R.I.P. Our Beloved Team Nugget Canine Mascot, Jack

Our dog Jack passed away this weekend. He's now pain free and chasing squirrels through the woods. This is a repost from 2008, a profile of the sweetest dog in the world, I thought it was a fitting memorial:

A profile of Jackson is long overdue. He is quite possibly the sweetest dog to roam the face of this planet. I thought it would be so easy to write a profile of Mr. Cup, but really what can I say other than he's just a sweet old dog. He's such a good boy! The Bug, well, he's a boy.

Like his counterpart, he goes by many names: Jacksoncup, Speedbump, Jacksonian the Presidential Dog, Mr. President, to name a few. He has the BEST theme song of all the Team Nugget Canine Mascots:

lyrics lovingly crafted by Team Nugget:

Jacksonian, the presidential dog...

He's presidential, and he's a dog!

He's got the quiet dignity of a president,

But he doesn't have thumbs and he can't give speeches.

He's strong on border control,

And he's pro-rawhides and naps!

He's Jacksonian, the presidential dog!

While he is an elder statesman, don't let his advanced age fool you. He has some spunk. When it's least expected, he will show you. Right upside the head.

Imagine if you will, a crazy scenario in which I have elected to make the cake for my own wedding. It was a wee cake, but stressful nonetheless as it would be photographed by all who were to attend. Being the OCD kind of gal I am, I made several cakes so just in case I screwed up the fondant, I would have a backup. (Note to self: you can't really screw up fondant, it's a force to be reckoned with.) So on the fateful cake assembly day, I pull the ziplock-ensconced cakes out of the fridge and put them on the counter to acclimate. They're pretty tall counters so I think nothing of it, I know that our scavenger dog, Stinkbug, can't get to them as he has legs that are only like 3 inches long (hence the Napoleon syndrome and his bad attitude). I go to the store and pick up more tulle or some other wedding nonsense, then come back to begin the frightening task at hand. Except I walk in, and there are cake crumbs all over the floor. So after I come to, I realize that my sweet, quiet, layed-back old dog ate the wedding cake!!!!! After all, he does have dog-sized limbs and could easily snatch the ziplocks off the counter. Luckily he left one package, so we had our wee wedding cake.

So when I got pregnant, Jacksoncup was by my side constantly. Like I said, he's a sweet boy. He always checked on me when I didn't feel well, and would lay beside me when I was crashed out on the couch from carrying the big load that was the Little Nugget. I never had a doubt that Jackson would do well with the baby, and he has proven me right.

I thought he would take care of her like he does me, but he keeps a little distance from the whirling dervish that is the Babygirl. I'm sure this is because of his age: we found out not too long ago that he has bone spurs on his spine and arthritis in his hips, poor guy. But that doesn't keep him from doing the occasional happy wiggle out in the yard. He loves the sun!

We love you Jacksoncup!

All for now,

Nugget

Two of My Internal Organs Were Worthless Mo-Fos

So I kicked them to the curb. Gall bladder and ovary. Actually I didn't have a beef with the ovary, it was just hanging out, doin its thing, but it started growing an evil alter-ego cyst-er who was simply not invited. I was supposed to have laproscopy, but I swear Dr. Doogie gave me a c-section to get that party crasher out. Benign, yea! So I thought it would be a good idea to salvage the post-op work week by working from home, but Vicodin thought otherwise. I've already had 2 naps today! I've come to accept the imposed slothiness of it all, and am enjoying the whole doing nothingness. The house looks like hell, dishes and laundry are piling up, no food in the fridge, but I've got a jar of peanut butter, a spoon and the remote. Time. to. veg. Awesome! All for now, Nugget

OMG OMG OMG!

OMG I got my first Etsy Front Page! Woot! *Happy Dance!*




It's the Miriam Necklace, one of my personal favorites and the very first piece I made for my shop!!! How's that for serendipity!!!

What a great day!

All for now,
Nugget

Those Little Saké Cups are for Taking Shots, Right?

Team Nugget can really be dense sometimes. Like when we think we can go out to a nice dinner (something other than fast food or Mexican) with the Little Nugget. I mean, how many times do we need to be reminded? Apparently many. Because we have a keen ability to block unpleasant experiences from our collective memory. Call it our superpower, if you will. Otherwise, why would we keep trying to take our oh-so adorable, albeit fidgety offspring to public places confined by the typical social expectations. You know, like not screaming "NOOOO!!!!" seemingly out of the blue: we're used to it so we no longer have the startle reflex, but most other diners are unaccustomed to spontaneous bursts of adrenaline during their meal. Makes you feel alive, eh?! Our gift to you! You're welcome! :-)

Team Nugget had a hankering for sushi the other night, AND we had a coupon. Score! So blinded by our fog of naive forgetfulness, we loaded up for a family outing. Woo-hoo! Usually the amnesia is short-term, as we gain consciousness as soon as we walk in the door and see 1) it's a nice, quiet restaurant and 2) there are other customers who seem to enjoy the quiet nature of said establishment. Fuck! I will share with you now:

Team Nugget's Strategies for Peaceful & Harmonious Dining in Fine Restaurant Settings, a.k.a. "Damage Control"

1. Order alcohol, tout de suite.
   
2. Waste no time in ordering food, and pray to God it arrives quickly.
   
3. Swiftly unpack the Squinkies and other well-chosen distractions from the Little Nugget's poodle purse.
   
4. Even though you are going to a restaurant to procure food, ALWAYS BRING BACKUP FOOD. Food delivery is NEVER fast enough.
   
