For the second time in the past few weeks, my cat has done something inconceivable. My husband calls my cat dumb, but I'm pretty sure this cat is smarter than both of us.
Huey has figured out a few things, things which make him super duper annoying. He has learned how to open the pocket door to the kitchen. So while we are gone, he enjoys getting into kitchen, and thus opens the sliding door (yes he has figured that out too) to get into the garbage.
In the past few months though, he has now also learned that tupperware containers have yummy human food in them. So even my scones are not safe from my cat. Yes, he has learned that if he knocks the container to the ground, he can then pull the tupperware lid off and get my yummy yummy scones all over the floor.
Stupid, stupid cat. THOSE ARE MY SCONES. I was so looking forward to eating one when I came home from work.
Stupid cat.
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Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Jack's Birthday!
Whoot whoot, put on your party hats everyone, my puppy Jack is one year old today! He had absolutely no idea, of course, but I think he enjoyed. Best part? I HAD THE DAY OFF! Right on.
The day was all Jack oriented. At around 8 am, we went on a long walk before it got to hot. I headed off to the gym afterwards, but don't worry, a visit to PetSmart with the puppy in tow followed after that. He did really well, much to my surprise. He only jumped on the cashier at the beginning once. After that, he got way too tired and then just greeted everyone else excitedly, but no jumps. He got to pick out some toys.
He was pretty tired when we got back from PetSmart, so I headed off to the grocery store so I could get ingredients for the dog friendly cupcakes! Let me tell you, Jack LOVED those! When we went over to play with his best friends Merlin, Kita, and Akumaru, he swallowed an entire cupcake in one gulp. I'd say that's a success!
I found a recipe online for Peanut Butter Pupcakes. I tweaked it to my own liking. Here's my recipe:
2 ripe bananas
2 cups water
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
about 1 cup Greek yogurt
about 3 tbsp cream cheese
peanut butter to taste
Mash the bananas together with a fork. Mix in all the other ingredients except the peanut butter. Once those ingredients are incorporated, mix in the peanut butter. Scoop the batter into a greased 12-count cupcake pan. (I made all 12 cupcakes). Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until a toothpick goes through the center cleanly.
Make the frosting: mix together the yogurt, cream cheese, and peanut butter until smooth. Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Top with a dog biscuit.
And voila, dog cupcakes I have no doubt your puppy will love!
The day was all Jack oriented. At around 8 am, we went on a long walk before it got to hot. I headed off to the gym afterwards, but don't worry, a visit to PetSmart with the puppy in tow followed after that. He did really well, much to my surprise. He only jumped on the cashier at the beginning once. After that, he got way too tired and then just greeted everyone else excitedly, but no jumps. He got to pick out some toys.
He was pretty tired when we got back from PetSmart, so I headed off to the grocery store so I could get ingredients for the dog friendly cupcakes! Let me tell you, Jack LOVED those! When we went over to play with his best friends Merlin, Kita, and Akumaru, he swallowed an entire cupcake in one gulp. I'd say that's a success!
I found a recipe online for Peanut Butter Pupcakes. I tweaked it to my own liking. Here's my recipe:
2 ripe bananas
2 cups water
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
about 1 cup Greek yogurt
about 3 tbsp cream cheese
peanut butter to taste
Mash the bananas together with a fork. Mix in all the other ingredients except the peanut butter. Once those ingredients are incorporated, mix in the peanut butter. Scoop the batter into a greased 12-count cupcake pan. (I made all 12 cupcakes). Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until a toothpick goes through the center cleanly.
Make the frosting: mix together the yogurt, cream cheese, and peanut butter until smooth. Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Top with a dog biscuit.
And voila, dog cupcakes I have no doubt your puppy will love!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Southern Anniversary
Tomorrow is a big day. It marks my puppy's birthday (YAY!) and the day that Matt and I rolled into Columbus, MS (not so yay).
While my puppy was sleeping, I just took a few minutes to read my blog posts from last year, the ones about my new house and town. BOY, WHAT A COMPLETE 180! I was trying to be positive about the move and new location, but man, I'm not nearly as positive as I used to be.
