Blog? What blog?

Well, folks, Facebook has finally done it. Enough of the login, comment, "like", post options have broken that I'm giving up in disgust (at least for now). So hey, maybe I'll blog!

In about 10 minutes, I'll be heading to Elise's school to work in the library for two hours. Budget cuts only allow for a part time librarian, so you can imagine the kind of help she needs. Holy moly. It's a marvelous way for me to start the week, though. I love getting to know the kids and seeing them smile when I ask about what they're reading. I'm even getting in to shelving, but it's an uphill battle because of the backlog.

The other thing going on is that I'm trying to get another mobile grooming appointment for Daisy because the fur on her legs is getting so long that it soaks up an amazing amount of mud at the dog park and in the back yard. I'm getting tired of bathing her, and so is she. Mwahahahaha.

Happy Monday, folks!

Shiny New Dining Chairs

What do we do here at Steingruebl World Enterprises when it's hot and miserable outside? Well, mostly we complain and get all grouchy with each other. But today we had a better idea!

A few months back, I bought upholstery fabric off eBay that ended up being about $7/yard after shipping and all. Our dining chairs have been looking scummy, and I figured I'd fix 'em. How scummy were they, you might ask? Oh let me show you.


And if that was not scary enough, here's the close up:



So, yeah, we needed a change.

Ta dah!


It's going to be really, really, really stinkin' hot this week. Really hot. I am not planning any other home makeovers, though. Unless someone has a cheap and easy to follow plan for installing your own central air conditioning...

Who's that dog?

I have to admit, I love doing dog-related stuff. This one was a necessity, so I don't feel too badly about indulging. Daisy wasn't too matted, but she had some long, curly fur on her that needed the attention of a qualified professional.

Luckily for us, there is a mobile dog groomer in town! Wahoooo! This is a good thing as Daisy tends to get a little excited when there are other dogs around. (We keep reminding ourselves that we meet with the trainer next week.) So, today was Daisy's lucky day.

Here she is, trying to simultaneously lick Elise and pose for a picture:



That Daisy is fast -see how loooooong her fur looks when she's on the move?


And, here is a more reasonable "before" picture that really shows off the furriness with which she was so encumbered:

Isn't she just a gigantic fluffball? She looks more like a bear than a dog, really. Everyone thinks that she's a bigger girl than she actually is, given the extra 3 inches she had all around. The following picture was taken right around the time Paula (the groomer) mentioned that Daisy is a lot like a chia pet. She kinda is.



I love the clippers with an attached vacuum hose. Can I get one of those for our house so I can do Andy's hair inside without a huge mess? I'm glad Daisy got a bath in the truck (as well as the haircut) because ohmahgoodness that was an amazing amount of fur.

But look! Here is our Daisy in her natural environment-resting under the dining table. Note how well camouflaged she is here:


And finally, because every beautiful doog needs a pose outdoors too, I leave you with this picture of our freshly bathed Daisy:

Terrorism Today

Yup, it's September 11 again. I don't like this day, for a lot of reasons. The biggest one, though? It has given us the collective notion that violent acts of wanton destruction are the sole province of wacky religious fanatics. Specifically Islam based ones. Today is a good day to think fond thoughts toward your Muslim friends and remind yourself that people with brownish skin aren't universally out to get you. Really. Be friendly, give a hug, share some love. Please. And visit the nice people at WhyIslam while you're at it.

And now, I'd like to call attention to more recent terrorist attacks on US soil. The sick bastards calling themselves the "Earth Liberation Front" like to do all kinds of stupid, dangerous, destructive things. Their most recent attack came on September 4th, when they destroyed radio towers in the Seattle area. This wasn't front page news-it was buried somewhere in the backwaters of my local newspaper. Sure, nobody died this time. But these people are terrorists, and I denounce their actions. They are a disgrace to the environmental movement.

Let us also remember the terrorists who kill doctors and wage campaigns of harassment and constant threats against the doctors they don't manage to kill. Today is a good day to remember George Tiller and all of the other doctors and their families who are beset by evil, evil terrorists every day.

Finally, remember the victims of what's-his-name who killed people in Oklahoma City and that guy who sent bombs in the mail. Oh yeah, and that stupid anthrax thing. Terrorism is NEVER justified, no matter how "right" you are and how "wrong" your victims are. It is cowardly.

So yeah, those guys 8 years ago caught our attention. Let's use their stupidity to our advantage and claim it for what it is: a reminder that NO act of terrorism, whatever it is called, is acceptable or tolerated.

