Carpe Diem - Seize the Day

Thankful Thursday

Thu, 08 May 2008 18:22:32 GMT

We need to be happy with what we do have, kitteh!

Which brings us to my Thankfuls on this Thursday!

1. My kids. My hearts, my everythings.

2. All our fur babies! They give us such joy and happiness and unconditional love! I am happy to give them all their "forever home".

3. Hubby, who is coming home early to 'deal' with me now. I fell yesterday, lost my balance, went over on my lesser of a weak ankle, but fell into a doorway corner. My right forearm took the brunt and now is swollen, bruised, and painful.

I am trying to avoid ER and make it to ortho appointment tomorrow at 12 noon, which was the earliest I could get. Hubby thinks ER. Battle of wills to ensue... I will post winner later. lol

4. My parents. Who love me no matter how stupidly annoying and stubborn I am. Hey, I got it from somewhere... right?

5. Coffee. Yep... the quicker picker upper. No, not Bounty, silly.

Okay, it hurts when I type, so I am signing off for now. More later. I think I just need a brace of sorts as that will help support it, limit movement, and protect it from being reinjured, but I don't have my MD so I could be wrong. LOL

be well,
Dawn

Tags: thankful thursday, lolcat, injured arm, coffee, pain, love, kids, pets

Pussycat, Pussycat

Wed, 07 May 2008 03:40:17 GMT

As you know, Fuzzy has been having a rough time lately.

Healthwise, school demands, missing out on Junior Police Academy, missing baseball, etc.

Fuzzy is also the middle child, however, he has always been in a unique situation. He is the first child we have going through the school system, and many of the things he does are a first for all of us, as if he was oldest because we homeschool Hammer.

Also, Fuzzy had for many years until recently had to lead the way for Hammer in many situations, acting more like the elder brother than the younger. Even now with Hammer coming so wonderfully into his own, there are instances where Fuzzy still takes the lead, although much less so than before.

To recap, Fuzzy is the middle child, but not really, and then is followed by the 'baby' and only girl. For the last two years, Fuzzy has begged for a cat.

Yesterday, after long consideration, Hubby and I decided to take him to the county shelter to rescue a kitty. Not a popular decision with my parental units, however, Hubby (who initially was very anti any other pet) felt that the sense of ownership of something Fuzzy's very own, was something Fuzzy really needed. Coming from a family of 7 kids, where he was #5, yet the eldest of the last set of three, I think Hubby related to that need. And, yes we have a lot of pets, but kids are only kids once and we can manage it. And, rescuing a sweet kitty from being put down is always good.

ATTENTION: Cat's name spelling corrected by son to SUZY! My bad!

Meet Suzy, an approximately 7 month old kitten. She was part of a 'surprise' litter in a home with kids, and had only been at the shelter for about two weeks.

Suzy is very sweet, and really loves to be held! Unlike Tina, our feral rescue, who still hates anyone picking her up. And, unlike Pumpkin who is almost 13 and is mostly my kitty and tolerates the rest of the house.

Suzy has already started to tolerate Libby, the yellow lab, in her first 24 hours. They aren't snuggle buddies yet, but maybe soon! LOL

I think she and Tina may end up snuggle friends, too, but maybe not. Pumpkin ignores her with all the haughtiness you would expect from the Grande Dame pet of the house! LOL

Here is a picture of her and her boy, Fuzzy.

Love at first snuggle in the shelter... and it grows.

More pictures to come, I am sure.

Oh, and I won the caption contest over at Magic Smoke !

Thanks Krissy and Val! The game is fun! A new one starts tomorrow! Come play!

Here is the special winners tag I received:

be well,
Dawn

Tags: kitten, pet, rescue, animal shelter, siblings, kids, caption contest, Magic Smoke

Home on the Range

Mon, 05 May 2008 17:42:47 GMT

My camping boys are home!

A good time was had by all, but not as good as at some trips apparently. LOL This trip was all about training the younger guys. I guess the 'fun' of that wore off about half way through the day, but the boys did a great job, according to Hubby!

We headed out to see Iron Man after the truck was unloaded and everyone showered away the weekends dirt. Stinky! LOL

Iron Man was really, really good!!! A fun action film, and Robert Downey, Jr, looks great!! Ripped in fact! It has been 4 years that he is clean now, and it really shows. He is a great actor, I am so happy he was finally able to get his addictions under control. In an interview he said he works the program everyday; that is awesome.

Pollen counts are going back up, now that the rain is over, but it is nice to see the sun shining again!

