A Peterson Christmas Day 1

Got to my parents in Iron River, MI around 3. I was able to leave work a little early, because it was snowing. Upon arrival I was immediately invited by my brother, sister-in-law and uncle to head out to my uncle's new house being built. This took an hour or so, then we stopped at the beauty shop to pick up a gift certificate, then we stopped at my grandparents to say hello, where we discovered my aunt and 2 cousins were there, then headed back to my parents to eat dinner, then my brother & sister-in-law left, then my aunt stopped by and dropped of the 2 kids, then my OTHER brother and sister-in-law arrived, with 3 year old nephew & 5 year old niece and 2 dogs in tow.

Now it is not quite 9 and I am trying to de-stress by blogging!

Christmas Appletini

1 part Vodka
1.5 part apple schnapps
2 part apple juice
toss a cherry on the bottom - it's a lovely Christmas Cocktail!

Movie Review: Australia

This movie was amazing, and reminded me why I like to go see a good movie in the theater. It is an all-encompasing event, where you can just turn off the rest of your life. If you watch something at home there are phones, cell phones, dogs, cats, bathrooms, etc. I digress...

I LOVED THIS MOVIE. It is your typical role for Nicole Kidman, which she acts wonderfully. Hugh Jackman is divine, and I am in love with him for sure. The aboriginal kid in the movie really makes it though, his role is great. The cinematography & story in this movie are great, great great! It is LONG, however it isnt really a bother. More of , OMG, how much more I dont want it to end, etc type thing.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Taking Care of Annie: Day 3 & 4

Everything is going peachy! Annie is still very demanding, but I do my best. Right now she's sacked out on the floor. She spent some quality time outside today, and the neighbor dog even came over to visit so that was fun. We have put another toy in the garbage though, but I guess it was due. The Orange Gorilla will be greatly missed, and a new one may have to be Mocca's Christmas Toy. So far no more poop either! yay!

On a different note, last weekend I put out some bird seed, and I was SO EXCITED to see a CARDINAL eating on the feeder about 10 minutes ago!!! A CARDINAL! I dont know if I have EVER had a Cardinal before. I havent seen any other birds though, no squirrels either. Wonder how long it will take them to find the food.

Taking Care of Annie: Day 2

When I got home from work last night, there was a dreadful smell as I walked into the house. Annie had a problem, and left me a runny, smelly, poopy mess in the back entrance area. Thankfully, she did most of it there, as opposed to the middle of the living room floor, which is something Mocca would do (part of the reason Mocca stays in the front porch when I am gone!)

Annie was sacked out on the living room floor while I cleaned up the mess. She seemed fine though, and looked at me quite perplexed when I only gave her a handful of food for dinner! I had to give her more, of which she only nibbled on. I think it was just the principle of the matter for her.

I did a quick play, pet, chewy routine, as I had to go downtown for dinner with Kevin & a vendor. When I got home, thankfully, all was clear. Annie was sound asleep on the couch, head on pillow as it should be.

This morning she is good, though continues to beg for table scraps, which I never give out. She never gets the hint either, and continues to beg the entire time she is with me. Today I will be able to come home for lunch, so hopefully no issues.

Oh, decided the diahreha (sp?) was the after affects of giving her people aspirin. You can give you dog aspirin, but it could cause digestive issues....she has only been getting the people aspirin a day or 2 I guess. Previously she was getting expensive, doggie formulated aspirin which is more buffered, and less likely to cause upset. Of course I dont know for SURE this was the culprit, but it seems likely. I'll just go buy some more doggie aspirin!

Taking Care of Annie: Morning 1

This morning has gone pretty well. Girls were up and ready to go outside right away of course. Annie actually stayed out for about 10 minutes before barking to come in. In that 10 minutes I was able to assemble to goods: 1 small bowl milk for each dog, mocca's vitamin & joint care, annie's vitamin, biscuit for each dog, fill water bowls, get food ready.

