thanksgiving

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house again this year. We had a smaller crowd than last year because Jared's family was not able to join us. His sister is 8 1/2 months pregnant and didn't think she could comfortably make the 6 hour car ride to our house. His mom also decided to spend the holidays up north. Probably the biggest change from last year was the absence of five small puppies in our home. Last year Thanksgiving fell four days after Maya had her litter of puppies. We told her that we were most thankful that we were puppy-less this year.
The meal went off without a hitch, except for the massive turkey that we had. It was three pounds bigger than what I ordered and therefore barely fit in the roasting pan. It all worked out but we are defintely going to be eating a lot of turkey! Last year we had a frozen turkey and it actually turned out better than the fresh one we had this year. It was also much cheaper. Next year I'm going back to the frozen turkey.
Other than the holiday not too much is new around here. Our friends Mike and Jacqueline had a baby girl on Tuesday, November 25th. Congratulations and welcome Cadence! All we have are text message pics at this point so once we get some in person I will post them.

this could be my dog...

see more puppies

happiness is...

I can't just narrow it down to one thing. Instead I will give you a short list of my current favorite things:

our newly added DVR option

fall-everything about it, even the cooler temps

my new knee-high steeler black and gold striped socks (compliments of the knitters at the Ren Faire)

knowing that I need to go shoe shopping for winter since I've been wearing nothing but flip flops since May

That's about it for now. My list changes often but those are the things that have made me smile the most lately. I just wanted to share. : )

imho

I'm not a big political activist, but I just want to share this website with people who may be looking for some info on Barrack Obama.

it's that time of year again...

football season! Now, for those of you who don't know, I am in a mixed marriage. That's right, my husband is a Buffalo Bills fan.

Stop laughing. The Bills have had some devastating losses in their past but this year looks hopeful. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a Steelers fan, but it would be nice for his team to have a winning season. It would be the first time in the eight years that I have known him.

J and I have attended two Steelers vs. Bills games since we have been together. The first was New Years Day 2005. In Buffalo. The Steelers third-stringers defeated the Bills first-string. It was really pitiful. The fans were not happy. I was just asking for it since I was in full Steelers regalia. One drunk guy decided to swear and point at me, as if it was MY fault that his team lost. We hurried back to our car.

The second game was just last year. It was the Steelers home-opener. The Steelers won again. People were shouting at J this time. Our friend Matt shouted back. We sat in peanut heaven, but it didn't matter, we were at Heinz field! A drunk guy two rows in front of us was escorted out. It was classic.

We had fun at both games. Last year we defintely had better weather. We are hoping to attend all the Pittsburgh/Buffalo games. Hopefully the fans will be nicer to us both.

hello

Agh!! Where has the summer gone? I'm sitting here typing this on a 65 degree day in August. I'm not ready for jeans and hoodies just yet, Mother Nature.

I've been a complete slacker and haven't posted in over two months *hanging head in shame*.

I won't post about my whole summer since June, no one really cares, but I will try to highlight some things.

We are getting a new roof on our house. We had other plans for the money that we will be spending on said roof, but unfortunately, it is a necessity so it is first priority. I am excited for the new look it will give our house, however, because the shingles are going to be a darker color. Normally it wouldn't matter because you can't see the roof, but we have a split entry home so it will be noticable.

For the first time ever I planted a vegetable garden. This year it was small, but I have plans to expand it next year. I have already gotten several zucchinis from my own plants and are currently waiting for some eggplants and peppers to ripen. There are dozens of tomatoes out there as well. Most of them are still green at this point, though. I'm really proud of myself for planting and maintaining this little garden. I'm even more excited for next year when I have more room and I can apply the lessons I learned from this year. We also have a pumpkin plant growing, or should I say, taking over our yard. That sucker is huge! I hope the pumpkin grows as quickly as the plant!

