My dog doesn't seem to like apples. Thinks they're a transport device for peanut butter... Which, yum, but huh?

Today I'm feeling like I have very little control over any aspect of my life. Scary feeling, a little sad. Frustrating. Oh, the joys of Mondays...

My dog willingly eats carrots, tomatoes, and, I found out this evening, sugar snap peas. Will wonders never cease?

Gracious! Everytime I hear that country song "Three Wooden Crosses" I can't keep from tearing up. I know it's coming, know ought to switch station, but don't...

Is it weird that I sometimes half-wish I could call or text my puppy? I know that's crazy, but how cool would it be? Hmm...

Missing times that were and some that weren't... If that made any sense. Feeling strangely down. Life catching up to me?

Laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, lunch with the boytoy, visit little brother, now work...

Puppy shots. Mow at home. Vac living room. Walk w grandma. Post office. Start laundry. Now on to work...

Dentist. Dry cleaning. Bank. Post office. Walk w grandma. Wash car. Pick up contacts. Gas. ATM. Get candy & chewbones. Finish baby quilt. Polish shoes. Whew...

When my puppy whines in the middle of the night, that's when I know I'll be a sucker mom. I want so badly to go comfort him. Haven't yet but it's been close...

Yay!

Mum & Dad got me a puppy for my birthday! Woohoo! He's a shetland sheepdog, i.e., sheltie. Just yesterday turned 12 weeks old. And just freakin' adorable... see:

"In the middle of my little mess I forget how big I'm blessed"... I love this song!

Withholding the love?

So, I'm one of those weirdos who happens to frequent that awful place called Facebook. I've been a member since I was a freshman in college - back when you could only be "friends" with people from your actual school and could only sign up with a college-based email address (for example yourrealname.1@ou.edu which I sure hope isn't really someone's email addy). So, yeah, that has been a really long time. It was great for networking for classes in undergrad and for further fueling silly junior-high-like antics in grad school. Now I mostly just see what other people are doing. And now to get to my real point for posting tonight...

Sometimes, like when looking around on Facebook, I just really want to say "Hi" to someone or tell a friend I've been thinking about them. But then I don't really have much else to say. I guess I just want to connect with out strings attached? (And now I'm getting a deja vu feeling like I've posted something like this before? weird) It feels lame to just "like" everything someone posts but too much to reach out, sometimes after not talking much for years, and just say something lame like Hi. It also seems odd to post to my close friends "I love you" without sounding like one of those stupid valley girls who "loves" everything and nothing at the same time. I don't want to come off as fake and I do have strong platonic love for them... but... booo. Haven't solved this problem for myself yet...

So I'm chalking this post up to allergies making me weak with pseudoephedrine making me crazy. Chalk and chalk. Love ya'll! -- No, really though. After all the devastation that's going since this past week we all do need to remember those we love and tell them more often. Everyday if you get the chance. God loves you and, in a much less significant way, so do I. :)

Do the pretty girl rock? Don't hate me 'cuz I'm beautiful... Hahahaha...

More prayers for patience and understanding. And maybe some more sleep. Not sure how long I can live like this. -Brighter note: beautiful weather this week! :)

Oh the wisdom of Beyonce... "If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it"...

Is it cobbler or cobler? Either way, the peach kind is yum...

Thus far today I bathed both dogs, tidied, dusted, and vac'd the living room, did 2 loads of laundry, and baked a peach cobbler. Pretty much in that order. My coping-by-cleaning method of ignoring things seems to be working, for now anyway.
Would be sewing something but Mum's hogging the sewing machine.
Well, yes, we do happen to have at least 4 other sewing machines I could pull out and set up but that sounds like more work. Also they're dusty. And maybe a bit rusty? Probably not crusty. Or musty. Eeww. (Others that are unlikely: busty, gusty, lusty)

