Happy Gotcha Day- Pepsi

We adopted Pepsi 6 years ago today- ok, not actually to the day, but we adopted her on Super Bowl Sunday. Thus, we always celebrate her gotcha day on Super Bowl Sunday.

Greyt and Mighty Hunter

I understand that some greyhounds have a "high prey drive". I feel confident in saying that Hero is NOT one of them.

Get a clue..

Now, don't get me wrong, I think Blue's Clues is a fine show. I recognize, and applaud, the fact that it teaches young children problem solving, as well as their colors, numbers, alphabet, etc.
But an interesting side effect is that my two year old thinks that every paw print is a "clue". All paw prints and pictures of paw prints are greeted with the joyful cry "a clue, a clue, Look Mommy a clue."

Will wants to "figure out" the mystery to which this paw print belongs.

I think it is the mystery of how 2 inches of snow/ ice (along with a strategically placed teacher work day), ended up giving his siblings a 7 day vacation ( I kid you not).

Meme madness

Zan at Sirius Sighthounds posted this Meme, and I thought I would play along, even if with a first name like "A"lex, it's pretty much a gimmeme, lol.

The object is to answer each question, The catch is the answer must start with the same letter as your name. So here goes:

What is your name? Alexandra
A four-letter word: arch
A boy's name: Adam
A girl's name: Alice
An occupation: architect
A color: amber
Something you wear: ascot
A food: artichoke
Something found in the bathroom: antiseptic
A place: Alaska
A reason for being late: accident
Something you shout: About face!
A movie title: First I thought, "A" room with a view- or the "A"viator- but let's go with American Gangster
Something you drink: apple juice
A musical group: America or AH -HA (anyone else remember them?)
An animal: aardvark
A street name: Acorn
A type of car: Acura
The title of a song: "All I need"
A verb: annihilate

Snow Day

This is not what I had in mind....Can we go in now?

Basic mother's math:
2 inches of snow= 2 feet of dirty laundry


Pepsi likes the snow.

It is sort of pretty.

Did someone say "walk"?

What can get a 45 mile an hour couch potato off the couch?

There is a "p" in Dogtopia too

An Interesting Day.
After church - no stops at Target or Starbucks this week. Alaina needed to be dropped off at a friend's house. Said friend invited her to go skiing for two days- being that our local school system has Monday and Tuesday off this coming week. I hope she is returned to us still in one piece (especially since she has never skied before).
Then Eric and I brought Hero to his first "Dog Scouts" meeting. The topic of today's meeting was "therapy dogs".
Hero was indeed an "All Star" graciously greeting each owner/member. Requesting the scratches/ admiration that are his due, and performing/allowing all the required sniffing type greetings of his fellow canines. Foxy (a tiny Pomeranian) known for being very unsure of larger dogs and who "will snap when they come near her"- eventually allowed Hero to nuzzle her without any apparent stress, much to the amazement of her owner. The leader of the group noted that Hero would very likely make a very good "Therapy" dog.

The only grey cloud was that the meeting was held at a "Dogtopia" (a doggy day-care facility). And while it seemed very clean, I am afraid that there were scents that encouraged much marking by all the male dogs, our dear Hero included. I was able to interrupt him (mid-stream) 2 or 3 times, and by the end I think we made some progress in his understanding (No peeing anywhere with a roof!!!). Unfortunately, not before his marking my chair, on which my new wool coat (a Christmas gift from Doug) was hanging. This in turn encouraged several other dogs to mark the same spot- and then chivalrous Hero felt it his duty to reclaim my chair and coat as our property.
A trip to the dry cleaner is at the top of my priorities for tomorrow morning!

Quotes for bloggers

If my doctor told me I only had 6 minutes to live, I would not brood, I'd type faster-
Isaac Asimov

So why do we blog?
For some it is a personal journal, to help us remember who we were, how we felt, in one small instant of our lives-
"Remember tonight for it is the beginning of always"-
Dante Aligheri
"The palest ink is better than the best memory"-
Chinese proverb

It lets us tell our side of the story-
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it"-
Winston Churchill

It can be a cathartic-
"We are healed of a suffering only by expressing it to the full"-
Marcel Proost

Blogging allows us to reach out to our fellow man (uh- blogger)
"The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another- who knows in what far place my touch will be felt"-
Frederick Buechner

Sometimes it is to find those who believe in the same causes we do and to "rally forces"
"When we have the courage to speak up, we inspire the rest of the "moderates" in our communities to speak up"-
Sharon Schuster
"There is ONE thing that matters, to set a chime of words tinkling in the minds of a few people"- Logan Pearsall Smith

One can find new friends-
"If you are a misfit within a group of misfits, does that mean you are actually popular and normal"-
Laura Preble

Or communicate with love ones -
"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close knit family, in another city" -
George Burns

But always on your own terms-
"When they are alone, they want to be with others- when they are with others they want to be alone- human beings are like that"
- Gertrude Stein
(with blogging we actually can have it BOTH ways- amazing, no?)

