Gotta love John Wayne

I saw this in a store window in the Stockyards (Fort Worth) - LOVE IT!!! I've saddled up amidst being scared to death many times!

Comfort Blankie

Have I really been to Home Depot and Lowe's THAT much that Maggie uses the Home Depot bag as her comfort blankie when she takes a nap on my bed?! Oh no!

Slacker

OK, I admit it - I've been a blogging loser this week. It's just been kind of crazy this week and I plan to blog a bunch over the weekend about fun new things.

I'm pretty excited right now because it's finally in the 40's at night and I think it might be safe to get a pumpkin and carve it - I hope it won't rot completely by Halloween next Friday!

Santa's Comin' Early This Year!

My Mom has been cleaning out closets in her spare bedrooms and came across a whole bunch of our childhood toys that she saved. She sent us an email of what she found and asked if want them since she'll be driving down to Texas for the winter (and stopping in Dallas for a couple days to stay with me) and can bring some down with her.

It was SOOO much fun to have her list off the toys she found - Legos, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pound Puppies, Wrinkles dogs, Barbies, canisters of red bricks, Strawberry Shortcake dolls (in the big plastic strawberry!), a Fisher-Price cash register with those big fat coins that you put in the slots, etc. Ahhhhh, the memories!

Is anyone else (besides just me) more obsessed with the toys of my childhood than anything cool and more advanced that's out now?! Who's with me?! I LOVE THE ORIGINAL NINTENDO!!

Reason Number 496 I Like Dogs More Than People

This article saddens, horrifies and angers me - makes me ashamed to share the title of 'human being' with this person........

Fort Worth police search for woman who slapped, robbed 90-year-old

By DAN X. McGRAW / The Dallas Morning Newsdmcgraw@dallasnews.com
FORT WORTH — Police today are searching for a woman who authorities say slapped, threatened and robbed a 90-year-old woman after she returned home from a grocery store.

Mary Ware Dorman was approached by a woman in her driveway in the 1500 block of Azteca Drive about 4 p.m. Sunday after she returned home from a store, according to a Fort Worth police report. The woman demanded money from Ms. Dorman and then pushed her into the living room through the garage.

As Ms. Dorman tried to get up from a chair, the woman slapped her across the face, causing Ms. Dorman to fall, according to the report. The suspect then threw Ms. Dorman on a bed in a back bedroom and told her not to get up or call police.

She rummaged through Ms. Dorman’s house, taking a wedding ring, car keys, gas card and her driver’s license before leaving. Ms. Dorman was not seriously hurt, according to the report.
Police believe the woman may have followed Ms. Dorman from a nearby Albertsons store. Video surveillance showed a white four-door sedan leaving the parking lot shortly after Ms. Dorman. The woman was wearing white socks on her hands.

Forward progress in the quest for contentment

In the last few weeks, an amazing feeling has come over me as the economy has fallen into a huge crisis.....a feeling that is not normal for me in a time of crisis....that feeling can only be described as CONTENTMENT.

Normally an economic atmosphere like we're in now would send me into a panic, but strangely, I am calm and without a lot of worry. Now, that's not to say that I'm not livid with greedy banks, fraudulent/predatory lending, and people who didn't do any research and/or knew full well that they were getting in over their heads but didn't care and now want the rest of us to pick up the tab and feel sorry for them (NOT going to happen here!).

I have always believed in living within your means and have done a decent job at practicing what I preach. However, it has been very hard to see people with things that I just cannot afford. I think now I am almost relieved that the economy finally collapsed so that all of those people that were strutting around trying to impress everyone with their fancy cars, purses, vacations, mansions, etc. that they couldn't even almost afford are brought back down to earth and humbled.

A good majority of the people we all envy that have endless supplies of nice things and seemingly the perfect life with everything they want really are living a lie. Some know that they have been living a lie and some are in a SERIOUS state of denial about it. Either way, that bubble burst and now they are being humbled and hopefully are learning that "stuff" doesn't buy REAL friends, it doesn't comfort you after a horrible day at work and it certainly doesn't guarantee that your kids really feel loved by you. At the end of the day, stuff is just stuff.

