Bah Humbug?

I have a problem. A big one. I am totally not in to Christmas this year. Now this is seriously a big deal for me. I love Christmas. At least I always have until this year. Even during the disaster year of 2004 I loved Christmas. This year I am just not in to it. I have not enjoyed shopping like I usually do, I have not enjoyed wrapping like I usually do and I am not even doing Christmas cards for everyone at work like I usually do. I don’t even want to put up my Christmas tree! Oh horrors!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!? I hate feeling like this.

Maybe it is because part of my family won’t be here for Christmas and that really makes me sad. I will miss the crinkle cookies that my sister-in-law makes and I will my nieces running around. I know they will be having a great time but I will miss them. All 4 of them.

Maybe it is because I bought a Bah Humbug shirt with Oscar the Grouch on it this weekend.

Maybe it is because I don’t have a lot of money and I don’t feel good about the kind of presents I can afford.

Maybe I will get the Christmas spirit on December 1st.

Maybe it will just hit me all of a sudden.

I hope so because it makes me sad. And no one wants to be sad for Christmas. Maybe I will start a list of all the things I LOVE about Christmas. Maybe that will help. Maybe I will do it tomorrow…

Where am I?

Well sometimes I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when she says "I don't think we're in Kansas in anymore". Work has been so busy that by the time I get a chance to go home, I just crash. No energy for blogging! So here is my apology and a promise to blog more in the coming weeks! (I am sure you are all on the edge of your seats! hahaha)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Deep Thoughts

So sometimes I have deep thoughts. Sort of like Jack Handy of Saturday Night Live. But, not today. Today, here is what I thought:

I am hungry.

I am tired.

I have no money.

The dogs need heartworm medicine.

My clothes don't fit. They hang all wrong.

Aggressive drivers who pass me while I am going 10 miles OVER the speed limit piss me off.

Gas costs way too much money.

Why can't the people taking my order in the drive thru get it right? I wonder if they were mad when I drove away. It was just more than I could deal with.

And there were many other negative thoughts. And that bothers me. I have so much to be thankful for. I have a family that loves me, dogs that love me, a house to live in that has electricity and running water, a car to drive, a job to go to, clothes to wear and I could go on and on. But I think it is important to remind myself of all that I have when faced with all of the things that I feel I have to complain about.

Happy Halloweens!

Here are me and my nieces returning from trick or treating. We had such a great time! How cute are they? Mallory was a Fairy and Phoebe was a the cutest girl in a a pumpkin shirt! She informed my sister-in-law moments before we were to go that she wanted to be a froggy. Now Krista (my sister-in-law) had several choices for Phoebe but not a froggy. So, she wore her pumpkin shirt. She was a trooper. she had her bucket and she was ready to go! They were both so cute! I wonder what everyone will be next year?

What a day

I had a bad day today. It started off with a 2 hour commute to work-which really should only take 30 minutes. It went down hill from there. So, in an effort to cheer myself up,I have decided to write about somethings that I love, make me smile or make me happy:

Diet Lipton White Tea-Raspberry: This stuff is so good! And no points!

Pecan Lovers Mix from Planters: This stuff is amazingly good. And lots of Weight Watchers points, but sometimes, you just gotta eat it!

My niece tonight when she said "Mimi let me cova you up wif da blanket...there you go"! I almost cried she was so cute.

My dogs who are snuggled around me.

I got my hair cut tonight and it was GREAT! I got to relax and get my hair washed. Fabulous!

Otto who is cracking me up by running around the living room with a squeaky candy cane squeaking it!

My friend "J". Thanks for being on the other end of the line as I tried not get out of my car and start running and screaming up and down the highway while trying to beat the crap out of the people who were trying to "cheat" by speeding down the median during the traffic debacle of 10/30. IDIOTS!!!!!! I love you!

My friend "A". Thank you so much for being there for me today. I can't tell you how much it meant it to me. Seriously there are no words.

Well, I hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween. I will be trick or treating with my nieces. I can't wait!

Parched

This is a picture of Falls Lake. A stones throw from where I live. I found it on our newspapers website. (Can I get in trouble for using it? Oh well!)

We are having a very serious drought here in NC. Our governor asked us to reduce our water consumption by 50%. I have my own well so I don’t use “city” water, but that does not mean that I am not taking this seriously. I am and I have thought of a few ways to personally conserve. Here are a few of the things that I have done:

I switched to paper plates. Now this was very problematic for me. Because I am fairly “eco” friendly I try to use things that can be reused. For this purpose that means plates. I try not to “kill trees” by using needless paper products if I can help it. But when faced with running the dishwater a couple times a week or just once a week, well I thought saving water was more important. The plates use a renewable resource, are biodegradable and are made of recycled paper. That is how I justified it anyway.

I take a “sailor shower”. Ok, I had never heard that term before but someone said it to me while describing how they are trying to conserve water. It means that you turn on the shower and get wet. Then you shut it off, lather up (hair and all) and then turn it back on to rinse. It really does save a lot of water but there are other issues. Like you can get a little cold for one! But it is worth saving several gallons of water so I stick with it.

I save the water from my shower. I have a “bathtub” shower. I plug up the tub and take a shower, thus collecting all the water in the tub. I was using it to keep my plants alive and also to rinse out the sink after brushing my teeth (no, not rinsing out my mouth, just the sink!) I also used it to rinse off plates and cups that I did use before putting them in the dish washer.

I turned off the water to my toilet. I know this one sounds bizarre. Every time I flush the toilet, approximately 2 gallons of water goes down the drain, literally! So, I use the saved shower water to flush the toilet. Yeah the water is a little cloudy from shampoo and soap but who cares. I also don’t flush after every pee. I know gross!!!! Really I do. But desperate times call for desperate measures!

I take my laundry to the Laundromat. Now, someone said that this is saving my water but at the cost of city water. And while this is true there is actually another reason for my going to the Laundromat. The washing machines are bigger than mine so I get more done at one time (saving energy-I think) and the commercial washing machines use less water than most home models-or so it appeared to me. I do one load per week at home and a couple at the Laundromat on Sunday. The Laundromat has other benefits, I get to sit and read while I wait for my clothes. A luxury that I don’t get often at home because the dogs want something or there is something to clean or to put away etc. It is kind of relaxing which makes me feel less stressed.

I know some of these things sound completely weird and not everyone has time to save water in milk jugs (another thing that gets recycled!) to flush the toilet, but these are the tings that I can do. Do a rain dance for us here in NC. We had some good rain last week but they said we need a lot more to fill the lakes!

The long awaited blog

Well, maybe not long awaited. I have no idea if anyone will be interested in my trip but here it is in pictures! Well, sort of...




So, here is the main part of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. It is the original section that opened in 1913. It was restored to it's original glory at the end of the 20th century. They still have many of the original furnishings which were done in the Arts & Crafts Style(some call it Mission Style)- my favorite! Gorgeous isn't it?



And here is the view from my room. Really fabulous right? (HaHa) They are building luxury condominiums or so I was told. Kinda too close for my liking.



Ok, here is a better view. This was taken from one of the windows in the Sammons Wing.



Cookie had a good time!

All in all I survived and had a bit of a good time, with a little help from my friends. Thanks A and C! Just remember, we stick together and no one gets left behind! Oh and "it is so pretty up there,we had a great time right"? RIGHT!(ha ha) And the Very Berry Tini at Elaine's was FABULOUS!!

The dogs were just fine without me as I knew they would be. But it sure was nice to get home and they were so excited to see me! That made me feel pretty good. There is nothing better that arriving home to 3 very excited fuzzies who just want your attention. Ah...I am loved! :-)

Travelin' Blues

I should be packing. But I am not. I have been doing lots of other things. Like talking on the phone, working on this blog, feeding the cats, making the dog's food for the next 2 days, eating chips...I just don't want to pack. Because I just don;t want to go. Now there are some highlights like getting to ride with 2 really funny guys. Plus it isn't every day that you get to meet a US Supreme Court Justice, other female Chief Justices from other states or the Secretary of State of NC. I mean those are all cool things. The thing is, it is also a lot of work. Checking in 500 people and making sure everyone has their tickets, name badges etc. But I am going to try and enjoy myself. At least at some point. So I guess I should go pack...but I think I need to take out the garbage oh and I think the dog room needs to be dusted...

