Saturday, 7/2/11, between 8:00 and 8:30 PM, my neighbor rang the doorbell. I did not know what to expect. I opened the door because I thought it was still light outside and there was nothing to worry about. I can't remember if he gave me his name but he did say he is our neighbor just next door.

I don't really hang out with our neighbors. I talk to them sometimes when they pass by our house and make a short conversation- the hi's and hello's- and that's it. Our nice neighbor next door apparently no longer lives in the house anymore. My husband and I were thinking maybe he rented his house out.

I've never talked to this guy before and there he was standing in front of me by the front door. I could tell in his voice that he was upset. First, he said that his backyard northside area was flooded with water. He said he has two big dogs (which I already know and they bark at us while in our own backyiiard trying to enjoy our day) and made mud mess on his carpet in their house. I said "okay" with confusion. Maybe it is our sprinkler that started the whole thing, he continued. I said "okay???" again. He said that I or my husband should check it and let him know what we find out. I never said anything to him except okay and he left.

Oh, dear. I was a little bit scared. His size was intimidating to tell you honestly. I am petite 5'2" and he is big. That was the first time that I have actually spoken with him face to face since December or January of this year when they moved in in that house.

I went to my backyard and investigated. I could see water on my rocks and fence because the sprinkler obviously had just got done running. Of course, I could hear his dogs running back and forth barking at me from the other side. I could also hear water splashing from the dogs activity. I took a quick look at their backyard through the fence cracks and all I could see was a mess - a big mud puddle. Yikes!!!. It was getting really dark so I could not do anything else. I could not tell if our sprinkler is defective at this point. Also, it rained this afternoon for the first time in a long time so it could be the rain as well. Who knows? Either way, I have to do some investigation and documentation.

I have to note in this post that my neighbors backyard for the most part is all but dirt. They took the landscaping rocks away from the area in question to the flower bed. The yard has no grass or shrubs. There is nothing on the ground to keep it from mud puddles especially when it rains in my opinion.

This post is merely my record of incident with my neighbor. I want to log the activities as early as possible. I hope this situation doesn't get worse. *sigh*

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!

I love the weather recently. It has been really warm and sunny. I love to swear shorts and flip flops. I love to get some tan/ color to my skin. The kids like to play outside. They had used the kiddie pool and had so much fun. I love summer.

I dont' know about you but I am ready to enjoy the outdoors. I am ready to go camping, hiking or whatever that my whole family would enjoy. I love the outdoors especially doing things with my husband. We are like a good team.

I need to Buy Sleeping Bags and maybe a pair of Hiking Boots. I think my sister in law still has her tent (I hope) and I can just borrow it rather than buy a new one.

Oh, I can't wait to Enjoy the Outdoors. How about you? Do you love to go camping? Any tips for me? I know I need to learn how to deal with bears but I would probably go to a place where most people would go camping anyway. It will be a challenge since we have little kids but it will be fun.

I went to work pretty early this morning. When I got out of the car and walked to the door of my workplace, I noticed that my legs were getting very cold. I ran to the door to get warm quick. It was just less than 3 minutes but I felt like I was losing my energy from that cold. Brrrr... The highest today was just 2 degrees. They said that today was the coldest since 10 years ago. Wow!

I grabbed my lip gloss from my bag just to add some moisture on my lips. I noticed some white stuff. My lip gloss froze from the cold. (The wind chill was pretty bad I tell you.) I could not believe my eyes.

It is getting cold again. It is supposed to snow on Monday. The weatherman said that there is 60% chance for it to come. I hope it won't be too bad. I hate my feet to get so cold especially when I have to go out in the snow like walking in the parking lot or getting the mail. I don't have those winter boots and I just did not bother to buy a pair I guess.

Is it time for me to check the Shoe Inn world? Oh...my husband is not going to like this. He usually does not like it when I browse some items online especially shoes. At this time though, I think I need the winter boots more than some dress shoes. I want a pair of boots that will keep my feet warm plus the combination of comfortable like the tory burch shoes, and edgy like maybe the old gringo.

I guess I better call my husband and pay him attention before I indulge in shopping online.

My husband used to get our mails from one of the Cluster Mailboxes. He used to do that at nights. I really did not care because I guess he liked to do it and it was his task. He did not tell me which key and which box until he had to leave for work. I got panicked about getting this new task.

