March is coming in like a Lion...

February 29th...the end of the second month of 2012...where does time go??  March comes roaring in like a lion tomorrow and with it three separate spring break weeks which will bring each of my three kids home!!  Kate comes home this Friday.  After this week's midterms she will pack up on Friday and thank you Southwest...only 65 minutes from Nashville to PC.  I will actually be up in Georgia with Chelsea apartment hunting, but her dad will be here as will Gabby and all of her friends have the same spring break (all of this to say, I think she will survive without me :)  The next week starts Chelsea's break...no word yet on the particulars for her but she will be here at some point!! Finally, Nicole, David, and Claire will come the next week and stay out at the beach...it will all be too much fun cause...I can admit it...I miss my kids!!

In and amongst all of that fun I will be working on a couple of March Resolutions. Other than getting the attics finished and the garage back in order, I am going to put house projects to the side until April.  March is going to be about finding some new challenges in the world of exercise!! I have started going to a yoga class again and wouldn't you know it my hip hasn't been bothering me...
So yoga twice a week...walking 5-6 miles twice a week (this is also my social time with my friends)...and twice a week something that has a cardio aspect???? My gym has options so I will be trying some different classes and hopefully will love something enough to do it once a week at least and I can always do the elliptical or treadmill once a week. I am committing to this for March because I need to.  I eat better, feel better, sleep better, etc. when I am exercising consistently.  Another reason...I am not going to let this menopause business get the best of me. There I said it, it's out there, and thankfully for my sweet husband who insists on being my number one blog fan, I am not going to go on and on about it.  After all, if you're there you already know about it and if you aren't well then it's what my girls call TMI :)

That seems like a pretty tall order to me...all that exercising and eating only really good stuff...but I am also going to continue through March keeping daily devotions and prayer and bible study the priority.  I am finishing a really great bible study on James and am sad that it is almost over.  This past week Job came up in the study and I've been thinking about him ever since. I am so intrigued by him but even more so by this...

   One day the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.  The LORD asked Satan, "Where have you come from?"  "From roaming the earth," Satan answered Him, "and walking around on it."  Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job?  No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil."
Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns?  You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.  But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face."  "Very well," the LORD told Satan, "everything he owns is in your power.  However, you must not lay a hand on Job himself."  So Satan left the LORD's presence.    
                                Job 1:6-12 (the Holman Standard Christian Bible)

Makes me want to read it...again.  I know there is a new "word" in it for me that I didn't receive the last time I read this book.  God's word is so amazing!!

No pictures today...it seems odd to me too :) 

Squirrels in the Attic...Dowagers on the Loose???

My grandmother was no pushover!  She had certain rules and ideas about lots of things.  I remember a certain beautiful lead-crystal-from-Germany candy dish that sat on her coffee table.  Instead of moving it out of harms way she would say "NO-NO...DON'T TOUCH" Somehow that candy dish made it through many grandchildren and great grandchildren (of course it helped that she often had very strange candy in it...sesame somethings...)!!  However...candy dishes are not the topic for today...

She had a slipper chair and this chair was a child magnet because it was the perfect height and it could SPIN!!!  "NO-NO...DON'T SPIN THE CHAIR!"  And that was the way it was until my daughter Katelyn came along. My grandmother was 79 at the time and lived here in Florida and spent lots of time with all of my girls.  For some reason (maybe she was just tired and figured who cares...it's a chair) she was very entertained by Katelyn spinning the chair around and giggling!! I would look oddly at my grandmother as she sat in her wheelchair with her pink or blue or floral house dress on and her very short silvery hair and this smile on her face.  What happened to NO-NO DON'T SPIN?  Mind you I was never permitted to do it so I was a little put out that my youngest daughter was permitted this privilege.  My grandma would just wave her very arthritic hand and say let her be!

It was no real surprise to me when grandma told me that she wanted Katelyn to have her slipper chair after she died.  At this point Kate was about 8 and well past the spinning chair phase and didn't really get it (let's be honest she was probably thinking this old worn-out chair...what am I supposed to do with it?)  Grandma passed and the chair has pretty much sat in this window ever since we moved here.  Over the years I have thought that I should get the chair reupholstered but...you know, it isn't my chair...I am merely the keeper of the chair!!  Recently I decided...it's time and so I asked Katelyn if it would be okay to get grandma's chair redone and put it upstairs in her bedroom.  She said "Sure," and went on to the next subject!

