Thursday, May 31, 2007

I look JUST like Bekah!

And this is what happens when you have a teenaged sister who thinks every picture taking ordeal is a photo op for "MySpace":


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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Memorial Day Weekend part 2

Saturday I had breakfast in Laguna with cousins Billie & Bruce and then I headed off to Riverside with about 1 million of my closest friends. It took me 2 hours to get there. If I didn't have visions of my Jake and Paul sitting at the door step waiting for me with baited breath I would have turned around and went home.

When I got there Paul was dressed and ready to go. No matter that his shirt was buttoned cockeyed and I suspect he slept in his pants...he was ready to go! Jake was running around in his underwear and boy was he proud of said underwear. They were blue jockey shorts, "jus' like Pauls!"

I got Paul's shirt buttoned properly, got Jake dressed and we headed off to the mall for the fun filled day of playing dress up and getting turned down for everything you ask for. It slays me that they like this game. Most boys don't like to play dress up but apparently I've taught them well. So with out any further ado...here is Paul in the outfit he picked out:


This is the happiest picture I've seen of Paul in a long time. He struck a careless pose and wasn't able to think about giving me a camera smile. He looked so handsome in this shirt that I would have loved to have bought it for him but alas...I don't spend $50.00 on shirts for myself...thus I am not spending $50.00 on a shirt for him when I know he'd be just as happy with a Slurpy.

Jake was a total weenie during Paul's fashion show. Of course Paul didn't want Jake or me in his "hotel", (dressing room), so there was a lot of loud talking through the door. I have not been able to explain to Paul that stores do not like for people to photograph their merchandise prior to purchase. I don't know how many times I had to try to shush Paul when he was saying in his booming voice, "HEY AUNTIE, COME IN HERE AND TAKE ANOTHER PICTURE OF ME!" I guess I should be happy that he never said, "Hey Auntie, come in here and take a picture of me in my underwear!"

After Paul's fashion show we moved on to the little boys section. I wrangled both of them in to the dressing room. I was weary of letting everyone in the store know what we were doing thanks to Foghorn Leghorn, uh, er, Paul's booming voice. Did I say Paul? I should have said "Trigger". For some reason Paul had morphed in to a neighing horse and was galloping around the dressing room. For anyone who doesn't know Paul personally...he is 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. Nothing like having a handicapped Clydesdale in the dressing room with you. Jake thought this was great fun and I almost aborted our dress up game, but after seeing this next picture you will be glad that I didn't. Ladies and gents, (like I have even one "gent" reading this blog...) I present to you the cutest 3 year old in the entire creation of all man kind:

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Memorial Day Weekend part 1

On Friday I was released from work early. Imagine my shock and amazement when I got home and found Andrew asleep on my couch. It only took me a second to figure out that he had been sleeping at my house this week and leaving before I got home every night.

Friday night I met cousins Billie and Bruce in Laguna. They had a beautiful suite at the Holiday Inn on Pacific Coast Highway and it had an ocean view. It was kind of overcast and chilly, but it is my opinion that there is never a bad day at the beach. None of us knew where we wanted to eat dinner so we decided to just walk down PCH and stop at the first place that struck our fancy. There was a sushi restaurant right next door to the Holiday Inn but it was totally packed with 20 somethings. I didn't care to stand in line and I really don't care to look like the oldest person in a restaurant.

As it was really starting to get cold outside, Bruce went and got the truck so we didn't have to suffer from frost bite in our quest for dinner. I said that I'd heard many great things about Las Brisas so we pointed the truck in the direction of Las Brisas. I didn't know exactly where it was but I knew I'd passed it on the way to the hotel. Billie said she could see the sign for the restaurant and I was impressed. I couldn't see the sign let alone read the letters on the sign. We all agreed that she had excellent eyesight. When we pulled in to the parking lot we saw the valet parking price posted on a board on the driveway. The board said, "$3.00 min." As we were getting out of the truck Bille said, right out loud in front of God and everyone..."Are you serious? Is it really $3.00 A MINUTE to park here?" I tried to answer her question quickly and I hoped that no one else heard her but alas, Bruce and the valet heard her. We all, including Billie, had a great laugh at her expense. We teased her that we'd better hurry up and get in there and eat or the cost of parking would out weigh the cost of our dinner.

