Quarterly Report?..sort of

Or should I call it a semi-annual report? Good grief....this is why I don't have any journals....well...I take that back...I have a few....and each of them have a few entries....only a few....I'm terrible at this....
So today...I thought I would just get everyone updated on the happenings around here. Aint nothing happening....
see you next quarter....



Just kidding....sort of....there are some things happening....Breezy is pregnant...Stormy is getting married....Sandy has lost 40 pounds...(my golden retriever)...I've gained 15 pounds....well sorry...but it happpened and i need stuff to blog about. But now that i've got a wedding to plan ....i have to lose it...CRAP...it's so much more fun gaining it. Breezy told me that "nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels". However Breezy has not eaten chocolate for like 10 years...so what does she really know? LOL (Love you Breezy):)
Anyhow....the weather is starting to cool down...I find that very news worthy, and I'm starting to get busy with photos... always happens this time of year.
I'm also designing the 2010 Calendar for Rescue A Golden of Arizona, that's who i adopted Sandy from. It's a huge job and i hope to have it finished by the first part of October. I've learned that as wonderful as Photoshop is...InDesign would be the better choice for this kind of a project...so my goal is to learn Adobe InDesign before next years calendar rolls around...just in case I volunteer for that one.
I still teach in Relief Society on the 4th Sunday...that was today...I think it went ok...but I'm glad for the reprieve until next month.

So...any Dancing with the Stars fans out there? I love it. Boy was I glad Ashley and Macy went home last week. I mean seriously....Macy apparently did not want to be there in the first place. She was really bad. She just needs to stick to music. I havent' really picked out my favs yet....but i'll be watching tomorrow.
I'll admit it...I'm a fan of TV....not as much as I used to be...but i do have my favorite shows. House is #1 for sure, DWTS....Grey's Anatomy...One Tree Hill....Burn Notice...Psych...NCIS...LOST....just to name a few. LOL!!! Come on...admit it...you have your favorites too.

Happy Mothers Day!!!

I went to church with Stormy today because they were having a special sacrament meeting for mothers day. Nine people spoke...about their moms and the important role they have had in their lives. I sat there in tears most of the time thinking about my mom and wanting to tell her how much she has meant to me. I decided to to dedicate this blog post to her.
My Mom....

Margaret McCormick (Maggie to her friends) (Ma to her kids) was born on December 14, 1925 in Walbridge Ohio to Ernest and Zoa Gillespie.

The middle of three children, all girls. She married my Dad, Thomas McCormick on October 23, 1943.

Together they had 4 children...Sally, Nancy, Tom, and me...Cindy. Yes...that's right...I'm the baby of the family...trust me...I'm always reminded of that. I'm ** years old now...(really doesn't matter how old I am) and Ma still introduces me to people as her 'baby'. Being a mother myself I understand why she does that. The baby is always Mom's baby...it's just life and that's ok.

Mom and Dad divorced when I was about 5. Shortly after that we moved to Arizona...she used to vacation here with Dad and always loved it. I remember as a kid my mom loved the heat. I guess after living for so long in Ohio and Indiana the heat would be a welcome relief.
Ma has always been a hard worker. While still in Indiana she worked at Seyferts Potato Chip factory.

When we moved to Arizona she opened up a little Hamburger joint called "The YoYo". I was very little and have very few memories from there...but I do recall being in the back room and putting a penny in my mouth and accidentally choking on it and then swallowing it. Mom made me eat a hamburger bun...she said that would make it feel better. I'm not sure that was altogether true....but as they say "mother knows best". Whoever 'they' is.

She also worked for Motorola


Earl Scheib


and Checker Auto


Eventually she started working for Farmer's Insurance and that's where she retired from.


I remember if anything around the house needed fixed, Ma fixed it. She was forever on the roof of our mobile home (which in that day we called a trailer and were not ashamed of it) working on the swamp cooler. She mowed the yard...repaired the fence....fixed leaky faucets and just about anything else that needed to be fixed.

