Even the Dog.

Is that a Banana.....

Thursday 13

{Yes, there are more than 13
on the list but the 13 IS in there.
Don't you judge me. ;-) }

1. Turkey - roasted upside down. {end result is supposed to be a much more tender and moist turkey breast. We shall see}
2. Crescent Rolls - with Thankful notes baked inside to be read around the dinner table. {hopefully grandpa doesn't eat his. That really happened. ;-) }
3. Cranberry sauce - jellied. {I don't care for chunks in my sauce}
4. Olives - black and green with pimentos. {Do they come without that?}
5. Butter Pats molded in the shape of leaves. {molded myself with the help of the freezer}
6. Apple Pie baked by the kid's girlfriend. {I need a name for her, yes?}
7. Sweet Potato Casserole {a first try with this recipe so we don't know how it tastes. Hopefully good!}
8. Cake. {It isn't a lie.} Frosted with buttercream and decorated with fall sprinkles. {Or they will think Fall sprinkles but in reality the yellow are lightening bolts and the orange are nimbus 2000's from the Harry Potter sprinkles collection. The brown is just your normal every day sprinkle. ;-) }
9. Deviled eggs. {I am not sure when we started making these for Thanksgiving but I would be in deep trouble if they don't show up on the table today. Plus they are yummy! }
10. Wine. Of course. How could there not be wine? I have two bottles of Pinot Noir, a white zin,a chardonnay and a Riesling. {I wonder what the other people are going to drink. ;-D }
11. Green Beans. I have no idea about this. The marrieds are in charge of beans.
12. Potatoes. Yukon Golds I have been told. My sister is in charge of those.
13. Pumpkin Pie - The marrieds other parents are in charge of pumpkin. {My daughter refers to them as Warilynn. A combo of their names. ;-) }
14. Stuffing. My sister makes this as well because she makes a vegetarian dish using the stuffing for her vege people. {And a regular one for the rest of us. }
15. Sparkling apple and grape juice for those who don't drink.
16. Gravy. I don't make it from scratch and hopefully you won't tell. {crap. I wonder where my gravy dish is. *sigh}
17. Extra dinner rolls for when the crescent's run out. {can there ever be enough bread? }
18. 13 people for dinner. {plus one in Alaska - We Miss you Rudy! }
19. We are blessed.

I'm 50 today. Be nice to me.

Word{s}

1. 2.0
2. move
3. count
4. down
5. pack
6. again
7. LDR
8. end
9. in
10. sight

Veterans Day.

Pinterest Much?

Wordy Wednesday. {literally}

Wordy Wednesday.

4 Years Ago Today

No one ran screaming.
No one threw up.
I love you more today than every before
and cannot wait to truly start our life together.
Soon. So Soon!
I love you mostester, my Darlin Rudy.
*kisses*


Gin Wigmore - Don't Stop

ever thine.
ever mine.
ever ours.

e.e.cummings

i carry your heart with me
(i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it
(anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate
(for you are my fate, my sweet)
i want no world
(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than the soul can hope
or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart
(i carry it in my heart)

Wordy Wednesday.

Wordless Wednesday.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

{in rapid succession}

98 Bottles of Beer Days Left in 2011

And it has me freaked the hell out.

I have so much to do because big changes are coming with the new year. Wonderful changes. Exciting changes. I could make a list of the things I have to do but today it might freak me out even more. How would that be good? So instead I plan to drink coffee until I am tired of coffee the pot runs dry and then switch to something of the alcohol variety. I plan to bake some Pumpkin Snickerdoodles which sound super yummy. And of course I will be watching plenty of football.

What are you up to?

I love putting food in jars.

14 pounds of Roma Tomatoes cooked down, food milled and sent through a sieve = the most delicious, fresh tasting Tomato Sauce ever. 4.5 pints of it actually. Photos some day but today it is dark and dreary which does not equal good lighting for photography.

All that is left to can is the cherry plums which have been pitted and are chilling out {literally} in the freezer.

Then we wait for the pomegranates to ripen and the next round of canning will begin.

What have you been up to?

ツ

Really?

It's a bit stalker-ish, don't you think?
Plus what if your girlfriend finds out.
She might delete my comments again.
Oh.
She can't, can she?
It's MY bloggy.

Back Later.

Wordless Wednesday.

Hot Or Cold?

Quite Some Time.

Wordless Wednesday.

