Teachers pet.

I have a theory on chain letters. If you recognize that it's a chain letter PRIOR to opening the envelope or email you can delete it without any repercussions. However... if you've already opened it and find it is a chain letter, no matter what you must now follow the instructions to the letter to prevent any undo bad karma to you. In my case I include my family in with my bad karma because as we all know if momma ain't happy, nobody is... (did you pick up on my sarcastic slang twang there?)...

I visited a friend of mine's blog (Tammy Heckel) and I read her statement: "Someone (Kelli Crowe, I think) says that every blog entry needs a picture". As I read that I knew I was doomed because not only do I really agree with that but I also kind feel like that is a silent blog challenge (a more advanced chain letter deal going on here). So, since I read it I feel I must comply. Don't get me wrong - I'm not the kind of person that would jump off a bridge just because others are doing it. In this case since I do honestly agree with this statement, I feel as a challenge to myself I must comply. Blog entries I read are always more exciting when a picture - no matter what of - is attached.

So what does Teachers Pet have to do with chain letters? Here is my picture for this blog entry of Oscar in the car going to his puppy class. In his puppy class I accused him of being the Teachers Pet. He performs perfectly for his teacher, trying his best to follow her around. At home he just pees on the floor... LOL! What's up with that?! No matter, I have decided to accept the challenge for the betterment of my blog entries. Since I now know how to add them it's the least I can do. So to the two people that are actually reading this blog, three counting myself, enjoy. I surely will. Thanks Tammy!!!

P.S. Truly can Oscar get any cuter? He is in his puppy seat belt. It's a little bit too big but he wears it to get used to it. I've totally bumped my kids out of the seat for him. They now have to sit in the back or the front seat. In our house Oscar rules. (So does Zoe Patti!!!)

Respect the iPod.

Today I'm lending my iPod Nano to my husband. He is the only one in the family iPodless (shhhh, it's going to be his birthday present) and he is going to be sitting at the hospital today waiting for his dad to come out of surgery. In my opinion it's times like this when they are invaluable. I couldn't let him go without it and I was happy to let him borrow mine. Last night we quickly created his own Playlist and uploaded the songs in no time. I taught him how to use the scroll wheel and to work the buttons. When I handed it over to him last night I told him I only have three words - respect the iPod - seriously.

This is a brave act I'm doing as I have this thing about my Nano. I bought a great soft pink leather case that protects it so well (which I totally copied from my friend Patti - thanks Patti!!). You probably wouldn't be surprised if I told you he didn't want to take the pink case. He wanted to just slip it in his front shirt pocket all naked like. I gritted my teeth and said if he really felt he had to ok but I would strongly prefer that he keep the pink case on. Afterall, it's not a bold, crazy pink but rather a soft understated pink - one that any man could carry off well. If truth be told, my husband has a rather strong history of dropping things such as this. His cell phone - ugggh. I can't count how many times it's been dropped on our aggregrate driveway. In his defense he is always on the go and is pre-occupied with a lot of things, technology safety is just not on his mind. But, it is for this very reason that I shutter at the thought of my Nano being unprotected sitting all alone in his front pocket. All he has to do is lean over to get into his brief case and out slides my Nano onto the floor. You see I barely can tolerate fingerprints on it. Any scratches or (knock-on-wood) any full fledge drops would be horrific and potentially unbearable for me. So as you can see I am taking a huge leap of faith here. I'm sure the iPod gods are smiling down on me and providing me with extra protection today, right?!

When he walked out of the door this morning I told him to give his dad a hug from me, that I was thinking of him and everything would be fine. I told him to drive safe and I'd be at the hospital soon. When he turned to walk away under my breath I couldn't help but to repeat over and over - respect the iPod.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Estate Sales.

Ok - maybe not the best parenting skills but this morning I totally bribed my yougest son (10) with a Blockbuster rental if he went with me to 4 estate sales today. Not only did it work but he said he would go with me more often if we made more deals like this. LOL! I'm down with that!! I went one time by myself and it was no fun. Today was a wonderful day. I had about 3 hours of one-on-one time with him and he was my navigator. He learned how to read the Mapquest maps and give me useable directions. Unfortunately no good deals or items I couldn't live without today. I was able to pick up four books on interior decorating and one on architecture. Another plus, two of the homes were in wonderful old neighborhoods and the homes were AWESOME. I kept pointing out architectural details on all the homes both inside and out to my son. He was getting it and began pointing things out to me as well. I have a LOVE for residential architecture and these homes had character. Wonderful morning. Now for the afternoon.... nap?

Have a great weekend!

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Hodgepodge day.

Today is a hodgepodge day - a mixture of activities of some sort. I have already gotten up, fed Oscar and taken him out numerous times, did a load of dishes, started laundry and most importantly cut out the 40% off coupon from Michaels from the paper. Best thing is it's only 8:20 AM! So completely unlike me but I'm loving it. We don't have a lot planned until tonight and it's a rainy day. Lots of stuff we could do. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get some work done. We always get a lot done on days like this, but I'm not wanting to do it today. I'm thinking doing some miscellaneous projects like working in my scrapbook/craft room (organizing, creating a computer station and/or building some shelves in the closet), putting in a telephone outlet in the family room or sewing my beautiful drapes that have been strategically hanging there for oh maybe six months. OR I could go to Estate Sales. Today would be a great day... although tomorrow would be even better if it rains all day today and part of the day tomorrow. That's the BEST. No telling what's going to get done today but no matter what I'm going to do things that I enjoy and/or bring me a sense of accomplishment. Now where's the paper? I need to check out what Estate Sales are going on today in my area.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

A+ in puppy class.

I have to say (and yes I am prejudice) that all my boys (Oscar, Alex & Chad) did very well in puppy class last night. Although we had missed a week of class Oscar caught up in no time - it helped we had Pet Nanny 911 here the day after we got him to give us a good start. There are only five dogs in the class; Artimus, Zoe, Toby, Jerry and Oscar. Two were labs and the other two were little guys. Each one took turns being the example - too cute! My boys were the ones actually taking the class although I jumped in a couple of times because I just had to give him lots of rubs and kisses. I was really impressed with Kennelwood once again, the instructor was great. It isn't easy training puppies and people yet she did it with ease. Next week Oscar and Toby will be the only ones attending. The lesson, sharing (he's supposed to bring his favorite toy). My initial reaction - OH NO, anything but that! LOL! I'm sure it will be fine, fingers crossed.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Things missing...

I hate it when things are missing don't you? It seems it's happening more and more. I'm notorious for moving things and setting stuff down but not knowing where I put it. My brain is already on the next few things that need to get done instead of consciously paying attention to what I just did or what I'm doing. I'm trying to work on that. Now where did the schools fundraising packet go?

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Puppiness.

All was well with our new world but today reality has set in. Oscar has been in full fledge puppy mode this morning; running around, going crazy, nipping at our hands, nipping at our clothes, and other things if you know what I mean. UGGGGH! He must be comfortable at our house now which is a good thing. I do believe today is the day to sign him up for his puppy classes.

The new couch came in. I LOVE IT! It's perfect. Exactly what I wanted. I sat down last night on it and watched Deal or No Deal (gotta love that show). The rest of the family won't sit on it because it's new - LOL! That's fine with me. I'll have it all to myself.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

I'm in love.

Can you see why? He's so awesome!

Here we are at Petsmart shopping last night. After this picture was taken we taught him to not put his paws up on the side of the cart - too dangerous. So instead he would just lay his head on the edge - so cute! Tonight however when we went back to Petsmart for more goodies he apparently forgot all about our lesson - up went the paws again. Oh well, he's just a baby!

While we were there we did learn a valuable lesson. Do not to go to Petsmart with your very cute puppy unless you are not in a hurry. I do believe we spoke with every person who was in the store at least once. One man kept finding his way back by our cart. Each time he'd say, "Hello Oscar!" and then he'd poke his belly or rub his head. LOL! I couldn't blame him because I do the same thing.

