Ike's Heart

As anyone who follows my Twitter or Facebook probably knows by now, I'm trying to raise money to help my little buggy-buddy Ike get treatment for his heart condition. We're not even sure exactly what's wrong yet, although unfortunately it is looking like congestive heart failure. His coughing has been getting worse every week, which is the result of his heart pumping out too much blood when he becomes excited, and the blood backing up into his lungs. Because of all of the bills, the rent, student loan payments, etc. in my life, I haven't been able to save up for the treatments that Ike needs to determine what medicines will be able to help him (if that's even an option), so I started a fundraiser on Fundly.com

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I had no idea that my friends, family, and even some complete strangers, would rally around Ike in the way that they have. It's only the first day of the fundraiser, and we are already nearly halfway to our goal for his treatment. This is almost unbelievable to me, and I can't thank all of you enough. From the absolute depths of my heart, and from Ike's little heart too -- THANK YOU!

I'll be making the first appointment for him as soon as tomorrow, and hopefully that will put us well on our way to finding out what exactly is wrong, and what we can do to help him and keep him around as long as possible. I love this little guy with all of my heart, and I just can't imagine life without him. Thank you so much to all of you who are making it possible for me to keep my buggy-buddy happy and healthy!

Puppy Cut

Not much to report over here... I've got some exciting new jewelry pieces on the horizon, but I'm still waiting for all of my supplies to arrive.

In the meantime, I brought little man to get a haircut. He looks like a completely different dog!

Look at those perky little ears!

Needless to say, he found the entire process to be exhausting, and after eating and drinking, he's spent the rest of the evening asleep on the couch.

zzzz...

Hopefully I'll be getting those supplies soon, and I'll be able to add my new pieces to my Etsy shop before Valentine's Day (fingers crossed). They're going to be worth the wait!

In Need of Fresh Air

Does it look like someone wants to go outside?

This is one self-conscious dog, in his reflective rain coat, and orange rubber snow booties.

I think he looks like a little puppy traffic director!

We took a walk around the neighborhood, admiring the beautiful houses (mansions!?) on the surrounding blocks.  Some of these places are just stunning!  I actually didn't get a shot of my favorite house, because it was too big to fit the whole thing into the photo frame.  Anyway, it deserves a full post of it's own.  ;)

A Nice Day to be Inside

Recipe: Roasted Butternut Alfredo

Do cute dogs make you smile?

I know, this is ridiculous...

ridiculously cute, of course!

As if my dog weren't cute enough, I went and put him in his skeleton jammies.  He took it upon himself to sit down on the pillow like it was a little doggy-sized recliner, and to watch his neighbors walking by through the window.

I hope y'all had a fun weekend?  Mine was... eventful (we'll leave it at that).  One of my Chicago Flag Necklaces went off on its way to China on Saturday, and that's pretty cool, isn't it?  I've officially crossed international borders!

Chicago Flag Necklace

I think I'm going to hang a map near my desk, with those red pins to stick in to every state my jewelry is shipped to.  I've always wanted to stick pins into a map for some good reason, so there it is.

Back to Reality

Today wasn't a long day, but it felt like one.  Back to work means having to separate from my sweet little pups, while he watches me leave, wide-eyed.  It means I don't get to have a cigarette whenever I want one (this is probably a good thing).  It means I have to plan ahead my lunch, and as I learned the hard way this morning, it's going to mean eating a better breakfast than just coffee.  It means I can't sleep until 10am (or 11am, or 12 noon).  It's going to take some getting used to, again, but honestly, I need the structure.  I hope I'll still be able to update here regularly, but if I'm slacking a little, please be patient with me.

On that note, I'm exhausted, and I need to go eat some cheese or something.  ;)

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Lovely Day

Dave & Ike walking toward the Lake

Today was a lovely lovely lovely day.  Dave and I took Ike for a walk down to the Lake, and we had a picnic of cheese & sausages on crackers.  Ike had a few bites, too, of course.

Is that a cracker?

Umm... Dad... I can haz the cracker?

It smells so awesome!

Nom nom nom... mmm... cracker...

The wind made it a little chilly, but I was determined to not let that bother me, so it was short-sleeves all the way!  I put on the brightest colors I could find, and thoroughly enjoyed the 59-degree day.  My friends and family in VA have no idea how good they have it, sometimes.  ;)

Lovin' on the pups.

But seriously, I always say, no one loves and appreciates Summer more than a Chicagoan.  Once you get through the nonsense that is our Winter -- and it's usually far worse than what we were workin' with this year -- you can't help but love, adore, appreciate, and enjoy every moment you get in the warm sunshine.

My two guys.

The Best Thing I Ate This Week

The reality of eating in my house... there will always, always, be a cute lil' doggy watching, waiting, hoping to get a tasty morsel.

Ooh, this cheeseburger hit the spot!  Mayo, onions, bacon & mustard for toppings.  Oh, and fries, cooked in bacon fat.  Mm-hmm.  That's right.

I realize that I'm calling this "the best thing I ate this week", and it's only Monday.  It was really that good!

Ike agrees, it was tasty.  :)

Friday, I'm in Love

Aww...

Ike always makes me smile, especially when he's snoring.

New Project - Walnut Necklaces

I'm working on an interesting project, we'll see how it turns out... So far, it's been a little messy.  I think tomorrow I'll see what I can add to them to make them more like mini-dioramas.  Until then... walnuts, toothpicks, and resin.  ;)

Meanwhile, tonight it's Ike reminding us of the importance of having a place to rest our chin.

Walk around the neighborhood

What a nice night.  :)

When this dog's person saw Ike, she turned around and just about RAN down the street.
Hehehe... did Ike scare them?

Olivia reminds us all of the importance of having a nice place to rest your chin.

Ike, People Watching

You know, there are mommy bloggers... and then, I suppose, there are doggy bloggers.  Doggy-mommy bloggers.  :)

Ike is a magic man -- he magically makes me smile when I have the "winter blues", and he magically gets me outside, in the fresh air, walking around and feeling better when I think I really don't want to.  He's really cute, too.  Magically cute.  :)

He's got the right idea, too, because there are a lot of interesting things going on out there today.

There was a guy singing along to his opera record,

and a punk rock kid following a couple and playing songs behind them on his harmonica,

and a woman dropping her dogs leash and shouting "Sorry!  Oh Sh**!" as her dog proceeded to... well, to get about two feet away, and then just stand there sniffing another dog.  (Five minutes later, she dropped the leash again, and shouted "Are you kidding me!?"  Everyone on the sidewalk is watching.)

This is Ike, enjoying his day from the window:

http://vimeo.com/34861038

When will it snow?

So far, no snow... just rain.  It's pretty, but not as pretty as "the white stuff".

Ike got a nice warm toweling down when he came in all soggy-doggy.

Tonight after work, I picked up our lovely (and so fragrant) rosemary tree.  The dining room smells fantastic, and I think the tree itself is quite pretty.  It's the perfect size, too.  :)