Thank You, Lizzy!

My Maid-of-Honor-Forever... sent me her memory card from her camera. It contained some of our wedding pictures. There were some really wonderful pictures (and a few that make me cringe). We went to Target on Friday... (after taking care of Nolli and making sure he was comfortable) and went through the pictures and printed them out. Anyone care to see a few pictures of our wedding? (We will be married 10 months tomorrow!)

Rings and Roses

The two of us waiting for the ceremony to begin... I was missing my Mom right then.
The arch we were married under ...
The beginning of our wedding...



Exchanging rings...

Our unity candle...

This picture actually shows all 3 candles lit... it was breezy and they wouldn't stay lit!

Tomorrow I will show a few more pictures of greeting our guests and the little reception we had... this was a small wedding of 36 people... planned in 3 weeks! For us... it was more about the commitment we were making to each other than all the expensive clothes and flowers and cakes. We wanted the day to be about us... pledging to spend the rest of our lives being each other's friend, helpmate and life companion. We knew it was more about love and life than having the perfect shade of pink for something that wouldn't matter, years later. (Although, the bakery did screw up our order... it was a scramble 2 hours before the wedding to come up with an alternative... and it became gourmet cupcakes done with pink roses.)

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

Simple Womans Daybook

FOR TODAY (March 30, 2009)...

Outside my window... It's blustery with impending rain.

I am thinking... of chores to be done and how my tummy is still upset.

I am thankful for... finding a Vet's office open last Friday, a husband who was as concerned as I was and loves us.

From the kitchen... there is chicken to be prepared and maybe a cake to be baked...

I am wearing... jeans, my pink angora sweater and my fluffy slippers

I am creating... a few surprises...

I am going... no where today and glad to stay in!

I am reading... just the usual blogs and newspapers..

I am hoping... to feel better today... I have a tendency to have issues after something stressful happens... (I hold it together and fall apart later.)

I am hearing... wind, the flower shop delivery, and my sleeping dog.

Around the house... there is dusting and vacuuming to be done and dishes to be put away.

One of my favorite things... is when I have the candles lit in little nooks on a dark day.

A few plans for the rest of the week: to work on photos, add pages to my scrapbook, and to sew.

Here is picture thought I am sharing..

Nolli's best friend... His opossum named Ruby. She only has one eye... but he loves her anyway. He has had her for about 4 years now. He will take her in his mouth and just gently squeeze her to make her squeak. Her fur is quite stiff these days!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

Nolli Update!

It's been a very tiring few days here at the cottage... After the race to the vets office on Friday, we were off to Wilkes-Barre to find a new raised feeding dish. I figured out that Nolli had slid his feeding dish off the mat and hit the corner of the small dresser piece that we use for a microwave stand. It has a very sharp corner on it. It's the only thing low enough to have caused that kind of injury. It's since been padded to protect him by DH.

We did find the perfect dish... at the very last stop on our fast trip... and it was on clearance! It has no square corners, his dishes fit inside... and he loves it!

On Friday night... after getting his drops in for the last time that day... he was still uncomfortable. He has a way of chortling and snortaling to communicate. He could not settle down to go to sleep. So... I took him first on to the sofa with me and gave him 1/2 a baby aspirin. He still wasn't happy there. So... we went out for a walk and then I brought him into the guest room. There, I held him, propped up on pillows and rocked him, blew on his face softly and rubbed his belly. He finally settled down to sleep around 2 am. Later, we moved back to our respective beds, but not before more hugs and kisses and head rubs to settle him down.

