it's all good

 

Here we are 24 hours and $65 later. She is clean. She was estimated to be about a year and a half old. She is not spayed. She has an ear infection in addition to the cuts (possibly bites) on her ears. She weighs 54 lbs. So together, we have 140 lbs of dog running through out the house. She doesn't have a name. She and Brady are having a blast. No one has called for her. We have spent the early evening searching every neighborhood within 3-5 miles. No signs for a lost dog are up either. It is discouraging us. I can't believe someone isn't looking for this sweet girl. We adopted Brady the last time Western Carolina played Alabama... will we have the same fate this year?

** addition to this blog after the first night

I went to the dollar store and bought the new dog her own bowls. Apparently that was a waste of my time and money. She and Brady eat and drink out of both bowls. Neither has any type of food aggression. I am glad for that. She slept in the kitchen and Brady slept in his bed in our room. I am suspecting that she is not house trained- but I am hoping that it was just that she was in a strange new place and that she didn't know how to get my attention to let her out. Or maybe she used to have a doggie door because the night she spent on the back porch she didn't have any accidents and the patio door has a doggie door that Brady created. Brady is very tolerant of her but make sure he is the top dog at all times. He shares everything except me. If she comes near me he will push in between us. Hopefully jealous boy will get over that soon.

doggy update

Last night, we put "found dog" signs all over the neighborhood. (yes- in the rain) This morning we took her to the vet and had her scanned, but she was not micro chipped. (Dog Owners, I am a HUGE advocate for this!) We left her there to get a bath and to have the small cut on her ear looked at. She was dirty- even before she went for her 3 belly flops into the pond. I am hoping that someone will see the signs and call. We registered this morning with the shelters, local vets and animal control in case any one calls one of these places looking for her. I am not sure what else we can do other than wait and wonder what will happen next. She is such a sweet girl and I am just sure someone is looking for her.

the dog on my door step

Here are pictures of what I came home to tonight. My husband went to get the mail and this dog came up to the door and settled in like it was her home. I sat on the front porch with her for about an hour hoping someone would come by calling her name. She has no tags. No one came. So, I put her in the back yard and will try to find out where she belongs tomorrow. However, she may have found a new home if no body claims her.

So, for those keeping score:
white lab (mix).. check.
About 3 years old.. maybe check.
sweet as can be. check check.
could teach Brady a few things.. well, judge for yourself. Here is something Brady has not thought of yet..

Thursday 13: thirteen topics that you will never see on my Thursday 13

1) 13 people who piss me off
2) 13 reasons I stopped eating ice cream
3) 13 tattoos I have and where they are located
4) 13 psychological experiments I am conducting on my friends
5) 13 reasons I miss the Geo Metro
6) 13 shows I love on ESPN
7) 13 chicken recipes I am dying to try
8) 13 reasons I got bumped from #2 to #4 on Tiffani's MySpace friends list
9) 13 reasons we are moving back to Ohio
10) 13 family secrets I am willing to share
11) 13 reasons I am going to become an ultimate fighting champion
12) 13 ways to organize the guest room closet
13) 13 reasons why I will no longer be using the Internet

ready for some football

Brady indicated to me that he is ready for football season to begin. I am ready too. Now, I don't care a thing about football other than my husband LOVES it. I am going to be using the football season to try out a new recipe each and every Sunday. I have already started lining up my meals. I have so many recipes I have clipped out that it would be a shame not to cook a few. If any are unbelievably good- I will post them.

makeover magic

Today, my friend Natalie and I went to the Bobbi Brown make-over event at Parisians. We had a great time. Here are the before and after pictures. My make up is a little more "dewy" than I prefer, but I think it looks nice. I used some of my birthday money to but some skincare products for my dry dry dry skin. Afterwards, we met two other friends (Tiffani and Ashley) and went to lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen. It was very good. Now, I am at home and about to take a nap. Tonight- Japanese and a movie. This birthday gets better and better!

chips

 

These are my new favorite snack. They are called Flat Earth Peach Mango Paradise. There is 1/2 serving of fruit in every ounce. I love them. They are so yummy. The chips are made from rice, potatos, apples, peaches and mango. I snack on these chips all of the time. Super Yumm-o!

scenes from my birthday

Thursday 13: thirteen exciting things about my birthday

Tomorrow is my birthday. I thought I would make a list of 13 exciting things (in my opinion) about my birthday.

