*** SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION ***

Hello all- You may have noticed that I have not posted in some while. Well, that's all about to change. I am working on a total rehaul of my blog and while this will take a bit of time, I am about to graduate with my master's and will have a whole lot more time on my hands. I will be selling my Mosaic works soon and will then follow with my photographs. I want to share my adventures in the arts and a new business. And in the meantime, I still want to catalog my gardening adventures and spurts of Amy'tude. Stay tuned for a new look, feel, and bit of 'tude. Coming at cha soon!

Snow in Texas!?! Well, I'll be!

This is the 2nd year in a row that we've had snow in Texas and in February! YAY! I actually didn't have to go to work and had my very first SNOW DAY! We got to build a snow man last year and got to build an itty bitty man this year as well. I am so thankful for this beautiful day!!! HOORAY!

Cold beer? LOL!

Itty Bitty Snowman. :)

© 2011 Amy Yeilding

Our First Stray

We spent a wonderful week with the sweetest little stray kitty. We've never taken in a stray, mainly because they never let you get anywhere near them. I have always tried to help but have never been able to.

Last week, I saw this little sweetie when I was decorating for Christmas; I called her and she came right up to me and started meowing. She was so precious that I had to call the boys out to look at her. She just didn't seem like a stray; she was so friendly and seemed pretty clean. We were pretty sure she was someones and had just gotten lost. It was going to freeze the next night and we just couldn't bare the thought of her staying out there in the cold. So, we took her in and made posters to find her owner.

One week later, we had a good home lined up for her but not with her owners... we think they just abandoned her because they would have seen the signs if they had been looking... how anyone could abandon this little sweetheart is beyond me! She uses the litter box better than any of our cats and will sit in your lap and purr for hours!

Anyway... a very nice woman called the very frst day and said she would be interested in adopting the kitty if we didn't find her owners. I thought it was meant to be because she was a very kind woman with a older cat that needed a friend. She had actually seen the kitty and had wanted to adopt her then. I met her and she was very sweet and seemed like she would provide an amazing home. So, we gave her the kitty and she had a vet visit scheduled for the next day. I am going to check in with her sometime soon to see how the kitties are adjusting. =)

YAY! A happy ending right before Christmas!

Miracle for Christmas... Light Saver!

It's almost Christmas time and you know what that means! It's time for Christmas lights! HOORAY! I really got into this tradition last Christmas and went all out for the first time as an adult. I always string up a couple of sets and we did put some up outside in 2008, but nothing like I did last year. Jon was proud. ;)

Anyway... this year, I got everything done even quicker and even more efficiently; I was quite proud as well. When I was finished, I loved the decorations but for some reason, one side of the snowflake lights had gone out. We hung additional snowflakes on the ceiling and they glitter in the lights; without that half of snowflake lights, one side of the porch was less sparkly. And because there are around 10 little bulbs on each of these snowflakes, I was a bit bummed at the thought of having to check every single one of them.

Well, I never knew if there was something that could check light stands but I was determined to find out. I told Jon that if there wasn't something, we were going to invent it! Well, there was and it is the most amazing creation and the frikin' best $20 I have ever spent!!!

I got the Light Keeper Pro. It can be found here or at Walgreens. I TOTALLY recommend it! Not only will it restart a burnt out set (if the problem is found in the bulbs) but it will also check the entire light strand and individual bulbs!

The first option is the best and coolest thing ever! You pull out the first light that is out in the strand, then put the light-less bulb socket into the Light Keeper Pro, and click the button until the lights come on! You put the original bulb back in and the lights come on again and the burnt bulb can be identified.

Mine came on the first time. It does say to move onto the other options if the lights do not come back on after 20 clicks. I am telling you... AMAZING!

I will never have to stress over those pesky burnt out lights again! Merry Christmas everyone!

Round 2! I'm Gonna Get Cha!

Hyperthyroidism won the 1st Round unfortunately, but I am coming back to kick its ass in Round 2!!! I spent a year getting my thyroid levels up to par and was finally able to get off medication. I was off them for about 4 months but had to begin the process again because the Hyperthyroidism symptoms creeped up again. Grrr.