Here's why. When I first moved into the house, my words were "This house is gigantic!" Compared to our last apartment in Portland, it is gigantic. And this house is the perfect size for us right now, even with 3 pets. But since we have moved in, the house is showing it's age. I have also now been into the new housing on base, and realized that we were totally jipped. This house sucks. Granted, it's A LOT better than our old apartment, but that doesn't mean it doesn't now suck. I'm sick of the mold. I'm sick of the bathroom fan not working. I'm sick of the shower not draining. Granted, I have invested in some mold cleaner and some drain-o that have now fixed 2 out of the 3 of those problems, but I shouldn't have to spend my own money on something that my landlord won't fix. They came and fixed the shower, but that only worked for one day, then it completely clogged again. We told them countless times to clean the mold in the bathroom, and they didn't do that, NOR did they fix the fan, which we also told them about. I just know they are going to charge us for the water damage on the parquet flooring, but that was already there when we moved in, it just so happens the strips came out when we moved here. At least they have fixed the air conditioning. That's a relief.
This town also just sucks. I remember that I wrote how the locals here are really nice. Now that I actually work in town, I have decided that most of the people here are rude. Not all of them, mind you, but most of them. Downtown is still nice, but it's about 15 miles from base, so with my daily commute into town for work, I can't constantly be driving to town everyday. The grocery stores here don't have everything I need. With my work schedule, I can't even use the on base commissary, since they are open only during business hours and they're closed on Mondays (and also Tuesdays if there is a Monday holiday. WHAT GROCERY STORE IS CLOSED ON A MONDAY?). My local Kroger doesn't even have pita bread. Really? No pita bread?
I don't even go into the mall here because it's so lame. I won't even tell you my opinion on the fact that it doesn't open until 10:30. Really? A mall doesn't open until 10:30? The bookstore here is tiny and not nice at all. Both the KMart and the WalMart are disgusting and the check out lines are annoyingly slow. And there is still no Starbucks here for any frappucino craving I might get.
There is also nothing to do around here unless you want to drive long distances. There are a few hiking trails around here, but I can't find them anywhere on the internet. The River Walk is pretty, but again, that's 15 miles away and you can't even get to the river, much less would you even want to allow your dog to swim in it. There is no dog park to go to, and unless you want to go out to eat out or shop in the cute boutiques (there ARE cute boutiques in downtown), there is nothing to do. Not that I can even do that now, since it's so hot here. Ugh.
I try to be positive, I really do. But now with it being so hot, and hating my job, I think my mood is going to get worse. I hate being confined to my house, but I just can't handle standing outside for even 5 minutes before I start sweating buckets. I cannot wait for this duty station to be over. I wish I could start counting down the days I can move, but I can't even start that. Maybe I should just start a countdown for the day when we learn where we can go next.
While my puppy was sleeping, I just took a few minutes to read my blog posts from last year, the ones about my new house and town. BOY, WHAT A COMPLETE 180! I was trying to be positive about the move and new location, but man, I'm not nearly as positive as I used to be.
Here's why. When I first moved into the house, my words were "This house is gigantic!" Compared to our last apartment in Portland, it is gigantic. And this house is the perfect size for us right now, even with 3 pets. But since we have moved in, the house is showing it's age. I have also now been into the new housing on base, and realized that we were totally jipped. This house sucks. Granted, it's A LOT better than our old apartment, but that doesn't mean it doesn't now suck. I'm sick of the mold. I'm sick of the bathroom fan not working. I'm sick of the shower not draining. Granted, I have invested in some mold cleaner and some drain-o that have now fixed 2 out of the 3 of those problems, but I shouldn't have to spend my own money on something that my landlord won't fix. They came and fixed the shower, but that only worked for one day, then it completely clogged again. We told them countless times to clean the mold in the bathroom, and they didn't do that, NOR did they fix the fan, which we also told them about. I just know they are going to charge us for the water damage on the parquet flooring, but that was already there when we moved in, it just so happens the strips came out when we moved here. At least they have fixed the air conditioning. That's a relief.
