No Matter How Big or Small.....Cats are Cats!

Parents? Is this ever an option?

I think it is funny but I am not a parent.....verdicts?

Can I Just Ever.....

Hold a sloth once in my life?  They are so stinkin' cute....

Thanks Lu!!!! Not Worth the Tape!!

Sooooo, I would like to thank my dog, Lu, for being such a helper!  If she sees something on the floor....she will help you clean it up.  If your toilet paper is hanging too loose from the roll....she will help make streamers...

And that is Daisy's hiney in the picture....bless it....she is just an innocent bystander!

But let's say you clean out your pockets and accidentally drop a buck......Lu is there to help too!  She will make a puzzle with many missing pieces!

I have been trying to decide what size bill warrants rubber gloves (and you know what I mean!) and soap and tape to put all the pieces back together.....I know that I am good with letting this one go but a ten or a twenty???  Hmmmmmmm?  Can you wash and tape and take to the bank for a replacement???  

Update on the Boots!

I will say that I made it through an ENTIRE day of work at the office including walking down 2 flights of stairs to get out of my house and then not being stupid....at work...took the elevator up one flight....BUT then walked down another 2 flights to get out of the office.  So let's be honest....was I as graceful as a swan floating up and down stairs or did I look more like this?  YUP!

Was I close to looking like this?  Yup!!

But proudly I made it through!  By the end of the day my feet had gone numb because they had adjusted to the completely unnatural position they had been forced into and all was good until I got home and took them off.  Imagine wearing a super tight corset all day and then taking it off.....that is how my feet felt.....there was a huge expansion of relief followed by pain....

Then after I crawled around a bit and eventually made it to an upright stance I decided that I will wear them again and maybe get their twin.....the brown version!!  YEAH fashion!!!

And a footnote....oh yeah...she said "FOOTNOTE"!  HA!  The Dr. Scholl's inserts were a no-go initially because the boots were a little tight.  I will try them the next time because they stretched out after I wore them.   AND I would like some huge props for pulling this off without them.  There is something to be said for complete ability to be so stubborn!  DAMN the PAIN!  :O)

I Will NOT Be Defeated FEET!!!

So about a month or so ago I went to see some friends in Atlanta.  We love to go to festivals (arts and crafts type) and then with time permitting, do some shopping.  I have been looking for some new boots.  So in our shopping time we went to DSW.  I love going to DSW because I get the biggest kick of going to the sale racks in the back and trying on the HIGHEST heel shoes I can find....just to see if I can do it!  I will put them on and just stand there and hold on to the rack.  If I am feeling super punky, I will see if I can walk a couple of steps.  I would say nine times out of ten....don't get very far.  I am amazed at all these stars that can just walk around in these super high heels.....they look great but my feet are a no go on the super high ones.

Anyway....looking for boots....I found exactly what I was looking for....I fell in LOVE with these Nine West boots.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!  Of course I found them in the front of the store with one of my friends then I decided to try them on and walk alllllll the way to the back of the store where my other friend was searching the sale racks to show her.  If you have ever been in a DSW...you know it is a large store.  I made it back there fine but was almost crawling back.  I decided that I can't do the 3.5 heel....no way.....so I took them off, put my tennies back on and walked comfortably away.  

NOW here I am a month later and I CANNOT get those boots out of my head.  I loved them so much.  Then I found out that for the first time in like 8 years we are having a company Christmas party at my boss' house.  I have to have some grown up shoes!  I cannot show up in Birkenstocks or tennies.  Long story short....I ordered the black pair of the boots with the 3.5 heel!  EEEEEK!  They got here and I still love them but the reason I decided I could maybe pull them off is because Dr. Scholl's has inserts specifically made for high heels......they pad the ball of your foot so you are more comfortable.  I have put all my money on these inserts making me able to wear these puppies.  I think I will try and wear them to work as a test and see how it goes.  I WILL have the black Birkenstocks in tow...just in case!

If nothing else, I figure I can make it through the party because boss has lots of seating.  All I have to do is make it up the driveway......stand a few times and then go sit!  I will NOT be DEFEATED!!  And if I can pull these off....there is a brown pair too....for the love.  See below:

Here are the inserts.....if you have to wear heels.....got great reviews!  Will let you know if they work!  AND yes I realize I forgot about the coupon on the front and the check out lady didn't see it either...ugh!

White Trash Christmas

I would like to thank Rick and Bubba (our local but also nationally syndicated radio show) for introducing us to Zack Tison's song, "White Trash Christmas"!  I am not being sarcastic....I LOVE this song and I forget about it until every year R&B start the Christmas season with it....soon as I hear those first notes of the song I start giggling and sing along!  I am from the south and this song just owns me.  NOW there is the video of a family that synced their Christmas lights to the song.  It from 2007, but just found it.....LOVE IT!!

Airplanes....short but interesting

All landings at San Diego International Airport on November 23, 2012 between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., composited and time-lapsed into a 25 second clip by Cy Kuckenbaker.

Teddy Bear Toss

This is the 18th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss!!  I LOVE this!!  This year they collected over 21,00 teddy bears for children in need.  The Calgary Hitmen are the hockey team that support this cause.  They take the bears to the Alberta Children's Hospital.  I wonder if you could take one of those GIANT bears from Costco and toss them!

Where to start?

Oil spill on aisle 8?  How in the heck do you even begin to clean this up?  How many mops and bottles of Dawn do you need to make this right?

Ukraine, Black Sea, Cousin and Ice

My cousin and her husband and 2 kids are in the Ukraine on a multi-year mission trip.  They live in L'Viv.  I had to look it up and I know that they are not next to the Black Sea but I still found this interesting and I don't want to live next to the Black Sea!!!  This is the sound the ice makes.....creepy!

Made Me Giggle

Needed a giggle today....Christmas time makes me crazy so this was good and I might be the cat that says no!

This is exactly why I shop online

How did we get here?  People being run over in parking lots.....brandishing guns in long retail lines....pushing and shoving and hurting.....I HATE Black Friday and that is why I shop online!!!  Unbelievable!

Reverse Halloween

I LOVE this!  So cute and wish I was that creative!

Welcome Henry!!!!

My cousin just had a new beautiful baby boy!!  YEAH!!  Can't wait to meet him and I love the name Henry!!!  He is so cute!!

Love Jim Shore Halloween!!

Let me preface this with saying that we don't believe in witches and whatnot.......BUT we do love some Jim Shore Halloween fun!!  Got all our goodies out now....

Happy Halloween!!

Enjoy!  This is funny!!

Big Sisters and Little Brothers

This is so cute and for the love.....kids with English accents...LOVE it!!

Awwww......DUCKS!

This is so sweet!

Ladies - New Product.....at least to me

I started wearing make-up when I was probably 12 or 13.  From that point on I have always cleaned my face every night.  I was taught by Mom to use Ponds Cold Cream to take off eye make-up and wash face with Noxema with moisturizer after.  Through the years I have tried some of the more expensive stuff but always went back to Ponds and Noxema.  Mom went to Olay Facial wipes.  You wet them...scrub face...rinse and then apply moisturizer.  I resisted and said NO...I am sticking with my Ponds and Noxema.  THEN Mom being the internet queen found ladies raving about Garnier towelettes.  We got some....I was resistant but decided to try and now I am HOOKED!!  Pull out one of the towelettes and just go to cleaning.  It takes off all your eye shadow, powder, mascara and cleans without having to wet or having to rinse after.  AND they smell great!!  I can just pull one out and sit down...clean face...let face dry a little and then moisturize!!  I LOVE that I don't have to stand in front of the sink and scrub and rinse and do all that mess.....they are a little cheaper if you order on Amazon but you can get at any store.  I am just throwing it out as a time saver and good face cleaner.....definitely worth trying....

Wish I Was There

To be there in England with family and the pups just walking the countryside.......big table outside with candles and a sunset and cool air and a glass of wine.....that is heaven!

LulaBelle Sandwich

Lu is such a nerd!  She freaks out....runs into the room and runs between the pillows of her floor bed and sandwiches herself....NERD!

Pinterest

So I finally got to looking around Pinterest tonight!  Dangit.....I am hooked....especially on all the recipes.  For the love...I am never going to be able to quit!  BUT in my looking around I found a blog called:

www.pintester.com

HYSTERICAL!!!  I will warn you that there is some language there but she tries all recipes and beauty tips and crafts and will let you know if they work or not. I am probably never sleeping tonight because I keep reading this blog......

They Are BACK!!!!

We are lucky enough to have a deck with 6 foot walls that make a safe haven for the hummingbirds.  We have put up the feeders for years and always had the scout and a couple others.  BUT last year....we got on a flight path and had as many as 25-30 at a time with two feeders.  They had to both be filled up every day.  This year....it is happening again.  We now have 3 feeders and 2 of them have to be filled up every day.....not kidding....it is crazy!  I tried to get some pics and the most I got was 7 hummers at one time at one feeder.  They move soooooo fast and fight each other and make so much noise....it is AWESOME!

Here are 3:

Here are 6:

Here are 7.....you have to look behind the ant cup to find # 7 hiding out......

Here is my pretty girl that loves to just hang out...she loves to sit and watch and then ATTACK!

Two coming in for a landing.....they don't see each other....

Coming in for a landing...

Hanging out on each side...

I am going to try and get more pictures of them......it is amazing!

.

Okay Parents....Is This True?

Happy 88th Birthday, Grandma!!!

The family gathered today to celebrate Grandma's 88 years!  She had steak and shrimp and CAKE!  That woman loves her some sweets!

This was her cake!  Pretty on the outside and chocolate with chocolate chips on the inside!  It was YUMMY and she loved it!

My sweet aunt and uncle made chicken and shrimp and just for Grandma.....steak!  They also made the Texas Rockers....peppers stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon....those are just so wrong....LOVE THEM!  Not to mention cups of watermelon slushies...for the love....all was good!  My other wonderful aunt brought a beautiful salad and her homemade crescent rolls!  YUM!  Grandma ate well and it was great!!  Happy Birthday Grandma!!!  Love You!!!

Predator

I have seen these movies but seriously....only men could come up with this.....this got me laughing so hard.....if you haven't seen the movies....u might not get it but I am so down....good laugh at the end of a long day!

Twinkies

These kids are such twinkies!  Both their left ears stick up and this may TMI but they will poop and pee at the exact same time.....it is weird....they will shake at the same time....such sisters!  I got this shot tonight....sleeping next to each other in the same position with ears up!

House Centipede Lesson

I have read about these and they are not bad guys but for the love!  When you see one in your bathroom...creep factor to the extreme.  Because I know they are harmless and they are there to take care of spiders, bed bugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish, ants.....I want them to kind of hang out but then when I see one.....creepy, creepy, creepy!  I don't kill them...I just try and catch them and set them free as it was last night.  Here is my little buddy visiting last night in the bathroom:

No matter how good they are at catching the other scary bugs I hate....little buddy had to get the heck out of my space!  He was a little high on the wall so I opened my bathroom window....lifted the screen....grabbed an empty toilet paper roll....scooped him up in it and freaked out because he is fast and threw all out the window!  I don't think he was hurt but now I have a toilet paper roll on my roof.....

Dryer Vent Wizard

UPDATE:  Turns out the dryer tube runs out of the dryer into the wall....then up the wall...through the ceiling and out.  It was COMPLETELY clogged.  Awful!  As far as we know, it has never been cleaned so going years and years and years of lint and possibly not all ours....YUCK!  Now for the good news....all cleaned out.  Used to have to run the dryer at least 3 times on high to get anything to dry.....NOW......one cycle on low and all is dry...including towels!  WHAT?!  That is awesome AND the lint trap was filled with lint as it should have been.  I am interested to see the impact on our power bill too.  Good stuff!!!

Just throwing this out there for your safety!  My dryer has been acting up by making me run loads 2 and 3 times to get them dry.  It is an older dryer and I thought that was what was causing the problem.  Then the other day, I washed some towels and blankets and there was no lint in the lint trap and there should have been a TON!  Then it hit me that maybe there was a blockage…..then it hit me…if there is a blockage then maybe that is why things aren’t drying…..I am a little slow putting things together….should have figured this out a while back…but anway….

Called my plumber who recommended and appliance repair guy who said we needed to Dryer Vent Wizard.  I called them and someone was out there the next day.  Turns out we were completely blocked.  We could have had a fire on our hands!!!  They came in and vacuumed the entire length of the dryer tube from the wall through the ceiling and out the vent in the front outside.  Just wanted to pass on in case you haven’t thought of this and have never had yours cleaned…..

They are a national company so you may or may not have a franchise in your area but just do a search for anyone that cleans air ducts....they will probably do this too.....

http://www.dryerventwizard.com/

 1-866-SAFE (7233)

(lots of testimonials on the website)

Oh the Summer Flip-Flop Heels....

I don't know if you guys go through the same thing but in the summer with all the heat and all the flip-flops.....the heels get a little dry.  I have tried lotion and special potions and then the sweet, sweet Celeste who does our pedicures said to get this:  Glysolid!  This miracle cream is awesome.  You just need to put a little on every night before you go to bed.  You don't need to glop it on....which I learned....just a little every night and after a week....awesome!!!

My mom was in a car accident when she was 18 and broke her neck....she is obviously fine now, but while she was in traction and stuck in a bed for so long, she got an awful bedsore on one of her heels.  It has always been an issue.  It always gets tough and can cause pain.  Celeste told her to try this.  Mom started it right after the last pedicure and used it every night.  Three or so weeks later when she went back, Celeste did not have to use the scrubby heel buffer on her heel or heels at all.  They were perfectly smooth.

I was not as regimented with mine so last time I went, I still had to have the buffer but since then, I have been on point so now I put some on every night and it has made a big difference!  Anyway....we bought it on Amazon and it is about $9-$10 bucks.  It will last a while....you don't need a lot.

Here is the outside and the inside.....just thought I would share....I am all about being sucked into beauty products!  I will try them all and will let you know!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Today is Mom's birthday!  Got her a turquoise cake!  It is soooooooo good!

Russian Fair Rides

This would be a big NOPE for me!

S&P Snow Globes

I found these little salt and pepper "snow" globes on the Epic What website.....they were too cute!  We have way too many salt and pepper shakers BUT I love them!

The Hole

LulaBelle sleeps in a nest of blankets that I call "The Hole".....she was peeking out tonight!  Love her big ear!  AND if you look in the top left corner...you can see a picture of Dad in his Marine uniform watching over the BIG EAR!

Baby Monkey

This is just too much cuteness!

THE DECK

FINALLY.....we have a new deck!!!  This could be the longest post EVER!  I have been so worried about the deck for years.  It is over the garage and was bad.  The deck was original to the house so about 16 years old.  It was wobbly and the walls were about to come down and the wood was rotten.  My neighbor had hers redone and so I contacted her guy and he came out and got us up and running in 3 days!!  One day for demolition and 2 days for rebuild.  It has been so awesome to go out there and feel safe and know that we aren't going to fall to the ground and die!  I have some before and after pictures:

Here are the before....from here you can see the wall bowing out and if you notice the planks in the corner popping up...

Here you can see the planks on the outside of the deck completely separating and the nail coming out...

Here is a pic looking up at the deck and the planks all lifted up and coming apart....

I took this pic....see the warping and the nails AND I got a bumblebee in the pic....

This is a view from on the deck....here you can see how much the outside wall had moved and how bad the wood planks were...and yes...we had stained it years ago...we thought we were getting a nice stain but it did turn out red...

NOW....happy day....here are a couple of demolition pics:

We love our tall deck walls so we don't have to see neighbors and they can't see us...with the walls gone...HELLO NEIGHBOR!

Here is one with the walls down and one of our guys that fixed everything.....

Another view.....totally took down the wall between me and my neighbor....you can see his hanging basket in the background.....

Here is what is left after the first day.  They kept the main steel beam and built up from there but there were more surprises...

It turns out the that the wood holding the deck up to the house under our back kitchen door was rotted and had to be replaced too....for the love....we are so lucky this thing didn't collapse.  These are pics from downstairs looking up at the back door....

Next picture is the big truck coming with all the new wood at like 6:30 in the morning....I know our neighbors love us!  The truck was sooo big that he had to park at the end and use the tiny drivy thing to bring the wood to our house AND yes I know there is a name for the "tiny drivy thing" but I am at a loss right now as to what the correct name is......my cousin David would probably kill me right now for not knowing what to call the tiny drivy thing.....

Here is his dropping the wood....

He had to make a couple more trips but got it there and finally we have a new deck!!  Here are the after shots...

Here is a corner shot before:

Same corner now:

Sha'Mingo is not gone....we just moved her to the other side of the deck....

And yes...we are getting prices to get the back of the house painted and our deck guy will be coming back in July to seal the deck after the wood is dry. 

I also bought all new brackets for our hummingbird feeders...

AND then....we had this new pharmacy/consignment shop open up where I work.  This place is KILLING me....the artists that sell there are incredible.  I picked up a piece for the deck to hang on the deck.....I loved the idea of the bird flying over the flowers...

I was so happy with that but then I thought....how sweet it would be to have a cloud on the other side to balance it out.  So I went to the store and the owner contacted the artist and they made me a cloud.  I actually got to meet them today and they were so happy and no one had ever asked for a cloud before but they are going to make more.  They did a great job and I will be sending a picture of their final work with the bird and cloud and our existing flowers to them.....I think we are done and done....just have to do the clear water-proofing and done!  BTW.....the puppies love going out there....they do frolic so!