My Husband ROCKS - Fridays!

For this week's installment of My Husband ROCKS - Fridays! we weren't given any specific subject to talk about. Whatever we want is the course of the day. This left me a little stumped for a minute. You see, we have had a very average week. Nothing spectacular has happened. MW didn't do anything out of the ordinary. We had no grand plans. And I covered a gigantic butt load of information during the S.W.A.K. Carnival just prior to Valentine's Day. Hmmm...What do I write about?

In all actuality, MW doesn't need to do, or say, or be anything special to ROCK. He just does. It's all of the little, ordinary, run of the mill, every day life instances that MAKE him rock. It's the way that he calls me every day just to tell me that he was thinking of me and wanted me to know how much he loves me. It's the way he puts my needs and desires before his own. The way he looks at me. He wants to please me - not because I demand it but because he loves me so much. It's his compassion and kindness to those around him. The way he can light up a room and make people leave feeling better than when they came. The way that he chooses to maintain a positive outlook and remember the best in a person or situation no matter what is going on. The way he is seeking after God. THESE are just SOME of the reasons that my man ROCKS! I realize that a rockin' relationship isn't about the grand or spectacular moments. It's about the day in and day out moments that accumulate to something grand and spectacular.

I just remembered something else. Yesterday, I went into the Thrift Store here in town. I saw a vanity. I have been looking for a vanity. Awesome! We only have one bathroom in this house. So, I'm thinking that if I have a vanity where I can fix my hair and make-up when we all need to be getting ready at the same time it will make those days run much more smoothly. Anyway, this vanity was exactly what I have been looking for. There was only one problem with it. It was already sold. Bummer. So, when I told MW about the perfect vanity, except it wasn't perfect now because I couldn't get it, he told me to draw him a picture of what I was wanting. This is one more way he rocks. I say this because I know he's going to get it done for me.

So, there you have it. Reasons that my husband rocks. If you would like to participate, or read about other husbands and possibly have your husband read about other husbands for inspiration! - click on the button at the top of this post.

And on a side note: to you dear ladies who have left me a comment about my computer woes...thank you. I appreciate your input. It's still acting up, though. And it's beyond my minuscule abilities. It won't even let me get into my own comment form so I could properly respond and thank you. My apologies. I'm just going to have to break down and take this bad daddy to the Geek Squad or possibly to some other Geek. Who'd have ever thought that the day would come when Geeks would be so cool?

Happy Friday y'all!
Pam

Help...PLEASE, HELP!

If anyone out there in Bloggy Land just happens to read this and has had experience in the past with the problem I'm having - could you show me a little blogger love and help me out? Pretty please with cherries on top?

My computer is acting up. On my last post I had pictures of my dogs that I wanted to put on my blog. It would go as far as to upload the pictures but as soon as I would hit the "DONE" button it would throw up a box that says "Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience." Then it would completely kick me off of the Internet. I have tried re-starting the computer, deleting temporary files and emptying the recycle bin (although I have NO idea what that would have to do with anything). I am not very computer literate and am feeling slightly (a lot) desperate here.

Pleeeeeaaaaasseeee, Heeeeeellllllppppp Meeeeeee! Ok. I feel better now!

So, if any of you darling, sweet, helpful, beautiful, loving bloggers (Am I buttering you up enough?) have any advice for this just barely technologically literate enough to even have a blog, blogger (whew!) - I am open to and thankful for suggestions.

Pam

It's A Dog's Life!

I must admit that I am a dog lover. I got my first puppy, Pepper the Pomeranian, for my birthday when I turned 4 years old. I don't remember much time growing up when we didn't have a dog of one sort or another. I know that dogs aren't people, but they do sort of morph into the family, don't they?

MW wasn't raised with dogs like I was. So, he naturally didn't have quite the affection for them as I do. We have had several dogs since we've been married. Some he hasn't cared for so much. Two of them, I have had to intercede for their lives because he was going to send them to meet Jesus. Both were Cocker Spaniels. We got them because I had one growing up who was a dear, sweet thing. She wouldn't even dream of snapping at someone, even if that someone was a child who was pulling on her ears. We were told this was very rare for the breed by both vets and dog groomers alike. But, alas, some lessons are learned the hard way. Both of the Cockers MW and I owned were true to the breed's snappy reputation. One bit me. One bit Little Britches...in a couple of places. I begged for her life as MW went for the gun. Both ended up at the Humane Society.