1) It is a day all about me.
2) I get to celebrate with my 21 biggest fans and they are all so excited.
3) The birthday celebration at school is super fun. I get to show pictures of myself through the years and the kids LOVE to see them. Then we are going to eat birthday cake ice cream. Yum-O!
4) cards
5) We draw secret pals at work tomorrow- on my birthday. There is nothing I love more than being a secret pal to someone.
6) presents
7) The cake- I LOVE cake!
8) I get to eat every meal out at the places I choose, and other people pay for it.
9) My birthday always means fall is coming and there will be cooler weather soon!
10) I may be getting a new puppy! (it's always possible)
11) In addition to it being my birthday- it is also Friday which is my favorite day of the week! Double Fun!
12) It is the start of a new (and hopefully great) year of my life...a new chapter in the book.
13) Three is the magic number. Tomorrow I will be 33, my hubby is 33 and Brady is 3. So for this year, 3 will be my lucky number.

Elvis

Yesterday, I went to Walmart and at the check out I found Elvis Reese's Cups. They were peanut butter and banana creme filled. I bought it to try with my co-teacher, Leah today. We waited patiently for the child in our class with the peanut allergy to go home. Once all was clear, we tried it- here are our reviews:

Leah: "it's OK. I prefer the peanut buttery bites to the banana bites"
Sandy: "so you would have rather I bought a plain Reese's Cup"
Leah: "yes"
Then I tried it.
Sandy: "It's not bad, but it is not good either"
So in review, next time we will stick with the original.

supper club

 

Tonight, I met the ladies for supper club. We ate delicious eggplant parmesan and 5 cheese pasta. We shared pictures from trips, gossip and lots of laughs. I am already looking forward to the next time we meet.

home sweet home

After our week long fun-filled vacation, we are home today. The travel was long and in some cases odd and interesting. I won't get into the details, but just know that I could do a whole Thursday 13 on things you shouldn't do on a plane. The person beside me was obnoxious to say the least (no, not the person I was with, the other person beside us). We flew through the night and got back this morning. We picked up a nice clean Brady Boy and some lunch from Milo's. I ate some of the lunch, but as you can imagine, I was more interested in sleeping. I took about a 3 hour power nap and I am now fully refreshed. Brady has a great time on vacation at the pet resort. He is totally exhausted. Here is a picture of the worn out pup. He is so tired, he can barely chew on his bone.

making potato chips

Thursday night was our night to cook in Lake Tahoe. I took an inventory of what was in the house to try to use up anything that would be wasted since we were all leaving soon. I found a five pound bag of potatoes. So, I started talking to my cooking partner about how we should cook the potatoes. He suggested making potato chips. I went to my favorite recipe website www.allrecipes.com to see how difficult this would be. I found a recipe with 101 ratings averaging 4 1/2 out or 5 stars. I clicked on the recipe and found that they were made in a microwave. Skeptical, I cut up one potato and tried. They were very fresh and crispy. So, we decided to make them for the crowd. They were a big hit and dear readers, I suggest that you try it out for yourself. Everyone raved over them and there was not a chip left over.
Here is the recipe.

