Good day

It's been a hectic week (work, boring) but today was a nice break from it all.  I have to work 4 hours Saturday so I only worked half a day today.  John and I went to see our buddy Thor at Celebrity Tattoo in Lodo so he could put the color on a tattoo he started on me before Christmas last year.  Thor is an incredible artist and all around cool guy.  Here we are (pics of the tattoo to follow at some point).

Ode to a Moon Pie

I am a Midwestern girl, through and through.  I was born in St. Charles, MO, grew up in Cottleville, MO and have only recently lived outside the Midwest.  I love that I grew up in (what used to be) rural Missouri.  I love that I grew up around farms and have stories that most people can't relate to.  We gardened, butchered, hauled hay... I've milked a cow (her name was Valentine).  I've got a little redneck in me, but I embrace it.  I had an amazing childhood with my large, close Catholic family.

When I first went away to college, I went to NMSU (now Truman State) in Kirksville, MO.  One night, some friends & I were driving from Kirksville to Columbia.  We stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere for snacks.  One of my purchases was a Moon Pie.  The only other person in the store, besides the clerk, was a disheveled looking dude holding a huge bag of dog food while talking loudly about how his dog just died.  We quietly and hurriedly made our way to the checkout, trying to stay under this guy's radar.  No such luck.  He looked at my items and proclaimed "Moon Pies are an institution here in the Midwest!".

I think of this every time I have a Moon Pie.  I don't have them often but if we make our way to Bass Pro, I have to buy them.  For whatever reason, Bass Pro stocks a variety of moon pies (I always go for classic chocolate) and they sell them 2 for a dollar.  I just can't leave without buying two.  Fortunately, they aren't exceptionally fattening... because I ate one on the way home & just now had the other one.

They really are an institution... a tasty tasty institution.

Something blue

When I was little I liked to play with my mom's jewelry (like most girls, I'm sure).  "Play" may not be the right word, though... I mostly just liked to look at her jewelry.  We weren't rich; she didn't have loads of diamonds & strings of pearls or anything.  There was some inherited costume jewelry, her high school class ring & a few nice presents from my dad.  It was all beautiful to me, though.

One of my favorites was a simple necklace: a tiny diamond atop a blue star sapphire.  Before I got married, my mom gave me the necklace.  It was my "something blue" for my wedding.  I don't wear jewelry often, although I still love it and occasionally purchase some, but today I had the urge to wear my star sapphire.  I doubt anyone else takes much notice of the small pendant but I sure feel special wearing it.

 

a very Thursday Thursday

Today was nearly completely filled with work.  I like to stay busy and, boy, was I!  The day went by fast even though it was longer than it should have been.  All this leads to Candy being tired & not at all in the mood to be all bloggy.  So, enjoy this video of Kaycee and Sammy being adorable in my messy bedroom.  If nothing else, skip to about 30 seconds from the end.  You are guaranteed a LOL.  And I bid you adieu.

Cute delivery

I didn't blog yesterday because I wasn't vertical very much.  I had to call in to work because I was up all night with pain & it didn't go away most of the day.  I slept a lot, which was nice, I guess, but I wish I'd been at work & pain free.  It has been one of those weeks.  But, no use complaining about it, right?  What's done is done, this too shall pass, tomorrow's another day, etc. 

So today I was really glad to be back at work & relatively pain free.  The highlight of my day came in the form of a little manila envelope on my desk.  I got my delivery from my friend Jen's etsy shop!  You should really go visit her here because her stuff is super cute!  You'll thank me later.

I got a reversible cloth headband and some button flower bobby pins:

Would I look really stupid if I wore them all at once?  Probably.  But they are so cute! Even my kitten wanted them!

Shortly after this picture was taken, kitten took a pepper off my plate of chinese food.  I think I've got a kleptomaniac on my hands... one with a potentially fiery butt in her future.

VD

My husband & I are both among those who believe that Valentine's day is just a money-maker for greeting card & chocolate companies, nothing more.  Going all out and spending a bunch of money on February 14th is silly.  It is the little things, the sometimes wordless daily proofs of love, that really matter.  Unrelated to the "holiday", I had one of those days where all the little problems that are easy to deal with one at a time decide to gang up all at once.  I was stressed by things I can't control, exhausted & in pain (also beyond my control) and didn't feel like dealing with anything more complicated than sitting on the couch.  

It all fit together perfectly, actually.  All I wanted was to drown my sorrows in pizza & ice cream and be with my sweetie.  He got the Ben & Jerry's, I ordered the Pizza Hut.  It was just the evening both of us wanted and that I needed.  Plus, my kitten, displaying that innate ability all animals seem to have to know when you are feeling down, decided to cuddle with me... even after I was done eating pizza.

The pictures a dark but I didn't want to disturb her with the flash.  Kept it relaxing for us all.

I hope everyone had just the Valentine's day they wanted... whether it was filled with flowers & sweets or quiet & solitary or ignoring the day all together. 

What a wonderful world...

My wonderful husband, who normally likes to annoy me out of bed EARLY on the weekends, let me sleep in on Saturday.  Then we had to get outside & enjoy the beautiful weather after having endured some super cold & snow (but not enough for a snow day, unfortunately) lately.  We drove up to the area of St. Mary's Glacier (located here, see my pictures here).  It was a beautiful drive although the brutal wind & deep snow kept us from hiking to the actual glacier.  We'll have to go back again when it is warmer.

Today was even nicer but we stayed in the lower elevations.  We took the dogs to the dog park, a must for Kaycee especially whenever possible.  The girl loves to run.  I wish we had a yard for her but frequent trips to the Westminster Hills dog park will have to suffice for now.  On the way home, we washed my jeep which completely confused the pups.  Once we got home, I started on laundry & dishes and did some quilting while John went for a motorcycle ride with his friend Dennis.  It was nice to have a little alone time.

Kaycee and Bella decided to cuddle with me on the couch:

And here's what Sammy took this opportunity to do:

 I think that she thinks she's a dog... a big dog.  She's delusional but I love her.