Pics from the Cherry Lake Trip

Cherry - 1 trip of the season

This weekend we took our first trip of the season to Cherry. We had planned on staying overnite close to the magic fishing hole and start scoping everything out for the season. But the trip was BIG bust. The morning started with Jim slipping when getting out of the boat in the driveway and taking a major tumble. He was all bruised up on his side, elbow and leg.

After we decided he didn't need 911 we headed out only to arrive at a very full Cherry Lake - with 40 mile per hour winds and white caps! But you know us - we are always up for an adveture, so we gear up in our foul weather gear and head out. About 1/3 of the way down the lake, while taking waves over the front, the brand new engine sets off an alarm saying "no oil"! WHATTTT THE !!!!!?????

We pulled over at a spot we had never stopped at and while coming up with a game plan, made the best of the situation hiking around and building a dam in the creek we found (see pic). Jim sat back and read the boat manual and determined that we should not run the engine all the way to the end of the lake so we decided to head back home! What a disappointment!
On the way in we did stop to fish but did not get anything.

So we had to bring the boat all the way back to SJ and it is in the shop again.....

A Dad and His Son

I love this pic of Jim and his Dad up at the lake this weekend. They stood out on the dock for about 45 minutes chatting while watching the rest of us fish. They talked about work, family, fishing, hunting, etc.....

Cabin in the Woods

This pic shows why that cabin is my favorite place in the world! I wish the flowers in the foreground showed up better - the field is full of purple wild flowers. And that is the cabin in the distance. Peaceful!

An unusual spot for a horse

At the cabin this weekend, we went down to the lake on Sunday morning to do some fishing. We drove up and there was a horse in the volleyball court! The horse stables is way on the other side of the lake and no one on our side of the lake has horse on their property so this was totally unusual. In talking to the folks there, the horse had been seen for the last 3 days in the area and at one point was seen on the highway (which is really just a two lane road). During the nite, the horse found its way down to the marina and was hanging out.

They brought in the local cowboys and they spent three hours trying to rope it but it was really skiddish. So they resorted to bringing down the portable corral and just placed it around the horse while it was standing in the sand - which is where it seemed to feel most comfortable. Then they brought in the horse trailer and talked it into climbing in. The cowboys were going to take it back to their ranch. NOTE that the cowboys were just a couple in the area who has a ranch - not real live cowboys!

The horse was skinny and its hooves needed some work. But other than that - it seemed ok.

Versatile Dog

Daisy is a very versatile dog. One pic is of her being a rugged outdoorsy dog laying in the dirt and the other is her in her apron helping make banana muffins. She has many other hidden talents such as:

* alarm clock - she wakes up early every morning to go for a run and if it is at the cabin the alarm goes off beginning at 4 am!
* hoover vacuum cleaner - she can suction up food, grass and deer poop at rapid speed!
* fumigator - need to rid an area of people? Daisy can empty a room with her "butt explosions"!

Marty and Jim Get Married

This is what would happen if Jim and Marty went off to get a fishing license together! Of course, it would probably include a 30 pack of coors light and a bag of beef jerky.....

That darn dog.....

Here I am making her home made dog food and she goes and acts naughty. I ran Drew to school this morning and while I was gone, the dog ate a one pound block of cheese off the counter!!!! I bet she didn't even chew it! And I bet even more that she is going to have a big fat belly ache. Oh well - she is in the back yard with the chickens and she can get sympathy from them.

My new engine

Well...the pontoon mama has a new engine! We put a 75 horsepower motor on it. We have to test it out in a local lake and then will take it back to the cabin this weekend. Now it will pull any chubby person in our family(well....I guess I am the only chubby person in this family....).

Grandma Girl Power!!!!

Grandma Anna has major girl power! She and her friend Zena hiked up to Vernal Falls in Yosemite last week. The trail is 1 1/2 miles one way, which does not sound like a lot but it is 1000 feet in elevation gain. And there is a mile or so hike to get to where the trail begins. So Grandma Anna, who is 70 years young, hiked about 5 miles with 1000 feet in elevation!! You go Grandma!!!

Along the way she encountered a group of Japanese hikers, one of who was very impressed that she went all the way to the top of the falls and gave her a "two thumbs up sign"! I little farther down the trail she encountered the man again who then asked her how old she was. When she responded that she was 70, he told her that knowing that she was 70 and made it to the top of the falls "made his day"!

Breaking in the New Rig

We took a trip down to the river in my new rig this weekend. That means driving 5 miles down a dirt road into a canyon. We went over huge ruts and big puddles. The truck was covered with mud and dust on the the inside and outside! At one point we were graphing (making chart to keep track of what we found) the animals and plants that we spotted and when going over a bump, my pen got out of control and I wrote a great big mark on the roof! Ooops! (In case you wonder - butterflies won the game - we spotted over 30 of them - squirrels came in last - only saw one!)

Then we used it to pull the pontoon boat all the way home to SJ.