I was listening to a pastor speak on the radio on my way to work today and what he said really struck me. He compared the process of mining gold ore to humans being 'refined' through trials in our lives. He described how gold is mined, in that it takes a LOT of ore just to create a perfect ounce of gold. In order to get to a perfect specimen of gold, you have to heat up the gold ore and liquify it so that the impurities will separate from the pure gold. Then you are left with pure, beautiful gold. He said that we are the same way - we have to go through a process in which we are 'heated up' and put through trials so that we can be separated from bad things in our lives, humbled and purified.

In this economy/credit crisis, I think a lot of people are realizing that their lives are a big fake lie and they have been obsessed with stuff, their pride and greed. I personally feel that it is absolutely LIBERATING to be honest with yourself about what 'your means' really are and what you can/can't afford. It's OK if you can't afford your dream house right now, it's OK if you can't go on as many vacations as your neighbor, it's OK if you can't afford to eat at fancy restaurants. I sleep much better at night knowing that I'm living an honest life and I'm being a good steward of my money and my soul!

Splish, Splash, I Was Takin' A Bath...

As I was giving Maggie a bath to get her all nice and pretty for Claire's upcoming visit, I realized (again) how much I love having a small dog. It's so easy to bathe her and it only takes about 5 minutes from start to finish! It also helps that she has hardly any fur, but still.

Here is my little peanut getting her bath!

I Miss My KQ Morning Show!

I just heard a Home Depot commercial on the radio and guess who the voice-over guy was??? Tom Barnard from the KQ Morning Show in Minneapolis!! I love me some KQ Morning Show! It's just not the same to listen to it through the internet, but that's what I gotta do to get my fix. It's been 4.5 years since I lived in Minnesota, but I still miss it TONS.

Everyone's a winner!

You know, damn right!

Miracle of Life

My Mom sent me this article recently - how amazing is it?!

Please read before viewing picture - it's worth it!

A picture began circulating in November. It should be 'The Picture of the Year,' or perhaps, 'Picture of the Decade.' It won't be. In fact,unless you obtained a copy of the US paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it. The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner.

The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta . She knew of Dr Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt Univ Med Ctr in Nashville , he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developedhand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity The editors titled the picture, 'Hand of Hope.' The text explaining the picture begins, 'The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life.'

Little Samuel's mother said they 'wept for days' when they saw the picture. She said, 'The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person.'Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful.

Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome....incredible.

Don't tell me our God isn't an awesome God!!

Frankly, My DEER......

OK, one more cute animal story for the day! This one should just make you melt!

Teeny tiny deer

This tiny deer was delivered by Caesarean section at a wildlife hospital after his mother was killed by a car. Little Rupert, who is so small he can fit in an adult's hand, was born after vets failed in their battle to save his mother.

At just six inches tall and weighing just over a pound, he is now in an incubator in the intensive care unit at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire, England. He has only recently opened his eyes. Les Stocker, founder of Tiggywinkles, said: Rupert's mother had very severe injuries.

We brought him out and got him breathing and then he went into an incubator on oxygen. He is now being fed by a tube. Staff are optimistic Rupert, now five days old, will make a full recovery. Deer are very, very tricky but this one has spirit. He's an extremely feisty little guy and quite pushy, Mr Stocker said.

Wiener in Training

On my day at home on Friday, I was trying to work in my office as they cleaned out the furnace. On breaks from the repair action, Maggie switched gears and wanted to learn how to do accounting. She would jump in my lap, and rest her head on my desk and pay attention to whatever I was doing.......that is, until she got bored and ran back to the vacuuming action. She just has a curiosity for learning, I guess (and a little ADD too)!

Warning - Cute animal story ahead!

