Miranda's Window Dressing

High Tech Gadgets

2012-01-29T18:07:00.002-05:00

Here's a list of 5 tech gadgets I have:

1. iPod Touch
2. Two e-Readers
3. mp3 Recorder
4. Netbook
5. Okay, I ran out of high-tech gadgets. Not very techie.

On My Desk

2012-01-25T20:37:00.002-05:00

I've decided to post something just to be posting something. So, here's a list of 5 things currently on my desk:

1. Two battery operated hand warmers
2. Many coupons
3. Stacks of mail I haven't organized or shredded (too lazy)
4. Four remotes for tv, dish, dvd recorder & bluray (no universal remote for me)
5. Last month's issue of Golf Magazine

A Primer on My Pets

2012-01-22T14:19:00.000-05:00

Since it's been a long time since I last posted anything of substance, I thought I would start by introducing everyone to my pets.

Winnie and PJ are my chihuahuas. They are about 5 years old and pretty much have the run of the house. Every piece of furniture I have in the living room is a place for them to sleep. I have to fight for my own chair. Winnie is the long-haired one and PJ is the short-haired.

Parker is my fluffy orange house cat. I got him from a co-worker when he was barely 6 weeks old. He lived in my bathroom for about a year. I had plans to turn him loose outside when he got big enough but when it came time to do that, I just couldn't. I even took him for walks outside on a leash to prepare him for life in the wild. He can be mercurial in his moods and I have some scratches and bites to prove it. But he did win his place in the household for life when he corralled a baby snake in my kitchen. I think he's even caught a couple of mice, but that may have been more playing than catching.

Cookie is my newest cat. She is the daughter of my outside cat, 5-Toe. I found her outside my basement door one evening when I came home from work. She, too, was just a kitten and has the extra toes on the front paws which identify her as a Hemingway and as 5-Toe's offspring. She got her name because she somehow found a way to get into the basement that first night and when I found her the next morning, I said "You're a smart cookie." Cookie is currently living in my bathroom but only until I can get her fixed. She and Parker don't need to be parents, though right now that isn't much of an issue because Parker doesn't like her all that much. She is set to have her surgery on Feb. 9.

Dora is my outside dog. Her full name is Pandora because she came to us as a stray and just like Pandora's box, we didn't know what we were getting with her. She's turned out to be a digger and a strong dragger of her human walker. She looks like she's part German Shepherd and Airedale Terrier. She just acquired a boyfriend overnight, a black and white dog that has to be part collie if not full collie. Dora really likes her walks, but while her boyfriend is in residence, she isn't getting one. I can't manage both of them.

5-Toe is my outside cat who came to me by way of my dad and his neighbors. His name is a trick since he has extra toes on his front paws. I don't know what his former owners called him. At least he has a name. Usually outside cats here are called 'Cat.'

Elvis is my betta fish. He got his name from our trip through Walmart. He was in his little container and the container was in the cart. As I pushed the cart through the store, I looked down and saw the water sloshing around and thought, "He's all shook up." And so the fish was named Elvis. Parker tends to leave Elvis alone. I don't know how Cookie will do. It seems the female cats are a lot more energetic than the males.

Those are my pets to date. I do have various wildlife around as well, in the Spring and Summer, I have groundhogs, though I don't know if I'll have them this year with Dora in the back yard. And currently I have about five deer. It's nice to have the space to have these little blessings. Even Dora's boyfriend, though I hope he moves on soon.

I'm Back!

2012-01-16T09:25:00.000-05:00

As I had to re-design my other blog, Even Par Round, I decided to switch up this one as well. I've cleaned up all the links and while the layout still isn't exactly what I want, it's working for now. Hopefully, I'll try to post here more often. Twitter really is the death of blogging I think, but I might make more of an effort if I can keep logged in and not have to put in my password too many times.

Crazy email

2010-02-06T06:25:00.002-05:00

A lady I used to work with sent me this email that alleges the 10 commandments are all over the federal buildings in Washington and that Christianity is supported in the designs carved into the buildings. According to Snopes.com, much of this email can be refuted. You have to wonder about people who just forward emails like this on to others. Do they really believe what's in the email, or are they sending it just because it supports their beliefs, whether accurate in its information or not?

Oops

2010-01-31T17:54:00.002-05:00

Sort of went off the diet this weekend. Kind of back on it today, will be back on it tomorrow. Still worked out so it wasn't a total waste.

We got some snow Saturday. About 3 to 4 inches. I cleaned off part of the driveway yesterday and the rest this morning. I was able to take Winnie and PJ to see their grandma and grandpa today. It will be nice to see the end of the snow season. It was 1 and a half degrees this morning. Really, really cold.

I watched Leverage today. It was this past Wednesday's episode. Pretty good and I guessed the villain before the big reveal. I still need to watch last Monday's Castle episode. I really should stop watching QVC. I bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner today. It was a really good deal though. Not just the everyday price. When the host with the 8 dogs said it was good for pet hair, I figured she knew what she was talking about. I'm not watching it now. I'm watching golf in HD. I had to turn off the satellite dish and use the antenna since I don't subscribe to the HD package. I like watching golf in HD. I better watch it now before Tiger returns to the tour. I don't watch when Tiger plays and it has nothing to do with his recent troubles.

I could have done my taxes this weekend but didn't. I'l have to do them this coming weekend. I had started reading a romance novel on Friday and it wasn't what I thought it was going to be so I skipped to the last chapter and read how it ended.

I still haven't done my dishes yet. I really need to since I cleaned out my freezer and found about 4 storage containers. I absolutely hate doing dishes though.

Checking In

2010-01-23T16:27:00.002-05:00

It's been a while so I thought I would post an update on my life.

I have referred to 2009 as the year of spending frivolously. I spent a bunch of money last year, way too much. So, I decided 2010 was going to be the year of saving. I also decided that 2010 was going to be the first year of the rest of the years I have to be healthy. So, at midnight on New Year's Eve, I was on my pilates machine, holding a piggy bank and depositing money into that bank. I believe that whatever you do when the New Year starts is what you'll do all year long so hopefully I have started the year on the right note. I started 2009 buying my pilates machine from QVC and I bought from QVC all year long.

And on a positive note, since December 30th, I've lost 9.5 pounds. So, it seems to be working out pretty well. I've also been eating more wisely. I don't ban foods as a rule, but I did have to exclude doughnuts and the deli pizzas that the local grocery stores offer. I don't eat junk food at work anymore either. I've been following the 4 Rules promoted by Paul McKenna: Eat when you're hungry; eat what you want, not what you think you should eat; eat consciously and enjoy every bite; and stop when you think you're full. Doing this, I estimate I probably eat around 1100 to 1300 calories a day without being hungry and without depriving myself. Today was the first day that I actually put leftovers back in the fridge to save for later. I usually just prepare small quantities and eat the whole serving when I'm hungry. By putting food back in the fridge, I feel like I've hit a milestone, although I'm not quite ready to test myself with buying a large pizza.

We've had some snow this winter and I've quickly renewed my intense dislike of that particular weather phenomenon. Can't wait for winter to be over.

One of my QVC purchases was a Wii. I got it right before Christmas. I don't play video games so it's now one of those things where I say, "Turn it on and play it since you spent that money on it." I did get the Wii Fit plus to go along with it and I use it to track my weight. The little Mii will yawn and fall asleep since I don't actually play games too often.

Winnie, PJ, Parker, Lapcat and Neighborcat are all well. Lapcat spent quite a bit of time in the house when it was cold. But I make her stay outside now.

Work sucks right now. I came very close to calling an upper level manager stupid in an email to that person. I exercised quite a bit of restraint in that email. The same day I also sent an email to my boss telling her exactly how I feel about another unit within the business. It was polite and contained no naughty language, but those sentiments had been bottled up for 10 years and you just know that at some point they were going to come out.

I had a couple of days of discomfort last week when my laptop's internal modem crashed. Luckily I had mom's old desktop here at the house and could still get online. But I really wanted my laptop back so I ordered an external modem from Walmart.com and paid extra for one day shipping so I could get it fast. The local walmart doesn't carry these. They only have cable modems and since I have dial-up, that one wouldn't have worked. I'm pretty hard on modems. The one on my old desktop crashed before too. I guess I connect and disconnect so many times that they just wear out.

Mom's been in and out of the hospital several times in 2009. We're all hoping that she's finally on the road back to good health now.

I'll try to post more often, but in the meantime, you can always follow me on Twitter and Facebook. The links are in the sidebar. And you can catch up with my thoughts on golf on my blog Even Par Round, the link to that one is also over in the sidebar.

Been A While

2009-11-01T17:18:00.002-05:00

That darn twitter. Why post long posts on the blog when I can post a few words on Twitter? Sheesh.

Anyway, Parker has been going out a bit. I found a legitimate cat harness and I've been making him wear that on a leash. He hasn't gotten out of it yet. He did climb his first tree today. He wrestled Winnie down the other day. Quite the rambunctious kitty.

Dad bought two beds at an auction because he wanted a headboard for the craftmatic adjustable bed he bought last week at an auction. Well after he moved the two beds to my house and cluttered up the house and after he made me go with him to load the stuff into the truck from the site of the sale, he decides that he will just use the headboard we already had. He didn't need to buy that crap at all. Do you know how hard it is to get rid of a used mattress and boxspring?

Mom and Dad both have been having health troubles lately. They both have doctors' appointments on Wednesday. Hopefully their problems are just quick, easy fixes.

Too Cold

2009-10-12T19:20:00.002-04:00

It's much too early to be this cold. I'm not looking forward to winter.

I've been walking Parker this weekend. He's getting pretty wild in the bathroom. You can hear him bouncing around in there. So, I thought he'd like some time outside. Plus, eventually he'll be outside full time so it's best if he gets some time out there.

Mom's been in the hospital. But she's getting out tomorrow.

I've been watching Castle on ABC and the Mentalist. I started watching both on DVDs but now I'm recording Castle. I'm not recording the Mentalist. I can catch that on DVD later.

I've been doing some baking. I'm using my Kitchenaid stand mixer. The cakes turn out good. I gave some of this last one to Dad. I've been eating too much of it.

Winnie and PJ got baths today.

PJ's begging for treats so I have to go.....

Hmmm... What to Blog About

2009-09-27T18:04:00.002-04:00

I just spent some money on QVC today. I bought a few pieces of Temp-Tations bakeware. I bought the first season of The Mentalist on DVD last week and I've now watched about 4 or 5 episodes. It's a really good show. I might have to get Castle next. I read on Stephen J. Cannell's website that he has been on the show.

I ate too much ice cream today and felt really miserable. But I'm starting to feel a little better now. I worked out a couple of times today.

I took Parker the kitten outside on a leash today. Yes, I walked a cat. But it wasn't really walking. I just sat down and let him explore the porch area. He has to learn about the outside because soon he will be out there full time. But, he has a ways to go before I kick him out.

Now that it's getting cooler out, I'm going to try to work out more often.

I have Friday off from work. I think I'm going to make a trip to the 'big city' to buy puppy pads. No one in this town sells the kind I want so I have to drive 40 miles one way to get them at a K Mart.

I still have to clean Parker's room today. And set a new mouse trap for the kitchen. I bought those new 'see no mouse' kind from Ortho. I hope they work.

Books and stuff

2009-09-20T16:29:00.002-04:00

I bought three books yesterday when I was shopping: a romance novel, a Nancy Drew novel, and a Dresden Files book. I got the book "Less: Accomplishing more by doing less" earlier in the week. I have a Dogfancy magazine that I haven't read yet.

I bought the Wolverine movie earlier in the week. Haven't watched it yet. I've been reading Nero Wolfe books and watching the dvds. I also watched some of the Davis Cup tennis matches between Spain and Israel this weekend.

Parker had a couple of aww, what a sweet kitten moments yesterday. He licked my ear and chin and neck. Of course, he's more accumstomed to biting and scratching me.

There were six deer in my yard last night. A daddy, mommy, two little babies and two medium sized ones. That was cool.

