Beautiful

My mom makes sugar flowers for cakes (she did both my wedding cake and my 30th birthday party cake) and my aunt paints, so while we were visiting the Biltmore Estate on vacation, they kept asking me to take pictures of different flowers so they could paint them/make out of sugar. Some of them are so beautiful, I wanted to share them here.

Catching up on things...

Life has been very busy at Spiderwick House. Firstly and most importantly, we've been dealing with a very sick puppy. About 6 weeks ago, Rocky started vomiting and lost his appetite. Several trips to the vet have resulted in lots of different medications. Two weeks ago the vet thought we might need to start ruling out food allergies. We switched to a venison and potato food and a chicken, oatmeal and rice food, and he really started to rebound. He didn't throw up for a week and he seemed to be back to his overly energetic self. Last weekend, after feeding him a bite of hamburger, he immediately got sick again. So, we're pretty sure we're dealing with a beef allergy. So now, as if I wasn't obssessed enough with reading food labels for myself, now I'm reading labels for the dog. Being a mom is wonderful. The only good thing about all this is that Rocky did lose the little bit of extra weight he was carrying, and now he looks nice and fit. If only I could do the same...

And of course, he's still ending up in awkward sleeping positions:

We've also become gardeners, sort of. Hubby is attempting to grow strawberries in deck planter in our backyard. Don't know if it's actually going to work, but we do have flowers on two plants - that's a good sign right?

We are also in the midst of a slight bathroom remodel. With the help of hubby I've repainted the walls, and painted all the oak trim white. I've got one last coat to put on some of the trim, then it will be all done. I can't wait. I'll post a few pictures when it's all done.

And lastly, here are a few pics from my vacation to Asheville that I took with my mom and two aunts. It was a lot of fun.

Fun video

This goes along with the prank in Grand Central Station video. I wish I could have been around to see this.




I was on vacation last week and have lots of pictures I want to post, but this video is so fun, I wanted to show this first.

In over my head

I thought I had a pretty good handle on this knitting thing. All scarves, fingerless gloves and hats have come out quite well, but I apparently have hit my peak. I found a pattern for a beautiful sweater, read the instructions and thought, "this isn't too hard. I'm going to give it a shot." Well, this is how far I got:











Doesn't look to bad, right? In fact, it even fits. Unfortunately, I got to the slightly more complicated parts of the instructions, and now I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. Part of the problem is that I just don't understand the instructions. The other part is that I started this sweater months and months ago, then didn't work on it for about 6 months, and then picked it up again last week. I think I mixed up the front and the back. I also think I put the stitch markers in the wrong places, so now the pattern makes no sense to me. So, for the 3rd time, I am completely starting over. I spent an hour last night ripping out the entire project. I haven't given up completely yet, but I'm beyond frustrated. I don't like feeling stupid, and this pattern is making me feel stupid.

So that's how my day started, in knitting hell...

Yes, No, Maybe So...

So I'm trying out a new blog template. I had the other one since I first started on blogger so long ago, only periodically going from pink to orange/brown. I felt the need for change in my life, so I'm moving to the dark side (Come to the Dark Side...we have cookies). So, opinions - hate it, love it?

Up and Running

Ok, my very first Desperate Housewives review is submitted and should be up soon! I always knew I was long winded - but holy cow it was hard getting my review to under 1,000 words. After lots of editing, I managed to hit 1,000 words exactly. Hopefully in the future I'll be able to be a little less verbose. Go check out my review and leave me lots of comments at TheTwoCents!

In other news: GO PANTHERS! My alma mater was seeded No. 1 in March Madness! Yeah Pitt.

You all have a good day - I'm going home.

Thing #40 - Retroland

I checked out Retroland - and it's pretty cool. I found a page for 2xL which was one of my favorite toys when I was a kid. It was fun, but it seems like just another way to waste time. I like learning about things like Zamzar and Wiki's. Stuff I'll have use for, for myself and maybe patrons. I actually used Zamzar to help a patron convert a resume, but I don't see a lot people clammering for help on something that Retroland can solve.

Yay Me!

I'm going to be the new reviewer for Desperate Housewives on the Two Cents! Thanks to Karen B. for getting me interested in the Two Cents with her Ugly Betty reviews and for getting me hooked up to write my own reviews.

Now, this site is all about getting your opinions on our favorite shows, so if you're a Desperate Housewives fan (or not), jump on the site and let me know what you think, good or bad. I want to make a good impression so leave me comments after I put up my first post, probably next week.

Head on over to the Two Cents!

I'm so excited!

Animoto - Take 3

Animoto - Take 2

Ok, I had to do a second video, because I was a little annoyed with the first. Animoto said to load approximately 15 pictures for a 30 second video, which I did. However, when I chose my song, because it was so short, it only used 5 of the images. Plus, it didn't even use the image that I had selected for it to spotlight. Shouldn't that have been the first one used? If I spotlight something, that usually means I really want it in the video. Anyway, I went back in and changed the song, and this is where annoyance part 2 came in. When searching through the songs, it tells you how long the song is (be it anywhere from 2 to 6 minutes), but doesn't tell you how long of a snippet animoto allows. When I chose Vivaldi's Spring it only used about 11 seconds of it. So from there on it's just a guessing game as to what song might actually be the full 30 seconds. And considering it takes several minutes for the video to be created, it's not necessarily a quick fix to go in and choose another song.

