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!!!

Instructions to view our toppers for the wedding cake!!!

If you want to see what each of our toppers is going to look like... go to the following site & follow directions below it! (you can also watch a video on how they are made as well)


CLICK HERE ----> FIGURE PRINTS & HOW THEY ARE MADE


1) On the left side of the page are a bunch of buttons & then some with pictures... click the picture button that says MAKE ME ONE!


2)you will then get a page that will ask for the character name, realm & region...

Carissa's Toon:

Name ASSIRACA

Realm LLANE

Region US and Oceanic

Gabriel's Toon:

Name BASUTEICLONE

Realm LLANE

Region US and Oceanic


3) after you have entered the information for ONE of the toons click ADD CHARACTER this will take you to a preview page of the toon...

4) on the right side of the preview area there is a list with check boxes next to them... UNCHECK the following SHOW HELM , and SHOW TABARD making the only box checked being SHOW CLOAK

this should give you an idea of what the toppers will look like... we have chosen poses for them as well, but that part isn't a big deal... we chose ones that will make the faces of the characters visible & give a better view of the gear & weapons they have as well! we would have left the tabards on (either guild or faction or reward tabards) but they covered up the front of the gear as well as the awesome new belt i got on my shaman a few days ago :P most likely by the wedding we will have upgraded our gear from what will be on the figurines, but that's all part of the game :)

Overall, it will make for a very unique cake once it is all set up :) after all, WoW is where we first met... so to all the doubters out there... YOU CAN FIND LOVE ONLINE :) Gabe & I are living proof of that!

The sun has returned... that doesn't always mean a great day though....

Okay, so the picture is from last summer when my husband (then boyfriend) and I stopped through at my parent's place in WI on our move to New York (Upstate), but i needed to brighten up things a little bit!

I am happy the sun has returned, it's nice to have all my planters back outside and the room back in my laundry room & kitchen entry area.

I know i should be quite happy for the wonderful turn in the weather, but some of the small things have been irritating me lately. One which includes a newspaper delivery service calling & then hanging up when i answer... HOW RUDE! If you are going to call me.. either leave a message or say something when i answer. Grrrr.

My husband's parents are always trying to do things for us... i do appreciate this, but when it comes down to the reception they are having here in NY next month... i am a bit frustrated! The planning for the reception is fine.. i keep telling them its okay to keep everything simple.

I am glad they have offered for my parents to stay at their house, but my parents & I have already arranged for them to stay at our place. And since my dad has arthritis in his back, they are picking me up a new air mattress (queen size) for my husband & I to sleep on, and they will have our room to use. My MIL (mother in law) has also gone & picked out MY thank-you cards for me... a nice gesture... but i do not like pink for one ... and i was planning on MAKING my thank-you cards... so what do i do now? *SIGH*

Other than that.. life goes on day to day... when hubby gets home, we are to order our figure prints of our WoW toons. We are using these as our cake toppers (well they will be on stands on either side of the cake if all goes as planned) and they are the only thing that the hubby has requested to having for the wedding, so i will not tell him NO... i actually think it's rather unique (and for those who know me, i tend to enjoy doing things differently)!

I also get to order my other invitations either later this week or next! I have to call the company which i ordered out toasting glasses through as they didn't answer or call back yesterday & i want to know when they plan on shipping them as they are already paid for & the transaction through paypal is complete!

I hope everyone's day goes much smoother than mine & ENJOY THE SUNSHINE! I'm sure I'll get around to it before sundown LOL

A Sunday Afternoon

The hubby called at 1:50pm but i missed the call & when i tried to call back literally one minute later, he already had turned his phone off.. i hope it was nothing super important... although he is working a 12 hour shift today (7am-7pm), so he may have been calling just cause he was bored.

I made salt potatoes, carrots & kielbasa last night for supper... simple, fast & so GOOD! He took the leftovers for his lunch today, so at least i know i won't have to worry about him being hungry. Just trying to figure out what to do for supper tonight... i could do spaghetti, or perogies, or cheat & just heat up some canned beef stew... I guess i'll wait to decide... after all, he won't be home for another 4 hours!

I should probably move my planters back outside today after having to bring them indoors yesterday evening as it was sleeting... weather that cold WAS NOT in the forecast when i checked earlier in the day! Luckily, my plants look like they didn't freeze, or at least from what i can tell!

In the meantime, Isis is on the couch being a lazy puppy after a quick romp outside to go potty... I'll have to get a picture of her one day just to post it on here & FB... she is truly a spoiled pup! I think I'm going to go check my e-mail & then check the order for the glasses for our wedding toast (we just got married at courthouse in Feb, so big ceremony is in Sept in WI at my parents place) as they should be shipped out & hopefully arriving soon! Once that is done, then probably back on to WOW to work on my mage today, unless someone needs my shaman or hunter for runs (see previous post for internal links of my toons & the game).

oh yeah... FOR THE ALLIANCE!!! (even though i do have a few horde toons)

have a great day all!

peaceful rainy day

Today was so calming.. even though the sun wasn't out, i thoroughly enjoyed the overcast day. It rained a little from time to time, leaving the air smelling fresh & crisp... only thing it was missing was the smell of a fresh cut alfalfa field!

Once the hubby got home, we played some WoW & then he took a nap on the couch before we headed into town. In Geneva we went to Ponderosa Steakhouse... i got the monterey chicken w/ baked potato & he got a cheeseburger w/ fries... we got the buffet to go with it as well... salad & shrimp & potatoes for me & icecream for dessert, and he had potato wedges w/ nacho cheese sauce (yes i think it's weird combo too) and a few other things along with a ceasar salad.

