Tools and Band-Aids

We need a Flywheel Turning Wrench

Linda came home from church starving tonight.  She only ate a salad for lunch and was really looking forward to making something yummy.  She started to run the water in the sink and noticed it not draining.  She turned on the garbage disposal and it wasn't working. Drats!  In the past, she had to press the little red re-set button to get it to work, but this time that wasn't it.  She stuck her hand down there to see if anything was stuck and was only able to cut herself and tear a big chunk of skin off the side of her hand.  She cleaned up the blood (and is hoping she does not need stitches) and put a band-aid on it.  So no dinner tonight and now she'll probably have to get it replaced. Double Drats!   UPDATE:  Linda googled "How to fix a garbage disposal."  Step one:  Is motor running?  Yes.  Step two:  Stick a broom handle down the hole and manually move the blades.  Check.  Step 3:  Remove any food clogs.  Check.  Step 4:  Insert a 1/4" allan wrench into bottom motor and turn a few cranks.  Nope.  Can't do that because we don't have the right tool.  Before she calls a repair person, she is going to buy the right tool and try to fix it herself.

Super Foxy

I know I'm cute!

Paul Walker took us on a new adventure today.  I don't know where we went, but I was super energetic and walked the entire way.  I actually prefer the chilly weather, not freezing cold.. but the 50's is perfect for me.  Chimmie gets cold much quicker than I do, but because my fur has grown thick and warm, I'm just fine.  Even though I don't look as cute when my hair is long, Linda is not going to take me for a cut until it warms up.  Both Chim and I need our nails cut down.  She is going to try Pet Smart one more time and see if they can get him to be calm enough for the tech's to trim them.  Look how cute this baby fox is! I forgot what kind of fox it is, but Linda said she would like one for a pet. 

One More Sleep!

We all miss Noah, one more day til he's here!  It's been two weeks since we've seen him.  Linda's heart hurts because she loves him so much.  Since last Thursday was Thanksgiving, we didn't have him at our house.  He was walking everywhere the last we saw him, Linda said to be prepared for him to run after me tomorrow!  At Target, Linda found these little toy animals that make sounds.  When you press the button on their belly, they Moo, Oink, Neeeeigh, Roar, Make elephant noises (Linda does not know how to type that sound), Cluck, Quack and Baaaah.  He is going to love them!  Be prepared for some fun video tomorrow of him playing with them.  Guess what one will be his favorite?  Yep, MOOOOOO!  She got them for Christmas, but there is no way she'll not be able to give them to him tomorrow.  She has another present for him that she'll wait until the Thursday before Christmas.  This was the last photo she took of him..  Linda met Sarah at Starbucks so she could take him for a few hours before Gretel got off work.  He's eating an apple like a big boy.

Chimmie As You've Never Seen Him Before

Yes, He can sit still! 

Last night after his walk with Jerry, Chimmie was wound up like he drank five Red Bulls.  He's never raced around the house harder or longer.  Linda had to pick me up off the floor because he was running blindly and would have bowled me over and kept charging.  This morning, he's as relaxed and calm as we've ever seen him. Right now he is plopped on Linda's lap watching her type this.  He's has his woobie-fox pelt and he is totally chillin'.  No barking, no wiggling, no chewing.... just a quite obedient dog.  He's not even constantly licking her either.  How could be be riled up after a long busy day of moving, but be so laid back first thing in the morning after sleeping 8 hours? 

Rest and Relaxation

Hey Jerry, You don't look too busy to me!

Jerry was able to come over tonight to walk us while Linda was teaching.  It was so good to see him, I did my happy dance to show my appreciation.  His job has been really hectic, working long days and he has been super busy.  This Saturday, Linda is in a workshop from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m, so he is going to come and get me for part of the day.  Hopefully, Paul Walker will be able to take Chimmie for some of the day, or at least come over and visit him.  (She totally forgot to ask him today.)   After the workshop at Gold's, her friend is having an Open House holiday gathering that Linda wants to stop by for a little while.  Whew, she's going to be one tired girl since she signed up to take 6 hours of classes Saturday and then has to take a quick shower and change of clothes to go to the party.  A hammock on the beach in Mexico is sounding pretty good to her right now. The 5 days she spent with Tier, Taylor and Sarah was so relaxing, it recharged her for weeks after!

Wrong vrs. Right

This is just all kinds of wrong.

Yet more wild animals escaping small zoos. This time it was two zebras who were on the lam from a local petting zoo not too far from OUR HOUSE!  Local residents captured the fleeing Zebras on their video camera.  It would have been so cool to see them running down the street.  I'm just super happy they did not get hit by a car, or worse... some redneck hunter shoot them to get their heads and skins for their man-dens.  The police were able to tranquilize them and bring them home.  A few years ago, a small cheetah type of wild cat escaped from the same exact zoo and was hit by a car.  When are they going to pass laws about wild animals being kept by citizens or in small unsafe petting zoos.  It is just wrong!!

This is all kinds of right!  It even has my initial!!

