People Underestimate the Value of a Good Ramble

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Brad's Deals

OK, I just saw something that made me happy.

Lately, I've been reading lots of books on my phone Kindle app. Don't get me wrong, I still love actual books. I love them. I buy way too many of them, in both a physical and wireless sense.

So, anyway, I wanted to buy a tablet, for book reading and other fun stuff. Today I went over to Brad's Deals and was able to do that, using this coupon for Tiger Direct, saving me $30 in the process. I can't wait to start reading books on it! (The little tiny pages on my phone were starting to get on my nerves.)

You can see why this made me happy.

But since I was already at Brad's Deals checking things out, I just kept looking and I saw this:
Set of 4 Mikasa York Balloon Wine Glasses. Um, don't I need something just like those for a wedding shower gift soon? For only $6 with two coupon codes!! My wedding shower person has registered at Macy's. So I searched and found some Macy's coupons and a deal where I can get 20% off Macy's wedding registry gifts. Seriously?

Where has this site been my whole life?

Anyway, I didn't stop there. I decided to see what other store deals I could find. I love Old Navy. Like who doesn't, right?  There are both coupons and deals for Old Navy, as well.

I'm basically in love with Brad's Deals right now, cause it saved me $30 already and there's more money to be saved.

Basically, you just type in what you what kind of deal you're looking for and voila! You have access to thousands of coupons and deals for thousands of stores. All over the place, every day.  They also have their hot deals of the day right at the top of the page and just below are handpicked deals for various items, like computers, shoes, entertainment books, Chase rewards cards, and lots more.

I have feeling I'm about to save a lot of money very soon.

Monday, June 6, 2011

What's In A Name?

Bambi
 The name dilemma isn't new to us.

When we got our first Maltese, Bambi, back in 1997, we hemmed and hawed for days, calling her puppy and baby, cause we just couldn't agree. I made up lists, consulted books, all sorts of craziness, just to name our dog. We then started with elimination, each person got to nix a certain number of names on the list in each round. Finally, we whittled it down to the name no one hated, Bambi. Seriously, that's what we called it, "the name no one hated." But after a while it was clear that the name suited her, cause she was a big baby. Although, at one point, we regretted not naming her Noodles, cause she loved pasta and if you so much as said the word noodles, her ears went up and she would tip her head to the side as if to ask, where??



Bella

Then came Bella. That  name was easier, I just picked it. I didn't want to go through what we'd gone through before. Plus, we'd picked her out right at birth, so we had several weeks while she was growing up to think about it. At birth, the breeder had named her Priscilla (she had one brother, Elvis), but we told her we would change that. I think we did pick something different at first, but by the time she came home, she was Bella.

And don't think we just call the dogs by their given names, either, cause we don't. Bambi was often Bambina or Bamberella or Bamberino or Bam-Bam. Sometimes she was Bama-lama-ding-dong.  Bella is often called Belle, Bellarina, Bella Ella Isabella, and Bella Buttonella, by various family members.

Since we've been calling the new dog Baby to differentiate her from Bella, I've realized that I often use the term Baby when I'm talking to Bella. So it leads to confusion. When I call the puppy, Bella often comes to see what I want and then I have to give her something or she thinks I'm crazy. No really, she does. And since the puppy is so eager to please, she generally comes no matter what I call her, so that she answers to Bella, too.

Little Noname
But to get back to the naming dilemma, it seems at this point like we're on a run of B names from Disney characters. So it makes sense for the new dog to be Bianca or Beauty. I found a list (you know how I love lists, right?) of every Disney character. There are a ton of other B names, but none that are that great. I even found a place that listed the names of all 101 Dalmatians. Seriously.  I like Bongo. But it's not popular with anyone else.

I also thought of Baloo. But then you just know at least half the people won't get it and you'll have to explain it to them and they won't care. Then everyone will end up calling her Blue anyway. My husband actually had a dog named Blue. OK, that was the whole story.

When I was a baby, my family had a black Cocker Spaniel named Beauty that I just dimly recall. So I like that name, too, but I think this puppy deserves her own name.

My family members outside of this house have taken to calling her Beauty. My mom wants Bianca, my husband likes Baby or Zuzu. I have no idea.

And by this point we may have just called her Baby long enough for that name to stick.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

The Dog With No Name

While the puppy is still nameless, she has let me take a picture of her. It wasn't easy, but I finally caught her looking right at me. She just doesn't sit still for long. As a result, my phone is filling up with dozens of blurry "action" shots.