Twitter is Killing This Blog

2009-09-13T12:32:00.002-04:00

I've been tweeting so much that I haven't been blogging. Anyway, not much is going on. Work sucked the last couple of days this week. I'm trying to forget it. Mom, Dad, and Jasmine came up for a visit today. Winnie and PJ were uneasy around Jasmine but they were getting used to her by the end of the visit. They would kiss her when she would settle down for a few minutes. But she's a little tornado.

I bought a dog kennel a couple of weeks ago. The dogs like it when I'm in there with them. Parker the kitten escaped through the holes yesterday and I had to catch him and put him back in there. Have I told you about Parker? I got him from a woman at work. Her boxer was going to eat little Parker. Parker stays in my bathroom most of the time because he's so little he could get lost in the house. But I do take him outside everyday.

A Long Time

2009-08-15T19:03:00.002-04:00

I know, I haven't blogged here for a while. I was gone for a week on my trip and then I've been watching Leverage DVDs in the evening.

The trip was great. Saw all of the golfers. Saw some cool animals at the safari place. Winnie and PJ didn't gain too much weight while Dad was dogsitting.

It's Been A While

2009-07-31T17:45:00.002-04:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while. I've been watching season 1 of the tv show Leverage. The first season is very good with quirky characters, a lot of humor, and good stories that make you think of the A Team. But season 2, which is airing on TNT on Wednesday nights, is different. The characters aren't as quirky. This week's episode, the Order 23 Job, was all about the con and didn't have very many character moments. I hope this isn't how the rest of the season will be. Some people say that as the show progresses, the characters will change and blah, blah. But, comparing it to the A-Team, well Murdock never got fully sane. He still did crazy stuff. But I think in Leverage they are trying to turn Parker sane and they shouldn't do that.

Anyway, on to more news. The other night I was walking Winnie and PJ and PJ saw something new and decided to sniff it. It was a black snake. A big one. So, after I screamed, I pulled Winnie and PJ back in the house and called Mom to have her send Dad up here to kill it. By the time dad got here, it had disappeared.

I'm officially on vacation now. I have all next week off and I'm going on a trip. I'm going to go to the Wilds, a safari type place in Ohio and then I'm going to the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament. Dad will be dogsitting for me. I hope Winnie and PJ won't gain 5 pounds next week.

I haven't bought anything from QVC in a couple of weeks! Yay!! I need to stop shopping there.

Too Short of a Weekend

2009-07-12T20:27:00.002-04:00

I am spoiled with having days off. I now expect long weekends. LOL.

There was a little snake by my car in the driveway Friday evening. I didn't bother it and it was gone Saturday morning. It came back Saturday evening and this morning it was still by my car in the exact same spot. It hadn't moved. So, I concluded it was dead. I left it there until just a little bit ago and then carried it off. Even though it was dead and I was the one moving it, it still gave me the willies. I hate snakes.

Winnie smacked her head good today on the keyboard tray of mom's computer desk. She seems to be okay.

I gave Winnie and PJ a bath today.

I'm looking forward to my vacation. It comes up in about three weeks. I'm going to the golf tournament in Akron and probably to the Wilds. It's a wildlife conservation place in Ohio.

I made homemade salsa yesterday. It was pretty good but I need to work on it. I don't want to use that powdered salsa mix that I used yesterday. I should be able to achieve the same flavors without the powder and the msg.

Yuck

2009-07-07T18:07:00.001-04:00

QVC hosts should not talk with their mouths full. It's disgusting. I'm glad I've already had supper.

Late Post

2009-07-06T19:38:00.002-04:00

I missed my weekend post. So, here it is. I got most of the three main goals I had completed over the weekend. I dyed my hair. I washed my car. And I mowed most of the yard. Even with no rain for a couple of days, the grass caked up inside the mower and I had to keep cleaning it out. So, I eventually gave up. It was wearing me out.

I bought a few things from qvc. But the good news is, I'm watching other stuff right now and not qvc.

Winnie and PJ had a few fleas so I had to bath them yesterday. Then today, I vacuumed the house, washed their bedding and put borax in the carpet. I got some flea drops on PJ but Winnie, of course, tried to bite. So, she doesn't get any extra help with the fleas. Not that I think those flea drops do any good. I don't see any real difference.

Dad tried to give me the neighbor's cat yesterday but he coudn't get the cat in my carrier. Tonight, mom told me that their cat, Ralph, is laying in the carrier instead.

My container garden apparently didn't get enough water Saturday and Sunday even though we had rain. I looked at the containers tonight and the plants were wilting. So, I think I'll water them in the morning and again tomorrow night to give them extra water. I already watered them this evening.

Too Short of a Weekend

2009-06-28T16:38:00.002-04:00

Who thought of this two day weekend business anyway? I need at least three.

I took Winnie and PJ to see their grandparents today. They were happy to see their Grandma since last Sunday Grandma was in the hospital. I had to feed and pet the two cats who live at mom and dad's. I felt like I never left home since I'm petting Lapcat and the neighborcat here. Yes, I have a neighborcat here. I think he's related to the original neighborcat that we had a few years ago. He looks like him.

I bought something today from QVC as a Christmas present for Mom and Dad. I think I might have all of their shopping done very early this year. I'll leave a present or two to buy close to the holidays so I can get something they might request.

I got some pruning shears from QVC and tried them out today. They work great. Unfortunately, I'm all sticky with pine tree sap.

Winnie and PJ got baths today. I saw a flea on PJ and that was it. She had to have a bath. And when one of them gets a bath, they both get one.

Today, I got my Kitchenaid food chopper that I ordered from QVC. It arrived at mom and dad's earlier in the week and I just waited until today to pick it up. I haven't tried to use it yet. I have to wash it. This one is blue willow and I'm thinking now that I have blue willow and cobalt blue, that I like cobalt blue better. So, maybe I didn't make the wrong choice on the stand mixer. The reviews of the chopper on QVC said that it doesn't work after a couple of uses. I'll have to see. Some people who reviewed it on QVC said that all you had to do was to make sure the bowl is set on the machine the right way.

I made some brownies today and ate too many of them. Now I'm sick. I put the rest in the freezer and I may spend the rest of the day, evening, and night drinking water.

I bought a camcorder from QVC a few weeks ago and this past week I recorded some things around the house. The puppies, the cats, the yard and my garden. I showed it all to mom this morning since she never comes up here. I had to buy a couple of sd cards for it and an extra battery so I ordered those from the internet as well. And just so you know, yes, QVC charges sales tax so I'm not avoiding taxes here in WV.

I'm still on loan to another office at work. The new program gets turned on July 1st and I think I should be done with the travel then. I hope so. I don't like having my routine interrupted. I did see a couple of funny license plates last week. One said "yeame" and the other one said "giddyhupp". Mine just has random letters and numbers.

I've been tweeting on Twitter often. But haven't been on facebook for a while.

Another Good Day

2009-06-22T18:06:00.002-04:00

Today I took the lawn chair outside along with my Excuses Begone book and sat in the nice breezy morning sun and air. It was very nice to be out there.

I also switched between golf and tennis today on tv. Wimbledon began today and ESPN was showing the last round of the US Open golf tournament.

I vacuumed my car out and cleaned my floor mat.

The puppies went out for their walk today too.

Nice 4 day Weekend

2009-06-21T14:42:00.002-04:00

I had Friday off and I took Monday off so I'm having a 4 day weekend. Yay! Friday I went shopping and bought some clothes and a new purse and my regular grocery shopping.

Yesterday I mowed my yard. And this morning I took the puppies to mom and dad's. I cleaned out a little bit of my vacuum cleaner - it had caked on dirt to scrape out. I did some laundry. Still haven't done my dishes yet.

Spent some money on QVC today. I got the book Excuses Begone the other day from QVC but I haven't read it yet. I need to.

It's been pretty hot here lately. I need to feed my roses I think. They aren't looking too great.

My No Trespassing signs worked today. Some religious folks who came up to encourage me to read the bible decided to not do any encouraging. They apologized for not seeing the signs sooner and left.

Busy Weekend

2009-06-14T19:54:00.002-04:00

I put together the rest of the furniture I bought from a catalog. The doorknobs are falling off and part of the one side table fell off. I glued that back on.

I bought a Bissell little green machine and cleaned the area of the carpet in the big bedroom where the puppies' puppy pads are.

I mowed half of my yard with the electric mower I got earlier in the week. Slapped myself in the head three times with the heavy extension cord. The last time really hurt.

Spent a bunch of money on QVC this weekend. I bought a camcorder. I have been thinking about getting one for a long while now because the only one my family has is huge and uses VHS tapes. I had thought I would just go to walmart to get one when the time came, but Walmart ticked me off yesterday so I decided to give QVC my money. Walmart's door greeter had to look at my receipt even though none of my purchases set off the door alarm. Her excuse was that they were looking at all boxes that day. Well, she didn't look at my box of cereal. She didn't look at my box of doggie treats. She just looked for the Bissell little green machine. I think she just wanted something to do because I was shopping before 7am. Harassment, pure and simple.

Winnie and PJ's friend came up for another visit today. I had to chase him back off to his own house. Well, at least down to the part of the fence where he crosses over to my property. His owners probably wouldn't miss him if I decided to keep him. He has about three good-sized ticks on him and his owners haven't tried to pull them off. They must not like him that much. No wonder he comes up here.

I also ordered the Dr. Wayne Dyer book "Excuses Begone!" from QVC today. I saw the book at Walmart the other day and knew it would be on QVC so I decided to wait to see what kind of deal QVC was having. They added a 7 cd set of one of his seminars to the book for a few dollars more so that was good. I was impressed with him when I saw him on PBS.

New Host on QVC

2009-06-12T20:15:00.002-04:00

There's a new host on QVC named Jonathan. I get the feeling he's going to be a talker. It will be interesting to watch him host programs. Right now he's the designated eater on the Kitchen Show that's currently on.

Winnie and PJ Made a Friend

2009-06-09T19:23:00.002-04:00

I had Winnie and PJ out for their walk today and they made a friend. The neighbor's little Jack Russell Terrier was in my front yard. PJ was willing to be more friendly than Winnie. Winnie just tried to hide behind me. The neighbor dog didn't know what to make of Winnie and PJ but once he found out they were girls, he started to like them better. I don't think he's been fixed. So, I brought Winnie and PJ in.

Turkeys

2009-06-07T16:13:00.003-04:00

I looked out into the pasture today and found three wild turkeys. That was a bit exciting.

I got two of the pieces of furniture I ordered from a catalog today and I put one of them together. I wasn't very good at it. The inside shelf is upside down and I have split several pieces of the boards when I screwed in the screws. But it appears to be sturdy.

I also picked up the Temp-Tations salad plates I ordered from QVC and the Ryder Cup hat I ordered from the PGA Tour website.

Today I celebrated mom's birthday and father's day by giving mom her presents and dad his. Mom got those clothes hanger things that allow you to hang clothes down instead of across and I got her some fancy jello stuff from the grocery store's deli. Dad got one of the Ryder Cup hats and some garlic spread for bread. He likes the garlic spread but never spends enough time in a store to find it.

I found a new 'non-diet' book at Walmart yesterday. It's called Naturally Thin and it sounds a lot like the Paul McKenna program.

I'm very glad Roger Federer won the French Open today. Even though he now has the same number of majors as Pete Sampras, Roger is better than him now that he's won the French since Sampras never did. I don't buy that argument that other clay court tournaments prove that they are winners or great or whatever. Those other tournaments are mostly best of three sets, not best of five like the French Open. It's now being reported that Nadal has some kind of knee injury that may cut his grass court season short, or end it altogether. So, that could be part of the reason why he lost at the French. It sure took the security people long enough to catch the nutjob who ran all over the court today and actually got close enough to Federer to hurt him. What did the French security people do - surrender? That guy never should have gotten that close to a player or spent that much time on the court before getting caught. I liked John McEnroe's comment that Federer's racket may have needed to have a different purpose.

Now that I am hopefully done with the work travel and working in different offices, I'm hoping to stick to the diet and exercise program. I need to try on my vacation clothes from last year and see if I can still wear them. I would hate to have to buy new stuff.