Microwave Potato Chips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 potato, sliced paper thin (peel optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or pepper to taste (I used seasoning salt, next time I may use a ranch dressing mix)

Pour the vegetable oil into a plastic bag (a produce bag works well). Add the potato slices, and shake to coat. Coat a large dinner plate lightly with oil or cooking spray. Arrange potato slices in a single layer on the dish.
Cook in the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned (if not browned, they will not become crisp). Times will vary depending on the power of your microwave. Remove chips from plate, and toss with salt (or other seasonings). Let cool. Repeat process with the remaining potato slices. You will not need to keep oiling the plate

Today at Lake Tahoe

 

Today was a pretty relaxing day at Lake Tahoe. Tomorrow night, I will begin the journey home. However, we do not actually get home until Saturday morning. We got up this morning and just lazed around the house. We went shopping in the early afternoon, but all I found was a Burt's Bees lip gloss in Papaya. It is a very pretty color. We ate lunch at a golf course and this picture was taken there. Tonight was my night to cook and I created a feast of stromboli, greek pasta salad, and homemade potato chips. This afternoon the internet at the house went down for about 20 minutes. I was totally in withdrawal. It came back up thank goodness so I can blog about my day. Tonight- we are headed to the casino as a family. Should be a blast!

Thursday 13: Thirteen things I want for my birthday

My birthday is just a few days away (8 to be exact). Here is a list of 13 things I want for my birthday. This is by no means a "wish list" or a plea for gifts. I am turning 33 and by now birthdays are just not as exciting as they used to be.

1) 25 million dollars- I figure this nice round sum would help me live comfortably for a while plus I can become a philanthropist.
2) world peace- This would be great to have for my birthday- and it would make others happy as well.
3) to witness a miracle
4) endless funding for my school
5) a private jet- this would just make things simpler for getting where I want to go and my friends and family could benefit as well.
6) adoptive loving homes for all orphans and foster children in the world.
7) visits from family and friends for all lonely elderly people living in nursing homes
8) enough rain to end all of the droughts and wild fires in the world. (and on a selfish note to make my and Meredith's yards a littler greener and healthier)
9) a vacation home- big enough and in a cool enough place that everyone I know will want to visit.
10) a cure for all terminal diseases
11) a new home with a swimming pool and hot tub- not only for me, but for my friend Jill and her 3 sweet angels.
12) an end to pain and suffering everywhere
13) a gentle and sweet female white lab approximately 3 years old - hopefully she will come well trained and can teach Brady Boy to be even sweeter that he already is.

my date

 

Tonight I went on a date here in Lake Tahoe. We went to a place called Cafe Fiore. It was voted one of the best places to kiss in Northern California. We had 7pm reservation and ate in the outside area. The entire restaurant only had 7 tables outside and probably 5 inside. It was quite cozy. We started with garlic bread and salads. I had Cappellini Brocconcini which was meatballs lightly breaded and fried then tossed with a fresh tomato, basil and marinara sauce; served over cappellini. My date had Linguine Fra Disvolo which was a mixed seafood combination tossed with linguine, finished in a spicy marinara sauce. We finished by sharing dessert. I shared his and I had my own. We shared homemade white chocolate ice cream with fresh strawberries. I had a boysenberry cannoli. It was a perfect evening. If you are in the Lake Tahoe area- I highly recommend it.

10 surprising things I learned about fly fishing

 

This morning, my Father-in-law Tom treated me to a guided fly fishing tour. Here is a picture of me and the guide Brendan. He was really cool and lots of fun. Here are 10 surprising things I have learned about fly fishing.

1)Even though the waders are UGLY- everyone else looks ugly too.
2)Polarized sunglasses really do help you see the fish in the water.
3)I am better casting right handed than left (surprising seeing how I am left handed)
4)Fly line can be girly- Tom bought me peach colored fly line.
5)There is a magic powder you can used to help your flies float on the water better.
6)It is kind of weird standing in water and being totally dry.
7)I am pretty nimble when maneuvering over river rocks.
8)The water wasn't as cold as I thought.
9)While this is a sport- it is actually very relaxing.
10)You don't have to catch a fish to have fun fly fishing.

things I have done on my vacation (day 3)