Yes, Iris, another cute animal story. And I LOVE Boxers, so this one is extra cute in my opinion. It is just amazing to me how animals who theoretically are 'wild beasts' can be so loving and unconditionally accepting. Granted, not all are (the goat's mother rejected her) - but that fabulous dog just adopted her and babied her. And it was even a male dog that did the 'mothering'. AMAZING!

A paternal dog has adopted an abandoned baby goat as his surrogate child. Billy the boxer has become the constant companion of the 12-day old kid called Lilly. He sleeps with the goat, licks her clean, and protects her from any dangers atPennywell Farm wildlife centre at Buckfastleigh, near Totnes, Devon.

Billy and Lilly have formed a close bond. The kid was abandoned by her mother when she was only a few hours old and adopted by paternal Billy when his owner Elizabeth Tozer began hand rearing the goat. The unusual bond has developed over the last month and the pair is now inseparable. Elizabeth said: 'Lilly follows Billy around which is really quite amusing to watch and Billy sleeps with the goat and cleans her mouth after she feeds.'

Billy the boxer protects his little kid. Lilly was the smallest of a litter of three kids and her mother abandoned her because she could only care for the two stronger ones. The pair have attracted quite a crowd at the animal centre and the staff are keen to see how their relationship will develop.

Air Supply

On Friday, I worked from home in order to meet some furnace/air duct cleaner people at my house for some maintenance/cleaning. I thought the final bill would be about $150-$200 to clean out the ducts and make sure the air is flowing correctly. Welllllllllll.......4 hours later I got a bill for $1,427! I guess I had a TON of black mold in my air handler unit (I did see it with my own eyes when they opened everything up, so I know they weren't lying) and it spread quite a bit. My house was built in 1985, so it's about 23 years old and the guys today were pretty confident that the furnace/air handling system had never been cleaned out EVER!! Gross!

He said that it is a very good thing that I called and had this done now before the heat comes on in the winter, because the mold would've grown like wildfire with heat blowing through there every day. It just grosses me out and actually scares me since mold can be very dangerous for your lungs and Maggie's lungs are very tiny also. The cost was so high because they had to detach and take out the motor of my furnace system and clean it, clean/vacuum/brush all of the vents throughout the house, treat the whole system with a chemical to kill the mold, then sanitize the whole system with a different chemical to prevent the mold from returning, etc. However, I did get my whole upstairs carpet chemically cleaned with the RotoVac (he included more than the original deal).

Maggie enjoyed helping the technicians, as usual. I think she should be featured on the DIY channel as a home improvement guru since she basically is every repairman's apprentice when they come to my house to do work! It's really cute - she sits next to them and just wants to watch them do the whole job - she's an attentive learner. :)

Here are some pics of my day:

This is the vent in my bedroom - with the cover removed so they can clean it.

This is the cleaning unit that was on for hours - SOOO loud in my house, but it got rid of all the black mold and icky stuff in the air handling system!

There's a Monkey on My Back........errrrrrr.....or a LION!

What the heck is going on here?!? This is one strange circus!!

Cat Scratch Fever

I'll be the first to admit that I am just not a big fan of cats. I'm allergic to them for one, but also I just don't mesh well with furry creatures that are stand-offish or aloof. Anyway, most people are either cat people or dog people and I'm definitely a dog person.

With that said, though, I do think that this is the cutest cat I've ever seen! Those eyes are absolutely gorgeous - wouldn't you agree????

Karma Chameleon......red, gold & green....red gold & green....

In about a month, I have a new weekend fall folliage trip planned with a Young Travelers Meetup group to Hot Springs, Arkansas (the Ouachita Mountains)! This is a group that is based in DFW, and they go on all sorts of weekend and day trips around the area. This fall folliage trip to Hot Springs is only about 4 hours away and the picture above is one taken from the exact place we're going!! Apparently there isn't a big leaf color change in Dallas, so I'm excited that I will still get to see the beautiful bold colors that the north gets to enjoy. I really miss the cooler fall weather and smells, so this will give me my fix.