Currently, it is going well and my symptoms are definitely less than this time last year. So, hooray! We'll see how it goes; I am staying strong and positive. =)

New information on this crazy disease, coming soon!

There's the Frikin' Light!

Ohhhhhh, yes! We can actually see the light at the end of our very loooong Master's tunnel!

We have 3 classes left! That's it and we are free and on our way! ;)

Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jonathan, the Rock Star

I just wanted to take a moment to thank my incredible husband. Jonathan is an absolutely amazing and hardworking man; he never gives up and does whatever he needs to do, no matter what.

He has taken on 2 jobs, just started back to school, and is doing wonderful! He temps during the day and works as a restaurant server and manager in the evenings. The temp agency loves him and he has had some great opportunities; he has already gained so much experience and even more confidence that he can do this. He will have a full time job, doing what he wants, very soon!

I am so proud of him and am very thankful that I am his wife. Way to go, Jonathan! Good luck and I love you!

October is Fantastically Full!

I love this month! It just keeps going and going... We feel slightly overwhelmed but are having the time of our lives!

We began the month with Austin City Limits and the best line-up I have ever seen; it was the single greatest musical experience of my entire life. We also celebrated our first wedding anniversary and had a beautiful day together; we spent the day together and ended it with a trip to our college town and the bar where we had our first beer and conversation.

This past weekend, we attended Renaissance festival and actually didn't get rained out! We normally go in November and usually meet rain and way-too-cold weather. This time, the weather was great and the nights were wonderful for camping! We spent all weekend playing music and enjoying time with friends. We had such a great time! Hooray for Ren fest!

We will conclude the month with a weekend with friends, a celebration of our first date and 5 years together, and our 3rd Annual Halloween Partay! Helllllz yeah! What a month! I love you October!

Little Winslow! FINALLY!

Two things:

Number One - I am FINALLY posting some pictures of Winslow. I know; it's ridiculous BUT all I can say is that I have only had time to snap pictures and enjoy him! The posts had to come later. He is TOO cute for words and I can honesty say that he was meant to come to us. Even though Shadow's passing was one of the hardest things I have had to go through, I know he was meant to go on and I know that Winslow has a little bit of Shadow's spirit in him. =)

Number Two - Winslow is FINALLY off medication! He has been on antibiotics since we got him up until this week! First he had the cold... and then all the cats had colds (and had to go to the vet!) Then, he cut his back paw on something RANDOM. Then, he cut his front paw on something RANDOM. And lastly, he developed some weird lip-growth that the vet described as something she had never seen in the whole 3 years she had been there. All in all, he was on antibiotics 3 different times! He finally got better and is all well and off all meds! HOORAY!

And now... drum roll please!!!

MEET LITTLE WINSLOW!!!!!!!!!!

Look at those eyes!!!

Remembering Joe Coppeto

The world lost a good man on September 13, 2010. Joe Coppeto was an amazing human being, friend, son, and brother. He was a kind man with an amazing heart. He loved to laugh and enjoyed people, music, and having good time.

I am so sorry to hear of his passing and my prayers are with his family and friends.

Some of you may know Joe as the drummer from my wedding. His band, Professor Shark, played for us and truly made our night one of a kind and more special than I can ever describe. Our wedding was Professor Shark's last performance together and is a truly bittersweet memory.

Joe passed away in his sleep and was later found to have passed from an enlarged heart. The world will not be the same without him and he will always be in our hearts.

Rest in peace, Joe. We love ya, man.

Hyperthyroidism & Graves Disease

I get a lot of people looking for information on both Hyperthyroidism and Graves Disease here on the 'tude. I not an expert but am always learning and trying to get the knowledge to help those that have inquired. And while I am dealing with both and have been able to gain lots of valuable information, I am definitely always interested in hearing what y'all have to say.

I am trying to make it a point to post more information here and to be a valuable resource for those seeking answers. These are complicated diseases and they should be battled from all angles. Please seek me out for questions and while I know I have not been the best at this in the past, I will definitely do what I can to answer any questions or share any knowledge I have.

