09.13.2009 My apologies...

Sorry but it has been awhile since I posted. Not much to say. I was trying to buy a house... note the word was. Not going to happen in the near future. So I continue to be a renter for now... I will be moving at the end of my lease though. Looking for a house with a yard versus the crappy apartment where I currently reside.

Pearl has been sick. Just a little IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or something similar anyway. She was vomiting off and on for about a week then got the diarreah (or however you spell this damn word). She started to worry me and of course the vet wasn't open on Labor Day. I took her to the vet last weekend and after almost $300 I was told she just had an upset stomach and irritation in her bowels. So a gabillion pills later and special dietary food, Pearl is much better. Or so I thought.

Before I took Pearl to the vet, she was stung by a scorpion. She cried out one evening and jumped on the bed favoring her paw. She was licking her paw and would wimper when I went to touch it. Of course the next thing I know, Pearl is barking her fool head off. After I told her to shut up several times and wouldn't stop barking her gob, I got up to see what the dealio was. And that is when I saw Mr. Scorpion walking around the apartment like he paid the rent. I quickly informed him he didn't pay rent and he had to go. Away he went down the water highway to the sewer as quick as I could flush. I did tell the vet about the scorpion and she didn't think it was any big deal.

So the day after I took Pearl to the vet (Tuesday), I come home from work (Wednesday) and Pearl's face is swollen form her eyes to her muzzle. She also had a big swollen know in her armpit. While my heart was broken seeing her like this, it was also quite humorous. Unfortunately I was unable to get a good picture of her all swole up like John Goodman. But the worry kept at me. I tried calling my mom several times to no avail. Mom is the next best thing to a vet... Luckily she called me back after an hour or so. In this time, I did see there were a couple of welts on Pearl's face. I explained to my mom what had happened... maybe it was an allergic reaction to the meds or the scorpion or something else. My mom thinks it was a spider bite. She prescribed Benadryl and to watch Pearl for any changes. Luckily for me and Pearl, her face was back to normal the next morning.

We will be having a house guest this week that will be staying for a good week or so. A friend of mine is having surgery and I will be babysitting his dog. Ranger is a 3.5 month old mini weiner (or a Vienna Sausage as my sister describes him) and is cute as a button. And it is a good thing this dog is so cute because he has the energy of a Tazmanian Devil. He is a wiggle worm, whether you are holding him or not. I don't have the energy for Pearl let alone a crazy baby weiner named Ranger. My hope is that Pearl and Ranger will wear each other out playing so much...

I have been super busy at work. We have been working crazy overtime this month preparing to close out the fiscal year. If you work for the federal government (or any government) and work in any part of Financial Management, then you know my pain. Luckily the fiscal year will be over in a couple of weeks and I can get back to normal. Okay the money will be a nice bonus but the overtime is killing me. I am exhausted. It would be one thing if I actually slept at night but I don't.

04.04.2009 Update

Let's see what has been going on lately....

I finally got my car back from the repair shop this past Wednesday. It had been in the shop for three whole weeks for repairs from Christmas when the 14-year old kid ran into my parked car. The repairs were supposed to take 5-7 days.... 21 days later. And they didn't even fix the extra repair I requested. The cover of the gear stick is broken and needs replaced... part backordered. Nice.

Texas Ranger has passed away. He is one of the dogs at the warehouse. He had been sick since before I moved, back in October is probably the first time I took him to the vet. He had lost weight and became really lethargic. The vet diagnosed an infection and prescribed antibiotics. He would get better and then get sicker again... this went on for a couple more months. My mom finally took him back to the vet when he really got bad. The vet didn't know if it was cancer or not... or exactly what it was. Blood was drawn, other tests taken. Then while he was at the vet's office for an extended boarding period until things were figured out and he was getting better, he passed away. Needless to say my mom and I were devestated. While Texas Ranger was a trouble maker with the rest of the dogs, he was family. And to top it off, the vet discovered that Texas Ranger didn't have cancer after all just a really bad infection. You would think they could cure the infection versus letting the dog die. Very said indeed.

Work has been going relatively well. I am very insecure in my job and not confident at all. And if you know me, that is not like me at all. I don't know what it is but I am trying to get passed it and master my job. It is a very difficult situation that I find myself in. I don't fear of being let go but it isn't making my job any easier nor more comfortable. Just a weird feeling.

