Sassy Pants

So here's the thing.  I've been trying to let my hair grow out.  I've done this many times.  I see my friends' long hair and I think: I WANT THAT!!!! (Oh Moana, when will you ever learn?)  I don't look good with long hair.  Let me rephrase that....I don't know what I would look like with long hair now because I can never let it grow too long before it bothers me:

6) Because I have to wash it and style it (doesn't look good left to its own devices)

5) I wind up putting it in a ponytail

4) I wind up buying curlers because I keep giving them away when I cut my hair

3) #6 mean I have to get up and get dressed and styled earlier

2) Afraid I'll look like Granny Klampit from the Beverly Hillbillies if I leave it down

1) But the #1 reason is: I feel sassy with short hair

Shaggy from Scooby-Doo has been found!

Sassy Strawberry struttin' her stuff!

My hairdresser says I can't help but be sassy.  Oh, I love him!!!

The Empty Nest takes in a Puppy

I do it to myself, you know?  I have no self-control.  I admit it.  I couldn't stop with one child-- no I had 4 (and God has blessed me over and over again with those 4.  I love you guys. sniff sniff).  I couldn't have one chip-- hells-no; I had to eat the whole bag!  I was not satisfied with sewing as a creative outlet.  Nope, not this glutton.  I wanted to try my hand at tee-shirt painting, jewelry making, greeting card crafting, stamping, mop angel making, cake decorating, brownie decorating (yes, it is a thing), etc. etc.  AND I have to buy ALL the paraphernalia that goes with said projects.  Oh and now I am into "journaling" in my planner....did I mention scrapbooking????

Could this Strawberry be happy with one pet?  HA, I laugh in your face.  We've had at least 2 dogs since being married (Shawn and Tasha- RIP) and a cat, Bear Kitty- Grandmom called him a "devil cat"-- Bear is now in heaven with Grandmom!  =)

The house was beginning to move in rhythm and I was delighting in my much anticipated life as a slug.  Even the animals were getting along; yet my last baby bird was about to leave the nest.  Maybe subconsciously I was grieving (okay I outright cried in my car several times!) but did I really need to replace the hole in my heart with a puppy????? The crying would eventually stop (it did 3 times before!). I can't even blame this puppy on the kids because I was the one who found him and sort of encouraged the union.  This big bouncy puppy bounded into our hearts from the git-go.  But still......self-control.....self-control.....self-control, Strawberry.

My life as a slug has ended before it began.  Each morning the house awakes to a different time.  Monday it was 4:30 a.m.  Tuesday it was 2:30 a.m. (BP is at least consistent with the half hour waking time!).  This morning it was a glorious 6:30 a.m.!!!  Call me crazy, but I feel refreshed when I can wake after 6 a.m.

Yesterday I ran a few errands and decided to let BP stay in the TV room with his rawhide toy and plastic tire toy.  I can't even come home from errands and be a slug.  BP decided Hubby's briefcase was a lot more tasty than his rawhide or chew toy.

hmmmm, the taste of faux leather melts my heart! chomp chomp

If only he had stopped there.  I could have come home and sat down; it's hot out there!!!  No, BP did not even consider I might be tired from running errands.  Guess what?  The briefcase was unzipped and the financial records inside the briefcase were a lot more fun to throw around and rip apart!

This is a photo op, people.  When I came home the briefcase was on the floor and a ream of paper littered the room.

Can we say crate training????

Happy Wednesday, Grainiacs.  It's Hump Day!!!!

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day!  I saw a meme that has a dog saying "I thought it was Happy Labrador Day!"  In our house it is Happy Dog day.  Did I tell you Boy took off to college but also adopted a dog?  Funny thing, dogs are not allowed in the dorms.  Who knew?  So Big Puppy is living with us and Garbage Gut, and Oliver, and Calvin, and Baby Kitty (also belonging to Boy!).

My Mom is laughing.  As a child, I wanted to "adopt" every orphaned animal that passed by our place.  Her catch phrase was "when you have a house of your own, you can have as many animals as you want."  I blame this savior syndrome on her (oh yes, I do!!!).  

who's a happy puppy????