Mom was strong...one time I washed a pair of jeans and didn't want them to shrink so I had to hang them on the line....apparently the spin cycle didn't work so mom and i had to wring them out by hand...she was twisting so hard i couldn't hold on to them. I think I was about 15 at the time...pretty hard on the ego if you know what i mean.

When Tom moved out it was just mom and I....I liked it that way. I always looked forward to 5:10 PM when I would go out and open the gates for mom to drive in from work. We enjoyed watching tv together in the evenings.

Over the years I've learned a lot from my mom. Some of her 'mom-ism's' have rubbed off on me...."For crying out loud"...."Well, for Pete's sake"....and of course..."shame on you"....apparently I heard that one a lot. I don't ever remember a time in my childhood that we didn't have at least one pet in the house. Ma loves animals....and so do I.


Some things I inherited from her...like my, shall we call it "ability"?..to eat fast. When I was a kid I was always amazed at how fast my mom ate. After I had children of my own I one day learned from my daughters that when they were younger they always secretly tried to eat faster than me....keep trying girls....I'm still the champ. :) I guess I also learned how to worry from my mom....she's a worrier....and so am I. I remember when I was a kid and there was a little tune that went like this " don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's back". For years I avoided every crack I possibly could. I never wanted my mom to hurt or be sad. One time she cried for joy at a gift she had received...it bothered me so much I couldn't hold back the tears. When I was about to get married and move out I was so worried about leaving mom alone. She did her best to assure me that she would be happy to have the house to herself. I took her word for it...but I'm pretty sure she missed me. :)
Ma was so supportive of my marriage. She loved Alex and knew I did too and just wanted me to be happy. It's wonderful to have the support of your mother at such an important time in life.
Mom was at the hospital for the birth of each of my children...sitting in the waiting room...worrying.
To this day if any of her kids or grandkids go on a trip she worries the entire time until they're safely back home.
After I got married and had a family life got very busy as it does for everyone. It wasn't always easy to find time to visit mom real often.
Now that my kids are grown and on their own I've tried to see her more often. Currently I make a point to visit her at least once a week. We have a good time...I do her hair...we watch TV....and she always has a treat for me. :)
It's fun to reminisce about the "old" days...(wow...I never thought I would say that I lived in the "old" days...but now I know it's true) when mom would put a cold knife on a bump on my forehead....butter on a burn on my hand...run the dishwater to a temperature well above scalding and then ask me to wash the dishes...hold my arm in the air above my head if I choked (????)...and of course....she was always there to hold my head for me when I threw up.

Mom...I love you....thank you for being my mom....you're the best.
Happy Mothers Day!!

Sandy Update

Well...I just took some pics of Sandy and thought I'd share them...I hope you can see the difference...I sure can. She has lost 22 pounds as of two weeks ago...next weigh in day is Monday so i'm hoping she's down a bit more. She's doing great and feeling good. What a beautiful girl.

The first photo is from January when I first got her

This is her now....

To Blog or Not to Blog?

I am so embarrassed to say I even have a blog..i'm a baaaad blogger...very bad. But I thought I should post even a little something tonight so that I can say "at least there wasn't a month between posts"....ooops...almost. I guess as a blogger I'm more of a spectator. I love to read other peoples blogs...I just don't make the time to update mine. Turn over a new leaf? Get the lead out? Stop being so lame? Those are all very good ideas...but...I know me...and I don't see it happening anytime soon. but you never know...stranger things have happened.
I know everyone is dying...(how do you spell dying anyway...??? Is it dying? or dieing? or diing (no.can't be that one) anyhow...I know everyone is Waiting for updates on Moose and Sandy...but see again....bad blogger that I am...I feel that I can't blog without adding photos....well...do you know the time and effort that goes into adding photos to your blogpost. Sheesh...first you have to take the photo...then get it from the camera to the computer....then photoshop it and make it perfect because if you're going to go to all the trouble to put pics on the blog you want them to be great, right? ...then you have to upload them to PhotoBucket...are you exhausted already? I am...which is why there are no photos with this post. And it's boring isn't it? Dang it...see...that's why I don't blog very often...I figure nothing is better than something that's boring...oh well...such is life.
Perhaps another day....another blog...another life...I don't know...but if you check back and it's not updated...hey...what's new...actually i'm quite certain no one will even read this post because they know that cindy never updates...SHE'S LAME!! It's true.
Sometime life just feels complicated...so why add to the stress....one day when i have nothing to do...I'll blog....unless of course I need to check my email.
Until then....

