I am a Schnauzer Owner

Over the last 2 years or so (really 19 years, but I digress), I have been trained by Schnauzers on how to be the perfect mom for this breed. I have learned and mastered several "tricks" and many other things I have come to love so much. Which are:

• Throwing a toy down the hall while blow-drying my hair.
• Fetching toys from under various pieces of furniture.
• Learning the meaning of various whines and barks so that I don't have to look up to see what is going on.
  
• Feeding at exactly 6:30am and 6:30pm. Any later and things get out of hand.
• Throwing the toy each and every time it is brought to me, no matter how sleepy/busy i am.
  

Things I love more than life:

• The smell of a musty beard after playing all day
• "Frito" feet
• Sleeping on their backs with legs in the air
• A deep sigh before falling asleep
• "Hugs"
• Chocolate Gumdrop Eyes

Newest Addition!

After thinking about it for a little while, and finding the best bargain, we have added a new appliance to the house.
The Cuisinart Grind-N-Brew. Oh Lordy did this little machine work hard this weekend!
Thursday I picked it up at Bed-Bath-and Beyond with a 20% off coupon and a $15 gift card. That helped out a lot. My parents came into town on Friday so starting on Saturday morning, the coffee pot was working hard. 2 pots Saturday morning, 2 pots on Sunday morning with another Sunday afternoon!
Right now we are enjoying Starbuck's Espresso Brew. I picked up a Snikernut Cookie brew at HEB that is nice for Sunday afternoon, has a touch of cinnamon.
So now at 6:15am every morning the little grinder starts up and I awake to the smell of coffee.
How did this happen? Breann has never been a coffee person (not really).
In Chicago, waking up to coffee every morning was a calming and welcome thing. I got spoiled by it! And even now, Lee is having a cup in the morning too.
This was a conspiracy by Donald and Andrew for sure.

In other news, I got put on a really big project at work! I am doing work on the admin building at University of Houston! I spent 4 hours on Thursday picking finishes and then 2 hours + on Friday out at the office measuring and taking photos. I need to do a TON of work on it this week to try and present something on Wednesday morning if possible. I want my boss to be there since this is such a big project, but if she can't I can swing it alone, maybe take an intern with me.
But I am really honored that my boss gave me this project. To me it shows that they believe in me and think I am ready for it.

This weekend we are going to Palestine to spend the 4th with my grandparents. My grandmother just had surgery so she isn't allowed to do anything! I will fill in and cook and clean and make sure she is behaving!!

Mom and Tony's visit went very well and we had a blast! We saw Wanted on Saturday morning and I really really liked it. Now, i don't know if I will watch it again on DVD, because it is one of those that once you have seen it, you don't really need to see it again. But maybe. Anyway, I do recommend it.

Funny story

So I am in the process of saving all my LiveJournal entries into a word document. I never post to it anymore and I am afraid I will lose it and there are so many entries... it basically documents my life since 2003... 

I found this one, which you may had to have been there to appreciate it, but it makes me laugh so hard!

Well, we said we were going to have a bonfire...

Aug. 16th, 2003 | 06:33 pm
I feel...:  relieved
Noise in my head...: The hum of the computer...