This town also just sucks. I remember that I wrote how the locals here are really nice. Now that I actually work in town, I have decided that most of the people here are rude. Not all of them, mind you, but most of them. Downtown is still nice, but it's about 15 miles from base, so with my daily commute into town for work, I can't constantly be driving to town everyday. The grocery stores here don't have everything I need. With my work schedule, I can't even use the on base commissary, since they are open only during business hours and they're closed on Mondays (and also Tuesdays if there is a Monday holiday. WHAT GROCERY STORE IS CLOSED ON A MONDAY?). My local Kroger doesn't even have pita bread. Really? No pita bread?
I don't even go into the mall here because it's so lame. I won't even tell you my opinion on the fact that it doesn't open until 10:30. Really? A mall doesn't open until 10:30? The bookstore here is tiny and not nice at all. Both the KMart and the WalMart are disgusting and the check out lines are annoyingly slow. And there is still no Starbucks here for any frappucino craving I might get.
There is also nothing to do around here unless you want to drive long distances. There are a few hiking trails around here, but I can't find them anywhere on the internet. The River Walk is pretty, but again, that's 15 miles away and you can't even get to the river, much less would you even want to allow your dog to swim in it. There is no dog park to go to, and unless you want to go out to eat out or shop in the cute boutiques (there ARE cute boutiques in downtown), there is nothing to do. Not that I can even do that now, since it's so hot here. Ugh.
I try to be positive, I really do. But now with it being so hot, and hating my job, I think my mood is going to get worse. I hate being confined to my house, but I just can't handle standing outside for even 5 minutes before I start sweating buckets. I cannot wait for this duty station to be over. I wish I could start counting down the days I can move, but I can't even start that. Maybe I should just start a countdown for the day when we learn where we can go next.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Say What?!
Welcome to a new post labeled "Husband Quotes." Yes, my husband says some pretty darned funny things, or so I think, anyways. So in order to give me yet one more thing to blog about (because let's face it, not everyone likes reading about my recipes or how annoying work is), I will (hopefully) write down all his funny sayings. Because I'm that bored.
Now this one I already wrote on an earlier post, but I thought I would mention it again:
Me: "Hey, while you were at work I was Googling different recipes for dog friendly birthday cakes!"
Matt: "Why, so you could realize how dumb of an idea it is?"
This, ladies and gentlemen, is why the dog likes me better. :)
This brings us to tonight's Husband Quote. Matt and I were watching the show "Next Food Network Star." Yes, we're boring people. But hey, food is a subject we both have an interest in, and it beats talking about airplanes for the 4 billionth time that day.
Matt: "I don't like any of these contestants. They need a man show that cooks real man food."
Me: "What abut Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman)? She makes real fattening food. That's man food."
Matt: "No. They need a Man, cooking Man Food. You know, like chili cheese fries... baked potatoes...grilled pterodactyl..."
Me:" ... "
I don't know how to even respond to that. Grilled Pterodactyl. Apparently I have failed as wife, since I have not provided my husband with grilled pterodactyl... ;)
Now this one I already wrote on an earlier post, but I thought I would mention it again:
Me: "Hey, while you were at work I was Googling different recipes for dog friendly birthday cakes!"
Matt: "Why, so you could realize how dumb of an idea it is?"
This, ladies and gentlemen, is why the dog likes me better. :)
This brings us to tonight's Husband Quote. Matt and I were watching the show "Next Food Network Star." Yes, we're boring people. But hey, food is a subject we both have an interest in, and it beats talking about airplanes for the 4 billionth time that day.
Matt: "I don't like any of these contestants. They need a man show that cooks real man food."
Me: "What abut Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman)? She makes real fattening food. That's man food."
Matt: "No. They need a Man, cooking Man Food. You know, like chili cheese fries... baked potatoes...grilled pterodactyl..."