Jaw Breaker!!! so to speak...

Friday evening Alex and I were in Tucson and Stormy was home babysitting Seth and Tara's boys. She had just walked out of the kitchen when she heard Moose scream....she came running back in to find him screaming, Kernen nearby and Maxx with a terrified look on his face. Kernen is the Jorgensons Golden Retriever that I'm babysitting while they're in Switzerland. He is a very good dog...and has not been any problem at all...we have no idea what caused him to do it but he bit Moose. Stormy immediately called me and I had her check for wounds...she found two and said they weren't bleeding much. So I hoped it would be just a minor bite. However before too long he started screaming again. For what seemed like no reason he would suddenly scream. he did that all night long so the next morning she took him to the vet as soon as they opened. The vet found a third puncture wound and x-rayed him to find his jaw was broken. Surgery to repair it was necessary but they couldn't do it until Sunday. They splinted his muzzle with tape...he could only open his mouth enough to stick his tongue out to lap water. I sat with him at the clinic and held him for a couple of hours...he was on Morphine but still would scream out if he tried to stick his tongue out. It was just heartbreaking to hear him cry out. I had to leave him overnight which i hated but they were able to keep him sedated that way. Sunday the surgery went well...they had to drill into the bone to put a wire through and then bring it up and wrap it around the tooth to hold it in place...the break is in the bone between two teeth on the lower jaw. After surgery they put the muzzle tape back on to keep him from opening his mouth too far. He will have to keep it on until Friday...ugh....eating is not going to be fun for him this week...unfortunately both times I went to the hospital to visit him I forgot my camera so the only photos I have of him are from my cell phone.


This photo was taken after surgery.

He was rather loopy from the drugs and gave us a good view of his wounds.
The Jorgensen's return from Switzerland tonight and I'm dreading telling them what happened. I know how awful they're going to feel.
I brought him home today and so far he's doing ok....he'll be on morphine all week, I look forward to getting the tape off on Friday...I hope by then he will be feeling much better.
I'll keep you posted.

The Lion King...I think!?!?

Let me explain....our good friends John and Sara Voorhees invited Don Pocock and Alex and I to attend the Broadway performance of The Lion King with them at Gammage theater. Yay...."of course" I said....however...money is tight so lets jsut get the cheap seats. No big deal....there really is not a bad seat at Gammage. Well our Sara, who handled the seating arrangements, really came through. We sat in the cheap seats...the very cheapest I'm sure....the very back row. By the time we got up to them Sara was having heart palpitations and my nose was bleeding. But we are at the Gammage after all, so we held our heads up and marched right up to our seats. Whew....what a climb. Ok...so i'm exaggerating....it was great. We enjoyed it very much....you know, the mind of extremely creative people is an amazing thing. We went to dinner first in Tempe at a little place called La Bocca...yummy...great italian restaurant...the pizza is wonderful...oh and the Bruschettas before dinner are amazing. Anyhow....word to the wise...don't park under the trees on mill ave. We could hardly see out the window through all the bird poop when we came out of the restaurant.
Here are a few pictures...apparently Disney doesn't allow cameras and some 14 year old kid that worked at Gammage was on his way to stop me from the crime of photographing myself and my friends so i snapped a few and quickly put it away. For crying out loud...I think the people in the back row should have some fun...I mean come on...this was our view of the stage....

it's the black nothingness in the background....just kidding....this is why taking photos at concerts with a flash you only get the people sitting in front of you in your picture. I wasn't about to carry my pro camera up those steps...i may never have made it. :)
Sara and I relaxing after our workout....