My Labor Day started at 4:30 a.m. (thank you, Big Puppy, for the wake-up call, but we did NOT set alarms this morning!).  No one wakes up at 4:30 a.m. so BP should not even have that time on his radar and Lord knows Boy NEVER EVER woke up at 4:30 a.m.  Of course he might have still been awake at that time, but never just waking up then.  We have no idea why he wakes....but we take him out for a potty break....just in case.

My dessert date fizzled out today so I'm dressed for cleaning.  I vacuumed the hallway and BP peed because he obviously does not like that sound.  Yes, I know it is a foreign sound to him.  I wonder if I do it more, he will get used to it?  naaahhhh....it's not April Fool's Day!!!!

I think I'm nearing the "wake up at 4 a.m. and take a nap at 11:30 a.m." phase of my life. Yes, I'm gonna be one of those people (which, when you think about it, isn't such a bad thing; especially now.....considering!).

Yeah, I woke up the family at 4 a.m.  My work here is done!

Fly Free

I sat down to eat my cottage cheese and pineapple breakfast at the computer and what is filling my FB wall?  Pictures of darling children going back to school!  All those smiling faces, but no one is showing the "cat that ate the canary" grin on the parents' faces or the forced grin on the teachers' faces or the tears streaming down the college parents' faces.  Where are those pictures?

Tomorrow, eldest son gets dropped off at college and following behind Boy will no longer be Boy at Home.  He is joining the ranks of College Dorm Boy.  sniff sniff

My children voiced their concern about how I would handle empty nest.  Sweet little birdies worrying about the momma bird.  I joked and said "I'm going to Disneyland!!"  Truth be told, I won't be celebrating at Disneyland....I'll be celebrating at Dr. offices.  The Momma Bird's momma is still trying to figure out what caused the fainting over 2 weeks ago.  After poking and prodding around her head and deciding that the brain aneurysm had nothing to do with the fainting, she is back to the cardiologist.  I'm thinking the dehydration had more to do with the fainting and divine intervention revealed the brain aneurysm, but who am I, mere mortal???!!!!

So I'm off to be a third set of eyes and ears and happy to do it.  I thank The Divine Intervention that I'm done with schooling and free to be there.

Happy Monday, Grainiacs.  For those retired teaching grainiacs, try not to gloat, but DO enjoy the day!!!!!

more Watership Down

The water is flowing, 

but it is coming with thunder and lightening 

(or rather lightening and then thunder if you want to be scientifically correct with the whole light travels faster than sound thing!)

I actually love thunder.  It reminds me of my childhood in Houston.  We had lots of thunder--another scientific fact probably having to do with humidity.  ;)

I will tolerate lightening and love God's firework show as long as I'm indoors.  Otherwise lightening scares the "you know what" out of me.

And here's the sad truth.  I have a scaredy dog; Garbage Gut is panting-ly afraid of thunder.  So much so that he kept me up pretty much all.night.long.  

I wouldn't mind him sleeping on the bed, but he is not sleeping on the bed.  He is panting--loudly-- and pacing across me.  First at the foot of the bed, then at my pillow, then in the crook of my legs and then back to the feet.  All.Night.Long!!!

And the clincher is he can sleep all.day.long while I'm up and can't get back to bed.

Please don't mention a thunder jacket.  I put his winter sweater on him (same thing in my book) and then I had a panting/ pacing/ pissed off dog!

Happy Thursday, Grainiacs.  Get your water down today.

Watership Down Too

My life is truly looking like a strawberry patch...you know the ones that aren't maintained and organized.  My strawberry patch is the one that resembles birds pooping strawberry seeds here and there and then the strawberry vines start growing here and there and everywhere-- unattended-- free--wild--choking each other out-- demanding attention.

I have reached my limit.....today!  That's it. I'm reclaiming the patch and ordering o.r.d.e.r.  starting today.  My MO has been and (if I don't stop it today) will continue to be chaos.  The Flylady system Marla Ciley created calls it "Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome"- in other words-- C.H.A.O.S.!!!

Chaos came in to roost and it is causing a huge deal of stress.  If I don't watch it, I'll wind up in the ER like the Graini-Mom.

