ASPCA sent out a notice of another pet food recall. Check out the link below and be sure to read the entire thing:

http://www.bravorawdiet.com/recallinfo.html

I was hoping for a little human interaction today, but I didn't make it to church as planned. My poor little Gus was sick this morning and I just can't leave him when he isn't feeling well. If I had left him, I would have just worried the whole time. He hasn't had one of these dry heaving bouts for about a month. After all, my furballs are the closest things I have to children and I worry about them just the same.

Gus has been sleeping mostly since early afternoon with Miss very close by. I have spent the afternoon finishing "New Moon" and I'm ready to start "Eclipse". I have also been working on a couple cross-stitch bookmars for a swap. I want to get them in the mail tomorrow.

I am looking forward to the new seasons that start tonight of my favorite shows: Extreme Home Makeover, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. i hope I can stay up long enough. I'm kind of hoping Jarom will call. He called this morning but I missed him and when I called him back he must have been out hunting because I had to leave a message. Other than that, it has been a long day and tiring.

Well, Jarom is hunting this weekend and possible through the week. He just left this morning but I've been struggling already to not hibernate in our bedroom with the dogs. It doesn't help that I've had a horrible headache the last two days that will not go away.


It has been kind of a boring week, but more exciting than most. I met Jarom and his co-workers at BJ's for a luncheon on Monday. Our friend Tony (SSG Clark) and his family are headed to Pennsylvania. Thursday evening, we had them over for dinner and I got a couple cute picture of Aaron hugging Jarom's leg when he asked for the other remote control car. He wanted to play with both of them.



However, I did go out this afternoon and drove to Target. I had to get the Sex and the City movie. I have all the series DVDs so how could I not have the movie. I've waited a long time to see it. I wanted to see it when it was in theatres but it just never worked out. It was just as good as I knew it would be. I don't know why so many said it was disappointing. SPOILER ALERT!!!: I never thought a traditional wedding suited Carrie and definitely not Big.

I also had to buy the last book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer "Breaking Dawn". At the rate I've been reading the series, I wanted to be sure I had the book before I finished the first three and not have to have a break in between.

This evening, I watched my movie and finished "What Happens in Vegas". Jarom and I started it last Monday and still have not finished it. We would sit down to watch it and something else would demand our attention, so we never finished it. It was funny and I loved it, too. I have my Reading List swap alomost done. I just got my partners this afternoon, so I was able to pick the right bookmark x-stitch design just today.

Saturday, I will work on both bookmarks and hopefully get both finished. they aren't complicated designs, like some of the ones I was looking at that I found online for free. I'm sure I will read too and I thought I'd take the dogs to the park. They would LOVE it!

Sunday, I just may venture out to church. Most likely I will go, but probably just for Sacrament--so keep your eyes peeled Elk Grove Chicas. I know I will read more and work on some Halloween bags. I pulled out my fabric bin and found some Halloween fabric that is just for Halloween treat bags complete with instructions. If those don't take too long, I will start some Christmas gifts, too. Most of Christmas will be made this year, we don't plan to buy much. As for the rest of the week, we'll see how it goes and when Jarom decides to come home. One day at a time.

Oh, yeah the job. I haven't heard anything yet. I did call Thursday but had to leave a message. I know things have been so busy with the high school trips this weekend and the origal assistant leaving, so hopefully I will hear something early next week. Keep you fingers crossed. I really want this job.

I finally got my blog archive list back and functioning. I don't know exactly what I did, but it magically appeared again.
While I was reading a friend's blog I found other friends, so I added them to my "follower" list and to my friends list. I'm so excited to reconnect with old friends and keep up with what is happening in their lives. I suppose I could do this better if we were attending church, but currently we are taking a little break. It is more me than Jarom. He just seems to be gone so much and I hate going alone, but I also think I just got burned out and didn't really realize it until we moved. I love primary and being part of the presidency, but I think I just took on too much with that and my responsibilities of Activity Days too. And it didn't help working for the church too and battling my depression. Now, that most everything is on track I'm sure we will be back soon, but for now we are just taking a break. For now, I guess I'm relishing in the fact that I don't reall have to be responsible for anyone or anything except Jarom and the animals.
Now, for my current read. Yesterday alone, I read half the book. I haven't read nearly as much today, but we had a luncheon at BJ's and I watched a movie I recorded earlier in the week. It is quite an addicting book...Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Yes, girls (and you know who you are) after all the talk and commotion for the fourth and final book.
I'm still waiting to hear about the job, but it is still early in the week. I'm not even sure they've received my thank you notes yet. I put them in the mail late Friday so they didn't go to the PO until Saturday.
Jarom is getting ready to go hunting at the end of the week and I learned last night that he may stay through all of next week. I'll have to keep busy with reading and crafts, If I'm not working by then, to keep from hibernating in our bedroom. This is something I did very well while he was in Florida this summer and again over Laber Day weekend.
Finally, my HelpingHandz blog has downsized to 1 post a week. A post everyday has just gotten to be too much to continue with.

