Auntie Camp. Tuesday

Oy! I've been keeping this a big secret. I know this will be a surprise/shock but, I'm not 25 anymore. Nope. Ahemmm.....not even 30! We went to the beach and used our boogie boards (sorta like a small surfboard that you lay on to catch a wave). The water wasn't very rough but it still beats ya' around. Today....today I wish I hadn't stopped exercising 8 months ago. My biceps are sore, my legs, my shoulders....UH! The best part is that our 50 sunscreen worked just fine and we are not burned. The worst part is that we are doing it again today. Oh my aching muscles!

Here she is, the first moment on the beach.This is the jetty we walked out on. We are lookingback at how far we walked. To the right is the ship channel, to the left the bay.

We went across the ferry. It's pretty cool because between the island and the mainland is a small strip of water. For whatever reason, they cannot build a bridge. We drove all the way there just so we could ride on the ferry. We had a wait to go across the first time and CheerGirl was very hot! She is fanning herself with her hand.

I have a dear, dear friend who thinks of everything. She had a present waiting here when CG arrived. It was a waterproof, whoopdee doopdie watch. Here they are showing it off.

Auntie Camp. Monday

This week is Auntie Camp and my dear niece, CheerGirl, is visiting . I have been waiting for this week for the past 6 years! Can you imagine the thrill for an 11 year old girl to leave mom & dad, drive to the airport with one MARRIED cousin.and her other cousin and BOYFRIEND, fly to Texas, spend the night in Austin, and finally drive to Aunties house?! Can you imagine the apprehension of letting your 11 year old go with your nieces, who in your mind, are still 11 themselves? Add to this that I'm not so sure about my girls parenting abilities.....It seems that all of the Ohio relatives (read great-grandma) were certain that they were going to starve, so they were loaded down with various goodies to "hold them over during the loooonnng trip.!" They ate those. One the WAY TO THE airport, the boys insisted on visiting White Castle. Next, they fed CheerGirl Cinnabon at the airport and then pizza for dinner. Yesterday morning they ate the leftovers from Cinnabon and pizza for breakfast. Then Mrs. S called to say that they would get a late start because they were taking CheerGirl to Amy's Ice Cream. They had mini burgers and ice cream. All this and the trip was only 24 hours old. The poor child will need Pepto and a dentist before she goes home!! LOL!! After finally arriving here, we played Guitar Hero....oh yeah and ate dinner! She fairly collapsed at 10 pm.! Our agenda today? The beach of course!

We took this picture by holding the camera ourselves....not the greatest, but what we have!

(because I use this blog as a journal, I will be posting about our adventures all week!)

Minkee vs. Grrr

This has been an eventful week in the life of poor little Minkee. Grrr...loves to chase and YAP at her. She doesn't appreciate it. For the first time I hear/see a cat hiss. Of course she ran into a corner before hissing....big, brave hunter! She was relinquished to the sewing room behind a 4 ft. table barrier. Here is how our week has gone. Put Minkee in the sewing room, block entrance, let dogs out of the kitchen. Let dogs outside, unblock Minkee....she stalks/slinks into the livingroom and takes up refuge...hiding really untill the dogs come back in. Dogs in, Minkee in sewing room. Here she is on the lookout for yappers

She fell asleep defending her area!!!

It's really pitiful because Grr took her favorite spot.

We have had quite a few standoffs at the barrier....Grrr trying to find a way in, Minkee crouching down ready to pounce. I saw Minkee on her hind legs like a bunny looking over the barrier and Grrrr the same. Usually they just stand there for a while and then go lay down. I'm really looking forward to Sunday. I'll be exchanging two dogs for one niece. At least she pottys on her own!

Pets......uhm ...granddoggies

My daughter is the keeper of ugly dogs. There. I said it out loud.

In all fairness, I've said it before, I am NOT an animal lover. Sure puppies and bunnies are cute, but they grow up and become nuisances. Animals in the wild are so cool but in my house.....too much bother. How do I put up with Minkee you wonder? Well, I don't exactly know but she is the exception to the "I don't like animals" rule. Now before you get all judgemental on me have a look for yourselves. I challenge you to look and not laugh out loud!

This dog, has a name that sounds as silly as he looks, is Grrrr. Yes, you read it, Mrs. S named her dog a sound! He is spastic, and has an underbite....on half of his jaw!!! Half of his teeth always hang out. Plus he likes to yap! Oh, he doesn't yap at just anything. He yaps at Minkee, the cat. More on him later.

