Bad Photo Day

Bad Photo Day...

Missy at Bees and BooBoos has declared Thursday as bad photo day. I think it's so that those of us who love to blog but aren't so hot in the photography department can air our dirty laundry, commiserate with one another, and hopefully forge bonds as a result of our failures.

I have so many failures, where to begin? For the sake of time, I'm only including a few that in briefly glancing through my files I was able to easily locate. It's almost 7:30 and getting close to my bedtime. (Those of you who don't know me are laughing, those of you who do know me are nodding their heads because they know I'm not kidding!)

So...here are two of my most recent photography cat - astrophies....

We'll call this one "Cat-Who-Doesn't-Want-A-Bath-Moving-Too-Fast"

Let's see...how about "Poor lighting-poor timing"


OK. And who is ignorant enough to take pictures looking into the sun?
(That would be me!)

Hi Ethan. How's your blog going? You're sister is really cute, but you can't tell it because someone thought they could take her picture from way too far away (that would be me).

I seem to have a lot of issues with lighting.....


OK. Prince Charming just pulled the plug and said "It's time!" That's code for get off the computer I'm feeling neglected and it's time for you to read to the kids....

So, thanks Missy, for giving me the opportunity to share my "photography issues". It's been great fun!

Fridge Meme

Missy from Bees and Boo Boos has tagged me for a refrigerator meme.


To see the rules, go visit Robin Heart at Home and click on the picture above of her refrigerator.


OK, world. Here is my fridge....




Sorry to disappoint you, but being the organized, efficient, no-nonsenseless, clutter-free person that I am, there is nothing on the front of my fridge....



Except this one little magnet that my daughter put on the fridge...she is a Martha Stewart and doesn't like clutter, but she makes an exception for anything dachshund.




Ok...ok...I hear some of you who know me and have been to my house coughing and spluttering in the background, so I'll come clean.....my daughter is a clutter-free Martha, but I'm not.

Here is the SIDE of the fridge that faces the cabinets...



That's the top of the side....

Here's the bottom part....


In my defense, they are all Mary Engelbreit magnets. Does that give me points?

Stickers, At Home Mama, May Dreams Garden, Striving for Simplicity, and Greenbow Gardens.....you've been tagged!

Stepped on

Ever have a day like this?


Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the demands that children, husbands, friends, co-workers make of you? Do you feel that sometimes you have to trample over some, or neglect some, in order to fulfill the needs of others?

Yah...me too.

Random Why's

Do you ever wonder why??


Like..why did I let my son keep this meal-worm-turn-beetle as a pet?

And why is it still alive, so many weeks later?

Why is this cat wearing a coat?


Never mind the coat...why is this cat lying on the kitchen table??!



Why does my daughter insist on taking these two pictures....

That belong here....

And instead putting them here, where they don't belong.....




And WHY did I ever think I could give up Diet Coke?



And where did this little girl go? That trip to the American Girl Store was just yesterday...



And why do little boys name their teeth after they lose them?


Why am I sitting her blogging when I have laundry to do, toilets to clean, kids to chase back to bed, and cats to push off my desk?

Hover Mother

I think you've met Esther before in other posts. She is my daughter's cat. Literally. She discovered her. (Well, she and I). She paid for her (well, half).
And talk about a Hover Mother (you know...hu-hum...kinda like me...the mom who won't let their kids out of their site)

I knew Sophie would be a great mother. She is an organized child and very responsible. But I didn't count on this "hover-ness" factor.

She never, hardly ever, lets Esther out of her room. And her room is probably the only room in the house without a return air vent (if you get my drift).

Now, don't get me wrong. Esther lives in the lap of luxury in Sophie's room.



She has all kinds of toys and perches




But recently, we've tried to encourage Sophie to cut the umbilical cord so to speak. Let Esther venture out more. Let her see the world. After all, all birds leave the nest some day.




One factor that plays into all this is that we have one or two (OK....five) other cats. All of whom can come and go as they please. Can you imagine how poor Esther feels watching her big sisters going where they want, when they want, without being hovered over constantly by their mother? (I know how she feels....I'm the youngest, too). There's a big world out there - she needs to experience it - explore!

So, with much encouragement, harassment (OK, some threats in there too), Sophie has decided to introduce Esther to the world beyond her bedroom....

But only on a leash...



And only with a sweater on to keep warm. It's cold out there...







Notice how Sophie has a coat on her baby, but doesn't have one on herself? Who is that girl's mother? It's in the teens out there!

Baby steps, Esther....baby steps......

I'm Addicted to Your Blog

Beth at Around the Funny Farm has passed along an award to me.

An "I'm Addicted to Your Blog Award."




Isn't she sweet?


Those of you who know me in real life are probably laughing hysterically, because you have witnessed my OCD addictive personality in action!

It was hard to choose who to pass this award on to because I am addicted to so many blogs, but I knew I had to narrow it down.

So...(drum roll please)....I hereby officially pass the "I'm Addicted to Your Blog Award" to:

At Home Mama
May Dream's Gardens
Stickers

And

Hannah-Indiana.

And for all you bloggers out there, here's to you - xoxox




Thanks for bringing some sunshine to our zoo.

What kind of Dog?

But WAIT! Before you take the poll, here me out.....

Every since I was a little girl I have wanted a Newfoundland. I first heard about the breed when I read the book With Love From Karen by Marie Kililea. From then on I have waged a campaign to get one. First when I was in high school (I got a stuffed one for Christmas one year - that was the closest I ever came), then later after marrying Prince Charming. He did come with Konga by the way. Big Beautiful Konga. Half Newf/Half Golden Retriever.

In case you are not familiar with what a Newfoundland looks like, here's a picture off the Internet.



Newfie's are BIG. BIG dogs. Like 150 pounds big.





But then, I found the blog that got me to thinking there might just be another breed out there with appeal. Take a break, go to Around the Funny Farm, and look at Gracie in the header. Isn't she adorable? She's a Toy Australian Shepherd. Beth from Funny Farm says that Gracie's coloring is Blue Merle.... Did you see the one blue eye, one brown eye? Isn't she irresistible?




Here's one off the Internet, not nearly as pretty, but still quite charming.




Muncie really wants a baby sister. See that look on her face?

6 Weird Things About Me Meme

Beth at Around the Funny Farm has tagged me for a meme.... She's pretty hillarious by the way. You'll have to go check her out. Ok, Beth. Here we go...

Wait...first I need to tag someone. At Home Mama? How about you?

Hmmm.....

OK. Here we go.

6 weird things about me. Is there anything weird about me? Nahhh...... But here are a few things that are, shall we say different?

1. Prince Charming is 19 years older than I am, and there is 30 years difference between A1 and Seth.

2. A2 is married to one of my best friends from high school. (A2 is one of my step-daughters). So, my step-son-in-law is two years older than me, and dated my sister in high school. I have to admit, that's kind of weird.

Here's their picture.

In high school, step-son-in-law had beautiful long blond hair that all the girls ohhed and awwwed over. Shortly after high school he began to lose it, and eventually he gave up. His daughter inherited his hair.

Isn't she beautiful?


(If you are one of my health-conscious friends, please close your eyes and skip to number 4. I"ll put lots of space here, so you can be sure and not peek.





3. I drink way too much diet coke. Shhh!!!! Don't tell D or J.






4. Two of my children have more than one middle name (the birth recorder was standing there tapping her foot because we couldn't decide between two names. She suggested we give our daughter both names and start a new trend. We did. Our youngest also has two middle names).

5. We have a pet cemetary in our back yard. (Have to with all those critters). Last year we convinced Sophie to let us start a "compost garden" on the back half and plant zenias on the front half. The cemetary is sort of maxed out and when Prince Charming buried the 4 foot iguana last year, he ran into Tippy, the collie who died when I was three. (If you do the math, that's over 40 years)....

Oh, by the way, this makes more sense if you know that we live in the house I grew up in....

Apparently for some reason my dad had wrapped her in a plastic bag, and there she was. Not decomposed in the least -- that's when we decided we needed a new spot for future pet funerals. Although if we had been a little more brave and unwrapped Tippy, it might have made for a nice forensics lesson...or NOT.


6. My kids and I are closet Harry Potter fans. Most of our friends are not. But, we love the foreshadowing, the symbolism, the conversation starters that abound within the books. We have taken a lot of flack over the years for our love of Harry, but I challenge anyone to read all 7 books and then argue that they are not good literature. They are SCIENCE FICTION! FANTASY! Like Star Wars. A Christmas Carol. Lord of the Rings. Snoopy (Linus and the Great Pumpkin). If you open the book knowing that you are walking into a fantasy world, you know to have your guard up and to use the book as an opportunity to open discussions and to enjoy for the entertainment it was meant to be.

The Princess of Story-Telling

Once upon a time there lived the King and Queen of Everything, their 4 older children who were either grown and living in their own kingdoms both far and near, or off exploring the world one adventure after another, and 3 younger children who still lived in the castle, protected and guarded by their tutor, Mr. St. Bernard.

Whenever the original princess, A4, returns to the palace, she brings with her the gift...the gift of story-telling and make-believe. All the children gather round, enter their secret kingdom, take on their own unique and special gift, and depart on their newest adventure.





The magic centers around the gifts that are bestowed upon each child.

Sophie becomes the Princess of Color. She can change the color of anything. This gift is often used to disguise people and objects. Sometimes it is used to turn misbehaving princes the color of pink.

Sam transforms into the Prince of Big and Small. He can make anything bigger or smaller. As big as the moon, or as small as an atom. This power is often used to turn the princes and princess as small as fleas so that they can travel easily in Mr. St. Bernard's fur.

Seth becomes the Prince of Light and Dark. He can make it is bright as the sun, or as dark as ink. Very useful when you find yourself face to face with someone you don't want to be face to face with.

When others are around, they too have gifts. Big sister A2 has the gift of being able to talk to animals. Her daughter has the ability to stun others with her cuteness, and her son can kill the enemy by throwing dirty stinky diapers at them.

When A1 is visiting the castle and is able to go on an adventure, she brings with her the gift of being able to see through all things. A3 can tell the difference between truth and lies.

These adventures can never take place without the Princess of Story-Telling. When she is here visiting the castle, there MUST be an adventure. It almost always picks up from where it was left the last time she visited. The current story has continued for many years now.

But, alas, the stories are becoming less and less frequent, for the Story-telling Princess has met her Prince Charming, and their Kingdom is far, far, FAR away.

Here are A2 and A4 working on the announcements heralding the approaching marriage.



The wedding is almost upon us and we are very happy for them. We know that the Princess of Story-Telling, and her Prince Charming will live happily ever after, and that one day there will be more Princes and Princesses with special powers that will enhance the fairy tale.

We love our Princess of Story-Telling so much......

Guest Blogger Tonight!

Woo-hoo! Sherry called me, her favorite sister, to say that her Internet service is down again and she asked me to post something on her blog.

So here I am, on her blog, posting whatever I want, and she doesn't have Internet access to read what I wrote!

I know! I'm going to write about S-h-e-r-r-y. Shhhhh... don't tell, but here are seven things you might not know about her.

1. She's the youngest sibling.

2. Not only is she the youngest sibling, but she's the youngest sibling of a youngest sibling (Mom) of a youngest sibling (Grandma, actually both Grandma's). That makes her youngest child, Seth, a 4th degree youngest sibling. I think that's something but she shrugs it off.

3. I'm her favorite sister, at least the favorite one who gardens the most. "As I garden, so she gardens." Don't tell her, but I plan to grow some extra tomato and pepper plants for her when I'm starting my own seedlings.

4. Her love is back. Yes, she's drinking McDonald's diet coke again. Some loves just won't die that easily. (I can't say too much about that since I, too, love a daily drink... Starbucks iced green tea, but this isn't about me, it's about Sherry).

5. She's a registered nurse. I think maybe she should have been a veternarian. What do you think? It would sure make it a lot cheaper to have all those animals.

6. She once worked at McDonald's, way back when she was in high school. Zillions of people have worked at McDonald's at least once in their lifetime. I haven't, but maybe you have?

7. She lives in the house we grew up in, and used to sign her comments on my blog as "Sister with the Homestead".

I'm sure once she gets her Internet access back, she'll fix this post right up. In the meantime, consider this one of those "you do it, too" Internet meme's, and why don't you post seven things about yourself on your blog that others might not know and then let Sherry know about it.

Have a great weekend.
Posted by Carol, The Gardening Geek Sister

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from the Zoo





I'm going to get off the computer and go make some memories with the ones I love.

How about you?

All is RIght

A few weeks back I posted about the loss of one of my bestest buddies...

We were so close. This was a friend who gave so much to me and asked so little in return. Our whole family has been mourning the loss every since.

But yesterday, a mysterious package showed up on our doorstep.

What could it be?





Ahh...look. Prince Charming to the rescue!




Thanks Prince Charming!

You know who else showed up yeterday? FINALLY?


The AT&T guy.

Yes, I got my land line back. I got a new printer. All is right with the world here at the zoo......

Are You an Animal Geek?

Carol, at May Dreams Gardens, has published several posts with questionnaires to help you determine if you might be a Gardening Geek...

Here at Sherry's Zoo and Garden, we would like to know if you might be an animal geek.....

Let's start easy.

1.Give yourself one point for every pet you have right now. Do not count fish. Do not count feral cats.

2. Go ahead and give yourself a bonus point for every pet that you have owned other than a dog, cat, or fish.


This was Scabbers, may he rest in peace.....






This is the Duck-eating ferret, Snow.











Oh, by the way, if you have ever "dumped an animal" (defined as dropping it off at someone's house/farm, that you didn't know) (L), or flushed a live fish down a toilet (J), you are definately NOT an animal geek. However, you may continue reading for entertainment purposes only.


3. Give yourself 2 points if you have ever had a wild animal come into your house through your dog door.

Bonus points if the wild animal has found your stash of pet food and helped themselves.

Stop and go no further if you actually killed the invader... you know you're not an animal geek. Again, you may continue for entertainment purposes only.

4. Give yourself a point if your spouse has ever given you an animal as anniversary present. Bonus point if it was a reptile or other non-fuzzy critter.

Subtract a point if you later found a "new home" for the "gift."

5. Give yourself a point if you use live mouse traps, and take great care to release the mice.

6. Give yourself a point if you have ever stood in line to see an Animal Planet celebrity. Bonus points for each hour that you waited.



Another bonus point if you identified the man in the picture as Jeff Corwin.

7. Give yourself a point if you have ever built a "home" for your pets.

2 Bonus point if it was brick, had it's own heating/air-conditioning, and running water.






8.Give yourself a point if you let your pets kiss you on the lips.









9. Give yourself a point if you have ever had an alligator in your house. In fact, forget the point. If you have ever had an alligator in your house, you are beyond a doubt, an animal geek.





Scoring:

0-2: Not much of an animal lover, are you?
3-5: You tolerate animals, but are not overly fond of them.
6-10: Now you're cooking.....(not the animals though)
11-20: You are definately an animal lover.
21+: You are a true animal geek. Welcome to my world.

Let's see.....here at the Zoo, we scored a 34. How did you do?