One of the reasons I wanted to eat at Las Brisas was that I had been told that it had a beautiful ocean view. Once inside we were told that we could sit where ever we wanted so Billie and I went off to find a table with a view. I found a nice table right next to a full wall of windows. This would have been a nice coup if it wasn't already dusk. By the time we sat down it was so dark that all we could see when looking at the window was our very own reflection.

I was very happy about the idea of eating Mexican food so imagine my shock when I opened the menu and saw 1. that the restaurant was under the leadership of Executive General Manager Fouad Ziady.
2. There was not a taco or burrito on the menu.
3. There was, however, fish in every shape and form possible.
Fish is gross. Shell fish is even more gross. Soft shell? Gross. Hard shell? Gross. What does my comadre order?
Pasta de Mariscos
Prawns, large scallops, crab, green mussels and salmon sautéed with spicy tomato sauce, angel hair pasta and vegetables.

I ordered a vegetable pasta dish and I was certain that my dinner was much better than Billie's. However she seemed to be pretty happy eating her seafood surprise.

For desert we shared chocolate mousse that came in an almond crisp shell. It. Was. Stellar. Fortunately we left the restaurant and none of us had stab marks in our hand from stabbing each other in order to get more mousse.

In all it was a lovely restaurant and I would highly recommend going under these circumstances:
1. It is day light and you can see the ocean.
2. You have a lot of money to pay for the 3.00 per minute parking. (!)
3. You like seafood.

More tomorrow...with pictures. Prepare yourself for the ultimate in cuteness.

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Thursday, May 24, 2007

Round Two

Andrew has been working at the house. I have been sounding like a broken record telling him to be diligent about making sure the doors and windows are always closed, the windows with screens are ok to be open, obviously. When I came home from work yesterday all of the windows and screens were off of the frames and the doors were wide open. I was relieved to see that the kitties were locked safely in my bedroom. As the evening progressed I asked Andrew to put the windows back in because it was getting cold and I wanted to let the kitties out. He put them back in, I let the kitties out and all was well. I went and got us dinner and we sat down and ate it. Andrew got up and went outside and I thought he was out having a smoke. I watched tv for a little while and then put myself to bed at 10:00, thinking Andrew would return and resume work since he had left several flood lights on in the house and in the back yard and in the wide opened shed.

When I got up this morning all of the lights were still on, Andrew was no where to be seen and Ashleigh and Lorenzo were gone. Andrew had left one of the windows cracked no more than 2 inches and those weasels managed to get out. I went out, dressed in my pajamas, hair sticking up on end, to look for them. Ashleigh, who was my happy wanderer last time, was right beside my house under my car. I pulled her out from under the car and threw her in to the house. She was not happy at having been pulled out from under the car and she was even less happy to be going back inside the house.

For the next hour and a half I searched the park for Lorenzo. A neighbor , who I've never even seen before, from one street over had seen and heard him but when she started to walk toward him her cat intercepted and scared Lorenzo away. She helped me look and we had a couple of other residents tell us that they had seen him. One lady said she saw him on a neighboring porch just sitting there like he belonged there, but when she went to go see why he was yowling ...he ran away. This lady lives in the far back of the park so apparently my little boy has discovered his wanderlust.

I decided to back home and put some shoes on and when I got to my street ...I saw...way down at the other end...a very large...Lorenzo. I went running toward him and he came running toward me but he kept stopping every couple of feet to arch his back and hop. He was obviously scared out of his wits. Hit tail was larger than a bottle brush. I picked him up and he climbed up to my shoulder and tried to perch there by digging his claws in to my head. His feet were covered in mud and then so was I. When I got close to the house he started growling and yowling and tried to jump off of my shoulder. I put a kung fu grip on him and managed to keep him under control long enough to get him in to the house.

Both of them are covered in mud, stickers and fleas but I didn't have time to stop and groom them. I grazed over a pair of pants with the iron, brushed my teeth and jumped in the car and headed off to work. I was only a couple of minutes late which was a relief because I thought I was going to be out all day searching for lost kitty cats.

So, all's well that ends well but I still think I'm going to throttle Andrew the next time I see him.

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Monday, May 21, 2007

I've been tagged!!!