Let's just say we use the "U" in SUV (Sports UTILITY Vehicle)

Falling apart - the tale of an old lady

This is a story about the injustice of someone wanting to stay in shape but having nature work against her......I got a cortisone shot in my shoulder on Thursday. It has been really bad - so bad that my neck and shoulder blade were killing me from compensating. I have an impingement injury which basically means the tendons in my shoulder get smushed everytime I move my shoulder. That causes pain and swelling. This is the second bout that I have had with it. The doc, basically said she feels bad for me because I am so young and so active and will have this shoulder issue my whole life. She said there is a surgery they can try but it is not likely to work. I just need to manage it by changing my behavior (ie not doing push ups, lifting weights, kayaking, washing windows, not helping load the kayak onto the top of the truck, using poles while snow shoeing, etc) and treating with pain/anti inflammatory meds. Not exactly what I want to hear. My strategy is to just get it under control again and then go from there. It makes me grumpy!

Happy Feet

These are my new shoes and they make me happy! What could be better than red shoes with a big jewel on the front! Sort of a Dorothy meets Hollywood!

Chef Chris

OHHHH - I have been making yummy dinners lately. I was tired of the same old thing so I was quizing friends on what they make and came up with the following two new dinners this week and they were yummy!

* pork chops coated with Dijon mustard and bbqed, asparagus with browned butter/soy sauce/balsamic vinegar, artichokes and macaroni and cheese casserole.
* stuffed shells (stuffed with fresh spinach, basil, oregano, garlic, onions, mozerella and ricotta), garlic bread, turkey italian sausages and salad.

But I do have to admit that last nite, after we ran out of good stuff abd I was tired from the week, we had turkey hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls and baked, baked beans, corn and carrots with dill.

Next weeks menu is meatball subs, turkey tenderloin, pasta pesto, ribs and burritos.

A Future Attorney?

Gracie is beginning the fine art of negotiations already. Plus, like a true attorney, she wants the deal to be put in writing. Here is how it all went down: Gracie and I were in the bathroom and I was talking to her about making sure she picked up after herself, including putting away dirty clothes on the floor and picking up toys she had all over the bathroom. She told me, all while brushing her teeth, that if I wanted her to do that then we needed to put together a contract!!! I kid you not.....she told me that! I asked her where she heard about contracts and she said, "I don't know but sometimes Drew and I need to have contracts to get things done."

I better save money for law school....

Thief

I was getting packed up to go to work late yesterday morning and went to pack myself some home made lemon bread that I made the nite before. I was looking forward forward to having a slice for an afternoon snack. Boy was I shocked to find out there was a lemon bread thief in the house....that's right - the big guy took the whole loaf to work and left me high and dry. Boy was I bitter!

I have made another loaf and have it hidden away where he can't find it!

No Junie B for me....

I have decided against getting the French Bulldog. I had a long talk with the breeder tonite and she has lost 3 of the 4 pups to some type of respitory problem. The one left does not seem to be afflicted as she is thriving. I also found out the the mother dog has behavioral problems - aggression. She has actually removed the mother from the remaining puppy for fear that she will hurt it and/or teach it aggressive behavior. With the mother's history and the known health issues of the siblings, I decided this puppy is high risk and I am not willing to take the risk.

We discussed it as a family and everyone agreed that it is not a good fit for our family. I was proud to see the kids working thru the data we had and not making an emotional decision. I hope it is a lesson that they will take forward in their lives and apply to other situations.

So we are sad but pleased that we made the right decision.

We will continue to keep our eyes peeled.....

Spud Launcher

As promised....pics!

Bazooka zooka spud gun...

You know you are married to a red neck when you go away on a business trip and your husband and kids make a potato launcher when you are gone. Pics will come as soon as I get a chance to down load them, but the story could not wait.

Picture this - a 4 foot long bazooka style gun that shoots whole potatoes out of it! It has a bbq ignitor and it uses aquanet hairspray as the fuel! The kids spray painted a target on a piece of plywood and they shoot it across the yard at the target - causing the potatoes to explode and disinegrate upon impact! All while the dog hides inside behind the couch and the neighbor comes running over to watch.

Hockey pics

These are some recent hockey pics. That is Drew and his buddy Jared. They are on the same team and in the same class at school. The other pic is of Drew in front of Cheechoo's locker - my favorite Sharks player. Drew and his hockey team mates were given a tour of the Sharks locker room. Grandpa Tom went with Drew on the tour.

Lucky Dog

Daisy Mae is one lucky dog! She is getting home made dog food these days. Because of the pet food recall, I have started making her food. It is clear that we do not yet know the depth of the contamination in the pet food market. I just heard yesterday that there are now dog biscuits being recalled. And it makes sense - how many wheat gluten suppliers could there be in the pet food market?

