Monday Sports Shorts

1. Tiger Woods' car accident - Yeah, yeah, we know all about you wanting privacy. You and Sarah Palin. Too bad. You chose to put yourself out there. You are fair game whether it is fair or not. Do what David Letterman did...' fess up. The more you try to keep quiet the more the media is going to speculate. Letterman nipped his in the bud. We don't hear about his naughtiness anymore. Tell the truth and by the time you win your next tournament, this accident will be old news.
2. Ben Roethlisberger's concussion and dissension in the Steelers' locker room - The bottom line here is that the decision to not play was last minute. I was disappointed so I can imagine how the rest of his team felt when he had practiced all week long without any repercussions. Hines Ward's comments were emotional, and I understand that, but do I excuse it? Not at all. This is your leader and your teammate. A leader and mate who helped lead you to two Super Bowl Championships. You think Roethlisberger was a baby? You think you would have played? Lied even to the doctors? Not really the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree then Ward, especially since the NFL admitted they have dropped the ball on players with head injuries. You think any doctor was going to take a chance after the NFL agreed to crack down on players with concussions? Think Ben wants to end up like Mike Webster? And seriously, if you were so pissed at the situation then you should have gone out, channeled that anger into play, and kicked some Raven ass. Hey, I don't recall seeing you on the list of top 5 receivers for Sunday. As for Mike Tomlin, he too needs to take responsibility for not talking to the players before the game and explaining the situation. All of you need to come together, get your head in the game, make nice and get out there and show the world that you are the Pittsburgh Steelers, six-time World Champs!
3. Florida State's Bobby Bowden retiring - A sad way for a great coach and contributor to Florida State to have to go out. Boo to those who gave him the "lifetime" job. Boo to booster, Smith, for his loud mouth and comments. Now Bowden's retiring just feels like it wasn't his decision and it is tarnished. Not the way it should be for one of the greats.

Out of the mouths of my babes

Me: "I need to call and make your yearly wellness check-up appointment with the doctor now that you've had your birthday."

Madison (whining): "Do I have to get a shot?"

Me: "Are you kidding me? And besides, you're getting a shot on Tuesday at school."

Madison: "I AM? Why?"

Me: "The swine flu shot. The health department is coming in and giving out free shots."

Madison: "I just had the flu shot."

Me: "That was the seasonal flu shot. This is for the swine flu."

Madison: "I don't need that."

Me: "Honey, you do. Kids are dying from the swine flu. I don't want you to die."

Madison: "But I eat lots of hot dogs. Put that with the flu shot and I should be covered for the swine flu. In fact, let's go home and eat some hot dogs and bacon!"

Happy Turkey Day 2009, part two

Scenes from Thanksgiving 2009

Kelly's turkey brined for several hours

Ready for the oven

In it goes

Cara's creation starts with an empty pitcher

A bottle of brandy (well just a shot)

A lovely bottle of Yago wine

Some 7 Up, maraschino cherries, and limes

And we have sangria!

A lovely table

Ready to eat!

Oh, and let's not forget the photographer

Potatoes anyone?

I don't know why I don't have a place at the table...

Let the eating begin...Thanksgiving 2009, number one

Thanksgiving came early this year in our house, or at least in my in-law's house. Tom's sister and his brother arrived with their significant others plus extras prior to the holiday, but due to outrageous airline tickets, their return trips were scheduled on Thanksgiving day. So we celebrated Thanksgiving the day before.

That morning started off with lots of rain and a huge BANG. A transformer behind our house blew, knocking out the power in our house and three others and leaving the wires on the electric pole loosely dangling in the downpour.

I got on my cell phone to report the outage at the same moment my neighbor's thirteen-year-old daughter discovered the reason for the outage: a dead but still smoking, squirrel lying in the backyard. Her screams in the background were enough for the power company to dispatch a truck immediately. Within thirty minutes power was restored.

The next obstacle came when we loaded up and prepared to make the drive to the in-laws for the big Thanksgiving feast. The battery in my van was dead. Because my husband and my car mechanic friend were both at work as their bosses did not get the early Thanksgiving memo, I contemplated several "fix it" scenarios, dismissed all of them, and sent for a limo.

We ate dinner in the early evening after filling our bellies with liquor and munchies. There was a huge turkey, Nancy's famous mashed potatoes with two and a half sticks of butter, green beans, asparagus, sweet potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and a choice between pecan or pumpkin pies.

The meal was consumed in ten minutes. Kudos to my sister-in-law for the hours of preparation and cooking.

The rain fell most of the day, but the six children and our dog didn't let it deter them from finding activities to stay busy. Tom was able to join us after work. Roger was out of the hospital and at the head of the table. So much to be thankful for.

And we do it all over again tomorrow with my family. Happy Thanksgiving.

Weighing in...

1. ...on Bill Belichick's call on 4th and 2 during the Patriots game with Indianapolis - Despite the fact that I think Belichick believed it was 4th and 1, I don't think his call was stupid at all. He was playing against Peyton Manning with 2:08 still left on the clock...enough said.
2. ...on the plumeria sticks stuck in our yard - I was wrong on that one. Those things are growing quite nicely.
3. ...on the NASCAR debate regarding Jimmie Johnson - The man won 4 straight Chase Championships. It doesn't matter how you feel about the points system. The man is the King of NASCAR and belongs on the list of great athletes.
4. ...on Charlie Weis and Notre Dame - Notre Dame likes winners. Weis hasn't delivered that. Teams love to fire the coach when the team isn't winning. Well, except for the Pittsburgh Steelers, six-time Super Bowl Champs, three coaches, two retired not fired. Wonder when other teams will catch on?
5. ...on the Steelers slide - Troy Polamalu hurt. Ben with a concussion. Back-up Batch out with a wrist injury. The season isn't over yet.

One down, several more to go

Friday morning my neighbor-workers-for-hire, retired and itching for something to do, arrived to replace my windows. About an hour into the work they were rethinking that "needing something to occupy their time" decision, but being men of their word they kept working and took it one window at a time.

There was a lot of noise, a big mess, and a few choice words uttered, but by dark I had new windows.  Today, they finished the caulking and concreting (with Tom's help) and now I have to decide how to cover them so that I can run naked through my house.

It is an honor

This week with a house under construction, my eldest daughter and her friend home after midterms each day at 10:30 AM, turning older, and caring for a new dog, I received this letter in the mail:

Dear Carla,

You were recently chosen as a potential candidate to represent the professional and business community of Tampa Bay, Florida in the Biltmore 2009 Honors Edition of Who's Who Among Executives and Professional Women.

There is no cost to be listed. However, it is by Committee invitation only. The Publishing Committee selected you as a potential candidate, based upon your current standing as well as criteria from executive and professional rosters. Given your background, the Publishing Director believes your profile would make a fitting addition to our Honors Edition publication.

Imagine how honored I felt. I only wish that I could thank whoever on the Committee submitted my name.

And I certainly wonder what executive and professional rosters have my name listed...incorrectly.

But with my background and current standing, I am certainly a shoo-in.

From the email box....

This little gem was sent to me by my ten-year-old niece, Gabby.

Logical Thinking - The most irrational IQ test ever!

I. To test whether or not I do simple things in an overly complicated way. 

Q: How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? 

My Answer: Kill him, chop him into pieces, and stuff those into a ziplock bag which can then go into the refrigerator. 

A: Open the refrigerator door, put in the giraffe, and close the door  

Assessment - I think I failed this one.

II. To test my ability to think through the repercussions of my previous actions.

Q: How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator? 

My Answer - First of all, my refrigerator is too small to do it the correct way. That's what you want me to say, isn't it? Open the door, put in the elephant, and close the door? My god, I'm afraid of horses, let alone elephants!

A: Open the refrigerator, remove the giraffe, put in the elephant, and close the door. 

Assessment - Obviously, I did not pass this test either. 

III. To test my memory.

Q: The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend...except one. Which animal does not attend?

My answer - Hello! The elephant does not attend because he is in this nutty person's refrigerator. 

A: The elephant. He is in the refrigerator!  

Assessment: Nothing wrong with my noggin, despite others telling me they never said the things I remember them saying!!

IV. To test whether or not I learned quickly from my mistakes.

Q: There is a river you must cross, but it is used by crocodiles. You do not have a boat. How do you manage to get across? 

My answer: Take the elephant out of the refrigerator and ride his big, fat ass across the river.

A: You jump into the river and swim across because all of the crocodiles are attending the Lion King's animal meeting! 

Assessment: Huh? Mistakes? Sorry, but my answer was certainly the better answer as I would arrive at the other side of the river with DRY clothes!

Happy Birthday to Me

I awoke this morning to find this message in my inbox. This is from my friend Kelly, who is without a doubt, a witty, OLDER woman!

It is 10 minutes until your birthday.
I am still awake, you say,
Yes, to wish you a great day
You're 45 and going gray.

At 44 you thought you'd stay,
but you had to reach my age in some way.
Still, I think you'd have to say,
It's great to be Cara today!

So get out there with Elliot and play
Have some fun, avoid the fray.
Head to the beach on which to lay
It should be "lie", I know, okay.

You're 45, no use to pray,
But your youth is not all gone away.
Life is yours on a silver tray,
so let me wish you, if I may,

A wonderful, happy, super...nay,
A SPECTACULAR birthday!!!

---Kelly Elshoff

Elliot update

This is Kelly looking at Elliot's nails to see if they need to be trimmed. We consider Kelly a dog expert so when we need major things done with the dog, we call Kelly. She got him into position and checked the nails, but determined that they were fine. She suggested we do this ever so often as to get him used to the idea of nail trimming. A week and a half later Tom trimmed the nails at one o'clock in the morning while Elliot was sleepy and enjoying a doggy treat.

Our little dog is quite the digger. This is the area behind his favorite digging spot. This is where he goes after being scolded for digging as if to say, "I was only going over here to lie down for a while."

Here he has found a new toy in the bathroom trashcan. We have taken to closing off the bedroom/bathroom section of our house. Madison's room has become his favorite place to leave stinky deposits and the bathroom is a source of great finds.

This is a roll of paper that we had forgotten we had. Elliot found it in a closet and took it upon himself to pull it out, unroll it, and drag it into the main part of the house. He loves paper and loves to also get into the girls' school backpacks.

Yes, now my kids can say the dog ate their homework.

Ten month 2009 resolution check

Let's see how I'm doing....(scale 1-10 with 10 being the ultimate score)

1. To work on being patient and to not react hysterically like my forefathers. New motto: "Let it go". As usual, this one is a tough one, but I have to say I think I've done better than expected. The dog added some challenge in the last month, but I'm going to give myself an 8 in this area. Score: 8
2. To get back on my exercise track, lose 15 pounds, and live comfortably with my body however it may turn out. Unfortunately, this area lacked. With swim lessons, laziness, illnesses, and the dog, I got to the gym only 3 times in the last two months. But I still managed to lower my cholesterol even more than last year, and I do walk (sort of) with the dog so I'm going to at least give me a 1 just because of those. Score: 1
3. To get to the beach at least twice a month. I only got to the beach once in September. Jeez. Score: 1
4. To get birthday cards and gifts out on time. Now, this isn't an official resolution, but one I added on to my blog, and one I've seriously got to just chuck out. I don't know why this is so difficult for me, but it is. I think I add it on each year because it is so ridiculous that I can't manage this and I'm just determined. I blew October big time. Score: 3

Total points: 13 out of the possible 40.

I'm blaming it all on the dog! Two months to go.

Home Improvement Project #3

The area that is known as our library is about 190 square feet and opens into our living room. We had custom built bookcases built to outline either side and underneath the big windows. We bought two recliners and enjoyed the room for reading. I breastfed my children in that room and in those chairs and I napped a good portion in both chairs. After I rearranged my living room (with the addition of recessed lighting), the two recliners didn't flow quite as well into the room. I decided it was time to change the room into a dining area.

A friend of mine recently added an addition to her house. She got the idea from when we added our addition. She learned from all of our mistakes and built a better addition. She divided the room into a living room and a dining room. I decided I would take her idea and make it work in my house. She carpeted the living area and tiled the dining area. She thought it would work well in my library area. 

Tom and I toyed with the idea of putting in french doors or a sliding glass door in place of the windows. In the beginning, I hated the idea and he loved it. He looked into it. He decided against it. 

Then I was all for it and he hated it. We bounced around the idea for months, and then I conceded if I could get the recessed lighting in my living room.

Now we are back to the windows again and the door idea is popping up. The main problem is that the bookcases would need to be relocated somewhere else in our home. The best place would be in the room with the leaking roof which we have decided to leave for last in our projects. Keeping it simple we have decided to just replace the windows.

Off to Lowe's and Home Depot we went. We had great help in both stores. Home Depot won out because they had what we wanted in stock. We actually made the purchase, and since we were on a roll, we moved on to looking into replacing our front door and front screen door.

We found the replacement for the screen door. The door is a storm door with a retractable screen. At Lowe's, the door we wanted didn't have a very good doorknob or security rating, but the door was paint-able. At Home Depot the door we wanted had a great knob and a high-security rating but was not paint-able. The door did, however, come in a variety of colors, one being the matching Wineberry color of the shutters I would love to have outside my house, but am not allowed to purchase.

We decided on the "sandstone" color instead, but because we have not agreed on a color for the outside of the house we did not purchase the door. We just took a picture.

We rented a truck and brought the windows home. Tom moved the bookcases. The windows are sitting in my garage awaiting an installer. My two neighbors have decided they would like the job of window installation and house painting. One is a retired police officer, the other retired from fire fighting. They are bored.

They appear ready and willing but are getting a tad annoyed at our delay in choosing things. Tom and I are thrilled that we actually made a purchase. We feel like things are just moving along now.

Hopefully, these babies will be installed by the end of next week!

Home Improvement Project #2

One of the first things we did when we moved into our house was to make a list of all the things we wanted to do to our house. As we finished an item on the list, we crossed it off. It took about six years to finish the list. The last item was a pool.

Fifteen years later, we are making the list again because time has taken its toll. We need to paint the outside of our house. We need to repair a leaking flat roof on our addition. We need to replace kitchen appliances and countertops. We need to replace the flooring. We need to rebuild the columns outside our house.

Tom's main goal on the list is the roof. The problem with that one; however, is it is a major repair. There is nothing wrong with our sloped shingled roof, but to repair the flat roof we would have to tear up the shingled roof. To tear that up involves tearing up the screen on the back porch.

That is last on my list, and since I'm in charge of this list (remember the dog), I have decided that I shall turn my library area into a dining room to accommodate the family for Christmas. First item to reach this goal, is tearing up the carpeting and replacing it with tile.

Tom and I visited Home Depot to look at tile. I have an idea in my mind, but everyone keeps telling me that I need to get something neutral. That I won't always have this blue furniture that I have now in my living room.

The man at Home Depot wasn't helpful. He acted as if we were disturbing his slumber and he slogged behind us muttering under his breath. We left and went to Lowe's. The employee there was quite helpful, especially after I griped about the Home Depot man. He explained the difference between ceramic and porcelain tile. He sent me home with five tiles for a total of $44.

We placed the tiles throughout the small area. We moved them around. We did this in the evening. We did it again in the early morning light and during the daylight. We walked on them. We showed them to others. We decided we didn't quite like them. We took them back.

The next place we went to was a tile warehouse recommended by a friend. This huge building had every type of flooring you could possibly need. We took nine tiles home with us for a total of $44 and went through the routine again. None excited me although Elliot enjoyed them for napping and chewing.

We took them back. We walked the store again. On one of the displays, I found what I wanted.

The problem is it isn't neutral, the tiles are a mixture of sizes and cuts, and the tiles are different colors depending on what is in the box. We discussed bringing a box home. We discussed how we would need a really good tile person to achieve this look. We discussed how this probably wasn't a dining room material. Then Tom brought up the fact that we needed to replace the windows in that room before we could put in the tile or even paint the outside of the house.

We then gave up on project #2 and moved on to home improvement project #3.

Home Improvement Project #1

My husband got the dog so now he is allowing me to "get" what I want, and what I want is to finish up some home improvement remodeling projects that we have been talking about forever.

The first item is painting the outside of our house. Each year I go to my sister-in-law's house in Indiana and walk her neighborhood for ideas on painting my own house.

I found this house (above) with purple shutters and decided this was what I wanted. The shutters are actually Wineberry, but it is close enough to purple for me. I LOVE purple, and no one, absolutely no one in Florida has these shutters that I have seen. So I took the picture for future reference.

Problems arose when my husband refused to purchase the already made "wineberry" plastic shutters. He wanted to paint them. Matching the Wineberry color was more difficult then I could imagine. I tabled the project.

A year later, I went to Home Depot and found this picture (below) that I thought matched the above. I liked the green with the purple shutters, but my next-door neighbor's house is a green color and I didn't think two green sid by side houses would work. So I stuck with the tan house with the Deep Aubergine shutters.

When I got the okay to do the job I headed to Home Depot and asked the painter guy to hook me up with these two samples. He whipped them up and when he took the lid off of the cans to show me, I about fainted because the Deep Aubergine was PURPLE, and I mean PURPLE.

The tan color, known in Glidden painting circles as Kennett Square was way too light. Back to the drawing board. I spent quite a few hours searching the web and the paint aisles of Home Depot and Lowe's. Then it was on to Sherwin Williams because hubby thinks that paint is the top of the line for exterior paint.

At Sherwin Williams they can only give me a sample in quarts. Seriously? Who came up with that bright idea? Who wants several quart samples of paint they dislike? Using information from an architect friend of mine (who took my Glidden picture and transferred those colors to Sherwin Williams paint), I moved a tad darker down the chart and came back with two quarts of this color:

Still not what I want. So instead of going back once again to the drawing board, I've moved on to home improvement project #2. Sometimes it is better to step away from things for awhile.

3 things running through my head....

1. Michael Jordan's son can't follow the rules? Wears Nike Air Jordan shoes to his UCF basketball game instead of the school-sponsored Adidas shoes the rest of the team wears? Shame on him. Shame on the school. Shame on Michael Jordan!
2. Could people please check the email information before they forward it to others? I'm tired of being warned for such n' such or this n' that when the information is BOGUS. People, check the information by going here. It's a great site for knowing whether something is true to pass onward. 
3. Enough already of athletes wanting to play hurt. Stay home Ryan Clark! No need to travel to Denver with your sickle cell disease. The Steelers will win one for ya.

Sunday Prayers

Our Father,

who art in Pittsburgh,

football be thy game,

thy kingdom come,

6 Super Bowls won,

on earth as it is in Heinz Field.

Give us this day a playoff victory,

and forgive us our penalties,

as we defeat those who play against us.

But lead us into a victory,

and deliver us to Miami!

A-Ben

Go STEELERS

-Author Unknown

---

Wishful Wednesday

Today's topic is: "If you could relive any moment what would it be?"

I wish that I could relive the moment that my Dad left my house in February 1997.

He was visiting me and was ready to drive back home to Indiana, stopping at some friends along the way. We stood in my living room saying our good-byes and when I hugged him I got this feeling, this really, really strong feeling, that I would never see him again.

I didn't. He died on March 22nd.

If I could relive that moment over again I would hug him tighter. I would insist that he stay for a few more days. I would tell him how much he meant to me. How much I loved him. How much he made me laugh. How kind I thought he was. I would hug him, hold on to him, and never let him go.

Puppy fun

Oh, look a pail

I shall bite it to see what it is made of

Seems sturdy enough

I'll pull it over here

And then turn it upside down and stand on it

A nice fit

This is quite comfy

So comfy that I think I'll have a nap

Elliot's first bath

Madison readies the tub. Not too much water. Not hot nor cold but just right.

Elliot is unsure of what is about to happen but is sure that something is about to happen.

Elliot enters the tub, paws first. Hmm...

Elliot tries to exit the tub via the shower curtain. He has decided this isn't for him.

Elliot is scrubbed, shampooed, and washed by Mommy Cara

Elliot is rinsed

And rinsed again

And again

Elliot is working hard at escaping the rinsing.

Elliot is dried off with plenty of towels

One clean puppy!

Ready for a treat