It's Not Easy Being a Princess (but someone has to do it)

2009-12-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

C'mon....we can do it!

2009-10-17T09:51:00.001-07:00

I'm helping to raise funds to
#beatcancer, by blogging, tweeting
and posting Facebook status
updates.

Click here to join me!

#beatcancer

2009-10-17T09:39:00.001-07:00

#beatcancer

Instant Karma

2009-08-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hahahahahaahhahahahaha......hahahahahahaha....I can't stop laughing :-D. Thanks to my friend Casey for this!

Saturday's Child

2009-08-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

I was born on a Saturday. Maybe that's why it's my favorite day of the week, no matter what's going on. Of course, today is Sunday...I love Sundays too, LOL!

We are having what I think is the mildest July ever since we've moved to the desert! I mean, seriously; it cools off enough in the evenings to sit outside without sweating and it's nice enough once the shade falls over part of the back lawn to be outside playing with the doggies! That's huge! Last night it was so beautiful outside, I really wished I had the aero bed blown up and set up on the patio; I coulda slept there all night. Although, it would probably have been more like the "Barka-lounger" with Madison Macadamia Nut running and barking at every little thing. I think if I'd gotten the fountain and chimnea I am planning on I probably would have taken the time to have done it! Maybe in another month.

I'm a little sad too; my little job at the celebrity dog website is on hold again; I just love doing it so much and I really like the girl I worked for. She's really a wonderful and fun person. I know it seems so silly and trivial, but it really is pretty fun. And it gives me something to do besides obsess over my dogs or exercise. As despondent as I am, I completely understand. So much competition with websites these days and times are tough. I love doing research though and if pets are involved, so much the better, LOL! Kind of a match made in heaven. If it involved cooking it would meld everything in a perfect tied-with-a-bow package, haha.

I am onto a new vice...sangrias! Oh gosh, I made the best pitcher yesterday! Love love love good wines, but during the intensely hot summer here, it's a little daunting to be drinking a heavy cab or much of anything other than something like a white zin! Yes, I uttered those words. After living in the desert, white zin doesn't seem so unseemly, LOL. In fact, does anyone drink that stuff anywhere else? Hard to imagine.

OK, so onto the rest of my weekend; play with dogs, keep myself from making them wear their newest wardrobe additions til I bathe them at least, figuring out what in the world to make for dinner and catching up on some reading. OH..and ignoring any ironing that needs to be done, LOL. Looking forward to the coming week!

Laaazzzzzy Dayyyyyy

2009-07-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

"....Just right for blogging away"

Geeze, what a strange day for a weekend! I finally get back here and it's like the most boring day of the month. Gotta do somethin' about that!

It's hot outside, but not horrifically hot as it can be at this time of year in the desert. It's humid though; I think that's what's going on. It feels like some heavy weight sitting on you and it's overcast, so when you look outside, it seems like it would be cold. NOT! Nosiree....it's not cold here!

Just saw a cool sight though; two jets flying side by side over the house. I love stuff like that. We're sort of in the landing approach for Palm Springs airport, so I get to see interesting things every now and then. I love watching airplanes; I just don't like BEING on them.

I've been watching the Tour de France; what a great race it is! I am totally amazed by Lance Armstrong; say what you will about him, but that guy is beyond freakin' incredible! After being off for ..what? 3 years? And he decides to come back, starts training, crashes and breaks his shoulder, has surgery and pins placed and STILL will be on the podium tomorrow? Not in the maillot jaune, but still....not too shabby. I swear, he is other than mortal! Aww, you know me and my bikes....I keep thinking about my bike chain napkin rings....I need to go dig those out for dinner tonite, LOL!

Dogs are doing fine today. Poor little Max has had a few seizures lately; don't know what's going on, but I think part of it is stress related. Seems like they usually occur when he's really frightened of something. Madison Macadamia Nutboy of course is perfectly fine. My little airhead. I wish I were like him...well, YKWIM..I KNOW I lean toward airheaded-ness, but I'm pretty sure it's only b/c I have so many things going on in my head!

Ok...seriously: I think I'm going to do Mark Bittman's 101 Simple Salads for the Season ......make one every day (I'll start on Monday; you know I never start anything immediately....need to strategize and organize first ya know!) and photograph them. Why am I doing it? Oh, who knows? I'm BORED. And it's HOT! So. Something to look forward to. Yayyyy.....ok.....hope today is not the day the music dies. Hasta!

Never Can Say Goodbye

2009-07-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

"Never can say goodbye
No no no no, I
Never can say goodbye

Even though the pain and heartache
Seems to follow me whereever I go
Though I try and try to hide my feelings
They always seem to show
Then you try to say you're leaving me
And I always have to say no...

Tell me why
Is it so,,,"

Another goodbye. This time with much ado. And despite a troubled life, I feel it's rightly so. So many huge huge fans of Michael Jackson. It's hard to lose your idols, no matter how flawed they may be. When you love or admire someone, you tend to gloss over the less than desirable traits and focus on their good ones. Which, in death, is how it should be.

Tomorrow will be interesting. I wanted to get something in writing before the big event; heaven only knows what exactly will take place there in LA. But one thing for sure; a lot of insanity! I teased my dh who is crowd-phobic but is in LA all week that if I was watching the news coverage of the memorial and I saw him there I'd be really po'd. AS IF, haha. He freaks out just having to go to the grocery store, so somehow I kind of doubt he'll be front and center in a world-wide funeral frenzy.

If you haven't noticed, most of my blog titles are names of songs. The weird thing is, when I chose this one, I really didn't realize it was done by the Jackson 5. So long ago! To me, even though I'm not a die-hard MJ fan, I did enjoy his music and his dancing. I enjoyed him actually but I did think he became a sort of weird recluse who was doomed to either intense scrutiny because of that, or intense invasion otherwise. What would you choose? And how does one defend themselves without revealing too much of their personal life, regardless whether it's saintly or not?

OK...I'm not going to wax poetic on something that's going to be (or has already been) covered ad nauseum. I suppose that's the only thing about being dead; you don't care anymore what people say about you. I do hope MJ rests in peace at last.

So, we had a fun 4th; nothing exciting but just nice. I cooked up a storm, but things were all organized and done by the time guests arrived and the grilling was done by my dh. Nice guy; it was around 110 deg outside, so I was pretty grateful. I usually do the grilling and I really wasn't looking forward to going in and out to check it constantly. We had a nice dinner, good conversation, watched some fun tv and just kicked back basically. Next year, I swear I'll be in N. CA for the 4th!

Boys have their swimming pool. I was so busy working today along with having to go do some banking later on in the day, I didn't have time to fill it up and get them into it for pictures. Tomorrow will be THE day I think! No gardeners, no other interruptions. It should be fun. No kids, so the dogs get spoiled. You should have seen the bird's abode before they left me, so I don't feel like I'm being too terribly indulgent (yet). I'm planning though, LOL. OH...that's their pool up top; BW (before water), and of course, I'll situate it in the back yard instead of the entry way.

Tonite.....relax. House is cleaned, laundry done, dishes done, animals tended to and plants watered.....oh, did I forget the ones on the patio? ...Later people. Nightingale out (literally).

Saturday, In the Park....

2009-07-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

.....I think it was the Fourth of July...."

Well, this year, the Fourth of July really IS on a Saturday and I'm already looking forward to it! I'm not sure why, but the Fourth has always been one of my favorite holidays. Hmmm....but Christmas is my first favorite...and then my birthday, LOL. And there's Easter, and New Year's Eve, and Thanksgiving.....well, I DO love holidays!

I have my menu pretty well set. Not that anything is really going on here. It's going to be at LEAST 108 (you can just bet if they're forecasting it to be that hot, it's going to be several degrees over that) that day, so obviously we won't be picnicing.

My friend Mel will be here with us with Max's little sissiepie, PieLinda (we call her that after the "flying Wallendas" b/c she has a tendency to leap from one piece of furniture to the arm of another, the little munchkin!), so it will just be the 3 humans and 3 dogs. I have a huge menu planned of course, LOL.

So, now I'm trying to figure out something fun to do during the day. Board games are OUT. I'm thinking maybe a flick at the theater, early. And I think I'm going to get the dogs a little swimming pool and see how they like it. I saw a really cute kids pool that has a blowup palm tree that you attach the hose to and it drips water into the pool. If I were a dog, I'd love that!

I wish they'd get that poor Michael Jackson buried already. I hate to sound callous, but don't you think when you focus on all the sadness and details of his life that it makes things seem so bleak? And the world is bleak enough right now!

And it seems like there's a rash of deaths in Hwood this last week or so...some untimely and others past their due date. Karl Malden was the latest (that I know of). I LOVED him in Streets of San Francisco! But gosh, he was 97! It just doesn't seem possible that so much time has passed and he could be that age!

I'm getting excited; speaking of SF. We're going! Taking a little trip home and I can't wait (but dread the period leading up to it....getting the cat and birds squared away before I leave (meaning CLEANING the cat's room which of course, is a disaster and stocking up on food for her and those damned birds. I swear, they'll never die. I had a dove who was so decrepit and psychotic and it must have been at least 12 years old...at LEAST. I can understand a parrot living that long, but a dove? And of course, I need to get hold of a pet sitter. I have one actually, I just need to call and give her the dates. Or at least, I hope she's still in the desert!
Only a week away from the heat of the desert, but it will be good for me and the dogs and Mel is coming with us, and she's never met my mom or a few of my friends, so it should be fun.

Anyway, it's a lovely day here albeit, hot. Yesterday it actually sprinkled a bit. Mel and I met at the new produce stand (store)....oh hallelujah! REAL produce at a decent price! Beautiful, huge heads of locally grown lettuces and pineapple that smelled so sweet. And heads of garlic that weren't microscopic or all squishy or weird shapes. You know when you want to roast garlic just to spread? And you don't want some stupid looking or misshapen head to put on a platter? I'm sorry; I like my roasted garlic to be nice and round so it looks nice when you present it. I Know.....weird. Anyway....

After we picked up a few things and scoped the entire store out (I'll be going back tomorrow to get what we need for the Fourth) we ducked over to the Elephant Bar for their Happy Hour (just luck) and had a few appetizers and a glass of wine. Which sufficed for dinner. It was a nice afternoon.

Which makes me think; do you ever make plans but they aren't exactly concrete with a friend. And then you kind of get involved in your day and are just winding down, ready to do what you normally do every evening and they call with your original plan that got delayed? That's the situation yesterday. I had called and said I'd be ready by 3 pm but I didn't hear back from her (my fault, somehow I missed her voicemail saying we'd meet between 3 and 3:30), so I was sort of just ready to get reading my latest book and when she called, I thought "Oh darn, I don't feel like getting all cleaned up to go out", but I decided since I'd told her I would, I should. So I did.

And then you have the BEST time? It's unusual for me to go out in the evening except on the weekend with dh, so I need to remember that having fun and not feeling so uber-responsible all the time is a GOOD thing!
Nightingale out.

Oh, What A Long Strange Trip It's Been!

2009-06-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

I feel exhausted today. After losing Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both in the same day, I had a violent headache and just didn't feel good. I don't know what the energy zap is when someone so BIG is suddenly gone, but it really knocked me for a loop this time!

As I logged into a pr agency site for photos for work, the first thing I see (it had to be like, 2 minutes after Farrah was pronounced...how do they do that???) is that she had passed away. It was not a good start to my day!

I am sad for Ryan and for Redmond (note to God: I hope this will scare him sober and he can make his mom proud of him)and for her friends.

She was just incandescent, yes she was! I am sad for the world to lose another wonderful, strong, REAL woman. And to share her agonizing last several months with us to help people who may potentially be or are going thru the same thing is beyond amazing. I don't want anyone around when I've got a headache for crying out loud! And I look at her younger photos and it takes me back to such a wonderful time in my life; when things were so much simpler and so much more glamorous. She was a real "STAR" in my eyes.

On the other hand, I'm thankful that she isn't suffering or in pain any longer. And I know she wouldn't want her friends and family to have this horrible time dragged out for any longer.

Part of the reason she was so memorable to me aside from being the most beautiful woman in the world as far as I was concerned; was that she did something REALLY kind for me. Not so much for me, but for a couple of patients I had when I worked at Stanford Hospital in the ICU.

At that time, we were still in the old ICU; it was kind of a typical old hospital ward; long hallway with the patient rooms along one side which had windows overlooking some trees that lined the parking lot. Which looked out to some other medical buildings. Lovely view, haha.

The other side of the hall was just break room, storage rooms and nursing stations.

The patient room doors were made of dark wood and had just one small square window at about eye level, but that was it as far as any view went. Of course, most of the time, that made no difference, since we normally kept the door open (our patients were all heart surgery patients of one type or another and were usually in there for the least amount of time they needed to be: so basically, once they were awake enough to want some privacy they were transferred. Not quite that quickly, but you get the picture). Plus, we at the illustrious world-famous heart surgery institute known as Stanford, didn't have centralized monitoring. Dr. Shumway wanted a nurse in his patients rooms at all times. Which meant, we stayed in the room for the entire shift except when another nurse came to relieve us for our breaks.

I specialized with the heart transplant patients. At that time, Stanford was the only hospital in the entire world doing heart transplants and it was a HUGE BIG DEAL. It was so complicated and labor and time intensive getting the patients worked up and then they had to wait for a match; all the while getting weaker and weaker. By the time some of the patients got their heart, they were extremely ill.

Once they got their transplant, the patient was in what's called "reverse isolation", meaning, the door was shut at all times other than when people entered or exited; anyone who went in, had to be in a gown, cap, mask, gloves and booties. And the only people who could go in were the dr's, nurses who were working with the patient and immediate family.

The patient never saw what anyone looked like because all the gowning up was done outside the room before entering. So all these people behind masks with non-descript bodies were constantly hovering over them.

The television was marginal at best. They couldn't see out the door and there was not much of a view from the window.

Most of our transplant patients were teenagers or young adults! And they had to stay in this room until they were no longer in rejection; which sometimes would be MONTHS after surgery. So imagine being a teenaged boy and being stuck in a room (this was LONG before iPods, text messaging and iPhones existed) with nothing to do!

It was very boring and disheartening for them. A couple of them that I took care of; two teen boys; used to see each other in the hallway once they were well enough to take walks down the hall (but then, THEY had to be the ones gowned, masked, gloved etc) and they would talk a bit as they passed each other on their daily walks but it was sort of discouraged for them to really hang out together (only b/c they didn't want them to catch anything the other one might be carrying), so they'd talk on the phone between rooms.

One thing they found that they had in common was they both had crushes on Farrah Fawcett (bet you thought I'd forgotten what the point of this story was, huh?).
And they'd yak about her and watch Charlie's Angels and then yak about her some more (having to be in the room constantly made me privy to a lot of their personal information, LOL).

It was a good thing; it gave them something normal to think about other than meds (of which there were dozens a day for them to take) and procedures and lab work.

When my one guy went into rejection not long after this, his out of room walks were discontinued and he was back on the painful anti rejection injections, ATG. He was so down, and I felt so badly. I thought "what can I do to cheer him up so he'll get better?" and the only thing I could come up with that didn't involve food he couldn't eat or people he couldn't have in his room was maybe a picture of Farrah Fawcett signed by her.

Of course, I had NO clue how to get that, but I called the SF radio station KNBR and told them what I wanted to do but had no idea how to contact Farrah. They said they didn't know either, but they'd find out and get back to me.

Later that day, someone from the radio station called me with a phone number and told me it was Farrahs' publicist and I could at least try her and see where it went from there. I figured "it can't hurt". So I dialed.

A pleasant sounding woman anwered the call and I explained what the situation was; 18 yr old heart transplant in rejection, sad and dejected and in need of a happy surprise. She hesitated a second and said "I'm going to let you talk to Ms. Fawcett yourself"...and she handed the phone to Farrah herself! OMG!!! I was totally NOT expecting to speak to a movie star right then and there! I was almost speechless!

But Farrah was so patient while my words tumbled out of me and I felt so dumb, but she just listened and said "I'll tell you what I'm going to do"....and she said she'd send them both an autographed poster (yes, THE poster of the red swimsuit) signed to THEM, and she would call them the next day between 2 and 3 pm (which is when I was at work). She took their names and took down the phone number of the intensive care unit. And I thought...."oh, she'll probably get busy and forget all about it" so I wasn't going to say a word to the boys.

But sure enough.....she DID call them the next day and I don't think I've ever seen two boys ( I was SO glad she called them both b/c there would have been a lot of jealousy if only one got a call, LOL) so excited! And a week or so later, they got the posters and she also sent some other photos of her to them.