When they come in they expect their milk, vitamin, biscuit. I set 1 down & tell whoever it is for...then the next. Mocca finishes first of course, Annie really licks that milk bowl dry. Give Mocca her food, give Annie her food. Annie didnt eat all hers, though I had given her extra, just in case. So Mocca swooped in & ate that before somebody took it away! Must remember less food for Mocca while Annie is here.

Annie had some trouble getting up on the couch, this is so difficult to watch! I helped her once, then she of course got down right after! She got up again, but I didnt help her....it just took her a few tries to get the top half up enough that the bottom followed. Poor Annie. It is a low couch, too. Dad always has to hoist her into the car/truck nowadays. She expects that now and doesnt even try to get in w/o help I guess!

Currently she is napping on the couch, and I expect, is there for the rest of the morning, though she may go out when Mocca does the 2nd time.

Taking Care of Annie: Night 1

My parents are heading downstate, to pick up some items from my departed Grandmother's house. So my dad brought their dog, Annie, down to my house today for me to take care of while they are gone. Annie is 15, cant see well, cant hear well, has a twitch in one paw, lumps & bumps, and a weak back end. However all in all, she is quite healthy!

When I got home, I was greeted by incessant, unrelenting barking. She would NOT stop, and not let me pet her. I directed the dogs outside, and they went. 5 minutes later Annie was done, and barking first at the back door, then realized that wasnt working, and moved to barking at the front door. I waited her out another 5 minutes, then decided to give in. She proceeded to bark at me again, a very uncompromising bark at that. It is dinner time. I dished up both dogs their dinner, and that seemed to settle her down. Then she played for about 10 minutes with some toys, and we had a slight altercation with the orange gorilla toy, which Mocca snatched away from Annie. I made her give it back, explaining to Mocca that Annie is old, and can have the toy if she wants! I dont think Mocca understood, she just looked away, quite displeased with the situation.

Now Annie is a bit settled, but I expect will be wanting a chew soon, then outside, then biscuit...maybe some petting in between. Lets hope for an easy night~!

What They'll Say

My niece was visiting this weekend. She is 5. My mom & some of her friends were doing some shopping, and trying on a bunch of different clothing. Katie wanted to be a part of everything, of course. One of my mom's friends let her in the dressing room with her. My mom's friend tried on something that was much too tight and unflattering, and said, "Oh I dont think this fits". Katie looked up, and in all seriousness replied, "I think you eat too much."

Just goes to show you...you never know what those kids are going to say!

The Wizard of Oz

I was brave tonight, and turned to channel on that was playing the Wizard of Oz. It was at the end of the movie, that I rarely see - of course, I can never watch much of it, so of course I dont get to the end - anyway...I was greatly distressed! The Wicked Witch of the West had lit the Scarecrow on fire, and Dorothy tossed a bucket of water on him to put out the fire. Instead, the water hit the witch, and she MELTED and died. Dorothy killed her, just like that. It was dreaful! This witch melting right there and screaming in that awful voice! I may have a nightmare about this tonight. I do not understand why this movie horrifies me so much. Nearly every scene in it distresses me and causes me anxiety. I think this movie is what made me afraid of thunderstorms when I was a kid. We used to always watch The Wizard of Oz when it was on...why could I watch it when I was a kid and not now?

I will say, I am watching it on HD, and holy cow it is vibrant. Still distressing though. Especially those evil monkey things. And the scene where the evil woman takes away Toto...And when she is in the tornado and turns into the witch! HORRIFYING! It's one great big nightmare waiting to happen.

Childhood Memories

My friend's wife did something like this on her blog, so this isnt my idea, but I liked it, sorta morphed it a little though. It is a list of happy childhood memories with important people in your life.

1. Going for a drive in the evening with Grandma & Grandpa. Usually it also involved a small ice cream cone.
2. Going camping with the whole family. Though I would never do this now.
3. "Get Low! Get Low!" - You'd have to ask my mom about this one.
4. Spending time on the beaches of Lake Michigan with my brothers.
5. Jennifer's books.
6. Playing "getting married" with Jennifer, and perfecting a wedding cake. Although we were only like, 10 or something. Oh,the irony.
7. Going ice skating in battle creek with my brothers.
8. Going to pick out a christmas tree with the whole family.

