2 and 13, 13 and 2

I did not expect to have this kind of age gap between our dogs. These two were born the same week though! Scout on May 24, 2013 and Maverick on May 18, 2024. They came from the same breeder right outside of Louisville. 

Akin to how most people plan out an age gap between kids, we planned out dog age gaps...initially.

We got Scout in the summer of 2013 and within 6 months Scott was hankering for another dog because he wanted Scout to have a friend. I couldn't really argue it but also did not want a second dog. When it comes to what's best for a dog though, it's generally not good for a dog to be alone (did Austen write that? I think so. Or it's in Genesis). 

So we got Jett when Scout was about 11 months old and then we had two dogs, about a year apart and it went on like that. There was a lot of moving and upheaval for several years but I always knew Scott wanted a THIRD dog at some point. 

When we bought our house in Missouri in 2021, it was on the table. Summer is the prime time to get a hunting dog, but I was pregnant with Sutton that first summer, then we had a newborn/infant, then I was going back to work and we were dog-sitting all summer,  and then we finally had a window to get a puppy. Jett was diagnosed with a few terminal issues in 2024 but we'd already made plans to bring this puppy home. 

We picked up Maverick in July 2024 on the day of the attempted Trump assassination in Butler, PA. (Interesting fact.)

Jett passed away in December 2024 and then we were left with an 11 year old dog and a 7 month old puppy. 

The idea was that Scout could help show Maverick how life worked and that Maverick would keep Scout young. 

Maverick is a HARD dog to like, unfortunately, so Scout has not been a willing participant. Turns out Scout never wanted a friend, even in Jett. He has the personality an true only child. In Scout's defense, Mav is a bit of a bully...very much like Jett, actually. Jett was a rough puppy. Mav was the only male in a litter of 3 pups and he insists on being the center of attention at all times. It's exhausting. The kids like him. Scott likes him. He overstimulates me, tbh. He has no social or spatial awareness. However, he loves us and our daily runs through the local fields are the only thing that keeps his behavior in check. His intentions are pure, though. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He doesn't bark or growl. He's a gentle giant (for a Brittany) at 40 pounds. My biggest complaint is that there's still a potential for him chewing everything he can find and is very unpredictable about it. 

As for the last year, Maverick went from being in a crate in Missouri during the day to having free reign of the house in Kansas. He has a doggy door and is able to come and go as he pleases. I think this makes an enormous difference in a dog's quality of life. He did catch a case of strangles last fall, which cost us about $1,000 in vet appointments and medicine in November/December. He actually has some permanent scarring on his nose, which is crazy. He took his second trip to Pennsylvania to see his "grandparents"this past winter. And now, given our recent move to a new house, he's on his 3rd house in less than 2 years. A true military fur-child.

Scout is still trucking along. He goes on daily runs through the fields. He eats voraciously, he wakes us up in the middle of the night when he's hungry (not kidding), and then he has crazy anxiety when the barometric pressure hits a certain level and storms are coming. Trazodone doesn't even work so I've started just giving Benedryl. Scout takes two heart medications (4 pills a day) and we started him on Prozac last summer and it's improved EVERYONE'S quality of life. He started having anxiety back in 2020ish and finally I was able to do something about it for him. He took his, approximately, 456th trip to Pennsylvania this past winter. Scout has now lived in 8 houses.

Scout is, we're pretty sure, completely deaf but his mind is sharp and he's still all there. He seems to have a soul behind those eyes and is always "speaking" to us about what he wants. Maverick, like Jett, is very dog-like. I can't explain this but I know it to be true. 

Saturday things.

1. We moved last weekend and I do not recommend moving while finishing up the last week of school, especially while your kids need lunch packed and uniforms ready each day and they also have things like dance class and soccer that require certain clothes and you need to know where they are. Just my advice. That was the single hardest part of this. Usually, when we move, we just live out of a suitcase and make do with whatever but not possible when you need to know where the shinguards are, as well as have something presentable to wear to work. 

Also, moving without kids is a lot easier than moving with kids. I do feel like that would go without saying, and since we did a lot of moving pre-kids and I can make that comparison. And waiting until school is out is probably the key to success. 

We gave ourselves a 6 week buffer on purpose, so we're not out of our rental yet. Nothing worse than being rushed through a move (ask me how I know). 

2. Jack Ryan: Ghost War was really good and they're setting up for a second movie, you can tell. First movie we watched in the new house. 

3. 

I got these sneakers from Walmart on sale the other day for $9. I needed something to wear out and about that's comfortable and not a big investment. They're great with dresses, shorts, and I'm sure with pants too (I don't wear pants after May begins, generally).

4. Did you know The Good and the Beautiful will send your kids free books for summer reading?

You just pay for shipping! I got one for each grade/age range for $5.95 shipping. Cannot recommend this enough. 

5. 

5 Wednesday Things.

1. If you need a show to watch this week, I was a little late to the game on Should I Marry a Murderer? It was so good. It's almost spoofy. 

2. We went to a one-room schoolhouse the other day. Super in-depth tour and I think we learned a lot! Highly recommend the Oxford Schoolhouse if you're in the KC area. 

3. I'm always on the lookout for new tortilla chips. Scott came home with these after he ate all my tortilla chips (he thought I had more in the closet). I'd never seen them before and they're very good. He found them at Kroger. 