So, that's my Farrah story and that's why I think she was just the best of the best! And why I'll miss her so much. Her sparkling laughter and her sense of humor and joy.

I'm sure she's resting in peace. Don't all angels?

RIP, Farrah Fawcett

2009-06-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me.....

2009-06-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yes! I HAVE to post today! It's my favorite day of the year! And the longest day of the year, which is what's so great about being born on this day. You have more time to have fun and celebrate! But I'm too busy celebrating to post very much, LOL. I'm getting out in the sun before it's too hot! It's my birthday and I get to do whatever I want to do!

Blip.fm | What are you listening to?

2009-06-20T11:47:00.001-07:00

Blip.fm | What are you listening to?

Shared via AddThis

Let's Get It Started....

2009-05-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

yeah....AGAIN! What makes it so difficult for me to get in here and post sometimes? Like maybe once a week at least? SIGHHHHHHHHHHHH......maybe b/c I'm posting all the time at celebritydogwatcher? Maybe? As much as I love being "connected" in cyberspace, my dogs like me to be connected to THEM, LOL!

Well, I'm back. At least for now. So...what's been going on here in the desert?
Hmmmm.....well, I got my racing bike all fixed up. Have I ridden it? Noooooooooooo...nope, I sure haven't. But I will. Now my big plan is to get back into practice on my mountain bike, LOL. Yeah...that's the ticket! Ok, so some friends of mine and I went out for St. Pat's Day. Took a limo to Palm Springs and hit all the boring places, then to Palm Desert and home. Probably my last St. Pat's outing, LOL. Saw Frankie Valli~ dh loved the show, I didn't care for the music, but his backup singers were good. I picked the winner in the Kentucky Derby (go figure; it had "bird" in it's name)..yes, that's how I pick horses.....it's all in the name, right?
So, not much happening around here. It's heating up here though. The pups just got their summer cuts; they got scalped! They look so cute though.

I've been working a lot on celebritydogwatcher~ I love doing it. It keeps you in a good mood, looking at cute dogs all day long. The hard part is not saying anything snarky about the celebs sometimes, LOL.

My brother Scott had an esophagectomy for esophageal cancer; not a good thing. He's been having a tough time of it post operatively (like he needs anything else to make his life any worse than it already is!). After a second surgery to repair a fistula a month after his original surgery, he's still in the ICU on a ventilator. Sometimes you really wonder what it's all about here, doncha? Sometimes I guess there just aren't any answers. It is what it is. All I can say is of anyone I've ever known, he didn't deserve this.

Thinking about starting a book club at least for the summer here. There's nothing much else to do; I can tell it's going to be hotter than hell this year. Already it's been over 100 and will be all this week thru next week. I need something to keep my mind occupied.

I cannot find a job; that's the really bad news! I can't believe that NOBODY even calls me for an interview! Do they think I got stupid and inept just b/c I haven't been working for the last 10 years? I feel like all my resumes are going into some big circular file in cyberspace! But the search continues. Something will come along!

Well, I'm out of practice here; I'll have to work on my badditude, LOL. I'm wondering what lapse of sanity prompted me to order some candles thru the mail? I'm just hoping when I check the mailbox there's not a big puddle of wax dripping out of it, LOL!

Workin' My Way Back to You Babe...

2009-03-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

This is my girlfriend's little Yorkie (and my Max's sister) who spent the night with us last night. Isn't this so cute? She's just staring at the door waiting for her mom to come back! My boys do the same thing when I'm gone; only they lie on the floor next to each other, staring at the front door. Which is sort of weird, because I rarely come and go thru the front door, LOL.

Anyway, I spent all last night covered in Yorkies! I couldn't move in bed without feeling something furry, no matter which way I turned. I had two under the covers near the bottom of the bed and one who has to sleep practically surgically attached to my body, haha. And HE snores! Needless to say, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep yesterday. But then they say, sleep is overrated. I'm not so sure about that!

It's a beautiful day here today but a little cool for me. I think it's around 70 degrees, but it feels so cold! Not doing much anyway, just a little posting at CDW because it's so fun!

Going out for Mexican food later, which will be fun. Always nice to see the people who work there; maybe Melan'ee will join us if she's gotten some sleep.

The boys are napping on the bed, they really need a bath (the dogs, not the husband, but he could probably use one too, LOL), but I hate to get them all wet when it's so cold in the house. Maybe later ....or, as Scarlett was fond of saying "tomorrow is another day".

Where does the time go????

2009-03-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to get something on here tonite! What a day! I'm not sure really why I have been so busy; but I suppose it was b/c I had a lot to do. Feed all the animals, clean the cat's box and room, clean bird cages, do laundry and then fold it and put it away, make Madison's rice and turkey. Slice up sourdough bread loaves and wrap in plastic wrap to put in the freezer. Only I ran out of the plastic wrap and still needed to wrap the dog's food to put in the freezer. UGH..I hate it when I run out of stuff.
Then get onto the job sites, which of course, there are NO jobs for me, but you never know when one will pop up! Of course the dogs have to have some sort of sustenance every two hours, so it was getting up to address that issue too. Get online to find pictures to post for CDW and then write up blurbs for them and get them posted online. It's not that difficult; I'm just new to actually posting and writing the blurbs, so it was a little slow going for me this morning.

Other than that, it's been a beautiful day; Melan'ee came over to drop Pie off while she ran a couple of errands (one of them being an angel and picking up plastic wrap for me) and then came back for dinner, while we watched AMC that I'd dvr'd. It's fun~ we have a nice dinner with good company, our little doggies and get mad at the characters on the soaps, LOL. Aren't girlfriends the BEST??? Well, I know she is, for sure!

I'm tired and the boys are knocked out, snoring even, LOL. So, it must be time to pick the little guys up and deposit them on the bed for a nice sleep for all of us! Tomorrow is another day, God willing! I am thankful for my friends~ close friends and my internet friends. You all keep me going and make me stronger than sometimes I feel that I am. Sometimes I just need to say that, because it matters to me! Nitey nite to you all~ sweet dreams!

These are my new favorite things~~~

2009-03-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

I love it when I hear about products or services that other people love...and I end up loving them too, so I like to share with others~~~

If any of you know me, you know what a neat/clean freak I am. I'm a stickler about surfaces especially being clean and sparkling, and for a long time now, I've had granite counters and either granite or ceramic tiled floors. I can't stand dirty, much less, smeary, greasy-feeling surfaces, and years ago, I started using a diluted Simple Green solution on my floors and counters. I like the smell and it did a great job. But I've found something the other day that I like even BETTER!!! It's not just better; it's FABULOSO! I diluted it and spray it on all my counters and used it even on glass tables. I LOVE the smell of the Lavande scent; there's several different scents, but a friend told me this was the "original" one. It just smells so CLEAN and it does such a nice job! Everything is sparkling around here now and it smells GOOOD! OH...AND it's Cheep-cheep-cheep (as one of my dearest friends would say). I think you can sometimes find it at the dollar stores.

I will not even TOUCH this story about it however....

"Cleanser looks like a sports drink
Nearly 100 people have mistakenly ingested Fabuloso, thinking it was a beverage.
By Jeff Sturgeon

Cleaning products such as Fabuloso looks similar to sport drinks, such as the Gatorade products displayed here besides three examples of Fabuloso.

The health risk is low. The yuck factor is high.

A physicians group warned Wednesday that dozens of Texans mistakenly drank a mild cleaning product that happens to look like a sports drink.

Fabuloso is a buck a bottle at some Roanoke stores, deliciously colored and fits comfortably in the hand. Its purpose, however, is cleaning floors and toilets.

But researchers with the American College of Emergency documented 94 cases of accidental ingestion during the first four months of the year across Texas. Many were children under 6, the group said."

OK...I lied again. I can't help myself...it says "many" were under 6...okey dokey...I can accept that (maybe) some kids will ingest anything. And I agree that the smaller size DOES sort of look like a sports drink in a sports drink bottle. But WHERE are people storing this stuff?? In the fridge? I don't get it. And if not, do they not have cleaning supplies out of reach of little kids (who apparently weren't blessed with a sense of smell)? Again, I don't get it.
Now, as far as the rest of them who were over 6, I am just supposing that they've had their sinuses burned out by one method or another. Because all the scents I smelled are REALLY STRONG- smelling in their concentrated form. I'm just sayin'.......
And I'm not going to say anything about where the story originated. You can't MAKE me, LOL.

Another prouct that a friend on her blog mentioned is this:

It's Rimmel London's Lift and Renew foundation. I LOVE IT! It's been a long time since I've found any foundation that isn't mask-like and I hate that. This is light and dewy, so if you need a lot of coverage, it's probably not what you're looking for, but it's just what I've been wanting and it's only around $7 at Walmart.

I know there's more, but at the moment, my brain is being pulled like taffy in too many directions, so I'll post as time goes on.....

Happy Birthday To You

2009-03-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Maxi
Happy Birthday to you!

Awww, today is my little boy's 4th birthday! The top photo is of Max when we first got him at 11 weeks old. One of his ears hadn't stood up yet and we thought it was so cute. We thought it might stay that way, but it didn't....a couple of weeks later, it went up all by itself and has stayed there ever since. The bottom photo is him now. He's grown into such a handsome guy we think.
It seems like just yesterday almost that we got him, and man, have we been through a lot with him. We've both learned a lot...what to freak out about, what to just chalk up to "it's a Yorkie thing", and how to love and share unconditionally. The bed is his, the best blankets are his, we sleep like mountain climbers most of the time, hanging off one side of the bed or other. He gets fed first in the morning...before the coffee gets made, before we use the restroom. If it's cold, he's swaddled in the softest blankeys that were made just for him and if it's too hot in the house, it doesn't matter if the A/C bill is $2000 a month; it's justifiable. He's our little doll-baby and even though we now have little Madison, Max will always be our Numero Uno, Number One, King of the Hill. Yep, dh's friends can't believe he's so gaga over a dog, but it's true. So, today is celebration day~ party to follow, LOL! It's also my best girlfriend's dog, Princess Little Pie's birthday since she's Max's sister, so there will definitely be a party later. I have doggie treats and a cake to get made!

So much to yak about today! The weekend was fun (kind of)~ I say "kind of" because it was also a lot of work and because we worked til late Saturday night and then went out afterward, and had to be up really early Sunday morning to get to Palm Springs. The fun part was seeing all the phenomenally gorgeous and exquisite classic cars. I don't think I even realized that quite a few of those cars even existed. So beautifully restored or maintained. I love the history behind all of them. It's interesting to me who built the cars and the story of how they came to be built. OK....I won't bore you with my fascination with every detail and I can't wait to show you my MOST FAVORITE car there~ this was not taken at this show, but at Pebble Beach last year where it won Best in Class. I was too hot and tired to take photos, which I'm now kicking myself for! There were some cars that I can't find online anywhere to show you (and I feel like EVERYBODY should be able to be exposed and enjoy such beauty, LOL)....OK..are you ready? Get ready to swoon!!!

This is a 1948 Delahaye 135 MS Cabriolet built by Faget-Varnet. These photos really don't do it justice. There's not very many of these around anymore, in any condition. This particular car was supposedly built for one of the coachbuilder's (Varnet)daughter to use for her wedding. Can't you just see a young beautiful bride in her big white wedding gown and her veil and her groom in that car? It's a beautiful car and a romantic car, I think. I usually can't stand anything blue, and it just struck me that my two favorite entries were some shade of blue! How odd.
The other vehicle that just gave me a great feeling of nostalgia on multiple levels was one that looked sort of like this:

and it was hitched to the cutest little Eriba Puck camping trailer. I'm almost ready to sell the Jag and get the same setup, LOL. Oh, the YE's would LOVE it!!!I'm SERIOUS, really.

OK..only ONE more...this was a really insane vehicle....built from the ground up...a 1938 Packard (that's a PT boat engine people!) 1608 12 cylinder Towncar...yeah, right, LOL~

OK, I lied...ONE MORE...you HAVE to see the motor~

I'm done. I have a party to plan, hahaha...well, it IS my specialty, right?

Sentimental Journey

2009-02-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why, but the last few days, I've been feeling so sentimental about music I listened to when I was younger. Maybe because it reminds me of times that were so much more carefree and unencumbered. Maybe because I miss all the fun times with all my friends at the gym, but I was reminded of how MUCH I LOVED this movie; I love the music and I could watch this over and over and over just for the dancing (yes....remember when you were famous if you taught aerobics, LOL?). This wasn't my most favorite song in the movie, but the dance routine just slayed me~ hope you enjoy this as much as I do (somehow, I think the guys will at least!)~

Can you even IMAGINE having that body.....or being able to dance like that??? In my dreams, LOL.

So...onward and ...onward I guess. Weather here is ...funny. So windy in the evenings/nights. I lugged in my two giant Bird of Pardise plants that are in big pots on the patio and my favorite geranium. Geeze, all of them got blown over yesterday, so they spent the night inside. But it's been pretty darned warm for February.

My friend Melanee and I will be outside all day Sunday for the Concourse, so we're hoping it's going to be cooler than the predicted 84 deg. UGH....Saturday night we'll be at the Desert Air Museum though for the gala dinner party. I can't wait for that. I LOVE the air museum; it's filled with beautiful old (WWII)fighter planes that have been restored. So much history and you think of the men (and women) who must have flown in those planes. I love looking at the photographs that they have displayed from those times too; lots of Bob Hope photos. But looking at them, you realize how YOUNG those guys were. Such a different time, such a different world. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to it. Yesterday was a wasted day though as far as doing any work for the event. We TRIED, but things just didn't come together before it was time for us to leave. Maybe today....I'm still waiting to hear what needs doing.

I've caught bits and pieces of some of the morning shows the last few days and it seems so odd to me that you see the same people on the talk shows...I mean, all in the same day. Yesterday or the day before it was Fran Drescher. I first saw her on either The Morning Show or Good Morning America, and then she was on The Doctors (which I thought must be shot somewhere close to me since one of the dr's is from here). And today it's Tom Selleck. I will always be in love with that man, LOL. He's aged, but he still looks so good! What a handsome man he is. My mom was CONVINCED that he was looking for me, hahaha. The sad thing was, so was I, LOL.

Oh well....the doggies are fine, little monsters, LOL. They need a bath SO BADLY...maybe this evening????

Fat Bottomed Girls

2009-02-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

Yeah, some days that's just how ya feel, isn't it? But nice to know we've been deified by one of the greatest rock bands in history, LOL.

Ahhhh....gay or not, Freddy was hot hot HOT!

Spent all day yesterday cleaning out and organizing my office, something I've been meaning and wanting to do for MONTHS. Well, not really WANTING to do....rather, wishing the good cleaning fairy would do it and I'd just wake up one morning and it would magically be done, LOL. Yeah...dream on. So, now that I've got a television in here too, it's a tossup as to whether I can now REALLY go back to work or just never leave the office. Oh...I guess I'll have to make an occasional foray out to the kitchen for sustenance (and wine), but I seriously think that I've got just about everything else I could need in here. And if I hadn't taken the little fridge out and put it into the guest room, I'd have wine in here too, haha. Well, it seemed like a great idea at the time.....

I can't believe it's been since Valentine's Day since I posted! I am SO lame sometimes, but really, I've been busy!

Melanee is still staying here (I THINK she might be leaving today, but it's sort of dependent on her friend with a truck). Her poor friend is having a tough time of things though; she lost her job which was a really good one, then a few days later, let a friend drive her hot little Z car and he somehow lost control of it (in a parking lot no less) and managed to be driving half on and half off the median and hit two palm trees. Needless to say, the car is damaged. Luckily, neither of them were hurt. But just after that, she was carrying a piece of PVC pipe and it hit her truck window and broke THAT out! Gosh....can you imagine? Hopefully that will be the last bad thing to happen to her all year! Anyway, she was going to help Mel take some of her things from her storage unit to her new place, but hasn't felt up to it.

Mel and I are working on an event (we're volunteering and actually, I've only done one day's of work so far). She worked yesterday and is off today to help out getting things done. So much to do....this is the event:

http://www.desertconcours.com/

It's going to be a lot of fun! The cars that are entered are AMAZING and...check this out:

"100 mpg Fisker Karma makes its West Coast Premiere at the Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance in Palm Springs, California, March 1, 2009.

The world's first luxury plug-in hybrid car, the 2010 Fisker Karma, will make its West Coast debut at the Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, in Palm Springs, California. "

YUM,YUM..I'll take one of those! That's THE best looking hybrid I've seen! And who doesn't want a car named Karma, LOL?

