Expressing

I took my lab mix, Riley, to the vet this morning to have her anal glands expressed.  I asked the vet to show me so that I could do it at home.  I had watched some videos online and thought I had a pretty good idea of what they were going to do.  Well, I was wrong.  Expressing the glands is definitely a messy and smelly job that is meant for the vets office.  They did one gland and I did the other, so I actually know how to do it now, but I'm not sure I want to continue doing it at home.  Letting them do it is worth the $19 fee. Plus they have the supply of gloves, lube, and sanitizer required.

Navigator

I got so involved with being the navigator for hubby while he plays Final Fantasy, that I forgot to blog yesterday.  Since most of our TV shows are taking vacation for the holidays, we will be playing more Final Fantasy this evening.  Actually, only hubby plays.  Those games seem way too complicated to me, but I can be his navigator through the challenges.

Pet's in the Grocery Store

I love my dogs as much as anyone, but there are some places they do not belong.  The grocery store is one of those places.  I was in the grocery store today when a family walked in with their new puppy.  It was definitely cute and couldn't have been more than 8-10 weeks old, but I don't want to see their dog, or any dog, near the open olive bar or the produce or any food which I am planning to buy.  I understand taking guide animals in to stores, but this was clearly no guide animal.  I told the store manager, who nicely asked them to take the dog outside. 

I just wonder what makes a person think it is okay to bring their pet grocery shopping with them?

Merry Christmas

I hope your day is filled with Joy & Happiness and may all your holiday wishes come true.

Merry Christmas.

Happy Christmas Eve

I heard on the radio today that Christmas Eve is the one day of the year that every kid goes to bed when their parents tell them to without fussing.  I totally believe that.  Hope your stockings are all hung and they get filled with all the goodies you have been wanting.

Happy Christmas Eve.

No Ordinary Family

No Ordinary Family is a new show that came out this year and I have really enjoyed watching.  If you haven't seen the show, the premise is the family was just an ordinary family until their plane crashed when they were on vacation in South America.  After the plane crash, they managed to each now have super powers.  The mother is super fast, the dad is extremely strong, the daughter can hear other peoples thoughts, and the son is super smart at pretty much anything.  Hubby asked me the other day which super power would I like to have.  At first I said I would like to have the daughters powers, but then hearing other peoples thoughts would get really old after a while.  It would be cool to be super strong and would definitely be cool to be really fast, but I finally settled on the sons powers.  I would like to just automatically know how to do anything I tried.

What super power would you like to have?

"Snack Distracts Burglar"

Stupid criminal stories always amuse me and here is one from our community newspaper today.  The headline was "Snack Distracts Burglar" 

Apparently a young man, we'll just call him JV, broke in to the City National Bank in Taylor at about 3am on Monday morning.   When the police arrived on the scene, JV had apparently never made it past the first teller booth.  When walking past the booth, he got distracted by a bowl of M&Ms and was still there eating them when the police arrived and arrested him.  He is being charged with a third degree felony burglary of a building along with a class b misdemeanor for the small amount of marijuana in his possession.  I can just hear the jailhouse banter now... "So what are you in for man?"  "Oh, I broke in to a bank and stole some M&Ms.  I couldn't help myself; just as I got inside, I started getting the munchies from the marijuana I smoked." 

Back to Work

The Monday after vacation is always hard.  It was really busy today and I had a hard time getting in to "work" mode.  I finally delegated more duties to my assistant, so that helped my work load a little.  Tomorrow should be easier, plus this is a short week due to the holiday.

Inconsiderate Parking

Lately I have come across tons of people who are taking up multiple parking spaces in prime parking area for no good reason.  I have actually watched a couple of them and when they come back to their vehicle, it was as if it was no big deal and perfectly okay.  So, for all of you out there who think it is okay to park in multiple parking spaces, here are a few tips.

1. If you have to park in more than one space because your vehicle is too big, then get a smaller vehicle.  Just because we are in Texas,  the "bigger is better" motto doesn't have to apply to everything.  In fact, try getting a Smart car or a Honda Fit, you can easily park them in any normal parking space.
2. If you are parking in more than one space because you don't want anyone to mess with your new car; you are very mistaken.  People are more likely to leave you nasty notes, block you in, or do something mean to your car simply because you are being a jerk.  If you park in a normal space, people are more likely to be careful not to hit your vehicle.
3. If you absolutely cannot park in one space, then go park on the outside perimeter of the parking lot.  Out there, no one cares if you take up 2 spaces to park your pickup that is 4 times the size of a normal vehicle.
4. Lastly, if you are parking there because you are a jerk and refuse to park nicely, then you have no right to complain if something happens to your car.

This is such a pet peeve of mine and with all of the over-sized vehicles we have here in Texas, this happens all the time.  UGH!!!

Holiday Dinner

Tonight is our holiday dinner with friends.  Several of us get together, have dinner, and catch up on what has been going on since the last time we saw each other.  The group size ranges from 6 to 10 depending on who can make it each year and there are no expectations of gift exchanges.  It's just friends having dinner and hanging out.  Tonight is will most likely just be 5 or 6 of us (the core group).  That's okay because we are the ones that have the most in common and always have a great time together.  To me, this is what the holidays are all about. Spending time with friends and family.