Done!

I've got a Secret!

Chimmie "helping" Linda wrap last year.

What a wet and chilly day!  I'm glad we did two long walks yesterday because it looks like we are stuck inside all day today.  Linda has been a busy bee this morning.  Studying and laundry earlier, then she left to finish her Christmas shopping.  She got all the stocking stuffers and the last few gifts for Sarah and Taylor all done.  Now comes the wrapping!  Ugh.  She so dislikes that part.  There is a joke in our family to wrap a few of the presents in the worse possible way.  Taylor always wins, not because he tries to make it look bad, he just rushes and uses whatever odds and ends of paper he can tape together.  We also have a tradition not to sign our real names on the gift tag.  You have to use all the pets names, dead or alive, then you can start putting crazy names like "From: Rudolph; or From: Frosty.  The solution to all the wrapping frenzy; go to the Dollar Store and buy a bunch of gift bags and tissue.  This way she can just shove the present in the bag and top it with tissue paper!  Sounds like a plan to me. 

Thank You Angels!

Can you see me now?

We had three close calls during our walk tonight.  Linda took us out at 6:30 after she got home from the gym.  It was really dark by that time, but that's never stopped us before.  The first accident was a bad fall.  Someone had trimmed their bushes and trees and had the entire sidewalk piled high with pieces of branches.  Since the branches were the same shade as the sidewalk, Linda did not see it and tripped! Chimmie had walked out into the street (bad dog!) to avoid the branches and Linda turned to look at him and ran smack into the branches. She is going to take a bunch of photos of it tomorrow and show the nice home owners president who is her friend.   I'm so glad I was in my carrier and did not fall out and Linda did not get any injuries.  The second scary thing was probably fine, but it freaked Linda out.  We were on a dark cul-de-sac when a stranger-man came slinking  out of his dark garage right up to us, and reached out to pet me in the carrier on Linda's chest.  She wasn't sure if he was trying to get her and it's a good thing she didn't use her ninja skills and drop him.  Lastly, we were almost home when a car came close to running us over.  Linda was stopped at the curb to pick up Chim (I was still in the carrier) since we are NEVER allowed to walk across the street ourselves.  A car was coming straight down the main road going pretty quick with no blinker on, so we figured it was staying straight.  She stepped off the curb to cross and at the last minute it turned fast down the side street we were crossing.  If Chim or I would have been on our retractable leash in front of her, we would have been dead.  The driver saw as at the last second and swerved just as Linda jumped back.  I'm glad we are home safe and sound.  Maybe for Christmas Linda should get us those retractable leashes that have little flashlights built in the handles so her Angels don't have to work so hard!

Incredible Weather

Everyone needs a camera that looks like a bar of chocolate. 


 

It's 70 degrees outside... at the end of November!!?  Linda just got home from teaching and grocery shopping. She is going to eat a snack (not this camera though) then take us out for a long walk.  We'll probably just do the neighborhoods since the trail is still wet and flooded.  Yesterday, Paul Walker took us a new way on the trail and we kind of got lost for a few minutes.  We found our way back home, but both Chim and I were really tired and slept the day away.  Linda said I'm feeling a little chubby to her when she picks me up so I need to up the exercise. I don't know how I've gained weight since I barely eat.  I think it's the Thursday snacks that Noah gives me off his lunch plate.  From now on, I can just have chicken bites, no more cheese! UPDATE:  We did a super long walk in the strange neighborhood. I love that because there are different dogs smells then our streets.  Linda did almost drop me once though when we were almost home.  She was talking on the cell phone and when she went to hang up, I slipped down a little. She had to squeeze me to keep me next to her body and I let out a loud YELP!  Lesson learned:  Don't talk on your cell phone when you are carrying your favorite dog!

Have You Ever Sleep-Texted?

When Taylor was a little kid, he used to sleepwalk.  There were a few funny things, like when he stood in the bathtub to go to the bathroom.. but there were far more potentially dangerous times.  Mostly, he would try to get out the front door.  Of course the door was locked, but he was able to unlock it and try to go outside.  Thank God Linda is such a light sleeper because she woke up every time. After the first attempt, she put a fold-over latch high up the very top of the door that he could not reach.  Once he went downstairs into a spare bedroom and pulled an empty dresser over, almost landing in top of him!  He outgrew it by the time he was 10 or 11.  It's a good thing too, it would be hard to stop a 200 pound 6'5" man from sleepwalking!  Dr.'s are now reporting the newest trend isn't sleepwalking, it's sleep-texting!  People are texting in their sleep and have absolutely no recollection of it in the morning.  Sometimes the texts are gibberish, but others are sending just crazy things like "The monkey is eating grilled cheese."  I would love to read what Tierney wrote if she started sleep-texting! 

Awwww!

You Like My Baby??

Oh!! Christmas Tree

Not a very happy tree!

