Happy Thanksgiving!

These are my Thanksgiving decorations (those are nutcrackers). Well, some of them. I have decided to decorate for Thanksgiving as much as I can since it seems to be glossed over by the early, way too early, decorating of Christmas. Christmas music in Sam's Club and on the radio the day after Halloween?!? That is craziness.
I've been in a funky mood lately, just in a slumpy mood, so I thought it would be good to count some of my many blessings on this day of thankfulness.

I am thankful for....leftover pie. No, really I am, although I would be more thankful for it if it weren't in my dog's stomach at the moment. I am more thankful that I made two pies yesterday, ate half of one and kept the other half in the fridge. Haha! Take that, Nova!

I am thankful for my Scott. He is so kind and wonderful to me, even when he gets annoyed at my slumpy moods. Scott is quick to forgive and give/accept love and affection. He is my perfect pair in every way and I thank Heavenly Father for him every single day.

I am thankful for my parents and for how much they love my husband too.
I am thankful for my Daddy (yes, I still call him daddy sometimes) and for the conversation I have with him when I go visit. I admire his intelligence and his love for us and for him being a sucker for animals. It's so adorable. My Daddy is a very special person to me and very dear to my heart.

I am thankful for my Mom. She is so smart and willing to go out of her way to help people, especially with information. Mom is my Google. I love the friendship that she gives me as a mother and as a best friend.

I am thankful for the silly mood I get in when I go back and visit home. It feels good to not be the adult sometimes!
I'm also thankful to my brother, Joseph, for laughing at my silliness and egging me on.

I am thankful for Pixie and for all the joy she gives our family. She has the brightest eyes and when they light up, it makes me forget all the missed sleep, delayed chores, and fussy times.
I love the unique looks she gives her mommy, daddy, and even the two dogs have a special look from her. She acts differently with all of us and it's neat to see her personality develop.

I am thankful that my sister, Rebecca, is back from the hospital and is on her way to a healthier self. I am thankful that her husband loves her and missed her terribly when she was gone. I'm thankful to have him as a big adopted brother too.

I am thankful for my other sister, Amy, whom I don't get to see or talk to very often now, but she helped me through my pregnancy with Pixie (she was pregnant too) and she's always there to talk to.

I'm thankful for all my nephews and my niece. For the sweet spirits they have and for the love that they have for Pixie.

I am thankful for my friends. Those that I talk to often, like Sam. Those that I email and blog with often, like Kizzie, And those who I have contact with on a semi-regular basis, like Denita.
Okay, these are pretty much all the friends I have, but I am thankful for each one of them. For the friendship that they always have and always will offer and for the love we have for each other. I am thankful that Kizzie is coming home for Christmas and I'm so excited to see her again! I am thankful for the many memories we have together and I cherish those.

I am thankful for my dogs. Some might not understand this, but they are a wonderful part of my family. I have had this sense of fullness lately in my home after adding Perrin to our family. Not that it's easy, it's like taking care of another baby sometimes, but I love his goofy puppiness. Even when he's running away from me all willy nilly, with my sock in his mouth, or when I found him standing on top of Pixie in her chair and she was as happy as could be.
I am thankful for Nova and for the companionship she has given me these last two years. She has been here for me to talk to and to keep me warm while Scott is gone at work, to sit beside me when I was puking with morning sickness, and to comfort me when I cry. I am thankful that she is pretty well trained for the most part, minus the pie incident, and that she goes into her cage on command.

I am thankful for my new dishwasher. Enough said! I am also (like Becca) thankful for running water and a kitchen sink. That is something you think about a lot, only if you've been without it before.

I am thankful for our house. Even though I would like a bigger one and would like one in a better location without certain neighbors. It has been a good house for us. We have done a lot of work on this house and it's the only place we have called home since we've been married.

I am thankful for our ward. Not that I have any close friends in it, but they are all friendly, open, and fun.

I am thankful that the Honda has only needed a battery and A/C work since we got it in May '06.

I am thankful for the internet and for those who put tv shows online. What would I have done without you? Especially when I was on bed rest?

I am thankful for the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. Not that I have been focusing on it lately as I should be, but that I know where I can and should be and how to get there. I am thankful to know a loving God and to know that nothing escapes his notice. Not anything or anyone.

And lastly, I am thankful for the tears of joy I experienced while typing this count of my blessings. It is a wonderful feeling to feel so strongly for the love in your life.

Happy Thanksgiving and goodnight.

Perrin's Future

So, looking at Perrin when we took him in it was hard to believe that he would ever be a big dog. After having him for almost 3 weeks I took him to the vet last Wednesday. It was such a fun visit! Scott had a class, so I lugged a tired Pixie with me and I was sick. Pixie screamed through the whole visit and checkout.

Anyway, we found out that Perrin was only about 10 weeks. A bit younger than I had hoped! He had also doubled his weight by this time (6 to 12 lbs) and we had found out a few days before who his parents are. I haven't seen them, but knowing that Perrin is a runt only give us a little bit of comfort! Let me just show you what I mean.

Perrin's mommy is a short haired pointer. Looking something like this and weighing between 45-60lbs. Not bad you say? I didn't think so either.
(I have even caught him pointing exactly like this at Nova.)

However...Perrin's daddy on the other hand is a Bull Mastiff. Looking something like this and weighing in the range of 110-130lbs. Woah! I have never had a dog this big before!

I guess we'll have to wait and see. I don't think Perrin has gained that much in size, but he eats like a horse already and has gained 2-3 more pounds since our vet visit.

More Pictures!

Here are some more pictures of everyone, except for me!

Perrin napping with Scott.

I think he's going to be a good family dog, don't you? And Pixie has a thing for spoons. I just have to make sure she doesn't poke herself in the eye!

