Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Another week, another...

Yarn Along!

I'm still on my kitchen towel/dishcloth kick as seen here:
I have more cotton yarn left and I am still considering an Etsy store as well as a Christmas Bazaar that I know about and could rent a table at.  I really want to find a nice shawl or wrap pattern that I can use some of the really nice yarn that I have for.  I haven't found anything that I really LOVE yet, so the yarn just sits there staring at me.

Yesterday I read this:
It was really good and I am looking forward to seeing the movie when it comes out.  I read the book yesterday.  Yes, the whole book.  Don't hate.  It really was an easy read and it isn't all that long.  I was a little disappointed at the way it ended though, because I expected there to be one more chapter to kind of tie things up the way I like.

If you'd like to see what other people are reading and cocheting/knitting, head over to Ginny's blog.

Tomorrow is my work Friday!  Whoo-hoo!!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

A list...

1.  I am very, VERY bad at coming up with post titles.  Please don't leave because of that.

2.  miss raven finally took a drink last night.  and hasn't taken one since.  and is slowing beginning to relax after her horrific thunderandlightining filled evening.

3.  My garden is starting to produce more than lettuce.  See:



I am very happy about most of this.  I am not happy about the lack of cucumbers as I was looking forward to garden fresh cucumbers almost as much as I was looking forward to garden fresh tomatoes.  I did find another baby cucmber this afternoon and am hoping that it won't shrivel up and die like all the other ones.  Well, all the other ones except the one long on that is still on the vine but split open is a couple of places.  I also found two more squash.  One is largish and kind of green...not at all like what I thought a butternut squash would look like.  The other one is weeny and yellow and much like the other three that died and fell off.  If anyone out there knows what I am doing wrong in regards to the cucumbers, squash and potentially the green beans that seem to be thinning out now that I have harvested (and eaten) all twelve of them, I would be grateful for your help.

4.  Dieting update.  Well.  It is no secret that the grandiose plans that I had about losing a ton of weight at the beginning of the year have fallen by the wayside.  Not only have I not lost any weight since January 1, I have acutally gained about TEN more pounds.  My wake-up slap across the face was when I saw the pictures that my brother posted of me and the kids from when they where here last week.  I can't believe that I look that big.  I determined that, on Monday, I would start with the whole Weight Watchers thing again.  I am not following their new plan, but rather going back to all my old materials and following the plan that worked for me about three years ago.  I have successfully counted my points yesterday and today.  I had a hard time this afternoon because I was reading a REALLY good book (which I will talk about tomorrow) and I REALLY wanted to munch on something salty and crunchy.  I made myself ignore the pseudo-cravings that my mind tried to tell me I was having and managed to NOT eat anything.  I know that, when I write everything out and follow the plan, it WORKS.  I don't have any grand illusions that I will lose all the weight I regained by some ridiculous end date (like before school starts) but if I can lose roughly 20 pounds before school starts, I would be happy.

5.  Things are still kind of up in the air at work right now.  Nothing is concrete yet and that is slightly concerning me.  I can honestly say I am not worrying...right now.  I do have a meeting next week but, at the moment, it seems to be rather a routine meeting.  I would appreciate any prayers/good thoughts that you would like to send my way. :)

6.  How cute is this:
I submit it is very cute.  Perhaps the cutest thing you have seen all day, even.  ;)

Have a happy Wednesday and.....I MISS YOU, TOO, BFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, June 27, 2011

It's so quiet...

I can hear myself think.

Last week was chaotic craziness.  And don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it. :)

They
came to visit me.  Ok.  Their parents came, too, but, let's face it.  They

were the main attraction.

;)

Aside from a wee minor problem involving flight changes and lost luggage, they arrived safely last Sunday night.  We had plans to go to the beach on Monday but the weather did not cooperate.  Instead we went to a large mall that had a Dave and Buster's attached.  It was fun watching the kids play the games to earn tickets.  I even helped a little. :)

We got to the beach on Tuesday and had so much fun.  The kids loved it and played all day in the sand and the water.  They chased the ducks and built sandcastles.  It was so much fun to watch them and boy were they TIRED when we got home that night!



