Shelby and Annabelle

We found one more picture I just had to share. This is a picture of two of our three furry kids... Annabelle and Shelby.

Awwwww!

Our black lab Shelby, who happens to weigh a good 200 pounds but thinks that she's a lapdog. The sweetest dog you will ever meet ... and if you're thinking I'm kidding about the lapdog comment just give her half a chance and she'll prove it.
I know the picture is blurred but you have no idea what we went through just to get this one!


Things You Can Learn From Your Dog

- When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
- Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
- Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
- When it's in your best interest -- practice obedience.
- Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
- Take naps and stretch before rising.
- Run, romp, and play daily.
- Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
- Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.
- On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
- On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.
- When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
- No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout... run right back and make friends.
- Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
- Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
- Be loyal.
- Never pretend to be something you're not.
- If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
- When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

New Look

Hey hey hey !!!

Whatcha think about the new layout and colors for my blog?

Pretty sweet, right?

It's all Anne's fault, of course. She went and updated her blog and it looks awesome ... which made me realize that I've never customized my template much. So, I started perusing the choices and came up with this ...

I think I like it !!

Cheers!

Honor Roll

Payton made the "A" Honor Roll !!

We got to go to the school for the awards assembly and I thought I'd post the pictures so everyone could see our smart little man!

The guy in the brown shirt with the stripe across the chest is Payton's friend Andrew ... he and Payt hang out together nearly every day. His mom Anne is my FlyLady buddy.

Ms. Stone is the kids' fantastic teacher. She is awesome - really positive and supportive of the kids.

Congratulations kids !! Whoo-hoo !!

Happy News

Yesterday, my sister-in-law Kelly and her longtime boyfriend Matt got ENGAGED !!

Yipee !!!

He did it in such a sweet, romantic and classy way also - just perfect. He proposed to her exactly 6 years after they met ... almost to the exact minute. Isn't that just too much?

The kids are overjoyed ... they've been calling him Uncle Matt forever anyway. It's nice that it's finally "official."

Kudos and congratulations and hugs and kisses to them both !!

XOXOXOXO

Frustration !!!

O.K. ... deep breath ...

There is nothing like spending the last hour trying to get something as simple as Google AdSense set up with my blog/website and realizing that time after time, screen after screen, I've failed miserably.

What a freakin' waste of time!!!

I've got my Google and Adsense account registered - but do you think I can finish the set up? NOOOOOO !!! This is only about the fourth time in the last six months I've tried. Damn!

I am so pissed off and discouraged I want to chuck the whole computer out the window.

O.K. cool down. Can't use this blog just to rant about every little thing that torques me off - can I?

On a more positive note - the morning started out great. Got the kids off to school and then colored my hair while I watched The DaVinci Code. Sweeeeet!! Washed the color out and patted myself on the back for covering every one of those pesky little grey hairs. The color looks fabulous and my hair is soft as can be.

Then I just had to push my luck and jump on the computer to try my hand at the damn Google stomach-churning, mind-numbing experience. Again.

Double Damn!

I'll post more later because I actually have some good news to share ... but I don't want the whining of this posting to taint it.

See you in a little while ....

... I think I need a cookie ... :)

I admit it.
I am seriously addicted to the gossip websites.

Most mornings, after I send the kids off to school, you would find me parked in front of the computer reading TMZ, X17, Dlisted, SeriouslyOMG and HolyMoly.
I can't explain this attachment I have. Maybe it started with my age-old guilty pleasure of reading The Enquirer during my lunch breaks from work. It just adds a touch of insane perspective to my day.
Whatever.
It is what it is... and I don't apologize for it.

However ... today I found an interesting tidbit on one of my favorites ... HolyMoly. It's a UK-based gossip site that I, a confirmed slave to all things British, love and adore. Even if they are so mean sometimes it makes me cringe.

That being said - they published this little article this morning that I just had to share. Finally, a gossip site has rethought the intrusion of the paparazzi and has laid down some new ground rules. I was pleasantly suprised at this posting but will be very impressed if they stick with it.

Check it out for yourself:

http://www.holymoly.co.uk/news/28/no-more-intrusive-paparazzi-photos-on-holy-moly-2434.html

Cheers!

Dad and Harley

My Dad just sent me this picture of himself and Harley. She just invited herself up onto his lap and laid across his newspaper to get some attention. Classic!

