I suck at title writing, too, because even tho I do suck at blogging, that is not what this particular blog is about. Tho I will toss in that I've embraced sucking at blogging, and have decided I will only blog when something really major or really fun happens.
Well, now that you're fully informed on how comfortable with I am with my inadequacies, here's what this post is REALLY about!
I started a Facebook Fanpage! Yay! If you don't already like me (just like, no real commitment involved. honest) I'd love it if you joined me at Laurel's Zoo on Facebook, and if you already like me...THANK YOU!
But that's only what it's about in a tangential way, what this is REALLY about is I had a contest! I said I'd draw a name at random from the 'likers' when they reached 100, and that lucky person would get a $25 gift certificate for items from Laurel's Zoo! Rah! Yay! (insert tossed confetti here)
But life got the best of me, and we hit about 135 people before I got a grip on the situation. Trying to be fair I waited until we got to 200 people, and made ready to pick TWO names for $25 gift certificates! Rah! Yay! (more confetti)
So...I assigned each name a number, then used the help of random.org to pick two random numbers. Random person number on was: Jamie L Castro! Rah! Yay! (pelting Jamie with confetti) Many congratulations! Yay!
Random person number two was: my husband. *koff* Seriously? Who let him join my page? Well...forget that! (wadding number and tossing it on the floor with confetti)
Random person number three was: my eldest son. Oh Come On!! What's the freaking chance of that happening? I pick three people out of 200 and two of them I'm related to? Random.org, what is wrong with you? *huff* (ripping number in tiny bits and tossing on floor. blends right in with the confetti)
Random person number four was: wait for it...I have many more relatives.... Stephanie M. Lay! I don't know her from Adam! Rah! Yay! Of course, I hope to get to know her much better, cuz she is the second winner of a $25 gift certificate! Woot Woot! (redundant amounts of confetti)
Thank you all my likers, and I hope to do this again soon...but maybe not until I hit 1000! Gotta water down that relative factor.....
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Dear William the Pig,
If you would stand out in the grass to get your bath instead of standing on the ramp trying to ram your way back into the house, the ramp will not be all slippery with soap. I will then have no reason to laugh very hard at you while you try to run into the house, but can't...cuz you keep slipping down the soapy ramp.
Also, my laughter is what brought your daddy to the back door so he could valiantly shove your rear end up the ramp until you made it into the house....so I was really helping by laughing.
Besides...I gave you two freaking treats after you got inside...so STOP GRUMPING AT ME!
Thank you.
If you would stand out in the grass to get your bath instead of standing on the ramp trying to ram your way back into the house, the ramp will not be all slippery with soap. I will then have no reason to laugh very hard at you while you try to run into the house, but can't...cuz you keep slipping down the soapy ramp.
Also, my laughter is what brought your daddy to the back door so he could valiantly shove your rear end up the ramp until you made it into the house....so I was really helping by laughing.
Besides...I gave you two freaking treats after you got inside...so STOP GRUMPING AT ME!
Thank you.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Puppet GiveAway!
I love twitter contests...So I've decided to have one! I'll try to keep it simple and fun. :)I'm going to give away not one....not two...but THREE Little Kid Hand Puppets! Not only do you get THREE of them, but YOU GET TO PICK which ones you want! How can you go wrong? Yay!
Go to LaurelsZoo and check out the adorable little puppets made to fit a child's hand. Pick out your favorite, then twitter the following:
I wanna win 3 puppets from @LaurelsZoo! This one is my favorite! *insert link to your favorite puppet here* Get more info at http://bit.ly/z4aPH
497th tweet gets them, no more than one tweet an hour please. :) You can play with the wording, just make sure your tweet includes @LaurelsZoo, a link to your favorite puppet, and a link back to this blog.
And hey...if you see some puppets you really, REALLY like, and don't want to wait until the contest is over to get them (Xmas is getting CLOSE!) get them, but keep tweeting! If you win the contest I'll give you a refund for three previously purchased kiddie puppets, shipping included!