Can you even tell that this is a dog?????????????????????When he lays on my brown rug, you can't even find him!

I don't know what he looks like...a fluffy, outerspace critter or something. This dog is neurotic, allergic, has skin conditions and oh did I mention, is blind. Yes, you read it correctly he is blind.

This is the reason they are here instead of a kennel. Mrs. S didn't want him to have the stress of a kennel. (this I understand. It really would have been unfair for this poor neurotic thing to be stuck in a cage.) His name is Bob, short for SpongeBob. Bob runs into things. You have to stand just so on the patio to call him in or he will run into the back of the door again and again and again. At one point the barrier I was climbing over (to keep Grrrr from yapping at Minkee) fell. I jumped a mile to keep from falling myself, Grrr took off like the devil and Bob ran smack dab into the wall! I swear the poor thing was shaking his head while the stars circled him. On Tuesday, he decided he loved us so much he wanted to give us gifts. He decorated our carpet. With what you say? Use your imagination. Luckily I was sitting right there. I thought maybe he had a stomach thing going but no, that was not the problem. He was collecting the little presents for us in the fur on his backside!!!!!! G-ROSS! This warranted a bath....DH holding him and me with gloves, soap and scissors invading his backside!!!! It was gross, smelly (wet dog with a skin condition), disgusting and OH SO MUCH FUN!! I told Mrs. S that I was going to bathe him and what does she tell me, the pet lover? "Oh, mom. I blow dry him so that his skin conditions don't act up.But I won't hold you to my standard!" You have got to be kidding me!!!! I don't even blow dry my own hair most days! As it turned out I only washed half of him. I couldn't figure out what to do with his face. Mostly I can't find his face!!

Today we have a viable truce between cat and dogs, no presents and the yapping is minimal. We only have 3 more days of this juggling cats and dogs (more on that tomorrow). I keep telling Mrs. S that I will wait and get her back when I am old.....and drool.

Whatch think?

I'm hoping the two, maybe three readers of this blog will comment....Is the new layout too hard to read? I the font big enough, dark enough? Is it too unga-patchkeyed (don't know if this is Yiddish or made up! My mom used to say it meaning too fussy.) I'm totally into redecorating right now...from my kitchen & LR to my blog!

More Pics

I don't know if it's the extra megapixels or what, but the clarity on these pictures....The camera makes them look better than they did with the naked eye.
This is my nasty neighbors mango tree. Last year she told us "Whatever mangos hang on our side of the fence we can have." How magnanimous of her! I won't go any further into the story of her being nasty! I took these photos a week or so ago. Day before yesterday I found the mangos in my mesquite tree! Something was strong enough to pick the fruit, haul it into the tree and eat it. Birds? Squirrels? My nasty neighbor? I have no idea. I just know that there are no more mangos..... :(

Pictures

I love this new camera. Here are some pics I took at Wildseed Farms in Fredricksburg, Texas. If you live near Wildseed and haven't visited, YOU MUST! We spent a couple of hours there each time I've visited. Cool setting huh!

It's the turtle parking lot! These are concrete and shells. Very cute!

Aren't these tall cactus specatular?

They are made of metal!

I must have been in love with these prickly pears as I took a million pics. They just look so crisp and beautiful.

This was at Ms. CCCat's house. It just came out nice.

More Chickens

I'm chickened out! I finished and hung the second valance yesterday and the wallhanging today. See what happens when I don't work, play on the computer or shop for fabric! The chickens cam from here and the fonts from here. I couldn't wait to do the chickens and now that I'm done, I'm done. I'm chickened out. .......well, I dooooo need placemats........perhaps egg fabric.....

Chicken sayings

I want to use my new font book from Atkinson Designs and thought I would make a "chicken saying" wall hanging for my kitchen. I need help. I can't decide between

-"the sky is falling"
-"hen party"
-"el pollo loco" (crazy chicken)

I know which one I want but am looking for opinions. Answer quick! I want to make this very soon....like yesterday!

Cluck, Cluck

What does one do with this chicken................








and this one.................................... and these two????????????????????????



Why make curtains of course!

Don't mind the mess on the table. I was so excited to photograph and blog I didn't bother to "set the scene!" I got these patterns from this incredible site. (now if I can brave up and remove the UGLY wallpaper...) I have one more valance to make for the other window....stay tuned.....

Deer,Dear

This is the view from Ms. CCCat's home in San Marcos. Texas. Her home here has COWS in the front yard! This is the view through the front door! I'm such a city girl! Between the deer and the scorpion, I practically had a full camera!