Wednesday they left to go up to Philly for a few days.  They visited the zoo and the Please Touch Museum and got to meet one of their great aunts for the first time.  They had a blast!

They came back to me on Friday and we went to see Cars 2.  It was cute but I have decided I do not have the right eyes to watch 3D movies.  Every time I have been to see one I can never seem to see the 3D effects.  Anyway, the kids loved it and that's all that mattered. :)

They went to Six Flags on Saturday and spent the whole day there playing in the water and riding rides.  I met them for dinner that night and then we had dessert at Rita's.  YUM!

Sadly, they left yesterday to head back home.  The week went by too fast and it is so quiet in my house now.  I miss them and Christmas is a long time away!

miss raven seems to be doing well.
she is eating like a champ and really seems to miss her crunchies.  I have to soak them in water for the next several days until her mouth heals completely.  We are done with the pain meds and have only a few more antibiotics left.  The only thing that slightly concerns me is that I haven't seen her drink any water at all since I brought her home on Thursday.  I am hoping that, because her crunchies are so loaded with water, she is getting the liquid that she needs there.  she is going to the bathroom normally, so I am not too worried.  Right now she is sleeping on my lap as I type this.  she is such a sweetie. :)

Have a happy Tuesday!!  Tomorrow--gardening and (lack of) dieting update.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

A visit to the doctor (a raven update)...

So. Glad. Today. Is. Over.

Today was a long, VERY long, day.

I woke up at 6:30.  miss raven had to be to the vet by 8:30.  I let her ride on my lap the whole way there.  I normally don't do that but I was feeling so guilty about what I was about to do.  I took her in, filled out the paperwork, and then watched as they took her away to the back. 

I cried.  The whole way home.

I got home and did my best to keep busy and keep my mind off of everything (read:  played mindless games on the computer for two hours.)  I met a good friend of mine for lunch and that helped, too.  The vet called me when I was on my way to meet my friend for lunch and told me that everything was good and that miss raven had done well.  THAT made me very happy. :)

I couldn't pick miss raven up until six this afternoon.  By the time I got to the vet I was more than ready to see her and she was very happy to see me.  I paid the bill, got her discharge instructions and brought my girl home.  She has done pretty well this evening.  She is hungry, due to the fact that she wasn't allowed to eat anything after seven last night, and I know her mouth is sore.  The vet told me that her throat would probably be sore, too, because they had to intubate her.  Since coming home she has eaten about 3/4 of a container of wet food, several pieces of water-softened (now not so) crunchy food, and a soft treat broken up into a zillion little pieces.  She wants more but the vet said not to give her too much tonight because of the anesthesia--it could make her tummy upset.  miss raven begs to differ and would eat much more if I would let her.  I am going with the vet on this one.

I have to give her antibiotics and pain meds twice a day.  These are oral "injections", meaning I just squirt the stuff in her mouth.  Sounds easy, right?  Yeah.  Not so much.  I had to flip her over, pin her down, and gently "shove" the syringe in her mouth.  TWICE.  Scads and scads of fun, I tell you.  She was not so happy with me and wasn't afraid to let me know it.

She has been whimpering a little off and on since coming home.  I'm not sure if it is from her mouth/throat discomfort or from being hungry.  Right now she is sleeping on the pillow next to me.  She was snoring rather loudly for a little while and that made me feel very happy.  I have to take her for a post-op check-up in about ten days.  This visit is routine and, thankfully, isn't going to cost me anything.

Thanks to everyone who thought about us today and said a prayer.  We both really appreciate it!

:)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Yarn Along (and other things)...

Although I have been reading the Yarn Along posts at Ginny's blog for some time now, this is the first time I've actually participated.  Hopefully I will be able to figure out how to use "Mr. Linky"...
As you can see, I crochet, not knit.  Right now I am on a run of making dishtowels and dishcloth sets.  I am contemplating opening an Etsy store sometime in the near future and I think these will make a nice addition.  I am using either Lily or Sugar and Creme (I can't remember which) and I love these bright colors.  The ones I made several years ago have lasted for a while and they wash well.  I'll probably make a few more sets and then move on to something else.