My to-do list is pretty big too. Keep adding to it without checking things off since most of the items seem to be weekday 9-5 type tasks, like dropping off my stuff to have my taxes done or getting my checking account at the bank changed to a different kind (since I'm a big girl now with a real job and don't have to have the student account I've been utilizing since I turned 18). Then there's the stuff I'm not sure I'll ever get around to doing - like getting any dry cleaning done. I try not to buy dry clean only clothes but sometimes it's unavoidable - like a bridesmaids dress in my closet that currently has a little chocolate spot on it. Boo. I *could* just pretend it's not there. It is such a tiny spot. In a really noticable place... argh....
I also have a to-craft list. Lots of ideas I'd like to make or attempt. Seem to go through spurts of crossing off a passel of those and then have a dry spell before another spurt. (ha. That last sentence makes me giggle)

Wow. What a boring post for a day off work. At least the weather is great - It got up to about 70 degrees Fahrenheit today when just Thursday this past week it was in the single digits! Went from wearing a ton of layers and double socks to a t-shirt and jeans all day! Whoa! :) Still boring...

Just watched a show on the Cooking Channel called "Bitchin Kitchen" - Pretty funny. Informational without being too floofy. Will probably watch again :)

Another year...

"Tick tick tick tick on the watch, And life's too short for me to stop, Oh baby, your time is running out, I won't let you turn around And tell me now I'm much too proud All you do is fill me up with doubt... This time, baby, I'll be bulletproof... this time, baby, I'll be bulletproof..."

I've had La Roux's Bulletproof stuck in my head for about a week now. So terribly, ironically fitting. Or something like that. What a way to start a post after so long...

Busy lately working a bunch. Still floating from store to store as needed for the big chain for which I work. And much of the time it's good. Some days truly suck but I figure that's part of life and every job has downsides. Getting to help people still outweighs the bad. And this job is enabling me to pay off my student loans, which is very high on my list of priorities right now. In fact, I noticed today (as I was paying bills, yuck) that I've paid off a little more than a third of my loans! I've only officially been out of school since June and made intern pay for June & July so it's really been about 6 months of "real" pay that went into that chunk of debt falling off. If all goes well and no new bills pop up then I might get out from under loans by this time next year. How cool would that be?!?

Something else has been dropping off lately... Since I took my NAPLEX back in July I've unintentionally lost about 15 pounds. I'm back to the weight I was when I turned 16 & got my driver's license! (Though I did gain about 5 pounds between graduation and NAPLEX from all of the study eating I did to prep for that booger of an exam.) Still fitting into all my clothes ok but now having to wear a belt more to keep from flashing everyone. I'm still eating and certainly not going without but I guess working all day on my feet and not really ever having the chance to snack resets me back to where I maybe should have been all along? I wish I could say I've been exercising but I haven't. My work schedule is still so fluid that I don't feel like there's a set time of day I could work out routinely. Excuses, excuses, I know. There are just several variables in my life right now that I have no control over that lend toward making me more apathetic about my overall health. Hopefully, soon, I'll see the light and feel inspired to be more healthy. Until then I'll stick to working hard, eating reasonably balanced meals, and drinking more water. Yeah.

Going through a rough patch attitude-wise. Not willing to share the cause here but suffice to say I've mostly been praying for understanding and acceptance. Can never have too much acceptance, the way I see it. Especially for things that I have little control over. (For graduation a dear family friend got me a piece of wall art that reads, "Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God." A wonderful ideal...) So, beyond praying I turn to sewing, cooking, cleaning, and crafting in general to keep my mind occupied. If my darling family doesn't get sick of me re-organizing every inch of the house and making a cosy for everything I might get back to okay soon. We shall see.
Until then, stay warm and be good to yourself & everyone else.

Looking through the hymnal this morning at service I found several songs I liked... "All Things Bright & Beautiful" being at the top of my list, of course. "This Is My Father's World" & "Open My Eyes That I May See" rank up there. In no particular order, the others I re/found this morning: "How Happy Is Each Child Of God", "Let Us With A Gladsome Mind", "God of Our Life", "Called as Partners in Christ's Service", "Wherever I May Wander", "There's a Sweet,Sweet Spirit", "Lord of Our Growing Years".