Thursday, October 28, 2010

Puppies and Toddlers

The highlight of our week has been our new puppy. She is about 7 months old, full of energy and very funny.  Rescued from an abandoned field, she had been in foster care for some time and now has found her furever home with us. Daughter named her "Jessie" (from Toy Story) and it fits.  

I'll post pictures later.  Once I've figured out how to keep her still long enough.

As you can see, we've been quite busy.

Everyone says having a puppy is like having a baby, but I tend to disagree.  Babies sleep all the time. You can put babies somewhere and they don't move.  You can strap them in a car seat and watch them in your little mommy mirror. NOT PUPPIES.

No. 

Puppies move.  A lot. They jump on your head while you nap on the couch. They climb in your lap while you are driving, making you hope and pray that you won't have to hit the breaks or get pulled over by the cops because, hello, your passenger bites.

Nope. Puppies are nothing at all like babies.  Puppies are more like toddlers.

Toddlers want to be everywhere all the time.  They wake you up while you try to nap on the couch.  They would love to climb out of the car seat while you drive, and believe you me, they try.

Like with toddlers, you teach your puppy the right way to behave and they try, only when it is in their best interest. Puppies sit or stay or lay down (maybe) if you give them a treat.

Toddlers stop screaming in Wal-mart if you bribe them with a Happy Meal.

Of course, this is only in the beginning of training.  Eventually they do what you tell them because they want to please you.  Until they become teenagers.

Puppies are learning where and when to go potty.  Sometimes they go outside.  Sometimes they go inside.  They try not to have an accident on the carpet, but really, they don't care because someone else is going to clean it up.

Toddlers are in the potty-training phase.  They want to please mama and daddy and they love to wear their new Disney character undies. But, really they don't care if they have an accident because someone else it going to clean it up.

And sometimes they go outside.

When a puppy suddenly gets quiet and disappears into the other room, you'd better put your coffee down and check on her.  She is probably chewing your new shoes from Steinmart or eating something from the trash.

While you're on Facebook, your toddler tiptoes down the hall.  You find her standing in your closet, wearing your new shoes from Steinmart while eating that half of a Hershey bar you thought you threw in the trash.

Let's face it.  You spend half the day saying, "What a good girl," and the other half saying, "What did you do?"

Yes.  Puppies and toddlers have a lot in common.

Puppies and toddlers are scared of strange noises.  Like the dishwasher and Cookie Monster.

Puppies and toddlers have big bellies that are warm and usually smell like their last meal.  Or something they rolled in.

Puppies and toddlers hate storms, firecrackers, and scary-looking people.

Puppies and toddlers are good judges of character.

They love children, ice cream, and warm blankets. 

They can sleep wherever they land.

They throw up when they eat too many treats.

They love you unconditionally.  They cuddle with you in the mornings, but just for a moment until they've moved on to something new. 

Yes, puppies and toddlers are a lot alike. Before you know it, they are eating grown-up food and napping less, learning new things and exploring on their own.  You turn around, and they are all grown up.

And, thank goodness, they finally stopped going on the carpet.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Is this thing still on?

I think I may have broken a record for amount of time not posting.  At least I accomplished something.

It has been a busy week for us.  Not busy in that there is a lot of blog material, but busy in that I want to take lots of naps and watch old episodes of Andy Griffith.

I have some things to share, but in the meantime, I have to comment on The Amazing Race.

First, I am glad the Ivy League Singers are gone.  I couldn't take all the singing.  No one goes through life just bursting in song.  That's just for TV and movies, which I guess they were kind of on, but it's a reality show, so hello.

I can't decide whether I like the home shopping team or not.  On the one hand, I find their over-friendliness a bit inappropriate.  I mean, who hugs a person in a foreign country after he purchased sunglasses?  On the other hand, they can be funny. 

I find myself both rooting for the father/son team and saying, "COME ON."

I was glad someone had to eat something weird.  I have no idea why.  It was just time.

Phil cracked me up with his eyebrow communication.

I hope they go to South America this time.  It's been a while. 

I find the lack of drama between teams this year (compared to last season) to be very refreshing.

That is all.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Weekend Wrap Up: That's it?

Well, the weekend was about as bland as could be.  Daughter is still not 100%, so our days were filled with episodes of Spongebob on the couch interrupted by trips to Wal-mart "just to get out of the house."

