a rose is a rose ...

... is my photo for tonight.

While I'm not usually a huge fan of roses (I'm more of a lily kind of gal), I couldn't pass up these pink ones screaming at me to buy them at the store last night. (see photo in the entry below this one)

I took this one today. I bought a set of macro filters last year and never really got to use them and found them again while unpacking a box from our move. I haven't decided if I like them yet or not, but they'll have to do until I can buy a macro lens.

The larger version of this one really is much better.

roses and a video entry

I bought myself roses tonight just because they were pretty.

I love keeping fresh flowers around the house (mostly in the winter when it's so blah out).

I posted this in my other blog a little while back and thought I'd try it out here. It's a joke - now you're warned that it's NOT a very GOOD joke. LOL. I've got my fingers crossed that this works!

gone to the dogs

Most Tuesday nights I can be found at the Erie County Extension office up to my eyeballs in dogs.

Well, not literally, but I am usually surrounded by them.

For the last 6 years I have been a 4-H leader. I help run dog training classes for kids ages 8-18 who want to learn how to teach their dogs obediece.

I have been involved with 4-H first as a member and now as a leader for a total of about 14 years. Even though I am highly allergic to dogs (and anything else with fur) I love to be in show ring. I haven't actually been in the ring since my kids were born, but those who can't do, teach.

I'm also a mentor to these kids. I'm there any time they need anything - including an ear to bend. The girl in the following picture is often referred to as my "mini-me". She and I are so alike (and she reminds my own mentor of me at her age). I have traveled with her and her family to District 4-H dog shows for the past two years as her leader/paparazi/mentor, and will be there for her again this year, which is her last year. I am SO proud of her for everything she does. She's like a sister to me.



I'm off to drag my tired butt to bed. Sweet dreams!

all done - moving, that is!

We have everything here now, but not without some major speedbumps.

We got a call on Friday night that the people who had rented the moving van before us had not returned the truck yet. That left us pretty fuming. Saturday morning rolls around, still no truck and there may or may not be one available all the way across town at noon. Thankfully some family friends pulled together and volunteered their pick-up trucks and we were able to get started moving stuff.

I'm not exactly sure what time they started loading things. I was down at the new house with Milo waiting for the cable guy (who didn't end up showing up until about 1pm) and I had no telephone or any way to get ahold of anyone until I saw my mother pull up in her truck out front (around 10am, I think). My sister called at some point (she had taken the boys with her to go strawberry picking to keep them out of everone's way and I'm very grateful for that) and told us there were three moving vans just sitting out in front of the place we had reserved one from. Dave and his brother drove out there and were able to get a van (after much complaining) for half price - since they screwed up.

We finally got the majority of the things in the house and the beds put back together by about 6pm Saturday night. I didn't sleep all that well that night, but slept MUCH better last night.

I didn't realize how much I'd miss not having a telephone - and not just for the internet. We got down here Friday afternoon and called the phone company - they said that the phone was hooked up and that it was an inside problem not theirs. Our landlord got here this morning to fix what he had screwed up when he installed the new jacks. I was VERY happy to be back online this morning (even if it is just dial-up for now until our dsl is installed on the 5th).

I'll have photos to share, I'm sure, but for now, I'll just give you the link to my Flickr page.

[LINK]

There's a lot of restaurant photos - as we haven't really eaten at home the last few days. I'm sure I'll post more of the house - right now I have a fantastic little box fort set up in my office (and it's not that great, LOL). There's some flower photos, too, because that's what I think I do best.

Housewarming, anyone? LOL

Life is merrier, with a Jack Russell Terrier

It's the final day of playing Marco Polo to find the dog in my kitchen here.

Tomorrow I can start playing that at the other house.

Small dog, lots of boxes - he gets lost rather easily. He also doesn't like change all that much, so all of these "kitchen intruders" are really getting under his skin. He's really not much of a barker, but he has been the last couple weeks.

Meet Milo. He's a 6-year old Jack Russell Terror. While the breed in general is not normally very good with kids, he is excellent with mine and any that he has met along the way here in this neighborhood. He's actually the reason I've met most of my neighbors here. We got him shortly after we moved into the house we're leaving, so everyone here has known him since he was itty bitty. I think they all knew his name before they knew mine. "Here comes Milo!" was a very common thing to hear being shouted up the street and everyone would come running. I think they'll miss him after we leave.

He's a very smart dog, as the breed is, but he's not all that bright. I was coming home from a walk with him one day last year and was opening the back door to the house - but the inside door was still shut. He went full force ahead into that solid door, shook his head and tried again. I must have stood there laughing forever at him. He was fine. ;) He's also an excellent watch dog, but if anyone tried to break into the house he'd just lick them and be happy to see someone.

While I've never really been a big fan of terriers in general - we really couldn't ask for a better dog than Milo.

Moving frustrations

As some know, we're in the process of moving across town right now.

As of yesterday, I have a washer and dryer sitting in my dining room at the new house.

This is now where a washer and dryer should go. They're there because none of us (I'm including family in this) can get it down the basement stairs. We did measure things, I promise.

I'll be calling the place we got them from tomorrow and seeing if we can return them. I'm hoping it won't be a problem. We haven't used them at all yet, all they've done is sit there and take up space.

I'll be looking forward to getting this move over and done with. Anybody want to help? We've got more than just the washer/dryer to move. ;) Can I tempt you with delicious homemade baked goods?

lilies after the storm

*large view of the above photo is best. click on the image to be taken to a bigger version*

It rained here on and off all day yesterday (if you're reading this from Erie, you already knew that) - that's a good thing, we needed it badly.

After the first downpour, I ran outside and snapped the above photo.

We're in the process of moving across town. What I will miss most of all about the house we're in now will be the lilies that surround the front and west side of the house.

I don't know enough about gardening to try to transplant any of the plants that are here to the new house, so I'll just have to learn how to set up a new garden.

Testing, 1 ... 2 ... 3!

Anybody out there?

This is my first post here, but I've been keeping a blog online for almost 7 years now elsewhere.

Like I said in my little "about me" section over there, I'm a 29 (and I will be staying at 29 when my birthday hits) year old mother of two boys (Mason, 9; and the Connor, almost 8) living in Erie, PA. I've lived here my whole life and as much as I'd like to move somewhere that's warmer all year long, family keeps me here. Next month, I will have been married for 10 years to my wonderful husband, David (who I will now refer to as Pookey from here - long story, it's for another entry). We have a 6-year old Jack Russell Terror named Milo (after the dog in the Mask), 5 guinea pigs (we used to only have two - whoops!) and a hamster (who is the cutest thing ever to photograph). You'll get introduced to all of them, I'm sure.

I am a volunteer 4-H leader and have been involved in 4-H for about 15 years, first as a member and now as a leader. It's a wonderful organization that helped me become who I am today and am thrilled that I have the opportunity to give back to it in such an involved way.

I'm a big fan of movies and will watch almost (almost) anything once. I love "chick flicks", suspense, some drama, some horror (as long as it won't make me lose my lunch), and animated movies (which is usually what we get to see in the theater with the kids).

I also love my camera. I often joke that it's my third child (in that case, it's 1 1/2). I never leave home without it because I never know when I'll get the perfect photo. I very recently sold my first print, which I'm very proud of!

I never know how to end an introduction entry, so I'll just wrap it up here before AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies starts!