Happy Birthday, Rudy!

i love you mostester,
~ blondie

Birds Do It, Too.

Wordless Wednesday

♥

True love is not measured in hugs and kisses,
but in struggles and fears,
and those who can work though those...
they possess true love
~ Adam Murphy

Happy Little Friday!

love and hugs,
~ b

Thursday Thirteen:

Meet the Pack.

1. Ronan - {Irish}"ro + nan" means little seal
2. O'Reilly - {Irish} minus the *O* means courageous, valiant.
3. Born early December 2006.
4. Best trick is his "Ain't I pretty?" Johnny Bravo impersonation.
5. Has been known to eat an entire {stolen off the counter} pizza and then wonder where his suppertime is.
6. Can pick up an item of interest, take it to the door, set it down, open the door, go outside, nose back inside and pick up item to take it outdoors. THIEF! LOL!
7. Truly believes he is a 100 pound lap dog and will climb in your lap, given the opportunity, to prove it.
8. Neighborhood welcome wagon when he manages to Houdini his way out of the yard. {The Alaska yard. No chance to escape in the SoCal yard}
9. Loves his belly rubs.
10. Hangs his head when he has been caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.
11. Puts himself in his kennel when he has been scolded or before bedtime most nights.
12. Hilarious to watch him chase his tail.
13. Loves to give many slobbery kisses.

Wordless Wednesday

I Miss You So

Happy Birthday, Momma.

I love you.

Indeed.

Friendship isn't about whom
you have known the longest.
It's about who came,
and never left your side.

Don't Forget to Say Thank You.

Thursday Thirteen:

Meet the Pack

1. Ciara {"kee + ra"} from the Irish ciar meaning "dark" and implies "dark hair and brown eyes."
2. Siobhan {"shiv + awn"} is another Irish form of Joan meaning "God is gracious."
3. Born early 2004.
4. Rodent chaser.
5. Trickster when told to go to her kennel.
6. Loves to dig holes to get to the cool damp dirt for a napping nest.
7. Can say *want one* to get a snack.
8. Shakes with either paw but you must change hands to get her to shake with the other.
9. Will give high 5's but be careful cuz it can hurt.
10. Believes she is queen of the yard.
11. Will reluctantly give kisses and allow petting, but then wants a snack after.
12. Very independent and not inclined to cuddle.
13. Thinks the kid is hers and grouches at Ronan {the other of the pack}and puts herself between him and the kid if at all possible.

Wordless Wednesday.

Totally Tuesday!

haiku'd

days slowly melting
next and further and beyond
melancholy slide

blondie16~2011

Snappo!

Really underwire? And of course by underwire I mean underplastic because I haven't a clue when the last time it was actually made of wire. That is 3 now. I have to go shopping. I hate shopping. Fuckers!

Word{s}: Alliteration Installment

1. merry
2. menagerie
3. manages
4. mischievous
5. mayhem
6. midst
7. my
8. many
9. melancholy
10. moments

Well that might explain things.

"Dull Women Have Immaculate Houses."

*shrugs*

Wordless Wednesday.

Atlantis Last.

T-13:

Phrases Heard

1. holy shit snacks!
2. WTF?
3. I need coffee.
4. Seriously?
5. how's it?
6. the game
7. bastards!
8. get back
9. duh, and/or Hello!
10. I'm so tired
11. I need a drink
12. we'll try that later
13. holy hell hannah!

Wordless Wednesday.

Are We Sure It Isn't Monday?

• Kid struggling
• A pup with hot spots
• yard that needs attention desperately
• alarms set off
• missing Rudy
• Kid getting sick
• 92˚
• Dad phoned to cancel dinner because *something came up*
• Lonely
• Tired
• Casey Anthony found not guilty??
• Out of margarita mix
• Seriously - are we SURE it isn't Monday??

Happy 4th of July!

be proud.

be safe.

have fun.

with love,
~ blondie

Happy 21st Birthday!

Love you, Mr Man.
I am so very proud of you. Have a very happy day and a fantastic year!

Thursday Thirteen:

This is My Morning.
{any of 'em, all of 'em}

1. wake to cats tapping me on the face.
2. roll out of bed and feed cats.
3. make coffee.
4. get dressed.
5. get iPad and iPhone.
6. find glasses.
7. unleash the hounds.
8. get kisses from and tramped on by said hounds.
9. sit under arbour.
10. drink coffee.
11. check email.
12. play angry birds.
13. watch the dogs play.

