Chelle's 75 in 2012 Challenge (take #10)

Welcome to my first thread as a MRS!
I'm not setting any reading goals for this month as I'm just happy to be able to have time for reading again
Here is the link to some of our photos for anyone interested. I'll be adding more as people send them to me
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBQaGEY

Currently Reading:


My Threads:
12 in 2012
Orange January/July
Booker Prize
1001 Books to Read Before I Die

Books Read in 2012





September
94) Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (577 pages, 3.5*)
95) The Pearl by John Steinbeck
96) Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Audio 11 hours 41 minutes) (4*)
97) the Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (4*, Audio 10 hours 40 minutes)
98) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (3*, 336 pages)
99) Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs (4*, 304 pages)
100) The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (4.5*)

October
101) Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz ( 355 pages, 3*)
102) Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (4*)
103) 13 by Kelly Armstrong (4*416 pages)

Pages Read in 2012

Books Read in 2012
January

1) Lord John and the Hellfire Club by Diana Gabaldon 3* (ebook, novella, 73 pages)
2) The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht 4.5* (338 pages)
3) Hurricane Story by Jennifer Shaw 3.5* (92 Pages) (ER book)
4) The Drop by Michael Connelly 3.5* (388 pages)
5) Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson 4* (364 pages)
6) Dead Cold by Louise Penny 4* (405 pages)
7) Eragon by Christopher Paolini 3.5* (ebook, 509 pages)
8) The Hangman by Louise Penny 3* (ebook, 99 pages)
9) Cannery Row by John Steinbeck 4* (ebook, 301 pages)
10) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 2* (324 pages)
11) The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny 4*(454 pages)
12) The Murder Stone by Louise Penny 4* (422 pages)
13) The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny 4.75* (384 pages)
14) Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny 5* (470 pages)
15) A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny 4.5* (339 pages)

February
16) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 3.5* (232 pages)
17) Hells Angels: Into the Abyss by Yves Lavigne 3.5* (339 pages)
18) Bay of Fundy: A Natural Portrait by Scott Leslie 4* (167 pages)
19) The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck 4* (261 pages)
20) Blood Red Road by Moira Young 4* (459 pages)
21) Dissolution by CJ Sansom 3.5* (400 pages)
22) 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz 2.5* ( 451 pages)

March
23) Darkest Powers Bonus Pack by Kelley Armstrong 3* (eBook, 3 novellas 287 pages)
24) I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore 4* (440 pages)
25) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 4*(304 Pages)
26) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith 3* (319 Pages)
27) A Century of Policing: The Ontario Provincial Police 1909-2009 3.5* (128 Pages)
28) The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore 4*(406 Pages)
29) Night of the Living Dead by John Russo 4.5* (144 pages)
30) Return of the Living Dead by John Russo 3.5* (161 pages)
31) Dark Fire by CJ Sansom 3.5* (384 pages)
32) Cinder by Marissa Meyer 3.5* (387 pages)

April
33) If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White (audio: 2:17) 4*
34) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (533 pages, 3.5*)
35) The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan (371 pages, 4*)
36) The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck (188 pages, 4*)
37) I'm Starved for You by Margaret Atwood (74 pages ebook novella, 3*)
38) Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (4*, 348 pages)
39) We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (eBook (no page count), 5*)
40) Heat Wave by Richard Castle (Audio, 6 hours 23 minutes) 3*
41) The Calling by Kelley Armstrong (326 pages, 3.5*)
42) The 39 Clues: Cahills vs.Vespers Book One: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman (Audio, 5 hours 22 minutes, 2*)
43) Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton (3.5*, audio 9 hours 46 minutes)
44) The Mask by Dean Koontz (140 pages novella 3.5)
45) The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (Novella, audio 3 hours 57 minutes, 4*)

May
46) Stiff by Mary Roach (audio 8 hours even, 3*)
47) Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye (414 pages, 4*)
48) Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood (3.5*, 301 pages)
49) Calico Joe by John Grisham (3.5*, 198 pages)
50) Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong (3*, 95 pages novella)
51) Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (455 pages, 5*)
52) The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King (3.5*, 309 pages)
53) 11th Hour by James Patterson (3*, 391 pages)
54) The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz (3*, 366 pages)
55) Insurgent by Veronica Roth (525 pages, 4*)
56) Rabbit, Run by John Updike
57) Lover Reborn by JR Ward (4*, 572 pages)

June
58) The Color Purple by Alice Walker (288 pages, 4.5*)
59) Kat & Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong (novella)
60) Becoming by Kelley Armstrong (Graphic Novel)
61) Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong (novella)
62) Hidden by Kelley Armstrong (long novella, 216 pages ebook)
63) Gideon's Sword by Preston & Child (4*, 342 pages)
64) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (4*, ebook 152 pages)
65) Seizure by Kathy Reichs (3*, 491 pages)
66) The Coroner's Lunch (4.5*, 272 pages)
67) Red, White and Blood by Christopher Farnsworth (383 pages, 3.5*)
68) They Thirst by Robert R. McCammon (4*, 531 pages)
69) Gideon's Corpse by Preston & Child (3.5*, 355 pages)
70) The Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat (4.5*, 280 pages)
71) The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (4*, 163 pages)
72) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (3.75*, 651 pages)
73) A Visit From the Goon Squad (4*, audio 10 hours 8 minutes)

July
74) Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (5*, 528 pages)
75) Kissing Sin by Kerri Arthur (3.5, 355 pages)
76) The Hunter and the Hunted by Kelley Armstrong (2*, novellas)
77) Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (4*, 407 pages)
78) Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (2.5*, 11 hours 18 minutes)
79) Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (4*, 304 pages)
80) The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (3.5*, 507 pages)
81) Angle of Investigation: Three Harry Bosch Stories by Michael Connelly (3 novellas)
82) Pay Me in Flesh by K. Bennett (3*, 280 pages)
83) Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton (290 pages, 3.5*)
84) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (19 hours, 11 minutes, 5*)
85) Dead to Me by Kelley Armstrong (ebook, 3 novellas)
86) I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson (3.5*, 383 pages)
87) The Road by Cormac McCarthy (4.5*, audio 5 hours 8 minutes)
88) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (5*, 372 pages)
89) Hidden Prey by John Sandford (3*, Audio 5 hours 59 minutes)

August
90) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (315 pages, 4*)
91) Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson (3.5&, 11 hours, 5 minutes)
92) Animal Farm by George Orwell (4*, audiobook)
93) We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee (4*, Audiobook 8 hours, 14 minutes)

September
94) Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (577 pages, 3.5*)
95) The Pearl by John Steinbeck
96) Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Audio 11 hours 41 minutes) (4*)
97) the Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (4*, Audio 10 hours 40 minutes)
98) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (3*, 336 pages)
99) Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs (4*, 304 pages)
100) The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (4.5*)

Books I own and need to read!
Wolves of the Crescent Moon by Yousef Al-Mohaimeed
Tempting Evil by Keri Arthur
Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur
The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Flashback by Nevada Barr
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
I am Half Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
World War Z by Max Brooks
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
Echo Burning by Lee Childs
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Cold Moon by Jeffrey Deaver
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Ape House by Sarah Gruen
Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
The Case of the Man who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall
Horns by Joe hill
Cider House Rules by John Irving
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Solar by Ian McEwan
The Shimmer by David Morrell
Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson
Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
1984 by George Orwell
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steg Larsson
The Girl who Played with Fire by Steg Larsson
Seizure by Kathy Reichs
Lasher by Anne Rice
Merrick by Anne Rice
New Tales of the Vampires by Anne Rice
Blackwood Farms by Anne Rice
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Taltos by Anne Rice
The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice
Lost Boy Lost Girl by Peter Straub
Dead Watch by John Sanford
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink
Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

And as ebooks I own:
Little Women by Louissa May Alcott
Dead to Me by Kelley Armstrong
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Pay Me in Flesh by K. Bennett
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon
Game of Thrones by George R Martin
The New World by Patrick Ness
Sovereign by CJ Sansom
The Hunter and the hunted by Kelley Armstrong
Angle of Investigation by Michael Connelly

Audio Books
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Recent Additions:
Audio Books:
Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

eBook:
Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill

Novel:
Rabbit, Redux
Rabbit is Rich
The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (due in Sept)
Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton
Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz
Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Series on the go...

Active Series

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton (1/21): Finished Guilty Pleasures, next up The Laughing Corpse
Aunt Dimity by Nancy Atherton (2/17): Finished Aunt Dimity and the Duke, next up Aunt Dimity's Good Deed
Camp Half-Blood by Rick Riordan (5/10): Finished The Last Olympian, next up The Demigod Files
Christopher Snow by Dean Koontz (2/3): Finished Seize the Night, next up Ride the Storm
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (1/7): Finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, next up Prince Caspian
Dr. Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill (1/8): Finished The Coroner’s Lunch, next up Thirty-Three Teeth
Fallen Angels by J.R. Ward (1/3): Finished Covet, next up Crave
Flavia de Luce by Alan Bradley (1/4) : Finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, next up The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag
Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom by John Updike (1/4): Finished Rabbit, Run, Next up Rabbit, Redux
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (1/4): Finished Eragon, Next up Eldest
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (1/2): Finished The Magicians, next up The Magician King
Matthew Shardlake by CJ Sansom (3/5): Finished Dark Fire, Next up Sovereign
Nick Lupo by W.D. Gagliani (2/3): Finished Wolf’s Gambit, next up Wolf’s Bluff
The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel (1/3): Finished Night, next up Dawn
Nikki Heat by Richard Castle (1/4): Finished Heat Wave, next up Naked Heat
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (5/7): Finished The Fiery Cross, next up A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (1/3): Finished Prophecy of the Sisters, next up Guardian of the Gate
Riley Jenson Gaurdian Series by Keri Aurthor (2/9): Finished Kissing Sin, next up Tempting Evil
Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (2/9): Finished The Vampire Lestat, next up The Queen of the Damned

Series waiting for next installment to be written

Alex Cross by James Patterson (18/18)
All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness (1/1): New release July 10th Shadow of Night
Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward (10/10)
The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett (1/1): New release September 18th Winter of the World
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache by Louise Penny (7/7): New release August 28th The Beautiful Mystery
The Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong (5/5): New release April 2013 The Rising
Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth (2/2)
Dustlands by Moira Young (1/1): New release October 2012 Rebel Heart
Gideon Crew by Preston & Child (2/2)
Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly (17/17): New release November 2012 The Black Box
Kay Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (19/19): New release October 2012 The Bone Bed
The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore (2/2):New release August 2012 The Rise of Nine
Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (1/1): New release Scarlet (2013)
Michael Bennet Books by James Patterson (5/5):
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (4/4): New release July 31 2012 Odd Apocalypse
The Passage by Justin Cronin (1/1): New release October 2012 The Twelve
Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs (14/14): New release August 2012 Bones are Forever
Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong (12/12): New release July 24 2012 Thirteen
Women’s Murder Club by James Patterson (11/11)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2/2): Finished Bring up the Bodies

Series that I own a book and haven’t started yet:


Adam Dalgliesh by PD James(own #10 A Certain Justice)
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
Anna Pigeon Mysteries by Nevada Barr (Own #11 flashback)
The Book of Art by Clive Barker Own The Great and Secret Show
Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness (Own #2 The Knife of Never Letting Go)
Lincoln Rhyme by Jeffery Deaver (Own #7 The Cold Moon)
Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice (Own all 5)
Lord John by Diana Gabaldon (Own #1 & #2)
Mallory Caine, Zombie at Law by K Bennett (Own #1Pay me in Flesh)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Own #1 The Maze Runner)
MIllennium Trilogy by Steig Larsson (Own #1 & #2)
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (Own #1 Ship Breaker)
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (Own #1 A Game of Thrones)
Vish Puri by Tarquin Hall (Own #2 Case of the Man Who died Laughing)

Hi Chelle! Love, love, love all of the wedding pictures. The dress is beautiful. The cake is beautiful. You are beautiful. But most of all, I love how happy you look in all of the pics. So glad that it was amazing! Enjoy a month of no reading goals and being a Mrs.

Hi there, MRS Chelle!
As I've been reading all the posts and looking at all the pictures I've been thinking that the reason you had such a great day and everything went well is because you did a lot of it yourself. You are the one that made everything beautiful with your talent and grace. This is such a happy thread to visit!
Very well done!

Oh! more beautiful pictures! Thank you so much for sharing :)

Oh my Chelle your dress is absolutely gorgeous! And it looks like everything went off beautifully, just as you planned it. I can't believe you even made that beautiful cake. You certainly are talented.

Hi Chelle, caught up on your previous thread and echo all the other comments already posted about the amazing cake, wedding dress, pictures and the fabulous event! You and Nate make such a great couple!

Hello MRS Chelle:) Hope you are having a wonderful time.

Yes! More great pictures AND lots of book info. Great!

Chelle is back! Great to see you, MRS!!! I love the pictures! You and the hubby and family look just great! What a lineup of books you have!

Beautiful pictures, Chelle! Congratulations!

Hello there MRS!! More pictures...thank you! I love Deborah Harkness: can't wait to hear what you think about Shadow of Night. Congrats!

Just checking in on the new thread, Mrs Chelle. :)

Yay Mrs. Chelle! Great photos!

Glad you're round and about again, Chelle, the place isn't the same without you.

Hi Mrs Chelle. I'm also loving the photos and so pleased your cake turned out so good. Hadn't heard of nutella frosting before and already know that my daughter will be a fan.

Chelle, you made a beautiful bride, your wedding setting was lovely and the cake amazing! Enjoy your new life as a MRS.

Mrs. Chelle - Have to agree with Cee above that your many contributions to your special day made it glow with your own personal light and warmth. Thanks for letting us share in your special day - the photos are just beautiful!

What beautiful pictures topping your new thread Mrs Chelle.

Gorgeous pics. I hope your married life is starting off wonderfully :)

I knew there'd be photos! Yes. The top one is fabulous, I love the blurry effect and the sassy poses. Sounds like the whole thing went off with a bang. You certainly all looked great!

Yay! Wedding photos!

You both look very happy. Welcome back, Chelle!

Happy new thread, Mrs. C! I never tire of wedding photos so keep 'em coming. Looks like a fabulous time, thanks for sharing it with your LT family.

Chelle, we are all still basking in the glow of your beautiful wedding day. Thank you for sharing the joyous occasion with us.

Great new thread, Mrs. Chelle! I love your photos and your cake -- so beautiful! Thank you for sharing those with us.

All of the above is true, beautiful bride, and the bridesmaid dresses look like they will carry over into every day dress up. perfect!

Hi Mrs Chelle, what a gorgeous looking Bride (Mrs S hasn't seen this, shh) Nate doesn't look too bad either, glad everything went okay will have a better look at your thread tomorrow as we've just got back from a short break to the Cotswolds, bye for now.

Oh no! I just got an email from chapters saying that they have run out of The Beautiful Mystery!! :( Sad face!!
They have cancelled my order until a new shipment comes in. I guess I had better drive myself to the store instead of ordering it online.

But in good news I have my first cake order!! I got an email from a lady that needs a huge cake for her mom's birthday party in November. It's a 50's theme and she wants the bottom tier to look like a cadillac. I've got my work cut out for me!

#5 Thanks Amy! We are very happy and we are also happy to have our house back to ourselves!! Last guest left yesterday and it's nice and quiet here now

#6 Thanks Cee! We did do a lot ourselves and thankfully we managed to get everything done in time.

#7 Thanks Kath! I hope to be able to share more sometime soon. I'm anxiously waiting to get some back from our photographers

#8 Thanks Bonnie! You wouldn't think my dress is so pretty right now as it's covered in seaweed and smells kinda funky! Hopefully after I get it dry cleaned it will be pretty again :)

#9 Thanks Lori! I think we go together pretty well :)

#10 Hi Calm! We are really enjoying our days together before he goes back to work! Today was a jammies and movie day

#11 haha Roni hopefully I'll have more pictures and books to report about soon. I've still got 1/4 of Shadow of Night left before I can start anything else

#12 Thanks Deb! Hopefully I can stay around longer now! That absence really messed me up and I'm trying to get caught up on all I've missed but it's a big task!

#13 Thanks Terri!

#14 Thanks Kim! I'm enjoying Shadow of Night so far, but it's already taken me weeks to read (sad). I hope to be able to finish it soon. Nate is making me watch a horrible movie from the 80's and all I can think about is I could be reading!

#15 Welcome Micky! :)

#16 Thanks Joe! I am excited to see the professional ones!

#17 Aww thanks Richard! I missed having time to visit all my lovely LT friends!

#18 Hi Kerry! I found the nutella frosting online and made it prior to the wedding to test it out. It turned out so well that I kept catching Nate in the fridge taking spoonful after spoonful of cold frosting to snack on! I'll be making it again!

Nutella Cloud Frosting (from sweetapolita.com)
Yield: Enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (227 grams/8 ounces/2 sticks), softened, but cool

1 1/2 cups (190 grams/7 ounces) icing sugar (confectioners’ or powdered)

2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract (I use Nielsen-Massey)

3/4 cup (125 grams/4 ounces) premium bittersweet chocolate (I use Callebaut Callets) chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

1/3 cup (100 grams/3.5 ounces) Nutella

1 tablespoon (15 mL) milk

pinch of salt

Method:

1. In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the icing sugar and butter and beat on low speed (I use #2 on my KitchenAid mixer) for about 1 minute.

2. Add vanilla, and beat on low speed until well combined. Add the melted and slightly cooled chocolate and beat on medium speed (I use #4 on my KitchenAid mixer) until smooth (about 2 minutes).

3. Add the Nutella, milk and pinch of salt, and beat on med-high speed for another minute.

4. Brace yourself!!

#19 Thanks Judy!! So far I am enjoying life as a bride ... although I have to go change my name this week so that will be a big pain!

#20 Thanks Mamie! It's so nice that you all were so excited for us!

#21 Thanks Caro! I'll try and swap them out for new ones once I get some more

#22 Thanks Luna! It is starting off great :) Jammies day and relaxing

#23 Thanks Megan! I'm glad that you knew it was supposed to be a sassy pose! The photographer told us to be sassy and all of us looked at each other confused and said "sassy?" We had a good laugh when she had to explain what she wanted us to do

#24 Thanks Ellen! It's good to be back

#25 Thanks Lynda! I'm anxious to get my hands on some more photos!

#26 Thanks Donna! It was a joyous occasion but I am glad that it is over! Craft supplies are put away and the house is clean! I'd love for it to stay this way

#27 Thanks Anne! A new thread for a new month and a new start to life :)

#28 Thanks Kath! I hope the girls will wear the dresses again!

#29 Thanks John! My sister did a great job with our makeup and the hairdresser we hired ended up being amazing. Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

First marriage challenge:
We got an amazon gift certificate in the mail today from Nate's cousin for our wedding and Nate is refusing to buy books with it!! How rude!

Shocking!!!!! Divorce him immediately ;)

Oh, my goodness! Off to a rocky start. Nate will not let you buy books?!

Jammies and movies sounds like a perfect day to me! WahHOO for you on your first cake order - that is so exciting!! And that frosting recipe has been favorited - that sounds awesome!

Oh dear, no books with the gift card? These are desperate times and will require devious measures - and bribery!

Hi Chelle- Love the new thread and I love the wedding photos at the top! Looks like everyone was having a grand time!

Congrats on cake order.... I see great baking/decorating in your future!

Hi Chelle - thanks for the recipe, we'll probably try it on the next batch of cupcakes. Good luck with your cake making - a cadillac cake sounds like a bit of a project.

Congrats on the cake order! How exciting!

#32: That makes me thing of a particular scene in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society... Ha!

Today Nate and I actually have to venture out of the house for a bit as we are now running out of food! I wish we had of gone yesterday as today we have a flooded front lawn and a rainfall warning. It's been pouring out all morning and our poor puppy is sulking because he hates going outside in the rain.

#33 haha I know eh! He seems to think we should buy something that we can both use. I tried to explain that he can use the books too but he just laughs.

#34 rocky start indeed! He will let me buy books ... he just won't let me use the gift certificate for free ones. Total jerk ;)

#35 Mamie I'm trying to bribe him as we "speak". We got a gift certificate to Canadian Tire and he seems to think we need a wheel barrow. I don't see that as something I would use ... It's not currently working but I think I am wearing him down haha

#36 Thanks Mark! It was a great day and a great party that night! The amount of people complaining about being sore the next day were a testament to a good time :)

#37 Thanks Lori! If I can get some orders over the winter that would help supplement my lack of income

#38 Thanks Kerry! I hope you guys love the frosting. I found our cake with that frosting went pretty quick!

#39 Thanks Amber!

>40 ChelleBearss: You do need a wheelbarrow! How else are you going to carry stacks of your books from one room of the house to another??

Hi Chelle, just had a look at your photos on flickr they are amazing (not going to ask what Nate was doing up your wedding dress) your friends and family look lovely. Mrs S is getting wistful after seeing them.

Can't believe Nate is against buying books, need to put him straight on that one although it took me years to realise who was the boss and now she occasionally lets me be boss just to humour me, lol, i'm not complaining 28 years wedded bliss and my heart skips when i see her after a short time apart. Hope you are having a wonderful time getting used to being Mr & Mrs.

Congrats on your new thread, MRS Nate!

Tell your lovely hubby that he is starting off the marriage on the wrong foot if he doesn't think buying books is a good idea to spend that gift card. ;)

Loving the pictures Chelle and so glad everything is going well since the nuptials except that Nate should at the very least let you buy books with 1/2 of the amazon card.. Compromise is one the best things for a marriage.. ;0)

Me too loving the wedding photos, Mrs Chelle! Now you just need to convince Mr that amazon has no purpose but for buying books!

Ah Chelle,
Part of being a good wife is figuring out how to get YOUR way and make DH think he has come up with it all on his own. It takes practice. Get started ;-)

Congrats on the cake order! That didn't take long.

LOL at Nate not wanting to purchase books with your amazon ca gift certificate! I mean really! Men!

Chelle, do read The Keeper of Lost Causes before you read The Absent One. It's not absoultely essential, but I would recommend it because you will understand so much more about Detective Morck and his side kick Assad if you read the first in the series. There is a third in the series coming out in spring of 2013! I can't wait!

He gets the Canadian Tire. You get the Amazon. Sounds like a great compromise to me!

Yup, I agree with Morphy, anyway that's what marriage is all about - compromise!

We finally watched The Hunger Games today! Yay:) It was very good! I am excited for the rest of the movies to come out.

We are being lazy and sore today. Nate's friend called us yesterday and asked us to come help him move. He wasn't supposed to get his keys until Friday (when Nate is working) but he got them early so we went to help. Usually when someone asks us to move they are prepared! We showed up and nothing was packed! Who does that? So I spent the afternoon throwing stuff in garbage bags while the guys moved the heavy stuff. They didn't even have boxes or paper to wrap the breakables in. Thankfully they were just moving to a bigger house across the street or else I'm afraid their stuff wouldn't have made it in one piece! So today we are pretty sore and feeling lazy.

#41 haha Nora, that's what I have a husband for! ;)

#42 John I think Nate's gramma almost had a heart attack when he went after my garter belt for the toss. He did a little dance to "I'm sexy and I know it" and really hammed it up. It was really funny and I wish we had it on video!

#43 Val I've told him and he just laughs at me

#44 Hmm Monica I'll try that and see if he will agree to half. It might work!

#45 Thanks Genny! He seems to think Amazon has cool stuff, I wouldn't know as I only ever look at the books!

#46 haha Cee I'll have to start practicing! It could take a while. Maybe by the time we have been married 40 years I'll have it figured out

#47 Thanks Deb, I'll add The Keeper of Lost Causes to the list first! At the rate I've been reading lately it could be a while until I get to it

#48 Agreed Morphy! Now to get him to agree...

#49 Judy we are normally pretty good at compromise ... which makes me think he is just trying to mess with me right now and plans on giving in. He is a little monkey that way!

I saw Jennifer Lawrence is going to get a big payday for the next Hunger Games movie, and I'm glad. She was excellent in that part.

Hi Chelle, i'd have paid good money to see him dance to "I'm sexy and i know it" i can imagine it was really funny, poor Nate we are having a laugh at his expense.

...still pondering the bottom tier looking like a Cadillac...

I was wondering about that, too, Richard!

We saw it 2 weekends ago as well! Pretty good and it stayed pretty close to the book, but I still liked the book a bit more. :)

94) Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Read for 75 books in 2012
12 in 2012:Category #9) Chunky Monkeys: Books over 500 pages long
3.5*

This was the second book in a trilogy and I quite like it. It took me a long time to read it because of how busy my life has been so I think that took away from my enjoyment of it. If I had been able to read it at a consistent pace I think I would have rated it higher, but my reading was choppy and spread out over several weeks. I'm still looking forward to the next instalment though.

Hi Chelle - hope you and Nate have a great weekend. The Harkness is a series I mean to try ... someday:)

95) The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Read for 75 books in 2012
3.5*

I'm not really back into the swing of writing reviews yet but I will come back to this one

>41 norabelle414: *chuckle giggle snort*
Wise words :)

Hi Chelle, that frosting (or icing as I would say), looks like it could add 5 kilos to any persons body weight just by looking at it! ie: translates to...sounds de-lic-ious!

Chelle, I just had to pop over and say I am just like you! As soon as book comes out that I feel that I need - I rush out and buy it - most of the time! oh the $$$$.... :)

Just a drive-by wave. . .

