Help me pay for my wedding?

I am not in the mood to write anything lately. Plus it hurts to type because I have a pinched nerve in my arm.

So instead, I will share this with you: http://helpmepayformywedding.wordpress.com/

Let me sum it up for you: times are hard, we don't have the money to finance our wedding, do it for us.

Do I think its tacky? Haha yes. But, also it made my laugh and I did donate $1. Why not. And she DID ask nicely.

What do you think about this?

Such a productive weekend...

... And its not even 5:30 on Saturday yet!

The weather has been getting oh-so-nice and summer is just around the corner. BBQ's, party's, get togethers, lazy days, I can't wait!

Jerad and I have been reading The Five Languages of Love, and learning all about each other's love languages. It finally clicked with him that mine is Acts of Service (I'll explain all this later) and he has been trying so hard to love me in "my language."

Right now he is off at Home Depot and I'm washing laundry and starting dinner. So far between yesterday and today he has cleaned up the side of the house and back yard, pressure washed the house, patio, patio furniture, and drive way. Set up all of the patio furniture and got the cushions out of storage, replaced 2 missing fence boards, and done a ton of weeding. Tonight he is patching some holes in our siding, building me raised garden beds, and working on the shower which still isn't finished from last year, and crossing off some other "honey-do" list items.

I am through the roof! Things look great, and I feel like sooooo much has gotten done, and I have such a hard working amazing boy who loves me oh so much.

Yesterday I spent babying my car. I got an oil change and service, car wash, new tires, alignment, and made an apt to have a new windshield installed. During the service they found that my serpentine belt (something like that) is starting to crack so tomorrow Jerad is going to replace that for me. I feel like I have a new car! And I should... its an '06 with only 33,000 miles on it, I need to keep it maintained better. My speeding ticket came in the mail. $170 something dollars or $240 something if I do traffic school (which I will). I knew that I would be pissed paying it and having a cracked windshield, bald tires, and being overdue for an oil change..... so, I just went ahead and took care of everything all at once.

I should be good for another 33,00 miles now right?

If my garden boxes get built in time, I'm starting planting tomorrow. Pretty excited!

We are working hard this weekend because next weekend we are playing. Jerad is taking me in an impromptu trip to Carlsbad and San Diego. Schweet!

Oh Robert Pattinson

"When you read the book," says Pattinson, looking appropriately pallid and interesting even without makeup, "it's like, 'Edward Cullen was so beautiful I creamed myself.' I mean, every line is like that. He's the most ridiculous person who's so amazing at everything. I think a lot of actors tried to play that aspect. I just couldn't do that. And the more I read the script, the more I hated this guy, so that's how I played him, as a manic-depressive who hates himself. Plus, he's a 108-year-old virgin so he's obviously got some issues there."

I don't know if I should laugh or just shake my head...

Updates.

Bailey is recovering.... well, impatiently. She is not the type of pup who is happy sitting in her kennel taking it easy. And she is supposed to for another 9 days. Schweet.


At least she isn't bleeding on the floor anymore:


Buddy is also dying not being able to play with Bailey... they are pathetic. They have to stay seperated because they are so excited to see eachother now because ohmygosh its been a whole! two! days!

After scouring our dwindling grocery supply, we came up with a healthy-ish dinner that took about 15 minutes to make. Asparagus, boiled chicken with pepper and lime, cantaloupe, and some grains (couccous, orzo, garbanzo beans and quinoa):

Sooo....

... the days are a little longer now which is nice. But I still always manage to feel like there! is! never! enough! time! Its 5:00 now, which means in 30 minutes I will be off of work. We don't like eating past 6 or 6:30 so dinner should be a concern at some point.

Oh ya dinner. Forgot about that. What do we have at home? Maybe we can have left overs? Otherwise I know we have asparagus and squash... I don't know if that counts as "dinner." I'll have to come back to that one...

I know I won't want to work out after dinner, so that needs to happen first. I also have a prescription to pick up, the gas light on my car has been on for two days (I doubt I will make it home if I DON't get gas...), Bailey needs meds and a bandage change STAT and the other 2 pups will need some fetch or something or they will drive us insane tonight.

I think I should be able to get all that don't before it gets dark at 7:30 right?

Then it will be time to start the laundry that didn't get don't this weekend since we had a party and company, wash the floors which are in dire need, and help Jerad if he needs it on the laundry room AC/heating which is his project for tonight. That should leave enough time to make some more progress on the Mother's Day presents that I have to work on every night starting last week because I picked something so labor intensive...

That all will have to be done by 9:30 so we can catch up on the Celebrity Apprentice episode we missed on Sunday before we fall asleep at 10:30 tonight and getting up at 5:30 tomorrow to start the cycle all over again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Sometimes, I just feel like for someone who doesn't have any kids, I am really busy without "doing anything." I guess its cause I work such long shifts? If I am going to give up something to have more time... I vote cleaning. I tried sleeping already but that didn't work.

I should be like my unemployed sister.... sit around in stained clothes drinking vodka and eating burritos and waiting for the mailman to bring my unemployment check so I can head on down to The Walmart.

I can't though because Jerad and I have to work to PAY her unemployment. Its another vicious cycle.

Yesterday... sucked

Alright, I've calmed down enough that I might as well explain this post.

Thursday we took the dogs hiking in Peachy Canyon like I blogged about here.
Friday night our friends Tay and Dom stopped over, then Saturday we had a dinner party dealy-o plus the weather was cold and blustery, Sunday morning there was some rain so when it cleared up in the afternoon our dogs were more than ready to get out some pent up energy.

We loaded them in the car and headed back out to Peachy. The grass was still wet, and it hailed a little, but they had a great time running around, digging, rolling in poop (um, ya), and making general messes of themselves. We noticed Bailey limping and called her over to see if she had a burr or something stuck in her paw. Her paw was bleeding. I rinsed it off and it was apparent that she had torn one of her pads, pretty deeply. Whatev, it happens.

A little back story; Bailey is technically Jerad's dog. We got her and Buddy a day apart after we moved into the new house, but technically Bailey is the Border Collie he has always wanted and Buddy is the Lab I have wanted since I had to put my last Lab to sleep. I guess Wyatt would be the surprise love child?

Anyways, Jerad didn't really grow up with dogs and I grew up in a family that always had dogs, horses, a burro... so he usually defers to me on anything pet medical related. When he saw his baby's bleeding foot he looked up at me and asked "whatdowedonow????" I told him it was no big deal, we would just load up the dogs, and take her home to clean it up. He went to find a sheet to cover the back seat with because Wyatt and Buddy were filthy, and a towel to wrap Bailey in so he cold hold her in the front seat and try to contain the ever expanding blood spewing from her foot.

Its about a 20 minute drive home and I drove so he could hold the diva dog. I rolled the back windows down cause Wyatt and Buddy literally Smelled Like Ass.

They were both pretty tired so they were each sitting on one side, heads casually turned towards their own respective windows, tongues lolling out, taking in the smells.

After about 10 minutes I heard the slightest sound and look in my rear view mirror just in time to see Buddy hit the pavement, land sort of on his side, and limp off the road. Just for a reference, I was driving probably 35 mph. It was like time stood still. As I was watching him hit the ground I could hear Jerad asking me:

"Did Buddy just jump out of the window?"

I was waiting for him to not get up. Or to get up and then fall back down. Or for another car to come around the corner and run him over.

I thought to myself "Wyatt might try to follow him" so I rolled up the back windows really fast.

I quickly slowed down, still keeping my eyes on him in the side mirror in case he got scared and ran away I'd know where to look. All of a sudden Jerad was shaking my arm and saying "YOU'RE ROLLING WYATT'S HEAD IN THE WINDOW!" And Fucking A! I had completely rolled his neck up in the window because he had stuck his head out to look at Buddy. By this point, my hands were shaking so badly that it was an effort to roll them back down but I did, and Wyatt seemed to be fine.

I brought the car to a stop and jumped out calling Buddy's name. He was a few hundred yards back but when he heard my name he came running/limping up the road until he was a few yards away and then was scared to get close to the car. After another minute of coaxing he came to me and after a super quick exam it was clear there was no major breaks or dislocations. Which I don't see how is possible from his size and the way he landed, but I'll take it! We loaded up and continued home.

I was still trying to act calm even though by now I was pretty upset. Jerad didn't make it much better because he kept describing how Wyatt looked being choked in the window. Thanks babe. He also kept commenting on my speeding and taking the corners too fast and I had to assure him that I "literally could not drive any slower at the moment even if I wanted to."

By the time we got home, Buddy was hopping around like a little Billy Goat and you would never have believed he just kamikazed from a moving vehicle. We put him in the kitchen, and took Bailey in the laundry room to wash off her wound. We thoroughly washed it and then rinsed the wound using betadine and a curved tipped syringe (kills germs, fights infections). Then I put a clean sock over her paw, and doubled a rubber band over it to keep it on, and left her in the laundry room to check on Buddy.

After carefully running our hands over his whole body it didn't seems like anything was broken, and he wasn't in any real pain, just a little sore. But who wouldn't be after that right? he really loved the "exam" aka "full body petting."

I heard some scratching on our bedroom door which was confusing because... there was no dog in there... right?

I opened the door to find Bailey. Who was bleeding again. Profusely. This was very apparent because she had pulled the sock off and then pranced allllllllll over our floor JUMPED ON OUR BED (which our dogs don't do) and pranced all over our white comforter. I told Jerad that the cut was not going to clot and to go get some surgical glue while I tried to salvage the bedspread. I'll skip that part but just so you know, we still have a white, blood free comforter. Bailey was patient enough to wait in a down-stay until Jerad got back.

We rewashed her foot, and I applied 2 coats of the surgical glue (which also has an antiseptic in it) because the cut was quite deep. It also turned out that the cut was through 2 pads, not one. After the glue was dried I wrapped her foot in a sterile bandage. Basically there should have been nooooo way she could have gotten an infection right? I have had a lot of dogs tear a pad and Bailey got above and beyond the normal treatment.

After she was all wrapped up she spent the rest of the day and night chilling on a clean mat in a wire kennel in the living room (so she couldn't walk around and re-open the cuts). I thought everything was fine and today or tomorrow she would be up and at 'em again.

Yesterday was soooo traumatizing because, well, Mah Poor Baybees!!!!

Buddy slept in our room and whined a bit and couldn't seem to get comfortable, I'm sure he has some bruising, but otherwise was fine and super stoked to be in our room.

This morning when Jerad went to let Bailey outside to go to the bathroom.... her paw was twice the size that it should be. Freakin great. So, either it is somehow infected which I don't understand, or she got bit by something and we missed the bite? I have a 3:00 vet apt and I guess I'll find out then. Yeash. Luckily it doesn't seem to hurt her.

I have a bunch of pics I will post later and a vet update. Anyways, yesterday was one of the most stressful days I have had for a long time... I think just because everything was happening at once and I'm the one that is supposed to be calm. Jerad also said he was going to blog about this, so if he does you can hear an in depth explanation about how I tried to strangle Wyatt.

Cause I'm a loving mom like that.

Really freaking

bad day so far.

That is all.

Playin' with the pups

Taking the dogs out to exercise in Peachy Canyon is one of our favorite things. Especially now that the wild flowers are starting to bloom. They have a blast running and playing, and we have a blast watching them.





Its a great way to end a work day, and sooo nice because the dogs will pass out for hours. Peachy indeed.

Highlights of my life the last week.

Dinner.

Roasted and seasoned red, gold and purple potatoes, steak, homemade french bread.

Salad with boiled and chilled beets, feta cheese, and salmon:


Daffodils from the boy:

My little sister Addy spent the night and we made her blueberry pancakes.

I guess she liked them?


Her and I went shopping and I found 101 things I really really wanted, but none of them were in the budget so I oohed and ahhed and bought nothing. Then after dropping her off I got my first EVER speeding ticket. And I've been pulled over about 14 times now.

I figured I deserved it, the cop was nice... but I was still pissed. After being so frugal and responsible for months now, it is basically like throwing $200 away (or whatever the ticket will be).

Jerad on the other hand thought it was hilarious and is relieved that I finally have joined the ranks of official law breaker. Since the CHP only wrote me up for going 10 mph over, hopefully hopefully it won't be too huge of a ticket?

In other Jerad news, he developed a full body rash on account of all the unnecessary penicillin coursing through his veins since the first doctor diagnosed him wrong. He looks like he has head to toe poison oak, and itches about as much. He sleeps about 30 min per night.

Our lives freakin rock right now.

Once a month I get together with Jerad's mom for a craft day. That was Sunday. Usually I am really productive, but for some reason I just drug my feet and only got a few scrapbook pages done. Maybe it was because I've been sleeping next to a rolling, signing, itching, mono ridden rash boy? Who knows. I had a lot of fun though and next month we are starting working on a quilt.