What is a blog but a biography/autobiography?-
"Read no history, read nothing but biographies- for that is life without theory"-
Benjamin Disraeli
"There never yet was an uninteresting life"-
Mark Twain

Why I love "comments"-
"Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee"-
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
"The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echos of his own thoughts"-
Pearl S. Buck

Once in a while you will find a very special "blogger", one with an amazing gift to share- the gift of humor/ wit

"Humor is the great thing, the saving thing, the minute it creeps up all our irritations and resentments slip away"-
Mark Twain
"Life is tough, but when you have the ability to laugh at it you have the ability to enjoy it"-
Salma Hayek
"Humor is a rubber sword it allows you to make a point without drawing blood"-
Mary Hirsch

If you need some humor in your life I recommend:

http://addieuncensored.blogspot.com/

http://lifewithdogs.blogspot.com/

And I leave you with this-

"Words are of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind"-
Rudyard Kipling

You may find this interesting...or not

Ok, this is going to be an odd, scattered, post- but those of you who have been reading my blog for a while probably aren't expecting anything else.
See if you can follow the breadcrumb trail of my thoughts without getting totally lost....
This post started because I wanted to give a shout out to my Darling Hubby (DH) Doug for starting his own blog "Fumbled Returns".
The interesting thing about (DH) starting his own blog is that he has always been the type to say "why?"-"why would anyone want to write a blog?" "I don't get it".
So, his starting a blog gave me 2 separate and unrelated ideas for posts-
1) a list of reasons why people "blog" - (I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately because many bloggers- *myself included* seem to hit a "blogging" slump around the holidays, questioning what they should blog about) (it is also timely because I read Zan's Sirius Sighthounds blog this morning and I think her post is a wonderful example of one of my "reasons" for blogging :-) http://siriussighthounds.blogspot.com/2009/01/memory-maelstorm.html
I do believe there are right side of the brain reasons for blogging- and left side of the brain reasons for blogging. If you stop over to visit Doug's blog I think you will find that many of his posts are very left side of the brain type posts, while I am ALWAYS in my right mind- sorry could not resist. More on this topic later.
Because..
2) Then, just being silly- I thought "I wonder how I can tie Doug's blogging in as one of the "signs" of the end of times/ Armageddon." Just because this topic seems to be very much in the forefront of our "collective unconscious". (familiar with the web bot project?) The History Channel probably threw that project completely off. ;-)
Anyway,.. I start trolling for these "signs"- Nostradamus, Mayan calendar, and of course my only true source of prophesy- The Bible.
Well, obviously I did not get my silly- "end of the world" post written
BUT
I did find the following:
I Timothy 4:1-3 "men who... advocate abstaining from meats which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth."
Timely to Stephen's post on "Plus Est En Vous"
http://plusestenvous.blogspot.com/2009/01/keep-youre-head-on-swivel.html

