Trying To Kill The BBQ

I haven't been this caught up with blogging for a while!  I'm trying to get caught up so I can post our cruise pictures right away when we get back. 

This is poor Winnie waiting for another blood draw.  We need to check her thyroid level to make sure she's on the correct dose:

After Winnie's vet visit we went to have lunch with the always cute Baker family.  Doug helped Cole reach new heights. LOL:

Doug tried to kill the BBQ.  There was a grease fire.  It's not totally heartbreaking if we kill the BBQ because we need a new one.  I dumped baking soda on the flames, but it was still smoking 30+ minutes later:

Becky and I installing a keyboard tray almost 10 years ago.  We've done this numerous times over the last decade.  We hold the tray with our feet to relieve the weight so I can get the screws in place.  Our graphic designer added the wording to a picture someone took:

"Pappa!! Can I please have some sweet potatoes and tri tip????"

I have a sewing class this weekend.  I'm going to learn quilting over 5-6 classes, so I had to choose different fabrics.  These are what I chose.  Hopefully it won't look insane when I'm done.  I don't really want to quilt, but I think the cutting and stitching skills will come in handy for many of the other things I make:

My weight over the last 3 months:

Our squirrel ran over to Becky and I went we were leaving work.  We didn't have peanuts like we usually do so Becky gave him some bread.  He ran under her SUV to eat it:

When I peaked under  Becky's SUV to see where the squirrel was he came towards me looking for more food.  It was a little freaky when he got this close to my face LOL:

We bathed the pups, so we let them lay on the couch on their sleeping bags.  Ruger cuddled with Winnie a little.  It doesn't happen very often, but it's cute when they cuddle:

Reaching Goals!!

The luggage is out!! The cruise is getting so close!!!!:

I posted this on Facebook (like many of the pictures in this blog) and it made people laugh as hard as I did.  They need to rethink who designs costumes!  Holy bead bush!!!:

Ruger will wait forever for Winnie to finish her dinner.  He's always nearby to make sure he can lick her bowl as soon as she eats the final piece:

Winnie selfie:

Look at me gooooo! I still don't like running or jogging, but its nice to see how much better and stronger I'm getting.  I couldn't run at 7.5 mph the entire time, so I hopped off a 4-5 times (for 5-10 seconds each) to catch my breath or my lungs were going to burst:

Becky and I found our squirrel friend!  We started to think he was the flat squirrel we saw a month ago.  He came right over to get a peanut from Becky:

Winnie trying to get me to stop working:

4 monitors including 2 laptops, books and work to be done.  At least we can see each other across the table while I work and he does homework:

Ruger filling my lap with toys so I'll play with him instead of work:.  Look at his sad face:

AUTUMN FINALLY ARRIVED!!  Then the temperatures went back up to 99.  Ugh!  It's candy corn season!:

Woo hoooooo below 140!!!! Barely, but I'll take it!!  Reaching goals little by little!

Turkeys again!:

Broken Frisbee

Outside play time!:

Ruger ripped the center of his Frisbee out and now he carries like this:

I've used my backpack purse for about 10 years.  I love having my arms free and not worrying about the straps falling off my shoulders.  BUT when I saw someone selling these I couldn't resist!  The black seatbelt purse retails over $120, the red seatbelt wallet is $85.  The little Coach wallet is fake, but still cute and I'm sure the Coach purse is about $300.  I got ALL of this for $60.  WOO HOO!  If I had a designer purse it would probably be Coach and this style, so it worked out perfectly.  I've wanted a seatbelt purse for a few years too, but I couldn't bring myself to pay for it.  So excited I got a great deal!!:

Bored waiting for me to finish my workout.  I'm not sure how this picture isn't blurry, I was walking on the treadmill:

Becky and I saw a pretty nature moment to take a picture.... ever been mooned by a mushroom!!?? Now you have!!:

Milk and cookies for my busy student.  I double warm cookies and milk made Doug's homework less awful, but at least it made his stomach happy:

I like the rays of sun that start peaking up as the sun rises:

I met my mom for lunch a couple weeks ago and when I started the Rav this song came on.  It's amusing to me because I have her ringtone set to Folsom Prison Blues:

GOATS!! I sure like these little field mowers!:

This looks like a bear, but it's a bunny.  Thank you for sacrificing yourself for the cause little bunny!