Random thoughts for today

WHY IS IT 94 DEGREES HERE IN OCTOBER?! Could I get a break please?

Why won't it just rain. A nice deluge-for a couple of hours, is that too much to ask? I mean come on already!

I learned something new today. A mountain lion is also called a puma, panther, cougar or catamount. I always wondered what the heck a Western Carolina University Catamount was. Why not just call yourselves the Western Carolina University Cougars?

Sugar Snap Peas ARE REALLY GOOD!

So are Slim a Bear 100 Calorie ice cream bars!

Morning Star Farms Cheddar "burgers" are not good. But I like their Grillers! Yes, even though it is a soy, meat substitute.

Men in Trees starts on Friday! Yeah!!

Why can't fried shrimp be good for you?

Why does Otto always bark to come in right when I get comfortable on the couch with
the laptop after just letting him out?

Oh good grief this was BORING!

Trips

Well it has been a while since I posted. Mainly, because work is stressing me out. So, when I come home the last thing I want to do is turn on the computer. Even for fun stuff like blogging and ebaying!

Here is my problem. I have to go somewhere for a work function over night. I don’t want to go. We are staying in a very upscale resort and spa-somewhere that I would NEVER get to go left to my own devices. The problem is I am completely freaked out to leave the dogs. Now, the dogs will be fine. My dad is taking care of them and he is great with them. Plus my parents live 1.1 miles away, so multiple trips to my house to let them out really won’t be too much of a hardship. The problem is me. I am having huge separation anxiety. You see, I have never left them overnight in the past 5 years. This is significant. It became worse once I was divorced. The dogs became my “security blanket”. I knew when I got home they would be there waiting for me. And I kind of became a homebody. I mean I am not a hermit. I still go to the store, go my parents, go to my brother and sister-in-laws. I mean I have no problem going out for a couple of hours. But I want to be home, sleep in my own bed with the dogs snoring around me. I guess it is like people who can only go to sleep with the T.V. on or some other “white” noise. The dogs are my “white” noise!

Second, I am pretty shy and just the thought of having to possibly “mingle” with the 500 people that will be there has the potential to send me into an anxiety attack right now! I don’t think that I have anything that these people would be interested in hearing. Maybe we will run out of steak and chicken dinners and I will be allowed to go to my room and order room service! That would be great! But not likely.

Oh well, I will just need to suck it up and try to enjoy my time at an exclusive hotel and spa in the mountains in October!

Wish me luck. Seriously.

So, I have a few complaints.

Me, Complain? Well, maybe not complaints but there are 2 things that are really bugging me. So, maybe if I jump up on my soap box it will make me feel better.

The first thing is people who insist on watering their grass during a drought. Now, I am not talking about people who have a new house and need to water their new lawn. I mean the people who insist on having a green looking lawn. Here is the deal. WE ARE IN A SERIOUS DROUGHT! If you don't believe me or the news, just drive on highway 98 and check out Falls Lake-Raleigh's water source. It is scary just how low it is. There is a section that is just all grass and mud. IT USED TO BE WATER. I am a homeowner and I understand that your lawn is part of the curb appeal. An investment in your property. But I think having water to drink, cook with and take a shower is more important. I don't know maybe it is just me.

The second thing is the whole Michael Vick situation. There are people out there who are outraged that he just might never play football again. All over a bunch of animals. Who cares what he did to the dogs when their are humans suffering. They are just picking on him because he is rich and people are jealous. I mean it isn't like he committed a crime. YES HE DID!!..ARE YOU PEOPLE KIDDING ME?!? Now, first let me say that I do think we need to concentrate on the human suffering in this country, but not in lieu of animal suffering. WE need to concentrate on suffering, period. There is a great quote by Gandhi that says the greatness of a country can be judged by how it treats it animals. If we aren't kind to animals why would we be kind to our fellow man? Dog fighting is disgusting. No matter how you feel about dogs or animals, what they do is just wrong. Have any of these people saying it is just a dog, seen a pit that has been used for fighting? Well I have and it is one of the saddest things I have seen. Michael Vick admitted to killing his pits that didn't fight well by wetting them down and electrocuting them as well as strangulation. I mean how do you do that to a living thing? Disgusting. Dog fighting is cruel, disgusting and not a sport. Why would you want to watch that? I heard a great guy on NPR today and he said I am a black man and I love my dog. He said people are saying that dog fighting is a black thing and he did not agree. And I don't agree that it is a "black thing" either. It isn't something that only black people do. It is something that humans do. It is a human thing and it has to stop. And I don't give a crap about how great a football player he was/is. He committed a crime. He admits to it. And now he will have to pay the price for that crime. And everyone who commits a crime, whether against humans or animals should pay for their crime. They shouldn't get a break because they are rich or famous or white or black or green. Everyone has a right to fair trial and I hope that Mr. Vick gets one if it goes that far. Because when he does get his punishment, I don't want anyone to say he got railroaded.

Ok, so now I can move on. And give my 3 rescue dogs a great big hug, an extra treat and more space on my bed.

Dancing with the Stars

Yep, it is that time of year again. Time for Dancing with the Stars. I LOVE THIS SHOW! For so many reasons. Seeing these "stars" learning how to dance is just a hoot. I say "stars" because I have only heard of a few of them. The costumes are simply amazing and I love the voting aspect.

What annoys me about the show is the music. The singers sing these weird songs to ballroom dance to. For instance, someone just Cha Cha Cha-ed to the Pussycat Dolls. WHAT? You don;t Cha Cha to the Pussycat Dolls. The second thing that annoys me are the people who make fun of the people who have not done so well. Ballroom dancing is HARD. How do I know? I took 2 semesters in college and performed the Tango at a dance show. Yes, my parents drove to Greensboro to watch me(bless them) and no, I can't still do a good Tango. Now a Polka yes. The swing absolutely. I might even be able to pull off a waltz. But that is about it. These dances are hard. To learn these complicated steps in such a short period of time is tough. And most of these stars have day jobs. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that ballroom dancing is brain surgery but what I am saying is give them a break.

So on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8-9:30 call me during commercials! haha..no seriously. HAHa!

Fred Weasley

Well, I finally got a picture of Fred. How cute is he? He is such a sweet cat. I love the wink. Something must have happened to his eye because it is always winking. He must have had a hard life. I hope that I am making it better for him.
I love you Fred Weasley!

Today's Random Thoughts

Fall is finally here in NC...at least for now! I will enjoy it while we have it.

I am tired of mowing the grass.

My Weight Watchers total so far is 10.2 lbs! Yeah!!

I am adicted to the show Surviorman on Discovery Channel. Les you rock!

Man am I tired. But I have to go pet sit before I go to bed.

Veggie Burgers baked in the oven are actually very good. Well with cheese and a potato roll!

My hair cut is still fab! It makes me feel good about myself. That is a BIG accomplishment!

I feel really bad for my dad. He is a contractor at a computer company and they told him that they may not be allowed to renew his contract. My dad is a hard worker and he is good at what he does. I just feel bad for him. I just hope they do renew it in January.

My 20th class reunion is next year. Holy crap! Where did the time go?
Those were the days. Where you couldn't wait to be grown up. And sometimes I wish I could go back. Knowing what I know now of course!

There are 98 days until Christmas!

I will leave you with that thought.

Sick

So, now I really am sick. I went to the doctor yesterday and he informed me that I have a sinus infection. So I am on antibiotics for 10 days. The problem is, now I am sick from the antibiotics! So, on top of feeling terrible I feel even worse. So, I am doing and experiment. I took my meds this a.m. If I get sick again, I am not going to work. I really don't like calling in sick. It makes mefeel bad. I worry about all the work that I should be doing. But, I can't go to work like this. I am way too far from the bathroom. I just feel guilty and then I feel bad for feeling guilty becasue I really am sick! Wish me luck!

