Ch-ch-chaaaanges.

I’m going to add a caveat to my blogging every day. With my travel back and forth to Phoenix every weekend, it’s making weekend blogging extremely difficult. I was so tired when I got home on Friday, I forgot that I had to blog and so ended up posting a one line, lame-ass entry. I did not blog Saturday because I didn’t really get online, since hubs and I were hanging out and doing non-computer things. And Sunday I didn’t blog because I got into Flag kind of late and I was tired. SOOOOooo I’ve decided to blog every weekday (Mon – Thur) and then once on the weekend (Fri – Sun). I think this will be more acceptable with my crazy traveling, and now I won’t feel pressured to post something that I could have twittered instead. I’m hoping this will lead to more interesting blog entries, with a little more thought and some photos to boot.

That being said, this weekend was nice. I hung out with my husband and the dogs. Went to the 2 pound locations looking for Mia, but could not find her. I decided that, in addition to getting some more dog food, I would buy dog treats as well. Short of finding Mia, I felt the only thing that would make me happy is to watch our rupps (short for ruppies, which is a derivative of puppies) munch on some gnarly and gross bones. It worked. They LOVED the beef knuckle steaks I got. At $6 for a pack of 2, it wasn’t a bad price. There were still bits of fat and tissue stuck to them. Completely gross, which of course means completely tasty to the girls. I think Angel buried hers. Lucy, ever the lady, daintily picked off pieces and crunched them before settling in for the big chew.

Hubs foot was all kinds of jacked up this last week. It is awful to watch him limp around in so much pain. This happens about once a year. Best way to describe it is a charley horse from hell that won’t go away quickly. We went to the hospital once last year, and they couldn’t tell what it was. At least he isn’t working right now. He couldn’t be standing on it the way it is, anyway. He gimps around as well as he can, but I know he was happy to have me there this weekend to baby him.

I ended up breaking from our usual pasta/potato and meat routine this weekend and made huge sandwiches. I used a loaf of French bread piled high with Virginia ham, smoked turkey, provolone, lettuce, and tomatoes. That’s right; I actually got the boy to eat some veggies. He loved the change of pace, and I love that I only had to wash a cutting board and 2 knives instead of pots and pans and strainers. Especially now that Phoenix is starting to heat up, cold dinners are going to be a priority for me.

And since I don't have a photo from the weekend, here's a little eye candy. This is why I want to move to the Pacific NW. The photo was taken in the first week of January 2004 along the coast of Oregon. Breath. Taking.

The Valley

Nothing like a purplish blanket of smog to welcome one back home.

Book Review - Year of Wonders

I recently read Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. I have to say, this was a fantastic read. I'm already fascinated by plague in Medieval Europe, and have read many books on the subject. But this took a fictional perspective of a woman living in Eyam, a very famous plagued village in England. I won't delve into too much detail, but I think the author captured very realistic feelings, reactions, and imagery in this story. I highly recommend it.

He's mellowing

Tweek (along with our remaining cats) has been living with my parents for awhile. Ever since Mia disappeared, I sent the kitties to my folks for safe keeping until we figured out how to cat-proof the back yard. As it is, now they're staying with my parents until we figure out where we'll be living.

I talk to my mom every day to get "Tweek Reports" because that cat does some outrageous stuff. Nothing TOO bad lately, though. Aside from being a treat fiend, he's ripped open large bags of cat food, ran off with my dad's hearing aid, and chomped and crunched numerous insects in the house. There have been no flayings (though I think this is more due to my parents learning to steer clear of his claws than of him not using them). He has started to get real cuddly with my dad. It was about 3 years before Frodo mellowed, and Tweek will be 3 this summer. There is hope yet...

Sty

Sty - (noun)

1.) a circumscribed abscess caused by bacterial infection of the glands on the edge of the eyelid; hordeolum.

2.)FRICKIN' PISSING ME OFF!!!


Yeah, I have a sty in my right eye. Sorry for the short blog tonight. I'm gonna go lay a hot compress on it.


