And Introducing!!

As an addendum to todays blog, I would like to introduce a brand new blogger. My husband Dana! He has just started his own blog, Do We Really Need Another Blog? .

Please hop on over and read his blog and feel free to make a comment, he has a lot to say! :-)

Fun Stuff...

Once in a while I just like to see fun stuff. Today is one of those days. This came to me from a friend online, and I think it is pretty funny. From the mouths of babes...
WHY GOD MADE MOMS?
These answers are given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house?
3. To help us out when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3.Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and Y ES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3 I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.


I love this commercial, and what could be better than 300 dachshunds???



Hope you got a smile from this blog entry today, and I wish you all a very safe New Years Eve.

I want to leave you with a message from ER nurses and EMS crews all across the country, if you drink PLEASE dont drive........

A 2008 Survey

I found this on Kim-d's blog , Lifeafter and it intrigued me, so here goes.

IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND...EIGHT (8)...

1. What did you do that you'd never done before? Joined the blogging community

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didnt make a new years resolution in 2008, and I wont make one this year, I break them too easily.

3. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? peace of mind at work and a feeling that I really like what I do.

4. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory? February 15, the day Breanna was discharged from the Air Force. And January 11, the day we had to send our basset Reggie to the bridge.

5. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing out of the ordinary.

6. What was the best thing you bought? This one is easy, my Blackberry storm! :-)

7. Where did most of your money go? To bills! This year we bought my new Escape and it is a chunk more than I was paying on my Jeep.

8. What did you get really, really excited about? Breanna coming home, goint to Las Vegas and going to the Ute casino.

9. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? a) happier. b) fatter, but just by about 8lbs c) poorer. I took a huge cut in pay to go to day shift.

10. What do you wish you'd done more of? Laughed

11. What do you wish you'd done less of? Worked

12. How will you be spending New Years? As usual, working in the ER.

13. Did you fall in love in 2008? yes, with Frankie. He makes me happy. I am always in love with Dana.

14. How many one-night stands? unless you mean the night stands that sit next to the bed.. none

15. What was your favourite TV program? oh this one is easy. BONES!!!

16. What was the best book you read? Sail by Richard Patterson

17. What did you want and get? My Ipod and my new laptop

18. What did you want and not get? A cruise to the carribbean!

19. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Dana took me to the Ute mountain casino, so we gambled!! We also went to Mesa Verde. I was 51..

20. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? casual and comfortable! I dont dress up!

21. What kept you sane? prayer, Dana and Bre. With a little help from Cymbalta.

22. What political issue stirred you the most? John McCains choice of a running mate! Sarah Palin? I mean are you freaking serious?? I am not even a John McCain supporter, why should it matter to me? LOLOL

23. Who was the best new person you met? Some of my favorite online friends, Debbie, Lisa, Kim-d, Hallie, Michelle, this list could go on and on. Some of the gals from the AF mom and dad group too, I miss them all..

24. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: I knew this before, but 2008 has reminded me that it is of utmost importance to live each day as if it were your last. Tell your loved ones that you love them frequently, and dont forget to dance the dance.....

feel free to use this survey if you want!

A reflection of 2008....

It is hard to believe that 2008 is almost over. We have had a good year so far, we are blessed to have our home and to be living in an area where the job market continues to be good no matter what is happening in the rest of the country.

The beginning of 2008 had us wondering what Breannas future would hold. She was home on Con leave in January and still having shoulder problems.

February was a tough month, she was discharged and came home sad, beaten down and feeling like she had failed everyone. It took a while, a lot of tears, but our Breanna rose from the ashes and the old Bre finally returned. She got a job as a lifeguard/swim instructor (a job that she loves) and enrolled in college. A great move! Now she is a self confident college student, doing a great job after her first semester, she bought a car, and goes to work every day with a positive outlook and a great attitude. Her plans still include the Air Force, but this time she will go in as an officer after college!