Now we have Layla. She is the BEST dog I have EVER, EVER had the pleasure of owning. MW loves her. Little Britches loves her. I love her. And she loves us all. She has become part of our family. She is so gentle and loving. She is well mannered and obedient. My mom and sister were amazed at what a good dog she is when they were here this weekend. Layla is the most unique dog I have ever owned. She is very intuitive. It seems like she knows when I'm feeling blue and hormonal because at those times she doesn't want to leave my side.

Last night when I brought her in from outside, Little Britches said, "Mom, Layla's in heat again! There's blood on the rug!" I knew that couldn't be the case because she had just come out of heat like a month ago. Thank God THAT is over! So, I called my girl into the laundry room and started checking her paws. Sure enough, she had caught something that laid her pad wide open. It was bleeding something awful. I kept pressure applied to it to get it to stop bleeding. When it wasn't helping I started to become unnerved. MW walked in the door about that time. I thought she probably needed stitches, but the vet was already closed. We live in a town of 10,000 people. There is no such thing as an emergency veterinary hospital anywhere near in these parts. So, MW, using his logical male brain said that we should just put her in her crate for the night so she wouldn't be putting any pressure on it. By this time the blood wasn't flowing like the Mississippi River, so that's what we ended up doing.

We checked it out this morning to see what we should do. It wasn't bleeding...until she walked down the stairs on it, anyway. It was still laid back pretty good. It's pretty deep, too. I don't handle these things very well, by the way. So when our vet opened up at 9 am - I was on the phone with them. Come to find out - you can't do anything with a paw pad wound. Go figure. Stitches won't hold, they told me. The receptionist said that the only thing the vet could do for her was to glue her pad together...and there is a good chance it wouldn't hold, anyway. At least they were honest enough to save me a vet bill. She told me that we could try to glue it down with super glue or Liquid Bandage ourselves if it we wanted to. So, guess what is on me and MW's agenda this evening?

All of this D.R.A.M.A. reminds me of another episode we had back in the day with Holly, the first Cocker Spaniel that MW got for me. After MW and I married and I had been puppy-less for several years, I was needing something to nurture. So, MW, being the loving, caring, wanting to please his wife, husband that he was, had arranged a Christmas surprise for me. Knowing my love for the Cocker Spaniel, he had searched the whole state to find a litter of puppies in the coveted breed. One Saturday he told me that he was taking me to get my Christmas present, but that it was a surprise. After a two-and-a-half hour drive we arrived at our destination. We walked into the home of a complete stranger and there in the living room was a new litter of the cutest, sweetest, Cocker Spaniels I'd ever laid my eyes on. I picked out a beautiful little blond colored female. We named her Holly because she was a Christmas present. She grew up to be a very well-behaved lady who also had a very nasty streak. She was true to the breed standard that we had been so aptly warned of. Hence, the almost going to meet Jesus by my usually very even tempered MW.

Anyhoo...back when we were still childless and only had the one dog, we had taken Holly for her annual veterinary visit. When we left the vet's office I had MW run me across the street to the mall so I could run in and pick up my contacts that had come in. The plan was for MW to drop me off, I would run in grab the contacts and he would wait for me in the car with the dog. Holly, on the other hand, had a different plan in mind. As I am walking into the mall and MW is driving away, Holly decides she'd rather come with me than wait in the car. So...she jumps out the window. Her leash got caught on the shifter in the middle console, so she is left hanging out the window while my husband was pulling away! Thank God she did get caught and hung or she could have ended up under the wheel! When I come back out to the car, she is a bloody mess. We take her home and put her in the bathtub. BUT THE BLEEDING WON'T STOP! I was bawling like a big, blubbering, idiot. I remember saying (sobbing), "If it's this bad just dealing with a DOG'S wounds...I don't think I can HANDLE having CHILDREN!!!). So...we head BACK to the vet's office from where we had just come. They said it was a good thing, too, because she had cut an artery in her lip and there would have been no way to stop the bleeding without stitches. She had also completely ripped out one of her toe nails. Ay, Ay, Ay... That's not as bad as what happened to my girlfriend from high school's cat once, though. It got into the dryer on laundry day and exploded! It must have used up it's eight other lives already 'cause that was the end of Kitty.

So, my dogs have kept me on my toes with bandaging, nurturing... I am SO thankful that Little Britches hasn't had any major injuries. Although, you'd almost think his leg was falling off when he stubs his toe, or something like that! At least we've had no stitches or broken bones or burned down apartments...oh, wait, that was ME. And that's another story for another day.

So, for now I must be going. I have math to check and wounds to tend. Hope your day is pleasantly uneventful.

Pam

Pam's Pasta With Pine Nuts

OK. I have a new recipe for you this week. I know it's been awhile - but at least it's not soup! I tried to take a picture of it to post, but my camera is about out of batteries and I didn't have any more on hand. Bummer. Anyway, it's really yummy. My two guys are my food critics and if it passes their approval, it's definitely worth making. Do try it!

PAM'S PASTA WITH PINE NUTS:

1 lb. box of whole wheat pasta (twists, bow ties, doesn't matter)
3/4 cup raisins (Don't leave these out. Sounds gross, but it really makes the dish.)
3/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic
small head (or 1/2 bag) of baby spinach
*left over chicken or turkey, cut into bite size pieces, however much looks good to you
salt and pepper to taste
fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Bring pot of water to rolling boil. Add pasta and raisins (to plump them). When pasta is tender, drain in colander and return to pot or serving bowl.

Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in dry skillet over medium heat. Set aside when lightly toasted. Using same skillet you toasted pine nuts in, pour olive oil into the skillet to warm. Mince garlic and saute in oil 1-2 minutes. Add spinach to wilt. Toss in the chicken or turkey meat and pine nuts to warm. Salt and pepper to taste.

Once pasta is done and drained, top with the above mixture. Add cheese to taste.

Serve with crusty, French bread and a side salad.

*Note: If you don't have leftover chicken or turkey you have a couple of options. 1) Cook a couple of chicken breasts and cut into bite size pieces. 2) Buy pre-cooked and pre-sliced chicken from the store. It's usually sold in a plastic container near the lunch meat. I have used this option many times to save on prep time.

Booger Soup

I missed out on My Husband Rocks - Fridays, yesterday, but I had a good reason. My mom and sister and her kids left the men at home and came for a quick visit. This is the first time that any of my family has come to visit at my 'new' home. Unfortunately, due to a Winter storm that is coming through today - they had to cut their quick trip even shorter. Not getting stuck in bad weather and all of that blah, blah, blah...Our dad and sister's husband stew like a couple of old hens with their wives being gone and traveling and all of that stuff. Of course, MW would have been the same way!

Even though it was a short visit - it was wonderful, none-the-less. We laughed and played Wii. Dear Sister brought her Wii Fit for me to try. My virtual trainer was a real smart alack! After she put me through all these tests to check my posture, balance....she had the NERVE to tell me that I have poor balance. THEN she asked me if I trip a lot!!...to which I replied, "Yes! MW wouldn't even let me walk and carry Little Britches when he was an infant because I have a habit of tripping over nothing!" My middle name is Grace, by the way. Not really. But maybe it would have helped.

One of the most exciting parts of their short visit came at dinner time. Dear Sister wanted tomato soup to eat. So, tomato soup she got. As she is sitting at the dining room table savoring her scrumptious soup from a can, she held Darling Niece, who is two and half years old, on her lap. Darling Niece had been up since 7 am with no nap. So, at this point she's getting....cranky. She found something to do to cheer herself up, though.

(The above is a picture of Darling Niece from this past summer.)

Marvelous Mother, Dear Sister and I are sitting at the table engorged in wonderful conversation - not really paying attention to what Darling Niece is doing on her mommy's lap. She interrupts our dinner banter with an interesting statement to her mommy. Their conversation went something like this:

DN: "I put a booger in your soup."

DS: "You did WHAT?"

DN: "I put a booger in your soup. See?"

DS: as she's pushing her bowl away after closer inspection, "Oh, Honey, we don't put boogers in people's food."

DN: as she is picking her nose and then wiping it on the dining room table, "But I did. See?"

I did what any GOOD sister would do and offered to scoop the incriminating booger out of Dear Sister's soup for her so she could continue her five-star meal. NO I DIDN'T! I DID offer to get her another bowl, though. For the life of me I can't figure out why she suddenly had no appetite left. I am SURE that she has eaten plenty of boogers in her time! (She was glad, though, that she had opted to NOT eat the pizza. She would have thought it was green pepper!)