Me:" ... "
I don't know how to even respond to that. Grilled Pterodactyl. Apparently I have failed as wife, since I have not provided my husband with grilled pterodactyl... ;)
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Pico de Gallo Inspired Fish
I can't remember where I originally found this recipe, but I'm pretty sure it was the good ol' Betty Crocker cookbook. Seriously people, if you don't own any cookbook but one, buy a Betty Crocker cookbook. There is a recipe in there for any ingredient under the sun (except maybe exotic foods) and they're usually pretty simple and don't call for really expensive ingredients or any "fake" (processed, boxed) foods. Yay! You all know my opinion on boxed baking mixes :)
Anyways. I have since tweaked the recipe, since I didn't always have the exact ingredients. So if you're looking for something fresh that literally takes 15 minutes to make, this is it. Also, if you don't like fish, this is still the perfect recipe, since you can slab on as much pico de gallo as you want and hide that fish. This is also a great recipe for those watching their wallets, it has minimal ingredients. Especially if made while everything is in season, this meal can probably be made for less than $5 a person. Right on!
Here's what you need (serves 2):
For the pico:
One tomato, diced
One avocado, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
Salt to taste
For the fish:
One fillet of white fish (I buy wild caught cod, since that is the only wild caught fish I can find in this ridiculously small town), or enough to feed 2 people
Salt and pepper
Seriously, that's it!
Salt and pepper both sides of the fish, place in a really hot pan. While the fish is cooking, dice up all the pico ingredients and toss together in a bowl. When the fish is done (about 5 minutes per side), serve on a plate, top with the pico, and enjoy!
Super easy! I served with steamed peas, and that's it! Talk about healthy. I wasn't very hungry today, if you want something more filling, I would suggest rice or orzo, or even a lemon spaghetti type side dish. Delish!
If you want to add more to the pico, I have added cilantro and a little bit of cumin and garlic before.
This dish just tastes summer to me! And while I can't have my preferred wild caught Pacific salmon, this is a good substitution. :)
Happy cooking!
Anyways. I have since tweaked the recipe, since I didn't always have the exact ingredients. So if you're looking for something fresh that literally takes 15 minutes to make, this is it. Also, if you don't like fish, this is still the perfect recipe, since you can slab on as much pico de gallo as you want and hide that fish. This is also a great recipe for those watching their wallets, it has minimal ingredients. Especially if made while everything is in season, this meal can probably be made for less than $5 a person. Right on!
Here's what you need (serves 2):
For the pico:
One tomato, diced
One avocado, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
Salt to taste
For the fish:
One fillet of white fish (I buy wild caught cod, since that is the only wild caught fish I can find in this ridiculously small town), or enough to feed 2 people
Salt and pepper
Seriously, that's it!
Salt and pepper both sides of the fish, place in a really hot pan. While the fish is cooking, dice up all the pico ingredients and toss together in a bowl. When the fish is done (about 5 minutes per side), serve on a plate, top with the pico, and enjoy!
Super easy! I served with steamed peas, and that's it! Talk about healthy. I wasn't very hungry today, if you want something more filling, I would suggest rice or orzo, or even a lemon spaghetti type side dish. Delish!
If you want to add more to the pico, I have added cilantro and a little bit of cumin and garlic before.
This dish just tastes summer to me! And while I can't have my preferred wild caught Pacific salmon, this is a good substitution. :)
Happy cooking!
Sara's Brownies
The puppies have been sleeping ALL DAY... so weird. I'm not going to complain, though :) That is one nice thing about the Southern heat, it totally zaps all the energy from you and the dogs. Good puppies :)
Alrighty. While I was watching Sweet Home Alabama (hilarious movie, by the way), I decided to make some brownies. Well, folks, I have my own Sara brownies! I took inspiration from two different recipes and mashed them together to create some pretty tasty brownies. Here's what you do:
Mix together 1/2 cup water, 1/2 vegetable oil, 2 eggs, and 4 tablespoons instant coffee. In a separate bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. You might need to add a little bit more liquid. Taste the batter and adjust the coffee flavoring to your liking. Finally, mix in chocolate and white chocolate chips (just add as many as you want. I added a lot :) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and you will have a wonderful batch of Sara's Brownies! Yum yum!
