So the other day we were looking for my chainmail armor for the Dance With Dragons midnight release (which we didn't find :( ), and in doing so realized that our closet was a huge mess. There was basically nowhere to put your feet without stepping on stuff. We dragged everything out, went through boxes we haven't gone through literally since we got married and moved here. Even found wedding gifts we'd forgotten about.
Naturally, we figured that since we were renting a steam cleaner to clean the closet, we should also take the opportunity to clean the bedroom floor (only other carpet in the house).
Currently the bathrooms are full of dresser drawers, most of the parts to the bed are in the kitchen, and the dressers are in the living room. The bedroom floor is still wet, so putting that stuff away is going to have to wait until we get back from PC.
I do feel accomplished though. We just finished putting everything back in the closet after going through and discarding/donating most of it, and every container is labeled. We can actually walk inside and go through our overflow books without breaking bones crawling over boxes!
The s'more cookies are all eaten... by me. Oh well, at least I didn't eat them all in one day. =P
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Scary Sickness is Scary
So, we spent the weekend with my parents for Father's Day. Hung out with them and the in-laws quite a bit. Thankfully, I think everyone enjoyed the s'more cookies. They were awesome, imo. =P I have a couple dozen leftover cookies in the freezer. It was nice getting to hang out and eat cookies with the family.
My little brother just got back from a Boy Scout thing in south Florida, and joy of joys, two of the Boy Scouts got sick while there. Naturally, David comes back home, only to discover that he probably has the same thing the two other boys did. MRSA. Yep, the acronym of scary documentary/news story fame, the bane of hospitals (not this time, they don't know where it came from but none of them have been near a hospital). O_O
Mom (a doc) doesn't seem to think it is a big deal, and he is already getting treated for it, but it is still enough to scare a person a little bit.
My little brother just got back from a Boy Scout thing in south Florida, and joy of joys, two of the Boy Scouts got sick while there. Naturally, David comes back home, only to discover that he probably has the same thing the two other boys did. MRSA. Yep, the acronym of scary documentary/news story fame, the bane of hospitals (not this time, they don't know where it came from but none of them have been near a hospital). O_O
Mom (a doc) doesn't seem to think it is a big deal, and he is already getting treated for it, but it is still enough to scare a person a little bit.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Microwave Brownie in a Mug
Oh my gosh, I had heard of similar recipes before (cake in a mug, etc.), but never actually tried one. Then I came across this recipe a few weeks back, and have had it several times a week since then. It's completely addicting. I don't use the coffee (because I hate coffee), and I replace unsweetened cocoa powder with dark cocoa powder. I've added milk chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, peanut butter, nutella, etc. All were good.
But I just found one add in that was GREAT. I'm baking s'more cookies for Father's Day, but that means that we have leftover graham crackers and mini marshmallows. I replaced a little bit of the flour in my microwave brownie with crushed graham crackers and added marshmallows. *swoon*
But I just found one add in that was GREAT. I'm baking s'more cookies for Father's Day, but that means that we have leftover graham crackers and mini marshmallows. I replaced a little bit of the flour in my microwave brownie with crushed graham crackers and added marshmallows. *swoon*
Monday, May 30, 2011
I Like the Lot... A Lot ;)
There is a 10 acre, if I remember correctly, that is, plot of land that my grandmother bought way way way back in the day, intending originally to build a home on it. They ended up traveling the world instead of building a house, so "the lot" ended up as a cool play area for my dad and his sisters.
It is still undeveloped (though not for lack of trying on the part of wannabe-buyers/developers!), and is covered with trees and underbrush. There is a path leading down to a large clearing with a gigantic old oak tree in the middle. There used to be a path down to the Lake Jackson, but it is badly overgrown. Dad goes out every 6-12 months and clears the path and clearing, but it is a TON of work and he lives two hours away.
Late last year the dogs were attacked by a swarm of hornets at the lot. I think Indy ran a little too close to a hidden nest while fetching tennis balls, because there were one or two buzzing around and them BAM A HUNDRED HORNETS FLYING STRAIGHT AT THEM. We had to pull the hornets out of their fur, because they tangled themselves deep in their fur (especially on Diocese). Diocese, being Diocese, almost immediately set to pulling hornets out of his and Indy's fur with his teeth. Every time he grabbed one off of Indy, Indy would be like "what the heck, you too? I'm already under attack by these weird things, and now you are biting me?" and bite D. Looking back, it was somewhat funny, but at the time (and for the next few, itchy days) it was scary.
Anyway, we hadn't been out to the lot with the dogs since then, because we haven't been able to find the hornet's nest to destroy. Dad cleared some, but he has been awfully busy fixing/replacing appliances for his mom lately (her dishwasher, stove, and oven all died within a few months of each other). Still, we decided to give it a shot and brought towels and bug spray, just in case.
The dogs had a blast going out there again. They really need to be able to just flat out run sometimes. Especially Indy. We can throw the ball in the back yard, but the back yard is really small for a good run.
I have to mention, it was very hard convincing Kevin to go out to the lot (and I don't like going by myself).
So, we finally got back out to the lot.
