CT's Procrastination Station

It's not Hoof and Mouth

2011-11-30T10:47:00.001-08:00

Oh the benefits of being a public school teacher.
I think Imay have been lucky my first year, by not contracting weirdo illness that Ishould have gotten as a child. I somehow managed to amass a large amount ofsick leave, so much sick leave that I had planned to call in “sick” some daybefore Christmas break so I could go Christmas shopping guilt and child free. Ieven had the date picked; next Friday. Then… I caught a virus of the worstkind.
At first I thought I had developed a new allergy to pineapple because when Iate a single spoonful on Sunday night, I may as well have stuck a spoonful oflye in my mouth the burning was so bad. OnMonday my mouth was very itchy lending support the pineapple allergy theory.Tuesday I woke with a blister and a general feeling that my mouth was coveredin an itchy film. I thought that perhaps I had thrush because what on Earthelse could it be? I really had no clue, so I made an appointment.
The Dr took one look at my mouth and told me what I have contracted. She shouldhave said “Oh, you have the hand, foot and mouth virus” because although thatnews is bad she told me I had “herpangina.” I had no idea what herpangina wasbut it sounded like two words that should not be married “herpes” and “vagina.”I left the office not knowing that herpangina was the fancy (and horrible) wordfor what is commonly called hand, foot and mouth and has nothing to do withherpes or vaginas. I went back to work not realizing that I was extremelycontagious though I’m sure it doesn’t matter if I came to school contagiousbecause apparently it is rampant in the area and probably already flourishingwithin the school.
Once home from school I WedMDed herpangina and discovered its common name. Ilearned that thought I am extremely contagious; I am only really a danger topregnant women. It also seems there is no clear “all clear” sign for when I amno longer infectious. Apparently, I can be infectious for weeks after thesymptoms disappear. Good grief. I really cannot stay out of work for too longso I’ll just have to quarantine myself from pregnant friends until afterChristmas break. When I feel this isolationis too difficult I’ll just have to remind myself of “The Year of Wonders,” thetrue story of the sacrifice of one community during an outbreak of the bubonicplague. I feel this is an appropriate comparison; disagree with me and I will lickyou.
This morning, husband read an info packet on herpangina and noticed that the nameof the virus that causes this illness, which again has nothing to do withherpes or vaginas, is coxsachie. Seriously.

No, No Nonsense Ghosts

2011-10-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

I have sadly come to the conclusion after six years that ourhouse is not haunted. There isn’t even a hint of unexplained activity here.Even my Ghost Reader EVP droid app doesn’t register any sensible ghostlyactivity. It says crap like “patterns, whale,and mile.” Those words in any order make no sense to me, and I have always beengood at piecing together abstract items to make sense to me if nobody else.* This is how Isurvived all of my math classes in high school and “Math For you and Your Hamster”in college.

Pic taken in front of non-haunted house 2010.

Now, when we lived in Richmond our house was brand new and was not hauntedbecause we built it. As far as we knew the house itself could not have had adark history but we suspected the land may have been cursed with some kind ofresidual something or other. We lived fairly close to the Pocahontas State Parkat the time and every once in a while a strong odor of tobacco would fill theupstairs. Not the smell of a burning cigarette but the fragrant smell of asmokehouse with tobacco leaves hanging to dry. It was a bizarre phenomenon butnot unpleasant. We asked our friend and HVAC guy, Don, if he had any ideas whatthe smell could be after he did some work for us. He had never heard of any caselike ours before. OOooooOOOoOooOOoo

Pic taken in the front yard of famous TV/haunted land house Halloween 2005.

The house also had a way of attracting attention to itself. It was on TV twice!I have never been on TV, but my house was in a commercial for our neighborhood.If I remember correctly, there was a stand-in family in front of the housesmiling as if it belonged to them. It makes me laugh now, but I was offended atthe time. Our house was also on the Richmond news after our neighbors' homeunfortunately burned to the ground.

Before we lived in the local celebrity TV house, we lived in a run-down shackof a place also in Richmond. The house was a bit sketch for many reasons, amongthem the mummified mice in the basement and mushrooms growing in the bathroom.Husband insists there was a ghost cat at this house which would occasionallyjump onto the bed at night.

No pics of this house for obvious reasons.

So this house is free and clear of ghosts. Though I am thankful to not have anyworries of spooks and demonic spirits, I do kind of wish we had a ghost cat ortwo.

* I was having a difficult time remembering some of thewords the Ghost Radar said here in the past so I turned it on to get someexamples of random nonsensical words to put in this blog entry and then theradar said the following words… “find, take, all,” which does kind of makesense and is a bit creepy, but then it said “dog.”

No Such Thing As "Mostly Dead"

2011-10-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

The ghost squirrels didn’t get me. I’m writing this becauseyou seemed nervous.
Anyone get The Princess Bride reference?

No, there are no ghost squirrels; however, real squirrels have wreaked havoc onour pumpkins this year. The pumpkins were not sitting on the porch for 30minutes before something chowed down on the jack-o-lantern’s tooth. If it wasn’ta squirrel, it was definitely the tailless chipmunk which has moved into aformally snake invested crevasse under our front porch.

October is my favorite month. I love everything about it sans mention ofzombies. Give me crispy leaves, smelly pumpkin guts, muddy apple orchards, and crispdrizzly air. Just leave out the zombies.

Clarification on zombies: Half skeletal zombies with black ooze don’tscare me. If one was actually approaching me, I would likely pee my pants butas fictional creatures I am immune to their gory gazes, jerking body movements,and wispy white hair. The zombies that scare me are the “mostly deads,” or “recentlydeads;” the creatures that were formally your aunt, uncle, bff, or parent just a coupleof hours ago but have now suddenly gone rigid and have developed a taste forbrains. THEY FREAK ME OUT! If you’ve been mostly dead all day, stay that way….weirdo.

The pumpkin is starting to get that “mostly dead” look about it and is giving me the creeps. You should seeit on my porch at night. :<

Here is a video from my past of a squirrel devouring one of our pumpkins. Look at that fatty fat go to work! He is the honey badger of the rodent kingdom. He just doesn't give a poop and gets right in that pumpkin. Sorry for the sideways vid and the poor quality. This video was taken in the early days when I did not know any better. I would have buried it away in my "I had nothing to do with these" files but it seemed appropriate to place here.

Lotsa Little Legs in my Apple

2011-10-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

The fam and I went apple picking in a nearby orchard last week. Whenever I go to these local orchards I feel as if I am ripping off the owners. Not only do we get boat loads of apples for practically nothing, not to mention the nine apples that were eaten while the three of us picked, we also get an eensy bit of protein tossed in for free.

Here's hoping Poopsie #1 checked this one for squiggles before using her mouth as an extra hand.

Apparently, the land my house currently sits upon was once a very large orchard. I do wish they had not removed every single apple tree. Perhaps they (the construction and land development people) thought I would rather have a brambly brushy hillside perfect for blueberry bushes. Poopsie #2 seems to think that having your own apple tree is the key to ending poverty.

I do wish for a single tree but I think the deer would ruin all chances of our actually consuming an apple we have picked. I guess we'll continue to visit the orchard once a year and get gazillions of apples for nearly nothing.

Pie was thoroughly inspected for unwelcome leggy protein...

photos by Ctmom

*for the extra observant... we did use cat litter containers as apple picking baskets 'cause I'm low maintenance like that....

Bad Mom Move #2455

2011-09-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

Background:
Husband is obsessed with the hottest of the hot. Husband's coworker brings him Thai chilies. I proceed to find uses for said chilies every night for about a week while keeping the children's portions of the same meal chili free. This method of food preparation takes finesse.

The Meal:
Stir-fry Szechuan beef over rice with pre-made store bought veggie egg rolls. I know.. one day I'll have time to learn to make my own eggrolls.. maybe.

The Whining:
Usually Holly does not like homemade Chinese inspired dishes. She mopes and pushes the food around the plate until she has successfully thinned the food out enough to make it appear as if she has eaten some. Strangely, she ate this meal without complaints until she took a bite of the egg roll.
Her: 'This is hot, so hot."
Me: "Blow on it."
Her: "No! It's spicy hot."
Me: "Oh Holly, it is not. Just eat it."
Her (extra whiny): "It really IS hot."
Me (getting annoyed: "You only have a half of an egg roll to eat. EAT it!"
Holly (drama queen): "But it's burning my mouth!"
Me (getting annoyed): "Stop whining and eat your food!"
She ate the egg roll as dramatically as she could manage, waving her hand at her tongue and chugging her milk. She also managed a couple of deep shivering breaths with body trembles, but she ate it.

