Almost 2006

Well, it's New Year's Eve...and I don't have to work! Hooray! :) After working the last three days, I'm excited to finally have some time to deprogram and relax after the busy week. I've already been to Weight Watchers this morning...and had a successful weigh in! I lost 1.6lbs...after eating everything in sight at my grandma's house. I was pretty excited about it. I got to come home and eat breakfast in joy.

I'm still trying to get over this stupid cold. I thought I was so much better until I woke up with my head pounding and snot everywhere! :) Thank goodness for Tylenol Cold. It's all better now. I don't want to spend my day feeling icky, so I fixed it quick! :)

Sadie is walking around the house on three legs looking like a wee poodle tripod. She's also now wearing one of those collars because she won't stop licking her stitches. She's pretty angry about it. She keeps running into walls and can't figure out how to get around with that collar on. She's pretty sad. Liberty has been staring at me for the last 10 minutes because I was drinking a 20 oz soda. She wants the bottle. I just gave it to her, and now she's happily chewing on it. Now Oliver jumped up on the bed and is trying to chew on Liberty. She's abandoned the bottle and is trying to get to me for protection. She's a big baby.

I am working the next two days. Sunday is considered a holiday..so hooray for me! :) ANYWAYS. I'd better start working around here. I really have a lot of straightening and cleaning to do today. My room's a disaster. A friend of ours is having a New Year's thing tonight....still trying to figure out if I have the energy to go to that.

Well...hopefully I'll have a productive and restful day...can those two things go together? I hope that you and your family have a fabulous time ringing in the New Year....even if it means sleeping through it! :)

Vere returns!

She's home! She's shorn and bruised, but she's home. She almost didn't get to come home, on account of the holding of the bladder. Becca went up there and Sadie did all the business for her and she was allowed to come home. She's actually doing really well, and she doesn't seem to be in any pain. She's not walking on the knee yet, but she will put weight on it. We're doing some training already. She loves it...or else she loves the treats I give her when she does good.

Today was absolutely crazy at work. I spent almost the entire day in procedures with one kid. It was neverending! I also got an admit right at 6pm and spent the next hour doing procedures on that same child with the possessed grandma. I loved the baby and the mom, but the grandma needed to go away quickly. SO annoying!

I've been sick the last couple days, but I'm actually starting to feel better today. I still have a head full of snot, but at least I don't feel or look like death. Ta DA! I work tomorrow and then have Saturday off. I'm hoping that I can make it...I don't want to call in if I can help it. I feel bad going to work with a head full of goo...but I don't think I'm contagious. If I felt bad enough, I wouldn't go.

Anyways. I'm tired and going to bed.

Christmas is fabulous...but oh, so tiring!

Christmas makes me tired. I absolutely love it...but it is tiring. There are so many people at my grandma's house that most of us are sleeping on the floor. Me and the air mattress are great friends. Liberty really doesn't like to sleep on the air mattress...and really I don't either. She ends up trying to sneak off the bed every hour. I have to go chase her down, and most of the time, she gets right back into bed and goes to sleep. Beast. I on the other hand, am now wide awake and can't go back to sleep.

My family opens presents really slowly. I mean...ridiculously slow. It's fun, because everyone goes one at a time...but it does drag out. It took 5 hours to open presents...and that was with my grandma cutting down on the number of presents she bought. When there are 13 people...it just gets slower and slower. All the dogs were running around through the paper, taking it back to their lair to eat. Nutty beasts.

When I finally got home yesterday, I just threw all the stuff in my bedroom floor and left it there. I have absolutely no idea when I will get to put it away. I have to work the next two days, then off 1, then on two, then off 2, then on 1. EW! Nasty! Oh well...at least it's busy up here.

Anyways...I'll type more when I have the chance...but probably not today.

Prayers for Boo

Our puppies have many nicknames. MANY MANY nicknames. Here's a few for your enjoyment.

Liberty: Lib, Liberty Grace, Grace, Gracie, Ween, Weinertastic
Sadie: Vere, Sadie Guinevere, Boo, Booters, Flufferiffic, Fluffytastic, Booter Vere.
Oliver: Sadly, he hasn't acquired many nice nicknames yet...some of his bad ones are "Pee Butt, and OLIVER!!!"

So, back to the headline of this blog entry. Sadie (aka Boo) is having surgery today. She has "patellar luxation", which in layman's terms means that her knee cap slips off her knee. When it does that, her little leg catches and she hops on that leg. If you've ever seen her run, she will run a few steps, then her right leg (most of the time), will catch and she'll hop. This is not normal, but it is genetic in the poodles. If it's not surgically corrected soon, her knees will get to a point that they can't be fixed. So, Becca is having her right knee fixed today. They actually have to break her little shin bone and pin in in the right place. Needless to say, Becca's a wreck....as I would be if Grace had to have surgery. Sadie will be hospitalized overnight and then Becca can take her home tomorrow morning. Then Sadie has to remain quiet and still for 6-8 weeks. Have you ever met Sadie? There's usually no such thing as quiet and still. She loves to run around, jump on furniture, and be crazy Boo. She'll have to be crated so she remains still....and mostly so her brother and sister don't maime her. They love her, and will not understand why they can't love on her. So, please say a little prayer for Sadie and her mom today. Pray that Sadie will be pain controlled after surgery, and her mom to have peace of mind.

Almost the most wonderful time of the year!

So Christmas is literally right around the corner. How exciting! It really doesn't feel that way, though. I guess it's because I know I have to work tomorrow...oh well...such is life. Hey, it's a holiday AND a weekend...that's a lot of dollars per hour! :) Hooray! :) This week, I've been trying to get everything ready to go this weekend, with a little bit of running around like a chicken with my head cut off! :) I've got the presents bought and wrapped (finally), the laundry in the works, and a couple of bags packed here and there. Liberty Grace's suitcase is packed, as she is going to the "Barking Hound Village" tonight to spend the night and wait expectedly for me to pick her up tomorrow night after work. She knows something is going on...especially since her food and favorite toys are packed up in a bag. She's pretty clingy right now....even more so since her brother and sister left for the country.

Tomorrow, I will be at work, bright and shiny in the early morning. I am hoping that I do not have to float to another floor, but there's a distinct possiblity. Although, I keep thinking that it's my turn, and we are always full and needing our nurses lately! It's nutty. I've heard that Christmas Eve is pretty busy...all the doctors are trying to send everyone home that they can. The kids who are left get quite a treat though, from what I'm told. Remember that parade we had at the beginning of the month? Well, everyone gets tons of presents and fun stuff. I don't know if anything goes on Christmas Eve, but I hope so.

After work, I am going straight to pick up Gracie, and then head out. It will put me at Grandma's house shortly after midnight...but at least I'll be there! :) I am sure everyone will still be up...cause they are crazy.

Anyways, I wish you and your family a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! I'll be back after the holiday!

I win!

Today, I finally accomplished something that I have been trying to do for weeks! I finished all my Christmas shopping and I wrapped all my presents! TA DA! It took me an extremely long time....mostly because I'm pretty slow at the wrapping. I'm pretty particular too. The gift tag has to match the paper...and other bizarre things that I do while wrapping. I know that I wrapped for at least 2 and 1/2 hours in the AM, then another 2 in the afternoon. That seems excessive.

My washer is at this very moment making the loudest noise it has ever made. I think the clothes must be uneven in there. It actually sounds like it's about to take off. I'm afraid! :(

I don't really know what I'm going to do tomorrow. I had planned to spread the present joy over the next couple of days, but I was overly ambitious today. I have no laundry to do... It's obviously going to be a long day.

Anyways....Nothing else exciting happened today. I guess it will be a couple of slow days...

Weekend ruckus! :)

Oh the weekend. Normally, weekends are pretty calm around here. We get admissions, we discharge people, and sometimes we have STAT orders....but it's pretty calm. This weekend, not so much. We've been running around like chickens...all of us. We've got emergency orders coming out our ears, and someone is always doing something funky on the heart monitor. It's a party in a box. I've spent most of my day in one patient's room...just hoping that he will continue breathing! That's not a great situation to be in! :) Thankfully, everyone knows how crazy it is, so everyone's helping each other.