Even with the lack of confidence in my abilities at work, I am considering buying a house. With the housing market what it is and all the incentives, it is hard not to think about buying a house. Course my credit is not the greatest and I have virtually no down payment but I think buying a house is doable... I just want to make sure the mortgage payment is doable. So I took the plunge and viewed four houses today. I liked two of the four and really liked one of the two. It is a three bedroom, two (or rather 1-3/4) bath house with two living areas. A nice big kitchen with plenty of pantry/storage. The house has new carpet/tile and roof. It is an older home and the cabinets and kitchen counters look their age. They are in good condition but you can tell it is an older home. The larger of the living areas also has panelling. I am not a fan of panelling but my realtor knows a guy that can spray the panelling and it will look just like a normal wall. So I am not worried about that. I am going to call a mortgage broker on Monday to see where I stand with financing. Keep your fingers crossed.

I haven't been working on my sewing too much the past couple of weeks. I hope to get something done tomorrow. I have been buying fabric for the dolls but I don't think that can actually be considered progress toward the completion of some dolls.

While my car was in the shop, my rental was a Jeep Commander with satellite radio. Can I say delish? It was a very nice car and the satellite radio came in hand when I drove back home last month. I had to house/pet sit for my parents when they went out of town and Nikki had plans. It was a long weekend considering it is an 11 hour drive one way. I was very happy to see the dogs and especially Sugar. She appeared to be excited to see me... but then she wags her ass at pretty much anything so I don't know if it was evidence or not. I did get stopped on the return trip home to El Paso. I was clocked at doign 83 in an 80 mph zone. Three miles over and I get stopped. Really? Lucky for me the officer decided on a warning. I was extremely grateful.

I am thinking this is all I have to report for now... I know BORING. What can I say, I haven't been up to much lately.

09.13.2008 Hurricane Ike

Yes I am quite aware that I haven't posted in quite awhile. Two reasons. Not necessarily valid reasons but two reasons nonetheless. First. My internet at home has been out for several weeks. Just on a lark I turned on my computer today to try my internet thinking it wouldn't work especially the afternoon after Hurricane Ike. Maybe Ike put the right mojo on it because my internet is working like a charm today. My internet goes out randomly after storms... so who would've thunk it. Second. I really haven't had anything to post of interest lately. Needless to say, another boring post coming your way...

I have survived Hurricane Ike. I believe this is the closest I have been to a hurricane. I have been extremely nervous the past couple of days in anticipation of Ike. Nervous to the point of giddiness.... seriously good mood at work. So much so that my mom even make a comment. I told her maybe we need to have a hurricane come through more often. So I went to the obligatory grocery store run on Thursday at noon. I really didn't know what to buy considering I counted on a power outage at the least. So what do I buy that will survive without refrigeration that I can survive on for a few days. I bought what I wanted be damned with the refrigeration. The store was busy but checkout was quick. Lucky for me the power did not go out. We did get some high winds and a lot of rain. The winds did bring down alot of limbs, big and small. About three big limbs fell down in my yard. Luckily the dogs have a ginormous doghouse to hide in. I kept Baby, Sugar, Pearl, and Peanut (who is normally an outside dog) in the house overnight. Baby, Sugar, and Pearl are always in overnight but I wanted to bring in Peanut too. Except for the three dogs (Blackie, Cowboy, and Curlie Sue) that I keep in my yard and the four in my house, all the other dogs stayed inside at the warehouse. I got a little cabin fever today and took a ride around the property around noon. One tree was snapped in half and one Horse Apple tree was uprooted. Other than that the lake filled up quite a bit and again there were tree limbs, big and small, down all over the property. Keep in mind my parents have 755 acres with plenty of old, old, old Pecan and Oak trees plus plenty of other trees that I cannot name. Other than losing power, one of my biggest fears was the big trees in my yard toppling onto the house. For the reason, I slept on the couch with Baby. The biggest tree in the yard is very close to my bedroom and I couldn't chance it. Not that I got much sleep last night over worry and the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements on the couch with Baby. I don't know how a four pound dog can make sleeping on the couch an uncomfortable situation but she does. We made it through... now just to survive all the standing water and mud. Yuck! I hope the power is restored quickly for those in Houston and the surrounding areas. Estimates are over 2 million CenterPoint Energy customers are without power and no telling how long it could take to restore it due to all the debris and downed trees.

I have taken a break with the papercrafting. I have been working on reorganizing my {s}crap room once again. I think scrapbookers spend as much time organizing and re-organizing as they do on the actual crafting. I have great new plans to make my room workable plus I want to start sewing again. I think I said I was going to start sewing again over a year ago but this time I am serious. I bought several new patterns but the best have to be from Raggedy Old Annies. I was so excited to see one of the new patterns Nicole posted was of a finished that I bought from her... one I would love to make. So not only did I buy that pattern but I bought all four of the new patterns plus I got one free... a great deal she is offering. If you are into sewing, I highly recommend Raggedy Old Annies... they are too cute!