The Foul:
When cleaning the kitchen later that night I realized that I used the same knife to cut the egg roll in half that I used to cut the chilies for the adult portions of the beef stir-fry. Doh!

Here is a picture of a pair of the chilies from that offending bunch.

photo by CTMom

I haiku, can you?

2011-09-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Even my Poopsie #2, Holly, can write a lovely haiku.
On this voice thread, Holly recites her haiku which accompanies her painting of a conch shell. She is the second student featured.

Art and Poetry

Blueberry Love and Loathing

2011-09-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Blueberries were everywhere this summer... everywhere. Sadly, I do not love them. Blueberries are among those foods with magical health maintaining properties and they are simply lovely. How many natural blue things does one get to eat anyway? Why can't I love them? I do wish that I did.
And so, I wrote haiku after haiku to deal with my conflicted feelings. I took some pictures too.

Pigment is vivid.

I see how pretty you are.

Taste should match the look.

I get it, you grow
wild and free in my backyard.
I will still snub you.

I keep you around
Because my kids think you're fab.
Look at that fun face.

Wish I could enjoy.
I watch them nom nom away.
I haz a jealous.

Guess you’re not all bad.
I enjoy you in smoothies
and namesake muffins.

Sinkhole: Friend or Foe?

2011-09-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I posted on Fbook that one of my new greatest fears is of thesinkhole and its ability to randomly appear and dispel the idea that there is sucha thing as “solid ground.”

I never used to be afraid of sinkholes. As a teen, I used towork as a tour guide in a cave where a sinkhole was responsible for a set ofskeletal remains found 100 or so years ago. The theory was that the body hadbeen buried (as in purposely placed underground by someone who intended it tobe UNDERGROUND) and the bones simply oozed down further into the soil with therain water. I imagine this descent as a slow, completely non- violent actionwith absolutely no rushing water or sudden falling. Also, at that time, I wasalready underground most of the time. The idea of ending up someplace where I alreadywas did not seem frightening. To me, the cave had a bottom… and that bottom wasthe bottom of everything.. ever… like that’s it… solid all the way to the core.

My fear was born after the images of the freaky holes in Guatemala popped upall over the interwebs. Why do they appear all of a sudden? Iwondered. Why are they so deep? And, why are they sooooo round? Really, somany of the sinkholes in Central and South America are bizarre in theircircular uniformity. Now, I’m not one for conspiracy theories but HmmHmmmHmmm….Circle shapes that appear randomly and without warning seem unnatural. So,naturally, I developed the unreasonable fear that the earth could justdisappear below my feet and, provided I am not too big around to fit down thewhole, I could be sucked down thousands of feet to the Earth’s core. Here is a video that explains a theory on thehorrifying formation of sinkholes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGkDouBVoLs This theory seems plausible but I can’thelp but imagine that giant alien round worms just need to surface from time totime to make contact with their mother-ship.

Strangely, when the video narrator discusses the erosion of the bedrock, thebedrock itself resembles the Shroud of Turin, which may be irrelevant but Istill think it’s suspicious and weird.

Recent events have led me to rethink my position onsinkholes. Thanks to the tremendous amount of rain we have had in the arearecently, a sinkhole appeared in the entrance to our school causing schools toclose for the day. No one was sucked into the hole. Though there were rumorsstarted about crocodiles, the sinkhole was not creepy or deep nor was itperfectly round. Thanks to the sinkhole, I got to sleep until 6:30 and visit mykids at school for lunch. I also got to have coffee with a friend and spend aday pretending to be a stay-at-home mom. The day was nice and relaxing. All thewhile, the sinkhole was being repaired and I had nothing to be afraid of.

Update: Turns out though, the sinkhole was not really asinkhole to begin with. The “sinkhole” was a leaking culvert under the road.Because this sinkhole was not really a sinkhole, and it was not perfectlyround, I do not suspect alien round worms. All I need is an explanation ya’ll.
Here is a link to more terrible sinkholes (mostly round in shape and located inGuatemala).
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/photogalleries/100604-sinkhole-pictures-around-the-world-guatemala-city/

Interpreting EVPs is a self-serving science...

2011-09-07T12:14:00.001-07:00

Somehow, boredom found me sitting on the couch and browsingfree Amazon apps for my phone. Ghost Radar caught my attention at once mostlybecause I tried to invent this app a couple of years ago but was unable to dueto my total lack of app development knowledge and any real understanding ofparanormal sciences.
Anyway, I decided it’s free and I have space so I then allowed myself have thistool. Immediately upon installing the app, the Ghost Radar evp thingy beganspeaking. It said… “suit.” Hmmmmm… Thenlittle dots appeared on the radar and the phone said “need” followed quickly bythe word “dark.” I immediately interpreted this to mean that an entity knows Ineed a new dark swimsuit since I noticed this very morning that my current darksuit has been somewhat eaten by chlorine.
The ghost radar fell silent after this proclamation and it really hasn’t had much to saysince that moment. Later that night Ishowed the app to my husband who immediately said “Hey! Someone stole youridea!” Yes, (heavy sigh) yes they did. You see I often invent brilliant thingsbut have no means for bringing them to the marketplace as tangible money makingproducts. We tried the app again and thephone said “Sir,” “Purpose,” and “Charles.” State your purpose Sir Charles? Meh…..
Occasionally, I will remember that I have this app on my phone and will use it.If responses are clear and easy to interpret like the one which assured me thatI must stop what I am doing and shop for a new bathing suit, I will pay closeattention and keep you informed.

More Empty Promises?

2011-09-05T06:09:00.000-07:00

What have I been doing the last year? Not procrastinating that's for sure!
I was actually hired to teach children things, managed to finish my thesis, graduated, ran a half marathon and joined the swim team. I also met billions, or perhaps merely dozens, of new friends and have not spent much time at all in front of the computer. It has been a wonderful and productive year.* These achievements have greatly reduced the speed of any novel writing but at least one of my side bar goals has been met. ***Less time in front of the computer doing mindless things.*** I have spent an overwhelming amount of time doing things on a computer which some might consider meaningful, so I feel no guilt.
Readerless blog be damned, I will visit and publish more! I promise.
Still working on the other goals listed. Strangely, the crazy exercise has only helped increase my appetite for delicious treats; however, I hope to lessen the glutinous intake as soon as the new school year starts on Monday.

Here is a pic of the weird:

This is a portrait of me! It is obviously a vanity shot taken with my Droid which has one of those reverse camera thingies. I have decided that photos taken straight on are less vain then the bathroom mirror shots. I post this picture now because I want you to note the mirrored unicorn wall hanging in the background. I spent the a weekend with it three weeks ago. It has been hanging on my bedroom wall in my parents home for about ummm 25 years. The unicorn witnessed the transition of pink marbled carpet to berber, waterbed to brass headboard, press board filigreed furniture to a honey oak mission dresser set. The unicorn mirror also has, trapped within some kind of multifaceted creepy refraction prism, all my teenage idealistic hopes and dreams. Most of them can stay right where they are... I have nothing more to say about the mirrored unicorn wall hanging except that I think it bizarre my mom has changed EVERYTHING about that room except that creepy old county fair prize unicorn wall hanging. I suspect something bad might happen to anyone who tries to remove it...Carnival curse? I also suspect my mother knows this.

*'cept for the food poisoning. That sucked.

Do not #1

2010-06-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Even though it will sound like a fantastic idea and you know the flavor will be drool-worthy, do NOT marinade your food in raspberry vinaigrette.
The result is unnatural.

Stoppin' and Startin'

2010-05-20T13:31:00.001-07:00

Wee!
I finished student teaching.

Boo!
I have to write my masters thesis and my proposal is due June 4th.
This means... more procrastinating! YES!
Now to think of blog topics and write more regularly if only to practice being interesting.

Edible landscape this year? No, it's too late. In fact, my yard looks horrid.
Another year without chickens in my yard also makes me sad. However, I still plan to buy local as much as possible.
Any local hummus farmers? I joke.. but it reminds me of when my we lived in Hawaii and my mother would tell people we had a "guacamole tree in our backyard [and that she was annoyed] when the guacamoles would fall into the yard and rot."

Happy New Year ...making this up as I go...

2009-01-01T05:11:00.000-08:00

New Years resolutions a plenty...
One of them will be to blog more..
Actually, the resolution is to write more. Blogging is one way to keep that resolution without having to daily dive into the emerging octopus that my novel has become.
Unfortunately, I don't have much to say today. Yes.. it's like that.
So, I present a video I made for my 17th and 18th Century Dramatic Lit class last semester. It's a little.. how do I say?.. not for children…

Tell me your resolutions! I have to come up with a couple more by the end of the day and I'm not satisfied with the usual diet, exercise, drink less, etc... (esp since I don’t want to do that last one…)

Illuminating Some Bathroom Secrets

2008-11-29T05:48:00.000-08:00

Though my husband insists it will lead to a future of night-blindness, I turn the light on when I use the bathroom in the middle of the night. I have good reasons.

1. So I won't fall into the toilet. Steve is usually good about putting the seat back down, but their might be a time when he forgets.. that would be the time I decided to leave the light off.
2. Snakes. There could be a snake in the toilet. Or spider... This has never happened in my lifetime but I always check.
3. Ax murderers. Ax murderers are also the reason I always check behind the shower curtain in every bathroom I enter. There could be an ax murderer lurking about, and I don't wish to be ax murdered with my pjs around my ankles.

Do you turn the bathroom light on in the middle of the night?

Happy Twilight!

2008-11-21T06:36:00.001-08:00

Happy Twilight movie realease day! To celebrate visit this contest and win free books!!!

Sponsored by Bitten By Books

As if I'm not busy enough...

2008-09-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

Someone nominated me! Yes Me!
Vote for me!!
I'll make you proud!
http://www.inews3.com/topstory.php?id=436f7a797461696c7c4d6f6dGo me!!!!

Can't see the light.....

2008-08-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

15 graduate credits down, bazillions to go; however, I do have the next couple of weeks off for working on my own writing projects, going to the beach, reading loads and stuff purging (for the purpose of becoming more organized).
That was kind of a lame blog post so I'll tell you a tale.

There was a random mom at the playground a couple of days ago. She was hanging around with her own son who was playing with my Simon. I was reading my book "Twisted Sister" by Stephanie Hale, when I heard her say "Pencil?" I looked up, very confused as to why this woman would be asking me "Pencil?" What in the world did that even mean? She asked me more than once and looked very confused herself. "Pencil?" Cleverly.. I figured out that she must need to borrow a pencil. I said "Sorry, I don't have one." She said "No, your son's name is Pencil?"
WTF?!?!?! Hilarious!
Apprently, Simon (4) had told this poor woman that his name was Pencil and she didn't want to offend me by doubting him. How weird and funny.
Today he has changed his name from Simon to Spiderman to Police Officer. What a little goof. And.. here he is.. Pencil, on his birthday..

And.. just to be fair.. here is a lovely shot of my daughter Spatula.

Project

2008-07-21T07:33:00.001-07:00

Did this for a school project....

Enjoy!

See something you like?

2008-07-02T06:02:00.001-07:00

Adorabug prints, photographed by me, are now available on Deviant Art and Red Bubble.
Check 'em out!

photo by CtMom

New Vid of the Kidz

2008-06-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Made for Adorabugs.

Meteorite, Meteorwrong?

2008-05-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

So... I was home alone last Thursday night when I heard something hit the house. Something moderately large. Larger than a moth...
It did give me the creeps but not enough to make me call the police or rip me away from my A&E Lorna Doone.
Friday morning, when I was outside watering the plants, I found a rock on the sidewalk. (I live in the middle of nowhere so things don't typically just appear without reason.)*
I picked it up to throw it out of the yard and noticed that it was extraordinarily heavy. Something made me put the rock down on a retaining wall rather than pitch it away. The rock puzzled me and it haunted me throughout the day. It was a bit like I had a geological obsession. Ever get those? No? Suddenly I thought... holy frickin' frick! It's a meteorite!!! That's what hit the house.. that's why it's so heavy... that's why it has some rust!!! COOOOL!

I went to the fridge and got a magnet and it stuck to the rock!! Confirmed! I had a piece of the heavens in my backyard.
How much is a meteorite worth, I wondered...
Dilemma..
Should I sell it or keep it as a memento? How many people find and possess meteorites? I decided that if it was worth a fortune, I would sell it. Hey, I have to pay for grad school. If it was only worth a couple of hundred $ I would keep it for coolness.
Husband's constant and rarely endearing pessimism led me to research the rock further.
It had many qualities of a meteorite:
Silvery flecks of iron and nickel.. - It does have silvery flecks
Attracts magnets - confirmed with authentic (from Japan) Hello Kitty fridge magnet
Is heavier than regular rocks - most definitely
Rust - Yes, it is rusty
Fusion Crust - Erm... well.. no.
Dangit!!!!
Apparently the fusion crust is one of the most defining characteristics of a meteorite. It does have some slightly glossy spots but not really what the meteorite websites say it should have acquired when speeding into the Earth's atmosphere. Frick.
Sadly, I've given up on the meteorite theory; however, I do still think the rock is interesting. Turns out, there are many civil war era iron furnaces in the area. It could be a piece of iron slag from one of the furnaces.?.?.? Maybe?
Civil War trash is kinda cool, right? Some people around here think so...

The bigger question for me now is how the frick did iron slag end up in my backyard and was the specimen what hit my house when I was all alone and trying to have a wine and girlie movie night? Who the frick is throwing slag at my house?

ETA: There is still a part of me that hopes to discover a large hole in the attic where the bigger chunk of meteorite landed, but I can't go into the attic because of the rabid squirrels. Maybe I'll blog about the rabid squirrels some other time.

*We know of all new items that enter our very small yard. One day husband lost his wedding ring while doing yard work. He went completely Gollum on us and almost literally combed the yard looking for his Precious. There was not a blade of grass we were not familiar with during our search for the One wedding ring. He did find the ring but not before he gave up and bought a replacement. Now he has a spare Precious and all is well with the world. Except for the rabid squirrels.

Surprise Dinner Guest

2008-04-18T05:11:00.001-07:00

I'm setting the table for dinner last night and I look out the window to admire my lilac bush which bloomed for the first time in three years. I'm thinking about how unfortunate it is that I will have to prune it back this year since it is practically growing through the kitchen window. I see this old black rope twined around some branches.
I look closer and see.....

Gah! He/She spent the entire evening in the tree and watched us eat our dinner.
I looked for it this morning and it's still in the tree, just coiled up in some leaves to stay warm.
It's kinda cute...
I think it's a juvenile black racer.

Sorry for the blurriness. The pic was taken through the kitchen window.

Lookie Here!

2008-02-20T05:17:00.001-08:00

I know it's rediculous... but humor me.

My New Signature....for realz

2008-02-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

My Harry Potter Spoiler of Doom is:
Voldemort ends world hunger after converting to Scientology
Get your Harry Potter Spoiler of Doom

What the Frick?

2008-02-11T05:21:00.000-08:00

I haven't visited this blog in while. Might explain it all later but this morning I read the entry before this one..
What? I wish I could claim I was already drinking when I wrote it but I can't ..
Weird..
I apologize for the randomness.

No looking back now...

2007-12-31T06:17:00.001-08:00

Every year I have the most random thought on New Years day. I wonder what aliens looking at the Earth would think of the pattern of brightly colored explosions that creep across the planet for 24 hours.
This silly thought will not lead to any deep revelations by the end of this blog entry so don't look forward to it. It is simply something I think about and a little peek into my head, a place you don't want to spend to much time...

This year, my only resolution is to eat better. I'm not going to make the resolution to lose weight because I never succeed. Eating a little better, however, is something I can do. Starting with a healthy breakfast every morning. No more friggin' toaster waffles. I figure.. my figure and general health will improve somewhat by making this resolution and keeping it.

I still hate the gym so I will not make it my resolution to spend more time there. I'll go if I feel like it... so there....

Steve hasn't told me his resolution yet but I'm sure it has something to do with fitness.

Holly achieved her resolution last year which was to no longer fear the automatic flushing toilets. She passed the resolution on to Simon who must get over the fear of all public toilets. I suggested she make a resolution to whine less. Then I remembered it should be something achievable. We still haven't come up with anything good yet. She's actually doing so well for a 6 year old, it's hard to ask her to improve anything.

Deep revelation:
Everybody likes an excuse to party!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Milestone reached

2007-12-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

Friggin' finally.
I have written 50,000 words of my novel. This is an accomplishment for me for several reasons.
1. It's my first novel so it's kind of cool that I've written anything so long.
2. Despite a severe addiction to procrastination I've still managed to pull it off.
3. When I was 20,000 words in, I worried I would barely turn this into a 45,000 word story. Now I feel like I've still got another 25,000 still in me.
4. 50,000 feels like I'm over the hump and I have some downward hill momentum behind me.