Dana and I have worked hard all year, our jobs are very demanding and 2008 has seen us spending lots of weekends and lots of holidays on the job. I have been promoted to a charge nurse position, and Dana has recently accepted a Lieutenant of EMS position at his job. Like I said before, we are blessed.

The months have flown by, we all spent a week in Las Vegas in April, and had the time of our lives, unfortunately for our bank account, we have discovered how quickly we can be in Vegas and how much we love it there! LOL

In September, Dana and I took a few days and went to the Ute Casino in southwestern Colorado, we also visited Mesa Verde, it continues to be a very magical place for me.

We also travelled to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving, a quick trip but a great one.

Breanna was thrilled that we got to tour the Air Force Academy, and the weather was great for that.

We even got snowed in for a day in Denver, I cant think of anywhere else I would rather be snowed in... The passes were challenging to cross to get home, but we made the best of it.

When I look back I feel very blessed and thankful to be living back in Colorado, my home, and I am so happy to look out at the familiar mountains that make me feel so safe and protected.

We also had an addition to our family in 2008. Maxwell Smart Tweedy. We adopted Max in February from Utah Friends of Basset Hounds Rescue. He is the sweetest boy and we are so happy that he chose us.

As I look forward to 2009, I give thanks to God for all of our blessings, and I have made a wish for all of my family, friends, blogging friends and coworkers to have a good 2009.

I have decided that I wont make any New Years resolutions for 2009, but instead, I will have a New Years prayer.. I pray that our soldiers come home from Iraq and Afghanistan this year. It is time...

Small Break...

I am in the middle of a very long stretch of working, so I probably wont get to make a real blog post for a couple of days.

Right now I can tell you that I am exhausted, we have had 2 really horrible and busy days in the ER, all of the doctors' offices in town are, of course, closed and we have this epidemic of Norwalk virus so we have all really been run ragged.

On top of that, we are in the middle of a snow storm. Not sure how much snow we are going to get this time. Last night we were supposed to get 10 inches of snow and we got rain... and the temps went up into the 40's VERY weird!!

I will try to post tomorrow, if not tomorrow then on Sunday. Sorry about the delay!!!

Merry Christmas, my friends...

I am working today, so this post was prepared early. I would like to take this time to wish all of blogdom the very happiest of Christmases today. May this day bring you love, joy and magic and all of your wishes come true.

Please take a minute today to remember all of our soldiers who are not able to spend this day with their families. Last year, our Bre was away from home and I still remember the emptiness in my heart, not having her here and not knowing what her future held.

My heart and prayers go out to all of the families of US soldiers stationed in the US and abroad, may God keep them safe.

Merry Christmas everyone..

Sit back...

And take 3 minutes from this busy day to enjoy one of Gods wonders... She is only 4 yrs old. She amazes me, and I just want to hug her. Dont forget to turn off my music player. Read on after the video, for a message from me. :-)



One more thing, please visit Breannas blog today Air Force Miracles she has posted an incredible poem that everyone should read. And for those of you who are military families, it is a tissue alert!

Holiday Decorations???

Dana and I have established a "tacky scale" when we see yards decorated for Christmas. For instance, if one has a nativity scene with Frosty the Snowman, rudolph and santa in attendance, it would be higher up on the scale than say, just frosty rudolph and santa with some elves and maybe an angel or two.

Some people are very imaginative with their decorations. It is very possible that this Santa is a homicide victim, who might have been shot as he was making his getaway.. Or maybe he just has a hole and wont hold air.

Same yard, view from the front. Is this a Christmas cow and a Christmas pig????

And then, there are the inflatables.. these neighbors of ours must be from Texas because their inflatables are VERY BIG!! Frosty is even taller than their house!
And around the corner, we have another inflatable display, probably a 7 on the scale, until....

we see Santa in the bass boat, and that takes it all the way to a 9!

The grand poobah of all decorated yards that we have seen is just right down the street from us. Its a 10....They even have singing mice.

