Sparky

So I decided last weekend to go for dog round 2. I brought Sparky home on Saturday and scheduled his visit to the vet for Monday. I did my best to not get attached before the vet visit, at the time his name was Kobe. He checked out good at the vet, so I gave him his name.

Sparky and Jinkies are probably doing as well as can be expected. Today is my first full day at home with the both of them and they have been "playing" nice. They've gotten within 6 feet of each other without any yowling or growling. I think there is hope that they can occupy the same room in the future.

Sparky does well with me, but hesitates/barks his head off at strangers (or is it just men?). Hopefully Tom will come visit every once and while and help this a bit.

Here's a little video of Sparky. Right now, he's either sleeping or following me around, so it's hard to get a good shot of him. I'm sure once he's acclimated better, I'll be able to get some better shots.

Sparky's stats: 3 years old, 22ish pounds, dachshund/yellow lab mix, likes to chase balls, likes rawhide strips, crate trained, barks when scared, and is quite cute and loveable. His first nickname is Senor Destructo because he annihilated a canvas toy with a squeaker in less than 10 minutes, stuffing was everywhere. Next up is trying to find a durable rubber toy with a squeaker.

Web Cast... DONE!

I'm so happy that the web cast went fairly smooth today. I feel such relief that it's over and done with. The video should be posted by Tuesday morning for people to replay. The winners have already been posted on www.CaseRocks.com

For those of you that have let me vent and talk about this project, I truly appreciate the ear and the encouragement. This project was quite the undertaking, but a very good learning experience. I don't know why I'm amazed or surprised by the "all hands on deck" mentality in the office... because I know I have great coworkers, but we all came together again to knock this project out. I'm very proud to have them as my coworkers and friends.

I've been enjoying my first evening without having a web cast to-do list hanging over my head. I was watching tv over dinner and saw a mini infomercial for Microsmores. You gotta check this out. I was in awe that this invention is actually needed by anyone.www.microsmores.com

Cookies, cookies, and more cookies!

I spent Saturday at Stephanie's house making cookies with the gals, Jenny and Amanda. We had a bit of help from the kids. One being Taylor as seen below with Steph.
I'm not quite sure which round of dishes washing Jenny is starting here. I do know that Amanda was stepping in to help stir the triple batch of Spritz cookies I was making.
If we all weren't so busy making cookies, we would have had many more photos to share.
1. The huge table of ingredients for us to utilize.
2. The sugar cookie decoration line.
3. Photos documenting the mishaps (melted spoons, non-sticky dough, unmelting chocolate, and exploded cookies hitting the floor)
4. The cleanup crew (Reggie did a great job spit shining the floor where we dropped things... oh to have a dog again would be nice)
5. More photos of the happy bakers and the finished products (Spritz, Swedish almond butter cookies, English Toffee, Snickerdoodles, Peanut butter kiss cookies, Scotcheroos, White chocolate covered pretzyls, lemon cranberry cookies, sugar cookies, and those chocolate ones I don't remember the name of)

It was a great day! I can't wait til next year, but Jenny did have a good idea to make cookies for every holiday. Who knows... maybe we'll have a Christmas in July next year!

Time Flies When You're Not Home

Wow, that's pretty sad... over two weeks without a post. I guess it didn't help that I've been here, there, and everywhere in between.

It started out with a fun trip down to St. Louis to visit, Joyce, Brian, and John. It seemed like almost a year since I had seen them and it was great to catch up.

Then Thanksgiving rolled around and I think I spent more time at my parents' house and in stores than at my own house. I should have taken a little time out to relax, but I did get quite a bit accomplished in that time, plus, as always, it was great to see the family.

Shortly after Thanksgiving I lived in Dunlap for 3 days as a single mother of two kids. Quite a different routine, but I couldn't have asked for things to go any better. The one bummer was not getting to bring Jinkies with me. He was so confused when I'd come home from work at lunch and then not come back until the next day. He is quite pleased to have is warm human back... helps cut down on the time sleeping with your face covered for warmth.
Work has been quite chaotic and exhausting lately and I don't see that changing until the live web cast we're planning happens on the 14th. Another great learning experience, but on top of everything else, very stressful.

I've enjoyed this weekend and taking the time to do the things that I want to do. Somehow an impromptu game night even happened. I wrapped Christmas presents and toted those over to my parents' house and I even dropped off a car load of stuff to Good Will. I puttered out this afternoon, so I only got half way through organizing my house. I'm hoping to keep at it and do a little bit each night this week. We shall see how that goes.

