just a small sample of the yuck. I'll spare you the rest of the details. sigh.

yummy waffels and ice cream for breakfast. hey - I thought that was only supposed to happen at grandma's house... or when dad goes out of town. hehe!

RIP Teddy Nibbles. We didnLt know you for long but before you turned into a ravishing blood sucking neurological nightmare of a rodent, we loved you.

during the transformation... the green really makes the windows pop!

Nothing will ever be attempted

Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be overcome. - Samuel Johnson

just breath...

it's been a long time since i posted, but we have been so busy.
last week it was a comedy of errors at our house.literally, when it rained, it poured. we have had such a wet and rainy spring this year and on Friday the 19th, it stormed. we are guessing that the sewers we so filled and couldn't accept anymore water and it started coming up through the sewers in our basement! talk about yuck. this was beyond yuck by the time i got home from work. i guess normally this wouldn't have been as horrific as it was b/c jim and i would have cleaned it up, but he was leaving that day for Vegas. so lucky him, got to sit in an airport for 9 hours (and yes, it is MUCH better than what I had to do) while the basement filled up about 6 inches deep with sewage. when the water finally receded, i put on my galoshes (good investment from good ol' Target), rubber cloves, tied my hair back and with a gallon of bleach, a mop and bucket and a garden hose, started washing.
luckily, a neighbor had pity on me and my situation and helped me move some of the bigger pieces of crap (I mean, furniture) around and carry things out to the trash, so by 11 pm, the basement was smelling good and drying out nicely.
well, everyone knows when Jim goes away, Nikki does a home improvement project. i really didn't plan on the basement being one of them this time ;0)
i had the master plan of painting the living room and dining room. You can see before and after pics on flickr. it took a lot of late nights and red bull, but i got it done in time to surprise everyone on Wednesday. from drab to fab in 72 hrs and under $500.
Maybe the basement mess was a good thing b/c it really inspired me to take a hard look at the things we are keeping around that we really don't need. We have so many things that we hold on to that really have no significance or things we have outgrown. It was really a big weight off my shoulders to get rid of a bunch of crap and now the reward is to come home to a clean and relaxing space I can feel good about.
There was a comical list of follies that went with the weekend, it seemed like I was being set-up for a challenge to stay sane, that's for sure. From a tire blow-out to mr. p puking at chipotle, to the hamster dying... one thing after another and yet I kept things in perspective and realized early on, they we all external things, items, problems that could be dealt with and it was up to me to choose how to deal with them. I chose to smile and keep moving forward and hopefully, this weekend I can sit back, relax, and enjoy.

meet Teddy Nibbles

meet Teddy Nibbles, originally uploaded by frogverde.

FWD:Bad dog

Bad dog

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FWD:Good dog

Good dog

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Life Lessons - Written by a 90 Year Old Man

a reminder...

LIFE LESSONS

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.Your friends and parents will.  Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God.  He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others.  You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.  But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath.  It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood.  But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.  Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now.  Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything.  Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously.  No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life.  Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood, don't rob them of that.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day.  Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come. 
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.