I am also very interested in hearing what information or resources you can share. I enjoy learning and would love to share what knowledge you have with others. Thank you all for your readership and please let me know if there is anything you would like me to include or try to answer for you.

Thanks! =)

Mattress from the Sky

I was grabbing a bite to eat and minding my own business when out of nowhere, a mattress fell from high in the sky. That's right, I said a mattress! After some shock and a little laugh, I realized that the mattress did not fall from the sky but from the freeway directly in front of me. It was craziness.

(Photo taken after a woman pulled the mattress out of the street.)

It landed right next to a car on the road and while I totally enjoyed this little bit of randomness, I am sure that I would have enjoyed it much more if the mattress had fallen on the car that was 2 inches away. That would have been superb!

None the less, I feel honored to have been at the right place at the right time. It was cool, it was funky, it was RANDOM! Yay for me!

A Look Back - The Best Day EVER!

I did post the link for our wedding photos but never put up any of the pictures specifically. I think I should have and am still disappointed in myself with this and several other things that I will not bring up at this moment.

It was such an amazing day and while a lot of my good friends and family were unable to be there, we still had the best day of our lives with some pretty spectacular individuals.

So, here are some of my absolute faves. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. =)

October 2009 was an incredible month. Here it comes again, and even better this time!

Anonymous Individual... 2 words for ya

SUCK IT!

Congrats to Two Lovely Ladies

I wanted to give a shout out and congratulations to my mom and good friend Christine. These two ladies have really been going the extra mile to be healthy. Both have changed their diets dramatically, cut out fast food, and have kept it up!!! They both got excellent reviews from their doctor, all their levels (cholesterol, blood pressure, etc) have gone down, and they were told to keep up the good work. HOORAY!

Way to go you two!!! I am so proud. Not only are you helping yourselves but you are helping to keep me inspired to help myself. Thank you both and congrats!!! =)

Welcome to the World, Bryce!

Elaine and Mike welcomed their little bundle of joy into the world on July 26, 2010. His name is Bryce and he is VERY handsome. Congratulations you two! We love you and I cannot wait to meet the little guy! Happy Birthday, little buddy!

=) Hooray!

My "Change"

I donated over 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love and got a major transformation in the process. I didn't think I had enough to donate but told my stylist to "cut it off" if I did. She knows me pretty well so I gave her free reign to just make me look good. I told her I had also been toying with the idea of coloring; I was red all the way through college but have let it go natural for the past 4 years. She told me she thought it was a great idea and that she knew what would be juuuuust perfect for me. And she did! I loved the color and wanted to just go for it. I hadn't done something so bold in such a long time and I have to say that I was VERY shocked but absolutely loved the results. I loved long hair but the summer is just too hot and I think my hair was just a bit too long.

Yay! I'm a redhead again!

DO NOT MISS THIS!

8/27/10 - Mark your calendars right this second (I am serious... get up and mark them RIGHT now BEFORE you forget).

August 27, 2010 (less than one month away) - the whole world will be waiting for the night it will look like the earth has 2 moons. Apparently, Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky in August and it will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. On August 27th, Mars will come within 34.65M miles of earth.

Be sure to watch the sky on August 27th at 12:30 am.!! It may look like the earth has 2 moons.

The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again!!!!

DON'T FORGET!

Happy 80th!

Happy Birthday, Nana! My Nana turned 80 on July 9, 2010. I couldn't be there but almost everyone else in my family was. I was very sorry I couldn't make it but they had an awesome time and Nana really enjoyed her very special day. =)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOORAY! We love you Nana.

Did You Know?

Cats get contagious colds...

I feel like a moron but I had no idea. I guess I have taken pretty good care of my kitties because I never knew they got or spread colds.

Winslow has a bad cold and has been fighting it for over a week. This morning his little nose bled because he has been sneezing so much. Unfortunately, it is contagious if he sneezes on the others cats which has been hard because they really want to learn about each other!

Poor baby... poor kitties... I thought they were immune. Silly me.