The Kitties!!!

Not mine, these cuties belong to my parents. The one with the white diamond head is Bert and the one with the more solid orange head is his sister Nan. They are around 3 months old and were adopted from the local no-kill shelter in Burnsville, North Carolina.


(enjoying a nap)


(they have adopted my mom's fuzzy bathrobe as their new 'mama')


(they have to eat up on the stovetop to keep Dixie from bothering them)


(posing)

Music

Listening to this today...





Updated to add these...

Another blog to share...

This blog belongs to one of the homeschool moms in my group. She is hip, smart, and cares a lot for her family as well as the environment. Please visit, Thrifty Domestica.


And, what happens at the friend's, stays at the friend's. Yikes!

Rebound illness...

Apparently I'm not over whatever it is that I've got. This is day 38. My ears finally did start draining late last week but by Saturday I was having massive drainage and non-stop coughing fits. I was thinking it might be allergies but yesterday I developed a horrible sore throat and temp of 101.7 to go with the coughing. Today my ear is stopped up again, I'm dizzy and feel like crap but I don't have fever. Whatever this is, it is winning! Not sure how much I'll be around this week. We're supposed to have park day on Thursday and a trip to the lake on Friday. I am hoping like crazy that I'll be well for both events.

Go, run, fast, and...

Make these Biscuits NOW!!!!!

Buttercup said, "Yerrrrr're ON!"...

When Buddy tried to steal her favorite forbidden toy.(remember to click to enlarge the pics)


"Yerrrr're Durn Tootin' I'm On!!", he growled right back at her.


"I got the tooooeeeeey, I got the toooooeeeeey!"


"Yep, still got it"


"Uh, you can have it if you want. I'm tired."


In other news...

Mark and Ryan went fishing tonight. We had a rain shower come through so they are thinking it will be a good night for it. Sarah had a birthday party to attend so I rode with Mark to a used tire place to get one for the boat trailer. Then we went by his new office so he could help the driver out with a delivery(Mark did the ticket and inspections and such). This isn't his regular job there but he's in the call rotation so every little bit of experience helps.

In exchange for me "letting" them go fish, Mark set my temporary desk up beside the fireplace in the living room(it is in the place of the glass-front hutch you see in the second picture above). He had to go in the attic to drop the cable down and found out why our kitchen light hasn't been working. It seems a critter decided to taste the wiring and got fried. He didn't see a mark on the wire but there was a burned spot on the insulation in the shape of a critter so that's exactly what happened. Mark's a bit unsure of how to proceed with that sort of wiring.

And, the girls went to their friend's to spend the night and go to church with her in the morning. So, I'm here trying to decide if I want to color my hair, find something on teevee, or play around on the computer. Hmmmm, tough choices. I do have to reload the china hutch though.

Oh yeah, I did a repeat of our spinach, chickpeas and couscous dinner tonight but I left out the garam masala and added onion and garlic powder and a spoonful of Promise(margarine). We loved it both ways, it has proven its versatility!

Too good not to share tonight!

Which means you'll need to scroll down to see my other two posts for today.

Couscous with Spinach and Chickpeas





2 servings plain couscous prepared with 1 spoonful of butter(or olive oil, we use Promise Light) and a reduced sodium chicken broth cube(or veggie, your choice).

3 big handfuls spinach, rinsed well

1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 teaspoon each
Cumin
Garam Marsala

teeny sprinkle of
Cayenne Pepper(I would say a good pinch)
Black Pepper
Salt

Start the couscous. Rinse the spinach but don't shake the water off. Put in saucepan and heat, covered, over medium-high heat, stirring often, just til wilted enough to make room. Add chickpeas, and spices, cover and cook til the spinach is wilted to your liking.

I divided the couscous 4 ways because the girls like theirs plain with butter and salt. Mark and I split the other serving topped with the spinach mixture. Oh. My. Stars. It. Was. Yum. If there had been more it would have been consumed. Next time I'll know better.

So now you know what a freakishly boring life we lead on a Friday night. Woohoo!

Pigs in a Basket...