Cookie Monster and I say TGIF!

Seriously. If I had to work one more day I think I would have to call in sick, and I never do that. I have been trying to think of something to write all week. The thing is, I have no inspiration. I am tired and sad. My gramma is really sick and in the hospital, one of my best friends has extremely ill pets and I am crabby. Maybe because it is the end of the summer and I am tired of being hot, I am tired of being in this terrible drought, I am tired of brown grass, I am tired of mean, annoying,and nosy people at work. I AM JUST PLAIN TIRED OF EVERYTHING. And to top it off I had a minor anxiety attack thing morning. So, to try and boost the ole' morale, I am going to write about happy things!

NO work for 2 whole days!

Cookie Monster ROCKS!

I have a new hair cut and I LOVE IT! Very sassy!

My total weight loss is 9.2 pounds. Whee!

When I went to leave my parents house the other night, my 2 year old niece followed me to the door shouting, "bye Mimi, (I said "I love you" and she says..) love you, bye Auntie Mimi, bye Mimi, I go outside, BYE MIMI!!! How cute is that?

I am thinking of starting my own business in the next 2 years. Go me!

I get to go back to sleep tomorrow after I give the dogs their meds.

I am half way through re-reading all the Harry Potter books.

I am driving the dogs crazy by singing while listening to my MP3 player. They hate when I sing. Boy I must really stink! That is ok. It doesn't stop me. "Waterloo, finally facing my Waterloo..." Go Abba!

I got a new CD at Target called "80's Mixed Tape". How many of you had the infamous "mixed tape"? I had about 50 of them! Loved the mixed tape.

It is late enough for me to go to sleep. Yeah me!

Cookie Monster, the dogs and I wish all of you lots of things to be happy about!

Random thoughts for August 30.

I am ready for summer to be OVER. I am tired of being HOT.

I start week 4 of Weight Watchers tomorrow. Actually, I am doing pretty good. I have lost 6.6 pounds so far. Although I wish I were losing it faster, I realize that it won't happen any quicker. I mean I didn't put all the weight on over night, so it certainly isn't going to fall off of me because I eat a salad every night!

I want to take a nap.

Is it Friday yet?

Grocery store tonight or tomorrow?

I feel uninspired.

My dogs are so cute!

I am hungry and I forgot my lunch.

oh! I think I have popcorn!

Rub a dub dub-2 pups in the tub!

Well, it was bath time for Otto and Bunnie this weekend. Why you ask? Well let me tell you the story.

Saturday was VERY hot-at least 100 degrees so I was very watchful of the dogs going outside. I was checking on them and noticed Otto laying on his side in the yard. This is not normal behavior so I dashed outside to see if he was ok. By the time I got close I noticed he was rolling on the grass so I thought maybe he had an itch. Upon closer inspection, I realized he was rolling ON a dead mole. GROSS! He smelled, well disgusting and I had no idea how I was going to get the smell out. “Dead” is very difficult to get rid of. A few weeks ago I had bought some new dog shampoo. It is Buddy Wash by Cloudstar. I was not sure if this was going to work or not but it was all I had so I had to go with it. I am happy to say that it worked GREAT! No more “dead” smell and it rinsed out easily! I highly recommend it!
You can find it at: https://www9.mailordercentral.com/cloudstar/products.asp?dept=15

I felt slightly bad because they hate baths, but I hate dead smell more!

I seem to have neglected my blog while counting points. Here are my random thoughts for today:

It is funny. I never really thought about food until Weight Watchers. What do I mean by that? Well, before I would just eat. I didn’t think about what or when or if I was hungry. If something popped in to my mind that I wanted to eat well I just ate it. Now I think about “How many points is that” and “How many points do I have left today” and even “Is it worth that many points”? Tomorrow is another weigh in. Hopefully I will add to the 3.2 lbs that I lost last week!

It has been hot here. I mean like HELL hot. I hate hot. Well I like hot French Fries and pizza. Not hot weather. Not 103 degree weather like yesterday. Nothing good can come from 103 degrees.

My dogs are the cutest dogs EVER! Well to me anyway.

My friend has to have her wisdom teeth out. I am glad mine have already been removed.

I am such a nerd for lists. I have lists for everything. I actually made a Master Grocery List. How completely nerdy is that?! Well at least it isn’t laminated…not yet!

Flies are gross.

So are slugs.

The end-for now!

Please Welcome Fred Weasley and other random ramblings

Well, "we" have a new cat. He is a grey tabby. I have some funny pictures of him but have not gotten them off my camera yet, so when I do I will post them. He is another little guy that just showed up hungry and kind of beat up. He has been at the house for a while so I finally broke down, scraped up some money and took him to the vet. I ended up spending $88 which I really didn't have but I did find out that he was a neutered male, about 3-4 years old, and has a notch out of his ear because at one time he was feral. He also got a rabies shot, treated for ear mites and a distemper shot. Unfortuantely, Flounder HATES him. Everytime Flounder passes him he hisses. I try and spend time with both of them so no one is jealous but I guess I am not doing a good job. I really didn't want another cat but he is such a sweetie and I wanted to make sure that at least he was well fed and vaccinated. It is the best I could do. Oh, I named him Fred Weasley as a tribute to a character in the Harry Potter books. He is a pretty cute guy.

Tomorrow is my first weigh in at Weight Watchers and if I don;t do well I am going to be sad. I have not had a Mountain Dew for a week and I have the caffine headache to prove it, so I had better have lost some weight or I am going right out for a big Mountain Dew and french fries with a side of Dairy Queen! :-)

On a serious note, I am feeling a bit down in the dumps lately. Not sure what is bringing that on except that it does happen every now and again regardless of my meds. I just feel like crying all the time and I have to concentrate on not crying. I know it just happens to me sometimes, so I just work through it, but it is a challenge. I don't tell anyone anymore (oh gee except I just told the 3 people who read this!) because I feel a bit ridiculous. Oh well. I think I am over the big hill and on the down side.

Songs on my MP3 player while writing this blog: 3 Is A Magic Number, Slip Slidin'Away, Ashes By Now, High Enough, Different Corner, You Are The Everything and Hey Jack Kerouak. Who sings High Enough you ask? Damn Yankees! :-)

How many points is that?

Well, I joined Weight Watchers (again) today. The last time I joined was in 2003. I did pretty well losing almost 40lbs but I ended up quitting in 2004. Oh and yes put all 40 pounds BACK on. Why you ask? Did it become too hard? Was I tired of going to meetings? Was I bored? Nope. None of those. It got too hard to count points and worry about what I was eating when I was dealing with my ex-husband deciding to leave me for someone he met while playing a fantasy role playing on the internet. Oh, and I was jobless having just been laid off. Can you say “good times”? Yep. Real great. I am finally to the point now where I can look back and not want to crawl into bed and never come out, but I digress. This is about Weight Watchers!

I am not sure what has spurred me to do this now. Well, except that every time I go to buy something to wear I have to get a bigger size and this concerns me. I mean let’s face it. I am fat. Trust me, I don’t overlook that fact. And really losing weight is more about me being healthy than looking good. I am pretty comfortable with myself...NOW! That was not always the case. But I feel ready this time. And to celebrate, I am having dinner at Bojangles. Yep, bring on the chicken tenders, sauce, fries, biscuit and ice tea. It will be a long time before those items cross my lips again. See, I can’t just have a little taste and be satisfied. Which is odd because there are some foods that I can. Like M&M’s. I think you can have 10 M&M’s for 2 points or something like that. Well, I can eat 10 M&M’s and be satisfied but I can not eat 2 French fries and be ok. I HAVE TO EAT THEM ALL! So, I have to cut them out and tell myself I can eat them once a month or something. I have to set limits.

Well, wish me luck. Now it is off to the grocery store with my POINTS calculator for things like grapes, reduced fat cheese and wheat bread. Yeah for me!

How are people this creative?

I am finally done!

