Merry Christmas!

From our home to yours - have a wonderful Christmas!




Even though our little guy has been a bit naughty this year, Santa was still good to him. Hope you had a good one too!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

I don't mind December snow. We've been getting an inch or so every few days and it makes the Christmas lights look so pretty at night. We don't get many white Christmases in this part of Jersey, but we just may have one this year.
It would be nice.

The first time I put Archito outside while it was snowing, he seemed a bit afraid of it. Then he had his first taste of snow and he was hooked. Just look at him-he thinks he's at some all-you-can-eat doggie buffet:



Doesn't he look like a little fox?

We should be getting some more of the white stuff tomorrow. It's a good thing, because I really need to stay home and do some baking and wrapping. Not to mention cleaning-well I always need to do that!

Hello There Again!!!

Hey, Remember me? I used to post here almost daily, then weekly, monthly, and now seasonally it seems!! I'm going to attempt to do this blogging thing again on an almost regular basis. I'd pretty much had forgotten how to post it's been so long!

I've been trying to get into that holiday mood, we've really had to scale back this year like mostly everyone. This little book has helped me find my Christmas spirit:



I highly reccomend this book. I'm going to read it again. It's also available as an audiobook, perfect for listening to while sitting in those holiday traffic jams or while checking out Christmas lights in your area. It's also a nifty little Christmas gift.

Speaking of which, I am so NOT ready for Christmas!! I still have some shopping, cleaning, decorating, card writing, and cookie baking to do. but I'll try to be back here soon. But just in case you don't hear from me again until Easter-Have a Merry Christmas and A Blessed New Year!

Why It's Called A Puppy....

I think I figured out where the word "puppy" comes from:

Pick
Up
Poop
Pee-pee
Yuk!!!


Who? Me? I swear THE CAT DID IT!!!!

He sure looks guilty to me!

Yeah, this puppy sure is keeping me busy, but there have also been other things going on here as well, both good and bad. First the bad news: there was a fire in the building where both Carlos and I work about a week and a half ago. There was quite a bit of smoke and water damage, but it is a large building and the fire was pretty much confined to one area, so we were able to return to work the next day. Also we were afraid of losing our jobs this fall, since we were bought by another company last year and there were rumours they were going to close our building in October. Well, there has been a change of plans; they are going to keep our building open, upgrade our operating systems, and we're all getting retrained. So that's the good news. Now, we can relax and enjoy the rest of the summer, that is when I'm not chasing after our little furry, four-legged "chew machine".

Sunday In The Park

We took Archito to the park today. He really seems to enjoy walking there much more than walking around our neighborhood. Poor little guy is really afraid of cars. I guess I need to walk him at 4am when there isn't much traffic!

Here he is with Carlos:



And here's me with the little guy:


Gotta luv those orange shoes!

While we were heading back we were caught in a pretty bad thunderstorm. Carlos said something about turning off our air-conditioning at home and opening all the doors and windows because our last electric bill was pretty high. Well his wishes were granted, for when we returned home we had no power for several hours. It was raining buckets and the water in front of our house was ankle-deep when I emerged from the car with one wet, stinky Archito. He looks like a little puff-ball now.

Well, that's all for now. Hope to find some time to post during the week. I have to return to work tomorrow :o(. Wouldn't it be great to be a kid again and have the entire Summer off?

Meet Archito!!!

When we lost our Doberman, Raven, earlier this month our home felt so empty. One evening while sitting on the front porch, I noticed several of our neighbors walking their dogs and my heart ached so badly that I ran inside the house crying. Yes, I did plan on getting another dog or puppy when I was "ready", I really didn't want to rush into it. When I mentioned the crying incident to both Carlos and my sister, they both said the same thing: "Lynne, it sounds like you're ready for another dog."

I was hoping to find a dog at one of the local shelters, but they seemed to be full of mostly pit bulls and pit bull mixes and I was afraid such a dog might hurt our cat, Jeter. Also I wanted something smaller and less agressive, because both our home and yard are definitely what one would call "cozy" and I didn't think a large dog would be happy here. And I simply did not want an agressive dog. Although Raven was a Doberman, she was very sweet and gentle, and also very petite for her breed. We were very fortunate with her.

So we searched a bit and found this cute little guy. He's a Sheltie aka Shetland Sheepdog. We had one a few years back and enjoyed "Archie" so much that we decided to get another one. Carlos named him "Archito" (little Archie) in honor of our former dog.




He's six months old and he's soooo smart! I've always loved Shelties, especially their long noses:



He's slightly smaller than our cat and our vet doesn't think he is going to get much bigger, so I'm sure Jeter is going to be happy about that.



This little guy sure keeps me on my toes; he has lots of energy. The last time I raised a Sheltie puppy I lost quite a bit of weight trying to keep up with the little pooch. That's another reason we decided to get another Sheltie. I'm happy to report that so far I have lost four pounds on the "Shetland Sheepdog Puppy Diet and Exercise Program"!