“Sometimes paranoia's just having all the facts.”
William S. Burroughs quotes

I hereby withdraw my endorsement

No, this is not a political post. (Sorry, Stephen)
Nope, this is another fascinating arts and crafts post - hey, where are y'all going? :-)
We will get to the reason for the title of this post in a minute.- But first some personal rambling/ uh, I mean reflection...
Sunday, Alaina (the 14 year old wonder ;-?) claimed me as her personal assistant.
After church, (the kids and I leave for church at 9:30 AM- every Sunday- day of rest my eye!), Alaina informs me that she has a school project due Tuesday. They have been put into groups of three to put on an "original" Greek tragedy, and she is in charge of her group's costumes.
But... before we hit Michael's we really DO need to stop at Target- she needs more make-up, shampoo, "product" as Doug calls it. And by some wonderful coincidence, there is a "Starbuck's" in Target so the little kid's can get hot chocolate and "mom" can get a caramel macchiato.
Yes, I know I'm weak. I am Aware that we are in a recession, and that $12.00 for drinks is excessive. But if we get ourselves out of bed, out of the house,- and to church ON TIME, all when it is about 12 degrees out, I figure we have earned it.
Anyway, next stop- Michaels'. As it was explained to me,
Alaina "We all know that guys played all the girls' parts in all Greek plays, right?"
-Me: "Wouldn't that be "Grecian plays?",
Alaina: "no",
Me: "why not?"
Alaina (with the total look of disdain, only a 14 year old girl can give) "uh- because Grecian doesn't sound like a real word".
(Greek play or Grecian play?? feel free to weigh in Addie- if you agree with Alaina, I can take it- I won't tell her, but I can take it ;-)
"Yes, I know it is called a "Greek Tragedy"- but they ARE called Grecian Urns, vases, etc.,".
Alaina "anyway... since guys played the girl parts they had to wear masks- so I'm going to make masks- I want to make- like- those "Venetian masks." (yup,Venetian masks in Ancient "Greek" plays, our public school system hard at work)
Me: "sounds good to me"
"So who are your characters"?
"Aphrodite, Hades, and Apollo"
Ok, so a black mask with a crown of discount/ close-out black poinsettias with gold glitter for Hades, a white mask with purple "forget me not" stickers and a crown of purple flowers for Aphrodite, and a white mask with gold glitter paint/feathers, and a crown of some sort of branches for Apollo.- $30.00 later...
"Ok, now we have to get fabric for togas for everyone".
Me: "um-No"
Alaina:"But this is a school project, and I told them I would"
Me "tell them to each bring in a white sheet"
YES- The win actually goes to Mom this time!!!
When we get home and actually get out the play, in reality the characters are Artemis, Orion, and Apollo (hey at least she got Apollo right.)
Post-script- She recieved a 117% A+ as her grade for this project. lol
So now, the reason for this title of this post...
While at Michaels I decided to try Sculpey Bake & Bend clay. I figured if they claim that it can actually be bent it must be less prone to breaking, right?
Well, yes and no. Once it is baked it DOES bend. It does seem less prone to breaking.
But you pretty much better limit your "sculpting" to snakes, worms, and ball/marbles. any other type of "working" and the clay crumbles.
Ok, so no big deal, this clay goes into the kids' arts and crafts desk.
BUT
Then my larger greyhound bust out of SCULPEY "PREMO" clay.
Yes, I just made the eyes out of clay. I told you patience is not one of my virtues.
But when I baked it- it cracked!!!!!

Note the neck-

I glazed over the crack, but it is very noticeable! I'm really pretty sad about it.

Sorry Jen!

I told you I could not do Travis justice.

I guess I could try to make a mold, and cast a copy without the cracks,... but that can wait until I create something that is actually good enough to sell.......

Anyone in the market for greyhound art?

MEME

I found this MEME on 5 crazy Greys' Blog,
I thought it was worth posting/ passing along
1) LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATRE? Marley and Me (Loved it)
2) WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? The Bible
3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? Imaginiff- It's a great ice breaker/ party game.
4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE? Reader's Digest! If only everything in my life could be "abridged".
5) FAVOURITE SMELLS? Freshly brewed coffee, cinnamon rolls, sweet hay, frying bacon, coconut oil suntan lotion, honeysuckle....wow- I guess this list needs to be "abridged" too
6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS? windchimes, the ocean, children laughing,
7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? panic
8 ) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK WHEN YOU FIRST WAKE UP? Coffee, Where's the coffee? Won't someone PLEASE get me some coffee??
9) FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE? McDonald's- go ahead Stephen, let me have it :-)
10) FUTURE CHILD’S NAME? FUTURE CHILD'S NAME??? Future child??I already have 5 !!
11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D....move!
12) DO YOU DRIVE FAST? Faster than I walk
13) DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? No, but I do have a couple scattered about my bedroom (most of them do not actually belong to me).
14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? Cool- unless someone gets hurt
15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? Toyota Corolla
16) FAVOURITE DRINK? Do I really have to pick one? ok, a blueberry martini
17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT - IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD...get everything done
18 ) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? I prefer the tops
19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? If I could?- Why couldn't I? Last time I checked hair dye HAS already been invented.
20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN? LOL- Yonkers NY, Centreville VA, Manassas, VA- Warrenton VA- pretty boring, huh?
21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Golf, any form of diving (spring board/ platform, etc.)and yes, it's true- football.
22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Well, she didn't actually send it to me, but she likes/ has greyhounds, that makes her a great person in my book !
23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED? meteor dust
24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN? No, once was enough, Thank you.
25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? Night owl in a house of early birds (it's not pretty!)26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? ummm-scrambled
27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? livingroom couch with the dogs- EASY
28 ) FAVOURITE PIE? YES, PLEASE!
29) FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR? partycake ice cream!!! anyone ever try it? It has bits of birthday cake in it- icing and all. No, seriously, You have to try it. It is the closest thing to the fountain of Youth I have ever found- one bite and you are a little kid again.
If you read this far please consider YOURSELF TAGGED.