And this is the new Aptera...so radical, but so cool! And gullwing doors to boot! It will be at one of the private events taking place during the concourse:

Saw the Bugatti (the founder of the event says a $4 million car!) at the art gallery the other day, pretty impressive. This should be a fun event and some of the proceeds are going to the Animal Samaritans yayyy!

Well, other than that, it's Tuesday again (Tuesday=maniacally barking little dogs x 3..actually, it's my two boys who are the instigators and primary barkers) so the gardeners are on their way. That must mean it's time for me to go grocery shopping...or something away from the house, LOL.

Innamorata

2009-02-14T11:03:00.001-08:00

"....if our lips should meet,
Innamorata;
Kiss me, kiss me sweet
Innamorata~
Hold me close and say
You're mine;
With a love as warm
As wine...."

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

In honor of the most romantic day of the year, here's my latest favorite video:

It's a gorgeous day here in the desert after yesterday's storm blew right by us, not even dropping more than about 12 drops of rain. Mel and I are on our way to Art Under the Umbrellas in La Quinta and try to dodge all the bikes on the road from the Tour de Palm Springs...hey guys! Next year, I'll be out there with you ;).

Mercy Mercy Me

2009-02-13T10:31:00.000-08:00

Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Where did all the blue sky go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north, east, south, and sea
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be

Wow, talk about a buzzkill first thing in the morning! I hadn't been up for long this morning, just getting the puppies fed, the cat squared away and the birds taken care of, got the coffee going and straightened up the kitchen~ Melanee was still in bed with her door shut, so I didn't know whether she was awake yet or not, but I was trying to be quiet while I got a few things done.

All of a sudden, both of my little guys raced toward the front of the house, barking like crazy. I thought they heard the cat meowing and were barking at her, but then I looked around the corner of the dining room wall and saw they were barking AT the front door. Geeze!

I knew nobody was at the door at that time of day, so I figured I'd open the door up so they could see for themselves and calm down.
But when I opened the door, they ran out to the driveway, barking. And then I heard why....

I heard someone SCREAMING. At first, I thought it was a lady down the street yelling at a dog to get back there (kind of like I was yelling at MY dogs to GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW)...but NO! The next thing I hear is some OTHER female voice screaming back...YIKES! I saw one lady across the street and all I wanted to do was get my dogs into the house before something worse happened. I don't know what all the screaming was about, but I've never heard any commotion around our development in the last 2+ years that we've been here. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

When I looked outside again, I saw a big burly man leaving the one house that I saw the first woman screaming in front of, headed toward the other house....and I thought to myself...."I don't think that's a GOOD thing", so I went back in and called 911.

I hate to get in the middle of other people's arguments or issues, but these days, you never know what might happen when people are so out of control; things just seem to escalate! And I was concerned for all of them; I can't even imagine what was going on, but you just hate to see stuff like that. And I didn't want anyone to get hurt or do something stupid that might ruin their lives over some probably stupid argument. I hope they don't hate me for calling the cops, but I just felt it had to be done.

People are so stressed these days, that petty issues seem to be magnified and insurmountable and people's coping skills are being tested and frayed. It makes me sad.

Anyway, there were a couple of police cars and several officers talking to a few people for awhile. So that was our excitment for the morning. I hope that's the extent of it; I'm not big on drama these days, LOL.

A little scream with your coffee??????

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

2009-02-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

"Did you ever see a Robin weep,
When leaves begin to die?
That means he's lost the will to live
And I'm so lonesome I could cry."

Well, my little Lucky dove finally gave up the will to live and went to the Rainbow Bridge sometime after I covered the birds up for the night last night.

He was pretty old to begin with, and he's always been a little on the psychotic/neurotic side; has always picked his feathers and then started picking at his skin. It's actually amazing he lived so long, but.....every time I found him on the bottom of the aviary when we were in Napa, I'd nurse him back to health and even with his picking, he lived a pretty good long life.

Poor little guy; the last few days he really picked himself and was bleeding which wasn't really anything new, but I had a feeling this was going to be it.

I put a heat source on the cage so he wouldn't be cold and his little Parakeet friend TweetyBird kept him warm too. Tweety's been calling for Lucky all morning long; it's sad. He's not ready to make friends with my other dove, Cocoa, so for now he'll have to just look at him thru the cages' bars.

I suppose I should be relieved that Lucky's out of any misery he has been in, but he was born in the aviary I had in the back yard of my apartment and he was the only dove I brought to the desert with me. I gave all the others to a friend of a friend, but I knew nobody would care about Lucky because he was such a head case, and I had committed to caring for him, so I brought him along with the cockatoos to the desert.

He had a kind of a rough start to life I think....he somehow got caught by some rodent or something one night and I found him almost dead on the bottom of the cage. Of course, I NEVER find ANYTHING all the way dead; I find them ALMOST gasping their last breath and I'm compelled to bring them into the house and spend months nursing them back to health. But poor Lucky (is that an oxymoron, LOL?) had had his skin all ripped to shreds and had a gaping wound under one of his legs. It eventually healed over, but no feathers ever grew back on his abdomen at all, so he sort of looked like a plucked chicken over most of his body except for his head and wings....and then he started pulling his feathers out all over his body...in the photo, you can see he's missing a big area near his tail....but he always kept on keepin' on. I've lost track, but he was at least 12 years old. The little guy is at peace now, but I miss him, he was a sweet little bird.

Today is making plans for Valentine's Day. I refuse to go out to dinner b/c the restaurants all raise their prices and offer different things than they usually do, so you never know what you'll wind up with, plus the service is usually lousy too~ I finally figured it's just not worth it. So, Melanee and I will come up with a FABULOUS menu (we've already got the champagne and caviar on the list), and my very BFF just called and we're trying to coerce him into flying down here for a few days so it will be a REAL celebration. Nobody enjoys champagne and caviar like Roy and I do! Huh, Roy? Of course, nobody enjoys anything as much as Roy and I do, because we were elected at birth to be the ultimate enjoyers of everything LOL. And we take that responsibility VERY seriously!

So, we'll have to drink a special toast to Lucky Dove now that he's flying free, beautifully feathered and healthy and happy again~

OHHHHH, what a Beautiful Morning!

2009-02-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

...oh what a beautiful day! This is what I woke up to this morning~ just outside my bedroom, the moon going down behind Mt. San Jacinto! Snow covered Mt. San Jacinto! So, yes, we had RAIN! And now we've got COLD, brrrrr! But it's sunny and beautiful, something to bask in, that's for sure!

I'm excited today because my friend Melanee will be back here again (with all her stuff, LOL). She's going nuts, and I can't say I blame her. I DETEST moving, and the last few times, I've had movers pack just about EVERYTHING (including a stick of butter that was wrapped separately and carefully placed in the china butter dish with the lid carefully placed on top, LOL)~ I don't think it makes a bit of difference, it's painful no matter what!

The little YE's are being the Yorkie Terrorists again; it's TUESDAY....garbage and gardeners day. They LOVE Tuesdays. I was hoping the gardeners would be here early while I was out running errands, but noooooooooooooooooooooooooo....that only happens once in a blue moon. I think the boys hear the gardener's truck when it gets to the cross street leading into our development and go FLYING off my lap or whatever they're perched on at the time, barking like a pack of wild dingoes; Max snaps at Madison b/c he wants to be the ONE who "gets" them and Madison is like a snarling, growling, barking beast! It's shocking. And they're MINE.....all MINE, LOL. Madison is extra happy today b/c it's so cold and he gets to wear his favorite pullover. Max had his on, but he already peed on it, so he's going au naturale for the rest of the day unless it gets colder and then I'll put something else on him which will please him no end. That's ok, b/c Little Pie will be here later on and that will take his little doggy mind off the indignity of being clothed.

I'm still waiting for that phone call from a prospective employer. Gosh, I sent 4 resumes out over the weekend. So humbling, LOL....I remember the good old days when interviewing was merely a formality; I always knew I'd get whatever job I applied for. Of course, if I were applying for a full time NIGHT shift job in ICU, it probably wouldn't be any question either. I've decided to preserve my sanity for as long as possible though, LOL and TRY to find something else. I just know there's something out there for me!

Well, I've gotten everything done that I really need to do other than some ironing (God, I just LOVE ironing...NOT...but you know how it is like when you stop hitting your head against a wall and it feels so good when you stop?? That's how I feel about ironing; it's so nice to have it DONE). So, I'm off to the ironing board and to wait for the onslaught of gardeners who'll whip my dogs into a complete squirrelnutzipper frenzy..yeeeehawwwww!

Out to dinner tonight for good food and LOTS of wine~ believe me, I think it's gonna be one of those days, haahahahaha.

And They Call it Puppy Love.....

2009-02-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry.....I just HAVE to post these so cute photos of Max's sister~ I'm glad I've got my boys, but oh gosh, she's such a little doll baby! That's it for today, LOL....just cuteness! Oh...this is Princess Little Pie

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

2009-02-08T03:28:00.000-08:00

Ok...I'm not really ready for baseball yet, but I found these last week and I think they deserve at least a mention.
Let me just qualify this first, by telling you that I'm not a hot-dog person, so if they aren't as good as I think they are, just consider the source!
In fact, I pretty much refuse to eat hot-dogs unless I happenen to be at a ball game, which these days is pretty rare. Dh LOVES hot dogs though. So I buy them for him and he tells me always to get Ball Park Beef franks. So I do.
Except last week, when I was looking at all the different types, these caught my eye~ Ball Park Angus franks. They cost a little more (actually, they were just something like $3.25 at Walmart)but they're WONDERFUL! They have that sort of "crunch" when you bite into them and they have a really good flavor, not like a bunch of ground up parts of stuff. KWIM?

If you like hot-dogs, check these out. I've actually eaten TWO of them so far ;).

Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain....

2009-02-07T07:38:00.001-08:00

Pitter patter.....we have RAIN!!! The patio is actually all wet! So, it's like, REAL rain, not just a sprinkle of it like usual; just enough to make a big mess of everything that was, up to that point, dusted with sand.

Yikes, where have I been and what have I been doing since Thanksgiving for heaven's sake?

A little busy, a little anxious, a teensy bit depressed (well, not clinically depressed but you know, when you just feel blah?).

Lots of stuff going on with our friend buying a restaurant and the launch for that.

The Bob Hope Golf Classic, big party at Tim's house on the fairway, Playboy golf girls and the Marines hanging out at his house. Oh gosh, the girls were so cute and so sweet (and SO YOUNG!!), and likewise the Marines....so handsome in their uniforms, but it breaks my heart to think of such kids fighting a war. They're just so young!
It was a great party though; Alice Cooper and Kurt Russell and a guy named Jeff Lind (one of the Travelling Wilburys...now, he's someone I could relate to, LOL).
Everyone was well-behaved, which is saying a lot. You know how some of the celebrity-pro tournaments can get, especially when it's one party after another along the golf course. But everyone maintained some semblance of sobriety (except for one little girl named Janelle....she just had a WEE bit too much to drink, and the Playboy people whisked her away before she got into any weird predicament.

Oh yeah...and a "girl" named Shelley Michelle...all dressed up in a little sailor outfit with LONG red gloves....involved with some show called the Hollywood Sizzle. Somehow I've missed that. Her claim to fame (other than the stunningly popular aforementioned tv show) is that she's a "body double", having worked with Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman....geeze, how LONG ago was that movie made??? All the PR photos are supposedly her body with Julia's head just stuck on. I guess that's b/c Julia has such a yucky body :S. Right......anyhow, quite the interesting group of people. It felt like being in a Fellini movie actually. Or like the King of Hearts movie. Sort of surreal.

So, then it was the Craig's List experience (a good one), sold one bike, took my other one in to be "tuned up"....hmmm...yes, it's VERY tuned up now....cost me almost $400...needed new shifters, new front derailleur...HOW does that happen when it's not even being ridden? Oh well...it will get ridden NOW....well, once the rain stops, haha. I'm excited about that anyway.

The YE's are doing just great, thanks! They just got a bath yesterday (after Mr. Max had to chase the stream of water that I was watering the gardenias with in the sand and got not only soaking wet, but covered in sand as well. Crazy dog! They both needed bathing anyway. Madison licks so much he smells pretty 'doggy' a few days after a bath, so it was time. They're loving the weather here lately. It's really been beautiful.

My brother Scott is having some problems in the hospital. Some bleeding, and after an endoscopy, they've found something pre-canerous that needs surgery in the next month. I wish he could just talk; at least we'd know how he felt about all this. 15 yrs is a long time to not be able to move or speak. I love my brother and he surely doesn't deserve this life. It reminds me that I need to make better use of my time and make better choices. Ugh, such a wonderful man and I hate to say it, but life just isn't fair, darn it. My poor Mom and stepdad too. They're really angels.

Almost had a GREAT job! It would have been PERFECT...but the Dr. gave it to someone with EXPERIENCE in the clinic, can you IMAGINE that, LOL? Oh well, he was very nice; said he interviewed 25 nurses and it had come down to this other guy and myself....darn! I really wanted (and needed) that job. Only 1 mile from home too! Oh well, I suppose everything happens for a reason and something better will come along. I just hope it comes along SOON! With so many people losing their jobs, I fear that dh's will disappear too. Anyway, my job search continues.....

My girlfriend Melanee is moving back to the desert....I think she literally had just finished unpacking the boxes in her condo when she decided she didn't like it there and wanted to be closer to her friends. So, she's all packed up again and will be here this coming Tuesday. I'm glad she'll be here, but I would never have encouraged her to move back b/c I know how much she really hates the weather here. I guess sometimes you just have to compromise. We figure we're all going to find our way together. Honestly....50 yr olds having to "find their way"......who woulda' thought we'd be in this position a few years ago? Crazy! The good thing is, all the doggies will be together again, LOL. Oh, her little Pie is so adorable! Max's little sissy and Madison's girlfriend!
And we're all starting a diet plan when she gets here. Only we'll have to hit Mario's just once before we do that, LOL.

Today I'm going to find a good book to read and curl up with the puppies~ tomorrow's another day and I want to be prepared for whatever might happen :). Need to find something interesting to do to pork chops for dinner too.....I'm off!

THANKSGIVING DAY~2008

2008-11-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

A very happy Thanksgiving from The Princess~ may your friends and family be many and may your heart and table be equally filled with the blessings of this day.

The Christmas Questionnaire

2008-11-21T07:56:00.000-08:00

Oh, I was so motivated this morning....got all my little household and animal chores done and was going to just step into the office for a few minutes....but my first email was this, sent to me by one of my most favorite people in the world, so of course I HAD to acquiesce~ (and I DO love these things anyway):

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I like to wrap gifts if I have enough time

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial; are you kidding, here in the desert a real tree???
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually as soon as my husband leaves after Thanksgiving; sort of depends on how motivated I am!
4. When do you take the tree down? Anytime between just before New Year's or the week following it. Depends on if I'm entertaining for New Year's Eve or not and if I am, it still depends on the mood I want as to whether it stays up or not.

5. Do you like eggnog? I've always loved eggnog, especially with brandy in it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Do you really want to hear about my damned bike again, LOL?

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad~ what do you get someone who's got everything?

8. Easiest person to buy for? My mom~ she's got everything, but she's always so thrilled with anything she gets.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but have been thinking about one for the last couple of years. Don't really have anywhere to put it at the moment though.

10. Best Christmas gift you ever received? Being with my family and friends last year at Christmas time; it really meant a lot to me.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I feel terrible for saying this b/c I know my parents TRIED to get me what I wanted, but one year I wanted some really cool knee high black boots~ they got me some black fake leather, fake fur-lined boots that came about to mid-shin and looked more like Santa Clause boots than anything. I HATED those boots! But you know how you have to pretend that they're just exactly what you wanted? UGH. I was so disappointed, LOL.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie or Movies? Hmmm...so many good ones; I love Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Carol; for funny ones I loved Home for the Holidays with Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. in it.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? The few weeks before Christmas. I love being part of the Christmas bustle.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?? No, I can usually find a use for just about everything.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Oh, I love our traditions! If we're entertaining on Christmas Eve, I make 3 different kinds of enchiladas; if we arent', it's oyster stew. On Christmas Day, Prime Rib with all the trimmings.

16. Lights on the tree? All white; although I enjoy seeing the colored ones on other people's trees.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I'm a Gemini, so I get to pick two of everything, LOL....Carol of the Bells and Silver Bells.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We usually travel up to N. CA, but this year we're staying HOME. I know I'm going to regret it by the time it's too late probably

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? As anyone who knows me will tell you, I can recite the entire 'Twas the Night Before Christmas book, so yes, I know all their names.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? To be honest, I really don't remember what I put on the top of the tree; I think maybe a big bow b/c it's too high to really get to. I know it's not an angel though.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Not so much annoying as sad; I remember when we were REALLY well behaved during the holidays because we thought Santa was watching us; now it seems like kids are given carte blanche to be as bratty and squally as they can possibly be.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? Health, happiness, love and prosperity for all my friends and family and just to be with my little doggies. Anything else would be icing on the cake.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2008-11-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...We still have Thanksgiving to get thru, but I just LOVE this time of year! It's just the feeling of how sparkly and happy everything gets during the holiday season.