I really don't like walking to the mailbox at nights. It is just too creepy especially that I have two little ones. I work pretty early in the morning so it is still dark when I get out to go to work. When I get home from work, it is dark as well so I really don't have a choice but to just stop by in my car with my kids and then run to the mailboxes, open my box and run back to the car and go.

My son likes routines so he always reminds me that we need to stop by the mailboxes and get our mail. He is pretty good about it. It is funny though because I forgot to turn our car to the right to get onto the mailboxes one night and all of a sudden, I heard him cry so loud. I did not realize why until he told me we needed to turn right so we can stop for our mail. Yeah...he is weird that way.

Speaking of mailboxes, what are CBU Mailboxes? I was going to Google it but my internet is going wacky again. I was also wondering why new single-family neighborhoods nowadays use mailboxes like the Apartment Mailboxes. Just thinking...

I never knew that there was a garden of the gods until I came to Colorado. Have you been in this place yet?



It is such a beautiful park to visit. My family and I went there last month just for family time. It was chilly but it was definitely worth it. I love the colors and all the rock formations. It is such a wonderful place.

The sun is shining again. I love it. It is warmer than yesterday for sure. It is going to be in the 40s this week so I am very excited. I don't have to worry about snow or ice while driving to and from work.

Our driveway has the southern exposure so it is very dry right now compared to our neighbors across the street that still have piles of snow in their driveways. It is amazing how much snow they have. I wish I could take a picture.

Aaahhhh...I hate it when I get a stomach ache. It is very annoying. It stops me from doing things and it really hurts. It started this morning. I was a little worried because I was at work and I really did't want to have a surprise "go to the bathroom" thing. I am just glad that it didn't happen. The bad news though is that I still have the stomach ache and I have to go to work early tomorrow. Plus, it is snowing still and is supposed to continue until tomorrow evening. Arrrgghhh...

I had a dream the other night that I thought was a little bit odd. I was in the kitchen cleaning my butcher block countertop. I had just finished prepping the prime rib I was cooking, and I was rinsing the blood from the meat into the garbage disposal mounted in my stainless steel kitchen sink. I just happened to look out my window and notice my neighbor dressed up as a rat sitting in his adirondack chair.

This is when the dream got really weird. As I was admiring the adirondack chair my neighbor dressed as a rat was sitting in, we switched places. He was now standing at my stainless steel kitchen sink in the bikini my husband bought for me last winter. I was sitting on the butcher block countertop covered in oil being peppered and salted. My neighbor then proceeded to pick me up and place me in the oven.

As I was beginning to cook in the oven, the unmistakable aroma of bacon began to enter the room. That is when I woke up. My husband was already awake and he was cooking breakfast. Pretty weird especially considering I don’t own a bikini, a butcher block counter top or a stainless steel kitchen sink. Come to think of it my neighbor doesn’t own an adirondack chair or a rat costume... Sometimes I just wonder where this stuff comes from.

It is snowing today. The snow covered our grasses outside. The house feels cold. Something tells me that it is winter and I will need my winter coat tomorrow. I also need to wake up pretty early so I can go to work and be on time. I hate it when it snows because it is nerve-wracking to drive on the road. My husband already reminded me about driving on and under a bridge and how slick and dangerous it can be. Oh Lord, help me tomorrow.

I know it is too late for this but it is better than never post about it at all. We had a good time trick-or-treating last week (until we dropped the digital camera and damaged it for good). My little girl wore a Penguin Costume while my son wore a Nascar outfit. The penguin costume was a hand-me-down. My son had it when he was one year old. My son's outfit was only $5 from Albertsons. I bought it because I thought he would only use it once so I'd rather buy the cheap one. So, I only spent $5 for their costumes this year. Yey!

A lot of people thought my penguin was so cute especially with the penguin feet. My little guy was just so content to trick-or-treat and seeing other kids. They loved it so much. They had fun and worked so hard for their candies.

After my shower early this morning I stepped onto the bathroom floor and the cold told me that winter was coming. (Ah...I can't believe how fast time flies nowadays) I guess that means sooner or later I will start to see advertisements on the internet blogs I frequent that read something like this:

"Buy gas logs from the experts. Order R. H. Peterson Gas Logs now at Hansen Wholesale for a Guaranteed Low Price."

Actually, that is kind of catchy, now that I think of it. We don't have Fireplace Gas Logs or anything like that but it may just get me to investigate Hansen Wholesale and the R. H. Peterson Real Fyre Gas Logs that they sell. I wonder what kind of special deals they will offer me if I decide to buy Vented Gas Logs from them? Maybe I should check out their site to help me decide if their Outdoor Gas Logs are right for my outdoor fire pit or perhaps have information that convinces me I need Ventless Gas Logs instead of Vented Gas Logs.

Wow! I can’t believe I am thinking all of this stuff. Maybe because it is getting colder and colder. Luckily for me Hansen Wholesale has all the answers I need and more. They even have information on their current special offers which include:

• $75 additional discount
• No Sales Tax (on all gas logs)
• FREE Shipping (complete gas log sets under 36" in the continental USA)

Like I said, I don’t even have a gas fireplace, but with offers like that I just might look into getting one. If you are also trying to decide about getting fireplace gas logs, just visit this Gas Log FAQs and that may enlighten your mind.

What do you think of the boot in the picture? I can't help but admire the design. It looks warm and cozy. I found it when I searched for boots online for the winter. It is under stuart weitzman shoes brand. This designer has got a large selection of boots and shoes for women.

I have been really wanting to buy a pair of boots for this coming winter season. I did not get a chance to buy a pair last year because I just did not care. I used my regular shoes to go to work and I slipped a lot on the snowy pavement. Plus, my feet would get really cold and my toes would sometimes get numb. I don't know why I did not think about getting boots. I don't care if they're hunter boots or whatever boots as long as they'll protect my feet from the cold snow and avoid slipping a lot.

If you have a hard time choosing the right shoe or boots for yourself, visit this women's shoe blog for some guidance about shoes.





(Photo Credit: www.jildorshoes.com)

Phil Long Expo Center is going to hold a Home and Landscaping Show in Colorado Springs this coming January 14th-16th 2011. I have never been to Phil Long Expo Center but they often have events in there. That place is very close to the mall so I always see their sign but just didn't get a chance to go in one of their shows. I know they had like a Wedding Type event and an Antique Show.

I wonder if they are going to have a trade show flooring or a trade show carpet in that event. It is going to be fun to see the designers' ideas and some colorful designs for the home. I love HGTV so that show is going to be like HGTV in person. I hope my husband or maybe my mother-in-law can go with me. I still have months to plan though.

Are each of the businesses going to have a logo canopy in the event? Just wondering...

It is very cold today. It is so dark outside. I can only see the gray color in the skies. It makes me feel really lazy. I just want to cuddle with my pillows and lay in bed. I hate this kind of feeling. I really need to do something today like going to Goodwill and Wal-Mart. It is hard with this kind of weather because I have the kids with me.

Aaaahhh...it just looks nasty outside. Come on Mr. Sun. Come out. Come out.

The sun is so happy today. It is shining so bright. The wind is calm unlike yesterday. I love it. I have to wear long sleeves and extra sweater though because it gets too cold especially if the wind picks up.

This morning, I saw the sun peeping through our curtains so I opened the curtains and looked outside in the yard. I was impressed with what I saw. Our beautiful roses were like so happy that the sun was shining. I love our backyard. I am glad we invested some in there.

I want to get an outddor planter, a hanging planter or maybe an indoor planter someday soon. I just want to make our house look more relaxing and beautiful with the plants and colorful flowers.



My kids and I sometimes stroll around the neighborhood and I usually try to check our neighbors yards. I usually look at their outdoor planters, rocks, front porch, etc. Most of them did a very good job and I sometimes dream about what I should do with our yard and porch. I told my husband what I noticed and he would just say maybe after the winter. Maybe he is right. I should wait until maybe Spring.

Oh I love the sunshine. Maybe I'll let the kids play in the driveway again this afternoon. We need to take advantage of this before the snow season.

We went up in the mountains yesterday and I could not believe how beautiful the colors were. There were yellow, green, teal, gray, orange and light red leaves of trees up there. I got speechless. It was like paradise. That was my very first time to see that view. Amazing!