I was back up at 6:30 with a charlie horse in my leg... owwwww! That was a rough 45 minutes of walking up and down the hall to help stretch it out with DH helping me and working out the knot in my calf muscle. Once I could relax again... I zonked out for another 2 hours.
We have been working with Nolli together on the eye drops... it's tough on him, cuz he knows it's coming. But he's a trooper and always gets a reward for being so good. This morning... the swelling has gone down considerably, and the redness is still there, but in a smaller area. He slept all of last night and didn't stir out of his bed until 10 this morning. (I love it when he decides to sleep in!) DH walked him and we did eye drops before breakfast and now he's laying in the dark bedroom resting his eyes next to his Ruby toy. We are on the road to healing... Thank you for your continued prayers... those are truly Sweet Sunday Love to us!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

ER...STAT!

I don't know what happened between the last post and this morning. I only know that Nolli did stay up with me late last night and I let him out before we went to bed around 1am. DH took him out at 6:30 this morning, while I made his lunch. I didn't notice anything. Nolli and I went back to bed as I was still tired... he went inside his little crate.

I was awakened at 9:30 by him crying... it was a pain cry. I tried to look at him, but he had his head against the edge of the bed... and he went back in his bed. He did it again a few minutes later. When I got up... my poor baby could not open his left eye! He was in pain... and I was not sure what to do. I gathered my dog first aid kit... and gave him basic first aid as I know it... I gave him 1/2 a baby aspirin and some steroidal eye salve. I held him and calmed him down... and as I held him... I could feel he was in pain. So... I started calling the vets office... I had to call 3 of them before I could get one that was open today and could see us.

After throwing on some clothes... doing a quick fix to my hair... off to the vet's office I went, dog in tow, to be there before they closed.

My poor baby has a deep corneal abrasion, and it's low, below his 3rd eye lid. He has three, 3!!! sets of eye drops that must be administered 3!!! times a day. (What dog do you know is really going to stand for that... ummm.... mine, I hope!)

He was brave... he was very cooperative at the vet's office. When we got home, he let me get the first 2 sets of drops in his eye... and Dad had to help with the last one. Oh... and the last one... had to be filled at Rite-Aid! So... now my little munchkin dog has his own account at the people pharmacy... with his own discount card!

We did stop at the Golden Arches... for chicken nuggets... he does need to be rewarded for being so brave! But I couldn't help but laugh at the box his little happy meal came in... How fitting is this???:

I hadn't planned on posting again today.. but I had to share this. He has to go back in 10 days for another check up as well! Pray for my little puppy... I can't bare to see him hurting!

A Special Interview...

Thonk... Thonk... ok... just checking things out here! Hi... this is Nolli. My Mom thought it would be a good idea if she could ask me a few questions and I could answer a few questions that people have left comments on... snerrqt! cheeeertle.... slwnp~ Ok.. I'm ready.


What does Nolli mean... or how did you get your name?

My real name is Cannoli Ettore... My First Dad was italian and wanted an italian name... so I was named for my Mom's favorite dessert because I am as sweet "that dessert" and my middle name means loyal.

Do you have a nickname? Yes... of course... Nolli, or No-No, Oobbee- a version of baby or sometimes my Mom calls me "pig" (from Babe)

What kind of dog breed are you? A mix of Jack Russell and Cavalier Spaniel... quite charming and smart!

How long have you been with your people? Well... my first people were a family of 4, with 2 young boys... I was a Christmas puppy and once baseball season started, they didn't have time to take care of me... so I went to a scary place called an animal shelter. I was there 2 weeks when my New Mom came and rescued me. It was a very happy time when I went to live with her, I was still a baby of 7 months old.

Do you have favorite foods? Ohhhhhhh... Yes! Food is my favorite subject! I do have a regular diet... my mom gives me good food like kibble and some canned food mixed in... but I love, love, love chicken nuggets! My favorite is from Chik-fil-A. Then... it would be a toss up between most anything my Mom cooks that is healthy for me... or when I get goodies like tonite... Mom brought me almost half of her bacon cheese burger. I ate all of it... lettuce, tomato and catsup too! (She did remove the onion first.)