Nothing new on the job front. I continue to submit applications... and continue to get frustrated. I know it isn't because I am not qualified or my application doesn't look good... there is just a lot of competition out there. And I know it helps if you know someone... which I really don't. I did apply for another position in El Paso as well as College Station that I am waiting to hear results and see if I get called for an interview. Other than that not much else to report.

I don't know if I have seen any movies other than Death Race since my last post... Death Race was the greatest bloody, deathly, action movie I have seen in a long time. E asked me if I thought it was better than Jason Bourne and I responded by saying it would give Jason Bourne a run for his money. It was a fantastic movie that kept me on the edge of my seat. At the climax of one action packed scene, I actually said seriously outloud in the theatre "What?" when it was done. Exciting... so exciting that I will definately invest in the DVD when it is released!

Sugar is on pills to cure her incontinence for the rest of her life. When she first got on the pills she was out of it and sleeping alot... a real change in her personality. Then she got aggressive. She has always been a bossy dog and bullies everyone but now she is more aggressive. Not a good change but we are dealing with it.

I guess that is all I have to report. Maybe I can get a picture or two of the results of Ike posted. Maybe.

07.26.2008 Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's 58th birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! I got her these cute handmade ATC cards with cats on them. Then I framed them with a bright background. I thought it turned out pretty nice. My mom is a hard person to buy gifts for. She doesn't have a need or want for anything. I know if it something related to a cat I am safe.

I just got back from the grocery store. I cannot believe how much I spent and how little I came home with. What can you say, the price of gas effects everything related to retail prices. Of course it didn't help that I had to buy some cleaning supplies... and you know how much that can add on to the final bill. I did pick up some great chicken sausage that HEB sells with poblanos and cheese in the sausage. This sausage is the shit!

I also got some turkey lunchmeat, brie, and nectarines to make a sandwich from a recipe in Real Simple. The recipe sounds delish as well as fresh and new. So I thought I would give it a try. Here is the recipe in case you are interested:


Open-Face Turkey, Brie, and Nectarine Sandwiches with Arugula Salad

2 tablespoons honey mustard
4 thick slices crusty bread
3/4 pound thinly sliced roasted turkey breast
2 nectarines, pitted and thinly sliced
6 ounces Brie, sliced
Kosher salt and pepper
2 bunches arugula or one 5-ounce package
1/2 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia), thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Spread the honey mustard evenly over the bread. Top with the turkey, nectarine slices, and Brie. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a large bowl, toss the arugula, onion, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve with the sandwiches.

Upgrade: Adding fruit is a delicious and easy way to spruce up almost any sandwich with cheese. Some more great pairings: plums and Parmesan, apples and Cheddar, pears and blue cheese, and figs and goat cheese.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

CALORIES 467 (41% from fat); FAT 22g (sat 8g); CHOLESTEROL 81mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40g; SODIUM 1672mg; PROTEIN 32g; FIBER 4g; SUGAR 14g

Real Simple, JULY 2008

Not much new going on. Still haven't really cleaned house like I should and still haven't started to purge stuff from my household like I should. I keep trying to trick myself into doing both. I consider that I am going to get this job and that means I would have to report in a minimum of four weeks. But then it starts to scare my that there is no way I could get my house packed and ready to move in a month. In reality that is exactly what will have to happen if I get this job and if I were to start today. If I wait until I actually get the job and they want me to report with a two week notice at my current job... then I am shit out of luck!

And on that note, obviously I haven't heard anything on the job in Winston-Salem yet. I did have to tell E that his New Orleans Saints will be playing the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte in October. Charlotte is about an hour and a half from Winston-Salem. And E has never been to a Saints game ever, period. It would be so cool for him to be able to see his beloved Saints in person. I would love to give him that opportunity. Well there are plenty more reasons I would love this Winston-Salem job... that is just one.

All the dogs are doing well... except Pearl is driving me crazy! Crazy!

I have been in a serious nesting mode lately. It really isn't that strange... because all I really want to do is laze around in bed and read but I have really been doing nothing but napping and reading lately. I need to get some energy and will power and fast. My stinky, dirty house can't take it anymore.

07.19.2008 No News Is Good News?

I really don't have anything new to report. But I thought I needed to update my blog since it has been forever...

No news on the job front, still. Interviewed for the position in El Paso. The interview went great. However, there were two gentlemen up for the job that were currently doing the job that were being considered over me. While I am greatly disappointed, I completely understand. However, there looks to be another vacancy coming in El Paso that is really in my line of expertise... so it is a waiting game for it to be announced so I can apply.

Right after I interviewed for the El Paso position, I received another invitation to interview for a position in Winston-Salem, NC. I did a telephone interview for this position this past Thursday. Again, I think the interview went great. The two people interviewing me were really easy to talk to and hopefully I didn't sound too stupid on their end. They said a final decision would be made in the next 2-3 weeks. Definately got my fingers crossed for this one. I have been doing some internet research on Winston-Salem and it really seems like a great place. I don't think I have ever visited that state before so it would be a new adventure to discover. While they do have a state income tax (which I am not used to in Texas) it seems like the rents are extremely reasonable for something I would be interested in.