I went to a local business where I have purchased lots of furniture and knew that they had an extensive selection of fabrics that could be ordered. Instead of showing me through the fabric I was reminded that it was more expensive to reupholster a chair than buy a new.  Okay...plan B.  I talked to my friends and was pointed in the direction of a local antiques gallery that has moved into design and decorating in recent years.  So this week I went...finally...to deal with the chair!!  I ended up at another locally owned business that designs and makes fabric...Parthenon has a seconds room that has great prices on fabric.  Many a classroom of mine through the years have had curtains made from fabric that I fell in love with in their seconds room!!  On this trip I was looking for fabric in the blue range...to match Kate's room.

The cornflower blue with white chandeliers...I love it and it has a great story behind it (which I am saving for another post)...but, not enough left in stock!

The blue, yellow, and white stripe...could work...but looks like me not Kate!

 The simple blue...hmmm it is the same color the chair was originally, but as Nicole said...since when do you play it safe??

Okay, so maybe the light blue floral...

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!!! So, since I am dragging my feet on this issue a bit I will move onto Five for Friday stuff!!

1) February has less than a week left and I HAVE been working on my resolutions list for this month. First...paper organization...next week I tackle the last of that...the two drawer safe...it really hasn't been that bad!!

2) I am very happy to show the before and after Laundry Room project...

Here it is in all its practical glory...I mean it's a laundry room and the first stop into the house from the garage.  Some days it is cleaner than others...But, Rich has been on the bandwagon to get anything on that window looking into the garage...that is code for "Kim, this is at the top of my to-do list on your next out of town trip and it will take one 20 minute trip to Home Depot!"

So...thank you smith + noble for sending me your latest window treatment catalog with my new window treatment on the front cover!!! I simply took the measurements,got on the phone and ordered it, and Voila!!

And for today, the laundry room is pretty clean!!

3)  We have squirrels in two of our attics...and so next week is the beginning of that huge project.  I have professionals on this...and of course the first thing they show me is this...

The best way to keep squirrels off of the roof and out of the attics...do not provide them a ladder (so to speak)...I am just being honest, but I don't really see my husband jumping on the let's-cut-this-tree-back-so-the-squirrels-can't- get-on-the-roof. Cause seriously, there are lots of "ladders"...like this Crepe Myrtle tree right outside my kitchen window...

This is one reason why Jack, Nicole's cat in residence (while they sell their house), spends lots of time in this window...watching...

But I digress...the professionals (as I will refer to them) spent 3 hours climbing around the attics and on the roof...and there is now a detailed plan...much like a war plan.  It begins with sealing off entries and trapping any pesky squirrels that just want to be in the attic.  Hopefully by the end of next week all of that, and extensive cleanup (which includes removal of the insulation) will be complete. I will update as this goes on...but hopefully by the end of March we will have restored attics, lower electric bills, and no more uninvited visitors in our home!!

Oh the joys of home ownership...

4) I love my new red ottoman recently purchased from Grandin Road and now at home in the loft.  It provides extra seating, works as a coffee table, and has lots of storage!

And yes, I have saved the best for last...

5)  Downton Abbey!!!

  Need I say more?  Yes I know they are in season 3 and I have just finished watching season 1...

What can I say...I don't watch TV (Morning Joe...O'Reilly Factor...House Hunters...The Property Brothers...Chopped...College Football games...Thanksgiving Parade...)

Every show I have loved I have watched well after the fact:

Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Alias, 24, Parenthood...and now

Downton Abbey...

The simple pleasure of a family saga in the backdrop of the early 1900s English countryside...my favorites of the first season...

The "girls" are not your average mom and daughter set...they have issues but beautiful clothes!

Two good eggs... Anna and Bates.  Will they end up together...ever??

The "ladies"...gotta love Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess

of Grantham and Isobel Crawley...different as night and day,

they scuffle over...well just about anything.  Notice the difference in

the clothing style...it says alot!

Can't wait to start season 2...time for WWI and is that Lady Sybil...

dressed as a nurse??

In case you are wondering...Gabby and I are surviving training...some minor set backs here and there are not stopping us!!  She has learned to stay within 5 feet of me when I am in the sun room...so I don't use the leash first thing in the morning now.  This week we added "Watch Me" to our training. I want her to look at me when I give her a command so this is the homework for the week.  We practice about 4 times a day...when she is very awake and active (unlike this pic in which she is nearly comatose)!!

Have a wonderful weekend...if the rain doesn't go away I may just have to have a Downton Abbey Marathon!!

A new season and some cute pics

It is a super busy week for me but I did want to share a few photos of Claire and her recent visit...

It's a wonderful life, that's for sure!!

