The Moore Chronicles

Hitting the 3 Month Mark

2011-10-02T17:57:00.001-07:00

On July 1, 2011, Aaron and I welcomed our daughter, Stevie Hawthorne Moore, into this world. We were expecting her arrival in September, but due to pre-eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome, we had no choice but to deliver her 10 weeks early. She was perfect and tiny, weighing 2 lbs. 8.8 oz. Our NICU journey lasted 10 weeks and 2 days. We brought Stevie home on Sept. 11, 2011, her original due date.
It has now been 3 weeks since we were discharged from the NICU and Stevie is 3 months old. As of last Monday, she weighs 7 lbs. 7.5 oz. If she were a full term baby, she would look like a recently delivered 3 week old. But she's not. It's so strange to look at her and know that she's 13 weeks. In the NICU, she was always referred to according to her gestational age. 30 weeks, 31 weeks, 32 weeks, etc. And now that her due date has come and gone, we are supposed to say, "she's 13 weeks", but think of her as 3 weeks. Crazy. It made me realize that her time spent in the NICU was to be considered as an extension of my uterus. She was still growing and develop as she would in the womb, only we were getting to watch it happen. Pretty amazing. And although pre-term delivery is not generally the end result a mom and dad are looking for, what a blessing those 10 weeks were. We bonded with our daughter and learned how to care for her long before we brought her home. We knew her personality before we set foot in our door with her. Steely got to smell her laundry several times a week and get used to her scent for 2 1/2 months before she got to sniff the real thing.
And now she's been here for 21 days. 21 days of feeding her by ourselves without an NG tube. 21 days of not having to ask if it's ok to pick her up. 21 days of going to sleep and waking up just a few feet from her. 21 days of changing every diaper, heating every bottle and giving every bath.
Yesterday was October 1st and she is officially 3 months old. She latex on my chest this afternoon and lifted her head up and held it there for 30 seconds at a time. And then I sat her on my knee on her rear end and as I sat there watching her little face, it occurred to me that she might be looking at me. Not just sorta looking in my direction or looking towards the light. She seemed to be genuinely watching me. So I moved my face from her right side to her left and than left to right. She followed me with her eyes! She'd keep it up for a bit and than stare off into space for a bit. But it seems to me that she is trying to focus on our faces. She also seems to be working on a real smile. She's given us lots of those gassy ones, but I played my iPod for her yesterday while I was holding her and on certain songs, it really seemed like she was having fun and trying to grin. We'll do more music this week and see.
And so here's a photo of our girl on the 3 month anniversary of her birth. She is the greatest gift the Lord could have ever blessed us with and I am thankful every day for His mercy and faithfulness. She has overcome so much. She us strong and completely perfect. Praise God for Stevie. The glory is His.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bacon, Egg & Toast Cups

2011-10-02T09:04:00.001-07:00

I tried this recipe from Pinterest earlier this week and it turned out pretty well. But Aaron is needing to on a low cholesterol diet, so we tried the bacon, egg & toast cups again, but this time with egg beaters. Turned out great! Plus we added a little cheese.
So here's the recipe:
1 muffin tin
6 slices of whole grain or wheat bread (or however many that correspond to how many muffin cups are in your pan)
Fully cooked low sodium bacon- 1 piece per cup
Egg beaters
Reduced fat cheddar cheese, or whatever cheese of your choice
Cooking spray
Spray butter
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Use a cookie cutter (or a plastic drinking cup, that's what I used) to cut a round portion from each slice of bread. Tear or cut each round bread disc in half and insert it into muffin cup, making a little bread cup. Spray bread with spray butter. Take bacon strips, divide in half and arrange in a crisscross in each cup on top of bread. Pour egg beaters into each cup and add cheese to the top. Cook for 15-18 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, add salt & pepper. Aaron would probably love for me to put salsa on them. There's an idea for next time. And they pop out of each muffin tin so easily.
Yum!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fun with Lomography

2010-07-08T19:30:00.001-07:00

I've had so much fun with these iPhone apps that I decided to purchase my first Holga camera. I'm waiting for my first roll of film to develop from a specialty camera store. Apparently, your local drugstore no longer processes film old school. It's all digital. So until I get that film back and can scan and post the photos, here's a few pics I did on a few of those iPhone apps.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

4th of July

2010-07-08T12:45:00.001-07:00

We actually did our 4th of July fun on Saturday the 3rd. We invaded my parents pool armed with food, drinks, children and dogs and had a backyard cookout. But we did make sure we got out on Sunday night to see some good ol' 4th of July fireworks.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

FW Weekly Music Awards Showcase

2010-06-28T19:09:00.001-07:00

Every year, our local publication, FW Weekly, asks it's readers to cast our votes on what we consider the best local music from lots of different categories. This year, we attended the music showcase that was held on the last day folks were able to turn in a ballot. First we headed to Fred's Texas Cafe to eat dinner and hear some Texas Country. We caught Jason Worley and then My Wooden Leg before heading over to Capital Bar's Backyard to hear Chatterton, The Orbans and Calhoun. Such a fun afternoon and evening. Awesome music and amazing friends! Can't wait for them to announce the winners. Come on FW Sings in the MVP category!!!!

Backyard at the Capital Bar

Chatterton

The Orbans

Calhoun

Steely's 2nd Birthday

2010-06-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Steely turned two years old this month. Just waiting to bring her home as a puppy seemed like it took forever. I can't believe she's just had her second birthday. We took her to the vet recently and she weighed in at 110 lbs. She is such a little blessing and brings so much joy to our lives everyday. Last year we baked her a doggie cake and unfortunately she broke out in a little rash on her back legs. So this year, she got her favorite goody, cut up carrots, mixed in with her dinner. She's not a fan of baths, but she's a big fan of running in the sprinklers so I turned the water hose on the sprinkler setting and tricked her into getting bathed. I took lots of pics of her playing in the backyard. We love her so much. Happy Birthday Steely!!!

Location:

West 7th Spring Bash

2010-03-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Fort Worth's West 7th St. has been long working on it's new up & coming neighborhood. It's filled with housing, shopping, eating and nightlife. So the city of Fort Worth threw a little bash to kick off the opening of this neighborhood and supplied us with live music a la Reckless Kelly. Yes! We ended the night at Capital Bar, had a blast and I got to use my new Hipstamatic app on my iPhone that I now cannot seem to put down.

Notice the "7" on the Museum Place building...

Meet the Moores...

2010-03-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated this thing in a while and a lot has happened!!! Aaron and I were married in November and honeymooned in Costa Rica. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's have passed us by. We helped Clayton & Lindsay welcome their new baby boy, Sage Walker Sikes, into this world. I am a proud aunt, for sure! Here are a few pictures from our wedding reception and I plan to stay more current with my postings.

Aaron and I at our rehearsal dinner.
Los Vaqueros in the FW Stockyards

At the reception...

Me and The Mommy

Me and The Daddy

Delicious cake

You Know You're a Giant Breed Dog Owner When...

2009-12-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

-The sound of running water makes you jump up and yell, "OUTSIDE!"
-You tell your dog to sit, and he backs up until he finds a chair
-It takes 3 people to get your dog on the scale at the vets
-You walk your dog and everyone knows him by name, but you have no
idea who these people are
-You can carry on a conversation with a dog's muzzle firmly in your
crotch
-You own a dog capable of pulling someone from a porta potty
-Your dog can hide an entire tennis ball (among other things) fully
inside his lips and give you that innocent look that says, "What? I'm not
eating anything!"
-You carry a tape measure with you when shopping for a new vehicle
-You keep at least one color-coded "drool towel" in every room of
your house
-After banishing your husband, the snoring in your bedroom still
keeps you awake
-You are hiking with a friend who later suggests that you ought to
have an environmental impact statement done on your dog
-Visitors enter the house holding their privates protectively
-You toss your dog a ball and cringe when he almost hits his head on
the top of the doorway
-You take your dog for a ride and he rests his head on your arm,
causing you to make random right turns
-You have given up on water dishes and you just use the bathtub
-Your two dogs decide to play in the house, and they end up pulling
the ceiling fan down -- for the second time
-You have to move over when brushing your teeth because your dog
wants a drink
-You show a picture of your dogs and kids together, and the first
person you point out is your dog
-While stopped at a stop light, everyone stares as your car rocks
back and forth because the dog is panting out the window
-You go to vacuum your car and most of the fur is up there on the
ceiling
-You avoid the dogs on your way out the door, so they won't smear your
makeup
-You've learned to force a smile when asked "do you have a saddle for
that thing?"
-The monthly dog budget exceeds your home mortgage payment
-Your veterinarian has been able to put in a swimming pool, build a
large home, buy jet skis and a personal plane
-You have had to train your dog not to lick dishes, and the dishes
are in the sink
-The donuts you put on top of the refrigerator are gone when you get
home and your dog has powdered sugar on his nose
-Your dog can see what you're cooking, and he tries to assist you in
the preparation
-You're holding him straddled between your legs when the doorbell
rings, you take a short (but fast!) ride straight to the door
-The pizza delivery people tell you to meet them at the end of the
sidewalk
-Your dog stands in your lap and reaches over you to stick his head
in the drive-through window at MacDonald's and nearly gives the cashier a heart attack when she turns around to give you your change
-You purchase a large screen TV and you still can't see the program
when he stands in front of the television

-Author unknown-

Here it is ladies... the diet we've been searching for all these years!