Exciting Developments!

I thought I could be good at updating this blog once the kiddo headed for kindergarten, but here we are, near the end of the 3rd week, and I haven't even posted first day pictures. I blame Facebook. It's easier to upload pictures there than here. Also, I have proof that more friends see stuff there than here so it's not just lazy-it's lazy and a shrewd use of resources!

Suffice it to say that school is going swimmingly and we are terribly proud of our kindergartener.

Also, we have a dog.



She came from the Humane Society-we got her on Sunday! Part cocker spaniel, part poodle. At least as far as anyone can tell. My suspicion is that she was bred as a "cockapoo" and was left un-spayed in case someone wanted to breed her. Daisy has some decent manners already, but is clearly out of practice on some of it. One of the moms from Elise's pre-K class has a highly recommended dog training business, and we are waiting to hear from her when she returns from vacation after Labor Day. In the mean time, we're doing our best with the stuff HSSV gave us to read. So far, we're making progress on leash pulling, aggression while on leash, and generally barking like a maniac at other dogs. Less progress has been made with crate training and separation anxiety. It is not going to take much work to help Daisy be the sweetest dog in the entire universe. (We say modestly)

So, there you have it! We're pretty excited around here. And yes, before anyone asks, we are still looking at getting a cat to complement the menagerie. I am insane. But very happy.

Long Time, No See

It's been so long since I posted anything here that I was not sure I still remembered how. If you're reading this, I have indeed found my way back and am not as foolish as I thought.

There is a lot of news around here so adequate reporting would take days and I love my loyal readers too much to do such a thing. I'm going to do an abriged version here for the moment, but please feel free to use the comments to request further information on a specific topic. With all of that spare time you have after you're done checking Facebook or Twitter or whatever.

1. We're heading for Chicago! Baby shower for our beloved Michele on the afternoon of Aug 15. We arrive the evening of the 12th and fly out on the 16th. Yes, it's stupidly short after an absence of 3 years, but school orientation is on the 10th and KINDERGARTEN starts on the 17th.

2. Elise is two weeks away from starting KINDERGARTEN. Our little punkin is officially school-aged now. Growing like a weed. Can't tell she lost her front teeth because they've grown back in already. Reads like a pro. Knows exactly what we're not saying when we spell words in front of her. Currently loves playing barbies and polly pockets with her BF Rista.

3. I just finished my 14th week of Weight Watchers, and would like to toot my own horn and mention the 18 pounds I no longer have on me. Kind of gross to think that I still have a little more than that to get rid of, but it is good to be off to such a great start. My number one tip? Sandwich Thins that are made by Orowheat. One point per nifty bun-like item, and it rocks. If it's not in your neighborhood grocery store, check Costco. Yum!

4. I am a sucker for small, fuzzy things. We have two foster kittens hanging out in the upstairs bathroom right now. They're both jet-black, and sweet as can be. A far cry from Mellie and Samantha. We've decided to call one Jane (after the character from Ursula LeGuin's Catwings books) and the other Hullabaloo. At some point, I'll get these little furballs photographed and shown here.

5. We've been enjoying time at the beach. I never knew I liked the beach until my friend Danielle showed me how to do it up right. She even helped get Elise to put her feet in the water! Hot days=time to hit the beach.

6. Andy is officially a published author! He and a friend/colleague wrote an article together which I happened to think was pretty doggone interesting.

7. My brother and my sister-in-law are back on this continent! And we were lucky enough to be the first stop on their return.

We approach our 3rd anniversary of living in California with no small amount of awe. When we arrived, we were a family with a toddler. We had hopes of a better career opportunity for Andy. I was recovering from the most painful of the 4 abdominal surgeries I'd had in just over 2 years. Never in our wildest dreams could we have anticipated we'd be where we are now. I can't seem to break the habit I formed when I was a kid of stopping in the middle of an adventure and exclaiming "Look how far we've come!" Isn't it fun? I'm pretty proud of us. And looking forward to the future!

On that happy note, I'd like to pass on this excellent clip Danielle shared with me:

Returned from Down Under

I am officially bakc from my combination work and pleasure trip down under. Though I got back on the 3rd, my bag didn't get back until the 5th. Alas, the wonders of modern travel.

I had a great time with the multiple portions of the trip including business and pleasure in Sydney and then just plain old fun in Auckland.

If you're interested, picture are here.