As for reading...I hope it still counts if I am using a Kindle to do my reading.  :)  I like political thrillers and have read just about everything by David Baldacci.  Currently I am reading his latest book The Sixth Man.  I confess, I haven't been reading much lately, although I have the time since school is out for the summer.  I took the Kindle with me to the beach yesterday, but the battery was running low so I didn't get to read.  From the few chapters that I have gotten through I can tell that I am going to enjoy it.

My family is here and I have been enjoying spending time with them.  Yesterday we spent pretty much the whole day at the beach.  It was great!  I got a little crispy, but it isn't too bad.  Here are some fun pictures of the kids:



miss raven goes tomorrow morning for her surgery.  I am nervous and will be all day tomorrow.  Thankfully, a good friend of mine agreed to have lunch with me so that will help take my mind off of it for a little while.  If you are a praying person, would you say a little prayer for both her and me?  Thanks!  And don't worry, I'll keep you posted.
:)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

(insert witty post title here)

Did you ever have so many thoughts bouncing around in your brain that you weren't quite sure how to put them all down in a logical order?

Me neither.

;op

About a million times since Sunday I have thought "Gee...you should blog.  Your BFF is back from vacation and you can't expect her to work all day while she is at work..."  and then I wouldn't blog.  Not because I didn't have anything to say, just because I was lazy.

miss raven went to the doctor yesterday.  She did very well:  she lost a pound (at least someone in this house it losing weight), her heartbeat is nice and steady, her ears are clean.  The (new) vet told me that her back left leg joint is slightly hyper-extended so she may develop arthritis in the next few year.  She got her rabies shot and had some blood drawn for her pre-surgery work-up.

Yes.

PRE-SURGERY.

Sigh.  girlie's teeth are B.A.D.  I know this and have been saving the Benjamin's for the surgery because trust me, it ain't gonna be cheap.  She is scheduled to go in a week from today to have her teeth clean and to possibly have some of them extracted.  The extractions will depend on how badly decayed they are.  I am thinking she is going to need at least two taken out.

I am already fretting about all of this.  Not just the moolah, although that is a concern.  It is her age, really.  She is going to be 12 in about a month and, the older a dog gets, the more dangerous it is to put them under general anesthesia.  According to the chart at the vet, my girlie is one year away from being considered "geriatric."  Not that you'd know it by watching her run around the yard barking at every living thing...and some non-living things as well.

UPDATE:

The national rodent population is down by another one.  So far I have managed to rid the world of three little beasties.  As much as I hesitate to say this (because the last time I did two more came along) we have seen neither hide nor hair nor "evidence" of any beasties for two days now.  Dare I hope that their reign of terror is over?

I have some major cleaning to do.  I have visitors coming on Sunday (I CAN'T WAIT!!!!) and I don't want them to think I am a slob.  Having rugrats here gave me the liberty of buying Goldfish, the Penguins of Madagascar fruit snacks, Cocoa Puffs, and Pop Tarts!!!  Yummmmmmmm!!!!!!! :)

Despite all the cleaning I am sitting here blogging and drinking an iced coffee (Starbucks today, not Dunkin--that will probably be tomorrow.)  You should feel loved.

;)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Let's chat...

shall we?

I like to think I am a pretty easy going person, outside of work, that is.  I have my own strong opinions about some things but I mostly keep them to myself.  There are a few reasons for that:  (a) I abhor confrontation.  I don't like to fight with anyone.  I would rather just keep my mouth shut than fight.  Yes, I am a coward.  (b) I am not a "quick-thinker."  I need time to process what the other person has said and come up with a decent response.  It is because of this I am not good at debating.

This does not mean that I never disagree with people.  It also does not mean that I never express my feelings.  Furthermore, I understand that not everyone agrees with  me.  What irritates me, though, is when I express my opinions (politely) in a semi-private forum and someone else decides to jump all over me.  Especially when the comment that was made was pretty innocent.  Give me a break.  I hate when people have the attitude that they can express any opinion they want, about anything, but when you express  differing opinion, they feel it necessary to comment--but you can't disagree with them.  Ever.