And when we got back in the car to go, my Jeep wouldn't crank. The battery was dead. Had to call my grandmother to come give us a jump.
Since it wasn't hard enough getting Kevin to come out before having that lovely mental association. Oh, and we are still picking ticks off of ourselves several days later.
It is still undeveloped (though not for lack of trying on the part of wannabe-buyers/developers!), and is covered with trees and underbrush. There is a path leading down to a large clearing with a gigantic old oak tree in the middle. There used to be a path down to the Lake Jackson, but it is badly overgrown. Dad goes out every 6-12 months and clears the path and clearing, but it is a TON of work and he lives two hours away.
Late last year the dogs were attacked by a swarm of hornets at the lot. I think Indy ran a little too close to a hidden nest while fetching tennis balls, because there were one or two buzzing around and them BAM A HUNDRED HORNETS FLYING STRAIGHT AT THEM. We had to pull the hornets out of their fur, because they tangled themselves deep in their fur (especially on Diocese). Diocese, being Diocese, almost immediately set to pulling hornets out of his and Indy's fur with his teeth. Every time he grabbed one off of Indy, Indy would be like "what the heck, you too? I'm already under attack by these weird things, and now you are biting me?" and bite D. Looking back, it was somewhat funny, but at the time (and for the next few, itchy days) it was scary.
Anyway, we hadn't been out to the lot with the dogs since then, because we haven't been able to find the hornet's nest to destroy. Dad cleared some, but he has been awfully busy fixing/replacing appliances for his mom lately (her dishwasher, stove, and oven all died within a few months of each other). Still, we decided to give it a shot and brought towels and bug spray, just in case.
The dogs had a blast going out there again. They really need to be able to just flat out run sometimes. Especially Indy. We can throw the ball in the back yard, but the back yard is really small for a good run.
I have to mention, it was very hard convincing Kevin to go out to the lot (and I don't like going by myself).
So, we finally got back out to the lot.
And when we got back in the car to go, my Jeep wouldn't crank. The battery was dead. Had to call my grandmother to come give us a jump.
Since it wasn't hard enough getting Kevin to come out before having that lovely mental association. Oh, and we are still picking ticks off of ourselves several days later.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Burn, Baby, Burn...
When I was growing up, family dinners tended to be eating Chik-fil-a at the dinner table. Occasionally Mom made lasagna, or Dad made spaghetti, but for the most part, we didn't really eat stuff cooked at home (outside of frozen meals). I don't blame my parents, they both worked very long hours at jobs that did not end outside of the 9-5 day (Mom is an OBGYN and Dad was a chaplain). As such, I never really learned how to cook.
Certainly, Mom tried to teach me to cook, but I was not at all interested. =P When Kevin and I married, the only things I knew how to cook were spaghetti and scrambled eggs (and I didn't do them well, to be honest). Kevin wasn't all that great at cooking either.
Thankfully, we both got sick of ramen in a styrofoam cup quickly and decided to learn to cook together. It has been awfully fun most of the time... and just awful other times (like when my marshmallow syrup boiled over and it took MONTHS to get the stove completely clean). We try new recipes several times a month (though we don't really cook with recipes except brand new stuff) and enjoy some Food Network shows (Good Eats is such good geeky fun I never would have expected from a food show). I wouldn't go so far as to say that we are great cooks by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd like to think we are at least "decent".
We try to observe safety rules in the kitchen, but we both do still get burned on a semi-regular basis. Often it is either from steam, splattering fat (which is why we cook bacon in the oven), or handling our cast iron pans. A month or so ago I was lifting my baby (the cast iron frying pan) out of the oven and discovered that oven mitts without silicone are not good for handling super hot pans. Left a nice welt across my palm because I didn't feel the burning until I had been holding the pan for a few seconds, and you don't just drop a cast iron pan. By the way, we donated all of our oven mitts sans silicone to Goodwill, figured we didn't need to have to consider when an oven mitt is good enough when food needs to come out of the oven.
Well, last night Kevin pulled the cast iron grill pan out of the oven and I immediately leaned forward to chuck another dish into the oven. Apparently he didn't turn the handle all the way and I was intent on the food I was carrying, because when I leaned forward I hit my face on the handle of the grill pan. Which was definitely still close to 400 degrees.
Ouch.
The handle left a nice, fat, sizzling burn right next to my lips, so it hurts to smile. Actually, it just plain hurts.
On occasions like this, it is really nice to have a doctor for a mom. I knew how to handle a burn (like I said, I've gotten my fair share), but it is pretty nasty. I gave Mom a call and she contacted a plastic surgeon friend who handles a lot of burn cases. He had me send him a close-up picture and then gave me a call. And to think I was considering spending the money to go to the walk-in clinic here in town.
I feel much better after talking to him. The doctor said to slather it in Neosporin and sun block, and stay out of the sun, period. Most of the burn is just a simple first degree burn, but the worst of it (about the size of the tip of my finger) is a nasty second degree burn. He said if it does scar, it shouldn't be bad, and he has "lasers and such" that can take care of it. Well, lasers make everything better, so I'm not as nervous anymore.
I'm just glad that I didn't manage to burn my eyes or lips or catch my hair on fire or something. And I'm going to be much more careful about hot pans (especially our cast iron) in the future.
Did I mention that this coming Saturday is church directory pictures? And that Mom and Dad tend to get their favorite family picture blown up to hang in the dining room? Time to break out the concealer. =P
Certainly, Mom tried to teach me to cook, but I was not at all interested. =P When Kevin and I married, the only things I knew how to cook were spaghetti and scrambled eggs (and I didn't do them well, to be honest). Kevin wasn't all that great at cooking either.
Thankfully, we both got sick of ramen in a styrofoam cup quickly and decided to learn to cook together. It has been awfully fun most of the time... and just awful other times (like when my marshmallow syrup boiled over and it took MONTHS to get the stove completely clean). We try new recipes several times a month (though we don't really cook with recipes except brand new stuff) and enjoy some Food Network shows (Good Eats is such good geeky fun I never would have expected from a food show). I wouldn't go so far as to say that we are great cooks by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd like to think we are at least "decent".
We try to observe safety rules in the kitchen, but we both do still get burned on a semi-regular basis. Often it is either from steam, splattering fat (which is why we cook bacon in the oven), or handling our cast iron pans. A month or so ago I was lifting my baby (the cast iron frying pan) out of the oven and discovered that oven mitts without silicone are not good for handling super hot pans. Left a nice welt across my palm because I didn't feel the burning until I had been holding the pan for a few seconds, and you don't just drop a cast iron pan. By the way, we donated all of our oven mitts sans silicone to Goodwill, figured we didn't need to have to consider when an oven mitt is good enough when food needs to come out of the oven.
Well, last night Kevin pulled the cast iron grill pan out of the oven and I immediately leaned forward to chuck another dish into the oven. Apparently he didn't turn the handle all the way and I was intent on the food I was carrying, because when I leaned forward I hit my face on the handle of the grill pan. Which was definitely still close to 400 degrees.
Ouch.
The handle left a nice, fat, sizzling burn right next to my lips, so it hurts to smile. Actually, it just plain hurts.
On occasions like this, it is really nice to have a doctor for a mom. I knew how to handle a burn (like I said, I've gotten my fair share), but it is pretty nasty. I gave Mom a call and she contacted a plastic surgeon friend who handles a lot of burn cases. He had me send him a close-up picture and then gave me a call. And to think I was considering spending the money to go to the walk-in clinic here in town.
I feel much better after talking to him. The doctor said to slather it in Neosporin and sun block, and stay out of the sun, period. Most of the burn is just a simple first degree burn, but the worst of it (about the size of the tip of my finger) is a nasty second degree burn. He said if it does scar, it shouldn't be bad, and he has "lasers and such" that can take care of it. Well, lasers make everything better, so I'm not as nervous anymore.
I'm just glad that I didn't manage to burn my eyes or lips or catch my hair on fire or something. And I'm going to be much more careful about hot pans (especially our cast iron) in the future.
Did I mention that this coming Saturday is church directory pictures? And that Mom and Dad tend to get their favorite family picture blown up to hang in the dining room? Time to break out the concealer. =P
Friday, April 1, 2011
Whoa!
This picture of mine made it onto the Consumerist! I just joined their Flickr pool for fun the other day and submitted a few photos. Then to my surprise, one of them actually showed up in a post. Too cool!
Maybe that isn't all that special, but it is a pretty nice thing for me. :) Almost all of my photos (including that one) are taken with my Droid Incredible phone, not with a camera, so it is really cool for me to see one of mine recognized.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Doggy Cake!
It is a little late, but we baked Diocese and Endymion's cake today! It was like a regular cake but without sugar, and with added shredded carrots and chicken baby food. The "frosting" is yogurt, and those are pieces of bacon on top. It may not be very pretty, but I don't think they minded. :)
Diocese devoured his slices basically whole. Endymion was more delicate, as per usual, and licked off all the frosting then bit off a piece and ate it on our bed. We didn't discover this until the cake almost gone. Argh! Oh well. :P
Friday, March 18, 2011
Doggy Time
It has been and is going to continue to be, a very dog-focused couple of weeks around here. The 15th was Diocese's Birthday (yes, he born on the ides of March!), and Endymion's Gotcha Day is the 21st. I'm going to make them a dog cake sometime next week and just celebrate both together. Diocese is 5, and I think Indy will be 2.
My grandmother adopted a 4-6 year old Cocker Spaniel a couple weeks ago, and I'm getting his neuter handled for her. So, yesterday I took him in for his pre-neuter exam, and dropped him off this morning to be cut. His name is Barkley, and he is about as adorable as a Spaniel can be (he's buff, with cute little white feet and a white chest). He is super laid back, especially for an older intact dog, and we mostly enjoyed having him spend a couple days here.
We did make a couple of not-so-hot discoveries though. Barkley is horrible with cats, and will chase one as soon as he sees it. I suppose this is normal for many dogs, but generally we don't allow dogs that haven't been tested with cats in our home. Don't want to make life too difficult for our 2 senior cats (at least kitten doesn't care). The other, bigger problem is that Barkley has some aggression issues. When he gets really, really riled (like from chasing a cat, or trying to attack the rat cage, or being crowded too much by Indy the bully), he turns into another dog completely and just shakes and growls.
