The Challenge is On!!!

As I write this morning, I have food all around me. I have my 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal with Splenda, my 5 egg whites with low-carb salsa and my 1/2 cup of fat-free yogurt (strawberry!). My boss just came into my office and said "Looks like dinner, not breakfast!" Yeah, yeah, yeah. You guys can make fun all you want. I am going to have a "10" week. My trainer has me rate my week between 1 and 10. 10 being eating/working out like a champ with no cheating, and 1 is lost total control and ate everything in sight. My weeks have been bordering on 3's lately. I want to not only win this challenge I'm doing, but I want to get my head back on straight. The smoking thing is going OK, today I will officially run out of cigarettes. My husband is going to attempt to quit with me, so this might get a little ugly. When I'm feeling stressed and cranky at home, my plan is to get the boxing gloves on and go wail on the punching bag. Hopefully I will make it to the garage and not start wailing on Jim. :) Wish me luck!

The Weekend is Here!

The audit is still not over, but I have a reprieve until Tuesday. Gotta work at the restaurant Fri and Sat, but at least I get to sleep in. Louie and Maggie miss their momma when she is working too much. My coordinated husband fell off the loading dock at work this week and hurt his back, so now I have a whiny little boy at home too. When men are sick or hurt, they are impossible. ANYWAY, I was rocking back and forth in the corner yesterday, mumbling things.

Here is a picture of Maggie (a.k.a. MAGALOPE) doing her "jumping" thing.

STRESS-O-RAMA

Yes, it is stress-factor-four around here. Not only am I running around for the audit I told you about in the last post, but my trainer has informed me that to win this contest I am entering, it is imperative to quit smoking. Smoking apparently messes up your metabolism. Crap. I knew it messed up your lungs, but YOUR METABOLISM TOO? Double-crap. Guess I gotta quit. I was completely bitched out by two trainers, actually, because they smelled smoke on me. (I guess no one knew previously.) I have quit before, but I always seem to go back to it because I love to smoke. See, eating healthy is easier because I get to HAVE bad food once in a while, but with the no-smoking thing, I NEVER get to have a cigarette again. Oh my. Crazydogmama will be cranky for a bit. WATCH OUT.

It's going to be a fun week. NOT.

So, I get to work this morning ready for a nice, normal week, nothing hectic. Yeah, right. My boss tells me that we have an FDA audit on Thursday. SURPRISE! FDA audits are about as much fun as sticking toothpicks up your fingernails. They are very stressful because the FDA can shut a company down. Without getting into the specifics of what I do (it will bore you to death) I can just say this, don't expect a whole lot of posting this week. Ugghh. I will be working OT because of the audit, and on top of that, I am scheduled to work all weekend at the restaurant. I am also starting a new challenge, instead of BFL, I am doing a MAXFORMATION through Max Muscle. That is where my trainer works. So much for relaxing, huh? Make way for SUPER- CRAZYDOGMAMA.

The kids are home and Dogmama is happy!

 

All went well at the vet. Doggy teeth are sparkly. I really like the whole "groggy" thing, they are so mellow! They are normally so spazzy, so it is nice. I took a picture of them when we got home. Here are the dopey doggies.

I'm Nervous

Louie and Maggie are going in for their dentals on Friday. Anytime they have to be anesthetized I get real nervous and panicky. They will have fresh breath again, though! It is also going to cost a fortune. I swear, I will never get ahead in my finances, there is always something pay for! It is Murphy's law that if you get extra money set aside, something will break, blow up or need cleaning. Just for fun, take a look at those choppers!

Makes you wanna buy a puppy, huh?

 

This is little Maggie-girl when she was 10 weeks old on the very first day we brought her home. Look at that full tummy! Puppies are the cutest things ever in the history of the world.

 

Trains, Automobiles and Coffee

I woke up late today by ten minutes. My work clothes were in the dryer and all wrinkly. Jim was in a hurry too, so we were bumping into each other and growling. The dogs sat quietly and watched us, probably snickering to themselves. Jim left before me and called me on the cell phone to say the fucking train was in the way and going very slow. By the time I got to the railroad tracks, the train was completely stopped. I live in an area where you must cross the railroad tracks to get out of town, unless you take the freeway. Well, the freeway was, of course, backed up to the moon, and there were many angry travelers. I knew I was going to be late for work. This did not stop me from getting my coffee at Starbucks. I was already 20 minutes late, what's another 5 minutes? So here I come, waltzing into the office almost a half hour late, holding my coffee. Oh well. What are ya gonna do?

Doggy Porn

Louie looooves his belly scratched. 

Good Story

There is a short story by Karawynn Long that I really like. It's called "Discovering Water".  If you can find it, it's worth a read.

More Random Cheryl Facts

I can't think of anything to write about today so I thought I could do part 2 of "The Real Cheryl". Not too exciting, I know, but when I look back on my ramblings 10 years from now, it will be fun to see if I've changed any. So, here goes:

I can't decide what my favorite color is. Sometimes it is green, sometimes it is purple.

My lucky number is 7 and I don't care if that is 10 billion other people's lucky number too.

I hate talking on the phone to people I hardly know, and avoid it at all costs. I would much rather email.

I would rather lift weights than do cardio.