Today started out very lazy and relaxing. Woke up, went swimming. The conoer's started getting thick (and drunk and full of kids) so we went back to the house. My mom's house faces the Elk River, and there are camp sites that rent out canoes so you can go down it. During some months, you can get an inner tube. So from about 10 am to 3 pm, there are people everywhere. Her property happens to have a nice little rock beach where people like to stop and swim. SO, we go back to the house and eat lunch and take naps until about 2:30. Lee and me and mom go back down to swim for about an hour. Luther is having a blast, getting in the water and swimming. Lilly, well, she has been hiding under the bed not sure what is going to happen to her. She comes out at night or while we are in the bedroom. Anyhow, we come back from swimming and I take a shower and lee and tony eat a little of mom's awsome lasagne, and decide to go fishing since the floaters have stopped. Mom decides we should shoot a bottle rocket off the deck to scare them. Here is where the fun begins. Last week, thier bottom pasture (basically what keeps the house from being ON the river) was mowed down for hay. That damn bottle rocket hits that hay and I see a little fire start up so I said "mom, fire." and she looks at it and yells "FIRE!" to Tony and Lee since they are right there on the beach. When they pull up, it is about the size of a dinner platter. So, in flip flops, nylon shorts, and tank tops, they start doing the mexican hat dance on top of this hot fire. Mom is scrambling to get water and Lee comes up in the golf cart to get the buckets of water. Tony starts yelling for the water hose, but it wasn't very long so he could barely even get water on the part of then now huge spreading fire coming towards the house (we have maybe 50 yards between the deck and this fire!) Mom is calling the volunteer fire dept and tony is yelling for more hose. Mom is telling me to find the green hose. I see this dinky looking hose hanging near by and I grab it. Mom takes off in the golf cart for the road since you cannot see this house from the road. The end of this 12 ft hose is cut off so me and lee are standing on the deck shoving this hose into the next one just so Tony can have water. It is going everywhere! Tony keeps yelling that there is a kink in the hose because he kept losing pressure!! (there we 2 brand new 20 ft hoses in the garage, we just didn't know it because we aere scared and mom was gone) So we hear the sirens and the chevy truck and the actual truck are now down by tony so we stopped with this whole water hose fiasco we have going on. Tony is standing there with sandals and nylon shorts on with a pee stream of water coming out and going about 2 feet to hit this fire. He tinks he got laughed at. The fireman drove around the fire with thier truck and had it out in about 15 to 30 seconds. Tony is yelling for boots and overhauls and a rake. See, the firemen had to get back to town because they had been lined up for a PARADE! They were about to start the parade for... JESSE JAMES day here in Pineville Missourri (i really don't know). that is how they got here so quick. The firemen didn't have to scramble from home!! So they leave and we find the GOOD hoses which gives Lee plenty of room to stand there and squirt the smoldering hay while tony rakes wet hay on top of the black burnt hay. 
Here are a few important facts about this story that make it even, shall we say, BETTER (just in case you missed something):
1. Once again, Lee and Tony were in nylon shorts and flip flops stomping on the fire. They are lucky THEY didn't catch fire, but lee did say some hair got singed.
2. The firemen were in a PARADE and had to run back because somebody at the parade had been hurt.
3. The cut off water hose we were shoving into the end of the next hose had it's end cut off becuase tony had used it to syphon GASOLINE out of the car a few weeks earlier. So he is down there fighting a raging fire with a hose that has traces of gasoline in it!

All is well now. Tony and Lee are fishing and Mom has to go join the volunteer fire dept monday to avoid getting a huge bill!! We are going down to the Jesse James festival about 8pm. Mom said the very first Jesse James film with Henry Fonda was filmed here and that is why they have this day. I am sure I will have lots to post about it tomorrow. Mom had been gathering brush for us to have a nice bonfire tonight, but we decided that wasn't a very good idea...

Summer fare

With things sooo incredibly hot around here, I decided to start trying new pasta salads. My friend Jennifer had made one not too long ago that I liked alot and all I remembered was the dressing. So I thought about all the things I would like in my salad and went for it. I also tried to recall what was in the La Madeline pasta salad. I really enjoyed it and took it for lunch 2 days at work too, it makes a ton!

Bre's Anti-pasto Pasta salad:

1 lb Mini-Farfalle (or any tiny pasta)
1/2 pkg of turkey pepperoni
1/2 pkg of smoked deli ham (or any deli meat, maybe chicken?)
1 can of petite diced tomatoes, juiced drained a bit
1/2 bottle of Newman's Own Light Balsamic
Chopped canned artichoke hearts, to your taste
Chopped fresh mozzerella cheese (i had a ball about the size of my palm)
Chopped fresh basil

While noodles are boiling, chop all ingredients to small sizes, enough to mix throughout the pasta. Once noodles are drained and slightly cooled, mix all together in a big bowl.

I enjoyed it a little warm, but it was just as good cold!

We leave tomorrow for Chicago. I will take some pictures for sure!

This old house....

