Survivors

Happy Saturday to you!  For having had a pretty crappy week, I'm in a great mood.  That is probably because my baby girl is doing really well.  Or I put extra sugar in my coffee.  You know how I am about my sweets.

I didn't tell you, Internet, but Abby had surgery yesterday and she is doing better than I ever expected!  Todd noticed a hard wart-like bump Friday before last.  Much different than any other bump she has.  So we chose a vet and got her in right away.  One week after seeing it, we had it removed.  Actually noticed a skin tag around her eye getting really big too, and we don't want her vision impaired.  Poor girl has cataracts, she doesn't need anything else impacting her vision.  I wasn't nervous about the surgery until after lunch time, and I realized I had not physically heard "all is good".  So Todd called, then I called.  Still in surgery.  WTF?  So a little after 2pm (picking her up at 4!), we heard the all-is-clear message.  Whew.  That's our baby girl I am talking about.  The spring in Todd's step.  The sass in our house!

I giggled to myself a little when I called the vet.  "Yes, this is Abby's mom, calling to check on her"--like all the other moms I hear making calls from their desk phones.  Of course, they know I'm talking about my dog.  ;-)

See?  You can barely tell.  She looks FABULOUS!  They are testing the large mass they took off her snout, we'll see what the results are.  I'm sure it's benign and all is well.  There is a little stitch at the outer corner of her eye, and about 4 or 5 stitches on her snout:

Tullybird just went through the same thing with her baby girl, so I was confident mine would be just fine too.  I hate putting furry loved ones under anesthesia.

Speaking of Tullybird:  SHE'S COMING TO SEE ME!  I'm so excited I could pee my pants.  When I left NV, I told her "you know you are going to have to come see me, cause I'm never coming back here".  To which she replied that she realized that.  So now, she's coming to see me!  Our close bond is surviving the challenge of distance.

I'm making a list of the bead shops and cooking stores we will hit.  We must visit my friends, Ray & Becky, at  Mission Fresh Fashion (and she will love the store), and take her to meet Kevin & Suzie and girls.  We have to eat Z-man sandwiches at Oklahoma Joe's.  What else is KC... I will have to ponder this agenda.  We have 5 days in May to goof off.  Oh the joy!  Pics of Booze-N-Beads will surely be posted.

Other visitors I am super excited about--SamsMom is going to be in the area Memorial Day weekend and I will go see her tons!  Can't wait to see her family & watch her talented son play baseball.  I'm going to sneak her away from the ball field to take her on her virgin voyage to LUSH.  WAHOO!  Talk about a friendship surviving decades.  DECADES!!

Speaking of a friendship surviving decades, I believe Jus is back home (or in transit, I'm not sure) from Afghanistan and wants to come up and see me!  I remember talking to her on the phone before she deployed, and I told her my goal was to be back in the mid-west before she got back.  Viola, I'm here!  Can't wait to hear all about her adventures in person.  She's a real survivor, that one.  To just up and go into the military and go off and serve like she has.  Wow. 

I am so excited to connect with so many awesome women! 

 
Spring has sprung, and I want to share my special flower with ya'll.  This is a bulb that was planted at our house back in KC before our Great-Migration-West.  I took this puppy with me*.  It actually multiplied in NV sand, amazingly--talk about "surviving".  Any plant that made it the 4.5 years we were there was a true survivor.  When we left, I dug it up and MAILED IT TO MY MOTHER.  So it's been to Oklahoma too.  I planted it last fall.  Now it has a happy home in Missouri:

So you may be saying to yourself, "Self?  That just looks like an ordinary hyacinth.  What's so special that she'd dig it up and plant it in 3 different states?".  Well, let me tell you what this specific bulb symbolizes to me.  *This was Roscoe's flower. 

Amber was not our first golden.  We had two wonderful dogs before Amber.  Todd's first son was Roscoe.  When Roscoe passed away in February of 2003, our Uncle Frank and Aunt Judy, who we are super close to and who actually knew Roscoe, sent us a condolence blooming bulb arrangement.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  I planted those bulbs, and the lone survivor of that assortment, is this very hyacinth.

I'll tell you some day about Roscoe.  And about his mom.  But not quite yet.  I still choke up every time I think of them.  Probably always will.

Anyway, one last pic of a few true survivors.  You might have thought I was a little crazy last fall when I tried to plant a garden so late in the season.  Guess what?  I may not have gotten anything to grow much last fall.  But now?  I have volunteer RADISHES! 

I'm Such A LUSH

I am not being endorsed in any way for this post--if you know me, you know this topic is straight from my heart.

If you don't know what LUSH is, let me introduce you.  It's the BEST, most fun store ever.  I saw a comment from Mouse the other day on Anonyvox's post, and it reminded me that I had this post in progress.  If you are lucky enough to live in a city where there is a LUSH store, even just a little corner in a Macy's, then you are very, very lucky.  It's a fresh handmade cosmetics store. Not cosmetics as in makeup, although they do have lip balm (hardly makeup, I know).  It's bath bombs, bubble bars, bath melts, massage bars, fresh face masks, soaps, moisturizers, lotions, and potions and I ABSOLUTELY ADORE this company.  My ultimate crazy wacky dream is to someday own my own LUSH store.  I'd sell jewelry too, and mix my own soaps in the back room.  MMMWWWwwhhahahahahahaha (evil scientist laugh).


Mrs. Irritation introduced me in Vegas when we were there with our hubby's.  We went to LUSH again on our first girls trip to Vegas, which was a first time LUSH visit for Becky and Erica, it was so fun!  I got Dawn hooked on it when we decided to unexpectedly go shopping 2 years ago in Dallas.  I am so lucky to live just an hour from the store in KC now, and I had to get a present for Tullybird before my final move (can't wait to take her to the actual store).  Whenever I travel and have this stuff in my bag, I wreak in a most delightful way--during a business trip to Chicago, I picked up Suzie's 40th birthday present last fall.


My favorite product: Soft Coeur Massage Bar.  This stuff allowed me to live in the high desert and not shrivel into an old wrinkled prune.  It's amazing stuff!  There is a trick to using this: After you get out of the shower, warm it up in your hands, roll it all over, and THEN towel dry yourself off.  Not only will your skin be soft and hydrated ALL day, but your towel will smell like Heaven too.  If you think the feel is too greasy or you need to get dressed quickly, just sprinkle on some Silky Underwear Dusting Powder or any of their dusting powders.

Need something else that moisturizes?  Their bath melts are AWESOME!  Try this one Floating Island or this one MMM Melting Marshmallow Moment.  Or this one Deamtime, or You've Been Mangoed, or the witchy one.  I love every single one of these for a really moisturizing bath that takes your stress away.


When I was in NV, I LOVED the closest store in Sacramento.  The employees were always so fun and everyone is always knowledgeable about all of their products.  I've only been to the store in KC twice, so I haven't gotten to know their staff.  Yet.


Now let me warn you, if you visit a store and the employees seem a little eager in a crazy kind of way, like they believe their stuff is just SO awesome, well, it's cause their stuff IS. JUST. SO. AWESOME. Really. I am this Canadian companies' biggest fan.  Oh, oh, if you are lucky enough to be there at the right time, one of the employees might mix a "bath time cocktail" for you.  It's usually some kind of complimentary scented bath bomb and bath melt, or bubble bar and bath melt.  They swirl the items together in a big bowl of water, and messier the better!!! You can stick your hands in and feel how nice a bath full of that stuff would be.

I love most of the products I have ever purchased and all of the products I have been the very lucky recipient as a gift.  Christmas time is SO MUCH FUN to sniff your gifts first, if you think it might be LUSH, or if you recognize the paper.  I've been SO EXCITED to unwrap presents from Suzie, Tullybird, Mrs. Irritation and my parents in years past when I saw the LUSH paper. See what I was like at Suzie's last December?

I am not a sales person, it's not in my DNA.  But this stuff?  I'm their biggest cheerleader.

I do have to admit there are a few items I wouldn't purchase again. 

• Phoenix Rising bath bomb is a beautiful product with a different scent that had me enjoying it after getting used to how different it smells.  However, when I went to drain my fresh clean tub?  I had to scrub it 5 times because the bath water had left a pink stain all over my tub.  Not happy about that especially since I had JUST CLEANED IT BEFORE THIS BATH.  Use this only in a hotel. ;-)
• If you like your hand soap to suds up a lot, I'd recommend skipping their bar soaps.  However, you are missing out on some killer great scents.  Honey I Washed The Kids soap and Rock Star are my two favorite bar soaps.  You can't beat those scents.
• This eye cream, Enchanted Eye Cream, is inconsistent. Since their products are hand made, I experienced a difference in this.  The first bottle I ever bought, I loved it.  The second bottle?  Not so much.  It was much thinner and didn't work well.  It actually didn't work at all.  I SHOULD have taken it back to the store and gotten a replacement.  A sales person told me that since they are hand made, that batch may not have been the same, so I should have brought it back.  So that is really my fault, but I had purchased it while on an out of town trip.  I could have called them.  But I'm still not going to purchase it again.  At one point in time, I did love it though.

