Welcome Home, Smokey

It's been so long (I know, I know). We added to our family. This is Smokey. He is 8 months old and weighs a whopping 77 pounds! Bandit is now 2 years old and is HUGE! We still have Trixie and Mindy too.
So much has happened since my last post - glad to see my followers are still "following." I missed blogging. Will post again soon - I promise!

Another day :)

You know how you do one thing and it always causes another thing to do and on and on......
Hubby trimmed the brushes by the office window. The cute bench under those brushes had deteriorated - sprinkler on a wooden bench:(
So I've been looking for a concrete bench to put in its place. I found this one on Craigslist. When we brought it home - we remembered the curve in the planter and decided to put it there instead. I'll have to find something else to put under the window. Maybe one of those giant concrete turtles?
Because he trimmed those brushes, the window looked worn. So I've ordered a new window. Guess I'll have to get new blinds too. Oh...... when we put in the new window, the big living room window will look worn too. Oh geezes!

a little red here... a little red there

Remember this area? There were weeds and rocks and the grapefruit tree.
We continued it down to the side walk - this was just grass and the palm tree. We found that mulch at Home Depot - the expensive $10 a bag tire mulch!!! 15 bags for $4.00 - total! They had some bags in the back that had some tears - we bought all they had. When she said $4.00 we got it in the truck as fast as we could :)
Oh... see the neighbors finished guest house across the street? Two years later and we are still working on our (ummmm..... some day).

So, I painted the little bridge.

And I had paint left over - so I painted the bench.

And still had more paint - so I painted one of the gates.
The gates are by the barn/guest house.

Guess what I'm painting next?

Peeping .... "Bandit"

As I've mentioned before, hubby is a mail carrier. On his route he has a house that has two German Shepards .... the owners cut holes in their gate so the dogs could see the "happenings" in the front yard. Hubby said "We should have a hole for Bandit." So if you look closely, you'll see the freshly made peeping hole.

Look I found a hole - woof, woof!

I was thinking maybe put a picture frame around the hole on the front side - ya think?

Thank You Gov. Jan Brewer AZ

Not very often am I proud of our politicians in what they do or say but today....
Our Governor Jan Brewer signed SB1070 (Immigration Bill)
I listened to her speech - it was very well written. I never really knew how I felt about her until today. I'm sure you will hear about this on the news tonight. Our 12 news team broad casted it - the news team and all the people they interviewed were against it. That channel always is one sided. They had a protest outside our capitol building - it was made up of 85% kids that had ditched school. The kids threw their water bottles at the police and one of the pro-SB 1070 person standing outside the capitol too.
I keep my opinions reserved on my blog but today ..... Thank You Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona!
She did not give in to the protests and did what is right for our wonderful State of Arizona :)

Bandit

All was quiet in my house - which is rare. I looked around and found Bandit asleep on the loveseat. Tip toeing back into the living room with the camera, I took this picture. The first picture is maybe.... a oh, oh you caught me? Bandit destroyed the lazy boy chair - we had to throw away. She has chewed the legs off the coffee table. Recently she chewed off one end of the couch. Sooooo...... the loveseat and the entertainment center is about all that is left in the living room.
You know, she probably did me a favor. The couch and lazy boy chairs were too big for that room..... and I never did like the "matching" coffee table. I think I'll get the two matching chairs and one ottoman - that's what I wanted anyway. Thank you, Bandit ;)

Cupcake Wreck

Do you follow the blog - Cake Wrecks?http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/ I am always amazed at the "wrecks" they find and so many of them. I am always on the look out for one at the grocery store I shop.

This week I found one! At Fry's McClintock/Guadalupe store I found these cupcakes. While snapping a picture with my camera phone, the clerk asked me if she could help. I asked what was this??? She did not answer and walked off to help someone else.

I took a picture of the price ($17.99) but it's a bit blurry. But..... $17.99???

Got any guesses what they might have been thinking?

Before/After ...almost

Remember when I posted this picture way back in May of last year? No..... well, that's ok. We have been working on this area as time allowed. You all told me that you had one of these neglected areas - it made me feel better. It's that side of the house where we never go. So with all the projects going on, this area kept being pushed aside for other things.

