My Animals

I love animals and seriously would be a vegetarian if I wasn't lazy and didn't want to cook two different meals.  (Heaven forbid when I tried 'meatless Mondays'.  That didn't go over well.  Then, it's a serious dinner dilemma for Matt if I make spaghetti without hamburger in it.  Sigh.)  I did quit eating red meat for about six months after reading a Robin Cook book that totally scared me.  (Not a cookbook...a book by Robin Cook.  I have to be careful about reading books by him because they're scary for a paranoid germophobe like me.)  Matt's a total carnivore.  I'm just thankful he doesn't eat anything rare.  That is so gross!

So, my love of animals has grown over the years and I'm happy to say that we have some animals who come into our yard to visit me.  I've named them (of course) and talk to them every day.  We have George (the rabbit); Chubs, Skittles, Tiny, and Slim (the squirrels...and yes, I can tell them apart); lots of birds; and a pair of raccoons I've named Phil and Lil.  Chubs is my favorite.  He's not afraid of me and actually comes up to the patio door to peek inside the house.  He even comes up on the deck railing if I sit outside on the deck.  Cyrus isn't crazy about Chubs.  I don't think it's because he doesn't like Chubs.  I think it's more like Cyrus doesn't want to share any of my attention.  Keaton recently said that he's half expecting the animals to be living inside the house whenever he comes home.  Silly guy...they'd have to be potty-trained first.

This is George.

This is Skittles.
 

This is Chubs.
The other squirrels didn't come over for their photo op. 
The raccoons are cute, but need to be relocated to a different home.



Ludington

Ludington was lovely!  We enjoyed a fun camping weekend with friends while hiking, kayaking, and biking.  (Is it still a hike if you do it in flip-flops?)  We visited the lighthouse, watched sunsets on the beach, and just enjoyed some time relaxing.  I'm happy to say that my pretty pink kayak was sea-worthy and I didn't tip once!

My kayak got quite a bit of attention and compliments.

 

Even my life jacket is pink.  Now I just have to find a pink paddle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Lesson #392

Yesterday, while power-washing the deck, I learned a valuable life lesson:  never, ever, EVER wear flip-flops on a wet vinyl deck while trying to push a huge, heavy, full-of-dirt planter box.  You just might end up head-first and ass-up in it.  Thankfully, I wasn't wearing a skirt. 

 

Spring Cleaning

I'm in the home stretch of my spring cleaning.  And that means pretty much using a toothbrush to clean and scrub every single square inch of my house.  And every single object in my house.  And every drawer, closet, and cupboard in my house.  And taking apart the toilets, shower heads and every light fixture to clean them.  You name it and I've scrubbed it, polished it, and/or taken it apart to soak in hot, soapy water or bleach.  While cleaning the carpet (each direction twice...and then a couple swipes diagonally just to be sure it's really clean), Cyrus decided to park his cute furry self in front of the fan drying the carpet.  He likes to think he's helping.  Or he's just posing for yet another picture.  He does like to have his picture taken.

Jungle Lord

The latest addition to Matt's pinball collection:

Road trip last night to Ft. Wayne, IN to get the new pinball machine.
No trailer needed...Matt's now a pro at getting the machines to fit in the Durango.




Loincloths are optional while playing.

Dressing Up

I've had a few chances over the weekend to put down the cleaning supplies, change out of my sweats, paint my nails, and actually get dressed up.  Our friends' son was married on Friday.  Thanks to I-69 being closed due to an accident, we barely took our seats before the ceremony began.  Whew!  It was a close one...not that our friends would be surprised if we were late.  Somehow over the years, my earliness and Matt's lateness have caught up with one another and his lateness has risen to become the victor.  The wedding was lovely and we enjoyed the reception...especially Keaton on the dance floor.  It's amazing how alcohol can help a person find his dance moves.  Keaton even danced with me and I didn't have to threaten him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, Matt and I went to my niece's dance recital.  Instead of giving her flowers after the show, I made her these adorable ballerina cupcakes.  She said she likes cupcakes better than flowers.  It was a good call on my part...and I always LOVE a chance to make something pink and girly.

 

 

 

 

Last night, Matt and I went to see Wicked again.  It was fabulous!  Sometimes I think how nice it would be to live in New York City so we could see show after show after show.  But, then I remember all those people and all that noise and all that traffic.  So, in the meantime, I'll just have to be patient and let the shows come to us.  But, they need to come faster!  I enjoyed dressing up and getting out of the house.  Now, I'm back to real life:  spring cleaning and wearing my sweats.

 

 

 

 

 

Bossy

Here's another thing I saw online today that made me laugh.  (And it's absolutely true...just ask my husband and my sisters!)