TheFunTheory.com

Enjoy the video, then check out their website, http://thefuntheory.com/

Check, check, check, check, check, check, check and nope(thank goodness)

How do I know if I have the flu?

You may have the flu if you have some or all of these symptoms:

• fever *
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• body aches
• headache
• chills
• fatigue
• sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm

Now, only if they could tell me when I'll be 100% again.

Don't know what to do.

I'm feeling quite awake tonight, only with a small amount of congestion, but I have no voice. It's like I have ants in my pants for talking. I don't like this being mute thing. I guess I never realized how much I talk to Jinkies, myself, or sing to the tuneage I have playing.

To try to pass the time this evening, I made some banana bread.
Jinkies was too "busy" to play with me.
I also took the time to upload some photos to Ellen's website. She's been asking for interesting tree photos and for photos that have something a bit off about them.

Photos I don't think I posted.

I downloaded several photos off my phone and a couple from my camera I don't think I posted. If I have already, then maybe they'll at least bring another smile.

Here's Tom at Bradley Park looking for a frisbee golf disc.

One of the "best" parking jobs I've seen in quite some time.

My jade plant with some kick-ass plants Mom bought me... planted in a super cool dish from my Grandma Olson.

The painting I gave my Dad.

Airplane inside the Rockford Museum.

Mom with a cow at the Rockford Museum.

What a weekend... ugh!

I suppose my weekend started Thursday evening because I was off work on Friday. Definitely not anything I wish had happened. I fixed some chicken noodle soup for myself on Thursday and then proceeded to bundled up in sweats, a couple blankets, turned the heat up, and I was still shivering on the couch.

Not a good sign... and sure enough, I was greeted Friday morning by a freight train and a 101+ temperature. Saturday was better without the temperature, but still way achy. I am happy to have gotten a few things done around the house today, so I haven't fallen too far behind. I do believe the only good thing about being sick is the cat that will stick by your side, whether your sniffly, sneezey, or snotty.

Back on Track

Things that help one get back on track.
1. Kind words from friends and family.
2. Having Roto-Rooter snake out your drain pipe... no more over-flowing laundry... yeah!
3. Complete understanding from The A.R.K. about returning the dog that wasn't meant for you and encouraging you to find one that will, with their help. I was amazed and thankful.
4. Enjoying good ole Willie's Tamales, no located in the Sparland/Lacon area.
5. Coming home to the coolest cat on the face of the Earth!
6. Capping off the day with the best stage performance you've ever seen. The posters say spectacular and that's almost an understatement. Wish I had the to have gone the second night too.

Why shelters make you take your dog to the vet.

I couldn't believe my ears tonight when the vet told me that Pickles is probably between 7-9 years old, has a tooth that needs to be extracted, and has several mammary masses. I'm still trying to digest it all, but I ultimately know that I will not be able to take care of her, so I will have to call The A.R.K. and return her. It just tears me up inside.

Halloween

I hadn't planned on dressing up for Halloween, but got invited to the Iadipaolo's for a fun costume party. I did not win the best costume, but I did draw some interest to how I constructed by peanut butter cup hat. Kroger paper bags, rubber cement, hot glue, and some brown spray paint.

Pickles

My new dog has officially been named Pickles. I picked her out yesterday with Mom from the A.R.K. animal shelter in Lacon. She's a sweet 4 year oldish rat terrier. So far so good between Jinkies and Pickles. They've actually been on the couch with me at the same time... I'm hoping that's a good sign.

Why can't cats sit still?

The Goggles.

Sugarland - Milwaukee 9-18-09

Do your favorite artists have this much fun?
Jennifer Nettles in in the close ball and Kristian Bush is in the far ball.
This was awesome to see in person!!!

"Fits gonna hit the shan!"

I must say, I'm not the biggest Toby Keith fan by any means, but I really enjoy that line in his newest song to hit the radio.

I never in my mind though it would happen this week or for that matter, ever!... but I guess people can surprise you in ways that are completely incomprehensible.

I think I now understand why...

...Harry Caray had such large glasses. He must have dealt with the weird problems I have over the last month and got sick of feeling like a fool. This morning while brushing my teeth, I "set" by water cup on the sink edge and it completely went straight to the floor with a big thunk and sloosh. My oh my, the 22nd can't get here soon enough.