Western Colorados version of the Griswolds live right across the street from us, but I dont have a picture yet, taking it in the daylight just does not do them justice. They literally light up the whole neighborhood when they throw the switch!!

Diary of a Demented Snow Shoveler

**I have seen several renditions of this story, but this one is my favorite. enjoy!**

December 8

6:00 PM It started to snow. The first snow of the season andThe wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9 We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had!

Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks.This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered Up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12

The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry-We'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much Snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such A nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14

Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This isThe life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, But I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15

20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants A wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska , after all.

December 16

Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The Wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17

Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go Anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to Pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I Should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20

Electricity is back on, but had another 14 inches of The damn stuff last night. More shoveling! Took all Day. The damn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said They're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying.

Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22

Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more Inches of the white shit fell today, and it's so cold,It probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the Asshole is lying.

December 23

Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0.The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts?!!

Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She Says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24

6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel.

I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 Miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been!

Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas Carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the damn snowplow.

December 25

Merry f---ing Christmas! 20 more inches of the damnslop tonight - Snowed in The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God, I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wifesays I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26

Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27

Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28

Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The BITCH is driving me crazy!!!

December 29

10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30

Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not only for the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his ass. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches predicted.

December 31

I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8

Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

How can we NOT love our wieners?

I caught some videos on youtube that I just had to post. And since I had not blog post thought up for today, it seemed appropriate to post them today. Enjoy!



Those of us who have doxies know just what its like to rub the belly of the most devoted and funny little breed around. Frankie loves having his belly rubbed too! Just like this little guy.





One more for the road!

Dana and I are off to shop! And, it snowed again last night! woo hoo!

A letter to the President

Dear Mr President,

I will try to make this letter short and sweet, and get right to the point. Upon careful consideration of the current economic crisis, I would like to put in my bid for a bail out.

I have taken note that in the past 3 months we, as a nation, have been very generous to assist in the financial crises of banks, lending companies, mortagage investment corporations and now the auto industry in their time of need. It is my impression, as is evidenced by our tremendous willingness to reward these companies for their mismanagement of funds, their laissez faire attitude towards remaining solvent, and their obvious inability to conduct their businesses with credible managagerial practices, that they are being rewarded.

In light of this precedence, I would like to ask, on behalf of all taxpaying Americans, for our share of the pie. In case it has escaped your attention, we as a public, are entering a financial crisis also. Unemployment is skyrocketing, homes are being foreclosed upon and more hungry Americans are standing in food kitchen lines today than ever before in the last 70 years.

When one of us suffers, we all suffer. We are, therefore, submitting our request for 700 billion dollars to be refunded and divided evenly to all Americans who had income taxes witheld from their paychecks in the year 2007. I am sure, Mr President, that this request will be given the same consideration as that of those corporations mentioned above.

Sincerely yours,

John Q. Public

**** think it will work? mwahahahahahahahahaha***

OK time to smile..

With all of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we all need to stop... breathe... and smile once in a while. And this is what this post is for. Hopefully it will bring a smile to everyone. Dont forget to turn off my music player! No matter if the smile is from a funny video:




Or from a serious video that will give you the warm fuzzies:




Just dont forget to smile.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth to you all...

And I Lived To Tell The Story!

First I have to say that I am not a competitive Christmas shopper. I usually like to do my shopping online, but this year, due to job changes and financial irregularities (aka where did our paychecks in December go?) I dont have time to shop online.... SO... I have to shop in person, EEEEK.

Today, I was going to start shopping for Dana, so I went to the mall, that was mistake #1. I didnt really think about it, I have lived quite successfully in a very highly populated area, after all I lived in the heart of Southern California for 6 years with no problem. I rubbed shoulders with lots of people and didnt think anything about it. But man oh man, when I walked into our mall, (not a huge mall, single level but about 30-40 stores) it was without

a doubt, AB-SO-LUTELY packed! And not in a good way either.

I stopped and looked around and began to wonder where did all of these people come from? It was 3:00pm in the afternoon on a WEDNESDAY, doesnt anyone work during the day anymore?? I do believe that we have been invaded by people from the outlying areas, the hinterlands, you know places where the convenience of running water and electricity may not necessarily have arrived? It was scary.

I grabbed one of the gifts that I was looking for, (yay I found it!) and then I got the heck out of there. Then, like a fool, I went to WALMart. Where to my surprise, I found smiling customers, stocked shelves and pleasant employees. And one more of the gifts that I was looking for. Not once was I rammed into by someone who obviously had not showered in the last week or two, who was screaming at their children. It was amazing.

I am gaining my strength to continue my shopping forray this weekend, to finish up Danas Christmas and to buy Breannas Christmas. Pray for me.

** On a serious note** Please find it in your heart to give a gift to Toys for Tots this year. Donations are down, and we have thieves here stealing from the drop off locations here. Yes, its pathetic...

Barney Decorates The White House!

The acting leaves a lot to be desired, (the humans that is) but the dog is too cute. For the last time, Barney is decorating the White House. Have a good life, Barney! I am sure he will like living on the ranch better than being the first dog. Enjoy. Dont forget to turn off my music player!

Houston We Have An Epidemic!

We have an epidemic of Norwalk Virus here in our county. It started in the nursing homes, and spread like wildfire to people who have visited the nursing homes, or who work in the nursing homes, and now it is just rampant in the community.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, body aches. And I have it. We took care of TONS of patients over the weekend with this and today, the one nurse that worked with me this weekend came in sick this morning, and went home around 9:00am. It hit me about 11:30. I will spare you the details, but I left work with a RX for medication to stop vomiting and no one would get around me! LOL

It is a pesky virus, I wash my hands until they bleed and I still got it. That usually doesnt happen to me.

OK, I am off to lay in my chair. Now is when I wish I had one of those N-A-P blankies....

Where's Frankie?

Frankie thinks he becomes invisible when he gets on the futon. We dont have the heart to tell him that his little brown spots give him away. LOLThis is the futon that we bought FOR THE DOGS. Can you believe it? I decided to throw our old couch in the dump in early fall and we were seriously fine with just having our 2 chairs and Breannas round chair in the living room. BUT... Max decided he was going to have anxiety issues if he had no where to sleep, so after some insistant prodding by our oldest hound, Dana went out and bought us a student futon.

Max and Frankie said 4 paws up! We are creating little houndie monsters. Frankies favorite place to "wiener sleep" is between my feet under the blanket on my ottoman, Max can fill out the futon.. with no problem.

What would we do without these hounds? I am a true believer in "a house without a dog is not a home." Max agrees.

This is a snapshot of our Christmas tree. Not sure if you can tell but it is sitting up on a trunk! A cautionary measure because we have a 1 yr old doxie in the house. LOL

A Christmas Wish for you all....

DESIDERATA


Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

These words were originally penned by Max Ehrmann in the 1920's. It is said that Mr Ehrmann wanted to leave something to be remembered by. I think he suceeded in doing just that. I first heard the words of Desiderata on a radio station back in the late 60's or early 70's and it stuck in my mind even as young as I was, I remembered it. I think this world would be a better place if we all lived by Mr Ehrmanns words. Happy Holidays Y'all, from Max and from me!

Is It Necessary???

Today I started wondering when it became necessary for all of humanity to talk on their cell phones CONSTANTLY! Breanna and I were running some errands and it seems like every single person who made a stupid move behind the wheel or who parked crooked or who held up traffic was TALKING ON THEIR CELL PHONES!!!!

Who are they talking too? Is it necessary that they have that conversation at exactly that moment? It cant wait? I love my cell phone (as my readers well know) but I can get up, get dressed, go shopping and come home again and never talk on my phone. Maybe I am not very popular. OR maybe those people who I talk to dont talk on the phone any more than I do, whatever the reason, I dont find it necessary to walk out of the store while talking, unload my grocery cart while talking, put the cart away and walk back to the car, get in, back out, drive away ALL while constantly talking on the cell phone.

In the ER we are confronted by these "must talk on cell phoners". They come in our door and we greet them to see what they need and they look right at us, and say "I am on the phone!". oookkaaayyyyyy.... that gives the old ER nurse just the incentive she needs to turn around and walk back to the nurses station (which is located behind the locked door) and never to go back to talk to that person again. It happens. It just happened 2 days ago as a matter of fact!

So, America, at least those "must talk on cell phoners"... PLEASE be more considerate of others when you are chatting. We are out here, really. Those of us who actually can eat, drive, work, and even watch TV WITHOUT talking on the cell phone. Give it a try!!

I am cookin' now!!

Or maybe I am baking? Maybe candy making is the correct term. Anyway, today I tried my hand at making some candy. Originally I was going to make buckeyes. Some out of white chocolate and some out of milk chocolate. I bought my ingredients, got my recipe, and I was ready to go.

Here are my ingredients, I forgot to take a picture of the peanut butter jar but you all know that the peanut butter is in there, right?

I made sure I had my recipe right at hand. Who remembers the days when we had recipes written on recipe cards? LOL I tried the first recipe for the white chocolate batch and It was too sweet for me, so I found another recipe for the milk chocolate batch. Thank you recipezaar!

This is a picture of the buckeyes before they were dipped in the chocolate.

And here is the white chocolate batch all ready to eat! I used paraffin in this batch, I didnt like it so I used crisco in the milk chocolate ones. I wasnt too successful at making the "eye" of the buckeye, so I just ended up dipping them all the way, and they became "peanut butter balls"! viola! they transformed right before my eyes!

The milk chocolate batch was a little larger than the white chocolate batch and the chocolate was thicker because I used crisco instead of paraffin and not as much of it. I have to admit that they arent as pretty as they could be, but they are pretty tasty!

And for the weight watcher members out there, I also made some "snicker treats". small snicker bar pieces placed in fillo cups and baked to melt the snickers, they are one point each and quite tasty too!

I am trying to get in the holiday spirit, and I am getting closer. I havent baked for the holidays in many years, I think I wil make some weight watcher christmas treats next week!

And Now A word From Max

Well not really, in fact Max believes in the exact OPPOSITE message that this video is trying to relay. He is an adovocate of feeding your dogs as much as they want at Christmas time. You see, Max has gained weight since he came to live with us. Not just a little weight but a LOT of weight. almost 20lbs of weight!

When we got him last February he was a lean mean 63lbs. Just the right size for a healthy happy basset hound. Now he is 81lbs! Just a tad fluffy. He says he is "big boned" and absolutely NOT fat! You be the judge. LOL

Frankie weighs in at a solid 17lbs, he says Max is "rotund"....

Enjoy the video!

Lets Not Forget...

As December passes ever so quickly, and the holiday hustle and bustle is upon us all, please take a few minutes and think about our soldiers. Those who are serving away from home, no matter where they may be stationed. Those brave men and women who are away from their families, out of their normal climate and who are probably longing to hear anything from home right about now.

The folks at Xerox corporation have set up a website so that we can all tell our soldiers that we are thinking of them and just how much we appreciate them. And it is an awesome way to spread holiday cheer across the miles.

Just go to this website Lets Say Thanks, and follow the directions. Its easy!

And speaking of the holiday season, Dana and I took a couple of pictures today of some of the yards in our area and their decorations. I am sure this will be a work in progress, because there are so many of them that just make you want to ask WHY? WHY does baby Jesus and frosty the snowman share the same nativity scene, along with some elves and rudolph? WHY do some people insist on setting up several of those inflatable ornaments all in one small yard?

I will include these pictures in a future blog about our "tacky scale"... stay tuned.

Do you have a Hula-hoop?

