Random Thoughts Tuesday 12-7-10

Hey Everyone!  Just gonna do a quickie random today 'cause I gotta write a final exam, go to physical therapy, take a friend to Sam's, figure out what's for dinner, plan a review for tomorrow, and try to meditate this headache away since the ibuprofen isn't touching it.
Oh, and I need to do some laundry and get the house cleaned up.  The dog walking will have to wait.
For more awesome Random Tuesday, check out the unmom!  

So I was gonna get rid of this one-eyed bear.  But the kids can't bear the thought of it (heehee, I made a funny) and Chili loves to sleep on it.  So I stuck him in the corner.  

Had a friend do the lecture in my class today.  It was the human reproduction and development lecture.  He's an OB/GYN.  So when he said he'd like to do a lecture, I gave him the sex one.  That way I didn't have to say penis and vagina in front of 100 undergraduates.  But they were all very well behaved.  Even asked questions!

Did I mention my head hurts?  I mentioned it to my loving hubby.  He told me he was tired of my bitching.  So I told him to go to hell.  Hope there weren't any students around.  'Cause we were totally joking around with each other.  At least he was. :)

The dogs keep messing with the Christmas tree skirt.  I guess I should check it for wet spots.  Chili will pee on any blanket, jacket, shirt, etc. that is left on the floor.  

Don't you hate it when you start to clean something like the blinds, then you start seeing all kinds of dust in the curtains, on the windowsill, etc., that has probably been there a long time but you never noticed?  So now you have to spend twice as much time trying to get all that dust than you meant to?  And you're supposed to be picking up so you can do the real cleaning later?  Me too.

Did I mention my head hurts.  OK.  I'll stop my bitching.  And I won't even tell you to go to hell.

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.  Check out Keely at theunmom.com, link up and play along!

Macro Monday 12/6/10

One of my favorite Christmas ornaments

Hi All!  I'm playing along with Macro Monday today.  Check out Lisa's Chaos and play along!

Sassy Sunday - (12-05-10)

Hello, Everyone.  Welcome to another addition of Sassy Sunday!  Sorry I didn't post last week.  Barb was using her computer a lot and I just didn't get the chance!

So.  The humans have put a tree in the hearth room.  They do this from time to time.  It's annoying because they put it right in front of one of the doors I use to go in and out of the house.  I know there are plenty of other doors, but it is the principle of the thing.  The tree has a little piece of cloth around the bottom.  Chili thinks it's for her to chew on or sleep on.  (Uh-oh, if she thinks it's ok to sleep there, well, if you know Chili you know what I mean!)

Barb started to put some toys for us under the tree, then changed her mind and gave them to us.  Little skunks.  But with no stuffing!  She made some comment about how they would be a little less messy than our normal toys.  Doesn't she understand that the stuffing HAS to come out of the toys?  That's where the evil lurks.  That's why I do it.  First, I shake the critter to make sure it's dead.  Then I carefully make a hole and pull out all the stuffing and toss it around the room.  That way all the evil can dissipate into the air and float out of the house.  I'm only trying to protect my family.  And it doesn't take her that long to clean it all up.  Seems little to ask for the protection I'm providing.  Maybe some day I'll be appreciated.

I thought we were about to get another foster dog the other day.  Thank goodness she was just lost.  The neighbor asked Barb if she'd ever seen the little old dog that was wandering in circles around our cul-de-sac.  She hadn't so she went up to the little dog and saw that she had a collar with a tag (good humans! a tag is the best way for us to get home when we are lost!).  So Barb called the owners and they came right away and picked her up.  Poor old thing.  She's about deaf and apparently getting a bit confused sometimes.  K.  I don't want to think about that.  I'm only 5 or so.  

I guess that's all the bitching (well, I am a female and a dog) I'll do for today.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sassy

Can You Tell Who This Is?

Can you tell?

Look closely.  These creatures are made out of Yu-Gi-Oh (or are they Pokemon?) cards.  A guy and his pet.  Give up?  He lives in a pineapple under the sea.  Got it now?  Yup.  My younger two kids made SpongeBob and Gary out of cards.  Pretty darn creative, huh?  And I'd say they did a pretty good job, too.
Here's a pic of the proud artists.

