the quest for a Christmas picture...

We set out to take a Christmas picture yesterday and below is a sampling of what we got after about 20 shots!


testing out the camera...


take 1


take 2


take 3


take 4

and the winner is...

goodbye old friend...

After putting 64,500 miles on her since February 2004, the Jeep is been officially been SOLD this afternoon thanks to the help of Craigslist!

Pictures of the new car (a 2005 Honda Pilot) are on the way! :)

SPAYcation all I really wanted, SPAYcation had to get away

So, Mabeldog is officaially "fixed"-- although, she was never broken... I digress.

She's been out of commission since last Tuesday, although she isn't acting like anything has changed! She isn't supposed to be allowed to "roam free, run, or walk up/downstairs" until next Tuesday... but when she bolts out the door and runs down to the creek it's kind of hard to stop her from doing those things. But what we can control, we do... so she hasn't been allowed to be in her pin outside, like she normally is, thus Mabel has been enjoying a little "SPAYcation" a term I coined this evening for her current state since she has been spayed and is on vacation to her inside pin.

Ok, I'll stop rambling since I have propbably become that crazy "Idon'thaveanykidsbutIhaveareallycutedogwannaseeapicturelady?"

Anyway, I thought you'd enjoy these pictures of our out of commission puppy!


pleasssssssssssse let me out?!?!?


sadest puppy ever


"SPAYcation"

SPAYcation
All I ever wanted
SPAYcation
Had to get away
SPAYcation
Meant to be spent alone
(adapted from the GO-GO's song "Vacation")


aww... this thing is so embarassing



huh?! speak louder, I can't hear you


OUCH. (cool scar though!)

Mabel update...

Mabel is doing GREAT! She's really a wonderful doggie and we're glad to have her. We try and take her to the Scotts Valley Dog Park often and even got to take her to the Dog Beach last weekend too... all she wants to do at those places is RUN RUN RUN! She LOVES to run and she's super quick, it's fun to watch her tear around in circles! Tomorrow morning she goes to the Vet to get spayed-- hopefully all goes well.

Anyway, I thought you'd enjoy seeing some of Mabel-dog's life...


Here she is just chillaxin' on the Dog Beach after a good run.



Umm... ya, she ate the little decorative pumpkin I had on the coffee table. Just last night I cut out the center so that it was a little candle holder... and this morning I turned around and she was eating it. (Hey! Better that little cheap pumpkin than my expensive shoes!)



Oh... and I came out of our room a few weeks ago to this:



Here is a video of her "fetching" the ball for us at the Dog Beach... man it's beautiful here in Santa Cruz!

6 things

I got Tagged by Trinity, over a week ago, so here it goes...

The rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. List 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post

1) When I snap to music I use my ring finger (instead of my middle finger like most people I know.)

2) I absolutely hate cleaning silverware by hand.

3) I'm a total blog creeper... which means I creep on friends-friends blogs! Shhhh... :)

4) When I was 13 I severed a tendon and some nerves in my pinky finger... while doing the dishes.

5) Jon was my favorite NKOTB member when I was in the 5th grade.

6) My Grandpa's & Grandma's names were: James Edward/ Lucille Maxine and Homer Stanley/ Pauline Cecelia.

I'm tagging...

Carissa Mastry
Camberly Pearson
Carlyn Whitaker
Lipert ('cause I don't think he'll do it!)
Katie Hobbie
Sarah Yonich

Pretty Pumpkin...

Mabel is gonna be a pumpkin for Halloween... :)

Mabel update...

So, we found out what Mabel is... I mean, we knew she was a dog but we found out that she is a "Dudley Lab." Which means that her nose, lips, gums, and the rims of the eyes, are a "pink, liver, or flesh" colored. Apparently "Dudley's" are extremely rare but can not be show dogs and because of that are not bread for and are considered "undesirable." We disagree! :) We love our Dudley!

On another note... Mabel is an offical graduate of PetSmart Puppy school! She learned soooooo much in puppy school. She can now sit, stay, stay when we walk out of sight, leave it, go away, come and well, that's all I can remember. She starts "Intermediate" class on Saturday! She should learn a variety of new things at "Intermediate" class such as...

