Vomit and the price of bliss

Middle of the night Thursday:

2 am. A sleepy hubster and Newt suddenly come to the dawning realization that the weird noise is Sophie. And she's got the heaves. And she's about to throw something up that will probably not be pleasant. Bless the hubster for being awake enough to get her off the bed. Unfortunately, while trying to get her to a solid cleanable surface she tossed the cookies. Or should I say kibble. All over his shirt, the carpet, the stairs. So, he put her down in the kitchen and cleaned up the mess. He came back to bed snuggling our sick pup. But he was grumpy, oh was he grumpy. Not 10 minutes little baby girl was heaving again. So I took her back off the bed and more fluids came up all over my sweats and the floor.

"Cover your eyes honey"
"Groan"

So I got it cleaned up, grabbed my pillow and my book and headed down stairs.

And we camped out in the living room. She seemed to settle down and want to sleep. So this was good. But then, at 3:17 up comes more. And of course, like most animals she walked around as it came up. Under the coffee table, by the recliner, and then, my favorite place, right on the Christmas tree skirt and all over our stack of brand new dvd's.

Ok, the skirt is sort of hosed, it's going to be interesting cleaning up a felt skirt that has "spot clean only" instructions. And the DVD's were still covered in plastic. So that was good. But still, we have a whole lot of floor, why was under the tree so appealing?

Needless to say, Sophie and I were up most of the night. I gave up some time around 4 and read until it was time to get up, get the pups outside and feed the kitties. I worked from home Friday and she did great. I don't know what it was that got her but I think we are passed it.

*************

Every so often the coffee pot starts to poop out. And it's time to use the vinegar again. I sigh every time this happens. Because I can't shake the taste for several days. What makes the coffee pot such a remarkable invention is that when it brews your coffee it fills the house with that eye opening aroma. Unfortunately that same wafting effect also fills the room when you brew vinegar. And my eyes burn and my nose runs. And my skin feels icky.

I am not a fan of vinegar. I've never liked vinegar and oil. I can tolerate balsamic vinegar when it is dribbled in with a high quality olive oil and Parmesan cheese. But beyond that, vinegar is one of my least favorite kitchen smells. The only things that gross me out more are fish odors, cooking ground beef, and liver.

Friday I had to break down and clean the coffee pot. So all day I was coping with the vinegar smell. So, how do I try to get the smell out? I brew with that mornings used coffee grinds, then some old flavored coffee we have never finished, and then some cheap stuff we use on the weekdays. Usually after that I can brew a good cup of coffee and not gag.

It's life, I'll get over it. So many other things could be wrong. This one is no big deal. Really. But since I'm coping with the nose burning smells right this moment I had to share.

Its now Sunday ( I wrote this post on Friday) and I can still smell vinegar *sigh*

Jay's BotY and SofT

So, Jay is doing a Babe of the Year contest and to be fair to his overwhelming following of female readers/fans he is also doing a Stud of the Year contest. I voted for Gerard Butler. As it turns out Jay was curious as to who I would vote for, Johnny or Gerard. And, quite right, it was a tough decision. Both crossed my mind. I hesitated as to who I would nominate. But I finally made my decision. Of course, Viggo was also in the running. I was torn. But Jay really didn't do my boys justice ( no offense buddy). So, in all fairness, here are my main boys. And for Jay, though she wasn't a finalist, here is also, my main "babe"

First, the one I nominated: Gerard Butler

I am just the tiniest bit jealous of Hillary Swank.

And Johnny Depp

And Viggo Mortenson

And last but not least, Ashley

Post Christmas Hangover and WWC

Pink

I made a pink bracelet

Tradition

My father and I have a tradition of giving each other pink flamingoes

The kids got a new bed for christmas and they love it!

Gratuitious Cuteness


On Christmas Eve I went to Target to get a few things. So did 90% of the area population. But despite the completely full parking lot the store seemed empty. And the registers were humming numerous enough that there were no lines. That is why I love Target.

And the dogs have a big new bag of bones to keep them busy. So I doubly love Target.

We went to the hubsters parent's for Christmas day. I drank a lot. More than I think the whole year total. At one point I had to ask the hubster if the kitchen floor was tilted. The champagne made my head fuzzy. The whiskey made it completely numb.