2009-07-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

So far, so good. In the past two months, by eating right and exercising regularly, I have lost 17 lbs. and Aaron has lost 23 lbs.
But then I ran into this diet and I don't know... maybe I need to get on board with this! What do you think? How can I go wrong???? ;)

From an interview with "Dr. Chu Wu":

Q: Doctor Wu, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism for delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ....... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember:
'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride' AND......

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Beastro 2009

2009-06-06T07:32:00.001-07:00

We attended the 3rd Annual Beatro at the Fort Worth Zoo last night. We had a great time. It was pretty humid in there, but we had some delicious food from some of Fort Worth's local restaurants and drank a few coooold Coors Lights. Better Than Ezra was the headlining band. Ah, high school days.

Participating Restaurants:

Blue Mesa Grill
Bonnell's Restaurant
Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Chadra Mezza and Grill
City Kitchen
Daddy Jack's Lobster & Chowder House
EuroCater
Fletcher's Corny Dogs
Hot Chocolates
H3 Ranch
Mac's on 7th
Margie's Original Italian Kitchen

Olenjack's Grille
Piranha Killer Sushi
Ruffino's Restaurant
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Shula's 347 Grill
Simply Fondue
Starbucks Coffee - Montgomery Plaza
Texas de Brazil
The Covey Restaurant & Brewery
The Vault
Ultimate Cuisine & Events
Winslow's Wine Café

Night night, Flamingo.

Breaking Up

2009-06-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes break-ups are necessary. It doesn't matter how old you are or how long you've been together. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and say to yourself, "Look, you're not good for me. I don't like the person I am when we are together". And you have to say goodbye. Don't look back. Keep moving forward. Because you'll only be the better for having done it. And you'll look back months from now, years from now, and wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Why you didn't recognize what needed to be done from the very start. Because love can be blind. And some loves can completely manipulate you.

But I'm not going to let that happen anymore. I'm standing my ground and I refuse to be the fool. I don't like you anymore. You're such a smooth talker when we're together and when you're gone I feel like an idiot for having taken you back time and again.

We've been together a long time. You've been there when I've needed you. But the damage you've left behind is far more than I'm willing to continue putting myself through. I know it will be difficult at first, but it's bound to get easier with each passing day, until I no longer need you. No longer crave you. And then I'll see you in passing and won't even give you a second glance.

I've made up my mind and this is what is best for me and for everyone who truly loves me.

I'm breaking up with you, cheese.

I don't know if I could have come to this conclusion on my own. But my thighs, my belly, my butt, my arms and my double chin got together with my bathroom scale and decided to have an intervention on me.

Yes, you lose cheese. I'm going to miss you at first. But when it really comes down to it, I don't give a damn about you. There are other things I love much, much more. And you're only weighing me down.

I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but come on. Let's not pretend that you've taken mine into consideration even one time in the last 31 years.

So, pack your bags and hit the road, cheese. You are no longer welcome in my life, so don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. I know my ass couldn't be happier to see you go.

Harvesting a Habanero

2009-06-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Our "Big Daddy" Habanero pepper was ripe for the pickin' on Monday. So, we plucked it from the plant and brought it inside. As I've said before, this is really Aaron's plant since he's the pepper eater and I, unfortunately, have Acid Reflux.
So, yesterday, Aaron had a half day at work & decided to make an omelet for lunch. He chopped up his Habanero and cooked it in his omelet. He said it was delicious.
Stay tuned for when we are able to harvest the Jalepenos & Serranos.

Behold, the Mars Coat King!

2009-06-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you keeping up, it has been quite the experience for me getting the hang of grooming a Newfoundland dog. Double coats, matting, possible hot spots. It's a lot of work! But I would do anything to keep Steely happy and healthy and now we're at the point where I'm getting better at this and she's actually starting to enjoy the grooming process more. Thank goodness!
Over the last month, we've had our battles with combing out her undercoat and getting a few beginning hot spots under control. From a post a few days earlier, I'm switching her over to a grain-free food, which should stop all the itching. Her ears already look much better, so fingers crossed, by the time she's completely off the old food and 100% on Taste of the Wild, we should be good to go.
Now for tackling that pesky undercoat. I had a grooming tool with 6 blades on it that I was using to get at her undercoat and it was taking forever. And on top of that, not really doing the best job. So, as recommended by the members of Newf Net, I went online to www.groomersmall.com and finally purchased the Double Wide 18 Blade Mars Coat King for coarse hair. $37.75 plus shipping and worth every single penny. We received it on Monday and tried it out that evening. It's magic. Best money I've ever spent on a grooming tool for Steely.

Behold!

This thing just glides through and removes that dead undercoat. No fuss, no muss. I highly recommend buying one. Especially if you have a double coated dog.

Steely gives her seal of approval.
"The Mars Coat King is groomalicious!"

Anyway, here's few photos of Steely after I used the MCK on her followed by a bath and blow dry with the cool shot feature on my hair dryer. She actually liked getting blown dry. What a princess. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of that, but I will next time.

Springtime at the Ranch

2009-06-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Photos courtesy of my Dad...

This is a photo of Axle. We've had Axle for the last 15 years. He's our old man river. A few months back, he somehow hurt his leg and was having a very difficult time walking. My family was worried that he may have to be put down. But he has made a real comeback. He's looking strong as ever and enjoying life. Here is blurb that my Mom wrote about him in an email when asking friends and family to pray over him.

"Somehow, our oldest horse Axle has received a serious injury to his leg. We don't know how serious yet. The vet was out to x-ray today. At his age (23 yrs), a broken leg would probably mean putting him down. And I think that might mean putting Steve down too. Putting dogs and cats to sleep is hard enough...never had to do it with a horse before. Axle has been a one of a kind horse. He convinced several years ago that he was meant to be pet - a part of the family - rather than an animal to be ridden. When we drive up to the ranch, he is the first one there at the barn door. Before we added the other horses, he stayed in the inner yard around the house, even sticking his head inside the sliding glass door to see what was up in the house. He even saved Steve's life (or so Steve thinks). Steve got himself in a predicament in a pasture with bulls, and there was one in particular that hated him. He was working on repairing fence, when he noticed that this bull had gotten between him and his truck and was giving him the evil eye. As Steve was wondering what his best exit scheme would be, here came Axle running from the other side of the pasture. He positioned himself between Steve and the bull and ran that bull down the fence line away from Steve and the truck. The bull was sold the next week.
Anyway, I do believe God hears and answers prayer for animals, so please keep Axle in your prayers, as well as us in letting go when the time comes."

Those prayers really worked! Axle is such a special soul. We love you Axle.

Steely & Lulu are going grain free!

2009-06-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

Steely has been once itchy girl for the last few months. At first I thought maybe it was because she was blowing her coat and that dead undercoat needed to come out. So I groomed her and pulled out enough undercoat for there to have been two of her. Not only still itchy, but so itchy she was creating the beginnings of hot spots on herself. Yuck. For those of you who aren't familiar with hot spots. They are less than lovely open sores that crop up, almost overnight it seems in some cases. In Steely's case, I believe the itching caused her to scratch and bite at her skin and until the sores started forming. The can also come about after swimming or a bath and not drying the coat properly. Let's face it. Newfoundlands have a lot of hair. Two coats of it to be exact. And it can take forever to dry, depending on how thick we're talking here. It can be really irritating to their skin.
Anyway, we shaved two spots on Steely's lower back, one closer to her tail than the other. I loaded Listerine into a spray bottle, sprayed the area, let it dry and then powdered it down with Gold Bond powder. This little concoction is awesome. There is also something you can buy from your vet called Gentocine for about $20. But we decided to try the $5 route first and it worked like a charm. Another one came up after we took her swimming, but we doctored her without having to shave again and it's dried up and healing nicely. Poor Steely.
So, after doing a little research and asking question of other Newfie owners as well as Steely's breeder, I decided that it was time for a change of food. She's had a couple of issues over the past three months such as an ear infection that took her temperature to 104 and a urinary tract infection. If I'm right about Steely possibly having food allergies, her old food may have been the culprit of these past issues including the itchiness and hot spots.
I went to Dallas last Thursday for my final round of wedding dress shopping with my mom. Found "the one". Hallelujah!!!! We got there, accidentally, one hour before the boutique opened and I remembered that there was a pet food store right down the street that carried the brands I had been researching. So Mom and I drove over there and I spent a little time deciding what to do. My choices were Orijen 6 Fish, Evo and Taste of the Wild. Orijen is supposed to be this amazing food that does amazing things for, it seems like 90%, of the dogs that are on it. Obviously, it's not going to jive with every dog. Also, it's about $65 for a 29.7 lb. bag and you can't get it in Fort Worth. Although I did just hear today that it's available at a store in Aledo, which is a little closer than Dallas and much easier to get to.
I decided on my breeder's advice and went with Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Canine Formula with Smoked Salmon. Here's a little information from their website...

Pacific Stream Canine Formula
with Smoked Salmon

* For All Life Stages
* Grain-Free
* Smoked & Fresh Salmon
* Omega Fatty Acid Blend
* Antioxidants
* Digestive Support System
* Potato Fiber
* Sweet Potatoes
* Berry Blend
* Tomatoes
* No Corn, No Soy, No By-Products
* Chelated Minerals

A fish protein, grain-free formula for all life stages with sweet potatoes provides highly digestible energy for your sensitive dog. Made with real smoked salmon, this formula offers a taste sensation like no other. Supplemented with fruits and vegetables, this fish and potato formula delivers natural antioxidants to protect your friend's body from the damage of everyday living, supporting a healthy immune system and overall good health. Your dog craves a taste of the wild. Go ahead and give him one.