TWENTY NINE LINES TO MAKE YOU SMILE

1.. My husband and I have religious differences. He thinks he's God and I don't.
2.. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
3.. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.
4.. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke .
5.. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.
6.. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.
7.. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder
8..Earth is the insane asylum for the universe .
9..I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are missing.
10..Out of my mind. Back in five minutes .
11..NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room-spinning medicine.
12.. God must love stupid people; He made so many.
13.. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
14..Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.
15..Ever stop to think - and forget to start again?
16..Being "over the hill" is much better than being under it!
17.. Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up!!!!
18..Procrastinate Now!
19.. I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That?
20..A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
21.. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.
22..Stupidity is not a 'handicap'. Park elsewhere!
23..They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken .
24..He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless DEAD.
25.A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.
26.. Ham and eggs...A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.
27..The trouble with life is there's no background music .
28..The original point and click interface - was a Smith & Wesson.
29.. I smile because I don't know what the hell is going on.

Monday

So, today was one of the more positive and productive Mondays I have had in a long time. I've partnered up with my friend and neighbor (who is also the mom of my son Payton's best bud) to dive back in to the FlyLady life.
For those of you who have never visited the website ... try it out. If you would like to get more control over the chaos of your home - this is the place to be.

www.flylady.net

Speaking for myself ... I need it! My house always looks as if it was just searched by the police. Everything hanging out out cupboards and drawers and random bits of clutter on every flat surface.

I like to think of it as a late New Year's Resolution. Better late than never, right?

Thanks to this new urge for cleaning and organization, my kitchen sink is shiny and clean, I got laundry done and we walked to and from the school this afternoon to pick up the boys. Not the Mount Everest of a list of accomplishments but I don't care. I feel productive and happy.
And when all is said and done, if you can go to bed without mentally beating yourself up for all you didn't get done that day it counts as a win in my book.

Cheers !!

Best News

I had to save this little tidbit for it's very own post ... it's so exciting I'm just about to burst.

I got a freelance job!!

I get to write 50 articles (500 words each) for a website ... and I'm actually getting paid!

Life is sweet, isn't it?

Cheers!

Weekend

It's no secret that I have very eclectic taste in music. For instance ... my iPod has Billie Holiday, Led Zeppelin, Pink, Hothouse Flowers, Joss Stone, Linkin Park and Rachmaninoff... just to name a few. I'm aware of this quirky part of myself and am very O.K. with it.

This weekend my Hubby and I watched two concerts on t.v. (We don't go to concerts because we have children that have grown accustomed to eating on a regular basis ... we just can't bring ourselves to spend $150 to buy each ticket.)

The first one was Friday night ... Garth Brooks. I initially wanted to watch because my cousin and her hubby attended and (get this) I wanted to watch for them. I knew they had seats right in front of the stage but once I saw the size of the crowd I realized just how insane I was to think I'd see them. I was going to switch over the the new "Monk" episode ... but then he opened with "And the Thunder Rolls" and I was hooked. Wow! He puts on an amazing show ... and seeing Trisha Yearwood and Huey Lewis also was just icing on the cake.

I admit it. Once upon a time in my previous life (translation: single and looking) I was very into Country music. And Country bars. And (gulp) line dancing. But mainly cowboys. (Tee-hee)
And wouldn't you know it ... when he launched into "Papa Loved Mama" .... something very strange happened. I was sitting on the couch but my feet were dancing! So, I got to my feet and tested my "dance memory" and discovered I remember about 85% of The Tush Push. If you know what I'm talking about and remember it too from approximately 1991 - you're blushing and giggling. If you don't I can't explain it. You just had to be there.

Hubby and Daughter were upstairs but, sadly, my 7-year old son caught me. You should have seen the look on his face! The next thing I knew I was following him up the stairs as he ran to tell his Daddy all about it ... Sloppy Joe bits spraying from his mouth in excitement (or was that fear?) as he ratted on me.

Ahem ... well, moving on ...

The second concert we caught was Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics concert from Down Under. It was amazing!! She has such fantastic range, never mind the musical tastes she and I share ... Coltrane, Davis, etc...
I really appreciate a concert where the performer, the band, the back-up singers and the dancers actually look like they are having a good time. The most impressive part for me was the fact that this petite little woman can dance, and sing with that incredibly huge voice, and keep the audience there and at home riveted for so long. We even stayed up and watched the encore performance they broadcast at midnight just to see it one more time ... it was that incredible!

Well, that's My Weekend Update. It's Sunday night and time to make sure the kidlets are ready for school tomorrow.
Cheers!

Proud Bragging

I know ... so many posts from me in one day. Try to contain your shock!

I just had to post this link. It's an article from the San Luis Obispo Heart Walk with a picture of MY Auntie Gail cutting the ribbon. We are all soooo proud of her !!!

