Like father, like son

I don't like to admit this, but my husband owns (sigh)...fake dog poop. Yeah, I know you weren't expecting that, but he doesn't just own it. He uses it. Over Memorial Day Weekend it traveled with us to New York with a group from our church (sorry Kim). He likes to pull it out every once and a while for a few giggles. I refuse to touch it.

Recently this pile of plastic poo has been sitting idly on top of Matt's dresser. I don't know why he hasn't put it away. It keeps getting shuffled around until it's perched onto top of everything, right where anyone can see it. Great.

Early this morning my cats were completely spastic. I don't know what they got into, but they were chasing each other over and around me and Matt (we can't shut the bedroom door - long story, for another day). We heard them knocking things down in the living room. It was chaos. We went back to sleep.

My alarm went off at 8:00 am and I took my traditional stroll to the potty. The cats, of course, stood waiting outside the bedroom door, their tails high as they anticipated a big treat for their madness. I considered it...until I saw the rug. Matt's dog poop. The culprit? Bucket (that's the cat's name...I know, it's weird. Matt picked it...ask him).

Apparently Matt's discovered that his boy Bucket likes to carry the poop around in his mouth. Instead of hiding the toy, Matt left it out to see what would happen. We discovered this morning: the cats think it's a hockey puck.

As of 6:30 pm today that poop is still on the floor (I told you...I won't touch it). Matt thinks it's hysterical that the cats play with it. Bucket thinks its great to have such a big hockey puck. Midgie's just hoping I'll give her another treat. And I...kicked it behind the door so I don't have to look at it anymore.

Save a Penny...and a Shoe

I rarely wear out my sneakers. I buy a pair, wear them, but then, after a few months, my feet start to hurt, and my legs start to hurt. I realize the shoes don't fit as comfortably as they once did, but they still LOOK fine. I usually end up wearing the shoes a few months longer then I should...and suffering the aching feet.

The big problem here is that I'm just CHEAP. I'm a good sale shopper, but sometimes it's hard to find a good pair of shoes, the kind that fit just right, that fit into my budget. Now my budget is pretty low. I don't hesitate to buy shoes $30 or less...$40 and I double check with my husband...$50 or more and I just haven't been able to do it. The problem I've run into recently is that everything within my budget looks great, they just feel awful. And the good fitting ones? Of course, they cost too much. What's a girl to do??

Change it up.

That's right...I changed the insoles. For just over $20 I bought two pairs of shoe insoles (one athletic, one regular) for my jogging and walking shoes. I ripped out the old insoles (which were about 1/8" thick) and slid in my new, foamy, gel-ly, squishy insoles. The results?

Oh My Gosh!! It's like having two new pair of shoes!! My feet don't hurt. My legs don't ache. My back feels SOOO much better! This is just amazing!

So go ahead and save yourself a few bucks and KEEP your favorite walking shoes for a few more months. Just get yourself an insole...and spend your savings on a cute pair of sandals :)

i bee-LEAVE in fairy tales!

Is there a little girl out there who didn't dream of happily ever after, the castle and wonderful, magical beings? Okay, fine, maybe a couple, but NOT me! I will embrace the fairytale for all of my life!! And now, in Italy, a wonderful discovery: a unicorn! It's not as pretty as I imagined, but it still exists :)

2008 Stanley Cup Champions!!!

They did it!! The Wings won! This is their 4th cup in 11 years :) I've seen each victory, each cup raise, and it's never been as annoying as it was this year! Regardless, they did it :) Here are the boys -


See that guy on the far left? That's Juri Hudler. I'm starting a petition to have him beaten with his own stick. Then we'll give him a nice 12" stick to use next season - KEEP THAT STICK DOWN HUDLER! Geez.


And here they are :) There's Ozzie...very bottom, 2nd from the left, right next to Darren McCarty (who has won four cups now). It was a good night.

A Family of Converts

So, when I got married I adopted a lot of habits from my new family. First, I'm no longer cranky about having absolute plans. They're pretty laid back about family time...I'm getting better. I also appreciate family history more. I tend to just get rid of "junk", but my mother-in-law takes a fine-toothed comb to her family's belongs, just to make sure nothing of value gets tossed. I'm making a effort to check with Matt about the historical value of items before I get rid of them (NOTE: if an item has merely sentimental value but no 'historical' value, I take a picture and then chuck it). And then, of course, I took their name. They've given me a lot...now it's my turn.

The Detroit Red Wings have made it through the NHL playoffs to the Stanley Cup Finals. Since I don't have TV reception, the in-laws are kind enough to let me come over and watch the games. My mother-in-law isn't much of a sports fan. Sure, she endures it while her husband watches, but she is pretty indifferent. Not anymore :)

For Game 1 of the S.C.F. I was out of town, so I couldn't drive over to watch. My father-in-law was called out late that night to work, so m-i-l was all alone. Just to make an effort, she flipped on the game to see what was happening. She watched the WHOLE game...ALONE!! I was so proud that I brought my extra jersey to the house for her to wear for the rest of the series.

Since then, m-i-l has not only watched every game, but when I wanted to watch the Wings and her hubby wanted to watch the Pistons, she adamantly declared, "No way! We're watching hockey tonight!" I was so proud :)

And so here are some play-off pictures from the Beery home. Not only have I introduced m-i-l to the wonderful world of hockey, but the family dog, Lady, got sucked in too. She even dressed for the occasion!

This is Lady watching the game.

This is Lady's close up...


And this is a photo of two generations of Beery women, Karin & Karen (yep...that's my m-i-l's name too!). It's been a great series (except for the triple overtime loss...don't even get me started).

A Thing of Beauty

So my sister posts adorable pictures, like this...


I don't have kids, other than my cats, so I can't post anything as adorable. I do, however, have photos of one of the most beautiful sights of my married life thus far:

Ta da!


Matt likes to say that it's not just a dishwasher...its the quickest form of marriage counseling out there :) I also took a picture of all of the dishes I'll never wash by hand again. Ahh...