the people's choice....

i got a shiney medal! i didn't get the 1st place judges trophy, but i did win "people's choice" which is pretty cool! and i made it with mix of beef and buffalo. scandalous!

and now for a little song.......

I've paid my dues
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through

I am the champions my friends
And I'll keep on fighting till the end
I am the champion I am the champion
No time for losers 'Cause I am the champion of the world...........

these people are hilarious!

and look how insane/proud i am of my medal....

yeah chili!!!

chili cook-off madness...

here's the scene in the kitchen this morning. every one's crock pots are fired up and ready to go. a few more sit on other counters. i've been lurking around, trying to hear what people are saying. so far, mine appears to be a contender. i'm totally staying calm about this. i'm not writing my acceptance speech, or deciding where my trophy (trophies) will go.

i'll be graceful when i'm crowned the winner. oh god, is there a crown involved??? i might have to jump up on the table and shake my fists in the air and demand everyone refer to me as "the chili goddess". and i prefer no one make eye contact with me, and i need 600 count Egyptian Cotton sheets on my bed!

and if i lose, oh, there will be much sulking....

iphone camera round up, random stuff, the mind of a puppy....

iphone mania: here are photos i've taken on my iphone. i got a free program that let's you add black & white effects. it's neat. i've also downloaded apps that will calculate how much to tip in a restaurant, generate random numbers, translate 10 languages AND tell me when i'm ovulating! it's science!!!!!

in other news: i've entered my first cooking competition. it's an annual "chili cook-off" at work and i'm lugging in 2 pounds of my secret recipe. there's a trophy for 1st place and i want it. i need it! here are the categories the chili will be judged by:

At 12pm the Tribunal of Chili Adjudication will convene. During this time, they will sample your submission and give it a score in each of the following categories:
Flavor (25 pts max)
Spiciness (15 pts max)
Heartiness (10 pts max)
Appearance (5 pts max)
Impertinence (5 pts max)

i don't even know what 1/2 of that means! i just know that i want that trophy....

the puppy: well, gilly is right around 12 weeks old (by the vet's guess) and she's finding new ways to shock and amuse us. i feel like i should write a personal ad for her...

hi, my name is gilly. i enjoy going for long walks, stealing vacuum cleaner parts, chewing griffin's face, and eating paper. my owners think i'm easily distracte... HEY, LOOK AT THAT LEAF!!! OH MY GOD, THERE'S A ROCK IN THE GRAVEL!!! I'M GONNA EAT THAT....HEY, A LEAF!!!! ok, where was i? oh yes, i enjoy eating various non edible objects: rocks, dirt, plaster, dryer lint, coffee mugs, wine glasses, griffin's face. i'll try anything once! i'm a little shy around flocks of canadian geese and don't prefer accordion music. i've been told that i'm persistent, stubborn and easily distr... OH MY GOD, GRIFFIN'S WALKING BY, LIKE HE WANTS ME TO EAT HIS FACE!!!! that's all for now, i'm off to start a new project that might involve eating griffin's face and a leaf at the same time. just call me a multi-tasker!

XXXOOOOO,

gilly

final weekend pics...

puppy tongue!

griffin hints that we might need to do a bit more puppy training...

room for 4 on the couch...

the pack, then & now......

we were looking at photos from the weekend and noticed how some of the pics were similar to photos from years gone by. it was sort of bittersweet to see the pics of our "old pack" and how things have changed. gilly isn't a replacement for our other dogs, she's just a new part of the pack. ( it is funny to see how she reminds us of cleo at times....)

here's our dogs back in 2007:


this was early 2009:


and this is from the weekend:


early 2009:


the weekend:

(note griffin is yawning in both pics...)

cleo in her favorite spot, guarding the barn:


gilly considers a career in barn watching:


gilly considers a career in pet grooming:

we've known some amazing dogs, i wish we could photoshop every one of them into a group picture!

some pics, since i have no time or energy to blog... updated

this is what i do with my iphone:

gilly with her granny and aunt in a serious photo session:

iPhone makes me iCrazy...

first pic taken with my new phone, outside of the store.

so far, it's confusing the heck out of me. i may have to go back to one of these:

progress.....

all of me...

the song starts at the 2:40 mark and it's so lovely...

gilly is not a pretty pink princess...