On another note... Marrying into a Catholic family and teaching at both a Catholic and Episcopal school I appreciate the season of Lent.  So today it starts...around the world foreheads are being marked by ashes...hopefully hearts are being marked for Jesus!! I am going dark on face book for the next six weeks. Yikes...that does seem like a long time! It will be a good thing...any time I spent on fb can be better spent on just about anything else. I am not shutting facebook down because that is how I get the word out about blog posts and you know...maybe someone will miss my blog if it too went dark or unannounced for 6 weeks ;) I will miss birthdays and milestones and some of your children's growing up stuff...but I will be thinking of you all and hoping that you are having a wonderful and blessed day!!

My Life As...I Mean With...My Dog...

Yesterday I mentioned that Gabby (my 2 1/2 year old Yorkie) and I were heading off to the first of 8 private sessions with a trainer (a sweet girl named Dory).  You might wonder why now??  Why not when you first got her??  Well lots of reasons come to mind but probably the main one was that when we got her we still had our sweet, old, and very sick Cocker Spaniel, Wills!   I was in the throws of feeding him fresh cooked chicken and letting him have some quality of life while running around behind him cleaning up after him!! He was so sick at one point that our vet did a blood transfusion while warning us that they don't offer much hope and if they do work...it's short-lived!  Who knew Wills would, for the most part happily, live with his auto-immune disease for 3 years!

Wills on his first day with us!!!

Wills sporting his "field cut" fall of 2008 on medication and hanging in there!!

Gabby curled up in a chair by the fireplace...she loves a good fire!

  At some point during this time I discovered Gabby wasn't a puppy anymore and she had developed a habit that I didn't like...going "potty" in the house.  I decided it was because of Wills...she saw him at times, especially at the end, when he no longer had the energy to get up and go out the doggy door to the backyard! (at this point he was confined to the tile area of our house...the kitchen and laundry room :(!  She could also smell (dogs have that ability to the nth degree). No amount of cleaning worked!   After Wills passed away last December and the carpets were once again professionally cleaned I was determined that Gabby would get this finally!!  So much for that thought...lots of travel, Chelsea and Gabby's snuggy buddy Kate going off to college...lots of travel this past fall without Gabby...

You get the idea! I decided that once the holidays and the traveling about was over for a bit we were going to focus on her and so Dory has come into our lives... Yesterday was informational day.  I told Dory all about Gabby~the wonderful and the not-so-wonderful!! She listened, asked questions, shook her head, and said a couple of times "Oh, that's not acceptable." 

These were my concerns:

1) That Gabby understands that potty takes place outside all of the time, not just first thing in the morning and during late afternoon walks!! 

2) I want Gabby to follow a simple command CONSISTENTLY.  When people come to the door I tell her to go to the window (we have a ceiling to floor dining room window.  Her bed is there because she loves it...in the morning the sun comes in and she sunbathes!  She also likes to watch the squirrels, lizards, and neighborhood people walking dogs, jogging, etc.) and most of the time she obeys (I only do this if she doesn't know the person).  She can see the mailman and UPS guy just fine from the window!  But at times she will wander over to the door (especially if it takes more than 45 seconds to deal with the situation at the door)!

3) I don't want Gabby jumping up on people.  When our sweet little Claire comes to visit Gabby is beside herself...after all Claire is not that much bigger than Gabby and is full of energy.  So we have that transition time in which Gabby just wants to jump on her and that is not okay with me (Gabby gets locked up and then she gets it. But we have to repeat the process the next morning when she sees Claire again)   Claire isn't afraid of her but still she has baby skin and it scratches easily...same goes for my mother and father in-law.  They are older and have that delicate skin.  Gabby sees Mary Dodd and just starts jumping around...I am always concerned about her playfulness drawing blood with a mere scratch!!

Dory listened and said with a big smile "This is doable, not a problem.  We will begin with the potty habit."  So starting this morning Gabby and I are tethered together all day every day for a week.  She has no freedom.  She can't be more than 5 feet away from me.  When we go out even in the back yard she has to be on the leash.  If she goes to the bathroom sufficiently she can come in and have 30 minutes of free time off of the leash...no more!  When I leave the house she needs to be in the laundry room.  Her bed in the dining room window has to be earned...

This morning we got up and immediately went outside...she pottied as always.  We came in the house and the leash went on (she doesn't get 30 minutes of free time first thing in the morning)! And here she is...very confused and seeming a bit depressed...leashed to me...five feet away!

And joy of joys it has decided to rain today...and apparently for the next three days.  Have I told you about Gabby's aversion to rain??  This taking her out frequently is going to be a challenge...she doesn't even like to go in the grass after the water sprinklers have run!!!

