well it's

New Years Eve and it feels like any other day, any other day plagued with a sinus headache that is.  But hey, I'm okay with that.  I've got allergy medicine with a decongestant and gel to squirt up my nose every 10-12 hours.  If I fall asleep, I fall asleep.  Whatever.  It's all good.

Our first order of business is a change I made on the "About" page of my website.  I am not scheduling any portrait appointments at this time.  

Up next: more flying.  Cosme took me on Sunday morning to fly in a different, more powerful plane.  What can I say?  We went up and it made me nervous.  We were on the west side of Houston.  See?  I have to admit I was a little fascinated with the clouds around the buildings.  (I'll spare you and only show you one of about fifteen...)

I think that's the beltway towards the bottom of the picture.

I went to Costco yesterday and bought a few things.  I bought some new hand towels for the front bathroom.  Let me just say that when we painted in August, I went with a dark grey hand towel for that bathroom.  Once I got it home, it seemed purple.  Yesterday I found some other grey towels at Costco.  As soon as I got home, they looked purple.  Really???  So apparently, as grey as I'd like that bathroom to be, it'll be accented with purple towels.  EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE ALL REALLY GREY!  Here's a comparison of the old and new.

Here's the new one outside under the shade of the front porch.  And yes, I'm wearing a robe at 10:00 in the morning.  I'm cold.

Whatever.  I give up.

Also, I sampled some pickles.  They're a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet.  They're very crunchy and I love them.  I bought a Costco sized jar of them, hoping to put them on a sandwich for lunch and maybe even in some deviled eggs.  Here they are.

But when I got home, I realized the seal had already been broken.  I was standing here talking to Eric and pushing the button when it hit me that the button shouldn't be pushable.  I wonder if the jar was opened by the sample lady since I did take it from her stand but I don't know.  The longer I look at it, the more I try to convince myself it'll be fine and want to eat one.  I'm going back on Thursday but I really don't feel like waiting.  UGH.

I think I need to make a dip to go with the wonderful sourdough baguette chips I also picked up from Costco.  I'm sure that'll make up for the towels and pickles.  Although, I guess this means I have to change out of my robe to go to Kroger.  Decisions, decisions...

i need to take a quick

little break from my "stuff and thangs" (that's a little fun people poke at The Walking Dead).  I'm in the middle of catching up on everything that was neglected during Christmas, well... maybe not so much the middle but at least I've started.  I'm in the first quarter of catching up.  (Hey, there's A LOT of catching up to do.)

Anyway, Cosme got his pilot's license last week so Mom and I went for a ride with him.  We left Cypress and flew to Angleton so we could have lunch and swap places with Eric.  So here are a few of the pictures from our ride:

Downtown Houston

A cruise ship docked in Houston

And the jetties where I normally end up on photo excursions

The dryer just stopped so I'm off again.  TCB

and here's the

new end table

I love it!  Mom rode with me to Rosenberg yesterday to pick it up from Southern Sister Designs.  (The table is made by Wine Barrel Woodcrafts.)  Here's their card.

And if you would, please check out my fingernails.  After we got the table, Mom and I stopped for manicures.  I never paint my nails but since it's Christmas and I finally got my table, I decided to celebrate and add a little color.  I'm really not expecting it to last more than a couple of days but I did it anyway.  I wonder what crazy things I'll do today...

i'm excited because

a few months ago, before we had new furniture, I saw an end table I knew I NEEDED.  I had the perfect spot for it.  Then the talks of new furniture became more real, like it was something that was really about to happen.  Dismissing the end table to focus on couch, chairs, coffee table.  (Remember post on the coffee table?  I knew I wanted that table and the room would have to focus around that.)  Anyway, we have the couch and one of the three chairs (SIGH...) but the more we've been hanging out on the new furniture, I've realized that I have a new perfect spot for that table.  So, after I finish my grocery shopping (which I hope will start between 6:30 and 7:00), I will drive to Rosenberg to get my table.  I'll post pictures but for now I'll just tell you it's a table made from a wine barrel.

I'm off to the grocery store.

i have a long vent

but for now I'm just posting this.  What good is the freedom of speech if we don't have freedom of opinion?

I don't even know where to start with it all but all I do know is there are a lot of people claiming to be "open-minded" and condemning the "close-minded" for speaking their minds.

I will stop before I get worked up more.  I have shopping that needs to be done and can't get caught up in this right now. 

i knew this time

would come.  You know, the time where, after weeks of having plenty of time and saying I'll do it later, I'm left with a lot to do.  I need to run errands in three different directions.  I need to make a trip to Houston but it'll have to be done in two trips because one item is needed now while the other is needed later.  While I'm out running errands, I need to be home doing stuff like cleaning out a closet and moving poles for Christmas lights.  Knowing all of that, I've decided to sit here and write about it rather than do it.

This Christmas season's shopping has had a few hiccups.  First, I LOVE shopping online because I HATE dealing with crowds.  (It's not only the actual crowds but the germs they carry and the traffic they cause.)  I signed up for 2 day shipping for several different packages.  This first was with an Amazon order.  When Friday, December 13 came and went, my tracking status still read "On schedule for December 13".  UPS was lying.  When Monday morning came, I decided to contact UPS.  They said I needed to contact Amazon because Amazon prefers to deal with any shipping issues.  So I chose the "chat now" option with Amazon.  (Not only do I not have to leave the house to shop but I don't have to pick up the phone to chat.  The only way it could possibly get better is to think of things I want and have them magically appear.)  Anyway, I "talked" to Ajmath at Amazon.

What's irritating with chatting and trying to get a point across is typos.  "Deliver" should have been "delivery".  I was so irritated with them so I did what any ill-tempered lady would do when hanging up on the other person wasn't an option.  I clicked "end chat" and I clicked it hard.  That was my way of slamming the phone down.  A few minutes later I got an email from Ajmath.  He apologized.  Whatever, Ajmath.  Whatever.  The next day the package came.  And then there's the whole issue I've been having with a seller on another site... ugh.  Either way, it's still better than dealing with the crowds.

Speaking of crowds, I did have to get out and do some shopping after 1:00 yesterday.  BIG mistake.  It reminded me why I try to get all of my shopping done before lunch.

Oh well, I guess I'll quit putting it all off any longer and go get busy with something.  I think I might take off in one direction, stop back by the house and then head in another direction.  Maybe the third direction can wait until Friday... or Saturday.  (When Christmas comes and goes, and I'm complaining about having to have gone out and dealt with that Saturday before Christmas crowd, remind me how I sat here and suggested it and how my current self should have told my future self that is a TOTALLY bad idea.)

Now it's time to TCB.  One task at a time.

UPDATE: The Christmas cards are still sitting here.

do you know how long it's

been since I've sent out Christmas cards?  Years.  It's been years.  I've purchased a set every year, planning to send them out but I just never got around to it.  There were a couple of times I even had them addressed and ready to go and just never got around to sending them.  I was talking to someone the other day about cards and decided that this year I am doing it.  I'm picking one of the boxes of cards from my stash and sending them out.  So yesterday I did it.  I opened a new box and began to address them all.  I'd finished the return address on 9 of the 10 cards and thought to myself, "This is awesome.  They only included the exact number of envelopes as cards and I've managed to not mess up on ANY of them."  To someone who has always been asked to (and is still asked to) write things for people, this is kind of a big deal.  So as I grabbed my last envelope to address, my "Ad..." came out as "An..."

Typical.  Today I will try to finish the cards.  I already have my Christmas stamps so it's just a matter of getting them to the mailbox.  FYI, there's a 99.75% chance I will get distracted and not get that done... today.

you know those

moments when it feels like you're forgetting something?  That's me today.  Actually, I've been feeling it all week about today.  For some reason Friday's been stuck in my head.  Now that Friday's here, just like I've done every other day this week when thinking about today, I'm going over it in my head and realizing that no... there's nothing I'm supposed to be doing... I don't think, anyway.  (If anybody out there knows that there's something I'm supposed to remember for today, please let me know because I've clearly forgotten.)  I mean I know of a few things on the calendar but nothing major like making another trip to Houston or some kind of a deadline for something.  Or is there and I'm just overlooking it? 

The day before yesterday I had some errands to run.  Eric called and told me there were two men in the backyard.  This didn't alarm me too much because of the whole fence/easement situation (if you want, you can refresh your memory HERE... just don't read a few posts after that or you'll see warm sunny days in Puerto Rico) but these guys were doing something against the house outside his window.  In the true Melanie fashion of overreacting, I told Eric to get a gun and go ask them if he could help them with anything.  He didn't make it out there before they were gone but I was on my way home.  When I got here, the local cable company had about 5 cars parked in the street.  As normally done, the cable company knocked on my door to let me know they'd be in the backyard trying to locate their cable (which they were suspecting to be right up against my fencepost).  So, I figured the other guys had something to do with that.  Fast forward to yesterday.  I heard a thump happening every minute or so and figured it was Maggie.  I looked out the back window and saw the water hose and its reel near the back porch.  (Sigh...)  I figured it was definitely a Maggie noise.  I went around the house later to check out the crime scene and that's when I heard the thumping noise coming from our gas meter.  There was a faint smell of gas so I, once again, overreacted and called Centerpoint.  They sent someone out and he noticed that the two men were probably contractors that had been by to add some new box to my meter.  Ahh... mystery solved.  He smelled a little bit of gas but it wasn't registering on his gadget so he decided to check on some gasket around the new box.  About 10 minutes and some clanking later, he came to tell me he replaced the meter.  The contractors literally did a bang up job on installing the new box which pushed some part over causing a thump to hit.  Great news.  He also said that since they messed it up and the thing wasn't rotating right, it wasn't reading anything so I had about 24 hours of free gas.  "Excuse me, utility company, can you come fix my meter so you cannot undercharge me?"

I'm leaving you with a random picture I took a few weeks ago out at the wildlife reserve.

i think i might

have scored myself an extra Christmas present yesterday.  I know you're all wondering how.  Here it is...

This pie.

Pies have never been my thing.  You can tell by looking at the crust that I don't do it often.  It's not that I don't love pies, it's just that I guess I've never had great luck with making a crust.  I usually leave the pie baking to Mrs. Smith or Marie Callenders.  Well, a couple of weeks ago, Eric asked if I'd try making a pie sometime so when I went to the store on Tuesday, I bought apples.  Long story short, this pie was a hit.  Eric said it's better than the one I normally buy.  Imagine that.  I made an edible pie.  As for the recipe, I always knew if I tried making a pie crust, I'd use the crust recipe from a former coworker.  Then there was the filling.  I searched on All Recipes and found one with the highest rating and number of reviews and did it.  The only thing I did differently was add cinnamon.  (I might not know much about pies but I know enough to add cinnamon to my apples... even when the recipe doesn't call for any.)