There is some sort of cough/sort throat combo going around and, unlike the corn dog/cherry limeade combo we get from Sonic, it is neither filling nor refreshing.

I'm about ready to be over this sickness thing.  It's hard to see your kid cough up a lung.  Last time I checked, those things are important.

I do have to thank you for all the FABULOUS pumpkin recipes you left in your comments. As soon as everyone's taste buds return to full capacity I am going to try them.

And thanks for understanding my prepositional grammar issues.  Apparently, bloggers love to break grammar rules as long as they are on our own blogs.  Contrast that with the watchful editing we do on church bulletins and praise music screens, and you have what some literary folks call IRONY. 

LOVE IT.

I AM ALSO NOW ADDICTED TO ALL CAPS.

I"LL STOP THAT NOW.

you are welcome

Speaking of church, we had to leave during the music yesterday.  Daughter started to feel flushed and funny and in the mom world we know that's a sign of upcoming doom.  Since the traditional baptist church decor does not normally provide Wal-mart bags or small trash cans for illness, we excused ourselves quietly.  We managed to get home without incident and she was fine.  It was just one of those things, but why take the chance?

That reminds me, a friend of mine once told a story about a person fainting during the church service.  Her mama thought he was slain with the Spirit.  As it turned out, he just had low blood sugar.

So, today I have a million errands to do (which could make good blogger fodder) and yet I sit and blog. 

Again, irony.

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Break-up And My Grammar Issues

Today I have a sick kid on the sofa, laundry in the chair, more on the floor of the closet (it spilleth over the basket) and a grocery list I haven't even written yet.

So, I will resort to my precious standby, THE LIST.

For some reason Blogger just tried to ask me to switch my font color. How weird.

1.  The weather has been so fickle this week.  One day it feels like fall, the next day summer.  Sometimes it changes in the same day. Summer has begun to feel like an old boyfriend who just won't break up with you.  Enough.  I'll give you your letter jacket and your class ring back.  It's time to move on.

2.  I'm looking forward to Fashion Week on Project Runway.

3. Each week I say I'm going to stop writing so many sentences which begin with a preposition or a conjunction for effect. 

But then I do it anyway.

And regret it when I edit.

But then leave it.

And then blog about my grammar issues.

I have many.  I critique school flyers and store signs. 

4.  I am still amazed that the five of you (most of whom I'm related to- there goes that grammar) still read this stuff.

5.  My porch is still without pumpkins.  I have a bench out front with a fall leaf garland draped on it, so at least now the wreath has someone to talk to. 

6.  I've been craving Chile's Quesadilla Salad and Pei Wei.  Chile's is down the road and Pei Wei is 2 hours away.  That rhymed a little. 

7.  I am in the mood for some kind of pumpkin recipe this weekend.  Any ideas?

Y'all have a great weekend!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Random Dozen: Aigner and Finch

1. Is there a word which you initially mispronounced? Were the circumstances in which you made the faux pas embarrassing? By the way, that's not "foax pass." (I know you know that. Just jokin' with ya.)

I mispronounced Etienne Aigner in high school. I finally realized in college that my purse did not rhyme with "Abner."


2. How do you feel about the use of texting shortcuts and trends? (ex: "I've got ur notes. Get them 2 u 2morow.")

It depends on who I am texting and if I am trying to save space. Hubs doesn't mind.  In fact, he has his own abbreviations.

We all know how that turned out.

3. Tell me about your high school senior picture. Please feel free to post.

I wasn't thrilled with the ones from school.  Most of us had senior pictures that we ordered made at Olan Mills or somewhere else. The ones at school were poor quality.

I remember taking my picture at Olan Mills and planning how I'd do my hair, and picking out which gold chain I would wear with a sweater that had shoulder pads.

5. Share a high school or college homecoming memory.

I didn't go to high school or college homecoming.  No dates for high school and college wasn't a big deal for our school. I really don't regret missing either of them.

6. Linda at Mocha with Linda wants to know: "Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?"

Sunsets.  I would have to get up early enough to see a sunrise. The only time I've done that on purpose was for Easter.  (Worth it.) Otherwise, give me a sunset on the beach while eating crab legs or gulf shrimp.  Ahhh...

7. Lea at Cici's Corner asks, "What is something you have not done that you desire to do?"

Hmmmm... I have to reach deep down in my not-adventurous self.  This one is tough for me.  I would like to go sailing at some point. Preferably, with the shore in sight.

8. Carol at Wanderings of an Elusive Mind ponders, "If you could come back [in another life] as an animal, which would it be?"

I'd have to say a household cat.  That's the life.

9. Joyce from The Other Side of the Pond is curious: "Where were you 10 years ago?" Please feel free to elaborate more than just your physical location.

Geographically, I was in North Carolina.  Figuratively, I was a new mom whose best friend and support had just moved. I discovered a lot about the real meaning of life and priorities. I also learned that I don't like East Carolina BBQ.

10. When you are proven to be correct in any contentious discussion, do you gloat?

I try not to.  If it's Hubs, I rub it in just to be annoying.

11. What is your favorite food which includes the ingredient "caramel?"

I am not a fan of caramel, but I would have to go with caramel cake. Preferably from Dean's Cakes in Andalusia, Alabama.

12. From my 17 year-old daughter to you: "If you could be part of any fictional family, which family would you choose and why?" (She's so cute. And clever.)

This is one of the best questions in all the Randoms!

The Finch family from To Kill A Mockingbird. Scout witnessed so much change and pain and her father stood up for justice.  She was smart, thoughtful, and free spirited. That kind of legacy and history would be incredible to pass along.  I wonder what Scout would have become when she grew up.

Thanks, Lid and Friends (and Family!) for the great Random this week!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Funny Link, A New Favorite

Oh, the wittiness.

Oh, the sarcasm.

Grab your favorite catalog and have a laugh at Catalog Living.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Someone would have found America anyway.

Over 500 years ago, the king and queen of Spain sent Christopher Columbus (an Italian) on an all-expenses paid trip to Asia.  In his quest for spices and treasures, he discovered America, but, technically he discovered what we now call The Caribbean.

Ironic, since I sit here typing this in the high plains of New Mexico instead of on a beach in The Bahamas.

Oh, those Spaniards and Italians and their twisted sense of humor.  The least Chris could have done was send me an Olive Garden.

But that's all I'm going to say about that.

Our weekend has been pretty boring.  Friday was a day off of school.  Daughter and I both slept late, then got dressed for a walk.  Along the way, she found some interesting items for the Odd Objects Jar, an old plastic gumball jar she and her friend, C. found.  They put odd items in it like bolts and grass and weeds and bottle caps.  On Friday, she found a huge straw on the side of the road.  Not the Sonic Route 44 kind, but much bigger.  This was the Golden Egg of odd objects.

On Saturday, after all my chores were halfway done, I went to Hobby Lobby and managed to walk out with less than a $20 purchase.  I had the car washed, and then came home to get ready for a baby shower.

The shower was for a sweet young woman from Bible study.  Nancy and I went to the shower together and it was one of the nicest showers I've attended. The hostesses were so gracious and the food was delicious. I have a sneaky suspicion that at least one of the hostesses is Southern, as evidenced by the deviled eggs, pretty tablecloth and dishes. 

Not that non-Southerners don't own pretty tablecloths and dishes and know how to make deviled eggs.  What are the odds of combining all three?

The hostesses also displayed the cutest little decoration that I am totally going to steal if I ever host a baby shower again.  (It doesn't look like any of my friends will be having a baby at our age, so I'll wait until one of them has a grandchild in about 15 years.)

Along the wall, the hostesses had created a little clothesline with coordinating onesies.  It was so sweet and simple and who would guess that a decoration could also double as a gift for the mom-to-be?! Genius!

It's here that I'll skip right to Sunday, because I pretty much came home after the shower and went to bed.  Nancy kept me out until the late, late hour of 8:00 PM.

Daughter and I stayed home from church because we both had a cough and sore throat.  (Not the same cough or throat, for you grammar snobs out there. Wink.)

Hers was worse than mine, so I managed to spend the day in yoga pants refilling drink glasses and coaxing down Children's Motrin.  Hubs went to the store for us and got all of the ingredients for Paula's chicken noodle soup.  (It was yummy!)

Today I feel a bit better, but Daughter is still not 100%. Drat, those allergies.  So, it looks like she'll miss out on all the Columbus Day events which we really don't have, but still.

However, if Columbus had brought over that Olive Garden, I could be enjoying an endless pasta bowl. Instead, I'm looking out my window at grasslands and cows with that grade school rhyme about the ocean blue in my head.

Rub it in.

Thursday, October 07, 2010

More Stuff I Don't Understand: Edition Who Knows?

1.  If you are posting a puppy in need of a home on PetFinder, why would you name him "Killer?"

I'm no expert, but I am guessing a name like Snuggles or Champ would be better at attracting potential furever homes. 

But, that's just me.

2.  Why are all the late nite commercials about weight loss, vacuum cleaners, and acne products?  Shouldn't they be advertising insomnia treatments?

3.  Whenever someone gets voted off Dancing With The Stars or some other talent reality show, why do they perform one more time on the morning talk shows? If we wanted to keep watching them, they would not have been voted off in the first place.

And, yes, I realize sometimes the judges vote them off.  Just go with me here.

4.  Why does the person who won't obey the car line rules always have to be in the front of the line? 

5.  Why does the lady in the Chico's catalog always look put together, but when I put on the very same outfit, I look like I'm going to a costume party? 

6.  Why is it that when I tell Hubs that Old Navy clothes don't fit me, he asks if I tried on the right size?  It's the cut, folks. 

7.  Why is it that for a man's clothes to fit, he only needs to choose the right waist size, inseam and whether or not they are a medium or large? 

For a woman's clothes to fit, she needs to decide on boot cut, straight leg, tapered leg, fitted, regular, if it's sized small or big, what brand, what store, and if Jupiter is aligned with Venus. 

And then it still looks different when we get home.

If you'll excuse me, I have to look at my new Chico's catalog...

Monday, October 04, 2010

We could use the air mattress for a flotation device.

Is it just me or is Blogger all wonky this morning? 

Now that I have that out of the way, I'll tell you about our weekend.  This is the kind of post you can read during a commercial break, because, our weekend?  Boring.

I should say, MY weekend.  Boring.

Friday I took Daughter to horseback riding.  She always loves it and I always love sitting on the bleachers talking to her instructor. After that, we went to Dairy Queen (her new fav) where she got her usual order of a burger and blizzard and I was good and got nothing.

On Saturday (I know what you're thinking, if this is going to go day-by-day, I may have to just watch the commercials) Hubs and Daughter went Geocaching.  I've decided that geocaching is what Barbie does with the stuff that didn't sell at her garage sale.

After finding Barbie's old furniture from her Dream House, Hubs and Daughter went to Wally World for camping supplies.  They put the s'mores ingredients and hot dogs away and set up the tent. 

I don't camp.  If there were a camper with a cot or a bed, I'd be all for it. However, the tent thing is a little too Les Stroud for me.

I am aware that Les would not have a tent.  He'd make do with branches and leaves and such but this is the high plains, and we don't have branches and leaves and such.  Besides, he always uses what's available to him. In this case, that's a tent.

But I digress.

I joined them for dinner in the tent, then I came inside and watched  poor quality television.

I told Hubs that I think they should get a camper one day, the kind you pull behind the car.  He said that wasn't camping.  Then I asked him where you hang out during the day if you camp more than one night.  (I mean, there's only so many s'mores you can make, right?) He told me you do whatever it is you do that's around the campsite, like fishing or swimming in a lake. 

He never got to the part about when I would be in the camper lounging on a cot or turning on air conditioning, so I'm still lost on the whole camping thing.

Yesterday morning he and Daughter got up for church.  I was under the weather and stayed home.  You'd think they would be under the weather since they were the ones sleeping outside, but no.  It was me.  That fluffy Pottery Barn comforter really knocked me off my feet.

At some point yesterday afternoon I bought some groceries.  After nearly $200, we have barely enough for 2 meals, so I'll be back later this week. 

That was pretty much the highlight of my weekend. 

However, it runs a close second to Hubs cooking dinner on Saturday night.  Hot dogs and baked beans always taste better when someone else cooks them. 

Even if I wasn't eating them at a cheaply made table/sofa/cot in a camper.

P.S.  The s'mores were made in the oven.  As I said, this is the high plains.  Campfires, dry grass, and high winds? Almost as scary as sleeping in a tent.