Grrrr.

Also on the "grrr" front...

Guess who had to dispose of another mouse corpse this morning?  That would be me.  Here's the story:

I finally fell asleep (in my own bed!) this morning around one-ish.  I slept fairly well until I heard a noise around 4:45.  As I was laying in bed I realized that the noise could be one of three things:
  1. rain pittering against the window pain.
  2. someone trying to open my bedroom door.
  3. a mouse eating peanut butter off the trap.
Three guesses as to which it was.

Grrr.

I got up, turned on the light, and inspected the trap.  Sure enough, the peanut butter was mostly gone.  I couldn't figure out why the trap hadn't worked until I discovered that it was just slightly wedged under the dresser, preventing it from snapping down.  DARN IT ALL!

I took the girlie out, came back in, and settled down on the couch.  About half an hour later I decided that sleeping on the couch was ridiculous!  I went back into the room, moved a trap with full peanut butter to behind the dresser, and went back to sleep.  I must have slept for about an hour when a loud snapping sound woke me up.  Well, a loud snapping sound accompanied by a pair of frantic little legs clawing at the baseboard.  I tried not to be to grossed out/disgusted/annoyed/mad.  I looked at the trap and to my dismay, it appeared empty.  I was pretty upset because these traps are supposed to be reusable.  About 15 minutes later, I got up and this time used a flashlight to look at the trap.  Um.  The only way I can describe my inital reaction to what I saw is...EWWWW!!!  It appeared that the trap had snapped the beastie's head off.  Remember the frantic leg clawing I heard?  Immediately I had visions of a headless mouse body running under the dresser.  I sat on the bed and tried to figure out what I was going to do.  How on earth was I going to be able to deal with a headless mouse corpse and a trap with a head stuck in it?  I was so grossed out.  I finally got up the courage to look at the trap again, this time from directly above.  Turns out, the trap just twisted sideways.  The whole dead body was there.  I got the yardstick to poke at the trap to make sure the thing didn't move.  It didn't, so I talked myself into picking up the trap and putting the dead beastie into the garbage.  Out went the garbage, the trap got reset, and this time, the dresser was not pushed back so far. 

So, here is where we stand with the beasties:

Melicity 2
Beasties 0

Now, remember, the original beastie died on Tuesday morning.  I had 4 days with no real evidence of another beastie.  I need to figure out how this one got in because I am not naive enough to think that there were only 2.  I am considering calling Orkin or Terminex.  I am hoping that an exterminator can deal with outside, underneath the house, so that the beasties will stop coming in.

The garden is doing well.  Many tomatoes, many green peppers, and just this morning I discovered several green beans!  No cucumbers and no squash...yet. :)  I am really excited about this and keep wishing that the tomatoes would ripen faster. :)

It has been super hot here lately, which I love.  Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler which both miss raven and my air conditioner and my bank account will love.

Have a Happy Sunday and don't forget...Father's Day is in just one week!

:)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

A little of this and a bit of that...

Oh, such randomness!

You know you love it.  ;)

In case you hadn't heard, Beastie is dead.  Sadly, I think Beastie had a friend as I have found some random "evidence".  Now, to be fair, this could be leftover "evidence" from Beastie before its demise.  I thoroughly vacuumed tonight, so anything I might find tomorrow will be from yet another uninvited guest.

I am listening to one of my "workout" playlists on my iTunes library hoping that it will inspire me to get my lazy self out of bed tomorrow morning and go to the gym.  I'll keep you updated on that.

I made a quick trip to the grocery store today.  I got mango sorbet, Skinny Cow cookies and cream truffle pops, two different kinds of Weight Watchers desserts, and these for the girlie:
Because it is one hundred and fifty MILLION degrees outside right now.

And I love it.

I am not, however, going to love my electric bill.  Sheesh...the vet is going to get an arm, leg, and the left kidney.  The electric company is going to get the other kidney, my spleen, and perhaps a hunk of my liver.

For dinner tonight I had pita chips and hummus.  Mango sorbet with blueberries for dessert.  It was entirely too hot to even think about cooking.