Yesterday, one of the nose pads on my glasses broke off. It isn't the kind that slide over a metal prong. This kind has a rectangular block that is wedged into a metal rectangle. I tried to put it back in, but I think it is broken and won't fit. I'll have to try to get in to see the doctor and see if he can fix them. I think the frames are still under warranty.

This Weekend

2009-05-31T20:22:00.002-04:00

I had no plans for any kind of chores or work this weekend. I don't remember doing very much either. I did my laundry today and I had to give Winnie and PJ a bath today because Winnie had acquired a tick and when I tried to pull it off she bit me. So, she got a bath and I got the tick that way.

I watched a lot of tennis and golf this weekend. I'm not happy that Rafael Nadal lost today. I now hope Roger Federer wins the tournament.

I followed the diet and exercise plan very well during the week, but yesterday and today, not so much. But I'll be back on the treadmill tomorrow. The diet, I can't say. I have to go to another office to work tomorrow and I might end up going out to eat.

I took Winnie and PJ out for a walk today and it took about an hour. I just couldn't get PJ to come in. Winnie wanted to come in very soon after going out. But PJ loves to be outside. Even with the honey bees buzzing around.

I read the new Diana Palmer book on Thursday. It's called Heartless. It was pretty good but it doesn't make me want to read it again. I don't know if that's a good sign. I do think it's time for a new hair color. I think the last three or four main female characters in her books have all had blond hair. Plus, the old - money-hungry model girlfriend who breaks up the hero and heroine tactic needs to be ditched. She uses it too often.

Another Day off

2009-05-25T17:48:00.002-04:00

Today I mowed part of the back yard, used the touch up paint on my car, did my laundry, took the puppies for a walk, went out and got some exercise, took the plastic down from the other two windows in the family room.

The touch up paint worked ok. It matches the car's paint color, which is good.

Dad came up for a bit and got some dirt out of the pasture for his yard. He also helped me put the air conditioner in my bedroom window.

Oh, I polished my dining room furniture today too.

Meow

2009-05-24T17:16:00.002-04:00

I may be getting a 5 toed cat. Mom and Dad seem to think that when their neighbor moves, she might leave the cats behind and one of them is a 5 toed cat with a torn left ear. I told mom and dad that I would take that one if it's left behind.

I used Resolve Deep Cleaning Powder carpet stuff today and discovered afterward that I'm allergic to it. I have to be, I've been sneezing my head off ever since. But, when I go outside with all of the pollen, I don't sneeze at all. So, I vacuumed twice and I have fans going trying to blow the Resolve dust out of my living spaces.

I took the puppies to see their grandparents today and just a bit ago I took them out for their walk.

I have some chores to do tomorrow, but hopefully they won't take too long and I can goof off some. Tonight I have to wash my car and then try out the touch-up paint I bought for it. Maybe after I wash it, I'll decide that I won't try the paint. I don't know. It's a lengthy process to use that paint.

Off the List

2009-05-23T20:27:00.002-04:00

I have crossed some chores off my list today. I went grocery shopping and was back home by 7:45am. By 9:30am I had transplanted my cucumber plants and washed my Lumina. I took a bit of a nap after that and then I got up and ate lunch, took some plastic off the windows in the family room, vacuumed in the family room, walked down to get the mail, watched some golf, baked a cake and used my new mixer to mix it up, baked some bread that didn't turn out, put a new lightbulb in my bedroom. I'd been in the dark for a week. Watered the garden plants, took the puppies out for a walk.

As you can see, I've done quite a bit today. There are still some things to do on my list but I have two more days to do them in.

A good story about Winnie. She walked over to her puppy pads this evening and sniffed them. Then she went over to where I keep her leash, sat down and looked at me. So, I got my shoes on and put the leashes on her and PJ and took them for a walk. Winnie had to do #2. So, she is housebreaking herself. She apparently prefers to do #2 outside and is telling me so. She's so smart.

I bought a body fat analyzer scale from QVC last week and got it earlier this week. I finally put the batteries in and checked it out today. You can enter in your height, age, gender and the machine will calculate your body fat, muscle mass, body water, # of calories needed to maintain your current weight and your ideal weight and the # of calories needed to maintain that weight. My only problem is that I don't know which icon stands for male and which one stands for female. I contacted the company and asked. Hopefully they will email me back and soon.

I also put up one of those battery operated stick up lights over my new mixer so I can shine a light on it and see how pretty it is. I'm beginning to think I should have picked the Blue Willow color instead of cobalt blue, but with the light shining on it, I think I'll get used to the darker, purpley blue color.

Yay it's the Weekend

2009-05-22T20:29:00.002-04:00

I have three days off thanks to the holiday on Monday. I plan to enjoy them too.

I got my Kitchenaid mixer. There's a couple of scratches on it that had to have been done at the factory. Not happy about that but I'm not returning it. I haven't used it yet, but I did wash all of the stuff tonight.

Winnie and PJ have been taking walks outside this week. They like it out there. Tonight, Winnie needed to be picked up for a bit. PJ walks her a lot. Then when they came back in, PJ would just plop down on the floor and stretch out on her side, all tuckered out. It was cute.

I've been keeping a watch on my Twitter page and my Facebook page. They are as bad as updating blogs.

Nice Sunday

2009-05-17T20:23:00.002-04:00

The sun came out today, even though it was still chilly. I took Winnie and PJ to see their grandparents. After we came home, I did some laundry, took a nap, and mowed part of my backyard with the reel mower dad got me from an auction. The kind of mower that doesn't have an engine. It works you to death because you have to keep going over the same spot to mow all of the grass. But I'm getting there. I had to scare off a groundhog one time today when I went out to mow. I also did my dishes. The bad part of the day - I bought a Kitchenaid mixer. I had been trying to talk myself out of it for a few months, but broke down and bought it today. Kitchenaid was running a special - a rebate that included a free attachment. So, at least I'm taking advantage of that.

I watched a lot of golf today and caught up on the tennis news. There are still some things I need to do around the house, but I have another three day weekend coming up so maybe I can do them then.

This facebook and Twitter stuff is taking a lot of my time. This is why I resisted signing up for them for so long. I hate being tied to the computer.

Shopping

2009-05-16T19:36:00.002-04:00

I did my weekly shopping today. Among the regular items, I bought some new and interesting things. I bought two cookbooks. One was by Juan Carlos Cruz and has some low cal/low fat recipes in it. I like Cruz and I liked the version of the National Body Challenge he was on. They should return to that format instead of just doing it for one week. I also bought a cookbook about tapas from Spain. Too much seafood in those recipes. I also bought some metric sockets (tools) because my dad told me to. We needed a #13 to change the oil in my car and we had to look for a long time in all of dad's tools to find one. And I bought some sun shades for my Lumina. Since it's parked most of the time, we want to block some sun to hopefully keep the rear view mirror from falling off again.

After I came home, I tried to watch some golf but got drowsy so I took a nap. Then I dyed my hair and gave Winnie and PJ their baths.

The weather has been rainy all day with some thunder and a little bit of lightning. With one big boom, Winnie blamed PJ and jumped on her. But it should be good sleeping weather for folks who have bedroom windows that lead to the outside. I, of course, sleep in the box, which is what I call my bedroom because my window leads to another room of the house instead of outside. So, I won't experience any fresh air tonight.

Digital TV sucks. It's just as bad as the satellite dish in bad weather. At least with analog, we never lost the signal.

Branching Out

2009-05-10T12:08:00.002-04:00

I have joined Facebook and Twitter. I put the links over in the sidebar so you all can see what I'm up to on those other sites. I don't know if or when I'll update them.

I made homemade peanut butter easter eggs yesterday. Yes, I know Easter was a while ago. But I had this silicone baking mold in the shape of easter eggs that I hadn't used yet and I kept wanting to try the Easter eggs. So I made them yesterday. My recipe is very simple: milk chocolate chips, peanut butter, a little salt and some powdered sugar. I mix up the peanut butter, salt and powdered sugar. Then I melt the chocolate chips and coat the mold. I freeze the mold so the chocolate will set up. I put the peanut butter mix in the mold and then cover with more chocolate. Freeze that to set up the chocolate and presto, you have Easter eggs. I gave Mom and Dad three of them.

I had to work in a different city this past week and by the end of the week I felt like I had worked 10 days instead of 5. Plus I think I was cursed. It rained darn near every day and of course I had to walk some distance between the parking lot and the building. Plus, I hit so much broken pavement and potholes that my car rattles now. And, the biggest example of the curse, I misjudged the distance between the front of my car and a brick wall and now I have several scratches on my pretty new car. I have to go back to this office for two more weeks. I'm alternating with another worker so this week I stay local and next week I'll go back to the other city. Then I stay local the following week. And then my final week in the other office is the first week of June.

Friday when I got home from work, I walked down my steps to return to my car for something. I walked down a couple of steps and looked down and said "that's a thick piece of grass." Well, that piece of grass stood up and displayed a pink tongue. Yes, it was a green snake. My first reaction was to kill it. But I know green snakes are usually harmless. So, I went on to my car to do what I needed to do and then went back and watched the snake. If it had tried to go to my door, it would have been killed, but he slithered out away from the house and climbed up a peach tree. I told Mom that Dad was going to have to make more of an effort to keep my grass mowed so snakes won't be coming in the house.

HodgePodge

2009-05-03T15:15:00.002-04:00

I've been sticking to the diet and exercise plan this past week.

Winnie and PJ got three visits from their grandpa this week. Dad came up three times to do things around the house and take my Lumina to get inspected.

Friday night I stayed up late and watched three episodes of the TNT show Leverage. It stars Timothy Hutton and it's about a band of thieves who go around helping people. I would love to get this show on dvd but apparently it isn't on dvd yet.

A Sad Sunday

2009-04-26T11:54:00.003-04:00

My dog Fritz passed away this morning. He had been treated for a heart murmur and was taking Lasyx for fluid. Yesterday was a difficult day for him. He kept coughing (albeit mildly) and panting. But as I went to bed last night, Fritz was just panting and I thought he would be okay as usual. When I got up this morning at 5am, his coughing was very different sounding and I noticed right away that he was very bloated. I was going to call the emergency number for the vet and take Fritz in but before I could do that, he passed away.

Fritz was approximately 10 years old and I had him for 7 years. He was one of the best dogs anyone could have had, once he got over biting dad and tearing up the carpet in my parents' bedroom. He loved attention, company, and Mom and Dad, and he was always so excited to see them when they would come up for a visit.

We're all going to miss Fritz.

Gardening by the Foot

2009-04-25T19:49:00.002-04:00

Today I filled up two of my topsy turvy things. I have one more to go but no potting soil to put in it. So that one will have to wait. I also dug a couple of holes in my vegetable garden space for watermelon seeds. And I got some food for my roses and watered them tonight. I weeded some of that flower garden too.

I went out in the sun today and walked for over an hour total. Didn't get much of a tan even though the sun was out the whole time. But I'm working on it. I have tomorrow too.

Fritz is having trouble with the heat and his fluid problems. He coughs more and pants a lot. If he would drink more, it might help but as you know, he doesn't drink in the house.

I have a couple of fans going for him so he can be more comfortable.

Tired Today

2009-04-19T19:55:00.002-04:00

I stayed up late last night watching House Hunters so I was really tired today. And I had a headache. I also ate way too much. So, I've felt pretty much miserable most of the day.

Fritz has been coughing a bunch even with his pills. He got one last night around 9pm, when he first started coughing again, and he's been coughing just a bit ever since. Tonight he had his pill and his cough was like he'd never had a pill. So, I gave him extra.

My mini roses I planted look really nice out there in the flowerbed. And it finally rained today so they got a drink. I think I'm going to have to cover them one night this week. The temp might get down to around 34 degrees. I'm going to check out the price of mulch and I might go back to the store to see if they still have some roses in good condition. I think I can put a few more in the flowerbed.