Curious cat wondering...

...when are you going to post the photos from the frisbee golfing expedition? Soon enough, my furry little friend.

Squirrels doing their part.

The squirrels are trying to help control the black walnut population... they take the green ones and the darker crusty ones (ewww). How do I know it's multiple squirrels? Well, Jinkies sits by the back door and chitter-chatters with them, so I can take their names down. Their efforts help prevent me from turning an ankle in the backyard, so I think thank you cards are in order. We've asked them to bring more friends, but they're still having a difficult time clearing the whole yard. I'm going to have to pick up the slack and go out back and pick up some more of those pesky things before I mow the lawn next. The kicker is that they aren't even from my trees!!!

White Doors

I spent some time last weekend painting some of the doors around the house. The largest door was the garage door. It looks so nice from a distance now. Next up will be the side garage door and possibly the wood fence to get into the backyard.

Here's the back of the kitchen door before and after.

So glad that green is gone!

My House To You

Since I rarely get any visitors and don't get to show things off, I thought I would bring a couple elements to YOU.

First off is the bedspread my mom made for my birthday. The blue denim fabric, she'd had in storage for years, fits it quite well with the rest of the blue in the room. The t-shirts are framed in black, just like all the other frames in the room. I love it!

Moving outside, here's a shot of my elephant ear garden. The unique flower in the front is a Dad and Mom creation. It's currently missing one petal (bolt), but I'm not going to take it to the shop until my eyes get fixed. If I knocked off two things already, I'm bound to do some more damage soon enough. There are two varieties of elephant ears in the garden, the big green ones with leaves as large as a seat cushion and the somewhat smaller darker leaved ones. Sorry, don't know the official names.

At the back of the yard along the fence is a wall of purple cannas, which have grow to be taller than me. I knew they would be tall, but the leaves are much larger than I had imagined... I just love the color of these.

Moving back inside, we see my Watchcat, Jinkies. I apparently need to de-hairify the window ledge I can't see behind the couch. :-)

He does such a great job guarding the house. He's always glad when I come home, so I can give him a rest from his post.

Disc Golfing

I had a fun time on Sunday disc golfing with Tom and Jim over in Morton. The glasses make it a bit of a different game when it come to navigating the course for footing when trying to walk and throw. Tom made me stay on the fairway one hole and volunteered to go retrieve my errant throw. It was quite nice, cause who knows how far I would have rolled, had I stumbled down the hill.

Hopefully, we'll be able to get together once a week and play a course together. In between those days, like today, I'll try to make my way down to the stadium to practice. There's a nice be open area right next to the football stadium across from the softball diamonds. I was able to aim back and forth from tree to tree, trying to work on my technique a bit.

Although, I am think I need to make a sign like below and post it around the perimeter of my practice grounds.

Coke Bottle Glasses

Some days I wonder if I really could see with Coke bottle glasses. I'm thinking my vision couldn't be much worse off that what it is already. Maybe I could somehow construct them to be similar to goggles so I wouldn't have any "blind" spots. I'm not a real fan of limited peripheral vision.

The good news about this whole Lasik process is the doctor seems to be quite pleased with how all my eyeball measurements are coming in and sounded encouraging for my next appointment on 9-22 being good-to-go for scheduling the surgery. I've just gotta have some patience and try not to injure myself between now and then.
I got another call from the Red Cross to donate platelets, so I thought why not try again. Surprisingly they have appointments on Sat and Sunday's. Well, now I at least have one thing planned for my Labor Day weekend. With the iron supplement Laura suggested, I don't foresee any roadblocks I cannot prevent with my next donation. Let's just hope their machinery holds up this time around.

Carlos Zambrano - Peoria Chief

Tonight was "Carlos Zambrano" night at the ballpark. About 8 of us took it in from the front row behind the Chiefs bullpen bench. I have my fair share of photos, but thought I'd post one of the videos I took from tonight. It was definitely a fun time, and I escaped before the rain melted me.

Happy 35th Anniversary to the Parents!

I gave Tom a ride to return Dad's car today. It wasn't in the plans, just worked out that way. It just so happened to my the Parents' 35th Anniversary and when we walked in the kitchen, Dad was giggling at Mom trying to figure out what to do with her "3 dozen" flowers. Here's a picture of her smiling, in between calling the "peanut gallery" rotten children.They shared a couple stories from their wedding day. I like the one of Mom being slightly confused as to why Dad's friends were too busy commenting on how well Kenny cleaned-up, instead of commenting on how beautiful her dress was. I think the well-worn workshirt in photo below helps answer that one.