#51 agreed Joe. I thought Lawrence was a great Katniss. Very well done. Nate loved the movie too (Now let's see if I can get him to read the books ...)

#52 It was funny John because he hadn't planned anything for the garter belt toss so just before it was supposed to happen he was outside with his best man scheming! He is such a joker sometimes and being in the spotlight like that really brings the joker out more

#53#54 I was pondering that too until she sent me a picture! She wants it to look a little like this...


#55 Val there are very few movies made from books that I can say that I liked more than the book. I usually like the book much more. The only movie that comes to mind for me is The Perfect Storm. I really disliked that book but I enjoyed the movie

#57 Hi Calm! Nate is working this weekend and I slept until noon ;) So I guess it's an ok weekend hehe
He actually almost slept in this morning and woke with just enough time to drive to work. So I was awake at 430am trying to help him get ready. Of course I then went back to sleep

#59 Megan it was delicious and I have the extra weight gain to prove it :) Nate and I had dieted so much before the wedding and now we are having a couple of "I don't care" weeks. A few pounds gained but we are happy :) I actually went out yesterday and stocked up on good foods and threw out the rest of the cake that we had in the house.

#60 Yes Deb, it's a sickness! I went into town yesterday and picked up the new Louise Penny book. I know as soon as I read it I will be sad that there won't be another one made for a whole year

#61 Hi Stasia!!

Ok, now I get it - much less complicated than what I was picturing! Still, you would not want to see me attempt that!

Too true on the movies from books thing.
*thinking thinking*
The film of The Road by Cormac McCarthy I found to be very very good, as good as the book. (and as harrowing as the book). I cant think of many great film adaptions of good books.

Chelle - trust the purchase of books issue has been settled in your favour. Hope you are having a lovely weekend even though Nate seems to be working.

>62 ChelleBearss: 1959 Cadillac grille:



1956 Cadillac grille:



The two most iconic Cadillac front ends.

How about this front end? Sorry, couldn't help myself. This is Jayne Mansfield by the way.

Oh hi, Chelle!!

#67: Wow, those are *huge*! (The earrings. I was referring to the earrings, of course.)

The 1956 front end is called "the Dagmar grille" in the collecting hobby.



Dagmar was a TV personality. No one would call her an actress.

I can't stay long but I'm just popping in to deliver a new wedding photo from our photographer! This is from our trash the dress session.
I'll be by tomorrow to visit more :) Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday!

Awww ...

Hi Chelle! Congrats again! Lovely photos - you guys look great and super happy! I like the trash the dress session - very brave and awesome!

Aww is right! Jeez, Chelle. The two of you make the rest of us look like dullards. Sure looks like a good start to married life.

>67 msf59: LOL @ Mark!

Trashing the dress!??!? Already? What about all those potential dress up parties!?
(secretly, it looks great fun though)

Awww love the photo you two lovebirds, we still kiss and cuddle and hold hands in public as we should but not everybody does but at the moment a cuddle is out of the question as 3 out of the last 4 days we have done too much gardening and are in a lot of pain, a cuddle would be good but we wouldn't really enjoy it at the moment. Hope you are having lots of cuddles, married life looks as if it suits you both, bye for now.

Oh goody, my first hurricane. *note sarcasm*
Well folks, it looks like Nova Scotia is going to get very very wet over the next few days. It's been raining here since yesterday and we have a rainfall warning of 100mm or more by Tuesday. My front yard is already one very very large puddle so I'm interested to see what it will look like by the end of the week,

Hurricane Leslie is due to hit Newfoundland by Tuesday and NS is supposed to only be affected a little bit. Probably just with some medium strength winds and more rain. Leslie is "supposed" to visit Newfoundland though so I hope my neighbours to the east are getting prepared.

(But don't worry, I've got extra food, bottled water, flashlights and candles ready just in case. I won't need them though! *keeps saying that to self...)

#63 Mamie it will require a bit of imagination and some carving of the cake (which I'm not a huge fan of doing) But I have two months to plan my attack so I think it will go fine :)

#64 True Megan. I know there are always going to be movies made from books that I love, but it's rare that I ever think they are better than the book. I loved the Harry Potter movies but I'd rather have one of the books any day.

#65 haha Paul actually we have stopped talking about it. I have given him two weeks to find something on the amazon website that we both would love or else I'm buying a book. (I'll probably end up buying a book that he will read though so we will both enjoy it. We have a honeymoon coming up over the winter and he will need a book to travel with (or else he steals my books!))

#66 RD I think I like the 1956 yellow one better. I like the curves on it

#67 haha Hi Mark! That's quite the front end you've added to my thread!

#68 she was wearing earings? hehe jokes, jokes

#69 never heard of her ...

#71 haha thanks

#72 Thanks Kerri! I have to get that dress to the dry cleaners tomorrow!

#73 Nah, it's a new fad Joe. We really aren't that exciting. He went to bed at 9pm and I'm looking online for a job. Boring!

#74 haha Megan we did it the day after the wedding. And really the dress was ruined at the dance when Nate's aunt proceeded to dance ON my dress and ripped the bottom ruffle. My mom sewed it but I'll need to reassess it after it's been cleaned

#75 oh dear John! Hope you and your wife are treating each other to hot pads and massages for your pains!

Hi Chelle - Storms - so long as there is minimal to no destruction - can be great for catching up on your reading. Since you mention you are well stocked, I say batten down the hatches and settle in with your books and just ride the storm out. ;-)

Sorry to hear about the potential hurricane and bad weather in your area. I hope Nate is home, because that will make it less scary! Otherwise, I hope you know your " neighbours" better so that help you feel safe.

I love you wonderful picture(s). You and Nate look so in love but I must admit that they are many "interesting pictures" on your fun thread!

Great looking idea for a cake! Best of luck creating that! I am lucky to make a cake at all!

ok.. I am way behind, and can't claim to have read every post.. but I have a question. Why use unsalted butter in the nutella icing recipe if you add salt later?

And a comment.. the trash the dress session of photography looks a mite uncomfortable :P but hope you had fun!

Hope the hurricane isn't bad for you. I have a friend in NS who got hit pretty hard some years back...

Fingers crossed that the hurricane decides not to visit you, or at least weakens beforehand...
*Love* the photo!

What Amber said!

I saw that Mike Bettes from the Weather Channel was calling Leslie a Tropical Storm now. He's predicting 4-8 foot waves in New England. Hoping that it causes minimal damage.

Hope the hurricane misses you. Loving the photos that you are sharing - married life seems to be suiting you:)

Hoping that the hurricane gives you a miss, Chelle. But it sounds like you're well-prepared.

Fingers crossed no damage from the weather. Isn't it incredible what Mother Nature can do, without even trying?!

Hi Chelle, let's hope that you miss the Hurricane and that the projected rainfall is wrong, if it does come just cuddle up together and if your on your own just cuddle up with a book. Keep us all informed on your weather.

Boo on hurricane season.
Hope it flies right by.

All caught up again. Love most of the grill pictures ; ) and loved your dress/kiss photo! Trying to push the hurricane aside for you....

Gah, It's been busy around our house!! Hurricane Leslie was kind to us and didn't really affect western NS much at all. But I've been busy finding a job! I've decided to become an Arbonne Independent Consultant. A friend from London is doing it and really loves the products and this will at least get me out of the house and meeting people from the area
Wish me luck please! :) If any of my Canadian friends want to check out my page it's www.michellebearss.myarbonne.ca. ( I don't know if the site will sell internationally..)

I've managed to do some reading too, but not any review writing. I've finished Delirium by Lauren Oliver which was pretty decent and I'll continue the series, and The Family Fang which was odd and wonderful.

Hi Lori! We did get quite a lot of rain which was a perfect excuse to stay in my jammies and read!

Hi Deb! Actually Nate has been working nights which is why I got to read! :)

haha Kath, the only thing I can think of is to be able to control the amount of salt. The recipe calls for a pinch. However I wasn't going to spend extra money to get unsalted butter and it tasted perfect to me!

Thanks Amber! It was completely fine here :)

Thanks Stasia! Hope you are enjoying being back to school

Lori I think Cape Breton and Nlfd were supposed to have high waves as well. I stayed well away from the water lately, I don't feel like being washed out to sea ;)

Thanks Calm! Married life is pretty normal actually

Hi Joe! It didn't bother us much at all. I guess I am prepared for the next one lol

Luna I agree, it is amazing what messed up stuff mother nature can do!

Hi John! It missed us but that didn't change the cuddle up with a book day :)

Hi Megan! It did fly right by thankfully!

Thanks Kim! That hurricane flew by extra fast with your help :)

Beautiful picture, Chelle. You look very good in profile. Batten down the hatches and stay safe through the storm.

ETA: Looks like we both posted at the same time - glad to see you made it through just fine.

Catching up with your Chelle!

Love the trash the wedding dress picture. I remember you talking about that idea last year and I thought it was such a fun concept. I'm glad you were able to actually do it!

I actually quite liked The Perfect Storm, both the movie and the book.
In my head the one example I can think of where the movie is on par if not even better than the books would have to be The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I understand the brilliance behind the man, but boy is he wordy. The movies are potentially on my all time favourites list so that tells you just how much I enjoyed them, all 12 hours of them.... :)

Glad to hear that Hurricane Leslie was kind to you, Chelle, and congratulations on the new job. I hope it works out well for you!

I am so far behind. Just skimming through, so I may miss something (no, I will miss something!). I'm assuming one thing I missed was that you and Nate found the obvious compromise: you can buy books with the Amazon gift card and he can buy a wheelbarrow with the other one!

I've never heard of trash-the-wedding-dress photo shoot, but I love the concept!

Your first weeks of marriage are being a bit of an adventure. Hoping the high winds and heavy rains don't do too much damage.

drive-by hug

Glad to hear all was okay with the hurricane. Whenever I read reports, it makes me very glad I live on our little island - we may have a lot of rain, but at least we hardly ever get 'extreme' weather!!

Happy to learn that the hurricane passed you by. I find 80 - 90km wind and rain storms bad enough, forget the triple digit ones!

Hi Chelle!
We booked our NS vacation this morning! YAY!
We'll be staying in Prospect, NS from Oct 13-19. Would love a week of cold, sunny weather - do you have any influence up there? LOL

Very excited!

Chelle-- Good luck with Arbonne. I love their products and still use them. I used to be a sales person, but gave up only because everyone out here has dogs and cats and I am allergic, which made doing the home sales pitch kinda hard!! LOL. You are so personable and will do such a great job of displaying the product, I am sure you will be a hit!!

>91 jolerie: is Perfect Storm that film that has that massive wave scene in it? THat's the stuff of my nightmares. EEK, needless to say, I havent seen it. Yet. One day I might want to test myself.

Hi Chelle, good news on career decision, and how great that you can chose a new career and not have to search and find and get knocked back on job applications etc. Good luck!

The best thing about The Perfect Storm was George Clooney at the helm of the boat. Love the newest wedding pic Chelle.

George Clooney is in it? Hmmmmm. Me thinks I might have to see the movie now! ; )

Oh, good luck with the new job! I've thought off and on about doing Avon, but I don't think I'd be a very good salesman...

Good luck with everything - I hope your selling goes well. My best friend is an Avon woman, and I think all the independent sales jobs are based on - you get out as much as you put in. Fingers crossed it works out for you.

Good on your for finding embarking on a new career adventure, Chelle. Did you quit your dispatch job then?

Hi Chelle, Congratulations on the New Job! I wish I could find a new job after almost 22 years of dispatching it is getting tiring. Alas, I cannot find a job in my area that pays as much as I am getting dispatching. Sigh... I have never read "The Perfect Storm" However I did love the movie it helped emensly that George Clooney was in it.. :) However oddly enough we had a storm while watching the movie, which in turn ended up burning my home down.. due to a lightning strike ... Sigh.. Although that was about 10 years ago so alas we made it through safely. Glad to hear that the hurricane did not hit you to harshly. BTW I love the trash the dress photo. :) Happy reading and good luck with the new job.

Well it's been a few busy days at home with Nate and trying to figure out my business plan. Tonight we are taking a night off and heading into Halifax for a friend's birthday. I think we will splurge and have dinner in town too! :)
Hope you all have a great weekend!

90 Thanks Judy! I was happy to see the storm didn't bug NS very much

91 Agreed Val. The Lord of Rings movies were amazing. Those were the first we bought when we upgraded to blu ray. I really enjoyed the books too though. Iread those while I was still in high school and thought they were the best books I had read. Mind you I was in a King/Koontz phase so the Tolkein books probably were the best I had read!

92 Thanks Stasia! Me too :)

93 haha no we still have not decided what to do with that card. I offered to buy him books with it to bring on our honeymoon in February but he says he still has 5 or 6 that he bought and hasn't read. I don't see the issue but apparently he doesn't have the urge to collect books like I do. He is so odd ;-p

94 Hugs right back to you Sir!

95 Hi Luna. I've never really experienced severe weather before and I hope not to anytime soon! The rain and wind we had on our side of NS didn't really get too extreme. I think Cape Breton got it pretty hard though

96 Thanks Lori! I hope to never have to experience the 100+km winds!

97 HI Cee!! That's so exciting that you have booked your trip!! What kinds of things do you plan to do here? I don't think Prospect is too far from Halifax so you should make a trip in. I could meet you somewhere if you want to do a mini meet up! :)
I'll see what I can do about the weather for you haha

98 Thanks Kim!! I am hoping to do my first party in the next week or so. I have to wait until my catalogues and supplies arrive. I have heard amazing things about the products so I am excited to get my order!
I like that I don't have to do parties if I can get a customer base established.

99 Hi Megan! I was getting pretty frustrated with job searching as the job market here is very different from Ontario. I am finding the wages offered are quite a bit lower than what I am used to. I'll probably still have to find a part time day job at some point too unless I can get Arbonne started really quickly.

100 & 101 haha looks like Mr Clooney has some fans here!

102 HI Amber! I sold Avon about 8 years ago but I found I didn't like their set up that well. While looking into Arbonne I was happy to see that they don't do some of the things I found annoying from Avon.
I doubt you make would make a good salesman too, but I bet you would make a great salesperson! ;-p

103 Thanks Luna! The good thing with starting up now is that I have more time than I know what to do with lol

104 Hi Val. Yes I had to quit dispatch when Nate and I moved here. We decided that this would be a good time for me to leave that type of job. I'd like to have something a little more flexible when we have kids since he is in the military and can be deployed, plus the closest dispatch job to where we live is over a 30 minute drive. I didn't want to be working nights and holidays once we have kids. Plus the wages dropped quite a bit when we moved provinces and I really didn't want to be doing the same job for so much less money.

105 Monica I feel you about leaving dispatch. I'd probably still be there if we hadn't moved. The pay was amazing but the stress and work hours suck. I probably would have looked for a dispatch job when we moved here if there wasn't a commute and if the wages hadn't dropped so much.
Nate's wages cover almost all our bills anyway though so I basically just need a job that can pay for my car and groceries and any extras that we want. I think if I do well enough with Arbonne it will cover that.

Hi Chelle,
And you thought you could rest up after your wedding huh? Not likely, looks like you have things nicely planned for your career move, and will be keeping busy for a while to come yet!

Hope you both enjoy the splurge. Have a great weekend.

I like the name "Arbonne" so I hope it works out well for you, Chelle.

Good luck with the job, Chelle. Good thought that it will give you a chance to make connections in the community, too. Hope you and Nate are enjoying the weekend.

>Megan, Perfect Storm is a fabulous book, too!

Chelle, a new job is great news :)

Chelle - Catching up here - your new job sounds like a perfect fit for you! Good luck with it!

Hi Chelle- Just checking in with you! Congrats on the new job! I loved the book of The Perfect Storm, liked the film.

Yup, I'm a fan of The Perfect Storm. Didn't think I would be, but I was! :)

Hi Chelle, just checking in with you, congrats on your new job, you will be a success in this i can feel it in my bones, hope you are both well and have you sorted the voucher issue out.

I've posted my cut at a Halloween reading list, figured you might be interested. It's at http://www.librarything.com/topic/142342

Hope all is well. Just giving your thread a bump.

Hi Chelle, just popping by to say hi and how is Nate.

Hi from me, too, Chelle.

Me three! :)

Me four! :)

Me five! :)

Me six! :)

Me seven!

hahaha you guys rock!!

Sorry I've been absent so much lately! I have been reading but I haven't had a ton of time for visiting.
I've been spending a ton of time starting up my Arbonne business. I got my website started (turns out I can sell intenationally!!) and I've had my first home party! I have another party planned for next month so it looks like things are starting up ok :) It's been a busy couple of weeks while I try to learn the business.

I also had a lady call me up on Friday to see if I could do a rush cake for her daughter's birthday party on Saturday! So after my Arbonne party on Friday night I found myself in the kitchen! It turned out great and the little girl loved it :)

On the reading front I have managed to finish a few books since I reported last Unfortunately I don't have much time for reviews right now
96) Delirium by Lauren Oliver (4*)
97) the Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (4*)
98) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (3*)
99) Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs (4*)

And I am finally reading The Beautiful Mystery!! yay :) It's great so far

***
107 Hi Megan! It's so busy! Hopefully once I am done all my planning and research it will slow down a little bit.

108 Thanks Paul! We did have a great weekend. Got out to see some friends for dinner and that's always nice!

109 I do too Richard! Very Swiss sounding eh ;)

110 Thanks Joe! I've never been great at meeting new people or talking to strangers so this is definitely going to be out of my comfort zone and make me learn some new skills!

111 Thanks Kath! Between the cakes and Arbonne I should have a pretty busy winter!

112 Hi Mamie! Thanks, I hope it ends up being a good fit!

113 Thanks Mark!

114 I very much liked the movie. Book = Meh.

115 Hi John! Surprisingly I haven't even thought about that gift certificate!! I wonder if Nate has picked anything out yet ...

116 Thanks Doc! I'll check it out

Thanks for the thread ❤love❤ Mamie, John, Joe, Amber, Val, Roni,Lori & Luna!!

Good to see you around Chelle, I was getting ready to type ME EIGHT, when I saw you were back in person. hehe. That could have got out of control if you hadnt returned in time!

Great kids cake, I had my first experiment with fondant icing this last weekend, doing my boys 4th birthday cake in the likeness of a domino. It was pretty cool in the end! My cakes are usually disasters (in my mind) so I was pretty happy with this one. Even if I almost did have a conniption during the process (I could have used you!)

Wow, those little stars around the bottom must have taken forever. Kudos!

Oh wow, great cake! And I'm happy to hear that your business is up and running!

Lovely cake. I hope it leads to many more orders!

Good to see you around Chelle and it is good to hear that the start up of your business is doing well :) Yay to Chelle.. So happy for you. Plus cakes and reading awesome. Sounds like your keeping busy and having fun at it too.. :)

Lovely cake, Chelle, as always your creativity is astounding.

Glad to hear that your business is up and running. I can see you're going to be a busy lady with both your cakes and the Arbonne.

Why work one job when I can work three?!
So I just passed a job interview to be a security guard. I'll start sometime next week (as long as my background check goes smooth ;) With that, Arbonne and cakes I should be pretty busy this winter!!

And I am sad to report that I have finished The Beautiful Mystery and will now have to wait another whole year for a new Louise Penny book! Sad face!

126 Hi Megan! Love the domino cake! Great job! did you find dying the fondant black was a pain?? I dislike working with dark coloured fondant as it's so hard to get it really dark. You did an awesome job though. I bet it tasted yum!

127 Ya Morphy they were time consuming! i have a little mini star cookie cutter that I used but cutting out a hundred (or more) was a pain.

128 Thanks Amber! I am hoping to start doing some more home parties this winter and get it going better. It's rough though because I'm starting with a cold market here since we don't know very many people. It would have gone easier if we were back home still

129 Thanks Luna! It has! I have two cakes for October and two for November now. And thankfully my new boss is understanding and is willing to work around my other businesses!

130 Thanks Monica! I definitely won't be bored this winter!

131 Thanks Judy! It never stops around here!

Wasn't The Beautiful Mystery a good one, Chelle? I know, now we have to wait, wait, wait for a new one. Some LTer connected me with Louise Penny's Facebook page, and I can at least say she's working away on it.

Good news all round on the jobs front! And think of the books you'll be able to buy with your hard earned cash :)

Hey congratulations on the many jobs :)
Security guard? What will you be keeping secure?

Way to go, Chelle! Once you got that pesky wedding out of the way, it sure didn't take you long to get your work life up and running!

Congrats on all you have been busy with lately! Three jobs..... I am exhausted just thinking about it!

Hi Chelle,
Sounds like you are off and running! What a variety of jobs LOL! I don't think you will be bored :-)

LOVE the cake. You really have the eye and imagination for decorating.

Chelle - Too bad you are not having any luck in the job department!! LOL! Sounds like you will be very busy - but in a good way. Hope everything works together seamlessly for you. And that birthday cake was fabulous - you are so talented!

Wow, you are going to be one busy lady, Chelle! I'm jealous already of all the books you are going to be able to buy with all that cash. ;)

HI friends!
Sorry I've been so absent lately but life has gotten in the way of my reading and socializing :(
I've been Arbonne-ing like crazy lately! (That's probably not a verb but on this thread I will make it one!)
I'm trying my hardest to turn Arbonne into a full time job so I won't have to work the security job. (Which I haven't started yet, still waiting on my licence)
I've been planning Arbonne home parties and catalogue parties and trying to learn the business. I went to a Nation meeting last night and I was blown away by the people there. Men and women that have taken the business and done amazing! It was cool to see all the company cars in the parking lot (white mercedes!) I would love to be at that level some day!

Nate and I have also been enjoying time with each other and some new friends. There was a new fella that started at Nate's detachment from Quebec and his wife and little kids are just adorable. Their 2.5 year old daughter only speaks french and while I have no idea what she is saying I find her completely cute! We went apple picking with them this afternoon and it was really fun. I have more apples in the house than I will ever eat! I am thinking about making some apple butter later this week

I hope you are all doing well and reading more than me!! I'm going to try and hit everyone's threads over the next couple days!!
xo

Apple cake! Apple cake!

Hi Chelle, i hope you have a great time Arbonne-ing (this totally works as a verb) and that you get to build it into a full time career, with enough time left for your cake business too.

I love reading your updates. They're always so upbeat and you're enjoying life so much you make me smile. I love apple picking, although the downside is I always end up picking more than I know what to do with when I get them home.

Martha Stewart's apple-cinnamon bundt cake. I myownself use brandy in the sugar glaze, and add pecan halves to the top of the cake...the bottom, when it's on the plate.

Hi Chelle- Thanks for checking in! Good to see you are alive and kicking!

Sounds like things are going great. Must be nice to have the pressure of all the wedding preparations behind you... though I also suspect you had a lot of fun doing it all :-)

Please tell me your weather is cool and windy since I will be there very shortly! Any frost yet? Are your leaves all colorful or perhaps already past peak? Our trees are getting pretty all of a sudden in the past few days. Still have a long way to go.

Good luck working towards your Mercedes!

Hi Chelle, your apple picking outing sounds like fun. I am going away next week to visit my family, but for some reason my husband, who will be home alone, thinks I should make him both a pumpkin and an apple pie before I go. I think he's just being greedy and will have to settle for just one pie - probably the pumpkin.

I'm so excited for you and your new business - best of luck with it!
Tomm, Charlie and I are going to an orchard this weekend, and we're really looking forward to it. I'm a big fan of apple butter, too!

Hi Chelle, congratulations on your three jobs, although you don't sound that excited about being a security guard. I think your new occupations complement each other. Cake decorating is your creative outlet, Arbonning allows you to meet new people and use your social skills. And, if it happens, being a security guard would surely allow plenty of time for reading! Keep us posted on how you are juggling your busy life.

I see that things are continuing to move apace in Chelle land :) and all in a good direction, so that is the best! I hope that you keep on keeping on and.. um.. taking pictures.. oh and apple sauce!

Hi Chelle, Apple picking. Ahh. Last year we had over 5 bushels of apples in one picking and made homemade applesauce, then went out and picked even more.. I found an applebutter recipe for the slowcooker that was very easy and very yummy, I also took the apples and made up apple pie filling threw it into freezer bags and froze them, later I made my own homemade pie crusts and froze them. Our apples did not do well in this are this year because of frost, and I wanted an apple pie so bad. So I pulled out my dough and my bag of apples and thawed them both, rolled out my dough, put it in a pie pan and dumped in my apple mixture, made a very quick and easy crumb topping and had wonderful apple pie for deseret. So easy. So there is an idea and if you want any of the recipes let me know.. ;)

Glad to hear you are doing well with your new business and it has the potential to actually keep you with one Job. Hope you can fit some reading in with all your RL.. ;)

Glad you and Nate are doing well.

Hi Chelle, nice to hear the Arbonne-ing is going well and at the moment it takes priority over the books (yes i know that's a heinious comment). Mmm apple picking means apple pies with custard yummy, enjoy your apple picking and whatever you make with them. Hope Nate is ok, nice to see your posts when you can do them, bye for now.

This thread is making me want to make a trip this weekend to Carver's Apple Orchard in Cosby or to the Apple Barn in Sevierville. If I get fresh apples, Carver's is the best. If I get dried apples that I can use in "fried pies", the Apple Barn is best. I might just have to do both!

