Look at that Face!

Emma, after hearing we were going to visit the lake!

Round Two of Dog School: Basic Obedience

So Izzy and Emma have enrolled once more in one of PetCo's dog training classes. This time it's Basic Obedience, and sadly, the girls are the only ones there. Now, you're thinking that's a good thing, as they'll get extra attention and learn lots, right? Well, it's the extra attention that is embarrassing to me, because all of our faults are on display. Okay, mine and Izzy's. Emma and the Mothership seem to be doing quite well.

(Even when there are more interesting happenings, she is still willing to "watch me!")

Week One went okay. The girls remembered their commands, and the Mothership and I weren't too horrible. (Really, it's the humans being tested in dog school...the dogs are just the means for testing!) Week Two, however, was a different story. Izzy refused to cooperate, and I was SO embarrassed! I think she was punishing me for putting her walk off until after school. Never again! I shall take Izzy first from now on!

(At this point, Izzy wouldn't "watch me!" if she was starving and I was holding a steak!)

So now we're on to Week Three. I'm not positive about what our homework is this week, as I was so disheartened by my little Iz. I think we're supposed to be working on the girls coming to us, and sitting down at our sides automatically. I'm also working hard on the loose leash walking, since that's what upsets the Mothership most. We had a most successful walk this evening, if you ignore the fact that Emma was whisper-barking at some chick on her cell phone. But seriously, who talks on their cell phone outside at 10:30 at night in 40 degree weather? Someone who is hiding something from her parents, that's who. She totally deserved to be barked at, even if it was only a whisper-bark.

I just can't help but laugh at them. They're so sweet and goofy!

Movie Night: Idiocracy

Sometimes Netflix convinces me to take a chance on movies that I wouldn't normally watch. Take, for instance, Idiocracy, which is billed as being from the creator of Office Space...not one of my favorite movies! But, as I'm not the most discerning of movie critics, I'll give most movies a try. Which explains how Idiocracy ended up in my DVD player.

It was actually a pretty cute movie, although my not-so-secret love of Luke Wilson is probably more responsible for my enjoyment of the movie than the movie itself. He plays Joe, a military test subject for a hibernation experiment who ends up, with his female counterpart Rita, in 2505. It turns out that natural selection, instead of choosing the best and the brightest, picked the dumbest for procreation, and the world is filled with idiots who can't speak in complete sentences. So Joe and Rita turn out to be the smartest people in the world, and try to save it.

Overall, I didn't feel that I wasted my time watching Idiocracy. After all, it had Luke Wilson. And the beginning of the movie, which explains how society grew dumber and dumber as smart people knew better than to have children and idiots took to spawning like rabbits, was especially funny. And the narration of the movie reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is one of my favorites. So bottomline, I wouldn't go out of my way to watch this movie, but adding it to your Netflix queue wouldn't hurt you. But if The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is available, it'd probably be a better choice!

Review: Say Yes to Carrots?

On a recent shopping expedition at our local Walgreens, I came across some beauty products called Yes to Carrots. Naturally, I had to try it, so I decided to get the shampoo and conditioner. After a week of using my new products, I'm still not sure how I feel about them.

The shampoo doesn't get very sudsy, which makes me think either my hair is incredibly greasy and thus using up all the shampoo, or it just doesn't work. Suds or not, my hair feels really snarly while rinsing, so I immediately reach for the conditioner, which seems like it gets sucked right up into my hair. Unlike most shampoo/conditioner pairs, I seem to be using twice as much conditioner with this one as shampoo. So my shower experience with Yes to Carrots is poor. But my hair, at least according to others, smells great. I can't seem to smell the fragrance myself, but that could be because I've been recovering from a cold for the past week. And my hair is smooth and shiny. An added bonus, I don't have to worry about it looking greasy with these products, as I'm pretty sure I could go every three days without washing and no one would notice. I haven't actually tested this out though, as I don't like to feel grungy.