Notes:
*I used Kroger brand instant coffee. Gross. I decided to go with the cheap stuff first. Don't do this. Find some good quality instant coffee, it will really make a difference. If you want to use espresso powder, I would half the amount first, then add more, since espresso is way more powerful than regular coffee.
*I kind of forgot to add vanilla extract. That might have made it taste just slightly better. If you want to add some, start with 1 teaspoon. I will definitely add some the next time I make this batch.
Alrighty. While I was watching Sweet Home Alabama (hilarious movie, by the way), I decided to make some brownies. Well, folks, I have my own Sara brownies! I took inspiration from two different recipes and mashed them together to create some pretty tasty brownies. Here's what you do:
Mix together 1/2 cup water, 1/2 vegetable oil, 2 eggs, and 4 tablespoons instant coffee. In a separate bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. You might need to add a little bit more liquid. Taste the batter and adjust the coffee flavoring to your liking. Finally, mix in chocolate and white chocolate chips (just add as many as you want. I added a lot :) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and you will have a wonderful batch of Sara's Brownies! Yum yum!
Notes:
*I used Kroger brand instant coffee. Gross. I decided to go with the cheap stuff first. Don't do this. Find some good quality instant coffee, it will really make a difference. If you want to use espresso powder, I would half the amount first, then add more, since espresso is way more powerful than regular coffee.
*I kind of forgot to add vanilla extract. That might have made it taste just slightly better. If you want to add some, start with 1 teaspoon. I will definitely add some the next time I make this batch.
Friday, May 25, 2012
The Sitting of the Puppies
I must admit, I'm rather ashamed of myself! I haven't written a blog post in awhile! This is not entirely my fault, but I'll get to that in second. Let's start off with what I have been up too lately.
I think the last time I wrote was right before I puppy sat for my friend Erin. She and her husband Brogan got to go house hunting in Little Rock, AR and I agreed to watch Loki for them. I have deemed him and Jack frenemies, so I had to keep Loki at his house, but between working, driving the dogs to the lake, and walking both of them (separately!) in the morning and at night, I was pretty beat and tired. And didn't get to do much else, so alas, no blogging. But Loki is a great little dog, and he and Jack play really well at the lake (just not in the house), so I had great fun doing that. Erin bought me some Starbucks blend coffee and a cupcake book (YAY!), so I'll do it again :) Unfortunately she leaves at the beginning of July. I'll definitely miss her when she leaves.
After that, I think I mainly have just been working. Which I absolutely hate. I've also been trying to finish a baby blanket for our friends Trent and Brandy, so that has kept my hands busy. I found time to squeeze in one cupcake making session with Nicole; we made Reese's Peanut Butter cupcakes and they were a big hit. It's amazing how even though I'm part time, I'm super busy. It's rather stressful, I don't understand how people do this with children. I will definitely not be working when we start having kids, I will not emotionally be able to handle that stress.
As I write this, I'm puppy sitting again. This time, though, Merlin and Jack are bestest buddies, and Merlin is our neighbor, so he's staying at the house with us. Jack didn't like it for the first 5 minutes or so, but since then he has adjusted. It's nice for me, though, since Merlin is entertaining him and they make each other tired. They're not very loud, either, which is great, unless they're fighting over the same toy. I have plenty of toys for both of them, but for seem reason they both always have to have the same one. And of course Jack isn't interested in a toy UNTIL Merlin has it. Puppies. It's so far been great, though. They walk well together on leashes, so later this evening I'll be able to walk them. Jack for some reason refuses to nap while Merlin is here, so they both crash at night. Super yay! I'll try to get a picture of them up soon, but Matt's friend has our memory card. Hopefully tomorrow!
Have a great Memorial Weekend, everyone!