So, I finally finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

I was so sad when it was over. No more Harry Potter. I am not sure what it was about the books that I loved so much. The magic? The way JK Rowling described everything so when the movies came out you exclaimed “I knew that is what it looked like!” Or maybe it was the loyalty and friendship threads that were woven in every book. My favorite character was always Sirius Black. Of course he didn’t show up until the third book and then promptly died at the end of the 5th one but I loved his character. I also liked Hagrid because I could see a tiny glimmer of myself in him-his love of all creatures even if they weren’t all that cute and cuddle (Sorry Hagrid, I can’t agree with you on Aragog. Yuck!) Dumbledore who was so incredibly funny. And Snape. I always thought he got a bad rap up – well until the 6th book where I really could not believe he was so evil-but in the 7th book we really know what happened and it made me love him. I think I always liked Snape because of the movies, I so love Alan Rickman!

Well, if you haven’t read the last Harry Potter book, you should. It is the best out of the 7. I am listening to it on CD right now during my commute. A great way to spend 45 minutes!

Funny AND cute!

If you watch Ugly Betty or the Simpson's you get this! I thought it was hysterical!

Definition of Jazz Hands by Wikipedia:
Jazz hands is a common gesture often used in theatre and dance. To perform Jazz hands, one's hands are opened with palms facing forward and the fingers are splayed.

The position of the arms can vary. Forearms are usually extended upward, or the forearms may extend forward with the elbows held close to the body, or forearms may extend to the sides or downward.

Note: The hands may then be shaken slightly, as if holding a tambourine. However, this is not a necessary part of the Jazz Hands action.

There is no free time when a Harry Potter book comes out!

Well, I am going to try and be better about posting…I know the 3 people who read this will appreciate that! :-)

But it will have to wait as I am in the mist of reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I am taking forever to read this book. I want to savor every last word because there won’t be another one. At least that is what they are saying. I don’t know how J. K. Rowling could not write another book about Harry, Ron and Hermione. I won’t write anything about the parts I have read, I certainly don’t want to spoil it for anyone. But this book is so different than the rest. So far I have not come across anything funny or light hearted. It is all very serious and sad. But I guess that is what you would expect during a time of war in the wizarding world! So, when I am finished I promise to write other interesting things (am I ever interesting?). Until then, this will have to do!

The Post Office No One Ever Hears About!

I received the following email today from someone that volunteers with the rescue group that I belong to. This story is true, I even checked Snopes! This is the kind of thing that restores my faith in humanity, and some days that is a LARGE task. I hope it is ok to reprint this on my blog. I am not sure how copyright laws apply to this type of thing but oh well.

Warning, this may bring tears.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4
year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed
Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. She dictated and I wrote:

Dear God,
Will you please take special care of our dog,
Abbey? She died yesterday and is in heaven. We miss her very
much. We are happy that you let us have her as our dog even though she got sick. I hope that you will play with her. She liked to play with balls and swim before she got sick. I am sending some pictures of her so that when you see her in heaven you will know she is our special dog. But I really do miss her. Love, Meredith Claire P.S. Mommy wrote the words after I told them to her.

We put that in an envelope with two pictures of Abbey, and addressed it to God in Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith stuck some stamps on the front (because, as she said, it may take lots of stamps to get a letter all the way to heaven) and that afternoon I let her drop it into the letter box at the post office. For a few days, she would ask if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch. Curious, I went to look at it. It had a gold star card on the front and said "To Meredith" in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith took it in and opened it Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers, "When a Pet Dies". Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God, in its opened envelope (which was marked Return to Sender: Insufficient address). On the opposite page, one of the pictures of Abbey was taped under the words "For Meredith" We turned to the back cover, and there was the other picture of Abbey, and this handwritten note on pink paper:

Dear Meredith,
I know that you will be happy to know that Abbey arrived safely and soundly in Heaven! Having the pictures you sent to me was such a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. You know, Meredith, she isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me--just like she stays in your heart--young and running and playing. Abbey loved being your dog, you know. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets!-- so I can't keep your beautiful letter. I am sending it to you with the pictures so that you will have this book to keep and remember Abbey. One of my angels is taking care of this for me. I hope the little book helps. Thank you for the beautiful letter. Thank your mother for sending it. What a wonderful mother you have! I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am in heaven but wherever there is love, I am there also. Love, God and the special angel who wrote this after God told her the words.

As a parent and a pet lover, this is one of the kindest things that I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is some very kind soul working in the dead letter office. Just wanted to share this act of compassion.

I have a problem.

I think I need a support group. Everyone who knows me well knows that I have one very serious addiction. I am addicted to bags. Purses, totes, wallets and the like. I can’t have enough. We are not talking expensive designer bags. More like the cute tote I bought this weekend at Target. It is a lovely shade of blue burlap like material (but much softer) with purple and brown ribbon handles. SO CUTE! It was $14.99 and I just had to have it. When I got home I immediately switched out my Planet Dog one that I had been carrying. I like to carry a bigger bag. That way ALL of my stuff fits in it. What kind of stuff you might ask? Here is a list of what is in there now:

Wallet
Checkbook
2 pairs of sunglasses
Phone
Asthma inhaler
Small Notebook
Lip balm
Business card holder
Gift card holder
Small wallet sized photo album
Change Purse
All kinds of receipts, paint chips, pens, postage stamps etc
Keys
A bag of fruit snacks
Rosary

I have smaller purses but I tend to not use them. I like bag that I can throw everything in to and go. I want to make sure a book can fit in there in case I get stuck somewhere I can read. I like to have a snack in there. I mean you never know when you will be stranded in traffic and a ride that takes 35 minutes takes almost 10 hours. (Yes, it really did take me 10 hours to get home from work.) I just like to be prepared.

Hmm…I wonder when the bag with the Victorian dogs on it that I ordered from Orvis will arrive… Purse Lovers Anonymous here I come!

More of my favorite things!

1. Snickers Marathon Energy Bars. These things are so good! Better for you than a candy bar, but not low in calories by any means. Doesn’t matter they are delicious! And they really do have some things in them. Lots of protein.
2. The book “Bitter is the New Black” by Jen Lancaster. This book is so funny. I mean I laughed out loud. Otto looked at me like I was nuts. Her second book is Bright Lights, Big Ass”. How can you not love it?
3. My new Isaac Mizrahi loafers that I bought on clearance at Target. I have not worn them yet as I am “saving” them for something special. I have no clue what that might be since every time I get asked out by someone they end up cancelling due to work. (I think I am developing a complex!)
4. My “new” kitchen table that my friend MC gave me. It is a yellow pine, round table with leaves that fold down so you can put it up against the wall. It is perfect for my little kitchen. Thanks MC! Just LOVE this table!
5. Grape Kool Aid.
6. Fruit Snacks. Yes, I realize that I am not 5, and should like a more adult snack but I can’t help it. I just love them. But they have to be a certain kind. Not just any fruit snack will do. It is hard to explain but let me say that “My Little Pony” fruit snacks fit the bill!
7. My new Conair 2” Wet/Dry Tourmaline Ceramic Straightener with new Straightening Pins. This thing is FABULOUS and worth every penny.
8. Sweet Tea from McDonalds. It really is good sweet tea if you like sweet tea that is.
9. Kettle Cooked, Roasted, and Salted Peanuts from Fresh Market.
10. And finally…my new yoga capri pants from Kohl’s that my mum bought me. Can you say “C O M F O R T A B L E”? And no, I don’t do yoga!

The good old summer time

Well, it is my least favorite time of year. SUMMER. The main reason that I do not like summer is the heat. I can’t stand to be hot. I would rather be bundled up in sweatshirts and jeans than trying to stay cool in shorts and a t-shirt. There are a few things that I happen to like about summer, the longer days, the fact that my nieces are out of school so I tend to see them more and the blooming of beautiful flowers in my yard. What I don’t like: bugs, having to mow the grass every week, being hot, the dogs being hot, mosquitoes, summer tv, did I say bugs? And here in NC, summer lasts a long time. Sometimes all the way through October! Oh well. I had better get used to it. It is going to be a long summer.