Now, if I keep at this pace I might be finished with my draft in January. (Lately I have been very good about writing regularly) I'll take a few weeks off and then start the hard work, revisions and submissions.

Hurray for me!!! I think I'll reward myself with some moderately priced red wine after the kidlets have gone to bed.

Shhhh! 3 year-old

2007-12-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

Steve is on a diet and trying to keep all his vitals in order for an upcoming Dr's appointment. Naturally, we have greatly reduced the amount of treats we keep in the house. However, I do have small ones and a house without cookies is no house at all so I have cleverly hidden a bag of store bought cookies in plain site in the pantry. We have had this bag for over a week without being noticed by Steve or the kids.
Today, my son Simon (3) informed me that he was hungry in his usual fashion which is to rub his belly. I decided to open the cookies and give him one. Steve was on the couch reading. I whispered to Simon that the cookies were a secret. He whispered “OK,” and nodded as if he understood that the cookie needed to be kept on the down-low.
The following is a direct quote:
Simon: “Daddy do you want one of these (goes running to him holding the cookie high)
Steve: “What do you have?”
Simon: “It’s called a Secret.”

I present Keebler Secrets.

Treats be gone...

2007-12-11T10:35:00.001-08:00

What happened to Ginger?
Engaged just before the holidays:

To many treats later:

I know how she feels.
At least she's still smiling and has great accessories.
Photos by CtMom
Cookie by Bridget

Weekend of Culture

2007-12-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

Holly's Christmas ballet recital was Sat. She did great despite the short preparation time. I missed the first couple of seconds thanks to some floating heads in the camera's way.

A Very Doors Christmas

2007-12-07T06:29:00.001-08:00

Let it Snow

2007-12-06T15:50:00.001-08:00

Your Snowman Name is

Baby Nippy-Toes

Get your Snowman Name at Quizopolis.com

Home Sick lol

2007-12-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

Youngest is sick... the nasty kind of sick which results in me doing a LOT of laundry.
There are a lot of things I could be doing while spending the whole day stuck at home but instead I visited some of my favorite online kitty sites.
Hey, at least I'm not spending money!

moar funny pictures

Now... on to youtube to watch babies eat lemons~

OMGPUMPKINEGGNOG

2007-12-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

...Heaven in a half gallon container.

Get you some, pour it in your coffee and enjoy aproximately 20 minutes of bliss.

Or you could drink it plain which is equally delish!

Thanks!

2007-11-26T05:18:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of people to thank for making this Thanksgiving such a fantastic one. Thanks to Dishers for all the recipe recommendations:
Here's a pic of the cheese ball which everyone loved.

Thanks to mom for the cleaning and general council.
Thanks to SILs for the desserts and drink filling.
Thanks to MIL for extra foods and breakfast items.
Thanks to Gigi for the china.
Thanks to Nanny for Sweet Potato Casserole.
Thanks to Dad, BIL, Aunt and husband for baby sitting and cleaning.

And now, a special video to describe how I feel.

I ate to moische.

Tis the Season

2007-11-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

...for Christmas card rejects.
It happens every year. I take over 100 snapshots of the kids for our annual Christmas photo card and only get one usable shot. We're improving somewhat. This year I got four. Thank god for digital technology. Imagine waiting a week for photos to be developed only to find you have 24 shots of baboon faces and crossed eyes. If you happen to be friends or family, you'll get the best picture in the mail but here is a selection of some of the rejects.
Click the photos for a blown up better view.

What was I thinking putting them on the swing?

S = Cute, H = Invisible Straw Face

H = Cute, S = Angry Monkey Face

Seriously, are we done yet?

He loves me to death!!!!

His head does this all the time. It makes everything more difficult.

All I ask for is a smile ... and that they be looking in the same general direction. That's all I ask...

And just when I was about to give up, I get the one below.

Photos by CtMom (embarassed to take credit)

Just thought you outta know...

2007-10-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

This site exists...

In the Spirit of the Season

2007-10-24T06:39:00.001-07:00

Which movies scared the bajeezus out of you?

Here is my list:
Night of the Living Dead (the original) I saw it when I was 7 or 8ish.. Stooopid!
I was afraid of zombies for years.

Watcher in the Woods (old Disney movie staring Bette Davis.) Saw as a child and it still gives me the creeps.

Child of Glass (another Disney movie.. see above)

Later in life:
Jurassic Park Go ahead and laugh.. I'm totally serious. I was sooo afraid of dinosaurs after watching that movie. I remember lying in bed and being afraid to open my eyes for fear that a Velociraptor would be in my room ready to tap that giant toe nail and pounce on me.. (ermmm.. I was 18)

The Ring I watched this movie a couple of nights before my husband left for CA to see his grandmother. I wasn't scared until I was alone that first night. From my bed I could see the bathtub and I just knew that little girl was going to crawl out of the tub at any minute.

When I was a child I really thought I would no longer be afraid of the dark.

You've heard the rumors

2007-10-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Now witness the evidence..

For the love of October

2007-10-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

I love this month. I love colorful, crunchy leaves. I love pumpkins. I love Halloween. I love the colors gold and orange. I love the crisp cool air (which hasn't arrived here yet...) I love it all... and I love these guys.
Here is their newest vid.

I think this one is still my favorite

Have a happy October!

In case you were wondering...

2007-10-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

This is the prize given to the winner of the lolcat caption contest. Like I said... it's small but fantastic!

Next time I have a contest... PARTICIPATE!

Have a great day and check back often for another opportunity to win!

Those lip balms are currently on sale BTW...

I Have A Problem

2007-09-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm a blogaholic. Seriously.
I started new blog. Unlike this blog the new one, Adorabugs, has a direction. Check out and for the love of all things cute, COMMENT. I know you're reading.. I see your little stats. No more lurking! Become an enabler in my vice. Tell me what you think. Give me something to think about. What do you like/hate/not care about...
Have a great weekend sneaky readers!
CtMom

Senseo Update

2007-09-28T06:30:00.001-07:00

About an hour after I posted the blog lamenting the late arrival of my Senseo Coffee Machine, it magically appeared outside my garage door. It's taken a few tries to figure out how to get the coffee to the perfect strength but I've got my system now and I LOVE it.
I got this

Holly and Simon got this

Lolbugs

2007-09-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

What is wrong with me? I have become obsessed with all things LOL. I can't find any lolbugs on the internetz so I'm forced to make my own. I will occasionally post them when I feel inspired.
I took this photo yesterday from inside my home. The walking stick was hangin' out on my glass stormdoor apparently thinking no one could see him.

And the winner is....

2007-09-24T07:15:00.001-07:00

Congrats to the winner! She and the judge will be receiving something Faeriemade as soon as I get it ordered and shipped which should be sometime in the next week or so!

LolCat Contest expands to include real prize!

2007-09-21T05:06:00.000-07:00

In an unexpected turn of events Cozytailmom allows a friend to choose the winner of the LolCat contest.
Angela Adams will be deciding the winner of the LolCat contest early Monday (09/24/07) morning or whenever she drags her rear out of bed and into work.
The winner will receive a small but fun prize selected by Cozytailmom.*
"This is my fifth internet based contest in which a prize has been awarded. I'm especially excited about this contest because I actually have contestants. My previous contestant mostly won by default," said Cozytailmom.
Cozytailmom's previous contests included; ‘Identify the Random Cartoon Clip,’ ‘Sexiest One Armed Photo,’ ‘Slide Show Identification,’ and a ‘SudsForVenus Quiz.’ All of these contests were quite dull.
"I've come to the conclusion that kitty's will bring in the people." Cozytail continues "Marlowe's hilarious pose is one of the best things that happened to my secret internet identity."
Cozytailmom encourages everyone to enter the contest. See previous post for the Marlowe pic and add your entry as a comment to that post.
Good Luck!
*Prize will not be anatomically correct soap.

LOLCat Contest

2007-09-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

My friend sent me this picture of her cat(Marlowe) which I immediately decided needed a lolcat caption.

The best I could come up with was "i iz an actor, wherz my acatemy award." It's kinda lame. I need some help from readers! The winning phrase will be added to the pic and posted here, which is not much of an award but is all I have to offer.

photo by John Adams
caption by ?

Here are some caption entries I've received so far:
I'm in a tranz puttin' a curz on ur car.
They hit me, officer! I wuz just walkin' along mindin' my own bidness and they hit me!
I'm unda yer car, plannin a lawsuit!
im under ur carz...inspectin ur wheelz
You've heard of sit ins? This is a love in, all you need is love, love, la la la-la love
Life is too hard... I give up!
end it, please... can't deal with the new puppy...
I'm steppin out on tha townz, wearing no pantiez
I'm waiting Honey...........
'You are not leaving without me!'
If I playz dead cute, the car might not hit me
u needz brake jobz now. kbai!
Lord, take me now!
I said I'm a FAT cat, not FLAT cat!
ahm n ur garajz fixyn ur trannyz.
Yooo Hooo!
I'm aiming my tweeter at your tire.
yur diff iz so bad that i needz a nap.
i am just soooooooooooooo tyred
you killz me; now i'm suing yur ass.
I fart in your general direction. I wave my privates at your aunties.
"ZZZZzzzzZZZZzzzzzZZZZzzzzz..wha?"
~ CARlifornia Dreamin' ~

Note: The kitty is alive and well and was not in any way squished with the large tire.

I'm always waiting for something

2007-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

This time...
I'm awaiting my free ($15 for shipping) Senseo coffee pod thingy.
Aside from waiting for my children to pop out I have never been so impatient for something to arrive.
It was shipped from Nashville on Thursday so ordinarily I would not be surprised that it's Wed of the following week and I still haven't received it. However, according to DHL shipment tracking I know that it arrived in my city Friday night. It's been within my grasp since Friday night!!!!!
I have been attracted to the single serve coffee pod machines for some time but it wasn't until I ordered the free ($15) Senseo machine that I wanted one really, really, really, bad. I'm talkin' really bad. It has changed my whole outlook on coffee making. This morning all things related to coffee making peeved me for the first time in my life. The filter cleaning, the decanter filling, the bean grinding; all annoying! WHERE IS MY MACHINE?!?!?!?
I can't even think straight, write legibly or spell as I am all consumed with the whereabouts of my coffee pod machine. Boohooooooo

I strongly suspect an unprincipled neighbor is happily sipping away at a pod filtered cup of coffee brewed from a truly free Senseo machine.

Late Summer Tropical Treat

2007-09-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Whenever I have random overripe fruit laying around the house I make a smoothie. Truly, it's the only way I really consume fruit. I'm just not that into it...
Anyway. Sometimes the fruit combo is fantastic and sometimes it's just so-so.
Today, I might have made the best one yet so I thought I would share the recipe with everyone who loyally reads my blog (and doesn't comment) and for anyone who stumbles upon it.

2 overripe kiwis
2 overripe bananas
1 8oz el cheapo Light Coconut Creme yogurt
1 splash of Orange Juice (about 1/3 cup)
6-8 ice cubes

Toss all ingredients in the blender and chop/blend/liquefy. Serves 3

Tips:
Overripe fruit is really the best because it is sooo flavorful. You can really taste all the flavors of the individual fruits when you use pieces that are just about to go bad. Also, you would probably just throw the food out at this point anyway.

Do NOT put rum in the smoothies. You will be tempted to try this especially with the above recipe. The rum causes the yogurt to curdle. Ask me how I know this...

And for the fun of it, here's a video I made about smoothies. I may have already posted this. Can't remember..

He's been bitten

2007-08-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

Something bit my husband the night before last. It was in our bed apparently... eeek!!
It left a dark red star shaped whelp on his leg. Was it a spider? Monster big wolf spiders have been spotted all over the house and we have even had a black widow in the garage(see earlier blogs).

Believe me, if I see what caused this I will be smashing it flat. ...after I run around screaming and take its picture for Ugly Overload!

On the upside, it might leave a cool star shaped scar.

What to do?

2007-08-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

The plot for my half written novel has just become a real life news story....
I don't know how to feel about this. In a way I feel like my plot has been plagiarized. It hasn't of course. I've just been scooped. What would you do as a writer? I suppose I could do some major redirection. I'm kind of bummed...

She's home.

2007-08-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Sad Day at Our House..

2007-08-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

Stick around for the outtakes at the end..

Product Endorsement

2007-08-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to push products but I LOVE this site and highly recommend it.

www.pandora.com

It's a FREE online music site that allows you to create your own stations with no audio commercials. Example: I have created, among others, a Tori Amos channel. The channel only plays Tori Amos songs and other similar artists. So cool.
Check it out!

More Excuses

2007-08-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

Photo: I was eaten by a shark!

The following are my excuses for not making serious progress on my writing projects last week.
1. I was at the beach, can't get the laptop sandy...
2. I couldn't find a moment of peace among the kids/cousins/nephews/rest of the famdamly.
3. I was at the beach, last minute summer sunning was required
4. There were retail outlets a half a mile away...nuff said
5. I was at the beach, can't let stinky shrimp fingers touch the keyboard
6. I didn't want to seem all pretentious around the family..."I can not play Lighthouse-opoly, I'm writing my naaavel." (said in snobby accent)
7. I was at the beach and reading other YA; Revenge of the Homecoming Queen and Top 10 Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress

However, I did manage to write about 500 words, edit previously written stuff and I came up with a fantastic idea for the next YA project.
I wasn't really eaten by a shark... Photo was taken during an outing to the NC Aquarium in Manteo.

I'm ready for Autumn!

Weird phone calls

2007-08-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

Holly has a TOY cell phone. It sometimes randomly rings after she's been playing with it.
Well, my grandmother died last week and later that same day that toy phone rang. (Holly had been playing with it a little while before) I felt kind of creeped out and a little silly but I thought, dammit I'm not going to miss a call from my grandmother. So, just in case, I picked up the toy phone and answered "Hello." Teehee... there was no response.

Not just another excuse this time

2007-07-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

I'm always full of excuses when I don't blog often. This time it's a real one. My grandmother died last week so I've been outta town and busy with other things. I'll give a nice blog soon! I promise.

This was fun...

2007-07-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Pottermania

2007-07-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

Once again, sorry for the lack o'blog.
I've been sick a lot lately. Blech! I've spent most of my time reading the blogs of others and watching youtube vids.
So tonight is the big night!!! Where will I be? Asleep.
I'm to old to go to the release party, right? Yes. Here's why.
Several years ago, I went to the release party for HP3(I think). I arrived at Barnes and Noble and realized I was the only person there over 14 (aside from the 12 and unders' parents who didn't seem at all interested in HP). I was soooo embarrassed. I felt too silly to get in line for the free HP glasses or to participate in the wand making project. I started following random kids around and spouting out an occasional "Billy, get over here!" so I would look like a parent. These days I'm ashamed of my shame. Now that HP is supper huge I should feel great about being an HP die hard when HP wasn't cool. Actually there was never a time when HP wasn't cool, but there was a time when many adults purchased the book with that boring grown-up cover.

The above tale of woe really has nothing to do with why I'm not going to the party. H and S are too young to take out that late so we'll be heading to B&N after lunch. Maybe they'll be passing out some fun freebies early in the day! Simon has agreed to let me draw a lightening bolt on his forehead. Wish us luck in our quest for free Potteraphanalia to clutter the house.

We're having a great summer...

2007-07-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Roadside Feast

2007-07-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Snack's ready and you can find it on the side of the road! And by that I don't mean roadkill pizza.
The blackberries are ready! Woohoo.
I took the kidlets for a walk down the rentals dirt road to eat the berries. We didn't bring a basket because I only like them fresh and warm off the vine. I guess I should wash them first but who worries about a little acid rain wash and bear drool? Not me!

Speaking of bears.. I was so worried we would come across one. There is one living nearby and has been making nightly visits and was spotted on my mom's front porch a few nights ago.

Many of the berries are still too pink and tart but the big juicy black ones were dilish. I just wish the seedless variety grew wild.
The berries should be at their prime in about a week so come by and eat 'em all. I often see locals and travellors parking their cars along the edge of the road on the mountain passes and climbing into the bushes. If you do this, watch for snakes and cars!!!!

Why are the ponies so big in Chincoteague?