Math

I saw this posted online yesterday and laughed and laughed because this is EXACTLY how my mind works:

Sleep Deprived

I'm happy to say that Cyrus seems to be feeling better.  But, unfortunately, all the storms we've had over the past 24 hours have left him shaking and quaking...making it impossible for us (and by us, I mean me) to sleep.  Cyrus and I were up all last night.  ALL.NIGHT.  There's not much on TV in the wee hours of the morning.  I can happily say I was strong and didn't buy anything on any of the infomercials we watched.
   



Luckily Cyrus was able to catch a nap between storms yesterday.  
(Oh, and this isn't a posed picture. He uses a pillow like we do. 
I'm really not kidding when I say he doesn't know he's a dog.)




Holy hail!

 

Poor Puppy

Our poor puppy had a rough day at the vet yesterday.  He had five teeth removed that were cracked/chipped and a cyst removed in his neck/shoulder.  He had a rough night with lots of fidgeting and squeaking.  That means that we also had a rough night because he sleeps in bed with us.  He's not supposed to jump, so we pulled the mattress out to the living room as we all tried to get some sleep.  Tried.  Today, he's been cuddling right next to me and has followed me around the house.  I was hoping to get another room cleaned in my spring cleaning blitz, but I think it's better if we just cuddle on the couch instead so he's still.  If we're lucky, we'll even be able to take a little nap.  Yep, I think a nap is on the agenda...especially with the stormy forecast tonight and tomorrow.  There's absolutely no sleeping if it storms.  At least he doesn't squeak when he's scared...he just trembles and makes the whole bed shake with him.


Poor, pathetic puppy.


 

As a scrapbooker, I had to bring some of his shaved fur and teeth home for his scrapbook...his fourth scrapbook.
 

 Hmmmm...I wonder how weird the vet will think I am when I ask for the staples for his scrapbook.



Five pulled teeth + twelve staples = mashed potatoes for dinner!



Luckily the mattress fit in the living room, so he was able to cuddle with me...squeaking and fidgeting all night long.




Someone's ready to take a nap with me on the couch.



Pinball and Even More Pinball

It's been a busy week at the Adams' Homestead.  Let's see...

Matt and I headed over to the Detroit area for the annual Michigan Pinball Expo.  It was...interesting.  There were lots of pinball machines and lots of people.  That meant waiting in line to play every game.  While waiting, I had lots of time to study the people around me.  I found some very interesting people.  There is an entire underground world of over-the-top pinball enthusiasts...and I think some of them only come up above ground from their parents' basements for the expo.  Seriously.  Some of them reminded me of meerkats.  They'd bob their heads around, do a lot of blinking while looking for an open machine, twitch their noses, and then dart across the room.  I had a hard time not telling them to untuck their pinball t-shirt from their khaki pants and never, ever wear white socks with black shoes.  Ever.  Then, I really wanted to find them a girl to talk to.  But, there weren't many girls at the expo and those that were there might have frightened the guys with their multiple tats, piercings, and neon hair color.  Matt and I still enjoyed ourselves, though, and played the new games this year:  The Avengers and The Wizard of Oz.  Matt is a conservative pinball collector, not spending much money on his machines.  But, I have to say, The Wizard of Oz is incredible and might be worth selling a kidney to purchase.

The Wizard of Oz was incredible...definitely my favorite!!
The flippers were ruby slippers (sparkly, of course).  Who wouldn't LOVE that?!

The Avengers was fun to play. 
These games are MUCH brighter, faster, and louder than ours.

We have this game at home, but not all pimped out with the colored LED lights.
Guess what Matt's next project is?



On the way home, we stopped at a restaurant/bar that had lots and lots of pinball machines.
We had dinner and did what else...played even MORE pinball!

 



Matt and his "partner" (adventure racing/training partner, not the other kind...I just need to clarify) took their kayaks out for a nice workout at Yankee Springs.  They enjoyed the sunshine and came back dry, so it was a good day on the water...especially for Matt's maiden voyage in his new kayak.



No water inside the kayak is a good sign he picked a good one!

We watched the national championship basketball game last night from the comfort of our couch.  While we were disappointed to see Michigan lose, it was still a great game!  None of us won any money in the brackets this year, but Matt did pick the winner...Louisville.  Oh well, hopefully one of us does better next year!

 

Cyrus wore his lucky jersey, but it didn't work so much last night.

Spring Break at Home

We enjoyed a nice Easter dinner on Sunday...and a nice pile of dishes to wash.  I think we did so many dishes that not only did we use up all the hot water for Sunday, but I also didn't have any hot water on Monday.  That meant a cold shower for me.  Freezing cold.  Freezing cold that made me shudder and swear violently.  The good news was that Matt was able to reset the hot water heater that night and (knock on wood) we were good to go.  Well, until Tuesday night when we got home late and discovered we didn't have hot water AGAIN.  Ugh.  Luckily, Matt was able to reset the hot water heater again (and knock on wood) and we were good to go.  I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.


