Scoot and Toot

Daylight was barely breaking this morning after a peaceful night's sleep. We were still in a half awake, half asleep mode. We could hear the dog tags clicking and clanging and it was getting louder and faster and then it hit us...Bella and Tillie were wrestling at the bottom of the biscuit on the floor. They would flip and hit the foot board on the biscuit. If you know us, you should understand...but, we'll explain anyway...we call our bed "the biscuit". It's soft and fluffy on the mattress and covered by soft and fluffy covers on top. If you pull the covers up, you can slide in between the fluffiness like butter and jam. It's so nice to hit the biscuit after a long hard day. Shane is the butter and I am the jam.


It rained all night, so the yard was still wet, but the 4 legged children had to go outside. We then had to feed them and give them water. Our four legged guest, Tillie was a little shy at first...but, this did not last long...oh no, she feels right at home with Aunt Tammy and Uncle Shane. She thinks she is the Alpha dog and so does Bella. What they don't know is that little Emma is still the Alpha and she is running the show around here. Our cat, Linus is protesting the invasion of the dogs. Tillie doesn't bark, according to her parents...but, she has found her voice here on the square. She has A LOT to say.

Shane and I tried to be productive today. We went to the pharmacy this morning for his diabetic medication. We love Smith Caldwell, in downtown Benton. While waiting for the medication, I found some great hand soap for our bathroom. I got the matching lotion for my side and Shane just got the soap. He is slippery enough without lotion. lol.

We had breakfast at a local joint called the Home Plate Diner. We love it! We recommend it to one and all. If you are looking for us on Saturday morning, this is where you will find us. And, as if you didn't know....Shane had pancakes and sugar free syrup. It is also critical that a cold tall glass of milk hits the table as soon as the pancakes do. If anyone tries to break this ritual, then God please rest their soul. I've been dealing with this ritual for 10 years. When he orders, I can mouth the words with him. It's a hoot.

We also went to Target today for new undergarments and a pooper scooper. This sort of goes hand in hand, but not really. Why did I even think of this? Target is good and we haven't been in a long time, so we took some time to walk around. Of course, I had to use the ladies room while we were there. I promise you, if we are in Walmart or Target and are in the middle of our shopping, I always have to visit the facilities. It's crazy, but it makes me think about all of the times I have had surgery and been in the hospital. The day after surgery, the nurses come to your room and get you out of bed and make you walk. In hospitals they call this the "scoot and toot" day. I find it horrifying, but I've been through it so many times that I guess Walmart and Target are "scoot and toot" stores. I don't know...this whole paragraph has gotten out of hand.

We have been "green" today. We unpacked three boxes today and sorted through the paperwork and took 2 boxes to the identity theft shredder. The BBB had a shredder day and we made a large contribution. They gave me a lolly pop as we were headed out. Weird.

We stopped by Gabe's Grill today for lunch. It was raining too hard to buy groceries. It's a great little restaurant with friendly down-home owners. The sign said "we are open and come on in" so we did. I also took a fancy to the very creative light fixtures they had. Shane loved the food, but I was more interested in the decor.

I have somewhat adjusted to the highways and pastures being covered in Arkansas Red Clover instead of the beautiful blue bonnets that I long to see in Texas. I wear my Texas sweat shirt and carry a debit card with a longhorn on it and Shane wears his Arkansas sweat shirt and carries a Razorback debit card. Please note that I am a Baylor Bear, but a Texas shirt makes a bigger point in Arkansas. I have actually had someone bring my debit bard back to the table at a restaurant and say they can't accept my card...then they laugh...they don't want to accept a Texas Longhorn card. HA HA Very funny!

We had to rush home in the middle of our errands today, because a thunderstorm blew in and Emma and Bella were on the back porch. Emma has heart failure every time we have a storm and I knew she would be layed out when we arrived at the house. It was the most pitiful sight I have ever seen. They were soaked to the bone. I had to use a hair dryer on Emma. She really doesn't care for any kind of styling apparatus. I could not stop laughing at her. Til was in her kennel, so she was prancing around like she was special because she got to stay inside in the safety of her kennel. Emma's face just said it all.

This has been a very adventurous Saturday.

Until tomorrow...I'll add the pictures tomorrow, so come back and visit again tomorrow.

Four Legged Guest

Today has been a very strange day. The auction with the stations I manage took place today. I don't know anything at this point. There is a meeting at 8:30 in the morning. I guess I will know the outcome then. I'm sticking with my Faith that God will provide for me and my family and that He will use me for His purpose to serve Him, no matter where I end up.....still with the stations or some where else that I can serve Him. Your prayers are appreciated...

We are very happy to say that we have a guest for the weekend. Her name is, Tillie. She is the four legged child of our friends, Meghan and Andrew. We had a rough start, but now Bella and Tillie are smelling all over each other and cleaning the others ears and licking each other on the mouth. They are sharing a water bowl. Tillie really settled in when she finished her kibble for dinner. She has been playing like a crazy dog in the back yard. She makes Bella chase her and when Bella catches her, she tucks and rolls like some kind of military training. It's a hoot. During all of this insanity, Emma, our yorkie is barking her head off for someone to play with her and shes running like a flash of black and tan lightening zipping all over the yard.










































Tillie is inside now. She had her wipe down with the "in between bath wipes" and is laying on the couch checking out the lap top and peeking around the corner to catch a glimpse of the cat. I think she is ready for bed...she can hardly hold her eyes open. She wants me to give a, "Shout Out" to her Mom and Dad and tell them that she is having a blast on the Square.

Stay Calm, Stay Calm....!!!!!