The first time it happened I thought he was growling at the other dogs, but the second time it happened I was pretty sure, and the third time confirmed it. He was growling at ME, staring me right in the eyes, unmoving except for his shaking, telling me very plainly if I didn't back off he would bite me. As much as I am used to aggression, having dealt with D's reactivity, D has never so much as raised a lip at me. I get the feeling Barkley's self-control is horrible, and that he walked all over his last owners. I can't imagine allowing a dog to treat you that way.
All said, I don't think these revelations will affect him staying with my grandmother. She hates cats, and doesn't have another dog. She is already in love with Barkley, and I honestly don't believe she would ever put him in a situation where this will come up. He'll spend his days laying around her house getting his belly rubbed or following her around while she gardens. Still, I think I will recommend that she not have anyone pet-sit him unless they have no other pets.
On top of everything, we are transporting another rescue dog from Tifton to Ocala tomorrow. At least my midterms are almost over!
My grandmother adopted a 4-6 year old Cocker Spaniel a couple weeks ago, and I'm getting his neuter handled for her. So, yesterday I took him in for his pre-neuter exam, and dropped him off this morning to be cut. His name is Barkley, and he is about as adorable as a Spaniel can be (he's buff, with cute little white feet and a white chest). He is super laid back, especially for an older intact dog, and we mostly enjoyed having him spend a couple days here.
We did make a couple of not-so-hot discoveries though. Barkley is horrible with cats, and will chase one as soon as he sees it. I suppose this is normal for many dogs, but generally we don't allow dogs that haven't been tested with cats in our home. Don't want to make life too difficult for our 2 senior cats (at least kitten doesn't care). The other, bigger problem is that Barkley has some aggression issues. When he gets really, really riled (like from chasing a cat, or trying to attack the rat cage, or being crowded too much by Indy the bully), he turns into another dog completely and just shakes and growls.
The first time it happened I thought he was growling at the other dogs, but the second time it happened I was pretty sure, and the third time confirmed it. He was growling at ME, staring me right in the eyes, unmoving except for his shaking, telling me very plainly if I didn't back off he would bite me. As much as I am used to aggression, having dealt with D's reactivity, D has never so much as raised a lip at me. I get the feeling Barkley's self-control is horrible, and that he walked all over his last owners. I can't imagine allowing a dog to treat you that way.
All said, I don't think these revelations will affect him staying with my grandmother. She hates cats, and doesn't have another dog. She is already in love with Barkley, and I honestly don't believe she would ever put him in a situation where this will come up. He'll spend his days laying around her house getting his belly rubbed or following her around while she gardens. Still, I think I will recommend that she not have anyone pet-sit him unless they have no other pets.
On top of everything, we are transporting another rescue dog from Tifton to Ocala tomorrow. At least my midterms are almost over!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Ugh!
I was experimenting with one of those everything-in-your-pantry/leftover soups for dinner today. Yuck. Next time I will only put in foods that we already like, instead of foods we already like, plus one we had never tried before (pearled barley). We discovered that neither of us like barley, we burned some barley on the bottom of the pot (so the house stinks), and it ruined the huge pot of soup (at least a week's worth of leftovers). :(
I know it is a very small frustration comparatively, but who likes basically throwing away food? Bah, I hate it when experiments go awry.
I know it is a very small frustration comparatively, but who likes basically throwing away food? Bah, I hate it when experiments go awry.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Panic
I've been having a really hard time lately. Like I said before, I've been sick since a few days before school started, and never have figured out why. The walk-in clinic doc had me get some bloodwork done, but still no answers. I AM feeling better, in that I am actually eating real food again, and I only get dizzy every now and then. Also, I've had a horrible lump in my throat off and on (like nasty excessive mucus, and I know that was TMI :P).
What has been hard is the panic attacks. I've NEVER had a panic attack before in my life until I got sick. I've had 5 or 6 since a few days after I got sick (so, about a month ago, I think). What's more, they aren't short attacks. They last for several hours. I can feel them coming on as I get more and more panicked. They happen mostly at night, to the point where I don't want to go to bed or wind things down at night, because I'm afraid I'll have one. Thankfully, I have an appointment with a therapist from the anxiety clinic at my school, so hopefully that will help. I just don't know what to do about them, having no history to fall back on. :(
What has been hard is the panic attacks. I've NEVER had a panic attack before in my life until I got sick. I've had 5 or 6 since a few days after I got sick (so, about a month ago, I think). What's more, they aren't short attacks. They last for several hours. I can feel them coming on as I get more and more panicked. They happen mostly at night, to the point where I don't want to go to bed or wind things down at night, because I'm afraid I'll have one. Thankfully, I have an appointment with a therapist from the anxiety clinic at my school, so hopefully that will help. I just don't know what to do about them, having no history to fall back on. :(
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Foxy!
On Tuesday and Thursday my husband has a couple classes immediately after my morning class ends, so there is not time to drop me off at home before he goes to the other college campus. I don't mind, because I end up just hanging out in the turned off car reading a book for a couple hours during his classes.