I shouldn't be awake right now.

I'm still awake, which is not a good thing. I had caffeine at the game tonight because I didn't have any other free options in area I was sitting in. I'm tired, but yet my mind won't shut off. On top of that, the poison ivy on my arm is beyond itchy right now. I really want to catch some Z's. I tried reading, but that wasn't helping. I thought if I just turn the light out, then that will do it. I got sick of staring of into space in the dark, so I hopped on the computer. I wish I was like Jinkies and fall asleep at the drop of a hat... or even better, not have to work tomorrow. I did put three different ointments on my arm, and that seems to be helping with the urge to scratch my blistered arm. One down, one to go. I totally need an on-off switch for my mind right now.

So, yeah, I went to the ballgame tonight. I got a free ticket through one of our vendors at work. I was supposed to sit on the 3rd base side of the upper deck, but I thought I'd sit in the outfield to get a homerun ball. The bats were live lastnight, so I thought they may be again tonight. Three homeruns were hit in the first inning away from where I was sitting. Eventually one came my way in the 6th or so, but I couldn't track it (these darn glasses). I gave up too soon, not knowing it was hiding under a picnic table, go figure. Anyway, the guy who found it was beyond ecstatic with the plans to get it signed by the ballplayer and add it to his mantle at home. You can't help but be happy for someone that is that excited about a ball. Had I found the ball, it would have sat around in my pile of baseballs and eventually gotten signed by a bunch of future Chief players.

Sorry no photos to go along with this rambling. I still have photos to get off my camera from seeing Chicago Cubs All-Star Ted Lilly pitch with the Chiefs last night. Not sure how many more games I'll go to this year. I feel somewhat vulnerable wearing the glasses and would like to know that someone's got my back, and I won't get jacked in the face by a baseball. Even with the gaggle of people I went with last night, I was mere feet away from getting clobbered! Part of the reason why I sat in the outfield this evening.

Actual Birthday Day

Here's a photo of the lawn ornament Mom designed and Dad made for my birthday, which I promptly broke the first time I mowed the lawn. Somehow I managed to knock off one set of leaves and now it's back at The Workshop. I hope to get it back this weekend.
Dad was using his new camera to take photos that fine evening. He didn't know the camera has a power saving mode, so he missed the surprised, ooooing and aaaahhhing face I made upon opening my framed autographed Derrek Lee jersey. I took a moment to reenact the moment.
Here's me after the completely spastic laugh attack I had after seeing the above photo on the camera preview. Notice the dark spot on me shirt sleeve. That's just a portion of the tears I had to wipe away from laughing so hard. Grandpa thought I was going to explode.

A Fun Time

The birthday party on Saturday was extremely fun. I'm glad most everyone was able to make it. We had croquet, horseshoes, ladder golf, and washers setup for people to play. Tom put together a great tournament for everyone and the dollar store prizes did not disappoint. It was an awesome day!
The remote controlled Stunt Granny was the Grand Prize!

Croquet Course Groundskeepers

Dad prepping the croquet course for my birthday party. It rained all day, so he used the force from the mower blades to blow water off the grass, while rolling the lawn to help flatten it out. The "smokiness" in the second photo is water spraying out. I was surprised it worked.

The Jalapeno Dog

What happens when you ask your sister to bring you back a Chicago Dog after you were "drooling" over the jalapenos you saw in the game day program? Jane brings back the Jalapeno Chicago Dog! I got to dress-up the dog myself and took spoonfuls of each condiment on the dog.
Tom surprisingly didn't have any casualties while eating it. I do have some action shots, but none of them were able to capture the smoke resulting from the 7+ jalapenos he consumed. It was awesome!

Go Cubs Go

Tom and Jim chilling in our "squatted" seats before the ballgame.

Carlos Marmol trying to catch a batting practice fly ball. Yes, the glove really was that big and he eventually caught a ball and got a standing O from the bleachers.

Our Texan friends sitting in front of us won a pizza. Jim and half our row reaped the benefits.
A few of the retired numbers on the right field foul pole... Williams, Sandberg, and Maddux.
Tom saw a bird fly into the screen behind home plate in a poof of feathers. The smarter ones just waited atop the stadium until the ballgame was over.
The 'W' went up and the crowd was a singin'!