Just the place to lay your head....

As you can see by the pictures, London has abandoned her "den" for the more comfortable and less confining space on the floor next to our bed. After replacing the comforter, I decided to give London the old one, being that it smelled like her mommy (and you just know it's a sweet, refreshing fragrance....). I thought it would be a great napping spot for her during the day. She naps there anyway, laying on the Homer slippers, usually with her snout inside the opening....and I figured adding the comforter would make it that much more cozy. I was right. It is now so inviting that she doesn't even glance at her cage when I give her the "night night" verbal command! She walks right past it and curls up in a little ball on her blankie.

This has worried me, because although she seems to be 99.9% house trained, I didn't want her to get up in the middle of the night and potty. However, she sleeps soundly all night long....if she does move, it's just to the footstool that is next to wee one on the couch (which is where she usually ends up every night....also rebelling against her den!), where she cuddles up next to her and snores until JB's alarm goes off. I'm leaving the cage up though, and putting her in 1/2 hour a day, to keep her used to it for when I have to run errands, or if we are all gone to church, etc. I certainly don't trust her to be alone yet!  As a matter of fact, she is chewing on my computer chair as we speak. That is the only thing I have to keep her away from. You would think the harvest table would provide her with a tastier chew....but she isn't into it....thank goodness! I should put some tobasco sauce on the chair so she won't bite.

I was trying to clean the bathroom this morning. I had a burst of energy and got the Pine Sol water and a bucket, and began washing baseboards, behind the toilet, walls, etc. Of course I had to fight London the entire time. Apparently the smell of Pine Sol to a dog is like catnip to a cat....she went berserk! She was trying to lick my hand, bite the rag....I kept moving her back and when I would block her, she would bite my ankles. Finally I pushed her out the door and shut it, only to have her scratch and whine to get in. I finally opened the door and continued on with my cleaning. Prettysoon I felt something on my leg....she brought me her ball. I guess that was her way of saying, "Enough with the cleaning, woman....let's play!" LOL. She is so funny. I did stop and play for a while....even took her outside.

Which leads me to the next problem....the cat neighbors. The other night when wee one took her out, she counted 11 cats in our backyard. I've mentioned it before I know....they are all ferrel and have just had two new litters. They used my backyard as a bathroom, and London tends to "sample" their droppings. I'm going to have to report them again. None of the cats are tagged, vaccinated or spayed/neutered. They are all nasty and flea ridden as well. The vet already told me that London will have to be on the strongest heartworm medication because the parasites that are undoubtedly in the cat "droppings" could be transferred to her. I'm at my wits end with these people. Every time we call, they close the garage door, stop feeding and then the cats dispurse. But in about 2 months, they start all over. It's maddening when you try to keep a nice home and yard and irresponsible pet owners ruin it.

Anyway....I need to finish my cleaning. I'm doing my Friday cleaning on Thursday because the girls are out of school tomorrow, and I have to babysit all day. That means no cleaning for me! Of course, I should be able to get a ton of sewing done which will be nice. I finished half a load last night. It is a gorgeous day today....we are supposed to reach 77 this afternoon! It's so nice to have the windows open and the fresh scent of spring in the air. Of course the two weeks of green pollen hell will be here soon, and the windows will be closed once again. We are getting a cold front though, so we will be back into the high 50's tomorrow. Winter is returning....better get out my snow suit! LOL....

Have a good one!

Mmmmm, pancakes....

Mmmmm, how about some pancakes with your syrup? That is what my dh John usually says whilst watching me drown my flapjacks in rivers of Mrs. Butterworth's. I can't help it....I'm a fan of the breakfast cake. I had a craving for them yesterday, however decided to wait until today to make them. I put mini chocolate chips in them and they were gooooood. I just finished them....and of course London finished hers. I made one from that last scoop of batter that is never enough for a full pancake, and has no chocolate chips in them. And guess what? She loved it....lol. Of course she did....she's just like her mommy. (no syrup for her though)

Anyhoo....Betsy is back to school today, although she did not want to go. She is still feeling queezy, but she has physics now and can't miss the class. She sent me a text saying that her stomach hurt....which I'm sure I was supposed to reply with an  "Oh honey, mommy will be right there to pick you up!", lol. However, I didn't reply....and I haven't heard from her since.