Wordless Wednesday.

Word{s}

1. duck ~
2. morning ~
3. exhausted ~
4. love ~
5. don't ~
6. count ~
7. social ~
8. plum ~
9. off ~
10. nice ~

Somebody has a case of the Mondays.

I have been up since 6:00. Showered, made the kid's lunch, fed the cats, let the hounds loose, fed the hounds, checked my email, played angry birds {2 stars only thus far on todays episode}, shared a banana with the pups, talked with the kid who had stopped by to pick up his lunch and am now sitting on the back porch with a pup on either side of me drinking my second cup of coffee and chilling out. {I am drinking my coffee and they are chilling out, for the record}

Any questions? Fire away.
What?
Seriously?
Nothing?
Okay fine - I'll start. {Caution - These questions may or may not be applicable to everyone specifically.}

• Who's running the asylum?
• Are you hiding me from your significant other? And by hiding me I mean no longer willing {or able} to participate in my bloggy and just letting the friendship die a hard and fast death.
• What is the price of tea in China?
• What is the temp in your land as you read this?
• What did you have for breakfast?
• Does the shit ever fall far from the bat?

That should keep you busy for a while. Provided you 1. hit the blog and b. take the time to answer. I will indeed answer all questions left for me with my typical blunt honesty. :-)

Happy Monday!
love and hugs,
~ b

Wordless Wednesday

North to Alaska!

Wordless Wednesday.

The News

Meal at the Manor.

Appetizer ~
Eeny, Meeny, Miny or Moe?

Soup ~
Are you allergic or sensitive to anything?

Salad ~
Field Greens or Romaine? And what do you dress it with?

Entrée ~
Who is at the top of the list of people you are just ever so weary of?

Dessert ~
What are you looking forward to today, dessert or otherwise?

Digestif ~
I have a bowl full of fresh lemons and a dozen seriously small strawberries. What kind of drink do you suggest I make with them?

Thursday Thirteen:

Scraps

1. Ever Thine.
2. It's cold with sun
3. Point Taken.
4. A day Behind.
5. Fair Weather Friends.
6. Lots to do.
7. Ever Mine.
8. Soy Latte will suffice.
9. Pussy whipped?
10. Need more Angry Birds!
11. Vote. {over there}
12. Grow, Garden, Grow!
13. Ever Ours.

Tuesday

is not Monday.

just a friendly reminder.
;-)

Thank You.

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America!
America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

♪ ♫♪ ♫ Happy Birthday, Dear

Happy Birthday To You! ♪ ♫♪ ♫




I hope you have a wonderful day, girlfriend!
love and hugs,
~ blondie

Good News. Bad News.

Thursday Thirteen:

13 To Do

1. begin a search for wedding rings.
2. prep yard for two very large dog kennels.
3. plant my garden. Late but better than never.
4. make honeysuckle jelly. {doesn't that just sound delicious??}
5. finish the bottle of pinot that is on my counter.
6. weed flower beds in the front yard.
7. make a trip to the pet store to recon food and food/snack storage for Malamutes.
8. continue to battle the gophers. {think caddyshack}
9. simplify my online life.
10. check for an update to angry birds. {I do this daily even though I know there isn't an update due out any time soon. I am ever so slightly obsessed.}
11. finish the 3 books on my kindle/ibooks app.
12. research Eco Friendly laundry soap.
13. begin planning a wedding. {T minus 10 {months} and counting}

Worded Wednesday.

Word{s}

1. Goin'
2. to
3. the
4. Chapel
5. and
6. we're
7. gonna
8. get
9. married
10. !

Caturday Returns.

For My Girls.

love ya!
~ b

Thursday Thirteen -

13 ways I am trying to live green:

1. Recycling - Cans, plastic & glass for cash. Everything else recyclable goes in the bin to be picked up once a week
2. Cleaning with a mixture of vinegar and water
3. 100% recycled paper products
4. Buying organic produce when I can
5. Nalgene water bottles
6. Brita filter pitcher
7. Vinegar to kill weeds
8. Paraben free hair care products
9. Replacing plastic storage containers with glass containers
10. Composting bin under the sink
11. Cold water wash for clothing
12. Drinking organic milk
13. Catching rain water to be used to water plants

Wordless Wednesday.

Grammar Lesson.

On his 70th birthday, a man got a gift certificate from his wife. The certificate paid for a visit to a medicine man living on a nearby reservation who was rumored to have a wonderful cure for erectile dysfunction.