Here is the cause - making the beasties tired:

Grandma's cactus is blooming again. It's been a busy year for flowers!:

I think Doug lets his bananas get brown so I'll make banana bread.  I never got around to actually making bread with these bananas, so the ended up getting pretty gross before I threw them away:

We went to Walmart to get a few things for the cruise and Doug got carded because of this item. I know, we might use that natural ginger and get wild!!:

The Rifleman Magazine cover leaf sure made for an entertaining cover.  I guess their editor didn't pay much attention to the two pieces when they were put together.  heehee:

Date Lunch

Doug and I went on a couple lunch dates recently.  A couple weekends ago we donated blood first.  Our routine has become donating blood then eating Mongolian Grill.  Here are my anticoagulant movie snacks:

My blood spinning away:

Sneaking a picture of Doug:

If I earn 30,000 points I can get a free iPad!  These donations earn me 500, 500, then 1000 points (every 3rd donation is 1000).  If I start donating as often as they want me to I could earn a iPad pretty quickly!  I have heated rice packs and blankets all over my arm to warm the vein:

77 minutes to go...

Now, time for food!

We took the dogs on a walk when we got home.  They love walks!:

Winnie's woobie ripped in half and when she carries it like this she looks like a pig face.  I think she looks like a fruit bat or some weird bat:

Yes Ruger, we caught you cuddling with Winnie!:

I hit my first goal weight of 140!  The stretch goal weight is 135.  I figure if I can drop 5 more pounds before the cruise then I can eat enough to gain those 5 pounds back. LOL:

This was such an exciting moment!  My very own work laptop!  The reason it's so exciting is because I don't have to stress about getting home to the dogs while trying to get all my work done.  I can take my work home and finish it there.  YAY!!!  This relieves some stress.  In all honestly I'm really hoping this is a tiny step to being able to work from home one day:

It's the Itchy & Scratchy show.  I wish we could help these two not itch so much.  We've been able to control it, but their itchy skin never completely goes away.  Winnie is on thyroid medication to help all her chronic infections and it seems to be working a little:

I can't believe it's been 15 years:

Whip it! Whip it good!  These two are insane over the whip!:

Winnie is so fast that her feet aren't even on the ground!:

It's hard to see the bird on our bird house; birds hardly ever land on it.  I had to take a picture when Doug told me there was a bird sitting on the branch:

Another lunch date with my cute hubby.  We decided to use some of a gift card my mom gave us.  I told Doug the restaurant was Fats, so we left Best Buy after we purchased an underwater camera and drove over to Fats.  When we were seated I realized the gift card is actually for PF Changs.  I don't know how I messed that up!!  We decided not to leave ... funny enough the PF Changs was in the same parking lot as the Best Buy we left.  I'm dumb! LOL:

Before the food destruction began:

This "light summer" shrimp dish was so spicy!  I had a really hard time eating it.  The waiter offered to have the kitchen remake it, but I didn't want them to go through the trouble.  The guy said, "okay, but I'll check on you in a few minutes and if you can't handle it, we'll remake it."  I laughed and told him to bring a fire extinguisher just in case I spontaneously combust! 

I ate A LOT of rice to calm the spicy fire in my mouth:

Our fortunes for the evening.  Doug didn't want to keep his because he didn't want to settle satisfactorily:

Ruger trying to be sweet to get some attention:

Homemade fettuccini alfredo.  I still use the recipe my mom gave me years ago:

A pretty sunrise letting me know it's going to be a hot day: