A Rather Exciting Day!

This week has been kind of somber....I guess the death of my uncle touched us deeply. Also, being "home" really left a kind of melancholy feeling with me...I have always been happy where I am, but this past time, seeing all of my cousins and their families, made me feel a little homesick.

This morning, I heard a light tapping at the door. I have been moving a bit slowly as a few days ago, I did something while lifting a box that sends an "electric" feeling up my back. This is not a good feeling at all! So, I nearly missed the FedEx guy! He had left two packages on the porch in front of the door!

Thinking perhaps Mark had ordered something, I hauled the boxes into the office. As I looked at the labels, I got so excited! My Secret Santa gift arrived! For the past three years, I have joined in this exchange on the CyberScots list. I got so excited, and so did the whole family, Scotties included!

The generosity of my "Santa" was just so amazing! Kathy is from Texas, and I guess she is compelled to do things "big!"

I wasn't sure I could get a picture of all of the goodies, but this is what I got! Let's see....there was a Scottish Terrier "The Dog" calendar, an ADORABLE Scottie garden weather vane, (the Scottie part is in front of the calendar), a game of Dogopoly, a tin with Licorice Scottie candy, a box of shortbread mix complete with a Scottie cookie cutter, a remote-control car for the Scotties to CHASE!, a Scottie nightshirt, 3 really cute ornaments, a special "Santa Watch" hat for Angus and one for Murphy, a cute little Jim Shore Scottie figurine, and five Scottie linens!Phew! That is so much booty!!!!

The flowers in the background were from Angus's birthday party on Monday night. The party was short because we needed to scurry to get our sleep for our travels on Tuesday.

Here are the linens. I love the little old-fashioned Scotties on them! Aren't they cute?

I just HAD to post a picture of the Santa Watch hat! These are made so incredibly well! We put them on Angus and Murphy, and I cannot wait until it is light out tomorrow so I can get a picture of them wearing their caps!

After all of the sadness of the earlier part of this week, this package was just such a pressure relief! We had so much fun looking at everything and "oooooohing and aaaaahhhing!"

I always tell Mark I would not even care if I never got a gift in return...I have so much fun wrapping my Scottie goodies for my recipient....but my Santa far exceeded anything I could have even imagined!

Thank you, Kathy! Ever think of moving to the North Pole?

Another Sad Manelick Gathering...

Yesterday, we made the drive to Pennsylvania to attend the funeral service for my Uncle Nick, who passed away last Saturday evening.

Mark, the kids, the dogs, and I all made the trip this time and it was a beautiful day for traveling. There was no precipitation and the roads were clear the whole way there and back again.

The service was held at the funeral home, and it was so wonderful. My uncle had insisted on a closed casket, and it was draped with an American flag, as he had served in the Army Air Corps during WW II. The flowers were all in Christmas colors of red, white, and greens. There were pictures of Uncle Nick throughout his life. A few people related some great memories and it was a time of warmth and comfort at a hard time.

My Uncle Nick was an outstanding man who loved his family so. Unfortunately, when my youngest cousin was only weeks old, my uncle's wife ran off on Christmas Eve, never to return to the family. I cannot imagine how a woman would get through this.....being left with six children to care for alone, but a man? With a tiny baby! Somehow, my uncle managed, and he has five decent, good children as his legacy. One of my cousins, Laura, was killed several years ago in an auto accident.

After the service, there was a gathering for the family at my cousin, Cindy's house. She and her husband have the most charming house I have seen in a long time! Every room is decorated in the most gorgeous designs! Christmas happens to be Cindy's favorite time of the year, and her collection of Santas was astonishing! In every nook....on nearly every wall, there was a Santa!

She has cross-stitched many, many marvelous Santas as well!

Oh goodness! I forgot a picture of our *hostess*

Yes, this is Cindy's adorable and very well-mannered Boxer, Pepper! Even Pepper was decked out for the holiday season with a pretty Christmasy collar around her neck! She was so fantastic, even with a house filled with people!

As I wandered around from room to room, I heard many stories about my Uncle Nick. My father and his youngest brother, Dick, were telling some stories that were so funny! One of them was that after the war was over, a crate arrived at the farmhouse of my grandparents. Thinking it was Uncle Nick's belongings, the family was shocked to find a German Shepherd! It seems my uncle didn't have the heart to leave behind his company's mascot. He decided the dog had better come home with him! What a surprise! Also, he brought home other memorabilia, like shells and bomb housings....my uncle said my grandmother used a bombshell as a doorstop for several years!

Most of my cousins have remained in fairly close proximity of where my grandparents lived. I was one of the few that wandered away. It was so incredible to go home and still be recognized by everyone, and to be hugged warmly. It almost feels as though all the years melt away when with family again.

Although the gathering was for a sad occasion, I am so glad we were able to attend. It is always so good to see family again!

A Little Levity

Sometimes when things get so serious, I need to just "chill out"...I am pretty good at this, so I think I will give a little behind-the-scenes pictures of our little *photo shoot* with the Scotties yesterday.

First of all, let me tell you, when those doggies saw the scarves coming, they were not happy. OK, we can deal with that. So, we set them on a pile of basswood I had cut late last summer.....

Are you ready for the first picture?

Absolutely charming, eh? As soon as the camera came out, they looked away!

This is the second picture I took, and I really like this one. I'm not sure what they were looking at, but I like seeing their profiles.

Michelle was my faithful assistant in this venture, helping orchestrate the whole ordeal. And speaking of orchestration, I told Michelle that perhaps holding a small stick above my head and moving it would get their attention so they would look at me. Sort of like a conductor's baton! Well, Michelle swayed the stick above my head whilst I kept my face to the camera. I was unaware she had picked a L-O-N-G stick until................

Yes, being a diehard Scot involves things like protecting your Mum from sticks swaying over her head! Murphy loves attacking vicious intruders....things like sticks, rakes, vacuum cleaners....you know, things that might harm us!

Note Angus's stance....he was also on guard....however, he was looking to make sure none of those wild squirrely things came near! Angus is much too distinguished to partake in such nonsense like attacking sticks....

I kinda liked the next picture, too, but as I looked, they kinda looked like one big Scottie "blob".

Kind of a Scottie "push me, pull you".

By this point, I was pretty sure that I had at least one good and acceptable picture for my cards. Michelle was still trying to get both Scotties to cooperate. She then stood behind me and mentioned the word, "Cookies!"

Yes, that is Angus's typical reaction to the word! Rather humorous!

You can see that we have some good fun with these little companions of ours! And, if you think *WE* are nuts, take a look here!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/barney/#

Yup, we are *NOT* alone! hehehehehe

Another Topsy-Turvy Day

Yesterday seems like a blur....we spent the day at Carly's house, helping her mount her new Tappan microwave/ fan above her stove. Carly worked like a wild woman, Mark advising her along the way. She scrollsawed and hammered and wired and did all kinds of *stuff*. The net result is great, and we are happy we could at least give moral support!

Today, we went out to the garage to attempt the brakes on the Explorer again. As Mark and I worked, he called me over to have a look....ugh....yet ANOTHER problem. The rear passenger side coil spring was broken. Mark said it looked like it broke very recently. As I looked at the spring, I could see that it was broken in another place. It had snapped what looked like a long time ago as it was quite rusty. This is a little more than upsetting as this is a 2002 model with about 41,000 miles on it. The good news is that the rear brakes are all done and the rotors were in really good condition. No new ones needed! When Mark does the front brakes, he will inspect those rotors as well, but in a glance at them thus far, they look to also be in good condition. Yay, the brake job won't be nearly as expensive as we thought. We will, however, need to have that spring looked at and replaced.

As Mark worked for a little while, I was able to sneak off and take a few pictures of the boys. I finally settled on one and made up oodles of wallet size pictures to enclose in my exchange cards.

Sounds simple enough, eh? NOT! After trying the laser printer and two different inkjet printers, we were finally able to print up the pictures. It *only* took about three hours.....