Sugar, my white Boxer, has been having some issues. She apparently is leaking juice from her vagina. It doesn't appear to be urine but... So I have already taken her to the vet twice with this issue. And believe me it is a lot of juice, not just a few drops. Both times they have prescribed antibiotics thinking it is an infection of some kind. While the antibiotics did help, it didn't totally cure this issue. So I took Sugar to the vet for a third diagnosis. This time they actually took a urine sample and sent it to Texas A & M for further study. Well it comes back that she indeed has incontinence. Now she has been prescribed a pill that she has to take twice a day for the rest of her life. Sugar is a young dog too... approximately 3 years old. Approximately because as you know she is a found dog... or rather she found us. Anyways, I gave her the first pill last night. Within two hours she had barfed all over the house and I DO MEAN ALL OVER. She completely emptied her stomach. It took a whole roll of paper towels to clean up the mess. I really felt bad for her. I had to give her another pill this morning after calling the vet to see if these two events are related. The vet confirmed it could be with a new medicine. I knew Sugar was sick when she was asleep on the couch with two bones resting by her head. Sugar has a serious dog bone problem. Meaning she is truly addicted. She jones' for them on a regular basis. Luckily she didn't get sick with the second pill. Hopefully it gets better.

Blackie is another dog of ours that has been sick. I let Blackie out of the yard on Sunday for several hours. When I got his yard-mates, Cowboy and Curly Sue, back in the yard I couldn't find Blackie. I called and called with no response. He was still missing on Monday morning. When I got to work, I sent one of the warehouse guys to go look for him. He came back saying Black was in the yard. This means he was in the yard the whole time no responding to me. Monday night still no response. Tuesday I asked my mom to go look at Blackie when she got back from her day-trip. She didn't feel comfortable waiting until she got back that evening so we sent my step-dad over to look at Blackie. After two lectures, he told me that Blackie had a big wound on his side. So I called the vet and took Blackie immediately in. I left him there all day. When I went to pick him up they reported he had been in a fight or attacked by another dog. His wound was gross. Needless to say they cleaned him up and send him home with a drain in his wounds and meds. So now Blackie is a house dog. And he is loving it. I am trying to keep him kind of confined so he can heal without getting dirt and other junk in his wounds. He has a room all to himself with a pallet to lay on. His own food and water as well as a fan. The room doesn't get as much air from the A/C as the rest of the house so I put a fan in there just for him. He is getting better. I took him back for a check-up yesterday and the vet says it is getting better but they didn't take out the drain as expected. Brought home more medicine and will take him back on Tuesday. Now for the fun part... I get to start hydro-therapy. This is where you take the garden house and attempt to wash out the wound. I haven't tried this on a couple other dogs of ours and they did not like it. I definately to not feel like attempting this with Black. Hopefully it goes well.

Tomorrow Nikki is coming through town on her way to Houston. Our plan is to see Mamma Mia. At first I totally wasn't in to seeing this movie but the more (and more and more and more... I know you have seen the overkill on the trailers) I see the trailers the more I want to see the movie. I will let you know my review.

04.10.2008 Design Team Call

A True Friend is a challenge blog about pets. And you know me and my pets... well I was on this Design Team last year and had a blast. It is a great group of ladies with some great pets. If you have a pet or two or 17, I suggest you send in your DT submission. Here is the information:

Design Team Call

We are looking for one new member to join our design team.

Being a member of our design team involves:
*Designing a layout or altered art item for each challenge
*Finding pet related inspiration
*Help think of new ideas for challenges

If you're interested please email 2 layouts and why you would like to be on our dt to lovestorock@hotmail.co.uk.

The deadline is Sunday 4th May.

Here are a few of the layouts I did for challenges at A True Friend:

You and Your Pets challenge

Cuddle challenge

Pet Peeves challenge

This layout is for the last challenge I participated in as a Design Team Member. The challenge was "Then and Now" as you can see:
BTW, I don't think I ever posted this layout here. Anyways, you should see this poor layout now. Got caught in the seats of my car and it tore up from the floor up. I told my sister I was going to scan it and show what happens when good layouts go bad!

03.12.2008

As promised, here are some pictures of Pearl.

This is a very, very tired Pearl obviously because I was able to take some good shots of her sitting still. Anyways, this is a very, very tired Pearl after spending the day playing with this dog:

This is Lucky in his snooze mode. Get your rest on Lucky dog!