So I have been making gourmet food for Daisy for almost 10 days now. The food looks good enough to eat. It often looks like jamablaya or a pasta meal! I use brown rice, pasta, eggs, ground turkey, deer sausage, carrots, peas, cottage cheese and fake meat. And I season it with beef broth. She has gotten to the point that when I take out the rice cooker, she starts drooling!

Happy Easter

So this isn't exactly "easterly" language - but like my friend who sent it to me said...."it is too funny not to pass along to a chicken person.

New Rig

What do you think about my new rig?

Sure beats the big beast I have been driving. It is fully loaded with every bell and whistle and is like driving down the street in your living room. It has an entertainment center (dvd), navigation system (a lady who comes on and gives you directions where you need to go), heated seats, dual air conditioning/heat, automatic folding seats so you can get into the back seat, bose sound system, etc.....

What a bummer it will be the first time the wet dog gets into it! Or we fill up the back with wet snow shoes or sandy towels. Or we four wheel thru brush.

Oh well! You gotta live!

Tina the Sporty Chick!

This is Tina, our daycare provider, which is not a title that even comes close to describing the value she adds and role she plays to our family. She is like a second mother, aunt, personal chef and friend all rolled into one. Really --- the perfect combination of personalities and skill sets! She enriches our lives beyond explanation. And the lives of other children too! A real gem!

This is another pic of our full moon snowshoe hike -- Only in California do you snowshoe at nite wearing only a sweatshirt!

Junie B or Cheechoo?

Got some info from the breeder late last week. She lost one of the female pups. So now there are two female and one male. She is going to keep a female, which leaves one male and one female available for adoption. She said she thinks only the male is going to be pet quality. The remaining female will be show quality. We are going to continue to keep in touch and I may go up and see the pups in late April. But it is not looking as good as it was. If we do decide to get a male, his name will be Cheechoo - which is the name of my favorite Sharks hockey player.

Road Trip Canceled!

We did not go pick up Lucy today. One of her siblings had a reaction to the shots they received on Friday so the vet wanted the breeder to keep them and watch them for 5 more days. Darn!

Hockey - Go Sharks!

This is Drew and couple of buddies at the hockey game today. They tied 3 to 3. I think that thi is Drew's "I am a big tough guy" face! We all know the truth - he cries while watching "Cheaper by the Dozen" and if a pet dies in a movie - even if it is a cartoon!

He had a couple good checks - including one that was an exact replica of the check he put on me in the kitchen yesterday! He hit me so hard I was sure I broke some ribs. I actually felt my ribs compress. Of course him and Jim called me a whimp! Next time there is a checking clinic at the ice rink, I am signing up!!!!

Anerican Idol Potato

Just in case you did not think that Gracie was a nut, this will prove it. Today she made a potato woman and then said she was an American Idol Potato - complete with stage! She used sticks for arms and eyes, paper clips for a nose, paper for skirt and the gardening plastic used to tie up plants for a scarf. This was entirely her idea and she worked on it for a good 45 mintes.

Medic!!!

Just picked up the kids from school and took them to get a slurpee on the way home (it is hot!). When driving home, I turned a corner to see a little girl laying in the sidewalk face down. I pulled over and jumped out of my truck. She was laying face down and whimpered when I started talking to her. Then she turned around and sat up. Apparently she had fallen off her bike and lived around the corner and her brother was on his way to get her mom. She was crying and said her leg and hand hurt. I stayed with her for a few minutes until her dad came. I think she was fine - just dramatic! I had the kids come out of the truck to see if she knew them to try to comfort her because I was not going to drive away leaving her sitting there crying. She said she didn't know the kids but knew where we lived because she has seen Daisy in the front window --- Daisy was hanging out the drivers window of the truck!!! I loved that she stopped crying and smiled when she told me she has seen Daisy in the window! See how Daisy Mae brightens everyones lives!!!

Every family needs a dog!

My handsome husband!

My husband is in his element in the outdoors - doesn't he look handsome snow shoeing thru the woods!?

Snowshoeing with no kids

These are pics from our snowshoeing trip with now kids. That is Mari and Kyle in the top pic and Kyle on the bottom. Kyle is the guy who looked so scary in his halloween costume - he was a fairy! Let's just say he looks better in winter gear than he does in a skirt! Mari is also known as "Beautiful Mari" - that's what she makes the kids call her when she is taking care of them!!! The pic above is from the moonlite hike!

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

That is an old song....but this is a NEW puppy! This is Lucy, my girlfriend, Heather's new puppy!!! She is 7 weeks old today and is a Brittney Spaniel. Heather takes posession of the puppy on Sunday. Lucky me gets to go with her to pick Lucy up in Simi Valley - 5 hours and 11 minutes from here. We are going to go down early Sunday morning and come back the same day.

