Who needs a Door Stop....

when you have a Bella???........................

Yes, she is alive! I was about to go to bed last night and found Bella in this position fast asleep! She quite often sleeps this way and in front of the door! What a perfect solution for drafts! We think she does this because she is hot and likes the coolness of the door (or its drafty...)
At any rate she is a silly girl and we love her for all her quirks!

Cleaning tip

If any of you are on a well or have hard or rusty water, this is a post you may want to read.
We are on a well and we do have a rust remover filter but even still, my appliances, the shower, toilets etc, get orangy over time.
I have found this product is amazing!
Stain Free by Whish...
It is recommended for porcelain only but I have tempted other areas and rinsed immediately and what a difference!

It is an acid based so be sure to wear gloves...I found this out the hard way when my hands and fingers started stinging but cannot believe how this stuff works with absolutely no scrubbing at all!
For those of you who have soft water or are on municipal water you probably don't have this issue but if you do....you know the scrubbing I am talking about!

26 days in...

I cannot believe we are already 26 days into this new year! How fast it has gone already! We have been hibernating of sorts with a cold snap that moved in last week. Still I can't believe January is almost over!

I have made it a personal goal to try new things this year. Not to get stuck in a rut with what I like or like to do. To try new foods or step outside of the box and try new things.

A few weeks ago I thought I would try soy milk and discovered that I actually quite like it! I buy the vanilla flavour and it is great! I have never been a huge milk drinker since I was little but I try to get a glass of this stuff each day. To my amazement I feel really good! This time of year we are all dragging a bit and I find that I have alot more energy, not sure if it is because of the soy milk or a few other 'good for you' food choices I have been trying to make but I sleep well, wake up feeling energized and have the ambition to get through my day.

Another food choice that I have avoided since I was small is brussell sprouts. I have hated them since I can remember. However trying 'new' things I had some at work a few weeks back and discovered again that I actually quite like them too! I made them at home and 3 of the 5 of us like them so it will be served quite often with an alternative of course for the pickier of us!

Also to prepare for our trip I tried tanning a couple of weeks back. I am so pleased at how I have got a healthy glow without getting burned in this very controlled method of tanning. I have never had a tanned abdomen before so this is new for me but it is great and again not sure if it snippits of vit D that I am getting but I feel great!

Lastly another of my firsts that I had wanted to try but have always been too chicken was do dye my hair dark...really dark! So last week I bought a medium brown Loreal hair colour and took the plunge. Again I was pleasantly surprised on how it turned out! I had thoughts of buying the one darker but thought I may try that later. I love it! With the sun kissed glow on my cheeks and the dark hair, I feel amazing! It has lightened up quite a bit so the next time I may try the darker one..will be sure to post pics!

I am finding that trying new things has been really rewarding and stepping outside the box now and again is invigorating and refreshing! I am pretty excited about trying all kinds of new and different things without 'chickening' out or letting the fear of 'what if' get in the way. You all should try it, it is kind of fun!

LOVE it!

A couple of weeks ago, I was dropping Casi off at CT for her shift and she happened to mention that there was a dyson vacuum cleaner on clearance in their store.
Immediately I was intrigued and thought I should check it out.
I have been whining about my vacuum for ages, it really was horrible and I always felt it was a waste of time vacuuming as I knew it was not getting everything it should, the only time I felt it was doing a good job was when I had just changed the bag, but that is really a pain so I was not liking it at all. I still use the little stick vac for in between jobs but every few days my floor NEEDS a good vacuuming!
With all my furry creatures in the house, not to mention 3 females who continually shed hair, I have a lot of hair issues in my house!
Anyway always on the prowl for a good deal, I parked the van and ran in to see it.
What I found was a Dyson Stowaway.

I had previously been peeking online at the Dyson ball versions trying to find a good used one or doing price comparisons to find one that was cheaper. I had been hesitant of the ball version for the very reason that we have ONLY bare floors. We have no carpet in the house at all but a variety of hardwood, laminant and vinyl. The ball versions only have a plastic head and I wondered if it would be compatible with bare floors with no bristles in their heads? Anyway this stowaway seemed like a great alternative. I have a great vacuum that works just as good as the ball version but with a bristled head for my bare floors. It is amazing, I love it!

Even better yet as it was on clearance, I got $200 off the original price along with Casi's $20 staff discount, I thought it was a fantastic deal! Having just booked a trip to Dominican that very week, I really didn't see myself buying a vacuum too but the savings of over $200 was my motivation. I am super glad I waited and found a great deal, makes me feel even better cleaning knowing that I was able to save money and have a great product!

Olivia, Olivia, Olivia....

Well my little princess is growing up!!! She is just shy of 3 months old and we love her so much!
She is sassy and full of beans.

I have already had her sire's owners assess her for show and they liked what they seen! I am thrilled! My odds of getting a show puppy were limited with only 1 puppy in the litter! So far so good!

Her and Bella are the best of friends and most often you will find her curled up against Bella for warmth.

She is super smart and will ask to go outside (even in these frigid temps)......

Love, love, love this little girls and am excited to add her to my gang!!!
She will not show until late this year or even into 2011 but she is looking very promising!!

Goin to the Dominican!!!

Well ......are you drooling yet???

Just this very week we booked a week in February at this resort in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic!

Needless to say we are all pretty excited!

We are staying at the Bahia Principe San Juan, a 3 + or 4 star all inclusive depending on what site you visit.

What is even better is that my sister and her hubby are joining us!!!! I am most excited about this!!!

We are taking both girls with us, James is staying home to get a good start on the 2nd semester and to look out for the critters out in the barn!

I have jimmied my work schedule around and got a dog sitter and someone else to also look after the barn critters.

I think things are pretty much set! All that is left is to plan out what to take and to pack!

Super SUPER excited!

I could not think of a better travelling couple and think it is so important to gain these worldly experiences, something we or the girls will not forget. The memories are priceless!!

Please let me know your Dominican experiences and what would be good to bring along!!!