I'm in the process of trying to find a unique dog tag - yep, thinking outside the box again on this one. I've found several sites that have some I like but I haven't found the exact one just yet. Here are some fun tags I found. Don't think I can pull the trigger on these for a variety of reasons but I haven't deleted the link just yet. I'm intrigued by the designs and the uniqueness of these. I will post the one I decide one although I'm not in a huge hurry to get one. Afterall, he's never too far from us at this stage.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

It's official...

... we have a new family member. His name is Oscar. He's a 10 week old English Bulldog and the best thing is he SNORES! LOL! I was so hoping he would snore!

Pictures will be posted soon.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Did you read this?

If you have read anything on my blog, please post a comment. It doesn't have to be lengthy, just a "Hey, I read your blog". Just trying to figure some things out like if I'm boring or if no one is getting random access. Seriously 'semi-wink'.

Gotta love that UPS man.

Today was a good day - mail wise. I love it when I get things I've ordered in the mail and it's even more special when multiple items arrive on the same day! Here's what I got:

I've been considering getting some Birkenstocks and happened by the TV last weekend when QVC was on and it was a Birkey day. It was time for me to get my "winter shoes" so I pulled the trigger and ordered these. I got the Mocha color - yummy! Only problem I might have ordered a size too large. I'm truely in between a 36 (5 1/2 - 6) and 37 (6 1/2 - 7). I'm a 6 - 6 1/2. I went into a local store to see what size I am and I couldn't decide. The 36 was a bit snug, the 37 a bit roomy. I ended up ordering the 37 but I may have made a mistake. Ugggh. I have 30 days to decide. I'm going to get some funky socks and see if that makes a difference. I'm hoping since I will be wearing these with socks that I made the right choice with the 37. Only time will tell, and so will I.

The other thing I got was this months Jenni Bowlin scrapbook kit. Love it! It's so fun opening the package to see what she is including this month. It never stops to amaze me that the kit always looks better in person then the picture on her website. Not that the picture is bad mind you but for some reason I'm never quite sure. But, when it comes it's always perfect! I think only one time have I followed her instructions and used the products like she has chosen to do. It's just my way of getting product I wouldn't necessarily be able to find in any of the stores or at least in just one store. Only problem with this shipment was the box was damaged and all the yummy papers were bent. Really bent. Bent enough to really bother me. This is heavy duty paper and you can really tell. I just hate that. I emailed her to let her know. That was disappointing.

Overall, even though both items have some issue with it, I'm still glad I ordered them. Once I resolve the shoe size issue and hopefully get some unbent papers I will be one happy camper. To top this day off the mail didn't have any bills in it! Now that's what I call a good mail day!

On a sidebar, having referenced QVC above. This was my first experience with QVC. I've watched the infommercials before but never ordered anything. So funny 'cause when I was done placing my order and giving my credit card information she confirmed my order and then welcomed me to the QVC family. LOL! This could be dangerous.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Thinking outside the box.

I was just thinking about what the latest thing I have done that classified my thinking outside the box - outside the norm. After all I did name my blog Think Outside the Box so I better be doing just that. So let's see...

Ok - my new couch. Yep I classify that in this category - at least for my area, my friends... It's an espresso color, semi-contemporary couch. It's not a standard, mass produced, run up to your local furniture store type couch. I love that. Of course it took me 3 years to find it - that's the downside of not conforming to the norm.

Another thing, the new puppy. I wouldn't consider an English Bulldog a normal dog. Mutts yes. Golden Retrievers yes. Bulldogs not quite. Although not as "outside" as a Chinese Crested Hairless dog would be (man they must get cold!). But still a bit different, a bit unique.

Ok my drapes. I have silk striped drapes in my family room that in some lights appear green and orange. I have deep purple walls. Doesn't match (one would think) but with the lighting in our family room it coordinates well (not quite sure how that works out but it does). So the colors are a bit out there and silk is definitely out of the norm for most of my friends. Purple walls are out there as well. (It will all look so striking with my new couch though. Can't wait to share soon!!!) What's also crazy about this is I'm not a silk person - or at least I wouldn't have classified myself as one. I'm a sweatshirt, warm-up pants, funky socks type of person. But I'm sooooo drawn to it now it's ridiculous. If it's not silk I just pass it by. Must be a phase.

