Beware.. Ticks!

 

13 years ago I chose the most adorable little puppy to join my 'family' I'd only moved out of home four months before to start my adventure in a new town for Uni & having always had pets all my life, it felt natural to surround myself with some four legged friends. So Jessie joined our family alongside Jack & Felty my cats & Twitterbug my Scaly Breasted Lorikeet. Jessie was a tan & white Border Collie and had a gorgeous personality from day one.

Our Journey's both began at the same time..

Like any family member Jessie grew with our family & over time he welcomed other dogs into our family (they were older than him & he would often look after these dogs, particularly in their old age & lead them to dinner etc) he welcomed my children and he welcomed my new family when my husband & his kids moved in. He would look after me, protect me & he knew when I was upset & cheer me up.

Jessie was very intelligent. He knew 'find toy' & would search until he found his favourite toys. He loved toys & had a large collection.

Jessie has been gone 2 months now, he passed away after being affected by a paralysis tick. I came home one Friday evening to find him laying in the garden, unable to get up. We took him to the vet, we asked about ticks but the vet thought it was more likely he'd sustained a sprain or a fall.. The next morning, still at the vets for observation he hadn't deteriorated nor had he improved. The vet still felt a rich was unlikely and was thinking moreso nerve damage? They asked me to call back closer to lunchtime & when I did I was told they had found a tick & had commenced the tick serum.

Unfortunately Jessie had a reaction to the tick serum so his health began to struggle, that afternoon we took him 'get well cards' and his toys. That evening the vet said his health was further declining & the next morning the phone rang and I felt sick.. I knew ge's passed, I couldn't answer the phone & made my husband take the call.. I knew it was bad news.. My beloved companion of 13 years, the one who'd been with me through thick & thin was gone.. Taken by an ugly insignificant insect :-( I was very upset, wondered why the vets hadn't picked it up earlier & angry..

I write this post as the weather is warming up, apparently there are more ticks than ever around & I'd like to spread some awareness in the hopes I could help save someone else's beloved pet suffering the same way our beautiful Jess did.

We'd never had ticks before, it was the first case we'd had in our backyard in 28 years so it wasn't something I was actively preventing against. We now use the tick collars on our dogs ( which are relatively inexpensive) and check them over regularly by running our hands over them to detect any lumps or bumps.

There are spot on products, Advantix that can be applied like flea preventers, but if your using this product to prevent ticks, you must use it fortnightly, not monthly like you would flea control.

I'm sure Jessie is in doggie heaven playing up a storm with all his mates who passed before him. His death was senseless & I urge all dog owners to go & check their dogs over, buy some preventative products & don't become complacent.. These hidden nasties can be in any of our backyards so protect yourselves, your children & your pets..

RIP Jessie (1999-2012)

Jessie had a gorgeous smile that could make you happy even on the bleakest day.

Lego Brickworks Exhibition

Our local Art Gallery is fantastic & they always have some wonderful exhibitions for children, particularly over the school holidays. So I was excited to see that at the moment they are hosting a Lego exhibition. We planned a trip to the gallery today and Mr 7 thought it was wonderful & was in awe of the Lego designs ( He came home & tried to design some Lego pictures himself!) it was only a small exhibit but still had him captivated.

I think it's wonderful the endless designs that are possible with Lego & the timelessness of the toy itself. My Brother's Lego is still at my parents place for the kids to play with when they visit & I still vividly remember playing with my Duplo & Lego as a child & there are some pretty retro pieces amongst the collection including a cow & an elephant! It's great because it's a toy they never get bored with or outgrow for such a long time unlike many of the 'fads' that are out there these days!

I'm pretty excited to be buying my stepdaughter some of the girl Lego sets for her upcoming birthday too, she loves playing with the boy's Lego, so I know she'll get a kick out of her own! Plus the designs are just so cute, I couldn't possibly resist!

Oh well I'll leave you with some pictures, but check out the Lego website as they're celebrating 50 years of the Lego brick in Australia so you might be lucky enough to have a local exhibition/show nearby you too!

Meal Planning Monday

I keep forgetting it's Monday! The school holidays & a change to my husbands work schedule has me completely thrown out & I keep thinking its either Sunday or Tuesday... So grocery day tomorrow & time for another weekly meal plan. I keep trying to remember to take photo's, but usually by the time dinner is on the table, I'm so starving I completely forget all about taking a happy snap & am happier just to eat!

This week I'm cooking for 2 adults, 2 kids as my Stepkidlets are spending the holidays with their Mother.

Monday: Sweet chilli chicken wraps with spinach/rocket, tomato, cheese, beetroot & onion.

Tuesday: Lasagna with salad.

Wednesday: Homemade pizza's (cheese, spinach/rocket, mushroom, onion, capsicum, ham, pepperoni) with garlic bread.

Thursday: Devilled sausages on rice.

Friday: Thai green chicken curry on rice.

Saturday: Beef, mushroom, zucchini & onion casserole (can't get enough of this!)

Sunday: Roast turkey with roast veggies.

Bake List:
Mini profiteroles with strawberries & cream.
Jelly & creamed rice.

A Family Weekend...

This weekend has been filled with some wonderful memory making moments..

Most exciting!! Our 14 month old took his first steps! Baby steps from the table to the desk & again a few more steps throughout the day.. We were fascinated to see where he might step next & each attempt was accompanied by a massive confident smile, he was loving it! So gorgeous xx

Yesterday we spent a sunny day at the beautiful Carnival of Flowers in Toowoomba. We went to the street parade, had a picnic lunch & went and checked out some of the prize winning gardens. The gardens & flowers were truly amazing! *cue garden inspiration*

Today, a lazy morning followed by checking out a newly opened water park/park & visits from both my Mum & my Hubby's parents. So all in all a very busy weekend that truly was a wonderful way to kick off the school holidays & spend some lovely quality time together as a family xx

**As you can see iv also been playing around with a few picture apps on my iphone LOL.