02.17.2008

As you may or may not know, my family has a total of 17 dogs. Well really 19 dogs but three are still at my parents old house under the care of the housesitter and Tiger found a new home with one of the guys that works in the warehouse. This was a weekend trial for Tiger. Chris (warehouse guy) took her home this weekend to see how she meshed with his family. While I hate to see Tiger leave, we have too many dogs and being with fewer dogs would really be great for Tiger. However, I will miss our sweet Tiger.

I thought I would introduce (or re-introduce as the case may be) a couple of our other dogs. The first one is Convict. Convict really is everyone's favorite. No one really knows what kind of dog Convict is. I would say he is part Pit because his head has that Pit look. But his overall size is probably double that of a Pit. Someone said he looks part German Shepard. Who really knows. Although at first meeting with Convict, he is a scary and intimidating looking dude. If you only knew. He is a sweetheart. Not to say he won't fight a dog (or whatever) if needed. Since we have moved to the College Station area, Convict has got caught up with some wild hogs on two separate occassions. You cannot even imagine how expensive it is to sew up a wild hog wound. Now the dogs seem to be fighting with coyotes. Convict came home the other day with a few scratches on his nose. Awwww, country living. The one thing I like about Convict is the color of his eyes. They are perfectly matched to the color is his coat. A golden honey color. Gorgeous... but still scary looking at first. Lately Convict has been having trouble with his hips. He likes to think he is still a young dog. He is not. He spends his day laying in the cool comfortably temped warehouse which stays a cool 58-60 degrees (for the wine). He does his running at night. He runs the streets (well the acres) with Patches and Walker whom you will meet in a moment. Too much running the streets creates some sore muscles for an aging dog like Convict. I don't know how long we have had Convict but his back story is... My mom and stepfather saw him running behind the warehouse (in Pleasanton, TX at the time). He had a thick chain around his neck. He had broken away from somewhere with scratches, scars, and nicked ears. He was a very agressive dog at the time. He obviously belonged to some street thug somewhere thinking he was a badass gangbanger with a badass dog. It did take some work to get that agression out of Convict. While he doesn't back down from a fight with our dogs he is extremely gentle. A true sweety!This is Patches. Patches has a dear place in my heart. When we first moved to the new warehouse outside of College Station, Patches lived down the road. Patches would come to visit and just pal around. We would all talk and pet him because he was a kind and gentle young dog. Not a pup but not necessarily full-grown. He had all sorts of names. Smiley (obviously because it looked like he was smiling). White Fang. Freckles. He went through several names. I went to the bank one day and say Patches at the end of the road. I stopped to talk to him. I knew something wasn't right because he wasn't himself. I let him be and was on my way to the bank. Forty-five minutes later or so I saw Patches on my return trip. This time Patches was curled up in a fetal position in a drainage culvert. I knew something was really wrong because he didn't respond when I called him. And I saw blood. I raced up to the warehouse and got my mom. I always go to my mom when one of the dogs is hurt. I explained that something was wrong with Patches and we raced back down the road. She went up to Patches and she could see there was alot of damage and blood. The immediate decision was to take Patches to the vet. I went back to the warehouse to pick-up our warehouse guy to help me take Patches to the vet. The warehouse guy proceeded to pick-up Patches and hold him all the way to the vet. We wrapped my coat around Patches since he was bleeding. Patches was so lifeless that I kept asking if he was still alive all the way to the vet. What worried me was that he had a little blood dripping from his nose. We all thought he had been hit by a car. Once we go to the vet, they took him immediately and set to see what was wrong. Come to find out, he was not hit by a car at all. Patches has been in some kind of fight with another animal.... whether that be a dog, coyote, or wild hog, no one knows. Hell it could have been a Chupacabra for all we know. The insides of his back legs were all ripped up with some of the muscle gone. Not a pleasant picture... imagine having to witness it. Once Patch was released from the vet, I was tasked as his Physical Therapist. His woulds had to be flushed to promote healing. Needless to say, Patch got to sleep inside and come to work with me everyday. He and I were buddies even if he hated the water treatment. His wounds healed wonderfully. He still has some visible scarring but no other reminders of that horrible time. This is partly where Patches got his name. I had named him Freckles. After his hospitalization, his name became Patches. His patches of color on his coat also helped with the name. Patches is still one of my favorites! On a side note, after Patches accident we notified his owners of his whereabouts. His owners are farm laborers that speak Spanish only. I called their boss and asked him to explain the situation. The situation was Patches was attacked, we took care of his vet trip, and he was theirs to claim with no worries about the expenses. No claim was every made by Patches' owners. Patches should thank his lucky stars and I think he does!
This is Walker. Walker is Patches' son and Texas Ranger's brother. (Yes, Texas Ranger is another member of our family). Walker and Texas Ranger were pups at Patches former home down the street. Their owners went home to Mexico for a visit during Christmas of 2006. It was a good week or so before I noticed that their owners were gone. I also did not see anyone visiting their house to feed them. I called the boss of the owners of Walker and Texas Ranger. He suggested the dogs be shot versus starving to death. He also noted their owners would be home eventually but he wasn't quite sure how long they would be in Mexico, a good month or so is what he said. So we started feeding Walker and Texas Ranger on a daily basis. At first, they were starving and couldn't eat fast enough. Eventually they got used to knowing we would come by with food. I tried to go the long way to feed them so they wouldn't know I was coming from the warehouse. All my stepfather could say was that we didn't need two more dogs at the warehouse. Well you know the rest of this story... Walker and Texas Ranger soon found their way to the warehouse. They are not dumb dogs. Soon enough they came for good. Their owners were gone to Mexico from say December 23rd or so to March 12th. I know March 12th exactly. They never came to claim Walker or Texas Ranger and I know they have to know where they are. Pitiful that they left those pups to fend for themselves for two and a half months. Every now and then, I did see someone at their house but not enough to know they were left to care for these pups. I don't know what they were thinking.