Date nite

Gracie and I have a date nite tonite with our friends, Maddie and Tina. We are going to dinner and a play. Our friend Jeremy is in the play - he is 10. Last nite I asked Gracie where she wanted to go for dinner and she said "to Indian food". I responded that not everyone likes Indian food and it is likely that Maddie (who is 8) would not like it. So she said, "ok - let's go to sushi". I cracked up because someone who is not big on Indian food probably won't be big on Sushi - especially a kid! Gracie and Drew are so well cultured when it comes to food! Most kids would pick McDonalds but Gracie picks different ethnic foods and thinks nothing of it!

The skaters....

More from Grandma's birthday.

Half Dome

This is the view from the Curry Village ice skating rink in Yosemite. This is our favorite place to ice skate....and you can see why.

Grandma and Grandpa

This is a great pic of Grandma Anna and Grandpa Roy from Grandma's 70th birthday in Yosemite. This is at the bottom of Bridalveil Falls.

Mountain lion sighting

We got an automated call from the kids school tonite to let us know that a mountain lion was seen on the levy in the hills above the school. Which is not really a threat to the kids because they don't go up there. But it is a threat to me because I run up there!!!!! Not every day, but at least once or twice a week. And I have always joked about wearing an id while running in case I get attacked by a mountain lion! Will keep you posted as more info comes in.

Indian Food

We had a great dinner tonite. We went to an Indian restaraunt with my brother and his family. We are not big Indian food fans because we don't like curry or mint. But Brian and Diana know the food and advised us. It was really yummy!

Interesting Book

I started reading the most interesting book this weekend. It is called "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon. It is written from the perspective of a 15 year old boy with autism. The author worked with autistic kids and has a fascinating insight into the mind of someone with autism. The main character is trying to figure out who killed the neighbors dog....

It is a quick read - definitely worth a trip to the library or the bookstore.

Snowboarder

This Gracie snowboarding in February at Badger Pass. This day was so beautiful that there were girls snowboarding in bikini tops.....not Gracie, though!

Junie B has arrived

Junie B was born On March 15 via c-section. There were 3 females and one male. I have not yet seen pics but was told they are all brindle pied, some with more color then others. We hope to go see her in mid April. I will keep you posted.

It is all in who you know.....

I have often been given a bad time because of all the people I know who have some kind of info or contact to get info, product or services that helps me out! Whether it is someone who knows someone in a position of importance/power, or its a mechanic that let's me borrow his truck while he fixes my truck, or its someone who knows someone who is breeding the type of dog I want..... I have been pretty successful at reaching out to those who can help me out. But at the same time, I always feel that I return the favor whenever possible.

So anyway, this leads to my thoughts this morning about MY neighbor vs other people's neighbors. I have a friend whose neighbor delivers babies..... My neighbor, Rob (who is Toby's dad -- Toby is Daisy Mae's best dog friend) delivers bread and baked goods. When I break things down, delivering babies may be considered a more prestigious way to make a living BUT delivering bread/baked goods is a much better occupation when it comes to real life. This morning I found 4 bags of Pepperidge Farm cookies on my porch. I bet my friend with the neighbor who delivers babies didn't find a baby on her porch this morning.....nor would she have wanted to find a baby!!! But ME.....I LOVED finding the cookies!!!!

The moral of the story....surround yourself with people who add value to your life and to whom you can return the favor!

Thanks Rob!

Soccer

Gracie starts soccer today with her new team. She is all fired up and looked so cute heading off in her new cleats and with her new ball! This is a comp team that she tried out for and is the youngest comp team they have. She is playing in the under 9 division and is only 7! But with her height, she easily looks and plays like a 9 year old. I will keep you posted on how it goes. The only reason we went with a comp team this young is because she wants to play year round and I couldn't find another way to get her on a year round team.

New "hair do"

Got a new hairdo today and it looks really cute! Thanks to my very talented "hair do" consultant! She is amazing!

Bicycle Drama

OMG! You won't believe this one.....

We went on a bike ride last nite because it was such a beautiful evening. We had to drag Grace kicking and screaming because she did not want to go but once she was out there she was happy as a clam. We rode up on the hill for a few miles and then came down to the street to head over to the elementary school. Drew and Jim were ahead of us. I was a little ahead of Gracie riding in the street. She was on a side walk.

All of a sudden.....I hear this god awful crashing sound and a scream!!! I literally jumped off my bike while it was still moving, left it in the middle of the street and starting running back towards her.......READY?????? She ran into a stop sign!!!!!!! She was in a pile in the gutter and her bike was laying on the other side of the stop sign. I thought for sure that we were going to the hospital in an ambulance. It was so loud that people came running out of their houses and stopped their cars and backed up to help!

Jim and Drew heard it too and came riding back. We quickly sized up the situation looking for broken limbs or head/neck injuries and thankfully all she had was a skinned knee, shoulder and elbow. And it was not even skinned enough that she was bleeding. We sat for a few minutes and then she walked it off while we tried to fix her bike. She completely totaled the hand brake for the back tire. It looks like it took the brunt of the impact!

I suspect that she was singing a song and not paying attention to where she was going. Her typical gypsy girl behavior.