Wee one went to school a bit peeved with me as well. Her safety patrol group is going to Washington D.C. at the end of the year, and I said she couldn't go. The trip is not school sponsored, and there is no teacher involvement. The parents are given the information, and if a committee is set up, kids want to go, etc., then the trip will be scheduled. Every year a few parents do set things up and the kids go....but I just don't feel like she needs to be doing this in 5th grade. They ride busses for 8 hours, then immediately get off them and begin sight seeing, without stopping at the hotel to rest. Most of the kids are sent without their parents....which I think is crazy at this age! And if you are a parent that goes, that means you are responsible for your child, and whomever is placed in your group. Now, I have no problem with this if it's a trip to the museum or zoo....but D.C.? No thanks. I tried to explain this to her rationally, but she was not having any of it. And her biggest complaint was that they are going to Busch Gardens and she won't get to go. I told her we will take her to the one here in Florida and she says, "Yeah, well we lived here 3 years before you took us to Disney!" LOLOL....okay, she got me on that one. I did okay the two trips that are school sponsored and planned for the end of the year, so she was happy with that.

I gave London a bath yesterday and she is so fluffy and clean! I just love it when she is freshly washed and smells like baby powder. It's so easy to give her a bath, it amazes me. Percy loved baths when he was well, but when he started getting sick it was so hard to get him into the tub and manuvering him around, poor guy. London doesn't particularly like baths....she tries to escape when I'm putting the shampoo on her....but I always manage to catch her and keep her in place. I have also learned not to get dressed for the day before bath time! You would think I would have known that already....

Well, my sweet yet talkative girlfriend is on the phone so I must go....I hope everyone has a great day!

Nothing in particular....

Yes, my flowers have been blooming and London chased her first butterfly the other day. It's been so mild here....although it got quite cold over the weekend. I even covered some plants because they were predicting a frost for Friday night. It still seems funny to me when the top story on every station is, "Get ready everyone....we are preparing for FROST!!!!" LOL....even the teachers at school told the kids to be sure to dress warm on Friday. Turns out, it wasn't as bad as they had thought, although it did get into the low 40's and, I hate to admit it, I was COLD! Apparently my blood has thinned, much to my chagrin, and I am now an official "southerner". Betsy has been walking around with her sweatshirt on, talking through chattering teeth, and John has turned the heat up at least 5 times this weekend. We even had a fire in the fireplace on Saturday night....it was so warm and cozy!

We didn't do much over the weekend. Betsy and wee one went with my aunt on Saturday to take Jody to the airport, so JB and I decided to go out and shop for a while. I wanted to get a new bedspread, since I ruined mine in the dryer....don't ask....but I wanted the same kind. I didn't know if the store would have the same brand or style....but they did! I have a queen sized bed, but always buy king sized comforters....so I knew it would be expensive. $179....and then I saw the sign that said "any size $69" woohoo!!!! I grabbed that sucker, along with two matching decorative pillows ($30 marked down to $10), and ran for the register. Of course, I did make a small stop at the 75% off Christmas department....so for $136 I got the comforter, pillows, and a cart full of really nice Christmas decorations. I told John, "See? I saved you money!" He just smiled politely and rolled his eyes....of course when I mentioned that with the money I saved, we could go to Red Lobster for lunch....he thought I was brilliant. As it should be....lol.

We had a nice lunch together....and I must say that in all of the seafood places I have eaten here....and there have been quite a few....Red Lobster has the best freaking clam chowder EVER. It is so good. I know it's a chain restaurant, but I prefer theirs to any other. After lunch we went home and relaxed for a while, then decided to take London on her first real walk on a leash. She did so good! We walked about a mile and a half and she just loved it. However, like a child you try to tire out and they refuse to sleep, she remained in "hyper puppy mode" until bed time.