The garden is doing well, although, because of the hell-like temperatures, I am watering twice a day.  My poor tomatoes are SO thirsty!  Here are some pictures to prove that I haven't killed everything:

After work, but before the grocery store, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts to get a blueberry iced coffee (my love of the season).  I am just about finished with it.  I can nurse that bad boy for hours!  If it weren't so hot and if Dunkin was any closer, I would be tempted to go get another one.  Just sayin.

I am going to have quite the summer as far as visitors are concerned!  They:
are coming to visit me SOON!!!  Like, in a little over a week!  I am over-the-moon excited to see them!! :) 

My dad is coming to visit later on this summer.  I am excited about that, too. :)

You know those powdery drink mix thingies?  The single serving ones?  Well, Target (I love me some Target!) has some new flavors:  lime margarita, strawberry daiquiri, and cranberry cosmopolitan.  I can say with certainty that the lime margarita is PHENOMENAL, especially if you like a "tart" drink.  The strawberry one is a little on the sweet side and I have tried the other one yet.  My other non-coffee favorite is currently Trop50 Raspberry Lemonade.  I also like Crystal Light peach tea.

I wasn't kidding when I said this post was going to be crazy random, was I?

Night!

:)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Ding Dong the...

BEASTIE IS DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, normally I would not be this excited about the demise of another living creature.  I am happy to make an exception in this case, though.

When I got up this morning I made my way to the bedroom.  You know, because I have been sleeping in the living room for the last few nights.  (How sad is it that a MOUSE chased me out of my own bedroom?!?)  Anyway, I wasn't expecting much because I was discouraged and sure that I was never going to get rid of the creature.

Much to my delight and happiness, one of the traps worked!  When I looked behind my dresser I saw little legs and a tail sticking out of a trap!  I am not lying when I tell you that I did a happy dance right there in my bedroom!!  I was so, so happy!  I was going to post a picture of a dead mouse but all the ones that I found online were actually kind of gross so I spared you.

Once the high of th dead mouse wore off I realized that I was going to have to dispose of the corpse.  Hmmmm.  I had to talk to myself for about ten minutes before I got up the courage to pick up the trap.  (In the interest of full disclosure I feel I must tell you that I also had to dig something out of the trash can to poke at the thing to make sure it was really dead.  All I needed was to pick up the trap and have the thing move.  That would have been the end of me.)  I quickly squeezed the opposite end of the trap and let the carcass drop into the trash can.  I tied the top closed and took the trash out.

Melicity 1
Beastie 0

I am still going to sleep on the couch for a few more nights, just to make sure that none of its "friends" were invited to the house.  If I don't seen anymore "evidence" by Friday night I will feel safe enough to go back to my room.  I will be so glad because I miss my bed!

It is HOT here today.  We are talking 103 degrees outside right now!  I LOVE IT!!!!  Everybody is whining about how hot it is.  Not me!  I am THRILLED!!!!  My plants, especially the tomatoes were SO thirsty when I got home today.  Once I watered them, though, they were much, much happier.  I am also thrilled that the air conditioner is still working.  I am still praying that it lasts for several more years.

miss raven got a letter from her doctor yesterday.  Seems like it is time for her to get her annual exam.  I have been kind of dreading this because it means that I am going to have to lay out some serious cash.  Between the exam, her shots, bloodwork, and teeth cleaning, she is going to cost me an arm, a leg, and possibly my left kidney.  She is worth it though.  :)

Time to get something cold to drink!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Ten Things Tuesday...

1.  I am tired.

2.  I hate mice.

3.  I am currently sleeping on the couch.

4.  I hate mice.

5.  The traps are empty.

6.  This doesn't mean much because I am still finding a few pieces of "evidence" that the beastie is still alive.

7.  I hate mice.

8.  I miss my bed.

9.  miss raven is confused by all of this.

10. Lest you weren't sure:  I HATE MICE.

Good night.

Monday, June 6, 2011

It's (still) ALIVE....

Yes, my friends, this:

lives on.

But not for much longer.  Oh, no.  Not for much longer.