Alex unplugged

Well, I was unplugged,

BUT, I shall be "unplugged" no longer!

No, I have not turned my back on all acoustically performed music....

This all started because my darling daughter Alaina had been "tidying".

Am I actually about to complain about a teenager who cleans? Well, yes I guess I am and- No, I did not mean to say " Alex unhinged"!

The problem is that when Alaina "tidies"- things go missing. Important things, like- mail correspondence, checkbooks, food, medications, AND cords/"plugs" for the computers- it's all fair game. And when you ask her if she knows where something is, more often than not the answer is, I didn't touch/move that! "I never EVEN saw that"

Well, this has been the situation the last couple of days with my cord/" plug" to download the pictures from my digital camera.

We found my dried ginger spice bottle (in the toy box), the dog treats (in with the candy), and the PLUGS in the china cabinet. YAY.

so prepare yourself fro a barrage of pictures....

"Alex unleashed"

This is another "pup" based on a picture on fellow blogger's blog.

Guesses?

This will be a greyhound bust (eventually). I will most likely will use glass eyes on this one too. (Unfortunately, that means ordering some 12 mm glass eyes through the mail- patience is NOT one of my virtues).

This Bust is made out of sculpey "premo" clay. a very different medium/ experience than using the boneware clay. It will be a more fair comparison, once it is "fired" and glazed. I'm not sure whether to try to glaze it in "true to life/ paint colors" or just glaze it white like the horse.

If you have actually stayed with me this far- PLEASE let me know your opinions!!!!

The birds that visit our bird feeder/ dog water bowl. ( These pictures were taken through our kitchen window- dog nose smudges and all :-)

With all the bluebirds we have been seeing, we should be drowning in happiness ;-)

Round 2

For those of you who have missed the background story, I will try to relay it as briefly and succinctly as possible (for me).

We adopted Pepsi, our beagle /Jack Russell mix, when she was about 8 weeks old. When she was approximately thirteen weeks of age, my daughter Alaina (who was 9 at the time), was walking her (on a leash), when a neighbor's Shepherd mix got loose, ran across the street, and attacked Pepsi - injuring her badly enough to require surgery. The day before the stitches were due to come out,we finally gave Alaina the all clear to take her for a SHORT walk- (say down to the corner and back), when the SAME dog got loose and attacked Pepsi again. (the result of the second attack was only a few torn exterior stitches).

Now, Alaina was not harmed in either attack, and the neighbor did pay all the vet bills. (We reported the attacks to animal control anyway, because while no action was ever taken, we thought that they should at least have the attacks on record). The offending neighbors (and their dog) moved away soon after. The problem is that both Alaina and Pepsi were permanently "scarred" by the attacks. Alaina has been much better at overcoming her fear of other dogs than Pepsi. Whom we have spent untold time and money trying to rehabilitate- to no avail.

So why this rehashing of ancient history?

Today, Alaina (now 14) was out walking Hero, when another neighbor's dog, a boxer this time, charged right through their electric "fence" and attacked Hero. Once again, Alaina was not harmed, and to be truthful I think it was a more even fight this time (Hero was not muzzled) and he seems to have come away with only one small tooth mark (it hardly bled at all- and seems more like a scrape/bruise- than a puncture) on his chest near his front leg. We will be watching it carefully for infection/ additional tearing, but it seems fine. The owner did come out to pull the dog away and apologise, (and to make sure that everyone was "O.K.")-, NO actually, it is NOT OK!!

Alaina spent most of the afternoon in tears. More trauma- more drama.

I don't even know how to end this post.

Why does this keep happening? Is this corner of Virginia especially backwards when it comes to it's canines or does this sort of thing really happen everywhere? How do I keep Alaina from being permanently traumatized? Should I really never let her walk her dogs again?

How do I keep Hero from being traumatized and ending up as psychotic and anti-social as the rest of these dogs (my beautiful Pepsi included)? How long can my luck hold out before one of these Cujos actually attacks Alaina? I am sure one or more of you kind and wise bloggers, have some sage advice for me.....(help)

And the winner is......