What are some of your favorite things to do? I love to go to the post office with my Mom. She goes 2 or 3 times a week. I like to visit at the flower shop in the afternoon with Miss Joyce... she gives me candy corn or red licorice! My Dad takes me for walks up the street when it's nice out. And I like my front yard... I like to lay in the grass and watch everyone.

Do you have any favorite toys? Yeahhh... I have a stuffed opossum that I like, her name is Ruby. And I have a long skinny stuffed tug toy dog... his name is Booggly. I also have a little hedge hog... his name is Hedgy. I don't really play with stuff like Frisbees or balls...

Any favorite past times?... ...ummm... well... I do like to sleep on the sofa when my Mom leaves me but I'm not suppose to do that. She always says this word... "Busted!" And then I know I have to get down.

Any special talents? Well... I am a good communicator... I let my Mom know what I need... she "gets" all my snerrqts and cheertles and interprets for my Dad! And she doesn't care that I snore... Oh! My Dad!!! He taught me a great trick.... It's called "Gimme Paw!" If I raise my paw for him... he will give me my favorite treat... a beef and cheese treat! So... when he's not doing his work thing, I will go and sit in front of him and raise my right paw... and he will laugh and give me a treat. I even do it at night after I finish all my dinner and show them that I did. Works everytime!

That's all I can do for now... I'm getting tired... and there might be a treat for me at the end of all this nonsense! Oh, Can I tell you how rude it was that my Mom took my picture while I was sleeping in my bed! The things she will do for this "blog thing" of hers... what's up with that?

Off His Game...

I get so worried... Poor Little Dog has not been feeling well this week. He's just not himself. He has moments where he shines through... but this week has had me worried. When I took the picture of him yesterday on the bed... I had to lift him up, he didn't want to jump. Although, I did take him on errands with me... he loves going to the post office!When he was still a young dog... around 14 months old, he contracted Lyme disease. It was very dramatic and frightening... as he was in so much pain. We first thought he had jumped off the bed wrong and we had hard wood floors over a cement slab. His x-rays came back negative. So, we thought it was a soft tissue injury that we would wrap and keep him quiet for a few days.

It was on the off-chance... I asked them to do his heartworm test so we could get him started on medicine. The test is a two-fold test... it also tests for Lyme, and he came up positive. I then remembered that I had found a tick on Nolli's head a couple of months earlier.

So... now, every once in awhile... he does get a flare-up. And it makes me so sad... I put him on a regiment of 1/2 a baby aspirin twice a day for about a week. Sometimes less... if he perks back up. He's a great pill taker... and he understands that baby aspirin will make him feel better.Last night he was so adorable... DH was sitting here at the desk working, I was sitting on the sofa near by and Nolli came up on the sofa next to me and snuggled in while we talked and watched the news. He is so sweet... and I can't help but fall more crazy-in-love with this dog everyday! It's also wonderful to see the bond that has developed with DH and Nolli... for someone who really doesn't like dogs... he's nutso for this one now! (Nolli does have a good appetite, he had his dinner with 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli florets, and a nice piece of my steak and some baked potatoe with my special dressing last night... He's Not Spoiled!)

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

A Sleepy Day...

For some strange reason... we both went to sleep last night, but woke up feeling like we never went to sleep. I so hate that feeling. I am beginning to think it's because we turned the mattress a few weeks ago. (It's responsible mattress ownership to turn your mattresses at least every 3 months... so I've been told. And to turn the box spring every 6 months.) I cannot do it by myself... and for a few years, was lucky to get it rotated every few months. (no... not like that!)

Maybe... just maybe... we spend too much time in our bed. We like nothing more, than after dinner and all the email and paperwork are done, dishes washed and lunches packed, to get comfy and cozy in bed to watch tv. During the winter months... it's easier to stay warm under the covers... and the dog even gets up there to stay warm. There is even a correct pillow ratio for tv watching... 3 for the back, neck and head... 1 for the knees, and one for the tummy or one for the side, to help prop you up. Yep... that's a lot of pillows. It makes it interesting when you go to make the bed in the morning.