It is a miracle that she was not injured! Once again, she amazes us in ways we never would have guessed. Girl power!

xray

Cuki, the mom of my puppy to be, just had an xray and there are 3 puppies, maybe 4! That increases the chances that we will get one! C-section still scheduled for next Friday March 16. Maybe the puppy should have an irish name since she will be born the day before St Patty's day.

New Dishwasher

I have not been blogging much because I have been too busy washing dishes. Our dishwasher started dying about 4 weeks ago. It took us awhile to get someone out to look at it because we were at the cabin so much. Finally someone came out and told us the motor was dead and it would be $360 to fix it. We did some research and decided to just get a new one. We decided on a Maytag and so far so good. It is really quiet and gets the dishes clean - which were my ONLY requirements!

Babysitting

We are watching the neighber's lab - Toby - the next couple days because the neighbor is in a class all day. So we are suppose to go over and let him out in the morning. OH SURE! That is not the kind of babysitters we are - he has been out front with us for the last 4 hours while we washed the truck and cleaned the garage. Poor guy is going to be exhausted. He lives with a quiet single guy and we drag him into the middle of our chaos and run him into the ground.

Yesterday he was over while I was on a phone call for work. I was in my office and it sounded like the world wrestling federation was in my living room. Drew came in and reported they were wrestling like mad!

He is a sweet dog and we really enjoy him. I just wish he would relax a little - he is really timid and gets nervous when we are all up and moving around. I guess I can't blame him - yesterday while he was here, Gracie was making up cheers about him and Drew was building a house out of the new dishwasher box! It actually made me a little nervous and its my house!

Wild Hogs

We saw the movie Wild Hogs last nite and it was great! I laughed out loud thru the whole thing. Definitely worth seeing especially if you are feeling like you are having a midlife crisis and wondering what life is all about.

Moonlight snow shoe

Last weekend we headed to the cabin with no kids and did a moonlit snow shoe hike at Badger Pass in Yosemite. It was a full moon and unbelievably beautiful! It was only about 1 1/2 miles but it was straight up a mountain at about 8000 feet. We did 7 minutes of silence where everyone in the group was quiet and just listened to the night - very cool! I hope to post some pics as soon as our friends send them.

Sledding

This is a great action shot from our snow trips over the holidays!

Rain

This is a poem that Gracie wrote last nite all on her own. For a kid who had trouble learning how to read last year....this is amazing!


Rain
-----
Night
Dark
Water dripping off of trees
Silent nights
Who, who
An owl in a tree
Silent
Drip Drop, Drip Drop, Drip Drop
Dark
Wet
Cold
Drip drip
Drop drop
Silent rain
Sparkling all over
Silent skies
Hush
Shhhhh, shhhh

Guess What?

Don't tell Drew and Gracie but they are getting these t-shirts in their easter baskets! This pink one is mine. Drew's is black and Gracie's is red and white! This totally makes me laugh out loud because we are always saying...."Guess What? Chicken Butt!"

Keith

I am going to see my back up husband for my birthday.....Keith Urban! Just got tickets to his concert in June!

Mud Fight

When we were at the cabin, the kids spent hours buuilding "Pine Village" which included a waterfall, little huts and a lake. When they were done, they had a mud fight! There was mud EVERYWHERE! My brother had to pick it out of Jackson's ears!

Bleh!

We spent the week at the cabin with my brother's family and had a GREAT time! My niece, who is now 8 months old, was delightful! She loved to stand in the corner of the couch and watch everything going on.

Junie B update

An xray is scheduled for March 9.

Due date is March 18 or 19!

Junie B Jones

"My name is Junie B. Jones. The B stands of Beatrice. Except I don't like Beatrice. I just like B and that's all. "

These are the beginning lines from books by my favorite children's author, Barbara Park. She writes the June B. Jones series which is targeted towards kindergarten and 1st grade students. The main character is Junie B who is a spunky littel girl who has a hard time keeping her slightly outrageous personaility under control. Some of the titles of her books include:

* Junie B Jones and the Stinky Smelly School Bus
* Junie B Jones and Handsome Warren
* Junie B Jones Almost a Flower Girl (in which she wished that the girl who was chosen to be the flower girl got a really bad case of lice she could take her job!)
* June B Jones Boss of the Lunchroom (in which she was thrilled to be wearing a hair net!)

This little girl is full vigor and constantly getting herself in a predicament! We read the books out loud as a family and laugh out loud at them.

So.....you are wondering why I am telling you this.....

Read this:

"My name is Junie B. The B stands for Bulldog. Except I don't like Bulldog. I just like B and that's all."

Got it?

I think I found the name for my bulldog.... JUNIE B!

What do you think?

Uninspired and self-absorbed

I have been catching some flak from my friends because of my less then prolific blogging lately. And I have to tell you that there are two reasons: I have not been inspired and I have been sort of self absorbed.

First of all, my life has been a bit dull so I have had no inpiration to blog the boring details of day to day life.