This is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in weeks! I've actually been tagged to participate in a meme by one of my internet friends! "Big fat hairy deal!", you say? Well, yes it is. I have been a blog stalker for a little over a year. I leave comments on my favorite blogs and while I want to feel like I'm participating in a conversation...my comments pretty much get lost in the crowd. Like I'm talking to a wall. Then I found Staci at http://www.verypink.com/. She is very funny, she is fun, she writes me back every time I leave a comment and she doesn't hold it against me that I want to see a dog picture in every one of her entries. She and her significant other, Chris, have 4 basengis and I've come to be very fond of Gus, Ike, Lou and Abe. Staci is also an amazing knitter and she (almost) inspires me to want to learn how to read a pattern.She is my very first internet/blog friend and I'm very happy to participate in the meme. Anyone who is reading my post...please drop by verypink and start reading about Staci and her boys. Let her know I sent you.

So without any further fanfare I will participate in my first official tag.

The Rules: Each person tagged gives seven random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs seven facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.

1. I just got a haircut and I think I now bare a sad resemblance to Little Lord Fauntleroy.

2. I tivo "That 70's Show".

3. I love to hear my 3 years old nephew refer to swim wear as a "bathing soup", so I prod him to do it over and over until he gets irritated with me and walks way.

4. I love kitty feet:


5. One of these days I hope to be able to fill my house with house plants. And I don't mean just a couple of hanging ferns...I want my house to be like a rain forest with trees and palms and flowers.

6. This guy makes my heart pound:

(Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith. I took this picture a couple of years ago and I can't find the bigger version. Sorry!)


7. I will make an 80 mile round trip for ice cream if this is what is waiting for me when I get there.

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Thursday, May 17, 2007

Boy in a Bubble

There are very few times in life when things line up just perfectly for me. Usually if I want things to turn out my way I really have to work at it, and even then I'm not always successful. So it is really a gift when I do something completely whilly nilly and it works out. Behold; my picture of Jake, the whirling dirvish, with his face perfectly outlined in a bubble, while he rides his Little Wheel around the patio like a bat out of hell. I was snapping pictures as fast as I could in an effort to just get a shot of him looking up and I got this gift instead.

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Monday, May 14, 2007

Eureka! I've found it!

(Cue touching back ground music)
I saw it for the first time over 20 years ago and it was so precious that it made me cry. You've seen one, you seen them all, right? NOT. EVEN. This one was special. It was the first one for my entire family. The first time we saw it we were hooked and we wanted more. We asked for more, we demanded more, we pleaded for more. I saw it on many occasions way back in the 80's and I just took for granted that I would be able to see it when ever I wanted, unfortunately the more I asked to see it, the less of it I got to see. (cue music from spaghetti westen movies...that one little jingle you hear when there's going to be a gun fight but you can't see anyone and there is a tumble weed rolling around in the back ground..) It would make an occasional appearance if allowed to emerge on it's own terms. If you acknowledged it ....it would scamper off and disappear for months at a time. You had to just be around at exactly the right time and then you had to be very cool around it or it would vanish in an instant. If you would bring out a camera then it was certain to retreat but somehow I got lucky this time. I caught it off guard and lo and behold here it is in living color for all of the world to see. Ladies and Gentlemen of my blog, I am proud as I can possibly be to present to you an actual, un-retouched, photograh of something so rare that there are people around who have never seen it....ANDREW PENDELL'S SMILE! (cue fireworks and the piccolo solo from Stars and Stripes Forever...)

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Thursday, May 10, 2007

Question:


Is this a DVR or a kitten warmer?

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I am SOOO easily amused...

As long as I can remember I have always been intrigued and amused when I see houses painted odd colors. I always wonder if that color was chosen on purpose or if it didn't turn out quite the way it looked on the paint chip or if it looked good when it was wet and took a turn for the worse when it dried. While those are all viable explanations I have come up with what has to be the only logical reason as to why people paint their houses odd colors: Free paint.




The chocolate brown beauty is my mother's across the street neighbor. Odelay! Viva Puente!

This is just the first in the series as I intend to continue to take pictures of houses that are painted in colors one would usually only find in a crayola box. If this series doesn't amuse you as much as the Lorenzo & Ashleigh entries...maybe I can try to get them to pose in front of the houses next time I take a drive by picture.