2007-06-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

On our way from St. Micheals to Avon we decided to drive the eastern shore and pass through all those islands separating Virginia from the Atlantic. We decided to spend the night in Chincoteague and site see a little.
In case you weren't aware, Chincoteague is the host of an annual Pony Swim and auction which is a fund raiser for the local fire department. Every year, the healthiest wild ponies are rounded up on the island of Assateague and made to swim a very short distance to the island of Chincoteague were zillions of people come to watch and then purchase the ponies. What these people do with a wild pony is anyone's guess. I suppose the put them out to pasture. I suspect that many of these "wild" ponies are a little more tame than wild so maybe they make nice pets.
Needless to say, the pony theme runs rampant in the town. The local businesses and government milk it for all it's worth. I happen to like ponies so I didn't really mind. The real wild ponies reside on a Federal Nature Reserve on the island of Assateague. On our way to the reserve we asked Holly to count all the ponies she could see (meaning pony signs). She was getting restless in the car so we thought a fun counting activity would keep her happy. Subconsciously, I had begun counting as well. When we got to the bridge over the channel separating Chinc from Ass I asked Holly how many ponies she counted. She said two. I had counted at least 30 so I was surprised her keen eyes only counted two. I questioned her further and discovered that she thought she was supposed to be counting REAL ponies and that she saw two at McDonalds. Yes folks... even the local McDonalds is in on the pony action.
We paid our car fee and entered the park. We saw a nice old lighthouse, drove to the Assateague beach and searched for real wild ponies. I half expected to see them all over the place, like heards of deer in the Shenandoah. We didn't see a single one. They had a nice welcome center and museum.
Disappointed we decided to head over to the Pony Center which is a gift shop/pony stable in Chincoteague. There we saw several captive wild ponies. All of them supposedly descended from the famed Misty. After seeing the ponies at the pony center, I have to say I'm glad we didn't run into any of them in the wild while walking in the park because teeny cutie pie ponies they are not. They're friggin' huge!!! Small horses, really. Definitely ridable... (Is ridable a word?)
We then realized that we were hot and starving and decided to try out an ice cream place I visited as a teen. We each got a cone of fab home made ice cream at the Island Creamery. The wait was rather long but soooo worth it.
Finally we decided that we were not leaving Chincoteague without first seeing a wild pony, in the wild. We drove to the park where the ponies arrive after the swim. With the binoculars we scanned the Assateague coast line and there they were. Running wild.. the very large ponies/small horses. We left happy.

ETA.. Don't forget your mosquito repellent!!!

Monday Morning Update

2007-06-25T06:19:00.001-07:00

Since I've discovered the Travel Buddy site I've neglected this blog somewhat.
Two of my most recent blogs require updates.
1. The Porch Fawn
It wasn't looking good for a while. We read that mothers will often leave their babies for the day and return to feed them at night. Although my mom is a great babysitter, her cluttered front porch was a strange choice for the doe. The first night, a doe came into the yard to munch on the garden, the baby ran to the doe but it was rejected. The doe kicked at the baby when it tried to nurse. At this point we were still undecided on whether this doe was the mother or not. We gave the baby one more night. By morning, something had picked it up. We're hoping it was the real mother. Here is a pic of its super cuteness.

2. The paranormal events of last Wed.
The farther from the night of the spookfest the sillier the whole tale seems. The more I think about that night the more I wonder, "What DID I eat before I went to bed that night?" I have worked out rational scenarios for each ghostly event.
a. The wall breaching child ghost who ran into my daughters room - I'm a loon who doesn't get enough sleep and should probably get my eyes checked.
b. Pounding footsteps heard while in the basement - Overweight flying squirrel? We have colonies in the attic, though they usually find new homes in the heat of the summer.
c. The "Dead" voice - I must have been nearly asleep and misinterpret the loud snorty snore of my husband.
d. The scratching in the walls - My feet are horribly callused and make a very similar sound when rubbed against my satiny bedspread.

I'm happy with these explanations, esp since I haven't heard a peep since that night, although I did get the bejeezus scared out of me when the friggin' cat decided to leap over my head into the bed Thursday night. I woke to see a grey blur flying over the bed and nearly peeped myself.

Ghost or Squirrel or Ghostsquirrel

2007-06-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

We have lived in this house for about 1.5 years and I have never been as afraid as I was last night.
There have been times when I thought I saw "something" out of the corner of my eye. In every case, the image evaporated as quickly as it appeared and I brushed off the whole event.
My evening began with a similar experience. I was putting the kids to bed when out of the corner of my eye I saw a small child run into my daughter's room. I thought it was my three year old son, Simon, out of bed and it didn't concern me much until I remembered my daughter's door was closed. Hrmmmm
So, I checked on the kids and put went to the basement confident that my son was in a deep sleep. Once in the basement I heard the familiar thump, thump, thump of my son's feet racing across the hardwood floor. My husband, Steve, groaned and said "Simon's up."
So, I went upstairs to put him back in bed and found him exactly as I had left him; asleep and breathing deeply. I checked on my daughter and found her near sleep. She hadn't been up recently. Even the cat was asleep on my bed as he was when I was folding laundry earlier that evening.
I returned to the basement and gave Steve the lowdown. He then became convinced there was someone in the house so we searched every room, closet, under beds, etc.
This sort of activity has always had the opposite effect on me as you might expect. Instead of calming me down it gives me the super creeps.
Anyhoo, we later went to bed and I fell asleep fairly quickly. About 2 hours later I woke to pee and as I tried to fall back to sleep I heard the deep slow voice of a man say "Dead."
Logic tells me that it must have been my husband talking in his sleep or perhaps a snore that I misinterpreted to sound like the word "dead." I have to tell you that the voice sounded unearthly, as if it were coming through speakers or something. Mostly to reassure myself, I asked Steve if he was "ok." He growled at me for waking him. The voices definitely didn't match.
About 3 minutes after the spook voice, Simon came running in the room and got into bed with us. There was nothing creepy about his behavior since he does it nightly, however his pitter patter down the hall reminded me of the thumping we heard in the basement and added to my anxiety.
Simon slept very restlessly in my bed. He twitched and kicked and thrashed about so I was awake most of the night. Probably about 2 hours after the "dead" voice, I heard a scratching in the wall behind my head. I ran my own nails against the wall to compare the sounds and they were not the same. The sound was coming from the inside of the wall. I know this one could be a critter so it scared me less than the other events, however my anxiety was so high at this point it prevented me from falling back to sleep until near dawn.
Now, I confess to often scaring myself with my own imagination but last night was soooo spooky and even Steve felt the fear. Even typing this story out gives me goosebumps, as if now that I've written and shared the story I can't pretend it never happened.
So, my questions to you are...
1. Can a ghost move into a house? Cause we've lived here for so long with out so much activity.
2. How long do you think a ghost would stay dormant?
3. Do you think I've just been playing to much Luigi's Mansion?

Please share you comments and stories. Should I go out and get myself a paranormal sensitive dog? Reassure me... tell me I'm nutso...

Bambi Tears

2007-06-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

More Luray animal escipades to share.
My mom called this morning and said there was a fawn on their front porch. It was curled up against the wall and looked pathetic.
She didn't see the mother anywhere.
I'm guessing the fawn and mother jumped over the fence into the yard to eat the garden then the baby wasn't able to jump back out.
My mom left for work and left the large gate open hoping the mother would return for the fawn once the house was empty. I hope so. Poor little pooh pie! If the baby is still there when she gets home from work she call the Wildlife Rescue League. She said she got a picture of it this morning. I'll post it soon with an update. Hopefully their will be a happy ending.

Bloggin' My Brains Out

2007-06-20T08:07:00.001-07:00

Just so ya know...
I've started a travel blog about my HT Luray, VA.
Check it out. It only has one entry so far but there are some cool cave pics added. I'll have to make some videos...

Read it! Then go there!!!

Fill in the spaces

2007-06-20T05:24:00.000-07:00

I found this funtastic site and it looks like I'm not the world travellor I thought I was...
Only 8% eh?
I need to book a trip. Where to next?

I had a layover in an airport in Iceland... Does that count?

Flames!!!!

2007-06-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

I want this!

It would look sooo good on my Black KA Mixer. Buy it for me and I'll make you some bread.

http://flameka.com/default.aspx

Charm City Kitty

2007-06-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

As some of you might know, one of my best friends was married a couple of weeks ago. Her fiance surprised her with a Hello Kitty Cake made at Charm City Cakes. Charm City Cakes is a bakery in Baltimore that is featured on The Food Network in a fantastic show called Ace of Cakes. The cake was modelled after her Hello Kitty doll. Ace of Cakes is one of Lori's favorite shows and let's just say she has a fondness for Hello Kitty.
I didn't have enough memory on my camera to make a real video but I created a short slide show. The cake is so cool and tasted fantastic. It really was a special thing that he did for her. There are also a couple of pics of Holly in here. Enjoy!

Some cake info for AOC fans:Duff didn't make the cake himself but one of the girls from the show did.The cake probably won't be on the show because of trademark complications but the camera crew was there when they picked up the cake.