Secondly, I have been a bit obsessed about my new running shoes. For those of you who know me well, know that I get a bit weird about getting new running shoes. I love getting new running shoes and it is a big event in my life. There are three reasons for this: (1) I love the fact that I have run enough to wear out a pair of shoes and (2) I know my shoes are worn out once I start getting aches and pains and when I get new shoes those aches and pains go away and (3) I am a girl and girls like to buy new things!

So in early January I am all fired up and make the trip to buy a new pair of shoes. I purchase asics like I always do. The next day I get up and go for a run.....only to find that the shoes hurt my feet. Actually to be more accurate, these shoes killed the top of my right toe. This is not normal because usually I put on my new shoes, run and they are great! So I tried for 3 weeks to "wear them in". By the end of the 3 weeks my toe was killing me and hurt in every shoe I wore. So I talked to the folks at asics and sweet talked the manager of Sport Authority into taking back a pair of used shoes with no receipt. I have had the shoes new for almost 3 weeks but I have NOT been wearing them. I want my foot to heal all the way before I try them. If the pain comes back when I try them, they are gettting tossed and I will go try a new model.

So you see...I have been spending my free time fretting about my shoes and not blogging. Strange...I know....

But not to worry....the old shoes are not hurting my foot, so I am getting back to the blogging....

Snoring

This is what Daisy Mae does during girls weekend. After a nice long walk, she lays on her back and starts snoring.....oh the life of a yellow lab! I want to be one in my next life.

Bones and Dynamite

This is a pic from the scrapbooking weekend of me holding up Gracie's Bones and Dynamite album front page. It is kind of hard to see but in the lower left corner is a skeleton and the red sticks on the right are dynamite! The picture in the middle is of her in Las Vegas driving a car with red lips on the front and she has this funny smirk on her face that says..."Just try to mess with me!"

Albino Deer

So here is the albino deer. Can you believe how white it is?

Next pic for scrapbook

This is the next pic I need to put in the "Bones and Dynamite" scrapbook. Since Gracie got her bike in September, she has been on rides around Angel Island, thru San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, in the Sierra Mountains and from San Jose to Los Gatos! She can ride up to 16 miles in one day which is quite an accomplishment when you are seven!

Girls Scrapbooking Weekend

I spent the weekend at the cabin with two of my girlfriends who scrapbook. We have been talking about this weekend for over a year - but it was delayed due to pregnancies and little babies that they both had.

We literally scrapbooked all weekend. I did a school album for both kids that I am really happy with. I just did 2 to 4 pages per school year, which included pics of the first day of school, their school pic and a class pic. It is really neat to be able to flip a couple pages and see them grow up and see their classmates in the class pics grow up also.

The other album that I started was Gracie's "Bones and Dynamite" album. (If you are a loyal blog reader, you know that this is her nickname.) This is an album that I have done that captures her spirit. I am really pleased at how it has turned out. It highlights:

* her being "power bait girl" (power bait is what you use to catch trout) - in the pic she is wearing a pink hello kitty bathing suit and converse high tops!
* her swimming with dolphins in Hawaii - including a pic of her kissing a dolphin
* her 3 years of playing soccer
* her and her best friend Maddie
* her freakishly long tongue
* her ability at 7 years old to hike 6 miles to 9000 feet!

She truly is made of bones and dynamite! I am going to continue to add pages as she grows up. I hope that she will be able to look back it years from now and realize what a strong person she is and has been.

While at the cabin we were lucky to see an albino deeer that has been hanging around the area. I had read about the deer in the local paper but never thought I would see it. I had walked into the bedroom and looked out the window and was SHOCKED when I saw a pure white deer in the lot next to our house. I ran and got some carrots and went out to the deck. The minute I threw a carrot out the deer came over with no reservation. He ate 10 to 15 carrots while we took pictures. As soon as I have a digital pic, I will post it as you will not believe it!

Twins or Triplets?

Another doggy ultrasound was done and the mom is knocked up! There are two puppies for sure but maybe three! I have to fill out a puppy application and submit to be considered for puppy ownership. These people mean business.

Dog gestation is 9 weeks - so if all goes well, the puppies should be born at the beginning of April. Then if they stay with their mom for about 8 weeks, I could potentially have a new puppy for my 4oth birthday in mid-June!

Ultrasound results!

Freaked you out with that title....didn't I???

Not my ultrasound but the ultrasound on the french bulldog who may be the mother of my next puppy! They did an ultrasound this past weekend and it was too early to tell, so they will do one again next week.

Will keep you posted.

sick???

Had the funniest conversation with Drew the other nite at dinner. He was talking about a girl in his class that really bugs him. He was very dramatically showing us how she coughs all over the place, doesn't cover her mouth, spit flying, etc. Being the ever diplomatic parents that we are, Jim responds, "well maybe she is sick and she can't help it". Drew responds right back...."she is not sick.... SHE IS DISEASED!". We cracked up. He was obviously disgusted.

