Only Two Days

This may well be my last post of 2011. There are only two days left to the current year before the new one begins.

I guess I'm supposed to look back and reflect on the year, so here goes. We were very blessed and had a very good year. I wish everyone could have had the same, but we know that wasn't the case. My hope is that next year is better for them. My hope is that everyone has a better year than this one that is almost ready for the record books.

One of the happiest things that happened to us this year is that Kenneth and Elicia finally got married. No, I have to say that is the happiest. Dave's job, I don't want to say it because I'm superstitious that way, but let me just say that we had a good year in that regard and I pray it continues.

Another happy thing that happened is that we were able to go back to my hometown for one of my niece's wedding. She made a beautiful bride and while we were there, Dave and I were able to meet up with some friends and spent our last day there having fun. I did make a big mistake and when a friend said that she wanted to come out here, I made it sound as if I didn't want her to come because we need to do some much needed work on the place, which is farthest from the truth. I would love to have her visit. She is a friend who has always been there for me, through good and bad. Those kinds of friends are hard to find and I'm lucky to have found two over 30 years ago and still have them. I am truly blessed to have them in my life and I hope they know it. I am also blessed to have reconnected with other friends, one of who was the other friend that we spent the day with. That was one of the most relaxing days I have ever spent while there. It was great and the weather was perfect. Too bad we had to leave the next day, but two weeks later Dave and I took a business trip to Indy and for me it was like another vacation. I love the hotel we always stay at, it's so relaxing.

The only thing that I didn't like about this year was all of the political ads on TV and political phone calls, especially this last week, even on Christmas Eve and they were all recordings! Only one was an actual person. They couldn't leave us alone even then. I'm surprised they did on Christmas day. Don't they know that the only thing it accomplishes is annoying us? Now whenever an ad comes on TV, I mute it and when we get one of those phone calls, I hang up. Only five more days until the caucus and boy, am I counting the days until it's over! At least we'll have some peace for a little while, that is until someone is nominated to run, then it starts all over and usually gets really nasty with the attack ads.

I'll be glad when that's all over too and hopefully we'll make the right choice when we go to the polls in November, but until then, we have almost an entire year to get through. I pray that it's a good one for everyone, up until November and after. Until then, goodbye 2011 and hello to 2012.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish everyone out there a Very Safe and Merry Christmas. May your day be filled with joy and may all of your Christmas dreams come true.

If you are driving this holiday weekend, please drive safe, don't text and drive or use your cell phone at all while driving. Be cautious and watch out for the other guy/girl because he/she may not be watching out for you.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I Hate Mud!

We had some snow last night, not a lot, around an inch or so. Well today the temps went up to the 40s and the sun's been shining, which means all the snow melted which in turn means,  big messes in places.

Being part Jack Russell, Max loves to dig, you should see our yard, it looks like a mine field so there's a lot of mud right now. I let the dogs out a little while ago and when I went to let them in, not only were Max's front paws caked in mud, but so were his back ones. Needless to say, he got all four paws washed off before being let all the way into the house.

Jake and Rolli were good, no digging from them, so their paws were fine. That was surprising for Rolli because sometimes she'll get out there and challenge Max to a digging contest. Too bad I can't say the same for Angel's paws.

The bad thing about her having muddy paws, she comes screaming into the house without stopping so you can't always catch her. This was one of those times and when she stopped on the doggy bed, whose cover I now have to wash, she got muddy paw prints all over it. But the good thing is that hers weren't as bad as Max's. Maybe she went over to where he was digging and told him that he'd better stop because he would have to get his paws washed when he came in the house. I guess he was having so much fun, he didn't care, well not until he got in the house that is.

I keep telling him that Santa is watching his every step, but I guess just like all naughty little pups, he doesn't think of the aftermath, only the fun he's having at the time. He's lucky he's so cute.

I Officially Have a Daughter-in-Law!

I called Kenneth this morning because I tried to call him last night and couldn't get ahold of him. I couldn't this morning either so I decided to call Elicia, his fiancee after I couldn't get in touch with him again. It was then that I found out that he was home and that they had just gotten back from the courthouse and they tied the knot.

All I can say is that it's about time!

Yeah!

Our dryer is up and running again. Dave put the new belt on it on Tuesday and I used it yesterday to wash the stuff off of the bed. It feels good to have a clean bed to crawl into at night.

I also finished the expense form I have to fill out every year for David's SSDI. I save all of his receipts and put them in a spreadsheet by categories on the sheet so that I can keep track. Every year I say that I'm going to keep up on them and enter them when I get them and every year, there are a ton of them that I never entered, so I have to enter them before I can fill the form out. That took me only two days to enter the receipts and fill out the form and get it in the mail before the 30 day deadline. I think I actually got it done earlier this year than I have in the past. Now I don't have to worry about it and have the stress of it ruin my Christmas.