The kitchen is done! All we need are windows and some paint touch ups.In other news, our A/C is having issues.. and in Houston you can't let that pass at all! So we called the guy who installed the outside unit and he remembered us. He said instantly "we were going to replace your inside unit (the garage unit with the coil and the furnace) and you never called" and I was like "well it is expensive!"
So he came over and tinkered with the outside unit and lo and behold.... it's the garage issue. We had the option to only fix the A/C issue now and the heater later but that old heater is scary! The whole deal is being replaced as we speak....
This house.... the money we spend on it.... it seems to never ever end! I can't think of much else we need after this. We have done the following in 2 years:
New paint throughout
New roof
New bathroom
Crown molding in the living room
New front door
Outside paint on trim and garage door
New A/C unit
New fence and patio
New Kitchen
New HVAC (for lack of a better term)

All that is left is:
Driveway
Windows
Lanscaping

Oh that's only like $20,000! Hell, that's nothing right??

We go to Chicago on Thursday for Lee's sister Laura's college graduation from Northwestern. Donald is going to watch the puppies for us for 3 nights. After that, we are in town the rest of the summer other than the 4th, we are going to Palestine for that.

It has been 3 hours since the A/C was turned off. It is starting to get a little warm in here!

Hukilau

Oh yeah. When I was in first grade, we did the end of the year musical and I was in one with the song "Hukilau." we had a big rainbow parachute and we twirled in circles and stuff... I don't remember all the way. Well I told Lee about it and sang the song and so all week he has been saying "we are going to the Hukilau!" Well today shopping, I heard a melody on the speakers and it was the song! No words, but I could tell this was it. I found the lyrics online.

Oh we're going to a Hukilau
A huki huki huki huki Hukilau
Everybody loves the Hukilau
Where the laulau is the kaukau at the lû`au

We throw our nets out into the sea
And all the `ama`ama come a-swimming to me
Oh, we're going to a Hukilau
A huki huki huki Hukilau

What a beautiful day for fishing
That old Hawaiian way
Where the Hukilau nets are swishing
Down in old Lâ`ie bay

-----
We didn't get to see a real Luau while we were here, but maybe we will have to come back for that. I want some roasted pig!

Tomorrow we go home...