And if you would like to make a donation there is a link on their website. Empty your pockets!!!

http://www.sloheartwalk.com/


I usually end my posts with "Cheers!" but this time I'm going to sign out by saying ...

Cheers, hugs and kisses for Auntie Gail !!!

Look out!

O.k. My heart is all atwitter. (Is that even a word?)
It really worked!
So now there is no stopping me ... and no excuse for me to not keep up
with my posts. If the kids or my hubby are on the house computer I can
just grab my phone ... which is never farther than a foot away from me
most days.

As Ren and Stimpy would say ...

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy !
--
Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

Testing

This is me testing my new mobile blogging.
If this works as I hope ... I can easily post a blog from my phone
direct to my lovely serendipity and rain blog that I am ridiculously
proud of.
Cross your fingers!
--
Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

My Freelance Profile

Hello again world !
I know, I know ... my blogs are few and far in between. But my post-New Year's Resolution is to write more often - here, there and everywhere.

I've registered for a freelance website to hopefully make a little extra money to keep myself home and working on the book instead of going back to the life and job I used to have. No thank you!

Here's the link in case anyone would like to have a look.
http://www.odesk.com/users/Creative-Writer-Personal-Assistant_~~596005df28d06168?tot=1&pos=0

Now, I am going to sign off for now and go back to watching the news coverage of the Monte Carlo fire. Of course, if I want to see it "for real" all I have to do is look out my bedroom window. I can see the hotel and the HUGE plume of black smoke spiraling from the top. Spooky.

It reminds me of the MGM Hotel fire in November of 1980 ... as it does everyone else. I remember going to my friend's house to walk with her to school (fifth grade) and watching the coverage on the tv at her house. The teachers spent the whole day trying to keep themselves updated on the news and trying (in vain) to keep our minds on our work.

O.K. enough reminiscing about my childhood in Las Vegas.

Ta-ta for now. I will return - sooner than later!

Cheers!

Post-Thanksgiving

Hello again !

As usual, it's been much too long since my last post. Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the turkey-coma is starting to wear off. We went to my husband's cousin's house for T-Day and had a lot of fun. It was a nice day ... I enjoy hanging out and laughing with people that I'd love even if they weren't family!

I finished my writing workshop a couple of weeks ago. It was money well spent, although it wasn't quite what I was expecting. There wasn't as much feedback and writing critiques as I would have liked - but the exercises were good. They kept me writing every week.

There was one other woman in the class that was as chatty as I was and we struck up a great cyber-friendship. She and I are going to start a writing partnership and have agreed to keep each other motivated and working on our (separate) projects. We can bounce ideas off of each other and lift each other's spirits when we get discouraged.

There's a writing contest called NaNoWriMo - short for National Novel Writing Month. My new partner and I will begin our own committed month of writing December 1st. We've decided to name it LiLoWriMo ... Linda and Lori's Writing Month.
Like it?
I do!

It's going to be tough at times - writing at least two hours every day for a month no matter what - especially during December when there is so much going on. But if we can stay on track during that month, of all months, then there is hope for us yet!!

Onward and upward !!

Cheers !!

Workshop

Hello again - I know it's been weeks since my last post. No long, drawn out explanations this time - just many apologies!
I've just started a workshop for writers and thought I'd post my first submission here as well. Our subject for this was fears and phobias.


I admit it. I'm unusually afraid. Of lots of things. Call me a scaredy-cat if you like - I prefer to think of myself as cautious. And even though I may prefer the safer, more well-lit path more times than not, I do not live in a rabbit-hole.
Today I am facing, dealing with and up to my elbows in one of my all-time worst fears.
I am sitting in the waiting area for the Regional Justice Center to pay a 7 month old traffic ticket. I am doing this today because there is a three day moratorium with late fees waived. I would rather pay a $350 fine than $897. The money is not the issue today - nor is the government office. What is making me so uncomfortable is the large crowd of people taking advantage of the same gift from the city.
I am surrounded by a whirling mass of people; walking around, talking, grousing, snoring, and sneezing. I found an empty cold, metal chair in the middle of this organized chaos and pulled out my notebook. Now I can list my fears, phobias and superstitions as they happen.
Hopefully this will freak out the big construction worker that lumbered over and sat next to me and has been blatantly reading over my shoulder.
I know at this point I sound flip and snarky and totally in control but believe me it is just a defense mechanism employed to entertain me and keep me from bolting for the door.
I have to keep adjusting my pen because it's sticking to my fingers from the nervous sweat. I've already got red indentations on my fingers from gripping the pen so tightly, and my handwriting has become almost illegible due to my shaking hands. Sorry, construction guy.
I'm staring down at my lined white paper - trying to shut out all the noise and people around me. I wish I could jam my iPod ear buds in my ears and pretend I'm somewhere else ... but I'm afraid I'll miss my number being announced. Whoops, there's another fear.