Good Sunny Day

2009-04-18T20:39:00.002-04:00

Today was a really great day. Bright sun, warm. I went out and walked to get a sun tan. I bought three mini-rose plants and planted them in the flowerbed. I washed the car this evening after the sun went down. I got back from the store around 8:20 or so and by 9am I was taking a nap. Before I knew it, it was noon. Who knew I was that tired? I did. I stayed up late watching House Hunters last night.

Fritz got sick Thursday. He ate parts of a dead animal that the cat wouldn't eat. Within a half an hour he was throwing up. I had given him his water pill before he threw up and after he threw up he was coughing really bad. So after about 45 minutes of his coughing, I gave him another water pill. I gave him his pills on Friday but I got worried that maybe I had overdosed him since he wasn't eating much and was just laying around with no energy. So, I didn't give him his pill this morning. And he hasn't coughed at all. He also ate this morning and this evening and had boundless energy, running all over the yard most of the day. I haven't given him his pill tonight either. I don't know what's going on with him, but I'm keeping my eye on him. Today, he was about to go through it all again. The cat had caught a mole and was eating it with Fritz waiting for his turn. I scooped up the left-overs and got rid of them before Fritz could get to them.

The phone company people weren't very impressive. They drove under the tree to leave me a note that said a phone line had been cut and was fixed now. Then they drove under the tree to leave. Apparently they had no issue with a tree resting on their phone line.

Phone Company Woes

2009-04-13T11:11:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I lost phone service. I got kicked off the internet and had no dial tone on the phone. So, I called mom on my cell phone and asked her to call the phone company and complain for me. She did and the phone company acted like nothing was wrong. Finally they said they found some stress on the line when they ran a check (that would be the big tree leaning across my driveway and resting on the phone line) and they would send someone to work on it on Thursday. Yes, your eyes did not deceive you - Thursday. Four days away. With no phone and no internet. I wasn't too happy about that. Anyway, Dad came up to fiddle with the outside boxes that the phone company has here at the house, and on his way here, he passed a backhoe digging in the ground and two phone company trucks next to the backhoe. We suspected that these idiots might have interrupted my phone service. And coincidentally, once it got dark, I just happened to pick up my phone to check for a dial tone and got one. I'd say those guys were messing with the lines and disrupted my service and decided to wrap up their work for the day when it was getting dark and hooked everything back up before they went home. So, obviously I have service now because I'm on the web. But we aren't calling the phone company back. They need to come out and check on that line with the tree on it. We've had really strong winds and storms for the past several months and nothing has brought that tree down. Maybe the phone company can. Of course they will leave it where it falls and block my driveway. But I'll be at work when they come up on Thursday so I won't be trapped at the house.

As for my 4 day weekend, I've gotten everything on my things to do list done plus extra. And yesterday was a very good day, other than the phone company thing, because Angel Cabrera won the Masters Golf tournament. Yay! I like Cabrera. He's so much fun to watch.

A Day Off!!

2009-04-10T19:21:00.002-04:00

Yay! I went shopping today and then came home and did pretty much nothing that was on my list of things to do. Dad came up and changed the oil in my car and changed the tires on my Lumina. I have a whole list of things to do with my 4 day weekend. I hope I get much of them done.

Really Great Day

2009-04-05T17:12:00.002-04:00

Today was a really good day - sunny and in the 70s. I went out and did some yardwork and then walked for about a half an hour.

I baked some biscuits for Mom and Dad to celebrate their anniversay/dad's birthday. They got them today and already ate some for lunch.

Yesterday, I stopped at a chocolate festival when I was out but didn't buy anything. I wasn't hungry enough to buy expensive chocolate.

I've got a four day weekend coming up at the end of the week. Yay!!

I got to see the Gordon Ramsey/Top Gear show this weekend. I taped it last Monday night but didn't get a chance to watch it until they replayed it yesterday.

Fritz has gotten about 15 ticks or more this past week. All of the dogs will be getting baths this weekend and Fritz will get drops. Winnie bites when I try to give her drops so she will just have to have baths more often.

I bought a cd this weekend. It's a Rick Springfield greatest hits cd. It's pretty good.

Another Week, Another Weekend

2009-03-29T15:34:00.002-04:00

Well, I bought a printer. It's an HP officejet all in one. I would have liked to have gotten one that you can lay a sheet of paper down on the glass to make a copy but I wanted a printer that would use the ink I already have and this was the only all in one Walmart had that would do that.

I got my Yanni Voices cds today. Mom got them in the mail yesterday. They are very good cds.

The back bedroom in the house has ants. I sprayed them with bleach water and that killed them. I hope my hair doesn't get speckled because of the mist falling down from the ceiling.

Bad News

2009-03-22T12:50:00.002-04:00

I found out that my printer won't work on my laptop because the laptop runs on Vista. HP might have had an upgrade thing available, but with printers so cheap, I'll just buy a new printer. I've been wanting a wireless printer anyway. I sent an email to my mom to see if she wanted my printer to use as a back up in case hers breaks down.

I've been using my laptop as my only computer for a long while now so you can see that the printer wasn't a big priority anyway.

Yay it's the Weekend

2009-03-21T11:02:00.002-04:00

I'm glad to be off from work for a couple of days. I made an egg, cheese, potato, sausage casserole thing this morning in my new non-stick ceramic bakeware. The food stuck to the pan. Oh well. It's pretty bakeware. I think I'm getting a cold. You wouldn't believe how many sick people come to work instead of staying home. They walk around with their dirty tissues and rub their grubby hands all over the printers, fax machine and copier.

PBS is airing a Barry Manilow concert this week. Yay! I love Barry.

Great News!

2009-03-16T16:13:00.002-04:00

I didn't buy anything today!!! Yay for me! I even found other things to watch on tv instead of QVC. Granted, some of it was footage of the shuttle launch, but I wasn't buying anything.

Fritz was coughing quite a bit more this morning even after getting his pill. So, after waiting a couple of hours to give his pill time to work, I gave him another half of a pill. His cough went away after that. He had some fun today. He talked me into getting my shoes on and going outside with him. He loves it when people go outside with him.

I read the two romance novels I had sitting here waiting to be read. One of them I had actually bought twice because I hadn't read it yet and thought I didn't have it. They weren't fantastic books, but okay.

I've been thinking of things I can make in my Temp-Tations bakeware when I get it. They claim it's non-stick but I don't think so.

Yesterday was worm pill day for Winnie and PJ. For the first time, PJ didn't eat her pill on her own. She kept spitting it out. I had to crush it and coat some chicken breast with it.

Oh What an Expensive Day

2009-03-15T15:52:00.002-04:00

That darn QVC has 25 hours of kitchen stuff today. Boy did that hurt my bank account. I bought some of their Temp-Tations line of ceramic bakeware. I was only thinking of getting their 11 piece set, but then I thought I would get their paper towel holder. Then I saw their new product - a dishware set for 4.

I have resisted some of their stuff today. No Kitchenaid mixer. And no rolling Island food cart. And no pig shaped ceramic baking pan.

A Saturday of Nothing

2009-03-14T16:51:00.002-04:00

I did virtually nothing today. And it was great. I think the only work I've done is giving Fritz a bath. I took a nap and watched QVC and surfed the web. I will be cleaning my bathtub later. That's where Fritz got his bath.

4 Day Weekend

2009-03-13T19:59:00.001-04:00

Yippeee!!!!! I'm off for four days. I went shopping today. I don't know what I'm doing the rest of the time off. It's nice to not have any plans.

Lost an Hour

2009-03-08T18:43:00.002-04:00

Well, we lost an hour last night due to daylight savings time. That means I really got up at 4am this morning. I was up before the puppies for once. Usually they are up early and are playing and barking and waking me up early.

I took the puppies to mom and dad's today and then we came home as usual. I did some yard work and some laundry. Washed some dishes. Took a little nap - just dozing in front of the tv.

Winnie and PJ were sleeping on the couch. Winnie woke up and decided she would rather sleep in the family room so she went in there. Later, PJ woke up and missed Winnie. She got a little upset when she couldn't find her. So, I had to show her where Winnie was.

Fritz is still coughing a bit from not getting his pill on time yesterday. I gave him a pill and a half tonight, hoping it will straighten him out some.

Warm Sunny Day

2009-03-07T19:34:00.002-05:00

Today was a warm and sunny day. I was outside at 8:30am cleaning out the flower beds and washing my car. Fritz stayed out much of the day and Winnie and PJ went outside for a walk too. I, of course, went with them.

I love warm and sunny days. And my electric bill will like them too.

Wednesday, Fritz went back to the vet and the vet gave him a shot and some water pills to treat the fluid around his heart that is apparently caused by his heart murmur. I forgot to give him his pill this morning and by 2pm he was coughing a bit. So, now I know he can't yet be stretched out to one pill a day. At least the pills are really small and can be hidden inside a glob of ice cream. So far that has been the way Fritz has been getting his pill.

I'm not looking forward to the time change for daylight savings time. I don't like going to work while it's still dark outside. And I work a regular 8am to 4pm schedule. The politicians who thought this up probably don't get out of bed until 8am. They don't know when daylight breaks in the mornings. But at least I have a 4 day weekend coming up and I can't wait for that.

A Long Week

2009-03-01T14:10:00.002-05:00

This past week seemed pretty long and the upcoming week is going to seem pretty long as well. Fritz is somewhat better, but at the same time not as better as he could be. He's still coughing some. And he's not wanting to eat. I'm trying to feed him everything I've got. He won't eat people food or catfood. And catfood is his favorite. He did eat some dog food this morning. He has antihistimine pills through Tuesday night so Wednesday evening Dad and I have to take him back to the vet for a check-up.

I made a homemade pizza yesterday and it's very good. I still have some in the freezer. I don't have the same compunction to eat it all in one day like I do those pre-made pizzaa from the grocery stores.

I'm hoping to take the 9th and the 16th off from work this month. I was going to take the 13th and 16th off and have a four day weekend, but the boss scheduled a team meeting for the 13th and I have to be there. So, I'll just have two three day weekends in a row instead.

I checked out the wireless printers at walmart yesterday morning. They have one that just prints for about $50 but then they have one that copies and scans as well as prints for about $90. I haven't bought one yet. I have to budget my cash until I get to the bank again.

As for the Dell mini netbook that QVC has been trying to sell me for a week or two, I checked it out on the Dell website and built my own - when I do that I can get a router and an external cd/dvd drive along with the netbook for the same price QVC is selling theirs for. QVC is probably ofering a better warranty/service program than what I picked out when I built my own, but I think I can get a better deal by going to Dell.com. I haven't ordered one. I'm not interested in spending that kind of money right now. But the blue one is really pretty.

Another Weekend Gone

2009-02-22T17:28:00.002-05:00

Fritz is doing better today. He's actually played around with the puppies and has been outside several times with an alertness that he wasn't showing earlier in the week.

I spent a bunch of money today doing some online shopping. I bought a couple of things for my niece's birthday, I bought a couple of things from QVC - one for me and one for mom, and I bought some things for dad.

QVC has a way of making you think you need everything they sell. They've almost talked me into buying a Dell Netbook. Like I need that. But it would be a nice backup in case my laptop crashes. That isn't something that should be an impulse buy though.

Long Week

2009-02-21T13:25:00.002-05:00

It's been a long week this week. Especially for Fritz. He's having issues with his medicine - he doesn't want to take it. I had been putting it in ice cream but he found out and stopped eating the ice cream. So, then I had to resort to putting the pill in his mouth, closing his mouth and turning up his head to encourage him to swallow the pill. He hates that because I have to open his mouth. I also have to shoot the liquid antibiotic in his mouth. He hates that too. As for his condition, up until this morning, he's been having a rough time. Labored breathing and discomfort. The first day or so after he got the shots from the vet, he acted like he had never been sick. But then he started having these other symptoms. It could be a reaction to the medicine. This morning, he started acting a little better. Which is good because if I hadn't seen an improvement, he would have gone back to the vet today. I was concerned that he wasn't showing any improvement after having been on the medicine for a few days, but after reading the box the antibiotic came in, I figured out that Fritz is only getting half of what he's supposed to get. The vet prescribed one dropper full twice a day and the box says for Fritz's weight, it should be two twice a day. So, Fritz wouldn't be showing any improvement for a while with such a low dosage. I'm not going to disregard the vet's instructions. I'm assuming he has a reason for the low dosage. It could be stomach irritation issues or something. Fritz also won't eat much. Dad and I think it's a sore throat. I first thought Fritz just didn't trust me to eat the food I give him because he knew I was the one giving him medicine and suspected it could be in the food. So, I had dad come up today to try to feed him. Fritz didn't do much better with Dad. So we think it's a sore throat from all of the coughing and maybe stomach acids/irritation that comes up when he burps/belches - it could be burning his throat.