Help the Moose

I received an email from one of the animal/environmental organizations that I donate to. It was about the decline in the moose population of Minnesota. In 1985, as many as 4,000 moose roamed the woods and grasslands of northwestern Minnesota. By 2003, the number is 237. Scientists believe that is due to higher temperatures due to global warming. Average winter temperatures in northwestern Minnesota have climbed 12 degrees F during the past 40 years. These warmer temperatures have stressed the moose, making them less healthy and more vulnerable to parasites. If temperatures remain high, moose in Minnesota will disappear altogether.

Weighing nearly 1,000 pounds and standing 6 feet tall, moose are majestic symbols of wilderness in many parts of the country. I am sad to think that one of my dreams to see them in the wild one day won't come true. We have to do something and do it now before it is too late.

There are many people who don't believe in global warming (Rush Limbaugh is one-idiot) and think it is something environmentalists have made up. It is isn't. And we all have to do our part. There are a lot of organizations with websites about how to help stop global warming. Next time you are surfing the net, look at a few. Even very small things will help. Please think about it. I know I do every day. The moose, polar bears and song birds that are on the brink of disapearing will appreciate it. And so would Mother Earth. And so would I.

My latest "weirdness"

Ok. This is going to sound weird but my new obsession is my lawn. First let me say that I hate mowing the grass. I also don't water it. So it has brown sections but that is not what I obsess over. It is how short it is and what pattern has been used while cutting it. Diagonal? Square? Strait Lines? Sometimes I will cut it twice just to make sure that I got it all and that when I stand on the deck, I can see that the rows are even. For those of you that know me at all, you know I am not a stickler for neatness: meaning, I don't care if the papers on my desk are perfectly stacked or the towels in my bathroom are hanging straight and folded perfectly. But the grass MUST HAVE AN EVEN, STRAIGHT PATTERN. Am I the only one like that?

I am annoyed

Ok, so there are a few things that are annoying me. And here they are:

Old Navy has decided to stop selling Plus Sized clothing in their stores. They will only sell it online. Now it is hard enough for me to find clothes that look half way decent and now one of my favorite places won't be a favorite any more. I don't like buying clothes online because I can't try them on or feel them or even tell what color they really are. What a pain! Thanks Old Navy. Thanks a lot.

Slugs. Yes, those gross things that are like snails without shells. They get in my stray cat's food and I have to throw out the whole bowl and give them new food. Gross creatures. What is their purpose anyway? The same purpose that Camel Back Cave Crickets have I suppose! Disgusting!

And while we are talking about them, Camel Back Cave Crickets. My crawl space was full of them and my poor dad had to go under there and spray the heck out of them with bug killer. I swear, if I were a genius I would make it my life's purpose to eradicate them from the earth, or at least my little corner of it.

The price of gas. If I could afford a new car I would get one of those Prius cars that get 40+ miles per gallon. I would have to keep an SUV because of all the dogs but at least I could save on gas to and from work. I mean seriously. Oil companies-give us a freakin' break already!

Mosquito bites. And I get a lot every summer. The mosquitoes LOVE me. And I hate them.

People who run over snakes on purpose. This REALLY MAKES ME MAD. I know people have a huge dislike of snakes, but they can be good and killing something on purpose is just plain wrong (except Camel ack Cave Crickets). So, I even stop and rescue snakes from the road. Well non-poisonous ones any way. And I think the 2 that I have saved so far really appreciated it. One was a Eastern King Snake. They EAT COPPERHEADS. A non-poisonous snake that eats a poisonous one. Hello! This is a good thing. Now I don;t think everyone should run out and start picking up snakes but at least try and avoid running over them while they are stretched out on the asphalt trying to get warm.

Ok, off the annoying soap box for now.

PTO

Ahh...I am on PTO for the next 3 days...What is PTO you ask? Well where I work it means Paid Time Off. Yep, I am off for the next 3 days plus Saturday and Sunday! 5 whole days. Where am I going you ask? HOME. I am hanging out at home. I will do a little cleaning, a little laundry, a little jewelry making and perhaps some hanging out with the family. Oh and A LOT of sleeping! The dogs and I are excited! Of course I have a huge to do list. Very ambitious things. It looks a little like this:

1 Laundry (all)
2 Clean off kitchen table
3 Clean off kitchen counter
4 Clean bath room
5 mow grass (gas for lawn mower?)
6 Take items to Retails (like Goodwill but benefits spay/neuter for homeless animals and low income families)
7 Take books to Mr. Mike Used Books - get store credit
8 Make cupcakes with M & P
9 Caulk kitchen window
10 get bills ready for the 15th
11 Make Dr. Appt. (ick)
12 Dust (everything)
13 go to chelle's
14 vacuum (everywhere)

And it just goes on and on for pages. I probably won't get through half of it,but at least I made a list! Well Mr.Sandman beckons...

Happy Moment

Just a quick post. Saturday we all went to Sesame Street Live, and I had a great time. Here are me and "the nieces" after the event. Cookie Monster was FABULOUS! Also, a bottle of water was $4.00. I went thristy. There was no way that I would pay $4.00 for water. And even though most things were a rip off (parking $8.00, Cotton Candy $6.00), it was so much fun to see the girls have such a great time. If I had to I would pay $80.00 for water just to see them so happy!

7 Things Most People Probably Don't Know About Me

Well, my sister-in-law did a cool thing on her blog called 7 things you don’t know about me. So, I thought I would do the same. Let me clarify that these are not 7 INTERESTING things that you don’t know about me, just things.

1. In High School I was voted “Most Beautiful Eyes”. And to be honest, besides my hair, this is my favorite feature of, well, myself!

2. I am afraid of insects and spiders. Snakes I can handle (literally!). Bats, opossums, etc are no problem. But, crawling things…well I just can’t handle it. If I find a bug on me or one of the dogs, everyone gets a bath, the house gets vacuumed, the sheets gets changed…They freak me out.

3. I love stuffed animals. Yes, I am 37 years old and I love stuffed animals. In fact, I have been known to sleep with a stuffed Cookie Monster every now and again on bad days. It doesn’t happen very often but there is something comforting about it for me.

4. I think my dogs understand everything I say to them. Even big long diatribes about how they should wipe their feet before they come inside and pick up their toys and stay out of the garbage.

5. My favorite thing to drink with pizza is skim milk.

6. My favorite thing to do on the weekends is take a nap. A long 2 hour one with covers, jammies and everything. I know it is self indulgent but I guess that is the point. I guess it is also a little lazy.

7. I don’t like clowns. At all! Ick!

Blog? What blog?

Oh THIS BLOG!

Well for the 4 of you who read this (ha ha are there that many?)I apologize for the many days of no posts. I have been a busy bee the past few weeks. I have been pet sitting a lot for all of my fuzzy friends and I have yet another hobby...making beaded jewelry. I am really having fun doing it. I have no idea if I am any good but I keep practicing. I have 2.5 bracelets made so far. I have had a couple of people ask me if I will selling them and the thought has crossed my mind. But I need a cute name for my business as well as researching what I need to do about taxes, licenses etc if I do start one. But first I need a name. Any suggestions? I thought of Dog*Ma Beads (get it, Dog Ma as in mom?) but my mom suggested that not everyone would get it; that I am a dog mom. So what else?

Turtle Crossing

My public service annaouncement today is in honor of all my turtle friends. Now is the time of year when the turtles are out in full force. They are trying to cross our roads and highways in search of...I don't know a pond? A girl or boy turtle? food?

But my point is PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN DRIVING!