Protein: 25% Fat: 15%
Calories: 3,600 kcal/kg (360 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy

Ingredients
Salmon, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, salmon meal, smoked salmon, potato fiber, natural flavor, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 25.0% Minimum
Crude Fat 15.0% Minimum
Crude Fiber 3.0% Maximum
Moisture 10.0% Maximum
Zinc 150 mg/kg Minimum
Selenium 0.4 mg/kg Minimum
Vitamin E 150 IU/kg Minimum
Omega-6 Fatty Acids * 2.4% Minimum
Omega-3 Fatty Acids * 0.3% Minimum

* Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profile.

Calorie Content: 3,600 kcal/kg (360 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy.

AAFCO Statement
Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Canine Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.

And on top of that, I've been noticing that Lulu sure does itch a lot, to the point that she will also give herself sores. Her's scab over immediately and are a little more easily recognized because the hair will be gone. So what the heck? Taste of the Wild makes a feline formula, so let's try it? Maybe Lulu has food allergies as well. Can't hurt, I suppose. Here's the info on the cat food...

Rocky Mountain Feline Formula
with Roasted Venison & Smoked Salmon

* For All Life Stages
* Grain-Free
* Roasted Venison & Smoked Salmon
* Optimal Amino Acids
* Digestive Support System
* Antioxidants
* Omega Fatty Acid Blend
* Berry Blend
* Taurine
* Tomatoes
* No Corn, No Soy, No By-Products
* Chelated Minerals

A grain-free formula for all life stages with peas and sweet potatoes provides highly digestible energy for your active cat. Made with real roasted venison and smoked salmon, this formula offers a taste sensation like no other. For today's healthy cat, this formula is supplemented with fruits and vegetables, providing natural antioxidants to support a healthy immune system and overall good health. Your cat craves a taste of the wild. Go ahead and give him one.

Protein: 42% Fat: 18%
Calories: 3,745 kcal/kg (390 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy

Ingredients
Chicken meal, peas, sweet potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potato protein, roasted venison, smoked salmon, natural flavor, ocean fish meal, methionine, taurine, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin (vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 42.0% Minimum
Crude Fat 18.0% Minimum
Crude Fiber 3.0% Maximum
Moisture 10.0% Maximum
Zinc 120 mg/kg Minimum
Selenium 0.4 mg/kg Minimum
Vitamin E 150 IU/kg Minimum
Taurine 0.15% Minimum
Omega-6 Fatty Acids * 2.8% Minimum
Omega-3 Fatty Acids * 0.3% Minimum

* Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profile.

Calorie Content: 3,745 kcals/kg (390 kcals/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy.

AAFCO Statement
Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Feline Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.

I haven't noticed any problems for Lulu, but I also haven't looked at her litter box. But I haven't noticed any itching from her. I made the mistake of giving Steely an entire dinner of her new food right away and it gave her extremely loose poos. As much as I don't want her on her old food, with my sister-in-law's advice, I thought it best to wean her onto it. So for now she's eating 3/4 of her old food and 1/4 of her new food. In a few days, I'll measure it exactly at half and half, then we'll go to 3/4 of the new food and 1/4 of the old food. I think in two weeks, she should be completely on Taste of the Wild.
She's still itchy and I expect that since she's still eating some of her old food. But I did noticed a few days ago that the inside of her ears look great. They get red really easily. Especially the right ear. But they are very healthy looking. Yay! And her poos are starting to firm up as of this morning. So far, I'm happy with it, but the ultimate test is to whether or not the itching stops. So, I'll report back with an update in two weeks.

Sunday Bike Ride and the Best Salad Ever

2009-05-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

It's been almost three weeks since Aaron and I started our new diet and exercise program. So far, I've lost 9 lbs. and he has lost 15 lbs. Both of us do the elliptical I have on loan from Clayton and Lindsay until their house is done and they come to take it away. Today, we decided to get some use of our bikes in the garage and change up our workouts. Aaron has had his mountain bike since he lived in Austin and he bought me a sweet beach cruiser from California for Valentine's Day 2008. We never ride our bikes, so today we thought we'd change that. We were gone for about an hour and a half. Through our neighborhood park and then we rode on the Trinity River bike path. So exhausting, but it was an excellent workout and we loved getting to spend some time together outside on a beautiful Sunday.

My hamburger bell

Some sweet wheels

And then when we got home, I made a delicious salad for lunch. Buttercrunch lettuce, sweet basil leaves from my garden, yellow cherry tomatoes, raspberries, orange bell pepper, smoked turkey and olive oil vinaigrette. And on the side, banana, white flesh nectarine and watermelon (Steely's favorite right now). So yummy!

Steely LOVES her fruit and veggies. The only thing I've found that she's really not into is lettuce of any kind. She went with me to cut the basil and was extremely interested in finding out what it was. So, I went ahead and humored the little girl by giving her a sniff and a taste. And yes, it wound up on the floor with the other little pieces of buttercrunch that she voted no on.

I love my Sundays and this has been a great one. Life is truly good. Thank you, God, for all of our blessings. I am so grateful.

Dreaming of November 16th

2009-05-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

Because that's when Aaron I will be officially Mr. & Mrs. and on a plane to Costa Rica! Why am I so excited in May, you ask? You would be to if you're fiance kept sending you emails like this...

This is where we will stay our first night and last night in Costa Rica at the Hotel Grano de Oro.

Here are photos of where we will be staying in Arenal. The Arenal Nayara Casita.

Um, the shower...

Don't mind me. Just taking a bath on the balcony overlooking a volcano...

And, where we will be staying in Manuel Antonio. The Si Como No Hotel.

Are you drooling yet?

Did you know?

2009-05-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

My grandmother sent me this today and I thought I'd share. Very handy little tips for around the house & out in the yard. I love home remedies & tricks and I can't wait to try out a few of these! I've actually done the pizza one before & it is honestly the best way to re-heat leftover pizza.

Did you know?

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to
pick the little "stringy things" off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.
If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of
spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints
in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste
of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply
chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them
in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350
for 15 minutes!!! S erve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low
and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. S eal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer
for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes
with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in
a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food
moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers,
put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and for-
get about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not
get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.
It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper.
The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel
roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt
or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose.
Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! .. static is gone.

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water.
Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such
as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of
your car. When the window's fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside,
just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals
easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and
leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you
bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," can't
digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the
house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the
dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material ... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that.

Warning! Foster Park Newfie Assassin!

2009-05-28T04:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard me right. There is someone in our neighborhood who made several attempts on my dog's life yesterday. A dirty stinking bird. This is no ordinary bird. It's a dive bomber! It continually harrassed Steely yesterday when she was in the backyard trying to enjoy some weather that had not reached 100 degrees. It followed her from branch to branch around the yard shouting it's bird obscenities at her. And then when she stopped in the middle of the yard where there were no low branches, it dive bombed. She looked shocked! It's her backyard. What a nerve!
There are a couple of dogs that live behind up that she likes to go and say "how do" to everyday. A Pomeranian and a Dalmatian. When she went yesterday, the bird followed her and yelled at her the entire time.
We went back out later that night. Not only was assassin bird still lurking, but had summoned backup! They both flew from branch to branch verbally assaulting my poor dog!
We woke up a 6 o'clock this morning for Steely breakfast and when I let her out for potties, guess who? Just sat there on a branch being as loud as it pleased. This has got to stop. This bird is ruining Steely's backyard time. We have had our share of red birds and blue jays back there and they have NEVER bothered her! Which really surprised me about the blue jays. But this bird! Relentless!
I may have to call the Foster Park Neighborhood Crime Watch Association at this point

Here is a photo of the offender. Look at it with it's stupid bird beak open. No doubt in the process of cussing my dog out.

The best thing to happen to Lean Cuisine...

2009-05-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

Butternut Squash Ravioli from the Lean Cuisine Spa Cuisine Classics. 350 calories and twice the veggies of an average Lean Cuisine entree. It is to die for. Seriously. Love it! The veggies are snap peas & carrots along with walnuts. Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum!
Go out and buy one!
In the last few weeks, I seem to be transforming into a lunchtime Lean Cuisine fanatic. Aaron and I are getting married in six months and we're both committed to losing weight being a lot healthier by the time November 14 gets here. So each of us has a Lean Cuisine at lunchtime. As of today, I've lost 7 lbs. and Aaron has lost 10 lbs. Boys have it so easy sometimes. We both do cardio everyday. We were just saying last night how much healthier we both feel already. We were actually going over the things that we used to order and it was embarrassing! The portion sizes alone are enough to make you cringe.
Anyway, here's to summertime rapidly approaching and good diet & exercise habits. Go out and buy a Butternut Squash Ravioli!

The Thunder Rolls & the Lightning Strikes

2009-05-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

We had some potential major weather last night with the news telling us that a wall cloud was headed our way from the northwest. That combined with the cold front coming in from the east meant a major Mother Nature collision over Fort Worth. While we did have some green sky looming in the north, we never received hail at my house. We did, however, get some pretty great storm pictures!

Holy Habaneros!