I also have my Christmas shopping done so I can relax and make some cookies, like I need them. but I do want to make pezzelles this year and a walnut and butter filled bread that my grandmother used to make. I'm dying to see how it comes out in the new oven. I also have a shortbread recipe that a friend gave me that I want to try. I just hope that I can remember where I put the recipe.

I actually feel caught up this year. What an unusual feeling it is. :)

Our Dryer Died

Well, it didn't actually die, let's just say it broke a part, yes a part, not apart.

The belt on it broke yesterday while I was doing laundry. I was on my third load in the washer and of course, one in the dryer, when I noticed that it was making a funny sound. The motor was running and the heat was coming through the hose, but the drum wasn't spinning. I tried calling Dave at work, but he had his cell phone turned off. In fact he forgot to turn it on. Needless to say, I was not happy.

So, off to the laundry mat David and I went. To say the least, it is not on the list of one of my favorite places. David decided that he should go along and get his laundry done too, good idea since we didn't know exactly what was wrong with the dryer at that time and how long it would take for it to either get fixed or for us to get a new one. Actually it would have been quicker to buy a new one.

David had only gotten one roll of quarters and when it came to drying his loads, decided that he would use the quarters I had, BAD idea! There were machines there that you could get quarters from and he had some spare cash on him, so I made him get some more quarters. I wasn't sure if I would have enough to dry my stuff, you only get seven minutes per quarter in the dryers, let alone finance his drying too. Not only did I have two loads to dry, I also had two more to wash and then dry.

David also does not have the most patience in the world, in fact he's worse than I am. He was willing to take his clothes out while they were still damp so that we could leave rather than making sure they were dry. Mine weren't dry yet anyway and as it turned out, they also weren't completely dry when time ran out so they needed more time, and since he wasn't leaving until I was, I made him put some more quarters in. When he got ticked, I just told him, "I don't know why you're getting mad, you can't go anywhere until I do anyway." He hates when reality sneaks up on him like that. ☺

Oh well, at least we both got our laundry done and all in all, it only took us a little over an hour and a half, plus we were able to get some recycling done that he forgot to put in the van last week, so that was good. Next week I do have to take the comforter to the laundry mat to wash and dry it. I wished I had thought about it, I could have gotten that done yesterday too. It's too big for our washer and dryer. Shucks!

Anyway, Dave was also able to give the dryer a thorough cleaning out of all the lint in it. Speaking of which, a word of advise, when you clean out your dryer of lint, make sure you blow out around the motor and inside too, a wet/dry vacuum is best for this. Don't just clean out the hose or where it connects to the dryer. Ours had a lot of lint trapped inside. That's probably why it would smell as if something was burning whenever I went to get the clothes out. Talk about a fire hazzard!

Important Dogfood Recall

Got this from the Paws Posse blog.

Two New Dog Food Recalls

December 7th, 2011 09:20:13 am

On December 6, 2011, two companies issued dog food recalls. Recall 1: Cargill River Run & Marksman Cargill is recalling some packages of dog food under their River Run and Marksman brands due to higher than allowed aflatoxin levels. The foods to watch out for are: Product Size Professional Formula River Run Hi-NRG 24-20 Dog Food 50 lb. bag River Run Professional Formula 27-18 Dog Food 50 lb. bag River Run 21% Protein Dog Food 40 lb. bag & 50 lb. bag River Run Hi-Pro No-Soy Dog Food 40 lb. bag & 50 lb. bag Marksman Dog Food 24% Protein 20% Fat 40 lb. bag Marksman Dog Food 20% Protein 10% Fat 40 lb. bag & 50 lb. bag Marksman 28% Protein 18% Fat 40 lb. bag Bags affected by the recall have Packaging Date Codes (lot numbers) 4K0335 through 4K0365, LL0335 through LL0365, 4K1001 through 4K1335, and LL1001 thorugh LL1335.The affected products were distributed in Arkansas, California, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and the US Virgin Islands. If you have any of these bags, stop feeding it to your dog immediately. Return the bags, even if they're opened, to the original place of purchase for a full refund. If you have any questions, contact Cargill directly at 855-460-1532. Keep reading for symptoms of aflatoxin illness you should watch for if you have fed your dog one of these foods. Recall 2: Iams Last week, Iams quietly pulled some dog foods from shelves. The recall is now official, with lots more details for consumers. The food being recalled is their ProActive Health Smart Puppy dry food due to higher than normal aflatoxin levels also. The bags to watch for are: Size Code Date UPC Code 7 lb. bag 12784177I6 1901402305 8 lb. bag 12794177D2 & 12794177D3 1901410208 17.5 lb. bag 12794177K1 & 12794177K2 1901401848 Though Iams has pulled this product from shelves, some may have been purchased already. The affected bags were distributed in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. If you have one of the affected bags, stop feeding it to your dog immediately. Throw it away and call Iams at 866-908-1569 for a replacement voucher. Symptoms of aflatoxin illness Both recalls are due to higher than acceptable aflatoxin levels. No illnesses have been reported connected to either recall. Symptoms of aflatoxin illness are lethargy, reluctance to eat, yellow tint to eyes or gums, vomiting, or diarrhea. If your dog shows these symptoms and has eaten this food, call your vet immediately.

