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/

S is for .....

There are So many words to choose from "S." I'm picking these:

Sexy Senior turning Sixty in September on her trip to Sedona wearing her new Sapphire bracelet. Check out other "S" words at: http://unglazed.blogspot.com/

Pink.. ya think?

Hey... how ya doin'
I saw on tv last night where it is the "rage" to put sunglasses on your dog's butt. But when I put my hubby's black sunglasses on Bandit, they didn't show up in the picture. I gotta find her some "pink sunglasses" ya think?

My First Million Dollars

Yep, I made my first million today..... unfortunately it was on FarmTown and not real money. It's an unspoken contest between hubby and I, who is going to make it to 34 first. I was winning.... until today. It's fun - it's something we can do together.
Yesterday, was my 6 month check up. I have osteoporosis and have been taking Boniva. I have a yearly bone density test taken (among other things) but....... he told me I am improving. He said my wrists have improved greatly.
I almost fell off the chair laughing (but I didn't). I want to tell him it's because I play FarmTown. LOTS of FarmTown and use my fingers and wrist to click on this game. So, just to let you know, being on the computer is "good for you" :) Have a Great Day!

T for Tempe

When we got married at the end of 2000, we bought this tiny 848 sq. ft. house in Tempe, Arizona. This was our first house. We paid $69,000 for this 1959 bungalow. It had 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a tiny kitchen and a tiny living room. It had never been remodeled. The floors were painted concrete. The whole (848 sq. ft.) house had only four fuses! In the picture is the new sidewalk (it didn't have one when we bought it). Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport replaced the windows, doors, insulation, swamp cooler, (did I mention ... it didn't have air conditioning), the heater and the roof two years after we bought the house. We had to sign an agreement not to sue the airport for the noise.

The washer and dryer and the water heater were outside in the back yard. To help with the spiders, dust, ..... in my "laundry room," hubby built a little wooden room for me. It cut down on some of the dust, but I had to take a broom to sweep away all the spiders.

Our dining room was in the back yard too. Hubby built a "deck" out of old pallet wood. We put the table and chairs under our tangerine tree.

He also built himself a wood shop out the old pallet wood. We lived in that house until 2004 when the market went sky high. All these little houses by Tempe Town Lake and ASU were going for $300,000 and up. We had many offers for this tiny little house within minutes of the listing. We sold it, of course, and with lots of cash in our wallet, we bought our current house. So T for Tempe and lots of memories (and cash). Check out the other T's at http://unglazed.blogspot.com/

Just a note

Just a note from me to you;
Since April we have had company - First, his ex-wife and her husband, then my sister several times (the graduation and wedding), then the grand kids for over a month..... my husband throws a Labor Day party at our house (I do all the work) and we found yesterday hubby's brother is coming to stay with us in September. :(
The closed sign I published was for my house. I'm beginning to think we run a bed and breakfast (no one pays us though). If my visits aren't as frequent as before, I'm getting ready for the party and more company :(
I will still post (especially on Monday - I like coming up with words for letters). And Bandit's first birthday is coming up in September.... "the birthday girl." So is mine ( a BIG one).
Soooooo..... later alligator

Closed - One Word Wednesday

U is for Underwear :)

One of the house in the neighborhood is up for sale. This house is gorgeous. It has everything! And.... for $2.5 million it should! One of the things that was not listed in the amenities of the house was the view.

Yes, they forgot to mention the view of the Underwear(see it?) on the clothes line at the house directly across the street. I wonder if that helps in the sale of this fantastic house???Check out the other U's at http://unglazed.blogspot.com/

One Word Wednesday

BANDIT!

V is for Valley of the Sun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_metropolitan_area If you click on this link you'll find that Phoenix is known as the "Valley of the Sun."
I tried to post pictures but the picture "thingy" is not working for me today. We are all enjoying the heat in Phoenix - hope your day is great too! Check out the other V's at http://unglazed.blogspot.com/

I'm farming :)

I am addicted to Farmtown. The grandkids did it - they got me hooked! I went from level 1 to level 24 in just two short weeks. Soooooooo......... If you don't see me online, I'm farming :)

Earthquake felt in Phoenix

Yesterday there was an earthquake in Baja California, Mexico. This 6.9 earthquake was felt 460 miles away in Phoenix. They showed on the news a pool in Surprise, Arizona :::shaking::: It happened at 12:59pm. I was not home at the time. I did not feel the earthquake. I did notice my mirror while I was out and about yesterday. I took a picture of the mirror with my new phone. Although I didn't feel the earthquake, I did feel the 119 degrees heat!