Today we went to church, then came home and had homemade soup....minestrone. My mom made it and it was really, REALLY good. Hit the spot on a chilly day. Wee one went to a friend's house, and JB washed my car. We took London on another walk, and then collapsed in front of the tv. I forgot about DH, but caught the last 20 minutes of it. I thought the kiss between Carlos and Lynette was hysterical. Excellent plot twisting potential there! Who was the guy in the trunk???? And are Mike and Susan back together? Someone let me in on the first half of the show!

Okay, I'm tired and have to get up early in the morning....I'm off to bed....nighty night!

Tough, Unique, Bad, Bold and Sassy....

If any of you were as big a fan as I was, you will totally understand my subject line!

I just caught a glimpse of something on my AOL screen that said...."Sonny and Rico are cool again...." Holy smokes. They are making a movie of my most favorite 80's tv show? The show I would watch every Friday night without fail? The show that caused me to go to the mall, venture into a men's clothing store and purchase a pastel pink blazer which I wore every Friday to remind others, in case they didn't know, that the show was on that night???? Ohboyohboyohboyohboy.....

And then I watch the trailer and see that it isn't my beloved, albeit older and bloatier Don Johnson with his trusty sidekick PMT....otherwise known as Philip Michael Thomas. Man, total let down. Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx???? Puhleeeeze. They could never do the boys justice. Will Colin be able to recreate the subtle sexuality of Don as he would lick the tip of his cigarette before putting it between his pouty, slightly damp lips? Can Jamie possibly fabricate just the right amount of brute strength needed to execute the classic one-handed gun cock, whilst smiling seductively? I have serious doubts....

Will they bring back Phil Collins as the smarmy Austrailian game show host in "Phil the Shill"? And speaking of Phill....let us not forget the music. Good Lord the MUSIC! Luscious body shots of  Don Johnson swaggering down the streets of New York (on special assignment, of course)  to Glen Frey's "You Belong to the City"....Crockett and Tubs flying through the city streets in Sonny's slick Ferrari Daytona Spyder whilst strains of "In the Air Tonight" send shivers down your spine? And of course the synthesized tones of everone's favorite composer Jan Hammer...he could make even the bloodiest drug-deal-gone-wrong sound good.

I could go on and on....but I wouldn't want anyone to think of me as a high school dateless wonder, fantasizing about being "Mrs. Don Johnson" on lonely Friday nights, sitting in the dark on my parents love seat, making out with my "Sonny pillow" during commercials. I mean, that would be totally pathetic.

Ahhhh, sweet freedom....

There is no relevance between this graphic and this entry....I just thought it was cute!

Today the girls went back to school....you would have thought it would have been hard to get them up and out, but both of them were all smiles, ready to go. Of course, ask me in a week how they are doing and I will guarantee the smiles will be gone and "real life" will have once again returned.

When I get up at 6 to make sure Betsy is almost ready to go to the bus stop, I wake wee one up and have her come into my room. This morning she rolled over, stretched, and fell out of bed. We were both laughing hysterically. She did it in slow motion, kind of sssssllllliiiidddding out of the bed and onto the floor. If it is possible to fall with grace, she did it. She did scrape her back a bit on the bedside table, however, she survived the injury and is fine. We were even early to school this morning, which was good since she needed a note saying that she could not "run" the five laps during gym, but "walk" them because of her Gerd. It is really bad right now....and when it's bad it causes pain when she runs, or walks, and sometimes just standing. However, she has been taking her Zantac and is beginning to feel better.