Has anyone else tried Yes to Carrots? I'm going keep using this one, at least until my condition is gone. Then I'll pass the shampoo onto the Mothership! I'm not sure yet about trying their other products, although how can you really go wrong with body butter? Unless you're Vaseline Intensive Care and just stop making it, leaving your consumers with few other options to treat horrifically dry skin in the winter months. Yes, I'm bitter...

(Shampoo and conditioner available at Walgreens.com for $7.99 on September 27, 2008 - just click on the photos!)

Sweet Blossom Designs by Sara

Nope, not me, it's a different Sara...no "h" on the end! Variations in spelling aside, her blog is awesome. She's pretty new to designing digital scrap kits, but I have to say, she's doing an awesome job. Lol...considering I've never even tried to design a kit, and can barely make my own pages using other people's products!

Anyhow, check her blog out, it's one of my new favorites for digital scrapping stuff, and it's all FREE!!! So I get to stay within my new "buy-a-farm" budget, and you can too! Check out Sweet Blossom Designs ASAP!

The Office is Back!!!

I feel like I've been waiting an eternity for The Office to come back. I've spent the last four months watching seasons 1 through 4 on DVD, and was so excited for tonight's episode I could barely contain myself. Just as my family or the people I work with. I was a little annoying!

But finally it's back! And it did not disappoint, as Pam and Jim are still together. (We've already discussed my commitment to their happiness!) And so, now that my life is complete again, I think I'll be going to bed. But first, I'll leave you with a little message from Dwight Schrute, that I found over on NBC.com:

(I love it mainly because it's Dwight, but it also kind of reminds me of Luke and Matt and those potato guns they built when we were little. Good times...)

Why I Spend Several Hundred Dollars a Month at PetCo

I like to shop a lot. Lately I've been on a budget, so my only shopping joy comes from frequent visits to PetCo, which some people have deemed unnecessary, but I think are absolutely mandatory. Somehow, I don't think I even need words to explain what some call my "frivolous spending," but for those who do not have pets, I will try to enlighten:

Doesn't a cute cat like this deserve a nifty Igloo litter box?

And why shouldn't my boy have the finest Temptations Dental Treats the world has to offer?

And seriously, could you feed these two anything less than Nutro, which is going to keep their joints healthy for years to come?

My babies are cute and fun and loving and totally worth the expenditures. Even if it means our country estate will take a few more years to get! And I think only my Aunt Paula understands, as she sent me a gift card to PetCo for my birthday. It must take one crazy pet person to know another!

PostSecret

My not-so-much-a-secret: I am obsessed with the blog PostSecret. I get up every Sunday morning early, so that I can check out all the new secrets before I have to go to work. It's addictive, and I don't know why. Maybe because I'm always hoping that someone else will share a secret with me. But it hasn't happened up to now. After weeks of feeling alone, waiting for a secret on PostSecret that I could identify with, this Sunday I got not one, but two secrets! Woohoo!

No, I didn't send the secrets in. I just happen to identify with them. So naturally, I have to share!

My literary secret AND my television secret. I can kind of relate to The Little Mermaid secret too, now that I think about it.

Enjoy!

Merry-Go-Round Playhouse: Church Basement Ladies

Church Basement Ladies was an extra show that Merry-Go-Round put on this year. The Mothership and I decided to go, despite never having heard of it, because in general, MGR does a great job with things, and we figured we'd enjoy it.

We were so right! It was a super cute story set in a Lutheran chuch in Minnesota in the 1960's. There were only five actors, and they did a great job. The entire play took place in the church basement, where what I call "church biddies" hang out to prepare food for church dinners, fund raisers, funerals, and whatever else the church might require.

I think the real reason that I found it so enjoyable was that I could identify all the characters with women that I've gone to church with, both past and present. There was the older woman, very judgmental and set in the old ways, the kooky middle aged woman who loves everyone, the mother who might have been a bit wild in the past, but is now dedicated to the church, and her daughter, who was off to college, but still coming home to help out because she enjoyed the church community.