They look so obedient, don't they?!?

Pixie with one cousin...

and some more cousins!

Happily perched on Daddy's shoulders.

This is how she looks when she's laughing. She always puts her hand in her mouth and kinda snorts.

Isn't that the cutest smile?

Pixie's funny smile.

One of her favorite things to do now. After she gets it off she eats it.

I love this outfit!

Music Professor!

Becca posted some of her favorite songs and I thought I would too!
She has some of the same favorites as I do, like Regina Spektor.
Of course there are so many I like, but here are my favs for now!

Jason Mraz. I love him! My kind of word smith. He's been one of my favorites ever since I hear his first big cd. He and Jack Johnson just have this easy breezy feel that I love!
This is his latest song that I can't get enough of!

"I'm Yours"

I wasn't expecting to like Natasha Bedingfield as much as I do after her song "Unwritten", but I love this song and "Single".

"How Do You Do"

Okay, this cd from Maroon 5 has been my favorite cd for like 4 years..along with Rob Thomas. Need I say more?
The video part of this isn't the best, but this song doesn't have any bad words and it's shows the slower music from the band.

"I Won't Go Home Without You"

Maybe I'll forever have some of the musical tastes of a teenager...at least in this time. I love Fall out Boy and Pink. Yes, I'm a bit punkish!

"Dance, Dance"

Oh...so so so many more! Old stuff like Elvis and "At Last" by Etta James.
Here is one from the Bangles for good measure!

"Hazy Shade of Winter"

Since the Holidays are upon us, on The Grinch who Stole Christmas soundtrack, there is this song by Ben Folds called "Lonely Christmas Eve".
My favorite non-traditional Christmas cd is "Barenaked for the Holidays" by Barenaked Ladies. In church we just call them "BNL" :)

"Elf's Lament"

Another Giveaway!

Thanks Kiz, maybe I'll actually win something some day! I do need a shopping cart cover, badly!

12 Days of Junkie!

Updates

Throughout the week there are things that happen that I want to blog about. I usually don't until I find one block of time to post everything I want to. Here's a little update.

~Pixie is 7 months old~

Last week I found a tooth that has poked through on the bottom of her mouth and the one next to it is coming through also.
She waved to me in a checkout line for the first time and then to a stranger right after that.
She has learned how to give raspberries. Thankfully she hasn't learned how to do it with food in her mouth yet!
People in church say that Pixie is so good and quiet. What they don't know is that I take her out before she screams, hold her in the mother's lounge so she can nap, bring an arsenal of toys, and that she would freak out if I didn't change her position every two minutes or if I turned my back on her!
She's been especially cranky lately. Today I was feeding her just after she took a nap and changed her..and gave her teething tablets. She screamed through her feeding on and off. I realized a good way to get her to be happy though...she loves the camera! I had to pop it up really quick to get a shot of her being fussy.

Like the beach towel? I got the high chair from Becca and she swears I took the cover...I can't find it for the life of me!
This next picture is right after she realized the camera was on her. Stinker!

~My Maid~

A little while ago Scott told me that he found a Christmas gift for me. He was under the impression that Christmas was only a month away, so when I informed him it was two, he said he couldn't wait that long! I came home on November 1st late at night after making an ice cream and pizza run for him and his brothers that were visiting. As I walked up to the door all the lights were shut off until I got in. And there was my very own portable dishwasher!
I have been plugging for one for a while. I didn't think I would get one because new they're up to $600 and used they're normally about $100-$150 and things have been pretty tight lately.
It's a few years old, but works amazingly well! I LOVE IT! It saves me so much time and effort.
Scott said he found it at a garage sale where this older lady had redone her kitchen and they had only $25 on it! Here's the kicker though...he only had $18 and they took it! Wahoo!
Amazing huh?

~Perrin~

Our puppy has a name now, Perrin. Those of you who have read "The Wheel of Time" series will know what it's from. If not, Perrin is a character in the books who is big, strong, has golden eyes, and is connected to wolves. Plus, he's my favorite.
Little Perrin has filled out more, but is still small.

This is him in trouble after digging in my indoor herb garden.

He takes it upon himself to use any of Pixie's accessories as his own.

He's such a love.

Creepy?

So, the other day I went to go to the bathroom. TMI you say? Well, it's not about THAT!
I opened the lid of the toilet and am glad I looked inside before sitting down. This is what I saw.

Oh, living in the Midwest I've dealt with my fair share of Wolf Spiders, but in my toilet? Never!
This is what Wikipedia says about them:

Some are opportunistic wanderer hunters, pouncing upon prey as they find it or chasing it over short distances. Others lie in wait for passing prey, often from or near the mouth of a burrow.

Would my toilet pass as a burrow to him and my bum.. prey? I stood there with a dilemma. I don't kill things..except for ants in the house when they come in droves, moths that try to eat my food, and I make Scott catch or poison any mice that come in when Fall hits.
I like spiders and usually just take them outside. I remember catching Wolf Spiders with a cup to take outside..boy they are fast..I severed a leg or two before I decided that it wasn't going to work so well.
Back to the toilet. I didn't know what to do! Scott always says to kill them, especially when you are in doubt of what they are, but I knew that Wolf Spiders don't generally bite unless provoked. Then I realized that I didn't have a good way to get it out and it might not see the difference between "rescuing" and "provoking". So, I grimaced and flushed the toilet. I felt bad as he swirled down into the dark watery abyss, but I found comfort as I told myself how tough those spiders are and that he could probably have survived the trauma.

You might think I'm silly or even a bit nuts, but it's not likely he was intending to invade my toilet, it might have been a case of mistaken toiletentity.