This is what that side looks like today. We still have a lot more to do. The stones will continue down to the sidewalk with a big planter around the palm tree. Lots more plants to plant ...... Didn't want you think I was just laying around enjoying our 78 degree weather!

Friends?

This is what caused all the "news" for the last three days on ALL the news channels here in Phoenix. This is what happened......
The young guy that owns this house had a dead pine tree in his back yard. He asked his friends to cut it down for him - the payment was a couple six packs of beer. The house owner went to work. They, "the friends" cut the tree ...... well, part of the tree. The friends put a spot light towards "it" so the home owner wouldn't miss it. Spotlight? Well, the home owner works night shift.
It's been two weeks since the tree was cut. The home owner wanted to get it completely cut down but.... When asked why he hasn't taken care of it, he said he's had to deal with his house being robbed. I know all about that! My house got robbed a year and a half ago - it took forever to fill out all the insurance papers!
Sooooo the home owner has a partially cut down tree, his house robbed, and the neighbor complaining constantly to the city and the news. During the news interviews the home owner is "taking it in stride." The tree will come down today - all the tree!
I was on the five o'clock news last night. My moment of "fame" was brief and will not be going national or on YouTube!
Oh...you ask what my opinion was on the interview? I was the only one interviewed that thought it was funny :)

Like Daughter, Like Mother .......

Looks like my daughter won't be the only one in the news lately...... Yesterday on the news I saw this piece of "news" about one neighbor complaining about what his neighbor put in their backyard. The news didn't show what it was. But... they did show the street sign of where it was. I called hubby and told him about it. When hubby got off work, we drove over to check it out.
Hubby called me this morning to go over and take some pictures before the city makes them cut it down. In my "jammies" ..... hair NOT combed..... teeth NOT brushed ..... had put on a old jacket that had dog/cat hair ( looked like a homeless person) I drove over to take a couple pictures.
There was the news team interviewing the neighbor across the street that had complained. I waited in my truck - I did NOT want to be on the news!
When the reporter was done, I got out of my truck and started snapping pictures. The reporter noticed me, of course, I was the only one out there. The reporter asked my opinion and said she really want to have me on TV. I explained that I hadn't combed my hair, brushed my teeth, and HAD on my jammies! She said "Oh that's ok.... I'll only take the interview from the shoulders up. Lots of begging.......... I agreed.
It will be on tonight's news. When I called hubby, he said "I wonder if this will go national?"
The horror of that hadn't crossed my mind when I did the interview.
As I type this post I'm thinking it could go worldwide on YouTube.
I really don't want to be remembered as the lady who......
I'll tell you tomorrow how my interview went - might even post a picture of the "thing" in the neighbor's backyard ;)

Cake

This is my daughter's friend , Lori :)
This is the bakery.

Yesterday I was checking my phone for calls. It said my daughter left me a message, soooooo I called her. I left a message. At 8:30 last night she called me back. "Mom, you called me?" asked my daughter. "Yes, I did. I have a message on my phone that you have good news." She laughs and says, "Mom that is an old message. The good news is that the Denver Post is posting an article about the bakery." "It's still going to be in Thursday's paper?" I asked. She said, "Yes. Mom do you know how to find it in the paper online?"
I go to the computer and proceed to follow her instructions to find the area where the article will be. I find it AND I find the article about the bakery. "Did you know it was in Today's paper?" I asked. "Oh no" she said. They were going to get lots of the papers tomorrow when it was published. I told my daughter I let her go. She needed to call Lori, her friend and let her know.
These are two of the three pictures they published in the paper. The first one is Lori. They did not take any pictures of my daughter :( The article consisted of questions and answers the reporter asked at the interview at the bakery.
I am so proud of both of them.

Drum rolls .... please

I know you all have subscriptions to The Denver Post........ wait a minute, you don't???
Tuesday (tomorrow) a Denver Post representative is coming out to my daughter and her friends new bakery to........ wait for it....... wait for it.....
write an article AND take pictures of "the" bakery to feature it in The Denver Post.
How cool is that???!!!
I'll let you know when it will be published so you all can watch for it in your paper ;)

Watch out Colorado....

Don't you love it when we have something to brag about? I touched on it lightly in another post. My daughter went to a "bakery school" in Dallas years ago. The grocery store she was working for sent her there :) She always worked in a bakery. Working at many grocery store bakeries, she finally had the opportunity to work at a privately owned business. When that went under due to the economy, she found another bakery to work for. Unfortunately, that business didn't make it either. She and her friend had helped get that business started. It was built in an area where there was no other businesses to draw customers from.
Her friend had saved her money from working there. She had spent a lot of time checking out areas to start her own bakery. She asked my daughter to help her.
One week before Thanksgiving, the new bakery opened!
My daughter and her friend, by themselves, opened a business. That Saturday before Thanksgiving my daughter told me they did $1,000 worth of business. We were all so excited.... until the next Saturday came. Business had been steady all week but the next Saturday their business had doubled!
It's been two months now. They have contracts from some restaurants. It's just the two of them and their business is like "Saturday" every day! They make everything from scratch (of course) and they make up their own recipes.
My daughter said a couple days ago that she thinks she has met everyone in Denver! Watch out Colorado.... "there's a new bakery in town!" I am very proud of my daughter and her friend :)
I know, I know..... need pictures

and here comes January 2010!

Unbelievable how last year flew by! We had company non-stop from April into September. Some invited and welcome company and then some uninvited and not welcomed but came anyway. We had the pool remodeled - what an event that was. We added Bandit to our family. We lost Si - an long-loved family member. We bought the new truck - I got to fly to LA to pick it up and drive it home. There was the driveway addition. There was the front yard landscaping projects. Between the remodels and the company it was a quite a year!
Here it is January...... We have already got calls from family members that want to come back again this year. I feel like a hotel booking agent sometimes.
The pool decking needs to be taken out - oh no! There is a leak in one of the skimmer's pipes. We had to hire an underwater diver to plug up the bottom drain and one of the pipes in the skimmer. The pool cleaner works cleaning the bottom of the pool but.... since the skimmer is "plugged" I am the new skimmer! Geezes, here goes more thousands of dollars. Going to look into a "bailout" for my home/ "hotel." .................... just kidding
I finally found a wooden bridge for that one landscaping project. I know... I know.... you want pictures :)
Hubby bought me a 32 inch monitor for my computer. He's going to mount it on the wall so I can have the complete view out the window. Then he said..... look like that window could use replacing. Then you know what that means - new blinds or shutters ... then paint the room .... then the desk and chair will have to be updated.
Did I mention the barn (as I call it) that we built a couple years ago is still waiting to get done? The outside of it is done but the inside is not. It will be a guest house. Maybe that won't be such a great idea - some of our company might just stay and never leave. It could be a workshop ... to store all the stuff for our to-do-projects. Or it could be the game room... that big game room we have inside the house could be moved out there.
I am very grateful that my decision now are "light and easy" compared to days long ago. Wishing God's Blessing to all my friends this year 2010

In Memory of Si 3-22-92 to 11-22-09

My daughter and her husband were living in Denver. They both worked at King Soopers. Her husband found a Siamese cat in the parking lot of the grocery store. He brought it home to my daughter who loves cats! My daughter was pregnant at the time with their first child. Their first child was born in February. The cat was also pregnant and had a litter in March.
Beings they lived in a apartment that did not allow pets..... they gave me the kittens. They were all so cute! I found homes for two of them.
I kept the other two.
As indoor cats only, they were in charge! What delightful, fun, loving cats! When I brought them to Arizona, it was the first time they had seen the outdoors. I lived in an apartment on the third floor. They would go out on the balcony and sleep on the patio chairs. I got married. We moved into the little house in Tempe. The cats loved sleeping on the back of the couch. There was a large window in the living room and plenty of birds for them to watch (supervise).
At age thirteen, Sally - Si's sister got very sick and died. I think I cried for six months.
We sold that house and moved to where we are now. The first day I brought Si to our new home.... I brought him inside, opened the cat carrier, he ran. He ran into the sliding glass door. I opened it to show him it was a door. Out the door he went and over the fence ............. oh no! This was his first time at the new house and his first time outside.
Hubby and I were both so worried. We live close to an main hiway. Four days later he came home. ohhhhhhhhhh!
After awhile we introduced him to the backyard. He loved investigating all the things back there. We put a cat door in the pool bathroom. He could come and go as he pleased. He stayed only in the backyard. When we got Bandit a year ago, Si decided maybe the front yard would be better. Si would jump the fence to go sleep under the palm tree in the front yard. Fluffy and Buttercup, the neighbors cats, would join Si during the day sleeping under the palm tree.
During the night Si would sleep inside on the back of the couch. I don't know why that one night he was out by the hiway. They say... sometimes cats know when it's "their time." I got that call at 1:30am.
Hubby and I really didn't think Si would make it. But he did. His face had healed. His fur had grown back. He limped a little with his back leg. Around his eye had been scratched - he had problems seeing. But he was back enjoying the backyard again. Sleeping in the house at night and sleeping on the back patio in the warm sun during the day.
Yesterday morning, I had fed Si. The dogs were being rowdy in the house so I threw them both outside and put Si outside too. I fixed hubby and I breakfast. Later, when I went outside to check on the dogs and Si................

We buried Si yesterday.

Special Note:

For those of you that follow my blog: My son-in-law is in Iraq - he was not at Ft. Hood during the time of the shooting. My daughter and grand daughter, although live in that area, were not on base at the time of the shooting. My family in Texas is ok.
I know I haven't been on my blog lately - life is taking it's "twists" and "turns." Whatever the outcome, God has a plan - a good plan!

L is for Leisure World

L is for Leisure World. My parents, when they decided to retire, built their home here in 1986. It's a large gated and guarded community for people over 55. There are beautiful homes along the golf course. I always wondered where I would live when I retired. (After moving 42 plus times in my life, it had always crossed my mind where I would finally "land" up.)
I've been retired three years now. It was a big surprise that I decided to live here - not far from where my parents had retired.
Life is amazing with all it's "twists" and "turns" ......

Hope your day is great.
By the way, I'm L for late for my Monday post, again :(

M is for Maildog

Since hubby is a mail carrier, it seemed like the most appropriate Halloween costume would be the same for the dogs. Unfortunately, size XL is only for dogs up to 50 pounds. Bandit did not get a costume....... yet. So M is for Trixie the Maildog. I know, I know, it's not Monday. I'm late again.
Si .... his face drained for two days. I threw away three towels from all the blood and pus that came from his poor face. I really didn't think he'd make it. The side of his face is a bloody scab - his one eye is scratched pretty bad - and one of his legs limps. He is still alive and seems to like living on the kitchen table. (It's near the food dish and up high enough away from Bandit.) I pick him up and take him outside in the backyard to do his "thing." It is so amazing to me that Si, being almost 18, is "ok" (for now).
Thank you, all for your concern and kind words. I thought you might want to know how Si is doing.

N is for Nursing

My seventeen and a half year old cat Si is not doing well. This last weekend I got a call at 1:30 in the morning. They asked me if I had a siamese cat named Si. I said yes. (He has tags with his name and my phone number) They said .... we found him in the middle of the road over by the hiway. He was just sitting there. The people were concerned that he might get hit.
I said I'd be right there.
Si.... who NEVER wanders away from the house, had "walked" down the street, rounded the corner and was heading for the hiway. I drove down and picked him up. I don't know if he was in a cat fight??? His face was swollen and he was limping. That is extremely NOT like Si.
I've been trying to Nurse him back. Bandit has been trying to help too. He is very old and I don't think he's going to make it :::heavy sigh:::
I'm going to take a break from blogging :(

O is for Oreo

I know.... I know... It's Tuesday but I really have been SO busy. The Labor Day Party and then the company, :( then the new landscaping on the side of the house started, then the new pool remodel needs to be repaired :( ........... oh, and my birthday. Thank you all for the wonderful comments.

So today on Tuesday (sorry) O is for Oreo. I learned (I hope) not to say in front of my hubby that I really like something or I always wanted something. That is not a bad thing but..... when we first got married, I said I really like cactus. So hubby, being a new hubby to me, rushed out and bought cactus. At that tiny little house that I posted about for my "T" I had THOUSANDS of cactus.