All the while, I'm laughing to point of peeing my pants. I grab my camera out of my purse and attempt several times to take a picture of the Booger Soup to share with you wonderful people. But...the batteries had gotten too cold and wouldn't cooperate. Sigh. After many failed attempts I surrendered the idea of a snapshot for this blog I knew I would post. So, I grabbed the half-eaten bowl of Booger Soup and take it to the sink and wash it away until it was nothing more than a mere memory.

My laughter suddenly turns to something else. Something awful. As I begin to pour the infamous soup down the drain of the sink my eye catches a glimpse of that horrid felon...the big, green booger. In an instant my jaw wrenching laughter turns to mouth watering, eye tearing gags and heaves. It was all I could do not to puke right there. The tables had turned. My sister's agony had been the source of my great amusement. Now, with every heave of my stomach, Dear Sister laughed all the harder. Marvelous Mother tried her darndest to ignore us all and enjoy the remainder of her supper. And Darling Niece watched on looking oblivious to the fact that she had caused such a ruckus to begin with. The two boys were having a pizza party upstairs and had no idea that they were missing all the fun.

So, the lesson I learned from this experience is this: Booger Soup makes for an exciting dinner party. Also, two year olds haven't yet learned that boogers aren't REALLY protein. Dear Sister may want to give a primer in the 4 basic food groups to Darling Niece.

Have a great weekend and may all of your food be booger free!

Pam

Rock On, Sister! Rock On!

We have these rocker/glider/thingie chairs in the living room. MW definitely wanted these. Funny thing, though - he usually ends up on the sofa and I end up in one of the rocker/glider/thingie chairs. I'm not complaining, though. They are not the overly massive chairs with a chair equivalent of a steroid addiction. This works well for my...hmm, shall we say cozy?...living room. And, truly, I do love to rock. And rock. And rock some more.

So, yesterday morning as I was rockin' away I kept hearing my precious rocker/glider/thingie chair do something that affected me pretty much like long, hard nails slowly and painfully being pulled down the deep, dark expanse of a chalk board. EEEEEEEK...EEEEEEEEK...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! I could not stand it any longer. I had to do something. Anything. I mean, c'mon, sitting there and NOT rocking was NOT an option! Even if I decided not to rock I was just going to do it anyway. It's kind of like breathing. You can decide NOT to breathe. You can hold your breath. But...eventually you're going to pass out from all the not breathing what not. And as soon as you do - guess what you're going to do again. Yes, you ARE the sharpest knife in the drawer! Breathe. You will breathe just as soon as you pass out from all of your NOT breathing. That's how it is with me and rocking. I know I'm just going to do it anyway. So, why should I even try to kid myself by thinking that I can actually sit in my rocker/glider/thingie chair like a good little girl and not rock? I am a hopeless rocker. I admit it. I rock.

With this in mind - I CAN'T STAND all the screeching that is making my blood curdle. I know we have WD-40. I know it's in the garage. The garage is not attached to the house. It's 5 am. I am NOT, I repeat NOT going to go outside into the 5 am, sun still sleeping, make me pee my pants 'cause it's so cold air. So, I have to get creative. Let's just say me and my rocker/glider/thingie chair had a meeting with a Q-TIP and jar of Vaseline. Problem solved.

Rock on!
Pam

Decorating Update

This is now my third day working on the upstairs guest room and laundry rooms. I am T.I.R.E.D. Little Britches has been a HUGE help, though. He has vacuumed, washed walls and painted like a pro. I, however, am beginning to gross myself out. I feel like the epitome of skankiness! I am now in my third day of wearing the same 'painting outfit'. It really is quite lovely. Picture this: grey work out pants with red and white stripes down the sides are accentuated by lovely holes and various colors of paint splotches for added effect; a green T-shirt with white writing, also many paint colors of paint splotches (for matchability) (Sometimes I like to make up my own words and see if anyone notices.); don't forget the navy blue and white dew rag, which now ALSO has paint splotches (however, it only has two colors). I haven't worn make-up in days and when I remove the beautiful dew rag - well, my hair does look very lovely. I am a true sight to behold. I am quite positive that when I take my 'painting duds' off tonight that they will walk themselves to the laundry room! I have managed to hop in the shower and brush my teeth at least. I think that must count for something.

This was a much larger undertaking than I had anticipated. Ugh! MW has the pager for work this week so he hasn't been able to help as much as I had hoped. He is going to be cleaning carpets tonight, though. Yay!

Well, I have some paint out there screaming at me to come use it. I must continue on. I can't wait to get it finished and post some pictures.

Pam