Just Stroll-ing Along . . .

My beautiful, intelligent and wise sister has written an article posted over at Brandon's blog, entitled Love for all the wrong reasons: Focus on the Family frightens young women into marriage.
It is an excellent post, one of her best and - Mindy, I thank you for writing it!

pride & prejudice is out today.
it's a good thing brian liked it, because we are watching it tonight after supper for the 3rd time.

1 - Ash Wednesday
1 - sister-in-law Julie's birthday
3 - niece Raven's birthday
10 - Pampered Chef party @ my house
17 - St. Patrick's Day
17 - nephew Joey's 1st birthday
19 - niece Aine's 1st birthday
24 - my birthday
25 - Mar & Dad's 34th anniversary

Amore,
Andrea Bocelli

The Secret Life of ...
The Veronicas

don knotts is dead.

I am a bit peeved.
I came home from work yesterday and noticed one of my favorite pairs of heels had tiny little tooth marks all over the heel. Too chewed on to be worn.
Last night I was looking around our bedroom and noticed the bottom of Brian's dresser.
There are thousands of tiny little tooth marks ALL OVER.
I tell you, if Zaney wasn't so cute & fluffy, he'd be out on his rear-end.

... I hate you!
I hate you because I am so obsessed with you!

Every season you show up on my television and I cannot resist you!

As much as I am obsessed, I am very disappointed in this season's ladies. The only one I really like is Lisa Tucker ... she's very tiny and powerful. However, my top three are all men:

Ace Young (um, HELL-O!)
Elliot Yamin
Chris Daughtry

work has been kicking my arse the last few weeks. with lynda on vacation and bonnie taking care of her mother and then now with the funeral, i have been in charge of everything and doing the work of 3 full-time people. needless to say, i have hardly gotten anything done at home besides throwing a load of laundry in every once in a while, and getting a bit of painting done in the kitchen (yeah yeah, i know, it was supposed to be done weeks ago). oddly enough, i really enjoy all the extra work and responsibilities - i'm just trying to figure out how to balance everything and get it all done. wow.
i'm learning to take CHARGE!
mindy, you would be so proud!!
anyways, i actually get to leave on time today, hooray for me.

Bonnie's mom passed away this morning.

I heard it this morning ...

... the first sounds of Spring!

currently reading:

their eyes were watching God, zora neale hurston

blue like jazz, donald miller

New list of children's books to be purchased:


The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo

How I Became a Pirate, Melinda Long

The Squeaky Door, Margaret Read MacDonald

Bess & Bella, Irene Hass

Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride, Marjorie Priceman

Song of the Waterboatman and Other Pond Poems, Joyce Sidman

The Hello, Goodbye Window, Norton Juster & Chris Raschka

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?, Robin Page & Steve Jenkins

We're taking Mar & Dad out tonight, to an at-this-time-undisclosed location.

Chester Zytkus
May 13, 1920 - February 16, 2006


My mother in law's father passed away yesterday. You may recall that her mother, Helen, passed away in November. Just after Helen died, Chet found out that he had cancer for the second time. For the last few weeks of his life he'd been at Flower Hospital, as he was having bad reactions to the chemotherapy. Vicki kept trying to get him to eat, saying, "Dad, if you just eat you'll feel better and you can go home" - Chet said, "What for?"
He was moved to Hospice on Wednesday and died just 15 hrs later. I like to think that Helen was just waiting for her beloved husband of 57 years to join her.
Chet was an extremely accomplished man, being a CPA and an officer of the OSCPA. He and Helen both were very active in their church, Hampton Park Christian Church. I've seen pictures of the two of them on vacation and playing golf - they loved golf. He was a brilliant man, one who studied medicine and horticulture. He was also very close to my brother in law, his favorite grandson.
Even though I haven't been in the family long, when people ask me if I knew him, I'll be able to proudly say that I did.

i got these awesome black leather peep-toe heels yesterday ... i love them.

but they are making my feet really sweaty and, i imagine, stinky. eew.

last night we met chad & shondel at their house and then drove together to our destination - which took all of 30 seconds, because we went to avenue bistro! it was so nice. there were flowers, a cellist and tons of awesome food. we had a grilled satay trio appetizer - glazed beef, curry chicken and ginger lime tuna (the tuna was awesome). chad & brian both had new york strips, shondel had a greek salad and i had crab cakes with a red pepper sauce. raspberry cheesecake and creme brulee with blueberries and raspberries for dessert! deeelicious!

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I could never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all

All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine


The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all

(Alison Krauss, When You Say Nothing at All)

Read Carolyn Custis James' review of 1776

... my boss brought each of us ladies a long-stemmed red rose this morning. aw, perty.