It was also a long week for me at work. You know how it is, different rules for different people - some people get away with everything. Same old crap in the workplace. I have to try to get rid of work thoughts this weekend.

Walmart has a wireless printer on sale for $50.00. I'm thinking of getting it for the laptop. I have a regular printer that I could hook up to the laptop, but I don't want to have a bunch of cords attached to something that's supposed to be portable. I did buy a humidifier today for Fritz. It's supposed to help with his coughing and it should help with winnie and pj's dandruff/itching and my itchy skin. I now have two of them running in the house. I had the one mom and dad left behind when they moved out and now I have the new one too. This way, if mom and dad ever need theirs back, they can have it and I'll still have one.

I cleaned the inside of my car today and let me tell you, the best thing I have found to clean the cloth seats is this Pledge Fabric Sweeper I got today at Walmart. It doesn't get in the cracks of the seats, but it does take up all of the fine pet hair and my hair and the lint that comes off of my clothes. I covered my seat with a twin sized sheet. But I don't know how long it will stay. I have a feeling it will be sliding around and falling down off the seat all the time. The bad thing about the Fabric Sweeper is that it's disposable. You have to buy a new one once you fill it up with pet hair etc. They need to make one that you can clean out and re-use. I would pay up to $14.99 for one of those.

Fritz Went to the Vet

2009-02-16T19:42:00.003-05:00

Dad and I took Fritz to the vet this evening. His coughing wasn't getting better. So, here's how that went:

I got the leash on Fritz and walked him down around the driveway to the Lumina. I opened up the door and said "Let's go Fritz," and he jumped into the car, ready for a car ride. He hasn't been for a car ride since I first got him about 7 years ago. Dad drove us to the vet. We got inside and sat down and in came a Siberian Husky. It was huge. Then came a Chocolate Lab named Hershey. It was big and fat. Fritz was afraid of them and the Lab just had to meet and greet every dog that came in. Fritz didn't like that. He kept trying to go outside. Then when they called us to go back to the exam room, Fritz's collar came off and Dad had to carry him back to the room. As for the exam, the vet seemed to think it is allergies, being cooped up in the house with the heat on, and a heart murmur that's causing Fritz's cough. I hope he's right. The vet said that it isn't unusual for a dog that's 70 in human years to develop a cough. I don't tend to think of Fritz as an old dog. He's really active. The vet gave Fritz two shots and some antibiotics and antihistimines to take. I hope they will work mixed up in ice cream. When we got back to the house, we let Fritz off the leash and he beat us to the door. He wanted in the house. He wouldn't even eat the catfood Dad offered him. But after Dad left and everyone settled down, I gave Fritz some ice cream and he ate that.

Late Night

2009-02-16T12:23:00.002-05:00

I stayed up until 11pm last night reading a book. My eyes weren't drooping or anything. But today I'm pretty tired. I went out early this morning to buy a couple of plastic storage containers to put my books in. I also spent too much money on stuffed animals. I got one for Winnie and PJ and Winnie wouldn't leave it. It was so cute.

We had snow this morning. That was a surprise. But it's all melted off by now. Someone must have wrecked on the interstate this morning. I saw a line of traffic backed up and some emergency vehicles. There wasn't enough snow to cause a wreck as long as you're driving smart.

Not as Tired

2009-02-14T19:22:00.002-05:00

I wasn't as tired today as I have been. But then I didn't do a lot in the way of exercise today either. I dyed my hair (a lot of sitting and waiting), I gave Winne and PJ a bath, I read two romance novels, parts of other books, played with my Laptop (I found that I do have a program for copying dvds but it still won't work with my MP3 player that plays video. The mp3 player will only use WMA format), and drove down to the mailbox to get my mail. I was going to walk but it was spitting ice/snow and I didn't want to risk getting caught in bad weather. So, I drove and then it stopped precipitating (snowing, icing, whatever it was.)

I've been taking the herbal thyroid stuff so maybe that's helping.

The two books I read today are two Diana Palmer stories I haven't read before. They were pretty good. Not tied into any other of her books. I'd never heard of these characters before.

My butt and legs are a bit sore though from sitting around with dogs on my lap for hours. First, PJ, then Winnie, the PJ again, then Winnie, then PJ .... you get the idea.

Shopping

2009-02-13T19:48:00.002-05:00

I went shopping today. Went to all of the stores I can't go to at 7am on Saturday mornings when I usually do my shopping. Found a dime on one parking lot. Found two Diana Palmer books I didn't have at the GoodWill store. Got some candy I didn't need at about three different stores. I also bought another Cat cube - a foam rubber padded cube that cats sleep and play in. I have a feeling I might be saving the lives of some of my parents future kittens (if the mama cat has them) by taking a few of them home with me when they are old enough. So, I thought I would get another bed for them to sleep in so they would have to share with Lapcat. And if I don't get the kittens, then I've got a backup for Lapcat in case anything happens to her cube. They will of course be outside cats. Maybe they will be mole-catchers. Lapcat sure isn't.

I tried to clean my dining room carpet today and my machine won't even spit out water now. It stopped spitting out soap a long time ago but it was spitting out water the last time I used it. So, I ended up wringing out a wet towel over the floor and then sucking the water up with my machine.

I've been pretty exhausted lately. Along with some other suspicious symptoms. So, after some reading on the web, I've diagnosed myself with thyroid issues. I got some herbal supplements to see if that might help.

Fritz is still coughing some. Not as often or as bad as he used to. He was due for a second round of worm medicine in a couple of days but I started giving it to him tonight instead. It's a little early but it can't really hurt.

Four Days Off

2009-02-12T19:59:00.005-05:00

I'm taking tomorrow off from work and I have Monday off, so it's a 4 day weekend for me! Yay!!!

Some puppy stories: yesterday morning I got up and found Winnie laying on the couch being very quiet. Unusual, since they are often running through the house barking at each other. I went over and checked her out and she had a sticker from my pilates machine between her paws. She started chewing on it and I thought, "okay, that's not so bad. but I'll trade it for some catfood." So, I gave her a few pieces of catfood and then tried to get the sticker. It was stuck to her paw. I mean, really stuck. I had to yank it pretty strongly to get it off her food and then she yipped. Well, she was mad the rest of the day and I think probably still mad tonight. She bit me 4 times yesterday morning before I left for work.

Also yesterday morning, I finished washing my hair and left the bathroom to check on the puppies. I looked down the hall and saw PJ just standing there, acting very innocently, next to a cloud of quilt batting. She had pulled it out of the plastic bag it was in and dragged it over to the doorway.

Winnie and PJ finished up their second round of worm medicine last night. Winnie left some of her last dose behind but hopefully she got all of it that she needed. I'm having a hard time getting her to eat. I switched her back to bologna and she's eating a little bit of that.

Fritz has been getting some herbal worm medicine with his food every morning. Until this morning. He wouldn't eat it. I think he gets food up his nose when he eats the Mighty Dog canned food and I think it bothers him. He has another round of three doses of over the counter medicine coming up. Hopefully I can get him to eat that. I'll have to mix it into some ice cream.

We had some really strong winds last night and today. A metal lawn chair blew over last night and I had some tree limbs around the yard and the driveway. Tonight when I came home I saw some kind of cable (power or phone probably) laying in the neighbor's yard and it looked like it had actually cut a tree in half - it was in between the half of the tree that was laying in the yard and the half that was still standing. I don't remember if I drove over the cable or under it. I didn't notice it until I had passed by it. I was keeping an eye on the neighbor's dog instead - it was chasing my car like it always does.

I now have all of the stuff I've ordered lately on the web. I know I said that spending season was over after I bought the pilates machine. But that was before I needed puppy pads which Walmart wasn't selling, and before I wanted to buy the Cesar Milan book from Lakeside, before I had to buy the worm medicine for the dogs, before I had to buy hairball treats for Fritz.

Hopefully, I'm done buying now.

Wonderfully Sunny Day

2009-02-08T17:27:00.003-05:00

It's a beautiful day today - blue sky, warm sun. I washed my car - the LaCrosse, not the Lumina. When I was done, I just sat down in the sun and soaked up the sun. The whole week will be warm, yay!!!

Finally Driving to the House

2009-02-07T20:06:00.003-05:00

I finally drove up to the house Thursday evening. I decided that since we weren't going to get any more snow, I would drive up to the house. I slid around some and as usual, the neighbor's dogs chased me, but I made it. It's nice driving to and from the house for a change. And it's really nice to have warm temperatures. We were in the 40s I think yesterday and today we were in the 50s. We are going to have 50s and 60s this week. Yay!!!

I ate way too much today. But I'm getting back on the diet and exercise plan either tomorrow or Monday.

I made a little quilt today for Winnie and PJ. It has little dog bones on one side and Care Bears on the other. I broke my sewing machine while making this quilt. It won't sew in reverse now. Winnie doesn't know if she likes it or not. I put it in her little hidey-hole and she wouldn't lay there. So, I had to get it back out and put it back on the couch. She'll get used to it.

Fritz was coughing a little bit today. I gave him over the counter worm medicine and after the third treatment, he was doing very well. This morning he coughed some (during the dogs' 3am play time while I was trying to sleep) so I gave him some herbal worm medicine I have. Not the first kind that really gave him a bad cough, but the second kind I got in the mail. He hasn't had any bad reactions from that yet. But I didn't give him a second dose tonight. I thought I would only do one dose a day for a while and see how his cough gets.

Tomorrow the puppies get to visit their grandparents. They missed their trip last week because of the weather. They will be so excited when I start sacking everything up to go tomorrow.

Warm Today, But I Still Have Snow

2009-02-01T18:12:00.002-05:00

My driveway didn't completely melt off today. I still went to the store. I walked down to my car and then after I got finished with Walmart I called mom and asked if dad would drive me up the hill when I got finished with the other shopping I had to do. Mom said 'of course dad would love to do that.' LOL. So, I picked up dad and he drove me up the hill. The neighbors' dogs chased us and we slid all the way up the hill. Before we got there dad said repeatedly, "you can drive up the hill." Hah! So, I gathered up the mail and stuff that I had to take to mom and dad's and dad and I left and went back to his house. Dad made over Winnie, PJ and Fritz while I put some groceries away and changed into comfortable sweats. They just love it when he comes to visit.

I parked the car back down at the road when I came home tonight and walked up. Dad said, "it should be melted off, you can drive up tonight." But I was concerned about all of the ice I might have to deal with tomorrow morning. So, I'm walking.

Dad says Fritz has hairballs. He might. These are the most sheddingist dogs. I'm running out of hairball remedy cat treats so I had to order some from the internet. I tried to find them in town and no one had them. I also ordered some puppy pads from the web since walmart isn't carrying the really good quilted ones.

Yay it's the Weekend

2009-01-31T16:16:00.002-05:00

Well, I made it to work on Thursday and Friday. That's about all to say there. Today, it warmed up to about 34 degrees with plenty of sun, but it isn't melting a lot out there. Hopefully it will melt tomorrow and I can get to the store.

By 9:30am today I had washed my dishes, done a load of laundry and vacuumed in the living room. Later I took a nap. I've also eaten way too much. I am completely off any kind of schedule and hopefully, once the weather straightens up, I can get back to a good eating and workout schedule.