We have had a wonderful time here in Hawaii. We are staying at the Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island in Kona. The weather has been exceptional, today being the only over-cast day. That is ok because I am still too burned to be out and I have spent most of today lounging in our room watching tv and reading. I went down to the shops today and got some flowy white linen pants to wear to dinner tonight, an effort to cover my hideous legs. They are still bright pink, but the basic sunburn pain is gone. Still is sensitive to touch, though. I don't know if some slight swelling on my skin was a symptom of a VERY bad burn, or what. My right leg was/is far worse than my left.
Let's see, what have we been up to?
Wednesday: Holy cow what a day of travel we had to endure!! We left HOU at 9:30am and landed in Honolulu after a 7 1/2 hour flight. Then we played around for our 5 hour layover and landed in Kona around 6pm... at this point it is 11pm in Houston! So we then get on a bus for 45 minutes to the resort. By the time we check in and get to our room, we basically turn around twice and are out the door to the welcome reception. They had a tasting from every option we had (about 5 places) to pick for our "Dine Around" Sunday night. I had some wonderful seared Tuna and the best thing ever - lobster fried rice and spicey beef with pineapple. We were only there about 2 hours and I started to sway when standing still.
Thursday: Up to breakfast reception. After that Lee had the mandatory "this-is-really-a-business-trip" meeting, so I went to the beach. I took a book and was there with 2 other wives I know pretty well. After about 2 hours I came back to the room. I wasn't burned at all, so I was proud. Lee and I went back down to the pool, had lunch, and then went snorkeling. We saw these huge sea turtles!
Thursday night was a beach party. It was miserable-windy. All the ladies had hair in their face (see, it wasn't windy at all here at the resort, but the beach we were bussed to was awful) so we all spent the evening holding our hair and being cold! The food was downright bad, and there was a live band. Around 10 we went back to the hotel and had a gathering on the patio where someone had thier ipod in one of those portable speakers! We drank Cucumber Pomegranete Mojito's and chilled.
Friday: Beach day. We eat breakfast and then get bussed back to the beach (the beach here is a little cove, not enough for 900 people). This is where I proceed to get fried, even though I had on sun screen. But since I am opaque, the sun just drilled me. I see my knee caps getting red and alert Lee that we need to get back.
Friday night: BACK TO THE BEACH - my legs are killing me, Aloe isnt doing anything. There was another band and they botched 2 Jimmy Buffett songs. At some point I got horribly naseous and had to sit down. I did the whole gag thing for a minute and then just sat still untill Lee was ready to go.
Saturday: pain. pain. pain in my legs. I cry in the shower and I bawl when Lee is putting the aloe/lidocane on my legs. Never in my life have I had a burn this painful. We had a helicopter ride and I didn't want to miss it. I lather some more and we head out. The ride was awesome!
After we get back, I lather some more and we go shopping. Lee got some new Tommy Bahama shirts and I got the Ray-Bans I have been wanting forever. We ate lunch at the Tommy Bahama Cafe and I was suprised at how wonderful the food was! You think, ok, whatever, a cafe... no, this food was fantastic. I have to learn to make garlic aioli now...
Saturday night: finally, a night without being bussed around! I wore pants to cover my ugly legs and actually took the damn aloe/lidocane with me to dinner! This was arranged on the huge grassy lawn by a stage. Music was played while we ate a nice dinner. Dessert comes out and it is just plain bad and I am like "dude! how can you mess up chocolate?"
Then the main act comes on and it's.... HEART! So we got a full fledged Heart concert with "Magic Man, Barricuda, These Dreams," etc. They are pretty hard rock at times, but it was a nice show. After that, there was a disco deal going on but I couldn't go. I noticed my ankle was swollen and my knees hurt. Not like the burn hurt, but my actual knees hurt. Lee went on to the disco and I will spare everyone the rest of the evening.
Sunday: We are up and order room service. Lee leaves to go fishing and that is when I headed out shopping. Tonight we are eating at Brown's Beach House (we picked them because of the lobster fried rice!!) with about 6 other people. I have a cute shirt to wear with the pants I got today. I hate that I can't wear my dress, but it really looks bad when you look at my legs. And I have burn spots on my back too, so I will just cover it all up and stick a flower in my hair and go!
Tomorrow we go home and I am so home sick. I miss my dogs and my house and my friends. I will have to fight jet lag, though. We are going out to eat Tuesday night with Lee's folks, no matter that we land at 7:30 am on Tuesday! We will just have to sleep all afternoon so we can be alive at dinner!
I will post pictures when we get home.
Aloha!

Hawaii has sunshine...

Places you don't normally think about putting sunscreen - but you should:
Your Feet
Your Hands
You Ears...

Having a great time! My legs are burned pretty nice on the front, as well as the tops of my feet, but at least it happened today (day 2.5) rather than day 1.5... Tomorrow we don't plan on being out on the beach a whole lot (shopping!! Helicopter ride!) so by Sunday I should be doing well.

Ow...
Now off to a company event to smile through the sting.

Aloha!

Too-long

I didn't realize I haven't posted in a bit. Things are just nut-so around here!
The kitchen hasn't changed any since the last picture. The vent hood is here but in the garage and since we are about to be out of town for a week, it will be later on before it goes in. I am excited though!
We leave on Wednesday at 9am for Hawaii and will be back on Tuesday at 7am. I am hoping this is just a wonderful vacation. I am weary of the extensive travel but I know once we are there it will be worth it.
It is hot hot hot here! 97 today and the a/c is non-stop to keep it comfortable in here. I am soooo looking forward to the bill for this one... ick.
Work has been nuts as I prepare for my first official vacation since I started with the company. I have been there almost 7 months, so I think the timing is good. I just want to have all my stuff tied in a nice neat bow before I leave so there is minimal work for anyone else to do... yeah right! I have 2 major things to finish before I go so I should be ok there.
Time to cook dinner and wonder what in the world to watch on tv tonight! Why are the shows already over? Sucks!