Not my eye, but you get the idea. *sigh*

M.I.A.

Our beloved Mia has been missing since late January, and I've gone through all the emotions from denial, to hopeful, to despair. Lately, I've been thinking about her and thinking of the question "How long is too long?". How long should I keep looking for her before it becomes "too long"? The simple answer is that no amount of time would be too long to spend if I got to see my baby again. But at the same time, logic has to come into play. Eventually, we may move away. We won't be able to go to the shelters to look at the strays. I suppose I could keep a constant internet vigil, posting her on every site continuously. But I've been facing that scary thought of "What if I never find her." It's not a place I really want to go, emotionally. I've been steeling my heart to that ultimatum while trying to remain hopeful. I am still worried sick, though I try to not let it interfere with my life. In the end, I know I will see her again. I just don't want to wait that long.

Another day, another blog entry.

And so a new week begins. I drove back to Flagstaff tonight, unloaded the computer and got it set up. I have a few more things to unpack. I try to bring a little bit up at a time. I want to bring up my Lack shelves I bought at IKEA a long time ago, but I'm not sure how well the in-laws would like me drilling holes in their walls.

I left both dogs home this week. I hate leaving everybody, especially the hubs. But last week when I brought Lucy up, it was easier to leave. But hubs and Angel missed her, and she's staying down there for now. I'm going to make up the lonely afternoons by rediscovering the library. I have been wanting to read a lot lately, and with the penny-pinching, I thought it was a great time to rekindle an old habit. When I was little, mom took me to the library all the time and I have good memories of it.

Tomorrow I'm going to the eye doctor. My Rx is in serious need of reevaluation. I'm getting headaches a lot from squinting. I am also looking forward to picking up some frames. I'm trying to decide on the style. Hubs says to stay with the black plastic, and I probably will. I think I'm going for something more square this time though.

So that's it for today. No picture, sorry. It's late, I'm tired. Better luck next time.

Recap, now that I have the will and the sanity

I haven't had much of a will to write about all the things that have happened since we moved to Phoenix. I don't know if I will ever blog it all since I don't really want to rehash all that nonsense. The short version is presented here, in the form of a timeline.

September 2008 - Hubs and I buy our first home. Jobs are going well. Happiness.

October 2008 - Welcomed new dog, Angel, to the family. Lucy's happy, we're happy.

November 2008 - I get laid off. Things get scary.

January 2009 - Hubs loses his job. Mass panic ensues. Depression imminent. No health insurance, no medications. Yay!

February 2009 - I get AWESOME job.... in Flagstaff. For those not from AZ, that's about 150 miles away. Hubs lives in Phoenix, I live in Flagstaff. We visit on weekends. Without going into more detail (since I've been talking of little else with the Hubs lately and frankly I'm tired of thinking about it), this living situation is the most financially sound choice.

All in all, things are looking up. But yeah, you can see why I haven't had the heart to blog much in the last 4 months. Anyway, the goal now is to sit tight and hope Obama can fix the economy enough that Hubs and I can live in the same city again.

Good news, I've been at my new job 3 weeks and got my first paycheck. It's almost $500 more than I'm used to bringing home! So that will help things. Settling into life here, getting used to the new routine. Next week I get to go to the doctor again and get my meds refilled. Nothing makes for crazy and grouchy than being overstressed and undermedicated. Also, I'm going to get tested for new eyeglasses, so good-bye needless headaches. And lastly, I just bought a mega comfortable bed. This is a HUGE issue since I've slept on an air mattress and a rock-hard-awful twin for the last 3 weeks. Good-bye back pain.

Aside from catching up, the purpose of this post is to say that I've decided to make March the month I will blog every day. I finally feel calm and in control of life enough to do it. You'll recall that it was one of my "To Do in '09" items.

And in closing, since I hate reading blog posts without any pictures (because yes, I am that grade school):

Our Angel

Randomly Generated

Using a random integer generator, I chose a page number and photo number out of my Flickr gallery. The page number is 26, and the photo number is 9. Soooo, let's see what that brings up.


