Introducing...

...Frankie, my childhood muse. Actually, I don't know which came first - the dog or the witch story but either way, I liked the name Frankie. I have no idea why.

Don't have a clue what I'm talking about? Click here and read #7.

I'm Messy

It was freezing this morning and all I really wanted to do was stay in bed. I made coffee, filled up my gigantic mug (this is not my normal coffee mug - it's more of a latte mug) and made my way back upstairs. I figured with the ridiculously large mug, I wouldn't have to back for seconds and I could get all cozy in bed. Problem is, I spilled coffee with each step I took. Oh well - it was yummy!

I Didn't Get Any Good Ice Storm Shots...

Ice Storm? What?!

I had no idea an ice storm was coming. None! I love me some severe weather, don't get me wrong, but an ice storm is pretty serious stuff. Especially when you're home alone! The lights flickered several times but all in all, it was no big deal and I stayed warm and cozy.

These are icicles on my back porch.

Monday Oops

No pictures today!

I Got Behind Again

Man, having this photo blog is so much fun and so difficult all at the same time! I got behind again, but I'm slowly catching up!

My bodyguard

She's big. She's mean. She wears camo hoodies...

It's Dixie!

A Mouse House

The exterminator came today and left some nice cozy houses for any mouse who decides to step foot in my home. They'll even be a meal waiting for them. A meal of POISON! Muahahahaha!

Bear Bear The Mouse Hunter

Click here to read the story about my loyal friend, Bear Bear.

Man and Dog

This truck pulled out in front of me on the highway and ticked me off. At the redlight, I noticed the man had a dog with him and it was obvious they were pals. I decided I wasn't ticked anymore. Any friend of a dog is a friend of mine! (sorry for the dirty windshield!)

It's the Right Time of the Night...

...for surfing the web!

What's That Inside My Boot?

It's a camera! On our last trip to Vegas, we came home cameraless. We had no idea what happened to the it. Was it stolen? Did we lose it? Did we leave it the rental car? Did it fall out of my purse? Almost a year and a new camera purchase later, Sid was picking up shoes piled on the floor of our coat closet (trying to eliminate any mouse houses!) and thought my boot felt awfully heavy. He reached inside and hollered, "You won't believe what's in here!" I put my hands over my eyes, sure it was a dead mouse, and he holds up our old camera! What the heck? First of all, I had completely forgotten about those adorable brown leather barely worn boots. Second of all, what was the camera doing in there?

Are you ready for some football?

Well, actually, no I'm not. I don't care a thing about football, or any other professional sport to be honest. But, I do like to eat and I do like being with friends, so Sid and I headed to Scott & Stacey's today to watch the games. I didn't spend more than 5 minutes looking at the TV, but I did a lot of eating and a lot of talking, so it was a good day!

I forgot to bring my camera inside, so this is my parting shot as we headed home.

Who Can't Wait to Visit Alaska This Summer?

I can't! In fact, I can't even believe I'm actually going. It's Alaska, for Pete's sake! Alaska!

I'm in a bit of shock. Glaciers, bears, whales, mountains, interesting locals, sled dogs (I'm still undecided on whether I think this is cruel or not. Research time!) Plus, we got an aft balcony! Can you believe it? Our cabin is on the very back of the ship, so we'll have panoramic views as we sail along the sea. AHHHH! June hurry up and get here!

Hawk Time

Sid and I spend some time with the hawks before heading to the movies this afternoon.

Someone in this house turned 30..

....and it wasn't me!

Happy Birthday, Sid!

Ruler of Our Household

Dixie makes herself comfortable in Sid's chair.

Meeting of the Dogs

We have a black lab that wanders our neighborhood every morning and every afternoon. It's obvious he is someone's pride and joy because he's gorgeous, well-groomed, and has a bright orange collar but we're all a bit puzzled that someone would just let their dog run free. This morning, the dogs gathered at the fence to greet the lab. Dixie was in her own little world somewhere so she's not in the photo.

Our New Friends

Tanny and Blacky, our new canine friends! It's a long story, so read my latest blog to hear all about them!

Introducing...

Baby Maya! Isn't she the sweetest little thing?

Mmm, mmmm, MMMMMM! Jaspers!