I think the last time I wrote was right before I puppy sat for my friend Erin. She and her husband Brogan got to go house hunting in Little Rock, AR and I agreed to watch Loki for them. I have deemed him and Jack frenemies, so I had to keep Loki at his house, but between working, driving the dogs to the lake, and walking both of them (separately!) in the morning and at night, I was pretty beat and tired. And didn't get to do much else, so alas, no blogging. But Loki is a great little dog, and he and Jack play really well at the lake (just not in the house), so I had great fun doing that. Erin bought me some Starbucks blend coffee and a cupcake book (YAY!), so I'll do it again :) Unfortunately she leaves at the beginning of July. I'll definitely miss her when she leaves.
After that, I think I mainly have just been working. Which I absolutely hate. I've also been trying to finish a baby blanket for our friends Trent and Brandy, so that has kept my hands busy. I found time to squeeze in one cupcake making session with Nicole; we made Reese's Peanut Butter cupcakes and they were a big hit. It's amazing how even though I'm part time, I'm super busy. It's rather stressful, I don't understand how people do this with children. I will definitely not be working when we start having kids, I will not emotionally be able to handle that stress.
As I write this, I'm puppy sitting again. This time, though, Merlin and Jack are bestest buddies, and Merlin is our neighbor, so he's staying at the house with us. Jack didn't like it for the first 5 minutes or so, but since then he has adjusted. It's nice for me, though, since Merlin is entertaining him and they make each other tired. They're not very loud, either, which is great, unless they're fighting over the same toy. I have plenty of toys for both of them, but for seem reason they both always have to have the same one. And of course Jack isn't interested in a toy UNTIL Merlin has it. Puppies. It's so far been great, though. They walk well together on leashes, so later this evening I'll be able to walk them. Jack for some reason refuses to nap while Merlin is here, so they both crash at night. Super yay! I'll try to get a picture of them up soon, but Matt's friend has our memory card. Hopefully tomorrow!
Have a great Memorial Weekend, everyone!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Retail Woes
My last Saturday night was horrible! Which in itself is horrible, because the customers I actually worked with were being really nice and using common sense and listening to me! So why was it so horrible?
THE CHILDREN. Ok, I love children, I want lots of them, but seriously, people need to learn how to discipline their children. Growing up, I used to think my mom was strict. Really strict. And maybe she was. But you know what? WE WERE GOOD CHILDREN IN PUBLIC BECAUSE OF IT. She could leave us three kids by ourselves in the front row at church because we were disciplined. Now, having worked 5 years of retail, I now appreciate my mom's strictness. Sure it was annoying growing up, but I'm a better person because of it and I will continue the trend (hopefully, lol) with my children.
So this is a summary of my night:
-I don't know why my manager thought it would be totally fine for me to work from 6pm to 9 pm by myself in petcare. I really don't. You would think after being open about 6 months he would know that this particular store gets swamped starting around 7 pm until close on Friday and Saturday. Not only do I have to assist customers, but I also have to close down the department, make sure all the animals have water and food to last through the night, and I have to medicate/feed any animals in our two holding rooms and I also have to clean, feed, and water the cats (which take a good twenty minutes if you do a good job). Naturally, starting at about 6:45, I was swamped. Not all that stressed, because again my customers were being strangely nice and happy, but I was constantly helping someone.
-Every single family in the town of Columbus that had screaming, misbehaving children came to visit the "petting zoo" between 7 and 8:45. I realize there is not much to do in this town, BUT PETSMART IS NOT A PETTING ZOO. And come on, I also realize that the animals here are cool, but they're not so cool as to illicit excited screaming from children. Please, INSIDE VOICE. These children screamed so loud that when I had my back turned and a new family came up about twenty feet behind me and started screaming, I jumped. The customer I was helping kind of laughed at me, but he did feel sorry for me when he saw another family start doing the exact same thing right after the other family.
-DON'T LET YOUR KIDS RUN AROUND UNACCOMPANIED AND STICK THEIR HANDS IN WITH ANIMALS. Do I seriously have to explain this? I had the guinea pig cage open for a family, and another family's kids came up. They at least asked, so I let them stick their hands in and try to pet the guinea pigs. Then some more kids came up. However, they did not ask, their parents were not paying attention, and one of them proceeded to grab the back legs of one guinea pig and pull it out of the cage. I kind of shrieked and told him to put it down, I was afraid the kid would drop the guinea pig face first on the floor. The kid did get in trouble, but clearly not enough.