I'm trying to pin down specific memories with specific people, but cant seem to. They all seem to involve the whole family - brothers, mom, dad....Cant nail down something with 1 person specifically! I'm sure there are ones though...if I think long enough.

It is interesting how some of these things still mean a great deal to me - like picking out the christmas tree, although now it is just me & my dad.

Schedule of Eating

Heading to Siesta Key, FL on Saturday...Gotta get dinner plans in order. I think we are going to *gasp* SKIP Roys & Flemmings this time...I know, crazy....

Sat night - we dont get in til 11, so no dinner plan.

Sun night - Sangria? TAPAS!!!

Mon night - Mattisons?

Tue night - Galileo? (divine lobster ravioli)

Wed night -

Thur night - Selva Grill? (delish steak)

Fri night - Pizza

Sat night - Sangria?

So, that leaves us with 1 free, night, or optional 2nd night if we only do Sangria once....Or if we skip Mattisons, or if there is some other place Kevin's Dad wants to eat at. Sometimes we eat at this place called "The Waterfront" that isnt bad, but its nothing to write home about. But if he wants to eat there we will. Perhaps they are back to eating at Outback again (oh no!). Lets hope not, although they do have surprisingly yummy grilled lobster and I do ADORE the chop salad there. Hmm....so much to figure out!

Dad Knows

I woke up to a forehead all bumpy! It kinda itches too. There are no new products in play...it is a mystery. Except, from my mom:

"Dad says that is a classic reaction to iodine from seafood. Don't know how he knows that, but that is what he said."

Yes, I ate THREE whole, great big pieces of cold shrimp this weekend (saturday) at my neices birthday party. Normally I limit shrimp to 2. And well, these were quite large.

So what do you think?

Time for another advil...

The Cats

Zoe made a spot for herself.

Morning cleaning.

Zoe using her stairs to get on the bed. Waiting for somebody else to come with though.

I put this bed on the table in the living room last night, so I wouldnt forget to bring it to my parents with me. My brother's cat that is staying with them needs a bed. Anyway, Kai slept in it all night, and is in fact, still there, snoozing away. Might not be brining it to my parents!

New House Color

Have been meaning to post this for a long time! My dad spent many, many, many long hours of his time painting my house late this summer. Not only did he paint it, he scraped all the old paint off, and primed all the bare wood! The garage also got painted, and some new trim board. It was an enormous task that I am grateful to him for doing. The new color is much brighter and more attractive I think, then the previous grayish color that was quite dull. Also I painted my front door a new, vibrant, very satured red which I very much love. In the paint can though it was bright pink, so was a little scary putting on.

I should add I painted the foundation white, and did a lot of the trim/window painting - so I DID contribute!

It probably isnt fair to post a NEW summer photo vs. an OLD early spring photo because of course the old house color looks miserable in its surrounding gray landscape. But at least Mocca is a constant in both!

Take THAT! Weigh Day!

So, I didnt think the whole concept of weighing myself once a week was working. So I have started weighing myself again every day, and it is going MUCH BETTER. I have aleady lost 1 lb since I weighed in on Wed morning! I am hoofing it at Anytime Fitness also! I walked TWO entire miles on thursday night. Though, I didnt do the weights...I dont like those as much because people can LOOK at you, and when you're on the treadmill or one of those other weird things, you are more sorta, in your own world.

Also, I musta over-done it somewhere because my left shoulder has a major pain when I move it a certain way, so that sucks kinds. Probably didnt do enough stretching or something, but this is something that has gotten tweaked in the past for no reason. It'll go away sooner or later.

I have tried to get back more to the "right" thinking of eating and avoiding the overprocessed stuff. I will make up a batch of soup this weekend. Plus since its FREEZING out now, soup is yummier than in summer.

Hopefully it'll be a low-calorie weekend...gonna be tough. But, I have not had any cookies from golden harvest in...hm...Did I have some last weekend? What did I do last weekend....oh yeah, I had some last weekend. So, well, I need to make it through the weekend to have a real breakthrough here. But at least they are not overprocessed icky cookies, but rather yummy, homemade cookies...hmmm...yum.

