The Lucky Turtle

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32894066/ns/today-today_pets/?GT1=43001

Sometimes I just love stories that are in the news. What a great vet to be so industrious and care enough to figure out a solution for this turtle, and what awesome owners to recognize an animal with a will to survive and have it done!

Do I Look Like a Corgi?

So Quinn just asked me if I need him to brush out my "undercoat" because my hair is getting a little gray.

He says he can tell, because I am also "a little short."

Do I look like a Corgi!?

Bah. Teenagers.

Great Recipe!

Everyone who knows me knows that I cannot cook. Sometimes I feel inspired to seek out new recipes, though- usually when I am craving something or when Jeff is out of town (or both). So tonight I found the recipe for Olive garden's Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno, which I looooooooove. It came out Ah-maaaaaaaaay-zing! Here is the link:

www.recipelink.com/mf/14/21891

Just so you know, though, a pound of pasta makes A LOT. We're going to be eating baked ziti for the next 2 weeks if it keeps that long.

Now if only I could get the breadstick recipe I'd be set.

I'd take a picture but Quinn says that is past ridiculous and won't let me. I tried to convince him that blogs are nothing without pictures. He's such a teenager. All about image, and sadly, I am NOT cool. I have guilt and remorse over my teenager years almost every day now... my poor mom. I seem to recall her being stupid until I was about 21. Please tell me boys grow out of it sooner.

Anyway, try to recipe! It's GOOD!

Doing Stuff

I'm on a quest to be a little more active, since I figure my 16-17 hours of sleep per day are probably not doing me as much good as I feel like they are. I'm really well rested when I wake up, but I'm getting really out of shape, and have been having tons of trouble breathing. I'll wake up in the middle of the night extremely short of breath, and if I don't sleep with my head on 2 pillows I will stop breathing (ok this is probably an exaggeration, but it FEELS like it and it wakes me up in a panic) altogether.

Last night I decided to mow the lawn, after about 3 months of letting it go because it was too hot. I'm sure the neighbors are thrilled, and I know the dogs are, because they really frolicked last night and this morning. It feels really good to actually get something accomplished! In case anyone is wondering, yes,... I do have a husband... but mowing the lawn is my job because I love it. It's totally theraputic. I like to sing show tunes and think deep thoughts while I mow :) I'll mow the lawn until I can't anymore, or until I am so pregnant that Jeff starts looking like a jerk to the rest of the neighborhood for letting his pregnant wife mow the lawn! Then I will let him mow the front, and I will probably still mow the back.

My other goal is to take a walk each morning, rather than coming home from dropping Quinn at school and going straight back to bed for a nap. When I take walks I like to get the dogs out with me for a little bonding time. Bud is my usual partner of choice, because he is a good walker, and he also doesn't get as much time with us because Lucky tries to eat him (the boys alternate crate time vs. family time because they can't get along). So it's something special I can do for him. Well, I must be in worse shape than I thought, because Bud was way too fast for me this morning! We went about 4 blocks and I circled home to grab Cosmo. Cosmo is much more my speed! Of course the fact that I took Cosmo made Bunny mope. So I will have to put her in the car and take her to pick up Quinn from school today. She doesn't really understand that she would never be able to make it a block walking on pavement (but she is NOT satisfied when I take her 10 feet down the sidewalk and then turn back, either). I wonder how she would feel about a wagon- it would probably piss her off.

Spying on the Neighbors

I don't typically spy on my neighbors, but today it could not be helped. There in the middle of the driveway across the street, our neighbor was covering his entire minivan with brown paper and packing tape.

I tried to speculate on what he might be doing.

Shipping his car via the USPS?

Just got a new job with Fedex and needed practice wrapping LARGE objects?

One of those crazy spirit things for his kids' school (though once I saw he was also taping the windows and license plate I realized he wasn't driving it anywhere)?

I almost went out to ask, but then the neighbor who thinks I am weird got out the door before me.

So I watched.

And (shamefully) snapped a picture!

Then I did what anyone would do and went outside to tinker on the lawn mower so I could get a closer look.

Turns out he was touching up his paint job with a can of spray paint.

So my neighbor has earned a spot on the blog.

Weird Texans!!!

My Interior Design Bug

Yesterday I had to go get a tire for my car, and decided to take advantage of the cute shopping center right across from the tire store rather than sit and inhale rubber fumes while waiting for my car. Oh yeah, not to mention I was totally Texas-ed out sitting there. I was in line behind a skanky blond with a hideous accent, waiting for a Dodge RAM bigger than her hairdo (if that is possible) and an orange self tanner wanna be body builder 40 something with shorts cinched up so tight by his Texas belt that I could see his panty line (and we are talking only 3/4 cheek coverage, friends). Not pretty!

Back to the market...

I went to this store called Kirkland's and they have a ton of cool stuff. I stumbled on cool metal animal thingies that hang on the wall! At first I thought they would be awesome for the entry, and then I instantly decided no... baby room! I didn't buy them, but they are on my list. They have a zebra, a giraffe, a lion and an elephant. The baby's room is going to be a kiddie jungle theme. Either tan walls with light green accents or light green walls with tan accents. I might even stencil the names of the animals underneath so that the baby can get smart and learn to read (am I getting ahead of myself?).

I've been really upset about parting with my blood red workout/music room, but this will be a design I can live with. Of course the kid has to love animals, so what better way to start?

The Spunky Bunny

Bunny has been decidedly spuky lately! She's running around like a puppy, chasing everyone around and hamming it up for attention (unlike her normal, sweet, old dog asking for attention routine that she's settled into the last couple years), and she takes every opportunity she can get to wrestle with her whipper snapper boy, Cosmo. I wish I'd gotten some video, but here's a blow by blow of breakfast this morning in pictures:Going down...

Gone!



The start of Round 2

Pinning him down by the throat while Lucky takes an opportunistic sniff (so rude)

At it again. Go granny, go granny, go granny go!

"I'm bored with this anyway." Cosmo darted behind the couch right before this shot to get away from her.

"I think I'll just roll around instead."

Goooooood back scratches!