My mom called this evening with some very sad news. My Uncle Nick passed away late this afternoon. This is my father's older brother who was 84. My heart breaks for my cousins, as they loved my uncle so much. He spent many years as a single parent, raising six children, five of whom were girls. This family has had so many tragedies in the past several years. I pray God's peace on this family.

My uncle had a misfortunate accident last September, when the vehicle he was driving backed into a pond. My uncle fought with all his strength and stamina to release himself from the machine, and in the process, he took in a good deal of pond water. A few weeks later, he was in the hospital with pneumonia. I had no heard how he was doing.

I am so grateful that I took the time off from my crazy schedule to attend my aunt Doris's funeral, as I got to visit with my uncle at that time. He was such a strong and admirable man.

Lest We Forgot!

A big thank you to all of those who have served and are currently serving this great country of ours! I realize the US isn't always going to win popularity contests around the world, but I would rather be living here than any other place on this big earth......

May we always remember those who have served....those who have given of their time, efforts, and even lives that we may enjoy living in freedom and peace!

God bless the USA!

Grrrr...What a Crummy Day....

I was THRILLED this morning when I got up at 4:30 to take the boys out. It was actually SNOWING! How excited *was* I? Well, I ran and got my camera! I took two pictures...both into the lights and you could SEE the snow!

This one was off the front porch....(I love those little "trailers"!)

And, one from the back door of the garage....

The sad fact is, this is as far as I got in my picture-taking efforts today. Yup, as I was taking these pictures, I had already made plans to drag out the antique sled (that was mine!) and perhaps tie scarves on the boys and seat them on the sled in the snow. Cute, right?

I made a rip-snorting fire in the garage long before daybreak. By the time Mark and Ben were ready to head out to the garage to do a brake change on the Explorer, the garage was warm enough to work in shirt sleeves despite the temps in the high teens outside.

Mark asked me to help him and Ben get the wheel up in the air and set the jackstands under the car. He was going to do one wheel at a time. NOT!

It took all of our strength to loosen the lug nuts on the first tire. Once this was done, Mark began to take the tire off....NOT! That dirty son of a sea biscuit was adhered so tightly, no cranking, banging, smacking, nor kicking was going to remove it. Mark sprayed WD-40 on it, thinking perhaps that might loosen the bugger up. In the meantime, we moved on to the next wheel.

Can you say EXACT repeat of wheel #1? By this time, I was getting so frustrated. It was well after 11 am by this time. Somehow, I KNEW my day was going to be shot....Mark called the Ford garage and the service manager suggested loosening the lug nuts to finger tight and taking the car for a ride. He suggested doing circles....tight ones....to loosen the "welded on" wheel. He advised the best place to do this would be a parking lot.

We drove two miles to the nearest paved lot. We circled....and circled.....and circled some more.

After doing this crazed exercise, we returned home only to discover that the wheel was as snug as before. Mark tried using a hammer to gently remove the wheel, being so careful not to damage the nice aluminum alloy wheels. Still nothing.

Finally, I remembered that the place where we purchased the tires offers free rotations. Mark called them and they said that everyone was coming in to have their snow treads mounted, but they could do it.

I had made a pot of meatballs and sauce this morning, so before we left, I made pasta and we ate.

We arrived at the garage at about 1:45. I had followed Mark in the new truck as we had several things we could do while waiting on the car. We ran to the post office where I was FINALLY able to mail out two packages to a couple of my Scottie friends. And, I got the stamps to mail all of my Christmas cards. Then, off to Lowe's to grab some screws Mark needed and to look around a little. After that, we stopped at WalMart to grab a few odds and ends. Then, on to the auto supply store to pick up brake pads and rotors....to the tune of over $250.00!

Finally, at about 4 pm, the service man called and said the tires were rotated! Hurrah! BUT, did I know that my car was out of inspection? Like, it was SUPPOSED to be done last FEBRUARY? UGH....I have no idea HOW that happened. We made an appointment for next Tuesday, hoping and praying we can get the new brakes on by then!

By the time we got back home, it was dark, so no cute Scottie pictures to send. I told Michelle that we will get up early tomorrow, and as SOON as the sun is UP, we are OUTSIDE to take pictures. She agreed.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I got to do one of my FAVORITE things TWICE today! (NOT!!!!!!!!) On the way to the garage, I had to fill up the Explorer. On the way home, I got to fill up the pickup truck. The gas station is located at the head of the lake and the wind is exceedingly STRONG there. AND, my warm little gloves were at home on my table.......ughhhhhhhh..........I figure the wind chill factor must have been about -45 there as I stood filling the bottomless tank.

OK, I am just going to go hide under the covers and PRETEND this day never happened! I feel as though I was run over by a Mac truck. Sometimes life is just draining, and THIS was one of THOSE days!

Tomorrow, we are going to Carly's house. Mark is going to help her install her new Microwave/fan combo. She bought this on Black Friday and Mark agreed to help her...it will be a nice change after the events of this day.

So much for singing Christmas carols, wrapping presents, watching old movies, baking cookies, and doing all the FUN stuff....oh, how I LONG for simpler days.......And, if you are doing any of the above things, please know I am there in spirit!

Dress Rehearsal!

OK...so it is supposed to be 40 degrees today...it is obvious to me that SNOW is NOT in the making any time soon. (although I understand my hometown was under a snow advisory yesterday....there is NO place like HOME!!!!)

Yesterday, I decided to consider my options and Michelle and I played dress rehearsal with the Scotties. Hmmm...where should we place their tiny hineys? Let's see.....how bout next to the little Christmas tree. After all, it IS "Scottie-size"! We *placed* the boys and there was JUST enough room for their hineys and NOT much else.....

TAKE 1....or, WHY do my boys resemble WINSTON CHURCHILL????

Take 2..."Hey, Angus, tisn't THAT far of a leap, is it?"

TAKE 3..."MURPHY! Stop horsing around, or we are gonna become permanant FIXTURES!"

And, finally, a fair picture. Both boys looking, but the exposure is not so great.

So, still holding on to those cards and thinking they might not get sent til JANUARY! The weather report said colder tomorrow with a possibility of SQUALLS.....hmm....squalls COULD be just the ticket. OK, we will hold out ONE more day. Then, those cards get sent...picture or NO!

Aha! We Have a *Light Dusting*!

Yes, we got a light dusting of snow yesterday and this morning, too! Right now, I am thinking perhaps I could meander over to the ski area and take pictures. After all, I can heard the hydrants happily humming every time I take the boys out!

In looking at Blogger "problems", I saw a comment about not being able to post pictures. It said that if that happens, you need to go into "settings" and fiddle around with the "FTP" info. As it was, I was going to ask Mark about it last night, but I forgot! This morning, the little bar is BACK! Hurrah! No need to bother Mark!

So, here is my little tree I mentioned the other day.

The little tree definitely needs some decorations, but no one has been so inclined! I need to comment that this picture, as well as the wreath, look out of focus, because I took them in the total darkness! (WHERE is that tripod?)

I am hoping Michelle will help me take pictures of the boys today so I can (FINALLY) send out those cards!

The weather report is calling for "flurries"! Perhaps.........

My 100th Entry!

As I was about to begin bellyaching about our LACK of snow here in the Bristolwood, I saw that this is my 100th entry in my blog! I had contemplated beginning a blog about two years ago, but always felt too intimidated to begin. Now, in looking back at previous posts, this is kind of cool. I have always wanted to journal, but wanted to add photos and other elements. An "e" blog is pretty nice, as it is easy to add photos and such! I made memory photo albums for the kids when they were small, and I just love embellishing and making things "pretty". When one thinks about it, life is all about "themes"....We go from one season of life into another, and it is nice to have left a piece of each season "bookmarked" for those who might care to take a look at some point.

I have been trying to get some decorating done...when Michelle and I went to the non-event show, we took along a little Christmas tree I bought last year at WalMart for $5.00. Rather than boxing it back up again, I decided to place it on a table in the living room for now. When I took it to the show, I had completely forgotten lights for it, so I bought some "cluster lights" from the dollar store. These have a little group of several lights in each "cluster". The net effect is that this little tabletop tree lights up the whole room!