And for that matter... the good tv is in the bedroom anyway! Along with the cable box! And the DVR player. If we ever have company... DH will have to change it all to the living room, so we can all watch tv on the flat screen, with the cable box or watch a movie on the DVR. That's not to say that we don't watch tv in the living room... because we do. But I know that come summer, when it's warm... we will watch tv in the bedroom too... cuz that's where the air conditioner will be!

I know for sure, that if and when we ever move... we will have to get 2 new soft, comfy sofas for our den so we can watch tv in there... all stretched out in comfort! That's the way life goes, round these parts! (And you all know how cold I can get... and the best way for me to warm up is to turn on my electric mattress cover and climb into a warm cocoon. It works really well.)

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

Holy Cow! That was Cool!

So.... I'm sitting here, going through my reader... reading some of my favorite blogs. (I have a lot of blogs that I like to read that aren't in my fav's as well... yes, I lurk!) DH has left for work, and I've heard him come back to do something quick in the garage. He leaves... I'm still reading. Then... my house phone rings. (It rarely ever rings... everyone calls me on my cell.)

I have an appointment to see a new endocrinologist in April. Caller ID says it's Berwick Hospital. I am almost scared to answer. It's the new doctor's office calling... they have a cancellation for today, if I'd like it. I ask what time the appointment is for... it's for 9:00am. It's almost 7:30 now. I think I will decline... I am not sure where I am going yet.

The nurse on the other end understands my apprehension... and tells me exactly how to get there. I cannot believe that this is happening to me! I never, ever get service like this! (I will say that when I went through my last cancer ordeal, my Endo and my ENT were wonderful. So was the intake nurse at the hospital, the surgical prep nurse from my first procedure, who saw me there for my second procedure and came in on her own time to see me while I waited for surgery. And the guy in nuclear medicine... who loved to tease me about my hoarseness and having no voice at all... and could still get me to laugh through all the scans.)

Anyway... I told her that I would pass on this today. I don't think I could still get ready in time, and that I needed to get back on my other meds so they wouldn't stroke out at how high my HBP really is. (Yes, I just said that out loud.) She understood... she wanted to know if I had a primary care doctor yet... I told her, no... haven't found one yet. I did tell her that I have samples that I recently unpacked and that I would start taking those when it got closer to my appointment, so they wouldn't pass out when they did my vitals. She laughed with me... she did not judge me. I told her that I may have to write about her... she was a breath of fresh air to me today! She told me her name was Bertha, if I was gonna write about her! I can't wait to meet her when I go to the office in April!

Just so you know.... this has been a crazy mixed up year for insurance and pharmacy issues. I normally do take my meds... when I have them and can afford them. I like to feel normal and healthy... and not have to deal with other issues... I'd rather just have to deal with the usual side effects, like ... well... you don't really need to know! (I'll spare you!)

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

A Short Fairy Tale...

One day, long, long ago....... there lived a woman who did not whine, nag or bitch.

But this was a long time ago.......and it was just that one day.
The End

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

Was It Something I Said?

I noticed that my following has dropped? I guess I'm not a.) interesting b.)funny or c.) doing a giveaway. I am a.)real b.)honest and c.)snarky (sometimes). That's me... honest, real and not afraid to admit when I am being witchy, cranky or a snot! I am down-to-earth and very casual, don't worry about too much fall-out in most things. If you want to not follow any longer... it's okay... it's really ok, cuz I know that I am never going to be a "pioneer woman" or a "domestic diva" or anyone else...this isn't a Mom-blog... I'm just gonna be me!



Ok... on with the post! I have a friend in Maryland, who has an 8 year old daughter. She had her tonsils out this morning. She's already home! This brought back memories of my own tonsillectomy. My... how times have changed! I remember being around 4 years old. I don't think my Mom really prepared me for the procedure. I was scared crazy. And I remember being in one of those big stainless steel metal cage beds. (It was really an oversized crib!) I think I was in the hospital for 2 or 3 days.