I mentioned that I always wanted a cookie jar collection. I was thinking 20 cookie jars would be cool. Five years ago I STOPPED counting at 450. In the cookie jar collection are many Oreo cookie jars..... still unopened with the tags.

People ask me what I call the decorating in my house. Modern?... Traditional?... Country?.... nope, I call it comical :)

P is for Present "Birthday Present"

Yesterday, we drove up to Sedona to celebrate my birthday. The weather was Perfect! We shopped .... hubby (who doesn't really like shopping) found this ring for me. I was so surprised! First of all, he does not like the shopping part AND he doesn't like the spending money part BUT... he found this ring. He asked me if I liked it. I love Sapphires! It has a silver setting with turquoise on each side. What is there not to like???
So P is for Present ... birthday present from hubby :) woohoo!

Thank You, Deb :)

http://ladybugfromtexas.blogspot.com/ I was reminded today that others need our help. Please check out the link. I don't know this person but I do know .... when there have been lots and lots and lots (and lots) of very rough times, the person(s) who stepped up to help me, are the one(s) I still remember to this day!
I sent one this morning - sure hope it brightens her day! God Bless!

Happy Birthday Bandit

Today is Bandit's first birthday. Yes, it's been a year of: chewed up dog toys, throw rugs, pillows, blankets, lawn furniture cushions, antique pillow case, two dining room chairs, the pool bathroom, lazy boy chair AND countless plants and holes in the back yard. AND.... the living room window that she went through while barking at a small black kitten.
She'll probably add 20 more pounds to her now 100 pounds when she's done growing. She is a BIG DOG!
We bought her almost a year ago after our house got broken into and robbed. I picked her out and brought her home in a baby blanket. In the beginning she fit the cat door that was installed in the pool bathroom door. Now she uses an extra large pet door. The bathroom ::::shaking head:::: needs to be remodeled. We'll do that when she's finished growing up.
She loves to sneak up on the bed. It's really easy to know when a 100 pound dog is on the bed though :) She knows "sit" and "down" and "gimme paw" and her favorite "bye, bye." We can throw snacks at her from across the room and she catches them almost every time.
Oh my goodness .... when she barks, it is LOUD. The whole neighborhood is protected when she barks. But then again.... some of the things she barks at, well, are hilarious. I have a calendar on the wall by my desk. The calendar has pictures of Papillons - she barks at it every day. At night time when we turn on the lights in the game room, she barks at the reflections of the neon lights. Dogs can be so funny sometimes.
The last two weeks I've been training Trixie and Bandit to walk together on leashes at the same time. So far it is going ok. These are short walks in the alley where there are mininal distractions. We walked a bit farther yesterday. We walked by some doctor offices that were all glass. Bandit started to have a barking fit. I looked over and saw she was barking at her reflection in the glass.
So here we start year two. The first year was priceless ..... well, beside all the things she destroyed LOL.

Q is for Quik Trip

My favorite gas station is Quik Trip. Today gas is at $2.59. They have everything in there..... most important :) you can get a drink. No, not just any drink. They have this huge fountain with everything you can imagine. And... my favorite :) you can mix the drinks. Here is a link on how and what to put in your drink to give it that extra kick! http://www.quiktrip.com/drinks/products_RECIPES.asp
Check out the other Q's at http://unglazed.blogspot.com/

Barbie went postal?

Hubby is a letter carrier - Today we got the monthly letter carrier magazine. Sometimes they have some cool stuff in there. I was going to save it for my "P" word but ..... couldn't wait that long. How about that! Barbie's gone postal!

R is for Ready Rotty

I have not had a chance to post my R on Monday until today (Wednesday). The company left yesterday with more coming in a week and a half from now. This is Bandit with her life jacket on. She is trying to entice someone to come out to the pool and play with her. Everyone thought she was adorable. They did not see the Lazy Boy chair she ripped to shreds yesterday after everyone left. Oh that dog!
This is Bandit ready to play. Me...... I am ready for a vacation. (or moving and not telling anyone our new address :)

Check out the other R's at http://unglazed.blogspot.com/