Fritz has been sick lately. Coughing. It was a dry, hacking cough. And with the addition of garlic powder to his food, the cough went away mostly. Then I got some herbal worm medicine and gave to him. Two doses and his cough was horrible. Like how it sounds when a human taks some medicine and his or her cough breaks up and they start coughing up stuff. Fritz was really bad yesterday morning and I contemplated taking him to the vet. But I stopped giving him that worm medicine and by the time I got home last night, his cough was nearly gone again. And he's been doing well today too. So, I think the vet visit can wait for better weather.

I did have to carry a bag of frozen chicken breasts up the hill last night because I was running out of food for the dogs. That was a workout. It really makes you aware of how much weight you lose when you add the pounds back on like that. I didn't notice how bad the walk was when I was that many pounds heavier.

Walmart is not carriying my favorite brand of puppy pads. I'm very unhappy about that. They are the Hartz brand and they are quilted. Quilted puppy pads are the best. I will probably have to buy them from Amazon now. Good thing I stock up on those for this exact reason - I know walmart has a habit of getting you hooked on a product and then not selling it anymore.

I've been watching the Australian Open tennis tournament. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are in the final. The Nadal-Verdasco semi-final was classic. It was good to see Fernando Verdasco play so well. As for the final, I don't know who to cheer for. I would like to see Roger eclipse Sampras' record and eventually get more majors than Tiger Woods has in golf. But I would also like to see Nadal win a major on a hard court. I don't think he could be considered a true #1 player unless he wins majors on all surfaces. Just like I don't think Federer can be considered better than everyone who ever played unless he wins the French Open.

A Half Day of Work

2009-01-28T17:39:00.002-05:00

Well, I got to work on time this morning. But by 1pm I was headed out the door to come home. We were getting pounded with a fast, heavy snow storm at my workplace. Oddly enough, we weren't getting anything just 5 miles away. Skipping over the aggravations of the day (tailgaters on bad roads, idiot neighbors, idiot employees I have to deal with at work), I prefer to think of happier things. I continued reading "As You Do" by Richard Hammond of the tv show Top Gear this evening. I played with the dogs today. And it looks like I might get to go to work tomorrow too. Okay, so that isn't especially happy. But as I have something else to mail out tomorrow, it will be nice to get out. And maybe I can shop a bit at Walmart - Just window shop. I can't very well carry a bunch of stuff up my driveway.

Another Day Off

2009-01-27T15:44:00.002-05:00

Well, I had to take another day off because of snow. This time, we got about 4 more inches on top of the inch we had yesterday. I did get ready for work and walk all the way down to the car but after surveying the two roads I would have to drive on, I decided to stay home. This afternoon I dug out the car and a turn around area in the driveway so I can hopefully get to work tomorrow. And mail out my mail. And hopefully get some stuff I ordered last week - it's supposed to be delivered to mom and dad's. I have a feeling I will be walking to and from the house until at least Sunday. Maybe longer. It depends on the forecast.

So, today I went out with Fritz and played a bit with him. And I carved out some pathways for Fritz and Lapcat so they wouldn't have it so hard roaming around the yard.

A little Haha moment - the new laxzy neighbor just had to go out today and drive on the 5 plus inches of snow in the driveway. He has a big truck with big tires. The haha moment - he backed out of his driveway and came within an inch or so of backing down into his big ditch. Heehee.

An Unplanned Day Off

2009-01-26T15:40:00.002-05:00

Well, we got about an inch and a half of snow last night so I called off today. I swept out two tracks of the driveway all the way from the house to the road and by the time I took my car down at 3pm to park it alongside the main road, the tracks had melted out and the driveway looked pretty good. Just in time for 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight and 2 to 4 more tomorrow. I will be walking the rest of the week probably. I think Thursday it's supposed to be above 32 but then it will be cold again Friday and Saturday. Sunday, it's supposed to be above 32 again and I may be able to shovel that day. I know the part of the driveway used by the lazy neighbors will be solid ice for several days to come. They don't know what physical work is so I don't expect them to shovel.

The substitute mail carrier must have been working today. All the mail in my mailbox belonged to someone on down the road. How hard can it be to match up the address on the envelope to the number on the mailbox? 168 doesn't look anything like 170B.

I've been trying to watch tennis today but they keep showing the Tsonga/Blake match. I've seen it something like 4 times now. Enough already. I did manage to see the Murray/Verdasco match. That was a good one.

A Lot of Mail

2009-01-25T12:56:00.002-05:00

I have a very unusual amount of mail to mail out tomorrow. Four envelopes. Usually I don't have any mail to go out but tomorrow I have two tax returns (state and federal), a subscription renewal to Dog Fancy magazine, and an order from The Lakeside Collection.

I did my taxes this morning at Mom and Dad's. I tried filling out copies of the forms on the couch and Winnie and PJ kept walking all over me and the forms. But eventually I got the copies filled out and then went into the other room to fill out the real forms and make the copies of everything before sealing the returns up in their envelopes.

I still have to wash out the bathtub from where I gave Fritz a bath yesterday. And I might get around to updating my checkbook. I try to put off the number crunching stuff since I do that at work.

Your Stomach Does Not Taste

2009-01-24T14:16:00.002-05:00

I just heard this statement from a winemaker on the Rick Steves travel show. I thought this was a profound comment for us big eaters. If we can separate the great taste of the food we eat from the size of our stomachs and remember both are equally important when eating, then we might be able to cut down on what we eat, knowing that while our taste buds would love to have more of that really great ice cream or pizza, our stomachs are only food containers like that Tupperware, Lock & Lock, or Gladware container you have in the cabinet. (Or any brand of food storage containers-no endorsement is intended). This is why one of the four rules of the I Can Make You Thin system is "eat consciously and enjoy every bite". Give your taste buds what they want. Leave the food on your tongue long enough for your body to realize that you've actually eaten a piece of pizza, or a serving of ice cream.

I've taken a bit of a break from working out. And I ate a bit more last night and today. But still healthy - I bought a sub sandwich from walmart last night and threw away half of the bread. Then this morning I bought another one because I still had half of a tomato to eat and I've made this sandwich last all day. When I'm next hungry, I'm going for ice cream. I bought some low calorie/low fat cookies and cream ice cream this morning.

I have to start working on my tax returns this weekend. And there's some ordering I would like to do from a catalog. I know I said spending season was over, but these are good deals on things I either would really like to have or would get but have been putting off because I wasn't going to spend 'that much' money on them. I also need to update my checkbook. Hopefully I'll get my credit card bill today so I can get that payment in the mail.

Still Working Out

2009-01-22T19:59:00.003-05:00

I've been working out some this week. Either the treadmill or the pilates machine. So, that's a good thing for me :)

I've been sticking to my eating plan and not even wanting to stray, even with all kinds of desserts at work this week. Another good thing for me :)

I've been tricking Fritz into drinking water. He hasn't been drinking any water because he won't drink in the house and the water outside has been frozen. But I've been mixing up some chicken broth and pouring it over some cooked chicken. He will eat it and drink the broth if it's not in a bowl. Sometimes I can use a Lean Cuisine container and sometimes it's just a paper plate.

Winnie and PJ got into my room tonight while I was changing clothes. Winnie helped me out a lot by going under the bed and retrieving one of my ponytail holders. I should tie a dustrag to her and send her under there once a week. LOL.

Sunny Day

2009-01-19T16:49:00.002-05:00

The sun came out today and helped to melt some snow. Yay! I went out and swept the snow off of most of the driveway today anyway. It was good exercise. I didn't go as far down the driveway as I usually do because I have new lazy neighbors who drove in and out twice today before noon and I decided I wasn't going to try to clean off the driveway from their house down to the road. They must be related to the old neighbor woman's lazy relatives.

The Australian Open tennis coverage has started on tv. I hope to watch quite a bit of it. If I can pull myself away from QVC. I can watch it tonight since Top Gear won't be on. For some reason, BBC America thinks the Inauguration is a big deal. What they don't realize is that we're going to be seeing Obama for the next four years practically every single day we turn on our tvs, we don't really need extra coverage on the big day tomorrow.

I've been doing the I Can Make You Thin plan for about 22 days. Yay!! Some people say that you form a habit in 21 days. So, maybe I have formed a new eating habit. I have been cheating a bit though - I've been eating Lean Cuisines which are portion controlled. I'm technically supposed to fix a big meal and then not eat it all. So, I've been doing that on the weekends. Today I fixed some Kraft Mac and Cheese and put two thirds of it in the freezer. And I still have most of the hard candy left that I made in December.

One More Day

2009-01-18T17:27:00.002-05:00

I've got one more day off and I am so happy! Today it warmed up and we didn't get all the snow that was predicted, but we still could get about an inch. It's coming down now.

I got on the treadmill today and on the pilates machine. I needed to get on the treadmill since I lazed around with naps a couple of times today.

I took some measurements of my driver's seat of the LaCrosse. I'm thinking of trying to make a seat cover for it. I thought it might be cheaper than buying one.

Weekend and a Holiday

2009-01-17T19:59:00.003-05:00

I have a three day weekend thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Yay.

I took Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off from the pilates machine. Wednesday and Thursday I had to walk up the driveway because of the weather and that made me late with everything else I had to do in the evenings so I skipped the machine. I still walked in place so I still got some exercise. Friday, they had Lock and Lock on QVC when I got home so I skipped the machine to watch it. But I got back on the machine tonight. I tried to do every exercise slowly instead of fast.

I went to the store this morning and then took the puppies to see their grandparents this afternoon. We are supposed to get snow tonight and tomorrow so I thought I would go today to avoid the weather.

It's been very, very cold here these last few days. My car registered -4 at work on Friday morning. Brrr... Lapcat somehow is keeping warm outside. I think she's staying under the old chicken house out by the garden.

Fritz finally got a drink of water today. He won't drink in the house and all the water outside is frozen. I put some out this morning and he got a little bit of it and then I broke through the layer of ice that was covering it later on today and he got a better drink that time.

Mom and dad say that Ralph, their little kitten, hasn't been seen in a couple of days. I hope he's okay. He's an outside cat. His mommy has been to their house for some food.

I picked up the Elvis cds I ordered from QVC today at mom and dad's. I played them when I got home and the songs are very good. Someday I need to put them on my mp3 player to listen to when I'm on the treadmill. Someday, I have to get back on the treadmill. I can't just do the pilates machine only.

Brrrr...................

2009-01-14T20:41:00.002-05:00

It's going to be pretty cold here the next few days. Single digits with below zero wind chills at night. I ran out some water just in case my pipes freeze overnight. And we are supposed to get some snow. I parked my Lumina at the main road tonight so I don't have to worry about trying to drive down my driveway. But there's a problem - my driver's side car door lock was frozen this morning. I hope I can get into the car tomorrow if I need it.

I've been using my new pilates machine every day since I got it. I didn't use it tonight because I walked up to the house and it put me behind in all my chores. So, I figured I would use what time I had to do my dishes, run out water in pans and storage containers, wash the dogs' bowls, and do a small load of laundry.

My internet connection is not behaving tonight. I try and try to connect and it won't let me and then when I do, they sever the connection for some unknown reason. They better get it fixed, whatever it is.

I was going to watch American Idol this week, but I saw some clips of that new judge and thought that I didn't want to see them argue that much more. The show is about the contestants, not the judges. So, I'm stuck watching QVC. Believe me, there isn't much of anything else on tv.

Day Two

2009-01-11T16:13:00.002-05:00

Day two and I still love the Pilates Machine. I wasn't sore this morning, just aware of some of the muscles I used yesterday - mainly the shoulder area because I tried some moves I saw on the sales programs on QVC and they weren't on the level one workout dvd. And there's a bit of awareness right above the knees. But it will go away. And I have some irritation between my lower back and my mid-butt area because my clothes are scratching against me as I lay on the padded bench.

I started reading a book written by Richard Hammond of Top Gear. It's called "As You Do" and it's a funny account of some of the trips and adventures he's had on the show and off. I'm not too keen on the naughty language, but I can get by that. I do have to switch gears, so to speak. Usually, when I read a book, I just read the dialogue. But this is a memoir of sorts so there isn't a lot of dialogue. I was a couple of pages in and realized I missed a bunch of the story.