Surprise Visitors

When one plants a garden, you can always expect a few surprises and that's exactly how I felt when I spotted a few of these guys chowing down on my dill plants:



That's an Eastern black swallowtail caterpillar dining in a herb patch at the edge of our veggie garden. They sure are hungry little critters! Anyway, they have sinced moved on, possibly "cocooning" somewhere close by. The adult butterfly looks like this:



It's a bit of a challenge to get these guys to pose for a picture.

Note to myself: next year plant lots of dill!

Hello Again!

Bless me Father, for I haved sinned, it has been more than four months since I last posted here! I hope to be blogging again on a regular basis. So much has happened in the past four months. I survived my 18 weeks of grand jury duty. It was pretty interesting. I'll talk about it in a later post. but first I have some sad news.

I lost my beloved canine companion of nearly 13 years earlier this month. Raven had been battling lymphoma and having her "put to sleep" was the most agonizing decision I ever had to make. It was truly one of the worst days of my life. She was a big, gentle girl with a heart to match and was loved by all who knew her. If there is a doggy heaven she is most surely there. I miss her terribly. Here is one of the last pictures I took of her:



That's our obese kitty "Jeter" pictured with Raven. They were best friends. I think he misses her the most. Sometimes he sits by our gate waiting for her to come home. So sad.

We do have a new puppy. I'll post about him soon, hopefully before he eats the computer.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.

Hello There!

Yikes!! It's been so long since I last posted that I couldn't remember my password! I will try to post more often, things are gradually getting back to normal around here. Carlos was sick with the flu the past two weeks and he is doing much better now. I don't know how I managed to escape that nasty bug; it seemed like everyone around me had it. I guess I was one of the lucky ones that the flu vaccine actually worked for this year. I also have a glass of oj and a cup of yogurt every day as a mid-morning snack and I do believe it helps boost my immune system. I can't remember the last time I had a cold.

Anyway, not much new here. I turned a year older last Sunday. I also have grand jury duty one day a week for the next eighteen weeks. So let's see....that means I'll be serving until the first week of July!!! Should be an interesting experience.

Well that's about it for now, I hope to be blogging on a regular basis again. I have lots of catching up to do and I miss my friends in blogland. See you all soon!

I'm Still Here!

Boy, I sure have been away for awhile! Both my computer and my blog are collecting dust. I'm still trying to adjust to some new routines in my life, nothing major, just a lot of little changes happening all at once. I used to think of myself as a pretty flexible person, but as I have gotten older, I realize I'm pretty dependent on my routines. And when life calls for changes in them, I tend to panic a bit.

So that's where I'm at right now, trying to get my life organized (what else is new) and really focusing on what's important. I do miss blogging and intend to post more often, I seem to think about it a lot when I don't have access to a computer. And there have been many times when I'm here, staring at the monitor, and I can't think of a single thing to post!

So, thank you for stopping by, I hope to be visiting you all very soon, I really do miss my friends in blogland!

No Dumping!

Our garbage men sanitation engineers must really hate us with all the stuff we've been tossing lately. I've been recycling and giving away as much as possible, but a lot of it is just plain junk, so out it goes. Dumpster divers are welcome to "rescue" anything they want to!

In between all this purging, here are some other "exciting" things that have been going on around here:

Woke up to no heat on what was probably the coldest morning of the year (doesn't it always seem to happen that way?) It was a minor thing and we are now again warm and toasty.

Had a major fire in the neighborhood today; a warehouse went up in flames and burned for six hours. I was at work when it happened, so I don't have any photos. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

And yes, THE NEW JERSEY NEW YORK GIANTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!
Hooray!!!

More Of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is hosting More of Him Monday, If you have something you would like to share, please visit Diana's blog and leave a link to your post.

I have a confession to make: Our Christmas tree was up until this past weekend (don't worry-it's a fake one!) I always feel a little depressed after the holidays and maybe it was my way of holding on to that Christmas spirit that filled my heart less than a month ago. I try to hold on to it the way tinsel clings to those discarded trees I see laying on the side of the road. Seems like that feeling got boxed away with the decorations. And looking at my shabby Christmas tree for a few extra weeks did NOT do the trick. So I guess what I'm really trying to say is this-how does one feel that joy in their heart the other eleven months of the year?

I know Jesus is there for me 24/7, 365 days a year. And I do think of myself as a pretty spiritual person, but I just want to have that feeling of "peace on Earth goodwill to men" all or at least most of the time. Maybe I'm trying too hard or perhaps I need more quiet time with Him. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Big Blue Meets The Big Chill

New York Giants

Go Giants!!!! I don't follow football much, but when your home team is in the playoffs (they really do play in New Jersey) you can't help but get a little excited. The big game starts in about an hour so I'll be taking a break from this weekend cleaning marathon and indulging in some unladylike behavior like swearing screaming at the TV and consuming way too much food and drink. I see the parking spaces on our street filling up quickly as EVERYONE around here will be watching this game and a lot of parties are starting to take shape. The police and pizza delivery men are sure going to have an eventful evening.