Back to the original topic. When my fears creep up on me, the shaking hands and thumping heartbeat are first to appear. I can't get away from or turn off those symptoms. In fact, they've simply left the door open to allow more uncomfortable feelings to barge through. Now my underarms are sticky, and the back of my neck feels hot and damp under my hair. I got so nervous about coming here this morning that I forgot to eat breakfast. Now my stomach is growling for food - but I don't understand why it doesn't just eat the butterflies that are bumping around in there. I think that would make us both a little happier.

No one else looks as nervous and panicky as I feel. Actually, they look bored, indignant, confused, pissed-off, sleepy, etc ... Can they see I'm having a little nervous breakdown right now, right here in this chair?

There is only one person in this room right now that I envy. Yoga Man. He's got a track suit on and looks as if he has 0.01% body fat. He's sitting there, calmly with his eyes closed and the back of his hands resting on his knees.
No iPod for him. He can shut out the world with the power of his mind.
Wow.
Maybe I should pack up my wrinkled notebook, sticky pits, sweaty and shaky hands and damp neck and go sit by him. Maybe his Zen will rub off on me.

Ommmmmmmmmmmmm

Howdy

I really like being a stay-at-home-mom - but I've started to notice little things about my day that are just plain weird. New little "quirks" that I've become aware of, you see.

For instance - I think I spend the majority of my day walking around the house turning off lights and electrical gadgets that "someone" wandered off and forgot about.
It's the strangest thing. Yes, I know it's good for my power bill and probably helps Mother Earth somewhat not to waste power ... but for heaven's sake !! Who am I ?? And why do I sound like my Grandma when I holler (to no one in particular) that the bathroom light was left on again.

I won't even begin to count the amount of time I spend with my other facinating habits ... the list is interesting enough ... Ha !

"Such as?" you may ask. Such as hanging up wet towels left on the beds or bedroom floors after "someone" takes a shower ... letting the dog in and out 84 kazillion times a day (she's old and has a bladder the size of an M&M) ... flushing the toilet after someone else uses it and then darts off to resume whatever he or she was doing before that urgent call from nature ... and I may as well change the toilet paper roll while I'm in there. I seem to find them with only a wisp of tissue left, or else someone just dropped the new roll on the back of the tank.

I have always loved and admired Erma Bombeck for her writing ... I just never thought I'd understand her so well. The really shocking revelation is that I always thought she was making it up ... or exaggerating a lot.

Erma Bombeck is my new patron saint.

Cheers!

Here I Am ...

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. The last few weeks have just flown by so fast I got lazy and stopped blogging.
The kids both had end-of-the-school-year awards assemblies in which each of them got multiple awards (yes, I am bragging) as well as the usual class parties, sleepovers and fun stuff like that.
The good news is that even though I let the blogging slide a lot over the last month I have been trying to stay very diligent with my book.

Probably the best unexpected motivation came last week when my 200 pound black Labrador stepped on my bare foot. I ended up limping by the next night and then spent the next few days with my foot wrapped, elevated, and iced.
It's at this point in my story I have to confess something ...

I am not a good patient.

There - I said it. Somewhere my husband is sighing and rolling his eyes. But hey, I admitted it.
They say that's the first step ...

O.K. ... I am a whiny, cranky, pouty patient.

But my foot is better now, and I finally checked my email for the first time in about a week. And what do I find there? Only a snarky little note from my sweet little friend Kathy nagging me about falling behind in my blogs.

Was I offended?
Was I deeply hurt?
Where big fat teardrops of agony falling on my keyboard?

Nope!

I laughed out loud, posted her comment for all to see and got myself busy with a new blog entry. You see, dear friends ... nothing can spur on the fragile ego of a new writer as well as feedback like that.

Holy Cow !! You mean someone besides my mom actually likes this?

Now, that is not any sort of snide remark directed at my mother ... but Moms are supposed to like their kids' work - no matter how old they get. (The kids - not the moms. I just KNOW that my mom is taking that last sentence as a senility joke.)
I just didn't think anyone else would like the blog ... let alone check back for updates! Whoo-hoo!

One last thing - there is one last reason for my absence from the blog.

FOOTBALL PRE-SEASON STARTED AUGUST 13TH .............. YIPEEE !!!!!

Go 49ers !!!!