I feel better. I have been thinking outside the box (at least my box). Always trying to challenge myself to do something just a little bit different. Put my own spin on things. Not be afraid to try something or get something others don't have. It's rubbing off on my kids also. I've received several comments from friends and acquaintances that they recognize and admire my boys abilities to be themselves. They do what they want and they are confident in their decisions. Most kids their ages are fully conforming to their peers - I know I sure did. I hope this continues to be a positive thing and doesn't come back to bite me in the butt some day. Positive thinking - it will continue to be a good thing!

So, I now challenge you to go out today and think outside your box. Go have some fun!

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

New puppy + new couch... Do you see a potential problem here?

Yes it's true. We are getting a new puppy on Friday and we are having a new couch delivered next Tuesday. I will post pictures of both once they have been delivered. Bad timing I know but we will have to deal with it in a big way. We have been waiting for 3 1/2 years (long story which I will share later) to get a new couch and it just happened that I found the one I wanted at a GREAT price the same day we decided on the puppy. Fate is a funny thing. I believe things happen for a reason so I know it will work out.

Will keep you posted.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Meet Oscar!

This is OSCAR! He is a new member of our family! We pick him up at the end of this week and can't wait!!!! He is an English Bulldog puppy. The picture was provided by the breeder. He is currently affectionately called Little Watson by the breeder. His father is named Watson and Oscar looks a lot like him when he was a puppy. Watson is actively winning a lot of championships and Oscar appears to be show quality. That is not why we are getting him but that is a fun factor full of possibilities. He will not be neutered when we get him so it's up to us if we want to try our hand at showing him.

Our family is a research intensive family - sometimes good and sometimes exhausting. Which means we of course researched Oscar to death. Time will tell if we made the right choice but my heart already tells us we did. When we decided the time was right to add a dog to our family we wanted to find a breed that would work with our schedule and lifestyle. We did this once before and it proved successful for us so we thought we would go this route again. It was decided that a Bulldog (a/k/a Bully) would be perfect for us. They are so awesome looking and research shows that they are great dogs. Like most things in life Bullys are often misunderstood. Adult bulldogs can look intimidating and a bit scary. In reality they are very loving and calm.

Once we decided upon a type of dog we began researching the internet on breeders and available puppies.
We weeded out good and not so good breeders. We looked at puppy colors and markings. We looked at location and of course costs. Other than finding a reputable breeder I knew I absolutely didn't want a dog that had a white face and specifically didn't want a dog with white eyes. It always looked to me that they forgot to add mascara.

My son (13) did a majority of the research for us. He is the one that actually found Oscar. When I first saw him I said no because he had a white face and white eyes but he did have something about him that made me look twice. I told him to see what other puppies they had. My dh and son emailed the breeder talking about other puppies but they asked for more pictures of "Little Watson" as well. These additional pictures caused me to learn more about the breed standard. I could see a difference in this puppy compared to the rest we were looking at. We began asking for pictures of some puppies parents. His parents fit the description we were looking for. We began talking with the breeders. Oscars breeder was telling us things we liked. This little puppy kept being thrown in the mix. It was one of those things that I was trying so hard to go in a different direction, to get a different puppy but my heart wouldn't let me. It is now loud and clear to me that Oscar is supposed to be part of our family!!

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Tip #1: A bottle of Coke before bed is a baaaaad idea!

Here are the results of drinking a bottle of Coke before bed - I'm wide awake! I even had a muscle relaxer and still not a chance of closing these eyes anytime soon I'm afraid. I normally do not take muscle relaxers but my dh and I were in an auto accident and apparently I'm suffering from a bad case of whiplash.

I hate even saying that word (whiplash) because it has such a bad vibe associated with it (at least I think so). But, xrays prove my neck issues are in fact real. So I've been taking them before bed to help relax my neck as a majority of my pain and neck stiffness occur when I am first waking up in the morning. The last few days my neck has been aching unbelievably bad. I'm doing phyisical therapy for it also - how silly do I feel when I'm in the "workout" room turning my head sideways multiple times for stretching. LOL! But I've learned phyiscal therapy is more then the workout aspect. I get electrode type things put on with heat and then it's traction time. Normally that helps my neck so much but the other day I went in with a "crick" in my neck and the traction made it worse. The physical therapist had to help me get up because I was stuck lying down. Oh enough about that...