Now I have two goals for today:
1.  Finish pictures that I'm working on.
2.  Try to stay away from the pie.

i really know

how to start a day off right.  After writing a lengthy post, I went and accidentally deleted it.  I guess it's the blog's way of getting back at me.  "Victim of neglect, my arse.  I'll show her."

Anyway, I'm still here.  I'm as close as I can be to overdosing on clementines, trying to keep any nasty bugs away with vitamin C. 

Oh.  There is something I wanted to share but forgot about in the deleted post.  Thanksgiving came and went and I tried something new.  First, I loathe dressing.  Each year I think that it really does look good and each year I give it another try and each year I find it just as disgusting as the previous year.  This year though, I saw something.  I'm a fan of Barefoot Contessa on Food Network and I caught her on their Thanksgiving Live special.  Anyway, she gave a recipe for an alternative to dressing.  It's Mushroom & Leek Bread Pudding.  I made it and I really liked it.  I know it probably sounds weird but I enjoyed it.  I mixed it all up and put most of it in a larger dish but put some aside in a smaller dish to sample it (since I prep all my sides days in advance).  Here's my sample of it.

Another new thing I tried the other day was a recipe I found on Pinterest.  It only makes an 8x8 pan so it doesn't go very far but I liked them fine.  It was Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars and I found the recipe HERE.  The only thing I had to change was the filling.  I only had one block of cream cheese on hand so I halved the filling, leaving the crust as is.  So here's a pic of my bars.

Now I should quit talking about food and go buy some.  As much as I don't want to get out in the cold, it's sunny so I'm taking advantage of it.

it seems like

I'm forgetting to do something but I'm not.  Could it be that nothing major is on my calendar?  I love it.

Here's a little of what's been happening since last time.

Maggie got fixed.  I brought her home from the vet yesterday and keeping her still for 1-2 days was HARD.  We let her out in the backyard last night.  I figured it had technically been one full day since her surgery and it's not like she was enjoying it in her cage.  I left for about 30 minutes and when I came home, she had already torn into the stuffing of her bed.  I took her picture but she looks more like one of those animals in the commercials with the Sarah McLachlan music.  You be the judge.

Would you adopt this dog or donate money to her fund?  (Ignore all the white fluff.)

I did portraits on Sunday.  Thank goodness we were almost done when I got up from standing on my knees and looked down.  I'd been standing on poison oak.  I came home, got in the shower with dish soap and Tecnu and threw all my clothes (shoes included) into the garbage.  Today's Wednesday so I'm hoping I'm in the clear but so far, so good.  I can't go through that again.

There's a Texas Roadhouse in Lake Jackson now.  I'd say I'm pretty much a regular at going to pick up an order.  Each time seems to get a little worse though.  The food is fine but the wait and the service are HORRIBLE.  Each time I go I tell myself that time will go differently and each time I still leave angry.  Last night was the final straw.  Long story short, I was worked up enough not to want to go back and I'll probably leave a bad review (which I usually do in those situations).  So, I figured out why I have to keep going back.  It's the bread, the hot, delicious rolls they serve.  I'm serious.  Their rolls are like crack.  So on today's agenda, along with all the other things I've decided to get done on this week of nothing major going on, I will find a recipe and I will make the rolls.  Let's hope the first recipe works because I WILL learn to make those rolls so my dealer will quit making money off of me.

We were in bed last night and there was a loud noise.  Cosme jumped up wondering what that was but for me it was one of those times where you heard a loud noise and you wake up but once you wake up you weren't real sure if it was part of your dream or a real noise.  And by that time, you are not only doubting whether or not you even heard anything but then you can't remember what it even sounded like.  That was me.  We went into the living room and saw this.

So another thing on my to-do list is to find the little pegs that hold the shelves up… and put everything back in place.  But first, it's time to get busy on those rolls!

so I went to

the dentist yesterday for a crown.  You know, it's not even getting the crown that bothers me.  The part that bothers me is going in for the permanent crown to be put on.  That whole part of pulling off the temporary is just one of those things I don't like to feel or hear.  It's creepy and I always panic they're going to use those clamps on the wrong tooth.  (I also don't like the fact I was able to use the word "always" in there.)  I have to quit thinking about it but anyway, that's the worst part for me.  Actually, this was in the very back of my mouth and I'm pretty sore today so this might be the second worst part.  On the plus side, I was able to throw a quiche together last night and bake it so breakfast was a no brainer this morning… and easy to chew.  (Not that I can't chew but like I said, I'm a little sore.)

It looks like I'll be back at the store this morning for two more strands of Christmas lights for the tree.  All I can say is, I am my mother's daughter.

I got home from the dentist yesterday and started getting settled.  I unloaded a few things I had stopped to pick up on the way home, changed my clothes, started to change the front porch light (until I realized I don't have that size replacement bulb), threw my frozen mac & cheese in the microwave and it was about that time I wondered if it's considered drinking alone if animals are around or if I'm talking to someone on the phone.  I won't go into too much detail but let's just say Lucille got a lecture, Maggie got an appointment to get fixed on Monday and I managed to resist the urge to drink alone.

Now I'm off for more Christmas lights but I'll leave you with this picture I got on my beach outing the other morning.

things are

getting done this week.  TCB.  I have a few errands to run today and I also plan on getting the Christmas tree started today.  With all the stuff I have going on, I took a quick drive yesterday morning to catch the morning sun at the beach.  I decided to go down to San Luis Pass and get a few pictures.  Well, since I was last there, it's changed and I didn't like it.  Since I was already that far, I just kept going and went to Galveston.  It's funny to think that a spur of the moment photo outing landed me in Galveston at 7:30 in the morning.  I drove around and decided on one thing.  There's too much to see in Galveston for me to be driving around (without being properly dressed and also having bed head) in one morning.  I'm a little familiar with Galveston but traffic was starting to pick up and I didn't want to be rushed so I drove home.  I definitely need to go back.  Preferably not alone and preferably not as everyone is out on the roads headed to work, but definitely before everything opens.  Maybe early on a Saturday or Sunday would be better.

Anyway, on my way home I had to stop and get this.  Some people might think it's a little gross but oh well, it's what I saw.  I just thought it was a little funny and if it were to have a title, it would have to be Roadkill.  (With the emphasis obviously on road.)

On that note, I'm off to start my day... hoping it will end much better than that guy's.

can i call

it or can I call it?  I went to the dentist yesterday.  No biggie.  I have a cavity.  He showed me the x-ray.

Me: Wait...  This tooth with the big filling has a cavity?  (I give him a look like I know what's     coming...because I do)

Him: Yeah... you'll need a crown.

I know at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo they give out Hard Luck Awards.  The cowboy with the roughest ride/outcome wins airfare.  I think I'm deserving.  As I left I could only think of two things: 1) at least I have insurance and 2) at least I don't have poison ivy.  So, one week from tomorrow I'll be back in Houston for a crown.  And then hopefully before two weeks from that I'll be back for my permanent crown.  (I mean two weeks from that is Thanksgiving...)

On that note, I had a dream I was covered in poison ivy.  I realized I walked through it and was in the shower washing the oils off while on the phone with the doctor telling them to get a shot ready.

I bought bananas for banana bread.  I think I'll make it today.  The exterminator is coming, maybe I'll offer him a loaf.  It makes several loaves so I guess if anyone else shows up at my door I'll offer them a loaf too.  Oh, I bet that'll be wonderful with the homemade butter.  This might just be a wonderful day ahead of me.

On the dog front, I was watching Maggie out the window yesterday.  I'm pretty sure she was hunting snakes.  She was on a scent and it was around what I'll call the "snake pit" (the mess of palm that was obviously planted with the idea that the buyer of this house would install a pool... don't count me out just yet).  Luckily for me, there were no snakes found on the back porch.

It's almost 5:00.  It's getting late.  I guess I'll start laundry now.

i grew up in

the city and even though I've lived in these small towns for the last 20 years (the same small towns I spent a LOT of time in as a kid), I have to agree with whoever said the whole thing about taking the girl out of the city but not taking the city out of the girl.  Yeah, I know I don't live in the country but it's a small town and I see things here I just never saw in Houston.  I know it happened but just not in my world.  I guess it's the whole nature thing.  It's given me the willies the few times Maggie has trapped snakes.  But this morning I let her inside for a bit (we bought her a crate over the weekend) and then let her out when I felt it was time.  As soon as I shut the door, she started barking.  I looked out the window and there was a bird standing by the back fence.  That didn't bother me.  What bothered me was the lifeless mound of grey fur in front of it.  [insert willies here]  I didn't know what to do.  I wanted Maggie to quit barking but I didn't want to be left with a dead squirrel in the yard.  I decided to do what anyone would do... go outside to get a better picture than what I was able to get through a dirty window.

And then I saw the bird pick up the dead squirrel [more willies] and fly off as Maggie went to chase it.  I hate that kind of stuff.

On the bright side, I've seen these types of birds sitting on the back fence before.  From fb, I found out what it is and read up on them.  I don't like birds but I like these things.  They prey on things like mice, squirrels and snakes.

Attention all chicken hawks: YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.  I REPEAT, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE. fine print: just keep killing unwanted critters and taking them away but preferably when I'm not looking.

and that's

a wrap.  The haunted house was a hit and apparently trick-or-treating at the house was a hit too.  Eric and Cosme dressed as Batman and Robin, respectively, and stood outside to pass out candy.  I gave Eric instructions on how to hand the candy out (from worst to best, stopping before best is gone).  Everything is gone.  Put it this way, I started on a pack of M&M's yesterday but I got busy and left a few in it to finish later.  Even those were gone.  See?  They gave out everything, probably eating some along the way and when they realized it was all gone, they even took my scraps.  At least I figure that's how it went.  Either way, our candy is gone.

As for the haunted house, it was great.  It's a little messed up how delighted I am to hear the people scream and see them jump.  Today's the cleanup day so I need to head over there pretty soon to help out.  That won't take near as long as the setup took.  Awesome.  Now I just need to figure out what time to head over.  They said it definitely won't be before 10:00.  I was thinking 11:00 would be good.

Oh well, I should probably wash some dishes and get dressed.  And don't be surprised if my Christmas tree goes up in the next week or so.  Don't judge me either.  Is it my fault that I think a tree is so pretty and a month just isn't enough time to admire it?  No.  So as Eric would say, let me do me.