Betsy of course, came home with a list of things she needs for her new classes, along with $25 for her creative photography 3 class. Sigh....I didn't want to spend any more money this week....but, this can't be helped. She seems excited to start the class even if there are, as she put it, "tons of projects" that are scheduled. The teacher even told them that if they have a job that consumes more than 10 hours a week, they should consider dropping the class because of the heavy workload. I'm sure she can handle it though....she's a good student and has enjoyed the previous photography classes.

So, what did I do today....I cleaned the house and it actually STAYED clean for a few hours! No one walking on my freshly vacuumed carpets....although I did see tiny paw prints trailing back and forth as I moved room to room. London is not like Percy in that respect....she runs from the vacuum! I used to have to vacuum around Percy, and would even push him out of the way with it while it was running. London runs to the farthest end of the house, then peeks around the corner to watch for me. If I'm carrying it from one spot to another, she will bark at it....it's so cute! 

However, she loves when I windex Betsy's closet doors. While I'm cleaning one side, she is licking the other like she's helping me. What a nut! After cleaning for a bit, we went outside to play....I feel guilty when she doesn't get attention! Then we came in and I cleaned some more....then it was time for another potty break....and then a short nap for both of us! LOL. She is just so snuggly if you lie down next to her! I have to say, I was ready for the girls to come home....I got used to them being around for the past two weeks.

I can't believe it but they don't have a full week of school until February. They have "hurricane days" that they didn't use, so the school system is giving them Friday's off. Is that not the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard???? Trust me, this school system needs all the days they can get....they certainly don't need to give the kids extra days off. It's crazy. I can't wait to get out of here!

Okay....time to relax for a bit before bedtime. JB told London that she is NOT sleeping on the bed tonight. She's getting bigger and there isn't as much room as there was a few weeks ago. Of course, who do you think is putting her up there? MmmmHmmmmm, Mr. "I don't want a girl dog....I'm not going to like her because I want a boy dog". Yeah, he said that but now, what is the first thing he says when he comes home from work? "Where's my girl? There she is!!!! My sweetie....how are you my little Lon-Lon?" Such a sucker for a furry face....

Last day of freedom....

Ahhhhh yes, tomorrow the girls go back to school. Betsy is ready to get back, however wee one informed me only moments ago that she does not want to return to school and "can't you just homeschool me?". Poor kid. She has such anxiety issues....I can only pray that things get better for her. She is such a smart, witty child....it makes me so sad to see her stress over things. I'm trying to build her up so that the second half of this year goes smoothly. Of course now they are going to be pushing the FCAT's (standardized testing) so that will open up a whole new bag of worms. I guess I had better make sure her anxiety medication has plenty of refills....she has already been having acid reflux today, thinking about returning to school....sigh.

I made a pretty dang good dinner last night....fried tilapia with hushpuppies (homemade and wonderful!), coleslaw and rolls. Everyone loved it. I did so well eating yesterday....cereal for breakfast, bagel and fruit for lunch....and then dinner. Oh well....at least I was on track until 5! LOL. It rained buckets last night. I had to walk the dog and of course the minute we got out there it started pouring. She HATES getting wet, so it was a pretty quick trip out there.

London has been doing so well at night. All I have to do is say "nighty night" and she walks right into her crate. Of course, last night she was barking at 2:30....so out we went to go potty. Funny though, when John let her sleep next to the bed instead of in her crate (bad, bad John!), she slept all night. Just like a toddler who wants to lay with mommy I suppose....she has trained really well....although she still has "potty issues" sometimes. I suppose that is normal....but she knows "sit" and "fetch" really well. I am definately going to have to take her to obediance training though....she has inherited Percy's stubbornness. She will sit down and REFUSE to move on her leash if she doesn't feel like going in the direction I am. Percy would actually sit and lean away from me for extra leverage. I swear....I think he is her guardian angel and he's whispering in her ear just to taunt me! LOL.

Okay, I'm off to the store....then back home to tackle the mound of crud on my desk. Oh how exciting my day is!!!!

Happy New Year....