2009-05-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

The jalepenos and habaneros are growing fastest in my garden. I took some new pics of the habaneros today. They are getting big very fast. This is kind of Aaron's plant since he's really the one who eats hot peppers. He's excited that the peppers are getting so big and I'm sure he's looking forward to when we'll be able to harvest them!

Big Daddy

Save Mayfest!

2009-05-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

Please go to www.mayfest.org to make donations or buy merchandise from the 2009 festival. Mayfest has been an integral part of the Fort Worth community for the past 37 years & we need the community's support now to keep our beloved festival alive!

Reasons NOT to Assault a Ranch Woman

2009-05-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Reasons NOT To Assault A Ranch Woman

Violence does not scare us. We ride 1,500 pound horses and stare down an alley full of mad, snot-slinging cows that weigh over 1000 pounds. We run our horses full speed holding our breath and gritting our teeth and still know whose face was at the first barrel. We’ve held down calves that outweigh you by four times.

Don’t try to intimidate us. Most of our husbands stand a head and shoulders taller, outweigh us by 75 pounds and we aren’t scared of them. Why would be we be frightened by some gang member or thief? Every time we work cows, our husbands threaten us if we don’t get out of the gate. They threaten us if we don’t stay in the gate. We are pretty much not impressed by threats. Plus, if you get much closer we may give you some threats of our own to consider and be able to back it up.

Don’t wave that knife at me, boy. I castrate when we brand, throw the ‘mountain oysters’ on the fire AND eat them, dirt and all. You probably don’t want to go there.

Don’t threaten to steal my pickup. I work for a living, so have insurance. The chances of you being able to drive a standard are next to none and there is no spare. I’ve walked home from the back side of the ranch, I can walk from here.

You want my purse? Take my purse. It has little money in it because, as I mentioned, I work for a living. You will find various receipts for feed and vet supplies, some dried up gum and the notice for my next teeth cleaning. The only ‘drugs’ you will find is something that is either aspirin, bute, or a calf-scours pill but its been in there so long I’ve forgotten which it is.

Don’t threaten to hurt me. I may look old and fragile to you, but I can ride horseback for 10 hours, with nothing to eat or drink. I have been kicked, bucked off, run over, and mucked out. I’ve had worse things happen to me in the corrals than you have experienced in the little gang wars you’ve been through, and still cooked supper for a crew.

You may whip me, son, but you’ll be a tired, sore S.O.B. in the morning and yes, I will remember your face because I am used to knowing which calf belongs to which cow and which colt belongs to which mare. I’ll also remember which direction you went and what you were wearing because I’ve tracked many a cow with less information than you’ve given me.

You are not going to scare me with that little ‘Saturday Night Special’ when I have a .38 in my boot and a knife in my pocket. You need not think I won’t shoot you. I’ve shot several coyotes and numerous rattlesnakes. I put down my horse when he broke his leg and shot my pet dog when he killed some chickens and sheep. Don’t think I won’t consider you a rabid dog and go on my way.

Don’t mess with this ranch woman!

~authour unknown~

Steely & Her Horses

2009-05-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

These pictures were actually taken Easter weekend, but I was a little slack on my blog updates back then. The pictures of Steely with her only friends who are bigger than her are too cute not to share. Enjoy!

Come here & see me, Casey!

My Steely & my Casey

Steely & Blue

Steely & Axle

Steely LOVES to bark at Brownie. He's a little salty acting sometimes, so that may have something to do with it.

She loves her big guys. She runs over to see them every time she goes outside.

Every Texas dog needs her own Armadillo baby!

Pool Day

2009-05-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

We had a few friends over to my parent's house to swim and grill out on Saturday. It was a pretty eventful and by the end of it, exhausting, day.
It started out as a way for Carter to go swimming, but then we decided to include a few more friends, most of who also had children. Brian brought Caroline and Jenny & Michael brought Price.
The second the girls got into the pool, Steely knew she had a job to do. She just didn't exactly know what that job was. So without getting into the pool, she lifeguarded Carter & Caroline with all her might. All day. Very exhausting work for a puppy of 11 months. At some point early on, while pacing the shallow end, Steely slipped on the wet deck and went right into the water. Luckily her Daddy was there to guide her to the steps. She was thoroughly embarrassed but continued to monitor her petites from the edge of the water.

Jenny showed up with Price for his first swim ever! He is the bestest boy in the whole world! That water was a little cold, but sweet Price never cried or even fussed. He took to water like a little fish. He kicked it in his baby float and then sat on the top step with Michael, once he got there. When it was time for Jenny to give him his dinner, Steely took a break from her lifeguard duties long enough for a face licking attempt. Unsuccessful. No strained orange stuff for puppy. Oh well, she loves any excuse to lick Price in his sweet baby face. Which doesn't seem to bother him at all.

Aaron was master chef for the day at Steve's grill. For lunch we had grilled chicken and homemade low-fat potato salad. Yum! Bell peppers and watermelon to snack on. And then for dinner, Aaron made beef tip kabobs with onion, tomato and green bell pepper. He also grilled some squash slices along with some corn still in the husk. Double yum!

About this time, we learned that Carter has been working on her first loose tooth. She was working it with her tongue the way we have all done to the point where it was literally "hanging by a thread". After Aaron so gently told his niece that he would be willing to tie one end of a string around the tooth and the other end to the bumper of his truck, Jenn attempting at reasoning with Carter letting her know that today and today only, that tooth was worth $10 and that every day after that that she didn't pull her tooth, the price would depreciate.
So, combined with those sage words and the realization that she wouldn't really be able to eat her corn on the cob with her snaggletooth hanging there, Carter popped that sucker right out. And then she ate her corn.

We had a wonderfully blessed day with close friends! What a great way to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. And summer for that matter! We were minus a few necessary people, but what a blessing to have such amazing friends in our lives!

Here a Quack, There a Quack

2009-05-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

We have lovely neighborhood ducks that live in the park across the street from our house and occasionally come up and hang out in our ground cover.
Last week I was leaving to go back to work and noticed my neighbor's Beagle, Molly was on the side of my house wandering around. I parked on the street and got out of my car to get her. After I called her name, she followed me to my neighbor's front door. No one was home so I took Molly around the side of the house to put her back in the yard. On our way around, I was taken by surprise at the sound of ducks. They were in my neighbor's bushes! Two of them.
I put Molly in the backyard, went back to work and then called and left a message for my neighbor that she had gotten out. My neighbor called me back a few hours later to say thank you and asked if I had noticed the ducks in her bushes. She said they are nesting in there! So we are going to have little ducklings next door soon. I took Steely for a morning walkie this morning and as we were rounding the corner to get back on our street and go home, I noticed the two ducks standing on the corner at my neighbors house. It took Steely a minute to notice them, but when she did, I was pretty impressed with her behavior. She did pull a little bit, but when we got next to them and I asked her to sit, she did. She very politely watched the ducks for a minute and then we headed back to the house. I've been really bad about walking her, so I was pretty proud of her leash manners. She hardly pulled and she only got out in front of me a few times. With correction she took her place next to me and the leash was slack for almost our entire walk. Yay Steely! And yay for soon to be baby duckies! Do you think Aaron would ever let me have a duck of my own???

Big Eyelashes, Rosey Cheeks & Pouty Lips

2009-05-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

I've had quite the love affair with makeup artistry for quite sometime. It all started when I was in college and starting doing my friends' makeup before date parties. I also worked at the local Greek store painting paddles, buckets, picture frames, pillow, anything for sorority and fraternity members. So, basically, I just like to paint things.
When I lived in L.A., I studied with Tina Earnshaw. She has worked in film for years and was nominated for Academy Awards for her work in Titanic and Shakespeare in Love. She is a pro at period looks. Her teaching studio is in her home in Marina del Rey, CA and with her, I studied basic makeup, beauty, runway and period makeup (1920 through 1960).
If you've never picked up a Kevyn Aucoin book, I would HIGHLY suggest doing so. He was absolutely phenomenal. Sadly, he passed away in 2002. He was legendary and had the ability to completely transform people.
I haven't worked solely in makeup since 2007 and without those sweet discounts, I am not able to buy products as obsessively as I once was. Now, all my money seems to go to Steely ;).
Anyway, I like to do little lists sometimes & here is my top product list...

