Finally!!!  This is Bodhi. He's a Belgian Malinois though the nickname maligator is seriously appropriate. I'd forgotten how sharp puppy teeth are.  Of course, with the Dobie girls I seldom felt their teeth...  I think someone used the term "land shark" when speaking of a Malinois, and that fits too. :-)

Some other things I'd forgotten about puppies are...
...accidents happen no  matter how vigilant you are. Just clean up and try to do better.
...they are either off or on. There is no in between...full speed or totally off.
...they have the attention span of a gnat. A goldfish has a longer attention span.

I did remember the...
 ...middle-of-the-night potty trip. Only had to go out once...he slept about 5 1/2 hours before needing out. Nice.
...puppy breath.  It's a dog person thing.  If you don't understand, that's okay.
...puppy kisses.  Again, another dog person thing. 

I'd been warned about the high-energy of a Malinois, but still had no real clue.  I'd been warned about the teeth of a Malinois, but again, had no clue. It's no wonder so many of these awesome dogs end up in shelters when purchased by people who need a couch potato dog.

Sonnet and Mocha weren't thrilled about the new family member. The cats even less thrilled. One, I've barely seen, one glares at him from a distance, and Watson, while he's the most accepting, he still growls occasionally.  Last night, he got about a foot from Bodhi and hissed then growled. Bodhi growled back.  It was so cute.

Anyway...he's sleeping now. So I'm going to try to accomplish something. I have an x-pen set up by my desk so he can have some freedom while being safe from trouble. He's not a fan of confinement. :-)  And, I found perfect use for old chair cushion...puppy bed! 

Are you are dog our cat person?

...and I just can't hide it.

Today's the day. We're adding a new member to the family.  I think I'm ready. Not as ready as I could be, but ready enough. I hope.  I've been preparing for this day for months. I've done some reading, I've studied the dvds, and done the what-do-we-name him thing. Now, it's just a matter of waiting.

He's scheduled to arrive at 3:30. I'll be posting pictures on Facebook soon after. Y'all can find me at JeanLauzier if you want to keep up.  Or, I can guarantee he'll make it to the blog soon. :-)

​Breathe was my word for last year and I still love it. I often find myself taking a deep breath and doing the breathing thing  (For example, a few minutes ago when I was editing this post and somehow lost it and had to redo the whole thing.) But I needed a new word for this year and it came to me shortly after the first of the year.   Healthy.  I want to be healthy. I want to feel great and enjoy life and do stuff and darn it, I'm tired of not being healthy.

Healthy doesn't have a headache almost every day. Healthy doesn't take a nap almost every afternoon just to get through the rest of the evening. Healthy doesn't toss and turn at night while waiting to fall asleep.  Healthy doesn't get winded walking to the store door when there isn't a close parking space. Healthy doesn't wake up in the morning feeling horrid, with more aches and pains than the night before.  Healthy doesn't need daily allergy meds just to be able to breathe. Healthy doesn't want to just sit home and rest instead of going out and having fun. Healthy doesn't need caffeine and energy drinks to make it through the day. Healthy doesn't search the cabinets and fridge for anything with sugar. Healthy doesn't consider eating a can of sweetened condensed milk with a spoon. (I didn't but thought about it...that's when I realized splenda and I didn't get along.) Healthy doesn't hide from life. Healthy miserable and sad.

Yep, that was me. Honest...I hid a lot of it but still, that was me.  

Until almost 2 weeks ago...well, 12 days ago, actually.  Since then, I haven't had a single headache. Since then, I haven't needed an afternoon nap. (I did take one Sunday but that is 'cause Sundays are for rest.) Since then, I haven't taken a single allergy pill...and I can breathe!!!  I'm sleeping so much better, not waking at every little sound and waking rested and ready to take on whatever the day brings. My morning aches and pains are gone. I have more energy and am actually parking farther from the store to get in those extra steps.  And those sugar cravings...gone.  I actually didn't buy chocolate the other day. I feel so much better than I have in ages. I'm in a better frame of mind and mood. (Hubby likes that.) I'm looking forward to the future and doing stuff. I am hopeful.

Which leads me to the "P" word that made such a change. Plexus. That's right, Plexus. 

I swore I'd never try another "health" supplement from some network marketing company ever again. Like, never, ever, ever. And I swore I'd never, ever, ever, try to get anyone to try those "health" products. Again, like, never, ever, ever. 

Yet, here I am. Proudly telling you about Plexus and how great these products are. Here I am encouraging anyone who wants better health to give these products a try. If you want to be healthy and feel great, contact me. Let's chat about how Plexus products can change your life. You can use the contact form at the side, message me on Facebook (JeanLauzier), or email me.  

No expectations, no commitment, no pressure. Just sharing info and chatting. 

Today is National Pie Day! That's right, there's a special day to celebrate pie. Personally, I think pie should be celebrated everyday, but that's probably just me.

Thinking about pie, though...  I do like pie. And when it comes to picking my favorite, I'm not sure I can.  I mean, in the south, nothing can beat a really good pecan pie.  But again, as a chocoholic, I enjoy a slice of chocolate pie with a glass of cold milk. Yum! Which just reminded me, I have a recipe for a chocolate pecan pie that is the best of both worlds. I definitely need to dig that out and make a couple.

Mom used to make, special for me, a lemon ice-box pie that even now, I'd eat the whole thing in a day, if not adulting.  And her coconut pie, one to swoon for.  Made from scratch, no box pudding mix...oh my!

And of course, the sweet potato and pumpkin pies that get served during the holidays. 

Let's not forget those "pot pies" either. A hearty meal in pie form. And pizza is called a pie in some places. And when I do a thick-crust, homemade one, it definitely could be called pie.

Now that I've totally made myself hungry, I'm going to go see what's in the kitchen for lunch. There is no pie, but maybe I'll fix that. :-)

What's your favorite pie? 

Ever read a book that when you finished, you just sorta closed the cover and sat there, holding the book in your hand, wondering what you're going to do now? That feeling of, now what? The feeling that  you've been on a great adventure and now it's over.  Me too. Not very often, but it does happen.  And I'm still in the midst of that feeling.  And as I sit and ponder, I just had a thought that I'm going to have to ponder more, but thought I'd share with you.  And, I'd love your thoughts on my thought. :-)

They, the experts, say something to the effect that the way our brains are wired, makes it so that we can't tell the difference between real/truth and false. That is why some folks cry at movies...the brain thinks what we've experienced is real.

That's one reason that positive affirmations and positive self-talk are so important. It's like the saying that whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.  Our brain believes what we tell it.  It believes the negative, bad stuff we say about our ideas, body, abilities...and also the positive.  The positive just takes more repetition since we've been negative for so long sometimes.

Here's my idea.  If, when we get so emotionally involved in a movie that our brain believes the emotions to be real, from a real event, that is happening or happened to us, then...when we read a book...I mean really get engrossed in, to the point that everything around us is shut out,  then as we read and experience those emotions, our brain believes them to be real too.

I don't think books like that come along often. And I think it takes different books for different people. What stirs me, might and probably wouldn't stir you.  And what touches your emotional core, might not touch mine.

And when a book touches that emotional core, it's done right.  It makes the late nights totally worth it. 

Today, I finished one such book.  As my oldest daughter would say, it left me in a "puddle of feels." I like that expression...it's seriously appropriate. As much as I want to start the next in the series, I'm not emotionally ready. I need time to recover. I'm hoping by Friday so I can have the weekend for immersion and obsession.

Here's the guilty book.  Remember, this is the second in the series so get the first....A Court of Thorns & Roses.

Today, I was a bad blogger. I thought about blogging several times. I even came up with several topics that would work.  However, I just didn't. Mainly because, it's Sunday, and Sundays are taken up with church and church stuff. And of course, the required afternoon nap. Plus, I've been reading a new book. 

So...as soon as I click post, I'm going back to my book.  Here's the question...

What are you reading.  Share in the comments and be entered to win stuff. You can check under the "contest" category for all the info.

Me, I'm reading A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.  My oldest daughter got me started on the series. The first one is, A Court of Thorns and Roses. These are so good. I'd sit and read from start to finish if I could.  I wanted to read all night last night but had to be up early today. This is definitely a series you need to start with the first, but I highly, highly recommend them.

​Some of y'all aren't going to like this but...

We need to be supporting our police forces and officers.  These guys and gals are doing a darn tough job that most of us don't want to be doing. They deserve our respect and support.  Yeah, yeah, I know...there are a few bad ones out there.  But you know what...there are a few bad accountants out there. There are a few bad postal workers out there...heck...we even have a phrase for it...going postal. There are a few bad car salesmen, bad doctors, bad lawyers, bad electricians, bad plumbers, and so on. There are bad folk in every job or career.

Here's the thing...  When a cop gets up in the morning and kisses his family goodbye, he doesn't know he'll ever see them again. When a cop pulls over a car with a taillight out and approaches...she doesn't know who or what is waiting in the vehicle. It may be a simple, "I didn't know it was out." kind of thing. Or, it may be a criminal with a gun who has decided he's not going to go to jail.

Not long ago, we rented a car for a roadtrip. We had barely made it out of town when a trooper pulled me over. Come to find out...the rental car had two different plates on it...from out of state. And switching plates is one thing drug runners do.  When he approached us, he didn't know if we were out of state drug runners...we were on a road noted for that...he had no clue he'd meet two authors on the way to a book event with a rental car.  We treated him with respect, answered his questions, cooperated with his instructions, and it all worked out fine. 

Here's where my 2 cents come in...

If you don't want cops to pull you over while driving...obey the law.  Don't speed...make sure you use your turn signals, drive safely, etc.

If a cop does pull you over...don't be a smartass. Treat them with respect. If they ask you to do something, don't give 'em any lip...just do it.  If you think you are in the right...wait and tell the judge. 

If you don't want to be arrested and have to deal with the police...don't break the law. It's that simple.

A couple years back, my daughters and I took a women's safety course. One of the cool things we did was to get to use the FATS...FireArms Training Simulator. This was so cool. What it does is project an image on a big screen and you "role play" the simulation.  For example...approaching someone in a parking lot, or the cute guy standing on the corner, or even the domestic disturbance.  It was an interesting, enlightening, intense experience. Unfortunately, the first scenario...I died. It was a well-dressed, well-groomed gentleman, he wanted to chat so we stood on corner and all of a sudden, he pulled a gun from behind and killed me. Let's just say, I shot first and asked questions later next time.

Cops are doing a tough job. They deserve respect and admiration. They deserve our support and consideration. If not for cops, our cities would be overrun with crime and complete chaos. Let them know you got their back...tell 'em thanks and let them know they are appreciated.

,Another confession...I'm a grazer. I'm not one for sitting at the table for three meals a day. I even raised my kids as grazers. When they were little, I kept a container of peanut butter crackers on the counter and when they needed a snack, they were free to grab a couple.  Until the day I moved couch away from wall and found pile of ritz crackers with no peanut butter. Little heathens. 

I also tend to have something nearby when I do serious writing.  Lately I've become hooked on the "very berry" sour gummy worms. I've even gotten my writer daughter  started on them. :-)

That said, I don't eat bag after bag. Especially since I'm working on getting healthier this year. But...a few, ever so often, with restraint, isn't so bad.

I also like plain m&ms...and those Brookside dark chocolates with the pomegranate  centers. And the Hershey's almond things that come in a bag...

       What's your favorite snackage for writing?  And don't you just love that word...snackage? Mmmm...snackage.  I need more snackage.

I like today's prompt so decided to go with it...

As far back as I can remember, I've had a thing for horses.  I remember reading Black Beauty and all the Black Stallion books over and over and over. If a book had a horse in it, I read it.

I finally managed to talk family into a pony after we moved to the country when I was 9. We had ponies for a couple years, we grew and they didn't so they were re-homed to smaller kids. 

There were a few years when I didn't have a horse but I eventually got one. He wasn't really mine so got sold (long, sad, story) and it wasn't until I settled after basic training that I purchased my own horse. He was a character and I love him still even though with life issues involved in moving so often in the military, I gave him to a family who had a teenage daughter who needed a horse of her own.  

Shortly after we married, my hubby reenlisted and used his bonus to buy me a 6-month-old Thoroughbred colt. His parents were actually real race horses on the Florida track. We we living in Florida at time and I intended to train and race him.  But, the military had other plans and shipped us to Guam for 2 years and I couldn't afford to have him "professionally" trained so he grew up with some friends while I was gone.

But back to childhood dreams.  My plan to was attend a famous "horse school" and learn everything about horses.  How to ride fancy, and not so fancy...all the care stuff, and of course training.  Things didn't work out and I ended up in the military.  And honestly, I don't regret the military decision. I wouldn't be who I am today.

After retiring, more life happened and I just never got another.  I've thought about it many times, but I look at the practical and know for me, right now, horses are just not in the big picture.

That said, one day, when I have a granddaughter...if she wants a horse...you can bet I'll be taking her horse shopping. 

Oh, I also wanted to be a criminal psychologist but then Manson went all Helter Skelter and I realized I'd have to work with beings like him and changed my plans.

Sorry this is so long but...one thing that remained constant throughout my childhood was telling stories. I didn't realize it could be done by "regular" people. I thought writers were special, elite persons.  But here I am, all these years later...writing and telling stories.

Confession time...I'm not one for serious organization. My desk is a prime example of that. Piles and piles of stuff but I know, for the most part, what is in each pile.  And I'm not one for a strict schedule either. I have a "sorta" routine but I'm flexible. I still get things done, and it works for me.

That said, these last two days, I've had no routine. I've not even had a schedule of any sorts. Hubby has been home from work so that means breakfast and lunch for him. Plus he tends to be a distraction. He left for work about 30 minutes ago so I'm in catch-up mode.

Thing is, I've got to get in a more scheduled day. I've got another major distraction coming soon and there must be routine and structure to the day.

Any structure/routine setting tips?  I love the "eat the frog first" analogy, though I don't always take that advice. Share your favorite ideas....please!