We're working on potty training and although she's really smart, she just doesn't seem interested in going potty outside. She must not have ever been trained, I think.

We saw the vet today who said she thinks Baby (the name I'm using until I can convince everyone that there has to be something better) is probably between 6 months and 1 year, so we're calling her birthday December 10, which is the same day as Bella's, only 4 years apart.

The vet also thinks Baby is some sort of mix, although she looks mostly Maltese, she's just a little larger in body frame for a puppy. She weighs 7 1/2 lbs and is in good health. She didn't like getting shots, but she had no problems riding in the car.

She seems to be settling in here really well and the funnest part (yes, funnest is too a word!) is that she seems to be "my" dog. You see, Bambi was always my mom's dog. She spent all her time with mom and followed her around. Bella is my husband's dog, in the most definite way. She guards him and insists on being with him whenever she possibly can. She's been known to wait by the door for him for hours when he goes out.

But Baby is attached to me. So far she's been hanging around me all the time and when I went outside this afternoon to plant the impatiens in my shed's window boxes, she was crying at the door, nearly the entire time. #socute

Uh oh.  I think this blog is about to become the story of Baby.

I'll try not to talk about her too much. You know, sorta.

Friday, June 3, 2011

So What Should We Name Our New Puppy?

She moves too fast to get a good pic. 
We've been wanting another dog. I even wrote a whole post about it back in December, talking about all the dogs I've ever owned and trying to decide if I was ready to go though puppyhood again.  I never posted it, cause it was kinda boring.

So about a week ago, a neighbor asked my husband about Bella, if she was a Maltese and what they are like.  Of course, he waxed lyrical, cause we love Maltese dogs, in general, and our own, in particular. Apparently, the neighbor knew someone who had a 4 month old Maltese puppy they couldn't keep and they were looking to sell her to someone, pretty cheaply.  When my husband heard that he said, we'll take her! But the neighbor wasn't sure, since this was such a great deal, he might want her himself.

So on Saturday, they got her. She definitely not 4 months old. I'm guessing more like 14 months, and she may be a mix with poodle or something slightly larger than a Maltese, cause she's already as long and tall as Bella, who's 4 1/2 years old.

The first day, they seemed happy with her. They have two kids, not little, but pre-teen, who are kinda rough. But that day, they were taking her all over on a leash and showing her off. However, even then, the mother was telling us that did not want a dog and the daughter was saying that she wanted a Chihuahua.  

By Monday, the dog was chained out front for hours, in intense heat and sun, on a short leash. None of us was happy about that, but she wasn't our dog. On Tuesday, it was the same thing. I walked over at one point and she literally jumped up into my arms and started kissing me all over my face. Her water dish was empty, but they were all home and I wasn't sure what to do. Tell them she needs water? Get it for her myself?

My husband was talking with the dad, telling him that Maltese are lap dogs, they want to be with you and they need attention and love. They aren't really the kind of dog you leave tied up outside all day. The dad mentioned that the kids didn't really want a Maltese, they wanted a Chihuahua, so they wouldn't to anything for the dog.  He had to do it all himself.

Wednesday was the same. My mother kept telling me to do something.

That evening, my husband went over to talk to them again. The dad said they really weren't bonding with the dog. Maybe he would sell it to us. For a little more than he paid, of course.

My husband said, fine, how much do you want? I'll give you cash right now if you let me take her. But the dad wasn't sure yet.

Thursday morning the dog was back outside. It was colder and windy. Before he left for work at 3 pm, my husband tried again. Maybe. Maybe tomorrow, he was told.

I watched the dog, outside all afternoon and into the evening. Alone, without food or water. At one point, I was tempted to just go get her and take her home.

I was sleeping when my husband got home from work around midnight. I was woken up by a wet nose in my face. It did not belong to my husband.

When he got home, he saw the dog chained outside, in the dark, shivering, with no food or water, and all tangled up in her leash. We live in a suburban area, but there are known predators, including a fox who often hangs out in our yard at night.

My husband knocked until someone woke up and answered the door. He handed over cash and carried her home.

She's a great dog, high-energy, smart and fast moving. Also, very sweet, friendly and loving. And just the teeniest bit hand shy, but she's quickly learning not to be afraid of us.