Need to post more often ... time flies by so fast

     WOW... I really need to learn to post more often!  Life is still leading me into challenges & things I'm not always ready for, but I keep rolling with the punches!

  Just when I thought I had my blood sugar levels to level out a bit, the doctor had to go & up my thyroid meds... there go the blood sugar levels back up again *sigh*... such is life i guess.

I'll Just have to keep working at it  I guess... at least the weather has finally Improved a bit... the ground is like a sponge with all the water from the ground thawing, the last snowstorm we had & the recent rain!  Can't it just dry up so i can work on my flower garden & maybe get started on my raised garden bed i want to do this year?

Here is hoping everyone has a great spring though! The songbirds have returned & the daffodils are starting to come up (BONUS)!  The pup was happy to run all over the place this morning , especially the muddy areas of the yard. She won't be happy to have a bath later! LOL

I guess that is all for now! Have a great day everyone!

MAY IS HERE!

WOW! Where has the time gone? My last post was from August 2010 i believe... so yeah, i've been slacking on posting every month like i originally planned. So, I guess it's time for a summary of what has been going on!

Luckily the wedding went well (with a few minor issues, but those are in the past) and there were many friends & family there to celebrate with us! I really enjoyed seeing everyone who was there & those who traveled to celebrate our "reaffirmation of vows" (basically renewing our vows with Pastor Bruce Blocker officiating).

Since then life has been an adventure like always.

Unfortunately, my Uncle (Miles Zastrow) passed away in December after a long fight with cancer. I know my family misses him dearly, as do I. I have so many fond memories of taking vacations to help him on different building projects he has worked on. My Aunt & cousins were kind enough to send a picture of him with the hope chest, jewelry box & cross that he made for my Confirmation when i was in 8th Grade... I can't help but smile knowing how much time & love he put into those cherished items, and yet i get all teary-eyed knowing he's gone & the world feels sadder without him around.

In January my new niece, Lila Grace, was born... she will be about 7 months old by the time i get to see her in person... I CAN'T WAIT!!! The pictures i get to see of her (thanks to my brother & my sister in law) make it a little easier living in NY while they are in WI. Allissa & Conner love their little sister though, so that is always a good thing!

Now,to get a new dryer for the trailer since the other one decided it no longer wants to dry our laundry! (How dare it stop working! We need dry clothes, not just clean, too... luckily mom & dad baker are letting us use their dryer till we get a new one.)

Not much else is new... Isis still loves to torment the critters that she spots outside, though the screened in porch is a godsend! She will sit out there most of the day when the weather is nice.

Gabe still works hard to keep us all happy & the bills paid, while i continue to look for a job *sigh*. I'm so lucky to have him in my life! (and we made it through our first year being married, so that is a good thing... we will be celebrating in September on the 11th of course!)

I keep hoping the weather will improve... i have stargazer Lilly's to plant (Gabe bought them for me for easter as they are my favorite flower) as well as other veggies & want to be able to clean up all my planters a bit! Though that strange glowing ball in the sky during the day hasn't been around much lately... maybe it will return soon... the clouds are a bit overwhelming at times.

ANYWAY, HAVE A GREAT SPRING & HERE'S HOPING FOR A WONDERFUL SUMMER!!!

A BUSY DAY AHEAD OF ME....

Seeing as it is 3am here in NY, I have not been to sleep yet & when I do, I know I will be waking to a few busy days ahead of me.

My hubby's parents are having a reception on the 22nd of May in Waterloo, NY for us.... and (wait for it....) MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO VISIT!!!!! I am so excited, the last time I saw them was for Christmas :) and My hubby hasn't seen then since last August, so it will be nice :) This will also be the first time our parents will be meeting each other, so here is hoping all goes well (it should anyway).