If you see something in the road that looks like a decent sized rock, procede with caution! It could be a turtle trying to cross the road. What should you do if it is a turtle? If you can safely pull over, do so and help the little guy across IN THE SAME DIRECTION THAT HE WAS GOING. Otherwise, he will just turn around and get right back in the road. If you can't safely pull over, slow down considerably to try and avoid the turtle. I always turn my flashers on just to alert the people behind me. It usually works. One word of caution about stopping for a turtle. Try and pick them up closer to the back of the shell with both hands regardless of how small they are. You have better control and I think it makes them feeler safer although I have no idea really. I just always do it that way. Also, if it is a snapping turtle, well it can't snap you! One time I stopped for a huge turtle and did not realize it was a snapper at first. He turned around and tried to take my fingers off. I said "Hey I am just trying to help you!" as I lugged him accross the road to shouts and cheers and thumbs up signs. I have never seen such a huge turtle exceot at the zoo.

Good luck turtles! I am a big fan and I am pulling for all of you!

Happy Earth Day (a few days late)

There were a lot of great nature/wildlife shows on this weekend in celebration of Earth Day. I learned a lot of things. Something that struck me and stayed with me all weekend is this:

We are in a time called the 6th mass extinction. 2 out of every 5 animals on planet Earth are in danger of become extinct. ALL CAUSED BY MAN. This is unprecedented. Once a species is extinct, that is it. We can't get them back.

This is scary to me. I don't want to live in a world with no wolves or polar bears or pandas. And if we get rid of all the wildlife on this planet, what makes people think that we will survive? For instance, if we lose the bees (and we are losing them), we lose a huge group of pollinators that pollinate our crops. What are we going to eat if there is nothing to pollinate the crops?

It is hard to tell, but from what I could research the rarest animal on the planet is the Javan Rhino of Indonesia. There are 60 left in the world. 60 That's it.

And it isn't just foreign places that animals are disappearing. Here in North America, there are only 520 black footed ferrets left. And I don’t mean in one city or state. I mean the whole of North America! That is fewer than the number of people who go to Triangle Town Center Mall on a Saturday. There used to be 500,000 of them at one time. Luckily there are groups that are working to bring them back. But everyone has to get involved to turn what we have done to the Earth around. We humans have to do something and do something NOW! We can't wait, or for species like the Black-Footed Ferret and Javan Rhino it will be too late.

There are a lot of websites that offer information on what you can do. Visit:

http://www.worldwildlife.org/
http://www.defenders.org/
http://www.nwf.org/

Random thoughts for Friday

Sweet Moment: I went over to my brother’s house last night to see my nieces. My niece Mallory and I were playing Go Fish and she looked at me and said “Mimi I am SO GLAD that you came over tonight, I miss playing our card games”. It made me happy to know that someone was glad to see me! Plus, I love a good game of Go Fish!

Funny Moment: Same card game and every time Mallory had to go fish for a card and it is not what she wanted, she said “that’s the bummer that I’m talkin’ about”. How funny is that?

Cute Moment: same visit to my brother’s, and Phoebe getting up out of her chair, walking over to me and saying “MIMI!” when I came in!

Great show: October Road. Just LOVE this show for some reason.

Weird salad topping that I like: Dry roasted peanuts

Favorite thing to eat lately: fresh mozzarella cheese and tomato Panini made by my mom.

Oddest combination of food that I ate this week: Baked Lays Potato Chips with a glass of milk.

Last song added to my MP3 player: Faith, George Michael

Song I am listening to on my MP3 player right now: A Campfire Song by 10,000 Maniacs.

Last DVD that I watched: I watched 3 last weekend while I was in bed sick with allergies, Shut Up and Sing (Dixie Chicks documentary), Marie Antoinette, and The Holiday. All fabulous!

Last thing I ordered off of ebay: White Rabbit Wade Whimsey

Last thing I ate: Baked Ruffles (the breakfast of champions!) Oh and some cheese. That is good for me right? Man I gotta eat better!

Current favorite item of clothing: my big, stretched out Wrightsville Beach t-shirt complete with holes. Yes, I only wear this at home!

Current project: Trying to research homemade diets for my dogs. The pet food recall has just thrown me in to a tizzy!

My plans tonight: Watching the 20/20 special for Earth Day. I am such a nerd!

" You gotta have friends"

Have you ever had one of those of days when you wake up and you know that you should stay in bed, you should call in sick and go back to bed. But then you talk yourself in to going to work. You are a responsible adult, and responsible adults go to work. So I did. MISTAKE! And I knew it the moment I walked in. I don't know how I knew, I just did. I did not know what it was going to be, but I knew it was just waiting...And then it happened. BOOM! And it was not good. Not good at all. But, there was one saving grace for me. My friends. I won't name them by name but they know who they are. And I just want to thank them. Thanks J for calling me tonight (from out of town) because you wanted to make sure that I was ok. Thanks A for letting me go to pieces, giving me good advice, and offering your shoulder. Thanks M for offering me a haven to go to if I needed to. And thanks to W for not "throwing me under the bus". And JJK, I know I haven't told you the whole saga yet, but I will and I know you will be right there for me and completely outraged on my behalf. Thanks. I don't know what I did to deserve such friends, but I am glad I have you. It is good to have friends.

A Man Among Wolves

Last night I watched a truly amazing show on the National Geographic Channel. It was called “A Man Among Wolves”. The man among the wolves is Shaun Ellis, a British researcher. What I found amazing was here was a man who gave up everything; family, money etc to raise 3 abandoned wolf pups. And not just raise them, but raise them like wolves. He taught them to howl, how to hunt fish, I mean just amazing. Several things surprised me, and several I found completely interesting. For instance:

The pack allowed Shaun to be alpha. For almost 2 years. Only when he left for several weeks to go to Poland and the United States for research, did he return to find that he had been replaced.

Next amazing thing is they accepted him back in the pack in another position. As peacemaker. AMAZING.

On occasion Shaun would have to go get stitches because of the nature of wolf life (their skin is A LOT tougher than ours). When he would return, the wolves would take the stitches out and lick the wound. He said that his wounds healed twice as fast. Their licking keeps bacteria out of the wound.

He ate what they ate. He would drag a carcass in and feed right along side the wolves. As alpha, he would let each member of the pack know when they could eat, and what. Before bringing the food in, he would take the liver out, flash cook it, put it in a bag back in the dead animal, drag it in and pick that out. OK, that my friends, is DEDICATION!

Shaun is working on developing a way to keep wild wolves from coming on to ranchers land. It involves playing a tape of wolves howling a defensive howl at certain times during the day. If this were to work it would save many wolves from being killed by ranchers and hopefully change attitudes towards wolves.

If you get the chance to see this show, you should stop and watch it. Just really amazing stuff.

Good Samaritans

On Saturday night I was returning home from pet sitting when traffic slowed to a stop. It was 10:45 p.m. so I was worried it was an accident involving person or animal. So when it was my turn to go, I noticed that it was a black dog walking between the lanes of traffic. So I passed the dog and pulled over, grabbed my cell phone and started toward the dog. (*Ok, let me say one thing here...if you ever decide to stop for a dog or any animal, please know what you are doing. You can really get hurt if you don't. And that is not to say that I do know what I am doing, it is more like when it comes to animals, I have no fear and that is not always a good thing...a 4 foot black snake I picked up at my parent's house 2 years ago comes to mind.. I digress..)
So, as I am walking, someone with no patience or maybe not caring comes about 2 inches from hitting the dog. I then knew I needed to act fast. So, I bent down and yelled " Here Doggie, Come"! And the dog stops, looks at me and comes running right to me. When she gets to me, she about knocks me over with her wiggling, happy body. At this same time a Good Samaritan gets out and comes to help me. It is dark, I have no flash light and the only thing I can see is SADIE on her tag. There is a phone number, I just can't read it. The man who is helping me is then joined by his friend and their 2 wives. We finally get the phone number and I call. No answer. Oh great. So, we move over toward the headlights of our cars just to make sure and I try again. This time the owner answers the phone and says that he will be there. I grab a leash from car, snap it on Sadie and I wait. The people thank me for stopping, I thank them for stopping and they leave. I then stand there with Sadie waiting for her owner. He comes, and there is a happy reunion. I can tell they are truly happy to see each other. He tells me that Sadie dashed out the door past him and got out of the yard. He was getting dressed to go look for her when I called. This can happen to any pet owner, and one of my fears. I went home and hugged my 3, thankful it wasn't one of them.