If I had my way, I would be nocturnal. Up all night, sleep in the day. I get my best work done (cleaning, writing, etc.) after midnight and before 5 am.

Spiders scare the hell out of me, but I could sit in a pit of snakes and not flinch.

I hate people who think they are better than other people. I tell them we are all screwed, get over yourself.

My favorite thing to do with my husband is to go to a cafe either really late at night or really early in the morning and drink coffee, smoke and talk about good times, goals and silly things.

I never take a "quick" shower - 20 minutes minimum.

A face only a crazydogmama could love.

Isn't he a handsome boy, my Louie?  

Just a bunch of random nonsense today.

I saw the movie "Thirteen" recently. It was actually very well done, I was impressed. Makes me want to never have children.

I have been experiencing this extreme fatigue thing lately. I just can't seem to get enough sleep. Don't know what the problem is, and I hate going to the doctor.

I'm reading a new book, too. It's called "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon" by Billie Letts. She is also the author of "Where the Heart is" which I loved. So far, the book is great. Any book that starts off with the rescue of an injured dog gets my vote.

That is all for now.

Look what I made!

I made some pretty little bookmarks! How domestic and girlie of me!

Food!

Here is a picture of a meal I am proud of. I baked Copper River salmon in a roasted walnut glaze and put it over buckwheat soba noodles tossed in a little olive oil, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Asparagus is tossed in as well. It was yuuuummmmy. I came up with it myself! I must give credit where credit is due, however. Skwigg came up with the whole "putting pictures of your food on your webpage" idea. I think it is a great idea!

Miffed

OK, so when did groceries get so freaking expensive? I spent $200 at the store yesterday and didn't get hardly ANYTHING! Just barely enough for 1 week of groceries for 2 people! Then, I go to the gas station. My bill is double what it usually is to fill up my tank. Let's not even talk about cigarettes. I need to quit. $40 a carton,YIPES! No wonder I'm broke. Dog food is even more expensive. It is CRAZY! OK, enough complaining. At least I have a job (or two, or three). They had Halloween decorations at the store yesterday. Time flies, doesn't it?

10 Things to do when you're broke.

1. Make your 5$ Venti Mocha Frappuccino's at home instead of going to Starbucks.

 
2. Go out to lunch with your co-workers and give THEM a check for your part of the meal while they pay on their credit card. In my experience, they wait forever to cash checks, especially when everyone has direct deposit and no need to go the bank ever.

 
3. Play with your pets. They will never invite you to do something you can't afford.

 
4. Organize something. Your office, your bookshelf, your digital pictures, etc.

 
5. Take a nap.

 
6. Make a crazy Christmas list.

 
7. Draw something and put it on the refrigerator, whether you are an artist or not.

 
8. Come up with a new exercise. I came up with leg extensions while sitting at my desk with a heavy hole punch between my feet.

 
9. Look at all the food you have in your house. Figure out a new recipe from it, and make your spouse try it first. Do not tell them you are experimenting. Come up with a name for your recipe and act like you know what you are doing. If you drop some of it on the floor, and the dogs won't eat it, throw it away and go to your parent's house for dinner.

 
10. Ask your friends if they have any books that they like that you could borrow. Reciprocate.

Waking Up

Not quite awake yet, my typing may reflect this. I could have very easily stayed in my nice warm, cozy bed this morning. Maybe get up and have a little coffee, get online, then go back to bed. Unfortunately, though, I am sitting in my cold, windowless office. What will today bring? I have no idea. I took a different route to work today thinking it would be a nice change of pace. It wasn't. I was 5 minutes late because of traffic I'm not used to. Sometimes things don't need to change. :) Well, I am going to cut it short right now because the marbles in my head are still rolling around. Need more caffeine.

Its raining, its pouring!

Yay! I love the rain. I love the grey and gloom. The sun can be fun, and I love warm summer nights, but fall is my very favorite time of year. There is just something about curling up in a soft warm blanket on the couch next to the window with a crisp breeze and the smell of fresh rain. It is a great time to get caught up on my reading and my mocha-drinking. (Not that I ever let those things slide too much.) My husband complains about the dark when you get up, dark when you come home thing, but I really enjoy it. I like driving in the dark. I don't get depressed by gloomy weather; I actually feel energized! It is so nice to go workout and not feel like I'm going to die from heat exhaustion. I hope it rains all weekend!

It is the anniversary of "911" for the US today. I don't want to dwell too much on it, but I do want to say that I am proud to be an American, and that day will forever be in my memory. It took me a day and a half before I cried after the tragedy, but when I did, I really did. Last year on the anniversary, the business complex I work in had a "pay your respects to the flag" moment on the hour the first plane hit. I cried then too during the moment of silence. It was very moving. I fully support what the President has done and is doing. There is no need for "hate" mail, it is my freedom to feel that way and to express it!

I'm so excited!

I really have to see the new movie coming out called "Cabin Fever". Its right up my alley! A flesh eating virus and lots of gore! I won't be able to see it Friday because I have a whole slew of people coming over to scrapbook until midnight. I'll have to see it Saturday during the day before I have to work at the restaurant. Oh, what fun! I'll get to ruin all my guest's appetites by talking about it!