Other than those few annoyances, it's a fun little time waster.

Update: I had to upload the video a 3rd time, because when I typed up this comment, it deleted the 2nd video. Sigh...

Animoto Thing #39

I love this commercial...

I'm so proud...

Although I'm not entirely sure he deserved it, Rocky did graduate from Puppy Training class last week. This is the picture the instructor got of him looking oh so happy and adorable in his graduation cap:

This, of course, is him trying to flip the hat off his head. He was not real thrilled about wearing it.



I think he's going to miss going to class, so after the holidays, I think I'm going to enroll him in the intermediate training.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

I'm a pumpkin head!

I'm posting a most ridiculous picture of myself, because I am very proud of the fact that I was able knit a hat for the very first time.

Thanks to Crazy Aunt Purl for this hat recipe. It was way easier than I thought, and so much fun to do! Follow the link if you want to make one of your very own and be a pumpkin head like me! (Come on, you know you want to...)

Playing Catch Up

You'll notice that I removed some links from my sidebar. Since we finished Library 2.0 over a year ago, I haven't used much of the links I added. Gone are technorati (which I never really got), LibraryThing (since I now use GoodReads and like it much better), and some other links to web pages that I never actually used. Surprising even myself, I left my link for del.i.cious (did I spell it right - do I care - it's a stupid name), because I actually do occasionally use it.



So, I may not post as much as I (or my few readers) would like, but I am proud of the fact that I do post at least once every month. It is always my intention to post much more often, but never seem to get around to it. And, I also appear to have completely given up on Library 2.1. Perhaps I'll get back to it someday.



The one thing I haven't given up on is my knitting! Yeah! I just finished an adorable pink blanket for my friends new baby - which will be shipping out on Monday (none too soon since she's now almost 2 1/2 months old). I also made my very first hat - which came out quite well, if I do say so myself. Stay tuned for pictures to hopefully be coming soon. And now I'm working on a sweater. I think I'm in over me head a little with this one, I'll know soon enough. I can't get enough of knitting. Wherever I am, and whatever else I'm doing, I always think "I wish I was at home knitting." And yeah to me for venturing away from all things square/rectangular!



So that's about all. Oh yeah, and I bit the bullet, succumbed to peer pressure and finally joined Facebook. I know in a previous post, I said I would never do it, but I found out that a bunch of my Colombia cousins are on, plus some Aunts and various other friends and relatives. I'm not sure it really has improved my contact with any of them. For instance, I found one of my best friends from high school on Facebook (whom I haven't seen or talked to in about 8 years), so I added her as a friend, and she confirmed me as her friend - but we haven't actually exchanged any messages! All I've gained is the knowledge that she is still alive. Which is a good thing in itself.

So I've rambled on long enough. Cheers y'all!

Chaos at Spiderwick House (As Usual)

This is what happens when Puppy gets big enough to jump on the bed himself - and suprises himself when he manages to do it!





You'll notice that H.R.H. Gypsy was also very suprised - and much less amused about it than hubby and I were. This is after all her room - and her bed. We thought it was hilarious. The spitting cat had a much different opinion. The evil beast had invaded her domain and she felt he must pay. Fortunately everyone made it out alive and unscathed.

Everyone enjoy your weekend! I leave you with this very funny YouTube video. Some people have just overly active imaginations and way too much time on their hands.

Lovely, long weekend

I love holidays. Especially minor ones like Labor Day. Of course I love Thanksgiving and Christmas as well, but with Labor Day I get all the excitement of seeing my family without the added pressures of making a big fancy dinner or buying lots of presents. This past Sunday, hubby and I got to hang out with my family and then on Monday we got to hang out with his. No big deal, just burgers and dogs on the grill and sitting around and visiting. Of course, there was much more sitting around with his family than mine. See, as you all may have figured out, I have this puppy. We took him with us to visit my folks and if the long car ride wasn't enough, my cousin has a new puppy as well. His puppy, Charlie, is very used to playing with other puppies quite aggressively (all in good fun). Rocky, not so much. Poor Rocky was terrorized by Charlie, who kept jumping on him and biting him on the face and the ears, and grabbing him by the collar and trying to pull him around. Now, Rocky out-weighs Charlie by about 20 pounds, but the poor boy doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body, and he just basically rolled over and let Charlie chew on him! He did give it back a little, but he spent on awful lot of time on his back! So I spent a lot of time chasing the dogs around and breaking up the fun when it was getting a little too rough. Rocky crashed on the way home and basically slept for the next 24 hours. (The doggy Tryptophan might have had something to do with that as well - yes we drugged our dog). All in all, it was a great day. I love getting to visit with my family. I know I only live 1 1/2 hours away, but sometimes it feels like more. I miss seeing my parents and my brother all the time. It's always great to see all my cousins too - especially Jeff and Amy who made the trip down from New York with Charlie. I hope you all had a good holiday weekend!

It's a dog's life...

Happy Dog!



Sleepy Dog!



Playful Dog!



And in case anyone was worried she was being neglected: one of her highness on her throne!

A Word to the Wise...

'cause I'm apparently too stupid to know any better:



Never pick up a cat during a dog/cat fight. Just so you know...

The Reason I Never Post Anymore

I know it's been ages since I've last posted a message. But, I have very good reasons - see the following:

I think his paws were cold!

I have the cutest dog in the world - and no one can tell me otherwise!