No Butt Towels for my Children

2007-06-03T06:11:00.001-07:00

An upcoming trip to the beach and a thread on a forum I frequent reminded me of the following tale of humiliation...

When I was in preschool thousands of years ago, my mother embarrassed me and I've only recently found the humor in it.

You know that Coppertone ad with the dog pulling off the little girls bikini bottom..... Well, I had a towel with that picture on it and my mom made me take it to sprinkler day at school. (We were allowed to splash around in the irrigation system one day a week or so.)

The little boys teased me because I had a towel with a butt on it and I was so upset and hated the towel. The next time my mom tried to make me take the towel to school I had a total meltdown but was to embarrassed to tell her it was because of the butt. She thought I was just being a brat.

As an adult, I definitely see the cuteness of the butt-towel but really, what was my mother thinking? I would never send my child to school with a butt towel, no matter how cute it is.

Busy as a petunia eating ground hog

2007-05-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Got a crazy busy schedule in the upcoming weeks starting with daughter's ballet dress rehearsal tomorrow night. I might not post much but life should return to normal by the endish of June.

Not yo momma's adult swim

2007-05-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

Off the subject of wildlife for a moment I move to wild lives of childlike adults.
We visited the pool today for the first time this year. Having two young ones and no one else to watch them I had to exit the pool when the whistle blew for adult swim.
Remembering all other adult swims I've witnessed or been apart of in the past I was amused to see the action that took place.
Adults, I'm talking parents of children and many well into their thirties, hopped in the pool and began playing. I was expecting the typical waders, dippers and lap swimmers. Instead I got ball throwers and people doing handstands. It was delightfully odd and I hope to bring the husband to stay with the kids next time so I can join in.

Mark some more off the list

2007-05-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

When we first moved to this house a little over one year ago, the previous owners welcomed us with a list of wildlife we could expect to see.
The list included:
Raccoon
Squirrels
Chipmunks
Rabbits
Groundhogs
Fox
Skunks
Variety of Snakes
Possum
Turkeys
Deer
Large woodpeckers
Black bear

There might have been more on the list. The animals in red are the only one we haven't seen so far.
In these parts there have also been spottings of Coyote, Bobcats and Mountain Lions (though this is heavily debated). Although I would love to see these animals in the wild, I would prefer they stay miles from my home and extremely edible children.

Some of the cute ones...

2007-05-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

Last night we grilled bratwursts and apparently the scent was more than one raccoon could resist. He actually came into the yard and took a stroll around the deck checking to see if we dropped anything. I noticed its front paw is injured and it was limping a bit. Poor cutie pie!
The deer were here this morning. The GH is the same one who ate the petunias.

In case you were wondering, we don't feed the wildlife. I do feed the birds in the winter but not this time of year. All the houses in my neighborhood are similar in that they back up to the mountain. I suspect these critters feast as they visit every house bordering the woods.

Enjoy!

I'm in yer yard, mowin' yer lawn

2007-05-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

... and eating your petunias.

Transformers movie fervor has waned somewhat it's time to get back on topic:
Wildlife in the wooded suburbs.

Friday night as I grilled chicken, I admired my gorgeous, healthy and plentiful petunias. Two hours later I returned outside to put the cover on the grill and the petunias had been hacked. A very sneaky and speedy critter ate EVERY single flower from EVERY single plant. I was so peeved, I cried. I realize that sounds over-dramatic and extreme but I was very proud of those plants and was looking forward to showing them off to my parents when they arrived on Sat.

A momma bunny was my first suspect. I had seen her about on the hillside lookin' cute and admiring my lawn from afar. Perhaps it was she bringing the kids out for a dinner flower buffet. I was not feeling compassionate toward the villains and had I seen the event taking place I would have done something horrific. You know, chase them while screaming "frick, frick you frickin' fricks!"

Sat afternoon, CTDad took this photo of the culprit.

It's a groundhog. And I was all blamen' the bunnies.

Woooweeee

2007-05-19T18:40:00.001-07:00

I saw Shrek the Third with the kids this afternoon. It was alright, however before the feature pic their was a preview that made me way more excited than an adult should be.

Are you ready for this?

There is a live action Transformers movie coming out soon.

I LOVED the Transformers when I was a kid and actually pretended like I was a VW bug that transformed into a girl. Very weird and nerdy, I know....

The movie looks so cool. Sigh...
http://www.transformersmovie.com/

Find out which Transformer you are at LiquidGeneration!

Shout out to my balding asthmatic cat

2007-05-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

Seriously, for those of you who do not know this already, my cat has asthma. It's all funny jokes about kitty inhalers until you find out that they really exist and they cost a fortune. Argh!

Anyhow, so now my cat is loosing all of his hair. I'm not joking. In the last two weeks or so his rear end has begun resembling Mr. Bigglesworth.

To make matters worse when he is content, nervous, drowsy, angry, happy, hungry or frisky he SUCKs his tail. It's revolting. His skinny long tail ends in a wet and slimy point which he wields like a scorpion's tail and tries to touch me with it when I push him away from me.

Now, some may wonder why I put up with this. Why do I spend the money on his treatments? Why not dock his tail?
Because I love him and he is very sweet. The vet actually suggested surgically removing his tail as she suspects he has no feeling in it. However, because of his asthma he is not a candidate for anesthesia. Husband would never have paid for it anyhow.
I'll have to sharpen up my crochet skills so I can make him a sweater for winter.

This is a video of Harry Hedwig in his glory days. Notice the shiny point at the end of his tail during the dream sequence.

Lost in Love Again!

2007-05-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

LOST is back in a huge way.
I had lost faith in it at the beginning of the season. Then they took that hiatus. Growl...

Oh but now... (heart thumping)... it's wonderful again. I'm in love with my computer every Thursday afternoon. I watch the episodes online since I'm too old to stay up till ten to catch the Wed night running.

Now that the finale approaches, I strongly recommend those of you who gave up on it to rethink you're decision. Catch up with the episodes online or buy the dvds.
There are also great sites to fill you in on the details you may have missed.

This is a great one. Favorite it and you'll end up with a cute alien head icon in your favorite list.
http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/

Bittersweet Milestone

2007-05-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

My oldest graduated from preschool this morning. She was very serious during the ceremony. They showed this horribly sappy and tear inducing slide show of all the preschoolers from birth to present and I cried just a little even though I promised myself I would not.

Here are the highlights

What drives the blog?

2007-05-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

Since I've started my blog I've struggled with the direction. Where do I want to take this? What do I want this to be about?

So many blogs have a purpose (http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/, http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/) but mine seems to be nothing other than an outlet for my own ramblings. Not exactly interesting reading for most people. I always think it'll come to me. It'll work itself out.

Cozytail's Suburban Wild Kingdom

Is that what I've become? For the last month I seem to be posting many stories about wildlife encounters. Just this weekend Steve killed a copperhead outside our garage door and their was a crayola sized millipede in our basement last night. No photos of the villains (all deceased).

Comment. Let me hear the stories of your wildlife encounters. Don't be shy!
Let's see if this is my blog destiny..

Sad news

2007-05-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

I got a sad call from my aunt last night. She said that my grandmother is in stage four of colon cancer and hasn't been given long. The Dr says she may be able to live another year or more if chemo works. She is in her 80s and so this shouldn't be so unexpected for me but I found myself very shocked at news. Her own mother is 103 and still kicking. I guess I just figured she would be the same way. Esp since about two weeks ago she was still very active and playing tennis.

According to my aunt GM has rarely gone to the Dr in her life and figures the last time she really saw a Dr was when she (meaning my aunt) was born. She may have been able to prevent this with annual checkups and colonoscopies. I remember my grandmother talking a couple of years ago about how she had to update her will. She said sassily "I don't know why I bother, I plan to outlive everyone." And, I really thought she might.

In the last year her mind has been slipping. She has the most detailed memory of the past but her short term memory is quite bad. When the Dr told her she was dying she took it as well as anyone could. She said she lived a full life, travelled, etc. She said she couldn't complain. Unfortunately, by the time my aunt got her home from the appointment she had forgotten the whole conversation took place. My aunt says when she takes her to the Dr. my grandmother doesn't seem to retain the idea that she's dying. Perhaps that's a blessing. I don't know.

I saw her Easter and although she repeated a sentence or two she really did too bad. It's happened so quickly. It's just very sad. I'm glad we had Easter.