(from the Houston photo walk)

it's that moment

that most people avoid.  There is one cold Coke in the refrigerator and it's raining so the trip to the store to buy more is dreaded and the only thing to do is hold off and try to plan out the perfect moment to pop open that last can.  UGH.  Sure, I could drink water but where's the fun and enjoyment in that?  That's easy: there is none.  I've said it before that most people enjoy coffee in the morning but I don't like coffee.  I have a whole cold 12 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper but it's not the same, people.  Would I ask a coffee drinker to settle for a hot tea?  I don't think so.

Another dilemma: I was opening the Halloween candy and realized I only bought stuff we like.  You know how you're supposed to buy good stuff and bad stuff to hand out all the bad stuff (like Dum Dums, Smarties and SweetTarts) and turn the lights off when that's gone and you're only left with your good stuff (like peanut M&M's, KitKats, Snickers and Reece's).  It's come to that.

It looks like a trip to the store is inevitable.  I don't know why I put myself in these do or die situations.  Oh, the humanity.

In other, more uplifting news, last night was the first of our two night haunted house.  It's so much fun.  I love scaring people and it makes all the hard work worth it when we can make them start to cry.  There were a couple of times I was having to look down and follow the people in a creepy way just because I knew I would start laughing.  I'm at the beginning of the haunted house and there's a girl with a mask about 10 feet away.  I started following a group of three girls and it was perfect.

Me: [following and growling and hissing] Don't go in there...
One of the three girls: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! [squealing with panic]
Another one: turn on your light so we can see!!!
The third one: NO!  Then she will see us!!!
The masked girl 10 feet down: [growling] But I see you now... ROAR!
Three girls: [SCREAM!!!!]
Masked girl and me: blood curling screams as the three girls run away leaving us with a well deserved double handed high five

That's what I'm talking about.  I heard the exorcism room with Cosme was a hit.  The priest gave him a few things to say in Latin as the girl on the bed screamed and shook while he also threw holy water.  How could that not be awesome?  He won't be there tonight so we have a few hours to find a replacement.

Anyway, here's a picture from last night.  It's me with my "crystal ball".  The only reason you can see me so well is because the masked girl held her phone up for some light.  Before that I was just in front of my glowing crystal ball with a black light up above.

a while back we

heard Maggie scratching at our bedroom window screens.  She ended up tearing a little hole in one.  We figured she was being bad and trying to get in.  Yesterday I heard her doing it so I grabbed my phone to catch it.  (Sorry it's sideways.  Tilt your head... it doesn't last long.)  She wasn't trying to get in but she was actually trying to catch bugs.



So she's not bad, she's just a killer.

Speaking of Maggie, I need to get her a bed.  (By the way, I took these pictures right before I went out to clean up the water hose she attacked.)

Now I'm off to what will be a very long and tiring day.  First I'm headed to finish the haunted house and then it's back at 5:30 for our awesome production.  In case you don't remember, here's the short clip I shared from last year's haunted house.

and for right

now, all is well.  The picture on the left was either the morning I went to the doctor or the day before.  Either way, it was at a really miserable point.  The picture on the right is today, a week and a day after the steroid shot.

And guess what's happening today.  For the first time in two weeks I'm going to wear short sleeves!

We have the haunted house tomorrow and Thursday and I'm so excited.  It seems to be coming along pretty well.  The run-through is tonight.

So like I said, for right now, all is well.  (I do have a dentist appointment on Tuesday and well, we all know how my dentist appointments turn out.  Cleaning = crown.  Cavity = root canal.)  So I'm appreciating well right now.  Let's all just hope, pray and cross our fingers that come Tuesday, all will still be well.

See this?  I don't need anyone else's drama and problems.  I've got my own, thanks.

the poison ivy is on

its way out!  I'm thrilled and relieved.  It's settled.  The next time I get it, I'm going for a shot.  Although, I felt a little weird getting it.  The nurse asked me if I'd ever had a steroid injection.  For a split second I thought that maybe I should get pills.  I felt so Lance Armstrong and wrong.  When she told me to stick around for about 15 minutes to make sure I didn't have a reaction, I took another few seconds to think about the pills.  Bottom line: I was miserable and if a shot would make it go away faster, give me two.  So that was Tuesday and here we are on Friday.  I'm a little itchy but I'm almost to the point of feeling like I might be getting close to wearing short sleeves.  Not today and probably not tomorrow but close.  Put it this way, if I were somebody standing next to me, I'd want me wearing long sleeves.  It isn't pretty.

Speaking of not being pretty, today we start assembling the haunted house at church.  It's grown and is kind of a big deal.  It should be pretty good.  We were planning and drawing out what would go where yesterday and of course, some laughs would come out when we thought of something really good and scary.  I brought up the fact that it's a little messed up how much joy we get from that.  So anyway, I'll go up today and we'll start covering everything and setting up for next week... but first I have to wait for Antonio to come and remove any poison ivy from my yard.

I guess, for now, I could get busy on any of the chores around the house that need to be done or I could continue working on props for the haunted cemetery... even though I'd rather take a nap.  One thing's for sure.  If I don't put a can of Coke in the refrigerator for later, I'll regret it.

it's always something

and now it's poison ivy.  And it sucks.  It showed up a week ago and I went to the doctor yesterday for a shot.  I'm not near as itchy as I was at this time yesterday but I'm still itchy.  But really though, it does look better.