They were told to find something to do other than watch TV or play video games.  Does it count that they made TV characters out of the cards?  It's funny how they moan and cry and insist they have nothing to do if they can't watch TV.  Then when they are faced with the reality that they can't watch TV, they find something to do.
Recently, they were told they couldn't watch TV until their rooms were clean.  They were horrified.  But did they get up there and clean their rooms?  No.  They got out the nerf guns and had an epic battle in the upstairs hallway.  The battle scene included barricades made from pillows and blankets.  Even their big brother got into it.
So.  Is there a lesson here for me?  Oh, yeah.  If I don't let my kids veg in front of the TV, they will make a mess.  So I guess TV must be good for them!  As we speak (well, as I write and you read) they are watching SpongeBob.  They are not using their imaginations to make a mess out of the house.  They are not playing with the $40 nerf guns they insisted they had to have.  They are not riding their bikes or scooter outside (well, it's dark and cold out there at the moment. )  They are asking for ice cream (watching TV makes you fat?  whoever heard of such crazy talk).  Hmmm.

Well, I guess I'd better run up to Motomart after some ice cream.  Otherwise, they may get bored and decide to go clean up their rooms!

Random Thoughts Tuesday 11-23-10

Hey Everyone!  I'm playing along with Keely today over at The UnMom.  Wanna play?  Come on!

Why to some dogs stick their tongues out?  Chili does it.  All the time.  Apparently, she's not the only pug that does it.  I guess maybe their tongues are too big for their mouths.  Or, more likely with Chili, it's an attitude thing.  Here are some pics to show you what I mean.

Chili loves to sleep on the big bear.  With her tongue sticking out.

Chili

Side view

Ginger coming over to tell Chili her tongue is sticking out.

I was planning to get rid of that bear.  Chili pooped on it.  I cleaned it with carpet cleaner.  The kind for pet stains.  The kids don't want me to throw it away.  And it looks fine.  Chili loves to sleep on it.  Ergo, she shouldn't want to poop on it.  Obviously there is something not quite right about her.  She doesn't have that "I won't poop where I sleep" thing that most dogs do.  She spent the first 5 months of her life in a trailer with 46 other dogs.  I don't know exactly what went on there, but I assume she had to poop where she slept.  We are still trying to get her housebroken.  We've had her since February!  She's mostly there.

So Thanksgiving is this week.  I love Thanksgiving.  But it's not right this year.  My fahter-in-law, whom we were planning to go get tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving for us, is in the hospital.  He's had a hemorrhagic stroke.  At least that's what I think you call it.  MRI says lots of bleeding in the brain.  The most tragic part is that he doesn't recognize my husband or brother-in-law.  It's so painful for them to see their dad this way.  He's physically stable at the moment.  They are planning to move him out of the ICU today.  But mentally, he's very confused.
I wish I could be there for my husband.  He's about 3 hours away with his Dad.  But we've got 3 boys.  The younger two really don't need to see him like this.  And although the oldest one could handle it, and wants to go, it's probably not good for him to see Grandpa like this either.

That's the thing about us being in our 40's.  Our parents are getting older or dying.  We lost my mother-in-law about 10 years ago (she died on 9/11, one year before 9/11).  I wasn't there with my husband that day either.  Little boy at home.
My dad died about 5 years ago.  We were living in Alabama.  My parents had driven from Nevada to my sister's house for Easter.  Then they drove down to our house in Alabama.  My dad was running a fever when he got there.  He went to the doc.  Pneumonia.  Doc gave him antibiotics but said not to start driving back unless his fever was gone.  A couple days later we took him to the ER and he was admitted.  He never left.

Chili just came prancing in from upstairs.  I bet she pooped.