I spied the beastie last night as I was about to turn off the light and go to sleep.  It darted out from underneath my bed and went under the dresser.  At first I thought that my eyes were deceiving me.  Surely the thing must be gone.  And then.  Then I saw it skitter from underneath the dresser to BACK UNDER MY BED!  I threw the sheets and mattress off the bed and then lifted the box spring.  No beastie.  Just evidence of said beastie.  Hauled out the vaccuum cleaner and vaccuumed everything in sight under the bed.  Thew away two blankets (I can make more), and got back into bed.  Did not sleep.

This morning:  On a whim I decided to look under the dresser again.  Took out the bottom drawer and found two pieces of miss raven's food.  My blood pressure went through the roof and believe me, I would have crushed the thing myself with no guilt whatsoever had I had the chance.  Pulled out the other drawer and found something small, sticky, and red.  It took me a moment to figure out what it was.  Then, in horror, checked the traps.  Oh, don't worry.  It wasn't blood.  IT WAS THE CRAISIN I WAS USING AS BAIT!  The beastie got in to ALL FIVE of the traps in the bedroom, at the craisin, and escaped.  WITHOUT SETTING THE TRAPS OFF.

This. Means. WAR.

I was sure that I would go to Lowe's after work today and buy poison.  I even had the battle plan all laid out.  I chickened out on the poison when I got to Lowe's, though, for two reasons:
  1. I can't run the risk of miss raven getting in to the posion.  If anything happened to her because of the beastie I would die of grief.
  2. With my luck in this whole situation, the beastie would either (a) not eat the poison to begin with, or (b) eat the poison and die in the wall somewhere leaving me with a demonic odor for up to eight weeks.

So instead I got the plastic traps that snap down and "kill them instantly".  They don't have to crawl into these like the other (worthless) ones I bought.  These are reusable and even though I actually have to see the (hopefully) dead beastie, it is a faster death then using the glue trap things.  I also got these supersonic-noise-emitting thingies that plug into the wall.  There were three of them so I put one in the kitchen, one in the living room, and one in the bedroom.  At this point there are 5 (useless) traps, 4 (hopefully) useful traps, and 1 sonic noise thingie.  Now, I am lousy at math, but I am hoping that TEN mice killing/deterring things in ONE room will eliminate this problem.

I'll keep you posted.

Ugh.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Update...

Well, after a totally thorough cleaning on Friday, I am happy to report that I have seen neither hide nor hair of the beastie.  The traps are all empty.  Am I too naive to think that it just ran away on it's own?

There is a feral cat that lives somewhere around my house.  As much as I LOATHE all things feline, I must admit, I am not encouraging it to leave, too hard anyway.  I'm thinking that, if it stays, the beasties may flee in terror.

That's what I am hoping anyway.

GOOD NEWS!

Yesterday, while doing a little exploring, I found a HOBBY LOBBY in my neck of the woods about 45 minutes from my house.  To be fair, that won't mean anything to anyone other than my BFF but I was over-the-moon happy about it.  I did not buy any yarn but I did buy a new crochet hook.  Win-win.  :)

I also went to Ikea yesterday.  Oh how I love me some Ikea!  I could spend all day and a ton of money there if I was allowed.  I didn't spend too much but I did get some nifty things.  :)

Today I went out with a friend of mine.  You know, the one who dubbed me the "Yarn Ho."  We had a really good time and I was glad we got the opportunity to go out.  I really miss being able to see her at work every day.

The Race for the Cure was this past weekend.  I think this is the first time in like 10 years I haven't participated.  I was pretty sad that my BFF and her family didn't come this year.  It was pretty much a tradition and now it's not. :(

I have to go back to work tomorrow but it's ok.  The stress is pretty much gone and summer hours have started.  I am currently watching the second X-Men movie and trying not to disturb the diva sleeping behind my neck.  She is so funny and I love her.

Have a great week!  :)

Friday, June 3, 2011

me vs. the beast...

No, not her:



THIS:
Stop laughing at me.

Right now.

I MEAN IT!

I suspected that I might have an univited guest yesterday morning as I was getting ready for work.  I happened to look down on the floor of my closet and saw, um, evidence.

GROSS!

