Stinky.

Right.  I should buy a new sketchbook.  But you see....I had one.  It contained many things that I've already posted on here, and many many things that were not.  And then Mona got sick the other day.  Really sick.  While we were gone, she managed to break out of her crate.  And so when we returned, the room in which she was contained...contained what her stomach used to contain.  That was the same room that contained my sketchbook...and um...the sketchbook got it.  Got it good.  Apparently Mona thinks my drawings are great!  ....for her to poop on!

So, because I have no sketchbook, and because Mark was talking about the Babinski Reflex while his feet were in my lap, you now can be grossed out by this lovely woman.  Her name is Babs.

Might I add...this was a challenge for the both of us.

Zeke

My one claim to fame...or claim to someone else's fame, maybe, is that I was buds with Chelsea Clinton in preschool and kindergarten.  Her dad was Governor at the time, and so that meant my friend lived in a pretty sweet house and we got driven around by her nanny a lot.

What I remember most about hanging out with Chelsea, though, is playing with their dog, Zeke. It was a blonde cocker spaniel that bit my face when I bent over to give it a hug.  I didn't have any hard feelings about it, though.  Apparently, I loved Zeke so much, that when all the kids in kindergarten drew pictures of what they liked most about going to an Easter event at the Governor's mansion, I did not draw the bus, or the swing set, or the Easter bunny like everyone else.  Nope.  I drew Zeke.  I can just imagine myself, separated from all the other kids, in my own world, just patting the lovable cocker spaniel on his head.  Apparently with a bow on my head.  And zombie arms.

Candice and Zeke, circa 1984

Blizzard.

Here is my masterpiece slideshow created in iphoto.  I turned off the Ken Burns effect.  You're welcome.

Sweet music, I know.

If that doesn't work for you, click here.  

You don't get the sweet music, though.

*Update...another batch of pictures from the most recent romp.

birthday boy

Mark's birthday is today!  Happy b-day, love!  

We had a fun morning that included a little open-house brunch.   I'm stuffed, now.  And it was the 1st time we used our china since being married.  I knew we'd need it one day.  Screwdrivers (less girlie than mimosas), Peach punch, Coffee Cake, fruit salad, "Lazy Chile Rellenos," Egg Casserole, Mo's famous Cheese Grits (mom, yours are better than mine), and DoubleShot Coffee, (of course), were shared with friends that stopped by to wish Mark a happy one.  I should have taken my camera out then, huh?  Oh well.

Ashley and Ryan even brought the doggies a balloon!  Thanks, guys!

Well...I think it was actually for Mark.  But he got enough stuff.

spectacle

So, Mark and I definitely have a routine in the morning.  It begins with both of us lying there pretending to be sleeping while we are really just waiting for the other to get up and go hit snooze on Mona.  Mona's our dog...the newest member of the Steichen clan that wakes up whining (and/or barking) at 7am on the dot every day.  I know, I know..7am is sleeping in for some of you folks.  Well I think you are deprived.

Anyway, this morning, I was the one who caved first, but by this point the noise had escalated quite a bit, so I was in a hurry to get to the dog to quiet her down.  In the darkness, I didn't notice that I was completely blind without my contacts in, so I didn't even think about grabbing my glasses.

Instead, I stumbled across the hall to practice the "quiet" command with Mona-the-destroyer-of-sleep, and immediately felt bad for cursing her under my breath.  It looked as if she had gotten sick in the bottom of her crate.  Poor thing!  Must have been that Mento I let her eat the night before.  No wonder she wanted out so badly.  I loudly called out to still-pretending-to-sleep-Mark that our little pup was sick, and stumbled back across the hall to grab my glasses so that I could survey the damage to the crate and the dog.  Only, with my eyes on, the puddle of sick I had seen only seconds before had been replaced with Mona's rope-bone.  She hadn't gotten sick after all.  She was just being a brat, and I am very blind.

Tetris.

Mark hooked up the Nintendo and we spent a little while playing this evening.  [ Actually, he's still playing as I type this. ]  And when I say Nintendo, I do mean the old school Nintendo...not Wii, not 64, not Super...just plain ole Nintendo.   With big plastic cartridges.  You know, the ones you might have to remove and blow on to make the game work.

Trivia Challenge:  Quick, what's the Contra Code to get infinite lives?

Anyway.  While Mark played Tetris to the dulcet tones of Tchaikovsky's Electric Boogaloo, and Bailey sat on the floor and gazed lovingly at him, I took the opportunity to do a couple of gesture drawings in my sketchbook.

Later on, I got to punch Bald Bull and Don Flamenco in the face.

Big Dog, Little Truck.

This was the funniest thing I saw this weekend.

Dogs

My husband (Mark) and I have two dogs.  Bailey, who was inherited from a friend of mine, and Ramona, a puppy we adopted in October.  Gosh they are cute.  And brats too.

This is my view of Bailey from the couch anytime Mark goes in the kitchen.  ["Please Mark...please give me cookies!"]