I used to misunderstand their Shower Jellies.  And then one birthday, the daughter of Mrs. Irritation picked out a shower jelly especially for me.  She chose a Halloween themed jelly in my favorite color, neon green!  I learned that if you smoosh it into a shower scrubby, it lathers up really well and works really great!  Viola!  I love them now.  I do not freeze them to use in the shower, like they suggest.  That's just too high maintenance for me, if a bath product needs to be kept in the freezer.  My freezer is on the other side of the house for crying out loud.

Here's my little protégé.  Mrs. Irritation sent this pic one time they were in a LUSH thinking of me.  Her daughter loves the store as much as I do:

I do love their 9-to-5 to wash off eye makeup.  It's so gentle.  I just use it in the shower on my eyelids.  Another product I love is their lip scrub, Sweet Lips, which was another mandatory item when living in the desert.

I am a certifiable LUSH fanatic! If you have never been and have a LUSH accessible to you, GO, GO NOW!!!!  Or shop online.  I have absolutely no idea what you are waiting for, an engraved invitation?  I'm working on it.  But go now!

What Is The Right Pie:People Ratio?

I've often wondered, what is the right ratio to plan for pie to people?  For a party or holiday dinner, you want to have enough of every flavor for each person who may want a taste of any pie to have that taste.  You don't want to run out of the most popular pie flavor, and leftovers are certainly necessary.

So I ask you, what is your perfect pie to people ratio?  1 to 3?  2 to 5?  For Thanksgiving this year, I think we hit a great balance.  Maybe it was a LITTLE heavy on the pie part of the ratio.  Just a little.  We had a 3:4 ratio!!!

I baked a pecan pie, and my mother made a chocolate pudding pie (with just a touch of coffee that you couldn't really taste, it just brightened the chocolate flavor) and a pumpkin streusel pie (the UGLY one, but it was tasty; we all know ugly food = tasty food).  All of our pies were very yummy.  And the best part?  We had pie in the early afternoon BEFORE our big turkey day feast in the late afternoon!  Yes, I had my pie FIRST!

My buddy Tric reminded me that I had not shared pics of our pie buffet.  So here you go!

Only Missing A Few People

The things I miss about Nevada, in no particular order:











....crickets chirping....















Ok, there are a COUPLE of things I actually do miss.  Errr, rather, people.  Who/what I miss:

Tric (my B&B bud, the best friendship I made that will persevere through a cross-country move)
Amy (worlds BEST mail carrier and overall generally awesome person)
Camping trips with George & Sue (they introduced different parts of CA to us and our dogs loved the hikes)
Friday nights with Greg = perfect trade off, we cook & he fixes a pinball machine!
Mountain biking with Ayla (never would have survived my lay-off without these therapy sessions)
Driving around a town with mountain ranges around the perimeter (but who really needs it?!?)
Cactus Creek prime rib, seafood dishes, and pomegranate martinis (we can imitate at home)
No ticks, fleas, chiggers, poison ivy, or bugs in general (probably because life was not meant to thrive or even struggle there...)
Eboni at Massage Envy  (OMG do my shoulders miss that woman!)
How dog-friendly the West is...  I could take my dogs to Home Depot, and it was not a STRANGE occurrence.  You could take your furry canine companion to any store that didn't sell food.  Imagine that in the Midwest, HA!

Some notable mentions that we enjoyed:
Jim Boy's Mexican food -- first place I ever ate at on my first trip there.  (I admit it, I miss Del Taco and El Pollo Loco too.)
Albeta's Mexican food -- best crispy tacos in town.
Black Rock Pizza -- the first restaurant we ever ate at on our first trip there together.
The Lakeside Grill -- breakfast tostada and egg's Benedict.

Sadly this is a pretty short list, but I am sure I am forgetting important stuff.  Just wanted to document this stuff here so I can look back and remember the good stuff.  For all of 4.5 years, the list should be longer, but at least it's high in quality.

This Chapter Is Almost Over

I've yapped about this topic before, but it has been on the forefront of our minds lately.  We are really blessed with great family and great friends.  I can't count how many people in KS, MO, & OK who are excited to have us back in the area.  They've emailed, called, FB'd, etc.  We feel their excitement to have us back and the feeling is reciprocated.  We could not be more excited about getting back to our friends and family.  And there are a couple of lifelong friends we will miss in NV.

I'm fairly certain that we will never have such awesome postal service any other place we could ever live.  Our postal carrier in Sparks truly cares about great customer service.  They take pride in their jobs and it shows.  I joke about Todd's best friend in NV being our mail lady, Amy, but I was never really joking.  He got to see her every day, and she's just as cute as a button.   We both are going to miss her.

I can hardly spend a Friday night without thinking of my Booze & Beads best bud in NV, Tric.  My Friday nights are not what they used to be.  We used to eat, bead & drink the week away on Friday evenings (or just eat & drink).  In the future, she will come visit and I know we will have a great time.  At least I know it's only goodbye for now, and not goodbye for good.  She's such a big help right now.  It's hard to get anyone to help Todd break down boxes or move stuff to/from storage as we prep for the Big Move.  She's helped us out a lot.  Thank goodness since Todd has needed so much help to push through to the end.

The end.  The end of our time in NV is drawing near.  A chapter of our lives is almost over.  And the bookmark I have left is named Tricia.

Booze & Beads, Episode 5: No Tears Allowed Edition!

Welcome to episode 5 of Booze & Beads.  I think this is the sad edition.  Well, it will be more sad next time, if we can have one more.  And I am determined to do just that.  We are in the process of moving from NV to MO and so happy to be getting back to the Midwest where we belong.  It is bittersweet though because we have a few close friends we will miss dearly.

I know what it's like when someone really important in your life moves on by moving away.  That does not mean that you'll never see them again.  It just means things change.

I remember when Shelly left KC to go to FL and I bawled my head off for several days.  I remember to this day her & R walking out of our house when they had to go.  Dammit, I just found her and then she had to go.  Little did I know that I would see her many more times for many special occasions.  Damn if it isn't the hardest thing I have to do every time I have to say bye to her.

Then I had to leave Suzie when we moved from KC to NV.  I remember pulling out of the driveway all Clampet-style towing our trailer and crap strapped to the roof of the Excursion.  It was very sad leaving her & K & the hood, especially with her being all pregnant.  That was a time of change for everybody.

Now I have to leave Tric soon, and it's going to be very sad.  BUT, she will come visit and we KNOW that, so it makes it easier at least for me, knowing this isn't goodbye forever, it's just so-long-for-now.  So we can't have quantity time, but we can sure have quality time.

Back to the B&B topic.  Last night we made a few nice pieces of jewelry after we ate ribs and Todd's awesome surprise-beans (it's always a guessing game as to what kind of yummy mystery meat he used--tonight was char-grilled hot dogs).  We didn't have a specialty drink of the evening since we are trying to decrease our booze collection.  Tricia rocked the pinball game of Majorettes--such an awesome game, but that is a topic for another post at another time.  It was a fun evening!

And now for pics:

Tric made this awesome set.

I made this set.  I have been attracted to orange lately.

And now for a pic of us.  Yes, I have my eyes closed like a dork.

Happy Beading!

Today

HAPPY Birthday, Tricia!

I am really looking forward to lunch out today with Tricia, it's been WAY too long since I've seen her.  And she lives just down the street!  I wish the very best birthday to my best NV buddy, Tricia.  I hope today is full of fun things for everyone.  It might just be good vibes coming from her birthday.

Why do I not have any pictures?!?!  We shall have to remedy that issue, pronto.

Glass Half Full -or- Glass Half Empty

Does life suck or is it just a phase?!?  I believe things could get worse.  I mean, I could be living in California, the only state where housing prices have fallen EVEN MORE than where I am.  I heard a statistic today--that housing has fallen 65% in CA.  Thank God I'm only down 50% (sarcasm intended).  But on the bright side we're healthy (for now), and have benefits for which I am very thankful.

Life could be....better.  So much better.  I keep thinking about four years ago and how I wish we had never moved here.  WHY, WHY, WHY did I move?!?  What was I thinking.  Oh yea, that it was a step UP, and that it would be BETTER, and that I was GOING somewhere.  Well, that didn't work out to well, did it?!?  I know, quit beating myself up over it, I couldn't have known, it happened for some reason, bla bla bla.

The bright side:

• I love the dry, high altitude climate--Who knew?!?  However, I can feel myself prematurely aging and wrinkling as I breathe.  Oh wait, that isn't positive.
• The dogs LOVE it out here.  No ticks, fleas, poison ivy, very few mosquitoes, and lots of rivers to go swimming.  Plus the West is just SO MUCH MORE dog friendly than the mid-west.  You just have to visit to understand what I'm talking about.
• I can take my dog into Home Depot.
• I can be in the mountains in 30 minutes.  Or the desert.
• We have the hottest nicest mail lady this side of the Rockies.
• Last but not least, actually most important of all, Tricia.

That's my bright side list of this Hell Hole.

Round And Round I Go

My awesome buddy Tricia got me hooked on spinning.  I was very reluctant to try it.  It hurts your dierriere!  Why would I want to do something that hurts?  Sounded like crazy talk to me.  BUT that's how she really lost weight and got in shape, so there had to be something to it.