Sundae, Panda, and Rainbow enjoyed some peaceful piggy time in the girls' room this afternoon. The basket was their transport.

I've got a cousin...

Her name is Sally Bee.

Click on her website,

to see her creativity!

(this is better if you sing the words to yourself in a bluesy kind of way)

Santa Fe Rice and Beans...

Lean Cuisine makes a frozen dinner by this name, very tasty I might add. Its one of Mark's favorites but we rarely get frozen dinners due to cost and the unhealthy sodium in them. Tonight I believe I've perfected the taste, quite by accident. It was a pantry surfing night and this was what came out of it!

Molly's Santa Fe Rice and Beans

1 onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
1 cup brown rice

Brown onion and pepper in small amount of olive oil. Add rice and stir around for a minute or two.

1 can each, pinto beans and canneli beans, rinsed well and drained
1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 reduced sodium chicken broth cube
2 cans of water

1-1.5 teaspoons each of: (yall know I'm notorious for NOT measuring, if you want to start with smaller amounts that would be fine)

garlic powder
onion powder
chili powder
oregano
cumin
1/4-1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder(this is key to the smokey flavor, don't leave it out!)

About 2/3 cup steel cut oats

Mix everything together in skillet, cover tightly and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Add water if needed but try not to make it too runny. Test the rice for tenderness and serve when its soft. I let it sit, off the heat, for about 10 minutes to cool and thicken.

We had ours in bowls with grated cheese(75% lower fat Cabot's Light), light sour cream, and sliced olives. YUM!

Some relief, Finally!!

I went to see the PA at my doctor's office today. Mostly to get my blood pressure meds re-upped but also to have my ear looked at, again. It seems that I have a blocked Eustasian tube. Yippeee! It is causing fluid to build up in my middle ear and put pressure on my ear drum(he said it was very swollen and red). So now I have a nasal steroid to help bring down the swelling which will allow it to drain. Yahoooo! Even better was the fact that I'd lost 6 pounds without even trying! Probably because I'm not eating as much because I've been feeling so bad.

In other news...

I didn't get my furniture moved yet, we were too busy with dinner and relaxing last night. That's ok though, I need to unload the china hutch before we move it anyway. Its raining here today and 68 degrees(yes 68!) so this will be a perfect activity for the rest of the afternoon.

Sarah woke us up at 1:30 this morning throwing up. We are hoping it was just from drainage or from something she ate(too much gum maybe) and not a stomach virus. She's been fine today so we might be in the clear. I hope.

A Most Boring Day

I have done nothing all day. Except try to decide where to put the china hutch. It really would do well in the dining room but there isn't a wall wide enough. The next choice is in our bedroom so I'll get Mark to help me move it there tonight. My desk will go in its vacated space by the fireplace. Oh yeah, I also tore out a few recipes from some old Cooking Light magazines. Most stuff they make uses ingredients I would not typically buy so there are few things I can use. Mark asked if I wanted to renew my Prevention mag and I told him I'd rather have Cooking Light again but after going through 6-7 mags I've decided to not take either of them. And I emptied out two more kitchen drawers, the dreaded "junk drawers". I threw about 1/3 of the junk away but we'll need to sit down and sort the rest of it later. Guess that wasn't nothing afterall, but it was still boring.

Back to desks: I've found a temporary substitute in the form of one of Mark's Texas tables he made early on in his career at JDMedical. At the time they weren't able to afford much office furniture so he built two nice tables and painted their tops with Texas flags. I had been thinking of using one until I find the perfect desk but the one I came across in the garage had the legs taken off. This morning I was out looking it over when I spied the other one, legs intact, on top of some boxes. So, I'll have Mark bring that in for me tonight as well. I may have to blog from the girls' computer until he can get up in the attic to move the cable over to the fireplace wall. YEAH! I'm excited to finally be off the floor!!! Now I can bring in a small chest(after I get it painted) for the microwave to go on which will free up some much needed counter space next to the stove. YEAH!