Definitely worth seeing. The songs were cute, and the actors seemed to really enjoy this performance, which always makes it so much better. I'm kind of sad that it's our last play of the year, although this performance has been extended, so I guess I could see it again if I start feeling too lonely!

Harvest Time

Summer is my favorite season, mainly because it means we can spend time at camp. But fall and winter are awesome because of all the celebrations and decorating opportunities! I'm getting ready to decorate outside for autumn, which involves some gorgeous wreaths that the Mothership made me, and orange lights, chrysanthemums, and some gigantor pumpkins that the Fathership planted...I can't wait!

Fall also means that Halloween is coming...yay! I love dressing up, but don't get the opportunity for it, since my employer frowns upon wearing anything but red and khaki. I really, really, really want to dress up as a candy corn witch:

Sadly, I'm pretty sure, this is not acceptable work apparel. (Can you imagine being counseled by a person wearing this? LOL.) Even more sad is that my not-so-secret love of the edible version of candy corn pretty much precludes me from ever wearing such a costume, even while not at work.

On the bright side, this year I have puppies that can dress up! And PetCo is holding a Howl-o-ween party, so now I have something to look forward to! I found canine candy corn costumes, which aren't as cute as the human options, and perhaps a bit too frilly for my labs:

I'm thinking they'll probably end up as pumpkins, since that would be completely cute, or perhaps a devil and an angel, since those are two costumes that I think I am capable of sewing up.

Henry and Ruthie don't care much for dressing up. Not that they've told me in so many words, but as Henry tried to bite me a few weeks ago over the sailor collar that one of my technicians persuaded me to buy at Target, I'm thinking that cats prefer to remain in the altogether. Ruthie, however, is practicing her wolverine impersonation:

I don't think she's quite snarly enough yet, but she's still got some time to work on it.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today was my birthday! I am now 27, which I figure will be a good year. I'm partial to any number with 7 in it, because ages 7 and 17 went really well as far as I'm concerned! I spent the day with the Mothership and the Grandmother, "gleaning" from the garden, which I always enjoy. Then we celebrated with my favorite desert, peach pie. Yum! It was delicious...the Grandmother makes the best pie on Earth! After dinner, the Mothership and I set off for Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, where we saw our last show of the season, Church Basement Ladies. It was very funny...we were actually laughing out loud!

I also got some killer presents. First up, I finally got the present that the Mothership purchased ages ago at MacKenzie-Childs. She told me she bought my birthday present but refused for over two months to reveal what it was. I turned out to be correct in my guess that it was a rooster, but I never would have guessed it was a rooster made out of glass beads! He's awesome:

I'm so proud that I actually received a present from MacKenzie-Childs!

Seriously, how cool is this rooster?

My Aunt Paula sent me two great presents: a giftcard to PetCo, which is one of my favorite stores, and some pumpkin scented lotion that I absolutely love. It's from Bath and Body Works, but I can't find it at their online store. I'm kind of sad, because I really want the body splash too. I'll have to go to the mall tomorrow and see if I can scout some out!

And one of my technicians, Denise, brought us some tasty mini-cupcakes at work. Sadly, I have no picture to post, because we made short work of them once the package was open;)

So thanks everybody for my lovely presents. And as a reminder, there are only 364 days until my next birthday...it's coming up, you know!

Becoming a Gentleman Farmer

Apparently I am the only person who has ever heard of being a "gentleman farmer." Most likely because I love cheezy romance novels from the 60's, when there was apparently an abundance of gentleman farmers just waiting to snatch up pretty little women visiting the countryside.

A gentleman's farmer is someone with a farm that has an independent source of income, so the farm doesn't need to make a profit. It's farming as a hobby instead of a career. Which is why I will always be considered a "gentleman farmer" should I move to the country, because I have neither the stamina or the know-how to be a proper farmer, plus I actually enjoy being a pharmacist, and I'm not sure I'm ready to give up my career just yet!

