A beautiful day...

in my neighbourhood.  How about yours?

Really.  It was a gorgeous day here today and one that won't be repeated for several more months, unfortunately.  Days like these make me wistful.  I hate that summer is over and the long, dreary winter is stuck in front of me. 

So.

Wasn't that cheerful?  Sorry.  How about this:

Cute, right?  This was the best one of the bunch as she is, well, how can I say this....less than obedient.  Nonetheless, this is a cute picture.

**Food Update**

Apparently she still loves the Royal Canine food that I got her.  She has been eating it with no problem, and, after a minor episode on Sunday afternoon, in which she really, really thought she was going to get more of the evil unhealthy wet food, she has been eating wonderfully.  Currently, she is munching away.  This is good and bad.  Did I mention how expensive the ROYAL Canine food is?  And, of course, the bag is teeny tiny.  At the rate she is going, I am going to need a small loan just to keep her eating well.  Good thing she's worth it. ;)

Tomorrow is Friday (as if you didn't know) and I am looking forward to it.  I hope this weekend drags FORever because I am NOT looking forward to the next few weeks at work.

Random thought:  Am I the only one freaked out by the fact that Thanksgiving is only four weeks from TODAY?!?  I only have 14 days of work (after tomorrow) until Thanksgiving break.  Christmas break is only a hop, skip, and a jump after that.

Girlie is done eating and would like you to know that she enjoyed it.  I know this because she just belched in my face.

One more bit of randomness:  I made a pumpkin pie tonight.  And ate vanilla frozen yogurt with fat-free caramel sauce.

goodnight.

:)

Stress, thy name is....

(insert name of my work place here)

No, really.

I mean it.

This week stress caused me to:
1.  Have a complete emotional break-down at work.
2.  Miss a day of work do to a stress-related illness.
and
3.  Wake up yesterday morning with a funky, mysterious rash on the inside of my elbows and arms, as well as my neck/chest-ish area.

Sigh.

I desperately needed to relieve some of my stress over the weekend.  So I planted some mums in containers:

Made a wreath to hang on my front door:

and progressed another step on my front flower bed:

I know it isn't much yet  but this is after six bags of drainage rocks (because, seriously, it was like a little pond out there after each rain) and two large bags of mulch.  I still haven't decided what I want to edge it with.  The people at Lowe's were very unhelpful (I know that isn't a word but let's pretend, ok?) so I am going to give Home Depot a try next week.

I also bought girlie a new food.  I seem to have appalled the helpful salesperson at Petsmart when I told him that I needed to buy some "healthy digestion/sensitive stomach" food for her.  He asked me why I was feeding her wet food.  He asked me in such a way, though, that it made me feel like a horrible parent.  He then proceded to tell me that wet food can lead to tooth and heart problems in dogs.  Especially Chihuahuas, who, apparently, are pre-disposed to heart problems anyway.  He seemed genuinely surprised when I told him that she was eleven.  He informed me that most Chi's don't live past six or seven.  WHAT?!?!  I have never heard that.

Anyway.

He took me to the high-quality (read:  expensive) food aisle.  Who knew that there is a food made especially for Chihuahuas?  Not me.  It is called.....are you ready for this because it is so appropriate...ROYAL CANINE.  Of course.  It couldn't be called anything else.  It comes with a royal price tag, too. 

Salesperson Chris told me that because of her age I probably wouldn't be able to get her to switch over to that food solely.  Ha!  girlie knows a good thing when she sees (and smells) it.  I put some in her bowl and had barely walked away when she was right over beside me again.  I looked in her bowl thinking that she was turning her nose up at it and, surprise! her bowl was EMPTY!  She loves it.  Yea!  It is supposed to be better for her teeth as well as her digestion so I am hoping for no more gurgly tummy.  He also suggested (read:  pegged me for a sucker who does anything for her dog) some healthier treats.  She has had them before and really likes them so I wasn't opposed to getting them for her.