The Graini-Mom was admitted to the hospital on Monday.  She experienced dizziness and passed out at the kitchen table.  The Graini-stepdad caught her, otherwise she would have hit the ground.  After arguing about going to the hospital (once she regained consciousness, that is), she finally agreed to go and has been there since.  And yes, this is probably the reason she didn't want to go in the first place- 2 1/2 days in "the slammer."  She is a prisoner to the pokes and prods they are doing.  Rev. Hubby says this is a blessing in disguise.  She has never been a huge "go to the Dr." type of person.  As a matter of fact, the only time she has gone to the hospital (that I know of but don't remember) is when she was giving birth.  She is the first to admit: she is NOT a good patient (although she has been a jewel and a cooperative patient in the hospital).  And that's the catch: she will not be so good and cooperative once released!  She will continue to go, go, go and I think it will take the whole fam-dam-ily to keep her down.

Isn't that how it is sometimes?  We let ourselves focus on other things while neglecting the greater things-- like hydrating ourselves.  I don't care what the folks say: Mom went into the hospital "dehydrated."  She was busy getting ready for a trip and walking in and out of the house into the heat and more than likely she thought she was drinking water when in fact she was not.  I do not know; I wasn't there so I cannot argue that that is the reason for the "passing out."

Many of you, Grainiacs, have told me you keep a large container filled with water or tea.  You drink from that container all day so you can gauge how much liquid you are consuming in a day.  I like that idea.  I recently purchased an igloo-type water jug.  Every morning I will fill it up and drink from that fountain of youth to keep my kidneys and other vital internal organs working.  It's hot here in Cucaracha-ville (extremely hot!) and it seeps indoors.  Our AC units are working overtime.  My car registers over 100* every time I get in it and it takes "forever" (Moana whines) to cool it down.

I went back and read some of my original posts waaaayyyyy back when and one post that caught my attention was the water post  Watership Down.  I need to drink more water and  here I am four years later and I'm still saying I need to drink more water!  Well that's it.  I'm frickin' drinking more water.

pretty orange...not exactly burnt orange, but orange!

And here is the Graini-Mom.....

That's a lot of food and no, she did not eat it all!

I believe she is being released today.  I have plenty of things to do around the strawberry patch but I want to see her too.  Time to load up that water jug so it's ready for a road trip!  Be safe out there in the heat, Grainiacs, and drink more water.  Hydration is our buzz word today.  So go out and hydrate.

Oh my, my head

Either I'm suffering from summer cold, allergies, caffeine deprivation headache or I just have a headache!  I'm thinking something is blooming outside or my mold and dust bunnies are blooming inside, but whatever it is, I wish it would go away!!! I'm too busy to be sick.  I know I've said that before...only I think I said I was allergic to housework.  Actually, I still say that! LOL

#1- A local food shelter had an electrical fire.  I offered to bring items to share with their office or thrift store.  I've kicked up A LOT of dust and animal fur while obtaining these treasures. I mean really- I haven't used those kitchen items since moving here and they can bless somebody else!

OR #2- My headache might be that ding dong puppy we took in.  The end of last week I was hugging a neighbor off to her new town and job.  She is not only a neighbor but a church member.  I'm sorry to see her go but happy for her just the same. So...... a black blob comes bouncing down the church parking lot toward us.  I tell her "Look! A traveling companion for you!"  She wasn't amused and I tried to sneak away.  The puppy tried to climb into my vehicle and I kept telling him "wrong car!!!"  Thankfully I was able to leave and run my errands.  When I returned, I noticed she was gone and the puppy had a water bowl on her front porch.  (Her husband is still here so I guess she was hoping he would take care of the puppy or the puppy would bound off to other houses.)

Well, I worried about that puppy and finally told the boys to go check on it.  We all know what that means- yes, we were taking in a puppy.  A black lab puppy!!!  I checked the paws.  They were small.


Fast forward to today.  Puppy's name is Lucien. He is Boy's dog and sleeps with Boy and pees in my room and eats--- lots!!! and drinks water with his whole body...meaning water is EVERYWHERE!  The only way we can tell if it is water or pee is due to where said water is located.  College Boy says the dog pees like a fire hydrant.

Garbage Gut is NOT amused!

sorry...no matter how many times I rotated this picture, it still copied back to this view!!!

I think I've just located the reason(s) for the headache.