Help feed and keep America's dogs and cats housed in shelters around the country for free with these two great links:

www.freekibble.com

www.freekibblekat.com

Be sure to go back everyday!!

Just a quick post today. I have been applying for jobs, but being kind of choosy. I just don't want to be stuck in something that I don't enjoy, but I haven't really had any bites until Wednesday, the same day I submitted my resume to a few more companies. Within an hour os submitting my resume for an Administrative Assistant position with the Sacramento Country Day School, I received a response email asking when the best time to contact me would be over the next couple days. After responding back, I recevied a phone interview about 3pm and was asked to come to the school on Friday at 9am. I was so excited because it is in the education field where I want to be. I was excited just to see the add for the job and it just got better from there. Next week, I will receive a call about their decision and I hope that it really went as well as I thought it did, but if not then it just wasn't meant to be.

The school is a private school with tuition but also a college prepatory school, too. It hosts children of all ages, starting at 4 and all the way up to 18 (Per-K to 12th grade). There are beautiful grounds and the class sizes are small which allows a better student to teacher ratio. They are very into the arts, too. It is refreshing to see such a dedicated school. It is just such a shame our public schools can't be more like this. There are so many great teachers out there .

I've started thinking of ideas for Christmas. I would like to make most of our gifts, but it is stuff for the males of our family that I struggle with. I just need to get started on things now. I really should have gotten started a lot sooner. Oh well.

I think I may have a pinched nerve in my back from my fall down the stairs when Jarom was in Florida. I had been feeling better, but the last few weeks the pain has come back with a vengeance. When I was driving to the school, it ran down my leg and up my back. I e-mailed the doctor and I'm sure he will want to see me, but we'll see what happens. For now, I'm just trying to keep the pain to as minimal as possible by taking it easy, laying in bed with my knees up, and taking my vicodin and ibuprofen, but they really don't work to cut the pain and the most comfortable position is to lay in bed with my knees up.

So, Monday evening I felt like the worst Puppy Mama ever. First of all, Gus gets these little cyst-like bumps between his little digits on his front paws. Usually, they are just pink and we know there is just blood in there and they normally just go away on their own, but this time it had a white-like look surrounded by a bit of pink. We knew we needed to puncture it and get whatever it was out. We did and then cleaned it up with peroxide and Neosporin and then making sure he didn't lick his paw. We hate to have to do it. It hurst him and while Jarom works on it I have to sit my him and rub his tummy and tell him what a good boy he is. As if that wasn't enough torture, I decided we needed to clip thier nails because they were getting long.
This is where I felt so bad. He has so many black nails that it is hard to tell how far is too far sometimes. You guessed it, I clipped one too short, got the quick and it just bled and bled. It took forever to stop, we even put superglue on it, but is was bleeding so much that it just would not take so we just had to wait and let it clot up. After that, Miss didn't want anything to do with me, but she let me clip her nails a bit and then Jarom brought out the dremel tool to sand down some of the parts I couldn't get. They didn't seem to mind it too much, but the noise did a little.
We vacuumed after that and if any of you have seen us vacuum with the dogs around they usually go running, but Miss always comes back. Always the protector, her first priority is Gus and then Me. While Gus was scampering to the safety of the front entry, Miss was barking and trying to bite, yes bite, the vacuum as Jarom ran it over the carpet. Once Gus was safe she would run around the long way through the family room, dining room, kitchen and breakfast nook back into the living room standing guard over me as Jarom continued to vacuum and I folded laundry. She's my hero!
Once we were done, we were getting ready to head upstairs to bed, Jarom saw all the blood. The clot had come off of Gus's nail and it was all over the front entry and on the carpet. We aren't talking just little drops either. There was so much it looked like we were trying to kill him. It was then that we also noticed that Miss had a touch of diahhrea and got some of it on the carpet and rug. We put them both out back while I cleaned up the mess with my trusty Resolve spray. Yesterday, you couldn't even tell our catastrophe ever happened. Jarom got them both cleaned up out back and then all of us went to bed.
We have the Shaefer's over last night for dinner after Mike and our neighbor helped Jarom bring in the pellet stove. Gus and Miss had a blast with the girls.
I was surprised Jarom let them sleep on the bed with us last night. We are still having warm days but you can feel the autumn cold snips in the evening. In the beginning they were both in the middle between us, then they both eventually moved to my side of the bed and Hope was cuddled at Jarom's feet. Gus was at my stomach and Miss at my feet. By the time we all settled in, Gus had his head up by my pillow with his body as close as he could get to keep warm and Miss was cuddled up with Jarom. I don't think any of us slept much...well, except Gus and Miss.