Jerad and I collectively decided that he could sew it instead of me since he sews better anyways. I love hand sewn things, but I have always had a grandmother or mother in law to do it for me so I never aquired the talent. Plus I'm sort of impatient. I think Jerad is more of a perfectionist and has probably done more sewing in his life so this works better for everyone. He can let his softer side out, his mom can bond with him over the quilt, and I get it when they're finished.... I mean and I can fetch them stuff:)

Monday was Kari's birthday.

There was no night ending "with me spending the night at Kari's and doing the walk of shame in yesterday's clothes to Beth's house at about 7:30am the next morning." Like last year. There was girls, pizza, amazing cake, conversation, beer and wine. Yes please.

Although I didn't over drink and strand myself this time, I did forget my purse and I've been too lazy to get it all week which has meant that Jerad gives me little allowances. I like being a kept woman. Beth is being nice enough to bring it my my work today because she knows I will probably never come get it.

The plans for this weekend are:






Quite the eclectic mix.

Firemen and Flight

If you know us at all, you will know that I swoon over firemen and Jerad swoons over airplanes.

Today both of our dreams came true.

My job put us through a 4 hour CPR/AED course lead by 2 very very hawt Firemen. I restrained myself from feigning the need for mouth to mouth.

One of Jerad's co workers is a pilot and is taking him flying for a few hours tonight and then this Saturday Jerad and Tyson are going on a 2 hour flight lesson.

Today was a gooooood day.

I have kept a current CPR certification since I was 13 but never ever has the class been led by Firemen. It is like God finally heard my prayers!!

I think I'm In Love...

Le Tart... was le perfect.




OMG. My mouth is watering just looking at the picture.

To make it even better I got it started and had to run an errand and when I got back Jerad had finished up, grilled chicken for a spinach salad, made the salad, and cleaned the kitchen. Heaven.

Tomato Tart

All I have been able to think about today is dinner.



Srsly, I can't get anything done at work.

We have a bunch of tomatoes and fresh basil I've been wanting to use up. Last night I roasted garlic and made some pastry dough. Tonight I just need to put it all together.

I am modifying this recipe of Martha's:

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 1 head garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1/2 Pate Brisee (Pie Dough)
• 2 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 pounds firm but ripe tomatoes (4 medium), cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Wrap to enclose garlic in foil, and place on a small baking sheet. Bake until soft and golden brown and the tip of a knife easily pierces the flesh, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. When garlic is cool enough to handle, using either your hands or the dull end of a large knife, squeeze the cloves out of their skins and into a small bowl; mash with a fork, and set aside. Discard the papery skins.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick circle, about 12 inches in diameter. With a dry pastry brush, brush off the excess flour; roll the dough around the rolling pin, and lift it over a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the pan with the dough, pressing it into the corners. Trim the dough so that it is flush with the edges; transfer to the refrigerator to chill, about 30 minutes.
3. Spread roasted garlic evenly on the chilled crust. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the cheese, in an overlapping circular pattern. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer to oven. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees. and bake until crust is golden and tomatoes are soft but still retain their shape, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 20 minutes, and serve warm.

*** I made a whole wheat dough, and am adding fresh basil. We'll probably have this with a spinach and grilled chicken salad. I think we have some asparagus too? Or yellow squash? Zucchini? Some veggie that can be grilled with the chicken for some extra decadence. Yummo, we'll see how it comes out!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Estrogen Fest '09

Estrogen Fest '09

Started with going to Sephora with Tina and Beth and having our Makeup done. They were both celebrating their birthdays:)

After that it was off for some frozen yogurt and french fries. Mmmmmm!

Then we met up with Rachel and Melinda and handed out photo scavenger lists.


Then it was time for wine tasting! Apparently this is the only pic I took of Penman Springs


Then Tobin James










Dinner at Applebees:







And that was that! I had a really great time, and Beth took some really great pics that maybe she will get around to posting someday.

Tonight I am going to a girls night at Kari's house. Last time I tried that, I ended up having to spend the night in her guest room, then doing the walk of shame up the street the next morning to Beth's house. Which was kinda awk since it was like the 2nd time I had met her (Kari). I'm crossing my fingers for this time. Either way I know tonight will be fun and I'm counting down the minutes, Monday's at work always DRAG!