Life is good

60 is the new 50

Technically, he is still 59 in this picture, but it's now official - only a few more years before the senior discount opportunities will be plentiful. He doesn't look is age, so imagine his delight when he gets carded for the Kohl's discount on senior day Tuesdays. My mom is predicting that he'll have some sort of master schedule posted on the wall so as not to miss out on any savings opportunities.

Putting the pregnancy rumors to rest

The fact that Chino is a boy didn't stop the little Yorkie-Poo that could. He tried all four legs and Chino's tail without success. Louie worked himself into such a frenzy that my sister had to take him home to chill out. Our theory is that a neighborhood dog was in heat, causing Louie to abandon any ounce of self control. We've had talks with Chino about his "celebrity status" and he understands that its hard to be adored. After Sunday's escapades, which were worse than usual, I'm sure that Chino was left wondering if there is some sort monthly treatment (think Frontline) that will prevent Louie's infatuation from turning into fatal attraction.

*Pause*

Last week, Nick and I met up with one of his friends from high school for dinner after work. I don't believe that we'd seen her since our wedding, 2 1/2 years ago and before that, I don't even know. They went to the same high school and then to different colleges and finally on to different parts of Ohio. She sells purses (COACH!!!!), he does...that thing he does. Buttons and circuits and PLC's and computers. Oh yeah, and free polo shirts and an office. With a door. And a dry erase board. Yeah he does that. So other than that, its not like they've got loads in common. Somehow though, they've remained friends, keeping in touch via email and more recently, facebook. Even though it had been awhile since we'd seen her, it was like no time had passed at all. We caught up, chatted over a great dinner, without any awkward lulls that you might expect after a lapse like that.

Not that I am condoning measuring a friendship or calling someone a better friend than another, but really - doesn't it seem like conversation is a great way to gauge it? If the conversation comes with a pause button, rather than a mute button, stop button or skip button, chances are that you've stumbled upon a keeper. Spanning years and even *gasp* decades is not unheard of in some of the truly great people that we are lucky enough to know.

Read my lips

If Chino could talk, he'd have just said, "GO TO WORK" before rolling onto his side in a
huff and going back to sleep. This dog is terribly inconvenienced by weekends, since they interrupt the normal 10-12 hours of shut-eye that he gets over the course of a day. Surprisingly, he didn't go upstairs and go back to bed, as he is known to do when we have the nerve to be hanging out downstairs, on his turf. Its a hard knock life for him I tell ya.

Louie

Meet my sister's dog Louie who is having a love affair with Chino. Louie loves Chino and Chino loves to hate Louie. If Chino used the internet, he'd give me a high five for posting this picture.

Product of my rais'n

I'm a product of my practically impractical parents. My dad is the person who stocks up on things when he has coupons and/or they are on sale (you should see his spaghetti sauce and/or salad dressing collection), my parents go on multiple vacations each year and my mom has a wardrobe collection that puts most people to shame. Being multifaced, you can call him frugal in the same sentence as calling him discerning and he'll agree. His policy: cheap is good, free is better and quality is worth paying for. ML's policy is one of my favorites - "oooh, lets get it."

This post is more about savings versus impracticality, however it seems that in my case, they go hand in hand. If I hadn't have saved money, I couldn't have spent it friviously. If only I could close the gap here and just save the money. Period. End of story. But I digress. I realize that my coupon obsession gets to be laughable at times, and it often takes me forever to get through the grocery store, much to Nick's shagrin. In my defense, I have my coupon organizer set up to match the aisles in the grocery store to save time searching. I take time to compare prices and amounts and 9 times out of 10 will buy something based on price versus brand, unless its mayonnaise, peanut butter, cereal or ketchup because some things are worth the extra $0.25 (see above policy regarding quality).

I know the anecdote that every penny counts, so I dutifully cut out my $0.35 coupons (doubled to $0.70 at Giant Eagle) and use them alongside the $1.00 and $1.50 offs. Well, last night, we saved a whole bunch of pennies...to the tune of $107.16. Fuel Perks saved us 20% off the top of the grocery bill - which was approximately $50, but the rest was manufacturer coupons and Giant Eagle Advantage card savings. Since this was a new record for us, I figured it was blogworthy. I won't lie, I also wanted to brag a little (ok a lotta) bit too. I suppose the money that we saved is technically spent, but it just blows my mind that by doing what we do anyway - gas and taking a few extra minutes to cut coupons, we have $107.16 that we wouldn't have had otherwise.

Pupapalooza 2009

Saturday at the Alum Creek Dog Park from 10 am to 3 pm.

Kicking off the weekend festivities is Tips for Pups at the Rude Dog Bar and Grill Thursday (6/4) from 5 pm to close. This is the 3rd Annual Tips for Pups and is also a fundraiser for the dog park. It will be a night of good food, fun and drinks. New this year a 50/50 raffle and great raffle items up for grabs.

Saturday's event at the dog park promises to be a great day full of great music, fabulous silent auction gifts and really cute T-shirts. Lots of rescues, not for profits and business supporters will be there. Maybe you can find a new BFF (Best Furry Friend) to adopt at Pup-A-Palooza.

Admission to Pup-A-Palooza is free but we are asking that everyone PLEASE bring pet food to donate to the Feed Fido and Fluffy pet food donation drive to benefit Meals on Wheels recipients in Delaware and Franklin Counties.

Finally, join us at Water's Edge Pizza & Pub for Pups On The Patio after Pup-A-Palooza on Saturday, June 6, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Leashed pups are welcome on the patio for this very special event. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Alum Creek Dog Park.

Finding his inner canine

The dog who doesn't follow us from room to room, is relatively indifferent as to when we're home and when we're not and who probably dreads weekends because they cut into his "me" time, has finally found a sliver of his inner canine. I couldn't be more proud of him. The epiphany came last weekend while he was playing fetch in the backyard. When he got tired of playing, he darted under the back porch and began digging a hole in which to bury his ball (translation: I am not going to run after this thing for one more second, and this seems to be the only way in which I can stop you from throwing it).

I was standing on the porch, watching the dirt fly out, laughing hysterically. By the time I grabbed the camera, he was finished digging and just lounging in the dirt, out of our reach, all rugged and regal. Once he'd had enough, he came back into the comfort of his house to continue his siesta on his favorite spot on the couch. Of course, after he got the dirt off of his paws, that is.

Pleasant Surprise

Last summer we planted this peony in our flower bed.  We bought the one that looked like it had "potential", which translates into a glorified stick in a pot.  We thought that it had died, until the spring when we saw some small sprouts poking through the mulch.  The peony finally bloomed last week and I couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures.  It smells as good as it looks and was definitely worth the wait!