Weekend

I didn't get much done this weekend. I have a two part test this week at school. Tuesday night we will have the first part (50 points) covering Chapters 1 & 2. Thursday night the remaining 50 points covering Chapters 3 & 4. I spent some of my weekend studying, watching my beloved Cubbies sweep the Pirates and take a 3.5 game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central. I did make two cards, not too excited over either one but I had to use my new Martha Stewart Halloween ribbon. The ribbon is self-adhesive, the "bones" double sided patterned paper is from a Halloween stack bought at Archiver's. The "bad to the bone" stamp is SU, the scalloped punch is also SU. The cardstock is SU. The sentiment is a stamp from the $1 bin at Michael's.

The remaining pictures are of my little girl, Gidget. Pardon the mess on the floor behind her in some of the pics, part of the giant purge. I have AmVets coming on the 2nd of October and I have bags and stacks staged for the front porch on that day.


I took this pic from above so that the card would stay closed.

Here is the card standing up, it distorts the purple cardstock and makes it look uneven, hence the pic above shot from above with the card laying flat.

Close up of Gidget taking a break from chewing her rawhide.

Gidget keeping those purly whites clean with her rawhide.

Gidge heard something outside and has taken the "I'll protect you" stance.

Here is the first card that I did and I wasn't happy with the scallop. I felt that it made the card "too girly-like" and it's supposed to be more frightening.

Ahoy Matey

So today is "Talk Like A Pirate Day", ARGH!!!!
So Mates and Wenches please remember to shiver your timbers and hoist a mug of grog to the those sea pirates of yester-year, lest you have to walk the plank.

Crafty Saturday

Saturday became a crafty day for me due to a cancellation of the day's plans. I needed to catch up on cards and to play with some of my new sets. I didn't write down the specifics for each card, if you would like details, please leave a comment and I will get the products used. This card is all SU with the exception of the lace edge punch which I believe is a Fiskar's product. I know that the image was stamped on River Rock cardstock.

To show the lace effect I added a small piece of the darker purple on the inside of the card so that the lace "lays on top" when the card is closed.

A slight variation on the above card. This one was reversed. The lace edge is on the bottom and the card is cut a bit smaller than a standard 5-1/2" x 4-1/4". The Happy Birthday stamp is from a set bought at Michael's with all calligraphy style sayings.

With the exception of the patterned paper and the purple snaps all products are stampin up. The image was stamped on Certainly Celery.

A closer look.

SU double sided patterned paper from this year's Halloween collection. Retired tag stamp, small and slightly larger SU tag punches.

A closer look.

I promise to write down the details for any future card postings.

Card Pics

This like the one below is made from a "Stack Pack" that I bought at JoAnne Fabrics with my 40% off coupon. The patterned paper set on the diagonal is raised with pop dots. I was color coding my paper and came across this pack and decided to do some VERY, VERY basic cards just to say that I crafted something.

This card is from a "stack pack" that was purchased at JoAnne Fabrics with my 40% off coupon. The cardstock is just a cream from Michaels and the patterned paper was from the stack. Very, very basic but I need to get the mojo going.

This is a close up of the pic below, it is out of focus so I need to work on that. The stamp is a SU tag stamp from a retired set. The cardstock and patterned paper is from my stash and too old for me to even know what brand and from where I got it. I made one of these cards to send to my sister-in-law for her birthday on the 16th and kept this second one for my stash. The one sent to my SIL was the better of the two.

I need to find a better place for photo taking. This in on the windowsill behind my desk.

At last, I have not only created some VERY BASIC cards this past weekend but I have pictures. YEA!!!

Another One

Here is the cropped version of the previous Gidget post.

New Digi Pictures

This is the pic that I kept from last night when I was playing with the new camera. This is my little girl Gidget in her digital camera debut.

She looks completely freaked out by the camera and the flash.

This is so cool.

The Camera is Here

Last night when I came home from my manicure the box from Best Buy with my new digital camera was waiting for me.

Long story short, it needed to be charged so my playing time was very limited.

I have brought it to work and hope that I have some time to play with it here.
Today I have to compile and call in a payroll so I am going to work diligently to get my work done so that I can play.