Thanks for reading this, thanks for playing, and let's All Have Fun! :D
Go to LaurelsZoo and check out the adorable little puppets made to fit a child's hand. Pick out your favorite, then twitter the following:
I wanna win 3 puppets from @LaurelsZoo! This one is my favorite! *insert link to your favorite puppet here* Get more info at http://bit.ly/z4aPH
497th tweet gets them, no more than one tweet an hour please. :) You can play with the wording, just make sure your tweet includes @LaurelsZoo, a link to your favorite puppet, and a link back to this blog.
And hey...if you see some puppets you really, REALLY like, and don't want to wait until the contest is over to get them (Xmas is getting CLOSE!) get them, but keep tweeting! If you win the contest I'll give you a refund for three previously purchased kiddie puppets, shipping included!
Thanks for reading this, thanks for playing, and let's All Have Fun! :D
Sunday, August 9, 2009
What is Your Working Style?
They say opposites attract, which has often caused me to comment that my husband and I must have slammed together at VERY high speed. One of our biggest areas of difference is in auto repair.
I must state, right off the top, that I know nothing about cars. I once tried to fix a fused ignition by hammering the key in. I must also state, right off the top, that my husband also sucks at auto repair. He once caught an engine on fire while trying to change the spark plugs. It had to be put out with a fire extinguisher.
Note: Every time I tell that story he rolls his eyes and says "I don't know why you keep making such a big deal out of that. It was a very small engine fire."
However, I have a friend who once replied to the question "what shape are your tires in?" with....wait for it......"round." We both, therefore, feel highly qualified to open a hood when standing next to our peers.
Retract that. *I* feel highly qualified to open the hood. My husband feels highly qualified to read the owners manual, do several hours of research on the internet, and ponder each and every possibility and outcome along the way. Our auto repair sessions often go like this:
Hubby: The car's not running! Where did I leave the manual....
Wifey: I just checked under the hood...there's a wire type thingee that's loose, but it looks like it would fit in this plug type thingee. Think that might be it?
Hubby: *sarcasm* I'll look wire type thingee up in the manual just as soon as I find it.
Four Hours Later....
Hubby: I have read the manual and researched the internet. We need to put the key in the ignition and see if any lights come on. Then I'll need this special tool to check the various currents running through various wires, systems, and local neighborhoods. No sense even getting started without that tool. I'll go research sources and prices.
15 Minutes Later:
Wifey: Here's the tool you needed.
Hubby: How did you get it?
Wifey: I bought it at the local auto store.
Hubby: You walked there and back that fast?
Wifey: I drove. The car ran great once I put the wire thingee back in the plug type thingee.
Then, of course, I don't get sex for a week. That's fine, cuz my car runs fine, and I can drive somewhere else to get it. :P
My point being (OMG! SHE HAS A POINT?) different people have different work styles. Some people like to dedicate a certain amount of time a day to a project, some people like to do marathon stretches, then step away for long periods. Some people, like my mother, like to put off filling out their taxes for 6 years, then bring two grocery bags full of receipts to their daughter's house and say "Think we can get done by 5pm? The post office closes then, and I really need the money."
My personal style is to dive in feet first (cuz head first is just silly!) and see what happens. I've come up with some very interesting stuff this way. I've also come up with a lot of crap...but it was highly interesting crap!
Oh...except for the ceasar salad dressing. That was not highly interesting crap. I knew it had eggs in it....I had no idea they had to be RAW! That was several salads not worth eating, let me tell you....
Anyways, whatever your style is...that's great, as long as it works for you. My biggest complaint with my husband's style is that it doesn't work for him. He's all research, and never gets anything done. He has things he wants to do and wants to try, but he doesn't think he knows enough about them to give it a go yet. This makes me sad. I think he would have so much enjoyment mucking something up, and figuring it out along the way.
He, of course, would argue that he progresses just fine, thank you. Just not on the projects *I* might be interested in. His project of turning an old dishwasher into a composter is moving along fine. It's in its second year, and the dishwasher now has two gears on its sides, upon which it will eventually turn.
My bike, which mysteriously had two gears missing, is now repaired after a short 6 months.
Yup yup...we slammed together. :)
I must state, right off the top, that I know nothing about cars. I once tried to fix a fused ignition by hammering the key in. I must also state, right off the top, that my husband also sucks at auto repair. He once caught an engine on fire while trying to change the spark plugs. It had to be put out with a fire extinguisher.
