And I got out of bed because...?

What a day. Not a particularly good one at that. Starting at four thirty in the morning! We got up, and Darlin let the dog out to go pee. Only to reopen the door five minutes later to let an unmistakable "aroma" waft through the kitchen. Oh yes. You know the smell I'm talking about. The one that clings to everything and lasts seemingly for-e-v-e-r. The one that is so thick, you'd expect to see the green waves of cartoon stench drifting about. Yup, that's the one. June got skunked, and boy she got skunked bad. And by the smells, I'd guess she took it right in the face. Darlin went to work, I left the dog outside and went back to bed, wishing circumstances would change upon reawakening.
  A short time later, I gave up pretending to sleep. With coffee in hand, I hit the world wide web, Google specifically, for "de-skunk" remedies. I found one that was claimed to be "scientifically proven to neutralize skunk odor.." It actually worked! She still smells a little skunky between the eyes, but that's because you don't want to get it in their eyes. Recipe as follows:

1qt hydrogen peroxide

1/4 c baking soda

1T dish liquid (Ivory is recommended, but all I had was Dawn)

And then of course, washing the dog, step-by-step:

1. Put on old clothes.
2. Put on some rubber gloves. Disposable latex kind is ideal.
3. Catch the cowering, stinking dog without letting her in the house.
4. With dog and bucket of solution on lawn, begin working it into dogs' coat.
5. Hog tie dog.
6. Begin once again to work solution into dog.
7. Pour the rest of it over dogs' back and work in.
8. Carefully rub into dog's face, avoiding the eyes.
9. Now time to rinse. 
10. Go turn on hose.
11. Watch dog run away, with hose still running on the ground.
12. Pretend to play "fetch" and throw stick near running hose.
13. Pick up the stick you threw and try again while the dog looks at you like you're stupid for even thinking that will work.
14. Finally the dog can't help it, and makes a go for it.
15. You grab the dog while she's running away with the stick and drag her to the hose.
16. Hose down dog.
17. Turn hose off and repeat.

Now you have a soaking, yet bearable smelling dog. I can't really smell it on her unless I stick my nose right in hers. On the other hand, it could be sensory adaption too. Lol.

Then, on with the lovely day:
Untangled the heifer that was out to graze, fed the goats and chickens.
Thought of something for dinner.
Decide to take care of the laundry basket full of tomatoes.
Cut up all the tomatoes, then I looked for the Squeeze-o, washed and assembled it. Tried to fasten it to the edge of the kitchen table and I realized we had a different table last year. It won't fit on this one because of the edging. I had just cut up all those tomatoes and now had to do something. So I got it to go on, but it didn't have much room to get a "bite". I then proceeded to run tomatoes through the Squeeze-o until I had a bowl full of juice. Then it fell off the table and made a mess. I was mad to say the least. So I cleaned that up and covered the tomatoes with wrap and decided to try and relax in the tub with a cup of coffee and a good book. I got all settled in and found my place in the book where I left off and read about two pages. Then the phone rang. Normally I would ignore it but I had forgotten that the Dr.'s office was supposed to call. I grabbed a towel and "ran" to the phone as the machine picked up. Didn't have a clue who it was and they didn't leave a message. Well, that was important, not. With a sigh I went back to the bathroom and pulled the plug. I give up. 

Then I made dinner and Darlin came home. That was my day. I've had worse and I've had better but I hope today is better lol. Have a good day everyone!

Yes, I suffer from OCD...

 Yes, I suffer from OCD,

Over Cluttered Disorder.

Going through things, and giving them away is the best treatment. So that is what I'm doing.

28 Week update

7 months!!!!! Yahoo! Officially in the third trimester! Everything is going well, waiting for the results from the GTT (glucose tolerance test). Hopefully I pass the first time so I don't have to go back for the three hour test! Not to mention I hardly go three hours with out a snack, I feel sick when I don't eat. Jackson kicks and moves around a lot, except when someone is trying to feel him, then he stops! Typical.
* Still craving green salad with chicken and cheese.
*Picking out colors for the nursery.
*Anxious to get it all finished soon.
*If you go to the store with me, and lose me, look in the baby department.

28 week picture

I don't know

I don't know if it is how my kitchen looks now, or if it is all the products I've used.

But my current disposition could accurately be described as 

HIGH.

Either way, works for me.

Cleaning your keyboard

I've been meaning to thoroughly clean the keyboard lately, because it disgusts me. So today, that was one of my projects. Yeah, I knew the keys were sticky from various substances, but I was not expecting what I found after I got going.
Tools used:

• Microfiber cloth
• Toothbrush
• "Bottle brush"
• Home made disinfectant
• Digital camera
• Butter knife

To start, I took clear pictures of the keys to make putting it back together easier. Next, I used the butter knife to carefully pop the keys off, one section at a time. When I popped off the ones in the center, this is what I found:

Eew!!!!!!!! Now that's just gross! So, then using the tooth brush and mini bottle brush, I brushed out all the dirt, fuzzies and hair. Next, I sprayed the disinfectant on the cloth and wiped it down, in all the crevasses and in between where each key goes. Then came the ultimate tedious part; wiping each and every key, on all sides and putting them back where they belonged. I kid you not, this whole process took me and hour and a half to complete. But as you can see from the pictures, it was clearly time to do so. I would also like to say, that this lovely chore is one I am only going to do during "spring cleaning", as it is not high on my priority list. 