In other news, the trainer came out for Maggie yesterday.  First of all, before the trainer got here, I went out back to pick up the water hose that Maggie finally pulled off its rack and attacked.  I was stuffing pieces of hose into the trash bag when I went to grab the last section from in front of the door.  There was a snake right there.  UGH.  I hate snakes.  When I see a snake, I prefer to scream and run rather than kill it.  Lucky for me though, this snake was dead.  At least I thought it was until its little head raised up and he hissed at me.  So I grabbed Maggie's beloved shovel and killed it.  Since the grass was wet and a shovel's distance between me and the snake was not long enough, I threw the snake in the grass.  (I figured Cosme needed something to do when he got home... if another animal didn't run off with it before then.)  Anyway, I picked up the hose, figuring I'd tell the trainer instead of leaving evidence of Maggie's destruction.  The trainer came and we were using a clicker to work with Maggie. She was doing really well.  Then I noticed the snake back on the porch.  About that time, Maggie picked it up and started walking around with it.  Somehow the trainer got it away from her and it went back into the yard.  Everything went fine and a couple of hours later I wanted to try the clicker approach with her again.  She was a little hyper but went along with it.  And guess what.  That snake was back on the porch.  To top it all off, I forgot to have Cosme get rid of it last night.  Between all the talk of training and doctor visits, it didn't get done.  I'm sure when I go out there to work with Maggie this morning, there will be even less of that snake on the back porch and hopefully no new ones.

On that note, it's about time for me to get out there and start clicking.  Maybe that'll take my mind off the fact that I'm starting to itch.

i really wish

I had a hidden camera in the backyard to catch Maggie.  I heard banging this morning.  It was against the house, near my bedroom window.  I looked out and she was there with her shovel.  Who knows what she was trying to do.  She's goofy like that.  Oh, I'm so excited about tomorrow morning!  It's our meeting with the trainer.  I guess I also need to start planning on getting her fixed.  (Maggie, not the trainer.)  Once that happens, I could start taking her to the dog park in town.

Has anyone heard of any photo walks?  Me neither.  If I had a photo walk to think about and plan on, my mind wouldn't be so focused on this poison ivy I've got going on.  On the plus side, a cool front came through so I'm not as miserable walking around in long sleeves.

So I went to the art gallery with Eric yesterday.  Yeah.  We're still trying to figure that one out.  But, I guess that's the good thing about art... to each his own.  While this is the last day of that exhibit, it looked like they were pulling out pieces for what I assumed to be the next showing.  One of those actually caught my eye.  I'll have to watch out for that one.  But back to the contemporary art inspired by the artist's Indian upbringing and all, not that there's anything wrong with that, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I guess it's time to get ready for my hair appointment.  I'll leave you with another Lake Jackson photo walk image.

deep breath in

... and release.  Now that's what I'm talking about.

Let's see:
Hand wedding pictures over to Brittany
Deliver food for Jake
Have new dishwasher installed
Pick up heart worm pill for Maggie
Go to art gallery with Eric
Hair appointment
Appointment with the dog trainer

Could it be that I'm almost caught up?  I think so!  Did you catch that last one?  Yeah, a trainer is coming by Friday morning for an evaluation.  I picked up a card from the vet's office because it's gotten to that point.  Honestly, I need the training as much as Maggie.  The rocks I had Antonio put down haven't stopped her from digging.  She moves the rocks out of the way and digs.  (My back porch is now turning into a rock garden.)  Oh, and the water hose she's been terrified of?  She chewed off about four feet of the end.  So I'm hoping the trainer will help me help her.

Looking at my calendar, I also realized the set up for our haunted house begins a week from tomorrow. I guess I need to get busy on some props.  It's not that we need them but I just want to make a few things to add to it.

Unfortunately, I don't have any photo walks penciled in.  Bummer.  Here's one from the Lake Jackson photo walk.

Oh well, now I'm off to get ready for the art gallery.  (He's 19 and in college.  Is it okay to refer to it as a field trip?)

boo! did i

scare you?

Were you starting to think this blog was part of the government shutdown?  Seriously, I hope to be back to regular posting soon.  I'm not just saying that, I sincerely mean it.  I've been trying to finish a few things here and there so my mind won't constantly be focused on what I should be doing instead of sitting here.  Really though, there's been a lot going on.  I think I might need a vacation.  Yeah, yeah... I don't work outside the home.  Why would I need a vacation?  Assuming I don't need a vacation is as bad as assuming I don't have anything to do.  Seriously, JUST because someone doesn't have a job outside the home doesn't mean they need anyone sitting there thinking of things for them to do.  Wow.  I'm 41 years old and finally starting to stand up for myself.  These backbone things are kind of nice.  I  should have looked into one years ago.

I did take two Saturdays in a row and do photo walks.  Have I mentioned that I loved it?  I can't believe  it took me years to finally do it.  (It must have something to do with that whole backbone thing.)  I didn't have a walk this weekend and guess what, I don't see one happening anytime soon.  There needs to be more photo walks.  I would do it on my own but walking around with a group is so much safer than walking around alone with camera gear.  Alone, I'm constantly watching out for what's around me but in a different way.  It's less of a "let's create great art" watch and more of a "let's not get mugged" watch.