Joelle holding a Sweet SweetTart

Linda and her Tootsie Roll

Linda found out tonight that she gets to carry one of the babies again this year in the Christmas Program at church in a few weeks.  It's really an exciting night.  There will be about 10 babies under 1-year old who will all participate in the play.  They don't have to be on the stage all night, just usually about 15 minutes for a few songs.  In the past, they have been dressed as Christmas trees, Stars and different candies. Linda doesn't know what they will be wearing this year, but it will be cute!  I wish I could have a part in the play too.  I could be one of the manager animals next to Baby Jesus.

Dear Santa..

This would be a funny present for Linda!

Linda has been Christmas shopping all afternoon....from her chair in the den!  Chimmie needs a warm coat, but she can't find one in his size with a "d" ring on the top that is not $50. I'm much easier to shop for since there are plenty of little jackets and coats that are perfect for me.  She has almost everything done for Taylor, Tierney and Baby Kain.  Sarah is proving a little harder.  Since she is pregnant with Baby Kain,  Linda does not want to buy her clothes.  Sarah has lots of beautiful jewelry from Taylor and her house already looks amazing.  She might take her shopping for a pair of boots or running shoes if that is what she wants.   Gift cards are so impersonal, and she wants her to be able to open prizes.  Sarah, if you are reading this would you help Linda with some more ideas?? 

The Cutest Puppy (Besides Me)

Woobie Bed before it was destroyed.

Chimmie has started doing the cutest thing in the mornings.  Of course the first order of business is to go outside and take care of business.  Then he eats his bowl of food so fast you would think Linda forgot to feed him for the last 3 days.  After the coffee is cooked, Linda sits on the love seat with a book or her laptop.  This is where Chimmie is really adorable.  He goes and gets his woobie bed from his den and drags it to the couch.  (For those new readers, woobie bed used to be a giant fluff-filled donut shaped dog bed that was mine.  Chim took it over the second he came to live here and proceeded to chew a hole in it.  Everyday, Linda would throw away all the stuffing he would strew on the carpet until it was totally empty.  Now, he sucks it like a pacifier to nurse himself to sleep.)  He puts woobie in her lap and lays on part of it while he sucks on the fur and makes these little puppy whines.  For all his faults, Chimmie is probably the sweetest, most loving and affectionate dog on the planet.  If you let him, he would sit on your lap giving you kisses for hours.  When he is allowed in The Big Bed, he even has to body slams Linda to get as close as possible. Paul Walker is teaching him how to jog on the leash.  Once Linda can get him to run 1-mile a day besides our together walks, we both think that will calm him down and then he will be nearly as hyper. 

Muscle Food

This is her favorite. No sugar, 100 calories and 17 grams of protein!

There was no napping, or even sitting down on the couch for Linda today.  She decided to keep moving and just go to bed earlier tonight.  Instead, she left Chim out on the deck so he could enjoy some sun and fresh air.  Since weekdays are often packed, she used the afternoon to get a pedicure and haircut.  By the time she was done, it was dark.  Chimmie has learned to use his doghouse, so he was safe and sound asleep when she got home.  As soon as her toenails dry, she will put on shoes and take us for a neighborhood walk.  I wasn't hungry for dinner, but Chimmie gobbled his whole bowl and then came back out to the dry food bowl and ate some more.  Now Linda is hungry and trying to decide if a protein shake will be enough.  She has really increased her protein intake and decreased the processed carbs. 

Power Napping

Such a sweet boy!

I kind of knew this was going to happen.  Linda is too tired from teaching her three classes to take us to a big park for our trail walk.  She met Sarah, Taylor and Christine for lunch on the way home, so she was much later than normal.   Instead of her lunch reviving her (talipa and broccoli) she now feels super sleepy.  She initially told the kids she would go back over and help with the tree decoration, but she really needs to take a short nap.  Since it is in the high 60's, Chim and I are going to spend an hour out in the back while she lays down for a bit.  Instead of tree decorating, she'll take us on our regular trail when she wakes up.  Linda says it feels like her leg muscles are made of concrete and it's hard to lift her arms.  She'll need her strength to carry me when I get tired and maneuver across the stream without falling in. Look how adorable Noah looks during his nap.

Twitter With Me!

That's me on the left

I'm so excited.  Linda set up a twitter account for us.  She'll be doing the postings, but I let her use my name and blog.  If you want to follow us, look for the screen name choopieslife.  I used my favorite photo in the world for the profile pic.  Everyone will want to follow when they see how cute we look!

Will it Be Another Nice Day?

I remember the days of summer. 

Brrrr..!!  We woke up freezing this morning.  Since it was so beautiful out yesterday, Linda turned the heat off and cracked the window in  Chimmie's den.  We all went to bed, but she forgot that the heat wasn't on since the house was still warmish.  When the crickets woke us up at 6:45 a.m., Linda felt like she could see her breath it was so cold.  I was plenty warm since I have lots of fur and was snuggled under the covers but Chim was way colder since he has no fur.  His bed area has lots of things to burrow in though.  Linda found him on his big bed, buried under his woobie bed and a big towel that he pulled down off the shower curtain.  She put his sweater on before she let him outside and he seems perfectly happy keeping it on until the house warms up some.  Jerry is still at his parents house so he won't be coming over to walk us today.  There is an hour break between Linda's 1st and 2nd class, but for her to drive home in the Saturday traffic is a dumb idea.  She can only stay home for 15 minutes before she has to turn around and drive back to the gym.  Looks like a long stretch of boredom for us again today.