Pyrex and Anchor Hocking Glass Baking Dishes

I am a big fan of glass baking dishes and learned something very disturbing in this month's Consumer Reports magazine.  The formula for the Pyrex and Anchor Hocking glass baking dishes changed in the mid 80's and the new formula doesn't hold up as well as the original formula.  If you have ever had a glass baking dish shatter, it might not have been something you did, it could have been because you have one of the dishes made with the new formula.  Consumer Reports tested dishes by placing them in a 450 degree oven for 80 minutes and then taking them out and placing them on a marble counter.  Every single one shattered.  When placed on a towel which buffered the cool surface, they did not break.  Essentially, you have to read the instructions and follow them closely.  The newer formula is not as sturdy as the older formula.  Now, I am going to be leery about using my glass baking dishes.

Pampas Grass

Today we cut back our pampas grass and while working with it, hubby and I decided this would be perfect to use as a security measure.  We have two and each one was about 6 feet tall and at least 4 feet in diameter.  If you were to plant these right outside each of your windows, no burglars would be able to get in for fear of being cut and scratched by this plant.  It would also be great to keep teenagers from sneaking out. 

Aloe Vera Flower

Our Aloe Vera plant is flowering.  We have had a plant previously that flowered and made a pretty white bloom.  This one appears to be more of a peach color.

New Camera

Today we tried taking a picture with our new camera by setting it for a 10 second delay.  It was really easy ad worked great.  Now we can actually take a picture of both of us without having someone else take the photo.  The hardest part was getting both hubby and I in the picture without cutting off his head (he is 6'4" and I am 5'1").

Shiner Bock

This is my "middle child", Riley.  She absolutely loves Shiner Beer; well, any beer really.  Hubby had a small amount left in the bottom of his bottle and was heading to the kitchen to rinse the bottle.  She followed him whining until he gave in and let her have the last sip.  What have we created here?!?!

Busted

This is Abbie; she is the oldest of my three monsters.  She is in hubby's recliner snuggled in the blanket that is off limits.  It is a down filled throw that we use in the winter when it gets a little chilly and she loves it.  We don't let the dogs get on it because it is hard to clean their dog hair out of it.  I had gone to the back to get ready for work and came out to find her snuggled up and completely unaware that I had returned to the room.

TGIF

I am so glad it is finally Friday.  This has felt like a really long week and I am glad it is coming to an end.

Hope you have a great weekend planned.  I am just planning to take it easy.

The Buried Boat

In the news here in Austin recently was a story about an 8 year old cold case that finally had a break.  Eight years ago a high school senior was killed in a hit and run boating accident.  The driver never stopped and was never found.  Well, the week of Thanksgiving, the police received a tip that they knew the driver of the speed boat and they knew where the boat was located.  The boat was buried on this guys property.  The police went out this week to search for the boat and actually found it.  The boat was cut in to pieces and buried waist high in various places on this guys property.

I think cutting up and burying a boat is a bit over the top.

Cinnamon for Dogs

I receive an email newsletter from Dogster periodically and they always have some useful tips or tidbits I didn't know.  The one I received today was about how cinnamon is beneficial to dogs.  Check out the article.  I may give it a try since all of my dogs could be prone to joint issues.

Cool River

Our boss is taking the team out for our holiday lunch next week.  The team decided on Cool River as the place to go this year.  We pick the place partly because it is our bosses favorite place (and he is paying), but also because it is a nice place to do our gift exchange and has a quieter atmosphere than where we went last year.  Two weeks ago when I made the reservation, I sent out a calendar reminder to everyone so they would block that time on their calendar.  That same day my boss came over really excited that the team chose Cool River as the place for the lunch.  Last week, he came over and said he really wished that our lunch was that day, because he was super excited about going to the restaurant.  Today he pops over all excited and said "Only 8 more days until we go to Cool River."  He is so excited about our lunch he can barely contain himself.

H2Orange

H2Orange us a bottled water where the proceeds go toward scholarship funds for the University of Texas.  The bottle is shaped like the UT Tower.  We had purchased a bottle and have had it around for a while.  I was going to send it to my brother in California, but the postal service frowns on liquids being sent through the mail.  I walked in to the kitchen just as hubby was adding a drink mix to the bottle of water.  He didn't realize the mix he had chosen was an orange drink and made the bottle look just like the UT Tower when it is lit up for special occasions.

Holiday Spirit

This year I am having a hard time getting in to the holiday spirit. Normally listening to holiday music puts me in the spirit, but it is not working this year. My neighbors are all decorating their houses and I haven't even pulled out my boxes of decorations.

What puts you in the holiday spirit?

Lazy Day

Today I was on vacation and it has been a lazy day. My company has a use it or lose it policy and I refuse to lose my vacation time. Today I slept in until about 8:30am, then I got up and signed on to my work computer to approve my teams payroll. I know I am on vacation, but they need to be paid. I got it all done with about 7 minutes to spare and was just about to shut down the computer when I realized I didn't submit my own payroll. So, I signed back in really quick and did mine before the deadline. After that, we just watched TV and have been somewhat lazy today. In about an hour I am heading to the TransSiberian Orchestra concert with my sister-in-law (hubby isn't able to go), so I will fill you in on the great concert tomorrow. There are no cameras allowed, but maybe I can snap a pic with my phone.

Bump It

You know how some people bump fists instead of giving each other a high five? Well, hubby and I are teaching our lab to "bump it". When we give her the bump it command, she touches her nose to our fist. She already knows how to give a high 5, but this is something she can do from a standing position instead of the sitting position. She is catching on really quickly.

Do your pets have any new tricks you want to share?

Studying

Today I spent my spare time doing last minute studying. I have the hardest of my two exams tomorrow.