This is capitalism at it's best! Kitty Wigs! What is the weirdest retail product you've seen?
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
If you can imagine it, there is probably somebody to buy it!
This is capitalism at it's best! Kitty Wigs! What is the weirdest retail product you've seen?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Trouble with Jessie
About 10 years ago a friend of ours invited us out to his place to check out some cute little black lab puppies. We loaded up the boys and drove out there, determined not to fall in love.. we would just look. We didn't need a puppy.
As soon as we got out of the car, we saw the squirming black mass that was about 7 puppies playing with and tripping all over each other. I picked them up one by one, turning them over to cradle them like babies, acting all dog whisperer, trying to determine which had the best temperament. They all passed that test with flying colors. They were black labs, after all.
But there was one that was different. After I put her down, she kept crawling back in my lap. I would pick up one of her siblings, cradle him and put him down and he would go about clumsily playing. But when I picked up her up, cradled her, and put her down.. she crawled back for more. She chose me.
We took her home and she became Jessie the Wonder Lab. Her official, very long name, is Jessie Love Beauty Taco Walenciak.. because Dillon was 3, wanted to name him and couldn't quite make decisions. Jessie, after the character in Toy Story 2. Love, because, well, she kept crawling in my lap... Beauty, after Black Beauty, and Taco because.... I guess because Dillon was 3 and 3 year olds have funny ideas about appropriate names.
For the first two years of Jessies life I was ready to give her away. We still have furniture that bears the scars of her teething habits but I no longer have my favorite Doc Martin sandals that she mostly digested. Everyone told me to wait two years... things would change... and they did. Almost like magic. She turned two and became the best dog in the world. She never had an accident in the house, she didn't chew on anything she didn't have permission to chew on. She did get in the trash, and still does, but we taught her to pick up the trash and throw it away.. so at least she cleans up after herself.
She is quite the nanny to the boys. One night, Dillon came into our room after a bad dream. It wasn't long before Jessie woke me up, but didn't lead me to the door to go outside. She led me to Dillon's room to show me he wasn't in his bed. I had to let her see him in our bed before she would go back to sleep. Of course, Cody gets the most benefit from Jessie. He isn't a hugger, but he will hug Jessie. It's heartwarming to see my 16 year old man/boy talk baby talk and love on Jessie. He is going to miss her the most.
Jessie is not doing well. The vet thinks she has the canine equivalent of Alzheimer's. She has forgotten some of her most basic commands. She hasn't forgotten she's potty trained.. she simply is unaware of when she needs to potty, so she will walk through the house leaving a trail that looks quite a bit like a Family Circus Comic where you can trace Billy's steps by the dotted line he leaves. Jessie leaves her own dotted line. Thank heavens for my steam cleaner! Of course, Jessie soon realizes what she's done and she looks at it in shock, as if to say.. "Who did this?!".. and she will not cross it. She will not step over it. She is deeply ashamed, and I am sad for her because I know she couldn't help it. She is on medicine for this, and it is helping, but things are getting worse every day.
Tonight she gave me a glimpse of the young Jessie. I roasted a chicken and when I took it out of the oven she stood in the kitchen staring at it. Then she would look at me with so much life in her eyes, begging me for the chicken. If you could have heard her words, I'm sure the conversation would have sounded like this...
Jessie: Can I have that chicken?
Me: No, you can't have the chicken.
Jessie: Ok, well, then can I have the chicken?
Me: Jessie, the chicken is not for you.
Jessie: All right. Can I have the chicken?
Me: No Jessie, go lay down.
Jessie: Ok, as soon as you give me some chicken.
And this could have gone on all night.. I got tired and left the kitchen, but Jessie remained, staring at the chicken carcass, willing for it to fall of the platter and into her mouth. She was so excited about the chicken that she seemed like a puppy again.. in fact, at one point, she actually ran and got a ball, as if to convince us that she needed chicken because she was so darned cute and in serious training...
And then tonight after dinner, she walked through the house, leaving a trail of essence of Jessie and not even realizing it.... and my heart broke just a little.. because the glimpses of puppy Jessie are fewer and farther between...
And the trouble with Jessie is she won't live forever and I'm having a hard time imagining our family without her.......
As soon as we got out of the car, we saw the squirming black mass that was about 7 puppies playing with and tripping all over each other. I picked them up one by one, turning them over to cradle them like babies, acting all dog whisperer, trying to determine which had the best temperament. They all passed that test with flying colors. They were black labs, after all.
But there was one that was different. After I put her down, she kept crawling back in my lap. I would pick up one of her siblings, cradle him and put him down and he would go about clumsily playing. But when I picked up her up, cradled her, and put her down.. she crawled back for more. She chose me.
We took her home and she became Jessie the Wonder Lab. Her official, very long name, is Jessie Love Beauty Taco Walenciak.. because Dillon was 3, wanted to name him and couldn't quite make decisions. Jessie, after the character in Toy Story 2. Love, because, well, she kept crawling in my lap... Beauty, after Black Beauty, and Taco because.... I guess because Dillon was 3 and 3 year olds have funny ideas about appropriate names.
For the first two years of Jessies life I was ready to give her away. We still have furniture that bears the scars of her teething habits but I no longer have my favorite Doc Martin sandals that she mostly digested. Everyone told me to wait two years... things would change... and they did. Almost like magic. She turned two and became the best dog in the world. She never had an accident in the house, she didn't chew on anything she didn't have permission to chew on. She did get in the trash, and still does, but we taught her to pick up the trash and throw it away.. so at least she cleans up after herself.
She is quite the nanny to the boys. One night, Dillon came into our room after a bad dream. It wasn't long before Jessie woke me up, but didn't lead me to the door to go outside. She led me to Dillon's room to show me he wasn't in his bed. I had to let her see him in our bed before she would go back to sleep. Of course, Cody gets the most benefit from Jessie. He isn't a hugger, but he will hug Jessie. It's heartwarming to see my 16 year old man/boy talk baby talk and love on Jessie. He is going to miss her the most.
Jessie is not doing well. The vet thinks she has the canine equivalent of Alzheimer's. She has forgotten some of her most basic commands. She hasn't forgotten she's potty trained.. she simply is unaware of when she needs to potty, so she will walk through the house leaving a trail that looks quite a bit like a Family Circus Comic where you can trace Billy's steps by the dotted line he leaves. Jessie leaves her own dotted line. Thank heavens for my steam cleaner! Of course, Jessie soon realizes what she's done and she looks at it in shock, as if to say.. "Who did this?!".. and she will not cross it. She will not step over it. She is deeply ashamed, and I am sad for her because I know she couldn't help it. She is on medicine for this, and it is helping, but things are getting worse every day.
Tonight she gave me a glimpse of the young Jessie. I roasted a chicken and when I took it out of the oven she stood in the kitchen staring at it. Then she would look at me with so much life in her eyes, begging me for the chicken. If you could have heard her words, I'm sure the conversation would have sounded like this...
Jessie: Can I have that chicken?
Me: No, you can't have the chicken.
Jessie: Ok, well, then can I have the chicken?
Me: Jessie, the chicken is not for you.
Jessie: All right. Can I have the chicken?
Me: No Jessie, go lay down.
Jessie: Ok, as soon as you give me some chicken.
And this could have gone on all night.. I got tired and left the kitchen, but Jessie remained, staring at the chicken carcass, willing for it to fall of the platter and into her mouth. She was so excited about the chicken that she seemed like a puppy again.. in fact, at one point, she actually ran and got a ball, as if to convince us that she needed chicken because she was so darned cute and in serious training...
And then tonight after dinner, she walked through the house, leaving a trail of essence of Jessie and not even realizing it.... and my heart broke just a little.. because the glimpses of puppy Jessie are fewer and farther between...
And the trouble with Jessie is she won't live forever and I'm having a hard time imagining our family without her.......
It's a new year....
Well, it's a new year to me. Today was my birthday, and although I have reached the age where one shouldn't still love their birthdays, I do. I love my birthday, I love New Year's, I love Mondays. I love new and fresh starts. I get a do over from last year. The diet that didn't work, the goals that got lost under piles of urgent clutter, the dreams that didn't turn into reality YET; these all qualify for second chances with each new year, each new week.
All this positive thinking is very refreshing, no? No, it's usually annoying and not appreciated, but that's ok, too. I think God made different outlooks to create balance!
My own dear hubby hates Mondays. He tends to look back at what didn't get done, while I see a fresh slate. But at times, as surprising as this sounds, I tend to be somewhat of an idealist, while my sweet husband is more of a realist. He doesn't ever burst my bubble; he just keeps me from floating too far away in it.
I realize that the last time I visited my little corner of the internets, I wrote that I would be back tomorrow. Well, technically this is a tomorrow. As Annie put is so succinctly, tomorrow is always a day away... In fact there has been around 6 months of tomorrows between my last post and now.
Now as I embark on a new year, I plan on blogging more, and succeeding on that diet and even finally cleaning out that coat closet... and while some who are more "realists" might just think I'm a lying liar who lies, those idealists among you will hold out hope that I will in fact write more tomorrow....
All this positive thinking is very refreshing, no? No, it's usually annoying and not appreciated, but that's ok, too. I think God made different outlooks to create balance!
My own dear hubby hates Mondays. He tends to look back at what didn't get done, while I see a fresh slate. But at times, as surprising as this sounds, I tend to be somewhat of an idealist, while my sweet husband is more of a realist. He doesn't ever burst my bubble; he just keeps me from floating too far away in it.
I realize that the last time I visited my little corner of the internets, I wrote that I would be back tomorrow. Well, technically this is a tomorrow. As Annie put is so succinctly, tomorrow is always a day away... In fact there has been around 6 months of tomorrows between my last post and now.