5. Once food has arrived, eat! Enjoy and savor it, of course, but just know everything could fall apart at any minute!
   
6. When they come to ask you how it tastes, ask for the check! You just never know when you may be shamed into an abrupt departure!

Bon appetit!!! That really is our survival guide, for reals.

OK, so we weren't shamed *this time*, but we did make a quick departure as Little Nugget REALLY liked the sound her sassy boots made on the hardwoods, and she wanted to make sure everyone knew. That and she felt compelled to do a special sushi house interpretive dance in the exact spot where the wait staff come in and out of the kitchen.

After we escaped to the privacy and non-judgemental embrace of the car, I realized I had forgot to finish my Sake. I was really tempted to burst back into the restaurant, grab the tiny shot glass and down that sucker.

I'm sure the other diners would approve.

All for now,

Nugget

It's Not You, It's Me...

This is so hard to say. We've been together for such a long time now, which makes it even harder...I'm breaking up with you, Michaels.

We had some good times. When I got those weekly 40% Off the Price of Any Item Coupons (excluding sale items, magazines, books, Martha Stewart items, Cricut items, clearance items, or anything else you want), I couldn't wait to hook up with you. It was intoxicating. I remember the first time I introduced you to the Little Nugget. She gasped "Oh Mommy, look at all the colors!!!" I knew just how she felt. We both thought you were "the one".

But something happened. I don't know. Maybe you started phoning it in. Maybe I just raised my standards. But all I know is I need a store that can give me what I need.

I've started seeing another store. It's a locally owned store. There, I've said it. Their beads are all drilled on center. And the holes are straight.

But we can still be friends, right? I'm sure I'll need some craft paints or a new sketch book from time to time. And hey, you're the only place I can get butter rum Life Savers, so we've still got that!

Take care of yourself, Michaels. It was good knowing you.

Nugget

Angels Everywhere...

I dropped Little Nugget off at her developmental preschool a little while ago.

She's autistic for those of you who don't know. Very high functioning, though, and sometimes, just sometimes we allow ourselves to forget what's really going on in her brain.

I was late picking her up at Montessori to take her to her afternoon classes, so like most people, I took a short cut to save time. I forgot.

That one little thing, taking another route, so minuscule and insignificant to most of us, set the Little Nugget into a tailspin of anxiety, hyperventilation and hysterical slobbery crying just because it was totally unexpected. Usually she can be talked down out of it, and frankly I was really hoping for some help from the radio, because a well-timed Mumford and Sons or Phoenix song could have ended up with a much different outcome.

See, one of the things about autism is that once an autie or aspie becomes upset, it's like their brain short circuits. They get stuck in an escalating state of eminent meltdown of varying degrees of severity, depending on the level of stress they are experiencing. On the grand scheme of things, this one wasn't horrible, so I kept going, thinking she'd be OK once she saw we were at school. I've actually been switching up the routes we take for a couple of months now, just to keep her from getting too rigid in her routine.

So yeah, I forgot. I forgot that our girl doesn't have neurons that fire like everyone else, and that she just can't drastically change (in her mind) her routine at will, and that she has to get used to new things on her own time, not rushed because Mommy's running late again.

We get to school and she's still in meltdown mode. I get her to calm a little in the car, but by then, school has already started. We got there on time, BTW, due to my amazing new shortcut, but at what cost? We sit in the car for another half hour. Once calmed, we make our way to the front door, she starts freaking again (maybe the blustery wind?) and breaks away from me. I grab her because I don't want her to get hurt in the parking lot, and carry her back to the door, her kicking and screaming the whole way. I get the door open and she drops to the ground still kicking and screaming when I felt a hand on my shoulder behind me, saying "I'll take her, mom, it's ok". It was her teacher and case worker from last year, Ms. Paula, the one who was instrumental in turning our girl's life around and showing her how to shine.

Autism has taught me many things, some bad, like how judgemental people can be, but mostly good, like taking time to think about things from other perspectives, the value of patience (still working on that!) and the goodness and kind-heartedness of our community. That I'll never forget.

Thank you Ms. Paula and my dear friend Jorgi. I'm eternally grateful for all the hard work you do.

Nugget

Sick Day

Since Saturday I've had this sore throat that I've tried to will away, but overnight the vile plague unleashed a torrent of snot that could not be denied.

I'm sick.

Hubby Nugget just took the Little Nugget to preschool, and here I lie, cup of hot tea in hand, buried under my snuggie and a pile of used kleenex.

Mrrr.

Would you like some cheese with my whine?

Updates are in order since I haven't posted for a month.

How bout them Chiefs? I'm blocking last week's game out of my memory...bring it up and I will deny it ever happened. I'm talking about the Playoffs! Woot! *must get over cold by Sunday!!!*
We're in the playoffs baby!!!

On other fronts...

Team Nugget embarked on a yet another campaign to potty train the oh so stubborn Little Nugget, necessitating my absence for a month. I was doing laundry and mopping the floors non.stop. I'm happy to report she is peeing in the potty now, not in her panties. Don't ask me about poo. Sigh.

OK, I'm going to go take some cold meds and lay down.

Nugget