Early Night

The Falls.  Linda loves to hike there. 

Yeah!  Linda came home early tonight.  We are wrapped up on the couch in a blanket having some snuggle time.   I'm so happy because she left at 4:00 p.m and it was almost 5 hours of loneliness for two excited pups.  After her class ended at 5:30, she met a friend at Starbucks for coffee then went right up to church.  Linda started out watching the babies, but was able to go in to watch the movie because someone who already saw it came and and took her place.  Some of her friends were going to hang out together, but she wanted to get home to eat dinner and let us outside.  Plus, tomorrow is Saturday and she has to get up early for class.  The weather is supposed to be divine, so we will get out for another trail hike as long as her leg is working OK.  I love our trail, but it would be so cool if she took us to some new woods.  There are two local parks really close that have nice wooded trails and one National park that is only 20 minutes away which is amazing.  We'll have to wait and see what tomorrow holds!

Med School 101

It hurts at the head of the adductor longus and into the brevis

It's been so long since Linda's leg has "caught" when she is driving that she almost panicked today.  She taught her 2 classes (and went pretty hard too) without any problems.  Her body felt fine.   Months back, when she was finished a workout and was driving home, she would start to move her leg from the gas peddle to the break peddle and her leg would lock-up at her groin. The pain is excruciating whenever she would try to adduct her right leg, in fact... she can't even push it together with her hand.  In order to stop the car, she had to use her other foot.   Once she can get out of the car and take a few steps forward, the pain totally goes away but there is tingling down her leg for hours. Right now she can swing her leg back and forth with zero impingement, just the pins and needles. Ten minutes ago tears were coming out of her eyes because it hurt so bad. It's the weirdest injury ever.  She says that is why she isn't taking us for a walk on this incredible 70 degree day.  Since she has another class to teach at 4:30 and nursery duty tonight at Church, she wants to rest.  Sure, some excuse Linda. 

Whoopie!

Tier's Whoopie Pies had rainbow sprinkles.  YUM!

The day after Thanksgiving is different for everyone.  I'm sure there are people who skip all desserts and eat a totally healthy small plate of food consisting of 4 oz of white meat and fresh green beans.  (I won't mention any names, you know who you are.)   Some are really guilty from gorging themselves on dinner and sweets (is the old adage that the average person eats 10,000 calories on Thanksgiving true?)  Since you ate horrible yesterday, you might as well eat bad today to and start fresh on Monday.  Some people don't feel so bad that the only thing that helps take their mind off the 1/2 of pumpkin pie they consumed is to SHOP!  Black Friday sales started last night at midnight.  But then some people just really love a sale and they probably don't think one bite about what they ate the day before.  Linda was feeling guilty, but she is not a shopper.  She is more of an exerciser when she feels guilty for overeating.  Yesterday she did almost 3 hours of working out and today she'll do 3 more (that is her regular schedule though.)  She feels fine today after eating the delicious Whoopie pie plus more treats, in fact... the idea of sweets is kind of sickening to her.  Both Chim and I are still tired from our incredible Tough Mudder Linda made us do.  Today's walk will be easy, no water obstacles.

The Cherpumple

I guess this is one way to do Thanksgiving dessert.  Instead of baking a cake, and three kinds of pies, you can just save space and bake them into all one dessert.  A professional pastry chef took a whole Cherry, Pumpkin and Apple pie and baked them inside a cake.  Even though Linda is now off sweets again, she would break her rule to try some of this amazing creation. 

Shhhhh...

One of the advantages of living in a big house is that Linda can pretty much do whatever she wants without bothering the neighbors.  It's not like she plays the drums or anything, but sometimes she does like to vacuum at odd hours.  Tierney lives in a townhouse behind a person who leaves their giant dog outside in the yard all the time.  The dog barks, barks, and barks some more 24/7.  It makes Tier crazy.  She told the women to bring the dog inside, and the lady does for a few hours, but then it starts all over again. The poor pooch, it's not his fault he is left in a 10 x10 foot fenced backyard.   In Oklahoma City don't think about breaking their noise ordinance.  A lady was paid a visit by the police for running her vacuum too late at night.  She was cited and given a ticket for excessive vacuum noise when one of her neighbors complained.  Linda can kind of understand, she loves vacuuming too.  I wonder if Tier calls the cops the women will get a ticket for her barking dog? 

