yesterday i ran to

Houston with Cindy.  We were in a fabric store and I was sitting at one of their tables.  All of a sudden, there was a head resting on my arm and the side of my face was being licked.  Meet Toro the Argentine Dogo.

He was huge.

Seriously huge.  Look how big his paw was compared to my hand.

It was the same size.  Toro liked to sit in this chair.  At times he would curl up like a lap dog but he would also sit up like a person and look out the window.

Look at his butt in the chair.  His head is at the same height as a person.  Here's Cindy sitting next to Toro.

Toro liked Cindy.  Cindy liked Toro.  He was a really sweet dog.

She got up to talk to the saleslady and Toro wanted her back.  He sat straight up in the chair, held out his paw and waved it, motioning for Cindy to come back and scratch him a little more.

So she did.  I think she wanted to haul something else home in Earl's new truck besides fixtures for the shop.

sometimes a little

fried mush makes everything better.

Every once in a while I get a craving for Jack in the Box tacos.  Yuck, I know, but like I said, every once in a while.  Yesterday I forgot breakfast, was on the road most of the day and lunch was overdue.  Fried mush is fast, cheap, sounded good and it was good.  Try it one day.

queue the chorus of

angels... and... the headlights work.

What is that I hear?  A trumpet?  No, it's the horn.

Progress, my friends.  Progress.

i bought a new pair of shoes

and I love them and I want more.

They are so comfortable.  I recommend these for everyone.  They are Sanuks and I can't decide which pair I'm getting next.

wow, i really needed

that rest.  I honestly planned on posting Friday but I was too tired.  Eric had an accident on his skateboard Wednesday night so we called an ambulance because he hit his head and was pretty much out of it.  The ER doctor called Eric's doctor and we were told to stay the night until he could come in the next evening.  We were released around 11:00 Thursday night.

Since when did hospital meals consist of hamburgers and fries?

I thought it was all bland chicken with unsalted vegetables and jello for dessert.  Hey, where's the jello?  When did they start serving ice cream sandwiches?

Oh, and the watered down tea?  Forget that too, now it's cans of Coke.

So much for nasty hospital food, this stuff wasn't that bad.  Just ignore the Whataburger cup, they don't serve that.  We were hungry first thing that morning and had been warned by one of the nurses to not expect much from the cafe.  So when my friend Norma called, I asked if there was any possible way she could swing by with a Whataburger delivery.  She did and we were SO thankful.

This was my little area on my bed/bench.

i'll be back later

I'm off to a slow start.  I'm tired plus I need to catch up on laundry and take Dodo to her party today.

today i saw the commercial

for this.  It's for real.

You have to see the commercial.  They have it on their website here.

a while back i mentioned

that I was intimidated by yeast.  I've been working with it more and now I think it's a little fun.  We've been depending less on delivery for our pizza and making more at home.  See how my relationship with yeast has blossomed?  It's doubled in size.  (get it?  doubled in size?  okay, I'll stop there.)

Here's the first of three pizza crusts.  We like them thin and crispy, thank you very much.

That was before...


...and this is after.  Here's one of two pepperoni pizzas.  Yum.

I didn't want to keep them all plain so I put some onion, red pepper and mushrooms in a pan to saute

and then out of the oven came this

I think my next project involving yeast might be cinnamon rolls but then again, I've been wanting to try it for about six months now.  Okay so maybe that whole intimidation factor is still there. 

cosme and i went out to

eat Saturday night.  We didn't really have anything planned but as we exited onto Elgin we remembered this show .

and one of its contestants having this restaurant

so we decided to stop.  Great idea.  The food was so good.  We weren't real sure going into it because there were a few bad reviews but we really enjoyed it.  We left completely satisfied.  You can read all about the restaurant t'afia, its Saturday morning cooking classes and farmers market here.  No, Monica Pope did not advance on Top Chef Masters but we're definitely going back to her restaurant.

We each had one of their cocktails and shared the chickpea fries with curried ketchup for an appetizer, along with some awesome bread and butter.  Cosme told me to pick an appetizer and I was hesitant on my selection but we both loved the fries.  My entree was shrimp with grits and came with green beans and tomato jam.  Cosme had a chicken breast with potatoes.  They were both good.  For dessert I had creme brulee topped with two herbed shortbread cookies.  Normally I don't order creme brulee because I'm not a fan.  I had to try it and... yum.  Cosme enjoyed his chocolate bread pudding.  Yeah, we'll definitely go back.

i woke up at 1:45 this

morning and went to make sure Eric made it home from the movies (hours earlier).  He was up watching tv so I sat on the couch and he told all about the movie he saw.  All of a sudden somebody knocks on the door and it pretty much freaks me out.  Eric went outside to see what was going on and he found this

So at 2:00 this morning Eric ran outside yelling all sorts of profanities telling whoever did this to come back and clean it up.  (He has a very short temper.)  Our yard was covered with toilet paper, silly string and plastic forks stuck in the ground.  Oh yeah, they left artwork in the driveway too.  He knows who did it.  Let's just hope he's not like me when it comes to getting even.  I'm afraid he is.

one of my goals is to

get to the beach by sunrise to get some pretty pictures.  Today was the perfect day but there was no sun, just clouds.

The water was so calm.  I snapped a picture with my phone and sent it to Cosme letting him know that makes me want to go fishing.  Look too at how high the tide was.

The tide didn't seem as high down on the free beach but I think I like the pedestrian beach better.

For now I'll do as the sign says and stay on "beach watch" waiting to get a sunrise.  Actually, it doesn't have to be sunrise, just some early morning sun would be nice.

here's the ecard

Mom got

This place has some of the funniest cards but they're not meant for everyone.  Lauren and I decided we'd each send this one to Mom but she should get them at the same time.  Mine read "don't worry, I won't tell Lauren" while Lauren's read "don't worry, I won't tell Melanie".  Luckily I called Mom to see if she got my ecard because she didn't know what it was and it was sitting in her spam folder.

happy birthday to

Mom!

Mom really likes starting off a good birthday with a cake.  Then again, who doesn't? 

I often wonder what a good gift would be.  Something tells me a funky red hat and jewelry is something she would like.

As much as she likes accessories, I bet a trip to Acapulco would put a bigger smile on her face.  (I'll let Dad take care of that one... but let me know and I'll come along!)

But a skillet?  As sure as I am this skillet was appreciated, it looks like she's ready to smack whoever gave it to her.

(This was a copy of a picture so I apologize for the quality but the image itself was so great I had to post it.)

As soon as Mom gives me some ideas on what she might want for her birthday, I'll get to work.  But first I guess she needs to worry about Mother's Day that came and went and she still hasn't told me what she wants.  She better step it up... or she just might get another skillet.

in case there was any

doubt in my mind that school's out, all I had to do was open my eyes.

With all the evidence they've left behind, I sure hope Eric and his friends are having a good time so far.

you might remember

a post from a few days ago about my loyalty issues.  No, it's not the yard, the yard is fine.  It's my nails.  I sent a text asking if the girl was available to do my nails.  Guess what.  She quit.  I was so disappointed.  My friend Mindy and I went last week for pedicures and I had to use a stranger... a man stranger at that.  I have a problem with men giving me pedicures.  Oh well, the whole man nail tech is a totally different story but I think it has something to do with my "don't touch me" issue.  So for now I'm without my regular girl for my nails.  It makes me sad because I knew she did good work and she also knew how to deal with my ticklish feet.  The benefit is I don't have to rely on her schedule to get my nails done.  So it comes down to the fact we "broke up" and now I'm playing the field.  So much for loyalty.

how was your memorial

day weekend?  Mine was pretty good.

oh how i miss thee

This wasn't the last time I had a Coke but it sure feels like it.  It's my favorite and I've gone without for over a week.

remember the yard

work from yesterday?  I went ahead and cleaned up my trimmings from the bushes and started the mower.  I was only going to do one small section and not risk the possibility of an awkward run-in but then another section was added on, then another and before I knew it the front and side yards were already mowed.  (By the way, there was no yard guy encounter.  whew.)  I decided at that point I could either a) die or b) get Eric to mow the rest after school when it was cooler.  I chose to wait.  Fast forward to about 4:00 and guess what I hear.  The guy was next door mowing.  Cool.  He'll never know it was me.

Actually, I didn't ask Eric to finish the back.  Occasionally I get in the mood to get outside and do things.  This is one of those times.

so willie nelson

cut the pigtails for a bob?

On most people I'd say it was a good choice.  Hmm.  A bob?  Seriously?  Okay, whatever.

i think i've got loyalty

issues.  Is it possible to be too loyal?  If so, that's me.  I'm taking a break from yard work.  Sometimes I have a guy do the yard for me.  He also does the neighbor's yard.  I know he started doing their yard on a schedule where mine he only does when I call.  Anyway, a while back he asked if I wanted to be on the same schedule or to keep on calling when I need him.  I told him I'd call because Eric will be mowing to earn money.  (That's right, make it somebody else's fault.)  Sometimes I'll wait until the neighbor's yard is done or not needing to be done just to prevent an awkward run-in with him.  I'm scared to be out doing yard work because he might drive by and see me doing it myself.  It's almost like I'm cheating... with myself.  I got a lot of work done today but I noticed the neighbor's yard is looking pretty bad.  I decided to take a break in case he shows up today.  Maybe I'll do some more this evening.

Now I need to call for an appointment with my nail tech.  I won't "cheat" on her either and lately it's been so hard to see her since she's gone back to school.

i'm sitting here waiting

for 8:00 because I don't think it's polite to start using yard equipment before 8:00.  Yes, I realize that most people have left for work or are leaving for work but there's always that possibility that someone is still in bed.  So for that person, I wait until 8:00.  That just seems like a good solid time.  7:00 is still a little early (for a lot of people) and by 9:00, half the morning's gone. 

Last week was the powder puff game at the high school.  Eric was asked to be a dancing dude, a partner of one of the school's dancing dolls.  The halftime performance was the dancing dolls with their dancing dude dancing a routine to Shake Your Groove Thing.

Playing guitar in front of a crowd, dancing in the middle of a football field for an audience, making good grades in algebra II AND chemistry... I know he didn't get any of that from me.

just an observation

from a couple of weeks ago.  Eric and I were waiting for our food at the drive-thru window of the Chinese restaurant.  Across the street they're building a new shopping center.  This is what we saw
these guys were working hard...

and this guy was under the nice structure the others were assembling and hardly working

 never mind, he decided to get up and help the rest of the crew

oh wait, he was just scratching at something on his arm

last night i took

some pictures of Eric during the King of the Blues competition

i watched a movie due

to pure boredom yesterday.  It was on HBO or something.  I watched this.

It was, by far, one of the worst movies I have ever seen.  Scratch that.  It was the worst movie I have ever seen.  It was bad.  I had to finish it just to see how it ended.  Wait, there was a Jennifer Lopez wedding movie that co-starred Jane Fonda and I walked out on that one after ten minutes.  Okay, that one might have been the worst movie I'd ever seen but Mamma Mia was right there with it.

On a different note, Cosme leaves Barrancabermeja today.  I'll pick him up from the airport tomorrow.

Before that though, tonight we have Eric's guitar contest.  I don't think I'll be able to eat all day.  I'm so nervous.  We were going over his stuff last night and I was giving him my feedback... since I am a musical genius and all.  I hope that goes well.  I guess though, me getting through the evening without getting sick translates to going well but I also hope Eric knocks the judges' socks off.

wow, what a weekend

I described it to Cosme like this

but the more I think about it, this is a little more accurate

i don't know what

embarrasses me more, the fact that I watched Oprah last week or the fact that I watched it because it was all about Eclipse.  If you don't know what Eclipse is, then I'll leave it at that and you can make fun of me for watching Oprah.  If you know what Eclipse is, then you were probably watching too or wishing you had been.

blogging just isn't

the same without my computer.  I'm having to sign in on Eric's computer as a guest and I feel so limited.  I can't do anything.

happy birthday

to Cosme.  Wait a minute.  I just realized why he needed to take my laptop with him.  I think it had something to do with a birthday blog post.  I didn't post his baby/little kid pictures last year because of the few I do have of him, I didn't really know if he'd want me to.  I'm nice like that.  Besides, why would I want to give him reason to get me back on my birthday?  (Every year I request that nothing be said to a waiter at any restaurant on my birthday.  He's listened to me so far and I'm not going to risk ruining that.)  I at least wanted to post a current pic this year.  Oh well.  Since I'm on Eric's computer and am too afraid to mess anything up, I guess Cosme's safe once again.  Next year will be my third year to do the whole picture/birthday blog post.  Maybe the third time will be a charm.

my computer is

on vacation right now.  It's in Colombia with Cosme.  He got in to Bogota last night and we had already planned that I would call from the house phone directly to his room.  He gave me the room number when he got in but I couldn't figure out how to call.  It was late and I was tired but that wasn't the problem.  I called the operator and she told me what to dial first.  Didn't work.  I called information to find out how to get an international number.  She asked what city and state.  I told her the city and told her it is Colombia.  She said I need to call a different number (duh, woman).  I called the other number, it had been changed.  I called the new number, I am not allowed access.  I gave up and called him back on his cell phone.  Whatever.