It's supposed to be like 4 below in Green Bay, Wisconsin for the big game, but it's also pretty bone-chilling cold here. I pray that Big Blue doesn't actually turn that color from the frigid temps!

So good luck to the New Jersey New York Giants-hope to see you at the Super Bowl in two weeks!

Yammer Yammer Yammer!!!

I'm back -for a little bit anyway. Had some upgrading and downloading to do on the computer and also lots of downsizing to do at home. Need to do some painting here, the bedrooms need it so badly. Found this pretty light blue called "Vintage Map" in the Martha Stewart collection at Lowes for the master bedroom (no that bottom photo is NOT our home-far from it!) Anyway, there's still a lot of preparation that needs to be done, so I'll be spending a lot of time with that in the coming weeks. We have a three day weekend coming up and I'm actually hoping for bad weather, so I won't be tempted to sneak out of here to avoid what needs to be done. I'm sooo bad sometimes.





The actual shade is a bit darker than the above picture.

I have a gut feeling that 2008 is going to bring many changes to Carlos and I. We may lose our jobs soon and if that happens, we will probably sell our home and move to another state. I'm also working some extra hours so I can pay off our debt and squander away what's left. Anyway, I do have a positive feeling about all this, because I know God will lead us in the right direction. Meanwhile, I'm praying and working my butt off, and making the most of my medical benefits while I still have them!

Show And Tell

It's Show and Tell Friday! Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home is our lovely hostess, so if you have something you would like to share, please visit Kelli's blog.

My Show and Tell for this week are these two vintage Girl Scout Handbooks I found in an antique emporium. I'm still perusing through them, there is so much information in these books on just about everything. Homemaking, nature, etiquette, and first aid to name just a few. I really need to read these handbooks!

This first one was printed in 1951 and is a hardcover. It's also rather small-about 5x7 inches:



This next one is a softcover and was printed in 1966. I once owned the same handbook, but it was probably passed on to my younger sisters:



Here are some pages from the 1966 handbook. I wonder if Kelli once earned this hostess merit badge?



And every former Girl Scout probably remembers The Girl Scout Promise:



On my honor, I will try
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people at all times,
To obey the Girl Scout laws.

The second uniform from the left was my favorite.

I loved everything about scouting: the camping, the community service, and of course THE COOKIES! I was thrilled to find thse two handbooks.

Thank you for looking at my Show and Tell, and thank you Kelli, for hosting.

Only In New York....

You just can't make this stuff up! I don't know if this story has made it's way to you yet, but I just had to post about it because it is just so bizarre! Anyway, I did get a chuckle out of it, but I truly do feel sorry for the deceased man. Some friends!

And the weather here has been unseasonably warm this week-ewwwwwwww!

A Taste Of Spring

Absolutely gorgeous here today! Sunny, mid 60's, people outside everywhere enjoying the day. More like early spring than mid-winter, but I checked the calender and, yes it's still January. Just a few days ago it was bone chilling cold and I was all set to hibernate with my comfort food and catch up on some reading. But instead I found myself outdoors, walking Raven, and watching kids play kickball. Sure looks like spring to me. But by 5pm, it was getting dark outside, a little reminder of what season it really is. But I really don't mind the winter, it's a good time to catch up on things that need to be done indoors, and believe me there's plenty that needs to be done here. But I will take advantage of any "spring break" that comes my way.

Show and Tell Saturday Friday

Whoops!!! Looks like I'm a little late for this week's (or SUPER early for next week's) Show and Tell Friday. Kelli from There Is No Place Like Home is our lovely hostess, so if you would like to join us, please visit her blog.

My Show and Tell for this week is my 50 state quarter collection. (I'm guessing most of you have a collection of these also.)



I know this photo is quite distorted, but if you look closely, you'll notice it's almost complete-only five more spots to fill! The time has sure gone by quickly. I think my favorite one so far is Kentucky. Or that cute one with the cow from Wisconsin. Anyway, I'm looking forward to completing this collection in the coming year.

Thank you for looking at my show and tell and thank you, Kelli for hosting.

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing a blessed, happy, and healthy New Year to all! Ours was a bit quiet, actually toyed with the crazy idea of going to Times Square, but quickly changed our minds after seeing the huge crowd on TV. Maybe we'll feel more adventurous next year.

Don't really have any resolutions, I pretty much have the same ones every year-eat less, exercise more, take better care of myself and Carlos, stick to our budget, and organize, organize, organize! Next year at this time I will probably be writing the same things! We'll see about that.

Hope you all have a wonderful 2008!