This story had a happy ending, but the important part of it is this, you never know when you can make a difference in someone or in this case an animal's life. No matter how small, you can make a difference. I hope I can. I am going to try.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not."

— Dr. Seuss, from The Lorax

Wilhelm the Polar Bear at the North Carolina Zoo. He was one of the Polar Bears rescued from a Mexican Circus where he and Masha (the other Polar Bear) were horribly mistreated. At least now they are well taken care of; they are fed, have plenty of space and LOTS of water. They deserve to be happy.

These majestic creatures are disappearing from the earth, and it makes me sad to think that one day you only be able to see them in the zoo. So many creatures are disappearing because of global warming, loss of habitat-human created problems. We must find a way to save them. We need to learn to be good stewards of the earth.

Happy Birthday Chloe!

Happy Birthday Chloe! You are 11 today! I can't believe it has been 11 years since you were rescued from that awful dumpster by Mrs. Shell. I will never forget the first time I saw you, running to hide under the deck. You have brought so much happiness to my life. You are such a good girl and I love you.

To me, you are the perfect example of what a dog should be, happy, sweet, loving, loyal and good natured. You always know what I need, a snuggle, or a laugh. You can make the cutest faces and silliest sounds. You are such a good sport when I have you groomed. You are always waiting at the door for me when I come home and always willing to keep me company in what ever I am doing. We love you Chloe! Mommy, Bunnie and Otto.

O Possum!

A few nights ago I had let the dogs out and when I went to call them in, Bunnie kept ignoring me. She was lying in the middle of the yard staring at a tree. Weird I thought. So I grabbed a flashlight, put shoes on and went out to investigate. I thought maybe her knees were bothering her and I would need to carry her in. A daunting task considering that she weighs about 60 pounds! Well I went out and she was in this weird trance so I looked where she was looking and the picture above is what I saw. A HUGE opossum. It scared the crap out of me because the tree is not that tall so we were pretty close to one another. Of course after I recovered from the shock of seeing a opossum this close and getting Bunnie inside, I had to get the camera. He was not to happy about it, but I thought he posed well. I love the wildlife!

Princess Chloe Bumblebee!

Otto says hi!

Spring has SPRUNG!

Dear Bunnie, Chloe and Otto

(this has gone around the email world for a while but so true for me and the tribe. I changed it a little and gave it my own spin!)

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - animal nose height:
Dear Bunnie, Chloe and Otto,


The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print or your nose in the middle of my plate and food does not make it your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The deck stairs were not designed by NASCAR and are not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

We cannot buy anything bigger than a queen sized bed. it won't fit in the room. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the sofa to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they
sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out
to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years --canine attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Visitors Who Like to Complain About My Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the
furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, they are adopted children who are short, hairy, walks on all fours and don't speak clearly.

The Birthday List

I know it seems a bit early for this because my birthday is 3 weeks away, BUT I have actually had an inquiry or two about what I wanted/needed so I thought I would make one list, post it and that would be it! I have to say that I do feel a little weird posting things that I want for my birthday because except for my parents and grandma, I really don’t expect people to get me stuff. I really appreciate it and it always touches me that people think enough of me to get me something but I feel lucky just to have my friends and family! But for those of you who wanted a list, here it is:

Gift cards for Old Navy, Pet Smart, Petco, Target or Wal-Mart. I always need dog stuff, basic clothes for work or food so these would be great! :-)

*An Individual Membership to the NC Zoo. (I love the zoo and would be there every weekend if I could!) Thanks to Michelle F who got me this already! You are awesome! The Red Wolves and Polar Bears will be completely sick of seeing me! :-)

Adopt a Polar Bear, Black Bear or Wolf in my name from Defenders of Wildlife. (www.defenders.org)

An individual membership to the International Wolf Center (http://www.wolf.org/wolves/shop/shop.asp?cat_id=10)

A gift card for Archiver’s (a scrapbook store.) I am hoping to take some workshops there and get some scrapbooks finished!

The book: Homeopathic Medicine for Dogs: A Handbook for Vets and Pet Owners by Hans Wolff (It is available on Amazon)

Postage stamps. I mail a lot of cards :-) and bills :-( !

New pillows for my bed. They actual have stomach sleeper ones (that’s me!)

These bags:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/acme-bags-workhorse-style-1500-p-1.html
I want to stop getting the plastic ones from stores.

Anything that anyone wants to give me!

Thanks ahead of time!

The Animal Rescue Site

Since I am on a Help Homeless Animals track these days I thought I would tell you about The Animal Rescue Site.

This is from their website. They say it better than I ever could!

The Animal Rescue Site focuses the power of the Internet on a specific need — providing food for some of the 27 million unwanted animals given to shelters in the U.S. every year. Over 10 million animals are put to death every year in the U.S. alone because they are abandoned and unwanted.

Each click on the purple "Fund Food for Animals" button at The Animal Rescue Site provides food and care for a rescued animal living in a shelter or sanctuary. Funding for food and care is paid by site sponsors and distributed to animals in need at the Fund for Animals' renowned animal sanctuaries (including Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Texas and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in California), pet shelters supported by the Petfinder Foundation, North Shore Animal League, and other worthy animal care facilities supported by the GreaterGood.org foundation.

100% of sponsor advertising fees goes to our charitable partners.

How You Can Help In Mere Seconds — Every Day
The Animal Rescue Site provides a feel-good way to help promote awareness and prevent rescued animal deaths every day — through easy and quick online activities.

Please remember to click every day to give help and hope to those most in need. Every click counts in the life of a rescued animal.

You Can Help Even More
In addition to clicking the purple "Fund Food for Animals" button, visitors can help more by shopping in The Animal Rescue Site store. With each item purchased, shoppers generate funds for the feeding and care of animals in shelters and sanctuaries. The store offers a wide array of items to show your support.

Please visit http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com for more information.

A Real Tear Jerker

Have you seen the new Pedigree Commercial? David Duchovny (X-Files Fame) is the narrator. It starts with pictures of different dogs in an animal shelter and the narrator is talking from the dog’s point of view. He says things like: I know how to sit, I know how to roll over, I know I am a good dog. What I don’t know is why I am here”. And that is when the tears start. I am crying right now just thinking about it. I have seen this commercial many times and I still cry EVERY time I see it (or think about it I guess!). I think it is because in all the years that I have been volunteering for animal rescue, I have seen this too many times. Perfectly wonderful, sweet, loving, loyal dogs (and cats) who get dumped for a myriad of stupid reasons. And because there so many dogs, (4 million dogs end up in animal shelters every year)less than half get adopted.

Are you looking for ways to help?

If you are looking for a pet, please check out the animal shelter in your area first. There are tons of loving animals look for good homes.

If you have a pet, PLEASE have them spayed or neutered.

If you have the means, donate to a rescue or humane society in your area.

There is a ton of information out there about what you can do help solve the pet over population problem and adopting. A good basic place to start is http://pedigree.com/home.asp

Picture of the Day

Polar Bears at the NC Zoo playing in the snow. I wonder what they thought? We don't get a lot of snow here.

Save the Planet

Here is my public service announcement. I guess it cropped up because I watched the Oscars last night and saw Al Gore and Leonardo Di Caprio talking about how the Oscars had gone green. So, I went on a few websites and gathered some ideas of things you can do right now to help stop Global Warming. I know most people have heard of these but I was really amazed how beneficial doing them would be! There was a long list at stopglobalwarming.com. I listed the things that I am going try and do this year.

Ways you can help stop Global Warming

Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs. In one year this could save 300 lbs of carbon dioxide and $60. I am switching out my regular light bulbs for these as I buy them. They cost more than incandescent but the benefit truly out weighs the cost to me.

Check to make sure that your tires are adequately inflated. Save 250 lbs of carbon dioxide and $840!

Change your cars air filter. Check it monthly and change when needed. This could save 800 lbs of carbon dioxide and $130 per year. I am going to figure out how to do this! I am not very up on cars.