I don't know what happened but in the past two days I've eaten soup twice. I had vegetable beef at Steak & Shake, and lima bean that my mom made and brought over today. I suppose I am a bit of a soupy girl. I used to love cream of mushroom as a kid. I remember coming home from church and making myself some....not because mom wouldn't do it for me....but because she would whisk all the lumps out. I loved the glops that didn't quite break apart. Of course it was Campbells....nothing else tasted quite the same. I also loved french onion soup. My sisters and I would make a piece of toast and float it on top of the soup, then put mozzarella cheese on top and microwave it until it got all stringy....mmmmm. We just loved that.

Our New Years eve was very quiet. I fell asleep watching the South Park marathon and John fell asleep watching....well, I'm not sure. He did, however, come in at midnight to tell me Happy New Year. Our neighbors were out, blowing horns and squirting silly string....which is now decorating the street in front of our house. Betsy said she had a nice time with her friends, and that the firework display downtown was awesome. Wee one said that they were jumping on the trampoline, tooting their horns and having a grand time at midnight. When I went to pick her up this morning I asked what time they went to bed. The older sister said, "Well, the movement in their room stopped around 4:30." LOL....when she came downstairs she looked like she was hungover....puffy eyes, still in her pj's....it was cute. She said they went to the barn to visit the horses (the mom and the daughter have one), and that was cool. Anyone want to take bets on how long it will be until I'm asked for riding lessons?

This morning we got up and went to early church....much to Betsy's chagrin, getting in at 1:00 am....then picked up wee one from her friend's house. Mom and Jody were here for a while....we had lunch and sat around eating since the "diets" all start tomorrow....yeah, sure they do. I will say though, I'm tired of my steady diet of Christmas cookies.

I did have a nice afternoon with my hubby though. He's been off for 10 days and it will be hard for him to go back to work tomorrow....so we ran to the store for toilet paper (that's not the romantic part), then went to Sonic for an orange cream slush for me, and a strawberry cream pie shake for him. We took them to the park and walked along the pier, then sat on the bench that looks over the marina. It was so beautiful in the afternoon sunlight....the boats and the water....and the weather has been gorgeous. Mid 70's with NO, ZERO, NADA humidity. We stayed for about 40 minutes, just enjoying the fresh air. Then we took a walk around the park, along the trails and near the pond....it was really nice. We haven't been doing much since, although we did watch The Wedding Singer. I just love that movie!

So, tomorrow things get back to normal....well, sort of since the kids dont' go back to school until Wednesday. I don't know why that is....but I'm sure I can find some cleaning and/or organizing for them to do. It's just the kind of loving mom I am....

Oh yes....my *dear friend Lori was *so kind to tag me this evening....*enter sarcasm here....so here is my very scaled down list of "quirks" that I have....

1. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum as Amy, I meticulously check the expiration dates on everything in my fridge. And just to be on the safe side....I throw them away 2 days before their "sell" by dates....

2. I have an obsession with the number "4". If you notice I like to use "...." a lot in my entries. You will never see 3 dots, nor 5 dots, but always 4. This holds true for exclamation points when I write "I love you!!!!" on anything for my family....(I'll bet you counted those, didn't you?)

3. I am obsessively clean about my e-mail box. I actually feel irritated when I know that there are e-mails that I either, a. haven't read or b. am not in the mood to read. Once I purge my mailbox I feel MUCH better. I'm the same way about my desk....I hate having clutter....and there is a lot of it right now! Grrrr....

4. I have to have at least 5 calendars in my house, and I can't change over to the next month or day (if it's a tear off calendar), until that exact date. I also have a tradition on New Year's day where I sit down with my old calendar, a pen and a highlighter, and go month by month writing down important dates....

5. My rings have to be lined up perfectly at all times. I hate it when the wedding band is askew, the mother's ring is to the side and the engagement ring has twisted completely around. I fiddle with them a lot....

Ahhhh, there we go. My top 5 quirks of the day....drove me crazy not to stop at 4!!!!