Courtney's Favorite Products
1. Favorite Moisturizer: La Mer- original formula and moisturizing lotion, Oil of Olay, Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Day Creme SPF 15, Chantecaille Water Flower Fluid, Chantecaille Retinol Intense
2. Favorite Eye Cream- La Mer Eye Balm
3. Favorite Serum- La Mer Concentrate, Laura Mercier Multi-Vitamin Serum, Chantecaille Vital Essence
4. Favorite Cleanser- Oil of Olay, Proactive, La Mer Cleansing Gel, Chantecaille Rice & Geranium Foaming Cleanser
5. Favorite Toner- Nars Hydrating Freshening Lotion, Oil of Olay, Proactive, Laura Mercier Light Perfecting Water
6. Favorite Lip Balm- La Mer, Chantecaille Lip Potion
7. Favorite Eye Makeup Remover- Guerlain Eye & Lip Remover
8. Favorite Foundation- Stilla Illuminating Foundation, YSL Perfect Touch Foundation
9. Favorite Concealer- YSL Touche Eclat, Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, Laura Mercier Secret Concealer, Lorac
10. Favorite Powder- Chanel Double Perfection, Stila Illuminating Powder, Laura Mercier Translucent Pressed Powder
11. Favorite Mascara- L'Oreal Voluminous in Carbon Black
12. Favorite Eyeliner- Nars in Black Moon, Laura Mercier Eye Kohl in Brown Copper
13. Favorite Blush- Stila Convertible Color and just about any blush that Nars makes
14. Favorite Eyeshadow- Nars. My absolute favorite. I also love Laura Mercier and Trish McEvoy
15. Favorite Eyelash Curler- Shu Uemura. Hands down.
16. Favorite Lipstick- Nars, Laura Mercier, Chantecaille
17. Favorite Lipgloss- Nars, Laura Mercier, Chanel, YSL, Lancome Juicy Tubes, Clinique
18. Favorite Bronzer- Guerlain Terra Cotta, Nars Laguna
19. Favorite Makeup brushes: Nars, Trish McEvoy, Laura Mercier, Kevyn Aucoin
20. Favorite Miscellaneous: La Mer Mist, Caudalie Beauty Elixir, Natura Bisse Oxygen Mask, Nars Mud Mask, La Mer Radiant Facial, Guerlain Midnight Secret Late Night Recovery Treatment, La Mer Hand Cream

Backyard Kitchen

2009-05-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

We planted 10 pots of veggies, fruits and herbs at the beginning of spring. We have a raspberry plant, a blueberry plant, a blackberry plant, a tomato plant, rosemary, sweet basil, parsley, lavender, chamomile, jalepenos and bell peppers.
I also planted eggplant, cucumber and okra in a bed, but they were unfortunately trampled by Steely's big feet. I think I'm going to buy more okra and pot it since I can't resist the thought of growing fresh okra.
We have gotten quite a bit of rain in the past month and my plants are really loving it. My raspberry plant is three times the size it was when I planted it. Everything else has literally double in size. I learned my lesson with mint last year and planted it by itself this year. It seems that parsley is dominant like mint. I planted it with the sweet basil and lavender and it has all but taken over the pot. I'm thinking of re-potting the basil and lavender.
I've already cooked with the rosemary and will make a batch of sun tea with the mint as soon as the sun comes back out.
In the last few days, we have noticed that we have some little jalepenos growing. Aaron is so excited because this is basically his plant. He loves jalepenos! They're teeny so far. And I have a tiny little bell pepper budding.
I could really get into growing my own fruits and vegetables. We'll see how this goes and maybe next year I can put in a bed to do more!
Here are a few shots of what I'm growing...

Green Bell Pepper

Blueberry

Chamomile! I didn't know what I was going to do with this, but I found a great recipe for homemade chamomile tea. Peter Rabbit would be so proud.

Lavender

Mint

Parsley

Sweet Basil

Rosemary, my absolutely favorite!

And the beloved Plumerias. My Mom has been growing these for years and last summer she cut some branches off her big boys and potted them for me. Here's the growth on one of them so far.

Thar She Blows!

2009-05-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

It's spring and Steely is blowing her coat big time! It took a few days but we finally got what I hope is all of that undercoat brushed out. She was pretty patient with me during the whole process. She got up and walked away a few times and then actually fought me on a couple of trouble spots.
After I took the thinning shears to her ears, neck and feathers, she looks like a brand new dog! A little bob haircut for the summer!
And check out her new friend, Mattie! We just love Mattie. She's so soft. ;)

Rastafarian Man Living Behind Steely's Ears!!!

2009-05-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

There are lots of surprises and unforeseen situations that come with owning either a giant breed dog, a high maintenance dog or in my case, both.
Steely has been blowing her coat big time right now. From what I understand they do this two times a year. Spring and Fall. Don't get me wrong. Newfs shed all the time. It's just that during their blowing seasons, it's like living in a fur coat factory.
I've groomed Steely regularly since we brought her home, but now since all of her undercoat is blowing out, I've had to get serious and help her by pulling out that undercoat.
I groom her all over. Her back, her sides, her chest, her legs, her pants, her feathers, her big ol' plumey tail. Her feet and the hair that grows between her pads. As a new Newfoundland owner, I am even aware of the mats that can form in her armpit/legpit areas and have taken special care of that. Not to mention her none of your business place.
What I wasn't aware of, however, are the little places behind her ears. Don't get me wrong. I brush out her ears and the sides of her face all the time. I brush out the floof on the top of her head. And I do even brush the area in question. Only, I had no idea what really lurked under the surface (insert music from Psycho).
I was brushing out some of her undercoat last night and starting to feel around behind her ears. It felt thick like skin, but the longer I had my hands in there, the more I realized it was not skin. I started separating hair to get a good look and to my horror, it was a huge nest of grey, dead, matted hair. OH GOD. I grabbed my mat breaker and got right in there. It seemed neverending. I felt so awful that I had unknowingly let something like this go on so long. Steely was a very good girl and sat pretty still while I raked out mat after mat, clump after clump. She got up and walked away a couple of times, but came back when I asked her to. It took close to an hour to get all that crap pulled out and then I tidied her up with a comb. The hair back there now is less than an inch short and I'm sure it feels so much better to her. I was so proud of her for behaving so well while I did what had to be done. It couldn't have been that pleasant. Jennifer sat there the entire time wincing.
As if I hadn't put her through enough, I decided to grab her ear wash and flush her ears out. This she hates. But I've changed my approach when giving her the drops so that I am calm and assertive. And in response, she has handled taking them much calmer, herself.
She slept hard last night and then this morning I took out the thinning shears and trimmed up her ears. I still have a little more to do, but I had to go to work.
Much thanks to some friends on Newf.Net, I will be purchasing Ice on Ice by Chris Christianson for detangling and the much coveted Mars Coat King.
I am so thankful that I saw this situation when I did because once it was all out, I noticed some irritation in the skin, which no doubt would have escalated to hot spot status had all that dead, matted hair been there much longer. Now, plenty of air is getting to the skin to keep that area dry. But we'll keep an eye on it to be safe.
Whew.

Mayfest 2009

2009-05-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately for us, the central committee and the entire community of Fort Worth, TX, the Tarrant County Health Department made the decision on Thursday afternoon to cancel Mayfest with the intent of not contributing to the spread of swine flu. This decision came after the FWISD decided to cancel classes on all campuses through May 8. It was extremely disappointing for all of us that have been working so hard all year, but not much you can do about it.
The central committee all came together on Thursday afternoon to start tearing down what we had worked so hard the previous Saturday to erect. Everyone was a little sad, but still able to cheer each other up as we always do and of course we ended up having a great time together.
This year, the Children's Area was looking forward to having 4 new booths. Paper Garden, Lil' Seedlings, Pirate's Cove and Rock Painting. In the Paper Garden booth, we would be making flowers and butterflies out of coffee filters, watercolors and multi-colored pipe cleaners. The Lil' Seedlings booth was to be our Go Green craft in Children's where kids could plant a seed in a non-waste peat moss pot and then take it home to watch it grow. We loved the little peat moss pots because the enabled the roots from that seed to penetrate it and you could plant the entire thing right in the ground. Pirate's Cove was our boy's answer to the Princess Party booth. At Pirate's Cove, we'd be decorating eye patches & swords and making pirate hats. And it was mandatory to talk like a pirate while visiting this booth. This year, we had decided to bring back rock painting. I still have the ladybug rock I painted when I was a little girl and I knew that the kids would love this booth.
And of course we also had: Thumb Thing Thilly, Happy Sacks, Modeling Clay, Sand Art, Spin Art, Mad Science, Princess Party, Elsie the Cow, Radio Disney, Hippity Hoppers, Aches & Breaks, Sand Pile, Music Makers, Face Painting, Feeding Frenzy and Wood & Sticks.
It was going to be a fun and exciting year with not only new booths, but several of the returning booths had new crafts to premiere.
On Saturday of what would have been Mayfest, a few of us got together at my house for drinks and decided to make a few crafts. Jenn and I went to the store and bought paint, watercolors, brushes, coffee filters, pipe cleaners & clothespins. And when we left Trinity Park on Friday after everything had been cleaned up, we took some of the rocks from our rock pile with us.
We made flowers and butterflies. We painted clothespins and glued magnets to the back. And of course, we painted our rocks. And it poured. It rained very hard on Saturday, so it was really nice to watch it from inside the house and not in the middle of Trinity Park.
I think every person on Mayfest's central committee is truly wonderful. It was inspiring to watch everyone pull together after given such disappointing news to once again, get the job done and have pretty good attitudes while doing so. In the two days that I was out there taking down Children's, I never came across anyone with a completely sour attitude. Mostly, everyone was just sad at the decision to cancel and what it might mean for our future as a festival.
I love all of my Mayfest friends and I am so proud to be part of such a strong and amazing group of men & women!

Steely & Price

2009-05-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

Steely has been around a good amount of children, but it's hard sometimes because we don't have a lot of friends that have kids yet. At least not that we hang out with on a regular basis.
We had a few friends over on Saturday night. Michael & Jenny brought Price with them. Steely was pretty interested from the moment he got there. She was very interested in being a part of Jenny & Price's diaper detail. Much to her disappointment, she was asked to go away. But she did manage to steal a clean diaper from Jenny's bag.
After we all settled in for movie watching, Steely went and sat next to Jenny & Price. She loved him. She licked him all over his face and he cooed at her when she was too far for him to reach her. He liked to grab her face hair in his hands and laugh, which she did not mind at all. Good Newfie girl!
I did get up at one point to use the restroom and when I got back, Steely was sitting on the couch with Aaron between her and Jenny & Price. She had her front paws and head in Aaron's lap and I was told that she had just been licking him. I'm so sad I missed that I couldn't seem to get a really good picture after that.
Oh well. I was so proud of my girl and her behavior towards a 6 month old baby. She was so gentle. I could tell by her body language that she wanted to put her paws up on the couch where Price was, but she kept hesitating. I guess she knew that she needed to be calm for him.
This has made me so excited for Steely to interact with more kids and babies and eventually, kids of our own!

