Mandatory “It’s Spooky Season” Post

I will be the first in my house to take out all of the Halloween and Fall decorations because I simply love this season! The cooler weather, the different colored leaves, and the perfect excuse to wear a long black hooded cape for no particular reason all make me so happy!

This October, I am most looking forward to bonfires in my backyard, as well as baking all the Halloween-themed cookies I can! I’ve signed myself and my fiancé up for a local ghost tour next weekend. It’s a fact that people rarely explore the area they live in, so I thought I would start getting to know mine.

I’ve also joined a local book club that happens to be spooky-themed. I figured it would be good for me to get out of the house sometimes, and books and fellow book-lovers seemed like a valid reason. The book this month is Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. We shall see how I enjoy it.

I’ve decided to take a break from fostering this month because I am dog-sitting for both friends and family, so I won’t have much extra time to dedicate to taking care of other dogs. I will spend a portion of my free time in October cleaning up my yard and organizing the inside of our house because it’s getting a little chaotic. I will also try to spend a little more time doing outdoor activities since the weather will be more agreeable.

Next post, maybe there will be photos of some fun cookies to share!

The fostering journey continues!

I have two more adorable dogs to show to you. We fostered Puma for 6 weeks and we fostered Melvin for about 2 weeks. They are both now in wonderful homes with families who are showering them with love and attention, and, most importantly: tennis balls.

Puma, a 6 year old Black Lab who is the best fetch player I’ve ever met

Melvin, a sweet 4 year old Golden Retriever who LOVES balls

I have to tell you that both of these dogs were so incredibly cute and sweet and wonderful to have in our home. Finding them good homes was, as always, bittersweet. One side of you wants to keep them forever, but another side wants to keep fostering, so you have to let them go. I know that when I do encounter another “dream dog” of mine that I will adopt, but I think it may take some time.

An Overdue Update

I will try to make this as short and sweet as possible. I will use the help of photos to tell the story:

The month of May was a whirlwind of a month because not only did we move out of our apartment before the lease was up, we bought a house, I graduated college, and I bought a car from a friend.

Charlotte was thebomb.com!

BBA from GSU

2011 Toyota Rav4

Fast forward to September 14, 2021 and the following has occurred: We got a new roof, my fiancé is a US citizen (finally!!), and we’re fostering the most adorable dogs.

A huge expense, but definitely needed.

August 18, 2021

Buddy Franklin- Golden Retriever Mix

Leyla- Purebred Golden Retriever

Between today and May, we’ve

• watched our friends get married and then move to California
• gone camping in Acworth, GA
• attended a Fernbank After Dark event in Atlanta
• attempted to vacation in Florida, but then got caught in Hurricane Irma
• babysat our neighbor’s children (2 young boys)
• built some benches
• lit some fires
• cooked and baked a lot of new foods
• supported delicious local Filipino vendors (https://kamayanatl.com/)

Fernbank After Dark events are awesome! 21+!

Camping at Lake Altoona

Bench Phase One

Bench is done with a fire!

We love Filipino food!!

Vegan banana cream pie- yum!

Those are all the updates I have for you all for right now. Here is to a fun-filled last half of 2021!

-Megan 😀

Moving Time!

Life has been a little crazy. Our lease does not end until November; however, we are moving out anyway because this apartment was not made to hold two people working from home. My office is currently in our bedroom, so I don’t have that nice work-life balance.

I have been wanting to break the lease for several months, but the cost of doing so was deterring me from following through. Well, a few nights ago, I was once again woken up at 1am by our downstairs neighbors having a brawl. It is bad enough that during the day there is noise and not enough space, but if I can’t even get a good night’s sleep then it is not for me.

We looked at a house we really like yesterday and we submitted an application. I really really really hope we are chosen because while the house needs some work, it is perfect for what we need it for right now. We would be looking to sign a lease for 2 years and then we plan on buying a house further south.

Fingers crossed we are chosen!!

Stove Drip Pans

There is a lot of cooking that goes on in my apartment and that results in filthy drip pans. Over the past year they have gotten even more disgusting and sticky, despite me doing my best to clean them with baking soda, vinegar, and vigorous scrubbing.

I have heard that ammonia, which is apparently perfectly safe for the environment (but should not be inhaled), does a great job in tidying up the grime that settles in drip pans, so I have acquired some.

I went outside and placed each of the 4 drip pans into a gallon zip lock bag and poured about 1/4 cup of ammonia into the base and then I sealed the bags. I will visit my drip pans again in the morning after they have soaked for 24 hours.

I will update on this matter tomorrow.

UPDATE: So, the ammonia did not do what I thought it would; however, I believe that our drip pans might have been beyond repair. They were already rusting and we forgot food in them forty too many times. I have discovered that drip pans are rather inexpensive, so I think we will just replace these when our lease ends next year.