Mmmm...appetizing, right? NOT!

Sid and I went to one of our favorite restaurants to celebrate his new job - Jaspers in Legacy Center. Jasper's is known for many, many things but most notably for their ribs, as Bon Appetit named them the best in America along with two other restaurants.

Guess what I had? Ribs!

For lunch today, we had the leftovers. They may look distgusting but they were yuuuuuummmy!

My Baby

I moved Dixie and Bear's bed under the overhang of our desk. Something about being undercover makes her feel pretty smug.

You give me fever.

Sid's getting over his bug.

Taxes? Already!?

Ugh. It's only January 7th and I'm already having to think about taxes for the business. I guess I'll be glad we're getting an early start when it's all said and done.

911

Click here for the explanation. And no, this wasn't the actual call to 911!

Do you know what happens to water when it freezes?

Temperatures fell below freezing last night and it rained. Because I am a genius, I know that makes ice. What I didn't know is that my Jeep's soft top would freeze and pull away from the doors and allow rain and ice to pour inside. When I opened the door today to make a run to the bank and the post office (after I spent 10 minutes putting on clothes and a coat and a scarf and a hat and gloves and shoes), I discovered a very wet and very frozen front seat, icicles on the door panels and water on the floor. Needless to say, I did not drive the Jeep today.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

What? Everyone's watching it!

I stumbled upon a Season 1 marathon by accident this afternoon and physically could not change the channel. I'm hooked!

It's got Molly Ringwald (duh - Breakfast Club!), Mark Derwin (from One Life to Live, Life With Bonnie), Josie Bissett (Jane from Melrose Place), Steve Schirripa (Bobby from Sopranos) John Schneider (from Dukes of Hazzard), my Mom, your Mom....literally everyone is in this show and everyone is watching this show and you know what they say about doing things everyone is doing? You should totally do them too. It's the American way.

The best part of waking up...

...is Starbucks coffee from our new coffee maker in my cup!

I love our coffee nook and I love our new magic-morning-beverage machine. We wanted a new one that brewed hot coffee - not the lukewarm garbage you have to microwave after adding cream. The coffee is not as hot as I would like, but since the machine makes a fantastic cup of coffee, it's a keeper!

Gran Torino

From the first time we saw the trailer for Gran Torino, Sid and I agreed that it looked like an amazing film we would both love to see. We were not in such agreement about WHEN to see the film, however. As I mentioned in a previous post or two, I have been feeling the blues. What kind of blues, you ask? You name it - post vacation, post holiday, post stuffing-my-face-for-two-weeks, post off-my-exercise-routine, and finally, the my-neighbor-got-drums-for-Christmas-that-he-bangs-on-all-day blues. I was pretty sure that a movie about a grumpy old veteran who's wife dies and leaves him alone in a big house in a rough neighborhood where he is not welcome would not do much for my down-in-the-dumps spell. Oh, and I have a theory about movies with dogs in them - they're depressing. Think Old Yeller, I am Legend, Air Bud (don't tell me you didn't cry when the boy hollers at that poor dog to go home), Homeward Bound just to name a few examples.

I agreed to see the movie anyway and it was so incredibly worth it. We got to the Angelika an hour early so I suggested we go to a bookstore nearby to kill some time because, "surely the 5 o'clock showing won't be crowded." Ha! I have never seen the Angelika so full, folks in line were buzzing with excitement, and as people from the showing before us exited the theater, they were commenting to us about how good the film was (one woman looked at me and said, "SO GOOD!" and an old man I had been chatting with in line got all bothered and said to me, "Did she just say the movie was NO good?? He was ready to throw down!)

In summary, it's Clint Eastwood, people! Supposedly it's his last acting role, which makes you kind of sad, doesn't it? Go see it.

It's a New Year

It's a New Year! Let's celebrate by stuffing our faces!

Our feast unraveled sort of like that episode of Friends where everyone tells Monica what they have to have on Thanksgiving. Cabbage and black eyed peas are a must on New Years Day - for luck and fortune in 2009. Sid had to have homemade mac and cheese. I insisted on mashed potatoes. We ended up with a meal big enough to feed ten people and with matching belly aches afterward.