Okay, now that I told about the little tree, my button to add pictures seems to have disappeared! Hmmmmmm....WHERE did it go?

Well, I also hung our big wreath on the garage. This wreath is 5 feet in diameter...It came with white lights wired in it, but I didn't think it was good enough, so I added a set of 150 muticolored lights last year. Well, as it seems to work out so often, when I placed the wreath on the outside of the garage, only a small portion of the white lights lit...We fiddled around for a while with it, then took the multicolored lights out, and replaced them with another set.

Now, I am going to bellyache!!! It is Sunday night and we have NO snow!!! When I got up with the dogs this morning, I could hear the hydrants over at the ski mountian, working to make some snow. Sad, sad, sad! Maybe I need to buy one of those things and decorate my house! I still have no pictures of the Scots for my cards. Tomorrow, we are going to take pictures. We will just have to change our setting. Bummer, but sometimes things just work out differently than we thought!

Wild Weather With Whipping Winds!

Well, today is Friday, and we STILL have no snow. Boohoo...

We were supposed to receive a shipment today, but instead, we decided to make a supply run. This is something that isn't *really* necessary, but has become somewhat of a "tradition". After all, we do have most of the business supplies shipped directly.

Now, the weather forecast for today was a bit "dicey" as our local weatherman describes it! We were expecting high winds with rain turning to snow late tonight.

Mark decided we should try to leave early this morning so we could head back home before too late. He really didn't want to be driving the new truck in bad weather. He hasn't driven it that much yet, and felt a bit uncomfortable about making a long trip. The trip is about 11 hours without stops...

I put together a gift basket of soaps, lotion, and whipped shea butter for out rep, a small basket of soaps for the office girls, and a little crate for the fellow who always helps me load the truck. We were out the door and on our way by 6:30.

We made three stops on our way today...one for banking, and two store stops. The day was beautiful and warm. Although it was overcast, it was still a very nice day.

By the time we arrived at our destination, we had passed through some stormy weather. As it worked out, we were able to load with no rain! Yay!

We began heading home by about 2:30. We stopped at an Arby's for late lunch, then filled the truck with gas and headed for home.

I had wanted to see the movie Polar Express, so Mark had loaded it onto the MP3 player for me. As we drove home, I became steeped in the movie, totally oblivious to anything other than the movie. It seemed funny to me that lights kept flashing, so I looked up. Good heavens! Mark's knuckles were white, and he was stiff as a 2x4....The "flashing" was a sustained lightening show! As I looked up, I could see WHY Mark was so tense....it looked as though we were driving into a sheet of rainfall. The tail lights of cars and trucks in front of us seemed to disappear into the dense wall ahead of us, almost like phantoms ships at sea....When Mark saw me look up, he made a comment about how he hoped he wasn't interrupting my movie....hahaha!!!

Thankfully, this particular portion of our journey was short lived. As we drove, the wind seemed to pick up, but at least we were no longer driving blindly!

Our new truck proved to be worth its weight in gold! Our previous truck was 2 wheel drive. When we bought this new truck, we got 4 wheel drive, and the thing weighs a great deal more because of the 4 wd. Well, we were thrilled to see that our gas mileage was about 19.5 to 20 MPG, even loaded!

As we drove nearer and nearer to home, we observed that the temps had dropped from 73 for our high to about 39. The closer we came to home, the more the wind seemed to pick up. We got home at about 8:30.

The winds are really kicking now. I imagine we will be finding more fallen trees after this round, for sure! We are supposed to be getting some snow later tonight, so perhaps I can get a snowy picture tomorrow.

It is always so much fun to travel, but getting home always feels sooooooo good!

Such a Strange Day Yesterday!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday, and I had planned to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY in this blog, as she reads every day....however, I dashed out of bed (shortly after 4 am) and began labeling soaps and getting things set to rush to the little sale I was doing.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mom! I hope you had a wonderful day filled with good fun! You sure had a nice day. How many birthdays have you had such warm weather?

Now, for that sale....it was a total BUST! There were only about 9 vendors at the sale, so that was pretty nice, I thought. There was a woman selling quilts and sweatshirts that she had machine embroidered. Next to her was a woman with a basket business and she had many little items from her business there. Across from them was a woman who did lots of knits....she had made hats, mittens, some shawls. Down the hall, across from us was a woman selling handknits for someone she didn't know (hehehe) as well as cookbooks to support the facility. Next to her, a woman had singing (ad nauseam) snowmen and stuff maybe a little more pricey than stuff from the dollar store. One of her big "draws" was scarves for $6. They were a silk/cashmere blend, from China. We were directly across from this woman, and next to us was a woman who had really nicely hand painted glassware. Around the corner were some women from a beauty salon with hair goodies. Then, there was a spa with handbags and fun stuff across from another SOAPER! Yikes!

When we got to the sale, I needed to head out for some change. Michelle was my assistant for the day and she assured me she would be just fine setting everything up. I had taken a box full of soaps, some lotions and whipped shea butter, and I also grabbed my little Scottie Dog Ornaments. Micelle took a few of her little bracelets that she makes, as well. We had brought a little table top Christmas tree I had bought at WalMart last year for $5. When we unpacked it, I realized it had no lights. Ugh! It was supposed to display my Scotties!

Michelle sent me off to the bank, with instructions to go to the Dollar Tree a short distance from the bank, to pick up some candy and a dish. So, I set out...this was about 9:15. I went to the bank, and then scurried to the Dollar Tree. I grabbed a couple of pretty trays to set stuff on, a couple of doilies, a basket, tiny candy canes, lights for the tree, and an extension cord.

I got back to the sale at about 10:10. What I saw totally surprised me! Michelle had taken our goodies out of the boxes and had that table all decorated to the nines! The table looked as though it was groaning under the weight of all the goods! I never would have imagined everything would look so BEAUTIFUL! She had taken some white crinkle paper and mixed it with red and green metallic shreds and placed it here and there on the table. If an award would have been given for most "beautiful table", it would have been ours...Michelle far surpassed my expectations. And, to my total chagrin, my camera was at home...RIGHT where I had forgotten it on my BED!!!

On Tuesday, I had convinced Mark to head out to the garage with Ben to make me a bunch of little soap crates. The two of them made the most wonderful little crates! I *ordered* two sizes....a two-bar and three-bar model.

They made these little crates so fast, it made my eyeballs spin!

Now, back to the sale...I was a little distressed because I had never given any thought as to how to DISPLAY the soaps. Michelle is one of those "cool" people who never sweats. She told me not to worry...she would display the soaps with no problem. And, as I had left, I knew she WOULD! And, she DID! She merely used the little crates like BLOCKS! Below is how she stacked the crates to raise them up, displaying the soaps so wonderfully well!

Here is how the soaps looked on display...

I was so thrilled, but as we sat....and sat....and sat, my heart began to sink! Traffic was so sporatic. The residents wandered by, little by little. The "big spenders" were all the employees of the facility. They all flocked to the table across from us, forking out their three bucks for the singing snowmen. By noon, the woman was sold out of her ss.....I sat, totally amazed, as this woman opened bag after bag of her Chinese wares, and folks just swooped it up.

This show lasted from 10 am to 4 pm. Michelle was such a trooper....minding the table as I left to go get some lunch, then once more, as I had to run an errand. She was totally at ease with people who came to the table, chatting with them and encouraging them to take a candy cane from the basket....

We sold a total of three bars of soap and one lotion. We spent six hours there, struggling to stay awake in the WARMTH of the building. We had to take turns walking about, chatting with the other vendors. I did manage to befriend the other soaper. He was very nice, and we spoke for quite some time. He has a store in the small town where this show took place. He also sells candles.

The bottom line is that as the show was coming to an end, it was evident we were not going to do very well! We took a little consolation in the fact that everyone was in the same boat, save the woman across from us. She made out well, selling much of her stuff totally out. The woman with the glassware was so disgusted, expressing that "junk" should not be allowed....ah well.........

