So True!!

On a side note, my trial run with the new pup may be over.  He just may require more training attention than I have time to give, although he and Stubbins get along great.  He also may be a chewer - if my shoes are in danger, the pup has to go!

Bits and Pieces

Here are a few pictures that didn't quite make it on a page of their own, although they each have a special story!

Sam and Jordan at the Portland train station standing in line to check in.  Trust me when I say I asked them to give me "mean" faces....they normally don't have this demeanor.

Here is my boyfriend Michael preparing chicken to grill this past weekend.  I love a man who is handy with a barbecue!

My new set of neon-colored keys, including three keys to open the locked door knobs that will ensure me and my family's safety in our home!  Thanks Michael!

I LOVE the Jamba Juice carrot/orange juice so much I decided to make one myself.  I simply tossed together carrot juice, a tablespoon of orange juice frozen concentrate, and ice into the blender.  Voila!  Tasted just like the original!  This is going to be one of my new breakfast favorites!  Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to duplicate the "energy booster shots" Jamba Juice adds!

Here's my new doggie, who I'm taking for a test drive tonight.  My co-worker Sheilah stopped by with Wally (name to soon be changed), a 6-month old miniature Doberman Pinscher/Chihuahua mix who is well behaved and has been neutered.  He is so sweet and he'll keep my baby Stubbs in shape.  They hit it off tonight, although Stubbs is making sure our new dog knows that he is boss.  They played, they ran, they teased each other - in an nutshell, they like each other!  I've got my fingers crossed that Wally makes it through the night!

Here is a little picture of this Diva in training that I ran across the other day.  Damn it was nice being a little kid with no worries in the world!  Here's to keeping that youthful exuberance (and blond hair) now that I'm a wee bit older!!  (Hey, it's my blog so if I want to use the term "wee bit" when expressing my age, for that I am entitled!)

Skin Deep and Safety

Sister Luna shared a link titled Skin Deep - The User's Guide to Cosmetics, where you’ll find product and ingredient safety ratings, health information about cosmetics ingredients and smart shopping tips you can trust.  You can also search your cosmetics to see if they are truly safe.  I'm going to dig in and see what I find with the hopes that my L'Oreal False Lash mascara is acceptable!!

How the Seniors Keep It Stylish!

This one really takes the cake!

Housework Does a Body Good

There is something about having the house to myself that inspires me to.....clean!  All I thought about on my commute home yesterday was cleaning the boy's bathroom.  When I arrived home, I quickly changed my clothes then started a load of laundry before creeping into the dreaded bathroom of gore.  That toilet hadn't seen a scrub brush in months; in addition, the pile of dirty laundry seemed to resemble The Blob.....towels, underwear, and clothes jumbled together in a growing pile of soiled fabric.  Ugh.  The only bad part about sterilizing the bathroom?  The discovery that I need a new mop as the one I have just couldn't do the floor justice.

After the bathroom, I continued to tackle the laundry then picked up the kitchen.  I moved all the clean clothes into the living room and folded until my fingers curled into arthritic nubs as I watched TV.  I also picked up and swept the laundry room; the coup de grace was taking the big black bag of garbage outside to the can.  Whew!!  It felt so good to have chores done, especially the bathroom, although the fragrance I smelled the rest of the night was a mixture of Pine Sol and Tidy Bowl!!

Betty Appears in a Big Way

Finally Betty Draper made an appearance, a rather large one, on last night's Mad Men.  Her first scene was when she couldn't get the zipper up on her dress; I assumed she was pregnant.  Nope - she had simply gained weight, perhaps in a way to hide her real-life pregnancy.  Poor Betty.  Her mother-in-law sent her to the doctor for some diet pills, i.e., amphetamines - just a fast little trick they used in the sixties.  It will be interesting to see how long it will take Betty to get rid of her extra weight; the way TV moves, she could be back in to her size 6 by the next episode!

Excuse Me While I Gush

This weekend has gone by incredibly fast - makes me wish I had taken off more than Friday in order to extend it further! 

On Friday M drove to my house; we then hit Winco to obtain groceries for the weekend along with snacks for the boys.  After seeing the boys off on the train, M and I made our way to Gresham to share a pizza; while he was packing his bag, I sat down and selected several tunes from his music collection in order to make my first CD.  It includes everything from Kenny Loggins to Michael Jackson to Stephanie Mills.  Nice soundtrack for our drive back to my place.
 

Saturday found us outlining our To Do list for the day.  We started with taking over ten bags of garbage from the garage to the dump.  M began work on my cupboards (i.e., two falling apart resulting in hanging off their hinges), then we began moving the furniture around.  We swapped a couch in one room for a love seat, moved an entertainment center around, and relocated the computer off the kitchen bar, placing it into the family room.  M also put my  cords in order; rather than the jumbled, gobbled mess which were my electrical cords, he separated, wrapped, and organized the plug-ins so they were organized.  We vacuumed; we dusted; we shoved, pushed and pulled!  It's so nice to have another's input (along with their muscles) to move furniture and redecorate; the result is fantastic!  In between all of this we took a break to make M's potato salad so it would chill before dinner.

After remodeling the downstairs, M began work on changing out doorknobs in order to increase the security of my home.  I must admit the defense of my home had not been up to par for a long time; he installed new keyed locks to all points of access in order to prevent an intruder from breaking into my house. 

M then made dinner - grilled chicken sandwiches, potato salad, and "steamable" microwaveable corn on the cob.  Yummy!  It had been a long day and our dinner was a wonderful end to many hours of productivity.

This morning after breakfast we cleaned up then hit Lowe's for additional home supplies.  We then hit Walmart so I could grab some picture frames for son Jordan's art.  We currently have Sam's art hung on the wall but, in order to ensure Jordy didn't feel left out, I wanted to hang his drawings as well.  Leaving Walmart we ran into two of my oldest and dearest friends so it was nice to catch up and that they were able to meet my M. 

Sunday will soon end however, I'm happy to say that not only was it a productive weekend but I was able to spend it with my favorite guy.