Note: Every time I tell that story he rolls his eyes and says "I don't know why you keep making such a big deal out of that. It was a very small engine fire."
However, I have a friend who once replied to the question "what shape are your tires in?" with....wait for it......"round." We both, therefore, feel highly qualified to open a hood when standing next to our peers.
Retract that. *I* feel highly qualified to open the hood. My husband feels highly qualified to read the owners manual, do several hours of research on the internet, and ponder each and every possibility and outcome along the way. Our auto repair sessions often go like this:
Hubby: The car's not running! Where did I leave the manual....
Wifey: I just checked under the hood...there's a wire type thingee that's loose, but it looks like it would fit in this plug type thingee. Think that might be it?
Hubby: *sarcasm* I'll look wire type thingee up in the manual just as soon as I find it.
Four Hours Later....
Hubby: I have read the manual and researched the internet. We need to put the key in the ignition and see if any lights come on. Then I'll need this special tool to check the various currents running through various wires, systems, and local neighborhoods. No sense even getting started without that tool. I'll go research sources and prices.
15 Minutes Later:
Wifey: Here's the tool you needed.
Hubby: How did you get it?
Wifey: I bought it at the local auto store.
Hubby: You walked there and back that fast?
Wifey: I drove. The car ran great once I put the wire thingee back in the plug type thingee.
Then, of course, I don't get sex for a week. That's fine, cuz my car runs fine, and I can drive somewhere else to get it. :P
My point being (OMG! SHE HAS A POINT?) different people have different work styles. Some people like to dedicate a certain amount of time a day to a project, some people like to do marathon stretches, then step away for long periods. Some people, like my mother, like to put off filling out their taxes for 6 years, then bring two grocery bags full of receipts to their daughter's house and say "Think we can get done by 5pm? The post office closes then, and I really need the money."
My personal style is to dive in feet first (cuz head first is just silly!) and see what happens. I've come up with some very interesting stuff this way. I've also come up with a lot of crap...but it was highly interesting crap!
Oh...except for the ceasar salad dressing. That was not highly interesting crap. I knew it had eggs in it....I had no idea they had to be RAW! That was several salads not worth eating, let me tell you....
Anyways, whatever your style is...that's great, as long as it works for you. My biggest complaint with my husband's style is that it doesn't work for him. He's all research, and never gets anything done. He has things he wants to do and wants to try, but he doesn't think he knows enough about them to give it a go yet. This makes me sad. I think he would have so much enjoyment mucking something up, and figuring it out along the way.
He, of course, would argue that he progresses just fine, thank you. Just not on the projects *I* might be interested in. His project of turning an old dishwasher into a composter is moving along fine. It's in its second year, and the dishwasher now has two gears on its sides, upon which it will eventually turn.
My bike, which mysteriously had two gears missing, is now repaired after a short 6 months.
Yup yup...we slammed together. :)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Pictures of the orphaned baby hedgehogs! I am pleased to say they are doing well and gaining weight. They aren't as fat and happy as they would be with mommy, but we're doing the best we can as mere non-prickly hoomans.
Well...hubby is kinda prickly....
I would like you to know that my husband allowed me to take these pictures at great sacrifice. It was MY turn to do the feedings, but I couldn't take pictures AND feed, so he took my shift, allowing me to get these shots. What a trooper!
Then again I take all the night shifts and top them off before I leave for work in the morning...so he can bite me. :)
And please pardon the coloring in some of the shots. My husband's tshirt was yellow, the blankies we wrapped them in were yellow, the kitchen was cream and yellow...it confused the poor camera. I think you can get the idea tho.
Without further ado...first baby getting fed...
Pardon hubby's mouth. *sigh*
This one is the messiest eater. :)
Baby number two's turn!
Eating from a dropper is hard, messy work!
Last but not least....Baby Three!
You have to fall in love with that face...you just have to!
Here's a pic of all three of them in hubby's hands, just to give you an idea of how tiny they are.
And here's a movie of them all jostling around, looking for the best spot to snooze. :)
But here's the most exciting part...later we caught them EATING SOLID FOOD! Yay!