01.08.2008

Meet Pearl.

Pearl is the newest member of my family. Pearl was born 09.19.2007 and is a Pug/Boston Terrier mix. CKC registered even. I saw a listing on Craigslist for a Pugston. I have been needing (not wanting) a Pug. So I took the chance with this listing and gave Pearl a visit. Well I gave Mimi a visit as this was her name at the time. Pearl's previous family stated Pearl was a gift for their son but their 10-year old cat did not get along with Pearl. So I bought their story, hook line and sinker! I even paid cash for Pearl. This obvious was a back alley transaction. Now I know the real story of Pearl aka Mimi. This dog is the Devil in disguise. Oh not the cute, catchy Elvis song. This dog is truly demonic. Well... maybe not necessarily demonic as much as I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. You see, a Pug/Boston Terrier mix may look cute on the outside with her saggy lips, bug eyes, and all round cutie patootie self. In real life, this dog has to be on the crack. Seriously. I don't know where she is getting her money to buy crack. I am not missing anything from the house so I know she isn't selling my stuff for the drug. But she has to be on crack to have as much energy as she does. This dog can go and go and go and go.... you get the picture. I am a napper. Sugar (white boxer pictured with Pearl) and Baby (yorkie) are nappers. We are a napping family. Not so much anymore. Now when I try to take a nap, rest assured Pearl will be napping on my head soon enough. Yes the dog sleeps on my head when she considers napping. Not so cute. She also farts and snores. Really not so cute. I guess Pearl can stay for now. I mean, I really couldn't punish another family with this Devil dog. Somehow I will manage. Somehow.

01.07.2008

RIP Simba

My sweet Simba passed away on Friday, January 4, 2008. I am heartbroken. I have had Simba since she was a baby girl and looked just like Simba from The Lion King with her big ears. While I didn't think she was as old as she was, one of her vet's estimated her age at 16-18 years old. Simba lead a long, grand life. {That doesn't make it any easier though!} A couple years ago Simba got deathy ill with a blood disorder. She lost half her weight and never gained it back. Once she recovered from her blood disorder, she was fine except the weight loss. Lately she had been looking and feeling bad. I took her to the vet in early December 2007 and they said for her age her lab results looked fine. On Thursday, January 3, 2008, I knew something wasn't right because she peed in the bed. Friday morning I went to look for her so I could take her to the vet. At this point, Simba had passed away. She had a lovely burial in the yard under a giant Oak. I am so glad that I took this photo of her (and a couple others) a few months ago. My sweet, sweet Simba.

12.01.2007

Nothing really new to report, I just know I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks and thought I would write a few thoughts.

Just did some dishes. Man I hate housework. Seriously. I don't mind laundry but I hate the folding. Literally all of our clothes, clean mind you, are littering the laundry room, living room couch, and the guest bedroom. I am going to work at folding the clothes this weekend and putting them away. Granted I say this every weekend but this might be the weekend. You never know.

This morning my mom and I got up early and went to breakfast. My breakfast was delicious. We went to Madden's in Bryan (Texas). I had the Creme Brulee French Toast which was to die for. I could have used a double dose of this delicious meal! My mom had the Eggs Tostada which was pretty good too. After breakfast we went to the Brazos Center for the annual Christmas Craft Show. This is my third year attending. It is such a wonderful little show. Every year there is a booth filled with goodies painted with snowman. The crafter does such a fantastic job with her wonders. She uses old things that she finds such as beat-up suitcases, coal buckets, kitchen utensils, wooden ironing boards, you get the idea. Each year I have bought something for my sister because she collects snowman stuff. I can't tell you what I got her this year as she reads my blog. Although I have hinted to her that I visited this booth, now whether she took the hint or not... I just noticed that my sister hasn't blogged in a month. I need to get on her.