QVC has a pretty cool treadmill on air right now. If I didn't already have a treadmill and the pilates machine, I might be more tuned in to the sales pitch. It's pretty cool.

I Love My Machine!!

2009-01-10T14:09:00.002-05:00

I got my pilates machine last night and I love it. I was on it for 50 minutes today and it didn't seem like that long at all. I need to watch the dvds a few times that come with the machine to get all of the exercises in my head.

I made turkey meatloaf this morning. Newsflash: they say food won't stick to ceramic bakeware, but they are wrong.

Tired of Doing Nothing

2009-01-07T19:22:00.002-05:00

Work is making me tired. Not because I'm overworked. But because I can't work. The stupid computer program we use has printing limitations and this week, there's been at least 1.5 hours each day when I can't print what I need to print to do my job. You all don't know how tiring this is. The frustration of not being able to do anything really wears you down.

I need to apply The Secret to work. I should start doing that and see what happens. Things can only improve since The Secret works.

According to two internet weather forecasts, we could see 1 to 3 inches of snow tonight. According to the tv weather that Mom saw, we might get an inch. I'll find out tomorrow how much snow we did get.

I watched the Discovery Health Body Challenge last night and I was very disappointed to see the participants at a boot camp. I don't like the boot camp thing and think it doesn't do anyone any good to attend a boot camp or watch it on tv. It's unrealistic for those in the audience who can't just up and leave their families and their jobs to attend one and I don't think those who attend one could settle back into their lives after it's over and stick with their programs. I'm still going to watch it this week, but I wish they could go back to how the Body Challenge was done a few years ago - several weeks of watching the participants lose the weight. That way you feel a connection to them and it really does inspire you more.

My diet and exercise plan is going well. I'm following the I Can Make You Thin plan and walking in front of the tv for a half an hour every morning. I'm also doing some mat pilates every other day. I'm hoping I get my pilates machine soon. The delivery estimate was for today so hopefully I'll get it before the weekend. And then I hope I don't have any snow on the driveway and I can get it home.

Inspiration

2009-01-07T19:19:00.003-05:00

In this new year, if anyone is trying to get into shape or lose weight, there's a place you can go for inspiration. Yes, I'm talking about Richard Simmons' website. You may not want to sweat to the oldies or cruise to lose, but reading Richard's daily messages or reading about the many, many successful people who've followed his programs can inspire you to keep up with your chosen food plan and workout schedule. Check out today's message on Richard's website by CLICKING HERE.

Last Day of Vacation

2009-01-04T13:45:00.002-05:00

Well, today is my last day off. I go back to work tomorrow and my next holiday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It's a lazy day for me today. I went to Mom and Dad's this morning with the puppies. And when I got back, I took some laundry out of the dryer and rolled up some loose change. I also got on the treadmill for a half an hour. I'm doing pretty well with the exercise. I've worked out virtually every day since I've been off. And my diet has been pretty good too. No overeating. I'm not weighing myself so I don't know if I've lost anything. I'm going to go by how I look and fitting into my smaller clothes that I have in the closet.

I've been watching a lot of QVC while I've been off. There's a bunch of stuff that I could buy, but I don't need to buy. There's one more full hour of the Pilates show on QVC today and I plan to record it so I can watch it after I get my machine and watch it for inspiration and motivation.

No Nap Today

2009-01-03T17:37:00.002-05:00

I spent half a day cleaning my bedroom. I even washed my curtains. I did three loads of laundry and have no idea where I'm going to put it all. It's not going back on the floor.

I read some of the posts on the QVC forums and I have to say I'm surprised there are so many unhappy people out there. Talk about people who need to follow "The Secret" and try to be positive and happy. I feel the need to speak up about a couple of the comments made on their forums: 1. I like Sandra Bennett. The reason she talked so much during the pilates show yesterday was because the other lady couldn't talk. 2. I liked the trip to Austria. Granted, in times of economic hardship, companies need to examine how they spend their money, but the trip to Austria was cool and since that guy is a host on the UK version of QVC, maybe the US QVC got some kind of a deal on the expense. 3. One of the subject titles was "Who cares about scrapbooking". Well, some people do and they deserve to have a chance to buy scrapbooking materials. I really don't like the shows about clothes of any kind. But I'm not going to post a 'get rid of the clothes' comment on QVC's message boards.

I have probably 10 to 15 shopping channels on my TV. I'm sure these unhappy posters have just as many. There's no one forcing them to watch QVC. There are other alternatives out there. Not to mention that some of these folks can turn the tv off and go to stores if they want to shop.

Sneezy, Headachy Day

2009-01-02T19:26:00.002-05:00

Well, I did a bad thing today. I stirred up the dust in my bedroom. LOL. Before stirring up the dust, I took a nap and developed a headache so I thought I would clean some in there. There needs to be a lot more cleaning.

Winnie and PJ didn't like that I was in my bedroom without them. They found my prepaid mastercard records and chewed them up into little bits. I had to sort through all of the pieces to find my current balance.

I got on the treadmill today despite the fact that I really wanted to take my nap. I took the nap later.

So Easy It Was Weird

2009-01-01T09:31:00.002-05:00

I ordered the pilates machine last night from QVC. I dialed their number, there were no rings, and when the operator came on, she knew who I was without even asking me. I guess their computer system matched me up with my phone number. I didn't have to give them my Q number or my pin number. I can see why so many people order bunches of stuff from QVC. It's really, really easy to just put it on the credit card and not think about it.

I cleaned more in the back bedroom where the machine will go. And I rearranged some things in there. Hopefully it will work even though it will be sitting on the shag carpet. It's very low to the ground and I don't know if the carpet would get caught in the machine as it moves. I'll find out when I get it. It's being shipped to Mom and Dad's, as usual, and I should have it by the end of next week.

New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T19:21:00.002-05:00

My New Year's eve consisted of shopping this morning. Then I came home and cleaned my dining room carpet and vacuumed the big bedroom where I lay in the floor and play with the dogs. It's also where the pilates machine would go if I order one from QVC tonight.

I also took a couple of naps today. One was at 5:30am - I went back to bed after I ate breakfast and let Fritz out and in. Then later, I took a nap because I knew I'd be up late watching QVC.

After I got up from my nap, I went to Mom and Dad's to pick up my Avon order. As you know I have everything shipped to their address so I can hopefully get it without it visiting the neighbors for a week or two first.

I think I'm going to stop ordering from Avon. I need to spend my money on other things. I figured if I say that instead of "I can't afford it" then I'm in keeping with the Law of Attraction.

Beginning Again

2008-12-30T19:44:00.002-05:00

Another 5 day weekend began this evening. Yay! I'm off until Monday.

I got an email today from Tracfone telling me that my issue has been resolved. I never did have to enter in any codes to update the phone. Maybe they did it by remote. I left the phone on all day today.

I've had a headache most of the day. I tried to use the Law of Attraction to get rid of it, but so far it hasn't happened. Maybe it just takes a while for my receipt of a pain free head to manifest itself.

I do think the Law of Attraction works. Right now QVC is selling Tiffany Style Lamps. The other day, I happened to think 'when are they going to sell those lamps again?' So, the Law of Attraction must have brought this show to me :) Not that I'm buying any of the lamps. I just like to look at them. In order to attract money to me, I can't say that they are too expensive or that I can't afford them. But I can say there's better ways to spend my money than by buying those lamps.

Coming to An End

2008-12-28T15:52:00.002-05:00

Well, this five day vacation is coming to an end. However, another one begins this coming Wednesday. Yes, I work two days and I'm off five more. I really could get used to a schedule like this, but no work would get done at work.

The dogs could get used to this too. I think they will have a hard time when I go back to work and I'm gone all day.

Out of all of my Christmas presents, I've only got the golf book yet to read. I have a stack of romance novels I bought a while back that I still haven't read yet. Maybe I'll get to those during my next 5 day break.

I don't know if I've said it here, but I've been planning to make a pilates machine my last big purchase before going into saving mode. Well, I think I will need to save up and buy seat covers for my new car. I'm getting tired of using the dogs' shedding tool to pick up the lint and fuzz off of my car seats, although the shedding tool does work well.

It's nice to not have to do my laundry today. Since I'm only working two days this week and only worked two days last week, I don't need to do laundry yet. I did wash a load of cleaning towels, dog towels and dog blankets. A ton of dog hair came out of the dryer but they needed washed.

Ecuador

2008-12-28T15:47:00.002-05:00

I watched the Ecuador dvd I got for Christmas today. I was doing fine until they got to the deep fried guinea pig. They showed a cute white one living and squealing and I just had to skip some of the program to get past it. This is one of the GlobeTrekker dvds and I've seen it before so I knew it was on there. But, I still didn't like seeing it.

Guess What....

2008-12-26T15:34:00.002-05:00

The new tracfone is working. How's that for funny in the ironic kind of way? Just yesterday I posted that I should use "The Secret" to see if I could get the phone working. Well, this morning I turned it on and was playing with it and saw that it had a phone number when the last time I checked it didn't. So, I called the number and it rang. Then I used the tracfone to dial my home number and my home phone rang. Cool, isn't it.

Then I got an email from tracfone telling me that the phone was activated but that they needed to update the phone with some new codes. They asked me to either reply to the email with times that I would be home to take their call or to just call their 1-800 #. So, I replied to the email.

I hope these codes will leave my minutes alone. I added some to the phone today and I hope to keep them.

Shopping: I bought some on sale christmas wrapping paper and bows today. I also got a remote control for outdoor electrical stuff. It's supposed to be used for christmas lights, I think, but I hooked my dusk to dawn light up to it so I don't have to plug it in and unplug it. So far it works. Don't know if it will burn out or anything. I'll have to ask dad how powerful that light is to see if the remote can handle it. I also bought a couple of mugs that were on sale and a couple of cargo cubes that you put in the trunk of your car. I have a milk crate in my car now, but it tears up the grocery bags.

Reading and Reading....

2008-12-25T19:18:00.002-05:00

I read the Diana Palmer book I got for Christmas last night. And today I finished reading The Secret, a book I bought at walmart on Tuesday. This book is about the physics law of attraction and how you can use it to bring whatever you want into your life. There's a website for it too and you can google it to check it out. According to the website there are people who have used this to cure their eyesight problems, lose weight, help with relationships, finances etc. I should use it to see if I can get that worthless tracfone activated and working.

I might try that tomorrow.....

I have to go shopping tomorrow morning - regular grocery shopping and checking out the after Christmas sales, if there are any at walmart. But after that, I should be home all day.

Oh goody, I just saw a commercial for the National Body Challenge that's going to be on Discovery Health starting Jan 5th. I like that show but I liked it better when it ran for a whole 15 weeks or so and followed everyone on a weekly basis. Now they've shortened it to a week for everyone. You don't get a chance to get inspired by the participants.

Christmas Celebration

2008-12-24T16:35:00.002-05:00

I'm back from Mom and Dad's where we celebrated Christmas today. It was warm and rainy today so I didn't have to worry about snow or ice on the roads. The puppies spent a long time at their Grandma's and Grandpa's. We got there around 8:30am and didn't leave until about 4pm.

Winnie barked and barked and barked. She was very upset because there were strange smells and sounds all over the house and crazy looking boxes in the living room. PJ didn't seem bothered by any of it.

Dinner was good. We had it around noon. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, home made noodles, rolls, cranberry sauce. I only ate turkey, mashed potatoes, noodles and a hot roll. But the rest of it must have been good because Mom and Dad ate quite a bit. PJ begged and begged for food during dinner but Winnie wouldn't even come into the kitchen. It made me wonder if she really is a chihuahua (they usually are masters at begging for food).

Now for the presents: I am so excited about what I got: the ATP Calendar (pro tennis players - some without shirts and some who kinda need to put the shirts back on), a golf book called "The Scorecard Always Lies", two romance novels: Night of the Jaguar by Merline Lovelace and A Long Tall Texas Summer by Diana Palmer (two authors whose books I collect), a Globetrekker DVD of Ecuador (I love the Globetrekker show), a card with $20.00 in it and a little Santa magnet and a cute little stuffed Piggy. This was definitely a squeal with delight Christmas.