Speaking of Mark's job... We were talking this weekend about how nice it is to be free from all the stress he had at his old job. Every waking hour he was giving 200% of his mind to that place, even when he wasn't there. It was a losing battle because no matter how much he did(or how fast or how many hours he worked), he could never do all of the stuff that needed done, it was an enormous workload for one person(3 or 4 working at his blazing pace and intensity would be about right). Now when 5pm comes, he walks out the door and doesn't have to think about work again til the next morning. He can finally give attention to things that he barely had time to glance at in the past 2-3 years. He has taken up running again, complete with long and short-term goals. The best thing is that our conversations no longer have to center around the insanity that was his workplace, we've probably spent less than 20 minutes total talking about it since he walked out their doors for the last time. It is exceptional how he has been able to totally switch gears and "recover" from such a stressful situation. I take that as a sign that he was ready for a change.*G* He has become a fun, relaxed person again, it is wonderful!!!

You Are Wintergreen Flavored Gum

You are laid back, low maintenance, and super cool. You go with the flow, and you never cause too much of a fuss. You are very in touch with nature and the world around you. You prefer to keep things simple. Complexity stresses you out. You are a very real person. Openness and honesty are important to you. You can be friends with almost anyone, as long as they tell it like it is.

What Flavor Gum Are You?

This was FUN!!...

Go Yearbook Yourself.


(1966)


(1972)


(1974)


(1984)


(1996)

****updated to include one of Amy. Sarah didn't like any of hers though.


In other news...

I'm still deskless. Drat.

Desk Hunting!

We're going to eat our Wheaties, take our showers and head out to find a desk! I am hopeful. Wish us luck!


(former way too big desk)

It really doesn't look all that big in this picture, but this thing is almost the size of a twin bed! Mark dragged it home from a used office supply place and we used it for a long time in the living room. We decided to rearrange and move the computer to the dining area on a smaller desk and took this one down. The drawer space is unbelievable. If anyone local would like to have it, please let me know and you can come collect it out of our garage.

Easy Friday...

In order to avoid some major room cleaning this afternoon, I sat and filled out this meme, oh around 1:40pm(my innernets didn't work to let me post it then). Promptly afterward I took a 2-hour nap on the loveseat. The room will have to wait til tomorrow.

Eye Color: Dark green with rusty brown centers.
Hair Color: Dark brown with copper highlights and newly added grey shimmers.
--Dyed or Natural: Natural.
--Curly or Straight: Mostly straight with asymmetrical waves.
Right- or Left-handed: Left
Tan or Pale: splotchy tan in some places, lily white in others, does that make me spotted?
Jeans or Khakis: comfy capris
Country, Rap, or Rock: 70s-80s classic rock and classic country(occasionally) but mainly new age.
Heritage: English, German, Norman
Shoes you're wearing today: NONE
Your weakness(es): Cute animals.
Your perfect pizza: Homemade
Favorite color: Mostly greens but I love color in general.
Favorite place: Home
Goal you'd like to achieve: Too many to list, lose weight, get in shape, have a clean, organized house, declutter to the point of being THROUGH with it already..
Your most overused phrase(s): Feed the (pigs, cats, dogs) please!
Your thoughts first waking up: What the heck was that dream all about?
Your best physical feature(s): My smile.
Your bedtime: Usually around 10ish, later for the Olympics though, last night after midnight!
Your most missed memory: Actually, I think they've all been found.
Pepsi or Coke: Dr. Pepper, hello?
McDonald's or Burger King: McDonalds if I have to.
Single or group dates: Dates?
Adidas or Nike: Mizuno
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Uncle Yee's Green Tea, iced.
Chocolate or vanilla: Yep
Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee

DO YOU:
Smoke: Nope
Cuss: Yes
Have a boyfriend/girlfriend: Yep, he's my hubby.
Take a shower: 3-4 times a year.
Have a crush(es): No.
Think you've been in love: Yes
Want to get married: Done
Believe in yourself: Yes
Believe in God: Yes
Believe in your government: Oh Yes, its definitely real.
Get motion sickness: No
Think you're attractive: Don't consider it.
Think you're a health freak: Not really but I am concerned.
Get along with your parents: Yes
Like thunderstorms: If they rain out a softball game, yes. And other times too of course.

IN THE PAST MONTH, HAVE YOU:
Drunk alcohol: No
Gone on a date: No
Gone to the mall: No
Been on stage: No
Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No
Eaten sushi: No
Been dumped: No
Gone skating: No
Gone skinny dipping: No
Stolen anything: No
(oh look, a perfect score!)

IN THE NUMBERS:
Number of people I could trust with my life: Four
Number of CD's: Buckets and buckets
Number of piercings: Two in each ear
Number of tattoos: None
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: At least 10.
Number of scars on my body: lots

Quirks....

Maizee at Fabric and Yarn Stasher tagged me and Susan at Blackberry Creek so I'm playing for both of them!

I won't tag anybody outright, play along if you dare! Here's the rules(which I rarely follow)
1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them.
5. Leave a comment letting them know they've been tagged.

My quirks would be thus:

1. I hate to hear balloons popping. I hate loud noises in general but this one can cause me to have a panic attack in seconds! Don't know why. Consequently my kids are always BEGGING for balloons. I finally give in and when one pops I freak out, yell at them(because they KNOW how it is for me and balloons), and go sulk in my room.

2. My feet get washed every night right before I get into bed. One of my biggest pet peeves is crumbs in the bed and this seems to help. Yall now know that I am a true princess.(and yall got a freebie quirk)

3. I don't eat syrup on my pancakes. I eat them with either bacon or ham layered with each bite. Oh, and plenty of butter!

4. I am a notorious maker of lists, but rarely do what is on them.

5. A platter of sausage, gravy and biscuits is way more appealing than a bowl of ice cream. I'm not big on sweets.

6. It has to be near pitch dark for me to sleep at night. Even the light from the vcr or alarm clock has to be covered up. Mark thinks I am NUTS but it really does bother me through my eyelids! Yes it does.

And in other news...

My little brother finished hiking the Appalachian Trail!!!! He started last year but came home shy of the finish for family reasons. He went back not long ago and picked up where he left off. The weather was horrid the whole way but he stuck with it and came to the end!! YEAH! Now he's looking at another hike, 900-something miles from western North Carolina to the coast. I can't remember what he said the name of it is but I bet he's on it soon! Keep him in your thoughts and prayers, he's got the same nasty vurus that we've had.


(note the fog and banged up shins-it was not an easy hike)


(my next big project, still no desk but this was $12.50 at Goodwill)

What I worked on this afternoon:

I warn you, it is GROSS...


(do I really need all this? it came from the drawer)


(at least those crumbs are just salt, it could be worse)


(some of those things didn't make it back into the drawer, that pampered chef sandwich cut and seal really shouldn't be there though)

Believe, or maybe not....

I will start off by saying that the girls and I are huge Cryptozoology enthusiasts. We enjoy documentaries and the new series,
Monsterquest as well. It is exciting and fun to imagine there are critters out there we don't know about.

However, this is something I don't believe in...



Chupacabra is just Spanish for "mangy coydog"(or goat sucker, take your pick).

This is a coydog, can you see the resemblance? Some of my cousins who live in rural Oklahoma had an Australian Cattle Dog. I believe she mated with a coyote to produce this beautiful puppy.



Sadly the pup was killed by a car. When we were there and I took this picture, she NEVER made a fast move, she crept around very silently. Most times puppies are excitable but not Sunshine. She was not afraid at all, she didn't cower, she was stealthy. Absolutely the most calm dog I'd ever seen in my life.

Now, I do NOT believe in that silly chupacabra but I do have faith that Bigfoot exists. Amy and I wanted to go to the conference but we've already planned a camping trip.

The truth is out there.

Perks....

So Mark was talking about football with one of his new co-workers yesterday. Mark told him about how they used to bring a tv to work on the day after Thanksgiving and hook their cable(for internet) up to it so they could watch the college games. The guy looked at Mark like he had two heads and said, "we don't work the day after Thanksgiving". HAHAHAHA!! WOOOOHOOOO!!

Then, later in the day, he came and asked Mark how much more paperwork he had left. Mark showed him and asked why, thinking they were going to go on a delivery or something. The guy said, "we like to close up shop at 4 on Fridays". And again I say, WOOOOOHOOOO! I like those kinds of perks.

In other news...

Mark and Ryan tried to go fishing last night but suffered a blow-out on one of the trailer tires. Luckily nobody or boats got hurt and they were only 3 miles from home when it happened. So, they drove to Gladewater Lake so the worms wouldn't go to waste. They did not see the bear but the girls and I had to go jump them off because the battery went dead on the "white jeep". Sigh. And now we're all back and the girls want to go to Hobby Lobby so I imagine we'll have a trip there and to Goodwill in a while.

So far my antibiotic has not kicked in. I still feel the same, can't hear, tired, etc. I'm so ready for this to end!

And finally, kitty pics. Still no names that I know of.


(baby boy on the hunt)


(baby girl under the couch)


(Prissy on guard)


(Sissy lounging in the bedroom)

If it isn't one thing its another....

Just wanted to let everyone know that one of Mark's elderly aunts died this morning. We were called yesterday evening, just as Mark walked in the door(so I still don't have my Rx filled). His mom's youngest sister had broken her pelvis and was near death. We went to the hospital so that Mark could drive his dad home after dark. His dad is blind in one eye and has 3 cateracts in the other, shouldn't be driving period but can't see at all at night. Anyway, we stayed up there for several hours before convincing his mom that there wasn't much she coud do and it would be better for her to come home and rest. So, I drove his mom(they have a 2-seater truck) and Mark drove his dad.

And, just when we thought the fun was all over, I wrecked the car! Not bad
but I had backed into their carport to turn around and when I pulled out I
dented the passenger side along one of the posts. It is bad but we don't have
money for our deductible right now so it will have to stay ugly. That's what I
get for driving while sick, tired and in the pitch dark. We didn't end up at home til near midnight.

We think the funeral will be tomorrow so Mark will likely drive his parents to it. The kids and I will stay home. I am mentally at my limit.

Can I get a rewind button?

The kind that lets you rewind anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes of your life but not the lesson you just learned. The kind that will keep you from knocking a bottle of lotion off the dresser onto your toe causing great(and I mean GREAT and longlasting) pain. Also the kind that will rewind to the part of your afghan you are about to mess up on so you can "not" make the mistake. Bigtime mess up, it has been frogged within an inch of its life. One that would also rewind to let you put the dogs in their kennel about an hour later than you did the first time so they can do their business and not bark all. night. long. because they have to "go". That's the kind of button I want.

I did finally drag myself to the neighborhood non-emergency walk-in clinic to spend 3 hours sitting. And redoing some rows on the aforementioned frogged afghan. It is good news because I might not/probably don't have an ear infection(it was too swollen to tell) but bad news because I have "significant" amounts of mucus in my sinuses that isn't draining very well. This is why it feels like there's a boiled egg shoved in my right ear. I also have "significant" chest congestion(that I haven't even noticed) and a raspy sound in my lungs. So, I'm on these horrible chewable suda-something tablets(holy cow they are NASTY, but the other option was a shot), and antibiotics because I might have a lung infection. That was $100 well spent. I do believe a nap is in my near future.

This means, of course, that I'm letting myself off the hook for any and all housework(can you say PARTAY!) except for cooking and folding some laundry. We're having pinto soup beans and "fried" cabbage(which is just cabbage cooked in a small amount of buttered water) and tuna salad sandwiches. The cabbage, believe it or not, was requested by Sarah. She's so smart!

And in other news:


(my mom with one of three new kitties-this is the male baby)

Several weeks ago my mom's sweet Nancy cat decided to escape and, sadly, hasn't been seen since. Her sister Sissy was missing her badly so mom adopted two sibling babies from their local no-kill shelter. They arrived a few days ago but are too busy having fun to let anyone take many pictures. Yesterday their longtime neighbor moved to go live closer to her family in another state. She left mom with her 5 or 6 year-old kitty Priscilla, a fat, fluffy, calico. I am awaiting pics of the female baby and Priscilla. The new babies don't have names yet, Flossie and Freddy were what my mom had wanted at first but they didn't fit. I suggested Bert and Earnie(for Albert and Earnestine) and that went over a bit better. If you have any suggestions for the two babies(they look very much alike, one of each sex) please leave a comment!!! Mom reads the blog and would love to have help getting the perfect names for these two. She says they are very loving, very used to people and extremely playful. We here at the Sonier house are a wee bit jealous(well 4 of the 5 of us are-guess who isn't, lol).