It's Official!

2009-04-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

Well, it's always been official, but we had our engagment party! The Monroe family threw Aaron & I a wonderful party last Saturday. We had a great time! It was really only the second time that our parents have been able to get together. We need to do a better job of having our families over so they can get to know each other.
We had a blast with our families and our dear friends. Couldn't have been a better night & we ended it by stopping by the The Moon Bar to hear Josh Weathers play. And of course, Aaron got on stage and gave me a speech in front of everyone. So a big thanks to Josh for repeatedly letting him do that! ;)
Thank you to all our family and friends for getting together with us to celebrate our engagement. We love you all so very much and are truly blessed by each and every one of you!
Here are the party pics!

The Sikes Family
Patti Sikes, Aaron, Tom Hackleman, Clark Hackleman, Susie Hackleman, Steve Sikes, Leta Davis, Dick Davis and me

The Moore Family
Judy Kane, me, Aaron, Howard Moore, Bob Coffey, Jackie Moore and Arden Moore

Clayton Sikes & Jason Weiser

Hayden (Adams) Kimberlin, Holly Cadenhead, Brent & Courtney (Wiggins) Jones and Nickie (Watterson) & Chad Avery

Danielle Bassham & Arden Moore

Brad Bassham, Derek Pugh, Aaron, Thomas Sargent, Michael Blackmon, Neal Adelman, Jeffrey Cornelius

Arden Moore, Mary Helen Cornelius, Jennifer Cohn, Kelly Wood and me

Arden & Aaron

The Daddy!

Aaron and me with Granleta and Dick

Mom with Sharlotte & Gary Crawford

Aaron and me with my Maid of Honor, Jenn

Kelly Wood, me, Jenn Cohn and Hayden Kimberlin

Nickie Avery, Hayden Kimberlin, me, Courtney Jones and Holly Cadenhead

And a few from after the party when we headed to The Moon Bar to hear Josh Weathers play. A little history... we went to a Josh Weathers show on our 1 year dating anniversary where Josh let an overserved Aaron join him onstage to profess his love for me. This happened again on our engagement party night.

I Am Your Puppy

2009-04-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

I AM YOUR PUPPY

I am your Puppy, and I will love you until the end of the Earth, but
please know a few things about me.

I am a Puppy, this means that my intelligence and capacity for learning
are the same as an 8-month-old child. I am a Puppy; I will chew
EVERYTHING I can get my teeth on. This is how I explore and learn about
the world. Even HUMAN children put things in their mouths. It's up to
you to guide me to what is mine to chew and what is not.

I am a Puppy; I cannot hold my bladder for longer than 1 - 2 hours. I
cannot "feel" that I need to poop until it is actually beginning to
come out. I cannot vocalize nor tell you that I need to go, and I cannot
have "bladder and bowel control" until 6 - 9 months. Do not punish me if
you have not let me out for 3 hours and I tinkle. It is your fault. As a
Puppy, it is wise to remember that I NEED to go potty after: Eating,
Sleeping, playing, Drinking and around every 2 - 3 hours in addition. If
you want me to sleep through the night, then do not give me water after
7 or 8 p.m. A crate will help me learn to housebreak easier, and will avoid you being mad at me.

I am a Puppy, accidents WILL happen, please be patient with me! In time I will learn.

I am a Puppy, I like to play. I will run around, and chase imaginary
monsters, and chase your feet and your toes and 'attack' you, and chase
fuzzballs, other pets, and small kids. It is play; it's what I do. Do
not be mad at me or expect me to be sedate, mellow and sleep all day.

If my high energy level is too much for you, maybe you could consider
an older rescue from a shelter or Rescue group. My play is beneficial,
use your wisdom to guide me in my play with appropriate toys, and
activities like chasing a rolling ball, or gentle tug games, or plenty
of chew toys for me. If I nip you too hard, talk to me in "dog talk", by
giving a loud YELP, I will usually get the message, as this is how dogs
communicate with one another. If I get too rough, simply ignore me for a
few moments, or put me in my crate with an appropriate chew toy.

I am a Puppy; hopefully you would not yell, hit, strike, kick or beat a
6-month-old human infant, so please do not do the same to me. I am
delicate, and also very impressionable. If you treat me harshly now, I
will grow up learning to fear being hit, spanked, kicked or beat.
Instead, please guide me with encouragement and wisdom. For instance,
if I am chewing something wrong, say, "No chew!" and hand me a toy I
CAN chew. Better yet, pick up ANYTHING that you do not want me to get
into. I can't tell the difference between your old sock and your new
sock, or an old sneaker and your $200 Nikes.

I am a Puppy, and I am a creature with feelings and drives much like
your own, but yet also very different. Although I am NOT a human in a
dog suit, neither am I an unfeeling robot who can instantly obey your
every whim. I truly DO want to please you, and be a part of your
family, and your life. You got me (I hope) because you want a loving
partner and companion, so do not relegate me to the backyard when I get
bigger, do not judge me harshly but instead mold me with gentleness and
guidelines and training into the kind of family member you want me to
be.

I am a Puppy and I am not perfect, and I know you are not perfect
either. I love you anyway. So please, learn all you can about
training, and puppy behaviors and caring for me from your veterinarian,
books on dog care and even researching on the computer! Learn about my
particular breed and it's "characteristics", it will give you
understanding and insight into WHY I do all the things I do. Please
teach me with love, patience, the right way to behave and socialize me
with training in a puppy class or obedience class, we will BOTH have a
lot of fun together.

I am a Puppy and I want more than anything to love you, to be with you,
and to please you. Won't you please take time to understand how I work?
We are the same you and I, in that we both feel hunger, pain, thirst,
discomfort, fear, but yet we are also very different and must work to
understand one anther's language, body signals, wants and needs. Some
day I will be a handsome dog, hopefully one you can be proud of and one
that you will love as much as I love you.

Love,
Your Puppy

May be posted, reposted, cross-posted and used with permission as long
as credit is given.
Copyright 2000, by J. Ellis - Southern Shadows Rottweilers

We're goin' to the Chapel & gettin' married n' stuff!

2008-11-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

It's official! Aaron and I are engaged! We are so excited! I can't believe it! We're getting married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He proposed to me on Saturday night, Nov. 8, 2008 at my family's ranch. He and I spent the entire day with my Mom and Dad. He helped my Dad with some things in the barn and we all drove around together checking on cows. He and I took Steely down to meet the horses. Casey & Brownie were very interested! Casey lowered his head to the ground to meet her and Brownie stuck his head underneath the gate. Very cute!

Later that afternoon, after my Mom told me how dirty my hair looked and that I ought to really take a shower (and I did!), Aaron asked me if I wanted to go deer hunting with him. I said sure! He said he didn't really feel like sitting in a blind and wanted to take the Mule and drive around. Fine by me. My Mom made us cocktails and off we went. We drove around for a while. The weather was nice and we saw several bucks and doe running around. Finally, as the sun was setting, Aaron pulled over at a tank and got out. I followed him to the water and we watched the sun setting for a minute. We both heard loud noises in the distance, sounded like oil wells working. Aaron said, "what is that?", so I looked that way. When I turned back to him, he was down on one knee and said, "Courtney, my love, will you marry me?"

Yes! Absolutely I will marry you. I love him. He is so wonderful. He's the best and we would do anything in the world for each other. We support each other in everything. I thank God everyday for bringing us together. No matter what anyone else has gone through in accepting our relationship, mine & Aaron's love has always been pure and constant. We have sadly regretted the way we went about letting others know that we were together, but the way feel about, love and care for each other has stood it's ground and remained unshaken.

God has truly blessed me in this life. With a loving, supportive, amazing family. With the most caring and loyal group of friends from Texas to California, over to New York and up to Chicago that I could ever ask for. And now with an extraordinary man that will be by my side for the rest of our years.

We are so happy and are looking forward to a life of love, special moments and achievements together!

Yay us!!!!

Steely's Life Lessons

2008-10-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

I've had Steely for one month today. She is about to be 15 weeks on Wednesday and she is growing like a weed. I know I'm her mother, but she is the most beautiful little puppy girl I have ever seen. She is just the cutest thing.

That being said, yesterday was kind of the light coming out of the darkness, so to speak. For the last two weeks, we've had a few struggles. She's been going through what I've seen referred to as "the puppy stubborns". This is when your puppy will kind of flip a switch on you. The day before this happens, they were just moving right along with training and they were the smartest thing in the world. But, on this specific day. WHAM! She doesn't want to listen to anything I say or do anything I tell her to. Very similar to the way I treated my Mother. Except I was in high school and Steely is 3 months old. And the icing on the cake is that Steely is doing everything she can think of to establish dominance over me. She mouths all over me and when I tell her no, she bites toward me. And when I tell her no again, she barks at me. She doesn't do this to Aaron and she doesn't do it to Jennifer either.