One of our customers was a woman who looked as though she had wandered in from outside. She was beautifully dressed, and just had a very delightful look about her! Michelle spoke with her, and it became very evident that she was taken by Michelle....she chatted with her for some time. Suddenly, she picked up a bar of Lavender soap and purchased it!

As we were coming up on the close, a couple walked in front of the table...Could it BE? Why, YES, it was! There stood Annie and Sheldon, a couple I had not seen in YEARS! We had met them years and years ago at church. We visited, and it was just the highlight of this whole thing!

Bottom line, I got to visit with old friends and I also may have a new customer. My soap making friend was amazed when I told him my pricing on shea butter! You just never know....perhaps there will be more good from this little show, but the warm memories and meeting the dear people from this facility was great!

The Things We Do For Love....

Yesterday, I had a couple of minutes to fiddle around....nothing TOO important to do. So, I told Murphy we would have a little fun with the camera....note the expression "little fun".....I tried to explain that we need to get a good picture for the CyberScots card exchange. Murphy could care less.....First, I tied a pretty bow on his collar. Was Murphy impressed? I should say NOT!
So, I grabbed out the cute little reindeer ears I picked up at WalMart. Oh goodness? See those eyes? We call that "the look"!



Remember, my little Angus will sit up and wear a hula skirt for a cookie....the jury is totally out as to whether we will get a halfway decent picture for the cards! Murphy has SUCH Scottietude.

We had to take a ride to Rochester to pick up some supplies late yesterday afternoon. On the way back, Mark wanted to stop by a small floral shop across from the cemetary where his dad is. The store is so cool. It is a huge log "cabin" with a fireplace filling one of the end walls. They had really pretty wreaths so Mark had one custom made for his dad's grave. It was truly a labor of love, as I could see Mark thinking about his dad and fighting to keep the tears back. Christmas was his dad's favorite time of the year.......

Tomorrow is the little craft show I decided to do. I sure hope it does well. I worked liked crazy getting things reaydy today. I am still a bit behind, but we will see how it all works out!

Cannot Wait Til Friday!

Yes, I know...don't be wishing time away, right?

Well, every year, I sign up to exchange Christmas cards with my Scottie friends. This is always fun, as most people find cute little Scottie cards, and the cards usually begin arriving the first of December. What could be more fun than going to the mailbox and finding several cards from all over the US and Canada? (and even Europe?) Oh, this year there are about 60 people participating.

Every year, it seems I am faced with the same dilemma of late....that is, no SNOW! Since doing this exchange, I have always sent a picture of Angus in each card. I always try to make it a snow scene, as I LOVE the snow!

Today, we met my parents to get Benjamin back. We met at a McDonald's with a sign on the front that displays the time and current temperature. Somehow, the temperature of 67 just did not seem POSSIBLE! For heaven's sake, it is NOVEMBER! So.....where is my snow?

When we arrived home, I grabbed the laptop and headed to Weatherbug....the warm temps are supposed to continue through most of this week, then rather rapidly fall into the 30's on Friday. To make it even better, there is a 70% chance of snow! Now, I am hoping that this isn't going to be one of those wimpy melt-as-it-falls-to-the-ground type of snowfalls. If I could just get a decent amount to take a snow picture of the boys wearing their reindeer head thingies, I would be a happy camper!

My envelopes are addressed and ready to go. All I need to do is write in a Christmas greeting, then add a picture of the *boys* and I am off and running!

In between, I am going to do a very small show with my soaps and some Christmas ornaments on Wednesday. This was a rather "spur of the moment" deal. I received an invitation from a Senior Living community to this gift and accessory show on the 29th. It is only from 10 am until 4 pm, so I figured it would be a fun way to spend some time out and about. I do need to figure some packaging, make up a few little gift baskets, whip some shea butter, and make some lip balms. I did attend one show several years ago, but was totally unprepared. Even if I don't break any records at this one, it will be fun, to be sure. The small city where this is held is also invited, so it could be promising....

I think perhaps I will begin writing my greetings in those Christmas cards right now! My goal is to have them ready to send out shortly after the snow starts flying!

Somehow, I MUST Have Lost My Mind!

Sure, I hear you....she didn't have a *whole lot* going on before! Ah well....

Late Thanksgiving night, after my family had gone home and we were relaxing (it was such a great day, after all!) Mark made the comment that perhaps we should get up *early* and go shopping...did I HEAR that right?

We had gone shopping early one Friday morning many years ago. We went to Hills to grab a Tonka Truck for Ben for Christmas. We even stood in line to wait until the doors opened so we could grab our little treasure....In the end, that little truck was well worth every moment we stood in that line. Ben played with that truck for several years, often sitting atop and scooting about.....

And so, in a moment of total insanity (having lost all common sense and sensibility) I said I was game. The catch? Well, Mark had seen a laptop that was at a very good price at Office Max. AND, the doors were opening at 5 am. Mark assured me he would happily arise at 4....I decided I needed to be in bed by 11, so I grabbed my cell phone and set it for alarm at 4 am. By 11, I was in bed.....however, I was unable to sleep! I NEVER have trounle sleeping! Perhaps it was my Macy's Gift Card I earned with points from my business charge card....

At 4, I faithfully got up. Not wanting to rouse anyone too early, I awakened Mark and Michelle at about 4:15. We were off and on our way a little late, at about 4:30. We arrived at Office Max at exactly 5:08. Mark asked me to "rush in" and see if any of the laptops were left.

There was NO *rushing* this day! As I entered the store, I was alarmed to see people with hair in place, neatly dressed, casually shopping as though it was midday! I looked for the laptop, but couldn't find it. I asked a nice associate, and he directed me to the customer service desk. I waited for three people in front of me. While waiting, I spotted one box with the laptop, sitting on a pile. When the associate came forward, I asked, and he handed me the *last* one!

I hurried (hahaha) to the checkout, firmly grasping the box in my hand, braced to punch anyone who might try to grab this baby! I waited in line for what seemed like an eternity! Finally, the woman in front of me checked out, paying about $285 for three Kodak C433 cameras, three starter kits, and three 1 G cards for the cameras. I was impressed! As soon as I checked out (I must have been in there for 45 minutes!) I raced to the truck where Mark praised me and my successful trip!

We headed to the mall across the street, but somehow, I was just not in the mood to shop. I noticed that others had sales fliers in hand, diligently searching out specific items. I admire folks like that....I am so impulsive...I feel like a buckin' bronco when cornered with such meanial things like shopping lists! I like to kind of linger about, looking at everything. Of course, shopping trips where I can *graze* are getting fewer and fewer...seems I am always hurrying about anymore!

By the time we were finishing up, Carly called on the cell phone. It was her birthday, and I wanted to see her, but figured she was busy. As it was, her kids were at her hubby's parents' house....ahe had gotten up early as well, to buy a microwave at Lowe's. Her local store told her the black units were special order, although the ad clearly listed them as available. Mark told Carly if she wanted to meet at *our* Lowe's, he would talk with the manager to check out the situation.

We met, and Carly and Michelle ran into the store before Mark and me. By the time we were getting out of the truck, Michelle came out to tell us Carly was buying the model she wanted!
We looked around a bit, then headed to a local hamburger joint to grab some lunch.

By the time we arrived home, it was nearly time for the Buffalo Sabres game! I managed to stay somewhat coherant during the game, only *passing out* a couple of times. The game was a bit of a disappointment as Buffalo lost. The good news is that they are STILL number one! Yay!

After arising at 4 am two days in a row, I have decided that I would rather sleep in until a bit more of a respectable hour. After all 5 am *is* one hour later!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I haven't been able to post recently, as life seems to be moving so rapidly! Yikes!

Today was a great Thanksgiving...we celebrated here at home with my parents and brother traveling to our house. This made things easier for us, as we have been running so much lately. It was nice to kind of catch our breath and relax for a day!