Intermediate Education

• Brief review of basic cues
• Cues such as stay from a distance
• Learning despite distractions
• Relationship-forming games
• Additional cues (heel, stand and more)

Top 12

So, if you don't know by now we live in a pretty small place. 630 square feet to be exact... lately I've been mentally dogging on my house so after reading my friend Katie's blog post about her "top 10 most favorite things in our little home", I decided to share my top house favorites too! I came up with 12. We'll think of this post as a little house-esteem booster, if you will! :) So anyway, I hope you enjoy my Top 12 favorite things in/about my house!

Comments, encouragement, and donations for a remodel welcome! :)

-Heather



1. 5 gallon glass water container.
We picked this up at our local Flea Market for only $8! We keep it next to our gas stove (our only heat source) and Matt puts his change in it everyday after work... maybe one day we'll take a vaction with all the money that's in it?!


2. White dotted "candy" dish.
I got this in Florida from my Mom when they were moving out of our house. I put it on the nightstand next to my bed and use it to hold all my various nightstand junk: hairbands, bracelets, bobby pins, etc.


3. The "T" towels in our bathroom.
My sister sent me these a little while back for no reason at all! I love them 'cause they give my tiny little white bathroom a little bit of kick, plus they remind me of my wonderful Sister!


4. Napkins & napkin holder
I love all the colors in our napkins-- they make me happy! Plus they are reusable after a wash & that's always fun. The napkin holder was part of a gift basket I received last year for Christmas from a client. It had various coffee/coffee mugs inside but the only thing I kept was this basket! :)


5. Hardwood floors.
I just love the way they are worn and the color etc etc...



6. Blue lamp & white end table.
The Crate & Barrel blue lamp was a wedding gift from my Chiropractor... Dr. Kerri Crandell, she's the BEST! :) The white end table I found at Goodwill for $7 and repainted a few years back. I love the combination of these two items, they make me happy.



7. Magnetic knife strips, 3 total.
We purchased some of these for our other (small) house and we bought more when we moved in here 'cause they are soooooooooo helpful, especially in a kitchen with 2, yes 2, drawers!



8. The pink floor!
The floor in our "guest" room was already painted pink (fuchsia?) when we moved in and personally love it! I mean I would never have done this on my own or probably even thought about doing it... but I'm glad it's here-- makes me happy when I see it! {Oh and I absolutely adore our green Crate & Barrel rug too, courtesy of Mrs. Nancy Campbell at my Florida bridal shower!}



9. Crate & Barrel colorful stacking bowls.
I LOVE THESE BOWLS! :) We registered for these back when we got married and my BFF Barbara got them for us! I use them all the time and since we live in the smallest house of anyone I know, it is especially helpful that they stack into each other!



10. This one is a combo...
'cause I really love the new green storage container(s) I got (of which I have 3 total in various sizes) and also the organization of my cookbooks! (Side note: I also happen to hate the slant in my roof-- notice how it follows the cookbooks down to the wall...)



11. Chalk board by our kitchen sink...
I love it but I don't use it nearly enough. It was a *FREE* hand-me-down from a friend too! :)



12. Orange pantry baskets.
I got three of these baskets at Ross "dress for less" in order to do a mini pantry re-model... it worked out pretty well, I must say! :)

I BLOG... because I can!

I AM…busy!
I WANT… to love others better.
I HAVE…TMJ- ugh.
I KEEP... trying again.
I WISH I COULD… talk to the people I love more often.
I HATE... the new "hands free" cell phone law in CA.
I FEAR... our current financial state in America.
I HEAR... the trees rustling outside my office window.
I DON’T THINK... it will ever the "right" time to do it.
I REGRET... my hairstyle for my Senior picture!
I LOVE…my husband and my puppy!
I AM NOT... perfect.
I DANCE... when I feel like it!
I SING… in the car.
I NEVER... have liked the time difference between the East & West coasts.
I RARELY… get things right.
I CRY WHEN I WATCH… ummm nothing... I'm not a crier over TV/movies.
I AM NOT ALWAYS... right.
I HATE THAT... I'm judgmental.
I’M CONFUSED ABOUT… the timing of things.
I NEED... to mail a lot of stuff & drive to Matt's Water Polo game.
I SHOULD… be more active.