One of my most favorite treats as a kid was Welch's grape juice... loved that stuff! (I still like it now, but it's so full of sugar, I get heartburn from it.) My Mom brought me a regular sized bottle of the stuff to have during my stay. I asked for a glass of juice... but that's not what I got. I think it was orange juice and not my beloved grape juice. It was supposed to be in the fridge at the nurses station... and I think someone on the night shift drank it all! (I'm not knocking nurses, nor nurses who work nights.) I just never got any of that juice!



Anyway... my recollection of that adventure is that it was not a great time had by yours truly. And when I came home, my Mom had an event at church... probably a bridal shower for my cousin or my oldest sister. That left me at home with my Dad. I was hungry when I woke up. So... him being my Dad, gave me a bowl of cereal... shredded wheat to be exact. He couldn't understand why I couldn't get it down. My Mom was furious with him... and I was upset that I made her furious at him... she was certain I was going to have issues with my stitches and brought me a Popsicle to suck on... while she went and made me a milk shake with tiger milk added.



I do remember having lots of ice cream... and lots of soft scrambled eggs with cheddar and cottage cheese and peaches. My Mom... she was a good nurse!



Thanks for reading my little walk down memory lane! Be blessed!

~Suzanne

Oh!... I will more than likely do a give-away when I reach 200 posts. Sorry, but 100 came and went before I knew it! Stay tuned... I'm still deciding on what I want to do for a give-away! ;)

Holy Heck!

Why do backaches make me so cranky? I am so not a nice person this morning... everything is getting on my very last nerve! I think I shall go back to bed... try and get warm, and maybe sleep in hopes of waking up to being more myself! Check back with y'all later! Let's hope I'm still married at that point... Ham, the hovering husband is truly a saint!

**** Okay... I'm back! My back is still a little tweaked, but I am upright and a little more sane than I was this morning. Lots of Tylenol and heat on the back have helped. I'm not sure what is going on with my back these days... but I think it's just plain old arthritis that is getting me. I've known that I have it in my spine for many years.. and sometimes if I over do it... it just takes revenge on me! My wonderful DH, Ham, is very patient with me and he was able to help me with some massage for pain management. I am glad that he hovers... even when I protest! So, on that note... I am blessed with a great husband... Ah... Sweet Sunday Love!

Happy Spring and 1,2,3!

Happy Spring everyone... I went on a little road trip with my friend J today... (she's from the flower shop and my next door neighbor). We went in search of a wonderful greenhouse that sells flower baskets... it was too cold today for them to be open... but now I know where they are and I can go when I am ready! She also took me to a wonderful nursery that sells all kinds of great stuff and I can't wait to go back!

As far as 1,2,3... That would be DH. He has a little known knack for getting boo-boo's on the job. It's not that he's clumsy... he just works so fast... and things happen. When he gets owie's... he does it in 3's. This week, he smashed his thumb... REALLY BAD... and then he smacked his toe and split it open the other night.... and today was #3... and it made me cry when he told me and it made me cry when he came walking around the side of his truck tonight and all I could see was a huge band-aide and dried blood in his hair. (He waited to tell me until after I got home today so he wouldn't spoil my outing!)I can tolerate almost anyone getting hurt... but when it comes to my DH... it makes me physically hurt and want to throw up... and I cry. One of the plant employees had to cut his hair way to clean his wound caused by flying vice grips while he was on a ladder. (sigh.. oh my!)

So... lets end this on a happy note... here's Mr. Nolli... looking all cute and cuddly sweet. Awwww... I just love that dog! Miss J came in for a quick visit and he was just beside himself that she was here! Then he got a little miffed as we were visiting because I think he thought I was going to leave him again. (He is so smart!)

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne