Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!


I'm so excited--I feel like I might just throw up! I got the job I have been praying for and it's an amazing opportunity for me. I can work from home full-time and still be here to take Riley to school, pick her up and just generally still be a good mom.

Not a long post--I just wanted to say thanks to those of you who've been praying/thinking/wishing for me the last few months!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Wax On/Wax Off

Riley has been bugging us for a while to sign her up for a "real" karate class and we finally caved. She had been taking some simple classes at Taylor Farm Park for several weeks, but she was bored because the moves were very simple, there was no kicking and yelling involved and, most of all, she didn't have the "cool outfit" to wear.

Her first class was this past Saturday and she had a blast!

Posing for the perfect photo before class.


She insisted on another pose...


Warming up with the other students.


Running laps!


Learning the Knife-Hand Block.


Perfect execution!

Her little gee is so cute--it has a green dragon on the back because her class is called the "Little Dragons." She really enjoyed it and asked how many days she'd have to wait to go to the next class.

I hope she sticks with this whole karate thing--she wanted to participate in soccer last fall and didn't even make it through the first practice, but made it long enough for us to spend over $150 on registration, ball, shoes, outfit and socks!!!

Well, at least she looked cute!


No wonder she hated it--they had 30 kids on the field at one time!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

It's a Zoo Around Here!

Our house is filled with, and surrounded by, animals. Of course, we have Bailey and Sophie, but we also have a pet turtle, a goldfish, two black phantom tetras and a dalmatian molly. Now we get to all the animals outside: last week, while taking out the trash, I heard a noise behind me and turned around to see, not one, not two, but seven deer run across the street, through our side-yard and on into the woods behind the house. The deer are regular visitors around our house, along with all the rabbits, birds, chipmunks...and squirrels.

I couldn't begin to estimate how many squirrels call our yard--and the surrounding area--home. Some days, I can count 12 to 15 in the back yard alone. They are always coming up on the back deck wreaking havoc on my potted plants and scratching up the deck beams. I will say that they are great entertainment for the cats, though!

Last week, while Mom was visiting, we saw a squirrel destroying my UT birdhouse in the back yard. She was chewing away at the hole in the front to make enough room for her to fit inside. We figured she was checking it out for a nest, but she gave up--I guess the inside of the small bird house just wasn't going to accommodate her.

This week, I noticed a squirrel on the roof outside my bathroom window. I watched her for a while as she carried bundles of pine needles and leaves into our gutter. Great! I guess this is the same squirrel who massacred my bird house.

Cute, but destructive!


After observing her for a bit, I began to hear noises coming from the gutter. I guess she really needed that nest quick because she's already had her babies. I just hope she didn't make a poor decision in building in the gutter--it's raining now and I hope the babies don't drown if the water gets too high. Surely she planned for this and the nest is high enough inside to keep the little ones safe.

A close view of the nest.


Mama sure has a tight fit!


Mama out and wary of the human taking pictures.


I'll keep an eye on her and see if I can't get a picture of the babies once they emerge. Bailey and Sophie have been fascinated by the whole thing and actually fight over who gets the prime viewing spot in the bathroom window!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Sophie on the "Cat Walk"

Charles and I were very interested in watching the latest election news on CNN, but I think Sophie felt a little ignored. She was really goofy last night and here's the proof...

Using an adorable pose to get noticed.

Are you going to pet me or what?

She's not afraid to speak up to get attention!

Okay, enough with the pictures already!

I don't know where Bailey was during all this--probably eating (his favorite activity) or sleeping on the sofa (his second-favorite activity). I just thought these photos were funny and wanted to share!

It's been a wild weather morning here, but at least there are no tornadoes nearby to worry about. Riley was a bit concerned about that possibility this morning after seeing some of the storm damage on CNN while getting ready for school.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Nice Surprise

So Mom and I took my window back to the shop in Dallas on Friday...and I'm so glad Mom was with me so I wouldn't chicken out!

The owner didn't seem upset at all that it took me so long and was really pleased with the final result. Not long after we arrived, two women showed up at the shop and admired my window and commented on how pretty it was. One of the women abruptly asked, "So, how much for the window?" The shopkeeper replied, "Forty-five dollars." The next thing I heard was, "Sold!" How ironic--the window I'd been dreading to finish sells not ten minutes after I return it to the store!

Now, I've got the woman who bought it, the shopkeeper and my Mom telling me I should paint more of them! I have several stashed away in the garage, so I guess I need to pull those out and get to work. The shopkeeper also wants me to paint some old chairs as I have a few of those in storage as well. I guess I'll be pretty busy in the coming months!