And when I look forward to the burgeoning season, all the memories of Christmases past come flooding back ~
that bike was the BEST present I ever got! I was BREATHLESS when I woke up to find it! I remember the feeling I had when that picture was taken like it was yesterday.
I was SO excited to get that bike (which was really too big for me, but that made absolutely NO difference to me, because I KNEW I could ride it). It was a second-hand bike, but to me it was new. And it was beautiful. And it was PERFECT. A REAL bike!
No more little kid's bike for me. I was so excited, I was afraid to smile too hard, lest that might break the spell and the bike would disappear into thin air. My breath truly was stuck in my chest.
I LOVED that bike. I rode it and rode it and rode it, and I loved every single second I spent on it, my hair pulled back in a pony tail so that it wouldn't blow in my face (because doncha know, I HAD to ride FAST!). It was a sad day when I finally had grown too big for it; it was like giving up my best friend. Fast forward 40 years and I'm still a bike fanatic....only the bike on the right is how I roll now, LOL. I LOVE my bikes!

I also wish I had a hundred dollars for every guy I got to ride and/or buy a bike ;). Ahhh...the good ol' days!

So, I'm thinking about the holidays. We're not going anywhere this year, just hanging out at home. We've gone up to the Napa Valley the last 2 or 3 years, but it's such a long drive especially with 2 dogs now~ dh is not very patient about pulling off and giving them time to "go".....he thinks they should poop on command...or at least according to his time schedule, which means "pronto, so we can get to where we're going. He's really not a very good travelling partner, unfortunately. So we'll stay home and avoid the aggravation. Which means, I get to decorate! I have been decorating every year, but I left it at doing a bunch of smaller trees, since it is so much work to put up the big tree and get it decorated, since I am soley responsible for it and I really hate getting up on that ladder! But this year, I'll probably do it...it's about a 3 day job, but it's so nice when it's all done.

I'll miss all our friends up in Napa since this is the time of year when we usually get together if just for a drink somewhere; but a lot of the times if we go up, it's hard to get to everyone to spend time with. At the holidays, we sort of try to devote our trip to running here or there to try to get together with as many as we can. It's sort of what makes Christmas, Christmas to me now. Gifts don't matter anymore, it's the sharing of good tidings and time with good friends and family that makes it special.

We gotta get back there, LOL.

Wishin' and Hopin'

2008-11-10T12:47:00.000-08:00

"Wishin', and hopin', and thinkin', and prayin',
Plannin' and dreamin' each night of his charms,
That won't get you into his arms".

Ohhh....MY good ol' days...the days of England Swings and Carnaby Street. I miss Dusty Springfield. And I loved this song.

This is what dh told me the YE's did all day yesterday while I was working at the Art of Food and Wine event; he took this with his Blackberry. Aren't they the BEST EVER? Just staring at the front door, LOL. Too cute.

Today, however, Madison is wearing his "Little MONSTER" tank top....the barking beast! He's such a sweetie though; he's actually learning to SIT! It takes him awhile longer (like a LONG while longer) to "get" things than Max does, but he makes up for it by his happy-go-lucky personality.

Yesterday and the day before were really fun. It was a little too warm on Saturday, and it was a little too cold on Sunday, LOL. And the morning was really windy. It did finally warm up though, once the front passed over us, sprinkling a teensy bit; but it didn't seem to deter the wine drinkers.

I worked at the wine tasting seminar tent, setting up wine glasses for each seminar (usually 6 per person) and then pouring each wine. I tasted only the last wines b/c we had poured almost all glasses for each setting, but not that many people showed up for it, so we sure didn't want to just dump it without at least tasting it! Unfortunately, for me anyway, the last seminar was one on "Affordable Burgundy", so they were all French wines. And I guess I'm a dyed-in-the-wool California girl....I really didnt' care for any of the six. I guess I thought the second one (a chardonnay) was good....and also, I hadn't eaten all day, so I imagine they all would have been better with food. I'm just sayin'....I wish the New Zealand wine seminar had been last, LOL..I LOVE their wines! And would have loved to have tasted some of the ones I've never had a chance to.

Anyway, I was EXHAUSTED by the time we were done; I started off the day zip-tying tablecloths to the tablelegs so they wouldn't fly off with the wind or up-end the wine glasses. There were enough wine glass casualties as it was! Not to mention one woman whose backside was larger than she thought (or she'd had too much wine before she got to the seminar), and hit the glasses on the table behind her (which had already been filled) and knocked over about 12 glasses, half being red wine. UGH.

This morning I'm tired, I should go run a few errands, but not sure if I'll get to them. Everything can wait til tomorrow I'm sure.

I think we're finally over the really too warm weather for this year, and hopefully can settle into some nice reason-why-canadians-come-here-for 4 months type of weather!

Dh's birthday is coming right up too; I need to get something planned for this weekend since he'll be gone on THE day to work. Life in the fast lane here.....

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things....

2008-11-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

With the holidays approaching, I was thinking yesterday about all the cooking that goes on during them~ preparing special foods for company or visiting relatives, preparing the holiday meals, making specialty foods for gifts, and cooking for parties.
I LOVE cooking. I love making a whole bunch of different things and the best part is knowing that it will be enjoyed by people you care about. It's a lot of effort but it's so worth it.
There's a few things that make all this cooking and preparing even more enjoyable though, and these are a few that I am ga-ga over: the Williams-Sonoma veggie chopper and cute aprons, which you can find HERE.

The veggie chopper is something I wanted ever since I saw it on a TV infomercial, LOL. My mom had one and told me she got hers at Linens N Things or Bed, Bath and Beyond...I forget now. But then, several online cooking friends had all gotten one at Williams-Sonoma, and I just happened to have won a $500 gift card there (which you can read about HERE ), so I got myself down there and that was the first thing I bought! I am THRILLED with it! So much easier than hauling out the food processor for smaller amounts of things and it does quite a nice job. I don't use the garlic mincing part of it, b/c I prefer to chop my own garlic, but it's an option for those who aren't so picky about their garlic, LOL.

And, if you aren't wearing an apron while you cook, you MUST! It gives the whole process a totally different dynamic! These aprons are just the cutest ones I've ever seen, and when you're dressed up (or even if you're not) it's just nice to have something cute and "girly" on. Makes you feel kinda flirty while you're cookin' with gas, LOL.
Plus, it reminds me of simpler times~ grandma always wore an apron.
And what would be cuter on Christmas Day when you're all dolled up than wearing a really beautiful apron over your pretty Christmas ensemble? Love them! Check this catalog out; she's got some gorgeous aprons!

And one of my favorite luxuries is voluptuous vanilla~ and I get the best direct from the vine :D; my dad grows it~! I am currently on the prowl for a phenomenal vanilla muffin of some sort. When I find it and test it, I'll post it.

My other little kitchen luxury is candles~ my all time favorite is Yankee Candle's Fig and Olive, but for the holidays I try to find something a little more festive and fitting, like Bayberry or Christmas Pear~ which you can find HERE, along with some other interesting and unique holiday scents.

After talking about these lovely things, I feel like getting into the kitchen, putting on a cute apron and making something interesting!

What now, my love??

2008-11-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

"What now my love? Now that it's over,
How can I live, through another day,
Watching my dreams turn into ashes;
And my hopes into bits of clay..."

I'm still in a state of shock. History has been made. And now we'll have to wait and see what we're left with....will it be promises kept or promises abandoned? Only time will tell.

I am a dreamer, and I believe that people are basically good. I believe when people show faith in you and support you, that you rise to their hopes and expectations in order to not let them down. To show them that their faith and their trust have not been misplaced. And to show them that hope can and will be, rewarded when we bother to care.

Will Obama rise to the challenges that are ahead of him and make decisions that are best for the nation and the world, and for the glue that holds us all together?

I hope so.

But I'm scared of the enormity of what lies ahead~ health care, environment, an impossible war, the economy, homeland security and rebuilding the optimism of this great country. It's a very big order.

The die has been cast; let this be a lesson to those who think it's useless to take the time to vote. Shame on you. We can no longer sit back and hope that we have a majority when the cultural demographics have so drastically changed. I wish Mr. Obama good luck and pray that he will surround himself with experienced and intelligent advisors and rely on them when he is overwhelmed by what he's about to experience. That he will listen to the good people of this country and respond appropriately.

Change is never easy. But it's how this nation was even conceived and established; and it's the only certain thing.

Aside from the presidential race, I am thrilled by the overwhelming victory of Prop 2 in CA. I'm sorry that people who raise livestock for food didn't set things up humanely to begin with, and now it will be a burden on them to do so, but IMO, we ought to be down on our knees worshipping animals who's only purpose in life (unbeknownst to them of course) is to provide us with food. I just think it's disgraceful what some people think is acceptable or tolerable conditions to keep animals (or ANYTHING that sustains us). Just disgraceful. I'm VERY happy about the passage of this proposition.

In the words of Ghandi: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Word.

I'm dismayed however, by the passing of Prop 8~ banning same-sex marriage. I think we need to move beyond this bias. And I'm totally, completely and thoroughly DISGUSTED by the media's handling of this proposition. AS IF it's not been going on for time immemorial, and as if it will not continue. To turn a blind eye does not make it not so. It's so incredibly hypocritical that it makes me ill to think of how many people fell for that crap about it being taught in schools. AS IF kids aren't going to learn about it on their own. Just because information (I.E., "teaching") is provided, doesn't mean that it's encouraging it. I mean, for God's sake; slavery is taught about in schools too, does that make it mainstream or encouraging it? NOOOO. WAKE UP PEOPLE. It makes me ashamed to know there's so many hypocrites out there. Look at your own family, look at your friends, look at your acquaintances....if you think you don't have gay people in your inner circle, you're ignorant. SOMEWHERE, they're there, for sure whether you know it or not. And if you don't truly want happiness and safety and security for them, WHETHER you agree with their choices or not, then I feel very sad for you, b/c you can't expect it for yourself if you can't want it for them too. We're all different; and it's not MY lifestyle either, but we're all human beings and deserve the same civil liberties and freedoms and respect as each other.

I won't even say anymore about how disgusted I am with the media; they do this all the time.
I call it abuse of power; they know the power of the written word, and yet, they refuse to be unbiased. Because, somewhere, sometime, palms are getting greased; they twist and turn things to reflect their own opinons (or the opinions of whoever signs their paycheck), when they are well aware of the fact that what they're saying is basically dishonest. Why even communicate if you can't be truthful and unbiased? Anything else is just a lie and worthless rhetoric.
Well, over and over again, they prove that "the pen is mightier than the sword". They must be so proud of themselves.

Oh...did I say I wasn't going to say anything else about them????

Even after all this verbal purging, I'm still scared.

So I'm going to make bread....put the anxiety to good use for a change, LOL.

My weekly sourdough will be interesting (at least to MOI) this time; it's previously been really warm outside (and inside), but yesterday was fairly cool~ my dough turned out very very sticky; I added extra flour b/c it was practically unworkable. I used 2/3 cup more flour than called for and it was still sticky, but I was afraid to add any more and at least I managed to get it out of the mixing bowl and into the oiled bowl to rise. This morning, it had risen higher than any other batches I've made to this point. I used a well-floured surface to divide and knead it on before putting it into loaf pans and it firmed up nicely. So, I'm anxious to see what the results will be after it's been baked. I need to keep a journal of this stuff if I'm going to be serious about it.

The YE's are presently snoozing away after their midmorning "snack", I'm sure they're dreaming of their noon-time "treat". I swear, Max has an alarm clock in his stomach. Those sweet, dark brown eyes will be boring a hole thru me in about 33 minutes, LOL. Oh, I Love them soooo much! Sweetness personified!

Age of Aquarius

2008-11-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

THEY WON!!!!

"I will feel equality has arrived when we can elect to office women who are as incompetent as some of the men who are already there". Maureen Reagan

Wow. All I can say is "wow".....well, not really, that's not really all I can say of course....like my friend Roy says, "you can talk a dog off a meat wagon". And I take that as the supreme compliment, haha.

But really...WOW! I thought working with heart transplants when Stanford was the only place in the WORLD doing them was seeing history in the making. And it was. .....but this...THIS, is MUCH BIGGER. A BLACK man has been elected PRESIDENT of the United States of America!!! I truly, honestly, sincerely, never thought I'd live to see the day!

Now, I'm not saying I voted for him~ obviously, I wouldn't have needed to anyway. But, I think we can all appreciate the historical significance of it. It's HUGE, MASSIVE, and amazing. I only hope that it will be the dawning of a more united and compassionate country (within our own borders), and that it will bring a better understanding and appreciation of each other. I have to mention also, it was kind of heartwarming to see Oprah and Stedman and Gail in the CROWD as opposed to at his right hand ;).

McCain's speech was, as always, classy and generous. He's such a good man, it makes me feel so badly for his loss. Doncha wish you could have a crystal ball and see how things would be if one got elected and another one showing how things would be if the other was? We'll never know how things may have evolved if McCain had won; he won't be running again. But we will know how things will evolve with Obama as our President. Doggone it, I really wanted Sarah Palin in there....but, she's young....hopefully, she'll be back. I liked her. I really really liked her; even if she did say she killed animals...I guess that's an Alaska thing though. I have friends who live there; that's what they do all day long I guess. Another story.

One thing for sure: I think we need to hang onto our hats; we could be in for the ride of our life. Let's just hope it's a fun one! I have faith and will pray for our new President to make prudent decisions and lead our country back to greatness; we deserve nothing less.
I'm going to bed, saying "WOW! Martin Luther King Jr. must be beaming up there on his cloud! I am LIVING history!". Just Wow. What will tomorrow bring?

Ain't That America?

2008-11-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

"Ain't that America, for you and me,
Ain't that America, something to see;
Ain't that America, home of the free....
Little pink houses for you and me.."

I love John Mellencamp!

It's election day! My stomach is tied up in knots~ don't know why; it's in the hands of the American Public now....will we make US history today or not? It's really almost overwhelming to think about; no matter which way the chips fall. The very fact that we have the choices we do is overwhelming alone.
There's a few propositions I'm intested to see also....namely, Prop 2 and Prop 8. There's either going to be a lot of celebrating in this area, or it's going to be very dismal; as this is a very gay-centric demographic.

I will DEFINITELY be glad that the campaigning is over though; I'm SO SICK of those manipulative ads they put on....ALL of them! It's so annoying and if I NEVER hear that stupid, stupid ad with Gavin Newsom (SF mayor) saying "Whether you like it or not" it will be TOO SOON! Word to your mother. Not only does it send a horrifically ugly message at it's very root, it's just plain annoying to hear that over and over and over. Even if I were against Prop 8, I'd vote "No" b/c that ad was so aggravating. One of my many quirks.

It's Tuesday again, so that means gardening day; the YE's are getting all tuned up and wouldn't you know, we were graced with a visit from the Fed Ex guy....I think I need to do some training.....it would probably be easier to train the Fed Ex guy, but he HAS to ring the doorbell so I can sign sometimes....O, the trials and tribulations of owning a guard dog or two, LOL.

I guess I need to go work out so I can get into the "endorphin nirvana" phase of my day...it didn't help getting another supercilious, self-aggrandizing, communique (that's military speak, doncha know, cuz he's UBER impotent in the Reserves) brother in law. He's a "2" if ever there was one. Yeah, that's on a scale of 1-10 people. He's actually more like a "1", but I'm a nice person, so I gave him an extra point for no other reason :S. I really hate liars and cheats, along with thieves. But that's just between us ;). Off to the gym with my sorry butt before any more garbage crosses my mind or falls from my lips!

Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?

2008-11-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

Did you ever have to make up your mind?
Pick up on one and leave the other behind
It's not often easy, and not often kind
Did you ever have to make up your mind?

Remember the Lovin' Spoonful? Crazy name, great band though :).

But yes, I have a dilemma! With a capital "D"! I have committed to volunteering at a big Food and Wine event being held here in town next weekend. And not only that, I said I'd work an extra shift on Sunday b/c some people who had volunteered earlier had dropped out and they needed me then.