More later, I hope!

The Forest

My brother has been going to the local forest preserve for many years with the dogs.

Now that we only have our little Gidget he has more time to document the activities of the forest. Here are some pictures that were taken during the last 6 weeks. It is amazing how tame the deer are, even Gidget is not afraid of them or they of her. After all she is a "killer chihuahua" LOL! All this only about 3 miles from my Chicago home.

Six Years Later

I am sure everyone can remember where they were on September 11, 2001.
Even if you didn't know anyone personally it affected your life in many ways.

Many things have changed in the past six years.

Two wars were started.

A horrible hurricane took away lives and ruined many others.

Countless other events that may have affected you, your family or community.

So today as we remember what life used to be like before that awful day six years ago visit this website and see if there is something that you would like to do in remembrance.

God Bless all those that suffered six years ago and during the last six years during any horrible event that you may have experienced.

http://mygooddeed.org/

The Big Plunge and Other Random Things

So, with a click of my mouse on the purchase button, I just purchased a digital camera.
Scary stuff, since I have no idea how to operate a digi camera.
At least while I get to know the camera this blog will have pics, probably more bad than good until I can figure out how to use it.
I bought it from Best Buy online and it came with free shipping. YEA!!!!
10.2 mexapixals and 5x zoom, whatever that means, LOL.
It's a Kodak, figure go with a good mid-price name and ease of use as many have said.
I even had a gift card in my wallet worth $10.00 which is just about what the sales tax cost me. So to me it was the Best Buy, ha ha ha.

Who Would Have Thought

Fruit of the Month: Figs. Most of our knowledge of figs is of Fig Newton's. However, figs can be enjoyed fresh or as a healthy substitute for your favorite recipes. Use puréed figs to replace shortening, oil or butter in any baked good to reduce fat and calories. Fresh figs are available July through September and dried figs can be found year round. Figs contain more fiber in a 1/4 cup serving than any other fruit. Mix fresh cut up figs in a smoothie or yogurt snack for a sweet treat.

Just a little something from the good friends at Bally's.

School

This post is for Michelle to answer her questions that she left in response to a previous post.

I am two classes (counting the one that I just started) away from my Bachelor's in Accounting.
Something that I started in my late thirties and hope to finish by the end of my forties.

Hang in there Michelle. It is not easy to work full time and go to school but it is worth it (I hope) in the end. If you can swing going full time you will definitely be done so much sooner than it took me, toiling away one or two classes at a time. I say "GO FOR IT". If you find it's too much you can always go back to work and do classes part time.


Now just a word about school. For those of you who know me and know about the Finance class that I took last fall and my term paper partner "Stink Boy". (You can read about "Stink Boy" in previous posts from last fall) Well, I saw him at school. He takes a class that is in the same classroom right after my class. He was standing outside the class when I exited and he was talking to someone else. Still looks the same and because I wasn't close enough I don't know if he still "smells" the same. Glad to see that he is still going for his degree. I will post if we have any conversations as the terms progresses.

Not quite sure what to make of my professor. I know that she is tough, enough people have had to drop her class and take her again to prove that. The part that freaks me out is that she is constantly saying in class. "If you are in this class that means that you had to pass 321 and 322. This should be a review for you, if you are lost and don't understand you should drop this class."
I am beginning to wonder if she gets a kick back from the university for how many people she can get to take and drop her course. Not a very good confidence builder.

So, Michelle, by all means pursure school, it will enrich you. Hopefully you will not have any evil teachers. Everyone, please say a prayer that I make it through this class only ONE time.

A Slacker

Wow, I have just made some of the rounds of the creative woman whose blogs I now visit. Such talent is out there that it makes me feel like such a slacker. Many of these woman have families and jobs and yet there is always a new card or layout for everyone to view.

My only excuse is that I must be a slacker. I have all the necessary tools at my disposal but never seem to "find the time". If that's not a cope out I don't know what is.

My new resolution, to make two new cards each week. I figure I'll start out small and maybe just crafting will inspire me to do more.

Thank you to all the blogs that I visit for inspiration, keep up the good work.

Holiday Weekends

Well, summer is over, at least on the calendar it is.