A couple notes:*It would be helpful and make the job a little easier if you use some compressed air to aid in the dirt and hair removal.

*A couple times a month, during your cleaning routine, would be a good time to wipe down the surface of the keys and blast with compressed air to keep it clean and prevent build up like in the above photo.

*Once a week, or even more often, you will want to disinfect the keyboard, as well as the mouse, speaker knobs, etc. Basically all your points of contact where germs collect. I read online somewhere that your keyboard contains more germs than the handle on your toilet, yikes!

*Home made disinfectant: 50/50 water and rubbing alcohol. Shake gently to mix, pour into a clean spray bottle and you're good to go!

   What's in your keyboard???

~Autumn is here~

Well, o.k., so not according to the calendar. But the weather sure has made a turn in that direction it seems. I can't wait to decorate! We have our first smudge of the season going in the good ol' cook stove. There is just something about this time of year that I love so much. The crisp air, the slight chill in the mornings, colored leaves, the smell of a wood stove going and warm, hearty food. Not to mention pumpkin everything, and hot coffee. Apple cider. And canning all the garden goodies. The smell of fresh hay put up. Cozy blankets and slippers. Autumn to me is like the Earth's last big celebration before it takes a long nap under the freezing cold of Winter.

Irish Boiled Dinner

No, there's no alcohol. It is just like your normal boiled dinner, but with a corned beef brisket instead of a ham. Delicious! Really good, I loved the flavor the meat had; salty, sweet and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Recipe to follow soon.

Happenings of the day:

Darlin put a new battery in the truck.

Laundry.

The cooking and eating of chicken lasagna.

Dishes.

Cups of tea and cuddling with Darlin.

Went for a walk with June.

Darlin staked out the cows on fresh grass.

Laughed watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond.

Clutter control in the kitchen.

Bug the goat visited in the house for a couple minutes. She loves the stairs!

Darlin played a round of golf with his Dad and a buddy from work.

Listened to some Dwight Yoakham while cleaning.

Frogs, goats and things

Starting the day with pancakes, coffee and eggs

Darling found the smallest frog I have ever seen! 

 Of course, we let him go after making of him. He is only a little bigger than my pinky nail!

June let Bug in and she headed right for the stairs. Here she is walking along a 4" wide edge above the stairs! Talk about sure-footed!

 Coming down the stairs

Rising yeast dough 

 Made into rolls and loaves

 Banana muffins!

 *Yummy!*

Shrimp and scallops sauteing in olive oil, seasonings and chives

White sauce with the seafood to pour onto pasta

Darling loading the bull to do some trading 

 Darlings buddy Stroker

25 Weeks and counting!

This is a couple days late, but here is my update...
      I can't believe it's been 25 weeks already, and yet at the same time I wonder if December will ever get here!

• 3 Weeks to third trimester, woo hoo!
• Prepregnancy weight-125lbs
• Weight gained so far-18lbs
• Current symptoms: Backache, leg cramps at night, stretch marks*yikes!*
• I have a good appetite lol

About baby:

• Kicking a lot! and also stronger than a few weeks ago, he really packs a little punch!
• Name: Definitely Jackson Roy
• Baby weighs about 1-1/2lbs this week
• Baby is starting to "pack on some fat"

Belly shot:

Good Tunes

Who doesn't like this song?? Ever been to the Haynesville woods?

Baby Goat Discovers Mirror

Got a couple minutes of "Bug" the goat checking out a mirror I put out on the porch. Also, this may be a explanation as to why I can never keep the glass door clean! (As I'm sure you will notice at the end of the video!) I didn't realize how dirty it was until I zoomed in!

What I ate today

Thought I'd post what I ate throughout the day...
Breakfast: I had a slice of french toast with honey, vanilla Greek yogurt, two slices of turkey bacon, a kiwi and 2 strawberries. To drink, I had a cup of coffee(of course!) and 8oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

 For my mid morning snack I munched on celery and carrots with 2 TBSP of garlic hummus and a low fat string cheese stick.

Lunch was my usual: Green salad with chicken and sharp cheddar and a glass of water.

 Afternoon snack: A peach and 1/4 c of roasted cashews with sea salt. Later on in the afternoon I also had a toasted english muffin, but I ate it before I remembered to get a picture lol.

 Supper: Brown rice, thin cut eye round, caramelized carrots and onions and par boiled asparagus with olive oil and parmesan cheese.

I'm working on cooking and eating healthier meals, it is fun to try new recipes like the asparagus one!
Have a good night folks and take care.

Off the Deep End

So here it is, 6:30 A.M. I have been up since 5:00 A.M. What has been on my mind since I woke up?(and the last few days?) SCALLOPS!!!!! For real, I was just looking at recipes for "healthy scallops" and the more I searched the more obvious it was- I simply just have to have them, today!! It's a good thing I'm getting groceries today lol. Can a pregnant woman have more than one craving at a time? Or maybe I finally lost my last marble? Because I still want my salad too, of course.
   Thing is, I want to cook them with out batter and frying them, which is the only way I remember ever having them. I will have to post about when I make it! I can taste them already, mmmm.

(Google Images)

I am most certain I shall perish if I don't get some soon, I mean, just look at them!!

 It will be a crazy day today, so I will post as soon as I can. I hope you all have a great day, and be sure to eat your scallops-or I will lol!