A Fun Little Meme...

Well, I guess it is a meme. Not the kind you tag someone with. Actually it is more of a checklist, modified from one I found at My Simpler Life, which is one of my favorite inspirational sites. Hmmm, maybe a copout? I don't know. Whatever you choose to see it as, here it is.

What is outside my front door: Heat and dying grass, dirty guinea pig bedding.

What is on my mind: When is this sinus thing going to end?

Things I am thankful for right now: Mark's amazing knack for landing on his feet and hitting the ground running. My parents ability to finance pool repairs(pool fixer guy is coming tomorrow). Not having to think about "back to school" crap. Clever kids who don't give me too much trouble.

What I am reading: Lots and lots of DIY and decorating mags, The Celts, The Two Towers(for about the 40th time).

Goings on inside the house: Decluttering, deep cleaning of bathrooms, fridge and pantry, anticipation of new computer desk(soon, hopefully this weekend we'll find one at a thrift shop).

What I am listening to: Healing Therapy Music.

What I want: A place for a clothes line and a small garden.

Things I'm creating: I'm working on a ripple afghan and creating a cleaner, more restful, peaceful home.

Things from the kitchen: Brownies with toasted pecans, Chinese cabbage slaw, breakfast for dinner.

What I have planned for today: Taking the girls swimming, continued decluttering(housecleaning), laundry, putting beans on to soak.

What I have planned for this week: Park day tomorrow morning, buying some pine shavings for the piggies' bedding, grocery shopping, reading, thrifting, swimming, and relaxing.

Some current favorites: Diet Cherry 7Up, my new blue door, my paint color in the bedroom(now I think it is just perfect), "orange julius" made with Bolthouse Farms "C Boost" and rice milk over lots of ice-yummmm.

A Silly Song Meme(and new ripple 'ghan pics)

Susan at Blackberry Creek tagged me for this one. I am always up for a silly meme!!

Tag Rules:

1. Post the link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 songs you are embarrassed to admit to others that you like and tell why.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post.

Here are my 5 songs. They really show my wild, funkified, side and are a blast to listen to.

The Go go's, Vacation(um, no explanation needed, this is truly a horrid song)

Ram Jam's, Black Betty(this one is just fun to funk out to but extremely nerdy)

The Flight of the Concords, Ladies of the World(this one has a great beat but is actually a spoof)

AC/DC's, Thunderstruck(again, no explanation needed)

and last but not least,

Rufus and Chaka Khan's Tell Me Something Good(Mark just thinks this is hideous. I wish my mouth was half that size though, I could be "such" a singer!)

I'm tagging Anet at Purple Squirrel, Tricia at Tricia's Place of Peace, and Chickenbells at Fooleswoode. Anyone else can play along, just let me know in the comments!!

Now for the afghan pics! I'm making this for our living room because we don't really have an afghan big enough to cuddle with. Its using the Susan B's Easy Ripple Pattern(google it if you want).


The actual names of the colors are...

Dark Country Blue, Light Sage, Black, Toasted Almond, Sea Blue, Brown, and Light Gray. Such original names! This yarn is great, the weight is pretty heavy, more than Red Heart and much softer. Almost a cross between a heavier Red Heart and Caron's Simply Soft. Not as flimsy-floppy feeling as the SS but definitely not scratchy like the RH. Anyway, it feels like it will make a substantial blanket for us.



I'm hoping to post a wonderful surprise tomorrow but it will depend on if someone sends me pictures or not. They know who they are!

Blue Doors

What is it about a blue door? This one used to be the pinkish-beige color that the trim is but the cats and other animals had weathered it terribly. I mixed the blue from our hutches and the sky blue from the girls' bedroom walls and got this beautiful azure.