For your continued patience during my times of preoccupation, I will share a picture from one of the photo walks.  This was another from Houston, before I was limited to my phone.  By the way, another first, I went up and to a stranger who was sitting on a bench behind the Wortham Theater, just taking a break, and asked if I could take his picture.

we all know what

we're supposed to do when life hands us lemons.  Guess what.  I had a whole lot of lemonade this weekend.  To make a long story short, I'm going to the camera doctor today.  Yes, everything turned to crap in the middle of the photo walk on Saturday but at least it wasn't a wedding.  Also, I just used my phone for the rest of the day.  I would say it all being operator error is the worst part but as much as I could kick myself, I'm using this as an opportunity to be more aware next time.

Here are some phone pics from Saturday.

Now let's all hope for a speedy recovery because my camera has places to go and people to see.  In the meantime, I've decided my backup needs to be upgraded.  My current backup is... well... let's compare it to the donut spare everyone has in their trunk.  Now let's say that someone who drives for a living needs to use the spare but also needs to keep driving while the permanent tire could possibly take 10 days to be replaced.  That trip would be a lot easier and go a lot faster if they'd just replace the donut with a regular sized tire.  Now I need to get dressed just in case I can get my camera to a doctor in Houston this morning.

Fingers crossed, prayers said, rabbit foot rubbed...

did you hear about

the time I photographed a wedding?  Yes?  Well, click HERE for a look at the bridal portraits we did a few weeks before that.

In other news, I'm meeting up for a photo walk tomorrow.  I'm pretty excited and now I just hope the rain holds off.  Oh yeah, let's hope for no rain the next weekend too.  I've signed up for another photo walk.  Watch out for me... I might just come out of my shell!  (Highly doubtful but it's fun to keep everyone in suspense.)

For now, go check out the bridal portraits and I'll go sweep my floors.

i'm an early

bird.  Sleeping until 8:00 is late for me.  When I woke up yesterday, it was almost 11:00.  Enough said.

I woke up at 3:00 this morning, thinking about the wedding.  I think either I'm scarred or the stress is lingering.  But, the roller coaster is almost over.  I'm slowly editing photos from Saturday's wedding.  My world will soon be back to normal and I will be thankful.

i'd really

appreciate a pause button right now.  Although, if I had one, I probably wouldn't have time to press it.

the photo bug always

seems to bite at the worst times.  I'd love to get out and go for a drive this morning but there are so many things stopping me.  Let's see, oh yeah, first thing is my car is in the shop.  They picked it up yesterday and hopefully they'll call me today with wonderful, inexpensive news.  So my car's in the shop and oh yeah, there are a ton of other things going on.  (hanging my head and sighing )  Coke, anyone?  I think I need another round.

For several years I've thought about going on a photowalk.  It's a worldwide thing.  (No, the actual walk is not worldwide but walks are happening in towns everywhere on the same day.)  I finally said screw it and get this... I signed up for two separate walks on back-to-back weekends.  So there.  I did it.

In the meantime, while I'm wearing myself out on all the other stuff going on, I'll wish I was one of these two.

i'm a picky

person.  My drink of choice is a cold Coke with no ice and a straw.  If I have a fountain drink, I'm okay with ice.  I'd like for them to go easy on it but the straw is a must.  If I'm drinking out of a can or bottle, I don't really need a straw but sometimes I use it anyway.

That's where this next bit of information comes in handy.  (I saw this on Pinterest.)  If you have a canned drink and want to use a straw, after you pop it open, twist the tab back around.  At this point you have a hole over the opening to hold a straw in place so it doesn't bob all over the place.

Like this:

And now I'm off to look for more things so I can continue to blow minds.

yesterday i was

expecting a delivery from UPS.  They needed a signature so when I wasn't sitting in a chair facing the front door, I was pacing.  I was expecting a lens, a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 to be exact.  My plans were made.  I would get the lens and head out to the wildlife refuge way before sunset.  When the lens didn't come until 8:30, the evening at the wildlife refuge was out of the question.... but I did get Strat.

This morning I went out to the beach and got pictures of the sun hitting the water with a little boat off to the side, in true Melanie fashion.

I got a barge about to enter the waterway to the port, I guess.

Then I left and headed to the wildlife refuge.  (Keep in mind I'm not trying to win any awards with these, I'm simply trying out the lens.)

I put my window down to get this reflection off the first puddle of water I came to.

That was a mistake.  Suddenly I was in the car with 37 mosquitos and a large fly. Fortunately for me, I had already covered myself with Off.  Unfortunately for me, I didn't put the windows down again.

I got out of the car so I could get the eyes of this alligator.

And that was it, until I was leaving.  Up by the first puddle of water was a pack of boars.  A pack?  A herd?  A gang?  Whatever.  They took off to hide in the grass.

Then I remembered why I wasn't feeling 100%.  I made bacon earlier and was so anxious to get out that I didn't take the time to eat.  So I headed back home for my bacon.  Maybe I can get out again tomorrow.

the new dryer

was delivered and laundry was done.  Don't judge me here but my last dryer didn't even have anything to let me know when it was finished.  It was just something I was used to.  My grandmother's old dryer, that still works today, has a buzzer.  I was used to that thing as a kid, that shockingly loud buzzer.  Everything now is so dainty-like.  It's all chimes and beeps.  When I went to start my first load drying, I noticed I had the option to be alerted when it was finished.  Sure!  Let's try this!  The clothes were drying and I kept on doing my thing.  When time was up, and my cutesy little chime let out a harsh BUUUUUUZZZZZZ, I jumped.  I immediately knew there would not be a repeat of that.  But the good news is my laundry is getting washed and dried and it's awesome.