Dog Show Debrief

This weekend Gracie and I went to the Golden Gate Kennel Club dog show in SF. We went with the strategy to look at French Bulldogs in my quest for a new dog. It was so much fun to check out all the breeds. I spoke to the owner of the dog dad of the potential puppy I want. The dog was not there but I saw a picture of him. His name is Felix and he is from Russia. I also talked to the owner of the mom dog of the potential puppy, who is also from Russia. They were bred recently and there will be an ultrasound this weekend to see if it was successful! So potentially I could have a puppy in about 4 to 5 months.

Since the lineage is from Russia (like me), we are considering Russian names like Svetlana, Helga or Olga. If anyone has any name suggestions, please email me.

Alfredo

We were at the SJ Stealth (lacrosse) game over the weekend and Gracie said something that cracked me up. We were looking at a picture of the whole team and she said, "look that guy has an alfredo." And she was pointing at his hair! Yep - she substituted the word "alrfedo" for "afro". The guy had blonde curly hair!

Concerned Lab

This morning our cleaning lady came to clean. When she is here, I put Daisy's food and water bowl in the dishawasher to get it out of the way and clean it. Normally, I put it in the dishwasher late at nite before I go to bed because I turn on the dishwasher to run while we are sleeping. And when I do this, she is usually already asleep so she does not see it happen. This morning, she watched me put her bowls in the dishwasher and she was ALARMED! She was looking at me like...what the heck are you doing, I can't eat or drink out of those when they are sideways in the dishwasher!!! She stood there and looked at them for about 10 minutes until Drew finally distracted her with toys! Now a few hours later, she seems to have forgotten about them....she is now too busy snoring in the window!

A Night at the Museum

We saw the movie" A Night at the Museum" on Friday nite and it is well worth seeing. Very creative and some good historcial information. Love the fights between the diorama cowboys and Romans! Drew was laughing out loud thru the whole thing!

Escaped Hermit Crabs

Santa brought Gracie 2 hermit crabs for xmas. I am not sure how he got them on the sled, but they were under the tree on xmas morning!

On Friday afternoon, I was on a conference call and Gracie came into my office and interrupted me saying it was an emergency. I followed her out to the family room to find that the dog knocked the hermit crabs off the front window seat. Their home was on its side and there was sand every where! Gracie took control of the situation by barricading the crabs behind chairs, baskets, shoes, etc. She was making it so that the dog couldn't get the crabs! Since the situation was secure, I went back to my phone call and told her that I would clean it up when I was done.

With the chaos of family life, we forgot...until after dinner Gracie went to check on them and they were gone! You see... barricades made of chairs keep a dog out but don't keep hermit crabs in!!!! We went on a search and found them about 8 feet away in the entry way! Wheew! A close call!

Family Life Education

Fifth grade is when you start sex ed in our school district. So this week Jim and I went to the Family Life Curriculum Preview for Drew's class. All in all the curriculum looks great and is well planned out starting with basic concepts in 5th grade and increasing the complexity thru 7th grade.

We are a pretty open and liberal family so the nite of the meeting, we were all having dinenr and discussing that we were going and is there anything Drew wanted us to find out at the meeting....I am thinking things like..... who exactly is teaching it, when will it start, are the boys going to be in the same room with the girsl? etc. He says there is nothing he wants to know.

But then Gracie raises her hand and, very matter of factly, wants us to find out what "balls" are! I respond, very matter of factly" that we already know what those are....they are called testicles. She said "oh, ok" and went back to eating her dinner! Jim and Drew just roll their eyes!

She is a crazy little girl!

Girlie Cousins

I think this is the beginning of a long relationship! Gracie loves playing big cousin to Amelia. And Amelia loves her big cousin. I think Amelia knows that Gracie will teach her how to fish, play soccer....and beat up her brothers!

Bones and Dynamite.....

Gracie's nickname is "Bones and Dynamite" because she is so skinny but so powerful and tenacious. Whenever we talk about her being "Bones and Dynamite", she always brings up how short I am compared to the rest of the family. Her, Drew and Jim are all built for speed while I am like a turtle... slow and plodding. I always say I am built for endurance NOT speed. We always discuss that people are just different sizes and it doesn't mean they are any less strong, tenacious, etc. I have always told her I am little but mighty. Today we found a sticker of Piglet and it said...."Small but Brave".

So there you have it:

Gracie is Bones and Dynamite!

Her mom is Small but Brave!

She is one sweet kid with some great thoughts going on in that head!

Doggie Happiness

Daisy and all her xmas toys!

California Hillbilly Story

This here is a hillbilly motor home (with Marty standing in front of it) and this here is the story of the hillbilly motor home.

Over xmas break, we were heading to Yosemite to do some snow shoeing and sledding. On the way, we stopped at the gas station just outside the park. When we drove up to the gas station we were awed at the fine piece of machinery in this pic.... a circa 1972 motor home, also known as a rolling turd. It was such a hillbilly vehicle that we were hysterical. Little did we know that this was just the beginning......