I used to work with a girl who had a very large "hula hoop". This means that she was really resistant to anyone getting in her "space". And she would let you know without hesitation if you were crowding her hula hoop right in front of everyone !

My hula hoop is not as large as hers, I usually dont want people crowding my space, but I am pretty tolerant of bumps and innocent touching by strangers unless.... I am sitting. I dont want someone leaning on me in the movie theatre or trying to become my best friend when I am on an airplane, just because they are sitting next to me. When I am on an airplane, I want to descend into my own little world and be left alone.. know what I mean? Anyway, I digress.

Today, Breanna had a choir concert, it was their Christmas performance and it was beautiful. When I arrived, the auditorium was about half empty, so I edged myself towards the middle, and politely left a couple of seats between me and the elderly lady to my right. Now, I have to tell you that even though this show is well attended it is not one of those performances where people have to stand up to watch, so there are plenty of seats..

Anyway, less than 10 minutes after I sat down, here came 2 women and they proceeded to scoot all the way in, to sit right next to me!!! not just next to me, but one of them was LEANING ON ME!! OK, there are 8 seats between these 2 and the aisle (all empty) and 5 rows in front of me, 4 of which were completely empty, and 1 that was still 3/4 empty. It was not necessary to come all the way in to sit on my lap! She was horribly invading my hula hoop and since her shoulders and her knees were touching mine, I had to move. I moved over one seat and was able to breathe again. The longer I sat there, the more I thought that this behavior needed to be blogged about! LOL Talk about RUDE!!!

How many of you guys have hula hoops? Is it just me that doesnt need to be touched by strangers?

Before I forget, Tammy at The Color of Home has so kindly awarded be with the following badge:

thanks Tammy! Before I forget, if anyone out there is experienced with tv download sites (the one I have is fasttvdownloads.com) please drop me an email, I am STUCK!!

Sometimes I just hate people...

I have learned that working during the day has given me a brand new dose of tolerance. At least so far. Night shift had pushed me to the very edge of tolerance where people are concerned, especially stupid people. This article stirred up some of the intolerance:

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - A dog weighing more than 120 pounds survived being frozen to a sidewalk overnight, probably because he was insulated by layers of fat, authorities said.
The Sheboygan County Humane Society says the "morbidly obese" dog, an aging border collie mix named Jiffy, froze to the sidewalk when he was left out overnight Wednesday. Shelter manager Carey Payne says few dogs could survive the single-digit temperatures, and it was probably the fat that made the difference.
Jiffy's 59-year-old owner was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of animal neglect, Sheboygan Police Lt. Tim Eirich said. She told police she tried to get the dog inside but couldn't, and instead checked on him every few hours.

I heard today that this lady was charged with felony animal cruelty and is facing jail time. I hope they put her naked ass out on the sidewalk on an especially cold night and see how she likes it!! And before putting her out there, they need to douse her with water, COLD water.

I was in the grocery store today, a very very busy grocery store, when I noted a disheveled, young (probably mid 20's), female dressed in summer clothing standing with her purchases, approximately 2 people in front of me. (it was a nice day but kind of cool outside definately NOT shorts and tank top weather) She was buying a vegetable platter and some cigarettes and a lighter. She used her Colorado welfare food stamp card to buy the vegetables, and then had some cash for the cigarettes and lighter. She didnt have enough money, the lady behind her volunteered enough money so she could buy the cigarettes (I NEVER would have done that) and then the girl said "did you pay for the lighter too?" The checker said no, and this person had the audacity to say "WHY NOT"????? Then, without missing a beat, she said "Well do you at least have some matches for me if you wont buy the lighter?"

The nice woman behind her was speechless. The checker said "A thank you would be nice" and the young woman just turned, took her stuff and walked away. For a while we all stood there with our mouths hanging open. WHAT is wrong with people????? If I were closer, I would have told her she was rude and didnt deserve the kindness of a stranger, but I didnt get a chance.

I hope this isnt how the holiday season is going to progress....

Catching up!

I HAVE A DAY OFF!!! woo hoo! So, today I am taking the opportunity to do a little catching up. Buckle up, here we go. Without further adieu, here are some pics taken while we were on vacation:

Bre and her favorite cat Thomas. We got Thomas as a tiny kitten when Bre was 8, yes I said 8! He is almost 14 yrs old and is living the good life with my parents. He dines on tuna and chicken and luxury goodies like that on a daily basis. What a life!

Bre and my mom with Thanksgiving dinner laid out in front of them. Oh man, was it GOOD! my mom is the best cook on earth.

Bre with my mom and dad in the early morning hours on the day we left. Time for pictures...

This picture was taken from the car window somewhere in western Kansas. It is a wind farm. They are using windmills to generate electricity. Talk about living green!

When we got back to Colorado, there had been snow. Approx 3 inches fell before we got to Denver on Sunday, but the roads were clear. THEN.... it dumped. The mountains were getting high winds (from 60-90mph) heavy snow and CDOT began to close highways. So we got to spend another day! Not complaining, we went to my favorite mall, spent time with family and got to see the Broncos game on TV. We left for home on Monday morning, and here we are on the Eastern side of The Eisenhauer tunnel. Stopped. They closed the tunnel every hour to allow trucks carrying hazardous material to drive through because Loveland pass was closed. So here we sat. There are mountains behind those clouds..

And the snow kept falling...

And falling...

We finally made it through the tunnel and stopped in Frisco to use the bathroom. You can see how windy it is. Breckenridge ski area is near here.

When we got on the western side of the mountains, it was like someone opened a curtain. The skies cleared, the sun was out and the temps were in the 50's. We were happy to get home!

The trip was good, fast and we covered a lot of miles. Hopefully Dana and I will get to go back in the spring.

Hope you enjoyed the pics.

The rest of this week has been pretty uneventful with one exception. I worked all week and now have a few days off. Last night we think Frankie ate one of my diabetes pills that fell on the floor when I dropped the bottle, so we rushed him to the emergency vet and they kept him for observation for a couple of hours. He was a little trooper, got an IV, and was forced to throw up. He did well last night and is hopefully out of the woods. Today he is being a big baby and wont let me out of his site...What a scare!

What Day Is This?

I am really behind. For about 6 hours today I thought it was Thursday. You know how a day just "feels" like a certain day of the week? Well for me, today was Thursday. Oh how I wish it were true. I still have another day to work this week (tomorrow) and I really feel like I just got out of the car from a 1000 mile trip to go to work.

I plan to work on my blog and download vacation photos on Friday, please bear with me.

At this very moment, Breanna is standing in our kitchen trying to tear a telephone book in half. I believe the stress of final week is finally getting to her. LOLOL

Here is a doxie picture that I hope makes you smile. See you all tomorrow!

There's no place like home..

Dana, Bre and I FINALLY made it home today shortly after 2:00pm. The drive over the mountains took us about an hour longer than our usual drive on dry roads. We did have snow, and ice and it snowed on us probably 1/3 of the way home, but we made it.

Thank you Colorado DOT! They really outdid themselves this time with road maintenance and we saw several snow plows not only plowing but dropping sand.

We quickly unloaded my Escape and then took Danas to the kennel to get the boys. They were SO excited to see us! Frankie peed all over the floor of the vets office where they stayed. LOL He doesnt want to talk about it, he thinks the other dogs laughed at him.

Right now both hounds are sound asleep, Max is on his couch and Frankie is tucked underneath a blanket laying by my legs. He says life is good.

I work for the next 3 days, so it is entirely possible that I wont get to download my vacation and travel pics, but I will get them posted as soon as I can.

After this week, I am rethinking the whole travelling by car deal. Even though flying is a huge hassle it is moving higher on my list of best ways to travel! :-)

One last thing, I had a GREAT visit with Lisa from My New Thing To Do last night on the phone, thanks again Lisa, you made my day!!!