My mom and I had to kind of rush this morning to make sure we could make it to the vet's before noon. Tiger, one of our newest additions to the pet family, has been sick. She has been at the vet's since Thursday. Tiger is a momma dog that we found down the road with one of her babies. So Tiger and Lucky have been the 15th and 16th addition to our dog posse. Lucky is named that because he was in the middle of the road when my stepdad happen to drive by. He rescued them and named the pup Lucky. Anyways, back to Tiger. Wednesday Tiger started vomiting. She continued through the next day so we decided to take her to the vet. The vet thought she might have ulcer's because of the color of the vomit. Gave her two shots and some pills. I took her home. All day long, mom tried to feed Tiger the pills with no luck. Tiger wouldn't take her pill with anything! That afternoon, I went to visit Tiger and could tell she just wasn't feeling well. I called the vet and alerted them that I would probably be bringing her back. I figured I could wait until Friday morning but went ahead and took her in Thursday afternoon. So I have called the vet on a daily basis. They can't really say there is anything wrong with her. The problem is that she won't eat and hasn't pooped. The vet wanted to make sure she was eating and to see the poop to make sure it was okay. So now we are on a waiting game. They are keeping her hydrated through an IV. My mom and I went by the vet today to visit Tiger just in case we couldn't bring her home. Needless to say it was just a visit and she will be at the vets until at least Monday. I feel so bad for her. She just looks so sad. Doesn't even wag her tail for my mom and me... which is highly unusual!

Bought some fabulous fabric at my local quilt store, Lone Star Quiltworks, on Friday. The fabric is fabulous, all Moda. I got a yard that looks like a paint by numbers painting not quite finished with birds. The colors are green, red, teal, brown, and orange. I thought I would make a little valance for my crap {scrap} room. Doesn't really have enough orange in the fabric to suite me but I couldn't resist it. I kept going back so figured it was a keeper. The other fabric, about a yard and a half, is five different fabrics in green, teal, and brown that are super-freaking-fantastic. I have a little project that I want to make with these fabrics... we'll see. I can't quite reveal the project as it is a gift.

Haven't done too much scrapping lately. I did a layout for A True Friend pet challenge blog that I haven't posted yet. I have several projects I need to get done this weekend. Another layout for A True Friend and several purse inserts for Memory Purses. My goal is to get them done by Sunday night so I can scan at work on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed.

A while back I was tagged by two chix, Aimeslee and Michele, so here is my response:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post these rules on your blog before you answer.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself (on your blog, we all want to know them).
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. (But don't tag me back).
4. Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my 7 random/weird facts:

1. I want a tattoo. I seriously love tattoos but don't have any myself. I told my sister that for my 40th birthday, my mom, my sister, and I are going to get a tattoo. They are inked while I am a ink virgin. I have seriously been thinking about what I want and today my tattoo decision is to get 4 stars. But I don't want just black, I want some color to them. My back up is to get a 4 on my right shoulder and a 0 on my left shoulder in a really fancy scripty font.
2. I can make myself cry thinking about my dog Baby passing. I am tearing up now just writing this. She isn't gone yet but when I think about how much longer I have with her, I cry. Baby just turned 10 in September. She has been blind for about 2 years now. Baby was a gift to me from my aunt when I got married to my ex. So this month, December, Baby has been my baby for 10 years. While she is a grumpy old dog that wants to sleep or ride in the car, she is my grumpy old dog and I can't imagine life without her. I don't want to imagine life without her.
3. I love my car. I have a 2005 Ford Freestyle. This is the fanciest and most expensive car I have ever owned and probably will ever own. It has three rows of seating, DVD player, and sunroof. It is a wonderful car. I bought it pre-owned from the dealer my family buys from... it was the car of the wife of the dealer owner. So it was practically brand new with less than 4,000 miles on it.
4. I hate my hair. I am need of a haircut right now. I am always in search of the perfect haircut by the perfect hairdresser, as is everyone! My problem is that I am basically lazy. It would take about 3 minutes a day to fix my hair to where it would be cute. That is too much trouble. I want to just wash and wear. So I am struggling with how I want my hair to be cut to minimize the trouble with making it cute. Impossible.
5. I love action, shoot 'em up, bloody movies. I love romantic and comedy movies too. Hate, absolutely hate scary movies. I have nightmares from watchin scary movies. No, I am not 3 years old but I still get nightmares!
6. I love to eat breakfast for supper. Tonight in fact I had bacon and egg tacos for supper. I am so thankful I moved to Texas and was introduced to the breakfast taco. No the breakfast burrito but the breakfast taco.
7. I had a punk mohawk in the 80's. Don't know what possessed me. In the early 80s I started wearing my hair punk/new wave. Who didn't!?!?!?! My sister and I were attending a street fair where there was a hairstylist booth set up. Something struck and I cut my hair in a mohawk. Really the sides of my head weren't shaved bald but were shaved really short. I rocked that hawk for several months! It was fantastic.