I kept Friday paper's business section b/c I noticed an article on Martha and KB homes coming to the desert; La Quinta to be precise. I assumed it was just an article about plans on building some of those homes here, and was curious about them; since in these pitiful economic times, there are quite a few large, brand new housing developments that have been started, and the homes are sitting half done, which is how they've been for over a year now. So I thought it was interesting that someone would be serious about building now.

ANYWAY, I finally get around to reading the article and when they said Martha and KB homes were COMING here, they meant COMING here. Martha will be HERE!!

AND, they're running a contest which 100 people will win a lunch with Martha and compete in a cupcake making contest .....on SUNDAY :(.

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a long time Martha admirer. I have all her books, stationary, if it says Martha, I've probably got it~ almost as bad as my Ironman stuff, LOL. My two passions; Martha and Ironman.

So, I'm torn. I really can't flake on the Food and Wine Event. That's not right.

But I'd give ANYTHING almost to be even in the same ROOM as Martha. There's not a lot of people who I am longing to meet~ I get to meet celebrities often, and that's nice, but.....it's not Martha or Cher, or Ellen, or...hmmm...who else am I dying to meet???? Irene Pepperberg, maybe...Bobby Flay! Or Gordon Ramsey~ those are MY heroes. Andrea Immer. I guess the people who you share the same passions with and are your mentors. People who you learn valuable things from that make your life more complete and enjoyable. I don't remember the last valuable thing I learned from Posh Spice or Madonna...even though I like them and their craft, and it would be fun to meet them, I won't feel incomplete if I never do so.

I'm getting off on a whole other subject...oops.

So, do I enter the contest, and then be angst-ridden if I win and can't go to meet her? Or should I enter it, and if I do win it, try to "fix" my volunteer schedule, making more work for the organizers for my own selfishness?

UGH, why do I have to be so responsible to a commitment I've made? I have some thinking to do....and I need to get over to La Quinta to submit my contest entry, haha.

Thriller

2008-10-31T13:01:00.001-07:00

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,
You're paralyzed

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!!! We're off to see Ms. Patti LaBelle tonite~not only seeing her, but meeting her and having our photos taken with her. Don't know how that happened; all I know is that now, I'm going to have to put some effort into getting dressed, LOL! Dang, it's always something! Hope everyone has only treats, and no tricks!

Simply Irresistible

2008-10-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

1. Where is your cell phone?
AMAZINGLY, I know....right in front of me on my desk!

2. Where is your significant other?
Well, I THINK he's at work in the LA area, coming home tonite.

3. Your hair color?
Dark brown, with hopefully, covered up grey

4. Your mother?
Living too far away from me in N. CA, wanting to buy a ranch now

5. Your father?
Daddy-O living the island life in Hawaii with my stepmom and their kitties.

6. Your favorite thing?
I have tons of favorite things; but my little M&M's are at the very top of the list. Especially crawling into bed with them at the end of the day.

7. Your dream last night?
I don't KNOW....but I sure did sleep well!

8. Your dream/goal?
Get back into shape/fitness like I was 2 yrs ago, move away from the desert and closer to my friends and family.

9. The room you're in?
Office

10. Your hobby?
Tablescaping, decorating, dreaming

11. Your fear?
Oh, I'm afraid to say

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Back in the Wine Country...wherever; just so there's REAL produce that you actually SEE on trees or in the ground.

13. Where were you last night?
At home, watching Dirty Sexy Money

14. What you're not?
Over adolescence probably

15. One of your wish list items?
For my brother to be cured and restored to good health.

16. Where you grew up?
Napa ....when it was prune orchards and nobody knew where it was other than the state hospital.

17. The last thing you did?
Picked up kangan water at the water store.

18. What you are wearing?
White Tommy B capris and a black sleeveless sweater (my nod to cooler weather, LOL)

19. Your TV? Channel 3...soaps for ironing time, except I'm sitting here doing this instead, haha.

20. Your pet?
OH my goodness! You'd have to be living under a rock to not know about our Maxalicious and Madison, the Yorkies Exquisite, the light of our lives and the answer to world peace! I also have my Cynthia, a Maine Coon cat, who's very lonely since Cesare went away and my psychotic dove, Lucky, pictured above with his booster rocket, Tweety bird, the parakeet; and Coco, the dove who was a big surprise years ago when we came home from a trip and the petsitter had brought him over for "Lucky".....NOT a match made in heaven, so now I've got TWO cages instead of just one :S.

21. Your computer?
Dell laptop and desktop, dh has a Sony Vaio laptop that's BROKEN :(.

22. Your mood? Happy and getting excited about the holidays

23. Missing someone?
My friends in Napa; very much

24. Favorite restaurant?
Wow....where? I'm spoiled...Napa Valley has a plethora of phenomenal restaurants, I don't think I could choose just one. But the food's always consistently excellent at Fume.

25. Something you're not wearing?
Shoes or socks (what else is new?)

26. Favorite store?
My real favorite is Nordstrom's or Saks, but lately it's HOME GOODS....I could go CRAZY in that store!

27. Your summer?
BORING; extremely HOT, extremely DRY, very windy and sandy except for a few weeks I spent with my mom up in Napa Valley, which was fabulous!

28. Love someone?
Probably too many people ;)

29. Your favorite color?
Green!

30. Last time you laughed?
A few minutes ago when dh IM'd me; sometimes he's such a knucklehead.

31. Last time you cried?
Oh gosh, I cry at the drop of a noun; but I really cried the other night when I was talking to my friend who is getting me some information on an animal communicator in case she can contact my Nova and Valentino at the Rainbow Bridge. I just can't get over losing those birds (as anyone who knows me is aware of already). God help me if anything happens to my mom or my dogs :(.

OK, I get to blame Jan for this, LOL....I love reading about other people's stuff too, so feel free to fritter away some time on this yourself!

Stir It Up~

2008-10-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Remember Patti LaBelle? Wow, wonder when this photo was taken? I loved her songs from Beverly Hills Cops! And we're going to see her tomorrow night! I wonder if everyone will be all dressed up in Halloween costumes? I hope not, I hate costumes, especially on adults. On kids it's ok, but it seems kind of freaky on adults. Bad freaky, not good freaky. Anyhow, it should be fun. Even though I'm a LITTLE disappointed that we aren't going to dinner with the M&M's tomorrow night; I've got the cutest little tank tops for them for Halloween....Madison's says "Little Monster" on it, haha. Max's just has cute little ghosts and bats and stars and moons on it and says "eek" and 'Boo!" on it....oh well, they can wear them during the day I guess. Madison will be SO EXCITED to see his new top~ he's crazy about clothes, the litte stinker! He's a funny boy!

It's one of those days....you know, when you get up to a totally clean house, nice, neat kitchen,it's calm and quiet, you had a great night's sleep and the coffee is perfect?

For some reason, my coffee is sometimes PERFECT, and sometimes not so much. I don't know what the secret is....my BFF Roy, makes PERFECT coffee....every time. And he doesn't measure anything...just grinds it and pours it into the coffeemaker. Perfect. Me, I fill the coffee pot with water, set it on the counter, get down to eye level with it to make sure that the water is EXACTLY on the line. And then I get out my trusty coffee measuring scoop, and make sure it's not too full and not exactly level either....geeze Louise, you'd think I was performing neurosurgery! I make sure EVERY lump is smashed (b/c I keep our coffee in the freezer) before I push the start button too....no taking chances with my morning fix!
And sometimes...perfect, sometimes not so perfect. Anyway....today was one of the perfect days :).
I don't drink more than a cup or two, but I want it to be exquisite! It's always nice to start the day out on a positive note.

Which leads me to my next adventure of the day; my meeting for orientation for the volunteers for the Art of Food and Wine Festival.

I was running just a teensy bit late, as princesses are prone to do....or is that Divas? Hmmm, I think my mom told me that Princesses were always on time~ (yes, I know.....but I'm so much better than I used to be), but I knew exactly where I was going and it was only a little over a mile from home.
Of course, once I got to the hotel where the event and meeting are taking place, I went to the wrong end of the property, so had to turn around and go to the other end....couldn't find where we were to park, so had to make another round thru security gates and make u-turns...ugh. You'd THINK they'd tell you WHERE the meeting WAS on the property and WHERE to park.
Oh well, I figured it out eventually. Once I got inside, the meeting had been moved to another building...I got over THERE, and found out it had been moved all the way across the hotel to where I'd started out when I first drove in....I hightailed it over there, just in time to meet everyone on their way back to where I'd just come from :S. Yay.
So across the pool area, over the bridge, across the esplanade, up the stairs (and it's probably about 90 deg and most of the people who were there are WELL over 70 yrs old.....I felt bad for them).
Finally, we get to where I'd started out, in the grand ballroom and everyone got to sit down.Yay.
It didn't take long, we got the info we needed for parking on the day of our shifts and acceptable attire etc....no biggie. I almost was so disgusted at having to drive back and forth at first, that I was going to bag it, but I'm glad I didn't. It should be a fun event.
Plus, there will be some "celebrity" chefs...Sara Moulton, who I'm excited to meet and I'll be working with her (or around her or at least in the same general area) on the Sunday of the event, and the Hardy Boys (who I don't really know much about), and a few others....if you are interested, check it out HERE.
The weather will be beautiful I'm sure, and proceeds go to great charities, one of them being Meals on Wheels, which is a wonderful, wonderful group!
OH, the more I think about it, the more excited I get....I'm sure I'll bore everyone to tears by the time it's done :).

Well, another gorgeous day here, the lawns are greening up after being re-seeded for the winter. I have to say, that's ONE thing I LOVE about the desert....the lawns....and it's mostly appreciated, b/c MOI is the one who cleans up the doggie poo here.....no searching for it, wondering if you might step in it....the lawns are all FLAT, like a golf course; I LOVE that! A kitty litter scoop and I'm golden, LOL. No wrangling around long bladed grass..yep, there are some nice advantages living in the desert if you look for them, LOL.
Along with it being in the 60's in the mornings, about 90 during the day and the 70's in the evenings, I suppose this time of year I can't complain TOO MUCH! Not much wind lately either (me even uttering that is the kiss of death of course :S). The YE's can run in and out b/c I can leave the sliders open and the A/C is OFF, if only intermittently. I'm beginning to feel like a lizard, LOL.

It's my friend, Lizzy's birthday today too...one of the sweetest, lovliest women in existence, with more patience than 99.99% of people I know, and is the very BEST mom, and has brought so much joy, smiles and laughter into my life over the last many years than I can even say.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIRLFRIEND~ I truly do appreciate the day of your birth! My life is so much sweeter because of this day! Hope it's everything you hope for!

Ooooh....tomorrow.....halloween!!!

Celebrate Good Times

2008-10-29T16:42:00.001-07:00

I just got the good news about my online friend Jan's Yorkie, Maggie~ her tests after surgery for her liver shunt came back clear and the little girl is in perfect health! THAT is cause to celebrate! You can catch Maggie's story on Jan's FANTASTIC blog (hold onto your hats, b/c it's LOADED with FUN!!) RIGHT HERE So, if you have any inkling how precious these little souls are, raise a glass and toast Maggie tonight. It's always a good day when a little animal's life is made better!

Java

2008-10-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Remember Al Hirt?

I've been thinking a lot about memories lately....and coffee, LOL.
This is one of my favorite artworks; done by Karin Diesner~ you can find out more about her and her art HERE

I love it so much because it combines two things that have been such a big part of my life...coffee and the Chron, and makes me think of relaxation and contentment. And I remember when I first saw it at an impromptu art showing in the park across the street from Saint Peter and Paul's church in SF~ Roy and I had gone to see his Nana, the irrascible Rose Pistola; and saw the easels being set up, so we went to check it out....I fell in love with what's called "Morning Fix" and although I couldn't afford to buy it then, I got the name and the card of the artist. Later on, I purchased it for Roy for his birthday. We spent many hours talking over coffee and the Chronicle back in the day. Another nice memory associated with the work, was that when I called Ms. Diesner, she shipped it to me before I even mailed her my check (or money order, or however I paid for it). Things don't happen that way much anymore.

I've been remiss in tending to my blog, not because I had nothing to say; just not enough time to get it down in black and white. Kind of like "I'm writing a book....I've got the page numbers done" sort of thing....

So, to rewind a bit: The Fergie concert was excellent! We were in the second row,she is very cute, and such a wonderfully talented singer. Dh and friend were well behaved, didn't complain about ANYTHING (other than a brief comment by dh about "it not being quite loud enough" Haha....VERY funny. He even said he enjoyed it! I think however, he probably enjoyed a cute girl and her young, nubile dancers more than anything, since I'm almost 100% sure he didn't understand one word of any of the lyrics. Evidence: as we were walking out, he and friend Tim, were discussing the fact that they thought she was really good, but they couldn't BELIEVE she'd sing (or they'd LET her sing) a song called "F@#K-a-licious". OMG. Men. Being that my maiden last name happens to be the same as hers, and having grown up with a grandpa that everyone called Fergie, it was just too much for me to ignore, LOL. I turned around and hissed "it's called FERG-A-LICIOUS; her name is FERGIE, get it???". Honestly.

The Golf Cart Parade was the next day down on El Paseo....I don't know WHY we didn't plan for it sooner; I just wasn't thinking I guess. It's a HUGE day for all the restaurants down there, and we should have made reservations LONG before but it has been so hot, I just didn't really think about going and sitting out (b/c I KNEW dh would NOT want to do that). But then, it's been a little cooler and the place we go often with the YE's has a patio in front that's misted and we'd be able to see the parade really well since that's the turn-around. Or we WOULD have been able to if I'd thought about it a couple of weeks before and made reservations, darn it. We could have gotten reservations at another place with a patio, but the dogs couldn't go and it's no fun to go without THEM :). So we didn't. Next year. In fact, I think I'll make our reservations now, LOL. In my own defense however, the parade used to be in December, so it was a surprise to me when I got an email about being in it from the Animal Samaritans....and then realized it was just in a week! Like I said...next year! And yes, it's really golf carts all decorated up; it's pretty amazing and a lot of fun.

Now, it's planning for a few little events. Like Dh's birthday, Thanksgiving, our 10th wedding anniversary and Christmas. My head is spinning....memories, memories....

The YE's are behaving (basically), but the cat..not so much. I've been letting Cynthia out for short bits of time during the day and evening with us (she's got her own bedroom and bath) outside b/c I know she's lonely without Cesare, who was PTS last month. She's like about 15 yrs old...hasn't been out of the house in probably about 13 yrs...and what is the FIRST thing she does when my back is turned???? She caught a little bird and KILLED it...there were feathers EVERYWHERE on the lawn! The worst thing is, unless I go vacuum them up, there they'll stay til the gardeners deem the new lawn long enough to mow. UGH. What a mess. At least the grass is greening up after it being brown and stubbly for the last couple of weeks...but Cynthia is on a short leash now. Killing a bird....not acceptable behavior at this casa, kitty! She's obviously forgotten about the two demon parrots who used to bite her tail when she wasn't looking. Maybe I'll have to think about adding one to my little menagerie again. Yeah, right.....over dh's dead body, hahahahahah......talk about memories ;).

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

2008-10-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

"Flyin first class, up in the sky;
Pop the champagne, livin the life
In the fast lane, I won't change;
By the glamorous...."

Oh boy! Tomorrow is the big day! We get to go see Fergie in concert and we have (I think) front row seats! At least, we'll be up front somewhere! I'm excited to see her in person. Dh isn't so sure and it's definitely NOT his style of music, but since Frank Sinatra and all his buddies are dead, it's getting tough to catch one of their live concerts :S.

We'll see how long dh can hang with it; he only lasted a couple of songs at the Foreigner concert b/c it was TOO LOUD for his sensitive ears. I know I'll enjoy it though!

I'm definitely getting into the Fall-ish mood. It's at least cool here in the mornings and evenings. Not quite cool enough to consider chili, but enough that I feel like decorating. Martha had David Monn on the other day doing a beautiful tablescape and I loved the leaf cascade! One of my most favorite people is sending me a box of LEAVES so I can use them for decorating! Aside from the fact that it's downright pathetic to have to be SENT leaves, it's so sweet and so thoughtful for her to do. But, that's just the way she is.

And even though we're going out for Thanksgiving, I'm seriously considering cooking the whole shebang on Saturday afterward for us and a few friends. Not that I'm a big turkey day foodie, but last year we made the most flavorful, not to mention PICTURE PERFECT turkey~ I brined it first (ONLY I only used 1 cup of salt and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in the brine instead of the gigantic amounts of both called for)and I'm serious; it was THE BEST I've ever tasted. I also didn't use any quince, but I don't think we missed it. Otherwise I followed the instructions to the "T"...here's the CLICK for the recipe and method if you're interested. I'll never do turkey any other way.

