career!   Styrofoam cup art!  Look out world!

We are still battling Ruger’s allergies. 

He’s been chewing his feet and kicking/scratching his face/lips so much that he was bleeding. 

We are finally getting ahead of them and he’s getting a little better.  We’ve tried grain free food (didn’t help) and now we’re trying chicken free food (seems to help a little). 

I found out a bunch more information while researching online:
--Baking soda and rolled oats oatmeal (ground into a powder) will help itching.
--Lactobacillus Acidophilus/Bifidus (probiotics like those in yogurts) will help promote healthy bacteria in his stomach to help fight off sicknesses.
--Local raw honey will help decrease seasonal allergies (no more than 1 tsp a few times/week). This is good for humans too.
--Echinacea will boost their immune system.
--Licorice root acts as a corticosteroid.
--Nettle acts as an antibiotic.
--Apple cider vinegar can help with MANY ailments, similar to fish oil. Spray the dog for flee prevention and feed it to them for allergy, heart and overall wellness. 1 tsp/twice a day, 2-3 times per week (put on dry or wet food-I sprayed Ruger with it and he didn't mind the taste of it).

Ninja Dogs

Maybe my dogs are normal and I’m the crazy one. Yeah. NO.  Doug didn’t feel well over the weekend and I was exhausted because Ruger would not sleep, so we rested most of the day.  Ruger was staring at us for a little bit: 

Then I took some “smiling” pictures of Winnie – her teeth show when she’s on her back: 

This happened yesterday when our 65 pound insane pup did a burn out on my foot.  He stepped on my foot and then ran after Winnie, leaving me with a pretty little mark and bruise.  Sigh.  The progression of the bruise and swelling:

And, last but not least, our poor Ruger has been extremely itchy for about a month.  We haven’t changed his food or done anything differently, so we don’t know what it could be beside seasonal allergies.  His poor face and paws are raw: 

I bought grain-free food today, so hopefully that will help.  Generic Benadryl and other allergy meds aren’t helping and the salmon oil doesn’t seem to help at all either (it’s supposed to help with allergies, joints, the heart, etc.)  Dinovite was recommended as well, but we’re going to try the food switch first and see how it goes.  Crossing my fingers.