I remember this bento well. I had made it shortly after making Brown Eyed Susan cookies. The gyoza were just frozen ones I steamed and put atop a bed of rice and furikake. Add some edamame, spinach, tomatoes, and koala cookies and you have a tasty lunch. I also happened to have some Ramune too. I need to start making bento again. I ate healthier when I had bento, and I definitely ate less.

100 50 37 Things to do in 2009

Not so much resolutions, but more of a wish list. A wish list of things I have been wanting to do, but just never "got around to it" in 2008.

I have to admit, this list started as a 100 things to do list. But I got stuck. And since I didn't want to put stupid stuff down for the sake of having a nice round list, I decided to leave it at 37. A wonky list to go with a wonky blogger.

1. Make my own marshmallows
2. Experiment with different flavors of said marshmallows
3. Hang shelves above my desk
4. Put craft supplies in matching boxes on shelves
5. Sew a piece of clothing for myself
6. Knit a pair of socks (and not stop after one sock is done)
7. Make chicken stock Done: 1/5/09
8. Use stock to make chicken soup
9. Make Grandma's noodles for soup
10. Get all our boxes unpacked
11. Sort old clothes and donate some (or all) to goodwill
12. Decorate our guest room
13. Paint my hall bathroom
14. Put up tin backsplash in kitchen
15. Paint kitchen cabinets
16. Make headboard for our bed
17. Send 5 letters, hand written, physically mailed
18. Participate in one of those "365 days of" photo challenges
19. Blog every day for 30 days
20. Reduce our garbage output
21. Replace kitchen sink faucet
22. Make some art for the house
23. Visit the Phoenix Zoo
24. Take the dogs to Flagstaff while there is snow on the ground They LOVED it!
    
25. Get a library card
26. Read one book per month from library
27. Get garage door fixed
28. Grow my hair out (I will NOT get it cut, other than trims to even it out as it grows)
29. Learn to use my Canon Digital Rebel thoroughly
30. Walk for at least 10 minutes a day
31. Eat a vegetable or fruit at every meal
32. Eliminate soda for one month
33. Update address book
    
34. Send Christmas cards
35. Host a party
36. Twitter at least once a day
37. Make pierogies from scratch

Foheenix update

We're here. It's been absolutely insane, what with husband moving, moving out of apartment, finding/buying/moving into a new house, and starting a new job. But we lived through it and have relatively few scars. The animals are all fine, and overall we're settling into some semblance of normalcy. I have a few before photos of our house... well I shouldn't call them "before" photos since they're really "current" photos. But we have decoration plans. Mind you, we DO have plans. Just not the energy and money to do it all yet. Little by little, my young padawan.

Our new house was built in 1970 and is one of those ranch style homes. It's officially 1320 sq. ft. but that doesn't include the bonus room (as yet unfinished) as well as the large amount of storage in the garage. We have 3 bedrooms, and 1.75 baths... basically 2 bathrooms but one has a shower and one has a shower/tub combo. Living, dining, family rooms and kitchen round out our abode. Oh, and we have a HUGE yard for Lucy Dog to run around in. We are considering getting her a friend, but that won't be for a long time. Maybe after the holidays.

All crafting has been put temporarily on hold until we get unpacked. After that, I imagine there will be a lot of sewing of doll clothes and a lot of household decoration posts to come.

Fo-heenix

Well, the day has finally come. We're moving. I have mixed feelings. The bad part is we have to move to Phoenix (can you say hot?). The good is that we're moving because the hubs got a promotion, AND we can afford to buy a house or condo. We had no hope of home ownership here in Flagstaff, with the average price of a 3 bedroom house is in the $400k range (lame!). Even the manufactured homes are $260k+. Lame again.

So yeah, not that I've been very reliable in posting, but I think it is safe to say I won't be posting again until mid August, after the move. Hopefully, I'll have plenty of material after that. First, of course I will have photos of our new home. Then hopefully I will have done a major project monthly to make it look cute. So, yeah. I might be posting next week after we've bought the place. We're looking at some final places this weekend and we will make a decision.