I just wanted to cross-post this article on another pet food recall, except this time is is dry food instead of canned food.

The brand names are listed at the end of the article but there is some important information before that so please be sure to read the entire article. It is not very long.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/13/home/main4446769.shtml?source=search_story


Here's to happy and healthy animals!

I just finished Sepulchre last night. It is not the typical read I pick up but tarot has always inrigued me and so I bought some time ago and finally got around to reading it. The story centers around the Vernier Tarot (a made-up set of tarot cards) and the Verneir Family in the late 1890s and the connection between them and Meredith Martin in present day. It is a little on the dark side but there is a love story intertwined and shrouded in mystery and suspense. What is the connection? What is so special about this particular set of tarot cards? I really enjoyed and found myself having a hard time putting the book down. Last night, I started Marley and Me.

Now that my book review is over and update on the goings-on around here. Nothing much exciting. I finished four swaps that I joined on Swap-Bot. Three of them were letter swaps and the fourth was an embroidery swap. The funny thing is that my cousin was my swap partner for this last swap. I embroidered a snail and a seahorse for her and they turned out better than I thought. The snail is my favorite, though.
I joined a couple other swaps-a trick-or-treat swap, button swap and an autumn reading list swap. I'm really excited about the trick or treat swap, I just need to find some cute fabric to make a treat sack and a few pieces of candy. I have some cute stickers and buttons for it too. The button swap is just nine new buttons in a cute bag or sewn to a card and I have some neat ones to send and a few extras. The reading list is just that, a list of at least five book recommendations with a synopsis to your partner, and a bookmark. I thought I'd cross-stich the bookmark.

The cats are still chasing each other up and down the hall and stairs. In the afternoon, they nap of course. Minnie's nap spot changes everday but yesterday I got her up on the bed while I read and she just purred away. Hope is always napping on our bed.

The dogs are as spunky as ever, too, playing with us and together. We met the neighbors the other day, to our left. Cute little famiy. They loved Miss and Gus. I took the dogs out to visit with Jarom the other night while he worked on the yard and the neighbors were out too. Gus just chilled as LeeAnn and I chatted on the driveway and Miss ran around like a crazy puppy. She was so excited! Madison was playing with her and when Miss would run back across the yard Madison would chase her and say "Don't go home. Don't go home." Madison is 3 and thier baby boy is just 10 weeks and I don't remember his name. He sure was a cutie! And he just smiled whenever I talked to him. Gus and Miss just loved all the attention and playing and slept rather well. The neighbors' anniversary is tomorrow and I'm making a chocolate cake roll. Lat night, I made the the chocolate cream and this afternoon making the cake part. After it cools, I can put the cream on and roll it up and take to the neighbors.

I have loads of laundry to do today and a couple jobs to apply for, so I guess I bet get busy. I still have to finish Gabriel's cross-stitch, too.

Okay, so I know I have had a lot of posts today, but I forgot about mentioning this in my first post.

I love to bake and cook, but most of all I love to make desserts and treats. I have been thinking a lot about starting a side business out of the house making desserts and treats to order for parties and special ocassions, etc. I need some help with a anme before I really start trying to go any further; (1) Sweet Tooth's Desire, (2) A Sweet Tooth Named Desire, (3) other-Fill in the blank ______. Now I just need you to vote in my poll for a name.