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Tuesday, May 08, 2007

NEENER, NEENER!

HEY, ASHEY...I HAVE BLUE EYES JUST LIKE MAMA AND YOU-U-U-U DOE-O-O-ON'T.

MAMA!!! LORENZO IS STICKING HIS TONGUE OUT AT ME!!!!

TAKE IT BACK LOREN-ZO!

I WILL NOT TAKE IT BACK ASH-LEIGH!

ASH-EY!! I'M GOING TO BLOW RASPBERRIES ON YOUR STUPID GREY BELLY!

HIDING BEHIND A SEE THROUGH CURTAIN IS NOT GOING TO HELP YOU, DORK-LEIGH!

THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK RENZO-HEAD. YOU CAN'T SEE ME!

I'M GOING TO BITE YOUR TAIL OFF AND WEAR IT AS A STOLE.

(Voice from the next room...) Don't make me come in there! And my curtains had better not be snagged!

DON'T WORRY MAMA, WE'RE BEING GOOD. LORENZOLETGOOFMYTAILRIGHTNOW!


I'M BEING A GOOD BOY, MAMA, JUST LIKE ALWAYS...

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Friday, May 04, 2007

From Ashleigh

Dear Nana,
I am writing to you today to tattle on Mama. She. Is. Mean. Ever since she got us the pink stroller she has been taking us outside for a walk. I really like it outside. Yesterday when she got home from work, (whatever THAT is..she's always talking about it like it's something important.), she opened the door and she fell in to my booby trap! I knocked the box that our stroller came in on to the floor length wise between the coffee table and the door so she could only open the door just a little bit. While she was trying to figure out why the door wasn't opening I darted out the door! Whaaa Hoo! I kicked up my heels and ran! Mama was right behind me but it sucks to be her because I went right underneath the car that is parked across the street. I ran toward the front end of the car and Mama would go that direction, too. As soon as she was near me I would laugh in her face and run in the opposite direction. I would get really close to the edge of the car and Mama would try to grab me or my tail...but I am just like Quick Carl...Idoeverythingfast! (remember Quick Carl from the candy bar commercials in the 70's? Me neither, but Mama is always talking about him, too.) Anyway...we played this game for about 10 minutes and then I just ran back home. Mama was iratatated but she was so happy that I went back home that she didn't scold me or anything. Then this morning I was up bright and early. Lorenzo and I like to sit on Mama's alarm clock and push the button that turns the music off. It helps Mama to sleep longer, but is she happy about this? No. She gets all mad and runs around like a maniac telling us that she's going to be late. We don't understand the fuss. We try to make Mama laugh by sitting with our butt on the radio and our front feet on the night stand, but she still gets all cranky when we try to let her get more sleep. Lorenzo and I help Mama pick out and iron her clothes every morning. I always try to suggest a nice outfit by leaping from the bed on to her clothes that are hanging in the closet but she never goes with what I've picked. Most mornings I try to get her to wear the expensive gown that she bought to wear in London but she just won't do it. While I was doing this Lorenzo was doing his part by warming up the ironing board. He likes to streeeetch out as long as he can in an effort to fuzz up as much of the ironing board as possible. When we were done picking an outfit Mama made Renzo get off of the ironing board and then she started teasing me with the big noisy lint brush that she uses on the ironing board and the couch. I always have to sneak up on Mama and quick as I can...swat and swat at it 8 or 10 times in a row...I usually make contact with it and then Mama has to put it down. Sometimes I miss and I scratch Mama but that is just a risk she has to take. She knows that is what happens when she uses the big brush...so she must want me to do it or she would stop. Right?

Mama ironed her clothes and Lorenzo made sure they stayed on the ironing board by laying on them. He loves the feeling of freshly ironed clothes in the morning. After she got dressed Mama went in to the room with all the water and she brushed her hair. Lorenzo usually helps with this but he was too busy taking care of the clothes on the ironing board. Mama brushed her teeth and it was amazing....she could do this all by herself without assistance from Lorenzo. My Mama is growing up...sigh.