-AGAIN, WHY ARE YOUR CHILDREN RUNNING AROUND UNACCOMPANIED? The same guinea pig kid followed me up to the register with two ladies buying a hamster. When the kid found out there was a hamster in the box, he grabbed the box and started walking away with it, trying to open it. I quickly put an end to that.
-WHY ARE YOUR CHILDREN RUNNING AROUND SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS? Goodness I would rather hear a dog bark than here that. I don't mind excited shrieks, but when the kid is talking viz screaming and there are about 5 kids in your party, it gets seriously ridiculous. It's fine out on the playground, not in a store.
Seriously, if I had tried to pull any of this stuff in public with my mother, I would definitely have gotten spanked. Maybe not in the store, but she definitely would have done it once we got to the car or home. No matter what, she would not have let us get away with any of that, we would have left the store. We were good enough kids, though, to listen after awhile and settle down, even if it was out of fear.
I don't have any experience with parenting yet. I know disciplining has to be hard, I have a hard enough time disciplining my dog and denying him something he really wants. It must be worse with children. I know it's not easy, but come on people, don't let your children run wild through a store, even if it is a PetSmart. It stresses me out, annoying my customers, and really annoys the animals.
*Disclaimer: This is absolutely in no way making me hate the South. This happens in any retail store, it just happens that my worst "children run wild" day thus far has been in the South. So no hard feelings, it was just a sucky day at work. (Although I do hate working at this particular store).
THE CHILDREN. Ok, I love children, I want lots of them, but seriously, people need to learn how to discipline their children. Growing up, I used to think my mom was strict. Really strict. And maybe she was. But you know what? WE WERE GOOD CHILDREN IN PUBLIC BECAUSE OF IT. She could leave us three kids by ourselves in the front row at church because we were disciplined. Now, having worked 5 years of retail, I now appreciate my mom's strictness. Sure it was annoying growing up, but I'm a better person because of it and I will continue the trend (hopefully, lol) with my children.
So this is a summary of my night:
-I don't know why my manager thought it would be totally fine for me to work from 6pm to 9 pm by myself in petcare. I really don't. You would think after being open about 6 months he would know that this particular store gets swamped starting around 7 pm until close on Friday and Saturday. Not only do I have to assist customers, but I also have to close down the department, make sure all the animals have water and food to last through the night, and I have to medicate/feed any animals in our two holding rooms and I also have to clean, feed, and water the cats (which take a good twenty minutes if you do a good job). Naturally, starting at about 6:45, I was swamped. Not all that stressed, because again my customers were being strangely nice and happy, but I was constantly helping someone.
-Every single family in the town of Columbus that had screaming, misbehaving children came to visit the "petting zoo" between 7 and 8:45. I realize there is not much to do in this town, BUT PETSMART IS NOT A PETTING ZOO. And come on, I also realize that the animals here are cool, but they're not so cool as to illicit excited screaming from children. Please, INSIDE VOICE. These children screamed so loud that when I had my back turned and a new family came up about twenty feet behind me and started screaming, I jumped. The customer I was helping kind of laughed at me, but he did feel sorry for me when he saw another family start doing the exact same thing right after the other family.
-DON'T LET YOUR KIDS RUN AROUND UNACCOMPANIED AND STICK THEIR HANDS IN WITH ANIMALS. Do I seriously have to explain this? I had the guinea pig cage open for a family, and another family's kids came up. They at least asked, so I let them stick their hands in and try to pet the guinea pigs. Then some more kids came up. However, they did not ask, their parents were not paying attention, and one of them proceeded to grab the back legs of one guinea pig and pull it out of the cage. I kind of shrieked and told him to put it down, I was afraid the kid would drop the guinea pig face first on the floor. The kid did get in trouble, but clearly not enough.