I remember years ago in KS, Suzie tried to talk me into trying spin at the community center, but it just didn't sound like fun to me.  And she got up at some ungodly hour of the morning to go do it.  No way.  Physically, there's no way.  I'm just not a morning person, and I can accept the truth about myself...I don't mentally wake up until 8am and preferrably after 9 and my body wakes up AFTER my mind.

The gym I was going to used to have spin classes so I gave it a try at the urging of Tricia.  The real deal with the pain-in-the-butt: you really do adjust, and kind of get used to it after 3 or 4 weeks, if you consistently stick with it.  I don't think it took me 3 weeks even.  Then I loved it.  The next big thing is the shoes.  Wearing sneakers and using the toe cages just doesn't give you the same workout.  SPD cleated spin shoes are a must for anyone serious about spinning, because they give you a completely different work out.  You maximize your effort.  And isn't that the point?

Well, I'm hooked.  Hook, line, and sinker.  I'd rather go to a spin class than do any other form of exercise (except maybe ride outside).  The main reason I quit my old gym was because they cancelled their spin classes.  And now looking back, there were several other reasons but that was the main one.  I joined Gold's, and I have had the best Spin classes ever.  They are so exhausting and energizing at the same time.  The class I had tonight kicked my butt!  The classes are helping me physically, but the best benefit is the mental part.  It's a huge stress releiver.

If you are mildly curious about a spin class, give it a try.  Don't judge it after your first or second class, and give it a few chances; you might develop a great love for it too!

Oh, another problem you can develop might be friction.  Butt'r is an awesome product for friction.  Also, bag balm is a soothing product for "saddle soreness" after the first couple of workouts.  If you stick with it, you won't need these products for long.  Don't forget the shoes!  And only take classes by certified Spin instructors.  Otherwise they might have you doing some crazy stuff.

Happy Spinning!

Booze & Beads, Episode 4

We finally got together to celebrate our 4th episode of Booze & Beads.  Tricia and I were long overdue for a visit!  Since we are currently at different gyms, I haven't been able to see her almost daily.  :-(   That should change soon!  :-)

We drank what I am calling a "Melon Bomb".  Cause DANG, it sneaks up on you like BAM!!!  It is really a martini, but I'd just have to keep getting up to refill a martini glass, and that just doesn't make sense.

Recipe for a Melon Bomb:

Equal parts of Midori & Malibu Rum, with a few big splashes of lime flavored sparkling mineral water.  It's an instant party!

We both worked on jewelry pieces that we wanted to complete, but I only got one of my items finished.  I can't wait to see her new ensemble, pics will be forthcoming next time, because it is a pretty cool set.

Here are a pair of Mardi Gras inspired earrings, which I made for my ToastMasters club to include in a gift basket raffle.  Someone will be the new owner of these:

We had a great brunch, and caught up on girl talk.  It was a delightful afternoon!  Can't wait for the next one, and I wish others could join us!!!

Booze & Beads, Episode 3

The first Sprint cup NASCAR race of 2011, the Daytona 500, was accompanied by the 3rd episode of Booze & Beads.  Unfortunately, I was not feeling particularly creative today.  I could not commit to one project on which to work.  So I ended up getting nothing created.  However I did manage to take better pics of a few new pieces you have not seen yet.  And what WAS I thinking?  Tric brought all her lovely projects over, and I should have been snapping pictures.  She has grown her skills in beading, and has quite the collection of lovelies to wear.

Here are a few items I have recently made:

Closer up of the set above (square stones in round circles):

Today's beverage is what I call The Kitchen Sink.  Cause it just had a little bit of everything thrown into the pitcher.  It tasted somewhat like a Sex On The Beach or a Bahama Mama, it was fruity and tasty.

The Kitchen Sink:
About 2.5 parts Orange Juice
About 2 parts Pineapple Juice
About 1 part of the following:

• Peach Schnapps
• Malibu Rum
• Grape Vodka
• Midori liquor
• Grenadine (maybe a little less than half a part)

Mix it all up and take it for a spin around the track!

Magical Marvin

This little guy is Marvin.  He's my boyfriend.  He loves quiet walks on the beach, candle lit dinners, tormenting his sister (or is it the other way around?), and keeping in shape.  He had me at his coy demeanor and cute little double curl tail.

Maybe I am so fond of him because of how much I love the Men In Black movies, or maybe it's just because he's a cool canine.

The resolution could be a little better but this is just so cool, I have to share.  Look, he really IS magic (care of Tricia):