A Lot of Rain, Fog, and Little Snow

Yesterday it rained and boy did it rain, plus it was foggy. Not a good combination, especially when it's dark and you're trying to drive on a road not well marked or lit.

That's the way it was for me when I went to pick David up from work yesterday. The road we drive on isn't well lit, because on either side is mostly farm land. Worse than that though is the fact that the lines need to be repainted very badly. There were times I felt like I was drifting into the other lane so I started trying to stay more to the right which caused me to hug that side of the road. It made it difficult when a car would be coming in the opposite direction. Because the lines are in such bad shape, I almost went off the side of the road a few times. It made for a very wheel clutching drive to and from his work. I was glad when I finally got on the back roads and it felt so good to finally pull into the driveway.

Yesterday was also the first day of shotgun deer season. Thankfully the hunters had enough sense to call it a day when the fog started setting in. Today they're back out there, but at least the sun is shining and the winds are down which is good, considering it's not supposed to make it out of the lower 30s, if that. There is a little snow on the ground, but only a dusting.

They got more snow than rain north of Des Moines yesterday and colder temps, maybe the 20s if they're lucky. It looks as if winter has decided to make its appearance after all. Even the geese have decided that it's time to fly south. They waited later this year than they normally do. We should be seeing bald eagles soon too. I love seeing the eagles every year, one of the perks of living here. It's also my favorite part of winter.

BAH HUMBUG!

Got the outside decorated, got the wreaths in the windows, and yesterday I put up the tree. It of course, turned out gorgeous again this year. Even changed the backgrounds on my computer, phone, but still have to on my IPod, but I did change the ringer on my cell phone. Even got most of my shopping done, but yet I don't feel all that much in the Christmas spirit right now. I think it's because I gave Dave one of his presents early, a new coat that I got for a really great price at Old Navy and he said that he didn't like it. He said it wasn't his style.

He needed a new winter coat, plus I wanted to get him one that he could wear when we went out somewhere nice. The one he had he's had for ages and the zipper on it was broken, or worse, he would wear his barn jacket. He'd leave it in the car, but I still knew it was there. Now he has a nice wool coat to wear and he doesn't like it.

I was going to do some alterations to the coat to make it look more like his style, but I was afraid of messing it up so instead I just ordered him what he really wanted, a pea coat. I got a brand new one by Calvin Klein for under $100 and the best thing is that the seller is here in Iowa. So if he ships it tomorrow, it should be here by Saturday or Monday at the latest.

My day has not been going very well. I went to change watchbands on one of my watches and lost not one, but both little bars that hold the band on. The one should have been right here on the couch but I still couldn't find it. The other shot across the room somewhere. It's not a big room, but no luck, so I gave up. The ones that came with the band don't fit it, so I've decided that the thing is going back. I'll look for a different band. The bad thing is that it's a brand new watch, but I didn't like the band that was on it.

Just now the washer decided to go off balance. Luckily all that was needed for that were a couple pairs of Dave's jeans to be readjusted. That was no big deal, it happens all the time. Earlier though, it took me three spins to dry one flannel sheet. I've already decided that I'm going to hold off until tomorrow to do towels. I also have a couple rugs to do.

Anyway, I'm going to relax and hope that nothing else goes wrong. I just looked at the clock and it read 3:15. It seems a lot later.

The stupid washer decided to go off balance again, plus my finger hurts, another story. I need some spiked eggnog! Anyone have any real strong stuff?

UPDATE: As if it couldn't get any better! I just went to pull a runner out of one of the sideboards in the dining room when with it, a bottle of lamp oil fell out and shattered on the floor. It was a plastic bottle, but it hit just right and now we have the smell of it all over the house. Dave spread some cat litter, don't worry it was clean, over the spot to absorb the oil. So much for hoping huh?

UPDATE ON UPDATE: The spill has been cleaned up, thanks to Dave!