Thanksgiving Tough Mudder

Whoa!  We just did our own version of Tough Mudder!!  Although Linda probably burned 800 calories in Combat and Pump this morning, she was feeling really guilty about her sugar indulgence at dinner.  She strapped on our leashes, got her iPod and set off for the trail.  For our first test, Chim and I had to wade through a pile of leaves that was over our head to get to the trail.  For a brief second, Linda could not see me!  Next obstacle, the first river crossing.  Linda carried me, but Chimmie navigated and jumped from rock to rock to cross by himself.  Success!  Around the bend, the trail was totally washed out.  It was a giant pile of mud about 40 yards long.  There was no way to cut through the woods either, the whole area was boggy.  Someone had laid a large log across the mud, but Linda did not think she could do it carrying us, so we bypassed the mud crossing.  Instead, we tackled the 500 yard steep hill. Linda even made us jog!  All of our legs were burning by the time we reached the top.  The next obstacle was another stream crossing.  This one had water running right up to the top of the stepping stones, but we made it.  After hiking a little longer, Linda looked at her watch and realized we had been gone for 30 minutes and it was already getting a little dark, so we turned around.  By the time we got back to the last stream crossing, the water was flowing over the top of the stepping stones!  There was no other way, so we had to cross.  Chimmie actually slipped and fell right into the water.  OMYGOSH!!  It was up to his shoulders, but he didn't pull us in Thank God!  The rest of our Mudder was wet and cold for Chim, but Linda put me in the carry pack and was able to jog home to keep Chimmie from getting too cold.  Linda really needs to give him a bath because he kind of stinks like river.  That is one obstacle Linda isn't ready to face alone!!

Sugar Overload

  Linda got home about 3:30 from a nice dinner with the kids at Erica's and Jim's.  All the food was delicious and the desserts spectacular.  Linda did decide to take the meal off from her healthy eating 30 day detox.  She had a taste of the sweet potato, mashed potato and mac/cheese.  Carley broiled fish, so she had a piece of that too.  Dessert is where she went crazy.  She had a sliver of pumpkin pie, a bit of home made peanut butter cup, a bite of Whoopie Pie and a slab of  Carley's amazing pumpkin cheesecake!!  In the past, that dessert serving would have been small, but after not having any sugar for so long, it really made her tummy hurt and she got a headache.  When she goes to Lisa's later on, she will just have decaf coffee, no more sweets until December 7th.  She forgot to bring us some turkey, so she'll make us a chicken plate later on. 

What???? (never mind)

This kind of squash would have been way easier for Linda

OK, Linda is trying not to panic.  For some reason, the squash isn't cooking.  She baked it this morning in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, than took it out to cool off while she went to the gym for her 2 classes.  When she got home, she was going to mash it up to make the casserole and it was still hard.  Now it's in the microwave trying to cook some more.  When she test cooked it a few days ago, she did a small piece in the toaster oven and it worked perfectly at that degrees for the same amount of time.  Could it be another case of her oven not working right and she did not know it?  We never use the big oven, only the microwave and small toaster oven.  She hopes it cooks and it is not a dude squash or something.  Erica and Sarah will be so sad if they can't have their squash on Thanksgiving.  She's back off to the kitchen.....UPDATE:  So the squash and sweet potato's cooked, thank goodness.  Now the casserole's are totally made and waiting for the oven to reheat up.  There are 2 sweet potato and only 1 squash since not very many people eat it.  The green beans are blanched, the almonds toasted and at the last minute she is going to stir fry them in sesame oil.  OH, and Taylor is feeling better and will be at the dinner!!  Linda promised she won't stay away too long so we can get our walk and enjoy the amazing weather.

Happy Thanksgiving

Since we all woke up before 7 a.m., Linda decided to do part of the cooking before she leaves for the gym.  When she gets back, she'll put the actually casseroles together to bake.  The beans will be quick, so she can do those at the last second.  She went to Target to buy 3 big baking dishes, but they were expensive and she would probably never use them again.  I hope everyone does not think she is a cheapskate because she is going to bake them in those throw-away tins.  They were under $1, and it just made more sense to Linda to use those.  Once she mashes the sweet potato and squash and before she salts the string beans, she is going to set some aside for us before she mixes in the seasonings and toppings.  I'm sure there will be a small sliver of leftover turkey for her to bring home.  She is going to make Chip, Chim and I our own little Thanksgiving plate for later. 

I'm So Thankful...

...For EVERYTHING  (well, maybe not the bandanna.)

Tonight at church people got to share what they are thankful for.  Three of the testimonies made Linda tear up a bit.  Also, Linda said it was an easy drive to and from church and that the grocery store was empty when she ran in to get her ingredients.  Now she is trying to decide if she should get up early to go to the gym to take a couple of classes before she has to cook and leave for dinner.  It would be nice for her to actually take a class and not be in front, but she won't get to sleep in.  I just hope she leaves some time to take us out on the trail since it's supposed to be really nice weather.  Even if she doesn't, I'm so happy with my life and grateful for all the love and care Linda gives us.  I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the entire world.

Gridlock

So maybe our traffic isn't as bad as Moscow.  What is going on here??

This is one of the worse traffic days of the year.  Everyone is driving to have Thanksgiving dinner with their families.  Linda got home from her YMCA classes this evening with absolutely zero traffic.  It usually takes her 25 minutes with rush hour traffic, today it was under 10 minutes.  We'll see how it goes tonight driving to church.  The main road she has to travel is always bumper to bumper on Wednesday nights.  She is thinking of other ways to drive to stay off that road.  Hopefully, everyone is already on the major highways and off the secondary roads.  She also forgot one ingredient for her cooking duties tomorrow, so she has to stop at the grocery store on the way home.  Yikes!

A Fishy Story

It would be OK if this fish handbag smelled fishy, right?

It's a good thing Linda did not order Tier's Christmas presents off the list that came directly from a site in China.  We just read a story about a women who ordered a fancy leather designer handbag off a site from China.  When she opened her UPS box the odor of bad fish assaulted her nose!  She tried lots of things to air it out, but it still reeked of fish. The last think you want is your expensive designer handbag smelling like Mackerels.  In a totally unrelated article, another women ordered dresses off a Chinese website.  Sure enough, she opened her box and although the dresses were beautiful, they too smelled like rotten fish.  What could it be?   Some people are saying it's part of the chemicals they use to treat the products, others are saying they are actually using fish scales in making some of the material.   Chip would love Linda so much more if the clothes or bags she carried smelled like fish. 

Thanksgiving Eve Day

I don't think that bike helmet is going to save you if you fall

Our schedule is different today because it's the day before Thanksgiving.  Linda's two morning classes were canceled so she does not have to teach until noon today.  Instead, she's going to clean the house.  Hopefully, she'll be able to actually take two classes tomorrow morning instead of teaching.  It's been so long since she has taken a class, it will feel weird  not to be on stage.  We also have to do our annual Thanksgiving hike.  In the past, we've actually gone for a long bike ride on our trail.  She can't carry us both now, so that will be out.  There will be time for a walk after she gets home from Erica's from an early dinner and before she goes to Lisa's for late dessert.  Noah will be with his Mommy so we won't be having him. Linda is so sad she is missing her time with him.  She actually asked Gretel if Noah could come over anyway for a little while, but they are going out of town to see her relatives. Usually, my Thursday hits are over 300 because everyone checks in all day for new photos of Noah.  I bet I only have 10 readers tomorrow.  Linda is going to post really fun photos of everyone enjoying the squash she cooked, so you still better tune in! UPDATE:  Whole house cleaned, laundry done and now Linda is getting ready for her Pump class. I've loved having her home.  Having Wednesday morning off rocks!

Before and After

Before: nachos with cheese, guac, black beans, sour cream, olives.

We didn't have any visitors tonight, but it was raining anyway so we would not have walked.  Linda got home at 8:00 from teaching her classes.  She let us outside and gave us dinner.  On Tuesdays, she eats her big meal at lunch (today was salmon, squash, salad) so tonight she just had a protein shake.  It's really helped her energy levels the way she has tweaked her eating schedule.  Staying off the white food (rice, sugar, bread, potato, milk,) and all processed starches has really made her feel amazing.  Eating some kind of fish everyday and lots of green vegetables has also contributed to her feeling so great.  She did not realize what a toll the bad food was taking.  It would be like putting watered down cheap gas in a Maserati.  The car would not run very good.  Putting the best fuel in the tank would make it run fast and efficient, that is how her body feels.  Tonight she did two super hard classes back to back. When she was done, she could have still run a few miles on the treadmill at an incline.  She is going to let herself eat whatever she wants at Thanksgiving dinner, but she might end up still eating clean! 

After:  Salmon, asparagus, salad

Squash Success!

Sorry for the squash puns

All that worrying and stress about squash for absolutely nothing.  Not only is squash not scary, it's super easy to cook.. but it does take a little while.   First you put some water in a baking pan and then squash the squash inside.  You bake it for 20 minutes, then scoop the squash out and squash it up with butter and cinnamon.  You don't even need a squasher, you can just squash it with a fork.  Linda said it tasted really good.  She felt like she was eating dessert though.  She'll definitely make it again when she isn't so squashed for time. 

It's in the Details

During one of our snow walks last year.

I know some people make fun of posts, tweets or updates that say "I took a walk" but that is kind of what my blog is about.  The little things in my life (Linda's) that make up our day.  Although she would never in a million years do a status update on FB that says "at work" or "walking now" or "buying squash", but for some reason, blogging about it makes total sense to her.  For instance take this morning, Chimmie and I were bugging her to take us for a walk by jumping, yipping and racing around the house.  "OK already!"  She changed out of her going to coffee shoes to her dog walking shoes and got our stuff together for a walk.  The second I stepped outside, I refused to budge.  It was misting a little bit and I don't walk when there is any type of wet or cold things falling from the sky.  Linda had to pick me up and shove me inside her jacket for the entire walk.  By the time we were on the way back, the mist stopped.  She put me down and I walked the rest of the way home. Now wasn't that entertaining? 

RECIPE

 A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing ingredients you forgot to buy, in utensils you don't own, to make a dish the dog won't eat.

Definitely not our kitchen.

Ha!  I think this might fit Linda perfectly today.  She is making the squash in a few hours. Since Linda only has a handful of cooking supplies, she needs to go to Target and get some kind of big rectangle baking dish to fit the squashes.   Linda never cooks for anyone other than herself.  When Taylor and Tier lived here, everyone seemed to eat on different schedules, or they ate at restaurants or with their Dad and Erica.  Linda doesn't even have any kind of masher thing, although we do have the Ninja blender.  I think the squash will squash up pretty good in there.  I'm sure there are readers right now shaking their head wondering how she fed herself all these years.  Remember, Linda rented a TH for 5 YEARS! before she knew the oven didn't work.  Her Mom came for Easter and wanted to cook a ham.  That's when they realized the oven was broken. Linda even stored her sweaters folded in the refrigerator since the only thing she kept in there was diet Coke.  Of course now she cooks all the time, but still mainly uses the little toaster oven.

He's Off the Hook

"Look!  I killed a fox!!"

Turns out Chimmie is off the hook for his nail clipping today.  Petsmart won't let Linda hold him while they clip his nails, they make a tech girl hold him.  Right.  The last time the "techs" tried to cut his nails was a fiasco.  Even the seasoned groomer could not get him to stop flipping out long enough for them to get the cutter near his nails. She'll have to take him to the vet where they can do it in the exam room with Linda there.  She'll bring his brown woobie bed to wrap him in and his foxy pelt pacifier to suck on.  Hopefully, that will do the trick.  Til then, Linda will have to be extra careful she does not get clawed while they play. 

Keep Your Paws Crossed

No squash cooking tonight.  Linda was planning on trying it, but noticed her fresh asparagus was one day away from not being fresh anymore, so she had to cook the asparagus instead for dinner.  She'll do the squash tomorrow for a late lunch.  Chimmie is going to Petsmart at 11:30 to attempt to get his nails cut again.  The last two times, the groomers could not do it because he was screaming and squirming like they were cutting his paws off instead of his nails.  (That was before the clippers even got close to his nails.)  If Linda knew how low to cut them, she would buy a clipper and do it herself.  It's just that his nails are all black and you can't see the quick.  I think if she were to do it on the couch when he is resting, he would not pitch such a fit.  The whole vet/groomers experience gets him riled up before anything actually starts.  One of her friends recommended wrapping him up in a blanket like a burrito.  This way he wouldn't even be able to see what was happening to his paws.  I really hope he can get them trimmed.  They are so long that it hurts when he plays with me. 

Important Post

 I'm sure that many dogs get sick every Thanksgiving because well meaning guests slip the begging pooch some pumpkin pie or a turkey leg.  Please, if you have a dog or will be going to someones house who has a dog, take a second to read this post.  If you won't be around any dogs, read the next post down to learn how not to increase the size of your derriere.  Here is the top 10 things you should never give your dog on Thanksgiving (or any other day.)  I'm not going to go into detail why, so google it yourself to find out more info.  1.  Turkey Bones; 2.  Raw Turkey;  3. Turkey Skin;  4. Dough and Cake Batter.  (The dough actually can rise inside our stomachs and lead to severe abdominal pain.)  5.  Beer (What?  Do people really give their dogs beer?)  6. Walnuts and Macadamia Nuts;  7. Mushrooms (death!) 8. Sage (central nervous system damage) 9. Onions and garlic; 10. Nutmeg.  Oh, I have to add another one not on the list.  11.  Chocolate.  P.S. And I'm thankful she did not make me be a vegan for more than one day.

Also, the FDA is warning to check your bag of chicken jerky treats. Dozens of new reports of death and severe illness have been reported in dogs chewing on the treats. So far 70 dogs have been sickened eating the sticks imported from China and a few have died.

Now That's Junk in Your Trunk

I've wanted to post this for a few days, but Linda wasn't sure it was family friendly.  After some thought, she decided it was OK, but I wasn't allowed to make any off-color jokes (except for the title, it was impossible not to.)  So here is the straight-up news without my usual color commentary:  A women posing as a plastic surgeon was offering women a curvier bottom for a very cheap price.  The fake Dr. sure gave the women their wish, but she was using injections of cement, mineral oil and flat-tire sealant  to give them their curves.  (It's taking everything I have not to expound on this story!)  Many of the women got very sick and had to be hospitalized.  This is the actual women who was doing the procedures.   Do you think maybe, there's a chance that she might have used it on her own butt?