If we didn't do it this way, I'd end up driving around for two hours before my morning class to find a parking spot (no exaggeration, it once took me 3 1/2 hours to find a spot and I ended up parking illegally) so I figure it saves gas and effort.
I was sitting in the car last Thursday with the windows partly down, in a parking lot that borders the woods, when a fox came out of the trees. I don't think he realized I was in the car, because he walked right by the car to sniff something. This gorgeous fox was so close that if I had gotten out of the car, I was close enough to touch him. I didn't get out of the car, of course. Didn't manage to get a decent picture of him either, probably because I was so excited that I forgot about trying until he was walking away. My Droid Incredible is a great phone/camera, but the digital zoom is awful.
I used to volunteer at the local zoo, and one of my jobs was feeding the foxes. They stayed pretty far away, but I caught glimpses of them every now and then. They looked like babies next to this wild fox. He really was much bigger than any fox I've ever seen before. And he looked fluffy. If I didn't know better, I'd have tried to cuddle him.
Some other woman who was also just hanging out in her car did get out of the car to take a picture and scared him off. He ran back to the treeline and when she tried to follow again, he disappeared. *Scowl*
This may not be an amazing experience for you country folk, but unfortunately for me, we live in the city (a small city, but a city nonetheless). I've never seen a fox in the wild so close up before.
Also, I'm still sick. Drinking Ensures like they are going out of style because I still am not really eating. Blech. :(
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Finally Following
I finally got around to following a bunch of the blogs I've been reading for a while through my Google Reader. Love that things, even if it usually says I have 1,000+ posts unread. =P
Now, I'm procrastinating. The spring semester started last week, and naturally, I've been really sick all week. Some kind of stomach bug that has been going around. It usually lasts 48 hours, but for me it has lasted for over a week. Because of this bug I haven't been able to make it to classes (except the first day to avoid getting dropped, and even then I had to tell the instructor I was sick so I didn't have to stay the whole time), so I really need to catch up.
Still a bit dizzy when I walk, but I'm feeling much better today!
This is actually my last semester of college, I'll be graduating with my Bachelor's in the fall. Over the summer I'm hoping to intern somewhere that isn't too far away, even if the internship is less sexy than others might be (e.g. FBI internships are all in DC). It will be awfully nice to finally be done with school. Though I may not be completely done with school, I've been considering getting a Masters in Law, but that would be from an online school, not a brick-and-mortar one.
Then I get out into the real world, and play the waiting game for Kevin to get his degree also (he's about 2-3 years behind me). Then we'll see what happens. We have talked about moving once we both graduate.
Whatever is to come, I need to go study if I'm to pass this last semester! ;)
Now, I'm procrastinating. The spring semester started last week, and naturally, I've been really sick all week. Some kind of stomach bug that has been going around. It usually lasts 48 hours, but for me it has lasted for over a week. Because of this bug I haven't been able to make it to classes (except the first day to avoid getting dropped, and even then I had to tell the instructor I was sick so I didn't have to stay the whole time), so I really need to catch up.
Still a bit dizzy when I walk, but I'm feeling much better today!
This is actually my last semester of college, I'll be graduating with my Bachelor's in the fall. Over the summer I'm hoping to intern somewhere that isn't too far away, even if the internship is less sexy than others might be (e.g. FBI internships are all in DC). It will be awfully nice to finally be done with school. Though I may not be completely done with school, I've been considering getting a Masters in Law, but that would be from an online school, not a brick-and-mortar one.
Then I get out into the real world, and play the waiting game for Kevin to get his degree also (he's about 2-3 years behind me). Then we'll see what happens. We have talked about moving once we both graduate.
Whatever is to come, I need to go study if I'm to pass this last semester! ;)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
God Has Been Showing Himself
A series of events have taken place in the last couple months that have really reminded me that God is always here, even when it doesn't feel like it.
First, nobody was injured in the very bad car accident I posted about in November. Our car was absolutely destroyed, but no one involved was hurt badly. I was the most injured (being a small gal, the airbag nearly broke my ribs), but nothing was permanently damaged. Our insurance took care of everything (I had no idea how expensive emergency room visits were!), and our new-to-us car should be here before Christmas. We could have easily died, but everything turned out fine. Thank you, God.
Second, a fellow blogger experienced a Thanksgiving miracle involving her horse, Denali. Long story short, Denali's appointment to be put to sleep was already made, when it had to be canceled because of heavy snow. Denali improved, literally overnight. Those who aren't "animal people" might not understand what a huge deal this was for Denali's mom, but I know many of us do. I know I couldn't stop grinning when I read her update that Denali was sound! (Her blog is http://wildponybeast.blogspot.com/). That is pretty freaking cool, God.
Lastly, a story that has been all over the national news over the last few days hit very close to home. Many of you may have heard about the shooting that took place in a school board meeting. Well, we live two hours from Panama City, where this happened, and both grew up in PC. I can't remember the number of times I stood where Duke stood and played the national anthem for the school board.