The puppies are still doing okay. Liberty and Sadie are working at loving their brother, who seems to be getting bigger every day. He's a pig, for one thing. Loving the food and wanting to eat his and everyone else's. Two days ago, he thought Sadie wanted to share her food. He was very mistaken, evidenced by the LOUD growling and snarling that occured. Liberty plays with him more than Sadie, but they both do a good share of snarling and snapping. He's not smacking them in the face as much...but he did bite me on the cheek yesterday, leaving a nice couple of gashes. It's my war wounds. I was bugging him...but we do NOT bite faces. Oliver goes back to the doctor this week...hooray for shots! :)

This week I WILL wrap presents. I will I will I will. Okay, so I don't want to...but I'm running out of time. I also still have to buy some presents. Slacker. I only work Wednesday and Christmas eve this week...so I should have time... Who knows why I'm not inspired to wrap this year. I have plenty of beautiful paper (I'm so addicted to paper!)

I leave for my grandma's house on Saturday evening. I have to put Gracie in a kennel Friday night so I can pick her up by the hospital on Saturday night. She will hate me...but it saves me an hour of driving, and I'm all for that. I'm sure everyone will still be awake when I get to grandma's. They always are....and usually still eating! :) It's going to be an interesting year with half the group on Weight Watchers. I don't care...I will eat! It's only once a year, right? I did so well after Thanksgiving...hopefully it will carry over. I've lost 3 lbs since then, so I'm right at 67lbs total. AMAZING! I'm still in shock.

Well, I probably should be getting back to my patients. I'm sure that someone needs something!

And now the fancy ball gowns...the one in green (Leigh) looks like a mermaid! 

Fancy Point of Grace in crazy red dresses. 

More Avalon. 

Okay, so this is Avalon from last week. 

Ho oray for December!

I love Christmas. I'm so excited that it's next weekend. I'm a gift giver....I love to pick out presents for my family and figure out what would be perfect for them. I love to see their faces! :) Tonight, I went to find boxes and tissue paper. Hooray for Dollar Tree! Cheap! :) I did not buy any wrapping paper, which was a very hard thing. I absolutely love to buy paper. I always buy from fund raisers and then find lots of good cheap paper the days after Christmas. It's a fabulous addiction. I also love to wrap presents...which I was supposed to do this week. Sadly, this didn't happen. It didn't happen last week either. They are just sitting in piles in the spare room. Sad!

I had such a fun time in Austin. We went shopping, laid around with the puppies, saw a movie, and just had a great time. On Wednesday night, we took the puppies to Zilker Park for the Austin "Trail of Lights". The entire park is filled with displays sponsored by various local companies. They had Snoopy, Disney, manger scenes, and the most scary...."Greek Christmas", filled with statues of greek gods and other random things. Bizarre. The puppies walked a long way, and were so tired when we got home. People kept saying "Oh look at the puppies in their sweaters! How cute!" As if we would take three tiny pups out without protection from the cold. They were stunning. Oliver looked a little girly in his teal green sweater...I hadn't found one that was manly yet. I have since remedied the situation and he's walking around the house in a navy blue sweater with a yellow stripe. He's fancy.

Last night, Becca and I drove up to Denton for a Point of Grace concert. It took us a ridiculously long time, seeing as I 35 is always nutty. Once we got there, we staked out our seats and waited for the glories to begin. The first half was fabulous. Intermission was short..thankfully. Then the madness started. Apparently, this church's idea of a Point of Grace concert was to have the girls go away for awhile and have their "Celebration Choir" do a mini concert for FORTY minutes. Then, POG came back, and sang all the meaningful songs with the choir. I was hacked. I did not drive all that way for a concert with their choir. They sang most of the good songs (the ones I was looking forward to) with the choir...so it almost ruined it. I was so sad afterwards. Point of Grace is always good, but I didn't like the fact that this church had us listen to their choir for so long. I was thinking that maybe this was their Christmas cantata...but that's happening on Sunday. There was no excuse for that madness. Thankfully, the trip back was quick and we actually didn't get in too terribly late.

ANYWAYS. That's what has been going on around here lately. I have to work the next two days..then Wednesday, then Christmas Eve. Party! :) Hope you are staying warm! I will post pics of the concerts when I find my connecty cable thing. :)

Busy weekend.

Well, I worked all weekend. It really wasn't bad....just long! I stayed late yesterday for a friend who wanted to see her nephew's play. Then she stayed late for me today....so I got some extra sleep this morning! Hooray! :) It's been a really busy couple of days. I don't mind busy...and I really didn't mind the extra weekend pay. Hooray again! :) Oh well...work is work. It usually doesn't get too interesting. Mondays are especially bad. We usually have tons of procedures that need to be done and they go really slowly. Of course, today was the exception. Today the Dallas Cowboys came to our hospital to see the kids. They were in the main auditorium, along with the cheerleaders, and signed autographs for all the kids who wanted to see them. I was very lucky that my patient wasn't able to go by herself down there...so I just had to go. We met so many players! It was really exciting. All I have to say is Drew Bledsoe is YUMMY. Okay, I said it. He told me Merry Christmas. That must mean we are now a couple! :)

Liberty has just finished ferociously digging in a fleece that was sitting on my bed. She's pretty angry with me right now on account of the bath she just received. Sadie and Oliver got one too. Everyone hates me right now. It's all good. I'm not offended! :)

Tomorrow, I am going to Austin to spend some time with Michael and Jennifer. Okay, so really not Michael since he'll be studying all the time for his finals (he's almost done! Only one more semester!). Jennifer and I will be having a rocking good time though. I know she's got lots of stuff planned, and I am just happy to have a break from work! :) I'm taking Gracie (obviously) and Oliver with me. It should be an interesting car ride. Liberty will have to sit in her car seat and Oliver will be banished to the back seat in his crate. Sad for him! :) Oh well, he'll learn one of these days about how we don't pee in the car . (never done it in my car..but I don't want a first time!)

Well, I still need to finish packing..BLECH. Oh well. Life is tough. I probably won't blog until Thursday or Friday...so have a great week! I know I will!

Wiped out 

Cutie pie 

Cold snap continues.

Well, the cold is still here. Yesterday, the whole city of Dallas closed because of the ice on the roads. It really wasn't that bad, I was able to get out around noon without difficulty...but Texas drivers will panic at the very sight of frozen precipitation. It was fine to be cooped up though. I did a lot of dishes (thanks to the Pampered Chef party) and cleaned both the kitchen and the living room. I felt productive. All the school districts were off, so the restaurants and stores were filled with kids. I think everyone thought it was just a nice break.

Our Pampered Chef party went well. We had a smaller than expected turn out, mostly because it was actively sleeting the entire time....but we still had fun. I'm hoping to close the show today after I meet with the hostess. I also have to go weigh in. That is always an interesting adventure. Last week, I lost 4.6lbs. I was in shock. I did not expect that, especially after the Thanksgiving holiday. We'll see how today goes. Sometimes after a big loss, it's hard to keep the momentum going...but I've had a pretty good week! :)

The puppies are doing well. Yesterday, Sadie made some progress with her brother by playing with him for almost 10 minutes. She was chasing and eliciting the chase from him. It was hilarious! It was the first time she had acted like herself since Oliver came. Liberty eventually joined in the puppy mayhem. It was a big puppy pile. Oliver is currently running around the house with his stuffed camel in his mouth. Every once in a while, he lights on a certain area to squeak it or chew on it...but mostly a lot of running. Nutty.

Today, Becca and I are driving to Fort Worth to see Avalon. It's all the way on the west side of Fort Worth...so hooray for a late night and then working tomorrow! I actually have a really busy couple of days, even though I'm working! :) I have the concert tonight, the floor Christmas party on Saturday night, then I am working late for a friend on Sunday night. The good thing is she is staying late for me on Monday morning so I don't have to be there until 8:30 or so. Hooray for late morning! (especially since it will be my last day until I go back on Saturday! :) I don't mind this 3-4 days off in a row thing. At least I know that with working weekends, my paycheck will be much happier! :)

Well, I suppose I should get started with my day. I am STARVING because I haven't eaten yet due to my weigh in. I have no idea if it really helps. I'm off to run some errands. Wa HOO!

The cold is here!