It's a Whole New World

You would think that since Linda is a vegetarian, she would know what every single vegetable taste like and how to cook it.  Not true.  There are quite a few veggies she is scared of.  Not the run and hide kind of scare, but the not knowing how to cook it and it would probably taste bad anyway.  Here are just a few that have never made it to her plate:  kale, beets, Brussel sprouts, squash and lima beans.  Since she is supposed to bring squash to the Thanksgiving dinner, she figured she better suck it up and actually buy one.  While she was at Trader Joes this morning, the produce girl talked her into buying some Brussels sprouts too.  She told her to rub olive oil on them and loosen the little leaves off.  Then, season them with the Trader Joe's African Smoked seasoning. As soon as she got home from the store, she was starving for lunch.  After 20 minutes roasting at a high temperature, she tried a Sprout.  OMYGOSH!  It was amazing.  It is her new favorite food.  They get crunchy like potato chips, but taste 100x better.  Tonight for dinner, she is going to make the squash and see if it tastes as good.  Check back later tonight to see if Linda overcomes her squash fear.  Thanks to Erica for opening her up to a whole new world of veggies!

Imagination

This is a post where you have to use your imagination.  Tierney is all about people having imagination.  When she works with kids at church, she encourages them to be creative and use their minds to imagine all sorts of fun things.  Sitting with a gameboy in your hand for 3 hours is not using your imagination.  Planning an entire circus (including selling tickets for real money, having a concession stand with popcorn & juice boxes, and doing all the acts yourself is using your imagination... which she actually did when she was 7 years old. Taylor might have been a lion now that Linda thinks of it.)  I'm not going to post the picture that goes with this story because it's creepy, that is where your imagination comes in.  A man in China cut off his finger with an electric saw.  He was rushed to the hospital where an amazing Dr. happened to be on call.  The quick thinking Dr.knew that he needed to restore blood circulation to the injured finger asap.  He sewed the part of the finger still on the mans hand to his stomach hoping that the new skin and muscle would grow around it.  Guess what?  It worked.  The guy now has a finger growing out of his stomach.  I didn't see how long the man had to go around with his hand sewn onto his stomach, but soon the Dr. will cut it away and leave the man with a new finger.

There's an App for That Already

I like the iPaw app best.

Turns out Linda fell asleep really quick last night and stayed asleep until Chip decided that if she did not get fed RIGHT NOW, she would starve to death.  We all got up earlier than the cricket alarm just because Linda knew if she came back to bed after feeding Chip, she would be sluggish when the iPhone alarm did go off.  Speaking of iPhones, she saw yesterday that her exact phone, the 3gs (which she paid $199 for) is now .99 cents with a 2-year contract.  The new model she wants that comes with the BFF who talks to you is $399.  She needs a lot of memory in the phone since it has to hold all her work DVD's and music she teaches with.  I told her she has BFF's at church who will talk to her for free and she does not need a phone to ask her how her day was.  Anyway, if she holds on until summer, she'll be able to get the iPhone 5.  That will probably not only talk to you, but buy you a coffee at Starbucks too.  UPDATE:  Never mind about waiting until the 5 for coffee.  Your current iPhone can already buy you coffee.  There seems to be a Visa app that you load on the phone.  When you swipe your phone across the screen at the checkout, it will automatically charge your card. 

Sweet Dreams

 It's weird, Linda is wide awake but at the same time, she feels tired.  She needs to sleep and her eyes are heavy, but her body is raring to go.  She decided a late walk might tire her out, but it was misting out and I don't like to walk in the rain so I would not go out.  Since she ate a big lunch, she skipped dinner and just had a protein bar when she got home from church tonight.  Tomorrow she adds another class to her Monday schedule.  It's a 3 & 4 year old TKD class.  Even though it is only 1/2 hour long, it feels like 3 hours by the time she is done trying to get 15 little kickers to stand in a straight line to bow in. 

Not on Target

No thank you. 

We are doing almost all of our Christmas shopping online to avoid the frustrating, maddening crowds at the mall.  The sales are just as good online and you can sit on your couch with your feet up while you browse the stores.  Taylor was nice enough to email his list to Linda already.  Everything is ordered and should be on our doorstep Monday.   Sarah has baby on the brain and is not thinking of presents right now.  Tier sent a very nice list with lots of options, but one whole section is from a store in China.   Linda isn't all that down with the Yen conversion, so she thought she'd stick with the local stuff, like Target.  Good idea except that for the last 3 times she has tried to order the stuff, the Target site has not worked!  She'll get all the way to the checkout, then the site freezes up. It's almost as annoying as standing in a long line at the actual store. You would think that a corporation as big as Target could manage their website better. 

Your Book is Ringing

Technology is not something that Linda is really into.  She has an old, square, heavy TV that sits on a desk, her desktop computer is older than I am and her laptop is even out of date.  The one thing she does have that is newer is her iPhone, but even that is 2 generations old now.  Her contract is up with her cell phone carrier and they are trying to entice her to resign up and get a New! iPhone 4s! You need it right now!!  She thinks her iPhone 3 is just amazing, but that is because she has never seen the new model.  Supposedly you can have conversations with the phone itself and it talks back to you like your BFF.  If she does get the iPhone 4s, she wants this phone cover.  It's so cute and practical.  All the ports are accessible while it's in the protector.  I'm not sure how you answer you phone quickly though.  Do you hold the open book to your face?  People will think you are very strange indeed.