Life from where we are

It has been a crazy week again as Scott has been replacing all the trim work in our living room so between that, having to paint & helping out Mark & Dani with a project at their house I haven't had a lot of free time. I made what I thought would be a quick stop at Home Depot a "big box" store today to get some some more painter's caulk & also needed some caulk backer to fill in the gap around the picture window in the living room before I painted it. Simple right ? Wrong!!! Couldn't find the backer so I asked a certain sales person who didn't look old enough to be working there! Of course we had the "language" barrier going on again because of the way I "pronounced" the word caulk!! He kept muttering something about it being backer board, to I repeatedly said NO! He decide to consult with his co-worker who probably got his job after graduating from kindergarten - why do I always end up with the "rookies"! I, on...

Gong Xi Fat Cai Happy Chinese New Year to all the families I know through "bloggerland" & especially to Mark, Dani & our precious Li Li who is the "light of our lives" You were born in the Year of the Ox Those born in the Year of the Ox are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others. If you need honest, steady and unbiased advice, call on the Ox. The downside is they can have fierce tempers and although they speak little, when they do they are quite eloquent. Ox people are generally easy-going, but they can be very stubborn, and hate to fail or be opposed. Oxen don't care to be pushed, especially since they think they're the good guys of the Chinese zodiac. There is some truth to that theory, since the Ox is smart, trustworthy, caring and honorable. What Oxen need most: To overcome that judgmental streak and let others get closer. Most compatible with: Snakes, Roosters, and Rats

I got a new LionDesign (Lion brand yarns) magazine in the mail today.........I want to go here!!! It is their studio where you go in & sample all the yarn!!! Of course I did download two more patterns so I can order more yarn for my "stash"!

This is the package that arrived at my house on Friday......better than Christmas! My order from my on-line shopping spree at JoAnn's yarn sale. This is what the box contained...........enough yarn for nine make that eight(I already made one) projects. I know some people would call this an addiction but I prefer to look at it as a passion or also" insurance against boredom"! This is what I call my "stash" to which all that yarn will be added........do you think I need a bigger container? I am embarrassed to say it's not the only one I have, just the only one I admit to! The scarf on the right is one I had to finish up so I could make the one on the left........that yarn came from the box in the first picture. This scarf has been a "work in progress" for about a year but it's something I can just pick up work on when I feel like it. . This is the beginning of another sweater for Li Li................a girl can never have enough sweaters!

Today would have been my Mother's 88th birthday so I just want to say "Happy birthday Mother - we miss you so much!"

Woke up this morning to more snow but at least it was feeling a little warmer - it's pretty sad when you think 19 degrees is warm . Anyway I decide it was a good day for "comfort" food so after a trip to the market I made cabbage soup - it is by far our favorite winter soup. I also had found a recipe for apple crisp using Idahoan Butter & Herb instant mashed potatoes...........I know strange but I had to try it! Poster will be my guinea pig! He'll eat it & I'll let you know later! We decide this afternoon to take Liza to her favorite park for a walk - with it being so cold she hasn't been out for too many walks & the street were all salt again. It was hard work walking through the snow but she had a ball! PS. Recipe for soup: (1) – medium cabbage shredded (1) - large onion chopped (3) - 14-1/2oz cans chicken broth (3) – tblsp sugar salt & pepper to taste (1) – bay leaf (2) – tblsp wor...

Does anyone remember the commercial "It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature"? Well I think she's a little angry with us all right now! It has been winter here since the middle of November(a month early) & now we are having frigid temperatures & wind chills well below zero! If I didn't know better I would swear they moved us to the northernmost part of Canada!

Today Liza celebrated her 14th birthday - that's 98 in people years!!!!! This is a picture of her "sportin" her new coat right before we took her for a walk. She hasn't been for a week because the weather has been so bad but today the temperature was reasonable even tho the streets are still pretty slushy. She was very funny strutting along, wagging her tail with that "happy" look on her face. After we got home she had a donut with ice cream - yummo!

Today was "Marathon Monday" as I was going to three different grocery stores................I'll admit it I'm a bargain shopper especially when it come to groceries!! However in the midst of shopping at the second store I got a little distracted ditzy & misplaced lost my shopping cart! I had been at the meat section asking the butcher if he had any smaller turkeys & about 3 aisles later turned to put something in my cart but it wasn't there! Not that there wasn't a cart around, but not one I recognized as being MINE!!! I (with a very sheepish look) snuck back to the meat dept & there was my shopping cart!! I continued on my way like nothing happened but after a couple minutes got the "school girl giggles" about it! I just pictured some poor shopper looking for a cart of groceries that they thought they had lost ! I have to admit I have done this before once or twice a few times , once even argued with a guy after stealing taki...

This is one of the most important things in our house - it is Liza's treat ball! I bought this about 9 or 10 years ago & it had a "trap door" where the gaping hole is & when you put treats in it you could control how easily they would fall out as the ball rolled around. Liza learned that if she rolled it down the stairs the treats would usually fall out which is why it looks this way. I have tried super glue etc. but it never stays together! It is sadly beaten & broken but try as I may I have never been able to find another one like it. I have spent hours looking & have bought many similar but nothing will ever take it's place. She knows where it is almost all the time - usually keeps it in her bed - but when it's missing she just paces the house until someone helps her find it. She used to be able to hold it in her mouth like this by just hooking it onto her eye tooth Now she just puts her bottom jaw into the opening like this There is a rit...

Happy birthday to my nephew Adam- hope you have a wonderful day!

Just saw this on the news this morning - that's a lot of "Lizzie" puppies!!!

I am having serious issues this winter dealing with the weather............I think I'm suffering from SAD !!!! It seems like it's been winter for months now & it just gets worse!!! I do not like it!! This little guy was just sitting on my window sill...........I think he was trying to get in out the freezing rain that we're enduring right now! PS. Now they are predicting high winds & power outages!

I know - don't tell me - I'm way behind on my posts. Popster & I always go to first night in Saratoga but this year we really had to think about it even tho we already had our tickets. To begin with we had around 9 inches of snow that day & the weather report was for temps in the teens with a wind chill of around zero.....& they were being conservative at that!!!! This was the 13th one & we have been every year but the first so we put on a brave face & several layers of clothes & off we went. We parked our car near Congress Park as usual which was a bonus this year as that's where they were holding the fireworks at midnight. We headed up Broadway - which was into the wind - & I was dying!!! It's was sooooooooo cold!!!! After getting to Center City we went into a venue for a show & decided to stay there for the next one so we didn't have to go outside. Then from there we could get to the hotel, again without going outside, ...

These are a few pictures I took last week of the family room. I have since had a chance to do the windows & the tv is now hung so I need to take some more. I have to finish hanging some wall decor & family pictures & then I will do a "re-shoot" This is where the tv was hung!