A few more photos/videos here.
We hung out in the back yard last night making soccer videos. Someone---err, somedog---was really happy about that.
Note the dead and dying grass. Our temps have been quite high lately! We're only allowed to water 2x a week on designated days. I cheated and watered a day early because the trees were looking a little worse for wear.
J was so tired last night. We'd make a video, he'd insist on watching it and then he'd laugh, and laugh and laugh so hard he was red in the face. We had fun!
Oh no, not at all.
The collar? Meh. It's itchy but that's about it.
But the leash? Oh, my heavens, the leash. It was and will be a power struggle for a long time, I think. She hates it. She fell asleep resisting it, get that one. I have no idea how she did it.
From here on out, it is going to be a lesson in the pack hierarchy for Sprocket. Sprocket of the soft laps and front-and-center of the alpha male's desk. It's hard because I want to play with her and to puppies, that means "we're even" and not at all "you're in charge." It probably didn't help that she saw me cleaning up her poop, yet another hierarchy issue. The sight of that kind of startled her, I think.
I have to get hubby to help me remember how we trained our first dog together. After all, that one set up a dog run on her own, could fetch a toy from several when we named it and was class valedictorian of the doggy training class.
Last Saturday, the kids and I went out to Emma Long Park, a local camping/hiking/lake swimming park for the birthdays of folks from church.
Hubby had to stay home because he was working on a church project that had a drop-dead deadline of Sunday afternoon since he had to fly to CA for a meeting today. QQ
Anyway, the boys had a blast. I actually went into the water. Waist-deep, but it still counted. J didn't want to go in unless I was there. Later on, after we ate, he wanted to go back in and I told him he was ok on his own because his brother was also there and I was watching. He did go in and I felt better about it that time because he didn't go so far out from shore. When I was in the water, he was getting past neck-deep, enjoying his new-found swimming skills, and that made me nervous because there was definitely a current in the river. I think he will be a surfer if he ever gets the chance to learn. J would dive under the waves like my hubby told me you were supposed to do. Honestly, I had no idea. The beaches we went to when I was little are probably the ones that gave the Pacific its name.
NM played with his friend KR from church for the most part. They were having a blast together, of course, since someone had the forethought to bring a football. "Foosball, mom. That's what they call it in Germany and the rest of the world." :)
I met someone new from church who I don't see at all. Of course, I forgot her name. But we chatted a good long while because she was starting to learn how to knit and would ask me a bunch of questions about fixing things and why her stitches looked the way they did, etc. I gave her my email addy so she can contact me (I would have lost hers) and we can start a knitting circle or something. I have a couch and a coffee maker! All I need is better lighting if even that, and voila! Perfect environment as long as the puppy leaves the yarn alone.
In honor of the upcoming Olympics, what could you win a gold medal in?
Submitted by TheFiercestCalm.Most consistently spacey brain. It's hard work, but I forget I how I do it.
How do you travel to and from work - personal vehicle, bus, subway/train, pedal power? What does it cost you per week in gas or fares?
Submitted by Jan.I have to make the grueling trek from my bed to the kitchen. To the computer upstairs. Downstairs to make breakfast. Outside to bring the dog inside.
No gas used. Such is the WAHM life!
It went very well! J went with me even though he really wanted to stay home and watch the other boys (NM and a friend) play Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. He's a good boy :D
When he saw her, the vet said she reminded him of his favorite patient. I mentioned to him that I didn't think she was a full-blooded corgi and that, he said, was intriguing. I told him her father was a herding dog and he said that she's probably just like his favorite patient, a heeler/corgi mix because of Sprocket's markings. His favorite patient's name? Widget. Tooooo funny.
She did well with the shots, not even a whimper because she was going gaga over the treat instead. She had two of them since the vet wanted to help her get over having to take two jagged pills. Normally, they get one but since I told him we have NM and chemical sensitivities, they opted for a pill instead to help rid of fleas.
We go back in a month. In the mean time, I will get her a leash and collar so we can go hang out with neighbor dogs to help her learn how to be social. Supposedly, that will help with all the biting and nipping since the other dogs will help her learn by putting her in her place. We'll see! The boys like to run and jump and get her to chase which is, of course the exact opposite of what they're supposed to do to prevent the nipping-at-the-heels.
"But it's fun!"
"Mama it's so cuuute!"
I wonder how much longer the fun will last?
Made for someone at church and knit up very quickly. There's something to be said for mindless, easy, no-pattern knitting :D
Lily Sugar n' Cream cotton confetti colors in blue (400 g, one BIG skein)
Lily Sugar n' Cream cotton 2 oz. skein in denim for border
Size 8 needles
I almost used up both skeins. I may have had a yard of the small skein and maybe three yards of the big one left over. Unfortunately, the yarn had a knot in it. Boo! But otherwise it's ok. I would go for 2 small skeins for the border next time.
Speaking of border, I just did 4 rows of garter stitch and then a picot bind off (cast on 2 using cable cast on, then bind off 6 stitches).
I am going to discontinue this blog at this time. With two kids and my hectic schedule now, I just don't have time to keep up with two blogs. I have really enjoyed getting to know some of you, and I hope those of you who would like to keep in touch will check out my Praize blog (link is on the right) every now and then.
Thanks for reading this blog and the opportunity I've had to express myself and get to know some of you a little better.
May God Bless You!
Directly lifted from Alton Brown, published on Foodtv.com.
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1 1/2 cups water
3 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons light corn syrupIn a small pot, bring water and sugar to a boil and whisk in cocoa, vanilla, salt, and corn syrup. Whisk until all of the solids have dissolved. Reduce sauce until slightly thickened. Strain and cool to room temperature. Pour into squeeze bottles. Squeeze into cold milk and stir for delicious chocolate milk or serve on your favorite ice cream. And, hey, it's fat free! I made some yesterday and it's a hit. It thickens quite a bit upon standing and even a little more upon cooling so it's thicker than the stuff in the brown bottle. We've had it on ice cream (yum) and yogurt (not so yum) and later I'll make chocoberry shakes with lots of strawberries. You need to make sure you really like the cocoa you're using because its taste will become more pronounced in the syrup. | |||||||