Aren't operators supposed to help me use the freaking phone?  And since when does the operator change her number?  And why am I denied access when calling the operator?  Oh well, I'll try again tonight.  He flew out of Bogota this morning and just landed in Barrancabermeja, also known as the birthplace of the ELN (National Liberation Army) guerilla group.  I would post a picture from a map but I'm not familiar with this Windows 7 jazz.

For now, I'm using Eric's computer.  I might or might not post pictures while my computer's away.  We'll see.  After getting a few pictures from Cosme's phone though, nothing around here seems interesting.  Colombia seems like a place I'd love to explore.  I guess I'm better off here, out of guerilla territory.  Maybe I'll see what West Columbia has to offer instead.  fun. fun.

the garage door man

showed up yesterday and was kind enough to raise the door so I could get my car (and anything else I'd need for the weekend) out of the garage.  What a relief.  He didn't have the right springs but at least I have transportation now.  Anyway, I did get to run my errands yesterday.  When I pulled into the driveway with all my groceries and a new grill, I realized that all that stuff had to be carried in.  Ugh.  It might not seem like a long walk but it actually is.

See the arrow on the right?  That's where I parked.  See the arrow on the left?  Down that walkway is the front door.  Seriously.  It doesn't seem like a long walk in the picture but it is.  Take into consideration too that extending out of the right side of the picture is another 10 feet or so of flower bed that has to be walked around.  And that walkway to the front door?  It's over ten feet.  You put all that together while carrying grocery sacks in the Texas heat at noon and you've got something I'd rather not do.  (I would like to take a minute to mourn the possible loss of the once overgrown hibiscus.  When I cut them back earlier this year they never returned.  Shouldn't they be blooming now?)  Oh well.  I thought for a minute.  There had to be a more efficient way to get this done.  My answer?  The wheel barrow.  I got it out and loaded the groceries up and wheeled everything to the back door.

It was ghetto.  Wait.  Can a wheel barrow be "ghetto"?  Yeah, it probably can if the only tire it has is flat.

If there was ever a time I felt like a hillbilly, it was then.  I've probably said that before but I'm pretty sure hauling the groceries to the back door in a wheel barrow with a flat tire tops any other moment I've had.  On the bright side, that wheel barrow is so rarely used, it was nice to finally get some use out of the thing.

Now that I'm back on track, it's time to get to prepping.  I have a cake to bake, dip to make, shrimp to thaw, eggs to boil and as usual, the regularly scheduled cleaning and laundry.

today was the day

I planned to run errands.  I had so much to do.  I needed to hit the grocery store so I could spend all day tomorrow baking and prepping for Saturday.  Oh, I was even going to get a new grill today.  It started off good.  Eric's friend stayed the night last night since they have PALS stuff going on all day off campus.  I went to Shipley's for donuts and my nemesis finally wasn't working the drive-thru window and it was the nice lady that used to always work it.  (I'll explain in a minute.)  I stopped at the mailbox on the way home and that's when the good day I was having turned not-so-good.  I got out of the car and didn't realize I hadn't zipped the side pocket of my purse with all my cash when I left Shipley's.  Bills and coins went all over the street.  I got all but two pennies... I think.  I got the mail and drove home.  I pulled into the garage, shut the door and came inside.  [Insert loud noise]  The spring on the garage door is in several pieces.  Now I'm sitting here waiting on the man to call me back so he can come out and confirm his not having the part I need while I wonder if there's any way I can have that door opened by 11:00 so I can get all my garbage out to the street.  Oh well.  I'm going to look on the bright side.  Eric had a ride so there were no worries there, I have plenty to keep me busy inside for the day, I can always go to the grocery store this evening and finally, I didn't have to face my nemesis at Shipley's.

I'll explain the situation at Shipley's.  I think the girl has it out for me.  I think she gets mad because I ask for hot donuts.  She's never nice to me and has done things, I think, to intentionally aggravate me.  She has left my donuts just out of reach, sitting on the drive-thru window sill while she gets change.  She has given me the exact opposite of what I ordered.  Last week I didn't ask for hot donuts and she was suspiciously friendly with her smile as she said goodbye.  I pulled off only to find cold donuts in the bag.  Ugh, it's so frustrating.

Anyway, I'm going to go do all I can while being unexpectedly stuck.  At least I had a hot donut this morning.  Things could be worse.

i'm working

outside today.  Have I mentioned how much I hate snakes?  I thought so.  Apparently the snakes didn't get any such memo.

i might be slacking the

next couple of days.  I have stuff to do and other stuff to get ready for.  I have banquets to attend and family dinners to prepare for.  There are stores to be shopped and rooms to be cleaned.  There is work to be done and resting will follow.  For these reasons, I predict slacking.