I know, now I'm thinking we need to get to some apple-picking, too. We make a ton of applesauce when we're amply appled. Cinnamon and their natural sweetness, nothing else.

It's nice to hear what's going on with you, Chelle, and it all sounds great. Good luck building up that Arbonne business, which I can tell you enjoy.

Just when you think the excitement is over BAM! something else happens! My EVIL neighbours moved out and left their 4 months old lab puppy alone in their trailer with no food or water!! RCMP just entered the home and removed the animals from the garbage and feces in the house and brought the dog to us to foster! She is ADORABLE!!! (and after a bath she is now clean!)
I will never understand why some people have pets!

The officer said that we can probably keep her, but I have to talk to the SPCA tomorrow when they call. I doubt the owners can get her back since their house was so gross!

But she needs a name! (Nate wants to call her Tempe ... as in temporary! haha no thanks, she is staying!)



142 Thanks Caro! I don't have much to complain about :)

143 Mmmmmm! Nate is on a month cleanse though so he would either kill me or divorce me if I baked anything right now

144 THanks Mark! Alive and well. Just wish I could find time to read!

145 Hi Cee! It's nice and cool, about 15-20 during the day and dropping under 10 at night. We have our heat on!
The colours are so pretty! You will love it next week!

146 Hmmm Judy! Pumpkin and apple sound great to me!
This year we will be missing Nate's gramma's pecan pie :( I haven't learned to make that one yet

147 Thanks Amber. Hope you guys have fun at the orchard! Post some cute pics of Charlie!

148 haha donna I actually don't want to work the security job. I was happy when I got the job but now I am sad to go back to work lol. I'll be working in a nursing home with dementia patients so I'm not sure if I will get any reading done there.

149 Thanks Kath! I hope the puppy pictures will do :)

150 Hi Monica! I would love the recipe, thanks! I'll try it next month when Nate is off his diet/cleanse

151 HI John! I do miss reading. I'm reading some marketing books right now, but it's not the same :(
I have the new JK Rowing that I'd like to start soon!

152 Mmm Lori, I've never tried dried apple before. I wanted to buy a dehydrator to make some dried fruit. Maybe I should dry some apples!

153 Hi Joe! Mmmm apple sauce! Fall is awesome!

Awe, the poor puppy! Why do people even have pets if this is how they treat them? So happy to see the little guy is now in your foster care.

Before I forget, I stopped by to wish you an enjoyable long weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Congratualtions on: MRS, new home, 3(?) new jobs!

And now this old lady simply *faints*

Chelle - I remember my paternal grandmother used to dry her own outside on window screens. I remember having to shoo the flies away.

I actually rehydrate and season the apples for the fried pies, but they are quite yummy!

Oh wow, that is horrible! I can't stand it when I read stories about animal cruelty in the news. We have neighbours who leave their dog out all weekend, and I mean ALL weekend. The dog is constantly barking, and I'm so tempted to walk over there and leave them a strongly worded note.
I'm sure "Tempe" has found the perfect and most loving home possible and well deserved after such a horrible experience!

Well little Tempe has fleas and screams her head off when I put her in her crate. It's going to be a long itchy night for me!

Ooh, poor little Tempe (if that is indeed her real name). The flea treatments are pretty quick arent they? Better send Nate asap to get some. What rotten neighbours to do that to an animal, do some people have no hearts at all or what!? Good on you two for taking her in. :)

#154 That is such a cruel thing to do to a puppy! It always amazes me just how cruel and thoughtless people can be to animals. We adopted our first dog from a shelter and each run had the story of how the dog came to be there and some of them were just heartbreaking.

I came across a very sad fact on the internet yesterday. We have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and I read that for every 10 staffy puppies born in the UK only 4 make it to their 4th birthday. There is a real problem with overbreeding here with lots of unscrupulous breeders. The wrong sort of people buy them because they think they look aggressive, and they either get badly treated or thrown out when they are not wanted any more.

Hi Chelle, i cannot believe some people who do this to animals, maybe we should do this to the owners and see how they like it and when they get in such a piteous state beyond all help put them down. Tempe looks really lovely and if you end up keeping her she will be the luckiest dog around to be with such loving people. Can't wait to read your review of the new J.K Rowling, she has got a lot of good reviews over here and some who just want to stick the knife in but as she said in a recent t.v. interview the critics aren't important it's the readers views that count. Hope you and Nate are well and still enjoying the newly wed bliss.

Chelle - so sorry for that poor pup. Hopefully she will recover with some TLC and be a great addition to your household.

Chelle, good for you and Nate to foster that poor pup. I can't believe how horrible people can be to animals sometimes. I hope you're able to eliminate the fleas quickly.

Is the crate placed where she can see you? Often that will calm the dog down.

Hi Chelle- Sorry to hear about the abandoned puppy but now you have a new addition and one that will be well taken care of.

Hi Chelle,

Here is the Apple Butter recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com It is very yummy. :)

All-Day Apple Butter

Submitted By: Betty Ruenholl
Photo By: AECM
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 11 Hours
Ready In: 11 Hours 20 Minutes
Servings: 64
"From Syracuse, Nebraska, Betty Ruenholl writes, 'I make several batches of this simple and delicious apple butter to freeze in jars. Depending on the sweetness of the apples used, you can adjust the sugar to taste.'"
INGREDIENTS:
5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and
finely chopped
4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place apples in a slow cooker. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt; pour over apples and mix well. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 9-11 hours or until thickened and dark brown, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently as it thickens to prevent sticking). Uncover and cook on low 1 hour longer. If desired, stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Cover and refrigerate or freeze.

Here is the crumb topping I make for my apple pies...

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Just combine these ingredients and set aside to top your pie with.

Now as for the actual pie filling recipe I will have to remember to pull that out later and type it all in these I had on the computer.

Awe your new Temporary dog is adorable, How is Jax enjoying her company? You sound like me saying she is not going to be Temporary. LOL. I sure hope that Nate agrees and you get to keep her. People make me very very Angry when they abuse or leave animals behind to fend for themselves after supposedly being a family to them. I am so glad you got her young and you can show her what a real home is and what true love is. As far as a name follow your heart and check out her personality for a bit before you truly decide. I name my Baby "Angel" and honestly she lives up to her name. :) Good luck convincing Nate. Give the puppy and Jax a hug from me.

How terrible to hear about the puppy, but I really hope that you get to keep her and that she enjoys her new (permanent!) home.

Well everyone made it through the night in one piece! W
We are going to have our hands full with this little monster! She is NOT potty trained and has fleas. I have two rugs that need cleaning now and I have some serious de-fleaing to do. Thankfully I had a revolution medication left over of Jax's so I gave her part of that so hopefully that will help with the fleas. She will need to be potty trained and crate trained so hopefully I can get that worked on over the weekend. She is good at going outside until I'm not looking and then she finds a rug...

156 Happy Thanksgiving Lori!!
I also don't understand why people have pets. This is just a puppy. I can't understand how anyone can treat a tiny defenseless animal like that!

157 haha Gail, ya it's busy here!! Add in the monster puppy and our house is pretty crazy!
She is currently trying to chew through Jackson's neck so I see her getting launched across the room soon haha

158 haha Lori, I think I'll stick with the no fly way! I did not know that you could re-hydrate them though!

159 oh that's horrible! I don't know why people don't understand the kind of love to give animals! I would never leave my dog outside that long! Jax doesn't even go outside alone, I always go with him (Mind, we don't have a fenced yard)

161 I think Tempe is her name. Temperance for me, for the Kathy Reichs novels. Temporary for Nate, as in hopes that she is just here visiting for a bit haha
Flea removal process in progress! :)

162 Oh that's a horrible statistic! Most of the time aggressive dogs are because of the owner! There are no aggressive breeds, just breeds that look scary so people teach them to be aggressive. Humans can be horrible creatures

163 Hi John. I loved the Harry Potter books if her new book is half as good then I'm sure I will love it! I haven't read any reviews on it as I prefer to read it with an open mind

164 Hi Calm. I agree! She is fitting in here already!

165 HI Laura! I hope the fleas go quick too! We had a problem earlier this year with Jax attracting ticks, but I've never had to deal with fleas before

166 Yes Morphy, it is in my living room and I was nearby on the couch. She started screaming as soon as I put her in though, she could still see me on the other side of the door. I ended up sleeping on the couch as I needed her to not scream because Nate needed to sleep for work. I'm going to try putting her in a few times during the day today and letting her out quickly so she knows I'm not going to abandon her. Maybe that will help

167 HI Mark! She will be loved if I get to keep her. I'm kind of worried about the neighbour showing up at our house though.

168 Thanks for the recipes Monica! They look great!
I think we will be sticking with "Tempe" for her name. She is already responding to it so I don't think we should change it. I have no idea what her name was before as she had no tags

169 HI Luna! Well I haven't heard anything back from RCMP or animal control so I'm hoping they forgot about her and that we can keep her!

Chelle, I'm so glad that puppy was rescued before it was too late. Those people should be prosecuted...or better yet put in a dog crate with fleas for a few days! Jackson looks pretty happy to have a little sister and, from the look on Nate's face, you have a new member of the family.

So glad you and Nate were able to step in and help Tempe. I'll be thinking of you as you try to toilet train and deflea her. So sad that people treat animals like this.

Wow, lady! You have your hands full now!
Good timing though - would not have been possible before your wedding. Hope everything sorts out and you have a new furkid to love. I'm pretty sure Jax will love the company :-)
Hope those jerks don't show up at your house looking for their abandoned puppy. They can't possibly make you give her back.

No wonder she isn't toilet trained and covered in fleas, given how she ended up with you. At least she isn't too old so she should be fairly easy to train. I hope that she picks up on things quickly!

When our latest cat Tashi (which means blessing in Tibetan) landed on our laps because he was thrown out of a car, he was riddled with fleas as well. Obviously hadn't been cared for.

I just don't understand why people can't make the smallest amount of effort with their pets though. I know circumstances can change, and perhaps not able to have a pet any more, but how difficult is it to drop them off at a shelter instead of abandoning them?!

Bless you, Chelle.. you saved a life. Thanks you for taking that on, it's a big job.... hugs

Last visit 3 days ago...33 messages...so Hi there snoogums!

Looks like Jax is happy to have a little sister, and she is happy to have you. I'm another who doesn't understand how you can treat furpeople like that!

Chelle, kudos to you for taking in the sweet but needy Tempe. Poor thing needs a home and some love and some security. I am flabbergasted (oh dear, that was my mom's word) at what people will do to an innocent and helpless animal. I hope you are able to get through some of the difficult transition with her and that she becomes a central part of your family. She is lucky that you and Nate are the ones who ended up fostering her.

Hi Chelle! I just got caught up here. I'm so glad the puppy had wonderful neighbors like you to rescue her. I'm amazed at how horribly people treat their pets. Unbelievable. I hope you get the flea and house training business sorted out. Take care and have a lovely Sunday!

Chelle, I think you and Nate are wonderful for taking this puppy in. I also love the name Tempe. I'm sure with a little time, training and love, she will be a great addition to your family.

Just taking a second to add to the well-deserved praises here. We had a full-grown boxer mix in the neighborhood; people moved and just left the dog. It wsas heart-breaking. He was well-kept, but no collar and so obviously no shots. A neighbor shamed the owners into taking him to a shelter. He's a very mild-mannered, attractive dog, so I hope some chooses him soon. People really are awful, aren't they?

That is what happened with my Jess. The dog I had before Duncan. She had been adopted from Angels for Animals.. and had a home for 5 or so years. The man of the house died.. the woman locked two dogs.. Jess and her sister in the house and left them for days. The sister, a lab mix like Jess.. snapped, and was put down. Jess lived for over a year back at Angels, before she came home with me. After a year and half at the shelter, all the of issues that she supposedly had, were gone. She was sort of broken and quiet.. but we loved each other.. so .. it worked out. She is the one that Dirk, my previous to her dog.. came to take to the rainbow bridge when she passed..

I suspect she will be loving and grateful beyond your wildest dreams..

glad Tempe has a real home now! Good you are keeping him, in spite of your husbands intentions :)

More kudos to you and Nate for taking in Tempe like that. He's got to feel like he's in heaven.

Our daughter rescued her Sherlock, the miniature poodle, and he's one happy guy.

Adding my cheers to you for taking in Tempe (love the name, too - Temperance, not Temporary, of course!), and good luck with the de-fleaing and the training!

Congratulations on the new addition to your family, Chelle. It sounds like she could not have wound up in better hands!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday!
I'll be responding to you all tonight when Nate goes to work but here is a picture to tide you over. Obviously Nate has started to love Tempe too, so she is here to stay! :)

Happy Thanksgiving, Chelle! Great photo. :-) Two comfy pals. That's a good-looking quilt, too.

Awwwww..... Daddy's little girl ;-)
Sweet picture.
My daughter has a chocolate lab (since puppyhood) and I don't remember him ever sitting still.