I figured that, since I have today off, I would just go and get traps or something to take care of the beastie.  That was, until, last night.

Let me set the scene for you....
Melicity and miss raven are snuggled in bed.  The light hasn't been turned off just yet as they are still watching a bit of tv.  Out of the corner of her eye Melicity sees movement down by where miss raven's food is.  Knowing that miss raven in safely tucked away on the bed with her, Melicity is intrigued by said movement so she turns her head to look.  Much to her HORROR and UTTER DISMAY, there is a MOUSE in her house.  In a panic she calls her father...who laughs.  And then tells her to get bait because the beastie will eat it and eventually die.  Eventually, huh?  All she needs is to come home and see a dead mouse laying in her living room.  Besides, she is really uneasy about putting poison down with miss raven running free during the day (ok, maybe not running but you get the picture.)  Melicity decides to head to the Walmart in order to purchase traps.  The kind where you can't see the beastie once it is dead.
Fast forward to this morning.  I haven't slept much, I have cleaned EVERYTHING...the closets, under the dressers, behind the bed (GROSS--it was on my bedside table!!), behind the couch (GROSS!!!!).  I am tired and I still have SIX EMPTY TRAPS.  That mouse had better either moved out or be ready to meet it's little maker tonight because I am not sharing my house with it ANYMORE.

I leave you with one final thought...

GROSS!  }: O(

Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Fruits, er, veggies of my labors...

In case you are wondering, this:




is how my garden grows.

I can't wait until I can actually start eating what I have been growing.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Today was my work Friday!  I love that, in the summer, I have Friday off.  Not only do I have Friday off but I also have shorter hours Monday-Thursday.  Yea me!

I love being able to come home in the early afternoon and not have to worry about school or kids or parents or teachers or anything like that.  The reduction in my stress level is always amazing in the summer.  Just another reason to love the season, if you ask me.  :)

I hope your summer is going well so far and that your stress level is low!  Eat a popsicle, read a book, play in the rain.  Do something fun! :)

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Summer musings, ramblings, and other such nonsense...

To make this post seem longer and infintely more interesting I am going to do it in a list!

:)

  1. We are just getting out of our first heat wave of the season.  It has been wonderfully HOT here the last three days.  I LOVE IT!
  2. It is raining right now.  I tried to convince miss raven that the rain was a good thing and fun to play in.  As you may have guessed, she was having none of it.
  3. The garden, I assume, is enjoying the rain.  The cucumbers are growing like mad and why, oh why, didn't anyone tell me what a monster squash is?!?  It is taking over EVERYthing!  I currently have almost a dozen cherry tomatoes and two green peppers.  I am still very excited about it. :)
  4. School is over and almost all of my teachers have checked out.  I still have one that is dragging his heels but he should be done tomorrow.
  5. I received a very mean-spirited letter from a former co-worker today.  I highly respected this person, and still do, for the most part.  After fretting about what was said in the letter for most of this afternoon, I have decided that the letter was written out of spite for what happened earlier in the year to a family member, not because of anything that I had done, although there were several false allegations made against me in the letter.  I will be speaking with our HR director and getting advice as to my next step.  This afternoon I sat down and wrote a response that I knew I would never send so that I could write out all my hurt and frustration at what was said.  That helped clear my mind alot.
  6. I was just hearing a funny noise against the house.  Turns out it was hail.  Don't worry, the plants are fine.  I went out and checked.  I'm paranoid like that and all.
  7. Have I mentioned in the last several posts that I miss my BFF?  Well, I do.
  8. I love summer fruit.  Blueberries, watermelon, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, plums....oh, I how love summer...and it's fruit.
  9. I also love ice cream, but I am trying not to love it so much as I need to lose serious poundage right now.
  10. I do not love summer re-runs on TV.  Fortunately, Leverage and Hawthorne will be back on soon.  Phew!
  11. I also do not love baseball.  Can you say Boooooorrrrrrring?
Tomorrow is Thursday and that is a good thing.  It is a good thing because, in the summer, I don't work on Friday.  Ergo, tomorrow is my work Friday. 

I love being able to use the word "ergo."

Good night!

:)