After a very filling meal ( he brought his burger & fries home for later or for lunch at work tomorrow) we headed to Wegmans for some quick grocery shopping... 2 35ct cases of water (4.99) some fizzante (European type soda), salt potatoes (for meal later this next week), fruit cups (for his lunches), and some bolthouse juices (they are fantastic), and we can't forget teh busy bones for Isis.. she gets one when we go to town along with her kong toy to help keep her out of things she shoudltn mess with!!

Now, since all the groceries are put away.. he is back to playing BORDERLANDS on the 2nd run through, and i am thinking of getting on WOW to work on my shamans enhancement set some more... i got my hunter a new lvl 245 ring & lvl 245 shoulders this afternoon, and my mage hit lvl 77 last night (currently the level cap sits at 80..at least until the release of the expansion CATACLYSM later in the fall ... sched release date is Nov 1st 2010 ). Isis is curled up next to my chair asleep already.. she was so hyper when we got home... got her to go outside to go potty and back in she came... she still doesn't care for the rain much unless there is something worth while to chase!

I guess that's all for now... hope everyone stays safe.... till next time!

~CAS~

A Day to Relax

So last night was a bit rough for me.. just the everyday worries & stresses finally got to me & i broke down in tears even after such a great day!

I had a great day with my husband yesterday... we went to Montour Falls, NY so i could get the measurements for my dress ( i still have to convert it all from inches to centimeters so i can fill out the order online ). We even stopped at Pizza Hut to take advantage of their $10.00 pizza deal :) so we came home with 2 large meat-lovers as the bread sticks & boneless wings and the salad bar filled us up before we could even get to the pizza.

Once we got home we played some WoW (World of Warcraft) and then I had gone to get some sleep & hubby came in & i just started crying... I don't know what i would do without him! after the episode of crying & stressing out, we decided to watch FANTASTIC MR. FOX... it was pretty good, even though i started to fall asleep & finished watching it this morning!

Today was a day where we woke up around 1pm ... a day of relaxing & being lazy around the house, and went for a walk to the pond at his parents house with the pup running rampant around the woods probably scaring the life out of every little thing she came across.. then back inside to watch some different tv shows (COLD CASE, BONES, NCIS,and a few others we like ) then he went to bed at 9pm since he has to be up at about 2am for early OT.

So now i sit here writing & wondering what i should do as the 3rd PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN is on and the pup is sprawled out on the couch sleeping peacefully with a small snore now & then... she must be chasing rabbits again too as her paws are twitching from time to time as well.

Perhaps i'll log on to WoW & level my mage some more or work on the gear set for my shammy's enhacement set... or hope to get into some runs to get more gear for her resto set... either way its been a great day, and light rain is forecast for tonight, and i can live with that :)

I hope everyone stays safe till my next entry & that everyone may find a reason to smile everyday!

OUTSIDE CLEANUP

What another beautiful spring day!!! The Hubby helped me finish up cleaning the flower garden & also helped with pulling weeds from around the trailer ( when we moved in last summer, everything was so overgrown, it was nearly impossible to pull the weeds out) so hopefully there will be a lot fewer issues when it comes to allergies this year!

I moved my pre-planted veggies (in tray) outside for the day to start "hardening" them for planting outside, but they seem pretty hardy already, so maybe a few more days & they will get planted.

All that is left to do now is finish carrying the last pile of branches & weeds back to the woods / old garden area so everything looks cleaner :) I couldn't have done it without my hubby's help!!!

I also planted sunflowers in the flower garden that the neighbor said i could use as well... I wanted to do so much more, but the lilies that are planted in there are rooted very shallow, so when i tried to remove the dead leaves from last fall, the bulbs wanted to come with it... so kept it simple... if the sunflowers grow.. GREAT!!! if not, then the neighbor can till it all under like he had planned. It's worth a try right?!

Sampson State Park

We went to Sampson State Park... it was such a nice time :) The pup (Isis) wanted to chase all the squirrels in sight & track every scent she could find. It was nice to actually spend some time with the hubby again since he works swing shifts!

Even though i didn't get any work done in my flower garden, I'm not going to stress about it... going to the park & driving around for a bit made for a relaxing mid-day activity.

Currently the hubby has gone to take a nap for about an hour & a half ... then when he wakes up we are going to go to Ciccinos in Waterloo for some great Italian food! I will prob once again get the Chicken Marsala (it's to die for) since it tastes so good & the mushrooms are always fresh!

Spring Has Sprung....

Ok, so Spring is finally here in FULL FORCE.... green Grass, flowers blooming, and warm SUNSHINE! I can't help but love it. It is so much like my home state of Wisconsin, so it's been an easy adjustment as far as that goes... However... after 4 & 1/2 years in Arizona, it's a HUGE change, but i can say i don't miss all the drab brown.

Today is another sunny day & I am hoping that the hubby & I will be taking our baby girl Isis to Sampson State Park. She needs more socializing with other dogs, but loves people. (perhaps i should have mentioned that she is a full blood american pitt, and is far from what most people think of when they hear PITT! )

If we don't hit up the park, it's all good.. but who could resist getting out on such a beautiful day!!! Even the birds have been very active at the feeders... and listening to them sing is so peaceful as well.

All I really need to do within the next few days is finish up my flower garden and then work on the one for the neighbor (he works 2 jobs, so he said it'd be nice to have it planted & cleaned up). I also need to get a few larger planters so i can transplant my veggies that i have started inside :) it's going to be great to have SOME home grown veggies this summer!!! (not to mention it will save us some money)