Glazed ham, asparagus bundles wrapped in bacon, mashed potatoes, corn bread, salad with strawberries, and a Mounds cake for dessert. Yum!

My sister and two of her kiddie-poos came for a visit.  We hung out, went shopping, and saw the new Wizard of Oz movie.  My review:  wait for it to come out on video if you want to see it.  My mom and step dad stopped by and then we all headed over the casino in Battle Creek.  The kids enjoyed the pool and we enjoyed some gambling.  I won a little...enough to cover Matt's losses and I made a new friend.  There was a really, really, really, really (and I mean REALLY) drunk guy at the casino who found me twice and wanted to be my friend.  After we left, my sister hit a jackpot on my favorite slot machine, Sex and the City, and won $600!!!!!!  Yay for her! 


Cyrus enjoyed having people visit...especially when my nephew put his pillow on the couch.

Matt got a new toy this week:  a kayak.  I'm holding out for a pink one.  Preferably one that is sparkly!


Cyrus jumped right up on Matt's lap in the kayak when Matt unwrapped his new toy. It looks like we're going to need a doggie life jacket now!

Chocolate Influence

His Aunt Karie is totally to blame for his love of chocolate.

Sir Cyrus Sitting by the Sill

Every morning, Cyrus sits and looks out our bedroom window while I make his bed.  Yep, I said 'his' bed because he thinks it's his and he begrudgingly shares it with us...not the other way around.  After the bed is made and the throw pillows are neatly placed on the bed, he likes to jump up on the bed and then rearrange the pillows to his liking.  It's a good thing he's so darn cute because he's definitely opinionated and strong-willed.  Oh, and notice the white light coming through the windows in the above photo.  Yep, that's snow.  Happy Spring!  Ughhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes Cyrus leaves the pillows alone and only flips one down to use. 

Sometimes he just likes a pillow flipped down on him for a bit.

Mmmmmmm...

Matt brought me home a shamrock shake tonight.  Mmmmmmmmmmmm...
He just might make it in the 'Top Ten List of Best Husbands in the Whole-Wide World'.  Maybe.  If he'd bring me home a puppy, he'd definitely move up in the standings. 

50 Rocks!

Our good friend (a.k.a. Matt's 'partner'...as in his adventure race partner, not the friendlier kind of partner) is turning 50.  We're going to celebrate with him and his wife by having dinner at The Melting Pot (YUM!!!!) and then listening to a band at the casino on Friday night.  I made a little gift bag for him...all done at home on my computer (and a little help from some store-bought items because I don't know how to make vodka...yet).  I'm happy with how everything turned out and I'm full of ideas for Matt's 50th birthday celebration!

I made labels with his name so he'll remember just in case he drinks this bottle in one sitting.




I made a CD with the Top Ten Songs of 1963 for his trip down memory lane.
(I didn't even know some of these songs.  This was WAY before my time!)



The #1 song of 1963 was 'Sugar Shack' by Jimmy Gilmer.
I'm not a fan.

 



I made some cute little candy bar wrappers and put them on fun-size candy bars (100 Grand).
I was very nice with all references about turning 50 because I know how bad his payback will be...years and years and years from now.

Ta da...the finished project!
I just bought a vase, put 50 rocks in the bottom, and loaded in the vodka bottle (with cute computer-made charms), added the CD, added a sheet loaded with fun facts about 1963, threw in the candy bars, and finished it off with a cute little sign.

 

The Good Sportz

Matt, his brothers, and a couple of his friends participated in 'Bowl for Kids' Sake' (a fundraising event for Big Brothers Big Sisters) on Tuesday night.  The team name was "The Good Sportz".  I think the guys were good sports for letting Matt talk them into wearing wigs.

Another Project...with Minimal Bleeding and No Falls

Keaton doesn't like having so many pictures of himself around the house...especially baby pictures.  (I don't know why...it's not like I put the naked-baby-butt pictures out in view.  Those are all tucked safely away in the scrapbooks for his future embarrassment.)  So, to help him like me, I decided to replace the baby pictures going up the stairs with a reminder on how to spell his last name.  This should earn me a really nice card and maybe even some candy for Mother's Day!

 

 

Cyrus enjoyed a long, leisurely nap on his beloved pillow while I tried not to bleed all over the frames as I hand-washed all the glass in the sink or tried not to fall down the stairs while putting the frames back on the wall.  He decided to nap only on one pillow today, but still used the other pillow as a back rest.