4. I never made it through more than half the first season of The Bear. 

But life has been starting to get to me, so I found myself relistening to the Casey Anthony episodes of The Prosecutors. Their old (not their new) multi-part episodes are comfort binges for me. 

5. Hantavirus internet does not disappoint.

Currently in May.

a pile of stuff, made aesthetically pleasing in black and white

Digging: through everything in this house. I'm figuring out what needs to go, what needs to move with us, what can be listed on Poshmark, what can be donated, what can be trashed. I'm being particularly strict about my own clothes. If I haven't worn it in 1-2 years, it needs to go. The weight, physically, of carrying around and moving belongings I don't use is super evident this time of year. 

Weeding: same thing. Weeding through everything. I didn't start packing earlier because I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I packed up way too early last spring, thinking we were moving for sure and we just didn't. So now I have nothing packed and we're supposed to move this month.

Also I do like pulling weeds. I find it relaxing and grounding to be in the dirt. I may do that this weekend too. The front yard landscaping (poorly maintained at best when we moved in) needs some upkeep. 

Enjoying: We just finished watching The Beast in Me on Netflix and I'm always supportive of Claire Danes being unhinged. I've been watching old episodes of ER because I find that relaxing and I thought about rewatching all of Once Upon a Time. I dipped back into season 1 (I think I originally watched in near-real time) and it holds up. 

Eating/drinking: I wish I had fun new recipes to share! Mostly I'm relying on my tried and true brainless meals. We had spaghetti last night. Having homemade pizza tonight. 

I did get a restock on this probiotic from Just Ingredients. It does not disappoint! I actually have a ton of frozen fruit to use up before we clear out of this house so I told myself I'd start doing a protein smoothie every day but so far that hasn't really happened. I hate dealing with the blender?

Shopping for: I did a restock on this cleanser from Adel. It lasts a very long time and it turns out that oil cleansing is really good for my skin. Also, something that is very much a want and not a need: I love these totes from Baublebar. 

I was going to put together a haul of what I've gotten from Amazon in recent months but here's some of what I've shopped for lately...       

 Honest cleanser. I ran out of my La Roche Posay oil cleanser (cannot recommend enough) so I decided to try something new. This is great for sensitive skin. 

This is an absolute steal for under-eye patches. 

This is the best mascara I've ever used, ever. I've had a few tubes over the years. I don't always want to spend $20 on mascara but it's worth it. 

I got two of these tanks a month or so ago. I realize I have some major wardrobe holes but, really, I just need summery tops and these are great quality. I got mediums and they're pretty loose. They wash very well. 

Another absolute steal: I have dry hair so I keep I'm always on the lookout for products that will add moisture. This shampoo/conditioner is exactly what I'm looking for and is a bargain at $12 for both. I've been using it for a month now. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Linking up with Currently!

                                      

Weekend catch-up and memes

So it's not that I can't write some sort of catch-up post, it's the every time I open up a window/browser/tab, I get assaulted by the 65 tabs I have open. And then I get distracted and then nothing happens. We are inundated with so much information At All Times that I can't even focus on one task at a time. Crazy, right?

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of stressful activity and now May-cember is here. I didn't. understand just how crazy May was until I had kids in school in 2023-2024. That was the May our dog was sick, Sutton was at her worst clinginess level, Scott's job was 12+ hours a day, Wells was graduating kindergarten, and then I had to wrap up a school year. In May-cember, there's some fun activity every day, field trips, etc. Finding/buying teacher appreciation gifts/end of year gifts is usually what pushes me over the edge, if I'm being honest. This year(!), we have soccer three days a week plus a dance class and then there's a recital at the end of the month. 

This year(!), we also have to move out of this rental at the end of June and we're in the process of closing on a house not far from here. So yes, friends. We're moving again! This will be 5 houses and 4 states since 2020. Exactly 5 houses in exactly 6 years, June 2020 to June 2026. That math doesn't seem possible but I think it checks out (I don't know..I'm pretty tired.) 

I have more details to share on all of this, but I'm going to wait and see how the next month shakes out.

Passing the time at soccer...

Field day.

She loves Scout and he is so completely indifferent. 

More soccer.

Speaking of teacher appreciation week, I asked Wells to decorate this gift bag for his teacher...He drew a battle between the USA and the "Rushons" :)

I have found some great dresses at Walmart lately. Now, this one is from last year but I've gotten two dresses for $13 a piece in the last two weeks. 

I told myself that, going back to work, I wasn't going to rebuild or even supplement a wardrobe this spring. I can worry about that next fall. 

But I grabbed this on a whim, after seeing (probably) a Facebook ad....

It's a 100% cotton tshirt dress!

It was $13. 

It wore so well that I immediately grabbed another:

And then I just now grabbed a 3rd because they are SEVEN to NINE dollars. Don't sleep on this. 

Again, they're 100% cotton. That matters in this day and age of fast fashion. They're pretty loose. I got smalls.

You know those bloggers or influencers who are like "omg i love it so much i have it in 5 colors!" and it's a $200 sweatshirt or something? Well that's me but now I own $30 worth of 100% cotton tshirt dresses from Walmart. 

The easiest way to make the kids happy is to go through the car wash. 

I'm going to really miss opening windows when the humidity no doubt comes back soon. 

Meme backlog: