Hangin' with Auntie and Uncle

Hal and I often wonder why the kids love coming to hang out with us.....

"Cool fort!"

"Kali, close the door....here comes that small horse!"

"Oooh, he's getting closer! Close it fast!!!"

"Ummm Auntie, how is our dinner gonna fit through these bars?"

"Where's the Milk!"


"Open Sesame!"

"Bustin' loose!"

These two little bundles of love are awesome to take care of. Parker ate a hearty dinner, played for a bit and then went to bed at 7:45 and was sound asleep by 7:52!! He fussed for less then a minute, just had to get comfy and that was it!

Kali hung with Auntie for some one on one time and we played Animals on the bus, hospital and Kali's Kitchen. Then it was time to get her ready for bed so it was 'tinkle time' then jammies and brush teeth. While reading a story and snuggling on the couch little Miss K got antsy and let a ripper go. I asked her if she had to go poop and she says very quietly "No, I jis tooted" but she kept moving and wiggling so I said to her that she needed to tinkle before we read the last story.

I remember Shari saying that Kali needs space while doing her business so made sure that I needed to tidy the kitchen and for her to holler at me when she was done tinkling. She was singing and chatting away and then it got quiet so I asked if she was finished tinkling.

"Auntie, I no tinkle I hadda BIG POOP, it smelly too!"

Let's just say the mouthful of water I'd just taken quite beautifully and painfully shot out my nose and mouth, all the while through sputtering and coughing was the biggest laughing fit i've had in awhile.

Kids are good medicine!

MEAL PLAN MONDAY

SUNDAY - PIZZA, WINGS AND CUP OF EVERYTHING COOKIES

MONDAY - STEAK, TWICE BAKED POTATO, CEASAR SALAD

TUESDAY - TURKEY SPAGHETTI, VEGGIE KEBABS, WHOLE GRAIN GARLIC BREAD

WEDNESDAY - CHICKEN FAJITAS WITH GARDEN SALAD

THURSDAY - STEAMED FISH, RICE AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH LEMON PEPPER

FRIDAY - GLAZED BALSAMIC CHICKEN , ASIAN NOODLES AND VEGGIE CHOP SUEY

SATURDAY - SWEDISH MEATBALLS, RICE AND BAKED BROWN BEANS


Recipe for Glazed Balsamic Chicken:

This juicy chicken, with its sweet and sour glaze, from the May 2004 issue of Canadian Living ("Yes, Have Chicken Tonight!") is so simple that you can make it from start to finish in 15 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lb/750 g)
2 tbsp (25 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) crumbled dried sage or rosemary
1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock
2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 tsp (10 mL) liquid honey
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:
In shallow dish or plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken and turn or shake to coat.

In large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium heat; fry chicken, turning once, until no longer pink inside, 12 minutes. Remove to plate and keep warm.

Add remaining oil to pan; cook garlic and sage just until golden, about 1 minute.
Sprinkle with any remaining flour; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Stir in stock, vinegar and honey; cook until thickened enough to coat back of spoon.

Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan, turning to coat; cook until chicken is glazed, about 1 minute.

Sprinkle with parsley.

DOWN WITH WINTER and IS ANYONE OUT THERE??

k, so I've realized that a bit of the winter blues had set in and left me feeling uninspired, grouchy, negative and hibernation mode. I get up and ready for work, go to work, come home, cook dinner and get lost in tv land or surfing the net.

Winter hasn't been as long this year so far but with so much more snow, the ankle injury, Quade's hip and one vehicle i've been housebound and feeling sorry for myself. The last few days with the sun shining, longer days and an overall feeling of 'waking up' has me feeling more inspired and alive.

I know the blog has been boring and a lot about Quade and what's going on but hope to get back on track with Meal Plan Monday, want to join in on Time Travel Tuesday (or something else if I can get creative) and to see what else is out there.

Hopefully some of you are still reading this, I know Shari, Jenny and Sue read and comment but it doesn't seem like there's anyone else out there so ladies perhaps this blog will get a bit more interesting and back to life!

I had to add this little montage about where we are at in regards to Quade. I think it pretty much sums it up better then I could say....


One More Day

Off to open the windows, air out the house and do some housework and then it's nap time. 5 hours sleep did not cut it last night, lol.

Sunday's at our house..

Ahhhh, this morning I got to sleep in! Well..............I was awake at the usual time of 7:00 a.m. but flipped back over and dozed. Cleo and Quade started rousing at their usual time of 7:10 a.m. (I swear you could set you clock by the two of them!!) and Hal got up as he had promised to do 'daddy doggy duty'.

Those of you who know Hal know that he is not a morning person but he was awesome. He fed them, made coffee while they were eating and then took them out to do their business. I could hear him talking to them and playing etc. and then off Hal and Quade went to hang out downstairs because Quade thought it was time to squeeze the crap out of his Wubba so downstairs they went with it.

I have to admit that it was hard not to get up and supervise because we have our own routine but then said to myself "Hal has to establish his own routine with them and they will all survive...your way is not the only way" Got up, went to the washroom and then jumped back in bed, fell asleep until 9:30 a.m.! OMG it felt wonderful. Woke up to Weenie (Willow) and Cleo snuggled up with me in bed, lol. Furry little buggers taking advantage I tell ya.

Hal came upstairs around then as well and peeked his head in the bedroom and saw his 3 chicks snuggling, said good morning, disappeared and then reappeared with a hot mug of coffee....sigh, life and love is good.

While Has was cleaning up the guy room I made us eggs benny and hashbrowns for breakfast. By then it was time to shower and get ready for Puppy class.

Quade is doing really well in class but not as good as Cleo did. She's such a pleaser though and a bit of a chicken shit too, lol. She was also older then him but he's already so stubborn that sooner is better then later for Obedience. We've finished OB 1 and are now doing OB 2. Once Quade's hip is fixed we'll see about getting him his CGC (Canine Good Citizen) and then more in regards to Therapy type stuff. I hope his personality will be the type for Therapy.

We took some pictures last night of the dogs and yes even Cleo. She hates the camera as you can see by her picture. We try to sneak pictures of her and still it's a rare thing to get a really good shot. She was even growling at the camera last night when I turned it on, lol. This was the best shot we could get of our Diva!

Update on us!

Sorry it's been awhile, haven't meant to be away but aversion is a great form of denial.
**have to say right now that I vacuumed the v off my keyboard the other day and it's really tough to type words with it, lol

If Quade is a candidate for surgery we are going to go that route. It's going to be a long, tough road for a bit but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. We're waiting to hear from Saskatoon hospital to get their quote and see when he'll be old enough for surgery. It will be a cemented total hip prosthesis that involves replacement of the dysplastic acetabulum (socket)with a polyethylene cup and replacement of the femoral head and neck with a stainless steel femoral head and shaft.

Quade will be our Bionic boy! lol

I want to thank everyone for their support and for letting us know you're there. For those of you who have told us we should just put him to sleep or that we're idiots for spending what it's going to cost....You don't love him, you don't live in our shoes and ultimately it's no skin off your ass. You can either support us or keep your snide comments to yourselves and remember that this is a small town. Stuff tends to get back to those you think it won't. I'm staying focused on the positive and keeping in mind that Quade came in to our lives for a reason. Whether it's a short time, long time, challenging or easy...he's beautiful, sweet, funny and loveable. He's my boy.

Other then that Hal and I are keeping busy and staying warm in the blasted cold!! We know that when it warms up though we're in for a heckuva snow fall. We're also anxiously awaiting for our cousin Tiffany to have her baby...yay!!! She and Jim are patiently waiting for baby 'Maybee' who is now late and has a bunch of us on pins and needles.

Keeping this one short and sweet as the last few have been too long.

The nightmare begins!

We have confirmation from the vet that Quade does indeed have severe hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is graded on a scale of one to five with one being the least severe and five as the worst case. Quade is a grade 5. As I type this we are still in complete and utter disbelief that we are now facing one helluva decision.

Do we proceed with the costly surgery or do we put him down. It's not easy and at times I think would putting him down be easier then the road we have to travel. It's not just our journey...it's Quades too. There will be a lot of pain endured by our boy and my heart aches knowing if we go with surgery he will indeed be suffering during recovery. The vet assured us that he will be given medication during the first two weeks which will be among the most painful.

The long term benefit is that we will have a dog who will be able to live pain free for many years to come and will be able to live life as a dog should. To be able to jump and hop and run like the wind, to dig holes, swim, go fishing with Hal, come camping with us, go for truck rides and most of all to never remember the pain he feels today as he tries to play with his big sister Cleo. He will be able to tug on that toy with all his might and may actually be able to get it away from her and to be able to chase her around like she wants him too. She gets the zoomies and he'll try to chase her for a bit but you see his leg swing a bit and he staggers and then must lie down. She runs to him, sniffs him and gives him a gentle kiss and even begrudginly gave him her stuffed baby tonight.

My heart is aching for Quade and feeling like a negligent owner/mommy because he's been in pain since we got him but he's been so stoic and it's only been recently that he's displayed just how much pain he is in. We were told that he knows nothing different as he's most likely been suffering with discomfort from before we even got him, to him it's just normal.

We have been given a quote from an orthopedic surgeon in Vancouver and are now waiting for one from the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Elorza and his staff have been amazing and I feel confident when they say that they are here for us and for Quade. Call with any questions or concerns even if we think they are silly.

I want to say 'THANK YOU!' to everyone who has been on this journey with us over the last two years as we waited to get this handsome fellow. For listening to our incessant chatter and excitement, the awesome surprise puppy shower, allowing us to bring him to your homes and for being a part of his life so far.

To Kelly Ruff of Diamonds In The Ruff Canine Training, 'THANK YOU!' for your generosity, concern for our boy, all the information you've provided and for modifying the obedience class for Quade so that he may attend.

I'm the type of person who has to be informed and learn as much as possible about something so the last few days have been spent devouring all the information out there on hip replacement surgery, recovery, hip dysplasia and the like. We are a cautious with what we find as quite a bit of the information out there is not always correct as we have found out!

My worst fear....

I think my worst fear is coming true and that Quade has hip problems. I'm hoping it's a strain but his back right leg is turned out, he's bunny hopping up the stairs and doesn't sit up straight, his one leg is always cocked out to the side.

He's certainly favouring the leg and has a constant limp. He's going to the vet this week and as much as I wanted to wait until the pet insurance was in place I don't think this is worth waiting for.

I visit a Rottweiler discussion forum and one guy had the guts to tell me to 'Just put him down!' Well he may only be 5 months old but I can't imagine him not being in our lives.