That's the general update. I do want to give a shout-out to my friend for the awesome crockpot receipe. Its waiting for my hubby to get home from work so we can enjoy it. It smells amazing!

dinner and flowers

**i tried to post this last night, but blogger ate my post...grr....

Dinner was super yummy tonight! I got the recipe from one of the wonderful ladies on a local message board that I frequent. The husband even enjoyed it and he doesn't like trying new things! Here is the recipe for anyone who is interested:

Mexican Pierogie Bake

Coat a 9x13 dish with cooking spray and layer:

1 box frozen pierogies

1/2 can refried beans

seasoned, cooked ground beef (I used approximately 1 lb.)

frozen corn

sliced black olives

green chilies

salsa

shredded Mexican cheese

**repeat layers for double batch

Bake covered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, uncover and bake additional 15 minutes. Top with sour cream and guacamole.

Also, I know that I promised some pics of the new grass. Well, that hasn't happened yet, but I do have some pictures of my yellow roses that are blooming away, so that will have to do for now.

grass!

If you look back at previous posts you will see one about my atrocious backyard. It was overgrown with a delerious amount of annuals and poison ivy. Well, that has all been cleared out and we now have grass growing! It's a little patchy and we didn't do all of it yet because I'm leaving some space for a vegetable garden, but it is very exciting to us! The most amazing part is how quickly it seems to pop up. Last night there was one area that was just beginning to fill in and this morning when we took the dog out, the grass seemed to have multiplied overnight! Thank God for rain!
I was going to snap a few pics to post, but since it is raining, that will have to wait until tomorrow.

happy earth day!!

so little time

I'm pretty sure my hubby and I were holed up in our home all winter and are now trying to make up for lost time. The past two weeks have been busy, especially the weekends, and it looks like it's going to continue to be that way.

Don't get me wrong, I like "doing things". However, I hope that no one decides to pop in and visit us in the next month because my house always pays the price when I'm busy. The previously mentioned dog hair tumble weeds and dust begin to form a gang and next thing you know there is riots in the hallway....ok, not really, I'm exaggerating, but it starts to get gross.

Things here are good. Everyone is healthy and happy. We are excited about getting our backyard finished so we can start having people over for cookouts. I'm really looking forward to having some outdoor living space. I will post pics when we get it done.

stress

I started seeing a chiropractor a few weeks ago. For everyone who does not "believe" in chiropractic medicine, stop reading *here*. For everyone else, read on.

My doctor is really great. I'm currently seeing him twice a week, but only for a couple of weeks. He has really helped and I defintely feel better! He has had me doing balance exercises, but other than that, he really hasn't asked me to change my life at all. He told me today that my body needs to learn how to adapt to my environment and life instead of the other way around.

That statement really made me think.

Can my body do that? Should I force it to do that, or should I just change the things I do? It would just be easier for my body to change. I like easy.

He said that I should begin exercising more, but that was his only recommendation, besides this. He recommends the relax into greatness mediatation cd to his patients. I may try it. I figure if it doesn't work, at least I got a few minutes of relaxation under my belt.

He says that I tend to hold stress in my spine. I figure that sounds about right. Most of the closets and storage places in our house are full, so my spine seems like the next best place to keep things. (insert chuckle *here*).

Anyway, he feels that some basic meditation would help me reduce my stress. Oh, and I need to figure out a way to not sit Indian-style on the floor when playing with the kiddos. Suggestions, anyone?

just thinking....

As I sit here and type and eat my mini eggs (yummy!) I'm just thinking.


I know I haven't posted a pic of my puppy lately and since I don't have children yet, this will have to do.

I love my puppy!

So, what else is new. I'm really excited to read my bookclub selection for this month. It's called Escape. Of course almost all the copies of it in Allegheny county are checked out so here's hoping I receive it from inter-library loan in time for our meeting.