Well, it's one of the YE's 10 favorite times of day: feeding time!!! Crazy dogs!
I had an interesting conversation with my mom last night; when I asked her about my brother, she told me that my stepdad had used the letter-board with him and he spelled out that he didn't have a stroke. Amazing. That's what I've said from DAY ONE. I don't know what it was, but it's just not typical in any way of a stroke. At least nobody I've ever taken care of with a stroke presented the way he did, nor ended up with the same sequelae. Interesting that Scott feels the same way. If only we could unlock him somehow....he never deserved anything like this to happen to him and it's robbed him of all his prime years. But just him saying that gives me some sort of hope somehow. Lots of things to think about......

You put Da Lime in Da Coconut...

2008-10-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yeah....that's it! Since I spent the better part of the last couple of days hunting and gathering, looking for that blasted coconut creme pudding (who would know it would be SO elusive here?...for God's sake, we're drowning in Palm trees, you'd think even if they're date palms, it would be a little easier to find it), I thought this was an appropriate title for this post.

A lovely lady provided me with the recipe which you can find HERE....it was worth every mile I drove to find that pudding mix, LOL!
Besides, her blog is FABULOUS FUN!

So, I was thinking about telephone manners today. Most people seem to have a pretty good grasp of how to initiate calls and how to say at least "hello" and "goodbye". MOST people.
I'm trying to figure out what happened to some people though. One is my father. Not that he's rude. And maybe it's just the advent of cell phones that has some people stymied. But the other day, I was in traffic and got a call on my cell from my dad. As you may or may not know, it's illegal to use a handheld phone while driving in CA now. So I had my bluetooth in good working order and when I saw it was my father, who usually doesn't call in the middle of the day, I answered it.
This is how the call started out:

Me: "Hi Dad!"
Dad" "Hello????"
Me: "Hello"
Dad: Hellooooo??? Can you hear me?
Me: Hello~ yes I can hear you just fine.
Dad: Silence
Me: HELLLLOOO????
Dad: Silence
Me: CAN YOU HEAR ME????
Dad: Yes, I can hear you.

By this time, I was wondering if my cell phone had dialed him somehow accidentally :S.

Me: Well, did YOU call ME????
Dad: Yes, I called you.

Me: WELL, SPEAK!!!

GEEZE....you start wondering if you're losing your mind and making random phone calls or if you're losing your hearing. Anyway, I finally had a conversation with him while he was at the Miami airport on his way to Ecuador. I AM glad he called to let me know they were off on another adventure, but it's like pulling teeth sometimes. Phone calls shouldn't be so painful, LOL.

And then there's my dh, which I've gotten used to and now adopt the same manners when he calls me:
He calls me, I answer "Hello?"....
Him: Yeah.....and then launches into some long story about what's going on at work, and when he's done talking, he never says "goodbye", "bye bye", "Later", ....NOTHING...he just hangs UP! Was he raised by WOLVES or something???? I mean, really, WHO interacts with their wife or even acquaintances that way???

I've taken to being very discriminating as to which calls I answer anymore. I hate being assaulted by my own phone!

Coconuts, nuts....it's either too much or not enough, haha.

It's a Beautiful Morning...

2008-10-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

"I think I'll go outside for awhile~
And just smile"...
'Memba that song by the Young Rascals? I love music. No. I LOVE LOVE LOVE music! Almost any kind of music and I can remember all the music of my life. I can see the album covers, and the one I posted today I used to just be mesmerized by. Not only the cover but when you look at the cover while you're listening to the music of Martin Denny, you (or I) felt as if I had been transported to somewhere exotic and jungle-y. A place of lushness and waterfalls with sweet flowers scenting the air and wild animals calling to each other. A place that only I knew about and was the only human inhabitant. Ok....now I'm getting lost again.

So, yeah, it's beautiful here again today. Don't you love it when you sleep all night? Well? I slept so well for the first time in so long I can't remember. Madison's new thing is to, as soon as I'm climbing into bed, run up right next to me and situate himself just under my armpit as close to my body as he can be. Is that sweet or what? This is the dog who, when I first brought him home, wouldn't even sleep in the bedroom; he slept on the floor in the hallway. He went from there to the little dog bed I have in front of my nightstand, to sleeping at the vERRRRY end of the bed, to sometimes sneaking up next to me to now, the primo spot, LOL. Don't think Max is all that impressed with his evolution though; Max sleeps under the covers right next to my legs, and he thinks Madison is cramping his style, haha. I swear, I wonder how I got so lucky to have acqired such sweet, wonderful dogs. And how did God make something so sweet and loving and charming as them? If only he made people like them. If only he'd made ME more like them. They're both "10's", that's for sure!

OH~ and speaking of MUSIC....I'm over the moon that AC/DC is TOURING America! And their new cd after 8 yrs is coming out on MONDAY! YAYYYYYYY! AND...almost the best thing....Walmart has little AC/DC logo dog clothes :D...double YAYYYYYY! I couldn't decide if I should get the YE's both a AC/DC hoodie or tanks. So cute! I can't wait to hear their new cd; it's called Black Ice....yeah, let's have some new headbanging music! Don't misjudge me people, I love classical music, jazz and like I said...almost any music. But there are times when you just are in the mood for a little Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap! The so un-princess part of my life ;).

I need to find a personalized license plate. I'm so torn about what I want it to say. If I come up with anything, I'll let you know. I always thought "2DRNK2DRV" would be fun but it's too many characters. AS IF, hahahaha. I have some good ones dreamed up though...have to see if they're available.

I am, I am, I am seriously going to put in a separate recipe blog here; I'm thinking daily stuff and holiday stuff. I've got so many phenomenal recipes and I love collecting more especially for the holidays! So much I want to do, only 24 hours in a day! I'll get to it. And I've made a vow~ to start wearing those aprons I've been collecting too. In fact, I just found out I'll be getting a new one when I am volunteering for the Food and Wine festival next month. That will be fun! Do you wear an apron when you cook? You should; it's a wonderful traditon. Kind of like a nursing cap, only useful, LOL.

I have been blessed with some people in my online life who are talented and kind and generous with their technical advice, wonderful recipes, business advice and creative endeavors and just all- around- nice- human- being- support stuff. I know it's a big big cyber world out there and people can just appear and then disappear after you feel as if you know them, but I just want to say how very much I appreciate each one of you and whatever time we are able to spend in each other's company. You make a difference in my life, even if I never meet you in person. I hope I can return the favor.

My quest for coconut pudding mix is next on my to-do list today~ What's up with you?

Oh What a Beautiful Morning!

2008-10-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Wow. Two words: Full Moon! The moon was so, so beautiful last night (or at 1 am when I got up for the first time during the night and saw it). And now that it's staying darker later in the mornings, it was still as bright as could be when me and the YE's jumped out of bed (yes, we ALL jump, LOL).

Today, the first thing I did though, was turn the oven on~ I had 3 beautifully risen loaves of sourdough that I've been cultivating since I began the starter a week or so ago. My first attempt at sourdough and my first starter! What an epiphany! Fresh bread baking in the oven first thing in the morning....it makes me think back to when I was in high school and Buttercream Bakery was just down the street. Now I know what my dad was talking about when he used to tell us about working in the Napa Bakery when he was young; and how wonderful it smelled in the mornings! Only this was in my OWN house! The bread turned out so pretty and yummy too....it's not the sourdough I'm used to from good ol' SF; it was not as firm, and slightly sweet, but with a definite "twang"...I think I could have let it bake a bit longer, but I'm going to be working on this one for awhile and then I'll move on after I've read a LOT about it.

It's fun to learn new things and to perfect them~ one thing I find frustrating (about myself, mainly), is that I want to learn as much as I can BEFORE I even get started. It's like I'm scared something terrible will happen if I'm not armed with all the knowledge ahead of time. And I continually come to the same realization after getting my feet wet: a lot of information is way over my head at the point where I'm starting~ you need to TRY it and THEN ask questions when you've had a little experience and found a pitfall or two. So, sourdough is my newest process~ I just hope I don't have to get into the real chemistry of it that I'm seeing some people do to achieve luscious loaves.

And the next endeavor is doggie biscuits. Now, THOSE I really need to work on~ mine come out looking a little rough, LOL...very amateurish. How many dog cookbooks do I need?

OK, you knew it was coming; stand back, I'm ready to spew...DWTS. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel manipulated? I really HATE the way they drag the results show out anymore. Just to kick one couple to the curb? I can understand a special guest with the pro dancers, but three of them plus children dancing has bored me to death. I'm sorry, I'm all for youthful talent and you don't get to be excellent all of a sudden one day, but there's something uncomfortable about watching children being told that they "shake their bum alright".....yes, I UNDERSTAND that's the nature of the dance, but .....I don't know; maybe it's just all the JonBenet stuff and child porn and abductions out there that makes me question whether these kids are being exploited or what. Whatever it is, I don't think I like it. Anyway, I turned it off last night and sure enough, the losers are top of the news this morning on the internet, so what really did I miss? And not only THAT.....I think I've about had it with Cloris Leachman; she's made the entire show a joke in my opinon. The dance they did a week ago, was absolutely disgusting; it looked like two animals humping each other and wasn't dancing at all to begin with. It used to be fun to watch, but it's deteriorated into stupidity. I'm not watching it anymore. And that's my FINAL answer, LOL.
I'm going out to enjoy the somewhat crisp morning, before it turns into a 90+ day~Dannyman, you are in my prayers today. Hang in there! Me and the YE's love you.

The Day After....

2008-10-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, Normann! Isn't he cute? And such a really NICE guy. Unfortunately, even though he was leading during part of the race yesterday, he wound up fading toward the end (somehow I missed exactly what happened)and came in in 12th place with an 8:44:04. And the winner, Craig Alexander won with an 8:17:something....AMAZING! Remember when they were amazed when the 10 hour mark was broken? Yeah, those were the days when you could just sit back and cruise thru the race, LOL. Uh huh....swim 2.4 miles, then bike 112 miles in the heat and the hellacious winds and THEN run a marathon. And oh yeah, be back by dinnertime please. Dare ya!
I have to admit that as much as I love those German boys, and the Canadians and the Aussies, I sure do miss seeing hot contention being between my American heroes....the Big Four; Scott, Allen, Tinley and Molina! Let's bring back the crown to the US! And yeah, I lost it when Craig Alexander turned onto Alii Drive....it's just SO EMOTIONAL to think about all those people roaring and cheering you on and

OK, OK, I KNOW tris are super boring to anyone who's not into them, so I'll try to shut up about them for a minute. I spent part of the time while watching the race online at the Williams Sonoma website (probably why I missed Normann's fade :S) and ordered these:

That's in hopes of making a pie that looks just like this one:

~ oh yeah....little Miss Piemaker here, haha. The running joke. I'm going to have to practice a lot I think. But I'll have the tools to do it, hehe. I had to have the turkey though~ I don't have many Fall holiday decorations mainly b/c I've never been a big brown and orange fan, but these are so cute...and even though we won't be doing Thanksgiving dinner here, it will be nice to have the decor, especially since I already have the dishes ;).

Well, doggies are outside barking, which is a good thing. It means it's cool enough for them to run in and out of the house, so we're just going to sit out and enjoy the beautiful weather today and rest up from the race yesterday, haha.

IM update

2008-10-11T15:19:00.001-07:00

Wow! I've got goosebumps right now...just watching Normann Stadler coming off the bike was amazing....after 112 miles with a head and side wind at least the last 15 or so miles, he was actually SPRINTING to the change tent! That's my guy! So, now he's in 2nd place, yayyy! Tojrbornne Sindballe is ahead of him, but we'll see what the Gods have in store for all of us....right now, I'm on the edge of my seat. The live coverage is absolutely STELLAR...the video is so exponentially improved over even last year's coverage, I'm thrilled! If I have to be sitting down watching it, I guess I don't have much to complain about....now, they just need to get that aroma technology going so I can smell the ocean and the pikake! GOOOO NORMANN!!!

It's the Hap, Hap, Happiest Time of the Year......

2008-10-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

YES!!!! It's IRONMAN DAY!!! My FAVORITE time of year and my most favorite day of the year (next to Christmas and my birthday of course :)).

What's SO sad though and if it isn't a testament to the passing of time, I don't know what is....I didn't even know it ws today! I just happened to wonder WHICH Saturday it was going to be this October and checked in at Ironmanlive and it turned out it was today! I missed the starting gun for the FIRST time in ...gosh, how many years now? A lot. Oh Daddy-O, I sure wish I were there, hanging out with you and Mad and reconnecting with some old buddies, but maybe next year. I sure hope so. I am going through Kona and Ironman withdrawls. Oh, the FUN I've had during the two weeks surrounding the race there....sigh.....at least I can watch it live online, so I can REALLY feel homesick, LOL! Looks like it's hot today and windy (what else is new?? Remember the year it was so bad, the littler girls were getting knocked off their bikes on the Queen K?); maybe just as well that I'm missing it this year! Gee, I'm looking at my old buddies Greg Welch and Paula Newby-Frasier and Dave Scott....and they look..ummm ....kinda OLD :S. And OMG..the Timex 30th anniversary IM watch...and I'm MISSING it!!! Oh gosh, how will I live with myself now? I was there for the 20th and the 25th editions....how does the time go by so fast? And oh myyyy....compression socks? I feel so OUT of it, LOL. Really glad I've missed out on those. And gosh....Cervelo was the top bike in the bike count at the transition check in yesterday....remember the good old days when it was Softrides, Cannondales, Kestrels and Quintana Roos??? And Litespeeds were the hot ticket. Now I feel really old. Even the bikes have passed me by. Maybe I should get back into it....Yeah, that's the ticket....new bike, new stuff.....I can definitely get into that. I at least have the bike case....and I do love my bikes! Ok, it's Ironman Day in my world.... I have to focus on the race, LOL..... Norman! Norman! Stormin' Norman is on the hunt! Go fast, cutie pie! I'm pulling for ya!
Oh....and yeah, G.....I'm thinking about YOU!

Mahalo and Aloha..................

The Sunshine Boys

2008-10-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a beautiful morning! I woke up with the Yorkies Exquisite wriggling around and then jumping on me, licking me all over my face. OH they're SO CUTE!!! Madison is always so excited and wants to lick everything....Max is his second favorite target and Max gets so disgusted, and backs away from him as soon as he can, LOL. Then they're off the bed and out the door; Madison doing his galloping down the hallway into the kitchen. Their breakfast is the first priority of the day of course, nothing else exists in their minds:).

The house is quiet and still~ the only noise is the doves cooing (as loudly as they can :S). No guest bedroom door opening and another little Yorkie spilling out of it this morning. It feels so empty here this morning. I know it will get back to normal, but it just feels empty. I'll have to give Mel a call later to see what she and Pie are doing. She's got a ton of unpacking and putting away to do, but I'll bet they get a walk in~ now that I think of it, they'll pretty much HAVE to since she's got no back yard or balcony either. I can't wait to see her little place!

I think the weather is cooling down; it was certainly cooler this morning and supposedly will only be 68 deg. tomorrow evening (I only mention that b/c dh (not sure if I'm invited and it makes no never-mind to me) is going to the Phoenix Suns basketball game which is being played in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which is an outdoor venue. And he's got a cold (MINE...sorry about that :(). But I guess 68 isn't exactly frigid.

I have been so industrious today~ laundry all done and I got a new batch of sourdough starter going. I had to throw out the first one b/c there really was just no room in the fridge to keep it while Melanee and her sister were here since she'd brought so much and we always had leftovers stuck in there too. So, I've got a shiny new batch of the starter bubbling away on the counter again. Maybe this time I'll get some bread made from it ;).

Dh is almost home, I'm happy he called ahead and asked if I needed anything at the store; I'm making the EDF Chili Chicken Tacos I wrote about last week that he never got any of and I needed lettuce and sour cream. I can't wait for him to taste them! I also can't wait for him to get home and see what the sofas look like with the painting and plants all arranged....home sweet home! But for now, my little Sunshine Boys and I are going to go enjoy the wonderful cool breeze!

Thursday's Child Has Far To Go

2008-10-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...maybe not THAT far, but it will seem like a long ways after being in the same house for a month and the same town for a few years. There's me (or my car)visiting Melanee in a month :D.

As hard of an adjustment as it was for me at first,(and probably for her too, being out of a house of her own unceremoniously and having to move in somewhere with a cat and a little dog)(and a sister for a week), my sweet friend Mel has moved lock stock and barrel to the beach!