Hmmmm...suppose she knows I am not holding the leash???

Oh my goodness...well, this is my life!!!

We're Off to the Races and UGA and...

It has been a memorable week in the Dodd house that is for sure!!  On Sunday Rich ran the half marathon in Birmingham and took some time off his personal best!!  It was freezing cold (24 degrees and I've no idea the wind chill factor)...no...that doesn't even come close to describing how cold it was!! It was cold enough that Rich actually wore 3 layers of pants and 4 layers of shirts, etc. He wore three pairs of gloves and this ski mask looking thing.  He wore two pairs of socks something he never does...(feet, socks, and shoes...must be a perfect fit else you suffer from blisters)!  He even wrapped a scarf around his face to keep warm (that was the first thing to go missing and barely made it to the starting line)!

Meanwhile, Nicole and I debated over very important stuff too! turtleneck?...UnderArmour?...scarves?...hats?...earmuffs?...boots?...when can we stop for Starbucks?...can we find places to cheer Rich on in which he will be able to see us while we will be in the warmth of the car?...

It was a grand morning and other than the incident with the policeman who wanted to give us (us??? totally Nicole as she was driving) a ticket for our disregard of a barricade, and we had zero time to stop at Starbucks in Five Points and grab that Venti Non-fat NoWhip Cinnamon Dolce Latte...we managed to see Rich 3 times during the race and we were at the finish line with cameras!!

After his walk about, clothes change, massage, and a beer (I don't understand this concept...I have only done 2 half marathons BUT I have never thought "FINISHED...now where's my beer?" We went back to 5 Points and ahhhhh got that coffee :) With donut in hand Rich was out on the side of the road encouraging those brave souls who were running the full marathon!!  Next up for him the Music City Half Marathon in Nashville...lucky for Kate it should be warmer and he will dress...well without the hood and the Bama sweatshirt for sure...he will have to sport something Vandy!!

Monday we got some wonderful news from Chelsea...she got accepted into UGA's School of Pharmacy!!!  Okay, since this is my blog can I brag a bit????  Chelsea was invited to the first round of interviews which took place during the month of January.  She was among 90+/- applicants who were being interviewed early.  From this group of interviews 20 students would be offered admission to the school!!  If she hadn't been chosen in the first 20 she would still be in the running for admission (well...unless she got a thanks but no thanks letter in the mail) she would just have to wait until the next round of interviews were completed and then another group would receive letters at the first of March...15th of March...1st of April...15th of April... Needless to say, she (and all of us who love her and live with her) are thrilled that this is the outcome!!  She got into her first (truth be known ONLY) choice, and now she can enjoy this last semester at Auburn...if that is possible with these five classes...Genomic Biology, Comparative Anatomy, Bio-Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, and Immunology!!! YIKES...WHAT IS A GENOMIC ANYWAY????

On the way to Athens...Chelsea goes over her very detailed interview

 notes while texting with Stephen!

We're here :)

After a quick change at the hotel (The Georgia Center) we

walked around the corner and there it was...

With three whole hours to kill Rich and I decided to enjoy the beautiful day

 and we walked the entire campus...praying all the while!

We made it back to the hotel about 30 minutes before Chelsea...

after a detailed debriefing she wanted to get out of the "grown-up clothes" and talk to bud Ali (who had just gotten accepted to UF's Pharmacy School...YAY ALI :)

That night we went to dinner and then Rich decided to go out on the street and try to find tickets to the Georgia/Kentucky basketball game. After some savvy wheeling and dealing he scored tickets...in the nosebleed section!!  But we had fun anyway...and for a few brief minutes Georgia gave Kentucky a workout!!

Even though she doesn't need an undergrad degree for pharmacy school, she has decided that she wants to be an Auburn Alum and will graduate from Auburn in August after she takes one last class online this summer. Thank you to the dean who approved this and even helped her find the class so she could come home to Panama City this summer and not spend 10 weeks in Auburn taking a Physics class!! It is hard to believe that three years have gone by already!!!  But onward to UGA and four years of more chemistry than any one person should ever need to know ;)  She loves this stuff and will be such an asset wherever the future takes her...so more power to her!! Oh, and University of Georgia...you are one lucky DAWG for getting Chelsea Dodd (...have to practice saying DAWG  ;)

Last...yesterday was Valentine's Day! I hope yours was sweet!  Rich and I cooked dinner together using my new WOK(not a Valentine's gift)...it's the simple things! 

Gotta get going...stay tuned though cause this afternoon Gabby and I have our first appointment with the trainer!!!  I am sure there will be a story there!!