The Sarah Palin baby name generator...

Check it out... and laugh.

http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html

Mabel's new trick

Mabel likes to chase her tail these days! This is her in action...

guess who got an iPhone?!

me!

A note from Mabel.

Hi everybody!!!

How are you? Here are so pictures from my life...


This is my friend Mr. Darcy. He lives with me this month while his master, Cara, is working at a Young Life camp. I try to get "MD" to play with me but he likes to be still, calm, and quite... I'm not really into that stuff yet.


Here I am in my favorite spot inside the house chewing on my bone... yum... I love bones!


Here is another picture of me when I'm wondering what my owner Heather is trying to do. She kept saying "Mabel look" and I kept looking but she never did anything except flash a light in my eyes... she's always flashing that light in my eyes. Anyway, I hope all of our blog readers are doing well. I'm growing up pretty quick... I already weigh 30 lbs. I think I could probably gain at least 40-60 more within the year especially if I keep sneaking Mr. Darcy's food! :)

Umm... I gotta go-- I think I saw a squirrel! BYE!

Foot Surgery update #4

I went to the Dr yesterday to get my wrapped changed ('cause it was super stinky) and low and behold he said I could take off all my wraps AND (drum roll please...) I can stop wearing the hot stinky boot!

So here's what my foot looks like today... it's pretty stiff still but he said I'm free to start using it and working out the stiffness. It's swollen a little too but doesn't look too bad for having surgery 8 days ago!

on the move...

So my parents are on the move. They are selling their home of 30 years. This is the house I was brought home from the hospital to after birth (I was also brought home to this same house after other trips to the hospital though through out my years!)

2031 Sepler Court
Fern Park, FL 32730

That address embodies a whole heck of a lot to me... most specifically, precious memories. Here are a few of the ones that stand out to me today:

*Running back from our neighbor Barbara's house where I was sent to pick up two eggs for a recipe my Mom was making... tripping in the yard that joins our homes, falling, getting the wind knocked out of me, being a little stunned by the event and yes, of course, breaking the eggs.

*Summers in the pool. Playing with "toys" that my Mom gave us which usually were recyclables such as dish soap bottles and gallon milk containers... my Mom was "going green" or "eco friendly" before it was even cool!

*Krista coming over on Saturdays to help me finish my chores so we could play sooner!

*Christmases!!! STOCKING FIRST!

*Playing on the old back porch when the Florida afternoon summer thunderstorms would roll in a force us out of the pool for a few hours.

*Jr. Prom 1997. My parents graciously hosted a bunch of my friends (about 15) and their dates PLUS all of those kids parents to a pre-Prom picture taking party including drinks and hors d'oeuvres!

*Day long family weeding sessions... ugh-- I won't miss that!

July 29, 2005...

Happy 3rd Anniversary Matt!

You're the best and I love you the most!

Foot Surgery update #3

I saw my foot Dr. yesterday and he said my foot is healing nicely and I'm not having any complications with healing or the scar.

I have however had some mild side affects from the pain meds that forced me to stay home and just relax today which is sort of a bummer 'cause this is my last week at Mission Springs. I feel a little bit lame but then again, I guess I am!

On the other hand the scar is pretty awesome... it's really thin but really LONG... it's like 4 inches long, which is way longer than I thought it would be... oh well-- it's not like I was gonna take up foot modeling any time soon!

Oh and I'm walking fairly well on it now too! Not bad for less than a week after surgery! :)

Foot Surgery update #2

All gift, cards, flowers, etc can be sent to:

Heather Troxell
930 Lockhart Gulch Road
Scotts Valley, CA 95066

haha......

Foot Surgery update #1

My foot surgery went well and now I'm hopped up on Vicodin (sp?) and just laying around the house. I have an appointment on Monday with the Doctor... hopefully he'll give me another good report!

Check out my new shoe... I get to wear this sweet thing for two whole weeks (yes kids, that is sarcasm!)


BEFORE


AFTER


My cool hospital ID wrist band


Me laying around...



WARNING:

**THIS NEXT PICTURE IS A LITTLE GROSS**




told you so...

Hallux Rigidus Surgery

Say goodbye to the bump... and the stiffness... and the swelling...

Friday, July 25th 11:00am PST