1) finished reading Water for Elephants
2) went sport fishing
3) caught a 6 pound mackinaw
4) had pizza and salad for lunch
5) sat in hot tub

the big catch

 

Here is a picture of the fish that I caught today during the sport fishing outing. I will upload more vacation pics later- as well as the list of things I did today.

things I have done on my vacation (day 2)

1) read Water For Elephants
2) took a pontoon boat cruise around Lake Tahoe
3) ate super yumm-o hamburgers at Issy's Burger Spa
4) napped
5) sat in hot tub
6) played black jack (but not at a casino)

things I have done on my vacation

I am currently on vacation in Lake Tahoe. Here is a list of things I have done on my vacation today.

1) read Water For Elephants
2) shopped for my cute new blue bathing suit with white polka dots
3) sat in the hot tub
4) napped
5) ate
6) watched TV

2 things I am proud of

Here are pictures of the 2 things that I am proud of. The first, I had absolutely nothing to do with, but I am still proud of it. This is my water lily's 1st bloom.

The second thing I am proud of, I had everything to do with. This is the new bulletin board in my classroom. I am so very excited about the 1st day of school. I was glad to get rid of the old bulletin board and start fresh and new. The best part is that it is a magnetic board and I can change the layout any time I want to. My sweet guy even made the cute magnets for me out of some scrap booking brads I found at Hobby Lobby. It was nutzo crazio here last night trying to get everything accomplished before Tahoe. I am so glad to have had the help. They look awesome!

Thirteen people I would like to have dinner with

1) Oprah Winfrey
You all had to know that Oprah would be gracing the top of my list. I admire Oprah Winfrey. In my opinion the world needs Oprah. I enjoy her as an entertainer, but I am mostly impressed with her generosity. Her heart is so big and she just gives and gives. I wish I could do as much for the world as Oprah has.

2) Laura Bush
I have always loved Laura Bush. She has such a gentle spirit about her. She was a teacher and a librarian. She and I have a lot in common and I think it would make for great dinner conversation

3) Paula Deen- and I hope she'll cook!
I think this lady is 100% pure fun! I love to watch her, I love her story and I love her recipes.

4) Joel and Victoria Osteen
For those of you who do not know Joel Osteen, you should really check out his show. He preachs a "feel good" sermon that my husband and I love tuning in to. His wife always sits there so sweetly and I think they would be fun to eat with.

5) Ellen
I think Ellen would be a very entertaining dinner guest. I am always amused by her.

6) Rachel Ray
I would like to go out and spend $40 a day with this fun girl. Maybe I could meet her somewhere super cool- like San Francisco.

7) The entire Big Brother 8 household- minus Jen who I really want to get kicked out.
This is a show that I am WAY TOO INTO! I am watching it on the night of the show as well as the live feeds on Showtime.

8) Maria Montessori
Maria is the only deceased person on the list. I would really like to have dinner with her because I just have a few questions.

9) Dolly Parton
I have been a fan of Dolly's for as long as I remember. I would love to have dinner with her and hear all of her stories about growing up in the Tennessee mountains.

10) Ceasar Milan
He is known as the "Dog Whisperer" and I love watching him in action. I would like to have him over to help me with Brady.

11) George Winston
He is a brilliant pianist. I would love to have dinner with him and then listen to him play the piano.

12) Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott
I would love to go and visit their bed and breakfast.

13) Billy Joel
My hubby is a huge fan of this guy. We have seen him in concert and enjoy his music. Maybe the piano man would even sing us a song.

root canal... take two

Today, I spent my afternoon with Dr. Dark Eyes having my second root canal. It went fairly well. I have no complaints so far. Things feel fine and the numbness is beginning to wear off. I am hoping this all goes as smoothly as the last one did.

back to school shower

Today, my classroom was showered with back to school gifts from the parents. I can't even describe how incredible it is. We received so many things that the children will love. I am so looking forward to the new school year. Here are the gifts we received today.