Mom and Dad got so many things that I don't think I can remember it all. They were very happy with everything they got. Smiles all around. My sister and brother in law got them a Web-Cam for their computer so they can talk to my niece and nephew. I hooked it up for them, but I don't know the first thing about actually using it. I'm not a web-cam kinda girl.

One cute anecdote from today: Dad said something about who got him something he opened and I said the kids? And he replied, "Jassie and Timmy". As if to differentiate from my kids Winnie and PJ. LOLOL. Because Winnie and PJ did some shopping for Dad too this year.

I brought home some peanut butter fudge, chocolate fudge, and brownies that Dad made. And I ate a bowl of vanilla ice cream for a snack after dinner. I should have brought home some of that ice cream.

And when I got home, Fritz practically cried for Winnie and PJ. He definitely does not like for them to be gone for that long. I think he was worried they weren't coming back. It's good that he likes them that well. Even though he does growl and snap at them at times.

It's a good thing I have four more days off so I can read all of my books I got today. And I'm in the middle of reading The Secret. It's a book about how the physics law of attraction is supposed to affect your whole life, from the kind of job you have to your weight. I read about it in a Womans World magazine and thought it sounded a lot like some beliefs that golfer Nick Faldo has, so I thought I'd read the book.

Now I'm off to see if Walmart is having any kind of after Christmas sale, other than selling their wrapping paper cheap.

Good Sunday

2008-12-21T19:42:00.001-05:00

I read three romance novels, took a nap, gave the puppies a bath, washed dishes and did a load of laundry.

Only two days to work this week, then off until next Monday. Yay!!!

Too Much Money Spent

2008-12-20T18:56:00.003-05:00

I was balancing my checkbook today and got the bad news that I've spent way too much money lately. I'm hoping to curtail my spending habits after the first of the year, but there is still one big ticket item that I might buy. A pilates machine from QVC. I've wanted one for about the last 5 years. One reason my checkbook looks bad is that I had to pay a whole year's worth of car insurance this month. That's a huge sum.

I took the puppies to mom and dad's today instead of tomorrow since tomorrow's weather is supposed to be worse than today's. Thanks to having half a day off yesterday I was able to go to the store yesterday which freed up my morning today. I also was able to wash my car yesterday. Yay! It needed it. The cat offered her seal of approval by walking on it with muddy feet.

I made another pillow for the puppies today so they don't have to compete for the first pillow I made for the couch. Now they both have pillow room and are very happy.

Tomorrow I might read some of these romance novels I've got stacked up waiting to be read.

Let's see if Blogger will publish this now. I tried before and it wouldn't publish and it lost the original post. I had to re-type everything from memory. Trust me, the original post was much more enjoyable to read.

Sad, Sad News

2008-12-18T19:24:00.002-05:00

I read on E! News that Majel Barrett Roddenberry passed away. It's a sad day for all Trekkies everywhere, and all Earth Final Conflict fans and all Andromeda fans.

One of my favorite stories in the Trek universe is the one of the unrequited love between Nurse Chapel and Spock.

Avon Question

2008-12-16T19:39:00.003-05:00

If anyone out there reading this blog knows the answer to this question, please either post a comment or email me: When do the prices in the Campaign 1, 2009 Brochure go into effect? I got this brochure with my last online order and apparently Avon never puts the dates on the cover like real life representatives do. Is there a place on the web that will list the sale dates for every campaign?

Calls and Walks

2008-12-14T19:36:00.002-05:00

I was able to add a one year card to my existing Tracfone today. This isn't the phone that I can't get activated because Tracfone is a horrible company. This is the phone I've had for a few years. I had an extra one year card for the phone that doesn't work, so I sold it to mom today since she will need to add a year to her phone too.

I got on the treadmill tonight and walked for 50 minutes. The last time I was on the treadmill, I was having that horrible joint pain in November and thought that the treadmill was causing it. So, now that I know what the joint pain is about, I know I can get on the treadmill and just take an Aleve if I feel pain later on.

I needed to get on the treadmill. I spent the whole day eating candy. Chocolate covered peanut clusters. I'm taking the rest of them to work for my co-workers. I've made myself sick on them. Actually, I'm feeling a little bit hungry now. I think I'll wait a while longer and then see what I can find. I've got some applesauce in the kitchen. And some hot cocoa mix. Some orange juice.

Birthday

2008-12-14T15:03:00.002-05:00

I had my little birthday party at mom and dad's today. We had cake and ice cream and I got a present from Mom and a few presents from my sister. From Mom I got Lock & Lock storage containers. I was the one to turn her on to Lock & Lock because I kept seeing it on QVC, but Mom was the first in the family to buy some. From my sister, I got a woven basket in the shape of a pig, a pop can cozy with a pig on it, a few little packs of designer chocolate, and a pretty bracelet. The bracelet was a timely gift since I bought a jewelry box on sale at walmart yesterday. The puppies even partook in the festivities - I gave them each a very small amount of chocolate ice cream.

I took the christmas presents to mom and dad's today. Again, they said that I spent too much, even though they don't know what I got them. They should be happy that I have the giving spirit at Christmas. I could be a selfish, give me-give me, type. I know someone like that. It's particularly sad since that person is an adult.

Cold, Cold, Cold

2008-12-13T08:30:00.002-05:00

It is very, very cold this morning. About 20 degrees at 8:30am. It was really cold when I got up at 5am. Yesterday, the snow melted off the driveway with no help from me so I will be able to go shopping today. But I'm not going until it warms up. I'm thinking about a 10:00am start. Hopefully, it will be at least 32 by then.

I made more hard candy yesterday and a pillow for the couch. The puppies love the new pillow. They take turns laying on it.

Tomorrow, I'm going to take the Christmas presents I bought for mom and dad to their house so they will have them in case we get some bad weather around Christmas eve. I can always park my car at the main road and get in and out when it snows but I can't carry the christmas presents too. That would be a lot of walking.

Christmas Party

2008-12-11T07:03:00.002-05:00

We had our christmas party at work yesterday. Dinner was provided by management and each employee got a gift from management. It was a nice time. One worker whined until she got the gift she wanted. She had marked the box previously so she would know which one had what she wanted in it but another worker got it before she did. So, she pouted and whined until that worker traded with her. That was sad. My present was nice. No photo album. No candle. I got a round metal tin in the shape of a bucket with a lid and inside there was a coffee mug, four packets of hot cocoa mix, two high fiber snack bars, and a packet of hot cider mix - I left the hot cider mix at work. The tin bucket and mug have snowmen on them and I'm not a fan of snowmen, but I can deal with that. The bucket is perfect for the hard candy I've been making.

I'm off tomorrow so I just have today to go. We are supposed to get some snow tonight and tomorrow so it will be nice to stay home and not have to worry about traveling in the bad weather. Even though it's supposed to warm up on Saturday to melt any snow we get, I might go out tomorrow and clean off the driveway anyway. It depends on how much we get.

Update on the Avon order

2008-12-09T20:17:00.002-05:00

The order that was being shipped by UPS - the one UPS claimed was delivered yesterday, apparently was delivered to the post office instead of the house. The postal carrier delivered it to the house today. Along with what I purchased, there was another catalog with new sale items, so I just bought some more stuff. I might not have bought anything but I had a free shipping code I could use.

I've Had it With Customer Service

2008-12-08T19:25:00.002-05:00

I ordered some stuff from Avon online and it was supposed to be delivered to mom's house. Well, the tracking info claims it was delivered to a dock and signed by someone named Vest. The detailed tracking says it arrived in Charleston, our state capital and not where I live, and that it never left there. So, I don't know where it is. I'm going to give it another day or two and then file a claim online for not getting the package.

This is really ridiculous. What's with all of these people? The US Post Office people didn't deliver a package to my sister's house and now Amazon has to send out a replacement. The UPS people either have bad tracking info online or they misdelivered my Avon order. And you've read all about my troubles with Tracfone.

You know, with all the bad things happening in America - failed banks, failed housing markets, failed auto industry, you'd think people would be trying to do their best in their jobs since jobs are scarce and money is tight. But it's like no one wants to do their job well anymore. It's sad. Americans should take more pride in their work than what they seem to be doing.

Rest of the Day

2008-12-07T20:44:00.002-05:00

The puppies and I were able to go to mom and dad's this afternoon. I swept off the driveway, but the sun came out and melted much of it too. Then I waited around until 8pm for my 48 hour deadline with tracfone and after no one called me, I decided I was tired of calling customer service, so I sent an email to something called the Executive Resolution Department. They probably won't do anything either but at least I've done this so I can then say I've done everything when I file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

I tried to make lemon hard candy today but something went wrong. It turned out brown and I think there's a problem with my thermometer. It reached 260 degrees and I put the food coloring in and then the temperature dropped and had to rise again. I was afraid to eat the candy in case there was something really wrong with the thermometer and it leaked or something. I plan to buy a new thermometer tomorrow.

Today was a pain free day. Even after sweeping off the driveway, which is a big job.

We weighed Winnie today at mom and dad's and she's just under 10 pounds. If she goes over 10 pounds I have to start buying separate worm medicine for her. So, she's on a diet. It doesn't help that Dad fed them both about a loaf of bread today. He thinks it's funny. He doesn't have to pay $24.00 for worm medicine.

Staying Home This Morning

2008-12-07T10:10:00.002-05:00

Instead of going to mom and dad's this morning, the puppies and I stayed home. We got some snow yesterday and I figured it wasn't worth it to try to go visiting today. The sun's been out this morning and it's already up to 30 degrees so maybe the snow will melt off of the drive way and we can go this afternoon.

I read a romance novel this morning, ordered a present for my nephew's birthday, bought some books from Eharlequin - they are having free shipping on all orders today as part of their 12 days of Christmas. I've done a load of laundry and I'm making some hard candy. I have a batch of orange and cherry. Today I'm going to do Lemon and another batch of orange. I'll either split it all up and give my parents some or I'll be a pig and keep it all. I won't eat it all for a while because there's a lot of it.

Haven't heard anything from tracfone. But I don't expect to. I'll have to call them back. And if nothing is resolved after this 4th phone call, I'll call the executive relations # that I have. They are supposed to resolve problems quickly. It really is absurd that it's going to take at least 4 phone calls and two weeks to get this phone activated.

I did hear from the Discover card people. They wanted to sell me the protection plan service - where if you lose your job they will suspend applying finance charges to your account. The saleswoman just kept trying to enroll me in the plan and I kept telling her no. After maybe 4 or 5 times she finally ended the call. She asked me if I kept a balance on my card and I said no. She said, "This is perfect for you then." And I was thinking, why do I need this protection if I don't have a balance. I can freely lose my job and not have to worry about paying off the credit card. They really don't think these things through when they are writing up their sales scripts.

Found the Book Hole

2008-12-06T15:17:00.002-05:00

It was in the walk in closet in the bedroom that my parents used to have when they lived here. It's now a storage closet. The books are in a storage tote that looks just like one that has christmas ornaments in it and I thought both of them contained christmas stuff.

Whoever called this snow we're getting 'a dusting' apparently has the same housekeeping habits that I do because this dusting is about a half an inch thick.

Pain free day

2008-12-05T20:11:00.003-05:00

I had a mostly pain free day today without the aid of medication. Yay!! I had one sore spot on the side of my knee but that was it.

I'm working out in the mornings since I now have an extra half hour before work. Just walking in front of the tv, but it's activity. And I'm trying to follow the I Can Make You Thin system. I still snack a little bit, but I haven't over-eaten at meal times and I haven't felt stuffed at all.

I'm glad I have a couple of days off. Last month I spent three days training a new employee who is assigned to a different office. Well, these last two days, he's been emailing me constantly with questions. I can't get my own work done because of this. I told my boss that I'm not training anyone else. He just chuckled. He'll chuckle when he gets yelled at because my work isn't getting done. And I'll chuckle when I remind him and his boss that they are the ones who created this mess to begin with. It isn't like I went looking for someone to train. They sent him to me.