This morning I woke up just fine.

It's nice when for once there were no repercussions for me getting a little tipsy. Actually a lot tipsy since I couldn't seem to keep both feet planted firmly on solid ground. Or any ground for that matter.

The hubster gave me some beautiful gifts from Germany. Actually the candleholder below is from Amsterdam

In Berlin he went to one of their outdoor Holiday Markets. He got me this etched glass candleholder - it's Newts!

And matching coaster

Happy Christmas Eve Eve

So, first, I'm a dork. Apparently the Winter Solstice moves around. I did not know that. I always thought it was the 21st. But this year it was the 22nd. No biggie. I mean, I spent yesterday equally worshipping the winter gods. Pajamas, movies, finishing a book, starting and getting through a chunk of another one. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and a big glass of milk. You know, a perfect day.

We watched Hot Fuzz. Brought to you by the same folks that did Shaun of the Dead. It was fabulously funny and British. We loved it. The hubster and I never got around to going to the theater. All the reviews I saw for it basically said that if you loved Shaun you would love Fuzz. So, I bought it for him for Christmas. It was under the tree, but he couldn't wait.

For us, it's a DVD sort of Christmas. We got: Hot Fuzz, Domino, 300, Simpsons season 3 and 5, Stargate Seasons 1-10, Futurama 1-4, and a few more that I can't remember. Our entire tree has nothing but DVD's under it. It's almost sad. And my brother will be sending us a DVD. We decided last night that we need another rack for our movies. And the only reason the hubster and I went for that many DVD's was because a website was having buy one get one free. So basically we got everything for half price.

Today we got a snow storm. I only knew about the one we were supposed to get Saturday. But Nettie and I had made a date to get together today. For a completely selfish girls day. And it was fun. Totally worth taking our life in our own hands:

And DSW is practically giving shoes away. So many things are 80% off it's insane. And while we were leaving they told us that they were starting their after Christmas sale early. So even more was getting marked down. It was unbelievable. So of course we went back after we finished the rest of our shopping just to check.

If you need shoes girls, go hit up DSW. I'm telling you, the shoes are dirt cheap. And when we went back a lot of the boots were being marked down 30-50%. And lots of flats and pumps are 70 and 80% off.

So, the drive home was interesting. The roads weren't that bad. It's the 40 mile an hour winds and the drifting snow that makes the driving interesting. And the places that the snow is actually collecting is very slippery. So it was a slow and careful drive home but totally worth it.

Oh, and Nettie gave me a wonderful, present. On a trip her and Lil Al took some fantastic pictures.. I fell in love with some pictures Lil Al took of a deserted old farm house. They were developed in black and white. I think by accident but they were amazing. So they printed them and put them in a frame for me. Signed by Lil Al and everything. I LOVE it! And I know they will look fantastic hanging up in the house.

I look outside and the snow is blowing like crazy. It's going to be one hell of a shoveling job when the snow stops. Sheesh. They said 2-4 inches but judging from what I already shoveled I think we far exceeded that.

It's definitely going to be a white Christmas.

Love and Hugs

Happy Winter Solstice!

This is my favorite day of the year. I think the symbolism behind it is beautiful. And the bonus: after today, the days get longer. We've gotten over the proverbial hump so to speak. It might be the first day of winter but to me, it is the beginning of the end of the long nights and cold weather.

Winter Solstice is celebrated as a time of rebirth, it is a celebration of light:

"Worldwide, interpretation of the event varies from culture to culture, but most hold a recognition of rebirth, involving festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations. Many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near the winter solstice; examples of these include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Pongal, Yalda and many other festivals of light."

"Midwinter festivals and celebrations occurring on the longest night of the year, often calling for evergreens, bright illumination, large ongoing fires, feasting, communion with close ones, and evening physical exertion by dancing and singing are examples of cultural winter therapies that have evolved as traditions since the beginnings of civilization. Such traditions can stir the wit, stave off malaise, reset the internal clock and rekindle the human spirit"
Wikipedia

So celebrate, and do a little rekindling! The world will be awakening again soon! Spring will come. The grass will get green, the leaves will bud and flourish. The flowers will open in all their splendid glory.

And if you have that right now, just keep it to yourself :-) K?

What to say, what to say

Patience can be a virtue. I have been waiting for my permanent computer to come in at work. We get refurbished ones from sales when they trade up. But due to high demand I got a brand spank'n new one. It has that new computer smell. Even I have to admit it's pretty darn sweet.

***

I realized that I didn't' get anything for the hubster for Christmas, but then I remembered he already bought his gift this summer:

He got an air compressor

He's blown up, and out more things around the house than I thought possible. Did you know you can use an air compressor to clean out your gutters?

He tried scrubbing down the porch and blow drying it. That didn't work so hot.

But all the cars got their tires inflated, as did the wheel barrows and yard carts. And the boat trailer tires. And the exercise ball I have.

He used it for a few other things but I can't remember what that was.

But I feel bad that there is nothing under the tree for him.

***

One of the girls I work with I made a bracelet for. She was wearing lime green and black today with a blue bracelet. She said she loved it so much she didn't care if it matched. Awwwwwww

***

Saturday it might snow, it might not. We might get a big storm, we might not. Apparently the computer simulated models are arguing. So my plan?: a good book, some music on the stereo, a warm blanket, and a puppy. And that's it. Just relax, and unwind. And not worry about a thing. Just enjoy whatever nature tosses at us.

Sunday I think I meet up with Nettie and we have a girls day.

Monday? Gift wrapping.

Tuesday? Family day. And a great deal of alcohol consumption. And I think I will go into a ham coma. I love ham. Ummmmm Hammmmm

How will you spend your holiday weekend?

WWC and a Landmark Moment

White

Life

This is my life and my whole world
The snowmen in my yard - but they didn't come out looking as white as they really are

And, ladies and gentlemen, the landmark moment?

This is my:

500th post!

Monday - Panic begins

Why, despite it being the same day every year can I not get my gifts shipped out to friends far away in time? Why???? WHY????? I'm a little panic'd at this point. Sigh...........

Weekend Recap:

1. Lunch with Nettie - in which we introduced a friend to Noodles and Co. The friend asked us what the difference was between what we just had and making it at home. Silly boy. First of all we don't make a mess in the kitchen. Second, it always tastes better at Noodles, and Third, we get to spend quality time together. Oh, not to mention that they walked around and gave everyone some cookie slices.

2. Shopping with Nettie - in which we watched 300+ people stand in line waiting to take pictures with a Santa Claus that was not on duty.

3. Grocery shopping - oooohhh fun! -

4. Jewelry making - in which I learn that even beading really aggravates my shoulder. I love the fact that my stupid act of walking into a door in early October is still causing me problems. And who said it could effect my beading?? That's just not right.

5. Gave up beading for classic movies on TCM - To Catch a Thief. Good Movie

6. Sunday morning I watched Pirates 3 and did some more beading. Yes, I am a glutton for punishment. For some reason, a little Johnny made the pain go away.

7. Went to Ikea to get some gift certificates - and of course got a cold glass of Lingonberry juice.

8. Stopped at MOA and found three more gifts. - Which I was able to find and buy so quickly. That usually never happens. And one of the items was even on sale!

9. Made dinner for wedding celebration we were throwing for our friends. - They sort of got married on the sly. But hey, I won a bet. Boy S and I made a bet years ago over who would do what first. Either I would have a baby or he would get married. HA! I won. What am I gonna do with that money????

10. The Lettuce Wraps were a huge hit! - We had potstickers, lettuce wraps, and fried rice It was all wonderful.

11. Went home, put away the leftovers, and then it was time to bed. But, I ended up staying up late and playing with very needy puppies. - Lily was scratching and crying at the gate that leads up to our bedroom. How could I just leave her down there? The guilt would have killed me. So instead of heading off to bed I went down and played with my lil peanut for a while.

And now it is Monday. I am "hard" at work. How was your weekend?

Friday! Yippee!

So first off, yesterday I almost committed a homicide. Or at least severe damagicide. Traffic exiting the freeway was backing way way up. But kindly the folks started moving over to the shoulder so that the lane would open back up for through traffic. I just got to the point where the road was open, free, and clear when a Lexus driver pulled in front of me, slammed on his breaks, and proceeded to wait till someone would let him in the exiting line up of cars. I honked my horn. Actually I laid on my horn. And I bitched, cursed, and swore. Hand gestures a plenty. Thank God the guy behind me had breaks as good as mine.

It's been a long time since someone got my blood boiling that badly on the freeway. But honest to pete, the guy almost died. It was one of the first times I actually felt like getting out of my car and making a scene. Oh man was I pissed. And if I had a little more money in the bank and a little less common sense I would have drove my car into his rear end and then pushed him up and over the embankment.

Conversation with the Hubster:

Newt: Aren't you cold without your shirt on?

Hubster: No

Newt: I'm freezing and I have a shirt and sweater on, dang.

Hubster: Well maybe its because I"m a hot latino lover.

As many of you know it's Christmas time again. And that means time to take pictures for our holiday card.

The hubster asked me to use a nice blanket for the background rather than the colorful and "Stupid" Winnie the Pooh one. So I grabbed a down quilt that is blue with snowflakes and polar bears on it. Cute and festive.

And I thought maybe if I arranged it really nice in the dogs favorite place to sleep I might get a picture that we could caption "And the children were nestled all snug in their beds."

You'd think we could manage that right?

Well, the favorite chair that now had the nice blanket on it. Yep, not one single animal would go near it. They actually curled up on the floor before they would go near it.

Sigh....................

But we got some cute ones anyway because eventually they cooperated:

What's a Naughty Monkey

They are shoes of course - fabulous and creative and wonderfully different shoes!

So this is the pair that Lil Al and I got to match

And this is the pair that Lil Al talked me into getting

And these are just random Naughty Monkey's so you get a feel for their style.

WWC

Want

We just want them to be happy and feel safe

Green

The hubster had a nice trip to Berlin. He goes back again at the end of January. He took over 200 pictures. After we sit down and figure out what/where they are I'll post a few.

Lil Al's stay with us was fun. She and I had a great time at MOA on Saturday. And we even got matching Naughty Monkey's.

Not much else to report.

WWC:

Next week's words are White and Life - Have you been playing?

Friday Quickie

I watched one and a half movies last night. The first was a recommendation. It was called "Say Uncle." It's a quirky little movie. I liked it, but I started to get really angry with one of the characters and almost turned it off. But since someone said I should see it I stuck it out. And I'm glad I did. I like the message in the movie. This story showed how hard it can be to make a decision, the type of decision that could destroy a person. But not making that decision could destroy a different person. So it's sort of that rock and a hard place concept.

Certain concerns in society today have forced the belief that you convict now and sort out the guilty later. Unfortunately a whole lot of innocent people get caught up in the paranoia.

I resent this loss of innocence. And I find myself worrying about things that I shouldn't have to worry about. For example I had to visit the doctor about my shoulder. I walked into a door frame. But of course my concern was that it would get flagged as possible spousal abuse. And that's just not right.

On the devils advocate side you can say, "well, yes, but sometimes it is abuse"

Yes, this is true

But how do we draw that fine fine line?

There aren't as many monsters in this world as Oprah would make us believe. Not every dark corner has pedophiles, wife beaters, and psychotics hanging out in it just waiting to pounce. In fact deep down I believe that the majority of people are good, honest, and have the best intentions.

So, on that note I put in my favorite feel good movie, Love Actually. I needed to listen to something that made me feel good about love.

So I leave you with the opening lines from the film:

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world.
I think about the arrival gate at Heathrow airport.
General opinion's starting to make out that we live
in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that.

Seems to me that love is everywhere.
Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy,
but it's always there.
Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters,
husbands and wives,
boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends.

When the planes hit the twin towers,
as far as I know, none of the phone calls
from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge.
They were all messages of love.

If you look for it I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually......is all around.

Jackism's take 2

Apparently I was not as far as I thought in the movie when I started writing down Jackisms cause I only have a few to add:

Capt Jack:
"Gentlemen, I wash my hands of this weirdness."

Capt. Jack:
"Now we are being followed by rocks. Never had that before."

Sailor upon finding Capt. Jack in Davey Jones Locker:
"It's the captain!"
Sailor:
"A sight for sore eyes"
Parrot:
"Hide the rum"

Capt. Jack to Calypso:
"You add an agreeable sense of the macabre to any delirium."

*********************************

Ok, yes, pathetically that means that I watched the movie again last night. Well, I watched some of it. I also watched About a Boy and Someone Like You. Well, what I was really doing was making jewelry for Christmas presents. And I work best with a movie on. Thus when people ask me how long it takes to make a certain design I can only tell them all of Pirates 3 and about half of Love Actually. Or something like that. I'll take pictures of the stuff I just made. I'm really excited about how one of them came out. It is a new design and the colors I picked came out way cool. (need the camera to come home though)

The hubster sent me an email this morning telling me he is taking an earlier flight home. Yippee! He'll be home tomorrow night! Unfortunately he has to give up his "tourist" day in Berlin.

My parents got a second dog. Her name is River. She is also a mini wired haired dachshund. They are really excited. And apparently her and Othello are like two peas in a pod. Dad was nervous that Othello would be upset about not being an only puppy anymore but apparently the two dogs are inseparable. And now dad has two shadows rather than one. It's fun to listen to them - happier parents they couldn't be.

At our house all has been well. I've been trying to clean the place up a bit since Lil Al is coming to stay over the weekend. Unfortunately Lily drags the babies back out as fast as I put them in the basket. She's too funny. And when I went up to bed last night I discovered that Max had spent a good deal of the evening bringing his own collection of babies to our bedroom. Normally he just has one toy that he carries around. But last night he had a collection of 5.

Jackisms

So, my date with a pirate was totally fun. A perfect evening.

I started writing down some good lines 3/4 of the way through. But no worries, I'll watch the movie again and post about the rest another day.

Capt. Jack:
"Close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream, that's how I get by."

Capt. Jack:
"You may kill me but you can never insult me."

To Capt. Jack:
"Your Mad!"
Capt. Jack:
"Thank goodness for that because if I wasn't this would probably never work."

Capt. Jack after swinging between two ships and landing on the mast:
"And that was even without a single drop of rum"

Said about Capt. Jack:
"Do you think he plans it all out or just makes it up as he goes along?"

Capt. Jack regarding Will:
"Send this pestilent, traitorous, cow hearted yeasty cod piece to the brink"

***************************************************
We have a winter wonderland here in Minnesota. And, as the weather man pointed out, foolishly, I might add, it isn't even winter yet. Now that was just not nice. Not nice at all of him to point out that fact. Our temps have been between -5 and 15. In other words, COLD.
Ok, so we live here willingly. And, from a warm dining room looking out, it's beautiful. Ask me again tomorrow after I have to be out in it.

I was talking to someone the other day and they mentioned that their patience for winter seems to be ending really early this year. And funny, but I have to agree. I usually don't get annoyed till late January, early Feb. but this year, I just want it done with. I think part of the problem is that this summer was so ungodly hot and humid that we didn't get to be out as often as we normally would. And then, when the temps finally got more resonable we had rain for two straight months. And so it feels like we never got to be outside much.

Or maybe it's just that my winter warmth is in Germany right now. Hmmmm. Maybe that is it.

WWC and some Newt Drivel

Confession: The hubster went to Germany with the camera so I had to pull out old pictures for this week. But Orange, thanks to Nettie having her camera on Sat. is new for this week

Landscape

In Ontario California

In Las Vegas
In New York
In Minnesota
In The Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Northern most region of Minnesota

In Gettysburg, PA
In Heidelberg Germany

In Salt Lake City

In the Badlands

In Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

From Above

In the stratosphere

Orange

Today we are having a snow storm - or maybe I should just call it a snow fall. It's not supposed to drop more than 3-6 inches. So I did the smart thing and decided to work from home. There is no sense in turning my 40 minute drive home into 3 hours plus fiasco on the road.

So I am home, cozy, safe, and happy. The dogs are lov'n it. Lounging and snoozing the day away with me. We have Christmas Carols playing. Snow falling outside. It's perfect.

I also got squirrel food - a big cake of it and a holder for the cake. I hung it in the tree on Sunday. My little albino squirrel was happily munching this afternoon. He was there a good hour. None of the "normals" could come up and eat while he was there. They had to fend for themselves elsewhere.

And this morning, before the snow started I went to Target and got, what? Come on, you know. Pirates 3. So, shiver me timbers maties, tonight this girl has a date with a pirate. Do you? Come on, I'll share.

By about 10 tonight I should be in a mac-n-cheese/pirate coma. It's going to be fantastic.

Hugs to one and all.