Make sure that your dishwasher is full before starting it. This would save 100 lbs of carbon dioxide and $40 per year. I already do this. With one person it takes a while to fill it up but I always wait.

Use recycled paper. Save 5 lbs of carbon dioxide per ream AND countless trees!

Adjust your thermostat. Heat down 2 degrees and air conditioning up two degrees in summer. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $98 per year. I already do the heat one. The air conditioner will be harder but I will try.

Change your AC filter. Save 350 lbs of carbon dioxide and $150 per year. I change mine monthly.

Buy locally grown/made products. This will reduce the amount of energy required to truck products in!

Plant a tree. Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breath. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide per year. My spring project is to plant some trees in areas that I had to take some out that were dead or damaged and create a wildlife habitat on the other side of my fence for birds and small mammals.

Unplug un-used electronics. Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 a year. I am doing this as soon as I get home. I had no idea that even if something is turned off it can still use energy if plugged in.

Bring cloth bags to stores. I have never done this but I am going to start. I have some string bags that I found in a box and I am going to stick them in my car so I can use them. I read that if you go to IKEA and buy something there and you want a bag they will charge you a nickel for it. That nickel will then be donated to an environmental group. GREAT idea IKEA!

Air dry your clothes. You can save over 700 lbs of carbon dioxide and your clothes will smell great! I am going to do this when it gets a little warmer out.

I have thought about switching to cloth napkins among other things to save on paper products but I am not sure if the increase in laundry would cancel it out? I will have to think about that one.

Do you have tips you can share?

A Few More of My Favoite Things

Wade Whimsies: I just discovered these in a box of Red Rose Tea. I LOVE THEM! They are cute and right up my alley. They have been around for a while, I think since the 1950's and are made by Wade Pottery. Wade Pottery has been around since the 1800's and made/makes all kinds of items. So, now I am on a mission to collect the Whimsies! Ebay here I come!






French Fries: My favorite food! I like crinkle cut, skinny, steak fries, natural fries, seasoned, plain...I like them with ketchup or ranch dressing or just a little salt. I think the best fast food french fries are McDonalds or Steak and Shake. In the triangle area, Snoopy's or Hayes Barton. I know they aren't good for me but I need something! :-)

Naps: Nothing is better than a Saturday afternoon nap. Especially on a rainy, cold day. The dogs and I get all comfy and take a little siesta. I think places of employment should offer nap rooms. Some place where the employees can go on their lunch break and take a nap if they want. All you need is a few recliners, an alarm clock and people can bring their own pillows and blankets. Think how much more productive we would be if we had a 45 minute nap at 12:30 p.m.? Yes, a nap room is a good idea. I need one right now!

Cordless phones that have multiple handsets but only need one phone jak: Whoever figured this out is a GENIUS! I live in an old house and there are only 2 phone jaks in the whole house. So until I stumbled upon this item, I had to carry my cordless phone all over the house with me. So half the time I would forget to put it back in the charger so I couldn't use it, or I would put it somewhere and forget where it was. Now, if my phone rings and I am in the kitchen, boom, there is my phone! Fabulous!

Gift cards: This is one of my favorite presents to get. I love being able to go to a store and get something without having to have money or use a credit card. I never have money and this lets me get something I WANT instead of using all my money for what I NEED (dog food, medicine, gas for the car etc) which is what I usually do. Some people find them impersonal but I think it is a nice gift. I never have to worry about if the recipient will like the present I got them. They will because they picked it out!

Well that is the list for today! What is your favorite thing today?

Fractured Prune

So today I ventured to a new donut place called the Fractured Prune. A friend of mine had told me about it while she was over delivering a lovely bookshelf to me (thanks Whitney!) and I could not stop thinking about it. Basically, it is a design your own donut place. You can chose one of their 15 glazes and/or their 10 toppings. They also have Specialty Dounuts which is what I chose. (at 8:00 a.m. it was too early for me to design my own.) I chose the O.C. Sand which is honey glaze with cinnamon sugar. IT WAS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER TASTED! It was hot and gooey and absolutely delicious. Donuts are .95 a piece or 8.95 a dozen which is a bit expensive for a donut but so worth it. Check out their website at www.fracturedprune.com and see what they have to offer and the story behind their name. If you have a Fractured Prune in your area, check it out. Next time I am getting a lemon glaze with granulated sugar. Yum! This could be a problem…

Things that I don't like, make me mad or just drive me nuts!

I have not done this list in a awhile so I think it is time!

1. When you pull your favorite navy blue sweater out of the dryer and it is covered in little lint balls. Then you have to spend 20 minutes using the lint roller tape thing to get them all off.

2. The smell of peas cooking. I make them for the dogs and it grosses me out but they love them!

3. Balancing my check book. You would think it would be easy since there is never any money in there (haha) but it never is!

4. Having to Pre-Pay for gas because I am paying cash. I never know how much it will take to fill it up and then if you go over, you have to go back in for change or if it is not enough than you car is not full. It is just a big pain!

5. Realizing how much prescriptions actually cost the insurance companies. Someone REALLY needs to investigate that. I really have a hard time believing that 1 prescription could cost over $200 for a month. I feel really bad for people who do not have health insurance and have to pay full price for them. I mean the drug companies can pretty much charge what they want because if you are on a prescription you usually have to have it. That just drives me nuts.

6. Having to throw away 2 jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter because it might be contaminated with salmonella. Yikes!

7. When you go on cragslist to look for something that you need and you find one for a great price and then read the description only to find out it doesn't work. I know some people look for things to fix but not me. I feel lucky to change out a light bulb!

8. When you are trying to load new software for your new internet card on your computer and it is not working properly. so, you call the service number for help and they tell you they can't help you because you have not registered your product. You explain that the problem is that you can't get online because the thing you are trying to load doesn't work therefore you can't get on the internet to register the product. AND THEN THEY TELL YOU OH WELL TOO BAD! They suggest you go to a friend's house and do it and then call back. Are they nuts? JUST HELP US!!! I mean that is their job right?

So what drives you nuts?

MOMENT OF COMPLETE CUTENESS 2!

How cute is this turtle?!!! Can you believe how tiny he is?

Ok, so I am NOT the next American Idol!

Well, at least my dogs don't think so.

In a previous post I wrote about my MP3 player that I got for Christmas. Well, I have been fairly industrious and have more than 100 songs on it right now. These are all my favorites and it is a pretty eclectic mix as I stated. But the thing is, because they are all my favorites, and I am in the mood to sing, well I am. With feeling and maybe a little dancing.

I have been whizing around here trying to get things done for the work week and it helps pass the time while putting monumental amounts of laundry away. And the dogs must think I am terrible because they keep barking whenever I sing.

At first I thought "Hey, they are singing with me!" but then reality set in and I realized, they wanted me to stop!

Well, I should say Otto doesn't like it. Bunnie could care less and Chloe doesn't bark unless I sing TO her. But Otto, well I get a verse or two out and he barks. And he won't stop unless I stop. And it seems odd but I can tell the difference between his barks and this one is definately "Quit the sinigng now"!

Now, seriously I know that I can't sing-I can't carry a tune at all. But, this does not stop me from doing it in the privacy of my home or car or church (you don't have to sing well to sing in church. God doesn't care. I figure he knows I can't sing so I hope he just appreciates my effort.) Now there are very few people that I will sing in front. They consist of my friend Jenn, my nieces, my brother, my mom and dad and my friend Chelle. I figure these people love me for who I am and they don't care that my singing is well...bad. But Otto not liking my singing, man that hurts. Oh well. Otto is going to have to get over it.

I love you buddy but you are going to have to listen to mommy sing Driver 8 one more time!

Funny Otto

Otto is being so completely cute and funny right now. Sometimes he gets these bursts of playful moments and tonight is one of those nights. He got a squeaky toy that looks like a present for Christmas and has completely ignored it until tonight. Now he is flipping it, catching it and squeaking it all over the living room. It is so funny because he really dives after he flips it.

It cracks me up. He can be such a funny boy.

Otto, thanks for making me laugh.

I really needed it!