She's been acting more respectful of Aaron and this is why. Last week, he had a half day at work, so he went over to check on her and let her out to potty. When he got there, she had already peed in her crate. What was particularly annoying about this situation was that I had taken the towel out to wash it, so it was just pee on plastic running everywhere with my pup right up in the middle of it. So, still calm, he takes her outside and hoses her off. He then wipes the pee up from the pan and then sprays it down with Clorox. After a little while, he puts her back in the crate. And it's after this point that I get a call at work. She has peed in it again. And he's mad. By the time I get home from work, he and Steely have already had a "Coming to Jesus" meeting regarding this issue. Since that day, she has a newfound respect for him.

So we talked and figured out a few things that I am doing wrong. Apparently needs not just verbal correction, but a little physical correction as well, when she is acting up or trying to challenge us for dominance. And I wasn't giving her enough of that. Plus, I am always getting in the floor with her, whether we're in the kitchen or watching tv in the living room. And I want to get down there with her because she's mine and I love her. But I think it's doing more bad than good. I think she doesn't see me as her leader when I am down there with her. She gets all over me and mouths all over me and that is when she usually sasses me after I tell her no.

Yesterday was Sunday. Steely was out all morning. Following me around. Playing outside. So, then at about 9:30am, we decide to go run some errands so we could do some Halloween decorating that afternoon. So, she was in her crate for three hours the entire day. Which, I'm sure in her little mind, kicked ass compared to the weekdays when I'm at work.

I used that time we spent with her to make my own corrections. She was awesome. I always stood over her when we were playing, even when I was brushing her out. The only time we got in the floor with her was to cut her nails. She fought us on this at first, but after clipping 3 nails, she got over it and let us do our job. We kept going in and out the front door to throw away trash when we were cleaning. At first she wanted to come with us, but after a few times of telling her to sit and stay, she stopped trying to get out the front door with us. She would sit there and look out the glass until we came back. And she wouldn't try to run out then either. Went to the back door every time she had to potty. One accident because I wasn't watching her. She literally peed right at the backdoor in the kitchen. That counts as a good potty, by the way!

I had zero problems with her trying to be dominant over me yesterday. She followed us around, "helped" with chores and even found out that she has a new favorite treat. Carrots are greatness, apparently.

Anyway, Steely is wonderful and sweet. Challenging and strong. I love her so much and I am learning so much from her. I am learning patience and discipline where those things have been lacking in my life before. She is such a gift and I am so thankful for everyday she is a part of my life.

Love

2008-09-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

It's nice when things in life take you by surprise. And even better when love takes you by surprise.

I fell in love when I was least expecting it. When I was not looking for it. And definitely with someone that I never expected.

But that's the way it works, isn't it? God doesn't lay out the road according to our plans. He lays it out according to His own. After my last relationship I prayed that God would have mercy on me and not let me get involved with anyone unless is was the person He wanted me to be with. I prayed that if it was someone that I already knew, then God would open my eyes and my heart to him. And God is good. Along came one. And I looked to God and He said "No". Along came another. I looked to God again and He said "No". And along came a third. I looked to God once more and once more He said "No".

And then came him. "Surely, not", I said to myself. And God said, "think again". So, I did think again. And God told me to trust Him. So I decided to trust Him.

That was 1 year and 9 months ago.

And because I trusted God, this is what I have...

Someone that loves me with all his heart and someone that I love with all mine.

Someone that would do anything in the world for me and someone that I would do anything in the world for.

Some that holds me in his arms when I've had the worst day and wipes the tears from my face when I'm sad.

Someone that is just as happy to share my joys, excitements and triumphs as he is to see me through my worst moments.

Someone that sees how much certain obligations and organizations mean to me and is willing to be a part of them too.

Someone who wants to make plans for the future with me and enjoys spending time with the people that mean the most to me... my family. Someone who's family I cherish like they were my own.

Someone who challenges me to think outside the box and makes me want to be the kind of woman that doesn't fly off the handle when things do not go my way.

Lets be honest. No one is perfect. I can be emotional and unreasonable. And he can definitely do a few things to irritate me. And in the same breath, he can be the sweetest, most caring, selfless man I have ever met.

You know that your Mother and Father will always love you no matter what. The love and adoration that comes from them is so very great. But when you finally meet that someone that has nothing but your best interest at heart and loves you so unconditionally that it all but rivals your parents love for you, you have to take it hold on to it.

And always trust God. He is here for us every step of the way in life. It is okay to ask God if this is the right thing for you to be doing, the right decision, the right person. He has our greatest interest in His heart.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

2008-09-02T19:57:00.001-07:00

Last week, Jenn and I went to Dallas to see Tom Petty at American Airlines Center. We've had tickets for several months now and we have both been really looking forward to this concert.

Neither one of us has seen Tom Petty since we were in high school, and I have to say it was just as kickass as it was back then.

He sang all his great songs and Jenn and I stood up, danced and sang to every single one of them.

We had the best time and Tom was stoned to bejeezus, although Jenn and I were not. Rock on Tom Petty!!! We enjoyed the show immensely. See ya next time!

The Steely Girl

2008-09-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

We are three days away from bringing Steely home and I am so excited I can hardly wait for this week to be over. I am so ready for my sweet girl to come home and be with me. She is going to be so excited when she comes home to see how many things her new Mommy has bought for her and how many new friends are looking forward to meeting her. We have an appointment with Dr. Adams the following Monday for a meet and greet and everyone at the clinic is looking forward to meeting Steely.

It's only a few days away, but we have a ton to do in that time puppy proofing the house. You know, basically picking up and finding homes for things that normally like to live on the floor. Stuff like that.

I've been trying to think of a good registered name for Steely. I have it narrowed down to the titles of three Steely Dan songs. The band does have a song called "Black Cow", so I think that might be the winner. We'll see.

Here are some pictures that Steely's breeder sent me of our little puddins at 8 weeks old.

Enjoy!

Pilates

2008-09-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have been doing Pilates on the equipment with a trainer for about three months. I actually started doing mat exercises to a video tape when I was in college and fell in love with it. I moved to California and met a friend who was a Pilates instructor. Darci would work me out when she had an opening in her schedule and it was then that I was introduced to the machines. Every so often, I would go to the gym with her and we would do exercises on the Reformer and Cadillac.

I moved back to Texas and started doing a little yoga every now and then and I was taking a Pilates mat class at my gym. But I decided at the beginning of the summer that I would treat myself and get a Pilates trainer so I could use the machines again.

I love getting on the Elliptical machine and the Treadmill and just listening to my iPod, but I think Pilates is my favorite form of exercise by far. I love challenging myself and trying new poses and stretches. I love those moments when I can tell that I am getting stronger. Everytime Cheryl introduces me to a more advanced exercise, I look forward to jumping right in and working hard at it.

I am so excited because tonight I performed Side Splits on the Reformer. It was difficult, but so fun. I can't wait to try it again and get better and better at it. I get very excited when I am able to accomplish an exercise that I thought I may not be able to do.

Yay! If you have never tried Pilates, I strongly suggest you find a class in your area or even buy a video tape and try it out in the privacy of your own home.

I assure you, you'll be hooked!

Tales of a delusional kitty...

2008-08-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

I have been receiving a lot of packages in the mail lately. Packages full of precious puppy things. It is more fun than shopping for myself, I must say. It all started with Aaron & I making a little trip to Petsmart last week. We got the big honkin' crate with a divider so it can start small and get bigger as Steely grows. It will help her to not potty in her crate. We got a bin to hold her dog food. Yeah, it holds 50 pounds. We got a pin brush, slicker brushes and a comb. A collar and leash. A backseat hammock type thing for Aaron's truck, complete with pockets to hold toys! And then the mail goodies started rolling in. The toys are the funnest! Steely doesn't even know it yet, but she has an Om Ball, a huge rubber tongue that will look nothing short of hilarious in her mouth, a Katie Bumper and a Puppy Kong. And that's not including what is on the way!

Anyway, the point of my little story is that today, Steely's crate pad came. I had to come home from work at 3pm to meet the electricians and there were actually 3 packages on the doorstep. The largest one held the crate pad. As I opened each box, Lulu sat on the arm of the chair and a half and watched me cut the tape and remove the contents. I needed to go back to work, so I took the crate pad and threw it on the floor behind the chair. I came home at 5pm for a quick change before I had to meet my Mom at the gym.

Please refer to the picture at the top of this story to see what I walked in on. FYI- the orange tabby beanie baby next to her is "Amber". Amber is Lulu's favorite toy in the world and total BFF. She was given to Lulu by our old roommate, Cathy, from California. Lulu carries Amber around in her mouth as if she was her baby. We never actually see her carrying Amber around, but we do find Amber is various locations all over the house.

So, Lulu thinks I have gone and bought her a nice, big cushy bed. And why not? There's no other animal in this house that would be sleeping on it!

Poor little Chulula...

Let's all get on board with my Dad!

2008-08-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

My Dad has coined a few phrases in his time. He has a great sense of humor and usually all of them bear repeating. But there is one in particular that has been coming out of his mouth just in this last year that I find interesting.

He has been telling various adults and children that they need to get "tuned on". And I have witnessed him telling parents that their children need to get "tuned on". And if you are not familiar with this term, it is for the most part exactly what it sounds like. For example, let's say you are tuning on a guitar. What would you do in that situation? It sounds terrible when you try to play it and you just don't want to mess with it. But you love your guitar. How do you resolve this situation? You tune it. You adjust each string so that that instrument becomes a pleasure to play. I suppose you could say the same for, let's say, a horse that is acting up. Easy peasy.