After Mama got dressed, Lorenzo went screaming in to the living room. He thinks if he asks enough Mama will give him canned food in the morning. This has never worked for him but he tries it every day. As Mama gathered up her stuff and went towards the front door Lorenzo yowled real loud and distracted Mama just for a second and...IRANRIGHTOUTTHEDOOR!!!! Whaaa hooo! I've always tried to run out when Mama was leaving in the morning but I've never been able to do it. This morning Mama had a kinds of stuff in her hands and good ol' 'Renzo was on my side and I MADE IT OUTSIDE. Mama came running after me and left all of her stuff in the middle of the street. She called my name a couple of times but it's hard to hear when you hear the sound of the wild calling your name. I ran underneath my favorite car across the street and just as Mama was approaching I RAN SO FAST back to our front door. Mama followed me up the steps and opened the door and I turned around and took off just like a pony and Lorenzo was outside trying to run with me. He just doesn't have game because Mama was able to pick him up and throw him back in the house while I was rollin', rollin, rollin. I changed my stride and started hopping like a frog when I hit some wet grass that I wasn't expecting. After a couple of leaps I couldn't get any wetter so there was no sense in continuing to hop so I just ran and ran. The whole time Mama was behind me running, too. I was saying, "Whaaaa Hoooo!", and Mama was saying, "ASHLEIGH!!! Get back here! I don't have time for this. ASHLEIGH!!" I was living large almost an entire block away from home and then I heard a loud noise that scared me so I turned around and ran straight back home. Mama came right up behind me and grabbed me by the back of my neck, (That is not how you hold a princess I might add), and then she shook me and said "NO!" real loud and then she spanked my bottom and threw me in to the house. The minute she opened the door to throw me in, Lorenzo hopped right outside. I tried to tell him to make a run for it but he can't hear me so he just rolled in the dirt and got all dirty. Mama picked him up and he squirmed all over her. How else was he going to get all the dirty dirt of of his lovely white coat? Well, he got a smack on the bottom, too. Mama went in to her room and changed her clothes and didn't even let us help select her new outfit.

You need to tell Mama that us little innocent kitties do not deserved to be spanked. It's not like we pooped on her shoe or something. Jeez. She shook me AND spanked me. It was brutal.

Ok, I have to go. I have a hole in the screen that I've been working on. It ain't gonna get big enough to climb out of by itself, ya know.

Love,
Baby Ashey
Of Innocence

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Tuesday, May 01, 2007

To Nana from Ashey and Renzo

Dear Nana,
Yesterday Mama brought home a brand new toy for us. It is big. It is pink. It has wheels. It has a cup holder. It's a KITTY STROLLER! It's official. Mama is truly a Crazy Cat Lady in good standing.

Ok Renzo, stop jabbering...tell Nana to look at the picture of me standing on top of the stroller. I look just like Rin Tin Tin.



Now that your finished looking at Rin Tin Ashtin...look at me... I know where you are supposed to sit.

You think you are so smart. Ohh, look I can see my tail up on the right side of the picture. I have the prettiest tail in all the land....



Mom took us for a long walk after we helped her put the stroller together. I sat on Mama's back while Ash ran across the room with the directions in her mouth. I knew Mama was getting stressed and I tried to calm her down by biting her head but I don't think it worked. When the stroller was all put together I jumped right in. I'm always looking for a new place to shed. Ashey didn't want to get in at first but Mama got her in and zipped it up real fast so she couldn't get out.

Yeah, and then Mama just about killed all of us trying to get the stroller down the steps. I almost had to scratch her.

We went all over the park and we got to feel the wind in our whiskers. We could smell what everyone was cooking for dinner and we held our noses real high in the air so we could really get a good whiff.

I got a good whiff alright and it wasn't anyone cooking dinner....

ASH-EY! SHUT. UP. You know what happens when Mama makes me eat that expensive canned kitten food...It's not my fault. MAMA, make her stop.

Renzo is a stinky butt! Renzo is a stinky butt! Renzo is

ALRIGHT YOU TWO! KNOCK IT OFF OR YOU WON'T GET TO RIDE IN THE STROLLER AGAIN!

Thanks a lot, ASHEY!

You're welcome, Stinky Butt.


(She'll never find me here in my new super secret hiding spot under the stroller...)


Love,
Ashleigh & Lorenzo

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