The group is renting a 3000 sq. ft. house on a hill that some of the members of the group have stayed at before and the first 10 people to respond and turn in their portion of the house rental (only $50!) get a bed. I hope my money got there before the first 10! So far there are 13 people going. The activities planned so far on this trip are: hiking in the hills, photography of the fall leaf colors at special lookout locations, a bonfire, grilling, etc. I'm super excited!!

Below is a pic of the porch at the rental house where we're staying - I love porch swings......

Yankees and Y'all

This commentary/letter was forwarded to me from my Texas-native friend Erin at work about proper Yankee usage of the contraction "y'all". Enjoy, my fellow Yankees in the north!!

An Open Letter To Yankees Regarding Use of the Word "Y'all"

Dear Northern People (and yes, we really do call you "Yankees" behind your back, but we mean it in the nicest way possible). It would appear that many of you are beginning to desire to add the word "y'all" to your vocabulary. I do not blame you. It is an excellent word, rich in culture, and full of practical application. And we Southerners are gracious (MY STARS, we are gracious). We will share this word with you happily, because we feel should not be discriminated against just because you did not have the good sense to be born in God's Country.

So by all means, take our word "y'all" and use it with pride. You are just as welcome to it as you can be. But please, please, use it properly. An improper "y'all" use is just a slap in the face of all we hold dear, and we cannot bear it. Here is what you need to know:

1. "Y'all" is never, ever, ever, EVER singular. It must refer to a group. If you refer to one person as y'all, then, I'm sorry, but we can hear your Yankee-ness loud and clear.
2. Even if you have a thick New York accent, you must attempt to say "y'all" with a southern accent. "Y'all" spoken with a northern accent just does not work. Go ahead, throw yourself into it: YA-A-A-AWL. Please pronounce every one of those A's.
3. You may hear your Southern friends say "all y'all". This is perfectly acceptable for native Southerners. If you are a transplant, tread carefully. In order to pull off "all y'all", you have to have some heritage behind you.
4. Conversely, do NOT use "y'all guys." It is just wrong. And when you leave the room we will laugh at you, but we will be sure to tack on a "bless his heart" at the end.
5. Let us discuss the spelling. "Y'all" is a contraction of "you" and "all". Therefore, the apostrophe MUST go in the place of the "ou". It is "y'all". Not "ya'll".
6. Be prepared. If you adopt our fine word and go back home to your northern friends and family, they will give you great grief for sounding like a hillbilly. Bear up, my friend--it is a burden we Southerners have borne for years. Be comforted that your new word brings with it the brilliant heritage of Faulkner and O'Connor. And also cheese grits.

Wiener on the Loose!

On Friday, I had a HUGE scare with Maggie. As you all know, Maggie has become the master of her doggy door and when I got home from work on Friday, I went upstairs to check email and open mail. Maggie came up with me like usual, but then headed downstairs and out her doggy door - very normal. But after a while, I realized that she hadn't come back in the house and that was weird....So I went downstairs - no Maggie. I went in the backyard - no Maggie. THEN, I realized that the fence gate was wide open and Maggie was nowhere to be found! I'm not sure how the gate got opened, but all I cared about was finding my wiener!

I kind of panicked and ran around the front yard, calling her name - no Maggie. I started down the street, looking in all the yards - no Maggie. Finally, I start back toward my house to head in the opposite direction down the street and there I see her - in my front yard, waiting for me like she's been standing there all day. Agh!! I scooped her up and she actually clung to me as much as I clung to her. I was so relieved - I've never lost her before and I was petrified that I wouldn't find her or something bad would've happened. Man, that was a HUGE scare, but I'm happy to say that Maggie is safe and sound on the couch next to me, sleeping like a baby (and actually snoring a little bit!). WHEW!

What is happening in Ohio since I left?!?!