I am really looking forward to spring! Today as a beautiful 65 degrees. It got me itching for some spring clothes and to begin working outside. We have a lot to accomplish this year. We plan to completely over-haul the back yard, roto-til everything (except the dogwood tree) and plant new grass. There will be some landscaping done in the front of the house as well. Now if the weather would just cooperate we could get started! Maybe I'm just too anxious to get these things checked off our "to-do" list. I'm just looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Until it gets nice enough to begin work outside I will finish my knitting projects and get the hubby motivated to help me paint the kitchen. I have the color picked out. We just need to choose a weekend to do it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

inspiration

I have been stalking the Mason-Dixon Knitting book for months now, but I could not bring myself to buy it for full price. (Lets face it people, I'm cheap!) Low and behold, I found it at my local Half-Price books this week, for, you guessed it, half price! It is now mine.

I have looked through it approximately 20 times now and have decided that I want to attempt almost every project in there. Is that too big of a dream? I have already knit several of the ball-band dishclothes so that is one project out of the way. My next plan, besides all the things I'm working on now, including a knitting bag from my S&B book, is the super chunky rug. I plan on finding bags of the potholder loops this week and begin chaining them together.

How many knitting projects is too many??

Now, I need to join or start a knitting group.....

soaking up the sun

I'm sitting here, on my couch, by the window, being warmed by the sun. That's such a nice feeling in the middle of February. Downstairs my husband is playing Rock Band on his 360. In the other room my puppy is playing with her new toy.
Life is good.
Seriously. I never thought I'd be where I am now. I mean, when you're young you try to imagine yourself in 10 or 15 years. I never imagined I would live where I do or own the house that we do. Heck, I never had a pet growing up and now I own a dog, whom I love very much, and for a short time I actually had 6 dogs in my house!
I guess what I'm saying is that despite all the things that I've done wrong in my life, I must have done something right for God to bless me the way he has.

please help!

President Bush wants to cut funding for the RIF program. If you are not familiar with this program, click here. But let me tell you that it is worthwhile, valuable program for children and their families. I remember receiving RIF books in Elementary school. I also distribute books to children in our Early Intervention program.

Please help by sending an email to the President.

time

ok, my friend Chastity said she copied this quiz from someone else. I copied it from her. I hope someone copies it from me.



You are breakfasty, like a pile of pancakes on a Sunday morning that have just the right amount of syrup, so every bite is sweet perfection and not a soppy mess. You are a glass of orange juice that's cool, refreshing, and not overly pulpy. You are the time of day that's just right for turning the pages of a newspaper, flipping through channels, or clicking around online to get a sense of how the world changed during the night. You don't want to stumble sleepily through life, so you make a real effort to wake your brain up and get it thinking. You feel inspired to accomplish things (whether it's checking something off your to-do list or changing the world), but there's plenty of time for making things happen later in the day. First, pancakes.

super fat tuesday

This year commerates the combination of the only two "holidays" that specifically fall on Tuesday.

I'm not very political. I have my views, I only wish I could find a candidate with all of the same ones. Maybe some day. And just for the record, I did not vote today. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe. Will I vote in November? Most likely.

Being the good Catholic girl that I am, I will be abstaining from meat and fasting tomorrow. I will also go to church to receive ashes. I will give something up for Lent. I'm not sure what it will be yet. I would like to give up cleaning, but then no one will enter my home, including myself, so I guess I'll have to find something else.

The part about Lent, that most people don't realize, is that you are not necessarily suppposed to "give something up", but rather better yourself in some way. That could mean by attending chuch more often, helping with a particular cause, or even just visiting a shut-in neighbor. You could make the resolution to pray more often or even to read a few chapters of the Bible each day. It is about sacrifice, since Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. Sometimes the sacrifice might be something as simple as your time.

So no matter what religion you practice, lets all try to take some time each day to do something for someone else.

