Too clever for my own good...

Since we got 2 dogs, going on vacations now require some extra steps.  Here is a short story about one of those trips and what can happen when the best of intensions fall short! 

We hired a dog sitter to come to our home and check on our 2 dogs while we were on vacation.  This is the first time we had done this.  Usually, we would take the dog(s) to the sitters house but since we had just adopted a new dog we felt that it would be best for someone to come to our home instead of Gizmo (the new one) having to get use to another "new" place.  Well, before leaving for our vacation I made sure everything was takin' care of.  I made enough food, set up the doggy cams and locked our file cabinet.  Well, I decided to hide the key to the file cabinet someplace she would not look or find, if she was so inclined to look.  Well, I hid the damn key so good, I couldn't find it!  So for the past 4 months I have not been able to get into the file cabinet. I absolutely hated when a situation came up that required me to look in the file cabinet...tax questions, dog papers, household receipts...cause my husband loved to remind me how stupid that was and I'm so silly for being so paranoid...this, coming from the guy that has been so against anyone other than friends and family coming into our house at all!!! 

Well, after 4 long months I finally found the key!  YAY!!!

I can tell you this...I will not make that mistake again...the next time I'll find a spot that I WILL remember. 

Also, one night during the vacation I was checking on them and couldn't figure out why Gizmo would not come in the house.   Then I could hear a beeping coming from inside the house and finally figured out that it was the smoke detector beeping!  Gizmo is so skittish of sounds that he was absolutely petrified and would not go back in the house.  I had to call the sitter and interrupt her movie night to go back to the house and pull out the battery!  Lesson learned!  Change all the smoke detector batteries before leaving!!!  Poor Giz! 

FYI...

Did you know that "Dammit I'm Mad" spelled backwards is "Dammit I'm Mad"
 

Kitchen Gadgets...Get them, Love them, Use them!

I have recently become a huge fan of kitchen gadgets!  They can make life in the kitchen so much easier, well, the right ones can...some are just silly. 

Here are some recent additions to my kitchen...

Epica Automatic Electric Milk Frother and Heater Carafe...MY FAV!  This product is AWESOME!  I use chocolate almond milk and it works great for that "Coffee Shop" experience!  Got on Amazon

Black & Decker Citrus Juicer - Works great!  Can be a little loud, but it does the job.  I buy a big bag of limes from Costco and juice them and put in a plastic squirt bottle...whenever I need a splash of lime juice...like cocktails or guacamole!  :)  Got on Amazon

OXO Steel Garlic Press - I've heard so many cooks/chefs say "get a good garlic press" and now I know why.  Easy, clean and annihilates the garlic!  Got on Amazon

YouCopia Chef's Edition Spice Stack 30-Bottle Spice Organizer - I could never find my bottles or it took forever to pick up each bottle from front to back of cabinet to find the right one, this has solved that!  Got on Amazon

Hand-held Mondoline Slicer -  I love making cucumber salad and with this gadget I can slice a large cucumber in seconds.  A big time saver!  :)   I got at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Microplane Premium Black Zester/Grater - like the garlic press..."just get a good one"  :)   Got at BB&B.

Hand-held Juice Press - get a good one!  for those times when you only need juice from one citrus! 

Waffle maker - don't use a lot, but nice to have when you get a hankering for some!

Rice cooker - I can say that this is one of my least favorite things...at least for what it's main purpose is.  I do like it as a steamer.  Every time I make rice in it, I just don't like the way it turns out.  I don't know, maybe I'm doing it wrong!?!  Got at Costco

Zucchini Spiral Slicer - meh...don't use much. 

Hand Blender - Love, love, love this!  Works great for pureeing!  For my homemade dog food!  :)

Ok, these may not be "Gadgets" but some of my other favorite kitchen items...

Cuisinart Griddler and Panini Maker - We use this all the time...for sandwiches, quesadillas, burgers..(veggie ones, even).  Awesome product - BB&B.

Convection Oven - since getting one of these (actually, this is my second one) I hardly ever turn on my oven.  Faster and without heating up the whole house.

Well, that my list for now.  I'll keep you updated on others as I get them.  

 

When Black turns Blue in the Sun Light!

When I got dressed this morning, I grabbed my black pair of slacks and a matching top…(black background print with greenish flower print), slipped on my black Tom’s and even checked myself out in the mirror.  Everything is in order…nothing on inside out, check!  Yes, I have done that before, so I’m super paranoid about doing it again.   No biggie if it’s just your underwear and no one else can see it, but when it’s your top…that’s a whole different thing!  Eeekkk!  But back to this morning, after dressing and getting my morning beverage, pet the dogs and headed out, it was when I got to work, got out of my car and in the morning sun, realized that I didn’t put on my black slacks…but I put on my dark blue ones instead!  Oh well.  I’ll just try to stay in my cube as much as possible and hope no one notices! 
 

Weather and My Head!

For the last few weeks I have been getting killer sinus headaches!  They seem to coincide with the weather…like when we get monsoon thunderstorms.   This use to happen a lot when I lived in Michigan, but not so much once I moved out here to Arizona.  I’m not sure what has changed lately…if this monsoon has just been more active with thunderstorms and high barometric pressure or what…but wow!  In the last 2 weeks I’ve been down on the couch with nauseating headaches!   If I move my head to one side or the other, or if I bend over I get a sharp pain in the front of my face and feel like I’m going to puke!  This sucks.  I’m afraid to go anywhere when I feel one of these coming on because it pretty much immobilizes me.  Michigan summers I use to feel like this a lot, but I haven’t felt this way in a long time.  I don’t remember even last year being like this…Well, like OK GO says…”This Too Shall Pass!”  Come On October! 

 

Technology for artist...

Finger painting on my iPad...

I've had an iPad for a while now and just discovered that I can use it as a like Wacom device!  Super excited about that!  I found some great apps, too. 
Procreate, Paper, Adobe Sketch, Brush, and Draw (I have all the Adobe apps for drawing), Art Set.  Art Set, Paper and Procreate are my favs.  I did buy the Adobe Ink and Slide pen.  It's kind of expensive but it is awesome.  The pic above was done with my finger, though.  :)

Molly and Gizmo

Here are my dogs.  We adopted both from a local rescue.  Molly was only 6 months old when we got her, they told us she was a Maltese, but I'm sure she is actually a Cockapoo.  She is very much a social butterfly!  Loves people.  :)

Gizmo was 5 years old.  He is full on Shih Tzu!  He is super chill!  Kind of skittish, but super polite and gentle.  Such a sweetie! 

Both have brought a lot of fun to our home. 

 

 

Has it really been this long?

Wow!  Where has the time gone?  It's been way too long since my last entry here.  There is so much to talk about...let's see....

3/2/2015

 

 

Nice clouds over South Mountain

 

 

Gone too long!

Yes, I’m talking about me.  I got off Facebook (finally) and decided to get back to good ole’ blogging.  I feel that the folks who bother to follow me here, really are interested in what I have to say, not because they are my “friend” but because they enjoy coming here and checking out what I have to say or maybe like pictures I post.  I was never comfortable about posting on FB, because I know some of the folks either did not “get” me or share the same views that I did.  Either way, I’m happier here…even if I get no followers.  I can vent or post to my heart’s content and not worry at all.

So anyway, I’m back and I feel good about it.