Wow, that was quick. Leslie gets the win.

Now- Yes, I know that Hoover and Bruno are both males, and I am in no way suggesting that their relationship is anything more than friendly ! I just "sculpts them the ways I sees them" :-)

By the way- "the cutest blog on the block" site is back on line. Can I get a "whoo-hoo"?

Wanna play a game?

This "sculpey" piece is based on an actual picture that was posted on one of my follower's blogs a while back. Can anyone one name that blog/ picture?

I apologize for the quality of the photography. The second shot has a lot of glare because it was taken while the glaze was still drying.

The News at 2:00

Our lead story today is a sad one.
I regret to inform you of the passing of Superfreak. Sources say that foul play is NOT suspected, and by all indications, he died of natural causes. The family decided to forgo an autopsy, and chose instead to perform an immediate burial at sea. -Ok, so maybe not literally at sea, in the interest of accurate reporting, lets just say that "water was involved". (Insert your own yellow journalism joke here :-)
In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be made to the National Aquarium in D.C.

NO, the next story is not about mob related intimidation tactics.

(for those of you who got the "Godfather" reference, 10 points )

Rather this is an announcement of the completion of a joint project undertaken by myself and my 10 year old daughter, Genevieve. This bust of a horse's head was created as a gift for Genevieve's friend Sarah's 10th birthday. Sarah is known to be quite the "equine enthusiast".

Please keep your computer tuned to this blog for further updates.

Good day, and may the good news be yours.
(got the WKRP reference? + 50 points.)

artistic "dog" license

I am looking for muses/ inspiration.

If you have a greyt picture of your hound- that might make a good sculpture, will you post it on your blog- and let me know?

What can I say?..

a
Yup, I am still fighting with my computer in general and with "Blogger" in particular. It has escalated to name calling (via verification words) on both our parts.


I am willing to take all advice and suggestions.

THANK YOU Jen- your advice about switching to edit Html -worked and I can at least move my pictures about again!! YAY!!!

"coment hoare" that I am- I will gladly take requests for the music "player", even "The Sound of Silence" :-)

It's still Dark Over Here

Argghhh- now I can't move my pictures either-

They remain on the top of my post no matter what I do-

This is quickly going down hill!!!

All this black- all this angst-

I shall paint my fingernails black, start using lots of black eyeliner, and black lipstick (hey it looks greyt on the pups)

I shall start writing poetry
Perhaps haikus-

like:

In the greyhound's wake,
be he running or stretching,
a gentle breeze blows

I have added a music play list that includes "Don't Fear the Reaper"
Anyone know where I can get a cheap exorcism performed on my laptop?

Back in Black

OK, so what explains this?

“In the magical universe there are no coincidences and there are no accidents. Nothing happens unless someone wills it to happen.”
William S. Burroughs

No good deed ever goes unpunished....

OK, OK, I am rambling and I've probably lost the brave few who actually try to follow me, so let me start again more slowly...,

I was just trying to add the Petfinder link (with our local greyhound rescue's dogs) to my blog, that's all (scroll down to bottom of page). (I had the best of intentions- you know what that leads to)

My first attempt was trying to put it on the side bar, somewhere between my followers and my blog archive. I was hoping for somewhere a little more visible than the no-mans land at the very bottom. But the code could not be made to fit in that narrow a space (at least not by me, with my limited computer knowledge.)

So I tried to delete it, and then put it in no-mans land.

Hit Blog preview- I discover my little cropped side bar link is still there,

OK, I'll try again,

Wait now it's gone-, but I seem to have deleted my cute background, lingerie trim and all, in the process.

No need to panic, I will just go to "The cutest blog on the block" and recopy it.

But no- their site is down.

And now it seems like "the cutest blog" site has been hijacked - it keeps sending me to Goodyear Arizona..???

OK, so to make up for the lousy post- here's a cute picture from "can has" lol dogs,

Pictures that make me smile

This is one of my favorite pictures of Hero because it reminds me so much of an Elle Wilson painting!

Don't believe me? Go to:

http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=greytart&cart_id=9341778.74170&product_name=Dignity&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact

Don't you just love the expression on Pepsi's face?

How could anyone be mad at that face?

The crazy pup gets a straight jacket

As has been alluded to before in this blog , our terrier/beagle mix named Pepsi is nuts. No need to candy-coat it.
We have been through Bark Busters as well as the local Petco obedience classes. She can: sit, stay, lay down, come, heel, beg, cover her nose with her paw, and play dead- all on command- as long as there are no unfamiliar people or canines in the vicinity.
Regardless of all the throwing of small bits of chain, and growls of bah, ehh, etc (oh, and use of the spray bottle too). She continues to charge the door, barking like a maniac, whenever anyone knocks or rings the doorbell. (Of course given the opportunity to actually greet the person she quickly accepts them, (people- NOT dogs). The same goes for walks on the leash.
Unfortunately all the reassuring in the world (to the people not her) doesn't cut it with the deliverymen and repairmen. She has been prescribed drugs by our vet, and we have tried those plug in pheromone emitters, in hopes of taking "the edge" off. We have walked her while wearing a cloth muzzle (her not us) but she scratched and pawed at her face until it was raw and bleeding. So, now I have found a new product to try-

Yes, it does say "end thunderstorm fear" which she does NOT have at all- she will happily sleep through thunderstorms, fireworks, etc. But it also says to lessen aggression, so hey- I will give it a go...

Pepsi "stylin" in her new "anxiety wrap"
So, of course everyone comes home and says "Oh, Pepsi has a new coat, She looks so cute, but does she like it? Will she wear it?" that sort of thing.
The last being a fair question because past coats have fared only as well as the muzzle- and were quickly chewed up/ removed. I pulled out the package to show them the claims that come with this new improved jacket- and it is immediately dubbed "Pepsi's Straight jacket"
Well, she seems to wear it happily enough which is a step in the right direction- if nothing else it is a coat she will be willing to wear in the cold weather. As far as actually "calming" her, I will keep you posted.

Out with the Old

Time to put away the champagne and give the ol' blog a new look for the new year.
Alaina says the bit of lace at the top of the blog reminds her of lingerie. (Teenagers can find "innuendos" everywhere and anywhere, can't they?).
That's ok though, just the slightest peek of girlyness (girlyness?- does that count as a word Addie??) suits me just fine. Before all hints of the holiday season are put away- here is a picture of Will wearing his "glasses" for New Years Eve.

And here are the pups snuggling on the couch. Pepsi still pretends that she despises Hero, but we find them hanging out like this almost every day now. (Sorry Pepsi no one is buying your act anymore).
I've got to find a way to add some extra octane (and/or caffiene) to this Blog, I only had 1 comment (God bless you -Zan) on my last post. I guess you were all asleep before you reached the end...

Warning:

This Blog may be used as a non-addictive sleep aid in people over 18 years of age. Do not read this blog while driving or operating large machinery.

Ok- so I have not written a real post since December 28th. I say "real" because while photo tag is fun, it does not consist of much serious writing, (right, -serious was probably not the best choice of words). Anyway, I tried to write a post for New Years Day- even down loaded some photos and everything, but I often have to unplug my laptop in order to follow Will (2 1/2 yrs.) around the house- and lately my battery has been giving up even quicker than I do...

The pictures I had downloaded for said unsuccessful post are as follows-

The common denominator in all these photos is my 16 year old nephew Michael. He came to visit us from North Carolina for the week between Christmas and New Years. I thank my sister Marie and b-i-l Joe for sharing him with us. As you can tell, he is great with the kids and the hounds. He can come stay with us anytime, though (my 5 kids + my son's girlfriend + an extra 16 year old bottomless pit- I mean, boy = NO FOOD IN THE HOUSE (sorry didn't mean to shout :-) Michael was able to come visit us because his older brother John was passing through, literally- On his way, to visit his girlfriend's family, who also happen to live in Virginia. At least he did slow the car down before throwing Michael out....JK

This is the ONLY picture I have of John. (Does this picture=1000 words??)

One more topic I want to touch upon before bringing this ramble to a close. Has anyone out there seen the movie Marley and Me? I went to see it with Alaina, this past Saturday. Personally, I loved it. It was marred a little for Alaina by the fact that she has actually read (maybe "memorized" is closer to accurate) the book. I didn't know that the fact that I have not been able to read anything longer than a recipe in 2 years could work to my benefit. Also, I am probably not the harshest critic being that the last movie I saw at an actual "movie theater" was "Finding Nemo".

I actually read a review that called it "mean spirited". What??

Personally, I found it very real.

For those of us who know that life is messy: that people do get dissatisfied, Couples do fight, dogs do pee in the house, (and in PETCO ;-),(but we love them anyway), raising kids is hard, (but we love them anyway), And yes, death is the inevitable end to all our stories... I think it is a movie worth seeing, even if Marley was not a greyhound.

Asleep yet?