I slept so good last night, having Hubby and the boys back at home!!! Yay!

Do any of you watch 'Dexter' out there? WOW! Last night was a 2 hour finale, holy crap!!! It was good, and a shocker!

Have a great rest of your Monday!

be well,
Dawn

ps. Happy Cinco de Mayo! If you have a few Margaritas to celebrate... you may end up like this kitty! Moderation! LOL

Tags: camping, boy scouts, Iron Man, pollen, Cinco de Mayo, monday

Sweet Emotion

Fri, 02 May 2008 20:57:19 GMT

This cat looks just like Wilford Brimley who does those commercials!

I changed my journal colors a bit for some spring fun! Do you like?

Well, my men are all gone! Hubby, Hammer and Fuzzy are off to the Weeboree! Fuzzy's friend Russ has recently been promoted and is attending this Weeboree; it is his first time. It is really nice because the older scouts work with the younger Weebelo Cub Scouts and new scouts, teaching them skills.

Our troop is teaching fire starting. About 3 of 4 different ways. :-)

So, today I mostly did some spring cleaning. Pumpkin and I will have a quiet girl's night tonight, and tomorrow we will maybe do some shopping. We may also go pick out the kitchen flooring tomorrow with my mom and dad. The place that was recommended to us is local and very convenient to our house.

My hands are so sore today! I have been doing a lot of stuff with them all week, and today I am paying the piper! Ouch! But, it hasn't stopped me. lol

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Can you believe it is MAY? MAY? Already??? In about 3 months I start Christmas shopping again! ACK!

Bwah ha ha ha, bet some of you are cringing at that thought!!! LOL

I don't really do a lot early, but some! lol

be well,
Dawn

Tags: friday, kids, Boy Scouts, girls weekend, relax, sore hands, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Weeboree, christmas

Thankful Thursday

Fri, 02 May 2008 03:15:39 GMT

This had me cracking up! I love CSI!

I have so many things to be thankful for in my life. Every night I fall asleep recounting them in my head.

Here are a few to share:

1. Singing 'TNT' by AC/DC at the top of my lungs with Fuzzy and Pumpkin Muffin in the car, while parked waiting for Hubby to get off the NYC bus! This was yesterday... we even danced in our seats!

2. That while in the process of cleaning out and putting back together my kitchen I found that I was lucky enough, blessed enough, to have things I could pass on to good will for those not as fortunate as I.

3. I never thought I would say this, but... I am thankful that it will be raining this weekend for the Boy Scout Weeboree. Yes, normal people would hope for good weather, but the rain will dampen down the pollen count enabling Fuzzy to go on the trip and not having to worry about his allergies/asthma nearly as much.

(Overall, Fuzzy is doing better! Seems like the fine tuning we did on the meds and avoiding the outdoors has helped! Sucks to be 13 and not able to go out to play for a while though... )

4. Pumpkin Muffin seems to have finally gotten it through her thick German head that if she cleans her room and takes care of her things this makes her parents more likely to get her new things. This past weekend we got a bunch of new things from Kohls for the spring and summer, and she is taking very good care of them.

5. I am so thankful that Hammer has grown into a young man that feels confident enough to share his personal experiences with Asperger's and wants to educate people about the Autism Spectrum. 7 years ago, I would never have thought it possible for him to do what he did at Boy Scouts last night. Never.

6. Love. My mom and dad always taught and showed me that love was and is the most important thing in your life. It isn't a tangible thing, that you can touch or see, yet you can see, feel, touch and experience it in your life in so many ways. Love should be given freely, abundantly, and always without strings or conditions attached to it.

I am thankful that I each day I give and receive love.

Well, that's it for me! I have some stuff to do around the house and a bed calling to me for sleep.

I hope you are all loved...

be well,
Dawn

ps. A little lolcat for the Journey lovers...

Tags: thankful thursday, family, love, kids

Forever in BlueJeans

Thu, 01 May 2008 03:55:31 GMT

Hammer gave his Asperger's speech tonight at Boy Scouts! It seems as if this years talk went even better than last year! More boys were there and many asked Hammer questions. In fact, the question and answer part went on for about a half hour after he spoke!

I am so proud of him. :-)

Today was a good day... heading to bed now...

be well,
Dawn

Tags: Asperger's Syndrome, autism awareness, boy scouts, kids, family

Alive and Kicking

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:54:48 GMT

In a play on Poltergeist, the movie, 'I'm baacccckkk!' lol

Last week, was NOT good.

However, on Sunday, the kitchen was completed, backsplash and all.