Bug a Boo

2007-05-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Typical Sunday
I needed to water the plants and I couldn't get the stinkin' hose attached to the nozzle so I had to dig the watering can out of the garage.
I noticed feathery web on the inside of the can but ignored it. I then proceeded to fill the can with water blasting from the spigot. I watered the first round of plants and refilled. Again, the water flow into the can was violent.

As I began watering the second round of plants and heard a screech. "Mommy, there is a bug on the watering can," Holly said. Holly is a bit of a dramatic and I didn't react quickly.
When I finally looked at the watering can I saw the horror. It was a black widow!!!
It was inches from my hand.

I put the can down and got a stick. The spider reluctantly climbed onto the stick and was placed on the deck. The spider ran from the stick but I decided that my husband needed to see the spider so I encouraged the widow to climb back onto the stick and called for him. He never saw the spider thanks to a malfunctioning screen door and the discovery of a wasp nest. I suspect he still doesn't really believe that I saw what I saw.

The spider did all it could to avoid me. It was violently flushed from its home, exposed to the hysterics of a five year old and harassed with a stick. I actually felt pity for the creature. In the end, however, I had to kill it. I've got to little ones and can't take the chance of them coming across it as they are into everything and happen to have an affection for watering cans.

Except for recognizing them by site, I really don't know much about black widows. If their is one will their be more? Despite the clear evidence of it's existence (smashed flat body) my husband continues to leave his shoes in the garage next where the watering can is stored. Ah well...

Crime

2007-05-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Erm.. sorry for not bloggin' lately.

My mom called one sunny day this week (Thursday maybe) and said "Something destroyed our bird feeders."

Crime Scene:
A wooded yard in the Middle Of Nowhere Mountains, VA. One copper bird feeder cracked into multiple pieces and scattered about the grounds. One metal shepard's hook bent to the ground at it's base.
Suspects:
- Freakishly large and well fed squirrels with long rap sheet of bird feeder raids
- Raccoon - no confirmed sitings but bound to be living among them
- Possum - many visual sitings and great climbers but are they strong enough to bend the shepard's hook?
- Deer - often seen in the yard, enjoy birdseed, to cute to be guilty
- Bear - only one citing in 15 years but certainly the only thing strong enough to bend the shepard's hook

She called yesterday morning told me a horrific tale. She was getting ready for bed and heard a bang outside. In truth she heard multiple bangs and proceeded to tell me about the volume of each bang and what she thought might have been the object which fell and where it might have landed. She may have done this just to increase the suspense but it just ended up being more detail that I needed. Bang, bang, bang, she turned on the porch light. Eeeek! There was a bear on the front porch standing and LOOKING IN THE WINDOW! They locked eyes and he did not appear alarmed at being discovered.

Since my parents live in the wilderness they have always thought themselves immune to crime and never lock their doors. (I have been on them about this for years). Also, a large gust of wind could blow the door open.* Naturally when my mom said the bear was on the porch, I thought of the unlocked door and how the bear could simply lean on it and be inside. Thankfully, that did not happen. I can't imagine the damage and horror that would have followed. She ran upstairs to get my dad. By the time he got downstairs the bear had decided there was nothing inside the home to tempt him. I guess he didn't see the scrumptious fat black kitty laying on the couch.

By the time my dad got downstairs, the bear had wondered back into the yard. He shouted at the bear and the bear simply looked at him and casually meandered back into the woods.

They lock their doors now.

*edited (01-07-09) to add The wind did blow their locked doors open last month. sigh... They replaced the door knob.

Guess what I'm wearing?

2007-03-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

Capris and flip flops!
Today should be 67 and tomorrow will be 76. That's right.. momma will be writing outside today!

Where does the time go?

2007-02-28T06:47:00.000-08:00

My son's shoes are missing.
I've spent approximately 20 minutes looking for them.
I feel I spend most of my life looking for things that are right in front of me. I'm not trying to be deep for saying that because I know it's not original at all. I just wish I could save myself the time and see things clearly the first time around.
Damn you haze in this house that hides the shoes. Damn you!!!!

Crappity Crap Crap

2007-02-16T07:26:00.000-08:00

Argh! I got into the shower with my glasses on, again.

I stepped from the shower dripping wet and placed the glasses on the side of the tub.
Then, I cut my leg shaving. Should I have kept them on?

Since "Crappity" isn't a word, can I spell it any way I want?

Troubles

2007-02-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

Have I written my 1000 words today? Nope...

I still plan to and in my defense I've been busy being a wife of deathly ill uber baby husband and mother to preschooler with a delayed Valentine's Day party.

Today I'll provide some vague details on my current WIP. I have two. Both are YA (Young Adult) novels and one is a tad more hip than the other.

I've just started one novel based on a whimmy little idea I had while taking a shower. It's fun, fresh and very timely so I need to get on it asap. I'm currently at approx 3000 words. I have a long way to go.

The other wip is my love. It's the first in a trilogy, includes a female protagonist and is an interesting mix of YA and Fantasy. It's Harriet Potter meets Clan of the Cave Bear meets Bridget Jones. I'll give no more details on the content of the novel except that it is half finished but with my new resolution to stop procrastinating I should finish the draft this Spring.
The problems that plague my writing are the following:
TENSE... Maintaining the correct tense throughout a lengthy novel is difficult for me. At least I'm aware of this problem and I keep it in my radar as I edit.
WORD COUNT... My novels are very dialog driven and I seem to be headed toward a low word count. I'm a little over half finished and I'm sittin' on approx 27,000 words. I was hoping for at least 60,000. I need to give an editor plenty of hacking room, right? I've read inconsistent opinions from the industry on minimum word counts. I suppose I should just write the story and let an agent or editor tell me if I need more.. or less.
SPELLING... erm.. I'm a writer who can't speel (sic) It's true.
PROOFREADING.. I can not proofread my own work until more than a month has passed, otherwise I see nothing wrong with the following sentence: "I fell threw the open door and everyone gaped at at the whole in my pants." I can edit the work of others but not my own.

Alright, that's all for now. I'm going to write my 1000 words for the day. Woohooo! I've got some motivation and a Healthy Choice pizza in the microwave!

Save Perez Soap - for the curious

2007-02-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

The video that made me famous. Well, almost:

note: I had a cold while filming thus the husky man voice...

Who is Cozytailmom?

2007-02-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

I'm one of hundreds, perhaps thousands of blogging writers trying to get published. I'll keep you updated on my progress as the days go by. I'm so excited to finally have an official blog... and I don't mean the neener crap I've written on myspace.

I haven't got a clue what to write on my first blog. Argghh!! I hope this doesn't make or break me.

Here's my scoop.
I'm 31 and a mother of two. I love my children but I've been home bound with them for nearly five years and I'm ready to get back into the world and reclaim myself. I recently told my husband that I feel like this: A dog who has weened her puppies but they continue to run about under her feet trying to grab a teat while she snaps and desperately looks for a place to hide. Yes, that's me... a dog with droopy teats. Oh no, I mean, a mom who wants to get back on her feet.

So, I considered going back to work but feel like I forgot to write the great novel I promised my corporate America friends. You see, I foolishly thought I would have time to write a novel with small ones running around. Before I can do anything, I'll write a list. Oh how I love a list.
The following are my goals to be achieved relatively soon.... (should I set a date? I know, I know.. )

Finish novel (by April before my 32nd Bday)
Get Agent (whenever one will have me..)
Get Published
Loose 30 Pounds (How about May-ish)
Let hair grow out (that should be easy as I have the fastest growing hair in the WORLD! I kid you not)
Maybe go back to work but DEFINITELY get out of this house more.

I also have an online soap business and had the briefest glimmer of fame when Perez Hilton posted a YouTube video I made on his BLOG (which is my total guilty pleasure..) For about 48 hours I was a Youtube sensation along the lines of Paperlilies and LoneyGirl15. Soap orders rolled in and I was swimming in business for about a week. It was exciting and exhausting all at the same time. After the video fell off YouTubes Most Watched list, the orders ceased and I have returned.. Cozytailmom. The brief success helped me realize one thing. I DO NOT WANT TO MAKE MY FORTUNE IN PENIS SOAP! You heard it right... I make penis soap for bachelorette parties. It is a lot of work for not enough dough. I'll continue offering the soap on SudsForVenus and occasionally list them on ebay but I don't plan to do anymore publicity stunts to get orders. From this point forth, I have committed myself to the above listed goals.

Now, occationally I will write very boring blogs. It can happen, just read the above paragraphs. When that happens I will attempt to reward you with a funny if I can.

Happy Valentines Day!!!!!