So there you have 7 random/weird facts about me. I am not going to tag anyone. Feel free to tag yourself and reveal some weirdness about yet.

ATF Challenge 14 - HOV Lane

My layout for the current challenge 14 "You and Your Pets" at A True Friend Pet Challenge Blog. Supplies used: Bazzill textured cardstock, May Arts ribbon, labels from Dollar Tree, pattered paper from My Mind's Eye, and MAMBI glitter alphas. Journaling reads: Me and my dogs on a daily basis, riding back and forth to work Monday through Friday without fail. There is no escape. Peanut and Sugar won't let me forget they need a ride. The carpool lane it is!!!

OLW: Perfect

Here is my entry for the current OLW challenge: Perfect. I used the Ashville line of papers from Scenic Route.

I love this dog!

I know you probably can't tell from this picture but I love this dog. Okay I love to torture her too! Now if I can only get her to pose better in her witches hat! At least her weave looks better than Britney Spears' weave! As you can see, Sugar doesn't always love me especially when I make her wear clothes. She only has one other fashion accessory and that was a wife-beater that said "Bad Hair Day"! Needless to say, Sugar and her boyfriend (Texas Ranger) proceeded to tear the shit out of that shirt and get it filthy dirty! It has since been discarded in the trash! Happy {early} Halloween!

A True Friend Challenge 10

This is my DT project for challenge 10 at A True Friend blog. The theme was "cuddle". I wanted to go a little different here other than the same pictures of Sugar and Baby. So I thought of the cows. We have over 200 head of cattle on our property. No the cows aren't ours, they are on the property through a lease agreement. Needless to say I navigate through these cows on a daily basis, twice a day, going back and forth to work. I worry about these cows like they were my own. If one doesn't look right, I am making some phone calls to report it. But all I wish for these cows is that I could put my hand outside the car window and pet one. They aren't cuddly little bunnies. These are ginormous cows that would rather stampede you than look at you. All they can do is stare at me with those big ol' eyes and gallop off like I am going to hurt them. Little do they know, that all I want to do is pet them and cuddle!

Scrapjacked: Effer #1 Kristina Contes

Here is my entry for the current Scrapjacked challenge of Effer #1 Kristina Contes titled me likey! It is also for my next challenge at A True Friend pet challenge blog. Journaling reads, "Baby + King Size Bed = Not too big, not too little, just right!"


Supplies used:
Textured cardstock (I think DCWV)
Cherry Arte patterned paper
AL/Foofala Journaling chipboard tag
Heidi Swap journaling tag
KI Memories acrylic alphas
Dollar Tree Fickers (fake Thickers) foam alphas
Twill
Hobby Lobby felt/rhinestone flower
Sharpie

Challenge Double-Dip

This is my entry for the next challenge for A True Friend pet challenge blog but also for the current Unpubbed challenge blog.

A True Friend Challenge: Pet Peeves

I completed this layout for the challenge at A True Friend. The challenge is Pet Peeves. The journaling reads: Dogs that want to carpool but do not pitch in for gas. Convict & Peanut 2007. Supplies used:
Bazzill cardstock
Sassafrass Lass patterned paper
KI Memories felt alphas and flowers
Making Memories alpha stickers

Design Team Toot

I am proud to announce that I have been added to the Design Team for A True Friend pet challenge blog. This is a layout I did for the challenge 5: Layout is made from a 8x10 photo... NO PAPER. I also used Autumn Leaves alph acrylic stamps, StazOn, Sharpie (for journaling), Making Memories glitter alpha stickers, and Hobby Lobby felt alph stickers. 10 Reasons I Like U:

1. Naked belly
2. Underbite
3. Stubborness
4. Copycat to the other dogs
5. Big eyes
6. Bully
7. Spotted belly
8. Big tongue
9. Car rides
10. That someone abandoned you and you found us.

You are a great dog!

New Challenge Blog

I was cruising the forums at 2peas and came across this great new challenge blog...

A true friend
A priceless treasure

It is precious... a challenge blog for our pets. As a scrapper that doesn't have children, I tend to scrap my pets.... particularly Sugar (White Boxer) and Baby (Yorkie). These two knuckleheads are the only two of 14 dogs that stand still long enough to take great pictures... or that are extremely photogenic. I just thought this challenge blog was a really smart idea.