The Big Three-Oh

This past Saturday, Lady turned 30!  Woot-Woot!  In honor of the occasion, a party was a must.  Turned into an 11 hour party with multiple parts and an itinerary.  We started the day with giant cinnamon rolls, a couple presents and cards, and the unveiling of the itinerary.  I had decided to let Lady know about her present then so that she could think about which Cricut she wanted to get!  For some reason, she got super-excited when she read that that was going to be her present :-).  In the down time between breakfast and the party, Lady had to sort/organize her art stuff due to her new acquisitions and upcoming ones.  She had gotten a ring mandrel (sizer) and a thing-a-ma-jig from her parents.

The party kicked off at 1pm, by meeting up with a bunch of our friends at the dog park.  There were 8 humans and 7 dogs.  We all wandered the dog park and watched the kids play while we chatted.  It was a bit windy, but otherwise a gorgeous day of weather for some time in the park.  Then, we broke out the picnic spread for a late lunch; sandwich fixin's, cheese log/ball, veggies, dips, fruit.

Next on the itinerary was to go shopping!  Our friend Melissa joined us for the expedition to JoAnn's for the Cricut shopping extravaganza.  We all had a blast as we chatted with Lady's co-workers, and she even took time out to help some shoppers figure out what they needed for the Yudu.  Eventually, we got everything we needed, and for a bargain!  While the girls waited to pay for the merchandise, I made a quick run over to pick up Lady's cake.  We finally made it back home for the last part of the party with quite the haul.

Lastly on the birthday itinerary was letting Lady play with her presents and show them off to everyone during the crafty portion of the evening!  We had 10 humans and 5 dogs for the evening.  I grilled up some steak/zucchini/squash kabobs for dinner, there was ice cream cake, and plenty of chatting and relaxing.

Lady said "fantastic" was an understatement for how awesome her birthday was.  So, thank you to all for making her day so special!

 (The ring mandrel. Custom sized rings here they come!)

 (The Thing-A-Ma-Jig. More easily reproduced wire artwork incoming!)

 (Dog-gone fun. A good time at the dog park with our group and random strangers.)

 (The big present! Yeah, Lady was just a little excited about her new toy :-) )

 (The big unveil. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.)

 (Then, we all got the demo on the wonders of the Cricut!)

 (Yay for ice cream cake! And yes, the DQ workers gave me the same look you are giving me now when I asked them to put "Birnatherday" on the cake. DQ still felt the need to write "Sold" on the cake package, because I'm sure someone else out there would want a cake that says that :-) )

(The evening gang! Good, goofy fun was had by all...as far as we know.)

 (Ahhhhhh :-) )

 (Lady and her full Cricut spread.  Thanks again to everyone for making her birthday extraordinary, and sending her into another creative frenzy!)

(Wait, what's this!?! Yep, even I have started using the Cricut. This was taken during my first Cricut lesson. I think I have found some ways I can apply it to my woodworking.)

Daisy finds freedom again

After 2 1/2 weeks of cage confinement, due to doggie visitors, Daisy was finally out and about inside the house again.  It is fun how much happier she is just to have her cage door open again.

(Peek!)

Gecko Pet Services

 (Jupiter & Belle spent 2 weeks at our place, and Yahtzee was finally comfortable enough for some close contact relaxing.)

 (We are also visiting our newest friends Weimaraner dogs, Jackson & Delia.  They have become fast friends with Yahtzee, especially since they had already met at the dog park.  That was how we met the owners who happen to live in Sunmeadow down the road from us.  Here Yahtzee and Delia are brawling.)

(Jackson & Delia enjoy a good game of fetch.  We brought the camera over to see if we could get some good action shots, and we nailed it here.  Delia launches after the ball in this shot.)

(Lacey came over for a few days, and of course demanded to visit Jackson & Delia.  Lacey and Jackson hit it off early at the dog park, and are usually leading the chasing hordes there.  The 4 of them were off to the races as soon as the back door was opened.)

(4 big heads and 1 small dish wasn't good math on our part, but Yahtzee was her adult self and waited...plus she likes drinking alone :-) )

(I managed to capture one calm moment amidst the fun chaos that is backyard fun)

Forgot to tell you...

Had an extra entertaining Halloween this year.  The humans didn't dress up, so the pups had to show us what was what!  We had Yahtzee the Astros player, Belle the bee, and Jupiter the squirrel.  Priceless.

Turkey Day 2010

Then, Turkey Day was upon us.  Prep work started the day before with some bread making, and my first shot at making frosted cranberries.  As usual, with guidance from Momma K, the chow worked out well.

The turkey went in, and soon we were amongst good friends enjoying the tasty dishes.  I even pulled off getting the turkey done early, so everything was good to go on time!  This year's post-turkey entertainment was provided by 2 little guys reminding us of the wonder that the world holds.  Then, we kicked back and enjoyed Star Trek Generations.  Yeah, good holiday.

 (Yay for homemade bread!)

 (Mmm, marshmallow fluff)

 (A brief reprieve at the Gecko Pet Hotel)

 (The spread gets better every year)

(Used self control, and only got a 15.5lb bird this year...ok, ok.  That was the only size left when I went shopping :-) )

The 4th Annual Lefse Party

Momma J came down for a visit in mid-November to the thunderous applause of all our friends.  They all know that can only mean one thing...lefse!!  She started her visit by taking a class from Lady.  I'm pretty sure they both had fun.

Then, it was time to prep for the lefse party.  This year had a twist.  Lady took the day off so the girls prepped the chow.  I decided it was time to finally replace our headlight bulb, especially after we got pulled over on the way home from the airport picking up Momma J.  The replacement of course turned into an adventure with much driving, cursing, and injuries getting that expensive bulb out & in.  Yowza!  The lefse made everything alright.  The Swedish meatballs have also become the new staple of the lefse party.  The deliciousness never ends.

A nature trip was also needed, so we visited Armand Bayou Park.  Fun was had by all, even though it was a bit chilly and rainy.  There was also much excitement about the wildlife observed, including (but not limited to) a "surfing" Osprey, Alligator tracks, and the ever-elusive Flibbergee.

 (Crafty class with Lady & Momma J)

(1. Rice Spuds 2. Roll Spuds 3. Grill Spuds 4. Enjoy)

 (Lady & Momma J enjoyed walking around Armand Bayou Park, while Yahtzee and I enjoyed the dog park!)

An old friend visits

November started with a visit from an old friend of Maren's from her time at CVA, and she had a travel buddy.  A quick, eventful, fun visit ensued.  During which we were introduced to BananaGrams, which we now own and try to share with all.