I really wanted to get to the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday.  They're open from sunrise to sunset.  We rushed but by the time we got there, the sun was setting and they were in the process of closing the gates.  Oh well.  I told Cosme to pull over so I could at least get a shot of the sunset.  It's a little blurry but I was trying to hurry on a narrow road with cars coming from behind.  So the one blurry shot is all I have but it explains why I couldn't get into the refuge.

and in the middle

of it all, the dryer went out.  I got online to search for a new one and found exactly what I need.  A dryer.  It dries.  We bought our current dryer almost 20 years ago.  I know that's not terribly old in dryer years but it's had a few minor repairs along the way.  After the last repair, we decided that one more repair could've totaled the cost of a new dryer.  So here it is, the day I get a new dryer.

My old dryer is basic.  You pretty much get to decide how long you want the dryer set and whether or not you want to turn it on.  I know there are a lot of cool ones now but I'm pretty practical and I went into this knowing I've done fine with a basic dryer.  So when I started my online search, I found the one.  The price was good, the size was good and it dries clothes.  So we went down to Sears to check it in person and all that flew out the window.  There it was.  The new, modern dryer, sitting there in all its digital glory.  Not only was it the brand I wanted and the size I wanted, it was half off.  HALF.  It was marked to $599.  Anyone who knows me, knows that all of a sudden, that bargain was a contender.  It's so hard for me to pass on a deal.  One catch, no delivery on that one.  We left Sears with a solution.  If we could find a way to get it home, I'd get the fancy one.  Well, I didn't find a way so I went back into Sears Monday morning to get my basic dryer.  I walked by the fancy one and the $599 had been changed to $529.

(Insert Charlie Brown AAUGH! here.)

You know I'm dying inside at this point. I thought of one more option to getting it home but guess what.  It was pouring outside.  (Anyone who knows me, also knows I look for signs.)  The rain was my sign.  Besides, I started reminding myself of the reasons I wanted the basic dryer to begin with.

So, here I am at home waiting on my new plain-Jane dryer to be delivered.  It's crazy how anxious I am to do laundry.

i'm not here to

finish with the stuff we did on the house.  I'm here to discuss me, my camera and my tripod.

Last night was a blue moon.  Here you go, like any of the other moon pics I had to get.

This morning was a different story.  This morning I wanted the stars.  I grabbed the camera and tripod and adjusted my settings.  It was a little frustrating trying to get what I wanted but I later realized why it wasn't working.

You know that moment when you realize it isn't the camera and tripod that are moving but it's actually the planet?  I do.  And guess what.  That's what happens when you're standing there waiting for the shutter to open and close.

In my defense, the picture wasn't this big so all I could tell was that my stars were blurry.

i have a little

free time so I'll write a little about a few of the changes that have been made around here.

It all started with the floors.

A few years ago we tore out our carpet and put wood down.  We never finished.  There were issues.  There were matters of my measures and cuts as well as transition pieces.  When we decided to have a party for my cousin, I knew I had to decide on something and get it done.  So I figured out what I would do.

1. On all the pieces between wood and tile flooring, I would put a wood strip.  (One of the T-shaped things that matches the flooring.)
2. Between the white trim and wood I would put quarter round to paint white.
3. The main issue I had... a tile step-down to the wood, that I decided to use the quarter round that matched the flooring and put it between the white quarter round.  That might be a little hard to understand but you'll see a pic in a minute.

So I called someone to do the job and he measured and told me how much of what to get.  Simple.  Next step, call Lumber Liquidators (where I bought my flooring) for the coordinating trim.  Here's where it gets fun.  While they did have the 6' piece of quarter round I needed at the tile step-down, they didn't have the T pieces I needed for the tile (I don't remember how much it was exactly but I know I needed about 36'.)  The closest store was New Jersey.  Now what?  I decided I couldn't have the matching bamboo but would have to buy the stuff from Home Depot and stain it to match.  Yuck, but okay.  Wrong again.  I couldn't find it anywhere.  Just when I was about to pay WAY too much and have the stuff shipped from New Jersey with Lumber Liquidators, I remembered a carpet store pretty close to my house.  If they offered wood, they probably offered trim.  I went in and not only did they have it but they stained it for me at no extra cost.  I knew it would be different because my floors are bamboo and the trim is not AND I really didn't think the stain was matchable.  (In my house it looks like it has a little mahogany in it but in the store you see definite green and black... it's weird.)

Anyway, I ended up saving more money that way and now my floor is finished.  Here's my solutions.

The T's between the wood and tile

the threshold and quarter round painted white 

and the quarter round at the step-down from the tile.  What was originally going to be a piece of coordinating quarter round put down between the trim's quarter round ended up being one long piece.  I taped off the ending points of the trim and painted white, then did the same with the stain.

This is where a discovery was made.  I might not be the best at painting or any of this home improvement stuff but my stained quarter round matches REALLY well with the bamboo.  Seriously, look at my stain compared to the others.  I might have missed my calling.  Once I realized what a whiz I am at stain matching and blending, I went over some of the stuff they did.  (Not much, just a few touch ups)

And that was most of the flooring situation.  In my next post, if the wounds aren't still too fresh, I'll try to explain how the trim turned into almost everything else being painted.  There really is a good explanation.