I saw this picture on Yahoo this morning - a lady arrested in Ohio in a cow suit (ummm......Halloweeen isn't for another 3 weeks or so!) and doing strange things......Toledo ladies - don't get any ideas or I will have to come up there and straighten things out in the Buckeye state!!

Here's the info that went with the picture....

This undated mug shot released by the Middletown, Ohio, police department shows Michelle Allen, 32. Allen was arrested Sept. 27, 2008 after she allegedly impeded traffic, urinated on a neighbor's porch and chased children while wearing a cow suit, according to a Middletown police report.(AP Photo/Middletown Ohio Police department via Dayton Daily News)

These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

For the past week, I have been on a new kick - parking my car very far away from the entrance to work and stores. I know this exercise idea has been around forever, but I just got motivated to do it and I'm enjoying it! No more fighting for a close parking spot and wedging into tiny spots near the door - I'm happy to park by myself at the back of the parking lot and hoof it in!

I'm even doing it at work in the underground parking garage - parking at the very end and walking to the center to get to the elevator.

Now my next step is deciding to trek up the stairs to the 5th floor instead of taking the elevator!

Cowgirls in Black & White

When I was at the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum last weekend, I saw some FABULOUS photography of these crazy cowgirls. Here are some that I especially liked and I photographed the photographs!



This one is one of the most famous and successful cowgirls - and her 5-month-old daughter in a hat! Although the look on the baby's face is pretty freaky!

I just love this last one - synchronized horse stance!! How cute! Maybe I could teach Maggie to do synchronized interpretive dance.....errr, maybe not.............

Home Improvement Project for $30!

Since I bought my house, I have been making little improvements here and there, with the primary goal of getting rid of anything brass. I have replaced every single door handle in the house (including closets), locks on front/back doors, bathroom faucets, light fixtures, etc. Well, lately I have noticed that the bottoms of all of my bathroom mirrors are ugly and have brass along the bottom edge. Ever since I noticed how much I don't like them, it bothered me every time I looked at them! Sooooo......that prompted a trip to Lowe's and Home Depot to find some sort of solution.

I walked around the stores, but didn't find anything that would work and look good.....until I ran right into the tile area! Eureka - that's the answer! I bought some individual tiles and brought them home to see if they were the right size, color, etc. I found one style of tile that I thought would work perfectly and I bought 60 of them and a bottle of Gorilla Glue and headed home to work my magic in my 3 bathrooms. The tiles are 3.75" square tiles and I measured everything out so they would fit without having to cut any tiles (since I don't have a tile cutter!). I glued the tiles onto the bottom of each mirror as a bottom border and I absolutely love the finished product! The whole project took about 1 hour to do and it only cost me $30!!!

Here are some pics of the finished product in my guest bathroom and my half bath downstairs:

The Boss and Football on the same day - I can't take it!!!

It's official - The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, is going to be performing the halftime show at the SuperBowl this winter!! I think I might pass out - football AND my very favorite artist on stage - woo hoo! Life doesn't get any better than this (unless I'm eating dill pickles and getting a massage during the halftime show too)!!!

Here's the press release:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play the half-time slot at the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida, snagging the spot at the most-watched musical event of the year, according to the organizers.

This year, more than 148 million viewers in the U.S. watched Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play at the championship game of American football, the National Football League said on Sunday.

Other recent acts have included Prince, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and U2. The most infamous performer was Janet Jackson, who bared her breast during the 2004 event, triggering a crackdown on televised smut.

The Super Bowl will be televised by NBC.

Cute!

Growin' Like A Weed

I have been baffled by a mystery of science lately....maybe some of you could enlighten me with a logical answer. How is it that my backyard grass continues to grow even though we haven't gotten a single drop of rain since the remnants of Hurricane Ike rolled through DFW weeks ago? I haven't even watered at all and it just keeps growing! HOW IS THAT??

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy doing yardwork and have fun mowing, trimming, edging, etc. I even love raking and shoveling snow (which won't really be necessary anymore, though), so it's not that I mind the yardwork.....but I'm just not understanding the science/logic of it......