I really don't want a huge farm, just 10 or 15 acres, so I can have some vegetables to freeze and fruits to can, and farm animals mainly for atmosphere. I don't envision myself milking a cow, and besides, how does one go about pasteurizing one's milk? I've always been desperate for a horse, and my grandma has decided that "we" must have some chickens as well, since eggs are getting so expensive. I have to take her word for it on the price of eggs, since I detest grocery shopping. Regardless, chickens would be fun!

And my current "livestock", consisting of Henry, Ruthie, Izzy, and Emma, would absolutely love life on a farm. Iz and Em could tear around all day, and I might even consider letting Henry and Rue outside on occasion...they're so desperate to go out I feel bad!

And yes, Mel, I do have plans for my country estate! Knowing me, they'll probably change a few times in the next 10 years, which is how long it will probably take me to get to the country, but nonetheless, this is what I'm dreaming of right now:

(image from eplans.com)

I know it's not that attractive from the outside, but as my country estate will be in the middle of nowhere, the interior is far more important, and as you can see, the kitchen is spectacular:

(image from eplans.com)

As is the deck, complete with an outdoor fireplace...I will have to find a lake for my country estate so that the deck can face it:

(image from eplans.com)

Oh, and the great room isn't too bad either, the windows look out onto the deck, so you can enjoy your gorgeous view even during the winter:

(image from eplans.com)

I suppose I should note that all my pictures came from my favorite home-plan website, eplans.com. To visit this particular plan, search for "Tranquil Living."

The Girls (and Henry) Decide to Move to the Country!

That's right, at least for the summer months. The puppies, cats, and I weren't able to stay at camp at all this summer besides driving out for day adventures, because of bathroom issues at all three camps. You see, built back in the 1940's, before there was such a thing as building permits and codes, the owners of our little cottages used whatever materials they could scrounge up. Which means in our gray camp there is gas pipe used as water lines, the green camp's toilet is unfortunately unable to cope with the sediments in lake water, and as for the red camp, everyone is a little scared to even turn the water on over there. So, as I would be unable to shower or go to the bathroom, we've been spending nights on Seward Ave.
 

(image from lowes.com)

But now we have a plan! You see, in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Lowe's started selling what they call "Katrina Cottages" which are plans for real little homes that are cheap to build, rather than those expensively sad little FEMA trailers they were trying to shove people into. Katrina Cottages are super simple designs that utilize inexpensive materials, making them very affordable. So we're going to build a super cute one where the gray camp is:
Now, if all goes well, it will be a real, finished, winterized structure, which means that our little family would be able to stay there most of the year, and rent a cheap apartment during the few months of unpleasant weather. That way, I'll be able to save lots of money, and eventually start building my "gentleman's farm" where I intend to have a gorgeous house perfect for entertaining, a large barn for a horse, cows, chickens, and goats, and some apple and peach trees. And no, Dad, there will be NO grapes. So sorry! Anyhow, even if my little farm doesn't work out, at least we'll have a place to stay on the lake with a working toilet! What a dream, right?

Recycling is Fun!

"I spend a great deal of time in the recycling bin...I love Mother Earth!"
~Ruthie, on why she likes to "blue bin" it.

Merry-Go-Round Playhouse: Little Shop of Horrors

I have to say, I was kind of disappointed by Little Shop of Horrors. The performers were great singers and dancers, and the props were spectacular, but I guess I was a little unprepared for such a strange show.

The music and lyrics were written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, so I thought this would be the best show of the summer, since they are also responsible for the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, which is my favorite Disney musical of all time! And the music of Little Shop didremind me a bit of The Little Mermaid. But not enough, so I have to say in the end, I didn't really enjoy this theatrical outing. I was glad to be going home at the end of the night. Fortunately, we still have one show left, and on my birthday, no less! I have no expectations regarding Church Basement Ladies, since I'd never heard of it before buying the tickets. So I guess the Mothership and I will just have to see how it goes!

Little Shop of Horrors is still playing for a few more days, so go see it, especially if you're a fan of the old movie...my friend Courtney apparently is, and couldn't believe that I didn't enjoy the musical!