Ok, not so triumphant

I have this real problem blogging when I don't have any new photos to post. I really should just put some random little blips up more often. Anyway, to recap the last month, we got a freak snowstorm/blizzard in May. It was insane, and everyone was like "what the hell?" The storm continued all day (we got about an inch of snow total). In the late afternoon the snow stopped, and the ground cover started melting. It was gone by the next day, but still, a late May snowstorm is just plain weird. Then, that same week, we got a wicked wind storm. As I was driving around looking for a parking spot, I noticed that someone was going to have a very bad day:
It turns out, the car belonged to someone who works in my office. The back windshield was totaled, and the trunk had some major dents and scratches. It was over $2000 in damages. Stupid wind.

On a cuter note, I finally uploaded photos from when I went to the Renaissance Faire with a friend and her little munchkin. Here's a photo:

The Triumphant Return

So you've probably wondered where I went. Truth is, I didn't really go anywhere but I was very busy. April was kind of a crazy month for me, and May isn't shaping up to be any better. I have been away so much, due to visiting family and funerals and work conferences. Most of the time, I just want to curl up with my kitties and take a long nap. Lucy would be happier running around at the dog park, but my kitties like to snuggle.

A few weeks ago, I went to visit mom and dad, for the first time in quite a few months. I took Lucy, of course, and a few of my dollies. Oh, and a mega-fuckton of laundry, mostly comforters that wouldn't fit in our washer/dryer at home. Mom has really done a lot of work in her backyard, and it is turning out to be a gorgeous little oasis. Lucy loves it, especially because it is fenced and she can run around off leash. We let her run around off leash outside of the yard too, but here it's much easier to keep tabs on her. She usually settles down on mom's big round lounger for an afternoon nap.

Then, I had to jet to Phoenix because my husband's grandmother passed away. It was a sad trip, but she had cancer and we were all expecting it. So I guess in a way, it was good because it wasn't a shock or a surprise. Still, she was a neat lady and I'm glad I got to know her for the short time I did.

Then, the week after returning from Phoenix, I had to go down AGAIN to attend a conference for work. The conference was really rather boring, but at least I got to stay in a swanky hotel with the worlds most comfortable bed ever! It was one of those individual spring mattresses where you can jump up and down and not disturb a glass of wine. On top of that, it had a feather mattress pad, and the covers were all down.

I brought my new Sooni Dal (who sadly is still nameless) to the conference with me, and she was so bored. I had told her to pack some books and puzzles to play with during mom's long boring seminars, but even then she ended up calling friends and chatting about how boring mom's job is.

So finally I am back home. I am looking forward to having a whole weekend where I don't have to travel somewhere. Seems like I've been out of town every weekend in the last month, and that is probably correct. Also, bonus, this weekend is a 3 day weekend. Hooray for Memorial Day. I intend to sleep, sew, and clean up my dirty-ass house. I also want to do more cooking. Last night I made some Shepherd's Pie for dinner, and it was scrumptious!

Who's up for a fabric cleanse?

Ok, so I have a lot of patchwork items rolling around in my head lately. Dresses, skirts, pillows, maybe even a quilt. I was looking through my fabric stash and, though I have a decent number of prints, I don't have near the variety I want. Anyone want to do some patchwork squares swap? Like, I cut out 5 4" squares from 5 different fabrics (25 squares), and you do the same? Or 2 4" squares from 10 different fabrics, or whatever. Oh, and yeah I realize no one really reads this thing, so I'm mostly just begging the universe for some fun fabric squares.

Dog for sale, $1.99/lb.

Sometimes I think I understand what it is like to have a small child. My dog (ok, she's a puppy still but I don't wanna give her any excuses) is like having a herd of 3 year olds running unsupervised through the house. Last night, we fell asleep with Lucy laying between our feet. We awoke with Lucy laying between our feet. I sauntered on downstairs to take the precious dog out for morning potty time, and I beheld this:

(caption reads: "Note the proximity of the untouched toy box to the center of destruction.")