Future family addition:
Our family is considering adding an addition to our family. Yes, a dog. The breed decided upon is an English Bulldog. A LOT of research, thought and consideration went into this decision. Not too big, not too little, little to no shedding, not a digger, not a lot of running or exercise needed, cute, cool and unique (those were mine), not hiper. I added I wouldn't mind a close to dead dog - LOL! Now, before you get upset what I meant by that is a dog that likes to just hang out, lay around, let us step over him or her. All of this led us back to the Bulldog. I say back to because our family has had a facination with them for years. We are now searching and researching breeders. Know of any?

Labor Day Weekend:
We had a good weekend. We did end up seeing Taladaga Nights but didn't actually see it until Monday. It was what I expected. It was silly and funny. I call them dumb movies but I too liked it. I know it will be one of those movies our family watches many times over through the years.

Ok, although I know it won't work I am going to try to go back to bed and read or watch a little tv. Although I have strict instructions I'm not supposed to read while in bed because it puts me in an odd position that is bad on my neck. I'm sure watching TV in bed is just as bad. I guess to be a good do-bee I will sit in the chair next to the bed to watch TV until I get tired. This neck healing stuff is not easy I tell you. I never imagined it would be this hard. Good night - fingers crossed.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Are you ready?

I'm copying this from Ali Edwards blog but I don't think she would mind because it's important stuff. In the event of a national emergency are you ready? I'd love to be able to tell you we are, but we aren't. We have extra water in our pantry and a lot of flashlights but they are not in one spot. Plus, there is so much more that is needed. It's time I do something about this. But how to get started? What exactly do I need? Thanks to Ali I have found the Ready.gov website and have already printed the Get a Kit Checklist. I've gone one step further and also printed the American Diabetes Associations Tips for Emergency Preparedness for those with diabetes. My oldest son is Type 1 diabetic and the thought of an emergency situation really scares me.

So thank you Ali for your prompting me to think about this again and to do something about it! I will post a picture of my emergency kit once it's put together. Now, what about you?

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Sad day.

Just woke up and found out the sad news about Steve Irwin "Crocodile Hunter". He has been a long time family favorite of ours. We've always said that someday he was going to get in trouble, which I'm sure everyone has said who've watched him over the years. But now that that day has come it's very sad. The news is circulating on all the channels, it won't be for a few days that we know more of what happened. My family thanks Steve and his wife for all they have done on educating the public about wildlife. My oldest son has always had a facination about animals - he has two bearded dragons and had a hedgehog - which may have never happened if it hadn't been for his love of Animal Planet and the Crocodile Hunter.

Our families condolences are with Terri (his wife) and children (Bindi Sue and Bob). Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

Saturday.

It's Saturday of Labor Day weekend and what am I doing? Working. Something is wrong with this picture! Honestly I'm kind of enjoying it today. The phone is not ringing, dh is napping on the couch, the kids are content, the window is open with a nice breeze, I have a Coke and HGTV is on. Plus I'm accomplishing quite a lot.

Anyway, I still have two days of the weekend left since Monday is a holiday. Tonight I might surprise the family and suggest we go see a movie - something we rarely do. We are the Netflicks, Blockbuster, On Demand type of family. Tomorrow we are going to BBQ with our neighbors - a favorite activity of mine. Monday hopefully will be a fun scrapbook day! Good days/times ahead.

Hope everyone that might read this is having a good weekend too. Enjoy!

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Cathy |

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Teachers pet.

Respect the iPod.

Estate Sales.

Hodgepodge day.

A+ in puppy class.

Things missing...

Puppiness.

I'm in love.

It's official...

Did you read this?

Gotta love that UPS man.

Thinking outside the box.

New puppy + new couch... Do you see a potential problem here?

Meet Oscar!

Tip #1: A bottle of Coke before bed is a baaaaad idea!

Are you ready?

Sad day.

Saturday.

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