Mark's mom had given us a certificate from a local market for a free turkey. (up to 20#!) We went to the store...I was really hoping to get an Empire turkey. These are kosher turkeys, and they are quite tasty. However, when I got to the store, they were sold out. The man at the meat counter said he bought a Marvel turkey last year and it was great. So, I left the store with a BIG almost 21# turkey.

After not being able to clean as I had wanted yesterday, I decided to just go to bed and get up early this morning to do the cooking. This proved to be a great idea! I got up at 4 am and took the dogs out. As soon as I was back inside, I began cooking. I made stuffing, sweet potatoes gratin, garlic mashed potatoes, acorn squash with butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon, and cranberry sauce. I did the stuffing first, then stuffed the turkey and got it ready to go into the oven. I put all of the other sides into the refrigerator while the turkey baked. As soon as the turkey was finished, all the sides went into the oven. While they baked, I kept the turkey covered in foil. I washed all the pots and pans as I worked, and the kitchen was looking pretty good!

When my family arrived, everything was pretty easy, and I actually got to sit down and visit with everyone. No frantic running around, or anything! I decided to eat early as opposed to waiting until late in the day. We sat down to eat at about 12:30, and this proved to work quite well. I washed most of the dishes afterward, then we watched the movie RV with Robin Williams. It is funny...I don't really enjoy sitting and watching TV, but this movie is so funny, I nearly laugh myself onto the floor! Each time I see it, I see or hear something I missed before.

My family left shortly after 5, and Ben went with them to visit for a bit.

This was one of the easiest, most relaxing Thanksgivings I have experienced in a long time. I guess one thing is that the older I get, the more I realize that the world isn't going to stop if I forget something! I DID forget two things....I forgot to make a salad, and I also forgot to get the acorn squash out of the oven! Ah well, everything was good, it went smoothly (even though I didn't have a roaster that was really big enough for that big turkey) and I actually enjoyed relaxing and there was more than enough food on the table...no one left missing anything, nor were they hungry!

As I think about this holiday, I cannot help but be thankful for the rich blessings that have been so lavishly poured out on us. Sometimes life gets us to the point that we feel beaten up, and even spent, but on a day of reflection and giving thanks, we come to the stark conclusion that we have so much more than we can even use....we are so very, very blessed!

And, may you be blessed with love, health, and happiness this day and many, many more to come!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a Dog's Life.....

Poor Angus. Poor Murphy. Why do they feel so sad? Well, let me give you a hint.....
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............................Nope, not a bee. But, clippers!!!

Unfortunately, one of the "downsides" of owning Scotties is that they need frequent maintenance in the *coat* department. Scotties have two coats. The outer layer is less thick than the inner layer. If left on its own, this coat is very coarse. The inner coat is more like goose down...kind of insulating and very thick.

I generally groom the boys every month. This is to help them not to freak every time they hear the clippers. Angus doesn't like the clippers at ALL, and Murphy is more or less "tolerant". If you merely make a "bzzz" noise, Angus hightails it away. He refuses to be consoled, and clipping him is similar to a "greased pig" contest!

Last night, I began grooming Murphy. I was a little tired and Michelle came into the room and asked if she could finish. I REALLY need a grooming table. I get down on the hardwood floor and clip away. This was fine when I was more flexible and could SEE better! Now, I feel like I am being punished sitting there! When I get up, I feel like the tin man!!!! So, I gladly turned the clippers over to Michelle, and I helped her along.

Tonight, Michelle decided she would go after Angus. Oh BOY, did she NOT know what she was going for!!! Angus was relatively good for her, but he decided when he had enough!

Angus will allow the clippers on his body, shoulders, chest...but do NOT touch his HEAD with them. Do you have any idea how LONG it takes to get that "scottie look"using a pair of scissors? Ugh....

Now, just because Murphy is younger does NOT mean he is a fool!!! Look, he retreated to a safe place where no one could find him.....

Ha, ha! Little Murphy....I got down on all fours and peeked inside the tent with my camera! (I love the way that camera can shoot in what is the lowest of light!) Oh, and the reason I was taking pictures of Murphy instead of Angus was because Michelle (very kindly) asked me to l-e-a-v-e with my camera.....poor sport, eh?

Well, Angus had his dose of "primping", so I told Michelle to just let him go. We will finish tomorrow. In the meantime, she took Angus down the hall and put him into the bathroom. She was going to bathe him, but decided not to, as he is "unfinished". Instead, she vaccumed him!

So, as Angus headed into the bathroom, what did Murphy do?

Yup, he came out of the "pup tent" and decided to stretch out on the big plump doggie bed! In this picture, you can see how nicely Murphy turned out after Michelle's grooming!

Now, for those of you with dogs, you cannot IMAGINE the fun of trimming toenails! Murphy HATES, hates, hates getting nails trimmed. When he was still a very small youngster, he would snarl and nip at me...actually, I think he was going for the clippers...not me. Anyway, I got out a muzzle and told him we were going to put on a little "mask." Now, when we clip, I always get out the "mask" and he gets excited. Kind of funny. Angus used to give me such a HARD time. By the time we were done, we were both so tired, we SLEPT! Since getting Murphy, Angus now allows me to trim his nails without trouble.

Bottom line, these Scotties are sure a lot of work, but I cannot imagine life without them. They give far far more than they take!

What a Long Day...or, Was it Night?

Yesterday, we covered a lot of ground. We had basically winterized our camper, except we needed to empty our greywater and blackwater tanks. We discovered that a nearby (yeah, right....about 30 miles away!) town has an RV dump station located at their wastewater treatment plant. We decided to hitch up with the new truck and take the camper out to dump the tanks. We fiddled around a little...we needed to adjust the hitch a bit. Of course, the weather decided to really get rotten as we worked, with raindrops falling on more than our heads!

We finally were on our way! We drove to the town, and looked where we thought we were supposed to "dump". Hmmmm.....all we could find was a manhole cover located in the center of a small road. Was this the "dump station"? I thought about what I had read on the internet, and told Mark I thought it was correct. We needed to lift a manhole cover!

In the midst of this, just imagine a new factory being built, with cement trucks and dump trucks traversing this narrow little road! There was a mailbox located on the side of the road directly across from the manhole cover, so we looked inside, thinking *perhaps* we might discover a clue? And, yes, we did! We found a little metal rod to use to pull the manhole cover aside.

Ben was my faithful assistant. YIKES! We managed to pull the cover sideways, so as to "crack" the cover just a bit. What we saw below our feet was not for the faint of heart! Roaring under us was a vast river of waste....yes, SEWAGE! BLECH!!!! I quickly drained the tanks and we headed towards home again.

When Mark began to back the camper up into its little niche, he realized that doing it with the new truck was totally different. It took nearly 45 minutes to get the little camper placed in its winter home.

As soon as this was finally accomplished, we were off on a long journey to Erie, Pennsylvania. The kids had signed up to attend a night of fun at an indoor water park called Splash Lagoon!
The fun was set to begin at 11 pm. Yup, that is 11 at NIGHT! And, the activities eneded at 3 am.

We stopped and visited with my parents before going off to Erie. We visited with them until nearly 10, then left for Splash Lagoon. We arrived in Erie in good time, and the kids were so excited....especially Ben.

After making sure they were safely inside, Mark and I went inside and watched for a bit...WOW! It felt like it was about a zillion degrees in there! We watched for quite a while, then after seeing the kids (and they TOTALLY ignored us!!!) we went to the gift shop to buy some little souvenirs, and then we went to the truck. I was tired and slept from about 1-3. When the kids came out, we drove down the road a bit, and finding a safe place, we "camped out", sleeping in the truck until the daylight broke. Michelle and I slept in the back of the truck on the new Bedrug, with a sleeping bag over it, and covered with a king size down comforter. Amazing how warm and toasty we were, considering the temps were about 40 during the night! Murphy slept with us, and I awakened to a little Scottie sleeping on my back!

The kids slept a bit more as we fiddled around. Then we headed out, going back to visit my parents again. We visited, then headed home. We got home just before sunset, and it was great to be home, but the house was only about 58 inside! I made a fire in the stove, and ah, life is feeling so good about now! The bed hasn't looked so enticing in a long time, and oh my...I forgot what it is like to nearly miss an entire night of sleep!

The good news is that the kids had a ball, and it really wasn't that bad. They are beside themselves....Family Life Ministries is planning a REPEAT of this in March!

In Loving Memory.....

Of my father-in-law, Albert Catalano. No, it isn't his birthday, or anything like that, but as I sat in the living room surrounded by the early morning darkness, I thought about him....

With the holidays coming up, I guess it is natural to think about my father-in-law, because his family was so very important to him. Mark said as he was growing up, his dad always attended his hockey games. Al was always there...for support, advice, you name it! Even when Mark was all grown up, he spoke with his dad by telephone nearly every day, seeking advice and just enjoying his company.

When we got little Angus, my father-in-law fell in love with him right away! In 2003, Al spent time in a nursing home recovering from a surgery. The home had a special picnic in early summer, and he invited the family to attend! Mark and the kids took Angus and BOY was that Scottie dog a HIT! My father-in-law placed Angus on his scooter and proudly took him around to show the residents!

That same year, Al was home again in time for Thanksgiving. So, we had Thanksgiving at his beautiful apartment. I was a little concerned, as we were watching Angus' mother while her family went to visit relatives for the holiday. Al wasn't the least bit concerned about having two dogs.....bring them both, he said!

And, we did! Michelle crafted a little headpiece for Sadie to wear, and we giggled and laughed as my father-in-law invited "Pochahontus" and Angus to the dinner table.

As we gather around the Thanksgiving table this year, may we hold those who surround us close to our hearts and lives. We have all been admonished to do this, but on that Thanksgiving in 2003, we never would have believed that in January 2005, Al would leave this world behind. We sure do miss him....

Eeeewwww! What an UGLY Day!

No kidding! This picture was taken from our front porch at noon today! The fog did eventually roll away for a couple of hours later in the day, but it is back again....along with drizzly, damp weather!

For being a Monday, this day was somewhat quiet. I remember seeing a tee shirt a few years ago that teased about "cancelling Mondays". After last week, I did NOT want to crawl our of bed this morning, but it did turn out to be a decent day! The weather made it kind of "cozy" to just hang out inside the house without that feeling of "missing something"!

This morning, I dragged all of the little candle type lights out of the storage area, and put them up in the living room and dining area. I couldn't wait for the darkness to set in tonight, as I love the glow of those little lamps! We have six windows, so it gets pretty "bright".

Well, this was one of those mundane, rather ho-hum kind of days. It would have been a great day to curl up and read, but alas, other tasks called.

A Grand Way to Spend a Gloomy Day!

We adults often charge ourselves with being too "set in our ways". You know the feeling....you sit and watch the same TV show, or perhaps sneak off after dinner to enjoy the ice cream that you have been nibbling at for a week....Somehow, this strange feeling of guilt creeps in, making you feel so awful. Then, you realize that you are deriving a sense of pleasure and you suddenly become aware that the behavior has become a *habit*. And, now that the behavior has been properly named, you realize that you are officially "set in your ways".

Ah, not to feel alone!

Michelle had her friend Katie for a sleepover. Katie has been here before. Several times! However, for some reason, the kids remembered back to one time when Katie came, and they had a grand waffle party, complete with Angus, the Scottie, sitting in a youth chair, thoroughly enjoying the whole scene! (and some food!)

So.....when the kids got up, they were persistantly insistent that I make waffles so they could have a waffle party with TWO Scotties! Now, I really need to check the date on the FIRST party, as I think it was probably three years ago, when Angus was about a year old.

One of the most noticable differences between the first party and this one is that the kids are so much older now! And, it seemed like having the pup at the table was enough to make them happy the first time around....note the MP3 player atop the table this time......AND, see how the poor abused pups were invited to a BARE (for them, anyway) table!!!

Angus is on the left, and Murphy is in the youth chair. Look at Angus....head propped up on the table as though he is thinking the CUTER he is, the better his chance of getting SOMETHING!!!

Murphy just keeps looking at the table, as though *perhaps* food will appear........

And Angus (very clever boy that he is) decides to "sit pretty" on the CHAIR!

Well, Angus's ploy worked, because the Scottie Charm eventually overuled the three hungry tummies sitting at the table! The kids got up and prepped two small plates....one each, with a tiny waffle topped with real maple syrup and fresh whipped cream!

Murphy thought he was in waffle heaven! He wolfed his serving down.......

whereas Angus was a bit more dainty, taking some time to savor the flavor! (notice Murphy)
Finally, Murphy could take it no longer and volunteered to HELP down the waffle!


It really was a gloomy day here in the Bristolwood, complete with a quite dense fog outside. We were toasty and warm, heated not only by the woodsotve, but also the love that comes from being the owner of two adorable little Scottie boys who add so much to our lives!!!

When Things Get Turned Around

Ah, life is much better, now!

The little doggie boys are doing fine. I have no idea what upset both of their stomachs so, but they are both just as fine as can be.

We located the missing oils! AND, we now have them in our possession! Hurrah!!! We discovered that they went to Buffalo. They were just hanging out there, and the company decided to just send them back to the Bronx from whence they came. This is where we entered the picture.

Apparently, our company sent out another trucking company to acquire the oils from "da Bronx". (hmmmm....wonder if our company is *chicken* to drive in the city?) So, the driver from the "sent" company must have been confused, as he then sent my order off with a DIFFERENT company than MINE! The oils made it all the way to Buffalo, when we called to find out. They were about to send them back.....We asked them if they would deliver them instead. Well, they wanted to charge us three TIMES the amount! Youzers! We called a gadzillion times.....finally, between OUR company, THEIR Buffalo and Bronx terminals, we were able to settle for the proper amount, and we received the oils yesterday, early afternoon! Fortunately, this is NOT typical.

After getting the oils, we were off to Rochester. We had to visit my mother in law. She had a problem with the TV in her bedroom. So, we grabbed a new one for her and delivered it to her.
We also needed to redo the vent we installed on her roof. The brackets needed to be replaced, so Ben and I got up on the roof to fix it. We got there late in the afternoon, and BOY, was it CHILLY up there. To add a bit of insult to injury, Ben was up there making a MOVIE with his little MP3 player.....what a corker! BTW, the little Archos MP3 player we got from Sam's Club is phenomenal! It cost only $167 and it is amazing. It plays music, can be used as a camera or camcorder, (although only 1.6 pixels?) stores pictures, AND plays movies! It is 20 gig. Ben has been having the time of his life with that little player! It sure is cute and FUN!

Yesterday was Mark's birthday, so we are two down, two more to go! I made him his favorite food for lunch....grilled Buffalo style chicken breasts (with hot sauce and bleu cheese dressing on the side), coleslaw, and brussel sprouts. (Michelle BEGGED me for those...isn't that funny?)

After sitting on the roof at my mother in law's house late yesterday afternoon for probably about an hour, I was ZAPPED when we got home. (all that fresh air, I guess!) I was too tired to even write!

Today's agenda is to secure the camper for the winter. I hate doing that, as I often have these funny ideas about going camping in the winter. Ah well....I am not real fond of camping in the summer at campgrounds, as the (VERY often overwhelming) campfires kind of get to me. I love a LITTLE whiff of oak or hickory smoke now and then, but when you drive through great clouds of smoke, looking for your site, it is a wee bit too much! hehehe The camping "culture" can often be kind of humorous......

We All Needed a Break!

Yes, indeed, we did, so we DID! Take a break, that is!

We spent today just taking it easy, as I think we were all running on reserve! The kids did some schoolwork, but we decided not to run around or even do anything that took any effort. It was just an easy day all the way around..... Michelle disappeared for awhile...I had heard the front door close, so I peaked out to see what she was up to. She is so funny. She had taken both dogs outside, along with a box and packing supplies...WHAT was she up to?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this one should explain itself well! Michelle proclaimed that Angus was tired of his wee small brother

So, Where Have I Been?

