UH-OH

So, here it is...from a different backgrounds page...
like it? Good....
Then comment because I lost ALL of my gadgets on the sidebar, including all of my fellow bloggers!!!

Sorry everyone!
BG

maybe not...

so, it is just a colored background?
NO, NO, NO...
guess it's back to the drawing board tomorrow! I had a beautiful Fall design picked out, but seems like it is not working.
Once again, any help would be appreciated!

FINALLY

Ok, so here it is finally...
for any that might be having problems...
I had not deleted the first blog that I put on there. Once I deleted it, the new one automatically came up!
Have a great evening!

A little bit of everything...

I have no idea what is going on with my blogger and backgrounds! I am trying to download from the same
Cutest Blog on the Block, but there is nothing happening! It just shows up as a blank gadget in my sidebar with a little wrench. AGH!!!!! If anyone has some insight, I would appreciate it!

We finally had nice weather over the weekend! Here is how I like it:

so, my husband or now known as "The Grill Master", (which makes my son chuckle...to the point that he said I should put it on my blog!), bought a small grill and we put it on our table on
our balcony! It is probably not allowed 12 floors up in a building, but we decided that there is enough wind that until someone says something, or we get a letter from the association, then we have GRILLED food! Yummy!

and finally, here is Miss Bella. She is doing so-so on her training. She still has accidents and sometimes she goes without any..... just the realities of having a puppy. I have decided to not stress so much about it. It has only been two weeks into the training. The only really hard part is getting up at 4 in the morning because she needs to go! I will hope that this too shall end some day!

:(

So, I guess the old saying goes...You can't win them all.
My Black and Gold lost tonight.
Steelers 14NY Giants 21
What really hurts? We were winning for the longest time and then kept making some dumb penalties and mistakes. Onto next week....

The fog, mist rolls in

Usually here in our sunny city we wake up to beautiful mornings filled with sunshine and not too much heat...Yes, we do have many days of rain where you think you wil never see the sun again, but this is usually it: This is the view of some beautiful carnations that I found last week at the flower market. I am amazed at the smell of carnations here... a soft and sweet smell. They are sitting on my porch rail of my balcony.

Today we woke up and you would not even know that there is a vast ocean sitting across the street...
I am not sure if it is fog or mist...according to Wikipedia, "fog is a cloud that comes in contact with the ground.... and the only difference between fog and mist is it's density."
So here is my comfortable chair that I love to sit in the mornings. The day is just getting started when one can collect their thoughts, enjoy the moments of tranquility, listen to the ocean, see the sights if you choose, and relax with a cup of your favorite morning elixir...tea, coffee, juice....
But today, my thoughts are lost in this mist. I think that will be ok, let
me just relax and close my eyes, and there I can dream!
Enjoy your weekend, rain or shine, mist or sun...... at least we can always dream

Awards!

My friend at Joyful Sister gave these awards to me....
I want to thank her and encourage all of you to read her blog and find inspiration in her encouraging words.
I hope that everyone is having a great week and know that I will find the time soon to read all of your blogs...
I am trying to juggle still living my ordinarily crazy life with the addition of Bella and bathroom training!
12 floors up?....I think that I am losing my mind (if it hasn't already left it yet!)

Goings on...

So, what has been happening in my life.... I feel like I have not been writing as much and here is why:


Cute? you bet!! Frustrating? way more than you could imagine....why?
Well, after successfully (word used lightly) training her to go on the paper until after her third vaccine, she now does not want to go to the bathroom outside. Literally, yesterday was the first day and I spent an hour and a half in the morning, about an hour in the evening and NO LUCK.
I went back to the crate training method, which is, I put her in the crate at night to sleep and in the day when there isn't anyone home....theory: she will not dirty her "house". Generally works...

Example #1: this morning she had only done a little poo, understandable...night time is a long time to hold it for a puppy....so I scoop her up in my arms (she hates the elevator) and then my other dog wanted out also. I put her down for 2 SECONDS to put his leash on...and she pees in the hallway...AGH!

Example #2: after the last episode, I left her in her crate for about 2 1/2 hours and she had not gone. So I sweep her up in my arms, praise her repeatedly (hoping that doesn't make her pee on me) and take her outside.... 2 HOURS later....NOTHING!!! I took her walking (which is a slight exaggeration seeing as she does not like to walk yet), running in the park, let her off her leash thinking that might help.... 2 HOURS and NOTHING!!!
So, my friend, who has trained some guide dogs, brought some water down for her to get it going...and thankfully it worked....came upstairs and fed her and then tried taking her out in mid poo (a joke in and of itself in a 12th floor apartment) but to no avail....
AHHHH, no wonder she is now like this:
I will keep up the vigilance...I KNOW she is a smart dog and will get it...(right?...I mean what dog does not like to go outside? hopefully mine will not be the first! hahaha)

and for those that may miss this (read: none of you but I don't care because I LOVE my Black and Gold):
Steelers 38
Cincinnati Bengals 10
WIN!

Lovin' in Blogland

My blogger friend Coffee Slut has awarded me this:


Can you feel the love? I CANNow as with all fun awards there are some "rules".....
display it, link it to who sent it to you, give it to 7 others with their links included, and leave them a message so that they know! Sound good?
Want to know what I am really thinking??? It's not like I read THAT many blogs...so really, I love all of my blogs listed over there! I seem to look for others, but then never continue and stick with the few that I have. Maybe I will venture for some more bloggy friends, but please know I would give this to all of you that read my blog. Alas, only 7 is the rule so here goes:
Beth
Lynn
Jodi
Gabriela
Marina
Calandria
Sonja

Hope you all have had a great weekend.....

Costumes

Now, if only I knew how to sew, or if someone could send me this costume...funny thing is I LOVE CANDY CORN!!!!

Your Halloween Costume Should Be

Candy Corn

What Should You Be For Halloween?

Pumpkin Soup

Check out the fun recipes at Linda's 2nd Cup of Coffee. She has started a recipe exchange for Fall.
This week, I would like to add my Pumpkin Soup. It is D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.!!! My friend Elke from Australia shared this recipe with me when we lived in Houston together.
I hope you enjoy it...let me know if you try it.
Oh, and yes, I live in Brazil, so we use fresh pumpkin here. I am not sure how it would taste with canned pumpkin!

Ingredients:
1 Pumpkin, cut into smaller pieces
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cut
2 White Potatoes, peeled and cut1 White Onion, chopped
Fresh Ginger, grated
Garlic, chopped
Butter
Chicken Broth

Coconut Milk, to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

-Melt the butter and stir in the garlic and ginger, until lightly browned
-Add the rest of the ingredients, except the last 3. Cook on low until it is VERY soggy, mushy. (about 1 hour)
-Blend in blender
-Return to the same pot and add the coconut milk, salt and pepper.

I like to use fresh cracked pepper. It adds color, texture and tastes so yummy! Not too much though...it will take away from the other yummy flavors in this soup!
As we say here in Brazil, Bom Apetite!

Ocean and Moon

Sometimes the view when the moon comes out is just amazing. We can't always see the moon at this angle because of the changing of the Earth. When we do, and it is a full moon, we are treated to beautiful reflections off of the water.
Sometimes the ocean looks so dark and mysterious....the sounds of the waves crashing sooth my mind. I can always lose my thoughts in just listening to the intensity of them.
They are always different....the color, the intensity, the distance...
the ocean changes with every wave....from night to day, it feels like a different ocean, alas, it is the same vast expanse of crashing waves and beautiful colors

Halloween is coming...BOO!

I like Halloween.
I always fondly remember dressing up and walking around my neighborhood. We would carry big pillow cases to see what we could collect from our lovely
"Trick or Treat"....
Sometimes I feel bad that my kids don't get to experience this oh so American pastime. Alas....
for your Halloween enjoyment

You Could Be a Vampire... If You Had To

Like most people, the thought of being a vampire has crossed your mind. But you're not sure if you'd do it, even if you could. Living forever doesn't sound half bad, if you could live forever with the people you love the most. But do vampires even love? And would the vampire version of you even be you? It's all too much to contemplate. Luckily, the chances of you ever becoming a vampire are astronomically low. What you would like best about being a vampire: Living forever What you would like least about being a vampire: Blood stained teeth

Could You Be a Vampire?

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday...Hip hip hooray!!
My Mom is so funny....she is always making me laugh! When she starts really laughing, I can't help but laugh with her.
Some people say we look alike, and now I find that I am acting like her, too....using phrases with my kids that she used with me, combing my daughter's hair how she used to comb mine (and I swore I would never do that!).
Well, here is a poem from a book that she bought me for my birthday once. It is called "mother and daughter friends of the heart". It really is a long sentence that continues throughout the whole book, but here is a part that I just love:
"In her achievements, a mother's hopes come to life.
She is one of life's brightest lights, greatest hopes and purest joys."...
Now that was talking about daughters, but that is how I feel about my Mom, too!
Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

Kreativ me...

My blogger friend Jodi gave me this award:
Thank you Jodi...
Now, I have to "list 6 things that make you happy and pass it on to 6 other bloggers."


My six:
1. My husband and children
2. My life
3. Scuba diving
4. Sunshine
5. Flowers
6. Traveling

My six friends that I find to have Kreativ sites:
1. Cielo
2. Sonja
3. Gabriela
4. Carol
5. PJ
6. Tracie

In each of these ladies posts, there is always something beautiful, that makes me laugh, or think, or wonder and enjoy their site. Visit them...it is well worth it!

A special day in Brazil

This past Sunday, October 5th, two things happened...
First and foremost, our son turned 10 years old! 10? A full two hands! Where did that time go? I still remember ending my last performances as a ballerina and having a baby shower!How time flies!
He invited 2 friends to go bowling with us. The bowling alley was empty, which was really nice. We all had a great time and he seemed really happy.
So why was the bowling alley empty? It was the general elections for municipal mayors and council members. It is a requirement here in Brazil to vote. If you do not vote, you are fined. I think it is a great way for people to learn about what is happening in their governance, and to get involved, instead of just complaining when something goes wrong.
Now, the funny thing is that you can run under ANY name you like, as long as it is not offensive.
There were 8, yes 8, Barack Obama candidates. Is that too funny or what? Others used Bin Laden...(? that's not offensive?), whilst others used French soccer player, Zinedine Zindane. If you remember, he was the French player that was thrown out of the World Cup final in 2006, against Italy, for head butting an Italian player. It was a shame because it was his last game before retirement.

Half and a quarter, or Sleepy middle, or Steeler's Update :)

It seems like every late game, last Monday night, and last night, I can not stay awake for the half time nor 3rd quarter...
and both times, I have drifted off to the Steelers up by a few....
same last night. I woke up at the beginning of the Fourth Quarter to find the Steelers up by a slight margin and then go on to win it! Go Black and Gold....I love ya!
Steelers 26
Jacksonville Jaguars 21

Friends

A Friend is a Treasure
Jean Kyler McManus


A friend is someone we turn to,
When our spirits need a lift,
A friend is someone we treasure,
For true friendship is a gift.

A friend is someone we laugh with,
Over little personal things,
A friend is someone we're serious with,
In facing whatever life brings.

A friend is someone who fills our lives,
With beauty and joy and grace.
And makes the world that we live in
A better and happier place!

I found this poem and wanted to send it to my friend, Gabriela...
she took me out to lunch for my birthday, and helped me remember what a special friendship has formed since we moved to the same city just over a year ago.

You know, you never know when something is just going to click. A mutual friend, that we both lived with in different cities overseas, sent an email to us and said....meet each other! I am sure you will both get along, and you have kids right around the same age.

I think we would have met anyways, seeing as our two 2nd graders were put into the same class last year. Good thing, because they also became instant friends. It just is nice knowing that no matter how far away we sometimes feel when we live overseas, that friends like her are just around the corner to make it feel like home!

Look at the way the bill came to our table ..and the painted utility pole right outside...

Thanks Gabriela, for sharing my birthday and for always being there for me on our crazy adventure!

Bella

Happy Friday to all....
what better way to celebrate the start of the weekend with some fun, cuddly fotos of my puppy, Bella.
She is growing really quickly. She still can not go outside, until her 3rd vaccination at 12 weeks.
The poo and pee that I left behind when my youngest turned 3 was enough for me!Alas, just 2 more weeks and we can "go outside".....that is what I am calling the paper that she tries to go on while housebound, so that she can be ready to really GO OUTSIDE.
Here she is amongst some Gerber Daisies that I am using in my flower work.Luckily I was able to salvage them before she bore her tiny, sharp puppy teeth into them!
I hope you all have a great weekend

I should live ...WHERE???

Ok, so I found this from Tracey's blog...and I really can't believe that this is where I am meant to be! I like that it is close to the ocean, but that ocean is WAY too cold for me!!!
Interesting though...should I look for real estate?

You Should Live in Maine

If you don't want to live in Maine, you might also consider: Washington Wisconsin California Delaware Kentucky

What State Should You Live In?