We will keep giving them the formula until they are 6 weeks old, but any extra mouthful they get helps them that much more. Yay!
And there they are! :) Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Well...hubby is kinda prickly....
I would like you to know that my husband allowed me to take these pictures at great sacrifice. It was MY turn to do the feedings, but I couldn't take pictures AND feed, so he took my shift, allowing me to get these shots. What a trooper!
Then again I take all the night shifts and top them off before I leave for work in the morning...so he can bite me. :)
And please pardon the coloring in some of the shots. My husband's tshirt was yellow, the blankies we wrapped them in were yellow, the kitchen was cream and yellow...it confused the poor camera. I think you can get the idea tho.
Without further ado...first baby getting fed...
Pardon hubby's mouth. *sigh*
This one is the messiest eater. :)
Baby number two's turn!
Eating from a dropper is hard, messy work!
Last but not least....Baby Three!
You have to fall in love with that face...you just have to!
Here's a pic of all three of them in hubby's hands, just to give you an idea of how tiny they are.
And here's a movie of them all jostling around, looking for the best spot to snooze. :)But here's the most exciting part...later we caught them EATING SOLID FOOD! Yay!
We will keep giving them the formula until they are 6 weeks old, but any extra mouthful they get helps them that much more. Yay!
And there they are! :) Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Shopping Carts, Orphaned Baby Hedgehogs, and a Crazy Legged Frog!
So we stop by Aldi's on the way home from work because I need to restock on ice cream drum sticks...you know, the kind with fudge in the middle? Oh, yeah.....
/drool mode
So we stop by Aldi's, and they have the shopping carts you have to rent for a quarter. If you are kind enough to return the cart to the corral after shopping, you get your quarter back. Lo and behold, we get a cart with a quarter still in it! The last person hadn't taken it out of the coin slot. How nice for us! We get to shop free today! Drumsticks, breakfast sandwiches, and cheap strawberries...you are MINE!
When it's time to leave my husband asks if we should pocket the quarter, or pay it forward.
Me: Oh, pay it forward! We thought it was a nice thing to happen to us, so let's let someone else have the same experience.
Hubby: I agree!
Me: And if the next person decides to keep the quarter....MAY THEY BURN IN HELL!!
Hubby: What if it's a sweet little old lady who really needs the quarter?
Me: Then the quarter should be worth BURNING IN HELL for!
Moral of the story: I think my job is getting to me. :)
I could have possibly been stressed because I was up very late last night. Sadly, we found a momma hedgie had died, and left three little three week old babies behind. This is the first time we've ever had this happen. We've had mommies reject the babies, and fostered them to other moms or, on one memorable occasion when we didn't have another mom, to a lactating rat.
Note...the rat became a beloved member of our household. She was never named, but known for the rest of her life as momma rat. She use to love sitting on the pig's nose. Ah, the mind of a rat. :)
Anyways, I had to take these little babies away from their poor dead mommy, and I had no idea what to do with them. We ended up just giving them warm water to keep them hydrated until a store that sold kitten formula opened. Then I got to go to work while my hubby got to stay home and mix, warm, feed, and clean up kitten formula every two hours. So far the babies seem to be doing well, but we aren't! If a baby hedgie doesn't want to be fed it just curls up in a tight little ball, and all you can do is wait him/her out. They are sweet, tho, and very pretty colors. We'll hang in there and do our best with them.
How am I going to let these guys go after hand feeding them? I'll be too attached! Must not think that far ahead....must not think that far ahead....
On a happier note, I finally got a chance to make something that had been bouncing around in my head. Then he stared at me all night. Introducing...CRAZY LEGS FROG!!
Is that little guy nuts, or WHAT? :) So far he's one of a kind, but I do plan on making more, as well as other types. Crazy legs clown? Crazy legs kitten? I have no idea...I'd love suggestions. :)
He already sold, but his brothers, sisters, and cousing will be showing up soon at LaurelsZoo on Etsy...keep an eye out!
I'll try to post baby hedgie pics soon...when I get a break between feedings!