(I had to take these at night because during the daylight hours the sun comes in so strong I may as well have painted it black)


(it matches my mantle display too)

We have an odd living room layout. Its a large room with entry, bedroom, back door and dining area entrances all on one half. The other half has a large window, a huge display wall and a smaller wall(broken by the dining entrance). Basically we have 90% of our furniture in the back half of the room. It is more than a little crowded.


(this shows the back half, you can just see the dining room entry to the left of the light switch next to the vacuum cleaner)


(hutches flank the loveseat now centered on the wall, and there are two chairs in the middle of the room-right on the halfway line-you can see these in the second pic of the door)

There is no other practical way to arrange things due to the traffic patterns from the four entrances. Anyway, that's one of the reasons I painted it a dark color, it brings a balance to the side of the room with little furniture. Its has more of a visual presence than when it was the lighter color. That and I love the color.

Another One!

I wish I knew how to make it bigger so yall could read it. I copied and pasted a handful of prayers from Interlude Retreat and it came out SO neat! ****edited to add that if you click it you'll get the bigger version.

In other news....

A report from Mark about his new job! They are doing online training and hands-on equipment stuff. He says it is REALLY low-key, so much so that I fear he'll get bored. But, knowing Mark, he'll advance quickly and not be bothered with the management portion for long. For those of you wondering what he is doing now, he is the operations manager of a medical equipment company that leases diagnostic and bariatric equipment to hospitals and other care facilities. This particular location is the top(most active?) in the region and I think they are located in 24 states.

Our A/C is still working just like it is supposed to. I now wonder if the filter was too icky. It hasn't been changed since June so it is definitely due. We haven't heard from the pool fixer guy yet(2:40pm) so I'll probably call him later this afternoon or in the morning. We can still operate the pump but the leak causes it to lose pressure after several hours.

I have started another ripple afghan. This time in "I Love This Yarn" from Hobby Lobby. My colors are azure, sea foam(a green-blue, lighter version of the azure), celery green, light gray(almost white), black, dark brown, and camel tan(now these are MY names for the colors, I don't have the yarn in front of me to tell you the real names). I'm doing 4 rows of each color except the black. It is too stark so I'm just doing 2 rows of it. The azure matches the color I painted our back door over the weekend. I mixed the dark blue from our hutches and the sky blue wall color from the girls' room and got a beautiful brighter blue. It is gorgeous and really does wonders in tying that side of the room together.(pictures later, hopefully after I get all the paint scraped from the glass inserts).

And lastly, my brother made the painful decision to have his kitty Fluffy Boy Jones put down today. He was very sick, has been for a long, long time. It was the kindest thing to do.

(Fluffy being his cute self- he really was a sweet kitty boy)

Just Messin' Around...

I found this at Wordle but I didn't play with it at all. Now I'm going back to play more.

We are MeLTinG!!!

Literally!! It was 104 today or some such nonsense. Then we noticed that our a/c was acting weird. And, as of 11pm, it is still not working. Frozen up, we let it thaw out, turn it back on and it freezes back up. Any advice? I bet it is 95 in here right now.

I think I'm going to the doctor tomorrow, Tuesday will be 3 weeks with this crud and I fear its a sinus or ear infection that has taken hold. We also have a pool fixer(not the same one) coming to do some repair work on the pipes that lead from the pool to the filter, he'll probably have to replace them.

The girls are at their friend's house tonight, Mark is going to his new job tomorrow and Ryan and I are sick. Never a dull moment.


(Gypsy and Jasper sharing a bag)

August + east Texas =

Pure misery! Heat advisories, watering bans, hot, hot, hot. Today will be 101, tomorrow, 103, no rain in the next 10 day forecast. Sigh. Any other weekend, we'd be relaxing by the pool but we all feel too bad to go outside. At least I can share these wonderfully cool photos.

(Yes I am still sick but mostly just something whack going on with my right ear, it feels like someone shoved a hard boiled egg in it and I can't hear at all on that side. Ryan is bad like I was last week but Mark has a milder case of it)