Weigh Day

For like 4 weeks I have been weighing myself once a week, instead of the daily weighing I had been doing before. I guess all this is doing for me is so that I only feel bad once a week, instead of every day. I gained almost 1 lb in the past week! Now I understand that going to anytime twice this week isnt going to make a mark, and I also understand I have not been eating properly. But still! Yesterday was a food day at work, so that definately didnt help. I need to get back to what worked for me...

That was making veggie based soup and eating it for lunch, making a veggie pizza on whole wheat crust with no cheese and eating it for dinner. Also, drinking wine instead of cosmos, or chocolate martinis. I really need to try to get back to that. Probably I should get the book out again (YOU on a diet) and re-read it and get back on that wagon. I have spiraled back towards processed foods and not paying real attention to the sugar content of foods, etc. I took a bowl of soup out of the freezer, with the intention of eating it for lunch! Maybe tonight I will go buy some salad, and eat that instead of some processed, frozen meal like I have been doing lately. And stay away from the little bits of candy at work...

Day 2

This was my second day in a row at Anytime Fitness. It is going pretty well. I had to invest in an iPod so as to have interesting stuff to listen to, and appear as though I am occupied, and please do not speak to me, leave me alone thank you.

I LOVE MY IPOD!

A podcast is a miracle! Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts, podcasts! Fun fun fun. I was even listening to some at work today which was cool. Although I dont think I can do that all the time, only when I am doing something moderately mindless.

I did all the machines both nights, and monday I walked 1 mile, and tonight I walked 1.5 miles. I did an extra round on the arm machines monday, but not tonight. I dont want to overdo it on things like that too much! So we'll see, if I make it to day 3. Then I am good for the week and dont have to go more, unless I want to of course.

Agility results

REGISTERED NAME
Mocca

AKC NUMBER
ILP158825

CALL NAME
Mocca

STD TRIAL
NOV P
Qualification
QUALIFIED
Standard Time/Yards
72.00
139.00
Recorded Time
52.36
Recorded Score
100
Placement
2

JWW TRIAL DATA
NOV P
Qualification
QUALIFIED
Standard
43.00
114.00
Time/Yards
Recorded Time
31.16
Recorded Score
100
Placement
1

(9 minutes, better go!)

.....

15, no, make that 14 minutes until my "orientation" at Anytime Fitness! I am seriously nervous, which is lame, I know. 13 minutes. I cant help it. Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugghhhh. I know that once I am there, and going, it will be fine, but I have to get there first, and there is 13 minutes in the way.

I am thinking I need some sort of iPod or something. I dont know anything about them though; I sent out a help email to some people who I think are in the know. I felt old, not knowing anything. I better get with the program!

12 minutes!

The Consequences of Video

This weekend was our 1st Agility trial. My mom, dad, kevin and jeff/tanja/kids all came to watch. Jeff & Tanja brought their video camera. I was able to watch both of my runs with Mocca which was very cool, and they are going to burn it to a DVD to me once they get things set up. The important part here is that I was able to see myself running around the arena. This was quite disconcerting.

So, Monday after work I gathered my strength, with a little help from my brother Terry, and walked into "Anytime Fitness".

Now I am comitted. I paid the guy $60 to sign up with all the fees, etc., and another $35 a month. So, I have to go now, I paid the guy! I certainly cant flush $60 down the toilet, when I wont even turn my heat past 65 due to fuel oil prices.

I hope this works. I am just so done with my current weight, and fitness. Terry says my muscles are probably in atrophy. I do run in Agility class! And I did Curves there for awhile a couple years ago...The guy at Anytime Fitness was cool, I liked him a lot, so that was good. I do not like people watching me exercise. I must get over this.

Tomorrow is my official "orientation" at 6:30. siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggghhhhhhhhhhhh

Melissa Vs. Subway Part II

Wow, so get this. I had a message on my answering machine when I got home from work tonight. I expected some lame telemarketer, but to my suprise, it was the manager of the Subway in town I had complained to the Subway.com website about! She would like me to call her so she can explain their policies.