Now as I embark on a new year, I plan on blogging more, and succeeding on that diet and even finally cleaning out that coat closet... and while some who are more "realists" might just think I'm a lying liar who lies, those idealists among you will hold out hope that I will in fact write more tomorrow....
Monday, March 09, 2009
'Member Me?
Forgive me, reader for I have been absent. It has been 5 months since my last post.
So much has happened since then there is no possible way to catch you all up... but I'll try.
Here now is short summary of life since the last post sung to the tune of 12 days of Christmas
Since the last post on this blog
this has happened to me
12 diets started
11 diets ended
10 friends found on facebook
9 thousand text messages
8 nursing home tours
7 video projects
6 rooms to pack
5 holidays
4 thousand emails
3 hospital or nursing home admissions
2 broken bones
and not even one single blot post about them
I promise I will be back tomorrow. I won't abandon you, my dear faithful readers, again... Hello? Are you there? Hmmm..maybe I'm too late.
So much has happened since then there is no possible way to catch you all up... but I'll try.
Here now is short summary of life since the last post sung to the tune of 12 days of Christmas
Since the last post on this blog
this has happened to me
12 diets started
11 diets ended
10 friends found on facebook
9 thousand text messages
8 nursing home tours
7 video projects
6 rooms to pack
5 holidays
4 thousand emails
3 hospital or nursing home admissions
2 broken bones
and not even one single blot post about them
I promise I will be back tomorrow. I won't abandon you, my dear faithful readers, again... Hello? Are you there? Hmmm..maybe I'm too late.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Pink Ribbons as Blinders
So, we are driving down the street and we see a sign outside a doctor's office....
"Breast Cancer Awareness Month"
The problem is, I'm driving about 40 mph and my 12 year old only reads at about 20 mph...
This is what he got out of the sign...
"Breast Awareness Month" You can only imagine the hilarity that ensued.
Thank you... but I'd rather he not be that aware at 12 years of age.
"Breast Cancer Awareness Month"
The problem is, I'm driving about 40 mph and my 12 year old only reads at about 20 mph...
This is what he got out of the sign...
"Breast Awareness Month" You can only imagine the hilarity that ensued.
Thank you... but I'd rather he not be that aware at 12 years of age.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Kitchen Caution
Look, it's not like I'm a great chef anyway. My 12 year old knows his way around a kitchen better than I do. It's not that I'm not a good cook... Ok, it's not ONLY that I'm not a good cook.. It's also that I'm busy, busy, busy! I'm constantly multitasking and thinking about a great many things other than cooking. However, when one is not completely focused on the task at hand bad things can happen.
In my defense, the bottles do look an awful lot alike, don't they?
I will say... that Smoothie was Smokey!
In my defense, the bottles do look an awful lot alike, don't they?
I will say... that Smoothie was Smokey!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
the birthday boy embraces his inner nerd...
I might well be a bad, absent at times blogger, but I am an even worse blogger mother! My oldest turned 15 and didn't even get a mention... I am here to correct that now!
Happy Birthday Cody!
This is an excerpt from our homeschool yearbook I made for this past school year. This was the culmination of Cody's coop study of Ancient Greece. Cody made his costume out of a red sheet I wasn't aware I didn't need anymore. He built his own sword with foam and PVC pipe, and fashioned his hoplite shield out of a trash can lid and lots of black and red duct tape. He joked after he was all dressed up and ready to go that he was "embracing his inner nerd". Dillon agreed with him saying (in his best nerdy accent)... "the star trek convention awaits us."
As you watch, realize the students took a few liberties.. I don't think I recall any place where it spoke of Spartan Warriors battling it out with Athenian philosophers. I'm not sure the swords really work with the togas.. but I can tell you this. The kids had a blast. And so did I. It is thrilling to watch your kids get so excited about learning.
So watch and enjoy.. (fyi.. Cody is the sword wielding maniac in the long flowy red robes... that were so previously really usable and good sheets)
Happy Birthday Cody!
This is an excerpt from our homeschool yearbook I made for this past school year. This was the culmination of Cody's coop study of Ancient Greece. Cody made his costume out of a red sheet I wasn't aware I didn't need anymore. He built his own sword with foam and PVC pipe, and fashioned his hoplite shield out of a trash can lid and lots of black and red duct tape. He joked after he was all dressed up and ready to go that he was "embracing his inner nerd". Dillon agreed with him saying (in his best nerdy accent)... "the star trek convention awaits us."
As you watch, realize the students took a few liberties.. I don't think I recall any place where it spoke of Spartan Warriors battling it out with Athenian philosophers. I'm not sure the swords really work with the togas.. but I can tell you this. The kids had a blast. And so did I. It is thrilling to watch your kids get so excited about learning.
So watch and enjoy.. (fyi.. Cody is the sword wielding maniac in the long flowy red robes... that were so previously really usable and good sheets)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
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