With the passage of the Labor Day holiday and school starting, the summer of 2007 is in the books. In some ways I am ready for fall and in others I am kicking and screaming like a two year old having a temper tantrum. I don't want to have to deal with school but know that I must in order to get it over with. Being so close to graduation makes me both happy and a bit scared. Scared because I have already missed one of the two classes held last week and I feel a bit behind already which is not a good sign after just two classes. I hope that one of my classmates will let me copy their notes tonight so that I can keep up with what was covered during Thursday's class.

My holiday weekend was spent at home because of my cold. I had a party to go to but couldn't bring myself to go and possibly infect any of my family or friends with this horrid cold. I have my voice back but it is still raspy and my lungs are still full of gunk.

More progress was made in the ongoing purge and I took two boxes and a bag to the Salvation Army on Sunday morning. Two more bags are ready, along with another box.

The problem that I was having with the rear tail-light/turn signal sockets of my car has been remedied. I called a local Pontiac dealer and told them what I needed, they had some in stock, Rick drove over to the dealer then out to the new office and fixed me up. I can now drive confidently knowing that I will have brake lights and turn signals. I just have to get my rear brakes done (hopefully this Saturday) and my car will be on it's way to being ready for the cold winter of Chicago.

I got more organized in the craft cellar and even made a birthday card (and one extra for my stash) for my co-worker Kerrie. I have taken pics and will post when I get the film developed. Only 8 more pics to take and then I will take the film in. I stamped a bunch of images that I want to color and hope to have more cards to take pics of this week.

Does anyone know where I can get a large (larger than the one offered by SU) scalloped circle punch? If you do, please let me know. I have an idea in my head and need a larger scalloped circle to make it right, at least in my mind's eye.

How was your holiday weekend?

The Voice

Well, my voice is back.

However, from the comments that I have received from those who can now hear me they say that my voice "hurts their ears".

The funny thing is that when I had a sore throat my voice was fine (that was at the beginning of this illness).

Now, my voice is messed up, but my throat feels fine.

Go figure.

I did leave work early yesterday in hopes of sleeping, but the zzzz's never came and instead I finished up the organization of my stickers.

Over the weekend I MUST make a birthday card for my co-worker Kerrie and I want to start playing with my Halloween stamps. I will take pictures and finish off the roll of film, get it developed and post pictures so that you all have something to see other than my verbal ramblings.

Have a safe holiday weekend (end of summer, boo-hoo) have fun and enjoy!!!

No Voice

I have a terrible head cold.
I came down with it on Tuesday (of course the first night of school).
Yesterday wasn't too bad, but today, I am suffering big time.

I have NO VOICE!!!!

I never realized how much I talk until now when I cannot be heard.

My throat does not hurt but my voice is broken.

I am at work because tomorrow is payday and I need to finish calculating commissions and phone in the payroll. Pretty funny thought since I don't have a voice.

Hopefully I will have at least a whisper of a voice so that I can call in payroll and call my professor so that I can be excused from class tonight.

Maybe being sick is a good thing, maybe I can get some crafting done.
Of course, after I take a nap, LI (laughing inside since I can't out loud)

Tagged

So, I am new to this blog-o-sphere world of nice people and have been "tagged".



I have probably been tagged before and did not know it or what to do but I believe I have the idea now. I "think" the Connie listed on Greta's(http://meocracy.blogspot.com/) post was me and if not then I have done the task in error. Below you can read it.



The rules:

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. Players, must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.



My middle name is Joan. I believe that this name was chosen because it was also my godmother's name.



J = J.U.G.S. = The first letter of the group of girls that I went to grammar school and high school with that I still see on a regular basis. J stands for Just, U stands for Us, G stands for Girls and S stands for Stupid. Just Us Girls, Stupid. We have since changed the S to be more politically correct and it often stands for silly but the original meaning was "stupid". The J.U.G.S. are made up of twelve wonderful women with whom I have shared good and bad times. Everyone one of us is unique and yet we are the same in the bond that we share. We do not let each other get away with bullsh-- and will call each other out when we know one of us is trying to "snow" the other. Love these women to death.