After being persuaded, he drove to the reservation, handed his ticket to the medicine man.

The medicine man slowly, methodically produced a potion, handed it to him, and with a grip on his shoulder, warned, 'This is powerful medicine. It must be respected. You take only teaspoonful, and then say '1-2-3.' When you do hat, you will become more manly than you have ever been in your life, and you can perform as long as you want."

The old man was encouraged. As he walked away, he turned and asked, "How do I stop the medicine from working?"

"Your partner must say '1-2-3-4,'" he responded, "but when she does, the medicine will not work again until next full moon."

The old man was very eager to see if it worked so he went home, showered, shaved, took a spoonful of the medicine, and then invited his wife to join him in the bedroom. When she came in, he took off his clothes and said, "1-2-3!"

Immediately, he was the manliest of men. His wife was excited and began throwing off her clothes, and then she asked, "What was the 1-2-3 for?"

And that, boys and girls, is why we should never end our sentences with a preposition, because we could end up with a dangling participle.

"This culture is so odd -

Mother's Day should be the holiday where we hunt for eggs." {asot = as seen on twitter}

Happy Mother's Day!

love and hugs,
~ b

Corn Flakes?

In the early part of this century, John Harvey Kellogg gained a reputation both as a nutritionist and a sexual adviser. The foods that Kellogg created (including the now-famous corn flakes) were designed to promote health and decrease interest in sex.

Mr. Kellogg thought sex was the ultimate abomination and remained celibate even in marriage. Masturbation was the worst sin imaginable to him. He believed it led to leprosy, tuberculosis, heart disease, epilepsy, dimness of vision, insanity, idiocy, and death. He also preached that masturbation led to bashfulness in some people, unnatural boldness in others, a fondness for spicy foods, round shoulders, and acne. That’s quite a list!

As we all know now, there are most definitely foods that promote health, but none in particular that decrease interest in sex or masturbation. So, you can eat all the corn flakes you want, and have good, safe sex!

By Michael Ashworth, Ph.D.

;-)

Join Me?

Happy TGIF!

He Is Not Here.

For He has Risen.

As He Said.

.

Good Friday.

44) It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,

45)for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

46)Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

She's 26 Today.

And in a few weeks he will be as well. Where did the time go? I am so very proud of this woman who is also my baby daughter. Wish her a wonderful year and a very Happy Birthday with me.


Happy Birthday, my darling daughter! I love you!

All of It.

Blessed is the King.

Meal at the Manor.

Appetizer ~
Do you know which screwdriver is which?

Soup ~
Why bother?

Salad ~
What advice do you have for the next person who rings your doorbell?

Entrée ~
What is your gripe?

Dessert ~
What is the colour of crazy?

Digestif ~
I am going to have a glass of Mead tonight. What will you be drinking?

T-13:

Rambling.

1. I need 4 stars on my Starbucks card to get a free drink.
2. The postcard from my last 15 stars free drink is under a magnet on my fridge. {I should really put that in my bag}
3. I have been using my macbook almost exclusively since about March 7 when Rudy gave it to me. I LOVE it! {ty, darlin!}
4. I hope my cute little pink netbook doesn't stop working when I need it because I have been neglecting it. ;-)
5. I have been sick for almost two weeks. Enough, already!
6. So Cal is having a heatwave after months of super cold. My outside thermometer says 80° at the moment. I don't really think it is that warm though. *shrugs*
7. It has been 10 Days, 5 Hours and 34 Minutes since I last saw Rudy walking down the hallway in Denver International to get to his own flight. :-(
8. I have actually gone over 36 hours without coffee this week. Are you in shock?
9. Have I mentioned I am tired of being sick? Well, if not, I am. bleh!
10. There is still an amazing echo in here.
11. I need a drink but feel too blah to have one. What is THAT about?
12. Is it weekend yet?
13. Is anybody out there?

Word{s}

1. it's
2. been
3. a
4. week.
5. I'm
6. still
7. alive
8. how
9. about
10. you?

Exhausted.

and never so glad to be home and yet so sad to be home at the same time. *sigh*

I will recount my day today later.
or tomorrow.
or something.

check back.
or not.

Is it just me or is there an amazing echo in here?