Basically, this man Clay Duke was upset that his wife was fired from her teaching job and decided to kill the school board members and himself. There are several heroes in this story. Duke told the women to leave the room, but Ginger Littleton snuck back in and attacked him with her purse. What a brave lady. Bill Husfelt, the superintendent, was incredibly calm, even with a gun stuck in his face, and tried to get Duke to let everyone else go saying that he was the one responsible for firings. And finally, Mike Jones went into the room (which is very open) and shot and injured Clay Duke (Duke ended up shooting himself).
Bill Husfelt is a close family friend, and has been for a number of years. He was my Sunday School teacher, and the principal of my brother and sister's high school before he decided to run for superintendent. He has always been someone that I look up to and respect very highly. Mike Jones is a friend of my parents', and went to high school with my mom. I regret that I've only met him a few times, but you will never find someone to speak a bad word about him. He runs Salvage Santa, a local charity for kids that he runs often out of his own pocket.
Like I said, this one hit very close to home. It would have been so easy for it to have all ended so differently. The news very easily could have been that all the men on the school board and Mike were shot and killed. Duke most certainly tried his hardest to make that happen.
I watched the video of the shooting a couple days ago and could not stop bawling. Heck, I'm tearing up just remembering. The gun was pointed right at him when Duke shot. Husfelt should not be alive today. There is not a doubt in my mind that God stood between him and the shooter. Wow, God. Just wow. I am SO in awe of You.
First, nobody was injured in the very bad car accident I posted about in November. Our car was absolutely destroyed, but no one involved was hurt badly. I was the most injured (being a small gal, the airbag nearly broke my ribs), but nothing was permanently damaged. Our insurance took care of everything (I had no idea how expensive emergency room visits were!), and our new-to-us car should be here before Christmas. We could have easily died, but everything turned out fine. Thank you, God.
Second, a fellow blogger experienced a Thanksgiving miracle involving her horse, Denali. Long story short, Denali's appointment to be put to sleep was already made, when it had to be canceled because of heavy snow. Denali improved, literally overnight. Those who aren't "animal people" might not understand what a huge deal this was for Denali's mom, but I know many of us do. I know I couldn't stop grinning when I read her update that Denali was sound! (Her blog is http://wildponybeast.blogspot.com/). That is pretty freaking cool, God.
Lastly, a story that has been all over the national news over the last few days hit very close to home. Many of you may have heard about the shooting that took place in a school board meeting. Well, we live two hours from Panama City, where this happened, and both grew up in PC. I can't remember the number of times I stood where Duke stood and played the national anthem for the school board.
Basically, this man Clay Duke was upset that his wife was fired from her teaching job and decided to kill the school board members and himself. There are several heroes in this story. Duke told the women to leave the room, but Ginger Littleton snuck back in and attacked him with her purse. What a brave lady. Bill Husfelt, the superintendent, was incredibly calm, even with a gun stuck in his face, and tried to get Duke to let everyone else go saying that he was the one responsible for firings. And finally, Mike Jones went into the room (which is very open) and shot and injured Clay Duke (Duke ended up shooting himself).
Bill Husfelt is a close family friend, and has been for a number of years. He was my Sunday School teacher, and the principal of my brother and sister's high school before he decided to run for superintendent. He has always been someone that I look up to and respect very highly. Mike Jones is a friend of my parents', and went to high school with my mom. I regret that I've only met him a few times, but you will never find someone to speak a bad word about him. He runs Salvage Santa, a local charity for kids that he runs often out of his own pocket.
Like I said, this one hit very close to home. It would have been so easy for it to have all ended so differently. The news very easily could have been that all the men on the school board and Mike were shot and killed. Duke most certainly tried his hardest to make that happen.
I watched the video of the shooting a couple days ago and could not stop bawling. Heck, I'm tearing up just remembering. The gun was pointed right at him when Duke shot. Husfelt should not be alive today. There is not a doubt in my mind that God stood between him and the shooter. Wow, God. Just wow. I am SO in awe of You.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Oy Vey
What a weekend.
My hubby and I drove up to Kentucky for the Breeder's Cup this past weekend. I'll post about it later, once I get all the photos off the camera.
We drove my parents' Avalon, because it is more reliable for long trips than either of our vehicles.
Had a flat tire we couldn't change (lug nuts were inhumanely tight) on Saturday night.
Then on Sunday night, just outside of Dothan, we rear-ended someone at a stoplight. I don't know what happened exactly, neither does Hubby, because it happened so fast. Apparently there is some question of fault because the other car may have been stopped at a green light right around a blind corner. I don't know. We didn't get a ticket, so I suppose the cops didn't know either.
The car we were driving was totaled, the other car just had a dented bumper (Ford Explorers are tanks!). Thankfully, other than some serious aching, everyone was fine.
In fact, I was the only one who even got admitted to the hospital, and that was just because I was having trouble breathing from being smacked in the chest by the air bags and seatbelt. I'm a really small gal, and air bags don't get along well with small people.
Still. It could have been much worse. The pictures don't really do justice to just how destroyed the car was.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
New Friends
Well, I haven't posted in a bit, but since I am up late watching the election results I thought it might be a good time to do so. Not going to touch politics though, those who know me probably know my views, and I'm not going to preach at the blogosphere. =P
The puppy that stayed with us over the weekend in my last post was absolutely adorable and incredibly sweet. Honestly, he is an amazing dog in his own regard and he got along with Indy, so if we had been looking for another dog he probably would not have left. Stevie was very hard to get a photo of, but I managed to get one (literally, just the one) not super blurry picture of him.
Isn't he a cutie? The photo does not at all do him justice.
The puppy that stayed with us over the weekend in my last post was absolutely adorable and incredibly sweet. Honestly, he is an amazing dog in his own regard and he got along with Indy, so if we had been looking for another dog he probably would not have left. Stevie was very hard to get a photo of, but I managed to get one (literally, just the one) not super blurry picture of him.
Isn't he a cutie? The photo does not at all do him justice.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Unpossible
No way this is happening. No way.
We have a houseguest right now, a young BC puppy on his way south to a rescue. We picked him and another up in Georgia earlier today, and he is going to leave us on Sunday to continue his trip.
Anyway.
Indy snarked at him most of the afternoon. Indy snarks at every dog, especially those that don't stay long.
He isn't scared, he just tends to be a bully with other dogs.
Indy and the puppy are playing right now. Literally rolling, jumping, wrestling, PLAYING.
I've never seen Indy actually play with any dog except for Diocese, and he only does that sporadically. Yet here he is, playing with this puppy. Nice!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Busy, Busy, Busy
It has been a crazy week. It is exam time again in our classes, so there was a lot of studying to do. Why is it that even when I keep up with classes/class readings I still feel the need to reread every single chapter right before a test?
It is a personality quirk I could do without.
Tomorrow I head out to the new barn for the third time. I'm really loving it so far, though honestly, I'd be hard-pressed to not love it when horses are involved. ;)
My trainer, Lakey, has me riding a bay gelding named Irish who is about as much a schoolmaster as any horse I've ever seen. The nice thing about him is that, unlike most (all?) lesson horses I've ridden, his canter departures are flawless. No getting hauled around an increasingly faster trot while getting more and more nervous and kicking until my leg is tired.
Since the transition from trot to canter has been my fear for literally years (some bad experiences as a kid turned me into a very timid rider, though I'm probably one by nature anyway), I'm hoping he will be able to help me get over it. Irish is a real sweetheart.
Before ending this post I have to brag on Diocese.
Diocese is our older Border Collie. He has some behavioral problems, namely his fear-reactivity to strangers. We can't take him on walks around the neighborhood unless it is late enough at night that no one is likely to be outside. He has to be locked up when we have guests. The UPS guy knocking on the door is enough to throw him off his game for a full day at least. He's never bitten anyone, but he will certainly act the part of Cujo at times.
Not that he is a bad dog. I'm not just saying that because he is my heart dog either. Anyone who really knows how to read doggy body language can see that he is terrified when he sees somebody he doesn't know. My agility trainer said he is bar none, including her own dogs, the most affectionate dog she has ever met. A behaviorist once said he is truly weird, because he is notfinenotfinenotfinenotfine and then *poof* omgiloveyouwillyoupetmeforeverandeveramen.
Now, we spend a lot of time working on his reactivity. In certain specific situations he is much less reactive than others (e.g. he is much better at the agility field, with all the happiness he associates with that place). Our house is not one of those places.
Now that the backstory is out of the way, I'll get to the real story.
We had a couple of friends come over the other day, both guys we've known since high school, and that D has known since he was a puppy (whether he remembers it or not). I put Diocese behind a baby gate in the hallway, where he could see some of the living room, where I was sitting, but not where the guys were sitting. He saw them every now and then, and eventually I asked one of them to help me with a training exercise with him.
Diocese was perfect.
More importantly, he did so well, with zero signs of nervousness (possibly because this is a friend who I do a lot of training with), we decided to try and let him come into the living room on a leash, just in case. With the exception of a few minutes of nervous sunken cheeks on D's part, he was fine.
By the end of the night, he was sitting between our two friends, getting petted by both at the same time, and looking like he was about ready to melt from happiness.
It was heartwarming to not see him scared to death, and actually acting like a "normal" dog around other people.
Yay. :)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Getting Ready for Halloween
My hubby and I have never decorated the house for Halloween before. We've actually never passed out candy before either. Last year on Halloween night we just turned the lights off outside and in the living room, and stayed in the back of the house so that no one would knock on the door.
Well not this year. We aren't going crazy, but I bought all the candy we need to actually pass some out. We have a 'scary pumpkin man' hanging from the willow tree, and the above trick or treat sign is hanging on the front door. Lots of school-age kids live on our road, and I want to be one of those cool people who hands out the "good candy".
I think it will be fun. :)
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Evil Broken Printer of Doom
I am really growing to dislike my printer.
It is a Kodak 5250, and we bought it because it was supposed to save money on ink. The ink IS cheap, I'll give them that. It doesn't really help though, if the printer doesn't run. Our first printer worked for a couple weeks then said that it was out of ink. This made sense, because we had been printing a ton of recipes to put in a binder. We replaced the black and the color cartridges.
The printer still said it was out of black ink.
We shrugged, and wrote it off to a defective cartridge and got another black ink cartridge.