Laurel's Zoo on Etsy
Laurel's Zoo on ArtFire
Laurel's Zoo on 1000Markets
Laurel's Zoo!
/drool mode
So we stop by Aldi's, and they have the shopping carts you have to rent for a quarter. If you are kind enough to return the cart to the corral after shopping, you get your quarter back. Lo and behold, we get a cart with a quarter still in it! The last person hadn't taken it out of the coin slot. How nice for us! We get to shop free today! Drumsticks, breakfast sandwiches, and cheap strawberries...you are MINE!
When it's time to leave my husband asks if we should pocket the quarter, or pay it forward.
Me: Oh, pay it forward! We thought it was a nice thing to happen to us, so let's let someone else have the same experience.
Hubby: I agree!
Me: And if the next person decides to keep the quarter....MAY THEY BURN IN HELL!!
Hubby: What if it's a sweet little old lady who really needs the quarter?
Me: Then the quarter should be worth BURNING IN HELL for!
Moral of the story: I think my job is getting to me. :)
I could have possibly been stressed because I was up very late last night. Sadly, we found a momma hedgie had died, and left three little three week old babies behind. This is the first time we've ever had this happen. We've had mommies reject the babies, and fostered them to other moms or, on one memorable occasion when we didn't have another mom, to a lactating rat.
Note...the rat became a beloved member of our household. She was never named, but known for the rest of her life as momma rat. She use to love sitting on the pig's nose. Ah, the mind of a rat. :)
Anyways, I had to take these little babies away from their poor dead mommy, and I had no idea what to do with them. We ended up just giving them warm water to keep them hydrated until a store that sold kitten formula opened. Then I got to go to work while my hubby got to stay home and mix, warm, feed, and clean up kitten formula every two hours. So far the babies seem to be doing well, but we aren't! If a baby hedgie doesn't want to be fed it just curls up in a tight little ball, and all you can do is wait him/her out. They are sweet, tho, and very pretty colors. We'll hang in there and do our best with them.
How am I going to let these guys go after hand feeding them? I'll be too attached! Must not think that far ahead....must not think that far ahead....
On a happier note, I finally got a chance to make something that had been bouncing around in my head. Then he stared at me all night. Introducing...CRAZY LEGS FROG!!
Is that little guy nuts, or WHAT? :) So far he's one of a kind, but I do plan on making more, as well as other types. Crazy legs clown? Crazy legs kitten? I have no idea...I'd love suggestions. :)
He already sold, but his brothers, sisters, and cousing will be showing up soon at LaurelsZoo on Etsy...keep an eye out!
I'll try to post baby hedgie pics soon...when I get a break between feedings!
Laurel's Zoo on Etsy
Laurel's Zoo on ArtFire
Laurel's Zoo on 1000Markets
Laurel's Zoo!
Friday, June 5, 2009
William vs The Evil Air Conditioner
He lost.
We're not talking about a window unit here. We're talking about a full blown central air conditioning unit installed on the outside of the house. Still, William is 120lbs of full blown geriatric pig here. He should have been able to take it head on. Or at least not crawl under it and get stuck. Come on, William! Pigs are suppose to be smart!
It was a beautiful sunny day, which may be one reason he crawled under it. William is a pink pig, and pink pigs in the sun are like metal in the microwave: Lots of sparks and screaming. But we have trees. We have bushes. Why did you pick the shade under the air conditioning unit?
Did you choose it because there was lovely, cool dirt underneath it? Well...fooled you! That was not lovely dirt! That is where we dump the ashes from the BBQ pit to keep weeds down! Ha ha!
What bothers me the most, tho, is how my husband handled the situation. He heard the pig screaming, ran outside to see what was going on, and quickly assessed the situation as 'pig stuck under air condioner." What did he do then? He grabbed one of his legs and pulled him out.
No no NO!! How could he do that to me? You run inside, grab the video camera, and get at least 30 seconds of it BEFORE you pull him out! Have I taught you nothing in all those years of living with me? Don't give me that 'he was upset' speech. He's healthy, his heart can take 30 seconds of video!