~ b

Day 9

Today we spent the day relaxing and very low key. I woke up with next to no voice and feeling blah. After packing up we went to see Gnomeo and Juliet. I figured I could either feel poorly in the hotel room or go see a show and be distracted for a while. I chose the latter. It was a very cute movie with a lot of fantastic Elton John music. Loved it!

When the movie was over we went for a walk and ended up at a local Microbrewery where we tried some of the local brew. I had a Fire Chief Ale and Rudy had a Red Rocks Red. Both quite good. After our beers we went to Panera Bread to have soup for dinner. Since I haven't felt well today I had and enjoyed a bowl of Chicken Noodle and Rudy had a bowl of Cream of Chicken with Wild Rice. I had a taste of his soup and it was also very good. After dinner we discussed hitting up Stone Cold Creamery to use the gift card he has been carrying around in his wallet for years now but when we drove by we could see that it was quite busy so we decided to let his card continue to rest in his wallet for now. heh!

Back in our room we settled down with our MacBooks and HBO to watch the season finale of Big Love. {don't you judge me ;-)} The ending took me by surprise as I sure did not see that coming.
Our time together is quickly coming to an end and I am very sad but there is a glimmer of hope for a new situation in the future. Tomorrow morning we part ways with Rudy heading for Anchorage by way of Seattle and I am on my way to Palm Springs by way of Phoenix.

I hope you have enjoyed my little vacay diary.
See ya on the flip side.

love,
~ b

Day 8

With class completed Rudy and I have time to do a little sightseeing. I wanted to go see the Casa Bonita of South Park fame for my kids who wanted photos and to see The Brown Palace Hotel where my parents stayed on their honeymoon in December of 1957.

After sleeping in a bit we fired up St. Brendan {our gps. St. Brendan is a Navigator Saint} and made our way to the Casa. Overpriced bad food and campy entertainment was the theme. The sopaipillas for dessert were quite yummy. We ate, watched the bad entertainment, took some photos, choose souvenirs for the dog sitter and the kid and beat feet out of there.

The haphazard parking that was taking place when we arrived at Casa Bonita had turned into quite the spectacle when we returned to our car. Gotta love a parking lot with no lines where people just pull in and stop where they please. *rolling eyes*

After a couple of wrong/missed turns because St. Brendan didn't speak up quickly enough I pulled out my iPhone and mapped our location. We discovered that we were very close to The Brown Palace and decided to put the car in a lot by the shopping and walk in.

We happily took a side trip into the bookstore as it is one of our favorite places to go and browsed for a bit before heading out in search of the Palace. We knew it was on a corner and a triangular shape and headed towards what appeared to be just that. Come to find out - it wasn't. WTF, people. That is just one too many triangular brown buildings in one small area. Turning around and heading to in the right direction we were soon at the Brown Palace.

We wandered in and looked around. I headed off to see if anyone would have some nice words and perhaps some sentimental souvenirs that I could bring back to my daddy. The desk clerk I spoke with was an ass and said he supposed he could offer me a couple of pens. He handed them to me and looked at me as if I should kiss his feet. Nice PR work there buddy. So not impressed and your boss will be hearing from me.

We did find a gorgeous photograph history book and a chocolate bar which I will be bringing to Daddy along with the pens. I am sure he will love them and I will keep the ridiculous treatment I received to myself rather than sully his memory of the place where he and his beloved wife spent their honeymoon.

Leaving the Brown Palace behind we realized that we were in need of a cup of coffee. {yeah yeah, so when am I not, eh? Well don't you judge me. tee hee} We grabbed some Starbucks and sat outside to people watch, rest and enjoy our drinks.

The rest of our afternoon was filled with stopping into The Hard Rock Cafe to get a couple of shot glasses {way too crowded/busy to even consider getting a drink}, a quick side trip to Panera for some baked goods for breakfast {they have a wickedly delicious orange scone} which will save us needing to get up and schlepp down to the overcrowded breakfast room and will allow for sleeping in. We came back to the room to relax but did go out one final time to the Village Inn for breakfast for dinner.

Back to the room for good found us surfing the web on our iPads using the fancy connection dealio that Rudy set up on his MacBook and flipping channels to find something to watch. And then he discovered Kill Bill Vol.1 was on.

Cut to 3 am where blondie is still awake because the morning person got super tired, powered through it and then looped around and couldn't sleep after Vol.2 of Kill Bill and Rudy snoring away.

Tomorrow -
Last day in Denver. Last day with Rudy. I hate this part. meh!

Happy Sunday.
love,
~ b