Well, too busy!

This past weekend, we were busy, as we celebrated Michelle's birthday. Saturday night, we were off to take the kids skating. We are fortunate to live not too awfully far from a Christian center that has teen skates the first Saturday of every month. We stopped at Ponderosa for dinner.....ewwww.....we won't do that again!

Oh, and one smallish problem...BEFORE the kids could go, they both needed new roller blades. So we popped over to a WalMart that was a good distance out of the way. The guy in sporting goods said they do not carry roller blades. HEY! HOW could a WalMart Superstore NOT carry roller blades? Ugh...he told us to check Dick's Sporting Goods....only another 20 miles or so away...NO way. So, we went to a K Mart and they had them. Phew.

We got back late Saturday night. Sunday, we went out for Michelle's birthday, and that was a bust. But, we had an ice cream cake at home and everything was fine!

Monday is a blur. I was SO incredibly busy with my business, I thought I was going to sit down and BAWL like a baby. You cannot believe how happy I was that we had to run out late in the afternoon! However....Mark had made an appointment to have the new cap for the new truck installed at 11 am on Tuesday morning. One more slight issue.

We needed to install the Bedrug! If you have a truck and have never seen one of these, you really must take a look. When we bought our first Chevy truck five years ago, Mark did a ton of research to find the perfect liner for the back. He finally settled on the Bedrug. So, we had our new one sitting in its box in the garage, It takes about 2 hours to install. So.....

I began the install at about 6 pm. Thankfully, I had washed the parts that needed to be washed on Sunday afternoon, when I backed the truck into the garage to prepare it. The temps have to be about 68 for the heavy duty velcro to "take" so you cannot imagine how HAPPY I was to build a nice warm fire in that fully insulated garage! The warm temps outside were also a bonus. We had to do a few other little tasks, but I was back in the house for the night by 9:30.

Oh, before I forget....here are some pics of the Bedrug...

This is the finished project.

Here is a picture of the driver side panel. You can see that Bedrug makes the install a breeze, as every little recess and obtrusion made in the pickup bed is accounted for by this product. When you receive the Bedrug, you get two pieces; the floor, and the sides. There is a giant zipper that you put together and it forms the entire back! The rest is so easy, as you place velcro onto designated points of the truck and the liner. It is so quick and easy, and within a couple of hours, you have a beautiful rug that can be washed when dirty. It fills in all of the "valleys" in the back, making the truck bed totally flat and COMFORTABLE! The kids and I actually slept on the old one one night!

So, after all of the stress from the business, I crawled into the back of the pickup and worked on installing the Bedrug. By the time I was finished, I was so exhausted, I felt like rolling over in the truck bed and just passing out. However, I found the energy to head into the house and crawl into bed.....

At about 10pm, Michelle SQUAWKED that one of the dogs had diarrhea on her rug in her room. I remember vaguely calling out to her, "Just clean it up!". Little did I know......I was awakened at 2 am by my cell phone ringing. I made my way to my purse on the floor and snatched the phone out, toying with the idea of opening the window and lobbing the blasphemous contraption far into the blackness of the night. Being a rather responsible adult, however, I answered it only to find that Mark had fallen asleep in his chair and was calling to tell me that Angus messed on the floor in the office.

So, I trudged down the stairs, wondering why I was being punished for only wanting to SLEEP! I cleaned up the mess and sprayed on the Nature's Miracle. I headed back to bed, when Mark advised perhaps Angus should be kept with me. OK....I carried him upstairs and made up a little bed for him on the couch in the bedroom. I was beginning to drift off once again, when I suddenly heard this "cccggghhhhfff" noise....and Angus jumped off the couch. I turned on the light, and Angus had vomited on the couch. Once again, I ventured down the stairs, grabbing the paper towels and Nature's Miracle. I cleaned the couch, and literally fell back into the bed.

Suddenly, I became aware of a "wetness" on my nightgown....again, I turned the light on, only to find that apparently BOTH Scotties were sick. Murphy had apparently "oozed" little dots of diarrhea on the sheets. I grabbed all of the bedding off the bed and raced down to the basement to begin laundry detail.

By 3:30, I had resigned myself to the fact that I was not going to be able to get any further sleep. By 6 am, all of my laundry, (not just the bedding) was washed, dried, folded and put away. I had to get everyone up by 8 so we could leave for the new truck cap at 9. Oh, and since we were heading halfway to Buffalo, we called my parents and made plans to meet for Michelle's birthday since we were unable to connect on her birthday. We were to meet at 2. Oh, AND, while we were at it, I needed some chemicals which I could pick up not too far away.

I got everyone up and dragged my sorrowful body out to the truck several times....loading items into the new bed liner. I decided that since the dogs had been ill during the night, I would bring along their crates and put them inside while we were away. That way, were they to be sick again, it would be "contained". With everything secured, we were finally ready to shove off at about 9:15.

Ah yes....as fate would have it, Angus hung his little head over the cup holder, and vomited again. By this point, lack of sleep had turned me from my cheerful self to a downright logical thinking person. I grabbed Angus and his little padding, instructed Michelle to bring Murphy along, too and grabbed both crates from the back of the truck. Mark was thinking he was hallucinating as I took the dogs into the house with crates in tow. I placed the crates near one another on the kitchen floor, secured the dogs, and gave each one a cookie and a little drink of water. I turned on a nightlight and told them we would be home in "several hours".

After cleaning the yellow vomit off my seat....yes, Angus let loose again as I removed him from the truck....we were finally on our way at 9:30. The ride there was totally uneventful. That is, until Mark backed the truck into place for the new cap to be hoisted on. A guy who was there to help asked if we "knew" our right brake light was hanging by a wire? I jumped out and looked...what a bummer....a BRAND NEW truck with a light falling OFF? The guy who owned the business looked at it, and said apparently, someone tightened the (PLASTIC) holder so tightly, it cracked the holder, making the light loose until it fell out of place!

The cap was put on, and the guy who sold it was incredible. He is only 24 and owns his business with a really cute house next door and was just married. He wired the light in the new cap effortlessly, then used body tape to patch our brake lamp into place. We were on our way again by about 12:30. Mark had found a Chevy garage that could replace the light, but we would be too late if we went there. So, we picked up my chemicals and began making our way to meet my parents. It looked like we were going to be nearly 1/2 hour late. My mom called to tell me that the restaurant we had planned to meet at was GONE! Good GRIEF!!! My parents said not to hurry....they would look around for another restaurant.

We made it to the mall where we were to meet about 25 minutes late. As we passed down the road, we saw many different restaurants, so I asked if we should go to the Olive Garden, since it was a stone's throw away. My parents agreed it would be good, so we ate there. It was so good to get their great salad, and it just kept coming. Since I had not eaten all day, (remember, I had gotten up at 2 am, and it was now 3 pm.) I was hungry enough to eat my fist. After we were done, my dad brought in TWO birthday cakes. A yellow one. And, a chocolate one!

As it always happens, we giggled and laughed and had a good time with my parents. We left the restaurant and headed home.

At one point along the way, Mark became very upset. I had been leaning back with my eyes closed, so was unaware of what had happened. He had seen a car on the side of the road. It looked like the car had collided with a deer, and the deer was not dead...it was bloodied and flailing about on the side of the road. The car was just sitting there with its headlights on the deer, probably hoping that it was injured enough to not try hopping up. Poor Mark. Things like that upset him tremendously, but he had further troubles ahead!

As we drove on, the rain began to pour down, making the unfamiliar roads (secondary, as opposed to traveling the thruway) even more trying. We did arrive safely home at about 8:45.

Now, I raced towards the house, filled with anxious anticipation as to what I would find...Murphy was in his little crate with no problems whatsoever. He was in fine shape, but his little crate moved along the tile floor as I edged near to it! Angus had only a small little mess way over on one side of his cage. He had pushed his blanket far from the scene! How funny! Both dogs looked so happy as they danced about after being released from their crates! I decided not to feed them until this morning, just to make sure their tummies were settled. I did, however, give each of them one cookie before they went to bed.