O = Obtuse. I can sometimes be very obtuse when it comes to technology. As previously stated in my blog, I don't know how to use a digital camera. I also do not know how to link to another blog by just having the person's name typed and the viewer able to link to that blog. Hence the blog address of Greta listed above.

A = Awkward. I have been going through a phase lately where I am awkward and have the bruises to prove it. I just recently banged my leg and have a purple bruise that hurts like hell right now.

N = New office. The company that I work for has recently moved into a building that they have purchased and we have new offices. The new space is beginning to grow on me and I enjoy the ton of sunshine that comes in the window during the morning.

Okay, I know the rules say that you have to tag the same amount of people as there are letters in you middle name. I however do not have 4 blog-o-sphere buddies to tag so please do this task in the comments section if you read my blog.

Thanks, I look forward to reading the responses.

Schedule

Well, I still have not figured out the best time to leave the house to make it to work on time.
I must remember that the drive is a smidge more than my previous commute and to add more time.
Old habits die hard I guess.

The weekend turned out to be very nice.
The weather broke and the air conditioning was turned off.
It felt great to have fresh air in the house again.

I made some headway in the craft organization and realized that I have a ton of stickers.
I need to get crackin' on some projects.

I did finish my coupon book and because I don't have a digital camera the pics are in my regular camera waiting for the roll of film to be finished so that I can get it developed. Soon, I promise.
I want to get a few more projects done and take pics of them before the roll is out.

One very random and stupid observation:
Has anyone seen that Viagra commercial that has all of the guys in an old barn or something and they are all playing instruments and singing "VIVA VIAGRA"?
Does anyone else find this to be weird?

Let me know.

Some Creative Juice

Well, with the boxes from work and the computer gone I have begun to use the free space on my desk for more creative pursuits.

I am making a coupon book and have all the pieces cut and partially stamped. When it is finished I will post some pics.

Moving

Just when I got settled and knew where everything was it is time to move again.

I am both excited and bummed to be moving my office.
The building is ready and we have occupancy so I must stop coming to work in my pj's.
Today is moving day for me and although I relish the idea of a new office I don't look forward to the drive and leaving the comfort of my home.

To top it off, I didn't win the occupancy pool that some of us had going.
I truly thought back at the end of July after seeing pictures of the new space that there was no way that we would be in the office before Labor Day.
Kudos to our guys for getting everything co-ordinated and ready for us to move in.

I will miss the peace and quiet that was my home office.
I truly pumped out alot of work with very few distractions.
I won't miss the daily trip to the post office, so there is always an upside.

If I Only Had A Brain

I had the BIGGEST brain fart yesterday.

After being out and about and having some problems with my rear brake/turn signal lights.
The lights keep going out.
The bulbs aren't bad it appears that the sockets are.
The really annoying and dangerous thing is that they go out whenever and wherever they please.
At times, both of them together.
Yesterday I had to stop three times on my way home to get out, open the trunk, take the socket out of the hole in the trunk, jiggle and replace.
Well, when I got home yesterday the left rear was out and I did the above and then grabbed my purse and stuff and went inside.
I told my brother Rick about the problem that keeps happening and left it at that.

Last night and all day today we have been experiencing rain.
Sometimes it has been pretty heavy with thunder and lightening.

During one of the dry spells, Rick went outside to see if he could get a part number off of the socket and what did he discover?

I left my driver's side window OPEN!!!!!!

Needless to say, the seat is soaked.
The back floor is wet.
The front floor is wet.
The back seat is wet.

Luckily my trusty Mickey Mouse seat cover (lined with foam) soaked up a good majority of the rain from the driver's seat.
It is now hanging and dripping in my basement over the sink.

Talk about a brain fart, this one takes the cake.

YIKERS!!!!

Jog Your Memory

I received this e-mail and thought instead of sending it out via e-mail that I would post it here and see how many more shows get added.


How many shows can we come up with that we USED to
watch that are no longer on TV?
Add one.
This should be fun and jog our memories. No repeats on
the shows please.