We went into the gas station and while we were standing around waiting to pay for some stuff, a real live hillbilly walked up to us and asked us, "Wher'd ya'all get them A-dult snow bibs?". Our response, "Walmart" - since we were pretty sure he had never heard of Cabela's. His response...."thems all out of thems now". Our response...."we got them a couple years ago." His response.... "yea, I guess you just wear 'em til theeeer all ripped up."

We walked out of the gas station giggling.

As we were leaving, the hillbilly from the gas station approached the motor home and discovered that his kids had locked him out. He screams into the motor home...."if you kids want to go to the snow, you better unlock that door and let your daddy in." In he goes and they drive away. But not before leaving puddles of fluid and oil where the motor home was parked.

We thought that was the last of our encounter with Califonia Hillbillies....but that was just the beginning.

Off we go to Yosemite. And as soon as we pull into the park....there is the rolling turd parked in the first parking lot we come to. This time there are 2 adults (or as he called then A-dults) and three kids milling about and no one is wearing anything that matches or fits. Gloves don't match, hats and jackets too small or too big, etc. Plus they are playing in the dirty snow plowed to the the side of the road. We giggle again and are amused at finding such a rare breed of people in California. And at this time we decide it is time to call Chris' Uncle Dave in Kentucky to report this hillbilly sighting! But....no cell service available....DARN!

So off we go again thinking this is the last of the hillbillies. We spend the better part of the day snowshoeing and sledding. At about 4 pm we head back to the trucks to have some lunch. As we are standing around and eating our sandwiches, up drives the rolling turd! And there is a person looking out of every window - it looked like something out of a Chevy Chase Vacation movie. They pulled into an iced over parking lot, sliding all over the place because they did not have chains or snow tires. They finally came to a stop - pretty much right in the middle of the parking lot - because they couldn't get the turd to roll anymore. They all jumped out of the motor home - 2 men, 5 kids and a woman - and started stuffing branches under the wheels to prevent it from sliding out of the parking lot or into another vehicle.

At this point, there are uncontrollable giggles from us and the kids. And Drew is screaming...."there are the hillbillies!!!!"

They proceed to take off two sleds that are bungee corded to the back of the rolling turd. These sleds look like they are from the Depression Era. If my mom were there, she would have stole them and sold them on eBay!

They drag their sleds by us on their way to a hill and talk to Jim a little. (We are certain they did not recognize us from the gas station). One of the men asked Jim if the ski resort up the road was closed. Well.... there was no ski resport up the road....it is a one hour drive all the way across the park AND it was open. We think he saw the sign in the parking lot that said "nordic ski area" and he thought it meant downhill skiing. When Jim informed him about the location and status of the REAL ski area, he said it was too bad because he wanted to bring the sleds to the ski slopes.... HELLO - what if every YAHOO with sleds brought them to the ski area..... a little dangerous!!!! He seemed really disappointed when Jim told him that ski resorts do not allow sleds to go down the slopes with the skiiers!!

Once they were sledding, it allowed us the opportunity to check out the rolling turd. We discovered:

* the back tail light was duct taped on -- in true hillbilly fashion
* the left side had been "egged"
* there was a sleeping bag hanging out of the window in the sleeping area above the cab of the truck
* there was a straw hat on the dashboard embroidered with "Cabo San Lucas"

We left the happy hillbilly family sledding down a hill and across a road..... We have wondered since how they got out of the iced over parking lot!

Talk about two clowns!

This is Drew and his best friend Marty, who happens to be a 10 year old in a 40 year old body. YES - you see that right, they are both wearing shirts that say, "Protect Your Nuts"! Marty got himself a shirt and then realized that his buddy Drew needed one too. He had to go to Target Stores in 3 different counties to try to find one for Drew.....that is true friendship and devotion!

Lots of good stuff

The kids and the dog loaded up with good stuff from Santa and the family. This shows Daisy Mae getting a massage with her new hand held doggie massager (from Grandma Kathy). She LOVES it. And at the same time she is holding the new toy that Santa gave her and wearing the new holiday collar Grandma Anna gave her. In the other pic, Gracie is holding the Hannah Montana CD that Drew gave her. There is no pic but Grace gave Drew a Clue game - which we ALL love!

Xmas Eve

On Xmas Eve we were sitting around playing a game of rummikub when we looked outside and saw this amazing sunset. The whole sky looked like this.

3 Generations

This is a great pic from xmas day of Jim, his Dad and Drew - 3 generations of handsome men.

I want a new dog...

And this is what I want her to look like. This is a French Bulldog. They are from 19 to 28 pounds and are considered the clowns of the dog world. I am looking to get one for myself as a gift for my fortieth birthday (which is in June). I have very specific requirements so it may be a little while before I find one that is perfect.