My first instinct was to track down the dog and throttle her. Then I decided to take her out to potty instead, since it would mean less mess for me to pick up in the long run. Seriously though, I don't know how to keep this from happening. I'm guessing most people with dogs run into the same thing, based on the photos I've seen posted. I'll get over being angry, but it will probably take some caffeine and a few cigarettes.

Bonus shot:

Week 2

I had my first weigh-in today. The grand total for just one week? I lost 10.2 pounds! I've lost the equivalent to a large baby. Go me. Stay tuned next week for more progress. In the mean time, I have a new favorite dinner: tilapia fillet with Tony Cacherie's Creole Seasoning, sauteed in 1 T. olive oil, served with cous cous and a mushroom/squash medley.

Major Changes

It's been awhile since I've posted, and life has been quickly going by. The biggest development, I've joined Weight Watchers. I wanted the husband to join with me, but I guess he's just not ready to make the life commitment. Food still has too hard a hold on him and he doesn't want to break that yet. I can relate. But I finally decided that, in order for us to have a baby, ultimately it's me who has to get in shape. That and I'm tired of being uncomfortable. I want to sew and knit myself clothes, without having to spend 3 times as much on materials. A therapist once told me to make a list of reasons why a goal is important, and that will help you stay on track. So this blog post is my list of reasons. The list is in no other order than how the thoughts come to me.

• I want to have a baby by 30.
• I don't want to have my knees replaced.
• I want to have a more creative sex life.
• I want to take my dog on hikes and outdoor adventures.
• I want to sew clothes and knit garments for myself.
• I want to fly in an airplane without the anxiety I won't fit in the seat.
• I want to be able to buckle my seatbelt again.
• I want to shop at thrift stores for clothes.
• I want to attend my 10 year high school reunion looking better than I did at 18.
• I want to be able to help my husband lose weight, when he's ready.

Oh and one more thing, I'd like to say that I'm totally in love with chinese eggplant. It is the tasty!

Holy Snow!

I woke up this morning to go to work and glanced outside. Lots of snow, but figured no biggie, it's Flagstaff, we've dealt with snow before. Then I took Lucy out to pee and saw this:

Yeah, I could barely see my car. Then I discovered that the street plows and left a waist high snow drift behind all the cars in the lot. Lovely. No way I was getting to work this morning. I called my boss and she said a lot of people were calling in; they might shut down the office, we didn't know. I told her minimum time I could be in was 10:30am, after the apartment's plow came and freed us. She said no worries, and to keep her posted. So yay, bonus day off (or at least half a day, we don't know yet). I decided to grab the dog and let her romp about. The air temperature isn't that cold (considering), so from about 7am to 8:30 we hung out together. The neighbor's dog and Lucy's best friend, Marley, came out to play too.

Lucy weathered the storm well in her pretty pink sweater. The cold didn't seem to bother her at all. She kept sniffing and biting at the snow flakes.

Lucy and Marley were playing a lot, bounding through the drifts and burying each other. I was talking to Marley's mom, when I saw this:

"Mom, can we go inside now?" I guess Lucy finally got cold or tired or both. We're in the living room and she's passed out on the recliner. The snow is STILL coming down hard. I'll post updates if there is any news.

She works hard for the yummies

So hard for 'em honey! She works hard for the yummies, cuz she loves her dog-gy treats!

No photos today. I've been mostly keeping up with our pup who has decided to become a destroyer. And in true puppy style, unless there is a yummy involved, she won't listen to me. Right now she's chewing the stem from one of my old, dried Christmas roses. She'll start school on January 20th and I'm looking forward to it. We need to get some communication going. Otherwise, Lucy is the same sweet dog she's always been. She loves to romp in the snow and bites at the snowflakes.

The other fuzzies are doing well. They've been meowing to go outside ever since the snow started coming down Friday night. Right now, Mia has taken up residence on my thigh; her usual place. Tweek has wanted to cuddle lately, but he won't put his claws away. Frodo is still waking us up at night for petting, and Evie is still as skittery as ever.