Monday Chit Chat

It really wasn't a very exciting weekend around here and there aren't any "big" thoughts rolling around in my head looking for a voice, so......  I guess I'll just throw the little things at you.

Happy Birthday to our Chubby Monster!

Our Elvis turns 7 today!  Born across the street at the neighbor's, we didn't even know about him, let alone his eleven brothers and sisters until they had their first outing at 6 weeks old.  I arrived home from work to be met by a herd of preteen girls gushing and giggling and falling all over themselves to tell me I just "had to see the cutest thing."  It turned out to be, as I mentioned, 12 of the cutest things...little round, roly, poly combinations of Beagle and Basset Hound tumbling across the yard tripping over their own ears.  I was a goner.

Some of them were white and speckled like their father.  Some were dark and low to the ground like their mother.  I've always liked Bassets so I tried to choose one that seemed to have the most basset features and that very night our boy came home.  He fit in one of my hands.  Today he weighs in at a "portly" 65 lbs!

Elvis grew up the baby brother to a toy poodle whom he adored and tormented....and also thought he was the same size as.  We lost his "brother" a year ago this month and for a while we were all a little lonelier, but as the days passed life moved on and in June, Elvis became the big brother to another toy poodle.  His little sister adores and torments him.  Something of a payback, I guess.  I'm imagining Scooby is watching it all from heaven and laughing his little doggie head off.

Much bigger and with a good bit of gray beginning to show up in his face, Elvis is still our baby boy, and our lives wouldn't be the same without him.  We are glad life brought us together.

**********

Last year was likely the last season I will watch of American Idol.  That makes me sad.  I've been a huge fan since the very beginning.  I've laughed at the audition shows and cheered for my favorites, jeered America's ridiculous votes that kept terrible performers on the show much longer than they should have, waited to see what would come out of Paula's mouth next, what color glasses Randy would wear.....and yes, I even harbored a tiny crush on Simon.  I survived the changed in judges and even came to like some of them, but this year marks the end for me and I'm predicting for the show.  I'm not picking up on much excitement about it anywhere.

What's killing it?  While they are incredibly talented performers....I absolutely cannot stomach Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.  I watched about 20 minutes of the first show and had enough of their diva attitudes and pettiness.  Randy trying to be cool is getting old and Keith Urban, while a seemingly nice enough guy, just seems so out of place and a little dull for the show.

I guess I'm going to have to jump on the bandwagon for The Voice along with everyone else to get my fix.  In the meantime, I've finally bought the CD of probably my favorite Idol winner of all time, Phillip Phillips.  That boy blew me away and I said he would take the title from his audition on.

From the CD, enjoy:



**********
There is reason to celebrate at the church tonight.  All of the leadership will be there to school those who are interested, on why, as believers, we should choose to be baptized.  I believe there are about 8 people coming.  Next month we will have a service to baptize them.

It takes a wee bit of planning as we practice baptism by submersion and since we are not in our church building yet, we don't have facilities.  We are "borrowing" them from the church we were birthed out of.

**********
Mother Nature needs to take her meds!  We awoke to temperatures right around the 50 degree mark this morning.  Incredible for February in southwestern Pennsylvania.  Some rain came with the warm temperatures.  It didn't freeze as the weatherman predicted it might, but it did smooth out and make any existing ice slicker than all get out.  Since then the wind has kicked up and the temperature is dropping.  Winter is coming back.

**********
I'm not sick...at least I don't feel like it, but those "residual bronchial spasms" that moved in and wouldn't let go after my bout with the "bug" back in December and January?  Yeah, they're back.  I kept the inhaler the doctor prescribed but I can't say it seems to be doing much of anything this time.  I'm getting that tight, wheezy feeling in my upper chest off and on all day at this point.  I keep hoping it's going to quit, but I guess I should call the doctor this week and see what he says before I end up having a full-blown asthma attack.

**********
Well, it's time for me to think about finding some lunch and then head back to work.  This week is either going to drag or fly.  I'm not sure which.  It just might drag because at the end of it is a 4-day weekend.  Woohoo!  On the other hand, it may fly because I'm having that Thirty-One party Friday night and have a lot to get done around here.  Guess we'll just have to see how it plays out.

You all have a great Monday and a wonderful week.  Be safe and blessed till we meet up again!