Today I have parent-conferences.  This will be a new thing for me with the oldest.  He's in high school.  Apparently, you go to the school.  Stop by the rooms of the teachers you want to visit.  Sign up for an available spot.  Then wait.  Hmm.  I hope it doesn't take the whole 7 hours the teachers are supposed to be available.  Especially since I have two other schools to visit.  At least the oldest can stay with his brothers so I don't have to drag them with me. :)

If you've been following me for over a year (if so, I love you!), you may have seen my post about Tommy.  Well, an author in California heard his story and was moved to write a children's book about him.  Here's the cover.  She will be in town next month for a book signing!  And Tommy will be there too.  He'll be doing paw-tograhs for a small donation to Hope Rescues (just $4).
If that weren't exciting enough, a famous baseball player will be there too!  Yup, Mark Buehlre from the Chicago White Sox will be there.  He and his wife are big supporters of Hope Rescues and have attended several functions.  I've been there at the same time.  Jealous?  Well, he and his wife are super nice people.
If you live in the St. Louis area, check out Hope's website for details.

Well, dear readers.  I hope you will visit the UnMom for some other RTT.  Until next time, I thank you very much for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving (for the US people!).

Sassy Sunday - (11-21-10)

Hello, Everyone.  Thanks for stopping by today for our (mostly) weekly Sassy Sunday.  Today I'm thinking about thankfulness.  Having and attitude of gratitude.  There's a lot for me to be thankful for.

1. A roof over my head.  Seems a bit cliche maybe.  But I am grateful to have a home.  We've had a few homeless dogs in our house over the last year or so.  They were all foster dogs from one rescue organization, Hope Rescues.  They've got a full house.  They always have a full house!  But at least these dogs all have a chance of finding a home.  We don't have a foster dog right now.  I guess I'm thankful about that.  We usually get the ones that annoy me.

2. Food.  Ok.  So it's not always the food I'd like to have.  Barb says she buys us the "good stuff" and mentions to us once in a while that it's expensive so we should be happy to eat it.  But it is dog food.  And right now she's feeding us DIET dog food.  I guess she thinks Ginger and Chili need to lose weight. But speaking of food, I'm particularly grateful for fresh fruits and veggies.  I love 'em!  If Barb gets the cutting board out, I'm there.  For some reason she won't give me grapes or onion or garlic.  But I love carrots, celery, turnips, brussels sprouts (really!), apples, pears, etc.

3. A yard.  Someone needs to tell Chili that if she'd poop in the yard (instead of the closet) she'd make all the humans happy.  But I'm glad to have a yard.  We've got an invisible fence so we can go out without a leash (except for Ginger, she had to be leashed lately 'cause she barks at people).  I love to run and chase stuff.

4. Blankets.  Especially fleece blankets.  These are the ones I love to chew on as I go to sleep.  I knead them like dough while I'm chewing.  It's very relaxing.  Sometimes Barb makes comments about them when she's cleaning up in the yard.  How rude.  But I'm thankful for them.

5. Couches.  I heard a crazy thing once.  Some dogs are not allowed on the couch.  How crazy is that.  I pretty much spend my days on the couch.

6. Ginger and Chili.  And all the humans in my life.  And my cousins Juneau, Kodi and Jenny.  Juneau and Kodi are American Eskimos.  They have these beautiful white coats.  Jenny is like me, a mix with a beautiful black coat.

I've got lots more to be thankful for.  But I don't want to bore you!  Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Sassy

Theme Thursday 11-18-10

Hi All.  Thanks for stopping by today!  I'm playing along with Theme Thursday.  You can find others participating here.  Come on!  Play along.  It's an easy way to get a theme for your blog post today.

So the theme today is Food.

Last week was the end of the season at our CSA garden.  What a great harvest.  The baby beets were delicious.  There's a ton of salad greens - our farmers, Crystal and Eric, planted a bunch of really interesting salad greens.  There are spicy ones and mild ones, red ones and green ones.  It makes salad eating fun.  Some of them look like nothing I'd consider putting in a salad but they are wonderful.

We tried kolrabi for the first time.  That was interesting. And I used the basil to make a great pasta and shrimp dish.  (the kids, who all love shrimp, were a little turned off by the green sauce.  Pearls before swine....)

I loved the produce we got this season.  The unusually hot and dry summer made for a challenging season for our farmers.  But they did a great job.  And it's there first year.  I think they've got more of a feel for what people are gonna want next year and I'm looking forward to it.  Hopefully, I get a few more fresh fruits and veggies and a few fewer chemicals into the kids.  That's the goal.  

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a great Thursday.