-AGAIN, WHY ARE YOUR CHILDREN RUNNING AROUND UNACCOMPANIED? The same guinea pig kid followed me up to the register with two ladies buying a hamster. When the kid found out there was a hamster in the box, he grabbed the box and started walking away with it, trying to open it. I quickly put an end to that.
-WHY ARE YOUR CHILDREN RUNNING AROUND SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS? Goodness I would rather hear a dog bark than here that. I don't mind excited shrieks, but when the kid is talking viz screaming and there are about 5 kids in your party, it gets seriously ridiculous. It's fine out on the playground, not in a store.
Seriously, if I had tried to pull any of this stuff in public with my mother, I would definitely have gotten spanked. Maybe not in the store, but she definitely would have done it once we got to the car or home. No matter what, she would not have let us get away with any of that, we would have left the store. We were good enough kids, though, to listen after awhile and settle down, even if it was out of fear.
I don't have any experience with parenting yet. I know disciplining has to be hard, I have a hard enough time disciplining my dog and denying him something he really wants. It must be worse with children. I know it's not easy, but come on people, don't let your children run wild through a store, even if it is a PetSmart. It stresses me out, annoying my customers, and really annoys the animals.
*Disclaimer: This is absolutely in no way making me hate the South. This happens in any retail store, it just happens that my worst "children run wild" day thus far has been in the South. So no hard feelings, it was just a sucky day at work. (Although I do hate working at this particular store).
Bed Bliss
Ok, seriously, WHY DO DOGS INSIST ON ROLLING AROUND IN OTHER DOGS' POOP? I don't get it. So for the second time today, my dog is drying off at my feet. Although the first time was because he got playtime in his kiddie pool. I swear I do more laundry for his towels per week than I do for my own clothes. Dogs. This is why I like cats more than dogs.
Funny story: When Matt came home from work today, I said "Hey! I'm already looking up recipes for a dog friendly birthday cake." Matt replied with, "Why? So you can research how dumb of an idea that is?" And this is why the dog likes me better. Take that.
A few weeks ago, Matt and I decided to make a big change. For our entire marriage thus far, we have been sleeping on his childhood bed, a full bed with a box spring. It's quite a comfortable bed, but after almost two years of two people, the mattress is slowly giving up. Both of our backs were killing us when we woke up and we felt cramped. I love my husband, but sleeping on a full bed was starting to get seriously annoying. We're not all that cuddly of people, and when I already get really hot in bed (I cannot wear long pajama pants to sleep or I will wake up sweating like no tomorrow), I had a hard time sleeping with no breathing room.
Solution? A queen size sleep innovation mattress! Yeah! It's the knock off brand of the Tempurpedic bed and it's AMAZING! We found out about this from a couple that we know down here and we decided to do it. We were hesitant about buying a mattress online, but we figured for only $300 we could at least keep it and put it in the new quest room while we suffered until we could get a new one. The mattress had GREAT review online, the only negatives were that it got really warm. That worried me a little, but we decided to do it anyway. And guess what?! It's the most amazing mattress ever! It's ridiculous how much more room there is on a queen vs. a full. It's been about two weeks and I still think the bed is gigantic. I don't know how Matt and I ever dealt with a full. It doesn't even keep in heat that much, I haven't had any overheating issues yet! Yay! And no more back pain for either of us. I think this is the best $300 we have ever spend. I highly, highly recommend this bed to everybody.
We also got to shop at Ashley Furniture for a new bed frame! The bed is actually quite low to the ground. I was worried that Jack would jump on and off of it at his leisure, but he still insists on being picked up. I don't know why, but at least it's keeping him off the bed during the night :) I love the new frame, it's contemporary and will go with pretty much anything. Yay!
We also went on another online shopping spree for some art work. Our bedroom is finally decent and done :) Here are some pictures:
Yay art! The top one is a picture on canvas of Mt. Rainer. The picture on the right was ordered from Bed Bath and Beyond, it's woods. Reminds us of the PNW which we miss so much.
If you look closely, you can see the two drawers the bed frame has! It's a great bed :)
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