Doris.............My Friend Flicka
Deb...................Mr. Ed
Cory...................The Immortal
Louise.................Little House on the prairie
Skoobysnaxx......Land of the Giants
Denise................Banana Splits
Kev...................Lost In Space
Zach................Emergency
Kenny.................Puff the Magic Dragon
Chris...................Chip and Dale
Brenda...............American Bandstand
Deb...................Have Gun Will Travel
Sher/Snowdear.....Bonanza
Jeanann.............Carol Burnett Show
Dorothy..............Red Skelton Show
Manick ......... Lassie
Judd...................Ed Sullivan Show
Nick..................Car 54 where are you?
Rett.................Abbott & Costello
Steve................Dragnet
Lace/Ladye ..... "Bewitched" :}~
BlackGable........The Millionaire
DJCookie2.........Bachelor Father
BabyBear4u......My Little Margie
Lite-Bright........Hullaballoo
VirgoMan55......The Clay Cole Show
finickygril.........muppet show
Gary_57...........The RifleMan
Nurselil..............Ben Casey
Cheri................The Cheryl Ann
Lisa.................All In The Family
Lois.................Dark Shadows
Joan..............Queen for a Day
Barbara...........Gene Autry
KAREN............HOWDY DOODY SHOW
Nicole.............the smurfs
Brenda ..........Where The Action Is
Christy............Hey Dude
Betty............. What's my line?
Sandey............Your Show Of Shows
Martin..............Buck Rogers
Diane...............Roy Rogers
Donna.............Maw and Paw Kettle
Cindy............Melrose Place
Teresa..........Chips
Wayne ......... "WANTED" Dead or Alive
Bobbi..............Name That Tune
Mary Frances..... The Hit Parade
Dixie................The Rebel
Teddi..............Topper
Lisa..................Adam 12
Heidi.................H.R. Pufnstuff
Kathy ............That's Incredible!
Michele ............The Munsters
Rhonda.......... Courtship of Eddie's Father
Kathy.............. My Three Sons
Chuck............... The Real McCoys
Chuck.............. The Match Game
Margarette .......Gomer Pyle
Jude............Marcus Welby M.D.
Mary K..........Green Acres
Nadya........The Honeymooners
Lally..........Gunsmoke
Joyce........Uncle Elihugh
Jeanine.......The Sonny & Cher Show
Verna.........I Love Lucy
Marie..............The Dean Martin Show
Walt..........Rowan & Martins Laugh-In
Paula..... dukes of hazard
Linda.........The Twilight Zone
Linda A.......77 Sunset Strip
Jani........ Father Knows Best
James......Big Valley
barb.........My Three Sons
sharon.....Annie Oakly
Sandee....Our Miss Brooks
Diana.... That Girl
Cindy ..... The Love Boat
Kim.....Emergency (with Chad Everett)
Debbie..Peticote Junction, Rawhide
Annette.....Dallas
Rhonda....Flipper "The Dolphin"
Kathy....Route 66
Nita...........The Swamp Fox
Kim G...Truth or Consequences (Bob Barker)
james p...head of the class
Marsha...Dr. Kildare
Ken ...Soupy Sales (with White Fang & Black Tooth)
Brigitte....Hawaii Five-O
June......Soap
Cathy----Nanny and the Professor
Mary... The Flying Nun
Greg.... The Green Hornet
Violet----The Lone Ranger
Gail------Mannix
Tammy- What's happening
Lajuan-Magilla Garilla
Nova-Planet of the Apes
Tiffany- He's The Mayor
Cynthia - In Living Color
Cynthia - The Odd Couple (Felix & Oscar)
Nyla - The Jamie Fox Show
Nyla - Living Single
Nyla - Eve
Nyla - Martin
Nyla- For your love
Tina - "That Girl"
Tina - Julia
Tina - Room 222
Gretchen - Soldier of Fortune
GAIL – MORK AND MINDY
Pat - Dick Van Dyke Show
Fran - Batman (Bang - Pow)
Connie - Charlie's Angels

I Am Evil

I feel so evil.

Yesterday I took my chihuahua Gidget to be spayed. I have always been told that it is the best thing for the dog if you do not have the intention of ever breeding her. However, I felt very guilty when she looked at me with panic as the doctor took her to the back room and I walked away.

That was nothing compared to the look that I get now. If looks could kill, well you know the rest. Every time that I try to help her or pick her up I get a yelp that is breaking my heart. I hate having my little baby hurting. Hopefully she will do better today than she did last night.