Oh, and since it's Fat Tuesday, go have a bowl of ice cream! (and a cookie!)

sick as a dog

Ok, maybe not that sick, but I defintely feel like crap. Luckily tomorrow is my birthday, perfect timing!
I already had my one-year-older-where-am-I-in-my-life mini-breakdown. Nothing major, just making sure that I'm not missing out on my window of opportunity for certain things, i.e. having children. The hubby isn't ready yet, and really neither am I. We are hoping for a 2010 baby. That seems like a long way off, but really that means we will probably start TTC next year.
I also realized tonight, as I laid on the couch, that prime-time television stinks! Seriously! What happened to the great series like Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond? It's depressing. I better just skip t.v. and read. Oh yeah, and finish that pesky knitting project that's hanging over my head. : )

thank you, Dr. King

I would like to take a moment and thank the man who is responsible for my day off, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I know that he obvioiusly made more important contributions to society, but today, when the temeprature is at a high of 24 degrees, I thank him.
No big plans for the day just glad to be home. Hoping to get some cookies made and have my new glasses adjusted later. Maybe some laundry. Having Mondays off should be a law. This is great.
I'm sending out kisses to my hubby for finally getting our wireless up and running so now I can blog in the living room, yay!!

tag

Ok, I was tagged by my friend, Chastity. Here are seven random things about me (not difficult since I am pretty random, myself).

The rules:Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself.Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Random things about me:

1. My favorite colors are red, pink and yellow, in that order.

2. I can't stand the feeling of holes in my socks or that aluminum/waxed paper that they wrap sticks of margarine in.

3. I have been wearing glasses/contacts since I was 18 months old.

4. I enjoy knitting, but I can't seem to get myself into a complicated project, I'm scared. I also do not have a LYS, help!

5. Shopping online is becoming my new favorite thing. I can find just about anything I want, and it's often cheaper, especially when you factor in the price of gas these days.

6. I am a certified CPR/First Aid instructor through the Red Cross.

7. I think Blue and Magenta from Blue's Clues are cute, espcially Magenta's glasses!

**I do not have enough friends with blogs to tag them for this. If I come up with anyone, I will tag them. : )

blogs

It's 8 am and I'm ready to go for the day, except I don't have anywhere to go just yet. I had an 8 am. appointment scheduled, but they cancelled. So much for getting up at 6. Anywho.
I'm always on the lookout for interesting blogs. I have two that I would like to mention here. The first is the blog of a husband who's wife has Cystic Fibrosis. I actualy just found out about this blog, thanks to a post from one of the members of the Pittsburgh board on the nest. It's interesting to me because they are around the same age as us. I wonder how my husband would deal with a situation like theirs?
The other blog I read is more for entertainment purposes. If you live in Pittsburgh or grew up near Pittsburgh, you will enjoy this blog, unless you have absolutely no sense of humor, then I suggest not even viewing it.
As for me, I ate a bowl of Lucky Charms and am currently surfin' the 'net until I must leave.

cleaning vs. sleep

Life has been recently uneventful. Now that we are back the 3 member family that we envisioned when we adopted Maya. We've really just been trying to keep up with the mutilated dog toys and the tumbleweeds of dog hair that roll around our hardwood floors.

Ah...hardwoods. When we bought this house I was very excited about the hardwoods. They are defintely more work than carpet! I'm constantly worried about Maya destroying them with her nails. What we really need are some area rugs. Believe me, it's on the top of the list of things to get. I also feel like the floor is always dirty. Now, I grew up in a very clean house. Don't get me wrong, I was the child of two full-time working parents, so it wasn't "obsessive clean" but still very clean. I want my house to be clean, really I do. But if it's a choice between sleeping or cleaning, sleep wins, every time. Maybe I'm too hard on myself. I probably am. But if you ever come to my house, please don't wear white socks and please ignore the tumbleweeds.

I did see a video on the Post Gazette website about a family with 10 dogs. I believe five of them are Huskies, like Maya. I couldn't even imagine the amount of hair!! But we love our puppy and we can deal. I even ate a tater tot with dog hair on it tonight. That's love.