So to get ready for their arrival I have a list of things that I would LIKE to complete... but as long as I get the basic stuff done I will be happy as well. (this list is also partly my spring cleaning that yet needs to be done)

* WASH ALL DIRTY DISHES (never-ending battle)
*WIPE OUT CABINETS & DRAWERS (grumble.... stupid mice & dust)
*WIPE DOWN WALLS, CEILING & FLOORS (more dust.. UGH)
*FOLD ALL CLEAN CLOTHES,& SORT OUT WINTER CLOTHES
*RINSE CYCLE FOR REMAINDER OF CLOTHES IN DRESSERS (you guessed it... dust)
*PUT MATTRESS BACK IN BEDROOM (yes we been sleeping in addition, we live in a small
trailer afterall & only tv is in the addition)
*SCRUB TOILET, SHOWER & ALL SINKS
*WASH WINDOWS & MIRRORS
*VACUUM RUGS 3 or 4 TIMES (yes dust... dog hair too... mom has allergies)
*WASH COUCH & CHAIR COVERS & BLANKETS
* DUST EVERYTHING!!!! BLAH!

I think that about covers it & thanks to Gabe's Dad.... the awful smell from under the trailer should be
on its way out the door! (leaky plumbing fixed! yay!)

So now I bid you all a good night & I HOPEFULLY get a good nights sleep & then be up to start my list of chores in anticipation of my parents visit!!!

Taughannock Falls

On May 1st, 2010 my husband & I headed out to go to Ithaca, NY to go to the mall to do some shopping for the ceremony in September. On our way I asked if we could stop at Taughannock Falls, which I had seen the sign for several times before. The stop was nothing to regret!

The thundering from the falls was amazing to say the least and the views were stunning. We only went to the main falls near the road, but after some research online i found out there are many trails surrounding Taughannock Falls as well as several different sections to the falls.

Here are a few photos of the falls as well!

We enjoyed the half hour or so we were there, as we were anxious to get the rest of our shopping done.

The next stop was Michael’s where I picked up the few things I needed. Then, we stopped to eat at Chili’s and planned on going to the mall from there. We never did make it to the mall… we stopped at the Hollywood Video in town that is going out of business and bought a number of games & dvd’s as well. After that, we decided to call it a day & headed home to our hyper pup Isis!

BIRDS OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

If there is anything I love about living in the country, it has to be that I am able to see nature at its finest!

Over the past 2 weeks I have been photographing some of the birds that frequent our suet feeders. We bought the hangers that stick to the window as it keeps the squirrels from eating all the food. so the photos are taken through the window (which I know needs a good cleaning).

This is a Red Bellied woodpecker. He is one of the larger birds that visits our feeder. And trying to get a photo of him isn’t too easy as he spooks when he catches any movement inside the house.

This is a Downy woodpecker. He tends to be very observant and likes to watch us when we walk by the windows.

 This is a common Sparrow in the area. They are always around, but tend to fly away when the woodpeckers or Titmice show up.

I haven’t been able to get a photo of the Tufted Titmouse yet, but they are a pretty blue grey color & have a pretty chirp as well.

I have also spotted a PAIR of Northren Cardinals (yay!), a pair of American Goldfinches, as well as a bossy old  Blue Jay. I hope to get photos of all these birds as well yet!

I am hoping the weather continues to warm up, as we have a hummingbird feeder as well. What a treat it would be to  get some photos of them and maybe even a short video or two as well!

That is all for now! Have a great day all… Next post will be on Taughannock Falls.

Ramblings on WoW (World of Warcraft)

So…. I feel like rambling about some of the toons I have on the game simply known as WOW or for those who don’t know, World of Warcraft. Unlike some people I don’t follow the story line too closely, after all, it’s more about the game play for me.

From the choosing to play ALLIANCE or HORDE ( i play both, but mainly alliance), then which race, class, and which professions to take. You also get to personalize a look when you get ready to make your character, you can even make them male or female, and you even get to make a name for them…

Alliance Races :

NIGHT ELF, DRAENEI, GNOME, DWARF, HUMAN, and soon to be WORGEN (with Cataclysm expansion)

Horde Races :

ORC, UNDEAD, TAUREN, BLOOD ELF, TROLL, and soon to be GOBLIN (in Cataclysm expansion)

Classes:

HUNTER, DRUID, WARLOCK, MAGE, SHAMAN, PALADIN, WARRIOR, ROGUE, DEATH KNIGHT, PRIEST

I have several toons ( characters ) on WoW which cover several different levels, but the ones ! like most are already level 80 or soon to be level 80 (this is the highest level you can obtain on any toon so far).