Murphy slept in until 6:30. Unheard of for him! I wondered if he had been stressed yesterday, to the point that he slept like a log last night! Who knows?

Oh, here is a picture of the new cap!

And, the broken lamp!

Today there were two *major* items on the table. One was to get a new brake light installed under warranty. Secondly, I was excited because our new WalMart Superstore was opening this morning! I know....HOW could that be exciting? Well, I just like buying groceries there, and they often have some cute things for the kids.

After packing orders today, I went up to take a bath and get ready to leave. Michelle came upstairs and told me "Daddy said we have a problem." I went downstairs to find that the trucking company I contract sent a second party trucking firm to acquire some oils from a company I buy from. Well, the secondary truck driver REALLY botched up the order, and my oils are now floating about somewhere in the state of confusion! My order that was to arrive tomorrow will now be rerouted once it is established exactly WHERE it is!

After a slight case of heartburn from the aforementioned situation. we were off. I had to get the service manager of the "local" (16 miles away) Chevy garage to approve the replacement of the broken light on the truck. He told me it was VERY unusual for such a thing to happen. Thinking on my feet (which I rarely do), I retorted it was VERY unusual to be driving a BRAND new truck and have the light fall out, dancing about on the bumper for who KNOWS how many miles. He was quiet for a time....then, commented that we had the new cap installed? I was ready to SCREAM as I told him the light was broken BEFORE the cap was even put on. He told me he guessed there was no reason not to replace the light as there was no obvious damage. Gosh, I felt like a PIRATE! Does EVERYONE on earth lie???

We headed to the new WalMart and enjoyed looking around. We bought some honey turkey which I love from the deli, as well as all the furnishings to make some subs for supper. Upon completion of casing out the new store, I checked out. My total of $249 seemed awfully high, but I did buy a number of some higher priced items.

As I was making the subs for supper, I glanced down at the deli bag the turkey came in. I didn't have my glasses on, but it sure looked like that turkey was AWFULLY expensive! I grabbed my glasses and nearly fell to the floor upon realizing I had been charged (a mere) $93.46 for my 1.12 pounds of turkey!!!! I promptly called the sore and alerted them. The manager apologized quite profusely, noting someone must have entered a faulty PLU. I cannot imagine anything in the deli selling for $85 a pound, but who knows? So, another trip to WalMart is in order to straighten out the deal.

I am off to bed now. I pray that life will settle down into a more "ho hum" pattern, but I don't know. There is still my oil wandering about. And my credit that needs to be given. And, can you imagine what tomorrow might bring?

I am counting blessings tonight. For health. For healthy children. For healthy dogs. And, for a much better tomorrow!

Lubs Dem Apples!

The other night I posted about my baked apple recipe....and went to bed feeling very hungry and deprived! So, I decided that since these apples ARE apples, and they have goodies that are mostly *breakfast* food, they should be eaten for breakfast!

My kids LOVE these things! What fun to wake up to the scent of apples and goodies baking in the oven! My daughter, Carly, called this morning to ask for the recipe since she was already downstairs, and didn't have access to her computer. She began thinking of new additions to the recipe while we spoke....she added some vanilla syrup and apple pie spice! She was doing some work on her house today, and as she told me about that when she called late this afternoon, I forgot to ask about the apples.....bet they were good, though!

My Scottie soaps are on their way and I will wrap and send out 200 bars of Cinnamon and Clove bars this coming week. Then, my soap making self can slow down just a bit, making a small batch of the 10 different Scottie varieties......I will probably just make a small batch of 24 soaps each day. That way, I will be able to have some control over my swirlies, and I always feel a bit more confident with smaller batches.

We need to winterize the camper....quickly! We had such a surprise when the temps turned from fairly comfortable to really frosty! We had not had a good hard frost, then yesterday, late in the day, we had a snowstorm! The temperatures plummeted downward and we were shocked that the snow, albeit a rather skimpy amount, stuck! Now, I heard the weatherman announce that the temperatures this time next week will be pushing towards the 70 degree mark. Such wild swings......

So.....

What does one do when one gets bored? Well, around here, we play with the dogs and get crazy!

Now, in looking at these pictures that we took a couple of days ago, can you IMAGINE where Charles Schultz ever came up with the idea of Snoopy dancing gleefully with his nose raised high in the air?

I Can't Believe it is November!

Does anyone know where this year has gone? I think I somehow misplaced it! Every year, I think I am going to enjoy the months of September and October more than ever before. And, every year, those months slip by so quickly!


November is a busy month for us. Not only the wonderful anticipation of Thanksgiving, but several birthdays....Michelle's, then Mark's, then Carly's, then my mom's! How is that for busy?

It seems that with the advent of November, the cresendo building up to the Christmas holidays is so exciting!

I know that for many people, this time of the year is lonely, and even unbearable. For those who suffer pain at this time, I pray that God will grant peace and love like they have never known before. I pray for a great outpouring of love and compassion for those who surround these folks, and that they would be inclined to share the love and joy of the season.

I enjoy the short days...I sometimes feel like I am the only person on planet earth to say that, as so many people tell me they get depressed by the longer periods of darkness. This is the time of year that I pull out the old Christmas classic movies and enjoy them all over again! I love White Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life and all the others from long ago. Last year, I bought Little Women, and although it isn't technically a Christmas story, I watch that as well! I light candles and just enjoy the warm and calming feeling that surrounds their glow....

I enjoy going to the stores and seeing them getting geared up for the holiday season. The shelves appear to be swollen as though pregnant, and about to burst! And, all the displays! Oh, I could never grow weary of looking at all the trees....even the artificial ones seem to glow so happily.

OK, I will stop for now, and get back to the business of the day!

Every good breeder of animals knows that although they give their litters the greatest care and love, eventually, the little ones must leave and go off into the world...into the hands of those who would choose them! And, even though I have never been so fortunate to have helped whelp a litter, I DID make many, many bars of Scottie Dog soaps!

Today was spent getting their "paperwork" in order! We used the new laser printer to print dozens and dozens of labels, giving pertinent information for the soaps! I sat on the floor, working to make sure each little Scottie bar was tucked safely inside its box, ready to make its journey to places unknown!

As I surveyed all the boxes, I couldn't help but find my mind wandering off.....wondering where each box with a Scottie soap would wind up!

Each bar of soap is tucked into a little kraft box, nestled in a bed of french vanilla paper shreds. After confirming each little Scottie was snugly packed inside, I pulled some of the shreds up over the top of the soap protecting the top of the bar in the event that they get jostled about in shipment!

Finally, the labels were mounted, and a little golden seal was applied to insure the box would remain closed.

My little soaps are all wrapped up and ready to leave....I just need to get them into their shipping boxes and send them off!

These soaps were so much fun to make, and the wrapping was a lot of fun! It was a lot more interesting than cutting and applying cigar bands! (which is what I always do for my regular soap bars)

Ah, there is one more thing I wanted to add here....The other day, I found some very sad-looking Empire Apples that had been left in a bowl on the table. I suddenly (uhoh!) got this brainstorm.....I mixed about 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup of oatmeal together. I then took a sharp knife and bored a hole into the middle of each apple, cutting out all the seeds. I also cut a little off the top of each apple to make a nice little "cup" to put the dry mixture in. I "stuffed" each apple with the mix, pushing it all the way down to the bottom of the apple. I placed these on a sheet of foil on a baking sheet. Then, I poured a nice helping of real maple syrup over the top of each apple, allowing it to go down through the dry mix. Finally, I grabbed the foil up and made a big "pocket", so the apples wouldn't dry out. I baked them at 350 for about 45 minutes. At that point, I pulled the foil back so the "stuffing" could get browned a bit. After removing from the oven, allow to cool, then top with fresh whipped heavy cream. This was terrific and it gave the apples such a good flavor, as opposed to just "plain" baked apples! Oh, and one more way to add even more flavor? Next time, I am adding some chopped pecans!