auctions, clean homes, and dogs

I wanted to make sure you guys knew that bidding is still open for Jonah's EB Auction! The auction has been a huge success so far, but it still has a bit longer to go so you can get in those last minute bids. At the very least - check out some of the stuff they have - it's awesome! I've been keeping an eye on the Long Sleeved Bib that I donated, and I have to admit that I was kind of afraid that it either wouldn't get bid on at all or would only end up having $1.00 bid. I was so excited to check on it yesterday only to see that the bidding is up to $25!That's almost double the retail price! I can't lie - I'm pretty flattered!

And now I feel like I need to tell you about the highlight of my week. Nay, my month! You see, February was crazy for Shawn and I. Usually only one of our schedules get insane and the other one is able to carry the weight at home and even some of the burden for the one who is running ragged. February though - notsomuch. Life just got crazy for the two of us. I knew it was going to happen in January, I could see how much stuff was going on our calendars for the month, so I decided I needed to schedule SOMEthing at the end of the month as a "Congratulations! You made it!"

I came across some great reviews for a local cleaning service, and found out that they were having a really great Spring Cleaning deal. Now, I've never had my home professionally cleaned. The thought has never crossed my mind, and it always seemed like a luxury for those with a bit more money. Still - that price was awesome and just knowing that I could let the house go for a week or two was a huge relief. I saved and saved through the month, and scheduled Yvonne (CLICK HERE for her website) for this past Wednesday. I spent my entire day at work thinking about how excited I was to come home to a clean house - and I was not disappointed in the least! The house smelled amazing, and looked even more incredible. There's nothing nicer than walking into an immaculately cleaned house, huh?

Jude and I left for church that evening, and on the way home I was excitedly telling Shawn about how nice the place looked. As soon as we walked in the door, my heart dropped. Coletrane had pooped (and peed) right in the middle of my newly cleaned living room.

In many ways, I think that was probably his last straw. Shawn and I had talked about getting rid of him before, but it's always been couched in, "Well, maybe we could still keep him, but we should probably start looking for a place anyway." We're now both pretty set that we just can't adequately take care of him and two children.

I firmly believe that his accidents in the house are because of neglect on our part, and that if he's in a home where he's walked a couple of times a week or allowed space to run outside, he'll be just about the most perfect dog you can imagine. Because really - he's a great, GREAT dog. My frustrations with him come solely from the fact that life has been overwhelming. So if you happen to be in the market for kind and gentle dog, here are the details about him:

He'll be four years old in August and is a Labrador mix (mixed with what, we don't know). He's around 95 lbs. and is entirely black. He's actually a very pretty dog - strangers stop us all the time to tell us how beautiful he is. Creepy, but true. Coletrane is GREAT with kids and has incredible patience. He is easily excited by kids and tends to want to play with them. Not realizing how big he is, he has knocked down a few children in his excitement (and theirs!). I know I keep saying it, but he is very, very sweet and loves to lay at our feet. He's actually warming my cold feet right now and likes to just be near us. Cole's very protective of us, but has never bitten anyone. As soon as he sees that we think the person is okay, he's immediately best friends with them.

So...there you have it. Our home won't be nearly as joyful without Cole, but he's getting the short end of the stick here. He's taking the brunt of our frustrations and isn't well loved right now. He deserves so much more than we can give him in this stage of our lives, and despite our reluctance to let him go, it's what is best for him.

It looks like Jude's decided his pacifier needs a dunk in my coffee. Guess the kid needs a pick me up today - I should probably go address that.