I have a Night Elf Hunter named CONSTANTCAS. She was the first toon I ever made in the game, and the first to level 80. I have her dual spec’d ( trained her so i could have 2 different talent tree builds) in Survival and Marksmanship.

The professions on my hunter are Mining & Herbalism. I use her to gather materials for my toons that can use ore, motes of all sorts, gems, and plants to make flasks and potions.

I also have a Draenei Shaman named ASSIRACA. even though she was the second toon that I leveled to 80, she has become my main toon ( the one that I play the most). I have dual spec’d her in RESTORATION and ENHANCEMENT. In the restoration spec i am able to heal the groups that i am in and usually enjoy doing so!

I have put Alchemy (being able to make potions, flasks, and transmuting items to make better items from combining them) and Jewelcrafting ( i can make jewelry for my own toons & for other people, but more importantly i can cut gems that i can put in my gear to boost stats or sell them for a nice amount of gold) on this toon. This toon uses the most materials from what i gather with my hunter.

The next highest toon is my Gnome Mage named SASHARA. She is currently level 78 and a lot of fun to play. I do not have her dual spec’d yet, so for now she is a FROST MAGE which allows her to do a lot of damage while she continues to level up to 80.

My mage is still working on leveling Tailoring (ability to make CLOTH level gear and different threads that can be added to the legs for stat boosts… i can also embroider my own gear, and Flying Carpet mounts that only those with Tailoring can use!) and her Enchanting (ability to apply enchants to my own and other people’s gear to help with stats or special abilities).

Some people may find this game a waste of time, but I would rather spend $15.00 a month to play instead of wasting over $50.00 for one night out at the bar. It has take 4 & 1/2 years of playing to end up in a guild in game that works to help everyone and is laid back to boot.

So, here is a shout-out to all the guild members in GUARDIANS!!!

Thanks for all of your continued help! You make me feel at home, and provide us all with a lot of laughs!

And a special thank you to ARBARINE & the officers in the guild as well!

I also have to mention my hubby’s toon BASUTEICLONE… he started helping me shortly after we met in game.. who would have known it was the place we would meet the person that we were meant to be with!

I GUESS THAT IS ALL I WANT TO RAMBLE ABOUT FOR NOW… HAVE A GREAT MORNING EVERYONE !

FOR THE ALLIANCE!!!! woot woot

R.O.F.L.M.A.O!

My baby girl Isis

Isis is my baby girl… that is for sure! she is so spoiled all the time! But when you look back on the fact that I have had her for almost 6 years now, it makes sense that she is!

I adopted Isis from the pound in Phoenix, Arizona in September of 2005. She was about 7 or 8 months old when i got her, and had been malnourished & abused..When I saw her face though, I fell in love with this beautiful puppy. From the day i brought her home until now, has been quite a journey for us both!

Isis is an American Pit-bull Terrier. Now most people would find this to be a breed not to mess with. However, with the help from my roommate in Arizona we trained our dogs to be loyal & loving pets & companions. I even took Isis to Obedience classes, even though she may not always show it… but that is partly my fault for not being more consistent with her training. And trying to train her outside with rabbits & squirrels around here now, makes it next to impossible!

She loves it when our friends and family visit us as well… she wants to shower them with kisses and all the affection she can! Being high energy, she always wants to run outside, but she doesn’t mind having her own spot on the end of the couch, her own doggie bed (next to ours) with her own blanket as well. She always has plenty of squeaky toys around the house as well as a KONG chew toy we put peanut butter in and her rope bone that she loves playing tug-of-war with!

I even look forward to the day of having my own kids! She has been brought up with kids around (my roommate in AZ 2 kids, her hubby’s 2 kids, and their 2 kids… yes 6 in total! 1 of them a baby the other a toddler ) and has been great with them!!!

This dog is a part of our family and has been for some time… and the way she loves to roughhouse with my hubby, it’s all I can do not to laugh! She is loyal, loving, and affectionate. There is no better dog to be a companion and friend! She will even lay down next to you when you have a bad day & do her best to console you… even if all this is done by her laying her chin on your lap and looking at you as if to say “Don’t worry it will all be ok and I’m here if you need a friend”.

So here is to all the misguided, misjudged, and stereotyped Pitts out there.. ISIS is making a good name for you!!!