John and Don comparing golf scores.....

Apparently alex didn't like the flash either....

See the lady in the sequined blouse with her bra strap showing...she reeked of cigarettes...ugh...and guess what she did for intermission...yep...went out and came back reeking some more...Smokers...why don't they get it....it stinks...it stinks bad.

Sandy!!!

We have a new addition to our family since the last time I blogged...which was a month ago...good grief...I'm way behind. So let me tell you about Sandy. She's an eight year old Golden Retriever who is gentle, sweet, happy....and rather chubby. We got her from Rescue A Golden of AZ. She was given up by her owner because they couldn't care for her due to age and health reasons. Apparently they hadn't been caring for her for some time now. Anyhow...after submitting an application and having the Rescue do a home visit, we were approved for adoption. Then on Saturday Jan 10th we got a call about Sandy. They brought her over on Sunday. She tried jumping out of the small SUV that they brought her in and fell on her face. Fat dogs can't jump. I immediately started brushing her out and got mountains of hair out of her. She was all matted, had two-inch long toenails and was really dirty.


We took a walk around the block that evening and I worried that she wouldn't make it home. I never noticed it before but apparently the last half of the block is all uphill. She did make it home and layed down the rest of the evening and all night long. Monday morning i didnt' think she was going to be able to stand up...once she finally got up she limped on all four legs to the door and outside...after a bit of moving about she loosened up and began moving a bit easier. SHe went to the groomer the next Tuesday and looks so much better now.


Today she's feeling happy and perky and really looks forward to her walks. I took her to the vet the first week to have her checked out...she tipped the scale at 124.6 pounds. The vet said she should weigh 80 lbs. Yikes...we have our work cut out for us. I'm anxious for her to lose some weight because I can already see a playful happy beautiful dog under all that weight.

This was taken the first day I got her while I was trying to get her brushed out. The bag in the background is packed full of hair.

Same Day...couldn't get standing picture cuz she won't stand long enough for me to get the camera ready to snap.



Jan 24, 2009 Update....I took her today to have her weighed and she's lost 3 pounds. I know it's not much. But it's progress. Yay!!!


Oh ya.....I think I see a waistline in there.

Photos of My Family

So each year on Thanksgiving Day....(which for our family means the Saturday after Thanksgiving Day) anyhow, we get together for a family photo. UGH....What a pain it can be....there's always someone complaining and wishing they weren't there, but I won't name names...(Josh and Seth)..so I lie sometimes...anyhow....I finally got the photos ready to go on my wall....these are the ones I've chosen for my wall....I hope the kids like them too. I'm excited to have updated pictures on my wall...
In no particular order!!! (that's a Dancing with the STars phrase) :)

The whole crew!

My son the pilot...need I say more girls??...he's AVAILABLE...:)

Breezy, David, Dutch and Maylee....

Seth, Tara, Maxx, Jace, Kade...and baby on the way!!

Josh, Lacy, Heather, Sammy, Makayla, Jasmine and Justice...

Last but most definately not least....Stormy!!

Even though there was some complainig...all in all it turned out ok and I have new pics for the wall...thanks kids.

Re-invented

So I'm the kind of person that gets bored with the same hairstyle. Ask my hubby and kids...I never keep the same do for long. So today, I re-invented again...Yay!! This one is a work in progress....need to grow the front out some more...but at least it's different than it has been...here are a couple of shots.

Family Photo Session

Recently I had the opportunity to photograph the McKinney Family. They were a lot of fun to work with. Seriously I have never photographed such well behaved children...they made my job so easy...I guess I shouldn't admit that...but these kids were awesome....it may help that Grandma had bribed them...they each got some huge gift after the session...Good Job Grandma...whatever it takes...Thanks Kids...You are the best!!!