I've been away a few days due to a kidney infection and a "to-do" list that is beyond control. I can't believe I even got a kidney infection. I hurt my back so bad during our move that I did not realize I had one. The pain got so intense that I finally went to the doctor and was accurately diagnosed and now I'm on my second round of antibiotic. The doctor gave me a prescription for a different medication on Monday, since the first one did not finish the job. I really recommend that if you have a back ache that is super intense that you should be checked out for other problems just in case. I feel like an idiot for not realizing what was going on.


I manage 4 television properties and all of them go on the auction block tomorrow. The corporation I work for is selling all of their tv stations. So, there are a few scenarios for me. 1) I continue to work for the new owners (best option). 2) The new owners bring in their own management team (not good for me) 3) I start looking for a new career all together (can't decide if this is good or bad). I think I have to stay calm...business as usual and cling to my Faith that I will be wherever God wants me to be. It's a really difficult situation to be in, because the not knowing what happens tomorrow is simply a strain on all of my resources. I have a panic button on my desk (Hoops and YoYo--who doesn't love them?) that screams, "Stay Calm, Stay Calm, followed by high pitched screaming. I want to tape it down where it will just keep saying it over and over, because it makes me laugh.















It's also April, 15th...the tax man cometh! Another good reason to push this button. I just emailed my CPA and typed..."Extension Please"....he replied..."Extended"...thank goodness! One of the boxes left in the garage contains all of our 2008 tax information. More tips to follow...don't move during tax season. And, don't have a heart attack either...Shane pulled that one during the middle of the move.

Don't Play with Sushi or Matches! Bach, Bach...EB!

It's been a big weekend on the Square. My brother, David (DD) came to visit this weekend. We got up Saturday morning in anticipation of his arrival. The house wasn't in need of a major cleaning, but we worked on it all day. Our living room has been a problem since we moved to the Square. We haven't had time to deal with so far, but I went into some kind of OCD overload and moved everything around. A friend of mine gave me a few plans on how to arrange the furniture. We knew for sure that we had to pick one and stick with it, because we're talking about an antique armoire, piano, desk, couch, love seat and chair with an ottoman.

If you are reading this and you have seen the armoire and piano, then you know what we're talking about when we say we need to make the right decision. I picked one of the plans and Katie and I moved everything around. The key to the brilliant plan was to back the piano to a position against a corner. We moved everything in a little closer, pushed the armoire down to almost center (creative spark) and decorated to accessorize the plan. The only problem was one empty area in the corner opposite the piano. We have my Mom's antique desk and my brother was going to take it to his house this weekend. He didn't necessarily want it...his house is full of antiques. (He and a few friends are quite the decorators and have an eye for the perfect piece of furniture). Our empty corner opened an opportunity to squeeze the desk in and it balanced the entire room. I can now sit in the living room without all the madness running through my head. It's cozy and peaceful now. DD, sorry about the desk. Meg, thanks for the plans you put together.

My brother arrived not long after we finished all of the "over the top" OCD madness. Some people think this disorder is bad, personally I find it to be a great quality. My sweet family just tries to understand and most of the time they go with the flow. I try to keep it toned down, but sometimes it just takes over.

I don't want to leave this part of our Saturday morning out...we went to breakfast at the local diner in Bryant. It's a long story, but we ended up meeting an elderly woman named, Katie. Same as our Katie. She came over and sat with us and we talked and enjoyed breakfast with "the Katie's". I am looking forward to sharing stories about this new friendship. She needed a new friend and so did we. More to come....

My brother and Katie both love Sushi. You know I'm a beginner that needs to chase it with Benadryl. Saturday dinner was at the Sushi Bar on Kavanaugh. Shane doesn't eat anything that comes out of a lake, ocean, creek or any kind of water. He stuck to the traditional cooked steak. I was nervous, but I tried the Sushi again with the thought that maybe I could possibly figure out what made my ears swell inside from the first outing. I had the Benadryl on hand and the Sushi restaurant we chose was close to the best hospital ER in town. I carefully picked a few items and started the process of elimination. I felt really weird after dinner and my chest was tight so I countered with Benadryl and learned nothing except that Sushi really might be a dangerous activity. Sorta reminds me of the matches when I was a child. You shouldn't play with them! That's another story.

My very favorite day of the year is Easter Sunday. We all got up really early today to make it to the early service. We had brunch reservations at MiMi's Cafe. We don't even open the menu when we go, after so many visits over the past three years we have it memorized. The Easter Service was awesome. The music sent chills through my body and even though I can't carry a note, I was singing to the Lord! The sermon was just as great and I believe we all left with a feeling of fulfillment. The only thing that was not great about today is that it was raining so hard that we all got soaked going to the car. It didn't matter that we had umbrellas. I always love a rain shower and a cloudy day, but we have had a wild week of weather here in Arkansas this week. It was also cold, so we spent the rest of the day wearing our sweats while napping and watching movies. Katie wasn't here to enjoy this part of the day...she was downtown shooting a commercial for the Peabody Hotel and their restaurant. She did such a great job that she may be getting paid to do more commercials in the future. Strike a Pose, Girl!

Overall, it was a great weekend...we balanced the living room...enjoyed my favorite day of the year and enjoyed our visit with my brother. Bach Bach, DD!

Side Note: I'm considering ripping the Hughes Net Dish off of the roof because it will not allow me to post the pictures I am taking to post on our blog. It says to call the internet provider...has anyone ever been able to talk to anyone at Hughes Net other than when you had it installed or needed to make a payment? I don't think so!
Augh!