Oh hooray. It is cold outside. I know that there are other places where it's much colder than here....but right now it's 27 degrees. It's about darn time! Since it was so hot over the summer, apparently it's going to make up for it now! Hooray! Electric blankets are out (okay, so maybe it's been out for a month or so...), sweats are on, and there's actually sleet outside! The only down side to this wonderful winter wonderland is I have a Pampered Chef show tonight! We're not supposed to get any more rain/sleet so hopefully, people will decide to come anyway! :) I know that we've got several orders already, so even if the turnout is low...we'll still make some dollars! :)

Today, I pretty much worked on the show preparations from when I got up to about 1:30 this afternoon. We've had catalog shows since May, but that was our last kitchen show. I had lots of copies to make, catalogs to stamp, and all kinds of garbage to go through. I really need to sit down and organize it. That might have to wait. I really need to start wrapping Christmas presents this week. It's usually a several day affair, especially since I really love to wrap. I go a little crazy with the ribbon and bows. Well, at least my presents are beautiful. It also takes longer because my mom's side of the family has a tradition with our present giving. Every present we give comes with a clue to its contents. Sometimes the clues are really witty...sometimes they just have to do with the brand name of the item that's inside. You can also tell when someone has been wrapping and writing clues for awhile...the clues get corny! :) I haven't even started wrapping yet...so it will fun.

Oliver is presently chewing his paws in the chair next to me. Sometimes, I think he watches his sisters for retarded things to do. He's nuts. We had to get him a new crate for when he sleeps and when we're gone. Sadie's old crate was WAY too small for him. Poor lamb. This new one is much more roomy, enough for him, his fleece blanket, and his favorite stuffed camel. Great, now he's chewing his wrist. The entire paw is in his mouth. Therapy is needed.

Well, I suppose I should go get ready. I think I'm supposed to look presentable at this shindig. HA!

Days off are wonderful!

Today is Day 1 of 4. I've been way productive today already...it's kinda scary! I've done laundry, run errands, and maybe that's all for right now. The puppies have spent most of the day outside, running around like they are crazy! Sadie's mostly watching and sunning herself, but she will join in every once in awhile. Oliver has been a boundless ball of energy. I'm waiting for him to crash. He's bound to be tired. He's spent his morning chasing his sisters and carrying his stuffed toys outside. Crazy dog. I posted a picture of the girls fighting over the stuffed rabbit with Oliver. It was hilarious! Grace and Sadie look a little possessed.

I also posted a picture from the parade! That room was for all the characters to get their costumes on. I didn't have any from the rest of the day since my camera was on the fritz. Becca has some and she's going to send them to me when her computer behaves.

I just saw our landlord showing the duplex next door to some people. They REALLY didn't look like "rent a duplex" people, but maybe they were just all dressed up for work...or something. They really looked like Highland Park people, but what do I know? I found an excuse to go rummage in my car so they could see the scary neighbors they would be encountering. We're terrifying.

Tonight, Becca and I have to practice some recipes for a Pampered Chef show tomorrow. I'm so excited about it because we finally have a show where we don't know anyone! Not even the host! She got our name from a friend of hers who is friends with our friend Kerrie. Crazy how that works...but we're excited! We've already received some orders...so that's always fun.

Well, the puppies have been outside for awhile now. I am about to declare it nap time. Hope you are staying warm!

An epic battle for the rabbit. It's life or death. 

Characters getting ready. I think this is Spot, and the back of the Wild Thing (from Where the Wild Things are!) 

Parade mayhem!