What I love is that my Dad has taken this phrasing and applied it to the human race. And why not? I think there is a lot to be said here. What has happened to showing respect and being polite? Why can't we return to the days of "Yes Ma'am" and "Yes Sir" or "No Ma'am" and "No Sir"? What happened to not just shaking a man's hand the first time you meet him, but shaking that hand everytime you see him?

Furthermore, I want to sit at the table and eat dinner, rather than balance my plate on the arm of the sofa while I watch re-runs or whatever reality show seems to be striking my fancy. I'd like for life to move a little slower than it sometimes does and to be able to stop and appreciate it as much as possible. I would like to grow vegetables in my backyard and use then use them in my kitchen! I want to make time to sit down with my Grandmothers and my great Aunts & Uncles and spend time with them before I no longer have that luxury.

So, while I say "please" and "thank you" and all of the above mentioned references, I definitely think there are some things in my life from time to time that need to get "tuned on".

Gotta love the Daddy!

Blessed with a wonderful family...

2008-08-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have such a great little family. I am so incredibly blessed by them. I have the most loving and supportive parents anyone could ask for! And I love hanging out with them, by the way. They happen to be two of the funniest people I know. I have a great little brother and a wonderful sister-in-law. Who are also pretty darned funny, by the way. That seems to be a theme in my family!

I work with my brother and father and am lucky enough to actually enjoy what I do. I enjoy getting to see them often. It is interesting to see how alike they are in so many ways. Especially now that my brother is getting older. My Dad is such an exceptional man. He is very strong and would do anything for any of his friends. The more involved I become in different organizations and different projects in our community, the more I come in contact with people that tell me how much they admire him. Which makes me so proud! He's my Daddy and I admire him too! All his achievements, knowledge and successes make me so proud on a daily basis. I adore my Dad.

My brother has also become an extremely exceptional young man. I am so proud of Clayton. He is so great at his job. It is such a pleasure to work with him. I enjoy spending time with him outside of work. He is just a great, funny guy with the brightest future. And he's picked a great sister-in-law for me! I adore Lindsay. She has become such a great friend to me in the last few years. I was honored to be one her bridesmaids and look forward to the day when she will be one of mine. She is a very special lady who has accomplished so much already! She's going to make a fantastic Mom one of these days.

My Mom just has to be one of the MOST important women in my life. She has guided me spiritually in my walk with Christ for many years now. She is such a strong example of a Christian woman. I am fortunate enough to sit by her every week at BSF and listen to God's word with so many other incredible ladies. I love spending time with the Mommy. She is great to talk with, shop with, see movies with. I think I am like her in so many ways. Very scary, but it makes me proud, all the same. I can talk to my Mom forever. I swear I talk to her five times a day. The phone bill was frightful when I lived in California. My Mom is my number one cheerleader and always has been. She is my rock. I would lean on her for anything.

Of course, there are times when some of us aren't always getting along. We have our moments of dysfunction. Plenty of them. But when the day is through, I love them with everything I am. They are my heart and soul.

Poor little Lulu's not even going to see this one coming...

2008-08-10T19:50:00.001-07:00

I've been a kitty Mommy for a little over four years now. When I lived in California, I bought a little female black and white Tuxedo and named her Lulu. I think she is pure puddins most of the time, but she does have her little feline streak. And I'm sure those who own a cat know exactly what I mean. Sweet one minute and wanting to eat my hand the next.

Lulu wasn't always an only child. When I brought her home, she automatically had an older sister to show her the ropes. My L.A. roommate, Cathy, had (and still has) a tortoise shell Calico named Rogue. Lulu and Rogue got along well and when we left California we moved in with my Mom and Dad for a spell. At the time, my parents had two black Labs and a Calico (my cat from high school). Lulu stayed in my room a lot, but eventually started interacting with Patches (the cat). However, Lulu had never seen a dog in her life and Belle and Wyatt completely scared the bejeezus out of her. Eventually, we moved into a house with my friend Kasee who owns a female Minature Pinscher named Emma. Lulu and Emma actually became good friends. We caught them napping together when they thought no one was looking and they liked to chase each other around the house.

But for the past year I have lived in a different house that I am in the process of purchasing from my Grandmother. Lulu has been an only child the entire time we have lived here. It's also been one year since I made the decision to purchase a Newfoundland puppy. That time is getting so close and I'm wondering more and more how upset she's going to be when I bring the puppy girl home. In the last six months my family members have asked me to dogsit for them when they go out of town. A regular visitor at my house is my parent's male black Lab, Wyatt. Wyatt is a big mister. He weighs right around 100 lbs. Whenever he comes over, Lulu just freaks out, hisses at him and runs off. And then the longer he is here, the more she mellows out (a little). She still doesn't want him too close to her, but she comes out of hiding and lays on the couch. He wants to walk up to her and nose on her, probably because she looks soft and he used to do that to Patches when she was alive. But everytime he tries, she slaps him. Wyatt has gotten wise to the fact that Lulu has no front claws, so it has become more like a game to him. He also lets out a deep "woof" when she steps out of line.

Our other two visitors belong to my brother and sister-in-law. A fawn female Pug named Brinkley and a white female Lab named Lily. Lulu can hang with Brinkley for the most part because she's so teeny. Lily's about a year old, so she's still in that puppy mentality and it sends Lulu running for under the bed. And Lily loves to bark at Lulu.

The point is that after a day or so of our doggie visitors, Lulu usually slightly mellows and is willing to roam the house with them there. And she has figured out that nap and bedtime are good times to snuggle with Mom since the doggies are apparently out like lights.

I'm very interested to see what will happen when Steely comes home. And better yet, how Lulu will react once she realizes that this puppy is not leaving like the rest always do. Poor little kitty doesn't even know what is about to happen. In giving so much attention to the puppy, I need to remember that my heart also belongs to Lulu and that she needs plenty of lovins and attention so that she doesn't feel as though I've forgotten her.

I know in the long run, she will be just fine. I'm not saying she's going to change her personality and become best friends with Steely. But she has lived with dogs before and one day she will have to live with children. She's had plenty of socialization, but she is a quirky little lady.

I love my little black and white gal and I want her to know how loved she is during this change in our lives.

Becoming the proud Mommy of a Newfoundland puppy...

2008-08-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have been on a journey for the past year. Not a spiritual journey or a journey to discover who I am. I have been on a journey to become a doggy Mommy. I decided one year ago that I wanted to be owned by a Newfoundland dog. And living in Texas, this was no easy feat.

Originating on the island of Newfoundland, this breed has a double coat of fur that enables them to swim in freezing cold waters and endure the temperatures of that region. Texas is hot as hell. Sure, it gets relatively cold in the wintertime. We can get down into the 20's and 30's. Hey! That's cold for us! And we do get a little snow from time to time. But in a state where all you have to do is throw a stick to hit a Labrador or Golden Retriever, Newfoundlands are few and far between.

I researched quite a few breeds before setting my heart on the beloved Newfy. People are always asking me why I picked this breed. They're hairy, therefore they shed. And they drool. Buckets. But for anyone that owns a Newfy or has come in contact with this breed can understand. They are the most amazing dogs I have ever had the pleasure of being around. Their hearts are as huge as the animals themselves. They are loving and kind and just want to keep their people happy and safe. What more could I want?

I have tirelessly researched the Newfoundland dog at every turn. Studying every positive aspect of Newfy ownership, as well as every negative one. And at the end of the day, that's all I want. A Newfoundland.

So then it was time for me to find out how I was going to get a puppy of my own. I contacted the Texas Chapter of the Newfoundland Club of America and they gave me a very short list of breeders in or around the Texas area. After talking with each, I decided on one in particular. One that came highly recommended by several sources. And then it was my time to play the waiting game. Waiting on that one puppy that was intended to come home with me.

My girl was born on June 25, 2008. She was the only one of her litter. My breeder told me that if she turned out to be of show quality that she would be keeping her, but that there would be another litter in the late fall. But as it turned out, the little girl does not have a perfect bite. She's mine by default and I couldn't be happier! I was able to go and see her (and meet the rest of the furry gang) about two weeks ago, when she was five weeks. She is perfect in every single way. Precious and sweet and the cutest ball of fluff you have ever laid your eyes on. My heart is so full.

We have been so busy getting ready for her arrival in this house. There is so much to buy and we have made a big dent in the list. Crate, bed, food bin, grooming supplies, food and water bowls, collar and leash... the list goes on. Who knew that buying dog toys could be so much fun? There are some great toys out there to buy for your furry babies. How about Kong, Bodhi toys, Jolly Balls, the Almost Indestructible Ball... this list also goes on and on.

I am so excited and yet a little nervous at the same time. This will be my first dog. Ok, my family has had dogs all of my life, but they were family dogs. I was not the one to feed any of them, I was not the one to train any of them and they definitely were not sleeping in my room. But I love dogs so much and I have wanted one for so long. They timing was never right. Betweeen being in college and living in an apartment or living in Los Angeles and living in an apartment, it just wasn't appropriate for me to be a dog owner. It wouldn't have been fair to either of us. But now it is time. The days and weeks are ticking by and before I know it, we will be driving three hours to pick this little girl up. A little black pup named Steely.

The life I lead at this very moment will be unrecognizable within just a few short weeks and I am smiling from ear to ear.