Remember when William was a baby and got his head stuck in a popcorn bag? Remember how our youngest daughter ran and got her video camera before she saved him? I raised that child right. Remember when our youngest son fell asleep on the beach and woke up to find his sister had not only buried him, but given him ginormous boobs? Remember how he held still for pictures before leaping up to kill her? I raised that boy right. Those are movies and pictures I will treasure forever. But will I be able to treasure a video of Willy stuck under the air conditioner? No.
I've been robbed.
Okay, so Willy is a bit traumatized. He FINALLY went back outside, but refused to step off the ramp, much less go into the yard. I've tried to explain to him that the air conditioner is firmly attached to the house, but he ain't buying it. If he sets foot on grass it might get him again. This means Willy has not pottied in almost 24 hours. And since no outside means no food, he also didn't eat for almost 24 hours.
I did finally feed him. He kept following me around the house making noises like a clarinet with a broken reed, promising not to poo on the floor if I would just please feed him. I'm a sucker, I fell for it. It was just so heart wrenching, sitting there in the bathroom while he shot piteous pig squeaks under the bathroom door.
Yes, he can shoot pig squeaks under doors. He has to get on his knees so he can cram his nose right up against the bottom of the door, but he does it well. It's very amusing to watch from both sides.
Anyways...where was I? Oh yes! Ticked at husband!
Ah well, whatcha gonna do? The moment has passed. All we have to remind us of the event is a traumatized piggy, who is a deep shade of ash on one side. At least until we get him outside and give him a bath.
I'll be sure to get some video of that. :)
We're not talking about a window unit here. We're talking about a full blown central air conditioning unit installed on the outside of the house. Still, William is 120lbs of full blown geriatric pig here. He should have been able to take it head on. Or at least not crawl under it and get stuck. Come on, William! Pigs are suppose to be smart!
It was a beautiful sunny day, which may be one reason he crawled under it. William is a pink pig, and pink pigs in the sun are like metal in the microwave: Lots of sparks and screaming. But we have trees. We have bushes. Why did you pick the shade under the air conditioning unit?
Did you choose it because there was lovely, cool dirt underneath it? Well...fooled you! That was not lovely dirt! That is where we dump the ashes from the BBQ pit to keep weeds down! Ha ha!
What bothers me the most, tho, is how my husband handled the situation. He heard the pig screaming, ran outside to see what was going on, and quickly assessed the situation as 'pig stuck under air condioner." What did he do then? He grabbed one of his legs and pulled him out.
No no NO!! How could he do that to me? You run inside, grab the video camera, and get at least 30 seconds of it BEFORE you pull him out! Have I taught you nothing in all those years of living with me? Don't give me that 'he was upset' speech. He's healthy, his heart can take 30 seconds of video!
Remember when William was a baby and got his head stuck in a popcorn bag? Remember how our youngest daughter ran and got her video camera before she saved him? I raised that child right. Remember when our youngest son fell asleep on the beach and woke up to find his sister had not only buried him, but given him ginormous boobs? Remember how he held still for pictures before leaping up to kill her? I raised that boy right. Those are movies and pictures I will treasure forever. But will I be able to treasure a video of Willy stuck under the air conditioner? No.
I've been robbed.
Okay, so Willy is a bit traumatized. He FINALLY went back outside, but refused to step off the ramp, much less go into the yard. I've tried to explain to him that the air conditioner is firmly attached to the house, but he ain't buying it. If he sets foot on grass it might get him again. This means Willy has not pottied in almost 24 hours. And since no outside means no food, he also didn't eat for almost 24 hours.
I did finally feed him. He kept following me around the house making noises like a clarinet with a broken reed, promising not to poo on the floor if I would just please feed him. I'm a sucker, I fell for it. It was just so heart wrenching, sitting there in the bathroom while he shot piteous pig squeaks under the bathroom door.
Yes, he can shoot pig squeaks under doors. He has to get on his knees so he can cram his nose right up against the bottom of the door, but he does it well. It's very amusing to watch from both sides.
Anyways...where was I? Oh yes! Ticked at husband!
Ah well, whatcha gonna do? The moment has passed. All we have to remind us of the event is a traumatized piggy, who is a deep shade of ash on one side. At least until we get him outside and give him a bath.
I'll be sure to get some video of that. :)
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