Of course I am not going to call, are these people insane? For crying out loud, who would actually CALL somebody! Not only that, but she called twice, because the first time she forgot to leave the phone number!

I give them credit for following up, I am very impressed with that. I think I am avoiding Subway though for awhile, I am not too excited by their subs anymore. There is a mom & pop place in town that has good subs, with less bready-bread and more meat!

The Sheet Saga

Kevin & I once bought this set of sheets when we were in Sarasota, on vacation. We bought them at Steinmart. These turned out to be the Best Sheets Ever. They are soft, smooth, silky! It is like a dream being ensconced in them! Sadly, this was about 3 years ago, and they have since been worn down to not much. We would wash them, and put them back on, forgoing all other sheets.

Now we have a sheet problem. We cannot find another set of sheets like these sheets! I have a set of sheets that came from JCPenney a couple years ago that come very close, and would be a good substitute I think, but I dont know what type they are.

We keep buying "soft" sheets, only to find them not quite good enough, or worse, scratchy. We have bought 5000 thread count sheets (feels like sleeping on denim, but will be with us until the end fo time because they are quite certainly indestructable), we have bought 200 thread count sheets (wonderfully soft for 2 washes, pilled up after 3), we have bought other in-between sheets. None will do!

The last set I bought was from Kohls - by Vera Wang. They are "OK". They'll do in a pinch, or when there is nothing else. I also bought a 1000tc set of "luxury" sheets from Kohls last weekend, and while I do like them, HOLY SMOKES they are so thick, we both sweated the night away they were so hot! Good winter sheets I think, they have light courderoy type texture which is strange, but soft. But only in the dead of winter.

So, does anybody out there have good sheets? I need SOFT, SILKY sheets. No scratchy! Scratchy bad!

I wonder if other people spend as much time obsessing about sheets?

Melissa vs. Subway

Okay so when I go to Subway, I get a 6" honey oat with turkey. no cheese.

Lately, I want more protein, so I get extra meat. This costs $1.00 more. Not worth it really, but I do it anyway. I mean really, are those 3 measly pieces they put on worth $1.00??

I spy on the menu that extra cheese costs $.30. Extra meat costs $1.00. So, if I get no cheese, and extra meat, I should only get charged $.60. Right? Silly me. Here is the conversation today with the poor person at checkout. Mind you, I had to be extra nice because a co-worker happened to be next in line. Normally, I probably wouldnt have been so nice.

Subway: Super Turkey? Anything else?
Me: No. That has no cheese, also.
Subway: Yes, it says Super Turkey. I know.
Me: No, I mean no cheese so please take that off the price.
Subway: Sorry, that is not our policy.
Me: Well if I dont get the cheese, you dont take that off the price? But if I get extra, you add it?
Subway: Yep, sorry...we dont make the rules.
Me: *laugh to try to be nice, but really annoyed* Ah well, I'll have to go the top, huh? the big wigs!
Subway: *laugh, cuz she doesnt know how annoyed I am* Oh yes! Sorry
Me: Oh well, thanks!

Next time I think I will get no cheese, then EXTRA cheese. Do you think they will charge me $.30 extra for the extra cheese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lost 1 lb

Okay so I didnt weigh myself for a whole week, and the scale said I lost 1 whole lb, so that is good. If I do the same next week, that is 2 lbs! Then 3, then 4, then 5...and before you know it, that 20 will be gone that I lost before, right? Riiighttt.

New Show Review: Fringe

I just got done watching the new show on FOX called "Fringe". It is by the guy who does Lost, and did Alias -J.J. Abrams. I loved it.

It's cool how it is sorta X-Files-ish, but not so much of the alien part. I liked the characters - I think there is a good mix there and lots of potential. I especially like the professor scientist old guy, and then his son (Joshua Jackson, "Pacy" from Dawson's Creek). I really enjoyed them. The whole skin dissapearing thing was a little bit much to believe, but I guess I can let it slide as it is well, fiction. The twist at the end was particularily interesting & I think will be going lots of fun places.

Overall, definately DVR this baby. It is a keeper - we'll see if it keeps me all season. Sometimes I get hooked on the 1st couple, then I die off. Looks good so far.

Psst - dont watch the previews for the season if you are contemplating having a baby. ewe!

Scales. The weighing kind.

I decided to stop weighing myself every single morning of every single day of the week. Instead, I will only weigh myself on Wednesday morning. Tomorrow is wednesday! So it will be a whole, entire week that I havent weighed myself. This is quite something. I had to really hold back, it was difficult. I wonder if it will make a difference. We'll see in the morning. I doubt it. I feel quite fat.

Finally mowing my lawn. Though I ran out of gas, literally, so now that is an issue. Generally it is not wise to stop mowing once I start. This should be the last time I have to mow the lawn, right?

I added a second coat of paint on the storm door window - this is the one I had previously ALREADY applied 4-5 coats of paint on, only to realize I painted the sides backwards. Now I have to paint the white "cherry cobbler" and the "cherry cobbler" white......ugh. Worst part is my dad noticed, and didnt say anything! I guess he thought I was doing it on purpose.

My friend Jared's wife's blog had a picture of pregnancy stick showing POSITIVE on it yesterday, and that was it. LOL. I think she has a flair for the dramatic! Guess it'll be #4 for Jared. Maybe this time it'll be a BOY.

Oh, Kevin has been gone to a conference since last Wednesday, then he was back briefly monday, and then left this morning (tuesday) for L.A. and will be back very late on Saturday, all of which sucks. For me, anyway!

This 'n That

Item 1:
My uncle recently was greeted by somebody who shook his hand with 2 hands. You know, a regular handshake, but then she also used her other hand to cover the other side of his hand. We wondered what this meant, so we looked it up:

Typically your greeter will offer a hand palm up and before shaking starts the second hand sandwiches yours. Sometimes given to show empathy as with the loss of a loved one.
It is also given when wanting to demonstrate concern or to convey that you’re with a caring individual. It seems to be a favorite of politicians.
It conveys familiarity. Do not use it unless you are close to the individual you do it with, you want to leave a bad impression or you are a politician.

Item 2:
Do not watch "I am Legend". I despised this movie greatly, and do not recommend it one bit. Stay away. It is not worth anybody's time and a dreadful movie.

Toilet-less

My toilet has had a slow leak, at the base, something to do with the "seal". I dont know much about toilets. My dad came down yesterday to install the new, "Toilet in a Box" he bought at Menards for me. If only more dad's would buy their children toilets!

Anyway, apparently there was a lot of rot under the toilet, and some scary times when my dad considered putting linoleum under just the 5 boards he had to remove...oh boy. Thankfully, I convinced him to look around a little, and he found a custom flooring place just up the road and was able to find boards the same size as mine. Crisis averted!

Only now, there was not enough time yesterday to install the toilet. So now, I have no toilet. Well, I have a NEW toilet in the front porch, waiting to be installed. And, I have an OLD toilet sitting in my front yard. I wonder why he decided the front yard was the right place for the old toilet?

Of course...I have to go to the bathroom!

An Acorn & That Song

This morning, as I was walking from my car to work, I looked up at this oak tree that skirts the side of the parking lot. The moment I looked up, an acorn fell.

Have you heard that "new" song that plays incessently now by some chick...Katy something. "I Kissed a Girl" is the song. She did in a funky new way, but does anybody remember the ORIGINAL "I Kissed a Girl" - I dont know the specific year, but I was in college, so it was in the early 90's! Jill Sobule. Loved her....! Had the CD and everything. Wonder where that went.

Recipe: Roast Garlic & Tomato Soup

Makes 7 quarts
Start to finish = 15 minutes
Prep = 5 minutes

------

Ingredients:
9 Tbls + 1 tsp olive oil
18 cloves minced garlic
6 quarts tomato juice
48 oz. crushed tomatoes
3 Tbls + 1 tsp paprika
1 cup sweet vermouth

------

Directions:
Saute the garlic in olive oil very briefly, taking care not to brown it. Stir in the paprika and saute for another minute, stirring continuously, and taking care that it doesnt scorch.

Stire in the tomato juice and crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil; reduce heat and add vermouth. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

Optional: Garnish with parmesan and croutons.

Variations: Add cooked garbanzo beans and garnish with shredded feta cheese and chopped parsley. Or - add tabasco and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

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I make this soup all winter long. Every fall I bring a batch to work and every absolutely RAVES about it. It is SERIOUSLY easy to make and tastes delicious - this is coming from somebody who DOES NOT LIKE tomato soup. But I LOVE this soup.

....courtesy Yo-Cones Recipe Book, Sara Basso

What Mocca Knows

Mocca knows....

The difference between a regular collar, and her agility collar.

The difference between when I am leaving to go to work, and leaving to go play.

That I am not fully home until I have set my keys down on the kitchen table.

That when I brush my teeth, I will let her outside, and there is a small possibility of a squirrel being out there.

How to use her paw to get the ball un-stuck from her teeth.

Which way I am going to throw the ball.

Which bowl is hers, and which is Annie's.

...and of course, a multitude of other things. But these came to mind all at once.

Planning my meals already

Kevin & I are taking a trip to Siesta Key, FL in late October for a week of r&r. Very much looking forward to this! I am already planning our meals; I wonder if this is normal.

Would like to eat:

• Lobster Ravioli at Galileo
• Tapas of all sorts at Sangria
• Selva Grill for steak
• Roys for anything
• Flemmings for anything
• Sangria again

Obviously MUST eat at Sangria. Lobster Ravioli also a must. May have to make some critical decisionjs about Selva, Roys, and Flemmings. That gets pretty costly. It is Kevin's fault I am this way now! Though honestly, I would be happy to eat at some normal place....really.

I think this time we might need to shake things up a little and try out some new places. That is how we found Selva, and Sangria(SANGRIA!!!) and Galieo....so there must be others out there. Once we drove up one of the Keys and found a neat little place on the beach and had a great, memorable experience, but have never been back. Of course, we used to always eat at Barnacle Bills....then they got taken off the list by Kevin. I would not mind going back, but it may be awhile before Kevin is ready. Usually we have pizza one night...

I'll just keep planning our meals! By the time October rolls around, I'll have it all figured out.

This is normal, right?

Blog Games: Things I Cannot Do Without AKA My Addictions

1. Chocolate. Especially German Chocolate
2. The sunday/weekend paper
3. News in the morning
4. News at night
5. Cereal
6. Bread
7. Hot tea
8. Just food in general
9. Chapstick. The non-petroleum kind please!
10. Mascara

Swingtown

Is anybody watching this show!? I adore it! Absolutely love all the characters and the storylines. It keeps getting better and better as well. If you arent watching this show you should be!

Blog Games: Things I Can Do Without

1. Republicans
2. Democrats
3. Jehovas
4. FOX News
5. Mowing the lawn
6. Snow
7. Work
8. People telling me what to do
9. People telling me I was wrong
10. Fuel Oil
11. Brett Favre
12. Liver as a meal
13. Mosquitoes
14. Sweat
15. Outhouses or portapotties

Blog Games: What I am Afraid of

1. Spiders
2. Spiders crawling up the toilet
3. Spiders hiding under the covers
4. Monsters in the basement
5. Monsters outside
6. Yetties
7. Coyotes
8. Bears
9. Aliens disabling all electronic devices
10. Pets dying
11. People dying

"X" Marks the Spot?

Why would anybody, with a disproportionaly large "bottom", wear jeans with great big "X's" embroidered on the pockets? I couldnt look away!

Lake Surfing

This weekend we met up with some new friends from Chicago to spend the afternoon on the Lake Minocqua area on their boat. Yes, the are FIB's, but we'll let that slide as we got to spend the day on the lake! It was a beautiful day, though a bit windy. Kevin did some wake boarding & water skiing; he tried to do the 1 foot skiing but needs more practice with that I think.

