Jazzy's Little Fiasco

Well, Jazzy had a very eventful evening last night.  I'm sure she's happy it's over.  It's a bit of a long story, so let me start from the beginning.  

When I came home from work on Friday, I noticed Jazzy was limping and holding up one of her front paws. I was immediately worried.  Jazzy hates when anyone touches her feet, so I knew this was going to be an ordeal to figure out what was going on with her little paw.  I was able to trick Jazzy into showing me her paw by rubbing her belly.  Once she was on her back with her feet up in the air, I could get a closer look at her foot.  That's when I saw that her dewclaw (apparently that is what the toenail that is on a dog's leg is called) was bleeding a little.  

My first thought was to call Adam and make him come home from work early so we could rush her to the emergency vet hospital.  But then my freak-out ended and I started thinking more clearly.  

After I stopped rubbing her belly, she jumped right up and pranced to the front door.  She was ready for her afternoon walk.  I figured she had just snagged her dewclaw on something or bit it or some other random thing.  If she was willing to go for a walk, I figured nothing was broken or in need of a trip to the emergency vet hospital.  

So, I kept an eye on it over the weekend.  She was okay on Saturday.  But it seemed to really start bothering her on Sunday.  She was holding her paw up more and it would bleed randomly.  Adam and I decided we would take her to the vet after work on Monday.  I told Adam he would have to come with us, as I am a wimp.  

Adam kindly obliged and we made it to the vet yesterday evening.  Jazzy figured out where we were going and started shaking rather violently.  She was a trembling mess on Adam's lap in the vet's waiting room. Poor thing.  

As soon as the vet looked at her paw, she said Jazzy's dewclaw would need to be snipped off.  Luckily, it wouldn't need to be surgically removed.  Thankfully they took her in the back to snip it off.  I'm glad Adam was there to keep me from turning into a blubbering mess.  I was worried Jazzy was scared back there all by herself.  

Of course, she was fine.  She was in good hands and well taken care of.  When they brought her back out to us, she had her leg all bandaged up.  It made it look a lot worse than it was.  We were sent home with instructions to keep the bandage from getting wet and to encourage Jazzy to take it easy.  In other words, no nightly run with Adam.  

Jazzy was not thrilled with the bandage.  She wouldn't even pose for a picture with it on at first!  

The little stinker!  Jazzy kept holding her paw out in front of her, as if to say, "What is this thing doing on my leg?  Get it off!" 

 

Luckily, she didn't mess with it or try to get it off.  She eventually came to terms with it.  She was treated rather well.  And she even got to eat her dinner on the couch.  

The vet had told us we could take the bandage off later on in the evening to make sure it wasn't still bleeding.  That was a challenge.  First of all, we had to touch her feet.  Secondly, the tape holding the wrap on was all stuck in her fur.  It took us awhile, but we eventually got it off of her.  Jazzy was rather stressed out by the situation.  She ran to her crate after that ordeal.  I don't think she's spent any time in her crate in about 5 months, so she must have really been stressed out to go in there.  

I felt so bad that Jazzy had such a traumatizing evening that I convinced Adam to let her sleep in our bed last night.  I told Jazzy she had to stay on my side of the bed so her daddy could still get a good night's rest.  Boy, did she listen!  I spent my night sleeping on the very edge of the bed with a tiny corner of the sheet on my legs.  Jazzy sure hogged my side of the bed.  Oh, well.  She's worth it.    

Where Shall I Set My Drink?

Adam and I love the sectional that we purchased this past summer.  It's very roomy and it fits in our living room perfectly.  The color is a nice contrast to our dark chocolate walls.  Plus, you can't see all the dog hair that Jazzy leaves laying around on it.

  

We spend a lot of time on the sectional.  We watch far too many hours of Netflix sitting on it.  And I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but we even eat dinner sitting on the sectional most nights.  We found ourselves in a bit of a conundrum while eating our dinner on the sectional.  You see, if we were holding our dinner plates, then we had no way to hold our drinks.  One of us could sit next to the side table, but the other one of us had to put our drink on the tray on the ottoman in front of the sectional.  But, if we wanted to take a drink we would have to stand up and reach over the ottoman to get our cup.  First world problem, I know.  But still a problem for us.  

So, we starting brainstorming some solutions.  Adam found this sofa table idea on the Ana White website.  I was sold!  So, Adam got to work.  

He whipped up a sofa table that fit the dimensions of the back of our sectional.  After he built it, he stained it using General Finishes Water Based Wood Stain in Java.  Once the stain was dry, he sealed it using General Finishes High Performance Polyurethane Water Based Topcoat in the Satin finish.  Adam raved about both, saying they had better coverage and weren't as smelly as other stains he's used in the past.  

After Adam put the final topcoat on, we let it air out in the garage for a few days.  Then, we brought it into the living room to fully cure.  

After another couple of days, it was ready to be moved to its final location behind the couch.  I think it adds a whole other layer of style to our living room.

  

And it's functional!  Now we have a place to set our drinks! 

Adam made me switch out the coasters we were using in the living room with the coasters from the family room.  These blue glass coasters that we got at an art fair in Pittsburgh have rubber feet on the bottom, which means there's no chance of them ruining the finish on the sofa table.  

Not only do I now have a place to set my drink, but I also have some more light in the corner.  I can read in my favorite spot on the sectional now. 

Thanks for the gorgeous sofa table, Adam!  

Stitch Fix

Have you heard of Stitch Fix?  I kept seeing ads online for Stitch Fix and was intrigued.  The basic premise is you fill out an online profile of your style and wardrobe needs and wants.  Then, a stylist will pull together 5 pieces of clothing and accessories.  The items will be sent to your door so you can try them on in your own house.  You can then decide to either keep the items or send them back.  

I decided it would make me happy to try it out, so I signed up.  You pay a $20 styling fee, which can be put towards any item you decide to purchase.  I got my first Stitch Fix in the mail the other day and it felt like Christmas morning when I saw that it had arrived!   

I ripped that sucker open and started trying on the items my stylist sent right away!  I felt so fancy, having a stylist to call my own!  It was quite fun to have a little fashion show right in my own bedroom.

Overall, it was lots of fun and I'd love to try it again.  There were some definite pros, including: 

-The stylist really listened to what I wanted.  There was even a note included that told why she picked each item and how it could work for me.  

-There were style cards included that gave you ideas of what other clothing and accessories you could pair with each item.

-I got the chance to try some items that I never would have picked out for myself.

-You can try on the pieces with the rest of your wardrobe, since you get to try the pieces on in your own home.  I was able to see how the items would look with the clothing I already own.  

On the flip side there are a few things to consider, such as: 

-The cost.  The items ranged in price from $29-$99.  Being a bargain shopper, I don't typically spend that much money on my clothing.  There's not room in my budget to buy all the clothing or to have Stitch Fix after Stitch Fix sent.  But it's fun to splurge every once in awhile.  I can see myself doing this again for a special occasion, but it certainly won't be a monthly experience for me. 

-If you don't like any of the items and decide not to buy anything, you loose the $20 styling fee.

Overall, it was a fun experience and I'd love to try it out again!  I ended up keeping one of the shirts.  It's a black top that is flowy on the top, but fitted around the waist.  It's not something that I would have tried on had I seen it on a rack, but I really like it!  And I was able to try it on with a skirt and some jeans I already had.  

If you are interested in trying out a Stitch Fix for yourself, feel free to use the following referral code: 

https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/6754524