1616 sheets of construction paper
1 pack of copy paper
600 crayons
51 glue sticks (one pack of which I will be blogging about later)
20 pencils
7 rolls of tape
an 8 pack of markers
24 pack of sharpie markers in assorted colors (I'm in heaven!)
10 wooden puzzles
2 packs of modeling clay
1 large hand soap refill
1 bottle of 409
3 pencil sharpeners
8 pack of black and red sharpies
6 boxes of Kleenex
4 pack of Clorox wipes
3 bottles of school glue
2 pair of kids scissors

I am so glad to be starting off the new school year with a well stocked classroom. It is going to be wonderful.

how did I live without it?

In the gifts my classroom received today, there was a product that I had never used before. I tried it out this afternoon and now I am not sure how I lived without it. The product is a Scotch repositional glue stick. What a wonderful idea. I think it was made for perfectionist like myself. now when I glue something down the slightest bit crooked, I simply peel it up and reposition it. How did I ever live without this?

lesson making

The first day of school is in 2 weeks. In my world that means it is crunch time. Since I am planning to go on vacation soon, and that leaves me basically a week to have everything ready. Today, I devoted my day to lesson making. I focused on science classification baskets. I was able to complete labeled and unlabeled cards for avis, mollusk, chondrichthyes, mammal, coelenterate, and arthropod. They are all ready to go to the parent teacher store for laminating some time this week. I also made name tags for cubbies, hooks and extra clothes bags. Yesterday, I purchased the bulletin board that I have spent 3 weeks looking for. I am also excited because my classroom is getting new shelving this year. It will be like a total classroom makeover. I have lots of lessons left to make on my to do list. I love this time of year. I think there is nothing more exciting than the first day of school-

for kids and teachers too!

On another note, I am happy to announce that I am blogging from my couch in the living room. The wireless network is up and running and I am as happy as I can be!

my perfect evening

This afternoon and evening turned out to be incredible. I went next door to play with 2 sweet boys. The one who is usually asleep was awake and the one who is usually awake was asleep. I caught my pal Julie up on all of the happenings in my life and I got to hear about all of the things going on with them. I came home and my dear sweet hubby brought me a present. It was a laptop. Can you believe how lucky I am? He said it is an early birthday present (21 days). I have wanted a laptop for as long as I can remember. I can hardly wait until reports are due and I can be working on them during my plan time at school instead of at night and on weekends. It will be awesome. Then we went to get haircuts. Mine is super cute seeing how there isn't much you can do with long straight hair. I did get a few face framing layers and that should at least give my hair some type of movement. I think I will probably have it long enough to cut for locks of love by December. After the hair cuts, we went to dinner at a barbecue restaurant. Who should walk in right after us but our dear friends Hannah, Whitney, Justin, Jack and Laney. They ate dinner with us and we caught up. I loved every minute of it. They are our friends we do not see nearly enough but always have a great time with when we are together. After dinner we continued on and went clothes shopping. I was able to by several tops for hardly any cash. It was awesome! And then the icing on the cake is that we went to Best Buy and they were giving out cotton candy for the grand opening. What a perfect end to a perfect evening!

TGIF

I am so glad it is FINALLY Friday. I am looking forward to a weekend relaxing at home. I may even do a little tax-free shopping.

my first Thursday 13

Thirteen things I have done since 3pm today.

1) Drove to tutoring
2) tutored
3) drove home
4) let Brady out
5) played with Brady
6) talked on the phone (to many people)
7) sorted the mail
8) unloaded the dishwasher
9) loaded the dishwasher
10) changed clothes
11) checked my blog meter
12) took my vitamin
13) typed this list

tomorrow...

Tomorrow is Thursday- and I am going to write my first addition of the Thursday Thirteen. I am still wondering what I will write about. My friend Karen and I just spend a few minutes on the phone brainstorming. Stay tuned for tomorrow....