I got this from my friend Kristi's blog. Here are the simple rules: Google "'your name' needs" and describe the first ten results. Here goes:

1. Trisha Needs Your Vote Planet Trisha Forum. ... If y'all could spare a few moments to please vote for Trisha

2. Yes, its true Trisha needs flat 10 lakhs to inaugurate a cloth or jewelry

3. TRiShA [ NEEdS A GiRlFRiENd ]

4. Trisha probably needs assistance in learning how to focus

5. Trisha had to go

6. The novel begins with Trisha oversleeping and missing her last day of school

7. girl, i know...trisha needs to kick rocks.

8. Trisha needs little to no direction and can perfom miracles

9. Trish needs a makeover

10. Trisha needs to send a certified, return-receipt-requested letter

Mine just aren't funny and they all seem to be related to Trisha Yearwood or Trish on The Real World. Oh well.

I saw this on a friends blog and decided to copy it. .

Highlight (I changed the color) those tasks that you have accomplished in your life. Then add one to the end that's your own

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s nappy
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten tipsy on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse of both the sun and moon
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had/Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted a river
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in a Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept 30 hours in a 48 hour time frame123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read “The Iliad”
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Have organized a HUGE event!
152. Slept in your car.
153. Played a practical joke on someone
154. (Trisha)Married Your high school sweetheart

So, I have been doing really great and Jarom and I have been more happy than ever. I know that I've only been on my birth control for 5 months but I told Jarom that I want to try to have a baby again. It is a big step after such a depression, but we have not wanted anything more than a child for quite some time now. Our original plan the in the last months was for me to lose weight but for us to do it together. I've always wanted to be a cute little pregnant lady...oh well. Anyway, Jarom supports my decision and we decided together that we will give it a try, even though we know we have quite an uphill battle trying to achieve our indeavor, but we are willing to try and give it a good shot. After this cycle of birth control is done, I will stop taking my pills and that will mark the beginning of our new journey to have a baby. Who knows, with twins in our family, maybe we will get two! Wouldn't that be great!?!

I've had names for boys and girls picked out for eight years, although I have to changes one around since I now have a cousin with one of the names I picked. They are names that are favorites but also commemorate the memory of loved ones lost...I've never shared that with anyone but Jarom.

Update on animals: They love having Jarom home. Last weekend when he went to Mud Lake with friends they were sad and I think they thought I drove him away again. They are just as sweet and loving as ever, though.

Hope has really come out of her shell. She has become so friendly and loving. She doesn't run from people anymore and allows them to pet her. She sleeps on our bed all the time and has taken up curling up with Jarom after we retire for the night. I really enjoy just watching her as I do all our babies.

Minnie has come out of her shell a little too, since being spayed. She still likes to run from everyone, but will allow Jarom or I to sit next to her and pet her for a minute is she is laying on the furniture. She purrs a lot now and will occassionally come ist by me.

The other day, I was sitting in bed reading and I had all four babies with me. There was a kitty on each side of me sleeping and purring away and the dogs snoring on the floor on my side of the bed. It really amde me feel loved, especially since Minnie doesn't really come around with the dogs in the same room. She is really a beautiful cat. Her and Hope chase each other up and down the stairs almost every night and you wouldn't believe the loud raucus it makes.

Jarom and I have grown a lot, not just in the last year but since we've moved back to Elk Grove. We have had a lot more time to spend together and we have been more like teenagers the last few months, just having a lot of fun with each other. We even created a "love" contract between the two of us with things we want to continue to do together or start doing and how often to do them so that we can continue to grow together and strengthen our bond. Too often we get wrapped up in the stupid things of the world and forget or take for granted each other in the process.

Onto other things, I'm reading Sepulchre. It is a book I wouldn't normal pick up and read. There is no love story in it, but mystery and suspense, ghosts and spirits good and bad. It is quite interesting and I can hardly put the book down. Before that I read, The Last Lecture and found it very insightful with great advice and point of views of a man suffering from terminal cancer.

I joined an online swapping group called Swap-Bot. My cousin referred me and i have been enjoyig myself. I've only just begun, but I have completed three swaps that I just need to mail. I'm almost done with the fourth and the fifth actually doesn't start until November. Mostly, there are craft swaps, paining, drawing, scrapbooking, embroidery, etc., but there are letter and book swaps and clothing swaps. It is really an awesome site. I started mostly with letter swaps, then an embroidery swap. The November one is a Winter Solstice swap, and I have a few ideas for things to do with that, but what I do in the end will be detern=mined by my swap partners profile and what they like. It has been fun!