The printer still said it was out of black ink. Then it changed its mind and said it was out of color ink. Remember, this is with two brand new cartridges installed, and after we had already replaced the brand new black cartridge, just in case.
I spoke with "Winner" (no joke), the tech support guy who had me run through a whole series of troubleshooting tests. I honestly don't think updating the firmware is going to help the printer with what seems to be a hardware issue, but okay. Winner sent us a replacement printer, "refurbished" of course, which arrived today.
I admit it, I was totally excited. No more running to the store to print stuff from the computers! We followed the instructions to the letter, moving the ink cartridges and printhead from the old printer to the "new" one.
Guess what?
I'm getting the same error as before. The internet tells me that the problem is probably the printhead, but the tech support I spoke with this time told me it wasn't. He says the problem is a defective ink cartridge. So they are sending me a new color cartridge.
Most likely scenario: The new color ink cartridge does not solve the problem, and tech support sends me a new printhead which may or may not solve the problem. From my research, if it is the printhead, it is an issue that will recur again and again. I suppose buying a new printer would be the best idea, but I really hate buying a new one when I have one... even if it doesn't work. =P
Why didn't I just look this up before buying it? Sites like this are not uncommon:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/cameras/kodak.html
It is a Kodak 5250, and we bought it because it was supposed to save money on ink. The ink IS cheap, I'll give them that. It doesn't really help though, if the printer doesn't run. Our first printer worked for a couple weeks then said that it was out of ink. This made sense, because we had been printing a ton of recipes to put in a binder. We replaced the black and the color cartridges.
The printer still said it was out of black ink.
We shrugged, and wrote it off to a defective cartridge and got another black ink cartridge.
The printer still said it was out of black ink. Then it changed its mind and said it was out of color ink. Remember, this is with two brand new cartridges installed, and after we had already replaced the brand new black cartridge, just in case.
I spoke with "Winner" (no joke), the tech support guy who had me run through a whole series of troubleshooting tests. I honestly don't think updating the firmware is going to help the printer with what seems to be a hardware issue, but okay. Winner sent us a replacement printer, "refurbished" of course, which arrived today.
I admit it, I was totally excited. No more running to the store to print stuff from the computers! We followed the instructions to the letter, moving the ink cartridges and printhead from the old printer to the "new" one.
Guess what?
I'm getting the same error as before. The internet tells me that the problem is probably the printhead, but the tech support I spoke with this time told me it wasn't. He says the problem is a defective ink cartridge. So they are sending me a new color cartridge.
Most likely scenario: The new color ink cartridge does not solve the problem, and tech support sends me a new printhead which may or may not solve the problem. From my research, if it is the printhead, it is an issue that will recur again and again. I suppose buying a new printer would be the best idea, but I really hate buying a new one when I have one... even if it doesn't work. =P
Why didn't I just look this up before buying it? Sites like this are not uncommon:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/cameras/kodak.html
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Simba
My family is made up of dog people. I can't remember a time when we haven't had one or more pet dogs around the house. A 'few' years back my little sister and I started hounding (hehe) my parents for a cat. They eventually gave in, and adopted a 6 month old kitten from the shelter for us.
Simba was not at all we expected. He literally would not let anyone touch him for several months after we adopted him. Eventually he warmed up to my dad and I, but was still terrified of everyone else. Including my poor sister who the cat had been adopted mostly for.
He was, and is, a total grouch fairly often. Even now he doesn't tolerate being touched when he doesn't want it. He doesn't like to be picked up, or be around guests.
However, Simba has blossomed in the last few years. He loves Kevin (not a surprise, Kevin is a total cat person). He hangs out in the living room like a social cat, sometimes even when company is over. He even adores Schafer and Rumor (our two younger cats). When Kevin and I first got married, he was absolutely enraged at the thought of sharing a space with another cat. Now if he is separated from them for any significant length of time he gets upset and searches the house for them.
Awwww.
We took Simba to the vet the other day. He is 12 or 14 years old or so. He has always been the healthiest of our cats, despite being a senior. The vet pointed out that his eyes are starting to get cloudy. I've also noticed that he is moving just a little slower, a little creakier than he used to.
I can't believe it. When did my Simba get old?
Simba was not at all we expected. He literally would not let anyone touch him for several months after we adopted him. Eventually he warmed up to my dad and I, but was still terrified of everyone else. Including my poor sister who the cat had been adopted mostly for.
He was, and is, a total grouch fairly often. Even now he doesn't tolerate being touched when he doesn't want it. He doesn't like to be picked up, or be around guests.
However, Simba has blossomed in the last few years. He loves Kevin (not a surprise, Kevin is a total cat person). He hangs out in the living room like a social cat, sometimes even when company is over. He even adores Schafer and Rumor (our two younger cats). When Kevin and I first got married, he was absolutely enraged at the thought of sharing a space with another cat. Now if he is separated from them for any significant length of time he gets upset and searches the house for them.
Awwww.
We took Simba to the vet the other day. He is 12 or 14 years old or so. He has always been the healthiest of our cats, despite being a senior. The vet pointed out that his eyes are starting to get cloudy. I've also noticed that he is moving just a little slower, a little creakier than he used to.
I can't believe it. When did my Simba get old?
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