Now I am sitting on my couch.  I have pumpkin soup in the crockpot, pumpkin and apple candles burning, a non-fat peppermint latte on the coffee table, and football on TV.  I am trying not to itch my rash and trying not to think about work.  I am waiting for my brother to send me measurements of the niece and nephew's heads so that I can make new hats for the younguns.  And I hope you are having a wonderful weekend, wherever you are. :)

Psalm 13

How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord?

for ever?

how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

having sorrow in my heart daily?

how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and hear me, O Lord my God:

lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Lest my enemy say, I have prevailed against him;

and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

But I have trusted in thy mercy;

my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

I will sing unto the Lord,

because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

wordless wednesday....

Ok.  So this isn't going to be a real wordless Wednesday because, really, I shouldn't be allowed to do one of those for a while given my lengthy blog absences of late.

Today kicked my butt.  Seriously.  I think Wednesday decided to be Monday today.  Without getting too specific, because I can't, I had to make the worst phone call I have ever made today concerning a student.  The ramifications are going to be epic and I am not looking forward to it.  I also had to make a few other phone calls to parents today that were no fun, either.  I know it is the nature of my job but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

One thing I still havve not been able to get over is the fact that some parents believe everything that comes out of their child's mouth.  I grew up in the "teacher is always right" generation.  Even if my parents thought that the teacher was wrong, I never knew it.  They just didn't tell me or even act like they were angy with the teacher in front of me.  We were always told that if we got in trouble at school we got it twice as bad at home and they weren't kidding.

It astounds me that I deal with parents who automatically blame the teacher for whatever it is that went wrong.  I don't get it.  I just don't get it.

So tonight, I am going to watch TV, crochet, not eat the whole house and the dog, and relax.

After all, tomorrow is another day.

And it isn't Monday.

Yet again...

another week has gone by and I have only blogged one time.  I hang my head in bloggy shame and as that you forgive me.  Again.

hang on--gotta take care of (read:  clean up after) the diva.....

Thank you.  Currently girlie and I are outside enjoying this lovely Indian summer weather and cursing the coming winter.  Ok.  Maybe not the whole cursingthecomingwinter thing, but nonetheless.

So.  Here's what has happened since last we met:

Thursday:  I really, really wished that it was Friday.

Friday:  I was really, really glad it was Friday.

Saturday:  Went to Annapolis with my good friend Freddie.  Ate fro-yo at Menchie's.  Enjoyed the lovely weather.  Bought some big-girl make-up.

Sunday:  Discovered DuPont Circle.  aaaannnnndddd a new yarn store.  And because I am a yarn ho, bought some more yarn.  Hey--the first step is admitting your addiction, right?  Cursed the Cowboys because they SUCK OUT LOUD ALL DAY LONG this season.  Ok.  Again with the whole...

hang on.  gotta find the diva.  think she is flirting with the boyfriend.  her boyfriend, not mine.  you know, because i don't have one.

no cursing thing because I really don't.  Usually.

Monday:  Paid a visit to Manworld, aka Lowe's (or Home Depot) if you prefer.  The area in front of my house (under the lovely bay windows of my kitchen) is a mosquito breeding area.  The water does not drain off well so I needed to get some rocks to help with the process.  Grossly underestimated the number of bags of rocks I needed and will have to go back and get some more this weekend.  Also bought large bag of mulch, some edging brick thingies, and a lovely purple mum.  Came home and worked in the yard for a little over an hour.  See:

Tuesday:  Back to work will a bazillion lovely issues were waiting for me.  Any ideas on how to deal with bullies?  Feel free to send them my way.  I want to protect my babies as much as possible but I am only one person and can't be around all of them all the time.  Sigh.

There.  Now you are all caught up to speed and I get on with more important things like these questions that I need to answer because I was tagged by Erin.  I can't even begin to tell you how much of a big-girl blogger being tagged makes me feel.  (Holy awkward sentence, Batman!)

Here are my 8 questions and there (mostly) truthful answers:

1.  What has been the most surprising aspect of motherhood in your experience?  If you're not a mom, what is it like to go to the bathroom in privacy?
Going potty in private is a wonderful experience that I highly recommend.  Wait.  Does it count if the dog sits outside the bathroom and watches?

2.  How often do you shave your legs in the winter?
Honestly, I can't stand having hairy legs.  I shave 2-3x a week regardless of the season.

3.  What's your favorite thing to do online?  If shopping, what site?
Obviously my favorite thing to do is blog because I am so faithful at it.  Ahem.  I like Facebook and reading other people's blogs.  I don't do a huge amount of shopping online but when I do I generally hit Amazon first.

4.  If you already possessed the necessary education and experience level what would you choose for your dream job?
I would absolutely love to open a bakery/coffee/craft shop with my BFF.

5.  Share a "last-minute" dinner recipe.  No pancake balls, please.
I'm single, so naturally that means that I am a gourmet cook.  Or not.  Hmmmmm....I am a big fan of soup or breakfast at night if I can't think of anything else to make for dinner or if I didn't plan ahead of time.  Which is most of the time...However, now that I know about pancake balls.....

6.  Do you speed or drive the speed limit?
Depends on who's behind me. ;)

7.  If you could live anywhere, where would you choose?
Texas.  Or you know, somewhere with a beach and cute, available, single men.

8.  What kind of new vacuum should I buy?
One that sucks.  I have a Dirt Devil.  On the rare occasions that it finds it's way out of it's home in the spare room closet, it works wonderfully.  It sucks.

Now I am supposed to tag 8 people and have them answer my very own made-up 8 questions.  The problem is I don't know 8 people to tag.  So instead I will post 8 questions in the hope that someone (or more than one someone) will feel a burning desire to answer the questions in my comments:

1.  What is your favorite go-to dessert?  Posting the actual recipe gets you bonus points.

2.  What is your favorite Christmas memory?

3.  What was the last book you read and did you like it?

4.  Who was your favorite teacher in grade school?  Why?
5.  What do you think your best friend would say is your best quality?
6.  Law & Order or CSI:?  Or do you care?

7.  If you had to choose between summer all the time or winter all the time which would you choose and why?

8.  What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

And here, because I would hate for you to leave feeling at all deprived:

Have a Happy Wednesday! :)

Um....so....

Are you still there?  Do I have any readers left?

I (once again) apologize for my lengthy absence.  Work is crazy stressful and my personal life is, well.....hmmmm.  Let's just say that, of the last 52 weeks, this past one ranks down somewhere around 50-52ish.  So.Not.Good.

ahem.

Let us all pause whilst I pull up my big girl panties and deal with it.

Thank you.

Dear ______________,

Target:  Don't mis-label your pants.  It is no fun to buy the correct size of pants as listed on the hang tag only to discover that the inside tag is a size smaller.  Way to help my self-esteem.

Parent:  Don't say that you agree with the school 100% and that you completely support my teachers....unless the rules apply to your child.  Don't berate my teacher for something completely unrelated to deflect from the matter at hand.  Your child broke a rule.

Parent (#2):  Stop fighting your child's battles.  Your child was wrong.  Your child said something that your child shouldn't have.  Don't run hither and yon and try to get the consequences changed.  You aren't helping your child at all.

miss raven:  Please refrain from leaving presents for mommy.  I love you, but that mess needs to stay outside.

winter:  GO AWAY.  I can't say that any stronger.

Random people that I don't know:  Odd facial piercings are just that...odd.  Please don't think they make you look attractive.  At all.  Not even a little.

Keurig coffee maker:  Thank you for working properly all of the sudden.  I'm not sure what has come over you, but I appreciate it.

Keurig company:  Thank you for putting out your pumpkin spice coffee.  I was about to go through withdrawls.

Cowboys:  Thank you for winning your FIRST game in week THREE.  Let's not regress, shall we?

blog readers:  good night.

;)