The biggest thing people were doing was Lake Surfing. What they do is use a wake board, sorta a short surf board....you get up on it behind the boat with a short rope and find the right spot riding the wake behind the boat. At some point you can let go of the rope & then just surf your way around the lake behind the boat. It was pretty intersting to watch & got a lot of gawkers wondering how we were doing it.

I, of course, did not go in the water. I saw no point to it - I was warm & perfectly happy where I was. Maybe next time...

Halfway through the day we swapped boats with another friend - it was a demo boat from one of the dealers. An X-15 Mastercraft. Boy it was cool! We had 11+ folks on board and it was a blast.

All in all, a fun day. Hopefully will get to go out again sometime this summer!

The Jumping Spider

Last night one of the cats noticed a spider climbing up the wall in the bedroom. I watched it carefully, and nudged Kevin in alarm. The spider was small enough, but it had potential to grow large; it needed to die. Kevin knew he needed to take care of it. However he was reading the users manual to his new camera so was in no hurry. So for the next 15 minutes I watched the spider, which stayed in one spot & didnt move an inch. Finally Kevin got up to kill the spider... But it was at that point the spider decided to leap from his spot on the wall and attempt a divebomb for the floor. A jumping spider. This did not please me, and Kevin insisted it was still on the floor & he was going to smash it. Instead it ran away, under the bed. So. We have a loose spider in the bedroom. Lesson? Just kill the damn spider right away.

Dark Knight Review

I braved the crowds for opening weekend of "Dark Knight". It was a risky move for me as I despise having PEOPLE in the theater but I felt strongly I needed to see the movie ASAP. I was glad I risked it. Be warned, the movie is extra long - I think it was like 152 minutes. I knew this beforehand so chose a seat near the door for quick 'n easy bathroom exit. Also, I chose well with a buffer seat in between a large group and the end of the row, so less liklihood of somebody wanting to squeeze in next to me. Thankfully there were no obnoxious teenagers nearby.

The theater was quite full for a noon show on Sunday!

LOVED the movie, even the length didnt bother me. I peeked once to see the time, but only to see if I needed to exit for the bathroom or not. The story is very interesting! The Joker role was, as we have all heard, memorable. Heath Ledger really did do an outstanding job. I always knew it was Jack in the 1st movie, but this one, I only thought of him as the Joker, not Heath Ledger playing the Joker. The whole Harvey Dent thing was also quite memorable!!! There should be some awards for costuming and makeup for this flick.

The ending was good as it didnt leave an obvious opening for another. One thing I missed though was I wanted to hear the Joker say, "Where does he get all those great toys?" (or something along those lines) and he didnt. I thought they could have at least thrown it in there.

Overall, GREAT. Go see it!!

A Lesson in Jalepenos

Here is what I learned last night:

Do not clean out a hot pepper with your bare hands.

That being said, does anybody know how to get it off your hands? I washed them about 10 times, and also soaked them in lemon juice. Neither worked very well...

Zerberts

My neice Katie tonight was laying in my lap watching tv and she reached up behind to hug my neck and said to me, "Missy I love you". Awfully cute!

Then 2 minutes later she patted my boobs and said, "Missy I love your zerberts, too".

Huh.

My Shady Past

For those of you who know of my shady past....You'll know how secretly excited I am about this:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i2a7c68761043a405c4e527c10b0cc474

Fruit Salad

Today was my day for "treats" at work. Every thursday is treat day. We have to sign up months in advance. Some people go all out with elaborate food. Once I got fed up and brought Little Debbie snacks. In the fall everybody expects my famous tomato soup. Today I did fruit salad. I bought as many pre-cut or pre-portioned fruit as I could, mixed them all up and added a couple tablespoons of sugar. Then I did the special part - the mint. I chopped up some fresh mint & tossed.

Everybody is RAVING about the fruit salad! I must say, it is good and that mint really does something special. I highly recommend it for next time anybody makes fruit salad.

Tomorrow is moving day. el sucko.

About This Blog

Random thoughts and other non-events.

Cat 1 sleeping 6 inches from me. Cat 2 sleeping 12 inches from me. Cat 3 unaccounted for.

We are flying to Dayton today for the 4th of July.