The parade fun is over! I really did have a good time yesterday, irregardless of the fact that I was up so early. The day started out with me sitting at the DART station at 5:53am. For those of you who don't know, the DART is our light rail system. It fabulously runs from way north in Plano, through downtown, and ends somewhere in South Dallas. That's just the red line. There's a blue and a green (and soon to be yellow) line too. I love to ride DART when I have to be downtown and I know that everyone else in the world will be too. Who wants to drive in that? :) Anyways, on Saturdays, the DART only runs every 20 minutes. I had to be downtown at 7:15Am, so I had to be assured that I would be on the DART that left at 6:28am. I guess I was paranoid, because I waited on that blasted platform for 30 minutes. At least I wasn't cold! The parade uniform consists of red sweatpants (which everyone looks good it!HA!), a red turtleneck (which normal people haven't worn since the 80's) and a sweatshirt. Not usually a bad uniform. The high temperature yesterday was 89 degrees. That is NUTTY. I was roasting all day long. Once I got downtown, I was given the job of helping the characters into their costumes. Then I got drafted to go to City Hall with a handful of characters who were going to be meeting the crowds for an hour and a half. It was really a good time...those kids were so excited to see them! I was the escort for Miss Bindegarden...apparently she's the star of a book. I'd never heard of her. After that, we were whisked away on our golf carts to a brunch for people who had donated 25,000 or more to Children's and their families. Then, I got to drive the characters back on a golf cart through the busy streets of downtown. Then I got to go home. I saw absolutely NONE of the parade! :) I did see the "giant inflatables" all lined up, as well as the floats...but nothing else. I did get to see the parade on TV. TIVO recorded it for me. It looked really cute! I also missed the Point of Grace concert at City Hall afterwards. Becca did call me and let me listen to our favorite part of one of their songs. It was a good time. I would have been a lot angrier if I wasn't going to see them in concert in 2 weeks anyways! All in all, it was a good time. I am hoping with one year under my belt as a character escort, maybe next year I can be a character? I'm sure I'll have lost more weight by then...hooray for me!

Today, I'm at work. It's not too bad at this point. I have 4 kids, but that pretty much guarantees that I won't get any admissions, especially since we have no open beds! My friend Cat is back from maternity leave, and I always love it when she's here. She's the one who trained me!

This week, I have lots of time off in a row....and not many plans on how to spend it. Hopefully, I'll get presents wrapped and laundry done. That's the goal. We'll see.

Oliver continues to love his sisters. They are getting much better with him. Liberty and him trounced each other for 1/2 an hour yesterday. They are rebels. He doesn't cry at night anymore, except when he hears that we are awake. We're still working on the potty issues...but he does great in his crate! It will come...we've only had him less than a week!

Have a fabulous Sunday....it's supposed to get cold here! I LOVE COLD! :)

Sadie let me sleep with her! 

Now I'm worn out! 

Snuggling with my sisters... 

Why don't you love me yet? 

Puppy updates...and some other stuff!

Things are still chugging along here on the farm. Sadie and Liberty are still managing to adjust to the addition of their brother. They have their moments....moments when they snarl and bark...and then moments where they snuggle with him. Yesterday, Sadie let him snuggle with her under my covers. I got pictures, but they are on Becca's camera. Last night, Liberty was laying parallel with my leg and let Oliver chew her rabbit laying parallel to her. It was very sweet, but of course, no camera! This morning, I got some great snuggling pictures. I'll make sure to post them. Today, they are all in the bed. I see three separate lumps. Not quite sure who is where...but at least no one is growling or snarling.

Tomorrow is the big parade! I am a character escort, which really means I help the characters get dressed and undressed and to their part of the parade. I thought I would be marching in the parade, but I don't think so. That's okay though...this is still an elite group I've managed to get in. Perhaps next year I can be a character...hooray! :) I have to be downtown tomorrow morning at 7:15am. Fun for me! :) I also found out that the parade is going to be syndicated to over 350 cities in the US! Check www.childrensparade.com to see if it's going to be near you! I know it's showing here at 10AM on CBS. Tivo is going to record it for me. They showed us all the "giant inflatables" last night. They include Hello Kitty, Curious George, and Garfield. It's going to be a lot of fun. I also might get to drive a golf cart! :)

***I just heard Gracie snarling under the covers....not good news. There's rustling in the bed too....Maybe I should investigate. She's now poked her head out of the covers. I see Oliver chasing her. Poor Gracie. She's tortured. ***

Next week, I work Sunday, Monday, Saturday. It's going to be an interesting 4 days here with the motley crew. We have a Pampered Chef party on Wednesday and a concert on Friday. It's going to be a busy week! I am going to try and get all the Christmas presents bought and wrapped....I don't have too many more to buy. I love to buy them! :) I wish I could have unlimited funds to buy presents because some of the the ones I see are perfect...but I can't spend that much money!

Today, it's my goal to get my Christmas cards out. I haven't even printed the letters yet, so I'm not sure how realistic that goal is. It may have to wait until Tuesday!

Anyways, I'm sure I'll have loads to tell (and pictures to show) of my adventures tomorrow. It's going to be interesting!