Even if she is a dog, I feel like a very bad, bad, bad mom.

Gnats

Where do gnats come from?

Are they a species of fruit fly?

All I know is that these little gnats are down here in my basement office and they are driving me crazy. I guess some bug spray is going to make it on my grocery list.

The Purge Continues

Being home has it's distinct advantage, especially when it comes to the ongoing purge.

With my office down in the basement, every day I am reminded that I have too much stuff as I am surrounded by Rubbermaid containers. Today I have made a good dent into the containers that are down here behind my desk. I found a container filled with Easter decorations. Combined with the one that I know is out in the garage that is way too much stuff for Easter. I prepared a bag for Goodwill that held everything in the basement container with the exception of the ceramic eggs and basket that I made many, many, many moons ago. I also went through the September container (mostly apples and back to school themed decorations) and kept just two door decorations and a table runner for my coffee table. Next came a crafting container that had crafting supplies (paint and such). The paint was dried up and I kept the brushes. Some of the supplies are going to make a Goodwill shopper happy. I also came across a container that held some wool fabric. Back when I had to dress up for work this material was going to become a few skirts and jackets, now it is on it's way to becoming whatever someone else wants to make with it. One more container and then it's time to go out to the garage and sort through that stuff. I just wish the humidity would drop so that the task would be much more comfortable.

I guess I could always bring a container into the house to do the sort and purge. DUH!!!

A Lot More Light

I have a very large over two stories high pine tree in my backyard. It is the home to many squirrels and birds. It can be a bit of a mess when pine cones fall and needles come down. It shelters the North side of my house and I wouldn't dare dream of ever removing it.

My attached neighbor (I live in a duplex) doesn't hold my affections for the tree. She hates it and thinks that the pine cones that fall from it look like uncircumcised penises. Over the years her husband has trimmed back some of the branches that hang over their patio. Nothing real serious just cosmetic. Last year and more so this year she has asked if I would mind if they had the tree professionally trimmed. I always said that they could trim what hung over their property but that I didn't want the tree taken down. It has never come to pass as the expense was always too great. Either she came into some extra money or the pine cones have finally taken their toll because yesterday the "professionals" came to trim the tree. I say "professionals" because they were our regular lawn guys that cut the grass. They made the tree look crazy hideous. Almost one whole side up to the top is missing. It looks stupid!!! On top of that they let the branches drop down into my flower bed. Smooshing my bleeding heart bush and my purple larkspur. They flattened my calla lily and broke the stems of a few of my other lilies. All have bloomed and are getting ready for the fall, but that is not the point. How hard would it have been to drape a tarp over the fence and secure it to the tree so that the branches didn't fall into the garden? Maybe I'm being overly sensitive because I hate the way the tree looks. Legally the neighbors had every right to trim what was on their property but it just looks way stupid.

The bright side to the story. The squirrels and birds still have their tree to live and play in and the neighbor's patio has so much sun now that they are going to roast. Insert evil vindictive laugh here.

Home vs. The Office

This is my first experience of working from home.
I have always gone to an office.
Most of my "career" it was a necessary thing to do because the technology to work from home was not available.
However, as this baby-boomer has seen many technological things come to life it is still amazing that I can work from home.
So, it has been 4 days of working from home and here is my take so far.

Home
Pro:
I can do laundry while working.
I don't have to change out of my pj's.
I am getting soooo much more done because there is no one to talk to.
I can have my dog Gidget sit on my lap while I work (she does however want to walk all over the desk so that is counter-productive).
I can listen to whatever music I want to.
I balanced my check-book and paid bills during the work day.
I am saving a ton on gas because there is no commute.
During lunch I was able to weed my garden.

Con:
I have a tendency to work WAY more hours. (It's 9:20pm and I am just finishing up my day which started at 6:00am) To be honest I did take an hour for lunch and an hour for dinner.
My cell phone doesn't get good reception down in the basement office.
There is no one to talk to.
I am down in the basement with little natural light.

So give me your thoughts, if you work from home would you ever go back to an office?
If you work in an office, would you jump at the chance to work from home?



P.S. Once I get caught up, I am going to use my free time to craft as my office is also my craft room. Shhhhhh, don't tell my boss, it's our little secret.

A Heavy Heart

I am crying as I write this post.

Last night around dinner time is when it all began.

My black lab Miss Harley has NEVER not wanted her chow.

Having come from puppy prison (what we called the shelter from which I got her) she made sure when there was food she was always up front and center.

Harley had hip displaysia (sp?) and had been on prescription meds for the last 1-1/2 years. The hips were too far gone by the time she was diagnosed and the medicine was the only option. The meds worked well and she was able to go to the forest every day and function normally. One of the side effects of the meds is the possibility that they may affect the liver. Harley had seen the vet in May for her usual yearly check-up and the blood work was normal.

So, last night while we ate and Harley made no attempt to let us know of her presence for any handouts and the fact that she didn't even make a move to her bowl which was full of her once a day chow, we knew something was wrong.

Harley was listless and not at all interested in getting up off of the floor. Rick even tried leaving the house the back way and ringing the front doorbell. Harley did get up but then laid back down as soon as she knew who was at the door.

We called the vet and got an appointment. We got there just before 7pm. By 8pm my lovely, kind, wonderful dog had gone to the forest in the sky. She has joined my other dogs Buffy, Jodie, and Monster.

This has come as such a blow. We never expected this. We expected the decision would be made because of her hips and inability to move. The fact that what did my poor girl in was probably the medicine that gave her the mobility to live a normal life this past 1-1/2 years. Without an exploratory surgery (which the doc said she probably wouldn't have survived) he couldn't be sure exactly what happened. He suspected that she either had a ruptured liver or spleen. Her belly was bloated and when he stuck a needle in her stomach and drew blood she didn't even flinch. The blood that he drew out was not a deep thick healthy red, more of a diluted version of that. Since the doc felt that she wouldn't survive a surgery at her age the only option was to send her to heaven. I have had to make this decision 3 previous times and let me tell you that it NEVER is any easy one.

I know that this loss has deeply affected my brother. He remained very stoic last night but I knew when he said his good-byes last night that this was heart wretching for him. Rick was the one that took the wild puppy prison dog who was estimated to be 1 or 2 years old (the previous owners didn't have the decency to bring her into the shelter, instead they just tied her to the tree outside). Rick took this dog with a jumping problem and taught her to be the great dog that she was. He took her every day to the forest to let her run around and get out all of that energy so that she would be happy when she later had our small yard to play in. They bonded very tightly as they spent their days together.

I know that this loss is NOTHING compared to the loss of a child, but for me my dogs are my children and this is a very very sad time for me. May my sweet lovable girl have eternal rest.

CHA Giveaway

Well, my crafting buddy Simone has truly out did herself. Simone went to CHA last week with her good friend Carol on a look see / shopping spree. Simone took a gazillion pictures which she shared with all of her blogging friends. Take the time to go and visit her blog. Once you start reading you will not be able to stop. So, if you are crafty and want to see what was at CHA, or need some crafty inspiration (Simone has the best original ideas) or you just want another insight on life go see Simone's "A Daily Dose of Spazz" at http://spazzgirldaily.blogspot.com/

Living Room Update

Here are the pics of the new couch. It hasn't stayed this way for very long. As you can see I have my chair covered, so is the case with the new couch. It is covered 99% of the time.

New swag that I made for over the archway that goes upstairs.

Parrot-heads

I enjoy Jimmy Buffet music.

I like an outdoor concert.

I had a hard time enjoying this past weekend's Jimmy Buffet concert out in Tinley Park.

The venue clearly sold WAY TOO MANY lawn seats.

Once the concert started you pretty much were forced to stand because the throng of people made it impossible to sit back down on your blanket. In fact I ended up leaving the blanket that I brought because it was so disgusting and trampled.

However, the clincher was this scene.
A couple (late 30's early 40's)who came and stood in front of us right as the concert began, blocking the jumbo-tron and forcing us to stand in order to see anything, did something that grossed us out and was for sure the clincher for us to leave early.

The man stood behind his wife, and while she was holding his shirt, he pissed into his empty beer cup. When he was done, he set the cup down on the ground and let it tip over letting his urine leak onto the ground.