Hope things are settling down a bit - though I'm thinking you have a "long row to hoe" yet.

That is such a cute picture. I'm so glad to hear she is staying, and I bet she is too!

Chelle, you still have Jackson too, right? What does he think of Tempe?

Sweet pic; looks like things are off to a good, if slightly maddening, start.

HI Friends!
We had a wonderful weekend. No Thanksgiving turkey for us since Nate is working and dieting, but the apple butter is in the slow cooker and my house smells awesome!
Tempe is doing well and Jackson loves her. They play until they get cranky and then they sleep. She is now flea free and we are working on the potty training (no accidents since yesterday morning) She has slept in her crate two nights without whining but she hates it if I try and put her in during the day. We are working on that so I can eventually leave the house haha

Today was the holiday so I might hear from animal control or the police tomorrow about her. I kind of hope they they don't call and we can just keep her. I have no idea what will happen or if the people are even looking for their dog. I haven't seen anyone around the neighbours house this weekend so I don't even know if they know that their dog is gone. They should be ashamed for leaving this poor dog there in that condition!

172 Thanks Donna! I vote on the flea punishment. Or to leave them with no food and make them eat garbage. Evil humans really make me angry.

173 Thanks Heather. I don't know why some people even get pets. If they aren't going to love them and treat them well then what is the point

174 Hi Cee! I hope they don't show up here too! I would be very very mean to them!!
I am hoping that we can keep her. Jax loves her ( and so do Nate and I!)

175 Hi Luna. I am happy she is still a puppy so we can easily correct her behaviour. We are slowly teaching her some commands and her new name. She seems to be picking things up easy enough.
If I get to keep her I need to get her to a vet and find out if she has any issues

176 Thanks Kath! If Nate wouldn't have a fit I would have more pets! But two dogs and a cat will be more than enough when we decide to add kids into the mix eventually

177 Hi Richard! Pictures of puppies always bring visitors :)

178 Hi Roni! Yes Jackson is enjoying having a little sister. He is totally exhausted though and doesn't much like it when she tries to bite his jowls and legs. She managed to gets Jackson on his back yesterday and bit him and he kicked her across the lawn. Luckily she bounces and goes right back for more!

179 Thanks Ellen. Thankfully she is adorable and loving and makes it easy to love her! She gives lots of kisses and cuddles so I have no idea how anyone wouldn't love her!

180 HI Kerri. I think we have the flea issue worked out and now she smells clean. I haven't seen a flea since Saturday so I hope we have them GONE!

181 Thanks Judy! I've always wanted another dog for Jax but never did. I'd like to keep her so I guess we will see what happens tomorrow if animal control calls

182 HI Gail. I will never understand why humans can be so awful sometimes. I hope that dog gets adopted by a loving family

183 HI Kath! So far she has been very loving. Eats like a little monster but I don't blame her since she wasn't getting fed properly. She seems to fit in here just fine :)

184 Thanks Megan. Nate is a big softy and just tries to put on a tough guy act but I knew deep down that he wouldn't make a fuss about keeping her if we end up being allowed

185 Thanks Joe! Tempe seems to have the run of the place now! Jax even let her take a cookie from him yesterday! I know dogs can sense if another dog is sick but I wonder if they can sense when they have been neglected too? Jax seems to let her do whatever she wants!

186 Thanks Amber! I probably could have some up with something else but I needed to play along with Nate's demands lol

187 Thanks Stasia! I love having pets and having a puppy around is so much fun!

189 Thanks Joe! That's a quilt from Nate's Gramma. It's a comfy couch blankie

190 Hi Cee! She only sits still when she gets tired. The rest of the time she moves like the wind!
She loves to chase Jackson chase the tennis ball so they are getting lots of exercise

191 Thanks Luna! I am hoping that we get to keep her. Crossing my fingers!!

192 HI Laura. Yes we have Jax and he loves her! He is being really good with her and lets her climb all over him and chew on him. She gets him on the ears and he doesn't much like that though

193 HI Gail! Maddening sounds about right haha

>195 ChelleBearss: Gramma's got talent. And good for Jax! That's great to hear.

Don't all Grammas have talent?

Suppose I'd better get learning how to do stuff now, so that in the remote eventuality that I have kids, I can be multi-skilled by the time the grandchildren come along!

Please keep us updated on Tempe. I really really want her to be able to stay with you, as you're putting so much effort in to her.

Hi Chelle, glad you had a nice thanksgiving and that Tempe is settling down with you, she is so cute. Hope the Arbonne-ing is going well for you and i can't believe Nate is dieting, bye for now.

Joe beat me to the punch - that is a lovely quilt! And Tempe and Nate make for a handsome photo, too...

(I'm so hungry for apple butter right now, just imagining what you house smelled like...mmmm...)

Chelle, so you made the applebutter in the slowcooker that I sent you the recipe for? I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. :) Happy Thanksgiving to you. Our Thanksgiving is Next month. I sure hope that they let you keep Tempe I am jealous she is adorable. Love the pics and I am glad to hear that Jackson and Tempe are getting along well. :)

I have to say.. I can't imagine having more than one dog at a time. Cats are different, less work..
My daughter has 2, and it takes a lot of energy :P I met a woman yesterday with 3 big dogs, but she hd 2 grown sons in the house to help. Frankly, imo... kids are less work than dogs. So when the kids do eventually come along, it will be a breeze for you :) imo

You are one busy woman!

Oh, and I totally agree with >201 mckait:.

Awww, how can you not fall in love with a beauty like that. It was just a matter of time before Nate succumbed to the sweetness of Tempe. :)

I just love the picture of Nate and Tempe. I'm so pleased that she found a good home!!!!!!

Hi Folks! It's been a busy week!!
The RCMP and the SPCA finally got in contact with us about Tempe. They have opened an investigation into animal cruelty on my neighbour and have officially left Tempe in our care for now. We have to take her to the SPCA tomorrow morning for a checkup and some shots.
Apparently our neighbour hasn't moved out, she had just gone away and supposedly left Tempe in someone's care. That someone obviously dropped the ball as she clearly wasn't being cared for.

Also this week I finally started my new job. I went for training yesterday and I have my first shift alone today. It's not exactly what I see myself doing but it will help pay some bills for now. I hope to not be there this time next year!

Tomorrow I get to meet Claudia (Bazhah) and her husband Ron as they are visiting Nova Scotia this week.

196 Yes Joe Gramma does have some talent! She made us a full sized quilt for our wedding too. With the dogs I am afraid to use it so it is resting comfortably in our blanket box for now

197 Hi Luna! It sounds like we may be able to adopt her. I should find out more on Tuesday when the office comes back into work.

198 Hi John! Yes Nate is down 12 pounds now! He is starting to look very slim. He has a couple weeks left on the cleanse and he is feeling very good!

199 Amber the apple butter was delicious! We have devoured one jar already!

200 Hi Monica. I actually used a recipe for it from a canning book that I have. It uses a bit less sugar but it was basically the same recipe. Delish!!

201 haha Kath I've heard that kids are a lot of work! The dogs aren't too bad. Once Tempe stops sneaking bathroom breaks in the house it will be a lot better! She is good about going outside everytime we take her but she sneaks poops in the house really quickly!

202 HI Gail! Yes life has been really busy lately!

203 Yes I knew Nate would give in. He is a sucker for cute animals too!

204 Hi Ellen. It's really cute when they all fall asleep on the same couch!

You are such a good dog lover Chelle. Thank goodness for people like you. I hope they throw the book at your neighbors. They had a story here last week about a dog owner who dragged the dog along behind his car for blocks. They haven't determined yet whether it was on purpose but the poor dog had major injuries including the loss of the pads on his feet. Criminal behavior!

Catching up at last Chelle - good on you guys for looking after Tempe, and I hope you get to keep her. I'm sure the fleas and the lack of toilet training won't help the owners argue to have her back.

Hi Chelle, My oh my, you and Nate have been busy! Tempe is a beauty, what a shame she was treated so poorly. Lucky for her she has found a caring and loving family. And all the jobs! Oh to be youthful again!
My MIL's little dog just had a horrible bought with fleas. We checked her into a pet hotel where they gave her intensive flea treatments as did my MIL's apartment. WE were told that this year was an exceptionally bad year. The drought conditions had the fleas jumping onto animals for moisture. *shrugs*

yay for a Cee and Chelle meetup!
Hope you two get on like a house on fire!

I'm guessing that you will be keeping Tempe. Lucky for all of you. It just makes me smile that you have taken her in and loved her. It's no fun not feeling cherished.... and now she does!

Have fun with Cee :) Sounds great.. where are you meeting up?

New job...? Be safe..

Hi Folks!! It's been a busy day here. We took the puppy to the SPCA for a vet check this morning and some shots. She appears to be about 6 months old. The vet thinks that she might be a black lab crossed with border collie and she (the vet) doesn't think Tempe will end up being a large dog as she is already 6 months old and under 20 pounds. They have offered to cover the cost of her shots and to spay her in a few months so that is great!
We then went to Windsor, NS to meet up with Cee (Bazhah) and her hubby Ron. What a great couple they are! We had lunch at a pub and then walked across the street to a book store. There was a race of some sort and festival going on in town so it was very very busy today!
Here are a couple shots that we took just for our LT friends! The book store we went to had a lovely mural painted on the wall above it so Nate took a picture with that in it too.
We wished that we could have spent more time with them but we didn't want to leave Tempe in her crate too long as we are slowly trying to make her not scared of being alone.




206 Oh Bonnie that is horrible!! I can't imagine how anyone could be so cruel? I feel bad just leaving the house and leaving the puppy in her crate!

207 HI Cushla! I hope we get to keep her. Our neighbour clearly should not own pets ever!

208 HI Lynda. Thankfully the vet only found dead fleas on Tempe today. The revolution shot is working it's magic!

209 haha Megan, we got along just fine :) While we didn't talk about books much (the guys would have been bored!) we did talk about life and lunch flew by!

210 Hi Kath! We intend to keep her if all goes well. I don't know if the previous owner is getting charged or if she is going to try and fight to get her back. Keeping my fingers crossed that she gives up the fight and we keep her!
We met in Windsor NS at a pub and had a delicious brunch!

Great pics :) So glad you had a chance to meet :)
And glad to hear that all is well with Tempe

Hi Chelle,
Ron and I were so impressed with the very sweet couple we met today - you and Nate!

It was a real pleasure meeting with you and the pub grub was great... the Big British Breakfast for Ron and Smoked salmon eggs Benedict for me - yummy. We felt very comfortable with you two and loved to see you both smiling, eyes sparkling and in love.

I noticed that the Arbonne samples you gave me said works within 24 hours - so I fully expect to be beautiful tomorrow ;-)
And thanks so much for the book to read while on vacation... Aunt Dimity and the Duke. With the grey skies and light drizzle here, looks like I can snuggle up with this "cozy" mystery as soon as I finish the book I am reading now. You are such a sweetheart.

Ron and I thank you both for your warm hospitality :-)
We went to the Look-Off you suggested and it was awesome. If the sun had been out, it would have made a nice picture. But at least it was not actually raining so we got out and enjoyed the view of the valley. We took a few pictures anyway but I won't know how they came out till we get home.

Good luck with your new job!

Love the pics, Chelle! How great that you were able to meet up with Cee and hubby Ron! Sounds like a fun get-together. And that's a positive progress report on Tempe.

It sounds like another successful Meet-Up! Are LTers the best people in the world or what? Love the photos! Cool bookstore! Any purchases to report?

Great meetup shot!!! *jealous*
Next time I want enough notice to make it in time please :)

I have to agree Mark, LTers are the best people in the world!

Love the pictures of two of my favorite LTers. That mural is awesome. Looks like Cee might have found a book or two in that store.

Chelle, it sounds like you are making good progress with Tempe. She is a great addition to your family. We dogsat for our son's Black Lab for a few days. I think it did Lucky good to be around one of his kind. I'll have to get a picture next time of two 80-lb. dogs sitting side-by-side in the window waiting for us to get home.

Great pictures! And great news about Tempe! If she's half border collie, then you've got a smart pup on your hands (our border collie, Tuppence, outsmarts me on nearly a daily basis).

Love the pictures! I always enjoy seeing LTers meeting up together!

Great picture - pleased that you and Claudia got to meet up.

Hi Chelle, love the pics of you and Cee, just goes to show the power of LT. If i ever get the chance to visit Canada i will make sure to come to Nova Scotia and arrange to meet up with you and Nate. How are you both anyway and how are the dogs, i really do enjoy conversing with all my worldwide LT friends.

What a lovely meet-up, and great photos!

Love the picture of the meet up and I'm like Megan, super jealous. :)
I think there should be advance notice for everyone to join in all these fabulous meet-ups.

Glad to hear the job is going well and why is Nate dieting?? What kind of cleanse is he doing? I've always been interested in doing one, but have heard it's not a good thing to do to your body if you don't have a clue what you are doing and that pretty much sums me up!

Awe! What great meet up pictures! Is Cee as comical in person as she is on the threads?
The mural above you is outstanding and truly captures what I believe a seaport in that area would be like.
Glad to read the good news about Tempe. Looks like you were meant to move to NS to love this little darling.

Great meet-up pics Chelle. You both look so happy and why wouldn't you be...you just came out of a bookstore! LOL.I'm glad things are working out with Tempe.

I don't know how I lost your thread and for so long!! My goodness, you have your hands full.

Your wedding pictures are gorgeous!! Congratulations to you both!

And a new pup - what a cutie!

And you met Cee - another cutie!

Chelle - great to see that you managed to meet Cee and thanks for putting up the evidence! Two of my favourite LTers, I am sure you had a blast.

Thanks for sharing the meetup pics. So fun to see LTers making RL connections!

It's a very sad day here today for two reason. One of my old coworkers was shot last night and I found out this morning that we probably will have to give Tempe back to her old owners later this week.

After I left work to come out here to NS, my friend left the OPP to go work as a border guard at the Canadian/American border in Surrey, BC. Apparently yesterday an American male tried to cross the border and ended up shooting her. I don't know any further details but the last update I got was that she is in critical condition in the hospital and her family is on their way to BC. The news is saying she is in stable condition so I am hopeful that she will recover.

I know that Americans and Canadians don't always agree on the right to own and use guns (and my thread is not going to be the place to debate it either...) but I think we can all agree that shooting an innocent person for trying to do her job is senseless and unnecessary. Please keep my friend in your thoughts today as she tries to heal from her wounds.
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Canadian+border+guard+stable+condition+after+sh...

I also spoke with the RCMP officer that is investigating Tempe's old owners. The SPCA gave her a clean bill of health on the weekend and because she is not physically abused or emaciated they don't think they will be able to charge the owner. Apparently neglect has to be worse than she had received to be able to charge her. I really don't want to give her back to the horrible woman but I am coming up short on ideas on how to keep her and not get charged myself.

So it's a sad day here and I'm feeling a little depressed. I appreciate all the comments since I posted last and I will write you back but not today. Please keep my friend in your thoughts today

{{{Hugs}}} Chelle - so sorry to hear about your friend - healing thoughts coming her way.

Sorry to hear the news about Tempe. Here's hoping that your neighbour doesn't want her back.

Sorry to hear about all the sad news, Chelle.

*Hugs*. Hoping things work out for you in the end!

Chelle , so sorry to hear about your friend. And hoping that you do find a way to keep Tempe.

Chelle, how awful for your friend.

And I don't understand how the SPCA could say Tempe hadn't been ill-treated when she had the fleas, and had been left in the care of someone who didn't actually look after her. That's not responsible pet-owning! I hope you get to keep her.

Oh Chelle, what a rough day. I'm feeling sad for you on both counts. Sending a virtual hug ...

Hi Chelle, not a good day for you but i hope everything works out for your friend and Tempe, you,Nate and your friend and Tempe are in our thoughts.Keep your chin up my dear.

Chelle, so sorry to hear about your friend and the sad news about Tempe. I'm glad it sounds like your friend is in a stable condition and I will keep her in my thoughts. Hopefully there will be a happy outcome with Tempe.

I am so sorry about your friend, Chelle.. so tragic :(

I happen to know some people have been known to help abused animals disappear. It happens all the time.............

so..

I too, hope you can keep her without taking drastic measures.

Jeez, sorry to hear the tough news, Chelle. We'd heard about the border shooting on the news but had no idea it was a friend of yours. Senseless and terrible. The most recent report I've seen has her in stable condition. I hope she's okay. The guy killed himself, too, right? Why shoot her then? Just crazy.

Too bad about Tempe, too. Poor dog. And you guys must be feeling terrible about it. Thinking of you on a difficult day.

Frig this was one hell of a messed up day! So full of ups and downs, really crazy!! I haven't had a weird day like this in a long long time! I am in for the night now and hopefully nothing else will happen, good or bad!

UPS:
*I got my first Arbonne paycheque today and it had a bonus on it! Yay for money :)
*I booked another Arbonne party for a lady that says she has tons of family that love the products and really want to come out. She says that she expects it to be a big party, yay for money :)
*I got paid for two cake orders, yay for money :)
* Got notice from our wedding photographer that our pictures will be ready for pickup next week!!

DOWNS:
*found out about Lori and the shooting. (Updates coming in say that she will make a full recovery. She is in stable condition and she is awake and alert and aware of what has happened. The bullet didn't hit anything vital. So thankful! Apparently it sounds as if the male was trying to commit suicide and the bullet when through him and hit her too! Bizarre right!?!)
*found out that Tempe might have to go to her evil owner. Crossing my fingers that does NOT happen!
* HIT A DUCK!! Yep, I hit a fricking duck on the highway. It was trying to fly out of the ditch and didn't get enough air and SMACK right into the middle of my windshield. Scared the crap out of me (I admit I might have screamed in fright, might have) No damage to my car and once my heart stopped trying to jump from my chest I was able to drive away.

ETA
Forgot an UP! :)

212 HI Kath! It was a fun meet up! Nate and both got along with Ron and Cee! Such a great couple!

213 Aww thanks Cee!! I hope you enjoy the book and the samples, but you are already beautiful so I don't know what those creams will do for you ;) Hopefully you have gotten some nice weather during your trip!
Did you get to do much touring around?

214 Hi Joe! For my first meetup it went very well :) I couldn't have asked to meet a nicer couple

215 I agree Mark! LT'ers are the best! Cee bought a book but unfortunately I didn't find anything. I have more than enough right now though for the amount that I've been reading lately.

216 Agreed Megan!! You can come anytime though, I have a spare room ;-p

217 Hi Donna! That town was really cute actually. It was right on the water and there was a weirdo pumpkin boat race going on and a parade so the town was packed with people! The mural was quite nice too
I bet your dog loved having a friend in the house for a few days! I know mine loves having someone to play with

218 Hi Amber! Tempe is quite smart and she is picking up on commands pretty quickly. We are working on "come" still, she is very stubborn.

219 220 HI Stasia and Calm! I was very happy to have been able to meet Cee :) Glad to say I've been to a LT meetup now!

221 Hi John! You should make a trip to Nova Scotia! It's very beautiful here, especially this time of year! Fall is very pretty here with all the trees changing colours. The sides of the main highway here are covered in green, yellow, orange and red leaves! So pretty. I'd like to get out sometime tomorrow and try and find a nice place to take a picture

222 Thanks Susan :)

223 HI Val! Wouldn't it be great if we could do one huge LT meetup someday! I think that would be worth a trip
Nate is on the Isogenix (sp?) cleanse. There are bunch of guys on the OPP TRU team that did it and it helped them with their energy levels and losing some extra weight while toning up. Nate has lost 11 lbs now and feels good. I'd like to do it but I don't think I could manage the shakes. He has a better tolerance for gross tasting foods than I do.

224 Hi Lynda! Yes Cee is as lovely and comical as she is online! Her and Ron are just great!

225 Hi Bonnie! I'm always happy when I can eat great food followed by a trip to the bookstore :)

226 Hi Joanne! It's so easy to lose track of threads here. I'm behind on so many right now. Glad you found me again though :)

227 Hi Paul! It was great to get to meet Cee! Hopefully you can come to Canada some day too!

228 Hi Ellen! It's funny but you would think meeting people that you "know" from the internet would be weird but it was so natural and fun!

Thanks to Calm, Val, Rhian, Susan, Laura, John Heather, Kath & Joe for the positive thoughts for Lori. Please keep her in your thoughts tonight and I am hoping to hear more positive news for her tomorrow. I worked with her mother for many years and Lori for a few years before I left Ontario and they are wonderful people! I know they will be surrounded by wonderful support and some very healing thoughts this week!
The updates I'm getting from the comm centre show a very positive outcome so far. Don't think she is out of the woods yet but looks like nothing vital was hit and she should recover.

>243 ChelleBearss:: Addicted? Who's addicted?

I'm sorry for your rough news. Sneding lots of good thoughts and energy your friend's way...and I'm so sorry about Tempe...maybe the owner won't really want her back?

So nice for you and Cee to be able to meet up. Two very nice people! (and the hubs, of course)

not fair chelle. people who neglect animals shouldnt be allowed them back.
And its disgraceful news to hear that your old colleague was shot. how terrible. And scary. excuse the one finger typing, little lenny is under the weather and needs constant cuddles, im happy to oblige.

Sorry for the emotional roller coaster you've been on today, Chelle. I hope tomorrow brings more ups than downs.

Hi Chelle- Sorry to hear about the double whammy! Bummer. Hopefully your friend will have a full recovery. Sorry about the dog too and the poor duckie! Let's hope tomorrow is a lot better.
Hooray for Reason #53!!

I am so guilty of 243...no wonder my purse feels so heavy all the time! :)

Getting caught up with your thread Chelle. The shooting at the Peace Arch crossing was shocking to say the least. My thoughts have been with the border guard and her family since I heard the news and I am glad to hear that her condition is improving. Hope you are doing okay after the bad news day you had!

Wow, what an emotional roller coaster. I hope everything works out for your friend and Tempe.

As far as reason #53 is concerned, I resemble that remark.

Good morning everyone!!

After my crazy day yesterday I got a pretty good sleep last night. Today I am working on a couple cakes and some canning and someone is coming to look at my SUV that I have for sale. Hopefully nothing crazy will happen today as I have had my fill of crazy for a while!!

If anyone of you have facebook and would like to support my old coworker there is a facebook page for support for her now. http://www.facebook.com/BlueForBowcock

#244 haha Gail I think we are all book addicts in one form or another. Some of us are book collectors that collect more books than we can reasonably expect to read, some of us read books at a pace that is quite unbelievable and some of us have 6 or 7 or 8 books on the go at one time (and some of us fit more than one of those categories ;)

#245 I agree Megan, but unfortunately it is not left up to me or else that lady would be locked in a cage full of fleas. (I believe that was either an LT or facebook suggestion, and I like it :)
Poor little Lenny. Hope he got lots of cuddles to make him feel better!

#246 Thanks Katie! I'd like ups today only :)

#247 Thanks Mark! Poor little duckie. I felt so bad. I'd like to think it bounced and then flew away but I have a feeling that was not the case...

#248 I had to laugh at Val as I was packing my work bag on Tuesday and realized I only had 100 pages left in my book so I brought another (and ended up starting the second one at work!) So when I saw that yesterday I had a good laugh at myself!

#249 Hi Lori! Yes it was quite shocking to me as well! She hadn't worked there long as she was still at OPP in March when I left. Poor girl is going to need lots of support while she heals

#250 Hi Morphy! Yes a bit of a roller coaster yesterday. Nate is feeling it too unfortunately and he had to work last night. Hopefully he sleeps well today since he has to go back in tonight :(

Hi Chelle -
yup - I had a bad DOWN myself on Tuesday. In Halifax, on our way in the rain to have lunch at Murphy's, I slipped on wet, slimy boardwalk and fell. Hard. Broke my left shoulder x2.
So, got a taste of Ca emergency healthcare - no surg necessary - arm in sling - taking narcs - very painful. Will follow up w/ortho surgeon when I get home (Monday). Not looking forward to the ride - ouch, ouch, ouch!

But... an UP! I found the book for you that I was looking for (just before my disaster)! yay!
If you PM me your address, I'll send it to you :) someday soon.

So - will have to plan another trip to NS....

sorry about your crazy week. Hope things turn out better than you think.

Oh Chelle! I just got caught up here, and what a roller coaster ride you have had. SO sorry to hear about your former coworker - sending healing thoughts her way and wishing for her a full recovery. Also feeling so sad for both you (and Nate and Jackson) and Tempe. I hope that the owner will change her mind and decide she doesn't want her - so devastating to think that they would remove her from a good and loving home to return her to a neglectful one. I am crossing my fingers that you will somehow get to keep her.

Glad your friend is going to be okay, Chelle. How bizarre - he apparently was shooting himself and the bullet also hit her? Wow.

I'm with Mamie re Tempe.

I'm definitely addicted under >243 ChelleBearss: - huge concern as I near the end of a book is having another one ready. Carrying the Kindle around simplifies that a lot, as I've got tbrs on it. I'll often be reading a paper book, with the Kindle on hand if I finish.

Hi Chelle, re >243 ChelleBearss: i am definately in that category but am not worried as i know i am a book-a-holic just need the t-shirt and badge. Maybe that's something we should have, an idea for LT possibly. Still got your friend and Tempe in our thoughts. Love to you both.

>252 -Cee-:: OMG Cee! What a shame about your shoulder. Hope the drugs are helping.

OMG what an awful spate of bad news Chelle. Sending healing thoughts for your friend and hoping Tempe will make out OK.

Couples cake? To celebrate getting through counseling? What?

Oh boy, Chelle, you've certainly has a interested week! I'm keeping your friend in my thoughts, and Tempe, too - so so hoping that somehow it works out that you can keep her.
Oh, and congrats on the jobs!!

Mamie used the expression on my mind - you certainly have had a rollercoaster ride these last few days - at least the weekend is here to take things steady. Hope that Tempe becomes a Perme if you see what I mean and that your business continues to flourish whilst Lori make the fullest of recoveries.
By the way I would never go out the house with only one book in my hand if one of them was in danger of imminent completion. x

Chelle, what a time you are having. I'm so glad that it appears that your coworker will make a full recovery. I guess the shooting goes as a DOWN and the good prognosis goes as an UP. Still. Sheesh.

And --- nooooo to Tempe having to go back to her evil owners. I am so hoping that you get to keep her. You and Nate are giving her the life she deserves; the fates just can't go against that. Well, they can, but I will be very angry if they do.

Hitting the duck. Very sad. In some ways, adrenaline (and a possible scream) notwithstanding, it might be better that it came out of nowhere. I have long believed that my demise will come in the form of an accident caused by my attempt to avoid hitting an animal. Any animal. P laughs at me because I slow down for crows that are standing in the road. "They'll get out of the way," she says. Yeah. But what if they don't.

Hugs to you, Chelle. I'm glad you have had some UPs mixed in.....

Checking in to see how things are going...

I was talking to a wildlife rehab person the other day. She was telling us how there are so many birds of prey and in fact birds of all kinds being hit by cars this year. One of the reasons is weather related and hunting for food. Another? People who allow their cats to roam are hunting and killing ( or just badly harming.. so the prey animals like rabbits etc end up with her, too ) the animals that the birds of prey look to for food. They don't eat the small animals.. just kill them. This makes sense, because cats are hunters. But if those who have kitties kept them in, more food for Owls, etc. I wonder if your poor duck didn't have a similar trouble :(

My cats stay inside. 100%. Inside.

Hitting anything on the road is always alarming. We always have the random rabbit, gopher and bird who like to push their luck posing as road hazards. Always gives me a bit of a heart attack when they pop out onto the road out of nowhere!

Hi Chelle,
I hope youre taking care and not working too hard!
Have a good weekend.

Hi Chelle,
Hope your weekend is better than the last couple of days - I was really shocked to read about your friend and hope she pulls through. And I hope you get to keep Tempe.

I love the meetup photos!! Cee, I am useless at keeping up with your thread but I hope the painkillers work on your shoulder for the trip home and you are recovering ok.

Hi Chelle, wow, what a week. I was shocked over the shooting at the Peace Arch which is only a 20 minute drive from my house. I am so glad that your friend is doing well and on her way to recovery.

Very nice that you got to have a LT meetup, but so sorry to hear that Bahzah had such a nasty fall. Fingers crossed both for a comfortable ride home and a speedy recovery.

Sorry to hear that Tempe maybe having to go back to your neighbour. Maybe if you ask her, she would let Tempe come to you since she obviously doesn't take any time with her.

And of course, sorry to hear about the duck. :(

Chelle,
Wow, I don't get on here for a week and I come back to hear all your news.. My goodness you have had some Downs.. I will keep your friend in my thoughts and prayers that she recovers well from this. So glad it did not turn out worse.

Tempe I am crossing fingers and praying that you get to keep her.. I know all to well the loss of a pet you have become attached to and to know that she may be going to a home where she may not be treated well is saddening. Keeping you, Nate and Tempe in my thoughts and prayers.

Sorry about the Duck too..

YAY about the money and the cakes and everything else that is going well. I am hoping this week is a better one for you. Take care.

Chelle, I'm so glad your friend will recover from her trauma. What a crazy world this is. And poor Tempe. So, abandonment isn't considered a punishable offense by the SPCA? Maybe Tempe should have some say in the matter.

HI Everyone

Feels like it's been forever since I was able to sit down and visit LT! I've been working and caking and playing with the dogs (we still have Tempe and haven't heard anything else from the police about her) and doing an Arbonne party. It's be super busy here but I have been able to fit in a little reading thankfully!

One good thing is Lori is out of hospital now! From what I hear she has a long road to recovery but at least she is going to make it through just fine. She is tough!! The comm centre in London amazed me as they raised $2000 in one day from BBQ sales! I couldn't believe they got that many people to come to a BBQ! I'm so proud of my old coworkers!

Today is cleaning and laundry day so hopefully between loads I can do some visiting!

252 Hi Cee. I've sent you a couple messages since you posted that but I hope you are healing well and aren't in any pain!! I'll pop by your thread soon to see if I can see an update!

253 HI Mamie! How's the new house going?
Thanks for keeping your fingers crossed, but you will need to keep them crossed a bit longer as we haven't heard anything yet! I am hoping we hear something positive soon!

254 HI Joe! I've actually gotten away from taking my Kobo places as the battery doesn't last that long. I'd rather read it at home and take real books out with me. I took it on our cruise last Christmas and it died on the plane ride there! Something needed to be rebooted when we got home. I was thankful that I had brought other books with us

255 HI John! I think book addict tshirts would sell great on here!

257 Thanks for the hugs Bonnie!

258 haha No Richard, that was one of my many typos! A couple of cakes is what I meant!

259 Thanks Amber! I love doing the cakes but I do not like turning down other shifts to do a cake because I actually don't make that much doing cakes. Cakes are more a creative outlet and fun. I need to work out a better system!

260 Thanks for the kind words Paul! We actually did get out and enjoy our weekend with some new friends. We took the dogs hiking with another friend's dog and they loved it. Slept for a while day afterwards!

261 HI Ellen! I feel the same way about animals in the road! I always slow down if see something dart out into the road, doesn't matter what kind of animal. (Nate thinks it's funny when I slow down for squirrels!)
I actually didn't have time to stop for the duck as it had the worst timing and came out of the ditch sideways right into my path.

262 HI Kath! I never let our cat outside without supervision. I was always afraid of her getting hit by a car. I have a few friends that let their cats roam free and they have no concerns about their animals coming home, but I never wanted to risk it. I'll take Taz outside with me in the summer but she comes back in the house when I do.

Laundry time and someone coming to pick up a cake.... more later :)

263 That's good Ellen! I know in some towns it's actually bylaw that cats must stay indoors

264 Val I must admit that the duck make me scream. I've never actually hit anything before!

265 HI Megan! I'm managing to find some time to relax and read, but I have been going pretty non-stop. I have no shifts at the security place for the rest of this week and next so I'll get to relax more!

266 HI Cushla! Thanks for positive thoughts! Lori will pull through but no word on Tempe yet. I'm hoping the delay means that they are reconsidering charging her old owner.

267 HI Judy! I am considering asking the officer (if he decides to try and give Tempe back) to ask the lady if I can buy her. She is doing so well here. Jax just loves her and she is putting on weight and is now flea and worm free.

268 Thanks Monica! This week has definitely gone better than last!!

269 HI Donna! If only the dogs could talk eh! I bet Tempe would not choose to go back to the other house.

Interesting conversation about the cats staying inside. Would you say that that is the norm in the US / Canada? I don't think that anyone I know in the UK who has a cat keeps it inside, whereas I've heard quite a few Americans / Canadians refer to indoor only cats. I'm sure some people do in the UK, especially with pedigree cats, but it's not that common, certainly where I live.

Edited to add: I just looked this up on the internet and apparently in UK & Europe about 90% of cats have access to outdoors freely, whereas in the US about 75% of cats are kept indoors or only allowed out under close supervision.

That's raised another question: how do you supervise a cat?

Hi Rhian. Yes it's quite normal here for people to have cats stay indoors only. Some towns have bylaws that state that any cat outdoors must be on a leash or confined to a yard and not allowed to wander. Cats can become a nuisance when allowed to wander through city neighbourhoods. I think in the country it might not be as big of a deal as in cities.

ETA
haha Just noticed your addition. You can supervise a cat by being outside with it or having it on a leash or tie-out.

That does sound very different! There are certainly no such regulations here! It's incredibly unusual to see a cat on a leash. We actually have seen one in the last day or so as someone has moved into the house opposite us who has been exercising his cat on a leash and it's so unusual that we've been busy pointing it out to each other each time we see it. I doubt if I've seen another one in the last 5-10 years.

>273 SandDune:: Rhian, we lived in the UK for a few years and brought two cats over with us (don't get me started on quarantine!!). Locals quickly helped us realize how "abnormal" we were in keeping our cats indoors. One of them was quite happy to gallivant about outdoors, the other came to us as a kitten and had been indoor-only, so she rarely ventured more than a few feet out the door.

On returning to the US I volunteered at a bird rescue and the folks there quickly helped me realize I was once again "abnormal," and I should keep my cats indoors to protect birds. So we reverted to our "cultural norm" and all of our kitties stay indoors now.

Crazy, huh?

>270 ChelleBearss: Great to hear your borderguard friend Lori is going to be okay, Chelle.

You're right - you don't need to worry about battery life with a paper book! I usually take both, too. I've never had a battery problem with the Kindle, even on the long Australia trip, but I always keep an eye out for charging opportunities.

>273 SandDune: Like Chelle.. I would not let my cats to outdoors. I worked for a vet and saw the results of cat vs car, truck, train, dog, etc. I have 4 cats. Over the years I have taken in several strays and taught them to live cheerfully indoors. And they live long healthy loves.. 20 years on average.

I choose to never take mine out, as it is too easy for them to contract things like FIV/Felv if another cat comes into their area. Very contagious and deadly. So... that is my choice.. I am very protective of my furkids. :)

I too, am glad to hear that your friend will be fine :) Didn't you say she hadn't been on the job for very long?
I hope her healing goes faster than expected and that she can find a safer job to go back to :P

Fingers crossed for Tempe.

#278 I can see what you saying about it being safer for the cats, but I suppose I'd take the view that you can't altogether eliminate risk from life, for animals or people. Most cats I know live to a ripe old age too despite being allowed outside. It seems to be an area where there are wide differences of opinion across the Atlantic. It's probably so ingrained in me that a cat needs to go outside that I wouldn't have one if we lived in a situation where it couldn't.

275 Actually Rhian I used to have a neighbour that would try and walk his cat on a leash. He was a bit eccentric and would walk behind the cat and the lazy cat would just lay down and the guy would just stand there holding the leash and wait for the cat to want to walk again. It was pretty funny to watch!

276 Laura it's amazing the difference between countries eh! What is the norm here is considered weird in other parts of the world

277 HI Joe! I should get back into the habit of using my kobo more but I also worry when I go to work that it might get up and walk away. I'd hate to have it stolen while I was out of the room

278 HI Kath! Yes Lori had only been there since this spring I think. So not long at all. I wonder if she will go back to it when she is healed.

>280 ChelleBearss: You know, Chelle, I've thought about the possibility of my e-reader getting stolen, but I have to admit I've thought it probably is not that much of a draw to thieves.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm thinking something with books on it doesn't seem to have the sizzle most thieves are looking for - or the easy resale value a smartphone has, for example. On the other hand, some will steal anything that looks remotely like it might have some resale value, so I do keep a close eye on it.

I have always kept Susie (my cat) indoors, but mostly because I'd be too neurotically worried about her getting run over in the street otherwise. She's 15 years old now, so she set in her ways and has no desire to venture even one paw out of the door. And she's about as far from a purebred as one can get - I got her out of a free box at a garage sale!

hi chelle!
things are sounding good for you which makes me happy :)
glad Lori is healing well... would she have options for returning to work, i.e. different duties? hope she is not bothered by ptsd-type symptoms. being severely injured sure can make you jumpy! (understandably)

my cat, Woolly, stays indoors - always.
first kitten i ever had did get killed by a car as she saw me coming home and was running across the street to see me. oh. my heart broke!

i keep having lovely memories of our too short vaca in NS - and am already planning a rough draft of NS vacation - part 2!

*lurking with nothing useful to say*

281 Joe I see it as anything that looks electronic is probably going to get taken if left alone. When I work I have to wander the halls with the patient so that leaves my stuff sitting in her room, which is not locked. I'd rather loose a book than my kobo.

282 haha Amber I got my cat in a similar way! Free box at a craft fair on a farm. She is tiny and declawed so I would worry about her not being able to defend herself from wild animals. She is quite content indoors

283 HI Cee. Things are good here. I've done a few cakes, and I have a couple shifts this weekend now. I don't much like the last minute call-ins but at least it's hours. I have a halloween party to go to tomorrow night too :)
How is your arm feeling? Are the pain meds helping?

284 Hi Gail!!

I think it is probably time for a new thread. Stay tuned :)