And as much of a loner as I am, and as much of a neat-freak as I am, I am going to miss her and the adorable Little Pie, and her laid back kitty, Beau so much. I guess I didn't internalize the fact that she was really leaving, so in the few days before today, it started hitting me. Getting everything done that she needed to take care of before she left, we both realized it was becoming more and more real. When she sold her house and moved before, she always had a tether (all her furniture and belongings were in storage here, as well as the little dog she loved so much b/c she belonged to someone else then) back here. But now the only tether is her friends. She really has escaped the desert! As I told Little Pie the other day, since she's never been to the beach before "Oh, the places you'll go and the things you'll see!"...I'm so envious b/c I'd love to be in the same area too, and I know the doggies would love it! But for now, we're still here. Time will tell~ the doggies here are really going to miss Little Pie and Auntie Melanee though, that's for sure! I know she's going to find true happiness and contentment there and that makes me happy b/c she's a wonderful girl, a fabulous friend and she deserves it! YOU GO GIRL!

So, today I had planned just on getting the guest room and bath cleaned up and such, but got on a tear to clean the entire house, move furniture, and hang that gigantic painting (try hanging a 6 ft x 5 ft painting ALONE....aligning two hooks that far apart isn't as simple as it seemed, LOL...I had to make a few adjustments in the location of the nails I used for the hangers :S. But the house looks great and everything is clean. The doggies are wiped out tonight; you'd think they'd done all the work, haha.

So, a new adventure awaits us all, I'm sure of that! And Happy Birthday, Tim :).

Wednesday Cooldown

2008-10-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh....FINALLY.....it's the time of year that I can actually drive with the top down~ without worrying about sweating to death or burning the bejeezus out of the leather! 'Course, I still have to have the A/C going, but there's something so freeing and primal about driving topless :). Especially on a beautiful, clear and sunny day with the mountains all around me. Now I get why our population triples beginning this time of year. As I still say; it's a great place to vacation, but I want outta here, LOL!
I love the Fall with the changing weather and the leaves changing colors and falling, falling, falling. But most of all, I love to "nest" and decorate. And dream about the holidays to come. Summer is the time for running around outdoors.

Yesterday, Mel and I went shopping~ one store, 4 hours, I don't think a single item went untouched or noticed at least! I've decided that Home Goods is my favorite place. The glassware and dishes alone, especially the seasonal stuff....an entertainer's Nirvana! If my digital was working, I'd have pictures of everything, just so I can remember what I want when I have the money for it, lol. Of course, this is the kind of place that if you see something you want, you'd better get it right then or it will be gone the next time. It's also the kind of place where you check your sanity at the door on your way in.
I swear, earlier in the morning, I had emptied my buffet (pictured behind the table above) of EVERYTHING (and it's packed FULL) so that we could move it to accomodate the new sofas, and all I could say is "I have too many dishes"

...so what did I do while I was there? I found a set of Tuscan style dishes and HAD to have them. They're PERFECT for Fall and for Thanksgiving. And there's so many other dishes that compliment them. Yep, I got more dishes. And I'm contemplating going back for some more; I got one Fitz and Floyd plate that is so adorable with a little chick in the center. It goes perfectly on top of the Tuscan plates. Hmmm...decisions, decisions. One plate I can use as an accent piece; more I can use as breakfast dishes. It's this change in the seasons that's getting to me. Time for new stuff.

Melanee is the one who's got the excitement going though. She leaves tomorrow after being here a month. The movers will be meeting her early in the morning to load up her stuff from storage and then she, Beau her kitty; and Little Pie, Max's Yorkie sister; are off to the beach! I know she's super stressed out but she's going to have so much fun getting settled there and I just know she's going to find happiness there. It's such a calming and healing environment and I can just see her and Pie walking along the boardwalk. I can't wait to see her place and help her decorate!! She got some really cute things though for it already. I hope she'll find a really nice guy there too; she deserves it.

So, today is a get things done day for both of us. I need to hang a 6 ft x 5 ft. painting on the wall and am having the darndest time figuring out exactly how I'm going to do it~ honestly, I remember the days when I just slapped a nail in the wall and hung things up (that was just after the thumbtack and poster days I think :D). Now, I've got 8 different measurements written down, marks on the wall and I STILL haven't figured out where to put the hangers, LOL. I want it to be done when dh gets home though; he's going to be surprised (particularly by the fact that I extricated the painting from behind every single other box that's stacked up in the 3rd car garage and have already gotten rid of the packaging it was boxed in. I'm so proud that I got it all done on garbage day, haha....now I just have to put all the other boxes I pulled out back so he can get his car in the garage :(. Oh well, it will be so worth it.

Later on, we're going out to dinner~ our last meal together before she beaches it. I'll miss cooking dinner for her and I bet dh is going to miss having her around to laugh at his corniness (I'm a little over it after 10 yrs). I'm happy for her though, and the realization that she'll be gone again is just starting to hit me. It's hard living with someone else when you aren't used to it and it was a little rocky at first, but there's just nothing like a friend who "gets" you. Or at least accepts you and your annoying habits and makes the best of them. I can take some lessons from her in being more tolerant of other's idiosyncrasies, that's for sure. Maybe that's why she's a great personal assistant and I'd be a lousy one.

Anyway, since this is a "get-things-done" day, I guess I'll go get some things done (and expound on DWTS later).

Saturday Night Fever

2008-10-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh! Did we ever have fun today! I had NO idea that it's been so long since we'd been to the Indian Wells Club for anything. We used to go there all the time for breakfast on the weekends, but dh has been so exhausted usually, we just stay home on the days he's home. For some reason, he got a bee in his bonnet and wanted to meet our friend, Tim there for lunch.
The new IW Club has been totally remodeled (it was actually torn down and redone); a project that took 2 years! YIKES..where does the time go? I can't believe it had been that long since we'd been there.

I was amazed at how incredibly different and beautiful it all was. Waterfalls and waterways are always pretty beautiful, but living in the desert, you really come to appreciate them in a whole different way! And water they had!

I will try to post a photo, but it won't come close to doing it justice. When you drive up to the front entry, there's a huge waterfall in front of the valet parking area and that's just the begining.....

When you walk into the lobby, there's a reception desk and behind it is a big granite wall with water spilling down the front of it. I thought that was pretty fabulous, but then I went into the ladies room~ Oh MY GOD!

There was a mirror that stretches probably 12-15 feet across that's facing the main doorway and it's got water spilling over IT....below it is a grainte trough that runs the length of the mirror (or width I suppose)with the water faucets placed at intevals along it. Absolutely gorgeous. The materials they used in the flooring and the walls; the doors, everything are just exquisite! The stalls in the bathroom are a thick frosted glass with a large mahogany frame around them and when you open up the stall, there's of course, the toilet, but behind and above the commode, is a niche that's probably about 3-4 ft deep with a block glass window at the back which spills light into the area and they have a piece of beautiful glass art sitting in the niches.

The bar itself is a gorgeous design; such a huge difference from what it used to be! And the drinks are AMAZING! I went wild and ordered a Bloody Mary, which was practically a meal in itself! They put it into a very tall glass, then stuck a green onion into it on one side of the glass with the long tops sticking up above the rim of the glass. Over that, they put a ring of sliced red bell pepper. On the opposite side of the glass, they had a green olive and a pickled spear of asparagus, and to gild the lilly, they set a chilled prawn on the side of the glass! Fabulous presentation! And the asparagus spear was DELICIOUS! As was the drink.

The food has improved drastically also, although Tim had the tuna melt and he wasn't impressed. That's what I usually order, but I knew they had never done a very good job on them, so I was glad I hadn't opted for it this time. Dh and I both had burgers which were perfectly cooked, great flavor and served beautifully. The service was excellent too and they had a sort of carousel with flat screen tv's across from where the tables were so that people could watch whatever game they wanted to. It was really pretty impressive. I love good surprises :), and this was definitely one!
If you're ever in the Indian Wells locale, it's a must-see; you won't be disappointed!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Bill and Happy Birthday Nancy! I love you guys!

Friday I'm in Love

2008-10-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Actually more like "Friday I'm sick". I've had something like a cold since Tuesday. UGH. I detest being sick and feeling like crap. Which is pretty much what I feel like. Kinda like having a perpetual hangover. Thank goodness for Alka Seltzer Cough and Cold. Or cold and cough..whatever. It helps. The saving grace is that Max is better; maybe I caught it from him, haha.

I feel pretty lucky that he IS ok b/c yesterday when I was walking into the master bathroom, I saw him sniffing at something on the floor (and the Lord knows there shouldn't be ANYTHING to sniff at on my floors, LOL) and I went to look at what it was...it was a SCORPION! ICK! He was about 3-4 inches long and sort of a clear-yellowish color. I HATE them. So I squished him and sent him to scopion heaven. That's where all scorpions should go. I can't wait to move out of the desert. I will NEVER miss it. Anyhow, that's a subject for another day.

It's supposed to be cooler here today; in fact, they SAY (but we ALL know that "THEY" lie) it will only be around 87. That's 87 give or take 10 degrees of course. That's the part they don't mention :S. But that's good enough for me. I'm ready for some cooler weather. I saw some beautiful white pumpkins at the store the other day and could just picture them arranged with Fall leaves and a big metal-edged lantern-type candle holder on the front entry. Well, not HERE, of course, because the pumpkins would be caving in on themselves after a day or so in this heat. That wouldn't be very attractive. But I can think about it anyway. Kind of like I think about the fountain I want to put there, haha.

Today is going to be a stay-at-home day I think. I don't feel like going anywhere or doing anything and we're going out to lunch tomorrow, so I need to get well for that. I just need to figure out what to make for dinner since the hubby will once again, grace us with his presence for the weekend.

I made the MOST delicious chicken tacos the other night~I've been telling everyone about them~ they were in Martha's Everyday Food magazine this month (Oct). They're called Chili chicken tacos and you put everything in the crockpot! It was SO easy and it turned out so tasty. Not only that, I discovered those already made taco shells! I know, I know, they've been around forever, but I've never ever bought any or even tasted any.....and I actually bought regular corn tortillas just in case I chickened out (no pun intended ;)) and decided I just couldn't use the pre-made ones. But they were the perfect ticket for these tacos...I got Mission brand and they weren't the least bit greasy; they were light and crunchy. Something new and different to add to the cooler weather repertoire.

So, off to get well....

Ruby Tuesday

2008-09-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

I love Tuesdays. Why? I'm not sure, but I think it's because it's not Monday :).

Monday is always total cleaning,linen changing, laundry and get the garbage containers out day. And yesterday somehow, I realized I needed dryer sheets before I could even start the laundry, so that took up some time. So I was sort of behind all day long.

But Tuesdays are so much better for me. And today, the Y.E.'s went to the groomers! I'm SO EXCITED....I can't wait to see them when they're done. Mel's Little Pie went too, so we'll have 3 super cute Yorkies in residence here :D. I think we've decided we should parade them down El Paseo afterward b/c they'll be so cute. Aren't we goofy? I'm especially excited about Madison; this will only be his second grooming appt. since I've had him (probably his second EVER) and the first time I was afraid to have him cut too short like I get Max b/c his hair is so different. I was afraid he'd be bald, LOL. But his hair had been so matted before, it looked like he didn't have much hair, but he really did.

Poor little Max had a little gastro-intestinal issue yesterday....don't know what he ate, since I watch pretty much everything that goes into his mouth, and he didn't have any problem EATING all day or running around, so I guess he's ok. . At least he'll eat his food with plain yogurt on it. And I gave him one of Madison's Pepcids just to help out. I hope I haven't plugged him up now :S. Great nurse I am, haha.

I am horrified by the Wall Street plunge yesterday. I wonder what will happen next? I know things will get better SOMETIME, but it's scary isn't it? And with the elections coming up; ay yi yi! If I think about it too long, my stomach starts churning, so I'll divert my thinking to more pleasant things....at least, things I can do something about. I just empathize with anyone who's heavily invested in the stock market~ it's like, you'd lose if you pulled all your money out just prior to the House vote, and now it's a no-brainer. It would be a hard decision I'm sure. The only way it could have been a positive would have been if they'd voted for the bailout. I guess it really is gambling.

So, I found what looks like a good recipe for chicken tacos (I wonder sometimes if anyone eats as much chicken as I do? I eat a LOT of it..grilled, roasted, sauteed, poached, rarely fried, but if it can be made with chicken, you know I've probably done it in the last week) in the latest issue of Martha's Everyday Food...think I'll make that for dinner for me and Mel tonight. Results of DWTS will be on, so it's defintitely a stay-at-home night for me. I need to get on that sourdough too; the starter has either fainted or outright died, so off to the kitchen I go......oh, the reason for the title today; chicken chili tacos with SANGRIAS :D.

That Sunday, that Summer

2008-09-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, WHERE does the time go? It's so weird how having guests in residence changes your entire routine, no matter how you try to maintain some semblance of normalcy.

I will admit to being maybe slightly over-organized. I can't help it. I was an ICU nurse since I was 21 yrs old, and if there's one thing we are, it's organized and prepared for anything. You learn pretty quickly that if you don't get the mundane and boring things done right upfront (that would be bed baths, room organized, making sure emergency supplies are where they should be etc, that when things go to hell in a handbasket, you can either be calm and efficient, or a screaming meemee and look like a total ditz, along with compromising someone's life. I usually chose the former.

And it seems that so it goes in life. Take care of the scut work up front and the rest of the day you can do whatever you want and actually enjoy it. Instead of continuously thinking "I should be doing ....(fill in the blank)"....I hate that; it takes all the enjoyment out of relaxing. I envy people who have adopted the "don't do today what you can put off til tomorrow" or "tomorrow's another day" attitude. I guess I've seen that sometimes tomorrow ISN'T another day too many times.

So, I'm not the girl who gets up and leisurely sips her coffee while reading the morning paper. EXCEPT on Sundays.

When you don't work outside the home, every day is sort of like the one before. Get up with the dogs, let them out, feed them, walk them, feed the cat, clean the litter box, feed the birds, clean the cages, water the plants, get any laundry going, pull out the ironing I need to do for dh, clean anything that's out of place and plan dinner so that I can get out to the store before it's too hot. Then if I have any baking I want to do or dog treats or Madison's rice and turkey that needs doing, that gets done. I try to get my computer stuff done in the morning as well so that I can concentrate on other things; at 1 PM I start ironing and catch the soaps (thanks Mom for getting me hooked on them again)...but I've found that at least it makes ironing a more palatable task and dh doesn't have to beg me for shirts for the week; now I just need to set up my bike trainer for the days that I'm not ironing;).
At least something productive gets done while I'm doing something mindless. Oh, that's for those of my friends who "tsk tsk" over me watching the soaps; I actually DO have things to do at the house :P.

And then, one of my favorite parts of the day is right around 4 pm when I can finally chill out with the doggies and a glass of wine while we watch Ellen, who makes me laugh and makes me happy. Only things have gotten slightly out of order here, but it will get back to normal soon.

I really don't like feeling unproductive and unless everything I need to do and want to do is done, I don't feel right about just sitting around chatting; I've got ideas and plans that need to be researched or just figured out strategically and logically. And you know how unless someone's on the same page as you are, it's just a waste of breath to blabber about things. I'm not the kind of person who says "there's something out there for us". I'm the kind of person who says "this is what I want to do; so how do I do it?". More of a concrete term type of person.

Of course, I guess it's a lot easier when life doesn't get in the way; things like packing or moving or dealing with sick children or pets or spouses or friends.

I'm blessed. For many reasons, not the least of which include being fit (or relatively so...at least ABLE to be fit) and healthy, having good friends (some being able to maintain a confidence a little better than others I've found recently); and a great family, wonderful (and at the moment, healthy) animal companions, and a computer (hahahaha).

And SUNDAYS. I can stay in bed almost as long as I want (well, I still have to wake up early b/c the Y.E. are up with the birds, but sometimes they aren't insistent about being fed the second their little peepers open) and my husband goes to get the Sunday paper and I can play on the computer while I'm having my coffee with the Y.E. on either side of me. I can plan what I want to do for the next week, plan what I want to do for the next year, let my dreams run wild then reel them back in, and just be STILL. I feel organized, I feel hopeful, I feel happy and serene. It's SUNDAY!

It 's Just another Manic Monday

2008-09-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, RIIIIGHT....it's SO manic here, LOL. NOT.
This morning is absolutely, incredibly, phenomenally beautiful! A little breeze blowing, and cool enough that I my mind was jostled enough to recall that I really DO own sweaters and jackets. Maybe I'll be able to use something like that before the end of the year. That should be a question mark after that sentence, not a period, LOL.

I finally got some decent sleep last night, even though dh was up around 1:30 to get ready to leave (earplugs are FABULOUS things!). But....it's Monday, so Yayyy....I get to CLEAN and do laundry and iron today! Not that I HAVE to do anything, but it seems the best way to keep things in some sort of order here; get it all done on Monday and then I don't have to let it furrow my brow the rest of the week. Or race around to get things straightened up if someone unexpectedly comes by. I hate that.

Doggies are all doing well, although I just caught Madison with some of that sticky stuff they stick junk in magazines with. It's amazing what he finds at floor level (as in, HOW did it get there to begin with???).

We watched the Emmy's last night. For a change, I thought it was actually interesting and entertaining. It's almost shocking the number of shows I've never even heard of, and they're winning an award for them. You wonder how so many of these shows do so well when there's so many of them on so many different channels. I guess there's more people watching than I could ever imagine. Or there's a lot of people out there who watch an inordinate amount of tv! And I thought I watched a lot! Everyone looked so nice all dressed up; I can't think of anyone that I saw that looked really bizarre; like when Bjork came with the swan draped over her neck. I always wonder what's going thru their heads when they put something like that on and they make the decision that it looks good on them. I guess they save the good stuff for the Oscars though, LOL. Anyway, even though I enjoyed them, apparently the media HATED them....ooooh, I wouldn't want to be in any of the Emmy's producers shoes this morning! Goes to show what I know.

Ok...now, to figure out what the heck I'm supposed to be doing with this sourdough starter; the ongoing saga, haha....Halloween is coming :).

Another Saturday Nite and I Ain't Got Nobody.....

2008-09-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

Wait a minute...yes I do! In fact, I've got 2 somebodies and a house full of Yorkies and kitties. Well, really just 2 cats, but 3 little Yorkie faces to look at.

It's all good though. The Yorkies Exquisite were up and at 'em at exactly 6:30 this morning (after Madison's 4:20 AM wake-up call). And if THEY'RE up, so are we! Dan wanted to go to the grocery store to pick up a paper and a few things, and the wonderful husband he is, even picked up the stuff I needed for my crockpot dinner tonight. He's really being on his best behavior! It was perfect, since I'm making carnitas and they have to cook for so long in the crockpot. It seems sort of silly to be crockpotting since I'll be home all day, but hey....I don't have to DO anything ELSE til they're done, whoopee! Not often that I can "set it and forget it". And, as an added bonus, DH cooked breakfast. He's good at that, and it was very sweet of him to do it.

The weather is beautiful today; a slight cool breeze early morning and now has warmed up to mid-90's. We sat on the patio and listened to the doves cooing and watched the hummingbirds flitting around, occasionally hovering just inches from us, just checking us out I guess! I'm thankful for the low temps and will appreciate them while they stay. All the doggies joined me on the patio for coffee and the puzzles; unfortunately, those were all pretty easily solved today, so we weren't really out for long. I saw something really cute in the paper today though; it was a second "Jumble" next to the usual daily puzzle. It said "Paid advertisement" at the top and I couldn't figure out what it was. It had a picture of a couple in wedding attire, and 5 different jumbled words....anyway, I solved all the words and then took the circled ones...it spelled out "Will you marry me, MP?".....I thought it was so sweet! Some girl who does the puzzles probably every day is going to think (like I did) that she lucked out and got 2 jumbles in one day! And she'll do it and come up with her proposal. Awwwww.....some guys are so creative when they come up with ways to ask someone to marry them! I love that.

I also love that I have little Madison in my life. He is the class clown here for sure! This morning, Dan went looking for him and thought he had chased Little Pie (the girl Yorkie) into the bedroom. He found instead, Madison was standing over a bag of Twistix dental treats, trying to figure out how to get into it!! OH my gosh....each one of those is something like 75 calories (that's enough for a snack for US, not a 5 or 6 lb doggie (they get 1/2 of one every few days)!!!....if he'd gotten into them and eaten them, he probably would have been SO SICK! Although, his breath would have been very minty-fresh, haha! Silly dog. And he was so sneaky about it...nobody even saw him snatch them off the floor of the laundry room and make off with them to the bedroom (almost nobody)! Oh, he makes me laugh every day, he's such a little scamp! Max is perfect, but Madison is joy personified.

So, today is crockpot dinner day and I'm wanting to make some sourdough with the starter that I somehow managed not to murder (yet), but am waiting PATIENTLY ;) to hear back from a friend about how to proceed. You'd think I was building the space shuttle or something critical instead of a few loaves of bread, with all the questions I've peppered the poor girl with.

I think tomorrow will be project/craft day. Or maybe it will wait til Monday...such a tough decision here in lala land.
I'm going to toddle off and find something Princess-like to do~ maybe sitting on my tuffet and filing my nails ~ I've gotten tired of just watching them grow :O. Yep, it's life in the slow slow slow lane today!

Today will be better....today will be better....today will be...

2008-09-17T08:08:00.001-07:00

Well, at least I SLEPT ok, so I do feel better already. Weather is SO humid this morning, it negated the walk with the Yorkies Exquisite, so I'll have to find other excitement for the morning hours. Giving them both baths will take up an hour I'm sure.
As humid as it is, at least it's still cool in the mornings and last night it was even starting to cool off before I went to bed. Fall must really be on it's way! I love Fall~ the changing colors (well, not HERE, of course, but most of the rest of the inhabited places on Earth), and the way it starts getting dark earlier. I can start making chili again, and I love making stews and soups.
Since Mel is here, I've been giving a lot of thought to things we could do as a business. I just know there's something we could do that would provide a sustainable livelihood. So, this is my current list:

Tablescaping-I love doing this and I'm getting ready to start experimenting again. I have to do it while dh is gone to LA for work, since he wouldn't be too crazy about me moving furniture outdoors and other decorative accessories. But he'll never know. At least, not till he sees the pictures;) . I'm also working on a way for people who aren't quite as imaginative, to be able to have stellar tables for special occasions. I'm looking over my shoulder for Martha though~ I'm afraid she'll do it first :O.

Pet Parties~ I KNOW this will work. I just know it. Who doesn't love a party? And who doesn't love their pets? I figure before we start advertising or anything, when we're talking to people about their pets, we make them feel kind of guilty or negligent for NOT having parties for their pets...so, like we're talking to someone who is telling us about THEIR pet(s)...because when you take the Yorkies Exquisite with you places, everyone wants to stop and look at them and tell you all about the dog they LEFT at home. So, we say, "oh, how old is your doggie?" And when they tell us, we go in for the kill....."So, how was his birthday party this year?". And when they say they didn't have one, we just sort of raise our eyebrows in mild surprise and slightly shake our head and say "Ohhhhhh.....how sad". And then quickly change the subject. Pretty soon, we'll be overwhelmed with doggie birthday parties, cigar parties, graduation parties, pizza parties; you name it, we'll plan it :D.

Willy Wraps~ yep, wrap 'er up, as the Fabulous Thunderbirds would say! I wrap my doggies Willy and you should too. Haha. I make the bellybands for the boys and I have to say, little Madison is adorable with his on. And no lifting-leg issues in the house or when we go to someone else's home. Boys will be boys, so they may as well look really cute being one!

Dog Treats~ I'm working on this one, experimenting with different recipes. Of course, it's not a lot of help when the Yorkies Exquisite are actually the Yorkies Indiscriminate :S. They'll eat just about anything. I need to find a more discriminating panel of judges.

Personal Chef~ or something like that....along the cooking line since we both love to cook and are pretty adept at it. Maybe just doing parties and specializing in one thing, like appetizers (since that's MY personal fave).

Care Provider for women who have just had plastic surgery~ Because you know, those women can't do a damned thing when they first get home. Some of them couldn't do anything BEFORE their surgical "enhancements", so go figure. But just do whatever they need and take care of them for the first few days (or week or so) afterward, so they wouldn't have any need to go out for anything. I know if I looked like that, I'd be happy to have someone to help me out so nobody would see me until I was healed. And discretion is the key on top of providing good care. Since I'm a former ICU nurse, I figure I could probably handle this one.

My special ornaments~ I won't say what they are because I know these will sell too, and I don't want everyone doing them. But I know they'd be big sellers. Martha would LOVE them :). I need to be careful of her; she's got the wherewithall to produce anything she wants!!!

Personalized Christmas wreaths~ mainly for pets, but I suppose we could do babies too, or even just people. They'd probably be fun gifts to give.

I'm full of ideas. Too bad I'm not full of money.

Oh well....it's still early, so I'm going to see if I can work on some of these ideas and bring any closer to fruition (in my lifetime).

It's only ONE day!

2008-09-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

UGH! This is how I feel today~ I got NO sleep last night and am tired and cranky, so I'm just going to go chill out for the rest of the evening and hope I'm feeling better tomorrow. I HATE it when I don't sleep!!!

Oh boy....some days just don't turn out the way you plan!

2008-09-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

I seriously had the day totally planned out yesteray. It's amazing that when it takes just a few minutes to think of what you want to accomplish during the day and write it down, it takes ALL FREAKING day to get it done~ what's up with THAT??
Anyway, I got everything done in preparation for my best friend here to move in with me...lock, stock, and Yorkie,kitty,and sister!

She and I are both ruminating about how we manage to accumulate so much STUFF in such a short time! Of course, isn't it interesting that you never give it a thought until you're in the midst of moving somewhere? But it always works out one way or the other; it all gets tossed or repacked to take to the new place and vows are made to NEVER keep so much junk again. I don't make those vows anymore; I know I'll keep getting STUFF and I'll be amazed anew when I'm packing to move next time :).

Yesterday, being a fairly somber day for the nation, I watched the tv coverage of the ceremonies taking place and when they read all the names of those lost, and showed their photos, I wondered what each person was doing at the end? And what kind of life they led before? Even at my age, it's so hard to look at photos of people who were real and working and part of a family and happy and distinguished and LOVED, and wrap my head around the fact that in a second, they were GONE, Pouf! You'd think after being an ICU nurse for so long, I'd have that one all figured out, but it's different when it's such a huge magnitude just in numbers alone, of people who were, so ALIVE. And I think about what a great energy we all lost in losing those people from our world.

Aside from that, yesterday was also my very BEST, dearest and did I say BEST? friend's birthday; my most FAVORITE person in the entire world, the person who knows me probably better than anyone ever has or ever will (and I think he still likes me :)). I want to put him in my pocket and carry him with me everywhere I go~ he's like the kind of treasure that you keep all to yourself and pull it out when you can really absorb all the joy and fun that he exudes. It's like opening a present every time I talk to him~ he's the BEST, and so another Happy Birthday to Roy~ I hope your day was everything you wanted it to be!

So, the rest of today will start an interesting adventure with my friend Melanee~ she's such a great gal and is the female equivalent of Roy to me~ I feel so blessed to have had (and to have even now) such amazing, wonderful friends; male and female. They're like the seaglass that I find along the shore; beautiful and sparkly and precious; different from each other, but all incredibly, uniquely, phenomenally special.

I hope you all have people in your life like I do; it makes the journey so much easier!

Oh, What a beautiful morning!

2008-09-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, I had the best sleep last night! Yesterday I did a suprise dog sitting afternoon for Mel~ her friend Dotty was in hospital going to have chemo and she called Mel in tears b/c they'd been poking her over and over trying to find a vein. Terrible! So, Mel and her sis drove the hour and a half to go sit with her for awhile. And the LEAST I could do was babysit Max's little sister! Little sister wasn't quite as enchanted with the adventure however. She's such a sweetie pie, but so shy, and my little guys are ALL BOY! I think she'd had it after they had their way with the gardeners while they were here; snarling and barking and racing from window to sliding door, to sofa to look out THAT window....too much pandemonium for the little girl! She was SO happy to see her mama when she got back! Too cute!

So, when Mel and her sister got back here, I made up some pasta and veggie and garlic bread, they brought the wine, and we drank and yakked.
When they left, I went out to bring in the garbage cans and the sky to the East was lighting up like there were fireworks going on.

It was the strangest thing; it was a nice, warm (hot) day and not any noticeble clouds around, but over the Eastern mountains, there was just a ton of lightening with no thunder at all! The clouds and the mountains were lit up again and again, it was so beautiful! I felt like pulling a chair from the patio table out there and sitting down to watch b/c it was impossible to see it from the back yard with the walls obscuring the view. But from the front, I had a clear view all the way to the mountains for the show! It will be sad when they build it all up over that way; I'm sure they will.

And this morning, it was again, like yesterday, cool enough for the M&M's and myself to walk! Such a treat finally to be able to be outdoors and get some fresh air and exercise! They loved it, and Madison, as usual, had to do his crazy running, spinning and jumping and trying to get his own harness on before we left :). Such a clown! He just gets so excited when he thinks we're going to go somewhere. I try to extricate the leashes and harnesses from the pantry where I keep them without him seeing me, or he's just wild until we get out the door, LOL. Gosh, I love this dog; and wonder all the time what his life was like before he came here. But that's another story for another time. Suffice it to say, that when you save something's life, there's a special bond between the two of you.

I realized when we got back to the house, that I needed to run to Walmart for some of their frozen turkey so I could make Madison's rice mix. I thought I could get away with just making plain rice in chicken broth since mostly it's just mixed in with his other food, but NOOOOOO......he'll eat it plain IF it's with his other food, but for his bedtime snack I give him just the rice (as opposed to the kibble that I give to Max) b/c it seems to keep his tummy settled, and he had no interest in the plain rice at all. So.....another day of dog food making!

On my way home, I decided that I'd stop into the new JOann's that they just opened down the street...OH MY GOD......I am totally totally blown away! I went thru it and looked at practically EVERYTHING! The place is humongous! They've got everything; more than Michael's even! So many silk flowers and craft supplies. The fabrics are just amazing (and the prices are so much more than I remember them being too!). I could just see all the tablescapes I could do with some of the fabrics and the belly bands I could make with the cute novelty cotton fabrics, the doggie blankies with the fleece.....OH gosh, I was in heaven! And all the stickers and decorative craft supplies, so much of it, it's overwhelming. And the place is big and wide and bright and sunny; just beautiful! They did an incredible job, I am going to be in heaven! The best thing is....one mile and a half away = hardly any gas consumption, haha!

So, today is my day to work on my mom's montage that I want to get done as soon as I can. I think it's going to really surprise her and tickle her. I love doing these and putting the music with them; I think I'm getting kind of good at it anyway.
Here's Max's~ once I get Mom's done, I need to make one for Madison; that should be fun!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com
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Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

December 1~ the first day of the rest of my life

2006-12-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

So, what have I done so far today....it's the first of December, and I was supposed to have a cookie jar (with cookies) in the mail by Nov. 25th for an internet gift exchange. I detest baking cookies and kept putting it off, and then, when I finally got them done, they were all so hard and crunchy, I was afraid I'd injure the recipient's teeth, so I now have about 20 dozen cookie and biscottis here. UGH! What a waste of time!
The first thing to do every morning (and today it started at 4:40 am), is to take Max, my Yorkie, out to go do his thing. Once that's accomplished (and oh boy, was it ever COLD here this morning!), it's immediately time to feed him, and then time to feed the cats and the birds, and clean the cages/litter box, etc. Nothing going on with any of the animals thank the good Lord! Then it was time for MY coffee and figure out what I needed to go to the store for before I could get this package finally out in the mail. Honestly, this is the LAST time I'm getting hooked into one of these exchanges. I always put them off and then I stress out over having not gotten them out on time, and will they arrive before the day for the grand opening, or will I be the only lame participant? This time, I just went to the Fed Ex at Kinko's ...no muss no fuss, and probably cheaper to send than USPS...and it will definitely get there in time. Or so they say.
So, I got the cookie jar wrapped and some other little things wrapped and stuffed in the box, labels made and my list made, and off I went to Kinko's. Then it was over to Von's for a few things and home. On my way home today, I decided it would be Bentley and Jaguar day...but since I wasn't driving that far, I stretched it out to include Rolls Royces too....I counted 4 Jaguars (not including mine), 2 Bentley's (both GT's) and one Rolls....not very good for an outing, but I didn't go down El Paseo, so I'll have to keep my tally until later when we go to dinner and maybe I'll have more. This is what I do while I'm driving to keep myself awake.
Called my mom to tell her about the coupon I emailed her for Macy's and waited for Dan to get home. Pretty exciting day for the first of December, LOL.
I wanted to go to the art walk this evening with Melanee, but that was before Dan was going to be home today, so I invited her to meet us at the restaurant when she was finished there.
OH...I also put all the cd's in their catalog order so that when I can put them back into the cd player I won't have to deal with sorting thru 300 cd's, so they're all ready to go. And I attempted to hook up the dvd player but for some reason, the picture isn't appearing.....it's always something!