GROSS!!!!!

How hard would it have been to go done to the washroom?

I had a jumbo margarita and had to go to the bathroom, and like what I believe to be the normal action, I walked down to the bathroom and came back up to the lawn. Not so convenient but kinder to my fellow lawn-mates.

Card Party Cont'd Part II

Decisions, Decisions....
Do you bet the house or not?

Ricky on the new couch

Cousin Fran on the new couch

Clearly Miss Harley and Gidget are not impressed with "the big game"

Getting ready to start the "big game"

Ricky, Sue and Caryn

That's me in my Mickey Mouse themed kitchen.

Card Party Pictures Cont'd

The dining room was too tight so we moved the table into the living room. Look how it looks as if I have my hand inside my cousin Fran's brain.

My sister Caryn and cousin Sue eating dinner before the "big game"

Card Party Pics

This is my backyard. Starting at the left is my cousin Fran (green shirt), my sister Caryn, my cousin Sue, my brother-in-law Bruce and Sue's husband Ricky.

Card Party

I hosted poker night at my house for the first time. My house is very small so that is why I usually do not host it at my place. Since I just painted, got new carpet and a new couch I decided it was time for me to host. Here are some of the pictures from that night taken by Steve, my cousin Fran's husband. I will post more photos later.

I Figured Out How To Post Pictures

Here are my girls. As you can see they have a very rough life. The black lab is Miss Harley and the chihuahua is Gidget. This is NOT a posed picture. Gidget sleeps on top of Harley all the time.

The Aftermath

This is a picture of the area where all of the 4th of July festivities were taking place across the street. The "For Sale" sign is on the front lawn of the people who were having the party with the loud music and fireworks. See the posts below for the view of the alley and the damage to my garage. These people at least had the decency to clean up all of this mess from the sidewalk, the lawn and the street by the time I got home from work yesterday. The mess in the alley (see post below) has not been cleaned up yet.

Damage to my property

Let me first say that the garage door needs to be painted. The peeling and crackled paint is not a result from the 4th of July. The holes however are from my lovely back neighbor and his 4th of July frivolity. As you can see from the shots of the door that were taken on the inside the fireworks went through my wooden garage door. Luckily they are all in the bottom panel. A police damage report has been made and Rick says that he can fix the holes and seal them up before winter so that at this time I won't have to buy a new garage door. All I can say is that no one was hurt (that I know of) and that I am a believer in Karma. So, sometime in this guys future someone will damage something of his and the Karma train will have made it's trip around the track.

Accessment of the damage after the 4th

Here is the alley on the 5th of July. Notice all of the debris from the fireworks that were set off. The yellow garage is where the people were that set off all of the fireworks. My garage is directly across from the yellow garage.

Those Damn Kids

I must be getting old or perhaps I'm just normal.

To celebrate the birthday of our great nation my neighbors had a 1/4 stick of TNT off.

Yep, the group across the street in the front would set off a 1/4 stick and then the group across the alley would respond in kind.

It was our own little glimpse into the Iraq war.

The across the street crowd was much more annoying because along with their giant booms was the excessively LOUD music. That lovely group wanted to share their musical tastes with the whole block and put their stereo speaker in the window to help us all hear the songs. My house was completely closed with the air on and the music was so loud you would have thought that I had the radio on in my room. Most of this wonderful TNT off was after 10pm. The cops had been there and for about 15 minutes things were quieter but then it just started all over again. Along with the music was the great ability for us to hear our neighbor too. He had a Mr. Microphone type set up and would talk to his friends (standing maybe 10 feet from him) through his cool Mr. Microphone set up. At one time, about 12:15am he proceeded to ask his friends "Hey Mother F--kers, how many more fireworks do we have?"

My poor girl Gidget was just freaked out beyond words. She spent the entire night huddled in her little house trembling. Miss Harley fared better, but even she was getting agitated after 4 hours of 1/4 stick fun.

What is the appeal to just a loud BOOM?

I understand the bottle rockets, firecrackers, the sparklers and other display fireworks, but the BIG BOOM thing is beyond my comprehension.

I must be getting old!