The floor still isn't done, though. We have to go order that soon.

Here is a close up of the backsplash, and one of four decorative tiles in a coffee theme, of course:

I will post pics of the others over time... I took this picture at night and it doesn't do the color justice because there wasn't enough light. I will retake some pictures soon.

Fuzzy had a week from hell last week. It became obvious that trying to keep him off his meds at this time for allergy testing is just not going to happen. So, back on all his meds he went.

They are just getting up to speed now, and no, he was not able to do the Junior Police Academy. We were all very disappointed.

At least he made it school yesterday and today! And, we were back at the doc, and fine tuned his meds a little, today, too. Not much we can do. The pollen counts are off the charts and his body/immune system is under attack.

Pumpkin Muffin even had a rough week, getting a rash all over her arms after playing outside in whirlwind of pollen. Ugh.

Anyhow, after many days of working on it, all the kitchen is finally put back together. Phew... glad I don't have to do that again!

be well,
Dawn

Tags: kitchen remodel, asthma, busy

Say What U Need to Say

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:42:32 GMT

So, apparently, once I write about Fuzzy being healthy, that is an immediate jinx.

I don't know if it was being outdoors doing the marching drills on the freshly mowed grass or if it was the glue smell and dust from the countertop installation but whichever/however - Fuzzy was sent right back into asthmatic distress.

He stayed home from the Police Youth Academy yesterday and today, and is back on all his asthma meds. We know the specialist wanted to do the allergy blood work in the midst of his 'bad' season, but we cannot afford for this kid to be sick anymore.

The police have been wonderful and understanding; in fact, the officer I spoke with today has 2 kids with asthma and they have been having a bad year, too.

We expect Fuzzy to be able to attend Thursday and Friday. Please, keep your fingers crossed and keep him in your thoughts.

In kitchen news, we had our first construction 'delay'. The plumber cancelled yesterday and is coming instead today. Supposedly, soon. I am waiting for him now.

Pumpkin and Sporty have been having a great time together. Right now, they decided to go outside and practice 'set ups' for volleyball. Bless their little energetic hearts! lol

I am finishing coffee number 1 and will be heading to get coffee number 2 shortly! LOL

be well,
Dawn

ps... A little Dr. Who for my Sci-fi loving readers... lolcat style!

Tags: coffee, construction, asthma, sick, family, kids, kitchen remodel, coffee, coffee, coffee

Kitchen Remodel - The Countertop

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:38:02 GMT

Just to remind you, here is the kitchen sans counter:

And, now voila!

Tomorrow, the plumber comes to connect the faucets, dishwasher line, and the range top! Yay!

Here is a close up of the molded sink... I love it! All one smooth piece!

Here is a comparison of the other side, where the cat food was before, and now after:

Same cat... nicer cabinets and counter! LOL

The counter looks very grey, but it has a lot of brown specks in it, too. Here it is the swatch:

Still a lot to do, of course, the backsplash still has to be tiled, and the floor done, and the striped wallpaper area stripped and painted, but it is getting there! I can't wait to have a sink, dishwasher, and range top again! YAY!

Don't ya love the little scotch tape on the window screen? Yeah, still waiting for the patch to be done by Hubby... I think for about 3 years now! LOL Now, he will have to do it! Hee hee hee

More tomorrow!

be well,
Dawn

Tags: kitchen remodel, countertop, Corian

Control

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:25:22 GMT

I love this picture!

I had a huge collection of Garfield stuffed animals throughout my teens and early twenties.

Anyhow, Fuzzy continued to improve daily and was able to attend the Junior Police Academy today! Thank goodness! He really deserves some things to go his way right now!

The kids are off on Spring Break this week. Right now, Hammer and GalPal are finishing off the original Star Wars movie. Pumpkin has a friend over also who will be sleeping over for the next TWO nights! Yep. I know... I am nuts! LOL

Pumpkin, her friend Sporty (nickname), and 2 other neighborhood girls are outside playing basketball and box ball alternately.

It is a gorgeous day! Yay! Finally, we have been getting some actual spring weather! I hope it continues for this whole week while the kids are off!

I am also waiting for the countertop to be installed. They just called and said they will be here at 4:30pm. Ack. So close to dinner... but I truly don't care! Just get here and get it in!!! lol

More pictures of the kitchen to come...

Guess what??? My RA/Lupus has been pretty good... Shhh... don't say it too loud!

be well,
Dawn

For the Monty Python lovers...

Tags: kids, junior police academy, spring break, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, kitchen remodel, sleepover, Star Wars