As I sit here, eating my breakfast of cottage cheese out of the carton, I eagerly anticipate our evening celebration of Valentine's Day. Although ...
I have no idea what we're doing. My hubby gave me a big pot of beautiful red tulips yesterday with a card that told me to be ready tonight at 6:15 in my fanciest clothes.
I'm thinking maybe we're going to the symphony ... ooo, that would be so lovely!

Thanks for the tip, Rachel ... looks like this will be our new digital camera. I think it'll be just about perfect for us - blogging, day trips, quick pics of the kids, etc.

for an early birthday gift, my parents bought me a beginning belly-dancing class at our local community college - i am SO excited! it starts on march 13 and is 6 weeks long, for an hour each week. if i enjoy it as much as i think i will, i will probably take the 2nd & 3rd levels in the fall. weeeeeeee!

Cheney Shoots Fellow Hunter

my marmee bought a trac-phone.

what is the world coming to.

This is my wallpaper on my new computer ... my favorite blue hydrangeas, at Longwood Gardens!
Posted by Picasa

i have my own computer at work now. it is so lovely. i just love having my own space ... since i've been here almost a year, i thought it was about time. i almost got a 17'' monitor, but since lynda only has a 15", i knew she'd infarck if mine was bigger. yeah, crazy, huh.
yesterday was rough for me, so brian took me to texas roadhouse last night - our favorite restaurant. it was DE-licious. then he took me to tjmaxx and i got a new wallet (plum leather), two matching dresses for beth & mia (white sleeveless cotton with teeny tiny cherries sprinkled all over and a red satin sash) and another tablecloth to use as curtains in the kitchen (yes, i actually found another one that matches! i got it for $7 - i am soooo happy)! then we came home and watched csi and the office. we had fun :o) since hubby is working all weekend, we are having our actual date-night tonight ... i am not sure what he has planned, but i'm sure it will be fabulous.
pray for bonnie - on wednesday night her mother took off her oxygen mask (which she is always supposed to wear unless she is eating) and accidentally took about a week's worth of her morphine (bonnie had refilled her pill boxes which had a week's worth in each). she was taken by ambulance to hospice, where she will stay, at least for the next few days - hopefully. bonnie is a dear, dear woman and basically is the only care-taker for her mother, who has emphysema and diabetes, and a host of other problems, which she does in addition to her job here. she is selling her house of 15 years to her niece and has moved in with her mother and is attempting to do everything herself ... she is a fellow believer and needs our prayers for comfort and guidance.
looking forward to painting this weekend and maybe watching a movie ... also need to catch up on reading, as always.

after reading through the latest posts on our family's website, i just have to say that i have the coolest aunt in the entire world. i'm not sure what we did to deserve such an awesome tia ... but she is OURS.

I think we need a digital camera. Does anybody know of a nice, really inexpensive one?

i guess i'm under construction!

KD is the proud new mother of a grey tiger kitty named Stella Rose :o) She's adorable!
"STELLAAAA!"

I didn't get too much done off my list over the weekend - what with getting sick and all. I did manage to grocery shop, force pills down doggy throats and spend time with family.
With being sick, I have been having a hard time waking up in the mornings - which means a lot of time spent standing under the shower until the hot water runs out and then being hit with freezing cold water. Inevitably the slugishness causes me to show up at work later than I prefer. I think part of the problem is that I wake up with Brian at 5am, and then try to fall back asleep after he's gone ... and that doesn't usually happen until about 20 minutes before my alarm is scheduled to go off - which all makes for a very unhappy Sary. I much prefer my weekends when I don't need to set an alarm and I can wake up to the nudge of 4 soft, wet noses as their owners stretch and vie for my attention. As much as I hate Brian having to work weekends, I don't mind being warmed by the mountains of dog on my bed.
I started and finished The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler this weekend. It wasn't as good as I'd expected; I liked the idea of the book, but I wasn't fond of all the characters and their particular stories.
More work to be done on the house this week. As my dad says, the joys of homeownership never cease. Hopefully we'll just work on the kitchen ... getting the cupboards primed & painted (a project I had hoped to finish last weekend), getting curtains made and perhaps painting the walls and finding some ceiling tile we like (as in, patterned copper or white tiles).
I'm out.

mindy and brandon are here :o)

Weekend plans:

Prime kitchen cabinets, buy fabric for curtains to replace bottom doors.
Let out dogs.
Spend time with HUBBY.
Bake!
Let out dogs.
Spend time with MARMEE & DAD.
Cousin is coming over on Saturday for legal matters (oo, important)... and for Pampered Chef fun.
Let out dogs.
Spend time with HUBBY.
Read!
Let out dogs.
Spend time with MARMEE & DAD.
Clean.
Let out dogs!

8 - 17 - Lynda on vacation ... which means Sarah on vacation!
9 - Dennis sets up my very own computer!
20 - Amanda's birthday ... she will be 21! I am too young to have a niece that's that old!


Yeah so pretty much a slow month in Strollville. Yippee for that.